Pursuit

"Bang~ bang~ bang~"

Seeing that things were taking a turn for the worse, Gu Xuanwu fired several more shots in Gu Sheng’s direction.

"Retreat~"

He called for Wu Xin and his men to withdraw, but stayed behind to hold them off for a while before leaving himself.

"Don’t chase them!"

After Gu Xuanwu and the others had left, Gu Sheng suddenly stopped his men from pursuing them. "Tell the brothers to avoid firing if possible. Driving them out of Wen County is enough."

"Yes~"

The two adjutants under Gu Sheng exchanged glances and saluted in unison.

"Mr. Zhang, what do you mean by this? Why did you let Gu Xuanwu leave? Do you have any idea what a huge threat this will leave behind?"

Shirakawa Rin was naturally furious. If he had not been wary of the soldiers around them, his tone would probably have been enough to infuriate someone to death.

"Mr. Shirakawa, please mind your words. Commander Gu exchanged the Border Pass with me through normal procedures. Everything was legal, and he himself did nothing improper."

In the end, Gu Sheng had not ordered an attack on Gu Xuanwu. After all, he had been the one to strike first. Although Gu Xuanwu had fired at him, Gu Sheng was not so ruthless as to wipe him out completely.

"You… sigh…"

Shirakawa Rin let out a bitter sigh. He chose not to turn against Gu Sheng and simply turned around and left.

"Wait!"

Gu Sheng reached out with both hands and grabbed one small hand from each of Ryoko and Mei Daizi. "Mr. Shirakawa, the city has been dangerous lately. I’m planning to have Miss Ryoko and Miss Mei Daizi look after my daily life for a while. There shouldn’t be a problem with that, right?"

"If Mr. Zhang is interested, you could marry them both without any problem."

Shirakawa Rin sneered, thinking that Gu Sheng had become far too pleased with himself. He actually thought a woman from the Empire would wholeheartedly devote herself to a minor warlord like him.

"Shh~"

Gu Sheng raised a finger between them and shushed Ryoko. "I know you have your concerns, Ryoko, but come back with me first. We can talk about it there!"

"All right~"

Ryoko considered it for a while before accepting Gu Sheng’s invitation and temporarily abandoning her plan to pursue Wu Xin.

"Master really is amazing! He brought back two sisters at once."

In the study at Zhang Residence, after Gu Sheng had sat down with Ryoko and Mei Daizi, Sister Liu’s voice was laced with sarcasm. Gu Sheng had not only plucked a wildflower, but had brought it back with him—and even brought along another flower he had yet to obtain. How could that possibly sit well with her?

"Master, I’ve always supported you, but this time, I think Sister Liu is right~"

Yue Qiluo sat on the other side. Her words also carried some resentment. For the moment, she had set aside her grievances with Liu Daimei and joined forces against Mei Daizi and Ryoko, who had just entered as "guests."

Ryoko stared straight at Liu Daimei, her tone full of provocation. "It’s been a long time. You’ve changed quite a lot. If you really have a problem with me, we can have a proper spar!"

Among the Chosen Ones back then, there had been quite a few women, but not many had truly stood out. Even fewer had earned Ryoko’s regard, and Liu Daimei had been one of them. Naturally, Ryoko was very interested in competing with her.

"Hmph~"

Liu Daimei rolled her eyes and ignored Ryoko’s provocation. Instead, she sat beside Gu Sheng, linked her arm through his, and said resentfully, "Miss Ryoko, I’m sorry! I’m already married now. Why would I still go around waving blades and guns?"

"All right, stop arguing!"

Gu Sheng patted Liu Daimei’s little hand, then smiled at Ryoko and deliberately put on a curious expression. "Please don’t mind her, Miss Ryoko. Mei-jie has always had that kind of temper. But, Miss Ryoko, do you and Mei-jie know each other?"

"We met once before."

Ryoko smiled but said nothing more. She still believed Gu Sheng was a "native," so she had no intention of revealing certain things. What she failed to notice was that Yue Qiluo’s gaze had already drifted toward her. Yue Qiluo had begun to take an interest in the two of them.

"Miss Ryoko, first, I have to thank you for taking Gu Xuanwu’s bullet for me just now. I never expected him to act so impulsively."

Gu Sheng sighed, but his words made Liu Daimei and Yue Qiluo’s expressions change. "Miss Ryoko, you must have many questions. You don’t understand why I kept you here, do you? In truth, I’m doing this for your own good."

As he spoke, Gu Sheng took a document from the bookshelf beside him. "This records the true origins of Sorcerer Wu Xin: someone who has lived for who knows how long, whose blood can suppress demons and other evils, and who has a great sorcerer at his side…"

The document Gu Sheng produced shocked both Ryoko and Yue Qiluo, while Liu Daimei and Mei Daizi did not react as strongly. Liu Daimei had known about it for a long time. As for Mei Daizi, her strength was insufficient, and she approached completing the Main Quest with a go-with-the-flow attitude. She was not particularly eager, much less willing to risk her life.

"Is what’s written here true? Wu Xin really has no heart?"

Ryoko found the contents hard to believe. If things were really as described, then she could forget about completing her quest—it would be impossible.

Gu Sheng sighed. "It should be true. That Wu You who came to Zhang Residence last time to claim kinship was actually a Wolf Demon who had attacked Wu Xin. He nearly gutted Wu Xin, but still couldn’t kill him. That man is a monster—a monster that neither ages nor dies, neither lives nor perishes.

"So, for the time being, you should stay here. Don’t accompany Shirakawa Rin to take such a risk."

"Mei Daizi will listen to you, sir~ Miss Liu, Miss Yue, I hope we can get along~"

Mei Daizi nodded obediently, keeping her posture very humble. Liu Daimei found it difficult to say anything, while a strange gleam flashed through Yue Qiluo’s eyes.

Outside Qingyun Mountain in Wen County, a small teahouse in the mountains suddenly received three guests—two men and a woman. Disguised as merchants, Wu Xin, Gu Xuanwu, and Li Yueya arrived at an inn with Big White Chicken in a basket.

"Boy, bring out the best wine and dishes."

Gu Xuanwu sat down boldly and slapped the table, signaling the waiter behind the counter to bring the food. He then picked up the teapot and poured a cup for Li Yueya first, followed by one for himself and Gu Xuanwu.

"Lord Gu, you’ve already lost all your men, yet you’re still putting on such airs!"

Wu Xin complained. Because of Gu Xuanwu, they had been hunted by Shirakawa Rin for a long time along the way, only barely managing to escape. Gu Xuanwu’s men had also been wiped out during the repeated pursuits.

Of course, they did not know that Shirakawa Rin’s initial target had indeed been the sharp-tongued Gu Xuanwu, but later became Bai Liuli, whom Wu Xin was carrying with him. Gu Sheng had leaked some information about Wu Xin to Shirakawa Rin. After learning that Bai Liuli was the great sorcerer who had given his ancestor the Bronze Mirror, Shirakawa Rin had begun planning to betray his teacher and destroy his ancestor.

No, that was not quite right. He intended to "welcome back" his ancestor, Bai Liuli, using the artifact to make Bai Liuli part of the Bronze Mirror, where she could serve as the guardian ancestor of the Shirakawa Clan.

"Oh no!"

Wu Xin’s expression suddenly changed. He slapped away the teacup Li Yueya had brought to her lips.