346 National Treasure

. Five were incurring losses while four just broke even; only three actually turned a profit but not much. Of the eight manors, four weren't originally part of their family; Lady Wang explained that t...346. National Treasure

Upon hearing her master's words, Dongfang You couldn't help but be stunned. Indeed, the successors of Cangmang Mountain had never been entangled with Ding王府 in any way throughout history. However, at that time, she hadn't thought much about it and simply took it as fate. After all, Cangmang Mountain was meant to assist emperors, and originally, there would be no emperor emerging from the Ding王府. It was precisely because of this that she became even more concerned about the Ding王府. If she could accomplish what none of her predecessors had done before, Master would surely be very happy, and she would become the strongest successor in Cangmang Mountain's history.

But she never expected that the first thing her master did upon seeing her was to give her a hard slap across the face.

"Master..." Holding her reddened cheek, Dongfang You looked at the middle-aged woman with grievance.

This middle-aged woman was the current owner of Cangmang Mountain and also Dongfang You's master. Seeing the child she had raised from infancy looking at her with tearful eyes, the owner of Cangmang Mountain felt just as heartache-stricken inside. Dongfang You was by far the most talented disciple she had ever seen; her secret skills, martial arts, and talents were even more outstanding than when she herself was young. She had always been proud of her apprentice. However, she didn't know where exactly it went wrong. Despite her best efforts in teaching the strategies and methods that should be learned, this disciple seemed to have a natural inability to grasp them, acting immaturely in interpersonal relations and understanding human nature. In terms of these aspects, she might even fall short compared to a child sweeping the mountain.

By the time she discovered these shortcomings, it was too late; Dongfang You's personality had already been formed. A smart and beautiful woman who had been pampered all her life without experiencing any setbacks or hardships, making Dongfang You utterly ignorant of worldly affairs. In this world, after all, everything is made up of people. If one doesn't understand human nature, how can having a wealth of knowledge be of use

Like this time; Dongfang You simply took the elders' hints as clear guidance and thought that Mo Xiuyao was the most suitable person for Cangmang Mountain's successor to assist. She hadn’t once considered what kind of person Mo Xiuyao really was or whether she could be controlled by her. By the time she hurriedly arrived in Li city upon receiving news, Dongfang You had already caused a great stir in Li city, and practically everyone knew that Cangmang Mountain had chosen Ding王 as their target for assistance. Now, Cangmang Mountain was facing an awkward situation.

Seeing the clueless and aggrieved expression of her beloved apprentice whom she raised since childhood, the middle-aged woman sighed helplessly before bending down to pull her up. Dongfang You also knew that Master was truly angry this time; standing up with some unease, she called out 'Master.'

The middle-aged woman led her to sit on one side and looked at her reddened eyes gently asking, "Have you suffered any grievances while off the mountain"

Dongfang You bit her lips lightly as tears welled up in her eyes. The humiliation she had endured in Ding王府 was more than what she had experienced throughout her life of over a dozen years. Before, she could still console herself that everything was for Cangmang Mountain's sake, but after receiving the slap from Master just now, it made her realize to some extent that perhaps her previous actions were wrong.

The middle-aged woman helplessly said, "It’s my fault; I didn’t teach you well."

"No..." Dongfang You shook her head repeatedly and said, "No, it's the disciple's fault. The disciple acted rashly and caused Master worry." Regardless of how much she respected her master who had raised her since childhood, upon seeing her master blaming herself like this, she quickly shook her head.

The middle-aged woman patted her hand gently and said softly, "Alright, tell me everything that happened these days. I'll think of a way to solve it." Since realizing Dongfang You's personality could not be changed, Cangmang Mountain had already thought of ways to remedy the situation. Originally, they didn't plan for Dongfang You to go down the mountain alone for training; they just hadn’t expected her to act on her own accord without permission first. Although the current situation was somewhat tricky, it wasn’t unsolvable.

Only then did Dongfang You slowly recount all that had happened after she left the mountain in detail. She might not understand human relations and worldly affairs, but her martial arts skills and the meticulous guidance of Cangmang Mountain’s people over the past decade weren't false either. So, after leaving the mountain, Dongfang You didn’t suffer; she directly approached Prince Nanzhong Lei Zhenting. After Lei Zhenting confirmed her intentions and identity, he took charge of everything that followed, and all she needed was an appropriate opportunity to appear before Ding Wang. Conversely, it wasn't until she met Ding Wang that she suffered much humiliation and hardship.

