Uncle Chen didn't chase after them. Dou Akou followed Fu Jiuxin in silence for a while, then couldn't help but speak up hesitantly, "Sir, Uncle Chen is actually quite pitiful."
"Um."
"Sir, Uncle Chen has obtained the jade tablet. I wonder how Miss Qingdai is doing?"
"Um."
Dou Akou stamped her foot: "Sir!"
Fu Jiuxin chuckled softly: "That's other people's business. In my heart, only Akou's matter is the most important thing."
Fu Jiuxin was usually taciturn. Although he grew up with Dou Akou, the words he said to her most often were "Akou, practice your calligraphy," "Akou, take care of your appearance," "Akou..." Even after they got married, he didn't say these sweet words much. Instead, he preferred to express his feelings through actions in bed.
So his rare sweet words made Dou Akou forget her original intention. She was so intoxicated by the sweetness that her legs went weak and she floated away with Fu Jiuxin as if she were walking on cotton. That night, it was naturally another sweet battle of attack and defense.
The next day, Gu Huaibi gathered everyone and explained the treasure hunt from the previous day. He added that because one team was missing, they needed to fill the gap, and any willing heroes could sign up. His words were met with enthusiastic response. Although everyone had witnessed the man's tragic fate the previous day, the allure of the treasure was too great, and they were confident in their martial arts skills. Furthermore, the traps had already been triggered by those who had gone to their deaths the previous day. Even if there were still traps, they possessed detailed maps of their locations. Therefore, nearly fifty people signed up for a ten-person team. In the end, Gu Huaibi carefully selected ten, gave them repeated instructions, and these ten teams re-entered the bottom of the tower.
This time, everyone was quite excited. They all thought that the place full of traps was where the treasure was hidden, and they were not very willing to listen to Gu Huaibi's arrangements. Instead, they flocked to the fork in the road.
Gu Huaibi was still young, so it was normal for the veteran sect leaders to be unconvinced of him. After saying a few words and seeing no one respond, he let them be.
Then he turned to the few people in his team and said, "Our team's arrangements remain unchanged. We will still take the route we took halfway yesterday. If anyone here does not wish to take this route, I will not stop them."
The third young lady, Ding Zisu, and the others exchanged bewildered glances. The situation now seemed quite clear: the treasure was hidden in the place where the traps were laid, yet they were still forced to walk down that endless road. Anyone would seek advantage and avoid harm, making the choice that benefits themselves.
Ding Zisu was eager to find the legendary medical book and wanted to leave the team immediately, but then a thought flashed through her mind and she looked at the expressions of her teammates one by one.
Fu Jiuxin and Dou Akou had already scouted the area last night and knew which road was the right one, so their expressions were naturally very confident. The Third Miss looked indifferent; she was just here to have fun. Pi Xiaoli's face remained as lewd as ever, revealing nothing. Although the Third Young Master Gongsun Mo hesitated for a moment, he seemed inclined to take this road.
This team has gathered almost all the young talents, plus the shrewd Third Young Master is also here. Ding Zisu sneered, thinking to herself that Gu Huaibi's words sounded high-sounding on the surface, but he actually hoped that they would withdraw voluntarily.
With that thought in mind, she decided to stay.
Gu Huaibi had no idea that Ding Zisu had misinterpreted his good intentions as such a despicable act. Seeing that no one moved, he understood their meaning and nodded, "In that case, let's go."
Having learned from yesterday's experience, and with Gu Huaibi's warning from yesterday, although everyone felt terrified after walking for a short while, no one dared to say it aloud.
This time, Gu Huaibi seemed determined to finish the journey. With a stern face, he led the group forward without saying a word. After about two hours, light finally appeared ahead.
Dou Akou knew that those were steps built with fluorescent stones. The treasure-filled underground palace was just above those steps.
She shook Fu Jiuxin's arm worriedly, and Fu Jiuxin squeezed her hand to reassure her.
As expected, the crowd became excited and quickened their pace, heading straight for the stairs. After they stepped onto the stairs and saw the magnificent bronze door and the stone doors on both sides of the corridor, they were stunned for a moment. Then, Ding Zisu screamed with extreme excitement and laughed as she headed towards the stone door on the left that was closest to her.
Her movement shattered the silence, and everyone else went wild, gleefully rushing towards the other stone gates.
Fu Jiuxin stood motionless. Although he and Dou Akou had been here the night before, they hadn't pushed open the stone doors and didn't know what lay behind them. Seeing those people rushing towards the doors like madmen, he pulled Dou Akou back a few steps, worried that there might be traps behind them.
