"Isn't having multiple suitors a good thing? Doesn't it make you more attractive? Why kill him?" the man said with amusement.
“He humiliated me, he must die,” the woman said, her eyes blazing with anger.
"Oh? I humiliated you?" The man was taken aback. "How did I humiliate you?"
"Anyway, you're going to kill him," the woman said, without answering the man's question.
"Alright, alright! I'll go kill him." The man said, stroking the woman's hair.
“He must be killed,” the woman said.
"Alright, alright," the man replied, then put his arm around the woman's waist and hugged her tightly. "Let's do it again while it's still early. Maybe you'll break through to the advanced martial artist level."
"Yes!" Then the two of them spoke frankly to each other again.
Late at night, the man was fast asleep. The woman sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes filled with gloom. "Gu Yu, you will regret this. I will make sure you die a horrible death. I, Lu Yao, mean what I say."
At that moment, Li Demin, Mo Tai, and Luo Nanshan all received a phone call informing them that they had been removed from their posts and that their replacements would soon take office, which they found somewhat unbelievable.
The most crucial point is that they didn't feel they had done anything wrong, so why were they suddenly removed from their posts without any explanation?
Li Demin immediately objected. In the middle of the night, he called the mayor of Huangbei City. Over the years, he had worked diligently in Mocheng, running around and making many sacrifices for the city's development. How could he accept being asked to step down so easily?
"Hey, Demin! Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?" the person on the other end of the line asked. Judging from their voice, they had clearly been woken up by the phone call.
"Liu Feng, I need an explanation. Why am I being forced to step down?" Li Demin demanded. "Was there something I did wrong?"
“Demin! I only found out about this yesterday. I was planning to tell you tomorrow, but I didn’t expect you to find out so quickly,” Liu Feng said.
"The notice of resignation has arrived; I need an explanation," Li Demin said indignantly.
“Demin! Actually, I don’t know what happened either. This order was issued directly from Shengjing. I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.” Liu Feng said helplessly. To be honest, he was also very surprised to know about this. He had seen what Li Demin had done over the years. He lived up to his name, winning the hearts of the people and doing a lot of practical things for them. It was indeed unreasonable for him to be removed from his post so suddenly. However, the person in Shengjing seemed to have a lot of influence. There was nothing Liu Feng could do.
"Shengjing?" Li Demin was taken aback. "Why? Shengjing can't just tell me to step down like that, can they?"
"Demin, after all these years, we still have some feelings for each other. Let me give you some advice: just relax and enjoy your retirement! You've seen the situation these past few years. Because of the Source Gate, the financial giants are making their move, and even those reclusive families and sects that have never shown their faces are gradually emerging and starting to fight for power and profit. It's not something someone like us without a background can contend with. Not to mention you, I'm afraid I'll be removed from my post soon too. This is a new era." Liu Feng advised, seemingly seeing his own future in his eyes, his tone tinged with sadness.
"Alright!" Hearing this, Li Demin roughly understood. Yes, although he was the mayor of Mobei County, he was nothing compared to the behemoths like the reclusive families and sects.
The next morning, Li Demin, Luo Nanshan, and Mo Tai sat together, all three with their heads down, feeling utterly desolate. The three giants of Mo City were now forced to step down.
“I thought this kind of thing would take several years to happen, but I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly,” Luo Nanshan said.
"Sigh!" Li Demin sighed. "If we had a hidden family or sect behind us, or even just a powerful figure in charge, we wouldn't have been replaced so quickly."
"Young Master Gu was attacked last night, and we still can't contact him," Mo Tai said helplessly.
“Alas! Actually, whether or not one steps down is not important. It doesn’t matter if the successors can do something practical. The real problem is that those powerful families are inactive,” Luo Nanshan said.
"Do you know which person in Shengjing made the decision?" Li Demin asked.
"Sigh!" Mo Tai sighed. "It's the Mo family."
