"What if he never learns?"
Yu Hua thought briefly, showing a bit of hesitation, "Then I'll go again tomorrow with a more common one."
"Madam, wouldn't you harm him by making a special visit again?"
The donkey was speechless. How could the disciples of his Sanqing Taoist Sect be so naive about love?
It had been the Mountain Guardian Beast for thousands of years and had seen countless young people pass by, but Yu Hua was the first of her kind.
However, considering the causal connection between the Yuqing Sect and the Gu family and Yu Hua's stubbornness, which resembled her master's, it wasn't strange that she was so persistent.
The stubborn Yuqing Sect could hardly allow a change in their Protector, which was already a major concession.
"You can ignore that young Zhao, and even the Lord Emperor wouldn't dare do much to you, but the descendants of the Gu family, to put it harshly, are but servants of the family. This morning they couldn't wait to stay away from you, but aside from that, this young man is very clever."
Yu Hua bowed slightly and sincerely asked for advice, "Senior, how do you think I should approach the descendants of the Gu family to avoid causing him trouble?"
Oh, using honorifics when asking for a favor?
Seeing her sincere attitude, the donkey felt mischievous for a moment, pointed with its hoof towards the wall, and said, "You must be completely secretive. You sneak out over the wall at night and slip into his residence under the cover of darkness to pass on the cultivation technique."
"You know, I know, he knows; this way, it won't cause him any trouble."
Yu Hua pondered; indeed, this was the most secure and effortless method.
If it were done through someone else, it would certainly be known to the Zhao family. Listening deeply allows one to hear others' thoughts, but it can't stop their malicious intents.
With this thought, she bowed and thanked him, "Thank you for your guidance, senior. I'll be back soon."
After speaking, Yu Hua got up, lightly jumped, and in a blink, she leapt over the high wall and melted into the night.
"The immortal secretly meeting a mortal in the deep of the night, how intriguing."
The donkey couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter, attracting the guards, followed by someone being kicked out of the courtyard, stuck to the wall and unable to peel off.
-----------
In Bianjing at 1 a.m., subtle noises came from the rooftiles, a figure swiftly darted across them.
Yu Hua soon arrived at Gu Wen's residence; she stood on the rooftop, where most people in the residence were deep in sleep, except for the guards moving around with lanterns.
'Where does Gu Wen live?'
Yu Hua encountered her first problem—being in Immortal Land was special and many methods were hard to employ without utilizing Immortal Fate Treasures; any Daoist Skill required an object to carry it.
Besides perceiving others' intentions, deep listening could also clearly discern all causes and effects in heaven and earth. But that would come at a great cost, clearly not worthwhile here, as she saw the descendants of Gu merely as "a decent person."
It wasn't worth using deep listening to find him.
Thus, Yu Hua searched from room to room, occasionally encountering people up at night and patrolling guards. She skillfully evaded each one, her garments being a treasure that allowed her movements to be silent and agile as a swallow.
Until the dawn started breaking at around 3 a.m., she still hadn't found Gu Wen and had to leave the Gu Residence reluctantly, returning to her own small courtyard in the royal residence.
Seeing Yu Hua climb back over the wall, the donkey asked with a laugh, "How did it go?"
"I didn't find him, I'll go again tonight."
Yu Hua shook her head, answering and then went inside to catch up on some sleep, noticeably exhausted.
Her persistence made the donkey want to transform into a human just to laugh heartily, but unfortunately, the chaotic Law of Immortal Land wasn't sufficient to support such a transformation in magical creatures.
A thousand years ago, her master was just like this when she was a young girl.
"Zhao Feng requests to see Miss Yu Hua."
Outside, the cultured voice came again.
Zhao Feng stood outside with a box of breakfast in his hands, dressed in an embroidered white robe and wearing high blue cloud-patterned boots, a shift from his usual lavish attire, looking more like a traveling scholar.
Clearly, he had been advised by a wise person, but it did no good.
The donkey yawned, lowered its head to continue eating grass, not allowing anyone to enter.
Though it had accepted favors from the Zhao family, it had only offered them pleasant words. Anyone daring to harm Yu Hua, even the Emperor of the Zhao family, would have their divine soul obliterated, with no chance for rebirth.
Yu Hua bore the celestial mandate to revive an immortal, who might potentially become the only True Immortal existing between heaven and earth.
-----------------
In the early morning, the sky was overcast and filled with cold air.
Gu Wen rode through the city with his trusted aides, and although they were using a special lane where they could legally gallop, their iron armors and prominent swords were very conspicuous; it was hard to keep a low profile.
