The two were led to the top floor. This was always a place for receiving distinguished guests, and Gu Fuyou had been there before.
The furnishings here were elegant, not as luxurious as downstairs. In the southeast where potted plants were placed, there was a crystal bottle with a bunch of lilies in it, which attracted Gu Fuyou's attention. The lilies were fresh, with white flowers and green leaves, and she couldn't help but take two steps towards that place.
There were footsteps behind him: "My Lords, I've been waiting for a long time."
Gu Fuyou turned around and saw the man wearing a scholar's scarf and a cloth bag gown, who looked like an accountant. He looked very familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before. He just felt that he didn't look like the boss of a place of wine and women, so he smiled and said, "You haven't been here for long. Are you the boss of Yinxuezhai?"
Zhong Michu stood behind Gu Fuyou. She had been wearing a mask since she left Simiao's private residence, but now she had the mask half hanging on her forehead. The accountant glanced at her, then looked at Gu Fuyou, and said with a smile: "I heard that the master is interested in this little place and wants to take it for himself?"
Gu Fuyou was already sitting, his black hair half hanging down, leaning against the back of the chair, his face looking tired: "I wonder if the boss will give it up?"
The accountant was originally bent over, but he straightened up and said with a smile, "I'm afraid it's a little difficult."
"Oh? What's the difficulty?"
"I didn't buy this place for the purpose of making money. If it was for profit, I would give it to you as long as you could afford the price..."
"Then why did the boss buy this place?"
The accountant laughed and said, "You bought a place for entertainment, sir, why do you think you bought it?" For beauty? He did not say it clearly. He always spoke vaguely and unsmoothly, and there was a sense of temptation in his words.
Gu Fuyou couldn't help but frowned and said with a smile: "Then I wonder what the boss wants in exchange for selling this Yinxuezhai?"
The accountant stroked his long beard, looked at the expression of the person behind Gu Fuyou from the corner of his eye, and said with a smile: "I still need to ask the boss for his opinion on this."
Gu Fuyou: "..." It turns out that this person is not the one who can make the decision, but he still talks to her for such a long time. Gu Fuyou is angry and amused. Thinking about it carefully, this person did not directly admit that he is the boss, but he did not deny it either. He speaks ambiguously. It is really tiring to talk to such a person.
Gu Fuyou said: "Then please ask the boss to come out and meet him, otherwise..."
"Otherwise what?"
Gu Fuyou said with a smile: "I overturned this Yinxuezhai."
The accountant went to the back hall and came back after a while. There was no one following him, but he had a yellowed scroll in his hand.
Gu Fuyou recognized that it was the deed to Yinxuezhai. Before he had time to ask where the boss was, he watched the accountant hand the scroll to Zhong Michu.
Gu Fuyou: “…”
The accountant smiled and said, "Sir, this is my boss. She is not short of money. If you want to take her by force, you should consider whether to take her by force or not, as you have known her for a while and have some understanding of her cultivation."
Zhong Michu held the scroll in one hand. Gu Fuyou stared at her, mouth open, unable to speak for a long while. Then, thinking back, he laughed and cried, "So it was you who bought this Yinxuezhai, and you didn't tell me, and you were watching the show from the side."
Zhong Michu said: "You didn't ask me."
"How could I have thought of asking you..."
Zhong Michu lowered his eyelids slightly, as if sighing: "Because you don't believe me, I will protect the things you care about."
Gu Fuyou said: "You, you are clearly making excuses." One day it was her turn to say this to someone else.
Zhong Michu handed the scroll to her: "Do you want it?"
"Yes." She was angry, but she still wanted to take the things. To be honest, she and Zhong Michu had never had any unresolved grudges. They were just quarrels at the time, but they were resolved soon.
Gu Fuyou grabbed the scroll and tried to take it away. Zhong Michu still held it tightly. Gu Fuyou thought about it. Even brothers should settle accounts. Even though it was Zhong Michu, he couldn't be too polite. Gu Fuyou smiled and said, "Sister Zhong, we are so familiar with each other, please give me a discount." To be honest, it is impossible to snatch it by force. If you buy it with spirit stones, you don't have many spirit stones.
"I don't want spirit stones."
"What do you want?"
Gu Fuyou sat on the chair. Zhong Michu stood in front of her, staring at her with his eyes downcast, his eyes like amber facing the sunlight.
Here it comes again, this honey-like flow, surrounding her with a suffocating feeling.
Gu Fuyou let go, stood up, and walked away two steps: "Forget it, I don't want it. It's the same in your hands."
Zhong Michu tightened his grip on the scroll, with an expression that was either lost or sad. He stared at Gu Fuyou's back for a long time, walked to her side, put the scroll in her arms, and sighed, "Let's go."