People are selfish; even though it's their own child’s fault, upon hearing the ruthless rejection and ridicule from Ding王府 towards Dongfang You, the middle-aged woman couldn’t help but get angry. Her still-attractive face seemed to instantly freeze over with coldness, “Very well! Very well, a Ding王府... do you really look down on Cangmang Mountain so much”

The people of Cangmang Mountain had never thought that their strength was inferior to Ding王府's. The reason they hadn't provoked the people of Ding王府 before was because it was hard to gauge the personalities and abilities of the successive generations of Ding Wangs. This didn’t mean they would feel inferior to Ding王府 because of this. And then there were also the Xu family, whose ancestral records not only mentioned Cangmang Mountain but had also left a heavy mark on Ding王府. It was the second time that the Xu family had rejected Cangmang Mountain.

"Master, what should I do now" Eastern Yu asked somewhat anxiously. She was also a person with dignity; if possible, she would rather not give up Xu Qingchen so easily. After being treated so ruthlessly by the Xu brothers, Eastern Yu's obsession with the Dingwang Manor had actually gradually shifted to Xu Qingchen. Originally, her intention of marrying Xu Qingchen was indeed to get close to the Dingwang Manor. Mo Xiuyao was the person she would assist in the future; since he didn't want to marry her, of course, she wouldn’t force him either. But Xu Qingchen's decisive refusal and Xu Qingyan’s mockery were something Eastern Yu couldn't accept.

The middle-aged woman lowered her head in deep thought and sighed softly: "Since you’ve already done this, if you change your mind suddenly now, the vast mountain would have no face to stand in the world." In fact, if it was really Eastern Yu who changed her mind about not looking up to the Dingwang Manor, that might still be acceptable. But everyone across the land knew that it was the Dingwang Manor that looked down on Eastern Yu. If at this time, the vast mountain were to change its stance and support someone else, it would only confirm this rumor. Even if they chose other people in the future, their status and prestige in others' eyes would be greatly reduced. Hearing her master say so, Eastern Yu couldn’t help but let her eyes shine a little brighter, "Master… what should we do now"

The middle-aged woman snorted and said: "Tomorrow I will personally visit the Dingwang Manor to see the Duke of Ding and the eldest son of Xu’s family. Don't worry, Master won’t let anyone bully you."

Eastern Yu's beautiful face couldn't help but bloom with a pure smile of joy, "Yueer knows that Master is the best."

On this side, Eastern Yue and the middle-aged woman were discussing how to deal with the Dingwang Manor. On another side, the Dingwang Manor also received news about the owner of Vast Mountain entering the city. Regardless of where Vast Mountain's extensive network was located or its astonishing strength elsewhere, Li City was under absolute control of the Dingwang Manor. It was already a great achievement for Vast Mountain to set up a few secret agents in Li City; it was impossible for them to enter the city unnoticed. Therefore, when Vast Mountain’s owner planned to negotiate with the Dingwang Manor on behalf of his disciple, the Dingwang Manor also cast a huge net.

In the Dingwang Manor, Mo Xiuyao casually passed the news of Vast Mountain's arrival to Xu Qingchen. With a smile he said: "Brother Qingchen, the owner of Vast Mountain has arrived. Does this count as…" Before he could finish his sentence, Ye Li viciously pinched him on the waist from beside. This pinch was merciless; only Mo Xiuyao and Xu Qingyan sitting opposite them didn't notice. So the two were puzzled by how Mo Xiuyao stopped talking halfway through a sentence with an expression that slightly twisted before smiling at Ye Li.

Knowing Mo Xiuyao for so many years, Xu Qingchen knew well that he wouldn’t say much of substance. He didn’t press him to finish his sentence, lest he be needlessly angered.

In silence, he read through the secret letter Mo Xiuyao passed him and then frowned slightly: "This owner of Vast Mountain doesn't seem as easy to deal with as Eastern Yue. Is there any news about South Prince" Ye Li replied: "South Prince knows little either; only that this generation's owner of Vast Mountain is Dongfang Hui, a niece grandniece of Lei Zhenting’s grandmother. Since the father of the current emperor of Western Capital came to power, their relationship with Vast Mountain has gradually weakened, so they don't know much."

