Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

Su Yuchen stepped forward and said, "Unless you never appear within two hundred miles of me again."

With that, Su Yuchen waved his hand and walked into an inn by the roadside without looking back.

Gongsun Da Niang stood by the street watching his figure disappear, then leaped away like a wild goose.

Chapter 429 Returning to the Small Building

The next day, as soon as Su Yuchen appeared in the lobby of the inn, he saw Gongsun Da Niang, who was dressed in a gorgeous palace dress and looked like a princess.

She was simply too dazzling; her magnificent palace attire and her face, partially obscured by the light, made her stand out from the crowd, drawing frequent glances from everyone. The once noisy inn fell silent; everyone's attention was completely captivated by her.

The heir apparent of the Prince of Nan, bearing a striking resemblance to the current emperor, harbored treacherous intentions. Gongsun Da Niang, a guest retainer of the Prince of Nan's household, also became involved in this affair.

[Gongsun Da Niang has learned of your situation from the Southern Prince's Mansion. She intends to win you over on behalf of the Southern Prince's Mansion, to use you as a force in the usurpation plot.]

As a master who participated in the Golden Roc Dynasty incident, your past has been laid bare on many people's desks, and your martial arts skills have been the subject of much speculation.

Su Yuchen glanced at the narrator, ignored Granny Gongsun, and walked straight out of the inn.

Gongsun Da Niang smiled proudly, got up and followed, leaving behind only a series of sighs.

Su Yuchen continued walking without stopping, heading towards the direction of leaving the city.

Outside the city gate, at Wuliting.

"Hey, do you really not know how to cherish a woman? Making a weak woman like me travel such a long distance with you," Gongsun Da Niang cried out coquettishly.

Su Yuchen looked at her expressionlessly, his cold gaze chilling Gongsun Da Niang to the bone, as if her heart had been completely frozen.

Gongsun Da Niang had never felt so cold before; it was a chill that came from the depths of her heart, colder than an ancient, unmelting glacier.

It wasn't until much later, when Su Yuchen looked away, that Gongsun Da Niang finally let out a startled sigh, her whole body drenched in sweat.

Su Yuchen said calmly, "I'm not killing you because I don't want the Gongsun Sword Dance to be lost forever. Otherwise, just for trying to kill someone in front of me last night, you would have already deserved to die a hundred times over."

He glanced at Granny Gongsun and said, "Keep your petty thoughts to yourself. My tolerance doesn't mean you have the right to test my patience."

"You...you know?" Gongsun Da Niang asked urgently.

Su Yuchen looked at the rising sun with his hands behind his back and sighed, "Life is so beautiful, and the path we strive for is right under our feet. Yet you people only focus on vulgar power and influence."

He turned to look at Gongsun Da Niang and said, "Go back and tell the Prince of Nan not to provoke me. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to let him know what the wrath of thunder is."

Su Yuchen's figure vanished into the sunlight like a bubble, leaving silently and mysteriously. Gongsun Da Niang had never regretted anything so much; she felt she had provoked an extraordinary master.

Should we tell the Prince of Nan?

Gongsun Da Niang was undecided, unsure whether she should confess to the Prince of Nan, but she had a vague feeling that if the Prince of Nan found out, he would definitely kill Su Yuchen to prevent future troubles. And the one who would make the move would surely be Ye Gucheng.

But for some inexplicable reason, Granny Gongsun felt a great sense of dread. She didn't know what it meant, but it was clearly not a good thing.

“The King of the South is unaware that I wanted to recruit him. This was a private matter on my own, and as long as I don’t say anything, no one will know.”

After a moment's thought, Madam Gongsun decided to keep the matter a secret. Little did she know that this incident would not only save her and Ye Gucheng, but also hundreds of people in the Southern Prince's Mansion.

………………

Hua Manlou lives in a small building.

"Where did Brother Su go?" Hua Manlou asked without turning his head, sitting by the window.

Su Yuchen exclaimed, "Your way of nature is truly amazing. I am confident that I did not reveal the slightest bit of my energy, yet you were still able to detect it."

Hua Manlou raised his hand, and a butterfly that was about to take flight in his palm finally broke free of its restraints and flew out of the window.

Hua Manlou said softly, "I didn't sense any trace of Brother Su. It was a butterfly that was startled. And the only one in the world who could appear behind me without me noticing is Brother Su."

Su Yuchen was slightly taken aback, then realized that his regret for Gongsun Jianwu still left a trace of lingering thoughts.

A flash of glazed sword light passed through his eyes. Su Yuchen abandoned this unnecessary sigh, came to Hua Manlou's side, and said, "It's just an unrelated person who gave rise to a superfluous thought."

Hua Manlou paused, then shook his head and said, "I can't understand Brother Su's level of understanding, and I can't offer you any reference value."

Su Yuchen smiled and shook his head, saying, "There's no need. Speaking of which, I spent half a month traveling around the Central Plains. Unfortunately, I didn't find any more rare treasures."

