Our Binding Love: My Gentle Tyrant
chapter-342-30041322

Is it the Treasure or a Trap?

After Ye Mu returned, before she could say anything, Mo Linyuan told Ye Mu all the information he had received.

Ye Mu listened, nodding. “Then that makes sense.”

“What?”

Ye Mu said, “I just asked Lin Zhizhao, asked how he saw my fate. He finally said he has the eye of heaven.”

After that, she retold Lin Zhizhao’s words.

Mo Linyuan frowned. “But according to this information, even if he really has this kind of eyes, he didn’t learn his true skills, or else people wouldn’t have accused him of being a liar. This kind of person, do you really want to bring him with us?”

Ye Mu nodded, her smile a little mysterious. “Think about it, if he can really see the black qi on people’s bodies, he may be able to see the purple qi from the east*. And the hidden treasure in the place with good feng shui will surely accumulate qi. Having someone who can see qi, what’s there to be hesitant about?”

*In Chinese culture, the color Purple is auspicious and associated with immortality and spiritual awareness. It was also an Imperial color.

Retrieved from: https://immortalmountain.wordpress.com/2017/02/11/purple-qi-from-the-east/

Mo Linyuan listened but still stood on his ground. “But, what if he can only see death qi?”

Ye Mu said with a smile, “Then on the way, bring a feng shui master as a backup. Nowadays, an arrow fitted to the bowstring has no choice but to set off*. Setting off early is always better than setting off late.”

*(idiom) 箭在弦上不得不发 (jiàn zài xián shàng bù dé bù fā) – means can’t do anything but go ahead

Mo Linyuan nodded. National affairs and such could be given to the prime minister to handle. These few years, the relationship between Mo Linyuan and the prime minister has become better and better. If the matter isn’t like what the outsider said, Mo Linyuan can kill him solely by using imperial authority. If he wanted to leave right now, the prime minister staying would definitely be suitable.

And it didn’t matter whether Lin Zhizhao’s words were true or false, they also ought to set off. This treasure hunt had been delayed for so long. The longer the night, the more dreams there are*. It’s better to fight a quick battle to settle a quick decision.

*夜长梦多(yè cháng mèng duō) – means trouble comes with long delay

After three days of preparation, they could set off already. The entire troops were elites selected from Mo Linyuan’s personal army. Although there were only five hundred people, every one of them was skillfully matched against ten.

The troops had continuously advanced toward the southwest, but it was interesting to say, the southwest had lofty ridges and towering mountains. It happened that it was where the three countries Zhao Country, Mo Country and Yue Country met. So after Mo Linyuan and Ye Mu discussed, to keep low-profile during the journey, all of them changed into plain and simple clothes, pretending to be ordinary merchants going to the southwest mountains.

The mountains here were extremely dense, villages were rare. There were places with primary forest, without trace of a human. Ye Mu and Mo Linyuan’s party walked the long, arduous journey for ten days, and finally arrived inside the mountains.

Throughout the way, Lin Zhizhao and another feng shui master, heading toward the mountains, showed about the same direction*.

*Lin Zhizhao & the other feng shui master are pointing the direction for the others/guiding them

So Mo Linyuan and the others went even deeper into the hinterland, but after they walked for three days, they suddenly discovered themselves that they got lost, because it was the same place, they walked here before already!

So the party had no choice but to stay and discuss a way to deal with the situation.

The leader Mo Linyuan was somewhat impatient and asked, “Are you saying that you all cannot differentiate the direction? Could it be that you want to leave me stranded here, unable to leave?”

The other feng shui master was an old man, he listened, he hurriedly kneeled down in reverence.

But Lin Zhizhao didn’t, he smiled as he said, “Your Majesty, don’t be impatient. All treasured objects aren’t that easy for common people to get their hands on. I’ve been on the lookout for the weather these two days, and observed that natural white qi covers the top of our heads, leaving us stranded here. It’s definitely because of it!”

Lin Zhizhao added, “Also, places with good feng shui are not that easy to find. In the middle of the year or month, they can create a natural barrier, not allowing outsiders to venture in, let alone that there are so many of us.”

“So what are you saying?” Mo Linyuan asked, narrowing his eyes.

Lin Zhizhao said, “It’s really easy, there are so many of us. What about dividing into small groups, to different directions? On one hand, this can get rid of this maze, on another hand, maybe the treasure’s location can also be found earlier.”

Mo Linyuan was about to refuse, but heard Lin Zhizhao quietly say, “Your Majesty might want to move a little faster. Once we get out, the treasure’s location will surely be already exposed by an observant person’s eyes. If Your Majesty can’t act quickly, then the other two countries’ people who receive the news will swarm over here like flies, then we’ll be very idle*! And this place is even more mysterious, which can mean a greater possibility of the treasure to be here, isn’t that right?”

*can’t do anything whatever the others say/do

His last sentence persuaded Mo Linyuan. The more strange and dangerous the place was, the more opportunities that followed. This aspect was not wrong.

So after discussing with Ye Mu, Mo Linyuan divided five hundred people into ten groups, and then from a central point, faced toward different directions to set out. If they still can go back to the original point like this, then that would be meeting evil!

Zi Xu opened the way in front. Wen Feng kept watch on Lin Zhizhao and the other feng shui master from behind. Mo Linyuan said to Ye Mu, “Looks like this Lin Zhizhao has some skills. Only, I’m getting more and more suspicious of him. Him doing this obviously wants to weaken the manpower on my side.”

Ye Mu nodded. “Confront soldiers with generals and stem water with earth*. Also, his words are not wrong. We definitely don’t have much time left, getting it done quickly is better.”

*(idiom) meaning do what’s necessary/different situations call for different actions

Finally, after they walked for a day, at last they were out of the earlier difficult place. But at this moment, as that old feng shui master and Lin Zhizhao were pointing the way, they unexpectedly pointed toward two completely different directions.

The old feng shui master said, “Your Majesty, according to the mountain’s trend, the possibility of the dragon’s vein in the south is very big! So, this lowly one thinks we have to go to the south!”

But Lin Zhizhao’s words were easier, “I see purple qi lingering on the west side, so I think, the treasure is definitely on the west side.”

Ye Mu couldn’t help from asking, “Didn’t you say you can only see death qi?”

Lin Zhizhao immediately smiled. “That’s not true. Since I can see black qi, naturally I can see other qi. You have to believe me!”

So now what? They only brought fifty people. At this moment, do they need to split the group again into two directions?

Mo Linyuan and Ye Mu looked at each other, then they walked to one side.

Ye Mu said, “I think since he wants us to separate, maybe, there might be an ambush ahead, which is to target you!”

Mo Linyuan said, “Or maybe they want to target you. Do you think the treasure is really here?”

He was a little skeptical, the other side was holding a fake treasure that would cheat him.

Ye Mu nodded. She went closer to Mo Linyuan’s ear, telling him, “After I arrived here, the reason why I’m very certain the treasure is here is because I thought of one thing. Do you still remember, on the original drawing fragment of the treasure, what color is used for some mountains?”

The original drawing fragment found from Zhao Yunqin and others’ hands at that time, the original version of the City Boundary Map, the mountain was painted in crimson. That time, they thought it was because it was too old, the color changing from being weathered, but now looking around, the mountain’s body bare, all of them are crimson!

Mo Linyuan didn’t think Ye Mu would be this meticulous. “In other words, them wanting to harm us is one possibility, but they also have a high possibility of scoring a lucky hit?”

Ye Mu nodded. “Not eliminating this possibility. But if they know the treasure is here, and still bring us here, then that can only mean that the treasure has been taken away. The one waiting for us is a trap.”