manynovel Chapter 36: An Early Investment in Guo Jing
Chapter 36: An Early Investment in Guo Jing
On the eighth day, the snow fell silently.
The vast expanse of heaven and earth seemed to bury the suffering of humanity as well.
Yang Kang and Yang Miaozhen woke up half an hour later than usual, which was unusual for them.
They are simply too busy; there are too many things that require their personal attention and handling.
Most of the political affairs were handed over to Yelü Chucai by Yang Kang, while all the military and political affairs of the Red Turban Army were now managed by Yang Miaozhen alone. She was not only Yang Kang's wife, but also the only person in the Red Turban Army who truly had Yang Kang's absolute trust.
The 100,000-strong army, which forms the core of Yang Kang's power base, is his exclusive domain that he absolutely will not allow anyone to touch.
Even though he now possesses unparalleled martial prowess, surpassing all others in history, he would never allow anyone to lay a finger on his army.
Besides, the three halls now—Shenfeng Hall, Jingyun Hall, and Tianshuang Hall—are the cradle where Yang Kang and Yang Miaozhen personally teach elite disciples and cultivate the backbone of the future World Society.
Teaching these young disciples was the most important thing in Yang Kang's eyes, and he could not tolerate the slightest carelessness from them.
"If you want the most outstanding people in the world to serve you, what you need to do is not to win them over with high positions and generous salaries after they have become famous, but to show them kindness and sincerity when they are young and in hardship."
Yang Kang said this.
He who does not plan for the long term is not fit to plan for the short term.
What Yang Kang was going to do could not be done hastily by squeezing out his own foundation.
He knew very well that the more he wanted to gain, the more he would naturally have to invest.
By the time Yang Kang and his wife finished their necessary errands, the sun was already high in the sky.
In his previous life, Yang Kang was not a lecherous person, but he was neither a monk nor a eunuch. After coming to this world, he abstained from sexual activity for nineteen years in order to cultivate martial arts.
Once the vow is broken, both men and women inevitably develop a taste for it.
Even amidst their busy schedules, the newlyweds always find themselves wanting to spend more time alone together.
"Your two brothers are both heroes of Mongolia. Aren't you afraid that one day we'll meet them on the battlefield?"
Yang Miaozhen's cheeks flushed slightly as she suppressed her shyness and did not try to remove Yang Kang's hand from her waist. Occasionally, she would ask questions with a slightly flushed face.
"Why are you suddenly bringing up my two brothers?"
"Haven't you always hated the Mongols?"
Yang Kang asked with a smile, but his hands did not stop moving.
"You said it yourself, the struggle for survival between nations has nothing to do with good or evil."
"The Mongols sought to seize more resources and wealth from the Jurchens."
"In the future, we will simply repay them a hundredfold for the suffering they have inflicted on the Central Plains over the years."
"Besides, your two elder brothers are indeed heroes of our time."
"Guo Jing may seem dull, but he is of pure character."
"For a woman he met by chance in the martial arts world, he was willing to offend Genghis Khan, regard the Mongol prince consort as nothing, and discard wealth and glory as worthless. It is truly unbelievable."
"Tolui, the fourth prince of the Mongol Empire, disregarded his own life and went south to the Song Dynasty."
"I can't believe I still trust you so much, daring to come to the World Society to attend our wedding alone with only a few guards."
Yang Miaozhen sighed softly:
"I just don't want to meet them on the battlefield one day in the future."
"After all, even the victor would feel sad if they killed such a person with their own hands."
Upon hearing this, Yang Kang paused slightly, stopping what he was doing.
"Yes, Miaozhen, you're right."
"They are indeed heroes."
"But in this world, heroes can never be winners."
"One can be sentimental, but one should not be burdened by sentiment."
"Guo Jing was born and raised in Mongolia, but he always considered himself a Song person and a Han person."
"His heart was never with Genghis Khan from the very beginning, which is something no monarch could tolerate."
"Sooner or later he will turn against Genghis Khan."
"As for Tolui..."