Gu Fuyou was holding the scroll. Zhong Michu had already put on his mask and left Yinxuezhai without waiting for her, heading back to the City Lord's Mansion.
Gu Fuyou went downstairs. Zhong Michu's thin figure walked away among the pedestrians, his steps neither fast nor slow. Gu Fuyou chased after him, leaned in front of Zhong Michu and asked, "Are you angry?"
Zhong Michu did not say "no" as usual. She tilted her head, looked at Gu Fuyou deeply through the mask, and said, "Gu Fuyou, you are always like this, not keeping your word."
“How could I…” Gu Fuyou couldn’t catch his breath and laughed angrily: “How could I go back on my word?”
"You want spiritual stones, I'll give them to you." Gu Fuyou stood in front of her, trying to stop her, but Zhong Michu kept walking closer to her step by step. Gu Fuyou walked backwards unconsciously: "You can't say that I didn't seduce you and break my promise."
Zhong Michu stopped walking. Gu Fuyou said with a smile: "I was just joking..."
Her laughter faded, and her smile faded. Zhong Michu's meaning was somewhat obvious. She was not stupid, she could see and feel it. It was higher than the feelings between friends, more intimate and more ambiguous. But she didn't want to touch it. She was afraid that she would fall into madness like Si Miao and never recover.
There was silence between the two for a long time, and then someone said, "Go back."
After returning to the City Lord's Mansion, Mr. Zhai immediately noticed that the atmosphere between the two was heavy. It didn't seem like it was because things were obstructed and not going as planned. It was more like the cold war between husband and wife after a quarrel.
Mr. Zhai shuddered and thought that he should stay away, so he worked even harder to make a net for Gu Fuyou.
Zuo Shaode is a cunning man, even if he has the intention of rebellion, he will not show it easily. If they rashly persuade Zuo Shaode to seize the position of the clan leader, it will make Zuo Shaode wary. Therefore, this matter cannot be handled by outsiders, but by the Zuo family's own people.
Xiao Zhi said that the two sons of Zuo Shaode were quite dissatisfied. Even though Zuo Shaode scolded them not to talk about treason, they still complained privately. Because the two sons of Zuo Shaode were of the same generation as Zuo Yuezhi, Zuo Yuezhi's son Zuo Tianlang had to call them uncles when he met them. He was younger than them in seniority, but Zuo Tianlang was loved by everyone and had a great pomp, which overwhelmed them. Now that Zuo Yuezhi ascended to the position of the clan leader, Zuo Tianlang acted even more recklessly and did not take people seriously, which offended them. The two of them were deeply dissatisfied.
Xiao Zhi used her beauty to attract the two sons of Zuo Shaode to seize the throne. Although Xiao Zhi's figure was not stunning, she was still very beautiful.
This man is sometimes a servile person. He is used to people who obey him in everything, so he likes those flowers on the high hills that are not easy to climb and pick. Although Zuo Shaode and his two sons can force Xiao Zhi to do things with him, Xiao Zhi's expression is always so high and mighty. If he can't conquer her, he will feel itchy. Now this stubborn and cold person suddenly approaches him. He is surprised, but also feels novel and fond of her.
The whispers beside the bed can bend people's decisions the most. Xiao Zhi said that she hated Zuo Tianlang and Zuo Yuezhi. Zuo Shaode and the other two believed these things. He still remembered that Zuo Tianlang had harmed Xiao Yuan and humiliated Xiao Zhongting. So when Xiao Zhi said that Zuo Yuezhi was not worthy of the position of the clan leader, he did not think that she was making presumptuous comments on clan affairs. He just thought that she was a narrow-minded woman who could only see the little hatred in front of him.
Xiao Zhi added, "In the Xu Ling Sect, the throne is now passed down from father to son. Zuo Yuezhi has already started this. There is no guarantee that Zuo Yuezhi will not pass the throne to Zuo Tianlang in a thousand years."
He sat up suddenly, moved.
The next day, he could not help but go to find Zuo Shaode: "Father, how can Zuo Yuezhi compare to you? Why should he inherit the position of clan leader? Back then, you and Zuo Taisui competed for the position of clan leader, but it was because he was older and the eldest brother that the position was given to Zuo Taisui. Our family is not an ancient imperial family where the father's position is inherited by the son. If they continue like this, wouldn't the position of clan leader belong to Zuo Yuezhi's lineage, and be determined by thousands of generations of descendants? Father, it is reasonable and logical that the position of clan leader should be yours."
Zuo Shaode wrote with his brush, and the desk was covered with rice paper. When his second son finished speaking, he had already written another painting of "Five Continents and Four Seas": "Didn't I tell you not to mention these things again, why don't you listen?"
