XH 249 - Liang Shan is your name?

High up in the sky, there was something huge with a long body, flying with a pair of large wings. From those on the land, they would have misunderstood it as a flying beast.

The flying 'beast' was actually a mechanism, where right in the middle of its length was Liu Chu Chu and Gu Wenjing. Scattered across the body were a large number of green-eyed men cycling hard to keep the mechanism to continue flying. None of them were allowed to stop even for a second or they will break the momentum and the mechanism will stop flying.

It was fortunate that each of them was cultivators, with more strength and stamina than normal humans. The ride from Gu Dan country to the Zhu Que Kingdom took two days and much to the hardworking clansman, they were about to arrive at their destination.

Liu Chu Chu does not have the knowledge or material to make an airplane, so the best she could do was make a long cycling bike with wings. If only she was in her 25th-century world, then all she needed to do was press buttons to select what kind of plane she wanted and the creation machine will do the rest for her.

To create a long cycling bike with wings without any help of futuristic tools was considered impressive and Liu Chu Chu was endlessly proud of her creation.

They could choose to travel by land, but she believes it would take them too long to reach the Zhu Que Kingdom, with many people aiming for the chance to kill them once they stepped out of their protective poisonous fog.

After more than a year of trying different medicines, from the cheapest to expensive, her injuries still remained the same and refused to be healed. Fu Chou had told her that the best medicine in the world was a phoenix's blood. Fortune finally shines on Liu Chu Chu, for news of a phoenix living in the Zhu Que Kingdom reached their ears at the right time.

It took some effort and time from Gu Wenjing before he managed to get the exact location of where the phoenix was at. Seeing Liu Chu Chu's bright eyes after telling her the good news was enough to make him happy.

Although Liu Chu Chu still held onto hope to rescue her husband once she recovered her injuries, that was not so for the King of Gu Dan.

Originally, in Gu Wenjing's eyes, Liu Chu Chu was a savior to their diminishing Gu Dan Country that they could never be able to pay back her help even at the expense of their lives. Even knowing this, Gu Wenjing was willing to get her to continue helping them by helping her out in return. But as they spent more time together, he discovered that she was vastly different from those females in his clan. Her intelligence, loveliness, and bold personality were so addictive, letting his budding feelings grow and bloom into love.

As her husband was his obstacle in getting Liu Chu Chu to be his own woman, he will have to get rid of him first.

Whenever Liu Chu Chu asked about her husband's news, Gu Wenjing lied, saying that Long Shan was still alive inside the prison. That Guilin would not kill Long Shan as long as he could still be used to lure out Liu Chu Chu. But he knew that Long Shan was actually at a monastery, being a monk in a very dedicated manner.

His decision confused Gu Wenjing, as to why would he willingly enter the monastery to be a monk and let go of his beautiful wife?

A monk would never get married and indulge in bodily pleasures.

Gu Wenjing does suspect that Long Shan converted into a monk has something to do with the Guilin royalty, or else why would they let him go? Even if Long Shan was forced to be a monk and have plans to reunite with his wife, Gu Wenjing does not want him to return. Gu Wenjing does not want Long Shan to continue lingering in Liu Chu Chu's heart like a haunting ghost. He will have to eliminate him from the surface of the world.

Once Long Shan was killed, only then will Gu Wenjing sympathetically inform Liu Chu Chu of her widow status, using this chance to capture her heart during her fragile moment.

...Each was in their own thoughts, thinking of their ambitions and failed to realize that below their flying mechanism on the land, there was someone following them since the moment they stepped out of Gu Dan Country.

They were a pair of male and female, with similar cool expressions as they fought against the hot wind blowing past them as they ran. Their speed was fast and silent, nimble as they dodged every obstacle in the path.

It was An Jing and her husband, Da Liu.

Thanks to them, Liu Chu Chu's movements were known and quickly notified to the Third Prince. It was also thanks to them that Gu Wenjing coincidentally got the information of the phoenix's hideout location.

Although the Zhu Que Kingdom was known as the territory of Vermillion bird celestial beast and similar to a phoenix, no one knows if they really exist. As years go by without any sight of them, the citizen slowly thinks of them as a myth, but still dedicated in thanking Vermillion bird for their survival.