Mo Xiuyao said: "It seems that although the West Capital Imperial Family knows less about Vast Mountain, Vast Mountain’s control over them hasn’t decreased. Otherwise, Lei Zhenting wouldn’t fear it so much."

Xu Qingchen nodded and said, "Your Excellency is right. With Eastern Yue's intelligence, she could accurately find Lei Zhenting upon leaving the mountain, which shows that Vast Mountain’s external control and understanding have never diminished. It might be…that over all these years, Lei Zhenting has been unable to replace Western Capital Emperor due to Vast Mountain." Compared with the weak and incapable emperor of Western Capital, Lei Zhenting was undoubtedly a very difficult person to control. Putting him in power clearly didn’t align with Vast Mountain's interests. Mo Xiuyao nodded approvingly: "If this is true, I would believe that Lei Zhenting sincerely wants to cooperate with us." A genuine powerhouse wouldn't submit to someone else’s control. And Lei Zhenting was undoubtedly one of the top powerful figures in the world.

"What are your plans" Xu Qingchen asked.

Mo Xiuyao coldly smiled and said: "Cut off the fuel." Only by thoroughly eliminating Vast Mountain could they prevent future troubles. Even if Vast Mountain didn’t seek out the Dingwang Manor this time or even didn't participate in the power struggle, when Mo Xiuyao had spare time he would still find them troublesome. Their not provoking the Dingwang Manor now didn’t mean they wouldn’t later. Anyone who was in power wouldn't like an organization that seemed to stand alone yet deeply rooted everywhere in secret operations.

Xu Qingchen clearly thought Mo Xiuyao’s idea was good; after a moment of thought, he frowned slightly: "No one has been able to find the true location of Vast Mountain for so many years. I suspect there's an enormous natural formation near Vast Mountain. The people from Western Capital might not be able to find it." Now that Vast Mountain was under Lei Zhenting’s jurisdiction, Mo Jia Army could not easily enter or leave it.

"Formation" Military strategists usually studied formations; but Xu Qingchen saying this implied that the formation he referred to surpassed ordinary human capacity. Otherwise, Lei Zhenting himself would be able to solve it as a military strategist.

Xu Qingchen thought for a moment and said: "If we really need to act then, I want to go take a look personally."

Mo Xiuyao didn’t oppose; although the Young Master Qingchen was usually modest about his knowledge of military strategies, formations and military strategies became completely different fields at high levels. Since Qingchen had this confidence, Mo Xiuyao naturally believed in his ability in formation studies. As for Mo Xiuyao himself, he actually excelled more in battlefield tactics; he rarely used formations in everyday situations. As for Ye Li, formations like the Single-File Snake Formation or Eight Trigrams Array were no different from ancient texts to her.

Xu Qingyan followed and listened in, smiling and saying: "Brother-in-law Duke Dingwang, Brother, you should first think about how to deal with that Vast Mountain owner. I feel that the woman who could call such a disciple as Eastern Yue must also have terrible temper and character. And that Eastern Yue… I'm sure she has taken a fancy to Big Brother!" Prince Xu Wuhou had made great progress following Xu Qingbo these years, especially after Xu Qingbo went to Western Capital; he supported the northern farming affairs and resettlement of hundreds of thousands of disaster victims on his own. He seemed capable enough to handle everything independently already. This pleased Mo Xiuyao greatly; as several of Xu’s young masters were people who became stronger under pressure, he didn't hesitate to squeeze them hard.

Xu Qingchen lightly glanced at his younger brother, and Xu Qingyan immediately felt a chill on top of his head. He meekly drooped his head down. What he said was true. His elder brother had been an immortal in seclusion for too long, and the people he usually interacted with were either cunning or those who revered him as divine. How could he understand the thoughts of young ladies Xu Qingyan had long mingled among ordinary folks at the lower levels, so his understanding of ordinary women's minds was obviously much deeper than that of an immortal like Xu Qingchen.

"Elder Brother, you wouldn’t listen to your younger brother’s words. Don't blame me for not reminding you when you attract bad桃花…" Xu Qingyan thought with a sense of schadenfreude in his heart.

