Chapter 468: 468. Still so silly

Translator: 549690339

The capital city was already in the season of spring warmth and blooming flowers.

This day, Gu Ling took Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu, the master and his two disciples went to Wangxiang Mountain to play. There were no others around, and they did not bring Gu Xiaonuan.

Ji Xiaoshu was running at the front, seeing that Zhengzheng wasn’t chasing after him for a race, he found it boring. So he ran back and grabbed Gu Ling’s hand, “Master, are you leaving for a long journey soon?”

“Hmm.” Gu Ling nodded.

“We definitely can’t go.” Ji Xiaoshu was well aware of this, “Is the mistress going, then?”

Gu Ling shook his head, “No.”

“Then when master is away, I will protect the mistress and my sister!” Ji Xiaoshu puffed out his small chest.

“Let’s talk about it when you grow taller.” Gu Ling looked down at Ji Xiaoshu.

Ji Xiaoshu looked at his height, which only reached Gu Ling’s thigh, and couldn’t help but look a bit worried, “I eat meat every day, why am I still growing so slowly?”

Zhengzheng laughed, “We’re still young. When we’re grown up, we’ll be tall.”

Ji Xiaoshu, of course, knew this. He wanted to have the ability to protect Su Liang and Gu Xiaonuan now, but unfortunately, he needed protection himself.

They reached the familiar spot where the ice had melted. The two children spotted tadpoles again and excitedly called Gu Ling over to look.

“The hibernating frogs are awake, and the big bad guys who hibernate should also be coming out.” Ji Xiaoshu sighed.

Gu Ling ruffled Ji Xiaoshu’s hair, “You’re acting old before your time.”

“I’m much younger than you, master!” Ji Xiaoshu huffed, though he was just sensitive to the fact that Gu Ling and Su Liang seemed to have some worries recently.

After viewing tadpoles, the master and his two disciples climbed to the peak. Gu Ling even caught a rabbit for them. They skinned and cleaned it on the spot and had a roast meat meal.

They played happily in the wild. By the time they returned home, it was already late afternoon.

Entering the house, Gu Ling saw that Lian Shun and Ying Ying were visiting. Ying Ye was entertaining Gu Xiaonuan.

“Uncle Ersan!” Zhengzheng greeted Lian Shun as he entered the house.

Lian Shun was grinning from ear to ear, opened his arms wide, and hugged Ji Xiaoshu who was passing him, “Xiaoshu, why didn’t you call me when you went out to play?”

Ji Xiaoshu was a bit dumbfounded, “Apart from accompanying Aunt Ying, is there anything else Uncle Ersan wants to do?”

Lian Shun chuckled, “No one understands me better than you, Xiaoshu.”

Ying Ying was chatting happily with Yan Shiba. Yan Shiba liked cheerful and outgoing girls, Weng Ran was one, and Ying Ying even more so.

In fact, the reason why Lian Shun and Ying Ying came today was because they were concerned about Su Liang’s appointment with Mo Yan on the first day of March. They had asked before, but Su Liang had not made a decision yet. They thought the time was right and came to inquire again about the final arrangements. If Su Liang and Gu Ling were both going to the south, they would be happy to help look after the children.

Su Liang had already said that Gu Ling was going and she had not yet decided.

It was getting late, so Lian Shun and Ying Ying took Ying Ye and left. Weng Ran and others were preparing dinner. Gu Ling went upstairs, changed his clothes, and sat down by the window to watch the children running in the sunset outside.

Su Liang came in, sat next to Gu Ling, and looked down with him, and she couldn’t help but sigh, “If time could reverse, go back to childhood…”

Gu Ling shook his head, “I would accept it if time could reverse back to the day we met. Not any earlier.” If they went back to childhood, they would be from two different worlds.

Su Liang smiled, “Okay, let’s imagine another scenario then, we wake up and find ourselves back in childhood, and we grow up together again. How’s that?” As a couple with unique life experiences, they often have some imaginative topics, which could lead to interesting long stories.

“Not good either.” Gu Ling shook his head, “Children need protection and are prone to danger.” In any case, to ensure their safety together, some scenarios were not feasible for him.

Su Liang shrugged, “Okay, idle talk is over. I told sister Ying, I might go with you. Have you decided to go alone?”

Gu Lining held Su Liang’s hand, pressed it against his face, and nodded, “Yes, you’ll stay home.” It wasn’t that he underestimated Su Liang. After becoming parents, they reached a consensus: even if something happens, at least one parent should stay with the children. They could be less cautious when the children grow older, but not now.

“Alright, I thought, since I am the real transmigrator, but now you are not much different from a transmigrator. I can hardly find any new things to tell you. In fact, sometimes you seem more like a transmigrator than I do.” Su Liang laughed, “You are skilled in martial arts, you should go, I’ll stay at home waiting for you to come back. However, it was us who made the appointment with Mo Yan. At the time, the main thought was to calm the strife and buy some time, and we didn’t talk about what to do when we meet him. I’m sure you, the Great God, have some ideas now.”

Gu Ling nodded, “We’ve already discussed it once.”

