Before long, Hoshino Kannon fell into a deep sleep, soothed by Gu Chenan's reassurances.
Not long after, Li Rufeng and his entourage entered the Xiao Family residence.
Hearing the commotion, Gu Chenan gently slipped his hand from Hoshino Kannon's grasp, tucked her in, and proceeded to the main hall.
In the main hall, Li Rufeng's disciples had all sustained injuries, though none were life-threatening.
Li Rufeng provided them with basic treatment.
"Master Li, thank you for your timely assistance," Xiao Jian said politely.
The Li Family and the Xiao Family were both prominent clans in Suhang, but while the former specialized in martial arts instruction, the latter focused on business.
In modern-day Suhang, martial arts were no longer an essential skill, leading to a decline in students and the Li Family's fortunes.
Li Rufeng was deeply dissatisfied with this state of affairs and felt insecure in the presence of the business tycoons like the Xiao Family.
Thus, when Xiao Jian showed him such courtesy, Li Rufeng finally vented the pent-up frustration he had harbored for years.
With an arrogant air, he declared, "Master Xiao, despite their injuries today, my disciples never retreated an inch. That's the spirit of the Li Family – we'd rather die than yield!"
Catching sight of Gu Chenan, who had just entered the main hall, he sneered, "Unlike others who dared not even lift a finger against the Black Owl!"
Li Rufeng had not witnessed Gu Chenan killing Gong Fei, the leader of the Black Owl assassins, and thus believed Gu Chenan had not contributed at all.
Gu Chenan strode forward and stopped beside the martial arts practitioners.
"Master Xiao, have the injured and unconscious outside received medical attention?"
Xiao Jian quickly nodded. "I've arranged for them to be taken to the Xiao Family hospital for treatment."
"Good."
Gu Chenan then sighed regretfully, "Alas, it's all my fault."
His words immediately drew puzzled looks from Xiao Jian, his daughter, and the martial artists present.
"Young Master Gu, how could this be your fault? Today..."
Xiao Jian attempted to absolve Gu Chenan, but the latter raised his hand to stop him.
"If we had arrived sooner, fewer lives would have been lost," Gu Chenan continued.
"Hmph!"
Li Rufeng scoffed coldly. "Young Master Gu seems to think highly of himself. Even if you had come earlier, you still wouldn't have dared to act."
A faint smile crossed Gu Chenan's lips as he abruptly addressed Li Rufeng, "We meet again, Master Li."
Hearing this, Xiao Jian and the martial artists were taken aback.
Meet again?
What did that mean?
When had Young Master Gu and Master Li crossed paths?
Li Rufeng was also momentarily stunned.
Thinking Gu Chenan was informing everyone about their earlier encounter, he explained, "Today, I merely wanted to test Young Master Gu's skills, nothing more."
This statement only added to the confusion.
Test Young Master Gu's skills?
And today?
Young Master Gu had just said he was delayed by certain matters.
Could it be...?
The martial artists exchanged glances before asking Li Rufeng, "Master Li, are you saying Young Master Gu's late arrival was due to your interference?"
"I..." Li Rufeng hesitated at this.
But a moment later, he regained his confidence. "So what if I did impede Young Master Gu? If not for the timely arrival of my disciples and me today, who knows what might have happened!"
As he spoke, Li Rufeng pulled open his robe, revealing a scar. "In my battle with the Black Owl's leader, I too sustained this injury. That leader was formidable – aside from me, who in Suhang could have defeated him?"
The leader?
Xiao Jian and the martial artists exchanged puzzled looks upon hearing this.
Hadn't Young Master Gu already killed the Black Owl's leader? Who was this leader Li Rufeng spoke of?
Before they could ponder further, Gu Chenan raised an eyebrow. "Master Li, which leader are you referring to?"
"Hmph!"
Li Rufeng grew even more arrogant, convinced that Gu Chenan was unaware of the situation.
