Chapter 945: Uncle and Nephew Reunited [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"How could this be fake?"

Gong Xichou became anxious upon hearing this.

Having searched for his elder brother and nephew for so many years, and finally finding them, how could he allow his identity to be questioned? So he declared resolutely and forcefully: "Yes, I am your second uncle, you are my eldest nephew, and your father is my elder brother!"

Gong Xichou had a face that made him seem very reliable.

Furthermore, the two looked alike, belonged to the same clan, and even their life lamps were placed side by side. Ji Moqiu's doubts vanished instantly, replaced by a strange yet bittersweet warmth in his heart. Although he was quite accepting of the passing of his beloved teacher, feeling no sadness or grief, the fact remained that he had been left behind in the mortal world. He wasn't sad, but he felt lonely.

Now that he had found his blood relative, it was as if the empty space in his heart had been filled, and his gaze softened. But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to call him Uncle Gongxi Chou, and simply nodded reservedly.

"Um."

This can be considered an acknowledgment of the family relationship.

Even so, a mere "hmm" made Gong Xichou overjoyed, and the auditory hallucinations of gongs, drums, and firecrackers intensified. Ji Moqiu immediately interrupted his foolish gloating, his gaze falling on the menacing Gong Cheng. The latter did not take advantage of their warm reunion as an opportunity to launch a sneak attack, whether out of confidence in his own strength or disdain for such underhanded tactics, it was unclear.

Gong Xichou grinned and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Hehe, I forgot there's still something I haven't finished dealing with!"

Gong Cheng looked at the two indifferently, but his eyes revealed a hint of nostalgia and envy. Once upon a time, he too had a second uncle who treated him like his own son. He snapped out of his reverie in an instant, suppressing all the emotions that shouldn't have been there and that made him feel weak: "Even if the two of you joined forces, you wouldn't be a match for me. This place is beautiful and serene, a good burial ground. Traveling together won't make me feel lonely."

Gong Xichou's face nearly turned black.

In all his life, he'd never been the one to show off or flaunt his power; no one had ever dared to act arrogantly in front of him, especially not his own nephew. Gong Cheng's words completely ruined his image as his second uncle. His murderous intent towards Gong Cheng surged dramatically.

He spat out a mouthful of bloody foam: "You're dreaming!"

Today, he may die, but his nephew cannot.

Just as Gong Xi Chou was pondering a countermeasure, his eldest nephew beside him conjured a familiar-looking wooden staff, the only difference being that this staff was topped with a small red flower swaying in the wind. As the staff appeared, a low-key yet magnificent high priest's robe instantly covered his body, and around his neck wore a silver necklace with various colorful jewels.

Gong Cheng's previously relaxed expression turned serious.

Before his death, the old man who bestowed upon him the power of "Enlightenment" described the characteristics of the Gongxi tribe's high priest. The young man before him matched perfectly! The old man had also said that one could judge a high priest's strength and cultivation level by observing their accessories and the subtle patterns on their clothing. The more ornate the accessories and the more complex the patterns, the more profound the high priest's cultivation…

While the High Priest of the Gongxi tribe doesn't possess the magical power of a scholar or the destructive force of a warrior, he does have exceptional support abilities. He is particularly troublesome when his opponent is surrounded by Gongxi people.

Gong Cheng thought to himself, "Neither of them can be kept!"

Fortunately, Ji Moqiu is still young. If he were allowed to grow a few more years, and he joined forces with Gong Xichou, it would surely be Ji Moqiu who was left behind today. Gong Cheng's palm emitted a surge of dark martial energy, which instantly coalesced into a tangible ball. This dark aura resembled a beating heart, its energy rising steadily with each contraction and expansion, and faint purple currents crackling and flowing within it.

Just as a pessimistic thought arose in Gong Xi Chou's mind, and he considered whether to activate a forbidden technique to gamble his life for another, his eldest nephew beside him formed a hand seal. Gong Xi Chou was familiar with this; the old priest of the clan had used it before, and it was considered a standard starting stance.

He instantly abandoned all avenues of retreat.

His eyes blazed with an indomitable spirit, and he roared, "Fine, today you and I, uncle and nephew, shall fight him!"

The damaged armor was instantly restored as the martial energy was activated.

The result was—

A few breaths later, only a crater a hundred feet deep remained on the original spot.

Liu Changshi waited until the commotion subsided before rushing forward in alarm.

Her face was deathly pale as she stared at the enormous crater, its sand and soil swirling into a scorching heat, and asked, "Are they dead?"

Gong Cheng raised his hand and looked at his palm.

Her lips twitched slightly: "No."

Just as they were about to clash with Gong Xi Chou, Gong Xi Chou and his eldest nephew suddenly vanished, along with several martial arts practitioners who had been watching the spectacle. The fact that they could act so instantly, leaving no trace behind, could only be attributed to the High Priest.

Chief Secretary Liu understood: "They escaped?"

Gong Cheng nodded: "Yes, they escaped."

It's still the kind that can't be stopped at all.

