Chapter 433: Divide and Conquer Strategy

Translator: 549690339

The capital city was already in winter, but Jiaye City in the south was still warm like spring.

Gu Ling and Cen Man traveled swiftly across the sea, taking turns steering the boat and barely stopping. Finally, at dusk, they landed ashore near Nanshan City and returned to land once more.

Although eager to return home, Gu Ling went to Jiaye City first.

When he saw Lian Shun, it was already night.

The Lin Family had already relocated to the capital city, and previously Nian Jincheng and his wife Yang Yu were living there. Now, because Yang Yu was pregnant, Nian Jincheng took her back to the capital.

In the vast Lian Mansion, only Lian Shun and a few servants were left.

Lian Shun was eating dinner alone. The large round table, which was once lively with family, was now particularly desolate.

Seeing Gu Ling suddenly appear before him, Lian Shun blinked, “Am I hallucinating because of loneliness? Why do I see Gu Xiaoling? I was thinking about Su Xiaoliang…”

Gu Ling’s expression was indifferent as he walked over and sat down. There was no empty bowl on the table, so he took the soup bowl directly and drank the soup with a spoon.

The smile on Lian Shun’s face instantly grew bigger, “Gu Xiaoling, you really came back! That’s great! I missed you so much! How come it’s just you? What happened to Qiao Xiaojing? Weren’t you going to save Ying Ying?”

Not Ying Xiaoying, because when Lian Shun mentioned her last, he suddenly became nervous. There had been no news of Ying Ying all along, and he was worried that something had happened, even though he always reassured himself that Ying Ying would be fine.

“Alive.” Gu Ling said succinctly.

Lian Shun instantly came alive, feeling completely relaxed, the heavy stone weighing on his heart turned into smoke and disappeared. His eyes sparkled, “Where are they?”

“Behind me.” Gu Ling said.

“Everyone is alright, right?” Lian Shun couldn’t help but confirm again.

Gu Ling nodded slightly, giving him some peace of mind.

Lian Shun stood up happily, “That’s great! I knew that if you went personally, there wouldn’t be any problems!” Even though he said this and sincerely believed in Gu Ling’s abilities, it didn’t conflict with his concern and confusion.

Lian Shun had only eaten a few bites of his dinner, but wasn’t hungry, so he gave his bowl and chopsticks to Gu Ling. Then he stood behind Gu Ling and massaged his shoulders, “Gu Xiaoling, you’ve worked hard!”

Lian Shun’s technique wasn’t very good, but Gu Ling didn’t mind, knowing that he was just too excited.

After eating his fill, Gu Ling put down his chopsticks and briefly told Lian Shun what had happened.

Lian Shun listened quietly until he heard that Gu Ling rescued Old Uncle Mu and the two of them escaped successfully. Lian Shun let out a long sigh of relief, “That was so thrilling! Gu Xiaoling, you are amazing! No wonder Su Xiaoliang always calls you a Great God, you truly deserve the title.”

Then Gu Ling mentioned the situation with Ying Ying and her brother.

Lian Shun froze, “She…lost her memory?”

Gu Ling nodded, “She was drugged and lost her memory. For now, we haven’t found a way to restore it.” He was referring to himself and Su Liang. They had researched solutions for Lian Shan’s amnesia before but to no avail. He believed that Su Liang would not give up.

Lian Shun also recalled his sister’s memory loss, sighed, and then smiled again, “It’s okay, as long as she’s safe.”

“Qiao Jing has already told her a lot of things.” Gu Ling said.

Lian Shun had an indescribable expression, “Qiao Jing…”

Gu Ling knew what he was thinking, “Don’t worry, what you’re worried about will not happen. Qiao Jing has his eyes on another girl.”

Lian Shun looked surprised, “Who?”

“Min Rou.” Gu Ling said. For matters of the heart, getting along is the foundation. Lian Shun and Ying Ying had spent time together, and feelings of love had grown. Qiao Jing met Min Rou first, and coupled with Qiao Cong’s constant nagging, he had developed feelings for her.

“I see.” Lian Shun chuckled, “Very good, very good!”

“Sheng Yue may have gone to the capital. I will leave tonight. Qiao Jing will probably arrive in three to five days. I’ve told him what to do. You can prepare first.” Gu Ling repeated what he had told Qiao Jing to Lian Shun.

Lian Shun’s face turned serious, “I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll arrange everything right after you leave tonight. I’ve been worried about not having anything to do lately, and no matter how high those scum’s martial arts are, as long as we don’t let them get ashore, let’s see what they can do!”

Cen Man entered from outside, she had just gone somewhere to wash up.