Hua Manlou pointed to the roof ridge and said:

"I have embedded Brother Su's Purple Jade Marrow Bead on the rooftop, hoping that it can be of some help to Brother Su as soon as possible with the help of the essence of the sun and moon."

"Brother Su, have you been to the Prince of Pingnan's residence?"

Su Yuchen nodded and said, "Divine objects are naturally hidden. I don't know who took that mermaid pearl. Even with my abilities, I haven't been able to find it."

"However," Su Yuchen smiled and said, "this item is ultimately destined for me, and I believe it will fall into my hands. Now we just need to wait for the right time."

Hua Manlou said in surprise, "Brother Su's words seem to have a deeper meaning."

Su Yuchen nodded and said, "This is just a matter of chance. Whether it is or not, we'll know in time. If not, then we'll have to put in some effort. What about Lu Xiaofeng?"

Hua Manlou smiled and said, "When you left that day, Lu Xiaofeng secretly escorted several disciples of the Emei Sect back to Sichuan. He sent a letter before, saying that he had returned from Sichuan, but then went north again."

“Only Lu Xiaofeng would write a letter to a blind man,” Su Yuchen said, shaking his head.

Hua Manlou smiled and found it quite funny.

Su Yuchen looked into his eyes and said, "Your eyes..."

Hua Manlou nodded and said, "As expected, I couldn't hide it from Brother Su. Although my eyes haven't recovered yet, I can feel the toxins remaining in them being gradually eliminated by my true energy. I think as long as my skill is sufficient, I'm not far from recovery."

Su Yuchen nodded and said:

"The interplay of movement and stillness constitutes the Way."

"Your love for life and your pursuit of nature meet the requirements of the Yin True Qi in the Longevity Manual; while the adventures and excitement you experienced before meet the requirements of the Yang True Qi in the Longevity Manual. Yin and Yang, stillness and movement, perfectly match the requirements of cultivating the Longevity Manual."

"No wonder the Yin-Yang True Qi in your body is progressing so rapidly, far exceeding expectations. Even I overlooked this."

Hua Manlou shook his head and said instead, "During the time Brother Su was away, a letter came from the Su family and has been in my possession ever since."

Hua Manlou pulled a letter from his sleeve. Su Yuchen sighed, took it, and rubbed it. A handful of powder scattered in the wind.

"Brother Su, have you not yet let go?" Hua Manlou asked softly.

Su Yuchen shook his head and said, "My time in this world is running out, and I don't want to leave any lingering karma. It's better if we don't meet again."

Hua Manlou asked in surprise, "Brother Su, what do you mean by this?"

"You'll understand later," Su Yuchen said, waving his hand.

Chapter 430 Reunion with Gongsun

On the day Su Yuchen emerged from seclusion, he saw Hua Manlou sitting by the window, as if he could sit there forever until the beautiful end of his life.

"Brother Su, you've emerged from seclusion, but did things not go smoothly?" Hua Manlou asked softly.

Su Yuchen nodded: "The result of seclusion is better than nothing. Unless the spiritual energy of this world is revived and the primordial energy of heaven and earth increases dramatically, there is nothing we can do."

"Shallow waters cannot nurture a true dragon," Hua Manlou thought to himself.

Su Yuchen shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about this. Brother Hua, is something on your mind?"

Hua Manlou pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it over, saying, "Recently, a master embroiderer has emerged in the martial arts world. With just an embroidery needle, he first embroidered away 800,000 taels of silver from Chang Mantian of Zhenyuan Escort Agency, and then embroidered away dozens of antiques and paintings from Huayuxuan. Most importantly, the eighteen pearls in the Southeast Prince's Mansion were also embroidered away."

Su Yuchen smiled but didn't say anything.

Hua Manlou said, "When Brother Su returned that day, he said that the pearl was destined for you. Could it be that Brother Su already knew at that time that someone was going to steal those pearls?"

Su Yuchen nodded and said, "People are always greedy; no one can escape it. Others covet worldly riches and honors, while I covet longevity. I just didn't expect him to act so quickly."

Hua Manlou asked, "Brother Su, do you know who that person is?"

Su Yuchen smiled and said, "I can't tell you until I get that pearl. But I think Lu Xiaofeng will definitely get involved in this. If you see him, you might as well tell him and let him see for himself."

Su Yuchen had already left. Hua Manlou sat alone upstairs, head bowed in thought for a moment. He couldn't help but think of something and sighed softly to himself.

………………

As darkness fell, Su Yuchen walked alone through Suzhou. After wandering through several alleys, he saw Granny Gongsun selling chestnuts at the alley entrance.

Just as she was about to succeed, Granny Gongsun paused when she saw Su Yuchen across the alley. She then swayed over with her basket, ignoring the curses from the people behind her.

"You really can find me so easily? Have you also sided with some power, and someone is keeping an eye on me for you?" Gongsun asked.

Su Yuchen said calmly, "Tell me, who is Second Mother?"

Gongsun Da Niang asked curiously, "This is the second time you've asked about the second son. I'm curious, what do you want with her? She's just in charge of disposing of stolen goods."

