Chapter 523 - 457: Discovery 2
Chapter 523: Chapter 457: Discovery 2
’Xiao Man had to admire Gongsun Ruxue. With such a low cultivation level, she still dared to run over and plot against me. Relying on her family’s ancestral Concealment Technique, she was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I was just extra cautious and kept my distance; if I’d been a bit more oblivious, I might have actually fallen for her trick. But what then? Wasn’t she afraid I’d come looking to settle the score? The Third Level of Qi Refining against an eighth-layer cultivator... her death would be gruesome, unless she had some other Protective Dharma Treasure.’
When Gongsun Ruxue had first invited Xiao Man to her house, she had briefly mentioned her family members: a grandfather, her parents, and a few cousins. Presumably, they all had some level of cultivation.
At first, Gongsun Ruxue refused to give her home address. Gu Shaojun listed off her crimes—drugging his fiancée, attempting to harm her, and trying to steal her "secret recipe." He threatened that if he didn’t see a sincere apology from her family elders, destroying her cultivation entirely would be getting off easy, and her family would not escape responsibility afterward! It would be better for everyone to meet sooner rather than later and show their attitude; perhaps then there would be some room for negotiation.
Gongsun Ruxue finally broke. Sobbing and feeling utterly helpless, she gave Gu Shaojun the address.
The Gongsun Family lived in the West District, in an elegant two-courtyard residence. Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man followed Gongsun Ruxue inside, only to find her mother there. Her grandfather, Gongsun Chongshan, her father, Gongsun Changting, and a few of her cousins were all out. Mrs. Gongsun said some had gone to visit friends while others were at school, and they wouldn’t be home until that evening.
Xiao Man handed Gongsun Ruxue over to Mrs. Gongsun. After all, she lived in a Cultivation Family. Although Mrs. Gongsun wasn’t a Cultivator herself, she had some understanding of their customs. She didn’t ask any questions and quickly helped Gongsun Ruxue to her room, while at the same time calling for the housekeeper to brew tea for the guests and bring out sweets and snacks.
Gu Shaojun didn’t follow them inside immediately. As if interested in the layout of the residence, he remained in the courtyard, strolling leisurely and looking around.
More than twenty minutes later, he finally walked into the living room to get Xiao Man. The Gongsun Family’s public identity was that of merchants, and it was clear they were incredibly wealthy ones. This was reflected in their residence and its interior decor. The living room was filled with exquisitely carved, antique-style mahogany furniture. Curio shelves lined the walls of the main and secondary halls, and every single item on display was a genuine, priceless antique of considerable age. Xiao Man stood before several classical-style paintings and calligraphies, completely captivated.
Gu Shaojun merely glanced around before putting an arm around Xiao Man and leaving the Gongsun Family home. Before he left, he picked up a calligraphy brush at a desk, wrote down the Gu family’s address, and handed it to Mrs. Gongsun. He had already told her everything Gongsun Ruxue had done when they first arrived. Gu Shaojun then stated plainly: the Gu family was waiting for the Gongsun Family to give them an explanation. If the Gongsun family elders were too busy to come, then the Gu family would pay another visit in two days.
The talks would not be so amicable by then.
Once they were in the car, Gu Shaojun said to Xiao Man, "Gongsun Ruxue’s grandfather and father must have been born in the year of the rabbit or the turtle. They run the moment they see anyone on the street. We came to their door today, and they managed to slip away just before we arrived! But I’ve finally figured out why they’re running. And what a discovery, it hardly took any effort at all!"
Xiao Man asked, "How do you know they were hiding from us today? And what did you discover that was so effortless?"
Gu Shaojun said, "They probably ran off right when we parked at the end of the alley and were walking up to the door with Gongsun Ruxue. There’s a greenhouse in the back courtyard. Inside, a potted plant was only half-pruned—you could tell from the fresh cuts on the branches how recently it was done. There were water stains and footprints on the ground. On the other side was a full tea set. The hot tea had just been poured, and the stove was still lit. It looks like three people were sitting around drinking tea while a fourth was busy tending to the flowers. When they sensed our arrival, they bolted... Some people like to place pretty, decorative gravel in their flower pots. The Gongsun Family shares this hobby, so there was a pile of crushed stones in the greenhouse. Xiao Man, do you know what I found in that pile of gravel?"
"What?"
"Not a thing. It was a stone-shattering technique—you could even call it a Cultivation Technique. That technique undoubtedly belongs to the Gongsun Family. And the stone beads from the mouths of the auspicious beasts on our family’s roof? After they were removed, they all shattered. Their shape is identical to the crushed stones in the Gongsun Family’s pile!"
Xiao Man’s eyes instantly went wide, her mouth forming an "O." "You don’t mean to say... that it was the Gongsun Family who destroyed the Guardian Array over a decade ago?"
Gu Shaojun was amused by Xiao Man’s expression. He took one hand off the steering wheel to ruffle her bangs, then reached into his jacket pocket and took out a small bundle of crushed stones wrapped in a handkerchief, handing it to her. "Take a look. Isn’t the shape of this gravel unusual? You said before that they looked like little diamonds. Well, this whole packet is full of ’diamonds.’"
Xiao Man took it and opened it up to look. It was true! They looked like they had been cast from the very same mold as the shattered stone beads from the auspicious beasts at the Gu Mansion!
’The Gongsun Family members are truly a strange bunch. You could tell at a glance that these crushed stones were made by hand. And they must have been held in the palm and shattered with a single, focused burst of energy to create such neat and uniform little fragments.’
"This gravel alone seems to be enough to confirm it. Who else would be so obsessive as to meticulously craft something while just shattering rocks? But what if the Gongsun Family denies they were the ones who did it back then?"
"Back when they destroyed our family’s Guardian Array, they probably thought the Gu family would never have a chance to recover. They were brazen and left behind quite a few traces, and it’s those very traces that reveal the culprits’ identities. It’s not just the crushed stones; there are other signs of their Cultivation Technique’s application methods. I noticed them all over the Gongsun Family’s residence, and I’ve just marked each one. They’ll see them. Giving them three days is already very generous and polite. That’s our bottom line, and it’s also in accordance with the unwritten rules of our world. We’ll see what their attitude is within three days. After three days, it’ll depend on our mood. Whether they admit to it or not doesn’t really matter!"
Xiao Man thought for a moment, then nodded. "Right, that’s the way to do it! The Gongsun Family is far too arrogant. To destroy a family’s feng shui for no reason... their methods are so sinister and vicious. What kind of grudge would drive them to do that?"