Gu Huaibi and Tang Xunzhen thought the same thing, so they stood still.
Apart from the Third Young Master, who remained somewhat rational and hesitant, the others pushed open the door without a second thought. Gu Huaibi was prepared for bloodshed to occur on the spot, but to his surprise, nothing happened.
Ding Zisu was the first to push open that door and rush inside, followed by a joyful shout from within. Then the other doors were pushed open as well, and everyone who opened them was overjoyed, with bursts of laughter echoing throughout.
Fu Jiuxin and Gu Huaibi exchanged a glance, realizing that what lay behind the door was probably not a trap, but a treasure trove, and immediately followed.
Inside the stone chamber where Ding Zisu was, there were several lacquered wooden boxes, all covered with a layer of white dust. Some of them had already been opened by Ding Zisu, and inside were boxes full of gold and silver. Gold and silver bricks were neatly stacked together. The gold bricks in this one stone chamber alone were almost more than the income of an entire prefecture in the Huang Dynasty.
They explored one stone chamber after another.
The second stone chamber contained chests filled with luminous pearls the size of pigeon eggs, each one perfectly round, smooth, and dazzlingly bright, illuminating the entire chamber. The subsequent chambers held various martial arts manuals and antique jewelry. Each piece was exquisitely crafted; Dou Akou, born into a family of imperial merchants, had seen many imperial gifts since childhood, yet compared to these pieces, they seemed utterly clumsy. The chests filled with top-quality jade, agate, and jewels nearly made the girls scream and jump inside.
Even Gu Huaibi couldn't help but show a look of joy. He gathered the people in the team who were immersed in ecstasy and told them to go back first, and then gather the people from each faction on the ground to come down and move these things away.
Although the group was reluctant to leave, they knew that they couldn't move all the boxes by themselves, so they had no choice but to depart with reluctance.
Gu Huaibi glanced at Fu Jiuxin again, wondering why this young master remained unmoved as they moved his wealth away. But then he saw Fu Jiuxin staring thoughtfully at the bronze door at the end of the corridor.
Gu Huaibi suddenly shivered. Things were progressing too smoothly, and he had a bad feeling.
Waves rise
Compared to the tension and anxiety they felt when they left, Gu Huaibi and the others were much happier when they returned. They were relaxed and walked briskly, and it seemed like they hadn't walked for long before they reached the exit.
Many people were already waiting at the exit; they were all those who hadn't descended the tower and couldn't personally explore for the treasure. Precisely because they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they were especially curious about the scene at the bottom of the tower. In addition, they were worried that the advance team going to explore for the treasure would embezzle the wealth, so this group of people were very anxious. They kept craning their necks and looking forward. Every time someone came out of the door at the bottom of the tower, they would stop them and ask them a lot of questions.
Gu Huaibi was the last to come up, and the good news he brought clearly surprised and delighted everyone.
They arrived in Haohui City in early April and waited there until July. After three months of fruitless efforts, many people became disheartened and clamored to return to the Central Plains. This news was like a powerful medicine, making everyone's hearts pound.
After a brief discussion, the sect leaders quickly arranged for people to go down and move the boxes. Because there were too many sects, it was impossible to send someone from each sect. However, Gu Huaibi assured them that once all the boxes were moved up, the wealth would be distributed equally according to each sect's contribution.
For some minor sects, even obtaining a box of gold bricks would be an extraordinary gain.
The treasures were quickly looted and transported to the ground. The stone chambers on both sides of the corridor were empty, and everyone's attention naturally focused on the bronze door at the end of the corridor.
They tried various methods to open the door. However, the bronze was sturdy, and they couldn't budge it an inch with external force. The Third Prince racked his brains trying to figure out the door's mechanism, trying everything, but to no avail. It seemed that the only way to open the door was through the jade tablet.
The project, which had finally made progress, was again thwarted and stalled. This delay meant that it was already mid-July.
The weather was hot, and Dou Akou felt lethargic, spending her days dozing in the house. When they first arrived in Haohui City, they chose this house near an oasis, with a clear river flowing gently nearby, so the courtyard wasn't too hot in the summer. The courtyard was also planted with many lush ancient trees, and Dou Akou placed a bamboo recliner under the leafy mimosa tree, where she spent her days relaxing in the cool shade.
The men were naturally very busy, busy distributing the treasure and studying the bronze door, but none of this concerned Dou Akou, who was happy to slack off under the tree.
