Chapter 642 - 554: Reunion
Chapter 642: Chapter 554: Reunion
On the way, Gu Shaojun learned that Xiao Man had caused trouble in the Gongsun Family’s alchemy room, essentially ruining a cauldron of highly anticipated Elixir Pills. He smiled and ruffled her hair. "You little troublemaker. You spent all that time just to do that? I thought you had your eye on something of Gongsun Ruxue’s."
"Tch! What could she possibly have that I’d want? I just thought her carved wooden building was quite exquisite and had a certain charm, similar to the Twin Towers in my Treasure Pearl Space. I wanted to go inside and see its internal structure, but then I overheard her badmouthing me! I was originally going to give her a good thrashing, but when I heard she was about to add herbs to Gongsun Li’s Pill Furnace, I changed my mind and found a different way to let off some steam—let Gongsun Li come back and beat her up. It’s less work for me and much more satisfying!"
"There’s no way she could have seen you. How was she badmouthing you?"
"She was under the Golden Osmanthus Tree, rambling on and on, belittling me. She said I was vulgar and unworthy of my Brother Shaojun, while she herself was as beautiful and dazzling as Chang’e in the Moon Palace, and that she was the most suitable match..."
"Alright, stop. You’re making me sick, too!"
"That’s why I was so angry."
"If I’d known, we should have detoured into the village to teach her a lesson before leaving. That would’ve shut her up about us."
"But wouldn’t that have exposed our identities and location?"
"We wouldn’t have had to. A few hidden moves would’ve done the trick. But once they discover their treasure is gone, they’ll definitely suspect our two families first anyway. So what? If they have the guts to confront us directly, I’ll give them that. But the final outcome will absolutely not be what they want!"
"Shaojun, the Gongsun Clan has so much wealth. Why was Gongsun Hanshan still so greedy? Why did he have to get involved with the Bai Family and go after the Gu family back then?"
"They say it was to repay a favor, which is a detestable and infuriating excuse! My entire Gu family is only worth a single favor to them? Gongsun Li claims it was Gongsun Hanshan’s personal idea and had nothing to do with the clan. Apparently, Gongsun Hanshan had accepted some herbs from the Bai Family—thousand-year-old Ganoderma, Snow Lotus, and something called Pine Nuts. He only succeeded in his Foundation Establishment because of those."
"Pine Nuts?" Xiao Man took out two dried nuts she had picked up in the chaos of the Gongsun Family’s alchemy room and showed them to Gu Shaojun. "This should be them, right? It’s my first time seeing them in person. I thought for a long time before I remembered seeing them in the Sun Family’s illustrated guide to herbs. I even asked my Grandpa about them back then, but he didn’t recognize them! These are considered rare Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. Cultivators use them to refine Elixir Pills. The quality of these two isn’t great, yet Gongsun Li was hiding them away like precious treasures. He must have spent a fortune to get them. I heard they spent seven or eight years collecting all the ingredients for that cauldron of elixir I just ruined. The two old Gongsun men are planning their grand undertaking of Core Formation!"
"Core Formation? Heh! If they hadn’t provoked us, they might have actually pulled it off with their nation-rivalling wealth. But now? We’ll just let them keep ’planning’ for a while!"
Gu Shaojun took the Pine Nuts and examined them closely. "So this is what they look like? I’ve only ever heard of them. Let me get a good look so I can collect them if I ever come across them in the future."
Xiao Man smiled and nodded. "I can feel that I’m going to reach Foundation Establishment after we go back this time. You’re also close to Core Formation. I’ve already prepared the elixirs for you, along with other supplementary ones. Everything is labeled on the porcelain bottles. You can drink from those two large jugs of Spiritual Spring water freely, but the two bottles I hid in the closet are third-layer Spiritual Spring water. Ordinary people like Wei Zhenqing can’t drink it, and even you can only have half a glass at a time... You have to keep it safe. Once you forge a Storage Ring, put all of this inside immediately. We can’t afford any accidents."