As the four were talking about the Vast Mountain, an attendant reported that Li Prince requested an audience outside. Xu Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh and said, "Isn't Mo Jingli trying to court Oriental You I suppose it's hard to win over such a proud beauty. Mo Jingli must have been rejected." A woman like Oriental You would be impossible for you to reject if she likes you, and you can't approach her yourself if she doesn’t like you either. If Mo Jingli wanted to please her, he would only make things harder for himself. Just after Oriental You left Ding Prince’s Manor, she coincidentally met Mo Jingli. Of course the people in the manor wouldn’t be unaware of this event, but they didn't care about it at all. At that moment, there was not just one person in Li City who harbored thoughts similar to Mo Jingli's.

"Do you guys know why he’s here" Xu Qingyan asked curiously. How much everyone knew how much Mo Xiuyao despised Mo Jingli, if it weren’t for extremely important matters, he would never set foot in Ding Prince’s Manor.

Moxiuyao leaned against the back of the chair and lazily stroked his chin with a lazy smile on his face. "This prince thinks he came to present gifts."

"Presenting gifts" Xu Qingyan widened his eyes in surprise. Mo Jingli would actually give something to Ding Prince He could probably send him some poison instead. When Moxiuyao said this, even the expression on Clean公子’s face changed slightly as he moved his handsome eyes and asked, "Are you sure he will give such an important thing to you" Smugly smiling, Mo Xiuyao replied, "This prince has already mentioned that nothing in this world can compare to having no successor. From the very beginning, Mo Jingli had no choice but to agree with me; he only couldn’t bear his pride. Look, it’s been just a few days since I mentioned it and he sent someone on horseback to retrieve something for you."

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and said, "Wouldn't Mo Jingli have trouble explaining to the court if he gives away a national treasure of Great Chu"

"What does this have to do with me" Mo Xiuyao asked with a twinkling smile.

The three people present were speechless; indeed, it had nothing to do with them.

When Mo Jingli entered the room, cold winds surrounded him like shadows. Unfortunately, none of the four present were cowards. Instead, the attendants following behind him were frightened, and when they placed their gifts on the table, their hands were shaking. After dismissing his servants, Mo Jingli stared at Mo Xiuyao and said sternly, "I have brought what you asked for, where is what I want"

Mo Xiuyao smiled calmly and replied, "Li Prince is straightforward; this prince will naturally keep my word too. Brother Qingchen, please take a look." Although the treasure and its replica looked similar, their actual value was vastly different.

Xu Qingchen nodded and got up to walk over to a long brocade box, gently lifting it open. Inside lay an ivory-colored jade lute. The body of the lute was as white as snow, with a smooth sheen like jade; at the top position was carved a blood-red phoenix. Since ancient times, the best material for seven-string zithers had been paulownia wood, but making a zither out of jade was unheard-of. Leaving aside other aspects, just this large piece of premium white jade alone would be extremely difficult to find, let alone that making a zither from jade would be even more challenging than from paulownia wood. This lute not only had an absolutely beautiful appearance; its sound quality was unparalleled as well. Throughout the centuries, there had been only one such lute made of white jade, which was hailed as an immortal instrument.

A slight hint of joy flickered across Xu Qingchen’s elegant and peaceful eyes as he lightly plucked a string, producing ethereal music from his fingertips. Even just a few casual notes were incredibly pleasing to the ear.

"It's indeed the Phoenix Lute," Xu Qingchen stopped playing and praised softly.

Xu Qingyan was stunned by the jade lute in the brocade box, temporarily unable to comprehend this astonishing news. The Phoenix Lute… Phoenix Lute, could this be the legendary phoenix zither that had captivated so many people for centuries So the other ones... Xu Qingyan involuntarily held his breath and stared blankly at Xu Qingchen's long fingers reaching towards another box.

Inside was a white outfit. The Snow Thread Robe didn’t look particularly beautiful, not even eye-catching. Semi-transparent gauze with faintly visible snow lilies was woven into it. Whether it be the Phoenix Brocade that once claimed to be the number one in the world or the Lotus Brocade and Water Cloud Silk, there were countless styles and colors that could surpass them. But the value of Snow Thread Robe wasn’t in its beauty but rather its impenetrable defense said to be indestructible by anyone. Xu Qingchen raised his eyes to look at Mo Xiuyao with a smile and asked, "Your Highness, do you want to try it personally"

"Of course I need to test it." How could he dare give this item to Ah Li without testing it first It might not be a protective treasure but rather the cause of Ah Li’s injury.