Yang Kang stood with his hands behind his back, walked to the window, and said in a low voice:
"He won't live to see the day we meet on the battlefield."
Yang Kang sighed softly.
"Genghis Khan's four sons were all outstanding figures of their time, although there could only be one Great Khan of the Mongols."
"But are you so sure he'll be the one to lose?"
Yang Miaozhen asked in confusion.
"Tolui was a hero, a great man."
"A man like him is not fit to be the Khan of Mongolia."
Yang Kang recalled Tuolei's appearance and said with a smile.
"If he really does have the luck to become Genghis Khan's successor, then when that day comes, will you kill him with your own hands?"
Yang Miaozhen looked at Yang Kang with slight hesitation and asked.
"If I can't bring myself to do it, then you can do it for me."
Yang Kang said silently.
Upon hearing this, Yang Miaozhen sighed softly, walked to Yang Kang, and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Your world is my world."
"If it really comes to the point where you can't do it or can't bring yourself to do it, I will take the blame for you."
Yang Miaozhen said tactfully.
"That day will never come."
Yang Kang narrowed his eyes slightly, and future scenarios began to appear in his mind's eye.
In the afternoon, the snow fell heavier and heavier, and the snow piled up to the point that it was difficult to pass through. The World Society had no choice but to organize people to clear the snow from the city.
Amidst the swirling snowflakes, Yang Kang slowly walked to the courtyard where Guo Jing was staying, only to find that Guo Jing had already packed his belongings and was preparing to leave.
"What's wrong, Brother Guo? Are you not used to staying here?"
"You're in such a hurry to leave on the second day of my marriage?"
Yang Kang suddenly walked up behind Guo Jing and asked with great interest.
"Brother Yang, I've been away for a long time, and I really miss my mother."
"With such heavy snowfall, the snowstorm on the grassland will only get worse. I need to go back and help my mother take care of the cattle and sheep at home. I also need to tell him that I have found you, my brother, Uncle Yang, and Aunt Bao."
"Next spring, I will bring her south back to her hometown, and I will go to find Rong'er again."
"I'm really sorry, I can't stay here any longer."
Guo Jing said to Yang Kang with a slight apology.
Looking at Guo Jing, whose face was full of tender feelings, Yang Kang found it difficult to connect him with the great hero in the original story.
A person's self is inseparable from their experiences.
Perhaps Guo Jing's true nature was already fixed, but without those upheavals, without the deaths of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, without the misunderstanding between Huang Yaoshi and the Quanzhen Sect, there wouldn't have been so many life-and-death trials.
At this moment, Guo Jing was just like any ordinary boy in the world, his eyes filled with nothing but his Rong'er.
They had absolutely no concept of multiple states or the world.
"Take your mother back to find Huang Rong. What about your father's revenge? Aren't you going to avenge him?"
Yang Kang asked calmly.
"With you here, how could Wanyan Honglie possibly give me a chance for revenge?"
Guo Jing stopped packing his things, turned to look at Yang Kang, and said helplessly.
"Give up just because it's difficult? The Guo Jing I know isn't like that."
Yang Kang's tone carried a hint of anger.
He couldn't take back what he said, but Yang Kang couldn't bear to see Guo Jing become so weak and incompetent.
Guo Jing was speechless for a moment. After a long while, he said, his voice trembling with emotion:
"Brother Yang, you are the leader of the World Society, a local lord in Shandong, the Prince of Lu of Mongolia, and the Prince of Chu of the Jin Dynasty."
"Why do you still consider me your brother, and why do you come here to say all this?"
Guo Jing said this almost in despair.
Yang Kang looked Guo Jing up and down for a long time, then suddenly laughed.
"Guo Jing".
"It's true that all roads in the world are made by people walking them, but many times, when you take that first step, countless hands will push you forward."
"What you want to become and what you want to do are often not up to you."
As Yang Kang spoke, he handed a book to Guo Jing.
Guo Jing took the book, completely bewildered, unable to understand the hidden meaning in Yang Kang's words.
Many years later, when Guo Jing recalled that winter day, he was shocked to realize that fate had already written the footnotes for his life, and no matter what he did, he could not escape it.
