Half a military token subdued a grandmaster, and Mount Qingcheng handed over three hundred fighters

Pu Qinghe stared at him for a moment, then stepped through the side door.

"Good."

"Then I shall see what makes Prince Yi's tea so different."

Once the door to the warm room was closed, the wind and snow outside were kept out through the paper windows.

Uncle Fu personally added charcoal and brought freshly brewed hot tea to the table, but Pu Qinghe didn't touch it, instead sitting opposite Gu Moran.

Pu Yunshan stood by the door, wanting to go in but not daring to. He wanted to say something on behalf of his father, but was afraid that he would make things worse if he said anything.

Gu Moran picked up his teacup and took a sip.

When Pu Qinghe spoke, his voice wasn't loud, but the charcoal fire in the warm room flickered twice.

"He has lived in seclusion in Mount Qingcheng for many years, neither serving the imperial court nor acting as a gatekeeper for the powerful."

"The prince made my son pick toilet paper, made him carry pigs, and made him wear a Hongxiu armband in front of the whole city."

"I've come today to demand an explanation."

Pu Yunshan felt a chill run down his spine.

Gu Moran smiled, put down his teacup, and reached into his sleeve to take something out.

It was half a charred old military order.

A corner was missing from the edge, and the patterns on it were blurred by the fire; only the dark, willow-leaf-shaped pattern was still discernible.

General Gu Moran pushed the order across the table.

Pu Qinghe's gaze fell on the military order, and the imposing aura that had been pressing down on the room suddenly dissipated.

He didn't reach out immediately.

The face, etched with deep lines by the mountain winds and the passage of time, froze for a moment before slowly lowering its head.

Pu Yunshan saw his father raise his hand, then pause in mid-air.

These hands, which had wielded swords and killed people, and had even shattered a boulder with a single blow on the back cliff of Mount Qingcheng, were now trembling slightly.

"This thing..."

Pu Qinghe's fingertips brushed against the charred edges, the sound rough and hoarse.

Where did you get it from?

Gu Moran didn't beat around the bush.

"A gift from an old member of the Liu Clan."

"General Liu left behind many things, but not many people can recognize this military order."

Pu Qinghe closed his eyes, his fingers pressing on the dark willow-leaf pattern, not letting go for a long time.

When the Liu Clan suffered misfortune, everyone in the court avoided them like the plague.

Mount Qingcheng has also been targeted by others.

The old general from the Liu Clan left him a few words.

If one day, someone in the Liu Clan still raises the old flag, help if you can, and if you can't, don't hand the knife to your enemy.

Later, the Liu Clan fell apart.

The old troops scattered.

Many people died at the border, on the road to exile, or in those desolate places where even their names could not be preserved.

Pu Qinghe thought that the flag had long been buried in the ground.

He stood up from his chair.

Just as Pu Yunshan was about to step forward, he saw his father clasp his hands together and solemnly bow to Gu Moran.

According to ancient Daoist rituals, one should bow deeply to the ground.

" Pu Qinghe of Mount Qingcheng greets the young master."

Gu Moran didn't dodge; she waited until he finished his greetings before standing up to help him.

"You don't need to be like that, senior."

Pu Qinghe raised his head, the coldness in his eyes had mostly dissipated.

"The proper etiquette should not be omitted."

He sat down again, and this time picked up his teacup and took a sip. The hot tea entered his mouth, but he couldn't suppress the bitterness that had accumulated in his throat for many years.

" The Liu Clan didn't just retain their old subordinates back then."

"They also have family assets."

Gu Moran's gaze shifted slightly.

Pu Qinghe raised his hand and tapped on the table.

"There is an abandoned temple on the back of Mount Qingcheng. On the surface, it enshrines an unknown Daoist priest, but underground it hides the Liu Clan's gold and silver, as well as registers of merchant routes from various places."

"The silver alone amounts to over 300,000 taels. Mount Qingcheng has been guarding it for them all these years, not daring to touch it or reveal it."

"There are 327 skilled individuals in Mount Qingcheng."

"Some are descendants of former subordinates of the Liu Clan, some were people who received Liu Clan in the past, and some are orphans taken in from the mountains."

Pu Yunshan's breathing tightened as he listened.

He had known these people since he was a child.

He had approached that forbidden area on the back mountain once while practicing his sword, and his father had punished him by making him kneel for two whole days.

He had always thought that it only contained the heritage of Mount Qingcheng, never expecting that his father had such a trump card up his sleeve.

Gu Moran didn't rush to ask where the money was; instead, she asked a question first.

"Of these three hundred-plus people, how many can actually fight?"

Pu Qinghe glanced at him.

"Besides myself, there is one person of the Second Rank, seventeen people of the third Third Rank, and twenty-three people of the Fourth Rank. Those below the Fourth Rank are all useless and do not count."

"If it's just about guarding the mountain, they're enough."