His second son said, "I feel sorry for you, my father."
"You are feeling unfair for yourself, right? Why are you unwilling to see the position of the sect leader fall into the hands of Zuo Yuezhi's lineage, and want the position of the sect leader to be passed down to your descendants?"
"Father, just assume that I have such ambitions. Zuo Yue is a talented person who has ascended to the position of the sect leader, but his foundation is not stable. If you don't act now, it will be even more difficult to move him once he has secured his position."
Zuo Shaode put down his pen. His second son knew that he had hit the nail on the head, so he took the opportunity to say, "It just so happens that Qingluan has landed in Wantong City. Why don't we take advantage of the situation to win her over..."
"Humph, do you think Qingluan is easy to mess with? Ten thousand years ago, her clan was the overlord of the five continents. Trading with her is like trying to get the skin of a tiger."
"Father, it is better to seek the skin of a tiger than to be devoured by Zuo Yuezhi. Zuo Yuezhi has already started to act. He sent Zuo Qingfeng to Bailu City. He said he was recuperating, but who knows he was secretly monitoring him and gradually gaining power. Father, there is always a layer of belly between you and Zuo Yuezhi. He can trust his brothers, but not necessarily his uncle. Even if you have no intention of treason, how do you know that Zuo Yuezhi can trust you? I am afraid that the people sent to monitor Wantong City and eat away at Wantong City are on the way."
Zuo Shaode stared at me, not knowing what he was thinking. After a long while, he suddenly said, "What do you mean by Qingluan?"
"Father, why did she come to Wantong City?"
"No. It's strange that an outsider suddenly got involved in our Zuo family's affairs."
"Maybe she is testing me. Father, if we talk about cooperation, you are a better partner. You two can be said to be truly getting what you need. She fights for the position of clan leader for you, and you help her fight for the position of clan leader. Only when we are equal can we be trusted. You have a higher cultivation level than Zuo Yuezhi, and you have more resources than him. If you can get the support of Third Uncle Yuanrong..."
Zuo Shaode sneered: "Yuan Rong is a timid guy, a fence-sitter, a person who changes his mind according to the situation. What he is best at is watching the fire from the other side of the river."
Seeing that he was already tempted, his second son smiled and said, "Father, the only thing you lack compared to Zuo Yue is the position of clan leader."
Zuo Shaode said nothing for a long time: "Don't mention this matter again." He was tempted, but too cautious, and didn't trust Qingluan, a good chess piece in front of him.
A month passed. During this time, Qingluan refined the sword and did not go out of the main gate or the secondary gate. On the day when the sword was completed, the spiritual energy surged like the wind, whistling non-stop. The formations of the entire Wantong City were sometimes open and sometimes closed. It took a while for this strange phenomenon to stop.
Zuo Shaode went to congratulate her and saw Qingluan holding a black sword in her hand. The sword had an ancient style and a restrained brilliance. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that it was a rare magical weapon that possessed hidden power.
Zuo Shaode praised: "Senior, your weapon-refining skills are truly amazing."
Qingluan leaned back on the chair, looking impatient. She was not happy at all for refining this peerless spiritual sword. She and Zhong Michu had not spoken to each other for a month since returning from Yinxuezhai. It was true that she had to refine the sword during this period and rarely went out, but Zhong Michu did not come to see her.
"What's the matter, Lord?" When a person is in a bad mood, his tone is not very good. Anyway, she is Qingluan, so it is understandable that she is arrogant. She doesn't need to worry about smiling at others when she is in a bad mood.
Zuo Shaode had heard the impatience in her tone and said with a smile, "I'm afraid I can't return the spirit beast to you."
"Oh." Gu Fuyou pretended to be surprised. Because he was in a bad mood, his tone seemed a little annoyed: "Why?"
Zuo Shaode said, "The Sect Master ordered that the beast not only hurt countless people, but also hurt the previous Sect Master, who led to his death. The Sect Master is filial and righteous, so he wants to take his life as compensation. As a subordinate, I cannot disobey."
Gu Fuyou sneered, pretending that she was dissatisfied with the result and was taking her anger out on Zuo Shaode, and said sarcastically: "City Lord Zuo is loyal and wholeheartedly for Sect Master Zuo. I'm afraid Sect Master Zuo doesn't appreciate it and is instead planning to take City Lord Zuo's life."
Zuo Shaode's face darkened: "Senior, what do you mean by this?"
Gu Fuyou said: "City Lord Zuo knows it clearly in his heart, why does he need me to explain it clearly?"
"City Lord Zuo, I'm tired. Please go back." Gu Fuyou walked into the house without looking back.
Plant a seed of suspicion and wait for it to take root and sprout.
The author has something to say: Happy New Year