Seeking the Dragon and Divining Gold Among the Winding Mountains

Blazing heat flared, and golden light blazed in every direction.

Gu Yuan was on fire.

Like the sun.

It could burn away all the filth in the world.

In the armory, Gu Yuan slowly opened his eyes and confirmed that this was no illusion.

"This True Yang Art is pretty bright!"

His golden hands waved back and forth, leaving trails of scorching golden solar flames in the air.

"Six Yang Finger!"

Boom!

Six streams of solar flame shot out at once, piercing the ground and leaving terrifying scorch marks.

"Awesome! Even the Corpse King of Western Hunan couldn't withstand that!"

As the solar flames faded, Gu Yuan slowly rose to his feet.

He suddenly felt a chill below.

"Wait, where the hell are my clothes?"

"Burned away?"

"..."

"If I went out like this, the empress would probably cut me down on the spot, right?"

Gu Yuan shivered for no apparent reason.

He looked around and finally found several sets of casual clothes in a corner.

The armory doors slowly opened. Qi Yueli stood there quietly, as though she had been waiting all along.

"Thank you for granting me a cultivation art, Your Majesty."

Qi Yueli lifted her eyes slightly. "Your true qi carries a scorching heat. It seems you chose a yang-aligned cultivation art."

"Your Majesty, I chose the True Yang Art."

"The True Yang Art originated with the Orthodox Yang Taoist Order. It is a Taoist art, effective against ghosts and evil creatures, but of little benefit to martial cultivation. Why did you choose it?"

Gu Yuan smiled. "To tell the truth, I'm afraid of ghosts."

"..."

What an excuse.

Qi Yueli did not expose him. "You have only just begun cultivating the art, and the true qi in your body is still in disorder. You need not report for duty today. Go back and take your time regulating it."

Gu Yuan's eyes lit up a little. The empress had given him a pillow just as he was getting sleepy. He had been worried he would have no time to prepare.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

[The Orthodox Yang Taoist Temple really is a great place. It has so many tools for warding off evil. How did I never notice before?]

[Peachwood swords and black-rice talismans are all tools that can do great harm to evil corpses. If the empress hadn't mentioned the Taoist order, I would have almost forgotten...]

[Speaking of which, the empress really treats her subordinates well. I only just joined the Mystic Shadow Guard, and I could already choose any cultivation art I wanted. No wonder the Mystic Shadow Guard is so loyal to her...]

[Unfortunately, after the empress falls into demonic cultivation, she sacrifices the entire Mystic Shadow Guard to advance further, leaving no one alive...]

"..."

In an unnoticeable corner beneath the eaves of the Gu residence, Qi Yueli's hand trembled as she held the diary.

"Sacrificed the Mystic Shadow Guard... Qi Yueli, will you really become so ruthless in the future?"

Her clear, beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief.

[I'd better find a chance to leave quickly and quietly wait for the plot to unfold. Longevity is what matters.]

[I kicked the princess today. Given Princess Huai'an's temperament, she won't let that grudge go unanswered. Perhaps I can start with her and find a chance to leave the Mystic Shadow Guard...]

[As the female lead, you'd better not disappoint me.]

"The female lead... Huai'an?"

Qi Yueli felt a little dazed.

She remembered that Gu Yuan's Diary had once said she would be killed by the male and female leads together.

The male lead was the heir of the King of Qingzhou, and the female lead was actually her own younger sister, Huai'an...

A touch of sorrow settled over her already lonely heart.

Qi Yueli gave a self-mocking smile.

Even her own sister wanted to kill her...

She really was a failure as an empress...

"Little brother, dinner's ready." Gu Shu called from outside the room.

[I'll stop here for today.]

Gu Yuan put down his brush and walked out of the room, only to see Gu Shu beaming.

"Sis, what has you so happy?"

"It's your first day as an official. How could I not be happy? Come on, tell me what you did today."

Gu Yuan smiled.

