Chapter 407 Book Tower

The words were spoken.

Xiang Chen's expression changed slightly.

A hint of doubt seemed to emerge in his eyes.

He looked at Gu Shen with puzzlement, and then at his own disciple with puzzlement...

"After this matter is settled, shouldn't we go and see the 'ancient texts' in your Grace's collection?"

Gu Shen said calmly, "You should know that the real purpose of my trip is actually to learn more about 'ancient writings'."

Upon hearing this, the strangeness in Xiang Chen's eyes quickly dissipated.

He smiled and reached out to lead Gu Shen, "No problem."

Leaving the main hall, not far away, there was a small path.

As one of the four great Dukes of the Northern Continent, Xiang Chen owned an estate covering hundreds of acres. Although the estate was simple, it also had "precious places."

Besides teaching students, Xiang Chen's greatest hobbies on weekdays were writing, painting, and collecting. These were all the hobbies of a "literati." However, in addition to collecting rare and valuable calligraphy and paintings, he also liked to collect some uncommon "extraordinary objects."

Following the path, one would see the "forbidden area" that the servants were not allowed to step into on ordinary days.

Xiang Chen led Gu Shen to a book tower.

"Mr. Xiao Gu, please come in—"

Xiang Chen reached out and pushed open the book tower, smiling, "The 'ancient texts' and 'extraordinary objects' that I have collected are all inside."

"Creak."

The book tower was actually made of wooden doors. It wasn't uncommon to use "wooden doors" these days.

Many ancient families in Nagano were like this.

But this was Duke Xiang Chen of the Northern Continent... Gu Shen narrowed his eyes and sized him up slightly.

"This door is a sealed object?"

"Indeed."

Xiang Chen said with a surprised smile, "Mr. Xiao Gu has truly remarkable vision. Actually, this door is not a valuable object... it just contains a few ancient talisman scripts that can shield external 'spiritual induction.' Usually when I read and write in the book tower, I seek peace and tranquility. As long as I close this door, no sound from outside can enter."

Gu Shen nodded. He was very familiar with this kind of sealed object. He had personally set one up in the small courtyard on Suspended Mountain.

It seemed that there were some lost "ancient texts" in Xiang Chen's book tower collection.

Gu Shen entered first, followed by Xiang Chen, and then the young student Li Bing, who obediently followed behind, silently closing the wooden door of the book tower... With a very soft knocking sound, the internal scene of this majestic book tower was slowly lit up and presented before their eyes.

This book tower was actually like a rolled-up paper scroll, hollow in the middle, with several large red lanterns suspended inside. Sensing someone entering, these lanterns all floated up, and the soft light they emitted illuminated every corner of the book tower.

Gu Shen felt an unprecedented tranquility.

"Do you feel the extreme silence in your mind? There is no Deep Sea connection in this book tower, not even a bit." Xiang Chen said softly, pointing to the ceiling of the book tower, and said calmly, "In the turbid world overlooked by the Deep Sea, it is really too difficult to find such a clean and pure place."

"Hey, can you hear me?"

Gu Shen tried to call out softly in his mind.

As expected, there was no response.

Chu Ling was not in his spiritual link.

Gu Shen stared directly at the blazing flames spreading light in the book tower, which should be due to the lanterns... Perhaps there were more "spiritual shielding" sealed objects. In any case, Xiang Chen had successfully turned this place into a "spotless land."

The Deep Sea could not see the scene at the deepest part of the manor at all.

"I heard that Light City also has such a book tower."

Gu Shen raised his eyebrows and asked, "I wonder how your book tower compares to Light City's..."

"How can this be compared?" Xiang Chen shook his head and smiled.

Hearing this, the young man Li Bing behind him couldn't help but laugh.

Xiang Chen took out an ancient book from the gaps in the book tower and said with heartfelt emotion, "My place is just a personal collection, at most I can hide some second-rate 'extraordinary objects.' The 'Forbidden Book Tower' in Light City has a history of six hundred years. It is said that it contains all the causes and effects of fate in the world, and all the answers are waiting for those who are destined to enter it. It can't be compared, it can't be compared..."

Gu Shen looked at the ancient scrolls filling the book tower.

As expected of the "sage" of the Northern Continent, who had students all over the world, this old senior had built such a reading tower far away from the prying eyes of the Deep Sea. There were probably tens of thousands of scrolls hidden here.

"Duke Xiang Chen, I have a question."

Gu Shen stood with his hands behind his back, in front of a vast book wall, and murmured, "Have you read all these books?"

"I've read... a part, a large part."

Xiang Chen smiled and said, "It's just that a person's brain can't compare with the Deep Sea. What I remember today may be completely forgotten tomorrow. So I always have to come to the book tower to take a look and review the old to learn the new."

"Alright."

"I hope you still remember what I just said..."

Gu Shen said softly, "The more fanatical you are, the easier it is to make mistakes."

Xiang Chen frowned.

He said confused, "I don't understand... Mr. Xiao Gu, what are you talking about?"

"As the Duke of the Northern Continent, you invited me to meet you because you wanted to recruit transcendents for the military fortress... This is actually reasonable, but in this situation, with your status and position, it seems a bit unreasonable to invite me in front of so many people at the banquet that day."

