Pu Yunshan looked up, intending to argue, but seeing his father's furrowed brows, he swallowed back what he was about to say.
"It was I who initially underestimated Yi Prefecture and misjudged Prince Yi."
Pu Qinghe's gaze darkened.
"Did he force you to say that?"
"No."
"He threatened you with those eight people?"
"No."
Pu Qinghe looked at him.
Pu Yunshan pulled his father into the house and then recounted how Gu Moran released the people, including how he killed Zhao Wuxu in the dilapidated temple, how Gu Moran up the Yun Clan's shame, and how he punished him by making him continue picking night soil.
The backyard fell silent.
In the distance came the shouts of people heading to the market, and the wooden buckets by the well swayed gently in the wind.
After hearing this, Pu Qinghe's anger did not dissipate, but the way he looked at his son changed.
"You really knelt down to him?"
Pu Yunshan remained silent for a moment.
"He knelt down."
Pu Qinghe remained silent.
Pu Yunshan Station's coarse cloth trousers were wet from the water by the well, and his face still bore the rough marks from the days he had spent collecting night soil.
"Father, the people of Yi Prefecture are not as miserable as Zhao Wuxu described, and the Prince's residence is not as chaotic as the rumors outside suggest."
"I have personally witnessed the construction of canals, the establishment of schools, and the fact that children in shantytowns have food to eat. I have also seen the prince haul away timber sent by wealthy merchants to curry favor with him to repair the roofs of ordinary people."
He treated all the old acquaintances who came because of the fireworks display with kindness.
"I can't figure out what Gu Moran is up to."
Pu Qinghe looked up, gazing in the direction of the old Prince's Mansion.
"If the son can't see through it, then the father should go and see."
He turned and left.
Pu Yunshan was taken aback, then hurriedly followed.
"Father, why are you in such a hurry?"
"What's wrong?"
"Are you going now?"
Pu Qinghe turned to look at him.
"What, am I someone you can't show your face to?"
Pu Yunshan looked at his father, his temples throbbing.
If Gu Moran knew who was coming, and that he had tricked him with a fake name and a fake travel permit, he wouldn't get away with it!
Given the prince's temperament, he wouldn't get angry and punish him.
But you're definitely not going to spout anything good!
The night wind emerged from beneath the city wall, swirling dust across the long street. Shops along the street had all closed their doors, with only a few New Year's lanterns still flickering under the eaves.
Pu Qinghe walked ahead with his hands behind his back. His gray Daoist robe clung to his body, and when the wind blew past him, it spread out without even ruffling the hem.
Pu Yunshan followed behind, his feet leaving two sets of footprints of varying depths on the ground.
"Father, picking out night soil may sound shameful to you, but I haven't wasted my time these past few days."
Pu Qinghe did not turn around.
Pu Yunshan had no choice but to continue, "I know all the twelve public toilets in the south of the city, which alley is prone to spilling, which elderly person has difficulty walking, and which ditch is blocked and will overflow with sewage."
"You're quite proud of yourself?"
"What I mean is that cultivating the Tao inherently involves engaging with the world and observing people."
Pu Qinghe snorted softly, but continued walking.
"Cultivating the Tao begins with cultivating the mind; you've ended up in a pigsty."
Pu Yunshan's face flushed, and he turned to look at the distant south of the city.
The piglet was still tied up under the shed in the backyard. Auntie Zhao would add vegetable leaves to the trough every day. A few days ago, she complained that it wasn't eating enough, so she specially asked Tuoba Mang to go to the butcher to ask for some bran.
He, a young master of Mount Qingcheng, actually has his eye on that pig.
"Dad, even piglets can nourish the soul."
Pu Qinghe stopped.
Pu Yunshan nearly crashed into it, and quickly swallowed the rest of his words.
A coughing sound came from a half-open window on the street. A sliver of warm yellow light peeked out from the crack in the window. Pu Qinghe turned his head and saw a woman tucking a blanket around her child inside. A pot of meat porridge was still warming on the stove.
As Pu Qinghe entered the city, he had already seen far too many things that shouldn't be in this remote border town.