Moxiu Yao was not humble either. He stood up as soon as Xu Qingchen stepped back. A silver light flashed across his waist, and the white robe in the box was lifted up. Then several swift sword strokes followed; after the sword's glow vanished from his waist, a delicate white gauze gown lightly landed in his hand. Moxiu Yao nodded with satisfaction: "Indeed worthy of its reputation as an indestructible garment, it can not only withstand sharp swords but also strong qi." Even with Moxiu Yao’s profound skills, the Thousand Silk Snow Thread Robe remained undamaged in his hands, which showed how miraculous and protective it was.

"Moxiu Yao!" Mo Jingli's face darkened even more than a pot bottom. He found it extremely arrogant for someone to handle these treasures so casually with a sword in front of him like this.

Moxiu Yao smiled: "Since they were given as gifts, they are mine now. Can’t I cut a couple just to test them"

Mo Jingli gritted his teeth and had no words.

Holding the Snow Thread Robe with satisfaction, Moxiu Yao approached Ye Li and said with a smile: "Aili, do you like it Later I’ll have someone modify it into a beautiful new robe for you to try" Actually among these treasures, he valued this seemingly useless garment the most. As for the rest, even though Xu Qingchen asked for the Phoenix Zither and he stubbornly refused at first, that was just playful banter.

Ye Li knew Moxiu Yao's intentions and nodded with a smile: "It’s great; no need to modify it."

Moxiu Yao's expression became even more pleased as he said with a laugh: "As long as Aili likes it, that's all."

The remaining two treasures, the Imperial Seal and the Sword of Annihilation, were also genuine articles. Mo Jingli had interacted countless times with Moxiu Yao since childhood, so he didn't have the courage to fool him with fakes. However, in the end, Xu Qingchen took back the Sword of Annihilation due to its overbearing aura along with the Phoenix Zither for research purposes. Moxiu Yao was indifferent; there was no need for someone like him to use any divine weapons. In the end, the Viceroy managed to extort an Imperial Seal from Mo Jingli after much ado. Without much interest, he casually toyed with the seal in his hand, which was about the size of a jade seal. After examining it left and right without finding its value, Moxiu Yao rather listlessly threw it over to Xu Qingyan, who had been eyeing it eagerly. Xu Qingyan cheered as he held and examined the Imperial Seal, admiring it greatly.

Mo Jingli glanced at them; these brats were handling his treasures! Was it really proper for him to examine them like this in front of their original owner

"Moxiu Yao, give me what I want!" Mo Jingli said sternly.

Moxiu Yao casually threw a small item towards Mo Jingli's face; he caught it but felt numbness in his wrist. He was secretly shocked by Moxiu Yao’s proficiency and tightly held the porcelain bottle, opening it to smell and confirm that its contents were indeed identical to what Ye Yue had given him before letting out a breath of relief. Moxiu Yao glanced at him with an indifferent expression: "Don’t worry too much; I have no intention of making fake medicine for you. Whether your family will continue or not has nothing to do with me."

Mo Jingli gritted his teeth but had to admit that what Moxiu Yao said was true.

Moxiu Yao observed him calmly: "You really have no reason to hate me so much. The poison wasn’t administered by me, nor did I hide your son. Even the antidote wasn't something I forcibly took. It just happened to be in my possession, and I decided to earn a little profit from it—what’s wrong with that Or are you expecting me to be magnanimous and generous without seeking repayment"

Mo Jingli stared at him coldly: "I’ll remember this incident."

"As you wish," Moxiu Yao smiled. Whether or not he did this, Mo Jingli would still hate him anyway. So what was the point of dwelling on it Things that could be obtained should naturally be taken as much as possible; they’d just end up being wasted if left with Mo Jingli.

While playing with the Imperial Seal, Xu Qingyan looked pitifully at Mo Jingli. He really wanted to tell him: Prince Li, you better leave quickly before losing so many treasures and getting angered into coughing up blood.

No need for him to say; over the years, Mo Jingli had learned well from someone's manipulations. With a fierce glare at Moxiu Yao, he swept his sleeve and left angrily. why don’t we eat first" Ye Li had indeed not eaten since morning and thus nodded her agreement. The old man was very happy and instructed someone to prepare lunch, personally escorting Ye Li into a s...