Chapter 516 - 454: Intentions
Chapter 516: Chapter 454: Intentions
Gu Shaojun, however, was disappointed. He hadn’t found the "Invisible Cultivator." In disbelief, he scanned the Bai Mansion back and forth twice more, confirming that the person he had seen during the day was not there. If he were present, even with his aura concealed, Gu Shaojun would have at least been able to see a shadow, just like he had that day.
He didn’t see the other "relatives" either. Yang Liu’er had said there were several of them. ’Don’t they live at the Bai Mansion?’
He did, however, discover a small, natural Spirit Gathering Array in a side courtyard of the Bai Mansion. Inside a room there, Mr. Bai was leading his younger grandson, Bai Junjie, as they sat cross-legged with their eyes closed in cultivation.
In the main courtyard, the women and children had all retired for the night. Bai Lihua was sitting back on the sofa with several official documents spread across his crossed legs. He cradled a phone receiver between his head and one shoulder, a fountain pen in hand, occasionally jotting things down while murmuring responses into the receiver. Judging by the suggestive smile on his face, one didn’t need to guess that the phone call had nothing to do with his work. Gu Shaojun couldn’t even be bothered to listen in.
Bai Junfan was nowhere to be found in the entire mansion. ’Could he have gone out with that "relative" and not yet returned?’
Gu Shaojun withdrew his Divine Sense. After waiting for about ten more minutes, he finally lost patience, started his car, and drove away from the small street.
It was a good thing he hadn’t wasted any more time waiting. At that very moment, Bai Junfan was sitting in the cozy little living room of the Gongsun Family home with Gongsun Ruxue. They sat by the stove brewing tea, watching the snowflakes drift past the window. The conversation flowed easily between them, full of pleasant smiles. With a beauty as exquisite as jade and a dashing young man, the scene couldn’t have been more warm and beautiful.
Bai Junfan didn’t leave for home until after one in the morning, once they stopped adding charcoal to the small stove.
Gongsun Chongshan emerged from his room and said to his granddaughter, "The wife of the Bai family’s main heir will only come from a family of power and influence. Our family has no desire for any further entanglements with the Bai Family. After this matter is over, we will leave Beijing. You must not develop any ideas about Bai Junfan."
Gongsun Ruxue agreed respectfully, but inwardly, she pursed her lips. ’We just had some tea and a chat, that’s all. What kind of ideas could I possibly get? I’m going to become an immortal through cultivation; how could I fall for a mere mortal!’
’Reality had shown her that no matter how talented Bai Junfan was, he would never get far on the path of Immortal Cultivation. In this End of Dharma Era, resources were scarce, and the Bai Family lacked the deep-rooted cultivation heritage of the Gongsun Family. Bai Junfan would be lucky to just muddle his way to the sixth or seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm.’
’Even if he was from a rich and powerful family, he was not her ideal partner.’
’But she was, after all, in the prime of her youth. What young woman wouldn’t enjoy having a few admirers?’
’Bai Junfan was strong, handsome, and full of masculine energy—far easier on the eyes than the other weakling heirs of prominent families. She was willing to humor him a little.’
Gongsun Chongshan then asked about his granddaughter’s progress with Tang Manman.
Gongsun Ruxue replied with some displeasure, "Tang Manman is so provincial. She grew up in the countryside, after all; her worldview and tolerance can’t compare to city girls. If it weren’t for the treasure she might be hiding, I wouldn’t deign to associate with her! I’m practically debasing myself trying to get close to her, and all I get is the cold shoulder. She still refuses to invite me to her home, and every time I invite her here, she finds an excuse. I can’t imagine how a person like that has any friends! It’s so humiliating! I don’t want to deal with her anymore!"
Gongsun Chongshan frowned. "We are the ones asking a favor of her. How can you be so impatient? The drug you had her ingest will become ineffective in a month, and nearly half that time has already passed. We haven’t managed to get her to take the second dose, so I’m afraid it will all be for nothing. If it’s really this difficult, then let’s just forget it! After all, Tang Manman’s background is not ordinary, and she herself is a cultivator with a higher cultivation than yours. If you miscalculate and she notices something, the consequences won’t be trivial. We don’t want to overplay our hand and lose everything. We must remember our ancestral teachings: less greed ensures long-lasting peace."
