The sun was setting.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone brightly on the horizon.
The sky was painted with different colors, accompanied by a light breeze, a long river wound through Qinghe City.
On the bank of the river, on a tall building in the Western District that was on the north bank.
At the famous Wind Cloud Crossing Hotel, the evening meal began under the rays of evening sunlight.
In a private room in the hotel, Su Jingxing stood by the window and gazed at the Sky Water River, which was shining brightly under the setting sun. He calmed himself.
Tok, tok!
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in,” said Su Jingxing, turning around.
The door opened, revealing Gu Bo’s family of three.
“Haha, Brother Xing, I’m here!”
Gu Duoduo, who had her hair tied back in two ponytails, was the first to jump up and down excitedly as she ran into the room.
“Duoduo, you’ve become even prettier again.” praised Su Jingxing as he squatted down, caught the child and lifted her.
“Haha, really?” asked Gu Duoduo, covering her face with her hands as her big eyes twinkled with joy. “I think I’m becoming prettier too, but you’re also getting prettier, Brother Xing!”
With that, she leaned over and gave Su Jingxing a peck on the cheek.
Then she covered his mouth and chuckled.
“…”
What could he say?
As his identity as a peak ninth-grade martial artist became known, Su Jingxing deliberately controlled his disposition and slightly improved it.
A person who exuded good spirit, coupled with his good looks, naturally looked exceptionally “pretty”!
“Duoduo, how old are you? Get down here.”
Smiling at the interaction between Su Jingxing and Gu Duoduo, Gu Bo’s wife motioned for the girl to get down on the ground.
Gu Bo chimed in. “Duoduo, you should be saying that he has become more handsome, not pretty. Pretty is for girls.”
“It’s okay. Even boys can be pretty. Duoduo’s right, hahaha,” said Su Jingxing with a hearty laugh.
“Exactly, exactly,” said Gu Duoduo, nodding fervently as she wrapped her arms around Su Jingxing’s neck.
Gu Bo only smiled wryly. “Don’t spoil her too much, Captain Su.”
“Don’t, just call me Little Su,” said Su Jingxing as he carried Gu Duoduo to the round table and put her in a seat.
“That won’t do. You are now a captain, and you will soon become an eighth-grade martial artist. How can your address be the same as before?” said Gu Bo, shaking his head.
“Right, right. This isn’t a trivial matter. We can’t afford to be careless,” Gu Bo’s wife agreed from the side.
“Huh? Am I supposed to call Brother Xing, Captain Su too?” asked Gu Duoduo curiously, raising her head.
“Look, Team Leader Gu, sister-in-law, you guys are confusing Duoduo.” Su Jingxing patted the child on the head and comforted her. “Duoduo, don’t worry about them. Just call me Brother Xing.”
“Alright!” said Gu Duoduo, nodding earnestly.
Gu Bo and his wife looked at each other, and could only accept this.
This gathering was organized by Su Jingxing.
Previously, Su Jingxing had promised Gu Duoduo that he would treat her to a feast at a big hotel.
Lobsters, crabs, big meatballs, big mushrooms…
They would have a hearty meal at once.
Since he had the time tonight, Su Jingxing specially chose Wind Cloud Crossing and asked for the best spot to enjoy the scenery of the Sky Water River while having dinner.
Other than food, there was also entertainment. The room was equipped with a television, a karaoke machine, a projector, and video game consoles.
In fact, Su Jingxing had even deliberately prepared a bunch of toys that children loved so that Gu Duoduo could have as much fun as she wanted.
The little fellow was indeed overjoyed. She couldn’t sit still in her seat, and was soon running around.
Gu Bo’s wife accompanied her for a while. When the food arrived, she dragged her back to the table to feed her.
Su Jingxing chatted with Gu Bo. Neither of them drank. Instead, they had a beverage specially made by the Wind Cloud Crossing.
They touched many topics. ranging from children’s toys to the various effects of the Qinghe City’s government policies.
When the meal was almost over, Gu Bo’s wife stayed in front of the projector screen with Gu Duoduo, where they shouted as they played games.
Lowering his voice, Gu Bo stood beside Su Jingxing and asked softly, “What can I do for you, Little Su? Feel free to let me know.”
“Ah, you could tell, Team Leader Gu?” asked Su Jingxing, slightly surprised.
“Heh, I guessed,” said Gu Bo with a smug smile. “Now I was right. You had something for me! Haha…”
“…Alright, you were half right.”
“I do have something for you, but I’m also sincerely treating Duoduo to a meal,
“It just so happens that these two matters can be handled together.”
“I understand,” said Gu Bo, nodding. “Now that we’ve had our meal, you can speak. As long as it’s within my capabilities, I won’t refuse.”
“It’s not that exaggerated,” said Su Jingxing, smiling. “I just wanted to ask if you still remember your granduncle, Team Leader Gu.”
“My granduncle?” asked Gu Bo, stunned.
Why does this sound like cursing[1]?
“Wait, you mean Granduncle Huanxi?” asked Gu Bo doubtfully, coming back to his senses.
“Yeah, Gu Huanxi. Isn’t he your granduncle?” asked Su Jingxing.
That’s right, the Gu Huanxi who had borrowed the Introduction To Pills was Gu Bo’s granduncle!
In the truest sense——the older brother of Gu Bo’s grandfather.
Su Jingxing was very surprised when he found out their relationship through the family register system. He inwardly exclaimed at the coincidence.
According to the Gu family register, Gu Bo’s grandfather and Gu Huanxi were biological brothers.
There were four brothers.
Gu Bo’s grandfather was the youngest.