For an ordinary scholar or martial artist, the activation and effectiveness of such a "golden cicada shedding its shell" incantation requires a certain amount of preparation time. This gap is enough for Gong Cheng to intervene and destroy the incantation. Even if he cannot destroy it, he can leave some clues.

Under normal circumstances, such spiritual power cannot escape for long.

Once we find a clue, we'll catch up with them soon.

However, the High Priest's power system was inextricably linked to heaven and earth, meaning that even the traces he left behind were part of the universe, part of all things. Gong Cheng wanted to pursue him but couldn't find any clues. He withdrew his hand and said, "Let's go back."

Upon hearing this, Prefect Liu dared not speak out despite his anger.

Because of Gong Xichou, Gong Cheng lingered here for some time, and with Gong Xichou's nephew also involved, a considerable amount of precious time was wasted. If Gong Cheng could have eliminated these two potential threats, that would have been good, but they both escaped, and the spies in Jinli County missed precious time to make amends. At this moment, Chief Secretary Liu's face was so gloomy it could drip water; she knew without a doubt that Jinli County had been purged.

Going back now, I don't know how much can be saved.

She took a deep breath: "This trip has failed..."

Gong Cheng didn't need her hints.

"I will take full responsibility and I will not let you be punished."

Liu Changshi clenched his fists and then slowly relaxed them. As he exhaled a breath of stale air, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled: "Alright."

Gong Cheng was a trusted confidant whom the lord had to rely on. As long as it wasn't betrayal, any mistake he made could be forgiven, unlike her own. Chief Secretary Liu had finally climbed to her current position, and she didn't want to be cruelly brought back to square one because of a failed plan. She was more than happy that Gong Cheng was willing to take the blame.

Let's put it another way—

Ji Moqiu and his group also encountered some trouble.

To be precise, it was Gong Xichou who caused it.

Gong Cheng's long-prepared killing move missed, creating a massive crater hundreds of feet deep. Gong Xi Chou, suddenly without a target and unable to stop his attack, naturally caused a major disaster as well. His serpentine halberd, carrying its momentum, blasted a hole in the mountainside, and he plunged headfirst into the crevice of ruins, buried by falling rocks. If it weren't for the Martial Gallant Totem curling up at the crucial moment to create a space to protect him, he would have been seriously injured.

Actually, his injuries haven't healed much yet.

Shao Chong, Chao Lian, and Uncle Lin pulled him, covered in blood, from the rubble. Fang Yan didn't move; he had severe mysophobia and found Gong Xi Chou too dirty. Ji Mo Qiu also didn't move, because he needed to maintain the stability of the hastily created cave pit.

"Cough cough cough—"

Gong Xichou coughed up several mouthfuls of sand, forced himself to sit up, and limped over to Ji Moqiu, clutching his aching back. He complained with a disheveled face and a pout, "Nephew, why didn't you fight that man for a hundred or eighty rounds? If we joined forces, even if we couldn't keep him here, we could at least break one of his arms! Your second uncle is invincible throughout the Northwest!"

He desperately wanted to leave his nephew with a strong first impression, to let his good nephew know how tall and mighty his second uncle was, how valiant a warrior of the Gongxi clan was, and how powerful and reliable the high priest's blade was. He had imagined countless creative entrances, envisioned the admiring and respectful looks in his nephew's eyes, but he never expected Gong Cheng to ruin it all. That brat deserves to be skinned alive!

Ji Moqiu: "It won't do any good even if you break another leg of his."

The biggest difference between the final three realms of a Martial Warrior and the seventeenth-rank Chief of the Four-Chariot Army lies not in the amount of martial energy, the exquisiteness of the moves, or the strength of the body, but in the integration with heaven and earth, the growth of the spirit, and the gradual transcendence of the mortal realm by the physical body.

Gong Xichou did his best to dislocate Gong Cheng's limbs, but Gong Cheng would grow new ones after a period of recuperation. As long as he could not kill the opponent, any physical injury would be futile.

Could they, working together, really kill each other?

The answer is no.

He'll get another beating.

So Ji Moqiu chose to run.

He didn't think there was anything shameful about running away when he couldn't win, but he was slightly surprised by his second uncle's impulsive actions.

Gong Xichou sighed, "Fine, we'll settle this score with him later. As long as we're alive, we can always fight again. We'll remember this debt, and if we ever run into him again, we'll twist his brains off. His limbs can grow back, but can his brains?"

Looking at him covered in blood, Ji Moqiu said, "Let's not talk about that now. Let me help you recover from your injuries first, so you don't suffer any lasting damage."

Gong Xichou grinned foolishly.

"No need, no need, this little injury is nothing."

Ji Moqiu's gaze seemed to disapprove.

Gong Xichou said, "I just need to shed my skin."

Although his cultivation level has not yet reached the point where he can regenerate severed limbs, in a sense, this is even stronger than limb regeneration. As long as he still has a sliver of a heart meridian and a breath of life, he can use the totem's molting process to accelerate his recovery.

It's practically immortal.