"I know, my little worrier. How many times have you told me?" Gu Shaojun gently tapped the tip of her nose. "For your Foundation Establishment, you must go into your Space to avoid any disturbances, understand?"
"Okay."
The two returned to the city, found a breakfast spot for a bowl of hot noodle soup, and then Gu Shaojun took Xiao Man back to the guesthouse to rest. He still had official business to attend to. Before leaving, he reminded Xiao Man to call home, especially her father. He gave a wry smile. "Mr. Tang knows I brought you here, and he’s been blowing up my phone. I could only promise him we weren’t taking any risks, just doing some sightseeing. He doesn’t believe me. He says that even if you need to gain experience, you should wait until after your Foundation Establishment. Your cultivation is still at a low level, and he’s worried about that one-in-a-million chance of something going wrong..."
"I know, I’ll talk to him. You go get your work done." Xiao Man stuffed a large yellow pear into Gu Shaojun’s mouth, put two large peaches in each of his pockets, and then pushed him out the door. The local climate was hot and humid, and the moment they left the Gongsun Family’s territory, she was drenched in sweat. She needed to lock the door and jump into her Space for a swim.
Gu Shaojun bit into the sweet, crisp pear as he walked, sighing to himself. ’I dream of swimming with my little girl... I still have to wait, though. Several more years. Ugh!’
They stayed in C City for three days, during which Gu Shaojun spent all his free time with Xiao Man, taking her shopping, trying all sorts of local snacks, and buying regional specialties. After three days, they took a military helicopter back to the provincial city of G Province.
Gu Shaozhen was waiting for them in the provincial city, a look of pent-up grievance on his face. "My sister-in-law came and you didn’t even tell me! She was already at the border defense unit! Is that so far from my neck of the woods? Why didn’t you bring her to see me? If I hadn’t come out early and called Zhen Ting, would you have just forgotten all about me?"
Gu Shaojun shot him a cool glance. "Xiao Man only has a few days off for her break. She had to spend time with Grandpa and Grandma, then squeeze in a day or two to see me. The schedule was too tight; I really didn’t factor you in. Besides, what kind of place are you stationed at? It’s full of shady characters and far too dangerous. How could I possibly take Xiao Man there?"
Gu Shaozhen had to hand it to his brother. ’Spouting complete nonsense with such a straight face, and in a way that leaves you speechless... What a skill. ...Alright, fine, it was a skill he had too. In fact, he was probably the one who used it first.’
But no matter how much he wanted to see her, he had to consider a loved one’s safety. Bullets don’t have eyes. Gu Shaozhen squirmed uncomfortably for a moment, then fell silent.
Xiao Man, ever the perceptive one, handed him two large yellow pears as a consolation. "Here, these are from Grandpa’s house! I specifically saved two in my suitcase, thinking you might come out to meet us. I wanted to visit you too, but Shaojun said it was best not to. He said the place is very complicated, and if any trouble started, it would just be a distraction for you. The business with the Jade Mine will be wrapped up soon, and then you’ll be back."
Gu Shaozhen grabbed a pear and took a huge bite, closing his eyes in satisfaction. A wide smile spread across his face. "Ahhh! This is the taste! I’ve been craving this for so long. My awesome little sister-in-law is the best, even better than my own brother!"
Gu Shaojun’s face darkened as he frowned. "Show some respect! She is your sister-in-law. What’s this ’little’ nonsense?"
With delicious food in his mouth and the sweetly smiling Xiao Man beside him, Gu Shaozhen wasn’t afraid of his big brother. He pretended not to hear and just kept chatting with Xiao Man. He gestured wildly as he spoke, single-handedly making the conversation lively and boisterous. Xiao Man listened with great interest, laughing constantly and occasionally chiming in, playing the perfect audience.
Gu Shaojun: "..."
’This brother of mine has to be doing this on purpose, right? Just to make it seem like I have no idea how to keep a girl happy.’
Gu Shaozhen offered to take Xiao Man back to Gongdao Village, but both Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man refused. They told him to hurry back to Beijing, since he hadn’t been home in a long time and the elders, especially his grandmother and mother, were worried and missed him dearly.