After over an hour of fierce fighting, half of the killers from Black Owl were either dead or wounded, with only three or four left putting up stubborn resistance.
It had to be said, Li Rufeng and his disciples were formidable fighters as well. Despite sustaining injuries themselves, they had managed to fend off all these Black Owl assassins.
Especially Li Rufeng himself - it was no wonder the Suzhou Ancient Martial Arts Circle dared not provoke him. His skills were on a completely different level compared to those ancient martial artists of the Xiao Family.
Seeing that the remaining three or four Black Owl killers could no longer make any waves, Gu Chenan stood up, stretched lazily, and entered the Xiao Family compound.
Upon entering the main hall, the Xiao father and daughter hurriedly came forward to greet him.
"Young Master Gu, thank you for your aid. If not for you, those Black Owl assassins would have barged into the Xiao Family!" Xiao Jian said gratefully, tears in his eyes.
Gu Chenan waved his hand dismissively. "The head of the Gu Family is too kind. I merely defeated one man. Look at Chief Instructor Li - he has wiped out the entire group of Black Owl killers!"
Xiao Jian smiled wryly. "Chief Instructor Li has indeed done the Xiao Family a great service, but..."
Hesitating for a moment, Xiao Jian continued, "...if Young Master Gu had not killed their leader, Chief Instructor Li could not have succeeded so easily..."
Gu Chenan smiled. "Master Xiao, do not mention today's events to anyone outside."
[Dang it, don't elevate me so high. I don't want Black Owl endlessly hunting me down right now.]
[I helped the Xiao Family, so don't betray my kindness!]
"Young Master, but why..." Before Xiao Jian could finish his puzzled question, Xiao Yajie tugged at his sleeve and said, "I understand. Young Master Gu, my father will instruct everyone accordingly."
"Yes, be sure to remember. This concerns the very survival of the Xiao Family."
With those words of caution, Gu Chenan asked where Hoshino Kannon was, then strode quickly into the guest room.
Xiao Jian looked at Xiao Yajie with some puzzlement. "Yajie, why did Young Master Gu not want us to mention today's events?"
"If we spread word of how formidable Young Master Gu is, Black Owl might become wary of him, right?"
Xiao Yajie had just heard Gu Chenan's thoughts, and she knew that doing so would bring him endless trouble.
So after a moment's contemplation, she explained, "Father, those Black Owl people are relentless until they achieve their goals. If you don't mention this, they may wonder what happened to the people who came today and mysteriously disappeared."
"But if we let it be known, they will definitely come seeking revenge."
Hearing this, Xiao Jian blinked. "Indeed, that makes sense."
Entering the bedroom, Gu Chenan saw those ancient martial arts masters treating Hoshino Kannon, who was unconscious and covered in blood.
Upon seeing Gu Chenan enter, they cupped their fists in a traditional salute. "Young Master, you're back."
"Yes." Gu Chenan nodded. "How is she?"
"Young Master, this young lady has lost too much blood, but we have staunched the bleeding. Now she only needs to rest and recover."
"That's good." Gu Chenan nodded with relief. "Take a break for now. Let me treat her."
The others promptly stepped aside.
They had witnessed Gu Chenan's skills firsthand. In ancient martial arts, medicine and combat were considered one. With such formidable abilities, his medical skills must be impressive as well.
Since Gu Chenan had spoken, they saw no need to further expose their shallow medical knowledge before him.
"Young Master, we are in awe of your incredible skills!"
"Indeed, Young Master's abilities far exceed what we imagined, yet you have kept them deeply hidden. We have been exchanging greetings with you as fellow ancient martial artists all this time, which seems so humiliating in hindsight!"
"Young Master's martial prowess has truly opened our eyes. If not for you today, those Black Owl people would have breached the Xiao Family gates long ago!"
And so began the standard session of flattery.
In the past, Gu Chenan hated hearing people praise him the most.
Not because he was indifferent or disdained fame and wealth.
But because those people were so bad at sucking up that it didn't resonate at all!
Similar to calling Gu Chenan a business genius or other such exaggerated drivel.
Not to mention others, even Gu Chenan himself found it cringeworthy to listen to.
But these ancient martial artists did a rather apt job at flattering - neither excessive nor unreasonable in their words.
Listening to them, Gu Chenan couldn't help but feel a sense of gratification rising within.
[So this is the feeling that important personage so enjoys being flattered!]
"Today's delay was my fault. If not for that... oh, nevermind." Gu Chenan trailed off suggestively.
But just those few words piqued the curiosity of the others.
What exactly had Young Master Gu encountered today that caused his delay?
Seeing their puzzled looks, Gu Chenan smiled faintly.
Good, the foreshadowing was done. Now to wait for Li Rufeng's entrance.
You wanted to assassinate me, didn't you?
Don't actions have consequences?
True, you Li Rufeng command great respect in the Suzhou Ancient Martial Arts Circle. Going against you would be akin to going against the entire circle.
But what if the circle knew that without you obstructing today's events, even more people would have died?
Gu Chenan had a plan in mind, but he calmly said, "It's nothing, it's better if I don't mention it to anyone."
With that, he waved his hand. "Alright, you all can go rest now."
"Thank you for your hard work, Young Master."
After they left, Gu Chenan immediately examined Hoshino Kannon's injuries.
His assessment was largely in line with what those ancient martial artists had said.
Although Hoshino Kannon had lost a lot of blood, she had not reached the point of needing a transfusion. With some rest, she would recover.
Looking at the various wounds on Hoshino Kannon's body, Gu Chenan couldn't help but feel moved.
Regardless of what Hoshino Kannon had intended to do by coming to Suzhou, for a young lady to keep her promise to this extent, even a heart of iron like Gu Chenan's couldn't remain unmoved.
Gu Chenan sat on a stool beside her, holding Hoshino Kannon's slender hands in his.
At that moment, Hoshino Kannon slowly opened her eyes.
She looked around at her surroundings, then turned her head slightly to see Gu Chenan beside her.
"You're awake?" Gu Chenan asked with a faint smile.
"Mmm." Hoshino Kannon nodded, then turned to look out the window. "Gong... Gong Fei and the others..."
"Don't worry, Gong Fei is dead," said Gu Chenan.
Hoshino Kannon nodded, closing her eyes again.
But suddenly, she opened them once more and looked at Gu Chenan. "Does our agreement still hold?"
Gu Chenan reached out and patted Hoshino Kannon's head. "Of course."
Hearing this, Hoshino Kannon's lips curved into a small smile. "This time, you still have to accompany me to the amusement park and share a cotton candy with me."
Gu Chenan smiled. "Sure, whatever you want."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
