novelzi Chapter 4 – Sharp-tongued Dedicated to the Uncle Generation
Chapter 4 – Sharp-tongued Dedicated to the Uncle Generation
In the meeting hall.
At first, it was silent.
"Ahem!"
A middle-aged man cleared his throat, stood up, and cupped his hands, saying, "City Lord, I believe that Gu Feng's cultivation is weak, he has achieved nothing despite being ranked first in the sequence for many years! He should step down!"
The speaker, a middle-aged man with a square face and long eyebrows reaching down to his chin, was none other than Gu Feng's second uncle, Gu Liantian's half-brother, known as the Long-Browed Daoist, Gu Huaisheng.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone began to whisper among themselves.
Many nodded in agreement, while some continued to feign indifference.
"Indeed, I also believe that this child has been cultivating for nearly twenty years and is still stuck at the third level of the Qi Refining stage, hogging family resources without any progress, bringing shame to our Gu Family and inviting ridicule from outsiders!"
A chubby Daoist stood up, surprisingly it was Gu Feng's Fifth Uncle, the grandfather of the second in sequence, Gu Kun—Gu Chunfeng.
In the sequence, the young talents of the Gu Family burst into laughter, starting to whisper among themselves.
"This useless guy, still at the third level of Qi Refining after all these years, if I were him, I'd bash my head in."
"Being ranked alongside him in the sequence is truly humiliating!"
"Isn't it just because he's the City Lord's only son?"
"Shh, keep it down, his father is the City Lord."
"What are you afraid of? Everyone in Heroic Spirit City knows he's a waste! It's just the truth!"
"First in sequence should be for the capable, what right does he have? Pah!"
Listening to the gossip behind him, Gu Feng remained expressionless, having long grown accustomed to it over the years.
Gu Liantian's face was livid. He had heard the discussions of those below him, and this wasn't the first time such a scene had occurred. Each time, he had suppressed it, but now, with the war between the Eastern Region and the Southern Plains imminent, Heroic Spirit City would soon send cultivators to battle. He couldn't and didn't want to offend the elders of these families.
Gripping the Kylin armrest tightly, he suppressed his anger and said calmly, "Though that's the case, Gu Feng has committed no wrongdoing. Forcing him out of the sequence may seem unfair, and outsiders might say Heroic Spirit City changes its decrees at will, lacking any law."@@@@
The meeting hall fell silent once more.
The meaning was clear: he hasn't done anything wrong, isn't it a bit much for you to keep pressing?
Gu Liantian's fierce protection of his son was well-known in Heroic Spirit City, leaving the elders of the Gu Family momentarily speechless.
Looking at his father, the City Lord, sitting high on the main seat, Gu Feng couldn't help but feel a bit moved.
Over the years, despite the cold stares and ridicule, Gu Liantian had never scolded him for it, at most encouraging him to practice diligently. This warm fatherly love sometimes made Gu Feng resent his own incompetence.
"City Lord, that's not entirely correct!" Gu Huaisheng spoke again, cupping his hands, "If we talk about wrongdoings, this child isn't entirely innocent!"
"Oh?" Frowning, Gu Liantian sensed something amiss.
Gu Huaisheng glanced back at Gu Feng and said, "During the City Lord's seclusion, Gu Feng took charge of city affairs, acting arbitrarily! He amassed wealth on a large scale, setting up some Loan Treasure Pavilion in the city, causing our Heroic Spirit City cultivators to lose their drive, indulging in greed, creating chaos, and inciting public outrage, which is truly unforgivable!"
Startled, Gu Feng secretly clicked his tongue. No wonder everything had been going so smoothly lately; this old bastard had been waiting for him here all along!
With his fleshy face trembling, Gu Chunfeng quickly chimed in, "Indeed! This child even created a private army under false pretenses! He recruited three thousand cultivators to form the Artifact Crafting Department, stationed in the west of the city!"
Heroic Spirit City had a clear decree that, aside from the City Lord, no cultivator could establish a cultivation group with military characteristics, to consolidate the Gu Family's rule in Heroic Spirit City, a matter of principle!
This statement caused an uproar in the meeting hall.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have a word?"
Smoothing his drooping eyebrows, Gu Huaisheng cupped his hands to the crowd, "Though this child has erred, he is still of Gu Family blood, and I doubt he would dare commit treasonous acts! Considering Gu Feng's youth and ignorance, he should be made to close the Loan Treasure Pavilion and disband the three thousand cultivators, but he must not retain his sequence position!"