Clean irrigation ditches, streetlights patrolled at night, notices about shantytown repairs posted on the walls, and even the alley entrances were cleaned by designated personnel.
These things can't be accomplished by talking.
Step on it, look at it, and you'll know whether it's real or fake.
"Father."
Pu Yunshan spoke in a low voice.
Pu Qinghe withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.
"Shut up and lead the way."
"The Prince's residence is to the east."
"I can see."
Pu Yunshan didn't dare say anything more.
He had seen his father's footwork since he was a child. Pu Qinghe could leap over the most dangerous cliffs in the mountains by stepping on the loose stones. What would take an ordinary martial artist half a day to cover, he could do as easily as taking a walk after a meal.
Before an incense stick had even finished burning, the side gate of the old prince's mansion had already appeared at the end of the long street.
Pu Yunshan's palms were sweating, and he was out of breath from running.
He knew his father disliked the powerful and wealthy, and even more so, he disliked being schemed against. Yet Gu Moran had punished him so severely that he lost all face and dignity.
Although my father specifically took his sword with him.
Whether the plaque of the old prince's mansion can be preserved today, based solely on his skill, depends entirely on fate.
Inside the warm pavilion, Gu Moran was holding the lid of a teacup and stirring the tea leaves.
A series of urgent prompts suddenly rang in my mind.
[alarm!]
[ First Rank top-tier martial artist has been detected approaching!]
[Character: Pu Qinghe ]
[Martial Arts Realm: First-Rank Grandmaster Realm ]
[Identity Connections: Father of Pu Yunshan, Abbot of Mount Qingcheng Temple, former subordinate of the Liu Clan.]
First Rank.
With those two words pressed down, even the charcoal fire in the warm room seemed too cold.
The teacup lid in Gu Moran's hand stopped in mid-air.
My goodness, what First Rank "?
Even more powerful than Lin Zhenshan? There's actually such a person in Shu Region?
Is this guy going to directly avenge his son?
The original book didn't mention it at all, so Pu Yunshan's father is really that awesome!
If I had known, I would never have let him go and carry manure!
Gu Moran looked up at the window and could see a gray figure standing in the direction of the side door through the paper window.
The old man carried no weapon, and even his waist was empty, but when Gu Moran's Eye of Detection swept over him, the long list of descriptions about his combat strength on the panel almost made him choke on the hot tea he had just drunk.
Having just broken through to the Fourth Rank Middle Stage, he could already walk around Yi Prefecture with an air of superiority.
The man in front of me could easily slap him sideways into a wall.
It's practically a battle between young Guo Jing Wang Chongyang.
What a joke!
"Your Highness?"
Uncle Fu, who was standing to the side, noticed that Gu Moran had suddenly stopped moving and called out to her in a low voice.
Gu Moran put the teacup back on the table and stood up to straighten his clothes.
"A distinguished guest has arrived."
Uncle Fu followed his gaze to the window, his expression changing slightly.
The guards patrolling the courtyard had already noticed something was wrong. Xue Huan arrived from the corridor with two crossbowmen. Just as their hands touched the crossbows, Gu Moran pushed open the door and went out.
Pu Qinghe stood outside the side door, his gaze falling on Gu Moran.
In that instant, Gu Moran felt as if a rock was pressing down on his chest, and even the lights in the courtyard dimmed.
The old Daoist priest hasn't even made a move yet.
But the fact that he was standing there was itself a form of oppression.
Gu Moran showed no fear as she walked down the steps and raised her hand towards the side door.
"It's late and the wind is cold. Since you're here, why are you standing at the door in the wind?"
"Come inside and have a cup of hot tea."
Pu Qinghe looked at him.
Gu Moran also looked at Pu Qinghe.
No one spoke in the courtyard.
Xue Huan's hands were gripping the crossbow, his palms already sweating. Lin Qingdai fell from behind the roof, her scabbard pressed against her waist, her toes barely touching the ground.
Pu Qinghe's gaze swept over these people, finally returning to Gu Moran's face.
Do you know who I am?
"I just found out, your son was following behind."
"So you dare to invite this old man for tea without even asking why he's here?"
Gu Moran smiled.
"If you want to kill someone, it doesn't matter whether you drink the tea or not."