Special Thanks to these patrons for their support!

S T E L L A R C L O U D

[Galetron]

O R A N G E S T A R

[Alma S.] [Antonny C.] [Christine G.-L.] [K.Rom]

[Lily J.] [Nevy] [Ziana K.-P.]

Y E L L O W S T A R

[Anasi G.] [Jwyla C.] [Marjoree M.] [Passerby] [Xena]

G O L D S T A R

[Anne C.] [Roxanne C.]

R A I N B O W S T A R

[Debra W] [Smurfinbatik]

T H E S U N

[Kiiayame]

C E L E S T I A L C O N Q U E R O R

[Ava C.] [kuroneko_chan] [Leeyue] [Manon] [Oushna] [Raquel G.] [Sophia W.] [Val Nes] [Woon Li Ying]

Also, many thanks to everyone who bought me coffee (*≧∀≦*)

As the group of Jin soldiers began approaching the forest, Gu Jiao and Tang Yueshan braced themselves for exposure. They prayed the soldiers wouldn’t shoot immediately, but would instead get just a little closer, closer still.

A slightly tipsy soldier, fumbling with the knot of his waistband, casually glanced in their direction. His brows furrowed uncertainly. “Hey… is someone over there?”

Everyone else, halfway through unfastening their belts, forgot all about their bathroom break. They immediately yanked the bows from their backs.

“Fire!”

Crap!

They really were going to shoot!

Tang Yueshan’s scalp tingled in panic. How on earth were they supposed to dodge this?!

If they shifted their weight, they would be impaled by the falling blades; if they didn’t move, they would be turned into pincushions by a volley of arrows.

Just as the fatal moment struck, a shadowy figure shot through the darkness like a phantom. With one hand, it grabbed Gu Jiao, and with the other, Tang Yueshan, yanking them out of the danger zone with a sudden burst of supernatural speed.

The sky above erupted with a downpour of gleaming blades, slicing through the oncoming arrows midair and splitting them cleanly in half.

“Go check it out!” One of the Jin soldiers barked.

The group hurriedly re-fastened their belts and rushed to the spot, but when they looked closely, their eyes widened in shock.

There was no trace of any person at all, only a wounded animal lay on the ground, clearly having been struck by the trap.

“What the hell, just a stupid elk.” One of the soldiers muttered. “Looks like it was the one that triggered the mechanism…”

Another soldier added, “Told you this forest gives me the creeps. We’d better be more careful from now on, or one of us might end up stepping into something nasty.”

……

Gu Jiao and Tang Yueshan were abruptly pulled into an underground passage by a shadow that had appeared without warning.

Although Gu Jiao had already guessed who it might be, she still took out a flame stick and lit it to get a better look. When the flickering flame illuminated that weathered and aged face, a sudden, almost unfamiliar feeling surged in her heart, as if she had finally been reunited with someone she had been waiting for all along.

“As I thought, it’s you.” She said softly.

“Who is he?” Tang Yueshan asked, puzzled.

Gu Jiao kept her gaze firmly fixed on the armored man before them and slowly said, “He is Xuanyuan Qi, Grand General of the State of Yan.”

“Xuanyuan Qi…” As a seasoned military man, Tang Yueshan had, of course, heard of the various renowned generals of the Xuanyuan Family. But the ones he heard about most were the family head, Xuanyuan Li, known as the God of War of the State of Yan, and Xuanyuan Li’s legitimate eldest son, Xuanyuan Sheng, who had earned the nickname ‘Young God of War.’

But Xuanyuan Qi? His name rarely came up in conversation.

“Oh, now I remember. He’s Xuanyuan Li’s younger brother, isn’t he? Didn’t he die over thirty years ago?” Tang Yueshan asked with a frown.

“It was a faked death.” Gu Jiao replied.

Xuanyuan Qi’s previously lifeless eyes slowly shifted toward Gu Jiao’s face. His voice was sluggish, halting, and hoarse as he asked, “You… know… about me?”

Gu Jiao thought for a moment and replied, “Well… how should I explain this to you? Do you know Shangguan Qing’s true origins?”

Xuanyuan Qi’s expression was one of complete confusion.

It seemed he truly didn’t know, which likely meant he wasn’t aware of Xiao Heng’s existence either.

Better to use her identity from the Duke An Estate for now.

Gu Jiao said, “Duke An is my adoptive father. My name is Xiao Liulang.”

Xuanyuan Qi corrected her with a furrowed brow, “You are… a girl.”

That wasn’t a name a woman should have.

Ah, right. She had revealed during their confrontation that she was actually a girl.

Gu Jiao could only throw up her hands in resignation. “Fine, my real name is Gu Jiao. Xiao Liulang is just the alias I used when moving around in the State of Yan. This here is the Duke An Estate’s personal token, and this one is a token from the Crown Princess.”

She took out both command tokens and handed them to him.