Seeing Dou Akou's distress, Fu Jiuxin offered to stay home with her. Dou Akou, being very understanding, said that Fu Jiuxin was, after all, the young master of Siyou Kingdom, and although Chen Bo hadn't made any moves since that appearance, his presence in the shadows was always unsettling. With Chen Bo inside, Xu Liren outside, and a group of martial arts figures with ulterior motives and unpredictable intentions in between, the situation was quite dire. She suggested that instead of spending time with her, she should stay with Gu Huaibi and keep an eye on the situation.
Fu Jiuxin accompanied her a few times, and seeing that she was just prone to drowsiness, he felt relieved and went about his own business, only entrusting Tang Xunzhen to spend more time with Akou.
The bronze door remained a mystery to everyone. The third son of the Gongsun Mo family sent an urgent letter back to his family, seeking help from his elder brother and father. However, the reply came back saying that there was no solution either.
Finally, everyone decided that after Pang Botang, who was skilled in using flint, surveyed the terrain, they would try to blow up the door. It was a bold and absurd decision, but it was the only solution they could come up with when they had no other choice.
Fu Jiuxin and Gu Huaibi were both very busy. Tang Xunzhen, feeling utterly bored, found Dou Akou's place and lay down on a bamboo chair with her. They looked up at the dappled sunlight filtering through the intertwined branches of the mimosa tree and chatted idly with Dou Akou.
Dou Akou had only chatted for a few words when her eyelids started to droop and she began to feel sleepy again. Seeing Dou Akou so listless, Tang Xunzhen also lost interest. After lying there in a daze for a while, she suddenly sat up and said, "Akou! Let's go out and play!"
"Huh?" Dou Akou was half asleep when Tang Xunzhen's shout woke her up. She looked at her, confused.
Tang Xunzhen said that if she stayed here any longer, she would be so bored that she would grow mushrooms. Gu Huaibi was studying the bronze door all day long, which was really boring. They were also tired of browsing the stalls around here. Since it was still early, they decided to go to Longfeng Town for a stroll. Dou Akou could also go back to Longfeng Town to visit Master Dou and Aunt.
Dou Akou didn't find it boring, but the thought of going back to see her father and aunt tempted her. She sat up from the bamboo chair and casually tidied her hair: "Senior sister, let's go then."
The two of them discussed it and decided to inform Gu Huaibi and Fu Jiuxin first. When they arrived near the tower, they saw a bustling crowd, everyone was extremely busy, which made Dou Akou and Tang Xunzhen look quite bewildered.
Dou Akou, with her sharp eyes, immediately spotted Pi Xiaoli darting around in the crowd. Her flowing, unkempt yellow hair stood out conspicuously in the crowd.
As the earthy yellow thundercloud drifted towards her, Dou Akou quickly grabbed it, exclaiming, "Little Thunder!"
The child was stunned: "Huh?"
"Have you seen my husband and Young Master Gu?"
"They're at the bronze gate below the tower. Today they're surveying the terrain and then pinpointing the locations for the Thunderstones; everyone's quite busy."
Dou Akou withdrew her hand somewhat apologetically. Pi Xiaoli was a member of the Pangbo Hall, and since they had decided to blow up the bronze door, the Pangbo Hall would definitely be the busiest.
She quickly thanked Pi Xiaoli, then looked at Tang Xunzhen with some hesitation: "Senior sister, they're so busy, why don't we go first? We'll definitely be back by dark anyway."
Tang Xunzhen didn't care. She hadn't planned to tell Gu Huaibi her whereabouts anyway. It was Dou Akou, who was completely under Fu Jiuxin's thumb, who even had to report to Fu Jiuxin when she went to the outhouse, which was a little further away.
They glanced at the busy crowd and then slipped away quietly.
Longfeng Town was not far from here, and they arrived in the town a little over half a day later, just in time for lunch.
Dou Akou was eager to return home, ignoring the bustling town and heading straight for her.
Dou Jincai was picking cucumbers in his small yard. Just as he straightened his old back, he saw his daughter appear at the door.
Dou Jincai was stunned for a moment, then immediately beamed and shouted into the house, "Akou is back to see us!"
Akou hadn't been home for three months. Seeing her familiar little courtyard, she felt very warm and fuzzy inside. She chatted warmly with her aunts and planned to have lunch at home, then stroll around Longfeng Town with Tang Xunzhen before heading back.
At the dinner table, Dou Jincai hesitated several times before speaking. He ate the family reunion meal in silence. Finally, after the meal, he couldn't help but call Dou Akou to his study.