"Don’t you worry, Grandfather. I am the most talented Pharmacist in our Gongsun Clan—even Great-Grandfather has praised me. This knockout drug I concocted is colorless and odorless. Once ingested, it lies dormant in the bloodstream. When it comes into contact with a specific food that triggers its effect, the person will become drowsy and doze off for about an hour. Forget her, who is only in the Qi Refinement Realm; even my great-grandfather, who is at the Foundation Establishment Stage, tested it and couldn’t tell he had been drugged! When the time comes, we just need to use our family’s heirloom Crystal Stone on her to see if she has a pocket dimension. If we find it, we’ll take it. What can she do about it? Tell people she lost a dimension? Who would believe her? People don’t even know what a dimension is! They’ll just think she’s crazy!"
Gongsun Chongshan stroked his beard and nodded slightly. "It just has to be done with absolute discretion. It must succeed on the first try. We can’t alert her and end up being constrained by her. As long as we succeed and get our hands on those Spirit Plants she’s used before, our family members’ cultivation levels will skyrocket. Those at the Foundation Establishment Stage will advance to Golden Core, and with Golden Core cultivation, we won’t have to worry about any powerful families. On the contrary, they will be the ones to fear us!"
Gongsun Chongshan grew excited at the thought, but he quickly snapped back to reality. ’For now, the cruel truth remained: there was still no sign of Tang Manman’s supposed treasure or Spirit Plants!’
He instantly deflated like a popped balloon, his expression turning gloomy.
Gongsun Ruxue asked with concern, "What’s wrong, Grandfather? Is something on your mind?"
Sighing, Gongsun Chongshan told his granddaughter about the dangerous wave of Suppression he had encountered on the street that afternoon.
Gongsun Ruxue was startled. "Is that true? Was that person’s cultivation really that much higher than yours? Grandfather, why are you so certain he was hostile? What if he was just probing you? After all, you used our family’s Spell to conceal your cultivation; he couldn’t get a clear read on you!"
"That’s a possibility, but why would he even bother? He gave me a terrible fright; I almost lost my bearings while trying to get away. To be so rash and overtly display his power like that, I imagine he must be some impetuous youth. But his cultivation is undeniably profound. The Suppression felt almost as strong as your great-grandfather’s when he unleashes his full power. I estimate he must be at the Foundation Establishment Stage...唉!" As Gongsun Chongshan spoke, his face remained clouded with worry.
Gongsun Ruxue said, "Grandfather, don’t worry too much. So what if he’s reached Foundation Establishment? Our family has a Foundation Establishment cultivator too. Besides, we don’t even know if he’s friend or foe yet."
Gongsun Chongshan sighed. "I’m not hoping to be his friend; I would be content if we just stay out of each other’s way. What I fear is... what if he’s a member of the Gu family? That would be a disaster, and worrying would be pointless!"
"The Gu family? But doesn’t the Gu family lack cultivators? They only practice Ancient Martial Arts, which are no cause for alarm."
"Don’t forget the relationship between the Gu family and the Tang family. Who wouldn’t want to cultivate if they had the chance? The eldest grandson of the Gu family has a marriage contract with Tang Manman. Since Tang Manman is a cultivator, the Gu family’s heir can’t possibly be ordinary. Based on what Bai Junfan has said, I suspect the Gu heir started his cultivation long ago. This is definitely not good news for us. Your grand-uncle, in the past... if the Gu family investigates and finds out, we’ll be in big trouble!"
Gongsun Ruxue pressed her lips together. ’It seems I have to act fast. I need to hurry up and trick Tang Manman into coming here, take all the good things she has, and then we won’t need to care about any Tang or Gu family. Without Spirit Plants and other Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, they could cultivate for a lifetime and never advance a stage. What would they have to challenge the Gongsun Family? Revenge? In their dreams!’