Su Liang looked surprised, “Did I lose my memory?”

“He is fit for a blast.” Gu Ling said.

Su Liang held her forehead. Yes, on the day that Cheng Yun came back with the gift from Mo Yan, when she saw in Mo Yan’s letter that he wanted to hug Gu Xiaonuan, Gu Ling said: Mo Yan is suitable for a blast.

“Great God, are you planning to blow him up?” Su Liang pondered, “That’s not impossible, but he will surely be prepared, and it may not be easy to succeed.” Both sides knew that they would use explosives and had a lot of it.

“On the first day of March, while Mo Yan is away, go to Xingluo Island and bomb the forbidden area.” Gu Ling suggested.

“The ploy of drawing a tiger away from its territory is a good one. But what threatens us is not the forbidden area or any path, but people. If we bomb the forbidden area and Mo Yan is still alive, his life ambition will come to an end, he will definitely go completely mad. If we can’t solve him as soon as possible, it will further escalate the conflict.” Su Liang felt this plan was not very reliable.

Gu Ling continued, “When we meet Mo Yan then, we’ll say we have sent people to the island to bomb the forbidden area and threaten him to hand over his magic treasure.”

“The magic treasure may not be something that can be handed over. What if it exists in his mind? Others can’t snatch it, nor use it. Although it seems very likely that it’s the ruby ring, it might also be a diversion.” Su Liang said and then her eyes slightly narrowed, “We, beforehand, have always ignored one thing.”

“What?” Gu Ling asked. As a matter of fact, the two had not discussed what to do during the meeting on the sea on the first day of March. Earlier, Gu Ling’s talk of the explosion was just a joke, and they were currently discussing feasible schemes.

“Mo Yan’s space, we only know that it has kept explosives and large amounts of grain,” Su Liang said. “We ignored whether living creatures could enter.”

Gu Ling was slightly taken aback. Regarding the concept of portable space, Su Liang only mentioned it as something seen in novels and movies from her previous life, and it is not explainable by science. Gu Ling had a rich imagination, but his focus previously was not on the interior of the space but on what kind of principle it might be, so he neglected Su Liang’s point.

“If living things can enter and leave, so can people.” Gu Ling’s face hardened slightly. If it is true, Mo Yan poses a greater threat to them. Imagine, Mo Yan could take people into his space, saying he is a god, a certain level of a ruler, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Compared with that, Gu Ling’s special ability is more of a “Buddhist attribute,” which more often than not provides him no benefits but only demands him to pay. As a transmigrator, Su Liang had no special abilities and no magic treasures. A lot of things required her to learn on the spot.

“Although we currently have no evidence to suggest that he can take living things in and out of his space, we have to be cautious,” Su Liang frowned. “With a mere twitch of his finger, he could trap you in a place out of my reach and sight, a place I can’t penetrate or do anything about. That would be dreadful, as it would leave him to do as he pleases.”

After exchanging glances, the tension suddenly heightened in their previously relaxed discussion.

Gu Ling clutched Su Liang’s hand. “In that case, we should make a pre-emptive strike on Xingluo Island, regardless of the previous agreement of attacking on the first day of the third month.”

“After the last incident, they will surely be on guard.” Su Liang said, “We could first take soldiers to the island where my master resides and lie in ambush. After we find out that Mo Yan has left the island, we can split our forces. One group can intercept and besiege him at sea. The other can attack Xingluo Island and destroy the forbidden area. The most important thing is to kill Mo Yan. Whether we can obtain the magic treasure is not that important.”

Gu Ling nodded. “I’ll set off tonight.”

Su Liang hugged Gu Ling, sighing, “I originally thought we still had a few days, but it’s good to leave tonight. Only by eliminating Mo Yan as soon as possible can we rest easy.” This wasn’t easy. By now, both sides had shown most of their hands. They realized attacking Xingluo Island again was unlikely to succeed, since it had defenses in place, which Feng Ming’s previous report also corroborated. Gu Ling and Su Liang had always hoped to avoid casualties in resolving this issue.

Despite Mo Yan’s thoughtful gifts and heartfelt letter, they could not change their impression of him– he was a selfish, treacherous, unscrupulous devil who had harmed countless people and would undoubtedly continue to do so. No matter what, neither Su Liang nor Gu Xiaonuan would allow Mo Yan to change what he originally planned to do.

After dinner, Gu Ling didn’t say anything to his family. He only called Cheng Yun, as Su Liang didn’t feel at ease with him traveling alone, but Gu Ling wanted his masters to stay behind as guardians.

Cheng Yun was surprised that Gu Ling would be leaving tonight, but once he heard he was included, he quickly began packing his luggage without any protest.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of myself,” Gu Ling said in Su Liang’s embrace, softly patting her back.

Despite their past separations, today they realized their enemy might be more formidable than they had initially thought, hence fermenting an undertone of unrest within Su Liang. She had contemplated the worst-case scenario: Gu Ling failing to kill Mo Yan and getting captured in return. But as long as Mo Yan knew that it was Su Liang rather than Gu Ling who was the transmigrator, he should utilize Gu Ling to force Su Liang into compliance– regardless, as long as they were alive, all other troubles could be resolved.

