Chapter 124 - Planning for a Kingdom
After a chase spanning for five days and five nights, Li Qinghe was finally dead!
Gu Hai thrust the Life Severing Saber back into his side and turned it back to his rib, then looked for a stream where he could clean himself up and change his clothes. Having finished everything, Gu Hai finally started exploring his surroundings.
Along the way, Gu Hai was completely focused on chasing Li Qinghe. Now, the heavens knew where he had ended up.
After another full day, Gu Hai finally spotted a city.
"Oh, so it's the Great Jin Kingdom, a secular domain southwest of my Gu Mansion!?" A furrow creased Gu Hai's brow as he made his way into the city.
Gu Hai was the richest man in the six kingdoms, and this Jin Kingdom was one of those six kingdoms. Very soon, Gu Hai located his local shop.
"My Lord! My Lord, you are young again! My Lord look just like the time when this lowly one used to follow my Lord in the past!" the old manager of the shop greeted Gu Hai excitedly.
Gu Hai, looking at the old manager, heaved a light sigh as he said, "Don't worry, you can also become younger!"
"Yes, yes, thank you, my Lord. As long this lowly one can follow my Lord, this lowly one is willing to do anything! It's just that, over these years, this lowly one had been responsible for the Jin Kingdom and had not seen my Lord for a long time," the delighted old manager replied.
"Mhmm!"
"Right, my Lord, many 'immortals' had come by earlier. They were inquiring about the whereabouts of my Lord like crazy. However, now, it's much better, as if they are no longer looking for my Lord all of a sudden. However, recently, they seemed to be appearing once again, wanting to go to the Ding Long Clan. Heaven knows what they want!" the old manager reported to Gu Hai.
"Oh? The Ding Long Clan?" Gu Hai's eyebrows twitched.
In the past, the Ding Long Clan used to be one of the five major sects of Nine-Five Island. However, what was still fresh in Gu Hai's memories wasn't this but that memory of Meng Tai, which Ding Rui and Song Shengping had watched together when Meng Tai was imprisoned. In that memory, Long Wenqing and Meng Tai had chanced upon a dragon vein in the Ding Long Clan twenty years ago. After seeing this memory, Ding Rui had hurriedly left the Golden Tong. She should have come back to the Ding Long Clan.
The Ding Long Clan?
"My Lord, the Great Jin Kingdom seems to be a vassal of the Ding Long Clan!" the old manager reported respectfully.
Ding Long Clan? Dragon Vein? Ding Rui?
Gu Hai, with his brow furrowed, sank into quiet thought, his finger lightly tapping on the table. The old manager, on the other hand, stood respectfully on one side, waiting patiently.
Suddenly, Gu Hai took a deep breath as he spoke in a deep voice, "Since the cultivators from everywhere are going to the Ding Long Clan, then it may not be a bad idea to take a look as well! I will not be returning for the time being!"
"Ah? Yes!" the old manager nodded.
"Prepare brush and paper for me, I want to write a message to all the executives of the five kingdom branches!" Gu Hai stated calmly.
"Yes, my Lord!" The old manager's expression changed as he immediately obliged.
All the executives of the five kingdom branches?
Gu Hai was the richest man in the six kingdoms. With the Great Song Kingdom decimated, only five kingdoms remained. Each one of the executives was a great spokesman who was responsible for Gu Mansion's matters in a kingdom, just like Gu Han, who used to be in charge of the Great Song Kingdom. Although the old manager before Gu Hai was highly respected and responsible for the Great Jin Kingdom, he still wasn't the highest manager of the Jin Kingdom.
Writing a message to all five executives at the same time naturally meant that some huge matter was about to take place.
The old manager didn't dare to be neglectful, he personally ground the ink for Gu Hai.
Gu Hai, after thinking for a moment, began to write the messages, letter after letter.
"You can look, but remember to keep it a secret!" Gu Hai stated in a calm voice.
"Yes, my Lord!" the old manager said respectfully.
As Gu Hai wrote a letter, the old manager on the side took a peek while grinding the ink.
Reading the words on the letter, the old manager's eyelids started to twitch madly before his face flushed red with excitement.
"My Lord, my Lord, you... you want to unite the world?" the old manager said, feeling a bit stifled in excitement.
"Hmm?" Gu Hai looked at the old manager, frowning.
The old manager quickly suppressed his excitement as he took a few deep breaths. Then, he said, "Yes, this lowly one didn't see anything! Didn't see anything!"
"If you do a good job, not only can you follow me as I establish myself in the secular world, if you want, you can join me in the cultivation world as well. Even the immortals will be nothing. In the future, immortals can just be lowly officials waiting upon you, that's all!" Gu Hai's eyes flickered with confidence as he spoke.
