Schemes

After a moment, Gu Yuanqing's voice came from the courtyard.

"Go. I understand."

Yuan Yingsong seemed dissatisfied with this answer. He kowtowed again and called out, "The Crimson Dragon Cult has brought calamity upon the world, slaughtering innocents indiscriminately. Please, Young Master Gu, agree to leave the mountain and save the people of Great Qian from fire and flood."

Sitting in the courtyard, Gu Yuanqing looked coldly at Yuan Yingsong outside.

He watched as Yuan Yingsong bowed to the ground and shouted again, his voice ringing across all of North Spring Mountain.

"Who told you to do this?" Gu Yuanqing asked evenly.

Outside the courtyard gate, Yuan Yingsong's expression shifted slightly. Doing his utmost to suppress his racing heart and other reactions, he said gravely, "No one told me to do this. The Crimson Dragon Cult's deeds have truly provoked the wrath of men and gods. They slaughtered tens of thousands of our Great Qian soldiers, and even Grandmaster Zhou Yin, the God of Constables, died at their hands. In all the world, no one but you can stand against them, Young Master Gu. Thus, I plead on behalf of all living souls and dare to ask you to descend the mountain and slay these demons."

Gu Yuanqing said coolly, "Do you think I truly wouldn't dare kill you?"

"Your cultivation is supreme, Young Master. If you feel I have offended you, kill me or cut me to pieces as you please. I ask only that you take pity on the suffering of the world and act to slay the Crimson Dragon Cult's followers, lest all living things be plunged into misery and the Great Qian Dynasty become a Demon Realm."

Unmoved, Gu Yuanqing said in an even tone, "It seems His Majesty didn't tell you to do this. If this were an imperial command, there would be no need for such methods, nor would you need to conceal it. And the person sent to invite me wouldn't be you—it would be Eunuch Xu or Prince Qing. By broadcasting your words throughout the area around North Spring Mountain, you aren't inviting me to leave the mountain. You're forcing me to act. Someone who can make the distinguished Deputy Commander of the Divine Eagle Guard risk his life and his family's fortunes to serve them must be no ordinary person."

"I've already said that everything I've done is for all the living souls of this world. If you cherish your own life and refuse to act, Young Master, there's no need to invent excuses to slander me!" Yuan Yingsong shouted in grief and indignation.

Gu Yuanqing continued watching Yuan Yingsong impassively through Mountain Observation. In this state, he could sense Yuan Yingsong's true emotions.

There was fear, anger, panic, and unease. The only thing absent was the noble composure of someone pleading for all living souls, as he claimed!

Gu Yuanqing chuckled. "You've certainly worked out a fine scheme. Either I leave the mountain and fight someone to the death, or I gain a reputation for being selfish and disregarding all living souls. Either way, someone gets to play the fisherman who profits while others fight. But General Yuan, have you considered this? Even if I don't kill you, as deputy commander of the Divine Eagle Guard, an imperial guard force, you answer only to the emperor's commands. Now you're trying to force me to act on an outsider's behalf. What sort of fate awaits you?"

"Stop spouting baseless nonsense! Heaven, earth, sun, and moon can bear witness to my loyalty to His Majesty!" Yuan Yingsong shouted, his humiliation turning to fury.

"There's no need to argue. You know right from wrong yourself, and what the emperor thinks afterward has nothing to do with me. The only thing I'm curious about is who bears such a deep grudge against me that they insist on scheming against me at this particular moment."

Over the past year, Gu Yuanqing had truly learned what it meant to be caught in the world of martial affairs, unable to act as he pleased. He was clearly imprisoned deep in the mountains, with little contact with the outside world, yet one trouble after another kept arriving.

Forcing himself to remain calm, Yuan Yingsong said, "Since you are unwilling to act, Young Master, everyone has their own aspirations, and they cannot be forced. Forgive my presumption. I shall take my leave!"

As he spoke, Yuan Yingsong rose to leave.

