Chapter 533: Few Are Awake, Many Are Foolish (2)

Chapter 533: The Few Who Are Awake, the Many Who Are Foolish (Part 2)

“What can they do? Nothing more than collude with Li Jun, create chaos within the Central Court, and let Li Jun take advantage of the situation to kill us elders, thereby seizing the real-world carrier of the Ming Ghost Realm and achieving their so-called ‘freedom.’ That’s it.”

In the Golden House, a Huangliang dream, Liu Xianzhou looked at Long Zong and others with contempt, straightforwardly exposing their plan.

Liu Xianzhou sneered, “But for a combination like Ming Ghost and Wu Xu, coming up with such a plan is already pretty good.”

“But I don’t think the success rate of this plan is low at all.”

Liu Tu smiled and asked, “Are you, Elder Liu, really so confident that the lone Wu Xu won’t be able to kill you? Do you think they are just walking into a trap?”

“Of course he can’t kill him. Even with those internal traitors, the Central Court is still Wu Xu’s Central Court. They can’t overturn the sky.”

“So, Elder Liu, are you now planning to go along with the plan?”

“Set up a trap to catch fish, wait for the enemy to tire out. Why not take advantage of this good opportunity that comes knocking on the door?”

Facing the confident Liu Xianzhou, Liu Tu smiled ambiguously, “If that’s the case, why did Elder Liu have the Mao Shan Dao Xu take action?”

“Why would Master Liu ask such a question when you already know the answer?” Liu Xianzhou retorted.

Liu Tu pondered for a moment before asking in confusion, “Could it be that Mo Gu Huang really is so insane that he would choose to stab him in the back at such a critical moment? Doesn’t he fear that the conflict between the two will benefit those traitors?”

“For Mo Gu Huang, the choice between one Ming Ghost Realm and the unique position of the Central Court President is obvious. He doesn’t need to think about it.”

Liu Xianzhou’s eyes flickered as he slowly said, “Even if the Central Court suffers heavy losses due to this internal turmoil, he won’t care. The only thing he cares about is how to use a knife to kill people and eliminate any potential threats to his presidency.”

“Mo Gu Huang’s deliberate display of weakness and handing over power to me is just to make me face the anger of those Ming Ghosts and watch the fight from the sidelines. If I die at the hands of the Ming Ghosts, he will definitely step forward and throw all the blame on me, and then negotiate with those traitors.”

Liu Tu said solemnly, “But once you successfully suppress the rebellion, his position as president will probably change hands immediately.”

“So he absolutely won’t watch me win with his own eyes.” Liu Xianzhou sneered, “Mo Gu Huang now has two knives in his hand: one is the rebellious Ming Ghost, and the other is Peng Ze and his men, the Wu Xu. Once he suffers a setback in the front, he will undoubtedly stab him in the back immediately!”

Liu Tu suddenly realized, “So you asked me to bring Mao Shan in, wanting their Huangjin warriors to disguise themselves as you and take the knife for you?”

“Doesn’t he want me to die? Then I’ll do as he wishes. Mo Gu Huang is too naive. Does he really think that sacrificing me, Liu Xianzhou, alone can eliminate the hatred accumulated by those Ming Ghosts over decades? Only with the death of this president can a new Central Branch be reborn from the ashes!”

“During President Mo Gu Huang’s tenure, he acted arbitrarily, causing the Ming Ghosts in the court to be humiliated and unable to bear it, so they rose up and beheaded Mo Gu Huang. In times of crisis, Vice President Liu Xianzhou stepped forward and single-handedly turned the tide, saving the Central Court from peril. If such deeds were to spread to the other four branches, who wouldn’t be swayed by your, President Liu’s, great achievements?”

Liu Tu now fully understood Liu Xianzhou’s intentions and couldn’t help but sigh, “It seems that President Liu is more like a Confucian scholar than I am.”

“Master Liu, you’re being humble. Without your assistance, all this would have been just empty talk.”

Liu Xianzhou clasped his hands and said, “Actually, the person who should be admired is me. I didn’t expect that Master Liu could so easily persuade the Mao Shan Baiyun Temple to come forward. Your skills are beyond my reach.”

“It’s just a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

Liu Tu smiled faintly and said, “Moreover, Guo Qi’s Quan Yun Guan has also suffered losses at their hands. These Taoist priests are not the kind of people who can be trifled with.”

“Times have changed. Being able to get them to intervene at such a sensitive time, Master Liu, your...”

“The world is bustling with people coming and going for profit. As the saying goes, that official represents neither the Confucian scholars nor the new Donglin Party. The Ming Empire has no prime minister for a thousand years, but it has a thousand years of clan power.”

Liu Tu looked at Liu Xianzhou and smiled, “After this is over, the Central Court, under your leadership, President Liu, will be able to merge with the other five branches in no time.”

“The term ‘merge’ is too heavy. I don’t consider myself to have such great abilities. Being able to protect this small piece of land is enough. But there’s one thing I want to assure Master Liu: from now on, the Central Court will be your most loyal ally behind you, and our cooperation will definitely not be limited to this dynasty, this city, or this place.”

Liu Xianzhou’s expression was solemn, and his words were resolute.

“I appreciate your kindness, President Liu.” Liu Tu waved his hands repeatedly, “I understand the current situation of the Central Court. I don’t want to see you, President Liu, anger that official just to gain a position. It’s not worth it.”

“The Prime Minister is a lone peak, and the Central Court is just the white clouds beside him, adding beauty. If there’s a storm, they’ll disappear. But clan power is like a fertile river, a source of eternal vitality for the Central Court. Mo Gu Huang can’t see this, but I, Liu Xianzhou, can.”

Liu Xianzhou asked in a deep voice, “The mountain top is cold, and the riverbank is warm. Doesn’t Master Liu really want to give the Central Court a chance to recuperate?”

“President Liu, you’re speaking harshly. Since the Central Court wants to sail together with the Liu clan, if I refuse again, it would be ungrateful.”

Liu Tu burst into laughter, stood up from a large chair, and clasped his hands, “From now on, we’ll face the storms together. Please bear with me, President Liu.”

Liu Xianzhou also stood up, “From now on, we’ll share weal and woe. I hope Master Liu can give me more guidance.”

Inside the house, the charcoal burned, and outside, the wind and snow howled.

The two exchanged a glance, and suddenly, the sound of burning charcoal, the wind and snow, and laughter all blended together.

Liu Xianzhou’s figure slowly disappeared in this dream, and Liu Tu slowly walked to the door, raising his hand to push it open.

Outside, in a vast snowy expanse, a figure stood there.

This figure had been standing there for who knows how long, covered in thick snow.

“Come in.”

Liu Tu drifted into the wind, and the ‘snowman’ trembled slightly, with snow sliding down, revealing Gu Xi’s pale face like paper, stumbling forward in the snow.

“Lord, I know I’ve made a mistake.”

Gu Xi stood under the eaves, his head bowed, looking disheveled.

Liu Tu leaned against the door and asked, “Where did you go wrong?”

“I went wrong by being greedy for life and afraid of death, not doing my best. I was hesitant and didn’t try my hardest.”

“But since you know you’ve made a mistake, there’s still hope.”

Liu Tu nodded and changed the subject, “Actually, this can’t be entirely blamed on you. That lone Wu Xu is smarter than I expected. Liu Dian has been back in Jinling for a while, and he still hasn’t acted.”

Gu Xi replied softly, “He might also be waiting for the right moment.”

“But time is running out.”

Liu Tu sighed and ordered, “Go and remind him to be careful of those Ming Ghosts and Wu Xu from the Central Court. Don’t foolishly throw his life away there and miss what he should really be doing.”

“Yes.” Gu Xi replied respectfully.

“After the Central Court incident is over, he will probably be injured. Arrange a safe place for him to hide first. You don’t need me to teach you what to do next, right?”

“I understand. But, Lord...”

“Say.”

Liu Tu looked at Gu Xi’s timid and despicable appearance, his expression growing colder.

In fact, Liu Tu didn’t care if Gu Xi was a two-faced wallflower. If he could get things done well, he wouldn’t mind giving Gu Xi a chance.

But so far, a lot of information about Liu Dian had been given to Gu Xi, while Li Jun had taken no action. Gu Xi’s performance during this time was really unacceptable. At best, he was just a useless messenger between him and Li Jun.

“I’m worried that if Liu Xianzhou is killed...”

“What does it have to do with me?”

Liu Tu snorted coldly and sneered, “The Lion Mountain is cold and bitter, while the Shanhefang is prosperous. When one Central Branch falls, another Mao Shan Quan Yun Guan will naturally rise. In the end, Jinling will still be the Liu family’s Jinling, and it will never change!”

“I’m short-sighted.”

Gu Xi trembled all over, his clothes soaked through by the melted snow, looking particularly pitiful.

“Go do your business.”

Liu Tu coldly waved his hand and turned to go back inside.

The self-closing door brought a gust of cold wind, and Gu Xi looked at the closed door with a bitter smile, slowly closing his eyes, and his figure disappeared on the spot.

“Housekeeper, after seeing all these people and listening to what they said, what do you think? Don’t you think people’s hearts are so dirty, and reality is far worse than dreams?”

In the Golden House, which now had only one person, Liu Tu squatted in the northwest corner in front of a copper basin, his hands holding the dancing flames.

“It seems you think the same as I do. These people have tainted this snowy landscape and dirtied your body.”

Within the Golden House, a sudden breath of volition stirred as the charcoal fires in the four-cornered bronze basins flared into a violent blaze all at once, catching the drapes and window lattices, and the conflagration spread rapidly through the chamber.

Amidst the dancing flames, the vague silhouette of a woman clad in pristine white garments emerged.

"You have worked hard during this time."

Liu Tu rose from his seat with his hands resting on his knees, bowing to her with hands clasped.

"To be able to perform these deeds for you, young master, is sweet as nectar to this servant."

The woman offered a thin smile, and her figure, along with this entire dreamscape, dissolved into flying ash within the raging fire.

Someone had once described the sensation of disconnecting from a Golden Millet dream as being placed at the very center of a tempest, where one's vision and senses were turned upside down in utter chaos, or like a drowning man suddenly breaching the surface from the ocean floor, experiencing a rush of relief while his entrails could not escape a tumultuous churning.

Yet Gu Xi, opening his eyes once more at this moment, bore no expression upon his face, remaining as taciturn as a mountain stone.

Silently and soundlessly, a cup of wine was proffered into Gu Xi's still-dazed field of vision.

Gu Xi leaned back and sat up from a tattered, solitary sofa, reaching out to take the wine cup as he said softly, "My thanks, Young Master Liu."

"Just call me Liu Dian. Words like young master or lord are directed at the Liu family behind me; I cannot bear them, nor do I wish to. Conversely, if you and I had traded places, I might have perished long ago."

Sitting upon the low table, Liu Dian spoke with sincere emotion: "That you could achieve such a step, Brother Gu, leaves me feeling entirely unworthy by comparison."

"It was merely to struggle for survival. To me, this was nothing but a sudden and unforeseen calamity."

Gu Xi shook his head with a bitter smile, tilting his head back to drain the wine in his cup in a single draught, gritting his teeth to trap the burning vapors of the liquor within his mouth and nose, allowing his face to flush a solid crimson.

A moment later, Gu Xi exhaled a breath of turbid air, recounting every single detail of what Liu Tu had spoken within the Golden House to Liu Dian.

Within the banquet hall that had once belonged to Zheng Jizhi, Liu Dian remained silent for a long time.

"Since antiquity, it has often been said that the imperial house is heartless, yet that which is truly heartless has always been power, not the human being."

Liu Dian gave a self-mocking laugh: "Does my dear elder brother truly desire my death this badly?"

"When matters reach the brink of utmost peril, one must cast aside hesitation and find audacity."

It was precisely because of this phrase that Liu Dian had once spoken to him that Gu Xi had carved out a non-existent third path between Liu Tu and Li Jun.

Now, he returned these very words to Liu Dian.

Hearing this, Liu Dian nodded and smiled, "It seems, Brother Gu, that you and I are the same kind of person, both struggling to carve out a life."

"Not the same."

Gu Xi's voice was hoarse and low; the high-spirited mettle he possessed not long ago when he returned to Jinling to visit his family was now replaced entirely by an indescribably gaunt and haggard appearance.

"You struggle to ascend into the blue clouds of high office, while I struggle merely to drag out my last gasps of breath."

"The same."

Liu Dian spoke each word with resonant force: "Today is the Ghost Festival. Gu Zhiwei is far too old; he will not survive this night. After tomorrow, you will be the master of the Gu family, returning from Chengdu County to take up office in Jinling, which is just as well an ascension into the blue clouds."

"Could you... refrain from killing them?"

From beneath his deeply bowed head came a faint and powerless voice.

Liu Dian knit his brows tightly, looking at Gu Xi with utter incomprehension.

"The foundation of the Gu family is too weak; if more people die, it will collapse."

Gu Xi lifted his head, a glimmer of hope rising upon his pathologically flushed face: "Just let them leave their minds within the ancestral hall of the Gu family; that way, it can still be considered a boon for the future descendants of the Gu family."

Liu Dian broke into a wide smile, "No problem."

"My profound thanks, my lord."

Sweeping away the despondency between his brows, Gu Xi rose and took up the wine bottle, attentively pouring liquor for Liu Dian.

"Li Jun intends to rise in rebellion for the sake of the Bright Ghost, while Liu Tu wants to assist Liu Xianzhou in seizing power and ascending the ranks. When two tigers fight, now is our absolute best opportunity to break the deadlock."

Gu Xi spoke softly: "As long as Li Jun and Liu Xianzhou perish together in the central courtyard, Liu Tu will no longer possess any blade capable of threatening you. Of course, this is the most ideal outcome. If the difficulty proves too great, then Li Jun must be made the primary objective. Once Li Jun is eliminated, you may safely return to the Japanese District, gather your strength, and plot your course deliberately."

These words came from the bottom of his heart; having chosen Liu Dian as his lifesaving straw, Gu Xi could be said to have exhausted his mind and anxieties, every phrase calculated for Liu Dian's benefit, without a single word mentioning himself.

"Others have already laid their blades and spears directly before me, so how could I possibly plot a course deliberately? I, Liu Dian, am not that sort of man!"

Liu Dian shook his head, reaching out with a gentle yet firm motion to take the wine bottle from Gu Xi's hand, personally pouring wine for the other man.

"The present situation is already a encounter on a narrow path; they wish to manipulate and maneuver, but I intend to strike the decisive blow! Li Jun and Liu Xianzhou must die, and Liu Tu cannot be spared either. If Liu Tu does not die, your heart will find no peace, and my heart will find no peace either."

With a resolute expression, Liu Dian raised his cup in invitation.

"Please."

Gu Xi's eyes rimmed with red as he held his cup in both hands, his voice trembling: "Please!"

"Jinchuanmen Station has arrived. Passengers exiting, please..."

This final subterranean dragon train bound for the northwest of Jinling City was nearing its terminal station; the carriage was empty and deserted, yet within it sat three men with grim and severe expressions.

"Based on my understanding of the Institute of Universal Love during this period, the hearts of the people inside are thoroughly filthy. A single Rong Lu nearly dragged this Old Master Zou into a pit, so I fear Liu Xianzhou is unlikely to be any simple character either."

Zou Sijiu spoke in a heavy voice: "The plan of Old Man Long and the others is simple and crude; I fear it has long been guessed with absolute clarity by others."

"Whether they can guess it is one matter, but whether they can withstand it is entirely another."

Shen Li, who had uncharacteristically changed into a clean set of clothes, sat with his arms crossed over his chest, sneering: "As long as they rise in rebellion, that horde of the Mohist Order could not possibly block them. No matter how powerful a faction is, it fears internal traitors; at the very least, the sect-based Martial Order failed to block them back then."