Gu Shen turned around slowly, standing in front of the book tower, looking at Xiang Chen.

"You know that as long as you bring up 'Chino' and 'ancient texts,' I can't refuse this invitation..."

"Inviting me in front of everyone is just to let everyone see that I have agreed to you."

The smile on Duke Xiang Chen's face slowly disappeared.

And Gu Shen's gaze passed over Xiang Chen.

He calmly stared directly at the young man who came from the same Eastern Continent as him.

Li Bing.

The last two sentences just now were what Gu Shen said to Li Bing, not to Xiang Chen.

"Brother Gu."

The young garrison officer of Dongning City sighed softly and asked, "Being smart is a good thing, but being too smart is not necessarily good... Since you have already seen through some things, why bother to say them?"

The light from the lanterns in the book tower fell on his shoulders.

A line of sky light enveloped him.

This light fell like a waterfall—

Li Bing and Xiang Chen were both in the light.

And Gu Shen stood at the end of an entire giant wall of the book tower, in front of him, it happened to be the weakest place of light in the book tower.

"Just pretend that nothing happened just now..."

Li Bing stretched out a hand and placed it on Duke Xiang Chen's shoulder. He asked seriously, "Wouldn't that be good?"

"No."

Gu Shen said lightly, "Your show has already flopped, why should I continue to act with you?"

"The garrison officer of Dongning City, the gifted poor student of the Eastern Continent, 'Li Bing'."

He said calmly, "Don't think that I really know nothing about you... You and I were born in Qinghe. You left the Eastern Continent at the age of six and studied in the Northern Continent. Then, not long after, you met Xiang Chen and received the careful cultivation of this Duke of the Northern Continent. After that, you entered the legion, constantly promoted, and were experienced in the fortress, making extraordinary achievements... In the eyes of many Central City nobles, your promotion process is simply unbelievably smooth."

If it weren't for Chu Ling.

Gu Shen really wouldn't have looked at Li Bing's file.

But... there were no ifs.

Before leaving, Chu Ling sent a copy of Li Bing's file and pointed out a very strange point.

How could a poor child born in Qinghe have the opportunity to go to the Northern Continent?

He must have received some kind of assistance.

But in the search of the Source Code... no relevant results could be found. In fact, Li Bing's file explained one thing: in his smooth life, this invisible "assistance" had always existed.

Arriving in the Northern Continent, encountering Xiang Chen, entering the legion, and becoming the garrison officer of Dongning City.

Behind every event, there were faint traces to follow.

And wanting to find out these "assistances" was actually not difficult. Li Bing had a considerable number of "supporters" in the legion, and most of these early "supporters" came from... the Western Continent.

"I think that at the banquet, Duke Xiang Chen made an invitation on the spot, which was probably a forced part of your plan."

Gu Shen said calmly, "After all, you know that the news of the arrival of the Sacred Adjudicator in Central City. If I meet Jia Wei and then you send the invitation, I probably won't agree..."

"Heh."

Li Bing laughed.

He said quietly, "If you are really smart enough, you should agree in the initial negotiations..."

"Agree to what? To become a legend, and then be controlled by you, and finally be pushed into the abyss?"

Gu Shen raised his eyebrows and said with interest, "This kind of low-level method is probably difficult to control me. Let me think... what better ways do you have to deal with me? Perhaps you want me to pay the price for 'recruiting,' and ruin the major event of Eastern Continent transcendents entering the fortress, but have you ever thought that I would feign agreement and then immediately betray you?"

"... The Temple has its own way."

Li Bing no longer responded to Gu Shen's words, but said coldly, "The previous things are no longer important. What is important is that you have already entered this book tower."

Here, the Deep Sea signal was isolated.

Spiritual detection methods were also ineffective.

Everyone knew that Gu Shen had an appointment with Duke Xiang Chen today.

But no one knew what happened in this book tower...

"So, what do you want to do?"

Gu Shen said lightly, "Maintain your spiritual manipulation, let Xiang Chen attack me, and then... let me become the murderer."

"Perhaps... it's simpler."

Li Bing smiled sarcastically.

He stretched out two fingers and swiped them in the void.

In the book tower, it seemed that invisible threads swept across the teacher's neck.

"Puchi—"

The invisible threads in the void were as sharp as a blade. A touch of bright red suddenly sprayed out in front of Xiang Chen's neck, and the whole person fell forward.

Then, he put two fingers on his neck.

"The more fanatical you are, the more mistakes you make..."

Li Bing stood on the spot, tilting his head with a smile, and asked seriously, "Gu Shen, you are wrong. Have you really seen 'fanaticism'?"

"Let me show you... the light of fanaticism will only burn away all mistakes and darkness."

The next moment.

The red lanterns in the book tower trembled violently.

"Sizzle."

A touch of scalding hotness splattered on the red lampshade.

The light that fell at this moment became a little scarlet and dim.

……

……

(Today I have rhinitis, and I am dizzy. These three chapters will be posted first and then revised.)

(End of this chapter)