Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 277 The Truth Behind Gu Qingyue's Disappearance

She should at least go out for a stroll tomorrow, pretending to buy some medicinal herbs. If she takes out a huge pile from her spatial storage now, it will scare people to death.

Gu Qingyue was acting mysteriously, which startled the brothers. Was she undergoing body tempering?

The four of them practiced martial arts from a young age. Although Gu Yuanjin later became a civil official, he still insisted on practicing martial arts every day and never slacked off.

This is a requirement that the old Duke wrote into the family rules: all male members of the Gu family must learn martial arts at the age of five, and must not slack off for the next ten years.

The gist is that men who care about their families must practice martial arts for at least ten years, starting from the age of five.

"There's such a thing? What are the benefits of body tempering?" Gu Yuanen also lowered his voice, acting mysteriously and extremely curious.

Gu Qingyue's lips twitched. What a rascal!

"Body tempering, as the name suggests, is to temper the body and maximize its potential, which helps to improve the speed of martial arts training, especially for improving internal strength."

After saying that, Gu Qingyue touched her hair, feeling that she must be shining at this moment, and she looked forward to seeing the surprised look in her brothers' eyes.

Four older brothers: ...Is the little sister telling a story? A myth?

"Ahem------", Gu Yuanjin spoke on behalf of the brothers, "Little sister, are you telling the truth?"

After saying that, he patted her head, as if to comfort a child: It's okay, your older brothers forgive you for making a mistake this time. Just be good from now on!

Gu Qingyue: ...What kind of look is that? That's an important secret recipe passed down in her family from her previous life! Although the medicinal herbs weren't good in her previous life, they're here!

She slapped Gu Yuanjin's hand away and pouted, "I'm telling the truth! I have the medicinal herbs right now, who wants to try them first?"

If you don't believe her, then nobody gets to sleep tonight! That's just how capricious she is!

The brothers were taken aback, and simultaneously raised their fingers to point at Gu Yuanming, their fingers almost poking his nose.

Gu Yuanming: So, very suddenly... why me?

He was the Ningyuan General in Lizhou, leading troops into battle. Does he still have any status when he returns home?

"Alright, let Third Brother try it first. Once you become the best, you'll make them cry."

Gu Qingyue raised her hand and patted his shoulder, pointing at the three disloyal guys.

Gu Yuanming: He's better than those three now!

Gu Yuanjin and the other two nodded, and Gu Yuanen added, "Okay, we'll cry." Then he looked expectantly at Gu Qingyue.

It was two hours later when Jiang Wan and the other maids from Fei Yue Xuan had finished preparing the medicinal herbs, thrown Gu Yuanming in, and then pulled him out again.

Gu Qingyue and her three older brothers stood outside the door, while Gu Yuanming meditated alone in the south wing. More than half an hour had passed.

Gu Yuanchen and the others were anxious.

"Does it really work?" Gu Yuanchen asked Gu Qingyue, as dawn was approaching.

“Of course, I’ve already undergone body tempering twice, and the results are excellent,” Gu Qingyue said, raising her chin higher than her nostrils.

Gu Yuanchen: Little sister, do you have to be so arrogant?

"Hey, they're out, they're out!" Gu Yuanen called out from behind the two of them.

The group looked closely and saw Gu Yuanming, dressed in a gray casual suit, opening the door. His posture was as upright as a pine tree, and his bright eyes were enviable.

You look too energetic after not sleeping all night, don't you?

"Third Brother? What do you think?" Gu Yuanen took a few steps up the stairs.

Gu Yuanming smiled mysteriously and raised his right hand to look at it.

"I feel like I could kill a bear with one punch right now," he said, raising his chin and giving a disdainful, enigmatic look.

"Really?" Gu Yuanjin's usually gentle and refined face contorted with excitement. "Is it really that amazing? And works so quickly?"

Gu Yuanming nodded and looked at Gu Qingyue meaningfully: "Thank you, little sister."

"You're too kind. I like jewelry and pretty clothes. Third Brother, remember that," Gu Qingyue waved her hand modestly.

Gu Yuanjin, who was beside her, affectionately patted her head. "Little sister is so cute!"

After seeing her brothers off, it was almost dawn. Gu Qingyue fell asleep instantly as soon as she got into bed.

Three days later, the other three brothers completed their first body tempering.

Gu Qingyue went to her small storeroom and looked around. My goodness!

It's so great to have an older brother; he's practically drowning in all the gifts he's received!

Gu Qingyue opened all the boxes, took out all the jewelry and fabrics, and examined them carefully, imagining the joy of being a rich woman. How wonderful!

"Master," Jiang Wan called softly from outside the storeroom.

My master has been receiving so many gifts these past two days that his hands are sore from holding them. He goes in to check on them every day. It's so cute!

"What is it?" Gu Qingyue's reverie was interrupted.

"Yu Mo's letter," Jiang Wan said in a low voice.

Gu Qingyue flung open the door and stepped out.

After quickly glancing at it, Gu Qingyue's anger was already surging.

That night, they took Granny Wu back and had her injuries treated. Granny Wu lived up to expectations and, grateful to Yue Ran and the others for saving her life, revealed everything about Princess Qing'an.

However, he remained silent when asked about the eldest daughter of the Duke's family, and only confessed after being tortured.

To confirm the news, Gu Qingyue thought about it and decided to go there herself to find out the cause and effect of the matter.

When Granny Wu saw Gu Qingyue again, her eyes were filled with complex emotions, a hint of regret, and deep apprehension.

Under Gu Qingyue's repeated questioning, Granny Wu slowly began to recount what happened that year.

According to Granny Wu, that year, she was allowed to return to Meng County to visit her relatives. When she passed by Lingyun Temple, she remembered her deceased elder sister and went to the temple to light an eternal lamp for her.

Just as she was about to finish her vegetarian meal and head down the mountain, a group of noblewomen arrived at the vegetarian hall.

She recognized the two women at the head of the household as Liu, the eldest wife of the Duke of Zhenguo, and Qin, the second wife of the Duke of Zhenguo. They were also holding the hand of a chubby little girl of about two or three years old.

The little girl had phoenix eyes and a pert nose; she was very beautiful. She must be the little legitimate daughter that the Duke of Zhenguo's family had been eagerly awaiting.

Although she recognized these people, she was, after all, a servant of the Prince An's mansion, and not wanting to cause any trouble, she avoided them.

Unexpectedly, when she came down the mountain in the afternoon, in order to avoid the important people, she came out through the back gate and happened to hear the voices of several people plotting behind the wall.

"Remember, sell it far away. Go yourself. Don't sell it to a broker. It's best to sell it deep in the mountains so you can never come out again," a woman said in a low voice.

Unfortunately, the voice sounded very familiar; she recognized it as Liu, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's family.

She had accompanied Princess An to various banquets and had seen that person more than once, so her voice was naturally familiar.

"Yes, yes, I remember," came the voice of a young man, who was filled with trepidation.

"Don't try anything funny. Remember your mother is in Mingzhi County. Think of your family, not just yourself," the woman said in a low voice, her tone sending chills down one's spine.

At that time, Granny Wu was so frightened that she squatted on the ground for a long time and couldn't get up. Although she didn't see the two people who were talking, she still can't forget the feeling of being so close to death.

Two months later, she returned to the Prince An's residence in the capital.

She learned from others that the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's family, whom they had longed for for three generations, had suddenly fallen seriously ill and was staying in Mingzhi County to recuperate.

But then I heard that Qin had been in a coma for a long time because of her daughter's situation.