Chapter 183 With a loud shout, one…
With a loud shout, a stream of pure spiritual energy struck Gong Shichuo's wrist precisely, stopping her actions.
"Father?"
No, it wasn't my father. My father couldn't come here in person, otherwise he would be too easily noticed.
Is this my cousin?
Although her cousin's talent was not as good as hers, he was a full twelve years older than her, and his current cultivation level was much higher than hers. He was also less noticeable.
What's my cousin doing here? He's way past the age limit for participating in the regional competition.
Gong Shichuo pulled Xie Jiaoyue behind him, and she felt every hair on her body sense danger.
Sure enough, my cousin, whom I wasn't too familiar with, appeared from behind the tree.
Why my cousin? What's he doing here?
"Gongshi Chuo, you know everything." The tone was affirmative.
Gong Shichuo actually knew nothing, nor did she know what she should know, but she knew she had to act as if she did know.
Like a tongue twister, she gave a wry smile.
"Cousin, you knew about this too?"
My cousin raised an eyebrow: "Your question is rather silly. If I didn't know, how could my cultivation have improved to such a level?"
His tone was both resentful and smugly relieved: "Gong Shichuo, not everyone is as talented as you. But thankfully, with your personality, you're all bark and no bite. You'll never amount to anything."
Gong Shichuo was afraid that his expression would betray that he knew nothing, so he had no choice but to keep Xie Jiaoyue's instructions in mind and maintain a poker face throughout while his mind raced.
Why did my cousin say such a thing? What did he know that made him say such a thing? What is it that he needs to keep from her but that others can know?
What could possibly have caused my sister to be so terrified that she ran away from home?
Gong Shichuo heard Xie Jiaoyue's voice transmission in his ear: "Pianxian".
Has Pianxian come here? She subconsciously turned around.
No.
Oh, graceful, graceful!
Gong Shichuo suddenly realized that his sister's only special characteristic was that she was a furnace cauldron.
My older sister has a natural constitution that makes her a "furnace vessel" (a body that can be used as a furnace for energy).
She couldn't maintain her composure; her eyes widened suddenly, and her lips involuntarily parted to allow her to breathe in more air.
Yes, what could possibly allow someone to rapidly improve their cultivation level while simultaneously inspiring fear?
What is something that is kept secret and circulated in the shadows?
Humans are used as a furnace to aid in cultivation.
No, it doesn't stop there.
Although the Heavenly and Earthly Bureau has issued an order prohibiting the use of furnaces and cauldrons, as long as it doesn't cause too much trouble and result in death, this kind of thing that is repeatedly prohibited but never stopped is actually in a gray area. If you play around with your wives and concubines a little bit and don't make a fuss about it, no one will really care.
The Gongshi clan in the Southwest region is a case in point. They openly send their daughters, who possess the constitution of a furnace cauldron, to other men as concubines. Because these are all legitimate marriages, there is nothing to criticize, so this practice has continued for a long time, and they have enjoyed considerable benefits from it.
This is how many aristocratic families operate, exchanging their respective furnace resources and providing them with good food and drink. Occasionally using them might slightly affect the lifespan of the furnace, but it wouldn't be considered a mistake.
Therefore, although the Gongshi clan in the Southwest Region developed well, they were only a large family in the remote Southwest Region. Even in the Southwest Region, they were not the only dominant family.
Even so, it was only because they borrowed the names of the Gongshi clan that they were able to have such smooth sailing.
What makes the beneficiaries so reluctant to speak out, and what makes the older sister so afraid that she would abandon her? Do they... do they want to treat the older sister like a disposable item, to be used and then discarded?
Do they intend to use their sister's life and blood to pave their own path?
That's an absolutely forbidden technique, one that has been destroyed multiple times by top-tier families. How dare they!
Chu Xingjin must also know about this.
No wonder Chu Xingjin's cultivation improved so quickly. No wonder Chu Xingjin didn't care where his sister was. In this filthy place, if his sister could be used as a furnace, were there no other furnaces for them to use?
Gong Shichuo still wanted to struggle. She couldn't believe that her father and relatives, whom she had always trusted, were doing such shameless things behind her back, even using her own blood relatives as sacrifices to befriend those who were willing to collude with them.
She stared intently at her cousin: "So, my sister didn't want to die, she escaped. What are you doing here now? Hunting her down or killing me, who knows everything?"
The cousin let out a deep sigh, as if he still had some pity for his sister.
“I didn’t want to, and neither did the clan leader. Gongshi Chuo, you’re just too stubborn. If you hadn’t been so resolute in refusing to accept the clan’s secret techniques, the clan leader wouldn’t have wanted to take this step either.”
"What do you mean I'm unwilling to accept the family's secret techniques?"
My cousin slapped his forehead: "I've forgotten. That memory was sealed by the clan leader. Do you remember when you were ten years old, you accidentally wandered into the clan's forbidden area and happened to witness the clan leader practicing dual cultivation? The clan leader intended to guide you into the Dao, but your reaction was too intense, and you even wanted to report him to the Heavenly Court. The clan elders all felt that this child should not be allowed to live, but the clan leader took pity on you and spared your life, only sealing away part of your memories."
