novelzi Chapter 41 – A man's ambition is in all directions
Chapter 41 – A man's ambition is in all directions
The group exchanged awkward smiles and quickly moved past the topic of Gu Xuanyuan.
Gu Feng suddenly remembered that Fang Feixue seemed to have something important to report and hurriedly asked, "Feixue, you mentioned something serious earlier. What exactly happened?"
Fang Feixue didn't mind his intimate way of addressing her. Over the past few months, their relationship had grown increasingly ambiguous. She even found herself unconsciously caring about Gu Feng's opinions of her. Although they often bickered, it felt more like playful banter.
"I did something behind your back, so don't be mad!" Fang Feixue said uneasily.
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions varied. Jiu Long raised an eyebrow with interest, and even Gu Xuanyuan sensed that the relationship between the two was somewhat mysterious.
Gu Feng couldn't help but laugh and waved his hand, saying, "Go on, as long as you haven't disbanded the Royal Guards, I promise I won't get angry."
Fang Feixue bit her lip and slowly began to explain.
It turned out that after they analyzed the intelligence regarding the Nine Tribulations Witch King, Fang Feixue had dispatched spies from the Royal Guards to closely track Gu Kun's movements.
To her surprise, she discovered that every few days, Gu Kun would kill a maid in his residence.
In the eyes of these Chosen ones, this wasn't considered a major issue, as they never really cared about these mortal-born maids.
However, the suspicious part was that, according to the Royal Guards' investigation, the cause of death for these maids was that their blood and energy had been completely drained!
This was indeed intriguing!
Considering the previous intelligence about the Nine Tribulations Witch King, Fang Feixue believed it was necessary to investigate further. So, she privately mobilized a team of highly skilled Royal Guards to go to the Northern Wilderness to track down the Nine Tribulations Witch King.
"And then?" Gu Feng raised an eyebrow and asked.
Fang Feixue pouted, like a child who had done something wrong, and murmured, "Out of one hundred and fifty-two people, only one returned alive, but his Dao foundation was completely destroyed."
"Where is he?"
Gu Feng calmly took a sip of the fine wine in his cup, his face showing no emotion.
"I advise you not to see..."
"Bring him up!" Gu Feng interrupted Fang Feixue with a loud command.
Fang Feixue sighed and secretly sent a message. Shortly after, two Royal Guards brought in a blood-soaked cultivator into the hall.
This cultivator was already unrecognizable. His eyes and tongue had been removed, his dantian was in ruins, and his limbs' meridians had been severed, making him look like a puppet. The most shocking thing was the bloody message carved into his chest:—
"Arrogant Eastern Region brat, dare to overestimate yourself? If you step into the Northern Wilderness again, you'll wish for death but find it elusive!"
"Bang!"
With a palm strike, Gu Xuanyuan shattered the table in front of him, standing up in a rage, "Damn it! Who is so wantonly vicious!?"
"The Nine Tribulations Witch King..." Gu Feng murmured, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples.
After a moment, Gu Feng instructed Fang Feixue to take the sole surviving Royal Guard away and ensure he received proper treatment.
He didn't blame Fang Feixue for acting on her own. Gu Feng understood her feelings; even if she hadn't taken action, he had already considered doing so himself.
He just hadn't expected the Nine Tribulations Witch King to be so powerful and brutal.
With a somber expression, Gu Feng said, "Make sure to compensate the families of the deceased brothers well. We can't let the Royal Guards' brothers lose heart."
Fang Feixue nodded and obediently stood aside. She had thought Gu Feng would blame her for this, but he didn't, leaving her with mixed feelings.
"Feng! Who is this Nine Tribulations Witch King, and how did you cross paths with him?" Gu Xuanyuan quickly asked.
Gu Feng took a sip of wine, a bitter taste lingering on his lips, and slowly recounted the events to Gu Xuanyuan.
This included Gu Kun's suspicious cultivation breakthrough and Gu Huaisheng's secret meeting with the Nine Tribulations Witch King.
Nodding, Gu Xuanyuan cursed, "No wonder, I felt something was off in the City Lord's mansion earlier. That little bastard Gu Kun's True Core was strange, full of malice and a bloody aura. So, there's so much cause and effect behind it."
