Chapter 596: Girl Jiyang

Chapter 596: The Fair Maiden Gyalong

The earth’s decaying whispers weave through mud’s mire.

A tree’s flesh, bound by limbs, crumbles—rot swift as a shadow.

Dust settles, earth returns.

Hegemony’s gaze rests upon a floating isle,

where only pale skin and weary eyes betray no harm.

War’s truce holds no blood, no victory’s mark.

What peril lurks? Only the victor knows.

How does this form emerge? Only the bearer sees.

“Why this visage? Gazing at twin eyes,

behold the monstrous—will light return?

Yet here, only a breath remains.”

Brother’s laughter echoes, a pact sealed in silence.

“Your resolve is clear,” he murmurs.

A smile flickers—then resolves.

He bows, a gesture heavy with unspoken weight.

This clash rekindles old tensions,

a stir in the geopolitical tides.

Yet beneath the surface, something shifts—

a seed buried deep, dormant.

The clash, though fierce, awakens both.

If shadows stir, or power claims dominion,

the land will bear its burden.

Some dwell in the void, others in light.

The sequence favors order.

Yet here, beneath stone and sky,

a new path waits.

What is it? A path forged in silence.

The question lingers—how many shadows lurk?

Yet in this moment, truth aligns.

"Old Chen, you tell me—Zou Ye here went on a rampage this time, my masculinity so thick it practically chokes the nose, so why is Shouyu hiding from me? Help me analyze this, what's going on?"

"Could he be injured? Changjun's the same way, half-dead and half-alive."

"Don't even get me started on that lecher of yours—more hindrance than help, two lumps of fat nearly drowned him in a dreamscape."

Chen Qisheng pondered Zou Sijiu's gaze, tentatively asking: "Could it be that Shouyu is too embarrassed to see you?"

Zou Sijiu blinked his eyes, asking expectantly: "Then why would she be embarrassed?"

"Because."

Chen Qisheng forcibly suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, adopting a tone of sudden realization: "Because she was moved by Lord Zou's heroic rescue of the beauty!"

Quietly, a slender figure manifested behind Zou Sijiu; beneath crimson hair lay a face adorned with two clouds of evening glow.

Autumn waters swirled in her eyes, seeming both annoyed and angry.

Zou Sijiu, back to Shouyu, quietly thrust a big thumb up at Chen Qisheng.

As expected of me, the Dao Lord—handling things is just so on point!

Ü-Tsang Guard, outside Nagchu City, temporary camp.

The surname-Sun official responsible for negotiating with the Nagchu Golden Temple stood bowed outside the study.

"My Lord, latest news from the Cabinet."

Liu Jinxun lay in a rocking chair, turning a page of his book in a leisurely, unhurried manner.

"Read it."

"Recently, a Buddhist Assembly was convened in the Buddhist Sequence's Spirit Mountain. The Han Buddhist Sequence, led by Hanshan Temple, declared that the New Donglin Party's rash entry into the territory was a provocation against the entire Buddhist Sequence. They are willing to cast aside the grievances between the Han and Fan lineages, sending men to assist the Fan Buddhist Sequence in jointly resisting foreign invasion."

A hint of disdain colored the official's tone: "Those people of the Han Buddhist Sequence finally couldn't hold themselves back."

"Within expectations."

Liu Jinxun spoke calmly: "What is the attitude of the Fan Buddhist Sequence?"

"The Great Sheng and White Horse explicitly refused, but their wording wasn't particularly harsh. Rather, it seems they are waiting for Sangyan Temple to state its position."

Liu Jinxun smiled faintly upon hearing this: "Did Linjiapo attend?"

"No."

The surname-Sun official smiled: "A bunch of outsiders making a racket, while the true master of the house didn't show face from start to finish."

"Linjiapo is a smart person; how could she not see this is just a duet? Regardless of whether she shows up, the Han Buddhist Sequence will enter the territory sooner or later."

"These monks can't wait to rush in and carve up the meat."

The official sneered: "However, their cultivation of patience is still lacking some heat; they couldn't hold their breath this early."

"This can't really be blamed on them, either."

Liu Jinxun set down the ancient tome in his hand, smiling: "After all, this concerns their fate from here on out. Whether they eat their fill, gather their strength to settle old scores with the Dao Sequence, or sever their own wrist like a hero, abandoning the Buddhist Kingdom to seek a path of survival that may not even exist—it all hinges on this single move."

"My Lord, do you also believe that the birth of the 'Yellow Millet Buddhist Kingdom' method back then was a trap dug by the New School Dao Sequence for the Buddhist Sequence?"

"Whether the New School Dao Sequence dug it isn't important; whether they are the biggest beneficiaries—that is the key!"

Liu Jinxun quipped: "The current Buddhist Sequence is clearly a host of self-assembled and self-perfected Yellow Millet mainframes; the Buddhist Kingdoms they pride themselves on are nothing more than solidified dreamscapes. If someone were to string these bald heads together, wouldn't that just be a replica of the 'Yellow Millet'? This business of raising someone else's child—no one could stomach it."

The surname-Sun official was clearly hearing this secret for the first time; his whole person was stunned frozen in place.

"No wonder."

After a long while, he finally recovered, asking: "My Lord, then the Grand Secretary chose to act at Sangyan Temple, is it because..."

"The Grand Secretary, that venerable one, possesses far-sighted vision."

Liu Jinxun's face showed emotion: "This game of chess, I fear, was set up decades ago."

The surname-Sun official clicked his tongue inwardly, but being one deeply versed in the essence of the Confucian Sequence, he knew well what could be heard and what could not; he immediately shifted the conversation.

