Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 844: Chapter 670: Everything Is Ready, Going Against the Heavens!

However, after two days, Loh Qihong came to terms with it.

Because news came that besides visiting her mansion to promote good neighborly relations, the Southern Emperor had also visited other houses. Almost every place of the influential and noble officials in Southern Country City was visited!

The Miaosu’s Family who loved collecting porcelain, the Xia Ru’s Family obsessed with collecting divine weapons… even the Miaonan’s Family who loved collecting rare flowers and herbs had their back gardens cleaned out, not a single plant left!

By the time the news spread, the treasures collected by Gu Changsheng and her son had already piled up like a mountain, filled with rare wonders that dazzled the eyes!

Because every family, after being looted, was warned by her. Enjoying alone is not as good as enjoying with everyone; the implication is clear, don’t tip anyone off until she has allowed you to share the joy!

Thus, the treasure hunt this time was extremely successful! The haul was tremendous!

“Oh, the gift for Liuzhou City is finally settled!” Gu Changsheng, lying on the mountain of treasures, pointed to a stack of rare ancient books and said, “These rare copies are just perfect for my foster father. Grandpa Ban Shan loves these kinds of old books!”

“En en!” Little Meat Bun nodded, pointing to the exotic flowers and herbs planted in pots, “These seedlings should be given to Auntie Xiao Leizi, she loves gardening and will definitely be thrilled about these…”

Soon after, the head of the Miaonan Family, whose back garden had been cleaned out, heard these words and spat out a mouthful of blood in anger. Seedlings? Those exotic flowers and herbs collected from various countries had been dismissively called seedlings?

The treasure hunt was very successful. Gu Changsheng felt that even if these officials whole-heartedly prepared gifts for her return home, they would never be as meaningful as what she arranged herself. Therefore, feeling deeply satisfied, Gu Changsheng and her son were finally invited back by the palace attendants of the Heavenly Palace!

On the return journey, Gu Changsheng kept looking back, showing a slight reluctance to leave. She waved to the officials sending her off and said with infinite regret, “When I have time, I will come back again to promote good neighborly relations.”

With just this one sentence, the faces of the kneeling noble officials turned instantly dark.

Seeing the procession of carriages filled with treasures within the imperial carriage, they felt heartbroken, wanting to howl out loud: Please, Your Royal Highness, don’t come to promote good neighborly relations anymore. We can’t afford it! We really can’t!

A few more visits like this, and their family wealth would be drained!

On the next day, officials went to the Great Swamp Mountain Heavenly Palace for an audience, and with a single sweep, Gu Changsheng included all the treasures collected from the officials’ homes in the list of gifts for the diplomatic mission to the Zhou Dynasty. The officials looked at each other in astonishment, finally understanding the reason behind it!

Apparently, Her Royal Highness did this to ensure they took the mission to the Great Zhou seriously!

This undeserved calamity was truly exasperating!

Therefore, to avoid having Her Highness visit their homes again to “promote good neighborly relations,” the court officials put all their efforts into preparing for Her Highness’s diplomatic mission to the Zhou Dynasty. Particularly in regard to the gifts, they dared not be careless, because they understood now that if they did not present something worthy, Her Royal Highness would really dare to raid their mansions again, forcing them to bleed!

Lately, as the officials thought it over, it seemed about right. After all, it was agreed upon long ago that Her Royal Highness would hold a wedding in the Zhou Dynasty, and the dowry must be presentable. Besides, this time, it wasn’t just one family that got raided, but all of them. They could consider it as adding to Her Royal Highness’s dowry. Although they did so with some reluctance, there was no way to get it back, so they had to accept it!

After the court officials had learned their lesson, they became increasingly attentive to the matter of Gu Changsheng’s return to the Great Zhou. Meanwhile, Gu Changsheng, having completed her treasure hunt, found herself somewhat restless in the harem of the Heavenly Palace.

Because whether it was the journey from Red Rock Mountain to Great Swamp Mountain or conquering Southwest Land and advancing to Southern Chen, all along her journey was a large carriage in tow. The carriage carried a plump, lifeless body…

It was exactly Yuan Bao, whom Gu Changsheng dared not look closely at, every time she paused!

“Si Xi, what does Little Monk Bu Jie say? Can it be done?” Gu Changsheng paced outside the Heavenly Palace Shrine, nervously asking.

“Your Highness, please don’t worry. Little Monk Bu Jie is preparing,” Si Xi, who always stayed by Yuan Bao’s side, quickly reassured her.

“Are the Four Great Imperial Gu cooperating? Is Manman cooperating? Do you need my help?” Gu Changsheng asked again, still uneasy.

Si Xi helplessly shook his head and spoke again, “Your Highness, it’s not just you; even I don’t know what’s happening inside. For someone to come back to life, it’s beyond ordinary people’s understanding. Such things are possible only for those supernatural beings. We can’t help.”

Hearing this, Gu Changsheng slumped into a chair outside the shrine, looking utterly defeated, “Yes, these are things we ordinary people can’t control. We can only rely on them…”

Yuan Bao’s death, she bears undeniable blame!