Xuanyuan Qi didn’t reach out to take them. Instead, he stared blankly ahead, murmuring the name slowly and with a tinge of disbelief: “Gu… Jiao…”

Tang Yueshan could understand bits and pieces of the exchange, but not the full story. He looked between the two of them, bewildered, completely unable to piece together why Xuanyuan Qi had faked his death in the first place, or why he was now in Ghost Mountain.

And above all, this girl clearly knew him.

Could it be, Xuanyuan Qi was the Ghost King of the back mountain?

Tang Yueshan: Oh my heavens, this is getting way too intense!

“I need to leave the city.” Gu Jiao said to Xuanyuan Qi.

“Wait… half… an hour.” Xuanyuan Qi replied.

With that, he turned and walked away.

Gu Jiao followed him without hesitation.

Tang Yueshan instinctively reached back to check the large bow slung over his back, then quickened his pace to keep up.

What Gu Jiao hadn’t expected was that Xuanyuan Qi had actually led them back to the underground cavern in the rear mountain, the place more commonly known as the Ghost King’s lair.

Inside the lair, Tang Yueshan saw the Black Wind King, as well as the Black Wind Cavalry horse that had been brought back from the woods.

The horse was visibly happy to see Gu Jiao, nuzzling her affectionately with its head.

Gu Jiao gently stroked its neck and said, “Big Boss.”

Then the Black Wind King picked up an unfamiliar scent and began sniffing around Gu Jiao’s arms.

“It’s a newborn baby. I need to take him out of the city.” Gu Jiao said to the Black Wind King.

The Black Wind King sniffed again, and after registering the baby’s scent, it accepted the little one’s presence.

After returning to the cave dwelling, Xuanyuan Qi walked directly to the stone steps at the mouth of the cave. Tilting his head upward, he gazed at the vast, star-speckled night sky. The battered armor he wore gleamed coldly under the moonlight, its rusted surface catching the silver glow like frost on iron.

Gu Jiao came to sit beside him. She glanced at him and asked, “Have you remembered?”

Since her cover was already blown, Gu Jiao decided there was no point hiding her voice anymore.

“Mm.” Xuanyuan Qi replied with a low grunt. “More or… less.”

Gu Jiao gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment, nodded slightly, and then asked, “Do you remember why you came to Ghost Mountain in the first place?”

"Waiting——for someone." Xuanyuan Qi said slowly.

"Is it the person who built the Ghost Mountain tunnels?" Gu Jiao asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

"It is." Xuanyuan Qi confirmed with a nod.

Who could be so formidable? To have created such a vast and intricately constructed underground network?

Gu Jiao couldn't help but think of the first Lord of the Shadows, the enigmatic figure who once wielded great power in secret. But almost immediately, she shook her head.

If that person truly was the first Lord of the Shadows, then why, after all these years, had they never come to see Xuanyuan Qi?

Gu Jiao began to believe that the first Lord of the Shadows was likely no longer alive in this world.

Just then, the little one in her arms twitched slightly. Gu Jiao gently patted him to soothe him, then turned to Xuanyuan Qi and said, “By the way, I met your son, Xuanyuan Zheng. He’s now a monk, and goes by the Dharma name Liao Chen.”

A flicker of emotion passed through the emptiness of Xuanyuan Qi’s eyes, almost imperceptible, yet there. "He’s still... alive."

He didn’t question Gu Jiao’s words for even a moment.

So both of you had been under the impression that the other was dead... Gu Jiao nodded, affirming it for him. “I met him in the State of Zhao. At that time, he was already known as Liao Chen in our Buddhist temple behind the mountain.”

Xuanyuan Qi had long since become a man caught between life and death, more ghost than human, making it difficult for any strong emotion to stir within him. And yet, Gu Jiao could sense something different in him now, something subtle and rare.

He enunciated slowly, “Becoming a monk... that’s not a bad path.”

But in truth, he wasn’t really a monk, just hiding behind a disguise.

That, however, was something for father and son to sort out when they finally reunited. Let the guy explain it to him himself.

Gu Jiao added, “He should be arriving at the border soon.”

Liao Chen had been secretly escorting Little Jing Kong, and once the child safely entered the territory of the State of Zhao, he would begin his journey westward.

“He always believed that you died at Shi Tian’s hands. If he learns you’re still alive, he’ll be overjoyed.”

Gu Jiao paused after saying this, then turned her head and asked him, “Do you remember what happened between you and Shi Tian back then?”

To read advance GSPW chapters! Updates 7x a week (daily).

You can read up to 45 advance chapters in our patreon so you should go check it out. ^^

No patreon but want to support us? Then,

OR if you can't support us in money, you can always support us emotionally -just hope into . Hehehe~

--------------------------------------------

PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR NEW PROJECT:

Description:

In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.

When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.

The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.

From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.

***

Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.

After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"

Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"

Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”

Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

He hasn't finished his lines yet though…

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.