Su Yuchen smiled and said, "She might have something of mine in her possession, and I want to take it back."

"Yours?" Granny Gongsun frowned and couldn't help but say, "Could someone possibly steal something from you? And how did it end up in the second brother's hands?"

"Then could you take me to see her?" Su Yuchen asked.

Gongsun Da Niang said with a charming smile, "Why don't you tell me what that thing is, so I can ask my second brother to get it back for you? As for where it is? To be honest, I don't know either."

Seeing Su Yuchen's face grow even colder, Gongsun Da Niang suppressed her heart pounding and said, "I'm telling the truth. We only meet on specific occasions. Otherwise, we're all scattered and adrift."

"Even you don't know?" Su Yuchen asked.

Gongsun Da Niang retorted indignantly, "Did you know?"

Su Yuchen shook his head and said under Gongsun Da Niang's smug gaze, "I only know that the third sister is a whip player, the fourth sister is the courtesan Ouyang Qing, the fifth sister is Jiang Qingxia, the sister of Jiang Chongwei, the chief steward of the Southeast Prince's Mansion, and the eighth sister is Xue Bing from the Xue family of the Divine Needle."

Gongsun Da Niang sighed and said, "You already know quite a lot."

Seeing Su Yuchen turn to leave, Aunt Gongsun hurriedly said, "I really don't know anything about the second son's identity. She was recommended by the Prince's Mansion to be in charge of disposing of stolen goods. You could say she's from the Southern Prince's Mansion, so I rarely interfere with her."

Su Yuchen paused, then asked, "Does she know who you are?"

Gongsun Da Niang shook her head and said, "I don't know either. Logically speaking, I am just a guest of the Prince of Nan's mansion, while she is one of his own. As for whether the Prince of Nan has revealed my identity, I don't know."

Su Yuchen nodded and said, "With your martial arts skills, why do you want to join the Southern Prince's Mansion?"

"What else?" Gongsun Da Niang retorted.

Then Gongsun sighed and said, "If I don't find a backer, I don't know how many people will covet my looks. They want me to be a supervisor in the palace, but I don't want to go there. I can only find a identity that can protect me."

Su Yuchen said, "Since you've said so much, I'll give you a piece of advice: if you don't want to die, stay away from the Southern Prince's Mansion."

Gongsun Da Niang hurriedly said, "What do you know? Can you tell me? Has that matter been discovered? Yes, you know everything."

Seeing her worried expression, Su Yuchen chuckled and said, "If you're so afraid, why did you get involved in the first place?"

Gongsun Da Niang said angrily, "Do you think I... do you think I wanted to get involved in this mess? But I accidentally found out, and there was someone else involved too. I just thought the chances were good anyway, so I might as well go all in."

"You mean Ye Gucheng?" Su Yuchen asked.

Gongsun Da Niang nodded, then looked up and said with a charming smile, "It seems you really do know."

Su Yuchen had almost figured it out: Erniang was probably a spy planted by the Prince of Nan's mansion, a pawn planted next to Gongsun Daniang. After all, Gongsun Daniang was just a guest of the Prince's mansion, not one of their own. How could they allow an outsider who knew the truth to wander around outside on such a big matter as rebellion?

No wonder Ye Gucheng wanted to kill her later. With Second Sister dead, the Nanwang Mansion must have been restless. If he didn't kill her to prevent future troubles, why would he keep her around for the New Year?

Su Yuchen shook his head. It was only because Gongsun Da Niang was still useful that she could take the blame and dispose of the stolen goods for the Nanwang Mansion. Otherwise, she would have no value at all, and Ye Gucheng would not have allowed her to live until now.

As for this woman's naivety, Su Yuchen could only shake his head. Clearly, Gongsun Da Niang did not understand the cruelty of dynastic change.

Seeing that Su Yuchen remained silent, Gongsun Da Niang said in a sweet voice, "Do you need me to gather them in advance to help you get your things back?"

"What do you want?" Su Yuchen asked calmly.

Gongsun Da Niang snorted and said, "I want to save my life."

Su Yuchen said, "If you want to save your life, stay away from the Southern Prince's Mansion, ask fewer questions, and be wary of the Southern Prince's Mansion and Ye Gucheng."

"You mean the Prince of Nan's mansion wants to kill me?" Gongsun Da Niang asked, frowning.

Su Yuchen shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Gongsun Da Niang snorted and said, "How will I contact you after I've gathered everyone?"

Su Yuchen said, "Do you know Hua Manlou's little building? I'm staying there. After you find Second Aunt, go there to find me, or you can tell Hua Manlou."

After saying that, Su Yuchen disappeared from the spot.

Gongsun Da Niang stamped her foot angrily and muttered to herself, "I must have been bewitched. How could I have trusted you so much? The Southern Prince's Mansion, huh?"

After a moment's thought, Gongsun Da Niang turned and hurriedly left.

Chapter 431 In Hanshan Temple

Back at Hua Manlou's small building, Hua Manlou didn't ask who the embroidered thief was. He simply asked, "Brother Su, have you found that pearl?"