Chapter 637: Chapter 550

Xiao Man arrived in C City the following afternoon, and Gu Shaojun was waiting for her at the military airport. He checked her into the military district’s guesthouse, then went to take care of some business. He returned at two in the morning, by which time Xiao Man was long since ready. The two used Godspeed Talismans again. It was much better here than at the border—they didn’t have to bother finding a path and could just follow the highway. The ninety-kilometer journey was over in the blink of an eye.

The Gongsun Clan resided in Chai Mountain County, a county under the jurisdiction of C City. Their village was located twenty kilometers from Chai Mountain County Town. From the outside, it was a vast settlement surrounded by lush forests, its houses of rammed earth and black tile hidden among the trees, indistinguishable from most villages in the country. Only upon entering did one realize this was a clean, tranquil, and orderly place. The layout of the buildings seemed random, but it was in fact meticulous; the entire village was a massive Array Plate. An outsider who rashly entered would, nine times out of ten, be unable to find their way out and become trapped. If the Array Plate were truly activated, killing those within would be a simple matter.

Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man used the Hidden Breath Technique, moving silently through the village with their feet never touching the ground. As they carefully observed their surroundings, they sensed that the Array Plate had not been used in a long time.

That made sense. In the End of Dharma Era, the nation was stable and at peace. Besides, the Gongsun Clan had always kept a low profile and wouldn’t go looking for trouble.

Gu Shaojun told Xiao Man that in addition to the Gongsuns, there were also residents with other surnames in the village. Without exception, however, they were all related to the Gongsun Clan by marriage. It seemed the Gongsun Clan had been forced to adapt to the times by allowing outsiders to live on their territory, but in order to control them, they had come up with this method: only accepting relatives by marriage into the village.

These relatives by marriage were the ones responsible for handling administrative affairs and dealing with the outside world.

After a full circle around the village, Gu Shaojun took Xiao Man by the hand and led her toward the great mountain at its back.

He looked up at the sky. "It’s a shame the moon isn’t out. Otherwise, the view would be even more beautiful!"

Xiao Man scanned her surroundings. The nearby ground was covered in thorns, with a narrow, winding path that occasionally vanished into the grass. In the distance were dense forests and steep cliffs. Although everything was in black and white, she could see quite clearly. ’I guess this is the extent of my night vision for now.’ "What beautiful view? I can see perfectly fine without the moon."

Gu Shaojun chuckled. "It’s about the ambiance. What’s ambiance? The moon adds a poetic and picturesque quality. Don’t all girls like that sort of thing?"

Xiao Man was speechless. She was suddenly reminded of the Chinese literature professor from her past life. He had always taken great pains to evoke the right ambiance when lecturing on poetry, but she had been so eager for knowledge, so pragmatic, that she had asked the most ill-timed questions. The classes had always ended in a state of mutual defeat for both teacher and student. The memory made her purse her lips to hide a smile. "Sorry to disappoint you. I don’t really get all that poetic and picturesque stuff. I guess I didn’t read enough. I don’t like to read, hehe!"

Gu Shaojun squeezed the small hand in his. "If Grandpa Tang, Mr. Tang, and Uncle Tang heard you say that, they’d be heartbroken. The Tang family has a long scholarly tradition. Grandfather Tang only joined the military because of the Gu family’s influence, and even he was a famous scholar-general... The Tang Family members have always been avid readers, erudite and well-versed in countless books. And here you are, claiming you don’t like to read. What’s gotten into you?"

"Nothing. It’s enough that the Tang family has Hao Hao, he’s a brilliant student. And soon there will be two little brothers, and they’re sure to be geniuses. I’m going to be married off someday anyway!"

"Mmm, you have a point there. I like the sound of that! Once you’re my wife, you’ll be a Gu, not a Tang, so it won’t matter if you don’t like to read!"

"That’s not what I said!"

"Yes, you did! I heard you!"

The two bantered and laughed softly on the mountain path. A gust of wind swept through, making the leaves and grass RUSTLE. They both fell silent at once, listening intently for a moment before continuing their climb.

This was Gongsun territory. In the terms of the old Cultivation World, this was a sect’s place of Cultivation. Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man had essentially snuck past their mountain gate. The Hidden Breath Technique was a secret technique passed down through the Gongsun Family; the two of them had learned it by a stroke of luck, but its original masters were far more proficient. What if Gongsun Li, Gongsun Xiang, and Gongsun Hanshan happened to be patrolling the mountain using the same technique? If they discovered the intruders, they certainly wouldn’t let them wander freely. A fight was unlikely, as everyone was invisible and had their auras concealed; as long as no one made a sound, you couldn’t even find your opponent. But if the Gongsuns were alerted to their presence, Gu Shaojun would be out of options. Wouldn’t the whole trip be for nothing?

It was better to be cautious.

The narrow, winding path veered right toward a gentler slope, but Gu Shaojun pulled Xiao Man to the left. That direction led toward sheer cliffs where there appeared to be no path. Xiao Man said nothing, knowing he must have his reasons. Sure enough, after another few dozen meters, Gu Shaojun pushed aside a thorny bush and pulled Xiao Man into a leap downward. They landed on flat ground—or rather, on a flat mountain path.

Xiao Man stared in astonishment at the bluestone-paved path under her feet. The long, thick slabs were arranged neatly. Worn and faded slightly white from years of exposure to the elements, the path looked as though it stretched all the way from the foot of the mountain. It was about 1.2 meters wide, and two distinct rubber tire tracks were visible on its surface. Clearly, this path was often used by people and small vehicles.

Gu Shaojun leaned close to Xiao Man’s ear and whispered, "This is the private road the Gongsun Clan uses to go into the mountains. Both it and the place we’re heading to are protected by an Array Barrier. An ordinary person could wander these mountains for a year and still never find this road or that place. Perhaps some have stumbled into it by accident, but they were just unlucky. Their fate would be to fall to their death or be eaten by wild beasts—the Chai Mountain County Chronicles record several cases of people disappearing or dying in this mountain range!"

"The paradise you mentioned before, the place rich in Spiritual Energy..."

"That’s right. Most of the important members of the Gongsun Clan live there. You’ll see it soon. Behind these high cliffs, there are two more mountain villages, also inhabited by Gongsuns. They serve as two gateways, and their entrances are on the other side of the range. They don’t need to pass through this tunnel before us..."

"Did you say a tunnel? Like a tunnel for a train or a highway?"

"It’s not man-made, but it’s more intricate than any artificial construction! It’s a perfectly formed natural cavern at the very bottom of this cliff. I can’t estimate its exact length, but it passes straight through two mountain peaks, and the exit leads into that valley."

"A beautiful, bountiful valley?"

"That’s right. The Gongsun Clan has been managing it for several hundred years. It is indeed beautiful and bountiful."

They had yet to see the tunnel, but strolling hand-in-hand along the stone path as the mountain wind carried the refreshing scent of the forest was quite pleasant.

"This is just like a scenic tourist area. Why didn’t we take this path up from the start?"

"It’s too close to the village, so we would have been easily discovered. The Gongsuns have people guarding the entrance, and they conduct regular patrols, usually up to the mountainside. It was safer for us to join the path from the mountainside on up."

As they were talking, the path made a sharp ninety-degree turn. Around the corner, they saw a round cave entrance. Just as Xiao Man was taking a closer look, she heard a CREAK... CREAK... and a small, donkey-drawn cart ambled out of the pitch-black opening.

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