The elders of the Gu Family exchanged glances, immediately understanding, and nodded in agreement.
A huge pile of spirit stones was right there; who could argue with such wealth?
"And the three thousand cultivators in the Artifact Crafting Department are by no means a private army, just cultivators engrossed in the path of artifact refining!"
Gu Feng paused, raising his eyebrows, "As a descendant of the Gu Family, though my cultivation is lacking, I constantly think about the millennia-old foundation of Heroic Spirit City! Unlike some, who live in luxury, idling away their days!"
After speaking, Gu Feng deliberately glanced deeply at the Chosen sequence behind him.
These proud and arrogant young members of the family were infuriated by Gu Feng's taunt, glaring at him with anger, wishing they could swallow him whole.
A quick look at " will leave you more fulfilled.
"Why are you glaring at me? I wasn't talking about you!" Gu Feng retorted with a roll of his eyes.
Ignoring the group of fools, Gu Feng changed the subject, "Esteemed uncles and Elders, you've enjoyed the family's protection, yet when my father presented a difficulty, you turned a blind eye!"
"I wish to ask you, esteemed uncles," Gu Feng paused, surveying the room, and shouted, "Are you worthy of the Gu Family's ancestors?!"
The hall fell silent, not a single breath was heard.
"Twisting words and forcing logic!" Gu Chunfeng slammed the table, his body shaking with anger, pointing at Gu Feng, "You may have solved a temporary crisis! But what you've done are merely clever yet futile techniques! Not the righteous path of cultivators!"
With these words, the Elders all agreed!
In their hearts, a true cultivator should prioritize cultivation above all, only with absolute strength could one earn respect and deserve privileges!
Putting away his fan, Gu Feng smirked and shouted, "Clever yet futile techniques, is it? Manager Wu, where are you?!"
"Old servant is here!" Manager Wu, who had been waiting outside, hurriedly ran to Gu Feng's side.
"The ledger!" Gu Feng gestured with his hand.
Manager Wu quickly produced a jade slip.
"Read it!"
Nodding, Manager Wu began to read, "On the second day of the third month, Fifth Elder Gu Chunfeng's wife from the Wang Family borrowed three hundred superior-grade spirit stones from the Loan Treasure Pavilion, with a loan term of six months. On the ninth day of the fourth month, she borrowed an additional five hundred superior-grade spirit stones. On the second day of last month, she borrowed another three hundred superior-grade spirit stones, with the young master granting an extension of three months for repayment..."
Gu Feng looked around and said loudly, "Look! This is the so-called clever yet futile technique my Fifth Uncle mentioned! If that's the case, who among you can guarantee you're clean?!"
The hall fell eerily silent.
"Fifth Uncle," Gu Feng smirked and continued, "Aunt's allowance should be quite substantial, so why did she use your spiritual soul to take a loan from your nephew?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Chunfeng's face twitched. The Wang Family member was a partner he had taken over a century ago, naturally alluring and accustomed to a luxurious lifestyle. As long as it wasn't excessive, he usually indulged her.
A few months ago, she mentioned wanting to refine a dual cultivation artifact, requiring a strand of his spiritual soul. Hearing the words "dual cultivation," Gu Chunfeng couldn't resist and gave her a strand.
Unexpectedly, this spendthrift woman used it to secure a loan from the Loan Treasure Pavilion, and the slap was resounding!
Gu Feng couldn't be bothered to look at his embarrassed expression and instructed Manager Wu, "Calculate the total."
Manager Wu complied, pulling out a golden abacus, which turned out to be a Mysterious Rank artifact, and muttered, "One nine is nine, nine nines are eighty-one, nine out thirteen back..."
Hearing the sound of calculations, everyone avoided Gu Feng's gaze. Among those present, many had family members or even themselves who had visited the Loan Treasure Pavilion, now fearing collateral damage.
After a while, Manager Wu bowed and said, "Young master, including principal and interest, the Wang Family owes a total of two thousand one hundred superior-grade spirit stones."
The crowd was in an uproar; that was no small sum!
Gu Feng raised an eyebrow and said, "We're all family, can't we waive the small change?"
"Young master, whatever you say," Manager Wu replied with a smile, "Excluding the small change, the total is two thousand superior-grade spirit stones."
Nodding in satisfaction, Gu Feng smiled as he approached the dazed Gu Chunfeng, extending his hand, "Fifth Uncle, you should settle the account, don't you think?"
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan