Chapter 638: Chapter 551: A Tooth for a Tooth

Gu Shaojun pulled Xiao Man, leaping lightly off the stone path and onto a rock in the grass.

The little donkey cart creaked closer. The small donkey, which had a mottled pattern on its forehead, bobbed its head up and down. Suddenly, it sneezed three times in a row. Xiao Man’s eyes widened. ’No way,’ she thought. ’Has the Gongsun Family’s donkey become a spirit through Cultivation? Why do I get the feeling it smelled strangers?’

Sitting on the donkey cart were none other than the Gongsun Clan’s Clan Leader and a clan elder: Gongsun Li and Gongsun Xiang. They were over a hundred years old but looked to be only in their seventies.

When they saw the donkey sneeze, both men grew vigilant and turned their heads to look around.

Gongsun Xiang complained, "We never should have given them the two rings and everything inside. We could have just compensated them with gold and jewels. If we’d given them enough, I doubt they would have been unsatisfied. But now, our ancestral rings and Cultivation Technique are in their hands. We’re like prodigal sons who’ve squandered the family fortune. On top of that, we constantly have to worry that the Gu and Tang Families will use the technique to turn on us."

Gongsun Li’s bulging eyes looked terrifying in the darkness. He glanced at Gongsun Xiang. Perhaps he wasn’t glaring, but it still felt as if he were staring fiercely. "Who can we blame for compensating them with the rings? Wasn’t it your own wonderful son? I warned you years ago to rein him in, but you refused. You said he was uniquely talented and indulged him until he became arrogant and prideful, refusing to listen to the clan elders. He was bound to cause trouble eventually. If it had been an ordinary family, fine, but he just had to provoke powerful officials, didn’t he? The Bai Family are scoundrels. Once they latch onto you, they won’t let go until they’ve had a mouthful of your blood. The Gu and Tang Families have joined forces. If they really decided to come after us, could you stand up to an army? What’s more, they’ve now stepped onto the Cultivation Path. You’ve seen it yourself. What about the Gu family’s eldest grandson? How long has he been on this path, yet his cultivation is already so formidable? His opportunities, fortune, and future achievements are immeasurable! They didn’t actually ask for the rings. I saw Gu Yuanhua glance at the rings on our hands and eagerly offered them up. It’s a good thing they accepted. It would have been far more difficult if they hadn’t. Do you still not understand?"

"I still think we paid too much!"

"Then how much do you think the fortune, prosperity, and longevity of the entire Gu family, and the fate of the Tang family’s eldest granddaughter, are worth?"

Gongsun Xiang waved his hand. "Forget it. What’s given is given, there’s no use saying more. I just think it’s a shame. We should focus on finding the two missing materials and forging new rings quickly. It’s one thing if the treasures are hidden underground, untouched. But taking things out from time to time like this easily attracts thieves. You saw the message from the East Sea—several groups have already been to Jade Pillar Mountain, including Cultivators! I’m wondering... could it be the Gu and Tang Families? After all, they have the Storage Rings now. What if they actually find our clan’s treasure? That would be disastrous. They’d definitely clean the place out, not leaving a single thing behind. How would we survive then? I’m telling you, Big Brother, the Hidden Breath Technique has been leaked. To be safe, you should burn that Treasure Map Album. From now on, the locations can just be passed down orally to the heir."

"Of course. There are still nine treasure locations. You know of six; the other three hold the greatest treasures, and their exact locations are difficult to describe. I’ll take you to see them while we’re out this time. It’ll be a long detour, but they are in Chuannan Feng County, at the border of G Province and H Province, and at the bottom of Qingming Lake. They are guarded by local members of the Gongsun Family. Although the Gongsun people there live under assumed names, you can recognize them at a glance. You must remember this well. This is the entire clan’s source of livelihood and capital for Cultivation. If anything should happen to me, you must take charge of everything."