"The Mo family of Shengjing?" Li Demin and Luo Nanshan looked at Mo Tai at the same time. They had been old buddies for so many years. Although they sometimes argued fiercely because of their disagreements, they actually had a very good relationship in private.
"Sigh! I didn't expect that after all these years, he still wouldn't let me go." Mo Tai's face showed bitterness. "What I can't understand is, if he wouldn't let me go, he could have just removed me from my post. Why did he remove you all from your posts as well?"
Mo Tai's words surprised Li Demin and Luo Nanshan. Yes! They had no grudge against the Mo family and should not have been affected.
"This matter is probably not that simple," Li Demin said, frowning. "You said that Young Master Gu was attacked yesterday?"
“The entire Central Villa District bears the marks of fighting and explosions. Young Master Gu has also disappeared and we haven’t been able to contact him since. I was planning to investigate, but then I received my resignation notice. Sigh!” Luo Nanshan said.
“I’ve called Young Master Gu countless times, but his phone is always switched off,” Mo Tai said.
"Could it be that Gu Shao's family had a conflict with the Mo family and was attacked by the Mo family?" Li Demin guessed.
"According to Shi Shuai, Fang Jingru was the one who was injured by Gu Yu in the battle on the snow mountain and whose fate is unknown," Mo Tai suddenly said.
"Fang Jingru?" Luo Nanshan and Li Demin were taken aback again. "That Fang Jingru, the number one person in Huangbei City, backed by the wealthy Zhao family?"
“Yes.” Motiejunas nodded.
"Could our resignation be related to the Zhao family, a powerful conglomerate?" Li Deming and Luo Nanshan realized. "In recent years, the Zhao family has been getting close to some powerful families, including the Mo family. This time, it's likely that both families worked together. The Mo family was targeting you as well, while the Zhao family was probably targeting Young Master Gu and his family."
“I thought about it all night yesterday. Although I am the commander of the city's guard in Mobei City, he has never dealt with me in all these years, which proves that I am powerless. But I can't understand why, even with Young Master Gu's help, I still can't threaten him. So he has no reason to deal with me. I'm afraid they are all after Young Master Gu and the family behind him, and maybe not just them,” Mo Tai said.
"Sigh! It's not impossible." Li Demin said after listening to Mo Tai's words. "I wonder how Young Master Gu is doing now? Is his family alright?"
“If they are really targeting the Gu family, I’m afraid…” Luo Nanshan didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant. The Zhao family and the Mo family of Shengjing, if they were really after Gu Yu, it would probably be more than just these two families. After all, they now form an alliance, which includes multiple financial groups and powerful families. Even if the Gu family is strong, they probably can’t fight against so many forces. After all, even the country is wary of them. Of course, unless the Gu family compromises and submits to them.
It's important to know that the conglomerate alliance has been doing this all these years. Whenever a reclusive family emerges, they will take action against them and then try to win them over. This is called "using force first and then diplomacy." As for the purpose, one is to strengthen the alliance, and the other is to secure the location of the refuge.
"Alas! In the face of such a calamity, they are still fighting, while we can do nothing about it," Li Demin sighed, feeling a pang of resentment towards his own weakness.
"Commander Shi said he has already asked the Dragon Division for help," Mo Tai said.
“The Dragon Clan are the protectors of humanity. If they were willing to intervene, perhaps Young Master Gu would have a chance to win. Unfortunately, they haven’t participated in the internal conflicts among humans in recent years; instead, they have been busy suppressing the invading survivors,” Li Demin said.
“Yes! Compared to the internal strife, those external invaders are more important,” Luo Nanshan said.
Little did they know that at that moment, an old man in the Dragon Clan was suffering from a headache.
"The Source Gate in the southwest is nearing its opening, and another one has appeared in the Northern Snow Mountain. Although it can hold out for a while, it probably won't last long. This is truly a headache!" The old man paced back and forth. "The Golden Armor and the Minister have gone to guard the southwest, and they've taken most of my Dragon Tribe's elites with them. Now, who will guard the Northern Snow Mountain? That bastard Shi Shuai said that the financial magnates and aristocratic families have made a move against Mobei City, probably because of that Source Gate in the Northern Snow Mountain. What should we do?"