"The Military Manual of Yue Fei? Brother Yang, why are you giving me the Military Manual of Yue Fei?"
Guo Jing suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"Aren't you leaving? I should give you a parting gift."
Yang Kang said calmly.
"This is a priceless treasure that everyone in the world desires, why are you giving it to me? How can I accept it?"
"Brother Yang, you should take it back."
When Guo Jing heard that Yang Kang wanted to give him the "Wumu's Legacy", he was so frightened that he quickly closed the "Wumu's Legacy" and was about to return it.
"Just a military treatise."
"Even though it is the culmination of Yue Fei's life's work, writing a book about such a thing requires countless hours and effort to study."
"Since Yue Fei was imprisoned, only a short period of time has passed. Even with his extraordinary talent and brilliant military skills, how much of his spirit could be captured in the military treatise he hastily left behind?"
"Even though this book is priceless, it may not be much better than works like 'The Art of War' or 'Six Secret Teachings'."
Yang Kang said nonchalantly.
"Then why did you go to such great lengths to travel south to the Iron Palm Clan, determined to take it over, and even kill its leader?"
Guo Jing asked, puzzled.
"Because what I wanted was never the 'Wumu's Legacy,' but the hope that the Han people of the Central Plains represented by the 'Wumu's Legacy.'"
"Do you know, Guo Jing, if you stayed in Mongolia and married Hua Zheng, you could actually have that hope too."
Yang Kang looked into Guo Jing's eyes, his expression complex.
"Brother Yang, although I don't understand what you mean."
"But I really can't accept such a generous gift; please take it back."
Guo Jing said sincerely.
"If you really feel bad about it, then give me a gift in return."
Yang Kang patted Guo Jing on the shoulder and explained the purpose of his visit.
Guo Jing asked, bewildered:
"But brother, I really don't have anything on me that is worthy of the 'Wumu's Legacy'."
"Master said that you once received the Nine Yin Manual from your grandmaster Zhou Botong, so why don't you write it down for me?"
Yang Kang said calmly.
"The Nine Yin Manual originally belonged to the Quanzhen School."
"Uncle Qiu said you are the most outstanding successor of the Quanzhen Sect in this generation, and even passed on the Innate Skill to you. The Nine Yin Manual should have been passed on to you in the first place."
"But Brother Yang, your martial arts skills are already so high, why do you also value the Nine Yin Manual so much?"
Guo Jing asked, puzzled.
"Of course I have no use for the Nine Yin Manual."
"It's just that all I've learned in my life is either the Taoist method of tranquility and non-action, or the pure Yang martial arts that are extremely Yang and strong, neither of which are suitable for Miaozhen's cultivation."
"I wish to ask you for the Nine Yin Manual so that I may pass it on to my newlywed wife."
Yang Kang said calmly.
"Since it is what Sister Miaozhen needs, then I will naturally do my duty without hesitation."
Guo Jing pondered for a moment, then put the "Wumu's Legacy" into his pocket, turned around and picked up paper and pen on the table, and began to write down the "Nine Yin Manual" for Yang Kang from memory.
And this writing lasted for a whole day and night.
The next day, when Yang Miaozhen and Yang Kang came to find Guo Jing, he left only the Nine Yin Manual on the table in his residence and then left Shandong without saying goodbye.
"You can exchange this 'Nine Yin Manual' for a textbook that can be found everywhere in Tian Shuang Hall, Jing Yun Hall, and Shen Feng Hall."
"You're doing this kind of business with a bit of a conscience. Aren't you brothers?"
Yang Miaozhen picked up the "Nine Yin Manual" and flipped through it while teasing Yang Kang.
"I not only want to give him the 'Military Manual of Yue Fei,' I also want the whole world, including the Mongols, to know about this."
"A person like Guo Jing was destined to be unusable for Genghis Khan."
"One day in the future, he will become our subject sooner or later."
"Before this, didn't you hope that our future generals would be more talented and more famous?"
Yang Kang pulled Yang Miaozhen into his arms, a slight smile playing on his lips.