Gongsun Li paused for a moment before adding, "Gu Yuanhua is an upright and just man, and Tang Renqian has the air of a true gentleman. The two families’ conduct is respectable enough. They probably wouldn’t resort to something as petty as theft."

"Hmph! Hard to say. Who wouldn’t be tempted when faced with a treasure? Big Brother, you shouldn’t be so quick to believe they’re gentlemen. A gentleman does not covet what others cherish! A gentleman is supposed to be open and magnanimous. Look at how they guard us over a few herbs, as if we’re thieves. I’ve never seen such a stingy family!"

"...The girl that Han Shan brought back... I heard from Ruxue that her injuries have mostly healed. When do you plan to send her away? Our ability to quickly obtain some spirit plant medicine depends on her."

"That girl... even the best medicine can only treat her injuries. She’ll never be the same again. She’ll be a cripple once she’s back on her feet. And look, she’s the Tang family’s adopted daughter, yet didn’t they end up harming her this badly? So much for their ’gentlemanly conduct.’ It’s nothing but sanctimonious hypocrisy! Big Brother, I think the Northern Yu Family’s proposal is worth considering. We must be on our guard against the Gu and Tang Families!"

"We’ll discuss it later. Right now, we need to focus on the situation at Kunlun Mountain. Why can’t these kids ever stay out of trouble? It’s just one thing after another. *Sigh*!"

"Don’t worry, Han Shan has already gone over."

"That’s exactly why we need to hurry! That blockhead is more likely to cause trouble than solve it. He can’t stand up to a bit of goading. He’d probably sell out his own ancestors if someone egged him on!"

Gongsun Xiang fell silent.

The little donkey cart traveled farther and farther away until their voices faded completely. Only then did Gu Shaojun release his tight hold on Xiao Man.

Xiao Man pointed in the direction the donkey cart had disappeared, fuming. "Did you hear them? So, we’re the villains and they’re the gentlemen? Two rings was too much compensation? Only their own children and wealth are valuable; they couldn’t care less about anyone else! If Gongsun Ruxue’s plot to rob me had succeeded, and the Gu family had fallen into decline like in the last generation, would that have just been what we deserved? They shirk all responsibility, refusing to accept any blame. It’s outrageous! Some great clan they are—nothing but a nest of unscrupulous snakes and rats! With an attitude like that, we never should have reconciled with them in the first place!"

A cold glint flashed in Gu Shaojun’s eyes. He gently patted the young woman’s back. "There’s no need to be angry. They aren’t worth it. They’re just following the rules of the Cultivation World: the strong are revered, and the weak are meat for the strong. Their clan’s wealth was probably amassed through plunder anyway. If that’s the case, then things are simple. We’ll just play by their rules! They dared to use such despicable, underhanded means to harm the foundation of the Gu family and covet my wife’s treasures, so why can’t I do the same to them? An eye for an eye. Let them have a taste of their own medicine. The Gongsun Clan’s journey of Cultivation ends here!"

The two of them exchanged a look and nodded in perfect understanding. Hand in hand, they followed the stone path to the mouth of a cave. The entrance was sealed with a restrictive spell, but that was no challenge for Gu Shaojun. They entered quickly. The stone walls inside were lined with lit pine torches at regular intervals, illuminating the cave clearly. The cavern was vast, and the scenery near the path was beautiful and intriguing, but they had no time to admire it. They flew forward along the relatively straight stone path.

About half an hour later, they finally emerged from the cave.

Xiao Man stood on a protruding rock, gazing at the valley before her in utter shock. She almost suspected she had traveled through time. The buildings and layouts before her were perfectly in the style of the Ming and Song dynasties. Forests and lakes were interspersed among them in a picturesque arrangement, and every pavilion and terrace was exquisitely and luxuriously crafted. Even a luxury mountain resort from a later era could not have been built with such perfection.

No wonder Gu Shaojun had hoped the moon would come out. ’Indeed,’ she thought, ’if a luminous jade disk were hanging in the sky right now, the scene would be even more fantastical.’

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