Jiang Fugui, seated in a carriage at the rear, waved his hand and shouted, "Mr. Wen, it's too dangerous. Better come up into the carriage."
Riding was an extremely physically demanding and dangerous activity. Falling off the horse was the lesser danger; the greater fear was being kicked or trampled by the horse. Gu Wen practiced horse riding for potential future emergencies to escape to the south, but due to physical reasons, he generally avoided riding.
And Jiang Fugui, who relied on Gu Wen for his latter life's prosperity, would rather see his own son dead than see this master come to any harm. After all, a son could be born again—of which he had more than one—but there was only one master to rely on for a prosperous life.
Gu Wen was testing the effects of the cultivation technique he practiced. He didn't know how to gauge the 'energy' levels inside his body, but his physical ability always was the clearest and most useful indicator.
Unlike in the past where he would start panting after running for a few minutes, he not only felt untired now, but also more spirited and powerful when he mobilized the energy within his body.
His cultivation brought a tremendous improvement in his physical strength, greatly enhancing his riding skills. Gu Wen even felt he could ride for hours on end without issue.
This was crucial for it could save his life.
He continued to ride until he reached his home, where he dismounted. His aides were somewhat out of breath; the quality of Daqian's soldiers was concerning. Gu Wen, with his face unflushed and pulse steady, symbolically gasped a few breaths too.
The leader of the aides admired him, saying, "Mr. Wen, you may be a merchant, but you are indeed a bold man."
"Incomparable to a general. From now on, the safety of my residence will entirely depend on all of you."
Gu Wen remained as humble as ever, utilizing his skill in speaking appropriately to each individual. Merely referring to the group leader as 'general' had left him fluttering with pride.
In less than a day, the aides were extremely polite to Gu Wen. After all, he was indeed a generous master—the silver almost knocked them out with its weight.
"But this place is also Mr. Gu's home, shouldn't the specific guard arrangements be up to me?"
The smile on the aide leader's face faded slightly as he responded, "Ninth Prince specifically mentioned that we are to protect Mr. Wen closely."
"Does that include when I bathe?"
"Of course not, but we will station someone outside the door."
"..."
Gu Wen quietly observed the aide leader, feeling a surge of murderous thoughts, but he immediately suppressed them. Indeed, possessing a deadly weapon makes one prone to such thoughts.
Once he was confident he could eliminate the opposition, sinister ideas tended to pop up unwittingly.
The aide leader felt a chill under Gu Wen's gaze, almost as if he were facing a ferocious border army commander. Forcing a smile, he said, "Mr. Wen, please don't make this difficult for me. At most, we can compromise by not standing right at the door but still keeping the house in view. What do you think?"
He understood the resistance—no one liked eavesdroppers, effectively spoiling any fun with women.
Suddenly, Gu Wen's expression transitioned from seriousness to a smile, clapping the leader on the shoulder, "From now on, the safety of my residence will rely on the 'general.' However, I won't let you work in vain; I will personally provide each of you with twenty taels of silver monthly as a salary."
"Thank you, Mr. Wen. If you have any private matters, you can ask the brothers to temporarily withdraw."
Seeing Gu Wen give him an out, the aide leader sighed in relief, not pushing for more.
Everyone was here to make a living—you give me face, I give you convenience. Moreover, given the Ninth Prince's intentions, Gu Wen might be ennobled next year, making it critical not to offend him.
"What if I give forty taels of silver?"
"Regarding who guards the door, it depends on whether the Prince's men show up."
Smooth, very smooth.
Gu Wen again commended the flexible adaptability of the Daqian troops, considering even the Prince's orders could be negotiable.
He heard that bandits in Daqian often bribed their way into the city walls with baskets full of silver, and afterwards, the guards would open the gates for them to rob major households and official storages. Whether they made back their investment depended on their skills.
Upon entering his residence, Gu Wen found the servants and maids all seemed a bit uneasy. Upon inquiring, he was informed:
The house was haunted!
Just last night, many had seen a white figure floating around the residence, causing general unease and fear.
A single person seeing it may be a hallucination, two people might suggest a burglar, but a group seeing it suggested there truly was a ghost. After all, in this world where even the outer Immortal Sects exist, and Yu Hua the immortal descending from the heavens was witnessed, the existence of ghosts was perfectly normal.
Trouble never comes alone.
Gu Wen rubbed his temples, head aching immensely. If it had been before, he wouldn't have cared much, perhaps just having some guards at the doors during the night. Now, he had to take it seriously.
"Fugui, go to the temple and invite a few masters over."
"Yes."