Lian Shun quickly ordered a servant to prepare hot soup and rice for her. After Cen Man had finished eating, she and Gu Ling left Jiaye City to continue their journey back to the capital city.

That night, Lian Shun didn’t sleep and started arranging the matters Gu Ling had entrusted to him.

The capital city, Su Mansion.

As night fell, Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu took Gu Xiaonuan to the underground secret chamber after dinner.

“Don’t worry, Master, we’ll take good care of our little sister! Master and Uncle Cheng Yun, please take care!” Ji Xiaoshu was always well-behaved in front of Su Liang.

Su Liang smiled, “Go ahead. We’ll be fine.” She then watched the three children enter the secret chamber.

After a while, Nangong Qian and Qiuyue also entered the secret chamber.

Nian Ruxue’s hands were tied with ropes and dragged over by Ren Dong. Only simple hemostasis was done on the wound on her face. It was still bright red. As soon as she entered, her eyes turned to Su Liang with deep hatred, but the next moment, she put on a pitiful look again.

Su Liang looked away. Nian Ruxue bore Yan Shiba’s face, which she hadn’t known before. Now, looking at it again, it felt very strange.

“What are you going to do?” Nian Ruxue asked.

With a glance from Su Liang, Ren Dong raised her hand and knocked Nian Ruxue unconscious. The following matter didn’t require her knowledge. Originally, they wanted to make use of her, but she was replaceable in Su Liang’s plan. They couldn’t let her stay by herself to prevent Sheng Yue from taking her away again.

“Can he handle it?” Qiao Cong asked, looking at Cheng Yun.

Cheng Yun frowned at his words, but didn’t say anything. Indeed, he was a little uneasy in his heart because he had never done the things to be done next. It was also very different from his nature, and it would be a challenge.

Su Liang smiled and said just two words, “Of course.”

Cheng Yun’s confidence instantly doubled. Su Liang trusted him so much, he couldn’t let her down.

“Master, let me pretend to be you. I know what to do,” Ren Dong said seriously. It was the third time she had mentioned it that day.

Qi Jun nodded, “That would be more secure. Even if they find out later, they shouldn’t do anything to Ren Dong. If they don’t find out, then everything will be perfect.”

Qiao Cong agreed, “Xiaoliang, you should hide. We will protect Ren Dong.”

As Qi Jun had said, it wasn’t about making Ren Dong take the bullet for Su Liang. It was just a strategy to gain more initiative.

When Su Liang first met Ren Dong, it was Duanmu Yi who had arranged for Ren Dong to be a body double. Their figures were very similar.

However, Su Liang still refused, “There’s no need for tonight. I have it under control.”

Seeing her insistence, Ren Dong and the others had to give up.

Close to midnight, Su Liang’s room was lit, and so was Cheng Yun’s. One was reading a medical book, and the other was reading a Buddhist scripture.

Although Gu Xiaonuan usually fell asleep around this time, she wasn’t there now, which made Su Liang feel unaccustomed. In the days when Gu Ling was not by her side, Su Liang shifted part of her longing for him onto Gu Xiaonuan. Seeing her daughter’s face every day was like seeing Gu Ling.

Su Liang looked at the note on her desk, which was counting time. According to her estimation, Gu Ling should already be on his way back to the capital from Jiaye City. If Gu Ling went to Xingluo Island and found that Sheng Yue was not there, he would definitely guess that Sheng Yue had come to the capital.

Cheng Yun held the Buddhist scripture, but was actually mumbling to himself with low voice. Occasionally, his gaze would suddenly turn cold, and he would look at himself in the mirror. He was practicing acting and reviewing the words Su Liang had taught him.

Pu Cheng and Sheng Yue came out of the woods again, and were immediately spotted by Qi Jun. Qi Jun shook the wind chime hanging outside Yuanming Pavilion as an alarm.

Su Liang put down her medical book, and Cheng Yun stood up with a stern expression, took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and then quickly let go.

However, Pu Cheng and Sheng Yue didn’t approach Yuanming Pavilion, they stopped by the lake.

After last night’s incident, there had already been some “tacit understanding” between the two sides.

It didn’t take long for Su Liang to walk out of Yuanming Pavilion, appearing in the sight of Pu Cheng and Sheng Yue, with Qiao Cong by his side.

Seeing Sheng Yue holding something in his arms, Su Liang’s eyes grew cold, as expected, they had captured another child.

Sheng Yue seemed to know what Su Liang would ask. Seeing Su Liang stopping five meters away, he simply said three words, “Duanmu Zhen, your adoptive daughter.”