"The leader I killed was incredibly powerful. It's only natural you wouldn't know about him."
The others now understood.
The leader Li Rufeng mentioned must have been one of the remaining Black Owl squad leaders.
Li Rufeng then cast a disdainful glance at the group before boasting arrogantly, "Indeed, I intercepted Young Master Gu today – all to avenge my disciple Liang Bufan!"
"But think about it, even if Young Master Gu had arrived earlier, could he have killed the Black Owl's leader like I did?"
His cold, piercing gaze fell on Gu Chenan. "Since Young Master Gu is here, I might as well demand an explanation for Liang Bufan!"
At that moment, Li Rufeng brimmed with utter confidence.
He believed that by eliminating the Black Owl assassins, he had effectively saved the Xiao Family and the martial artists present.
Thus, when he confronted Gu Chenan, they would undoubtedly take his side!
This would allow him to force Gu Chenan to apologize to Liang Bufan in front of everyone!
Of course, the thought of killing Gu Chenan had never crossed his mind since their earlier clash.
As long as Gu Chenan sincerely apologized to Liang Bufan, Li Rufeng would forgive him.
However, Li Rufeng's words caused Xiao Jian and the martial artists to turn grave.
Especially the latter group.
They had witnessed Gu Chenan's capabilities firsthand. If he had arrived sooner, the Black Owl would not have claimed so many lives!
And all of this was due to Li Rufeng's desire to demand an explanation for Liang Bufan!
Never mind that Liang Bufan had his arms crippled for attempting to poison Gu Chenan.
Just considering today's events, Young Master Gu had single-handedly slain the Black Owl's leader when the Xiao Family faced imminent peril!
Moreover, and most crucially, Young Master Gu had never mentioned the reason for his late arrival!
In fact, he had said that explaining the reason would benefit no one!
Yet Li Rufeng, instead of expressing gratitude, acted arrogantly and made unreasonable demands!
One man prioritized the greater good and refrained from assigning blame.
The other was consumed by arrogance and self-importance!
Comparing the two, the verdict was clear!
"Master Li, do you know who the Black Owl's true leader was?" one of the martial artists asked coldly.
Li Rufeng frowned in puzzlement. "Of course I do. He's the one I killed. Our skills were evenly matched, and had it not been for my numerous disciples, I might not have emerged victorious."
"Heh."
The martial artists let out a derisive laugh. "The one you killed was merely a Black Owl squad leader. The real leader was slain by Young Master Gu before you even arrived."
"What?!" Li Rufeng's brow furrowed in disbelief. "Impossible, the man I fought was incredibly powerful – he must have been the leader!"
The martial artists had no intention of arguing further. "Master Li, your disciple Liang Bufan had his arms crippled for attempting to poison Young Master Gu. Shouldn't Young Master Gu be the one demanding an explanation?"
They stepped forward. "In fact, since you're here today, allow us to help Young Master Gu obtain that explanation."
"Why did you impede Young Master Gu, causing so many unnecessary deaths?"
At that moment, the previously neutral martial artists of Suhang firmly sided with Gu Chenan.
"Master Li, I see now," Xiao Jian said, his expression icy. "You obstructed Young Master Gu's arrival, causing grievous losses for my Xiao Family!"
"Today, you owe the Xiao Family an explanation!"
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
u serious?" Chen Feng watched helplessly as his painstakingly trained disciple, fresh off a championship victory, publicly abandoned him. "You had your chance, but you didn’t appreciate it. Now, face the consequences of your choice!" Chen Feng possessed the "Master System," a treasure trove of supreme martial arts techniques, capable of molding ordinary individuals into peerless prodigies. "Legs like yours? A shame not to train in the Crippling Kick." "Ever heard of a palm strike that descends from the heavens?" "Auntie! I see extraordinary bone structure in you—a martial arts prodigy, one in ten thousand." The once-defiant senior disciple, now watching her juniors rise to fame one after another, dominating the internet, was consumed by endless regret.
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