Gong Xichou guessed that this might be related to his previous death.

He didn't intend to tell his eldest nephew about this, not because he was wary of him, but because the night of the massacre had passed, and he didn't want his close relatives to worry about it anymore. Fortunately, Ji Moqiu didn't seem inclined to pry: "In that case, it's fine."

The process of Gongxi Chou shedding his skin is quite interesting to watch.

First, it transforms into its totem form, coiling around the sharp edges of its body. It then crawls and wriggles in the shadows, allowing the stagnant blood from its veins to seep into the discarded surrogate skin. Once the molting is complete, it gains a smooth, supple, and flawless new body.

only--

"I feel really embarrassed that my nephew is looking at me like that."

Gong Xichou has been wandering the continent for the past few years, searching for his brother and nephew while also honing his martial arts skills, often resulting in injuries. In the past, he hadn't felt anything amiss while peeling his skin to heal his wounds, but now, with five pairs of eyes staring at him, he suddenly had the unsettling feeling of being watched while taking a dump.

Ji Moqiu looked away.

The injury wasn't too serious, and the peeling process went smoothly.

After the molting process was complete, his skin was so supple and radiant.

The five nephews sat around the fire.

A clay pot over the fire was simmering with a bubbling meat soup made from several large snakes that Shao Chong had caught out of boredom. The meat was tender and smooth, and it could be cooked to perfection with just a few seasonings.

For the first time in his life, Gong Xiqiu learned what it meant to feel apprehensive about returning home.

Previously, in the midst of the crisis, he didn't need to worry much about his emotions; he could simply follow his heart and acknowledge his nephew. Now that the crisis has passed, he is suddenly shocked to realize that he and his nephew were complete strangers before today. Counting the time, his nephew had only recently lost his father.

Thinking of this, Gongxi Chou's heart softened.

He ignored Chao Lian and the others.

He sat down directly next to Ji Moqiu and took the initiative to start a conversation: "Nephew, how have you and your elder brother been doing these years?"

Ji Moqiu stopped using the wooden stick he was using to stir the campfire.

My mind went blank for a few seconds.

He has been following his teachers all these years.

The teacher is the only member of the Gongxi ethnic group.

Could the "elder brother" that my second uncle mentioned be referring to the teacher?

The teacher... is my father?

Ji Moqiu quickly denied this guess.

The teacher had previously admitted that he was still a virgin, having lived his entire life without a wife, children, or relatives, and had devoted himself to seeking divine intervention to prove that human effort could overcome fate. We cannot tarnish the old man's lifelong reputation. If they were truly father and son, the teacher would have had no reason to hide it from himself, never revealing it before his death.

Furthermore, the teacher was a figure from a hundred years ago, while this second uncle is only a few years old. Grandma couldn't possibly be a hundred years old and still give birth to a younger brother for the teacher, could she? Or is Gong Xi Chou actually close to a hundred years old? That's possible; the age of a martial artist is notoriously difficult to estimate. Ji Mo Qiu harbored these doubts.

Gong Xichou misunderstood, and in frustration, he grabbed his braid, then grasped the boy's broad shoulders with both hands, promising him word by word: "It was my fault, I shouldn't have mentioned my eldest brother. Even though he's gone, from today onwards, I will treat you as my own son!"

He spoke with conviction and force.

His tiger-like eyes even began to show signs of redness.

If he didn't want to aggravate his eldest nephew's grief over losing his father, he would have loved to sob on his nephew's shoulder right now. It was true his nephew had lost his father, but he had also lost his only brother, whom he had never met in his life. The pain of losing a brother was no less than that of losing a father.

Ji Moqiu was deeply moved by his promise.

After a long while, as Gong Xiqiu waited anxiously and helplessly, the face that resembled Gong Xiqiu nodded almost imperceptibly.

Ji Moqiu said, "Hmm, okay... two..."

Although he had accepted Gong Xichou in his heart, for some reason he still couldn't bring himself to call him "Second Uncle." Ji Moqiu's eyes blinked, and he pursed his lips and lowered his head. Gong Xichou noticed his embarrassment and discomfort and said softly, "Don't rush, take your time."

Ji Moqiu breathed a sigh of relief: "Mm."

Gong Xichou suddenly remembered something else.

His eyes gleamed with anticipation: "Where's Thirteen?"

What about the thirteen nephews that his elder brother and sister-in-law left him?

Shao Chong, who was slurping up snake soup and sliced ​​meat, didn't expect Gong Xi Chou to mention him again. He looked up at him blankly and asked, "Looking for me?"

Gong Xichou saw Shao Chong's face clearly.

With a snap, my expectations were shattered.

He frowned, looking annoyed, and said, "Why you?"

Tsk, he got all excited for nothing.

Shao Chong, like a dog that had just passed by to watch the commotion but got kicked, looked innocent and aggrieved: "Why can't it be me?"

|ω`)

Gong Xichou: I've finally found my nephew! It's just that my elder brother died a tragic death…

Ji Mo Can: ...

Ji Moyu: ...

(End of this chapter)