Atop Mount Yunmeng, the wind died down, the clouds dispersed, and silence descended. The three stone statues vanished as if they had never existed, leaving no trace behind, not even a speck of dust.
Fan Li stood there quietly. Below, all eyes were fixed upon him.
"We invite the Duke of Jin of the Great Chu... to ascend the peak."
From the pavilion at the summit, Guiguzi's voice, neither male nor female, neither human nor ghost, drifted down slowly.
Sage Ruler Jin De was filled with resentment! At this moment, she would rather kill Fan Li than see Guiguzi fall into his hands. Her fists clenched, knuckles cracking.
Suddenly, Zhuge Liang, Zhou Yu, Guo Jia, and Yan Yuan stepped forward, blocking Jin De's path.
"You!?" Jin De was furious, but she understood their intentions.
"Sage Ruler, the events on Mount Yunmeng have concluded. For the sake of the greater good, we respectfully request that you return to the Pure Land," Yan Yuan said solemnly.
Among the four, Yan Yuan had the lowest cultivation level and held the lowest official position.
But at this moment, he was the spokesperson for the Great Chu! He represented Fan Li and the Emperor of Chu.
"Sage Ruler, please remember the oath you swore in the Flaming Mountain," Zhuge Liang reminded her with a smile.
"Please conduct yourself with dignity," Zhou Yu and Guo Jia added in unison.
Jin De fell silent. She faced four men, but in reality, she faced four nations. The alliance between the Pure Land and the four kingdoms had to be maintained. Otherwise, no single faction could stand against the Great Ming.
Sage Ruler Jin De yielded. "Heh..." she scoffed, "Would I ever go back on my word? Tell Fan Li, the Brahma Sound Pure Land congratulates him on recruiting Guiguzi!" With that, Jin De turned and strode down the mountain.
"Gentlemen, Zhang must also take his leave." On the other side, Zhang Juzheng, carrying the unconscious Crown Prince Wanli on his back, prepared to descend as well.
Yan Yuan pondered for a moment, then said, "We shall accompany Master Zhang down the mountain."
Zhang Juzheng was taken aback. He remained silent for a few seconds before nodding with a wry smile. "Very well. In fact, I have had dealings with the Duke of Jin, and we share a certain rapport. There's no need for such precautions."
"It's merely a matter of convenience, not precaution," Zhou Yu replied coldly. Better safe than sorry.
At the foot of Mount Yunmeng, the Great Ming's forces were the strongest.
If they didn't keep an eye on Zhang Juzheng, who knew if he would simply return to the Great Ming or set a trap with hidden troops to ambush them?
Thus, the six men split into two groups, maintaining a certain distance as they descended the mountain.
Zhang Juzheng seemed genuinely focused on leaving. He placed the unconscious Crown Prince in the imperial carriage, bowed to the others, and then commanded the Crown Prince's guards to retreat along the same path they had come.
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Yan Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Master Yan," Zhuge Liang said with a smile, "With matters settled here, I should return to the Great Han and report my findings."
Zhou Yu and Guo Jia also bid farewell to Yan Yuan. One by one, the carriages departed.
At the foot of Mount Yunmeng, only Fan Li's group remained.
"Master Yan, what is the situation on the mountain?" Lu Bu inquired curiously.
He and ten captains of the Imperial Guards had been waiting at the foot of the mountain, but Fan Li had not returned, leaving him filled with curiosity.
"Everything went smoothly," Yan Yuan replied with a smile. "The Duke is truly remarkable, to have recruited Guiguzi."
He had witnessed firsthand how Fan Li had schemed and killed Sage Ruler Blood Phoenix. Now, seeing Fan Li ascend the peak of Mount Yunmeng and subdue Guiguzi, his admiration knew no bounds!
***
"You are Guiguzi?" In the pavilion at the summit, Fan Li felt a pang of disappointment.
"Indeed, I am. I apologize, but I truly am Guiguzi."
On the stone table in the pavilion lay Guiguzi's black robe and ghost mask. Beneath the disguise was a slightly overweight, middle-aged man with a dejected aura.
‘Damn! This is what Guiguzi looks like? In my past life, he would have been a typical 'talent' forced into early retirement by his company after turning 35!’
Fan Li was speechless. He would rather believe that the fat man was an ordinary middle-aged unemployed person than the reclusive scholar Guiguzi!
‘If you gave this guy a suit and a briefcase, I'd believe he was carrying his resume around looking for a job.’
Despite his internal thoughts, Fan Li eventually accepted the reality that the man before him was indeed Guiguzi.
"Sigh..."
He let out a sigh.
"Anyway, let me formally introduce myself. I am Fan Li, Duke of Jin and Chancellor of the Great Chu. I sincerely invite you to leave the mountain and assist me."
The slightly overweight man hurriedly replied, "I am the third-generation Guiguzi. Duke of Jin, you broke the Three Emperors Formation and are my benefactor. I am willing to leave Mount Yunmeng with you."
He agreed so readily? Fan Li was both amused and disappointed, his expectations for Guiguzi greatly diminished. After all, the man wasn't a hermit master, just someone trapped on a mountain.
"Master Guigu..."
"Duke of Jin, there's no need to be so formal. My surname is Wang, and my given name is Ban. You can call me Wang Ban, or simply Lao Wang."
The third-generation Guiguzi was unexpectedly easygoing. Even a little... pathetic.
"Lao Wang?"
Fan Li's lips twitched. He decided he would never live next door to this guy. This name was certainly easier to say than "Master Guigu" and more fitting for the man before him.
"Lao Wang, you said you are the third-generation Guiguzi? What exactly happened?" After asking, Fan Li worried that he might be prying into private matters that Wang Ban wouldn't want to disclose. However, to his surprise, the man answered readily and in detail.
"Duke of Jin... The first Guiguzi was my grandfather. When my grandfather ascended to the immortal realm, my father became the second-generation Guiguzi.
The Overlord of Chu, Emperor Gaozu of Han, and Emperor Taizu of Ming, still harboring resentment after being rejected by my grandfather, joined forces to set up the Three Emperors Formation, trapping my parents on the summit of Mount Yunmeng."
Fan Li's face twitched. What petty minds!
The Overlord of Chu, Emperor Gaozu of Han, and Emperor Taizu of Ming were indeed living up to their reputations as depicted in the historical records of his previous life.
Emperors shared hardships easily but rarely shared prosperity. They held grudges and excelled at settling scores.
"And then?" Fan Li asked as he surveyed the surroundings of the summit.
He was surprised. Upon reaching the peak, he discovered that it was quite spacious, enough to accommodate several small villages. Not far from the pavilion were several ancient and elegant courtyards, likely where Guiguzi resided.
But strangely, Fan Li thought he saw figures moving between the courtyards?
"The confinement on the summit began a thousand years ago. My parents went through periods of pain, depression, and despair, but eventually came to terms with it. They adjusted their mindset and began a life like a paradise within this small world on Mount Yunmeng.
Perhaps due to their positive attitude, my father's cultivation progressed rapidly until one day, he became the strongest Confucian cultivator of his time. He also completely refined the magical treasure 'Mount Yunmeng' left by my grandfather and began researching how to break the Three Emperors Formation.
After many years, my father finally managed to partially comprehend the formation and discovered that only someone with the Mandate of Heaven had a chance of breaking it.
So, my father used the name of Guigu to open the restrictions on Mount Yunmeng, attracting talented Confucian cultivators to become his disciples and spread his fame. He hoped to attract the current emperors to Mount Yunmeng and help him break the Three Emperors Formation..."