A touch of bitterness coated the tone of Shen Li's words.

Given his age, he had naturally never experienced the catastrophic warfare of the division of martial arts under heaven, yet from the day he joined Tianque, he had heard the elders within the organization recount countless times how many sects, sworn to fight to the death in bloody combat, fell to the betrayal of internal traitors before they even had time to raise their blades and spears.

Consequently, Shen Li harbored an exceptional hatred for the words 'internal traitor.'

"Not necessarily. You mustn't forget that for the Bright Ghost to be loaded into the real world, a covenant must be signed with the Mohist Order. Who knows if there are still loopholes within that?"

Zou Sijiu turned his head to look at Li Jun: "Old Li, this trip is a genuine case of knowing full well there is a tiger in the mountain, yet deliberately walking into the tiger's mountain. I just cast a divination for us, and it indicates extreme calamity!"

"When has your divination ever been accurate?"

Li Jun glanced at Zou Sijiu, speaking with annoyance: "You're fine at reading chests, but forget about reading divinations."

"Slander! This is complete and utter slander against this Old Master Zou's Yin-Yang Rank Four Zhou's Butterfly!" Zou Sijiu shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Save your breath, Old Zou."

During these days of hiding beneath the subterranean dragon station to nurse their wounds, Shen Li and Zou Sijiu, both possessing naturally familiar personalities, had long become well-acquainted, feeling a deep regret at not having met sooner, so they no longer minced words with each other.

Shen Li teased: "In front of my Brother Li, you had better not mention anything about a Yin-Yang Rank Four."

"Why?" Zou Sijiu asked blankly.

"Since it's a one-punch knockdown anyway, wouldn't it be even more shameful to be a fellow Rank Four? It would be better to claim you're a Yin-Yang Rank Five or Rank Six; at least that leaves you with a bit of dignity."

Zou Sijiu tossed his sleek, slicked-back hair, declaring angrily: "Stop talking nonsense with me here. Could you withstand a single punch without falling?"

"My good man, you've hit the nail right on the head; at the absolute worst, I can at least withstand a single punch." Shen Li chuckled.

"Can you observe some semblance of a baseline when clinging to someone's thighs? You are a member of the Martial Order after all, how can you have not a shred of backbone?"

"Things like baselines and backbone are fine as long as one possessed them in the past."

Shen Li spoke with an air of complete naturalness, leaving Zou Sijiu thoroughly choked with exasperation.

Just as he was calculating how to counterattack, this subterranean dragon train finally arrived at the terminal station of this journey.

Lion Mountain.

Li Jun rubbed his throbbing temples and walked out of the car alone.

“You see, it’s too forceful,” he said. “I told you not to flatter like that—it’s harsh and unpleasant to hear.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Old Zou. You really think it’s a bad omen? This is a separate operation this time, and I don’t want to lose my life in the Central Court.”

“You have some nerve. You’re even bolder than Chen Qisheng’s stinky ox nose.”

“Others have the Dao Order—if they can’t win, they can retreat and escape. But I’m just a guy with one life. If I die, it’s really over.”

“Who told you he could retreat and escape?”

“If he can’t retreat and escape, why is he so arrogant? Is he from the old school? Hey, that’s really rare.”

“Let’s get serious. Is Old Li’s information reliable?”

“Don’t worry. We’ve been watching the Liu family for so long. We can handle this kind of thing smoothly.”

“If it’s so smooth, how come you got beaten up like that by someone else?”

“Zou Si Jiu, are you really going to bring up the pot that isn’t open?”

As the Earth Dragon train closed its doors and returned to its starting point, the laughter and scolding voices gradually faded away.

Li Jun walked out of the station along the underground passage’s stairs. The torrential rain scattered the floating projection, and lightning flickered in the oppressive clouds, occasionally flashing blinding white light.

In the fleeting shadow of lightning, the distant mountains resembled a sleeping lion, glaring at the sky.

On the seventh day of the seventh month, ghosts run rampant.

Ghosts go out, and warriors go up the mountain.