Chapter Twenty-One: Eight Thousand Miles Hence

"Being a busybody isn't much of a problem."

"If you can be restrained, it means you still have some self-control."

Gu Liubai did not look at him; instead, he gazed at Yin Shiniang and Hu Laosan, saying earnestly, "For those people you can't stand, I will find a way for you to kill them. I might even make their fates worse than death, and I guarantee you won't lose your heads over it."

Yin Shiniang wore an indifferent expression, turning her head to look at Hu Laosan.

Hu Laosan hesitated for a moment, then replied with a slightly dull tone, "It's just... it just can't be for too long, otherwise, I won't be able to help myself."

Gu Liubai smiled. "My name is Gu Shiwu. When I do these things, I never drag them out. Furthermore, there are some tasks I can arrange for you to do so that it’s like cutting flesh with a dull blade, ensuring you won't have to wait impatiently."

"Alright then." Hu Laosan glanced at Yin Shiniang, thinking that if she could do it, he certainly could too.

"And what about Brother Du?" Gu Liubai took the initiative, looking at Du Haha.

Du Haha spoke generously, "My annual expenses are between five hundred and one thousand strings of copper coins. If I can make a surplus of over two thousand strings in Chang'an after covering those costs, then I can stay."

"That simple?" Gu Liubai was surprised. "No other requirements?"

Du Haha thought for a moment and said, "No delayed payments; monthly settlements."

Gu Liubai said seriously, "No problem. We can draw up a contract. There will only be more, never less."

Du Haha replied, "Then that's settled. Ask the others."

"And Auntie Lan?" Gu Liubai’s gaze landed on Lan Yufeng.

Lan Yufeng looked like an ordinary, proper woman. Given her age compared to Gu Liubai, calling her "Auntie" was appropriate, but the way he said it made her blush.

"I might... not be very suitable to go," she answered, bowing her head and stammering.

Gu Liubai smiled gently. "There must be a reason why you feel it's not suitable."

Lan Yufeng whispered with some embarrassment, "My hands aren't clean; it’s easy to annoy people... I've heard there are many officials in those big cities who manage such things."

"Your hands aren't clean?" Gu Liubai was momentarily stunned.

"She likes to swipe things from rich people and give them to the poor who can't get by. She can't break this habit anywhere, and because of this, she was chased out of the stronghold, eventually drifting all the way to Yin Mountain." Yin Shiniang, knowing Lan Yufeng would struggle to explain it clearly, simply stepped in.

Gu Liubai’s eyes widened. "Robbing the rich to help the poor?"

Lan Yufeng’s face turned even redder. "It's not really that... It’s just that some people losing a bit of money doesn't do any harm, so I can't help but take it for those poor souls."

"You just take things that look valuable when you see them; you don't go out of your way to rob storehouses or anything, right?" Gu Liubai began to worry.

Lan Yufeng shook her head repeatedly. "No, not that."

"Then you..." Gu Liubai hesitated but asked honestly, "When you take things, are you careful? Are your hands fast? Is it easy for you to get caught?"

"That doesn't happen either."

"Most people don't even notice," Yin Shiniang answered for her. "Even when she was first kicked out of the stronghold, it was only a suspicion because things would go missing wherever she was, but no one ever actually caught her."

Lan Yufeng blushed and explained, "The people outside the stronghold were skilled. A few times I was discovered, but I run fast, and after chasing me for a long time, they still couldn't catch me."

Gu Liubai breathed a sigh of relief but remained uneasy. "If you can't steal something, do you insist on going back for it, or get angry and kill the people chasing you?"

Lan Yufeng shook her head immediately. "Being discovered is already humiliating enough; how could I have the face to go back?"

Gu Liubai said, "Then that's not a problem at all."

Beside them, Du Haha’s expression became a bit strange. "The problem is, she can't help but swipe things from her own people either."

"She steals from her own people too?" Gu Liubai was stunned, then couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Lan Yufeng was too embarrassed to lift her head, though she defended herself internally—they weren't short on money anyway.

Chen Tu just smiled at Gu Liubai without speaking.

The smarter a person is, the more they realize what kind of trouble Lan Yufeng’s quirk would cause in Chang'an. However, Gu Liubai found her quite interesting.

Stifling his laughter, he thought seriously and negotiated, "Auntie Lan, if something is very valuable but I need it immediately, or if it's more important than a human life, or if losing it causes massive trouble, can you control yourself if I mark it?"

Lan Yufeng said, "I should... be able to?"

Seeing that she still didn't seem convinced, Gu Liubai said earnestly, "Auntie Lan, for things that absolutely cannot be taken, I will mark them in green. For things that can be taken, I will mark them in blue. For anything unmarked, help yourself. Just control it—take at most one item a day. Does that sound feasible?"