"Nothing much. I just gave the empress a scare and kicked the princess."

???

Gu Shu was stunned.

He had scared the empress and kicked the princess?

"Well, look at you! You've become an official and started teasing your big sister. Take this!"

As usual, Gu Shu reached for Gu Yuan's shoulder.

Though she was a woman, she had considerable talent for martial arts and was already an eighth-rank martial artist.

In the past, she had always managed to grab her silly little brother.

But this time, she missed him, to her disbelief.

"You dodged?"

"Sis, you're not very good at this."

"Oh, you dare dodge? Get over here!"

A light breeze blew.

Qi Yueli watched Gu Yuan and Gu Shu play around in silence, her heart growing a little heavier.

If she had not been born into the imperial family, perhaps she could have been like that too...

Night fell.

Gu Yuan slipped out of the city.

But what he did not know was that a figure had been following him the entire time.

"If I remember correctly, the tomb is somewhere near Mount Mangdang, west of Qi Capital."

"But how am I supposed to find the entrance?"

"System, is there a way?"

[Ding! The host may choose to redeem a diary reward in advance.]

"Isn't it once every seven days?"

[Ding! Diary rewards are determined by the number of diary entries the host writes. Once a certain number is reached, they may be redeemed at any time. The current number is sufficient for one redemption.]

"Redeem it."

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained the Art of Gold Divination and Tomb Location.]

"System, you're awesome."

Gu Yuan climbed to a high point and surveyed the surrounding terrain.

"What is he doing?" Qi Yueli wondered.

"To seek the dragon and divine gold, observe the winding mountains; each mountain layer is another pass. Reveal it to me!"

As if guided by an unseen force, Gu Yuan pinpointed the direction.

"That's the place!"

Qi Yueli: ???

Gu Yuan's behavior had ventured beyond her knowledge.

Half an hour later, Gu Yuan found the entrance.

Yet the tomb door was already open.

"Someone's here?"

"The heir of the King of Qingzhou shouldn't arrive for another few days... Who could it be?"

Gu Yuan did not rush inside. Instead, he hid nearby and waited quietly.

Another half hour passed.

There was movement at the tomb entrance.

Two men in gray came out, each carrying a large sack of clay.

"This damned place is dark and cold. Scared me half to death!"

"Quit talking nonsense. Our superiors said we have to finish digging the passage before the heir of the King of Qingzhou arrives. If we don't, neither of us will live."

"I know, I know. I was just complaining. Why are you so serious?"

"Are you going to keep doing this after this job? I'm planning to quit and go home to spend my remaining years in peace with my wife and children."

"I'm talking to you. Why aren't you answering?"

Thud!

A heavy object hit the ground.

The man in gray walking in front turned around curiously.

He saw a masked figure.

"Aah-!"

"Y-you... who are you?" The man in gray turned pale.

"Hmph! You have just dug into my grave, and yet you ask who I am?"

"Aaaah-!!!"

The man in gray was scared witless.

"Spare me! Please spare me! I'm just a farmer from the foot of the mountain. I was paid to come up here and dig. I didn't know I was digging into your grave, my lord. Please, my lord, spare my life for the sake of the elders and children who depend on me!"

"How dare you! My powers can see through lies, yet you dare deceive me? I shall drag you down to the eighteenth level of hell, never to be reborn!"

"Aah-!"

"No, don't!"

"I'll talk! We serve the heir of the King of Shuzhou. We were ordered to dig a passage here and wait for the heir of the King of Qingzhou to arrive. I truly don't know what the passage is for! Please spare me, my lord!"

The heir of the King of Shuzhou?

Gu Yuan knocked the man in gray unconscious with a slap, his eyes full of confusion.

"It seems the heir of the King of Qingzhou falling into the tomb wasn't an accident."

"Someone's always trying to harm the protagonist, only to accidentally help him get a treasure instead... Such a classic..."

"Forget it. It has nothing to do with me."

"Time to find the Dragon Seal!"