Feeling somewhat drowsy, Gu Xiaonuan received a kiss from Gu Ling, and she returned the favor by kissing his face and calling out “Daddy”.

The door creaked open, revealing two little heads.

Su Liang beckoned them in. Both little ones, clad in adorable pajamas, approached and asked when they saw Gu Ling, “Master, are you leaving tonight?”

Ji Xiaoshu was the one who picked up on it. He told Zhengzheng that the way Gu Ling looked at Su Liang tonight was different, betraying an unusual warmth and reluctance.

Su Liang nodded. “Yes, there’s been a change in plans, and your master needs to leave earlier.”

“Are you sure you won’t go, Master’s wife?” Ji Xiaoshu asked, looking up.

“Yes, I’m sure I’m not going,” Su Liang smiled. “We’ll wait for him at home.”

“That’s good then. If Master gets captured by the villain, we can still rescue him.” Ji Xiaoshu’s face was brimming with seriousness.

Zhengzheng quickly covered Ji Xiaoshu’s mouth. “Don’t talk nonsense. It’s impossible for Master to get captured by the villain!”

“Of course, I was just speculating.” Ji Xiaoshu said with a grin, and then ran over to hug Gu Ling’s leg. “Master, you must come back early, or I’ll forget you!”

“That’d be even better,” Gu Ling replied.

Ji Xiaoshu: …

Gu Ling laid Gu Xiaonuan on the bed and gave each of his two young disciples a hug. He looked at Su Liang. Su Liang walked over, hugging his neck and giving him a small kiss. “Go, you don’t have to worry about the house.”

“We’ll look after sister. Master’s wife, you go see off Master. There’s no need to hurry back,” Ji Xiaoshu kindly offered.

Thus, Su Liang escorted Gu Ling outside.

Cheng Yun brought his package over. Not seeing Gu Ling come out, he assumed Gu Ling hadn’t yet left and decided to wait for him at the entrance of Yuanming Pavilion. Little did he know, Gu Ling was currently saying his goodbyes to Su Liang in the woods.

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu leaned over the edge of the bed, observing the already sleeping Gu Xiaonuan, they exchanged a glance.

Zhengzheng sighed, “I hope the villain is exterminated soon.”

Ji Xiaoshu climbed onto the bed. “With Master away, we should sleep with Master’s wife.”

Zhengzheng was a bit speechless. “You just want to sleep with Master’s wife, Xiaoshu.”

“I’m also worried about Master, these two aren’t contradictory,” Ji Xiaoshu had already picked a spot and lay down, “if Master’s wife doesn’t want to tell us a story tonight, she will probably miss Master and not be able to sleep.”

Zhengzheng gave it some thought and climbed into bed as well.

When Su Liang returned alone, she saw the three little ones lying on the bed with a spot left for her on the outside.

Zhengzheng rubbed his eyes. “Go to sleep, Master’s wife, it’s very late.”

“If Master’s wife can’t sleep, you can tell us a story or go for a stroll,” Ji Xiaoshu covered his mouth to yawn, “I’m not sleepy, really.”

Su Liang lay down on the bed, dropping the bed canopy, “Let’s sleep. I’m tired too.”

With his eyes closed, Ji Xiaoshu muttered, “Let Heaven’s eye be open, strike down the villain.”

Lightly patting her two disciples, Su Liang also closed her eyes. In truth, she was not tired, she was thinking. If Mo Yan’s space could indeed trap people, how could they cope? The size of the space couldn’t be infinite, otherwise it would be outrageously powerful, and Mo Yan wouldn’t have been hiding for so many years. If he needs to touch someone to trap them, it won’t be much of a problem. They’d just need to maintain a distance. But if he can trap people through a medium, such as a rope or a piece of wood, or even… through the ground…”

Su Liang opened her eyes, looking at the ceiling and then at her sleeping daughter and two adorable disciples beside her. She thought to herself, since their journey thus far, Gu Ling has never let her down. It’s not wise to only think about how powerful Mo Yan’s magic treasure is, they should also remember that her husband’s capabilities shouldn’t be overlooked either.

Su Liang exhaled lightly, deciding to sleep well, to gather energy. There would be plenty to do tomorrow. She had already prepared many medicines for Gu Ling, including truth-telling drugs. Many medicines had been taken away, and the home’s medicine cabinet needed to be restocked.

At dawn, Cheng Yun and Gu Ling had already ventured a fair distance from the capital.

During a brief rest, Cheng Yun compared his height to Gu Ling’s. “Well, I can also serve as your body double now.” He used to be shorter than Gu Ling, but now they were almost the same height.

“Why should you be my double?” Gu Ling asked, his expression indifferent.

Cheng Yun answered solemnly, “If someone tries to kill you, you can’t be the one to take the hit. No matter the situation, I can replace you. Su Liang is my sister, while you are my brother-in-law. I should protect you.”

Gu Ling looked at Cheng Yun’s solemn face in the morning light and lightly patted his head, “You are still as silly. Let’s go, don’t think about unnecessary things.”