Duanmu Chen and Situ Yao’s daughter, the only little princess in the royal family today, had been raised in the palace of Empress Dowager Xiao.

Su Liang thought that Sheng Yue had captured Duanmu Zhen tonight to let her know that they could freely enter and exit the Imperial Palace, and it would be easy to kill Duanmu Chen.

Duanmu Zhen did not make any sound in Sheng Yue’s arms; she should be asleep.

Su Liang’s face was calm, “What do you want? Just say it.”

“You come with us. I won’t hurt anyone else.” Sheng Yue’s tone was also very calm.

“Why?” Su Liang asked.

“You’ll find out, but not now.” Sheng Yue said, “For now, you just need to make the right choice.”

“Really? Why is going with you the correct choice?” Su Liang retorted.

“Because you are a good person.” Sheng Yue replied directly.

“Would you really kill an innocent child?” Su Liang asked.

Sheng Yue didn’t hesitate, “This is a world where the strong prey on the weak. I’m not a good person, I have things I need to do, and I’m willing to pay any price for it.”

“Including your father’s life?” Su Liang scoffed, “If I say, you kill Pu Cheng, and I’ll go with you, how about that?”

Wearing a wig and a mask, Pu Cheng’s face stiffened, not expecting that Su Liang had already recognized him and said it so calmly! Then, did Cheng Yun know?

Su Liang didn’t wait for Sheng Yue to answer, looking at Pu Cheng, “Yes, I guessed it was you last night because there were too many coincidences. You shouldn’t have let Cheng Yun come to my house yesterday.”

At this point, it was pointless for Pu Cheng to deny it. He gave a bitter smile, “I’m sorry, I thought you might understand me, after all, Ayue is my child.”

“I can understand, but I can’t accept it.” Su Liang said coldly, “I guess Cheng Yun is also your child, right? As for your deceased friend, that friend should be yourself.”

Pu Cheng’s eyes changed abruptly, and Sheng Yue narrowed his eyes. Su Liang guessed that it was Pu Cheng last night, which didn’t surprise him that much, but Su Liang had even guessed Cheng Yun’s origin!

“You… He’s not…” Pu Cheng’s tone already indicated that Su Liang had guessed correctly.

“Dare to give birth, but not admit it?” Su Liang sneered, “Sending your own son to Xingluo Island, and another to become a monk, then you travel all around the world. I really can’t understand your deep love for your late wife. If she has a spirit in heaven and sees the state of her two sons now, she would probably regret marrying you. Neglecting their upbringing and not disciplining them when they do wrong but instead helping the wicked! A husband and father who doesn’t take responsibility, pretending to be a love sage? Ridiculous!”

“Shut up!” Pu Cheng threw off his mask, revealing his disguised face, looking agitated, “You know nothing! What right do you have to say that?”

“Just because yesterday you planned to entrust your younger son to my care during the day, and help your elder son harm me at night!” Su Liang said coldly, “You’ve lost face already, can’t you even bear me telling the truth? Pu Cheng, what do I owe you to be treated like this? Sheng Yue is your son, you have your difficulties, and you want to help him, saying that I should understand you? Do I need to dig up the graves of your ancestors from eighteen generations before I can know such a disgusting and shameless person like you in this life?”

“Your grandfather killed my mother.” Sheng Yue spoke, seemingly explaining the legitimacy of Pu Cheng’s actions against Su Liang.

Su Liang laughed coldly, “That’s really hilarious! Mo Yan killed your mother, so you serve Mo Yan and help him kill me? I have to doubt that I’m not his granddaughter, and you are his biological grandson!”

Sheng Yue frowned, somewhat regretting what he had said just now. However, he didn’t let it disturb his composure, looking at Pu Cheng, he saw his chest heaving, apparently having been provoked by Su Liang’s words.

“Father, calm down a bit.” Sheng Yue reminded Pu Cheng.

Pu Cheng took a deep breath, and at this moment, a bald head rushed out of Yuanming Pavilion.

Cheng Yun quickly reached Su Liang’s side at an incredibly fast speed, looking at her in disbelief, “What did you just say? I’m his son? This is impossible!”

Su Liang frowned, “Since you heard it, it is as you heard. They didn’t deny it, and I guessed right. I wanted to tell you in the daytime, but you locked yourself up today, and I didn’t want to provoke you…”

Cheng Yun turned his head to look at Pu Cheng and asked in the most furious tone of his life so far, “Why?”

Pu Cheng was just trying to calm his emotions down, but when he saw Cheng Yun, he couldn’t hold back any longer, “Yunyun, I’m sorry… I’ll explain things to you, you’ve got to believe, I care about you… I swear!”