With a wave of his hand, Gu Xuanyuan led Zuo Yuan and Bai Yu to the door, turning back to say, "I'll go catch up with your father and come for you in the morning!"
"Everyone! Farewell!" With a cupped hand, Gu Xuanyuan decisively took off, flying away with his two followers.
Watching the three streaks of light disappear, Gu Feng let out a long breath.
Turning back to the main seat, Gu Feng adjusted his sleeves and announced, "It's decided. Tomorrow morning, I'll set off with Third Uncle for the Northern Wilderness."
"Manager Wu!" Gu Feng called out.
"At your service, young master!"
Gu Feng calmly instructed, "After I leave, the Artifact Crafting Department and Loan Treasure Pavilion will be in your hands. Handle all matters as you see fit!"
With the widespread use of Immortal Spirit Communication in Heroic Spirit City, everything was developing smoothly. Gu Feng's influence wasn't yet strong enough to extend beyond the city, but with Manager Wu, he could rest assured in consolidating the current achievements.
Looking at Jiu Long beside him, Gu Feng said, "Jiu Long, the Royal Guards are yours to command."
"You're not taking me to the Northern Wilderness?" Jiu Long asked in surprise, a rare urgency on his face.
"With you around, I'd be safe, but I'd never grow."
Shaking his head, Gu Feng continued, "Besides, with my Third Uncle there, he won't let me be in danger. You can rest easy."
Jiu Long wanted to argue but realized Gu Feng made sense.
A child learning to walk can't always be held; they must be let go, even if they stumble, rather than rely on others forever.
No one can guarantee protection for a lifetime...
Understanding this, Jiu Long nodded reluctantly.
"You've given Jiu Long the Royal Guards, what about me? Do I have to return to the Chen Long Army?" Fang Feixue quickly stood up, asking uneasily.
Gu Feng smiled silently, walked to her side, and pretended to ponder, saying slowly, "As for you... hmm... do you want to return to the Chen Long Army?"
"Of course not..." Halfway through her words, Fang Feixue realized she fell into Gu Feng's trap again and stopped abruptly.
These days, she had grown close to the people at Qiong Feng Pavilion, forming deep bonds.
She was surprised to find that Qiong Feng Pavilion, unlike other places, wasn't cold and devoid of warmth.
Though it was a Sequence residence, there was no scheming or infighting; everyone was united, even giving her a sense of warmth.
Even Gu Feng didn't seem as annoying as he initially did.
She had already developed a sense of belonging here.
Seeing Fang Feixue's embarrassed and angry red face, Gu Feng laughed silently and said, "Pack your things tonight and set off with me in the morning."
"What?! I'm going too?!"
"Of course!"
Gu Feng nodded, noncommittally saying, "You're the only one among us who's been to the Northern Wilderness. The team needs a guide!"
Fang Feixue was momentarily speechless, realizing it made sense, and reluctantly nodded in agreement.
After a while, Gu Feng suddenly remembered someone and quickly asked Manager Wu, "By the way, where's Hou Yixiao? I haven't seen him these days. Where's he been fooling around?"
Manager Wu smiled wryly and said, "A few days ago, Hou Yixiao volunteered to take on the task of monitoring the Fifth Elder's residence for the Royal Guards. He should be near the Fifth Elder's cave dwelling now."
"Hmph! That shameless fat Daoist isn't that diligent!" Fang Feixue said angrily, eager to report, "He's infatuated with the Fifth Elder's partner from the Wang Family, using public duties for personal gain, following her around under the guise of gathering information, but actually engaging in disgraceful schemes!"
Gu Feng smiled bitterly, knowing this one's nature well—greedy and lustful, without any pretense. Though his skills weren't top-notch, he had a knack for being useful at critical moments.
A soldier is trained for a thousand days to be used in a moment; this trip to the Northern Wilderness was the perfect time to bring him along, possibly yielding unexpected results.
Gu Feng raised an eyebrow and immediately instructed, "Feixue, call that lecher back and have him pack up to leave with us in the morning. Better to take him along than have him cause trouble for the city's respectable women!"