"Junior Preceptor Gu, you are right."
"We indeed have no proof, and we are indeed members of the Humble Faction. We shouldn't have come to you."
Gu Chengyin didn't speak. He didn't even look at Yang Yifei, simply listening quietly.
Yang Yifei's voice continued,
"But Junior Preceptor Gu, if these masked men were just cultivators, even if they were from demonic sects, Valley Master Lu and I wouldn't care this much.
"But what if they truly are of the demon race? What if there is some unknown conspiracy hidden behind all this?"
"Those who are not of our kin surely harbor different motives."
Yang Yifei spoke with utmost sincerity, but Gu Chengyin saw through his intentions at a single glance.
If these masked men were not of the demon race, then it would be fine.
But what if they truly were?
What if interacting with them caused trouble and sparked an even greater disaster?
At a time like this, someone would need to step up and take responsibility.
Whoever supported this matter would have to bear the consequences it brought about.
And Yang Yifei and Lu Weilou were just two small fry in charge of the faction wars.
In the eyes of those in the Divine Capital, they were absolute nobodies.
They couldn't shoulder this responsibility, much less the consequences.
That was why they needed someone who could.
Someone who could step forward to clean up the mess if things went wrong.
Someone who could stabilize the situation when the storm hit.
A truly important figure.
In the eyes of Yang Yifei and Lu Weilou, Gu Chengyin was exactly that kind of figure.
The pavilion fell into silence.
Only the mountain breeze occasionally blew past, sweeping up a few fallen leaves.
Gu Chengyin sat on the stone stool, his gaze as calm as water.
Of course, he knew what Yang Yifei was thinking.
And he knew Yang Yifei's calculations even better.
But Gu Chengyin did not open his mouth, did not reply, and did not show any emotion.
He just waited quietly.
Waited for a certain person to speak.
Yang Yifei and Lu Weilou were not important.
The faction wars, the masked men, the demon race.
None of it mattered.
What mattered was Wang Gangfeng.
What mattered was this Imperial Censor from the Chief Surveillance Bureau.
No matter how much Yang Yifei and Lu Weilou talked, they were still just two small fry.
But Wang Gangfeng was different. He was the Cabinet Envoy sent by Hu and Yuan.
Wang Gangfeng's intentions were the intentions of the Humble Faction.
Which meant they were the intentions of Hu Juzheng and Yuan Zhengqing.
If he spoke, the weight of the words would be completely different.
Gu Chengyin's gaze fell upon Wang Gangfeng.
Wang Gangfeng seemed to sense his gaze and met his eyes.
Their eyes met, clashing in the air.
Then Wang Gangfeng smiled.
He gave Gu Chengyin a slight nod to show his respect before finally speaking,
"Junior Preceptor Gu."
Gu Chengyin nodded slightly, indicating he was listening.
Wang Gangfeng's voice continued,
"This matter concerns the stability of the entire cultivation world, as well as the peace and prosperity of billions of citizens."
These were grand words, so grand they sounded like bureaucratic rhetoric.
But coming from Wang Gangfeng's mouth, they carried a different kind of weight.
"We have no intention of vying for power, but we know the suffering of the common people."
"We hope Junior Preceptor Gu will not fail this trust."
Not fail this trust.
These few words carried immense weight.
Gu Chengyin narrowed his eyes. Looking at Wang Gangfeng's composed face, he slowly asked,
"Lord Wang, are these your words, or..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already perfectly clear.
Were they your intentions, or someone else's?
Wang Gangfeng smiled faintly and replied,
"To answer Junior Preceptor Gu, what I just said was personally dictated by Grand Secretary Hu."
"I am merely conveying it on his behalf, word for word."
Now Gu Chengyin was finally interested. For Hu Juzheng to have Wang Gangfeng convey this on his behalf clearly meant he knew Yang and Lu lacked sufficient weight.
They weren't enough to gain Gu Chengyin's support.
That was why he had personally made the request.
This was a gesture of goodwill, and also a transaction.
As long as Gu Chengyin was willing to intervene and support this matter.
Regardless of what happened in the future, the Humble Faction would owe him a favor.
This benefit could not be considered small.
It was big enough that even Gu Chengyin had to consider it.
A favor from Hu Juzheng was quite valuable.
The leader of the Humble Faction.
The Vice Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.
He had personally made the request. Should he give him face or not?
Giving it meant accepting this favor.
The Humble Faction would owe him, and there would always be a chance to collect in the future.
Not giving it meant rejecting the Humble Faction's goodwill.
Although their relationship wouldn't necessarily sour, their attitude towards him definitely wouldn't be good.
But to Gu Chengyin, trading one show of support for a favor...
...was actually a pretty good deal, and he was already interested in the demon race to begin with.
Even if Yang and Lu messed up, with his current status and power, he could easily suppress the fallout.
Gu Chengyin looked outside the pavilion. The blazing sunlight bathed the distant mountains in a golden glow.
After a long while, Gu Chengyin spoke unhurriedly, "Investigate. You may."
"But if they really are demons, report back immediately."
"Do not act on your own, and absolutely do not alert the enemy."
The moment these words came out, Yang Yifei and Lu Weilou raised their heads simultaneously.
Their eyes were filled with pleasant surprise and gratitude.
Yang Yifei hurriedly stood up and gave Gu Chengyin a deep bow.
"Thank you, Junior Preceptor Gu!"
Lu Weilou also stood up and bowed in the same manner.
Gu Chengyin gave a slight nod, accepting their bows.
Then he looked at Wang Gangfeng.
Wang Gangfeng also stood up and cupped his hands at him.
The two looked at each other, their gazes meeting in the air.
Gu Chengyin said, "Lord Wang, send him my regards."
Wang Gangfeng smiled faintly and said,
"I will certainly deliver them."
Gu Chengyin nodded and said no more.
He stood up and walked out, with Lin Qingyan following closely by his side.
Yang Yifei and the other two stood where they were, watching the pair walk further and further away under the sunlight until they finally disappeared deep into the mountain path.
After a long time.
Yang Yifei let out a long breath and plopped down onto the stone stool.
"Junior Preceptor Gu agreed!"
His voice carried a trace of excitement.
Lu Weilou didn't speak, only looking in the direction Gu Chengyin had left, his gaze complex.
Wang Gangfeng stood to the side, his expression calm, but inwardly he sighed with emotion.
This Junior Preceptor Gu truly wouldn't release the falcon until he saw the hare.
Yang Yifei had rambled on for ages, yet Gu Chengyin's expression hadn't changed in the slightest.
In the end, it was only after bringing up Hu Juzheng that he had 'reluctantly' agreed.
From this, it was clear that trying to build a relationship to cooperate with Gu Chengyin was useless.
In the eyes of this Junior Preceptor of the Crown Prince, there was only pure profit.
Wang Gangfeng withdrew his gaze and looked at Yang Yifei and Lu Weilou.
"You two, it's up to you from here on out."
Yang Yifei and Lu Weilou nodded simultaneously.
"Rest assured, Lord Wang, we will definitely not disappoint you."
Wang Gangfeng nodded, said no more, and turned to leave the pavilion as well.
Only Yang Yifei and Lu Weilou remained in the pavilion.
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the determination in each other's eyes.
This matter had to be handled well, and it had to be done flawlessly.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to answer to Gu Chengyin, nor to Hu Juzheng.
And they certainly wouldn't be able to answer to their own futures.
The mere merit of the faction wars...
...could not possibly compare to the massive merit of discovering the demon race.
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