"My Lord, then what do we do now? Continue wrangling with the Nagchu Lamas, or..."

The official's voice cut off abruptly, killing intent surfacing on his face; two fingers pressed together like a knife, chopping down heavily before him.

"No rush, the people haven't all arrived yet; don't panic and start the banquet early."

Liu Jinxun said lightly: "Right now everyone is watching us, treating us as the hosts who summoned this banquet. Then we must present the bearing of hosts. If the honored guests haven't filled the seats, and the main dishes haven't hit the table, how can we make everyone feel at home?"

To become Liu Jinxun's capable aide, representing the Inspection Group in negotiations with the Nagchu Golden Temple, the surname-Sun official was naturally a person of exquisite mind; he naturally understood Liu Jinxun's implication.

Who are the honored guests?

Naturally, the various factions lying in wait, ready to fish in troubled waters.

Then who are the main dishes?

Without a doubt, the Sangyan Buddhist Lord, Linjiapo.

The honored guests not having arrived is easy to understand, but Sangyan Temple is clearly right before our eyes; why would the Lord say they haven't hit the table yet?

The surname-Sun official pondered slightly, and the answer formed in his heart.

Nothing more than four words: the heat is not yet sufficient.

The mouthwatering thing in Linjiapo's hands has likely not yet ripened.

"Hold your temper, wait until everyone is seated, then we hand out the chopsticks. As for how much they eat, that depends on their own abilities."

"My Lord, you also said, this time we are the hosts; surely we don't not sit at the table to eat?"

"Sitting at the table is a given, but eating the banquet is out of the question."

Liu Jinxun smiled faintly: "Who knows how many pairs of hands have kneaded those dirty things; Yongchang, can you stomach them? We are a prestigious family; we won't fight them for scraps. It's enough if they can liven up this banquet."

Speaking here, Liu Jinxun seemed to suddenly recall something.

"Right, where is Yizheng now?"

"Reporting to My Lord, Lord Zhang should have already returned to the Nagchu Buddhist Land."

"This kid bears quite a resemblance to the Grand Secretary in his youth; both are men who can't abide sand in their eyes."

Liu Jinxun shook his head with a laugh, pondered a moment, then suddenly frowned and asked: "Is Yizheng alone?"

"My Lord, what do you mean?"

On a hill a hundred li outside Nagchu City.

Zhang Siyuan and Li Jun crouched side by side, craning their necks to look below.

The man who once fought desperately against a horde of flesh-and-blood monsters in the City of Karma, now wore a face full of awkward restraint; laughter filled his eyes, yet he bit his lip, daring not to let the corners of his mouth curl up.

Opposite him stood a woman with stars dwelling in her eyes.

She was precisely the girl Zhang Siyuan had spoken of—the one who raised cattle and sheep to be strong and sturdy, and sang beautifully.

"What is your name?"

"I am Dunzhu, from Yumo Jinzhu Village. There is no one else in my family, only a sick younger sister, but rest assured, I will definitely cure her."

Dunzhu poured out a whole string of words like beans from a bamboo tube; fortunately, his face was dark enough that one couldn't see the flush rising on his cheeks.

"I am Jiyang, from Baibao Village."

The girl eyed the sturdy man before her with curiosity. How did Yuemo’s people end up in Canglan? Didn’t his temple care for him?

“Why are you stopping me here?”

“I… I…”

Dong Zhu mumbled for a while, unable to articulate clearly. He had chosen love over gratitude, and suddenly pointed at the two pairs of prying eyes on the hill.

“My master said you’re a good woman.”

“Master? What’s that?”

Jiao followed his finger and looked, his innocent gaze causing Zhang Siyuan’s face to turn red, and he hurriedly lowered his head.

Dong Zhu said gravely, “Master isn’t a thing; Master is a good person.”

The woman said, “Oh,” and blinked. “You said you’re Yuemo’s slave, so can you tell me about Yuemo? I’ve never been there.”

“I’m not a slave; I’m a barbarian.”

Dong Zhu corrected the other person’s words again, scratched his head, and smiled. “But if you want to hear about Yuemo, I can tell you. But you’ll have to give me something in exchange.”

“What do you want?”

“Three bowls of hot tea and three lumps of tsampa.”

The woman’s eyes, when she smiled, were like two curved crescent moons. “Okay.”

“Deal!”

The man took two steps forward and naturally picked up the whip the woman was holding.

“Is Yuemo beautiful?” Jiao asked curiously.

Pfft!

Dong Zhu shook his wrist, and the whip snapped in the air.

The scattered cattle herds raised their heads, chewing on grass roots, and responded with a low sound.

“Beautiful. Very beautiful.”

The woman continued, “Is there a lot of barley there?”

“A lot. A lot.”

“Are there any gentian flowers?”

“No, because the flowers bloom in Canglan.”

The woman smiled, and her steps became light.

On a snow-covered plateau, a herd of cattle returning home, a man holding a whip, loudly telling stories of distant places, and a woman with flowers singing honey-sweet songs.

“Old Li, do you think this kid is really stupid or pretending to be stupid? I feel like he’s about to get something.”

Zhang Siyuan asked in confusion, but got no response for a while.

When he turned around, he found that Li Jun and Ma Wangye had already walked away.

“Hey, wait for me!”

“A kid who hasn’t even eaten pork before, pretending to be a matchmaker. If you’re not stupid, who is?”

Ma Wangye crossed his arms and asked Li Jun, “Not going to Qu Xiu?”

“Drink a cup of tea first, then kill him slowly.”