Chapter Seventeen: Attitude and Determination
When this Gongyang Family cultivator walked out of the tea house like he was facing a great enemy, in reality, most people in this Yebo Town tea house had noticed this unique caravan.
While these people represented different factions, many of them had come from the Qin. Their knowledge, or rather, the information they received before, was more detailed and accurate than the cultivator of the Gongyang Family. Many of them, at the first glance at Tantai Guanjian on the carriage, recognized him and were in great shock.
When this Gongyang Family cultivator and Tantai Guanjian had a simple talk, and he started to lead the way, the Gongyang cultivator had missed a point. Such a scene caused people to think that the Gongyang Family and the Nine Death Silkworm had reached an agreement between them.
Tantai Guanjian drove the first carriage. The second carriage was driven by the direct disciple of the Qi grandmaster Yan Ying. Some people even recognized Li Daoji who was driving the third carriage.
Looking at these people, and sensing the faint presence emanating from the three carriages, they thought that legendary person, who had once created an era and should have died in Changling but Yuanwu called reborn, should be within one of them. These cultivators felt great curiosity, and at the same time, they were filled with endless terror.
The family compound of the Gongyang Family was in the easternmost part of Nanquan Town. A little mountain called Zhang Mountain had become a great fortress after two generations of work.
Some of the important structures of the Gongyang Family were at the top of the mountain, a position that most seal weapons in the world could not reach. The Gongyang Family was skilled in layout, and mechanics, creating a layout with seal weapons that disrupted the primal energies of the universe so cultivators could not easily fight and also many weapons that could be activated without a cultivator.
If the private army of the Gongyang Family and the cultivators hid in the mountain, without large amounts of outside grandmasters, it would likely be a long war of attrition if any army in the Chu Dynasty wanted to take over the Gongyang Family’s mountain. It was much harder to conquer than any of the important border cities of an enemy country.
Zhang Mountain was not close to Yebo Town but the news moved quickly. A large cart which looked like a ship came out of the Gongyang Compound, and protected by some riders and attendants, moved in the direction of Yebo Town.
Sitting in the giant cart was Gongyang Ji. He liked stability and comfort. This cart had been made special so that even on the mountain paths, it would not shake or tilt much. Even more marquises of the Chu might not be able to possess such a thing. His face was calm like the warm sky in the spring, but his eyes hid shock.
Three ordinary carriages, that were of different styles, passed through Yebo Town, and on the way to Nanquan Town, met the procession of the Gongyang Family. Behind the vast procession of the Gongyang Family, there were the caravans of many other families who had learned the news. From far away, they looked like armies. But as Gongyang Ji signaled, and his family’s procession stopped, their presence was slightly lower than the three carriages that Ding Ning was in.
This was something hard to describe. The Gongyang Family was so, and so the three carriages appeared greater than the carriages between the Gongyang Family from the other families. It was like a ruler accepting many marquises coming to greet him.
The carriage stopped. The cart stopped. Gongyang Ji did not immediately speak and got out of the cart, just narrowing his eyes and waiting quietly. Tantai Guanjian got off the carriage with natural ease, and then the curtain of the carriage was lifted from the inside. Ding Ning walked out.
Ding Ning’s feet touched the ground. He calmly lifted his head and looked at the very authoritative old man in the cart opposite him.
Gongyang Ji’s gaze trembled. He felt that even he could not see through Ding Ning’s cultivation. At least, just from Ding Ning’s presence, he felt that Ding Ning was like the sky, and he could not judge the other’s true cultivation stage. So he quickly confirmed that this person was the one that Ye Xiao had used to trap with the dust mountains but Yuanwu and Zheng Xiu still could not kill.
“How to call you?” he stood up, got out of the cart, gave a shallow bow and asked.
Ding Ning said calmly, “Ding Ning.”
“I really admire you, but your actions have made it difficult for me.” Gongyang Ji looked at him and said, “You greet me in such a fashion, any person will feel that the Nanquan Families have completely sided with you.”
“Should it not be so?” Ding Ning gave a faint smile. “Then how should I appear? Come here without a trace, secretly assassinate the families who oppose me the most, including that visitor of the Zhou Family?”
Gongyang Ji frowned slightly and said, “We need some time to deal with this, I fear that there is not enough time.”
Ding Ning looked into his eyes and shook his head, saying calmly, “I think that this way will let you see our determination.”
Gongyang Ji stopped frowning. “If you think this, you are correct.”
Ding Ning did not say anything and just nodded.
Gongyang Ji turned around and the conversation that was incomprehensible to many people ended like this. When he sat back into the cart, he said to a retainer who had been by his side, “To the Zhou Estate.”
The Zhou Estate was the home of the Zhou Family. This retainer was his closest, and instantly heard the meaning in his words. When the order was passed down, he thought and asked, “Should we help them into carts?”
The nobility of the Chu Dynasty cared greatly about comfort, and the Gongyang Family had the most comfort and grandest carts. Since Gongyang Ji had shown his attitude, this retainer naturally felt that it was not suitable for the others to be in these shabby carriages.
But Gongyang Ji shook his head lightly and then gave a small smile. “It does not matter. Since he has stated his identity so publicly, then no matter what he rides, in the eyes of the world, is it any different from a throne?”
The news quickly spread to the Zhou caravan far away on the road. The Zhou Family, who had already been very anxious, learned what Ding Ning and the others were going to do, and grew excited.
A white jade box a foot long was quickly delivered. This was a gift from the Zhou Family. It contained a medicine paste that was like white fat. This was the white dragon fat, made from the core and fat of the white water serpent into spirit medicine. It was one of the best medicines in the world for healing.