With a creak, the courtyard gate swung wide, and Gu Yuanqing stepped outside.

An immense pressure suddenly surged toward Yuan Yingsong. The air around him solidified as he rose, and the crushing force drove him back to his knees. No matter what he tried, he could not stand again.

"Since you enjoy kneeling so much, General Yuan, you might as well kneel a while longer. If you dared come here to play your tricks, why be in such a hurry to leave? Wouldn't you agree?"

Gu Yuanqing glanced behind him. A chair flew out through the air and landed at his back, and he sat down.

Yuan Yingsong could no longer maintain his composure. His eyes widened in fury as he shouted, "Gu Yuanqing, a warrior may be killed, but never humiliated! Even if you refuse to act, you cannot insult me like this!"

Gu Yuanqing could sense the panic beneath his apparent rage. He watched him coldly and said calmly, "You're relying on your position as an Imperial Guard Army commander, thinking I wouldn't dare kill you. Perhaps, in your eyes, killing you would mean opposing the Imperial Court. But to me, killing you would simply be killing you. I'm still young, after all. It's perfectly normal for me to do a few things on impulse. Would the Imperial Court truly make an enemy of me over a mere true martial eighth layer cultivator like you?"

Yuan Yingsong's expression shifted slightly.

"Please don't misunderstand, Young Master Gu. I... I was merely acting impulsively because tens of thousands of soldiers died at the hands of the Crimson Dragon Cult. There truly was nothing like what you imagine."

Gu Yuanqing remained unmoved.

"Let me guess. The Crimson Dragon Cult attacked two Demon Realm Seal sites in succession, so it seems their objective is the Demon Realm Seals. Now they're heading toward the royal capital. As the man responsible for guarding the seal, General Yuan, you'll be the first to bear the brunt. Faced with mortal danger, you happened to have someone offer you this plan."

Yuan Yingsong stubbornly insisted, "I don't understand what you're talking about, Young Master Gu."

Gu Yuanqing continued, "That person promised that, so long as you succeeded, they would find a way to transfer you away from here in the near future. I've been wondering just who could make you believe they were capable of that, General Yuan!"

Yuan Yingsong's expression changed completely. He could not understand how Gu Yuanqing knew everything so clearly. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he pointed at Gu Yuanqing. "That night... you were outside!"

Gu Yuanqing smiled faintly. "I happened to have learned a new concealment technique. With an important Imperial Guard encampment at the foot of the mountain, I thought I'd simply test it there. I never expected to witness something involving me."

Yuan Yingsong's face turned ashen. For a moment, he could think of no way to argue his way out.

Gu Yuanqing continued, "General Yuan, since things have come to this, let's open the skylight and speak plainly. Tell me who is scheming against me, and I might let you leave."

Yuan Yingsong remained silent for a long time. Finally, he drew a deep breath. "Kill me or cut me to pieces as you please. My skills were inferior. I accept my defeat!"

Gu Yuanqing frowned slightly. At that moment, he could sense the resolve in Yuan Yingsong's heart, as though he had prepared himself for death. It was completely different from his earlier outward composure and inward panic.

Yuan Yingsong closed his eyes and said nothing more, as though he had accepted his fate.

"Then keep kneeling. When you've thought things through, we'll talk again!"

Gu Yuanqing stood, carried the chair back into the courtyard, and selected a book from the study before settling down to read it carefully.

That evening, Feng Tao brought dinner. Seeing Yuan Yingsong kneeling before the courtyard gate, she panicked and nearly dropped the food box.

Only after bowing repeatedly to Yuan Yingsong did she walk uneasily into the courtyard.

Facing Gu Yuanqing, she pointed outside.

Gu Yuanqing smiled faintly, and his voice sounded directly in Feng Tao's mind.

"Don't mind him, ma'am. He's a distinguished general, after all. Let him do whatever he likes."

A new month has begun. Well, happy holidays, and while I'm at it, please send a vote my way~