Chapter Sixty-Three: Grandfather and Grandson Reunited
After handing the little boy over to Cang Aotian personally, Gu Xiaopang repeated his earlier tactics—another round of threats. Forced into a corner, Xuan Yuan Leng could only grit his teeth and once more crush the porcelain vial he had just taken out, along with the sinister worms inside. Only then did he accept the pouch containing a thousand spirit stones that had been tossed his way, and casually returned the snot-and-tears-covered Little Mole back to Xuan Yuan Leng.
“Senior Xuan Yuan, buy one, get four free—catch them all!”
Without even bothering to untie Little Mole, Xuan Yuan Leng simply grabbed him and headed for the door. At that moment, Gu Xiaopang shouted, tossing a few more figures after him...
But Xuan Yuan Leng didn’t even glance back. With a casual wave, he unleashed a palm strike into the air, instantly killing the four lackeys of Little Mole who had been thrown after him.
...
“That old fox is ruthless!”
“If you ask me, you’re the real ruthless one here!”
“You’ve well and truly made an enemy of that sly devil Xuan Yuan Leng now!”
“Sly devil? What do you mean by that?”
“Forgot to mention it before—years ago, Xuan Yuan Leng, drunk and reckless, tried to violate a woman in his clan who served as a family attendant. She retaliated by slashing him right between the legs. He was then kicked out of his clan...”
“Careless of me!”
“Don’t worry—as long as your Uncle Cang is here, he won’t dare do anything openly!”
“Misjudged! The ransom was too low!”
“What did you say?!”
Cang Aotian, thinking Gu Xiaopang was feeling some remorse, had just tried to comfort him, only to be immediately struck dumb and exasperated by his next sigh.
The two young women in white and green, who had been hiding behind the door peeking out, were also left speechless by his words, inwardly cursing him for being such a money-grubber.
...
The three young gentlemen in the adjacent rooms, along with the guard captain Sun Chenghu who had come with them, had, by the end of that night, elevated Gu Xiaopang to the status of an idol.
...
After untying Old Ge, who had been left in the corner, Gu Xiaopang placed the little boy called Xiao Chi into his arms.
Old Ge, now nearly fifty, trembled with emotion as he took Xiao Chi, tears streaming down his face. He was so overcome he could not utter a word, and suddenly fell to his knees with a loud thud before Gu Xiaopang, his forehead striking the stone floor with force...
Xiao Chi, long tormented by poisonous insects, was not truly dull-witted. The emptiness in his once lifeless eyes was now replaced by gratitude as he gazed at his savior.
Having endured such torment at so young an age, both his spirit and frail body required time to recover, even after the poison was neutralized. It would be a while before he could properly heal.
After asking Cang Aotian to take in the grandfather and grandson as housekeeper or groundskeeper, everyone gradually dispersed.
Only the reunited pair remained, clinging to each other and weeping bitterly.
...
“Master, has that dark shadow left?”
“Yes, it’s gone.”
“Good.”
Gu Xiaopang and Old Qin, who resided within the stone pendant, were the only ones who noticed the harmless shadow slip away as everyone else departed.
...
“You’re back?”
“Yes.”
“How did it go?”
“Not bad.”
“Oh? That’s rare—‘not bad’ is high praise coming from you. Seems like this boy is more than just ‘not bad’ then.”
At the top of the pagoda-like tower in the governor’s residence, Governor Song Wuji listened patiently as the shadowy figure named Wu Ying reported everything he had seen and heard at the villa.
“Late Foundation Stage, able to fight evenly with early Core Formation cultivators—might even win... The strength is sufficient.”
“Meticulous mind; amid his playfulness, he aids the helpless and coerces the powerful... The temperament is sufficient.”
“If I’m not mistaken, he’s a disciple newly sent out for training, and at sixteen, he must be an elite disciple of the Ethereal Sect... The background is sufficient.”
...
“Wu Ying, what do you think of sending this boy in place of our prepared candidate to attend the Imperial Celebration?”
“Certain victory.”
“Knew you’d say that, old fox! Hahaha...”