"Yes!" the old manager answered.
"Send these few letters through my Gu Mansion's channel and hand them to the executives. You are passing my message, so don't be afraid to spend money. As long as you get the job done, spending money is completely fine!" Gu Hai said calmly.
"Yes, my Lord!" the old manager respectfully obeyed.
"And send this letter to my Gu Mansion, it must be handed to Gu Qin only! This matter is of paramount importance, there must be no mistake!" Gu Hai stated in a deep voice.
"Yes, my Lord, don't worry, I will send my eldest son to personally put this letter in Young Master's hands! If something goes wrong, you can take my head!" the old manager assured him. There was a serious look on his face.
Gu Hai nodded to the old manager in acknowledgment.
After resting for an entire day in the Jin Kingdom and buying many materials, Gu Hai proceeded on his way to the Ding Long Sect.
A few days later, Tiger Cage Pass, Gu Mansion...
The news regarding the Song Jia Sect had also been spread over to here.
The news of Gu Hai massacring the entire Song Jia Sect alone had sent chills down the spine of countless cultivators.
"Alone? Senior Brother, are you kidding me?"
"Who is joking with you? I was there at that time, it was too cruel!"
"Gu Hai? Then.. then what are we still doing here? Are we still planning to snatch the Saturn Peach?"
"Fuck off!"...
A hubbub of noises rose everywhere around the Gu Mansion. Countless cultivators were discussing the matter of the Song Jia Sect. As many had not seen the scene of bones lying around everywhere, the cultivators roused their courage to take a trip to the Song Jia Sect for a glimpse. However, as long as anyone returned from the Song Jia Sect, they never wanted to go back; it was simply too horrifying.
Inside the 28x28 Heaven and Earth Grand Array...
Gu Qin gathered the four captains inside a hall.
Inside the hall, a middle-aged man stood before everyone.
"Young Master, my father asked me to send this letter! I came as soon as possible. My father also didn't tell me anything!" the middle-aged man respectfully reported.
Gu Qin nodded his acknowledgment to the middle-aged man and waved his hand, asking him to withdraw.
In the hall, only Gao Xianzhi, Chen Tianshan, Scar, and Shangguan Hen remained.
"Captains, father asked me to pass this letter to you in turn. Of course, this letter is for me as well. Please take a look!" Gu Qin said calmly.
The four captains took the letter one by one, confused. As they read it carefully for a while, everyone's eyebrows started to twitch.
"My Lord...my Lord wants to unite this secular world?" asked Scar, puzzled.
"In the Nine-Five Island, the Golden Tong, the Clear River Sect, and the Song Jia Sect have already been expunged from the five major sects today. Sure, the standings can be shuffled, but...!" Chen Tianshan stated as a furrow creased his brow.
"But what?" Gu Qin looked at Chen Tianshan.
"Even if we unite the Nine-Five Island, so what? How can it compare with the Ascendant Hall?" Chen Tianshan could not understand.
"Captain Chen, you should not question my father's thoughts. I think my father's plans will hardly be inferior to those of Captain Chen!" Gu Qin said calmly.
Chen Tianshan was slightly taken aback for a moment, before he nodded reluctantly.
"What you have to do now is to implement what father told you in the letter!" Gu Qin stated evenly.
The four captains nodded in agreement.
"Captain Chen, in the letter, my father asked you to convince Chen Lianyi to give up the Chen Kingdom. My father promised the title of a Baron to him, and it can be inherited! He must hand over the entire Chen Kingdom to my Gu Family as soon as possible. Do you have any problem?" Gu Hai asked, very serious now.
Chen Tianshan nodded and said, "No, I don't have any problem. Without the support of the Clear River Sect, even if the Chen Kingdom doesn't seek refuge under Gu Mansion, it would still have to submit to other sects in the future! I will go and convince Chen Lianyi!"
Gu Qin nodded approvingly to Chen Tianshan.
"Captain Chen, your task is relatively heavy. Apart from convincing Chen Lianyi, your Earth Company is also responsible for recruiting the cultivators for my Gu Mansion!" Gu Qin stated solemnly.
"Recruit cultivators? This...!"
"I know it's very difficult, but my father said that there are many cultivators of the Thousand Islands Seas currently gathered here at Nine-Five Island. There is no harm in trying. If you can recruit them, it could not be any better. But if you can't, it also doesn't matter!" Gu Qin said sincerely.
"Alright!" Chen Tianshan nodded in acknowledgment.