The old man looked worried. There were still a lot of students in the Dragon Division, but their strength was simply not enough. "Damn the GZ Alliance, what time is it for them to cause trouble?"
If the GZ Alliance is only trying to protect the Source Gate, then that's a good thing. Those guys are crazy; they actually think that humanity should compromise with the invaders and coexist peacefully with them. Isn't that nonsense? How can we possibly coexist peacefully with invaders?
You must understand that they take pleasure in aggression and adhere to the principle of killing all, annihilating all, and plundering. If we compromise, wouldn't humanity be wiped out?
"Sigh!" The old man sighed. If left unchecked, what if the GZ Alliance did something outrageous in Mo City? The government's intention was for them to send someone to supervise, but who should they send? He was the only one in the Dragon Tribe with that kind of power. Could he go himself? Then who would be in charge of the Dragon Tribe?
The more he thought about it, the more his head ached. He couldn't sit still or stand still.
Just when he was at his wit's end, he suddenly thought of someone, but that person was a bit unreliable. However, in these extraordinary times, there was no other choice but to choose him.
With that in mind, the old man made a phone call.
"Grandpa, when will the reinforcements arrive?" The person who answered the phone was Shi Shuai. He immediately asked when he saw his grandfather calling.
"Reinforcements will take some time," the old man replied.
"Then could you step in and reinstate Li Demin, Luo Nanshan, and Mo Tai to their positions?" Shi Shuai asked tentatively.
"No, do you think this is child's play? You can't just say it's going down or going up on a whim. Besides, there are many factors involved; it's not as simple as you think," the old man said.
"Alright!" Shi Shuai said helplessly upon hearing the old man's words.
"You kid, hurry up and cultivate. If your blood acupoints really can't be filled, then break through to the Grandmaster level!" the old man said.
"Understood, I will try my best," Shi Shuai replied. "Your reinforcements need to arrive quickly, otherwise Mo City may become a testing ground."
"I know," the old man said impatiently. How could he not know all this? Over the years, the GZ Alliance had conducted countless infamous experiments. They used living people for experiments, secretly arrested martial artists for experiments, and even caused a virus leak, resulting in a large-scale plague outbreak that killed many people.
What they did was utterly outrageous; if we weren't preoccupied with other matters, we would have already taken action against them.
Gu Yu sat in the woods for three days. His eyes gleamed with a sharp light. Yes, he had broken through again.
Moreover, he opened two meridians in a row. He didn't know why, but his meridians were already solidified. Even after opening the third meridian, the third meridian was immediately solidified as well. So he pressed on and opened another one in one go.
Little did he know that he had absorbed a significant amount of the Phoenix Source within Xu Ling'er's body, which was the reason his pulse stabilized instantly.
Contribution:
Talent: 108
Combat strength: 6720N
Triple boost: (1600 contribution points per use, lasts for three minutes)
Source Qi: (1 wisp for every 10 contribution points)
Source space: 3 cubic meters (1 cubic meter for every 1000 contribution points)
Source Soldier: (108 contribution points, maximum 10)
Looking at his data template, he didn't expect that the battle with Senior Brother Bai would consume 60,000 of his contribution points. That really cost him a lot of contribution points!
His combat power is 6720N. After a three-fold increase, it becomes N. The sword-nurturing technique amplifies it by three times, reaching more than N, which is the power of 6 elephants. Adding the two-fold increase from the Heaven-Opening Technique, it becomes 12 elephants, surpassing one dragon. If he were to encounter Senior Brother Bai again, he would be extremely confident that he could kill him with a single strike.
The breakthrough in his cultivation level filled Gu Yu with confidence. "I wonder where Xu Ling'er took my parents?"
Gu Yu murmured that the situation was too urgent. They hadn't agreed on a meeting place, and he hadn't gotten Xu Ling'er's contact information, which was a bit awkward.
