Star Trace Gate

late at night.

Ren Ye stood at the window of the guest room, looked up at the sky, and saw the clouds appearing and disappearing under the full moon.

Just now, Fatty Wu's adopted son sent the handwritten letter he wrote to Yan Bo to the headquarters on a bald eagle.

After discussing with him for a long time, Lao Liu and Xu Bangzi suddenly felt physically and mentally exhausted. At this moment, they were lying on the bed and fell asleep, snoring slightly.

On the east side of the guest room, Xu Qingzhao sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, seemingly having no intention of resting.

Ren Ye faced the cold wind, and after thinking for a long time, his desire to enter the Star Gate of the Immortal Mountain became stronger and stronger. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that if he missed this place, it might be difficult to solve the plague.

Now that you have made a decision in your heart, any further worries will only add to your troubles.

He slowly withdrew his gaze, prepared to wash up a bit, and then quickly went to bed to rest and calm his mind. After a day, he rushed to Bulao Mountain and found the guide to enter.

Ren also took two steps back, looked at his beloved concubine, and asked softly, "Bao'er, aren't you going to rest yet?"

"Stop making noise. I have things to do. Don't disturb me." Xu Qingzhao replied impatiently.

"?!"

Ren Ye looked at her expression and thought to himself, "Is her period coming? Uh, does this fairy also have a menstrual period? It's so regrettable..."

He was a little henpecked and didn't dare to disturb her. After a simple wash, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep quickly.

……

Lingnan Prefecture, government office.

The housekeeper stopped in front of the inner courtyard door and said softly to Fatty Wu, "The master wants to chat with you for a few minutes, so I can't come in. Please come in, Mr. Wu."

After Fatty Wu nodded slightly at him, he walked into the inner courtyard alone.

In the quiet and elegant inner courtyard, Bau, the frontier general in charge of the political affairs and military affairs of the three Lingnan regions, was standing under an old locust tree, with his hands behind his back, his eyes staring at the flower garden, his body straight.

He was over sixty years old, with white hair, a thin body, and only a very thin cloth. From a distance, he looked no different from those lonely old people living in the countryside.

After spending half his life in military service, most of the close friends with whom he could sit and chat and drink in his later years have passed away.

After Fatty Wu was admitted, he looked up at Bau and immediately trotted forward: "I am here to see the prefect."

Bau looked at the flower garden and said calmly, "There are no outsiders here, so let's skip the formalities."

"Hehe." Fatty Wu stepped forward with a flattering look on his face, and said in a smooth voice: "Sir, it's already past midnight, and you are still so energetic. You are still as charming as before."

"Haha, an old man in his twilight years, how can you be so elegant?" Bau sneered and turned to walk to the left side of the inner courtyard. "I was bored late at night, drank a few more cups, and thought of some old things, so I couldn't fall asleep."

"My lord, what troubles have you thought of? I wonder if I can help you share your worries?" The communication between the old dog coins was full of pulling and euphemisms, but there was definitely not a single word of nonsense.

Bau walked slowly in the night wind until he came to the door of a closed side room and suddenly asked, "Fatty Wu, look at this room. If we store it with all our strength, how much of the money-smelling Star Source can it hold?"

When Fatty Wu heard this, he looked up and froze in place.

The side room was quite large. If it were filled with rice, flour, grain and oil, it would be enough for a family of five to consume for four or five years.

He blinked, frowned, and continued, "A rough estimate shows that it can hold at least six million star sources."

"It's still a little short. It should be able to hold 6.5 million star sources." Bau turned his head and looked at Fatty Wu: "Haha, because many years ago, someone personally calculated it for me."

"Who is it?" Fatty Wu didn't dare to respond and just continued the conversation.

Bau moved towards the inner hall, recalling with emotion: "Alas, thinking back to the past, during the Pingnan Campaign, I was commissioned by the current emperor to resist the enemy at Sanhekou, and the bloody battle lasted for more than a month. My troops suffered heavy casualties, but the left wing army of the old King Huai did not advance an inch. He was eager to open up the Sanhekou position, so that the left wing army could go to the southern border and directly penetrate the heartland of the Golden Wolf Tribe, so he sent someone to bribe me with a large sum of money."

"Back then, the envoy pointed to a wooden house of the same size as this one and said: If I agree to play it safe and pretend to be defeated during the battle between the two armies, so that King Huai's left army can march straight in, then he will give me this room full of star sources. This person is very interesting. He actually calculated it on the spot and thought that this house can hold at least 6.5 million star sources."

As they were talking, the two of them came to the inner hall, and Fatty Wu asked, "So how did you respond?"

"I beheaded the fearless envoy of King Huai, cut off his body to feed the eagle, and hung his head on the flagpole." Bau walked towards the chair and said softly, "Thinking back to those days, I was young and frivolous, full of passion. The men of my southern border wear armor to protect the mountains and rivers, and the people of the border. Don't say that what he gave me was just a small house of money. Even if King Huai brought a mountain of gold, how could it humiliate my lofty ambitions?"