Cheng Yun trembled with rage, “You care for me? You let me join Su Liang, and then you came to harm her? How can I face myself? How ridiculous… Everything is so ridiculous!”

Su Liang grabbed Cheng Yun’s shoulder, “Calm down. Get in there first, it has nothing to do with you.”

“No, it does have something to do with me!” Cheng Yun, while pushing Su Liang away, drew the long sword from his waist and held it against his own neck, staring coldly at Pu Cheng, “I am your son, you said you cared for me, right? Let that child go, or I’ll kill myself! I once thought you were the most important person in my life, just like my father. I never thought that you would actually be my father! But this kind of father and brother is the greatest disgrace for me!”

“Don’t, Yunyun!” Pu Cheng’s face changed drastically, “Don’t hurt yourself, speak well, and I will explain everything to you!”

Su Liang tried to snatch the sword from Cheng Yun’s hand, “Stop messing around! I told you it has nothing to do with you!”

But Cheng Yun avoided Su Liang, walking towards Pu Cheng and Sheng Yue with a determined expression, “I’m saying it one more time, let that child go immediately, or I will kill myself!”

“Alright, alright!” Pu Cheng became nervous, “Ayue, quickly put that child down, let’s go!”

Sheng Yue didn’t move, staring at Cheng Yun, “Father, this is Su Liang’s trap, he’s using my brother.”

“Yunyun would really commit suicide!” Pu Cheng said, reaching out to take Duanmu Zhen immediately.

Sheng Yue dodged to the side, but Pu Cheng accidentally ripped off his fake hand and snatched the child away!

“Yunyun! Yunyun, look, I let the child go, quickly put the sword down! Don’t be impulsive!” Pu Cheng hugged Duanmu Zhen and took two steps forward.

At the moment when Sheng Yue’s fake hand fell off and the child was taken away, he immediately turned around and rushed into the woods with the fastest speed.

Qi Yan and Qi Jun, who were ambushing nearby, shot Sheng Yue, but he was immune to poison and still managed to escape.

Su Liang didn’t tell them to chase him. She admired Sheng Yue’s extreme calmness and analysis of the situation. Pu Cheng fell into Su Liang’s trap, but Sheng Yue quickly realized that this was a trap that Su Liang had prepared for them, and decisively abandoned Pu Cheng when he saw that he had lost control, running away by himself.

At this moment, Pu Cheng hadn’t realized that Sheng Yue had left. He was still persuading Cheng Yun to put down the sword and not do anything stupid.

As they approached, Cheng Yun caught the Duanmu Zhen handed over by Pu Cheng with one hand, while the long sword in his other hand switched direction and held it against Pu Cheng’s neck instead.

Pu Cheng’s face stiffened, “Yunyun… what are you doing?”

Cheng Yun, who was resolute just now, appeared very calm at this moment, “As you wish, I have left the monastic life. Su Liang is my sister, but you are not my father, and I don’t need a father like that.”

“Was it all… an act just now?” Pu Cheng looked as if struck by lightning, never expecting his innocent and somewhat naive son to change so dramatically overnight.

“All thanks to you.” Su Liang walked over, took Duanmu Zhen, pulled the blanket away, and saw the little girl sleeping soundly.

“You…” Pu Cheng clenched his teeth, “Ayue!” When he turned around, he found there was nothing behind him, and Sheng Yue’s figure had disappeared.

“Your eldest son is not like you, who want to play the victim while still acting like a scoundrel. He is much more awake than you and knows that you are useless, so he just ran away.” Su Liang said, “With one hand gone and no other help, he can’t hurt me for the time being.”

This is Su Liang’s strategy tonight: using Cheng Yun to drive a wedge between Pu Cheng and Sheng Yue.

With Sheng Yue’s strength, it would be very difficult to take him down. The biggest problem for Sheng Yue now is that the severed hand has reduced his strength and made him inconvenient to act. With Sheng Yue’s caution, he won’t show up easily before there is new help. It can be said that the crisis has been temporarily resolved.

Moreover, leaving Pu Cheng behind, Su Liang can now try to learn from him about his deceased wife’s affairs and the goals of Sheng Yue and Mo Yan. That way, she and Gu Ling can finally solve their biggest question: What does Mo Yan want with the transmigrators?’

“Yunyun…” Pu Cheng looked at Cheng Yun, his eyes filled with tears.

Cheng Yun didn’t put away his sword just yet, but Qiao Cong came over and took it from him.

Cheng Yun turned away, his expression indifferent, “I’ll go get the kids out.”