Chapter 259 : The Transaction
Chapter 259: The Transaction
“Let’s go.”
When Gu Haochuan saw that “Yuan Ziyi” had killed Du Rusong, he wiped away the tears that had welled up from the shock, grabbed his disciple—who had nearly been blinded by the dazzling light—and left the place.
After a night passed, Gu Zhengshan finally regained his sight. His eyes were still bloodshot, and whenever he opened them, a burning pain flared up—his injuries were far from light.
With his eyes barely open, he asked Gu Haochuan in confusion, “Why didn’t you capture that madman who was impersonating Seventh Brother?”
At this moment, the two of them had already returned to Qingfeng City.
Gu Haochuan did not answer. Instead, he posed a question, “Little Fifth, tell me—what benefit would there be in killing that man?”
“That man pretended to be Seventh Brother and secretly learned our Gu Family’s supreme techniques with ulterior motives. He should be captured and interrogated to see if someone was behind him. What other benefit is there to ask?”
“Then let me ask you again—what benefit is there not to kill him?”
“How could there be any—”
Halfway through his words, Gu Zhengshan suddenly froze, realization dawning on his face. “You mean... you want him to take Seventh Brother’s place at the upcoming palace night banquet?”
Gu Haochuan’s gaze showed rare approval. “That’s exactly my intention.”
Gu Zhengshan was stunned by his master’s audacious idea, speechless for a long while. “But... but that man harbors ill intent and wishes harm upon our Gu Family! How could we possibly—this can’t be right!”
“You think that man’s strength is sufficient to compete for an entry spot to the Immortal Mansion?”
“...”
Gu Zhengshan fell silent. He had personally witnessed that impostor’s strength—his godlike speed alone made him nearly invincible.
Unless one encountered a top First Grade expert like Du Rusong, who had already formed a Sword Domain, it was hard to imagine anyone defeating him.
Even those monstrous Second Grade talents in the capital might not necessarily best him.
Seeing that Gu Zhengshan had understood, Gu Haochuan said faintly, “The quota for the Immortal Mansion is of utmost importance to our Gu Family. The palace night banquet is held every five years, but the Immortal Mansion only opens once every twenty. If we can secure a spot this time, your Ninth Granduncle may finally take that next step. This matter concerns the Gu Family’s prosperity for the next hundred years.”
“What that man desires is probably just one of our family’s Secret Realm quotas. If he can win the Immortal Mansion spot for us, then what does it matter? Weigh the importance—you should understand which is lighter and which is heavier!”
Gu Zhengshan’s body trembled, and his expression turned solemn. He nodded. “Master, I understand.”
“This matter must not be told to anyone—not your father, not your wife. Understood?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Good. Then, we’ll wait here for your Seventh Brother’s return.”
——
Meanwhile, at dawn.
Chen Ming carried three severed heads to a newly built grave outside Qingfeng City. The tombstone was freshly carved—“Grave of Mentor Liu Fu.”
Beside it stood an older grave, now expanded—it was the resting place of Liu Fu’s master and mistress.
“Old Liu, I’ve come to see you.”
Chen Ming placed the three heads before the grave and offered his old friend a cup of wine.
Back then, if Liu Fu hadn’t passed him the Six Suns Qi Tempering Art, he wouldn’t have achieved what he had today.
He spoke softly, “That He Rui seduced your junior sister back then, ruining half your life.”
“When you went for revenge, you never even got to see his face. Sigh... what I can do for you is only this much. I spared the rest of the He Family, but their three strongest experts are dead. Their decline is inevitable, and naturally, their enemies will come for them soon.”
“Your two disciples are doing quite well—already at the Sixth Grade. I’m sure you’ve already seen that. These past few years have been quite the ride for me. Maybe, someday, I’ll tell you all about it.”
After paying his respects, Chen Ming destroyed the three heads to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Then, he prepared to return to the Chen Residence to bid farewell to Yu Haitang and his family.
He had just reached the gate of his home in Qingfeng City when someone suddenly called out from behind, “Xiao Qi, there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you.”
A chill ran down Chen Ming’s spine. He had a strong intuition the man was calling out to him. His heart tensed, but before he could react, two figures appeared before his eyes.
When he saw the face of the leading man, his heart lurched violently.
The tall, elegant man standing before him was the very same person from the fifth and final killing omen shown to him by the Tortoiseshell Divination—the man destined to kill him.
Feigning confusion, Chen Ming said calmly, “You must have mistaken me for someone else. I don’t know you.”
The man laughed heartily. “Xiao Qi, do you really think that by dressing as a woman, Fifth Uncle wouldn’t recognize you?”
Fifth Uncle?
So this man was none other than Gu Haochuan, Fifth Uncle of Gu Xianyu.
How did he recognize me?
A storm raged in Chen Ming’s heart. How did this man track him to Qingfeng City—right to his doorstep?
At that moment, he saw the door open and Old Li step out.