Fatty Wu did not sit down, but only clasped his fists and said: "The general is righteous and is truly a role model for our generals in southern Xinjiang."

"Haha, sit down, sit down." Bau sat on the chair, looking very old. He just picked up the teacup and continued, "After killing the messenger, the left-wing army of the old King Huai went crazy and attacked for several months. My army suffered heavy casualties and could not cope with their attack. I did lose that battle... In the end, I was forced to retreat hundreds of miles, and lost five sworn brothers. I was also seriously injured and on the verge of death twice. Even the golden wolf I raised died in front of my hometown... I shed blood for the country and the people."

"Of course." Fatty Wu replied.

Bau took a sip of warm tea and looked up at the bright moon outside the window. The bravery he had in those days was no longer there. What remained were his eyes that gradually became cloudy over the years. "The Pingnan Campaign, as the people of Daqian called it, is over. Our Wuli Kingdom has not lost an inch of land and has already taken on the appearance of a nascent dynasty. The current emperor has made great efforts to develop people's livelihood, and everything seems to have stabilized."

"The country is stable, and everything is peaceful and prosperous. Eight years ago, I applied to my tribe (Golden Wolf Tribe) to be transferred to Xiangshui Prefecture to train and expand the army, so as to prepare for future military plans in advance to prevent the Daqian Dynasty from making a comeback." Bau intervened and looked at Fatty Wu, and asked softly, "Do you know how the senior officials of my tribe responded to me?"

"I don't know." Fatty Wu shook his head slowly.

Bau smiled helplessly and raised three fingers: "Xiangshui Prefecture is a relatively rich place in our country. If you want to be transferred here, you must first get three million star sources and make arrangements. For secondary important places, two million star sources are required. And those barren border areas also require one million star sources."

Fatty Wu was stunned and speechless.

"Haha, those generals who may have received money from the old King Huai can afford it. But for a general like me who killed the envoy, lost his brothers, and killed the witch spirit, where can I get the money to buy this position?" Bau shook his head slightly and said self-deprecatingly: "I lost. All my direct troops were defeated, and the brave generals around me were buried outside the green mountains. My body is old and useless. Now looking back, the star source in the room is still as bright as stars. But I am trapped in this remote frontier, sitting in a well and looking at the sky. Counting the scars on my body, I am left with only a shameless and pitiful selfish desire."

"......!" Fatty Wu did not respond.

"What is selfish desire? Drinking deer blood wine, playing with beautiful concubines; wearing silk and satin, eating delicacies from land and sea; in my spare time, I look at the antique paintings and calligraphy, precious magic weapons in the collection library, this is enough for me to be content with life." Bau laughed wantonly, his eyes brightened again: "Even if there is another storm on the border in the future, there will be another young and frivolous Bau full of blood, wearing armor, holding a spear, and fighting for the country. I just don't know if this Bau's later years will be the same as mine, hahaha!"

"It is truly disheartening that the imperial court treats such meritorious generals in this way." Fatty Wu continued the conversation.

"It's not a matter of whether I feel disappointed or not." Bau waved his hand and said, "When we were young, we all felt that we were destined to be together; when we were old, we saw our white hair in the mirror and the lake reflected our mediocrity. Only money can heal my scars, and only treasures can commemorate my youth."

"Fatty Wu, how many concubines can I marry with those 6.5 million star sources? How big a tomb can I build after I die? I will not leave the spear and silver armor to my descendants, but these rare treasures will become more valuable the longer they are stored." Bau's eyes were bright and his face was full of smiles. He asked softly, "What do you think?"

His old face was full of wrinkles and his smile was bright and dark. The expression was so shameless that even Fatty Wu felt it was obscene.

Fatty Wu paused for a moment and said, "I understand."

"The high official of our tribe said something to me back then." Bau smiled and said, "If you beg me, then the price is non-negotiable."

Fatty Wu gritted his teeth and said, "I understand."

"Alas, it's getting late. I'm a little tired. Let's go to bed early." Bau said to see the guest off.

Fatty Wu clasped his fists and said, "I will take my leave now."

Not long after, Fatty Wu left.

Bau stood in the inner hall happily, waving his hand and calling out, "Immortal elixir... bring me my elixir, and turn over two signs tonight!"

Not long after, the elderly man, as if in revenge, rushed into the concubine's room and started to toss and turn in all sorts of ways.

……

The end of midnight.

In the Bulao Mountain, looking at the north wall.

A young man in a green shirt looked at the dried blood and traces of battle left by the magic weapons on the cliff in front of him, and remained speechless for a long time.

The man in blue is none other than Master Guan Feng, the man that Ren Ye has been desperately searching for.

He arrived at the Bulao Mountain about half an hour ago, and stopped after passing the Wangbei Wall along the way.

This towering cliff was filled with a large amount of black blood, as if a god had fallen here, and after his body shattered, the hot blood spurted all over most of the wall.

Although countless years have passed, the traces of blood and magical weapons are still clearly visible, as if telling an unknown story.

Master Guanfeng looked at the north wall and said in a daze, "They say you died of illness here... Is that really the case...?"