It is only natural that a son should pay his father's debts.

Gu Qingfeng grew more convinced that his plan was excellent.

What was this called?

This was called control!

The thought of making a huge profit while also gaining a powerful family member filled him with delight.

He then turned and headed toward the pleasure house to continue his unfinished business—gathering information about the Tear of the Stars.

Although he had already learned some details from Gu Ruochen, the matter was too significant to rely on a single source.

Better to hear more from the girls there.

Before leaving, he suddenly thought of his "beloved son." After half a day apart, he missed him dearly.

After all, gathering intelligence required no small expense, and he wondered whether his "dear son" had managed to earn money for his beloved old father in the meantime.

He immediately sent a message to his two subordinates—the two Profound Immortals he had previously sent to tail Ye Wuyou.

Since they had already sworn allegiance to him, Gu Qingfeng could contact them directly through the power of their oath.

A moment later, his brow furrowed slightly. His messages to his two subordinates had vanished without a trace, as if blocked by some mysterious force.

He then tried sending a message to Ye Wuyou, but the result was the same—silence, as if some unseen power had severed their connection.

What was going on?!

Had his "son" Wuyou run off with the money and killed the two subordinates in the process?

But upon further thought, that didn’t seem likely. He could vaguely sense that Ye Wuyou and the two subordinates were still alive. The reason he couldn’t reach them was due to some mysterious interference.

Had someone imprisoned them?

Damn it! Who dared to imprison this Emperor’s son? And more importantly, who was going to pay for the intelligence-gathering now?

The more Gu Qingfeng thought about it, the angrier he became. In the end, he decided to pay for the information himself.

As for his "beloved son"?

If he couldn’t survive a little hardship, then he wasn’t fit to be this Emperor’s son. And if he wasn’t this Emperor’s son, why should he care?

......

Rewinding time to when Gu Qingfeng was conversing with Gu Ruochen in the palace…

In a secluded location, the treasure ship of the Vermilion Bird Clan lay quietly docked.

"Uncle! That little bastard dared to humiliate me like that! And Gu Ruochen—a mere Quasi-Immortal King—actually dared to stand in the way of our Vermilion Bird Clan! They all deserve to die! Every last one of them!! This young master will have his revenge!"

Yuwen Xiong roared in fury, his handsome face twisted with hatred.

"That bastard actually said I was blocking his sunlight?! How ridiculous! He couldn’t even be bothered to come up with a proper excuse—he clearly looks down on me, on the entire Vermilion Bird Clan!

I’ll tear them all to pieces! I’ll make the entire Seven Stars Ancient Nation pay!"

"Young Master, please calm down," the girl who had been nestled in Yuwen Xiong’s arms earlier tried to soothe him.

"Get lost!" Yuwen Xiong shoved her away, his rage burning like an inferno.

"Uncle, I must return and report this to the Ancestor! He’ll annihilate the Seven Stars Ancient Nation and that little bastard’s entire family!"

Yuwen Bo, still pale and weakened from his injuries, shook his head. "We cannot move against the Seven Stars Ancient Nation for now. The Ancestor would never agree."

"Why not? Gu Ruochen is just a Quasi-Immortal King! Are you saying our Vermilion Bird Clan fears him?" Yuwen Xiong snapped.

"It’s not fear, but prudence. Without a Tribulation Elixir, Gu Ruochen has no chance of surviving the Immortal King Tribulation. He is doomed to die.

When dealing with a man who has nothing to lose—especially a Quasi-Immortal King—even an Immortal King would hesitate to provoke him. The desperate retaliation of a Quasi-Immortal King is terrifying.

Though our Ancestor is powerful, even he cannot guarantee he would emerge unscathed. And if he were injured, the other Immortal Kings from rival factions would surely take advantage. The Star Extreme Immortal King is the perfect example—injured during his tribulation, he was besieged by multiple Immortal Kings and ultimately perished.

So, the best way to deal with Gu Ruochen is to wait. Sooner or later, he will fall to the Immortal King Tribulation. Once he’s dead, you can do whatever you want to his wife and daughter—even take the Seven Stars Ancient Nation for yourself."

Hearing this, Yuwen Xiong regained some composure. Though hot-tempered, he was no fool. He knew that the Vermilion Bird Clan’s prestige rested entirely on their Ancestor, the Vermilion Bird Immortal King.

If anything happened to him, the clan’s decline would be inevitable.

"If we can’t touch Gu Ruochen, can we at least deal with that little bastard?" Yuwen Xiong gnashed his teeth, still seething with hatred for Gu Qingfeng.

Yuwen Bo nodded, a cold glint flashing in his aged, murky eyes. "That wretch is the root of this humiliation. However, his provocation was deliberate. I suspect he may be working with Gu Ruochen."

"Working together? What do you mean, Uncle?"

"Who in their right mind would pick a fight over something as trivial as blocking sunlight? Clearly, Gu Ruochen was displeased that we violated the no-fly decree and undermined his authority. But as the ruler, he couldn’t act directly, so he sent that little bastard to provoke you—since you are both of the younger generation.

When I intervened, Gu Ruochen stepped in under the pretense of fairness, protecting that brat.

Therefore, I believe that little bastard must have powerful protectors nearby. Acting against him within the Seven Stars Ancient Nation would be difficult—especially since I am still injured."

Yuwen Xiong slammed his fist in frustration. "So we just let them get away with this?! After today, the entire Vermilion Bird Clan has been humiliated!"

"Patience. If we cannot strike at him directly, we can target those close to him," Yuwen Bo said, his voice dripping with malice.

"Those close to him?"

"Indeed. I’ve already ordered our spies in Seven Stars Immortal City to investigate his true identity. We should have answers soon."

As he spoke, Yuwen Bo retrieved a communication talisman and activated it to contact their informants.

A short while later, a sinister smile curled on his lips. "Though we haven’t uncovered his true identity yet, we’ve confirmed that he arrived in the city today—with a son. They separated shortly after, and many witnesses saw it."

Yuwen Xiong’s eyes gleamed with excitement. "He has a son?! Hahaha! Heaven helps those who seek vengeance! If we can’t kill him yet, we’ll take his son first. A father’s debt shall be repaid by his son!

Uncle, I’ll go capture that brat and make him suffer!"

"To ensure success, I shall go myself."

......

This story serves as a lesson: children should never wander off alone, or danger may find them.