"Captain Gao, in the letter, my father appointed you as the Imperator of my Gu Mansion. You will command all the forces and prepare to fight the four kingdoms!" said a very grim Gu Qin.
"Alright!" Gao Xianzhi agreed without a moment of hesitation.
"Don't worry, my Gu Mansion has penetrated very deep into the five kingdoms. It's just that my father has always been reluctant to strive for supremacy, that's all. Now, with my father's command, my Gu Mansion's power is absolutely more than you can imagine. Pacifying the four kingdoms should not be difficult!" Gu Qin said with a smile on his face.
Gao Xianzhi had a complex look on his face as he nodded to Gu Qin. He could not help but wonder at the ignorance of the Song Kingdom, to actually dare to clash with Gu Mansion!
"In the letter, my father said that the main purpose of unifying the Nine-Five Island is to train the troops. Captain Gao, this will need you to display some of your generalship!" Gu Qin said earnestly.
"Alright!" Gao Xianzhi nodded his agreement.
"My father began nurturing talents a long time ago. Some of the managers and talents we have taken in were slowly sent to various cities to take over the businesses there. Captain Scar, my father has put you in charge of their safety and asks you to protect them carefully!" Gu Qin said in a rather strict voice.
"Don't worry about this matter!" Scar nodded in acknowledgment.
"Captain Shangguan, my father asks you to lead the Death Company and meet up with him!" Gu Qin said earnestly.
"I will leave immediately!" Shangguan Hen acknowledged.
"Captain Shangguan, there is no need to be in such a hurry, let me prepare the clearance papers for you. Furthermore, I will send the courier pigeons to various establishments of my Gu Mansion, they will surely help you with everything along the way!" Gu Qin assured him.
"Alright!" Shangguan Hen nodded to Gu Qin.
With the end of this short meeting, the three thousand men of the main Gu Mansion's establishment started to get very busy, indeed.
Many of the old managers of the Gu Mansion were quite astute. Just from Gu Qin's successive commands, they could immediately sense something unusual about the whole thing. They all seemed to have guessed something. One by one, everyone of them grew excited as they prepared everything they were instructed to with unusual zeal and fervor.
Three days later, Chen Palace...
Chen Lianyi was sitting before Chen Tianshan.
"Grandfather, what...what does Gu Hai mean by this?" Chen Lianyi's eyes flickered uncertainly.
"Chen Lianyi, it's not the time for you to be confused about this. Without the support of the Gu Mansion, our Chen Kingdom will be finished! My Lord promised to give you a hereditary title of Baron in the future. Can't you still understand?" Chen Tianshan told him in a heavy voice.
"No...no... I am not worried about this. The foundation of the Chen Kingdom was completely laid by Gu Hai… no, by my Lord. In the beginning, it was on the verge of being destroyed. I am a bit unwilling, but I also know about the general situation. I understand, it's just that...just that I am worried about some people who will be a bit reluctant!" Chen Lianyi said worriedly.
"Oh?"
"There are a bunch of aristocrats with deep foundations in my Chen Kingdom, I am worried that they will oppose this!" Chen Lianyi explained.
"You don't need to worry about anything, you are just responsible for handing over the Chen Kingdom. As for these opposing aristocrats, my Earth Company will deal with them. Anyone who dares to make trouble will be killed!" Chen Tianshan said, scowling grimly.
"Yes!" Chen Lianyi's eyes flickered. Finally, he nodded in acquiescence.
"Lianyi, don't think that being a Baron is small. Perhaps...perhaps this is also your good fortune. You can follow us and step into the world of cultivation. Your road will no longer last for a short hundred years!" Chen Tianshan explained.
Chen Lianyi's face changed as he said, "Cultivators can also found a kingdom?"
Chen Tianshan laughed grimly. "Of course! On the Divine Continent, there are countless countries founded by cultivators, the strongest among them is a Heavenly Dynasty! You can't even imagine how strong it is! The 'long live' is undoubtedly long life! It's not just a slogan!"[1]
"Long live? The Emperor of a Heavenly Dynasty can truly live ten thousand years?" Chen Lianyi's eyes went wide as he asked this.
"Well, don't talk about these unrealistic things. It's best for you to gather your most trusted people and then, begin handing over the Chen Kingdom!" Chen Tianshan said in a heavy voice.
"Ah, yes!" Chen Lianyi blurted out.
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Translator's Notes:
[1] The 'long live' here refers to "Long live the emperor!" 万岁 is used for long live, where 万 means ten thousand, that's why in the next sentence Chen Lianyi said ten thousand years!
Editor's Note: This is why Chinese is called 'poetic'!