I know my father was seriously injured, and I wonder how he is now?
Gu Yu took out his phone, but looking at it in his hand, he felt somewhat helpless. Because of the battle with Senior Brother Bai, his phone was so broken that it couldn't even be turned on.
"Wait, I think I know where they are." Gu Yu suddenly realized that Xu Ling'er's home in his previous life was also in Mo City. He had been there more than once. Given yesterday's situation, Xu Ling'er had most likely run back home. After all, if Xu Ling'er was backed by a hidden family, then the safest place for her would be home.
With that thought in mind, Gu Yu moved and headed towards the direction of Xu Ling'er's house.
Xujiabao is a fairly large village in Mocheng, with more than 500 households. Most of the people here are surnamed Xu and make a living by raising cattle and sheep.
Gu Yu arrived at Xu Family Fortress and looked at the familiar scene before him. He recalled the first time he came to Xu Family Fortress in his previous life. He was very nervous at the time, after all, it was the first time he had met his mother-in-law.
Following the route he remembered, Gu Yu found Xu Ling'er's house, but no one was home at that time. He wanted to find someone to ask about the situation.
"Gu Yu." Just as Gu Yu walked out onto the street looking for someone, Xu Da appeared. He was somewhat surprised to see Gu Yu. He didn't know how Gu Yu had managed to find this place, and that Gu Yu had actually escaped from that powerful expert.
"Where are my parents?" Gu Yu asked Xu Da.
“At my third uncle’s house,” Xu Da replied.
"Take me there." Gu Yu's tone was somewhat urgent.
“Okay.” Xu Da nodded and immediately led the way. Xu Da could understand Gu Yu’s eagerness to see his parents.
After walking for about a minute, we arrived at a small courtyard, where quite a few people were standing.
“Xu Xiqiang, the family has a rule that we must never participate in the battles between cultivators outside. You sent a junior to the Northern Snow Mountain without permission and even dispatched Xu Da, which violates the family rules. You also risked having Xu Ling’er use the power of the Phoenix Source to save a stranger. They even brought back two injured martial artists. Do you know that this will expose the family?” An old man looked at the Third Uncle and said sternly.
“If we continue to cower and hide here, we will perish sooner or later,” Xu Xiqiang said. “Brother, the Source Gate is about to open. As humans, we should emerge into the world.”
"Renouncing the world? Heh..." The old man, whom Xu Xiqiang called "Big Brother," laughed. "What good will renunciation do? It's just sending yourself to your death."
"If we don't fight back, won't we also die?" Xu Xiqiang questioned.
"It's better to die later than sooner," the old man said. "Immediately drive those two martial artists out. They must have encountered a powerful enemy. If that enemy comes looking for them, it won't be good."
“Great-great-grandfather, I disagree.” Xu Ling’er stood up immediately upon hearing the old man’s words.
“I disagree as well.” There were four elderly men in the courtyard, one of whom said, “I agree with Xiqiang’s statement.”
"Nanqiang, do you know what this means?" Upon hearing Xu Nanqiang's words, the old man frowned immediately. "Your decision will lead my Xu clan to utter ruin."
“Even if I agree with you, my Xu clan will still be doomed.” Xu Nanqiang said again, “Since we are doomed anyway, we might as well emerge into the world and fight a battle, so that we won’t feel so frustrated.”
"Good, very good." The old man said, looking at Xu Nanqiang and Xu Xiqiang. Then his gaze turned to another silent old man, "Beiqiang, what about you?"
“I’m fine with anything,” Xu Beiqiang said.
"Alright! I was being redundant. Since you've made your decision, I hope you can bear all the consequences." After saying that, Xu Dongqiang flicked his sleeves and walked out of the courtyard, followed by several people who were also extremely displeased.
"Second brother, fourth brother, thank you very much." Xu Xiqiang said gratefully to Xu Nanqiang and Xu Beiqiang.
“We’re all brothers, and we think you’re right. It’s time for us to emerge from the shadows and live on,” Xu Nanqiang said.
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