Gu Haochuan looked at him meaningfully. “Fifth Uncle knows you have some misunderstandings about the Gu Family. It’s fine, we can talk it out. Come, let’s have a proper chat, nephew.”
Chen Ming saw his elder brother Chen Rui emerge from the house and nodded. “Alright.”
——
Chen Ming followed Gu Haochuan to a neighboring courtyard. Inside the room sat another man who bore some resemblance to Gu Xianyu, though his eyes were covered in cloth, clearly injured.
Gu Haochuan introduced, “This is your Fifth Brother, Gu Zhengshan. You still recognize him, don’t you?”
Along the way, Chen Ming had roughly pieced things together.
Most likely, because of Du Rusong’s pursuit outside Jiangzhou City, the Divine Repository Realm expert protecting Princess Mingyu had intervened, causing too great a commotion.
That must have drawn Gu Haochuan’s attention to him.
Just now, he had secretly “consulted” the Tortoiseshell, which gave him a vague omen of uncertain fortune and peril.
After sitting down, Gu Haochuan personally brewed tea and sighed. “I didn’t expect that after leaving the capital, you’d receive such a tremendous fortune. Advancing two realms in mere months—you must have encountered an extraordinary opportunity.”
Huh?
Chen Ming found his words odd. The man was, in fact, offering an excuse on his behalf—as though to explain his sudden surge in strength.
What is he plotting?
Gu Haochuan didn’t seem to notice his wary gaze. He went on, “Now that you’ve reached Second Grade, it’s time you learn a few things. You should already know that to break through into the Divine Repository Realm, one must enter a Secret Realm.”
“Yes.”
Chen Ming sensed no killing intent from him. If Gu Haochuan truly meant to kill him, there’d be no need for so much talk—he could’ve done it already.
Gu Haochuan continued, “That’s because the heavenly treasures needed to unlock the body’s Divine Repository exist only within Secret Realms. But those treasures are limited in number—thus, the quotas to enter are extremely precious.”
“Moreover, different treasures unlock different divine abilities—some strong, some weak. It depends entirely on which treasure you use. After all, even heavenly treasures have their grades.”
“For most martial artists, simply earning one quota to obtain any treasure and open a Divine Repository is already a blessing—they don’t have the right to be picky.”
“But our Gu Family is different. We possess three Secret Realms, each yielding superior heavenly treasures. Unlocking a Divine Repository with them grants top-grade divine abilities. Furthermore, we can trade quotas with other families to collect five types of treasures. That’s not hard for us.”
“Of course, the quotas are so valuable that even we direct descendants must make great contributions to earn one. Now, there’s a chance to do just that for the family—but the question is, are you willing to serve?”
Gu Haochuan’s burning gaze locked on him.
Chen Ming finally understood—everything he had said led up to this moment.
If he agreed, he would get a quota.
If he refused, conflict would surely follow.
In other words, Gu Haochuan already knew he was an impostor—but had taken a liking to his strength, and thus made him an offer.
After a brief silence, Chen Ming asked, “My strength is far inferior to Fifth Uncle’s. What kind of service could the family possibly need from me?”
That was a subtle admission—he was acknowledging himself as Gu Xianyu.
Gu Haochuan smiled. “You may not know this. After the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, the Founding Emperor seized all Secret Realms controlled by the previous dynasty’s royal clan—including two Immortal Mansions.”
“Back then, the Emperor made a pact with the great families. Every five years, the palace would host a grand banquet where the younger generation could spar. The twenty most outstanding youths would be awarded quotas to enter super-grade Secret Realms.”
“And every twenty years, five Immortal Mansion quotas are distributed. This year marks that twentieth cycle. All the noble families in the capital are sharpening their blades for those quotas.”
“In our Gu Family’s younger generation, there isn’t a single one capable of contending for it. Fortunately, now that you’re here, we might have a glimmer of hope. If you can win one quota for the family, it will be a tremendous merit. I have the authority to promise—once you reach First Grade, you’ll receive five quotas of your own.”
So that was it.
Chen Ming suddenly understood. Gu Haochuan truly did have his eyes on his strength—he wanted him to compete for the Immortal Mansion quota.
Of course, Chen Ming didn’t believe a single word of that promise.
For now, he could only play along, buy time, and find a way to grow stronger—preferably to First Grade.
Then, he would no longer need to fear him.
Thinking this, Chen Ming asked, “What exactly is this Immortal Mansion? How is it different from a Secret Realm?”
Gu Haochuan’s tone grew feverish. “The Immortal Mansion is a Celestial Abode—after one opens the body’s five Divine Repositories, the next step is forming the Nascent Embryo. To do so requires divine treasures like Celestial Nectar and Jade Dew, and such items can only be found within the Immortal Mansion.”
He understood now—the Gu Family wanted another cultivator capable of forming a Nascent Embryo, and for that, they needed a quota to the Immortal Mansion.
Since the younger generation lacked anyone exceptional, Gu Haochuan had set his sights on him.
So long as he could secure that quota for the family, whether he was truly Gu Xianyu or not—none of them would care.