As Feng Jiu was the vassal of the Vermillion bird celestial beast and the eldest daughter of the leisurely brother of the Emperor, she knew many things, such as the existence of phoenix in her Kingdom.

The myth was real.

They wanted to trap Liu Chu Chu, so Feng Jiu decisively agreed to expose the old hideout of a pair of phoenix couples. The pair of phoenix had passed away recently, leaving behind their child, which was still too young to take care of itself. Hence, it was taken care of by the Vermillion bird itself.

At the same time where Liu Chu Chu and Gu Wenjing were traveling to the Zhu Que Kingdom, the Third Prince was picking up someone on the way to the Zhu Que Kingdom.

That person was a tall, handsome monk, with a solemn expression and aged eyes. He placed his hand together and gave a slight bow to Long Zhu.

There was no smile on Long Zhu's face as he stared at the monk that was previously known as his Second Imperial brother. "Liang Shan, is your name?"

Liang Shan, previously known as Long Shan, bowed. "This name is bestowed by the head monk. He wishes for this one to be like a strong mountain that shines down a path for the misguided souls."

Long Zhu chuckled softly but no one knew if it was out of amusement or sarcasm. As he had thought, after seeing Long Shan in this state, he no longer felt murderous, and only old distaste towards the person remained.

"Young monk, this prince has no intention to have you help the misguided soul we are about to encounter. There is no need for you to have them walk down to the right path but should lead them straight to the path of the afterlife."

"Amitabha," Liang Shan murmured as his thumb counted the bead in his right hand. His thoughts about Long Zhu's decision could not be read from his tranquil expression.

"Monk Liang Shan, her ambitions will lead to the downfall of the Four Kingdoms, and many innocent lives will perish. Will you keep her alive and sacrifice everyone's lives in return?"

Long Zhu did not mention that Liu Chu Chu's current plan was to heal herself and then save her husband. It was unknown if Liang Shan knew about it. But even if he knows, Long Zhu does not care.

"I will not let down everyone's faiths placed on me."

Wugui Mingzhi stared at Liang Shan, who looked very much in peace with himself, and would have felt a bit envious if not knowing what he had to experience to achieve that feat.

Liang Shan's ordeal proved that Wugui Mingzhi's fear towards females was right! They were dangerous creatures that should be placed at a very far distance!

"Long Zhu, the disastrous star is getting closer to her life star," Mingzhi informed Long Zhu with teary eyes as he blinked uncomfortably. The bright sky makes it harder to read the stars, so Wugui Mingzhi always reads them during night time. His eyes always hurt from staring at the bright sky for too long.

Liang Shan had heard of Wugui Mingzhi, the talented astromancy from the Xuanwu Kingdom. As the only male child among the royalties, he was destined to be the next Emperor. Wugui Mingzhi's readings were really accurate and from what he just said, Liang Shan assumed that Liu Chu Chu will die once the disastrous star collides with her star.

He wondered if they were the disastrous star about to take Liu Chu Chu's life.

Perhaps because Wugui Mingzhi used to encounter people that wrongly misinterpreted his reading, he could see Liang Shan was one of them. He may read other's fortunes, but never will he help to unravel the meaning. It would not be good for him and the other to know too much about the future.

But Wugui Mingzhi does not want Liang Shan to face the danger without knowing how severe it was and end up making the wrong decision.

"Liu Chu Chu will bring forth a great disaster the moment the disastrous star overshadows her life star."

"Would this be related to the spirit living inside her spatial jade bracelet?" Liang Shan had lived with Liu Chu Chu for quite some time and had noticed some strange things about her that he chose to ignore at that time.

Using a leaf, Long Zhu whistled sharply. "We will continue our discussion while we travel." It would not do if they were late to arrive.

Hearing the signal, a carriage with two flying horses flew in the sky, and Xiao Liu safely guided them to land not far from the Third Prince.

Liang Shan's heart trembled in astonishment upon seeing the majestic horses with wings on their back. Then he silently laughed at his own idiocy. He had underestimated Long Zhu way too much in the past and he had not seen the extent of his capacity yet.