He bowed towards the distance, saying, "The clan chief is truly kind-hearted."
Gong Shichuo's buried memories are slowly reviving.
Ten years old is an age when one is fearless and unafraid of anything.
That afternoon, the sunlight was dazzling, making people feel lazy and listless. But she, like a monkey, took advantage of the disciples' inattention and slipped into the clan's forbidden area in a flash.
She walked cautiously yet excitedly, her mind constantly conjuring up images of what might happen in a moment.
Perhaps it was a little joke played by the elders, who arranged a brutal training ground there, just waiting for the ignorant juniors to wander in and receive a thorough lesson.
Or perhaps it is the former residence left behind by a powerful being. Maybe that powerful being had a life-or-death friendship with the ancestors of the clan, and because of this friendship, made a promise to preserve the former residence.
Children's imaginations are always romantic.
With a heart full of trepidation, Gong Shichuo crossed the stream and passed through the bushes, finally seeing a narrow passage with towering cliffs on both sides, leaving only a narrow passage for one person to pass through.
She dared not walk on the ground, so she carefully climbed to a relatively high place and used both her hands and feet to climb along the narrow passage, just like a monkey.
Faint sounds could be heard from ahead.
There were some strange sounds, like the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments, dreamlike and ethereal, completely different from the music I heard on ordinary days.
There's also a floral fragrance, so sweet it's almost cloyingly fishy. How strange, do we even have flowers like this in our tribe?
There seemed to be faint screams as well.
Gong Shichuo quickened her pace, even making slight noises unintentionally, but her sense of justice made her oblivious to such things.
As dawn broke, everything became clear and bright.
There were no magical beasts, no powerful beings, only a father with his chest exposed and a young woman lying on the ground, barely alive and disheveled.
And a man.
Luxurious treasures adorn this land, which doesn't seem very large. The soil is mixed with the essence of life, and rare and enchanting spiritual plants grow on it, exuding a decadent fragrance.
But all of this was shrouded in a faint bloodstain.
Large clumps of blood bloomed everywhere, like crimson flowers.
Under Gong Shichuo's gaze, one of the furnace cauldrons lying on the ground slowly closed its eyes.
Gong Shichuo's spiritual sense had long been able to cover the distance between her and the furnace, and she knew that the furnace's eyes would never open again.
In a panic, she fell from the cliff face to the ground with a loud crash, splattering blood that blended into the surroundings.
So this memory was sealed away.
No wonder she always has similar dreams, but can never find the source of the dreams.
Thinking back to her father's so-called kindness towards her, Gong Shichuo felt only irony. How could kindness shown on the ground of mountains of corpses and seas of blood not be a kind of kindness?
Gong Shichuo finally understood why her father had suddenly become cold. He probably felt that if she kept making a fuss, he would eventually find out everything and then she would be silenced.
However, her father still felt a little reluctant, so he did nothing while she was still unaware of everything.
Should she be grateful to her father for giving her, who was still naive, another chance because of her talent?
But such opportunities are few and far between, and he is even unwilling to raise an older sister just to trick her into doing so.
Or rather, she was still willing to abandon her and her sister for Chu Xingjin, who was willing to go along with his corrupt ways.
Yes, she is certainly important, and her talent is no less than hers, but Chu Xingjin, who is willing to use secret methods to cultivate, is naturally more important.
Perhaps because he felt certain of victory, and that the two people in front of him were already dead, his cousin patiently explained things to Gong Shichuo one by one, tirelessly and carefully, enjoying the pleasure of shattering the illusion of a proud young woman's wonderful life.
He enjoys watching others fall from grace.
His cousin looked at Gongshi Chuo with pity: "Is there anything else you want to say? I can pass on a message for you."
Gong Shichuo gave a sarcastic smile; she didn't even know who she could pass a message to.
Oh wait, there's also an object.
Unexpectedly, in just a few days, she went from being full of hope for the future to feeling that life was meaningless.
There is one too.
"Does my mother know about this?"
My cousin said, "They've been a couple for many years, what do you think?"
Gong Shichuo was speechless. She fell into a long silence, and silent tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, quietly sliding down her cheeks and seeping into the soil without leaving a trace.
"Alright, it's getting late, cousin. Don't blame your cousin for being heartless."
"Of course I won't blame you."
"You're such a kind and understanding sister..."
Before his cousin could finish speaking, he felt a violent tremor beneath his feet that was hard to ignore. It was so intense that he needed to extend his spiritual energy from his feet to grip the ground and keep his balance.
"Gongshi Chuo, look here!" Xie Jiaoyue, who arrived on the wind, sat on the black beast and stretched out her hand towards Gongshi Chuo.
My cousin stared at the newcomer in shock. What was going on? When did this woman leave? And who was that standing there...?
His father was actually a puppet!
It's the worst kind I bought from a roadside stall!
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