Dou Jincai stopped beating around the bush and asked directly, "Akou, I heard that a lot of martial arts people went to that piece of land more than ten miles from Longfeng Town three months ago, and even came to Longfeng Town to hire laborers to dig the land. Are you and Fu Jiuxin there? What are you doing?"
When they went to Siyou Kingdom, they kept the same story to the outside world, saying that they were just going out to play. Unexpectedly, Dou Jincai was perceptive and combined the rumors in the town with the situation at the time, and immediately came to a pretty good conclusion.
Dou Akou was speechless. She was not good at lying and did not want to tell the truth, so she stammered and hesitated.
Seeing his daughter's expression, Dou Jincai knew his guess was correct. He frowned, very dissatisfied: "Akou, I have no other hope than for you to marry an honest and upright man and live a peaceful life. Why are you still following Jiuxin and acting recklessly!"
Dou Akou was very protective of her husband. She said it was fine to talk about her husband, but not her husband. She exploded like a mother hen protecting her chicks, yelling at Dou Jincai, basically saying that Fu Jiuxin took good care of her, so she was happy to follow Fu Jiuxin, which infuriated Dou Jincai.
This trip home to visit relatives ended unhappily. Dou Akou turned around and pulled Tang Xunzhen to leave, but was stopped at the door by her third aunt.
Dou Akou huffed, "Auntie, don't try to speak up for Father! I'm just angry that he said the teacher is bad!"
Third Aunt was taken aback, then laughed: "Akou, who's speaking up for him? You're thinking way too far ahead. I came to ask you, I've noticed you always seem to doze off while eating, what's wrong?"
Dou Akou scratched her head: "Auntie, I've been feeling sleepy a lot lately, probably because of the hot weather."
After she finished speaking, the third aunt smiled ambiguously. Even Tang Xunzhen next to her seemed to have thought of something. Her expression was first one of surprise, and then her smile gradually widened.
Dou Akou was bewildered, and then her third aunt asked, "Akou, how long has it been since your period started?"
This was a thunderbolt! Dou Akou, as if struck by lightning, slowly grasped the meaning behind her third aunt's question. She stammered, "Auntie, you mean...you mean..."
Third Aunt nodded with a smile. Dou Akou swallowed hard, suppressing the shock in her heart. She carefully counted the days, and finally raised her head, her eyes and brows showing shyness and uncontrollable joy and tenderness: "She hasn't come since last month."
Tang Xunzhen jumped up and screamed, "Ahhh! Akou, you're pregnant!"
Then, suddenly, she nervously and cautiously helped Akou up: "Hey, Akou, you're a mother now, take it easy."
Third Aunt couldn't help but giggle, waving her handkerchief and scolding, "Why are you so precious? It's only been a little over a month. As long as A-Kou doesn't go into the mud and water and is a little careful in everything, there won't be any problems."
Her gaze fell on Dou Akou's face, and she sighed softly, "Akou, in the hearts of us aunts, you're still a little kid who hasn't grown up yet. I never imagined you'd be a mother soon. Why, are you still going back there? I think there are too many people from the martial arts world there, and it's not very safe. If you weren't pregnant, your aunts would let you go and cause trouble. But now that you're pregnant, I think it's better for you to stay home and rest. As for Jiuxin, I'll trouble Miss Tang to make a trip and invite him back home. What do you think?"
Tang Xunzhen readily agreed, but Dou Akou didn't think so. The bronze door was about to be blown open, and Chu Shi's sword was definitely inside. They could find Chu Shi and return in a few days, without wasting any time; besides, Fu Jiuxin, Gu Huaibi, and all the disciples of Xilie Fort were there, so there shouldn't be any major problems.
When she shared her idea, Tang Xunzhen thought about it but couldn't find anything wrong with it. Then she saw Dou Akou clinging to her third aunt, begging her not to tell Dou Jincai about it, otherwise she would definitely be confined to the house. The third aunt couldn't resist her pleading and finally had to agree.
So the two of them abandoned their sightseeing in Longfeng Town and were eager to get back. Tang Xunzhen even nervously suggested hiring a carriage, which Dou Akou laughed at. Dou Akou was a martial artist with a good physique, and since it had only been a month and a half, her abdomen was so flat that it was impossible to tell anything. She continued to travel ahead as lightly as a swallow.
This time, she truly understood what it meant to be eager to return home.
As darkness fell, the indistinct buildings in the distance came into view.
Heart is hard to fathom