It’s all because of her!

Reviving Yuan Bao has become her obsession along the way; if she doesn’t achieve it, it’ll be a lifelong regret.

But now, Imperial Gu, Manman and Dandan, Little Monk Bu Jie, even her own father have entered the shrine, yet she alone is left outside, unable to help at all!

This powerless sense of bewilderment made Gu Changsheng increasingly uneasy!

“Die and come back to life, defying the heavens, surely will bring divine retribution…” Gu Changsheng murmured softly, her voice barely audible yet incredibly determined, “If divine punishment truly descends, all these causes and effects stem from me alone, I am willing to shoulder it myself!”

Speaking thus, Gu Changsheng raised her head to gaze at the boundless night sky outside the shrine, the sea of stars shifting; the all-encompassing night sky gave her an uneasy feeling.

“Don’t hurt them! Don’t hurt Mangmang, Fire Chicken, and Little Meat Maomao, don’t hurt Manman and Dandan, nor Shang Xie and my father. All this is caused by me; I am willing to bear the consequences. If Yuan Bao is destined to come back to life and one person must die in calamity, then please bring the deadly calamity upon me. I was always meant to die, having lived these extra years, discovered many causes and effects, and seen this heaven and earth, I am already content. Please don’t harm my loved ones!” With hands clasped, Gu Changsheng silently prayed in her heart, her sincerity unprecedented.

She does not believe in Buddha nor revere heaven.

But that was before, upon witnessing the heavenly tribulation, meeting Dandan, Manman, and Shang Xie, and learning why she could die and be reborn in another world, Gu Changsheng unreservedly believed in these supernatural phenomena, holding a heart of awe.

It turns out what she didn’t believe, what she doubted, now all exists as reality!

“Mother, don’t worry, Fatty Eunuch Yuan Bao will wake up, Old Handsome Grandpa said his fate is not yet to end, uh… there is this calamity in his destiny… I don’t quite get it, but the gist is, Fatty Eunuch Yuan Bao will wake up, will play with me again!” Little Meat, with a slight furrow of his tiny brows, pulled his mother’s sleeve, softly comforting her.

“Right, he will wake up, he will surely wake up.” Hearing this, Gu Changsheng nodded, lifting a hand to stroke her son’s little head. “For saving Mother, he went through this life and death calamity; Mother owes him a life. In any case, I will make him wake up, see the light of day again!”

“Rest assured, Madam; Eunuch Yuan Bao will surely wake up.” Next to her, Xiao Cui stepped forward, standing behind her lady, still using the familiar form of address from the past.

Gu Changsheng nodded, raising her hand to hold Xiao Cui’s hand, as if wanting to draw courage from the most familiar person.

Once, she and Xiao Cui took Little Meat, traveling south from Capital City all the way back to Liuzhou City; the bittersweet experiences only they could truly understand.

Han Qiu approached, placing a hand on her lady’s shoulder, silently giving comfort.

Gu Changsheng turned back, gazing deeply at her, eyes filled with hope and gratitude.

Outside the shrine, they leaned together, offering each other faith, eyes all fixed on the tightly closed door.

Within the door, the sanctum of the Phoenix Clan shrine, its solemnity isolated from the outside world, yet inside, a frantic voice resounded.

“Crazy! Crazy! That little girl Gu Changsheng is crazy, have you all gone crazy too?” A holy golden phantom bounced around, its frantic roar echoing through the hall, causing the figures of the Four Great Imperial Gu to tremble.

Inside the shrine, the only two people lowered their heads and said nothing to its loud shouts.

Manman became even more anxious upon seeing this, pointing at a round and delicate figure lying between the two, shouting loudly, “The short-lived one is destined to die while protecting the master in this life, and yet you dare to defy the heavens, Dandan, you forcibly retrieved his living soul from the Six Paths of Reincarnation, preserving his body from decay; do you know that such actions undoubtedly invite divine retribution!”

“But… but I saw Dandan’s mom so sad, and… Yuan Bao Er Que was a bit silly, but he’s really a good person, died like this… such a pity…” From the holy golden phantom, a timid little voice whispered, carrying a hint of pleading, “Manman, you and I share one body, not insatiable, I beg you, please save him?”

“Save him? How to save him? Dying and returning to life, defying the heavens, surely the calamity for going against the heavens will descend upon time; even the ancient gods can’t escape it! Moreover, you and I are but a strand of divine breath, destined to turn to a speck of calamity ash in the calamity of defying the heavens, perishing and disappearing from the world!” From the holy golden shadow, another voice shouted angrily, pointing its little paw at Little Monk Bu Jie’s shiny forehead, “Or are you pinning your hopes on him? Asked heaven and earth to eliminate heavenly calamity? Dandan boy, wake up, it can be done once but not twice, he might threaten heaven and earth once with the death of his entire clan, with his life, but could he threaten a second time? Do you take this universe cycle as child’s play?”

“I… I…” At such words, Dandan hesitated.