"I can take one thing a day?!" Lan Yufeng looked at Gu Liubai in surprise. "And you won't hate me for that?"

"How could I!" Gu Liubai wore an expression that said he would beat up anyone who looked down on her. "How is that annoying? People eat three meals a day; what's wrong with you taking one thing a day? We're all on the same team—anyone who begrudges you that is just stingy!"

"Then I'll take one thing a day!" Lan Yufeng was so happy her face turned rosy.

"When we get to Chang'an, you’d best let me see the things you take from others, so I can check if they can be taken," Gu Liubai smiled. "In Chang'an, many people aren't short on money, but some things—if they lose them, people will die."

"Okay!"

"Once we're in Chang'an, I'll slowly tell you what definitely can't be touched. Don't worry, it won't be a hassle; there are plenty of valuable things in Chang'an that you can take," Gu Liubai said seriously.

"Okay! I'll take one thing a day. People eat three meals a day, what's wrong with me taking one thing!" Lan Yufeng grew confident.

"Enough!"

Chen Tu’s cold voice interrupted Gu Liubai’s coaxing.

A chilling glint flashed in his eyes. "We of the Yin Mountain Hive are tied together. Even if you can convince all of them, if I don't agree, you won't be able to pull this off."

"That is indeed our rule," Yin Shiniang said. "The Yin Mountain Hive, we either all go, or none of us do."

Gu Liubai looked at Chen Tu calmly. "Actually, in your heart, you know you can't return to Yin Mountain either. Since those nobles have set their sights on you, you can no longer live as freely as before."

Watching his calm face, a nameless fire roared within Chen Tu.

"Gu Shiwu, I don't think you are one of us."

Chen Tu felt blood rush to his face. "And from the very beginning, you haven't said why you are so determined to go to Chang'an."

Facing his fiercely aggressive gaze, Gu Liubai just asked back with unusual calm, "Shouldn't a person like me go to Chang'an?"

Chen Tu sneered. He just didn't like the way Gu Liubai spoke.

Gu Liubai smiled faintly. His smile held a powerful sense of confidence.

"I just asked you—do you know what kind of place Chang'an is?"

He looked into Chen Tu’s eyes and said slowly, "You have already told me your view of Chang'an. Now, let me tell you what kind of place Chang'an is in my eyes."

The Spring Breeze Pavilion fell silent. Even Chen Tu was completely overwhelmed by Gu Liubai’s aura.

"Chang'an is the center of a prosperous age. It not only gathers the wealth and treasures of the world but also draws countless talents to swarm toward it." Gu Liubai cast his gaze from the window into the distance. "The city of Chang'an welcomes and bids farewell to countless brilliant young people. It is survival of the fittest. Countless talents couldn't survive in Chang'an, yet they still left their wisdom, their views on this dynasty, and their best selves in Chang'an."

"The powers-that-be in Chang'an may not be profound in their thinking, but some of the high monks in the temples or the practitioners in the Taoist shrines have minds that approach the divine."

Chen Tu furrowed his brows deeply. He couldn't fully understand it all, but he could at least discern that Gu Liubai didn't want to be like those talented youths, fighting for fame and fortune in Chang'an.

But the more that was the case, the more dangerous he felt it was.

"The night fires are as bright as the stars, and the jade towers seem as if they might fly to the heavens. I just want to stand in the heavens and look down at these jade towers, watching everything in Chang'an."

Gu Liubai continued slowly, "Elsewhere, even if you light a bonfire on the highest peak, few people will care. In Chang'an, those who can see the essence of things—a sneeze from them might trigger a storm for us here."

Chen Tu narrowed his eyes, remaining silent.

"Our struggle with this young master of the Xie family is asymmetrical. He can easily weave a giant net to shroud us, while we can only passively try to unravel it." Gu Liubai laughed at himself. "But here, you can never find an equal opportunity. Even if you solve this Xie Wan, other storms will easily sweep you up. This struggle is boundless, never-ending. But in Chang'an, I will resolve this imbalance. I can cast the net over their heads instead."

"Is it that easy?" Chen Tu sneered. "You have no foundation in Chang'an at all."

Gu Liubai laughed with emotion. "Exactly because of that, I must bring you all with me."

Chen Tu narrowed his eyes. "Wolves from under the Yin Mountain cannot survive in the alleys of Guazhou. I don't think we can live peacefully in Chang'an."

"Without me, you can't. But with me, you can."

Seeing Chen Tu about to refute him again, Gu Liubai said calmly, "You don't need to deny or agree with me right now. Just as my mother told me that Chang'an would give me the answer, the eight thousand miles to Chang'an lie ahead. Throughout this journey, I will give you a definitive answer."