"If I'm going to come out of seclusion, I need to give them a reason that they can believe."

Gu Moran picked up the teacup, pressing his fingertips against the rim.

Are those below the Fourth Rank considered useless?

Oh my god.

Thank goodness, I have a system.

Otherwise I'll get scolded again.

He chuckled.

"Well, the old banner of the Liu Clan has already been launched using fireworks."

" Tubo is eyeing us covetously from the north, and there are people in the court keeping an eye on Yi Prefecture, not to mention someone like Yang Tie hiding in the gutter."

"Senior, I don't need anyone to kill for me."

"What I lack are people willing to follow me in protecting Yi Prefecture and the people of the whole world."

Pu Qinghe looked at him.

Gu Moran sat in the warm pavilion, wrapped in a thick fur coat, looking even thinner than the disciples practicing swordsmanship in the mountains.

But when he said this, he neither flattered Mount Qingcheng nor put on airs like a prince.

Pu Qinghe held his teacup and smiled.

"Good."

"Starting tomorrow, all 327 people of Mount Qingcheng will be at the young master's command."

"As for the Liu Clan's old collection, I will take inventory when I return to the mountain and send it to Yi Prefecture in batches without letting anyone notice."

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Pu Yunshan peeked out and saw Tuoba Mang carrying a bundle of timber passing by outside the courtyard.

Upon seeing him, Tuoba Mang immediately called out, " Pu Excellent! Weren't you supposed to be repairing the roofs of the shantytown? What are you doing slacking off at the Prince's mansion?"

Pu Yunshan's face darkened.

Pu Qinghe slowly turned his head.

"What does 'Pu Excellent ' mean?"

Pu Yunshan wanted to explain, but outside the Wangfu gate, Auntie Zhao's loud voice, who had rushed over anxiously, came from afar again.

" Tuoba Mang! Is Pu Hua at the Prince's mansion? His piglets have overturned the feeding trough!"

The warm room was extremely quiet.

Gu Moran lowered his head to drink his tea, his shoulder twitching slightly.

The teacup in Pu Qinghe's hand made a soft rustling sound.

Pu Yunshan stared at the threshold, wishing he could bury himself in the ground on the spot.

Pu Qinghe endured it for a long time, but finally couldn't hold back.

"What exactly did you learn during your time in Yi Prefecture?"

Pu Yunshan kept his head down.

"Look at people."

"What did you see?"

"I can see that Zhao Wuxu is full of lies, and I can see that the Prince Yi's Residence is not what the outside world says."

Pu Qinghe tapped his fingers on the table.

"Anything else?"

Pu Yunshan fell silent.

Gu Moran added for him, "He even learned how to pick out night soil."

Pu Yunshan looked up at him, and the seriousness he had managed to maintain completely crumbled.

"Your Highness."

"Did I say something wrong?"

"... No."

Seeing his son's state, Pu Qinghe's anger subsided considerably.

His son was talented in swordsmanship and not a bad person, but he grew up in the mountains and the worst malice he had ever witnessed was a fellow disciple fighting over a sword or a bandit stealing a cart of grain.

People like Zhao Wuxu talk about brotherhood with their mouths, but they're already sharpening their knives behind your backs.

If Pu Yunshan hadn't met Gu Moran, he probably would have died without ever understanding who had betrayed him.

"Your Highness."

Pu Qinghe suddenly spoke.

Gu Moran looked up.

"I'll leave this brat with you."

Pu Yunshan was stunned.

"Father?"

"Shut up."

Pu Qinghe glared at him, then bowed to Gu Moran.

"His cultivation is at the Fourth Rank, his swordsmanship is passable, but he's a bit slow, thin-skinned, and his cleverness is no match for the old lady sweeping the floor in your palace."

"He won't learn anything if he stays on the mountain."

"Stay by his side, let him suffer a few more losses, and learn to judge people better."

Pu Yunshan's ears were burning badly.

"Dad, I'm not that bad."

Pu Qinghe sneered.

"You were tricked into writing poems on a wall, punished by being forced to carry manure, and even made to run around the streets carrying a pig."

"These are things I could never do in my entire life."

[Four more chapters, I'm exhausted! The martial arts realms in this book are similar to those in Legend of the Condor Heroes, please let me know if there are any mistakes!]

[Thanks to: Yi'ao for the certification, Wan Guining for the reward, Tianzi for the extra update, He and Her for the update urging charms x5, Xixi's milk tea x3, Changze for the likes x2, Erhu for the flowers x3, Xinzhi, Manshan's milk tea, Zhao Gou, Chanshan for the update urging charms, Jian Ni's love letter, 969 for the likes, and Wushen for the flowers!]

And there's also the love and dedication of the fans!

Love you all! (๑•́₃•̀๑) If you have time, go to Hongguo and pre-order the second season of the comic series "The Transmigrated Villain, I Snatched the Fateful Beauty" to boost its popularity. I really want to see what happens next, hehe.