Gu Huanxi was the oldest. He didn’t leave any descendants behind, at least not on his family register.
When it came to the Introduction To Pills, Su Jingxing deleted Gu Huanxi’s information directly from the family register system after finding out his relationship with Gu Bo.
In the national system, Gu Huanxi was designated as someone who did not have a family register.
No matter who investigated, they wouldn’t find out anything.
This was to prevent Gu Bo from getting implicated because of the Introduction To Pills.
Su Jingxing’s act of nipping things from the source had almost broken the connection between Gu Huanxin and Gu Bo.
…
“Oh, so it’s Grandpa Huanxi.”
Gu Bo calmed himself down. He took a sip of his beverage and said, “My Eldest Granduncle doesn’t interact much with our family. Actually, I’ve only seen him three times as far as I can remember. The last time was more than 20 years ago. Granduncle Huanxi died outside. His body was cremated and sent back to our house.
“Before that, I barely had any impression of him. But he was very nice to me and my cousins. During our two encounters, he gave us a bunch of sugared pills, but they were all thrown away by my grandpa and the others. They said that the sugared pills were poisonous and that they could take our lives.
“That’s right! The sugared pills are poisonous! Granduncle Huanxi refines pills. Of course, my grandpa and the others said that he’s not a noble alchemist. He’s just a gluttonous, and lazy scumbag who loafs around. I remember that my grandpa and the others chased him away very quickly during the two times he came back.”
“Even when we received his ashes, he did not look happy at all. Instead, he cursed and swore, claiming that an early death meant that Granduncle Huanxi would get reincarnated faster[2].”
“…”
“In any case, that’s all I remember about Granduncle Huanxi. My grandpa, dad, and the others don’t talk about him much either,” said Gu Bo with a sigh. “Little Su, why did you ask me about him?”
“What I want to know is, did your granduncle leave any belongings behind?”
Without beating around the bush, Su Jingxing went straight to the point. “Like, books or the like?”
Gu Huanxi had borrowed the Introduction To Pills. Now that he was dead, the only clue left was his belongings.
“Well…”
Pondering for a moment, Gu Bo said, “I think so, but I don’t think so either. Too much time has passed, and I don’t remember clearly. But Granduncle Huan Xi did leave a lot of things, they’re in my ancestral home.
“Although my grandpa and the others always cursed him when he was alive, they kept every single thing he left behind . They’ve been stored in a chest for safekeeping, under the supervision of my cousins.
“Little Su, you…”
“I won’t hide anything from you, Team Leader Gu,” said Su Jingxing, using the secret ability Advanced Hearing to listen in on the private rooms beside them, as well as on the levels above and below. When he was sure that no one was monitoring or eavesdropping, he got a little closer to Gu Bo and said in a low voice, “Team Leader Gu, among the things your granduncle left behind, there’s a book that’s very important to me. I’m not the only one who’s looking for it. A lot of other people are also looking for it. Once…”
“There’s no need to elaborate. I’ll go home tomorrow to bring it back for you,” interrupted Gu Bo.
Su Jingxing first faltered when he heard that. Then he smiled and said, “I’ll go with you. In addition, when you get home, make sure to inform all your family members and get the story straight. You guys never had a granduncle, Gu Huanxi!”
Gu Bo’s expression finally changed.
Glancing at his wife and daughter anxiously, he lowered his voice and said, “Little Su, tell me the truth. Has my granduncle’s enemy appeared and is seeking revenge on us?”
“Relax.”
Patting Gu Bo on the shoulder, Su Jingxing comforted him. “There are some problems, but they aren’t that big of a problem. They aren’t enemies either. Anyway, when you get home, tell your family members that all of you never knew Gu Huanxi and that you don’t know such a person at all. That’d be enough.”
Not that Su Jingxing wanted to scare Gu Bo, but if he didn’t bring this up now, there was a 99% chance that someone would go to the Gu Family subsequently.
Su Jingxing was able to find 13 people in the nation with the name “Gu Huanxi” through the family register system.
Others could do the same.
Even though Su Jingxing had deleted the information of the real Gu Huanxi and severed his connection with Gu Bo and his family, in order to find the Introduction to Pills, there would still be people who would identify everyone named Gu Huanxi and investigate them one by one.
Reminding Gu Bo to warn his family was only a precautionary measure to avoid future trouble.
The problem would only be resolved once Su Jingxing had collected all four ancient manuals and entered the Mausoleum of Prince Qin to acquire the treasure.
Based on Su Jingxing’s calculations, the commotion caused by opening the Mausoleum of Prince Qin wouldn’t be small.
Even if he did it silently, he would deliberately reveal this information through his alias once he obtained the treasure.
The reason was simple, Su Jingxing had to tell the others.
The Mausoleum of Prince Qin has already been opened so what is the point of continuing to look for the Introduction To Pills?
That was the only way to put an end to anyone’s attempts at finding trouble with Gu Bo’s family.
This could also be considered as Su Jingxing’s remuneration for Gu Bo’s family after obtaining the Introduction To Pills.
Of course, it was too early to talk about all that now.
It was still unknown whether the Introduction To Pills of amongst Gu Huanxi’s belongings.
Su Jingxing’s heart was racing, but he managed to contain his excitement. As for Gu Bo, his smile had vanished.
There was no reason for Su Jingxing to lie to him.
Putting Su Jingxing’s character aside, Su Jingxing had gone from an ordinary person to a peak ninth-grade martial artist in just a few months. It would be impossible that he did not have a backer!
In the eyes of the crematorium staff, Su Jingxing was a lucky man who had caught the eye of an expert and was taken in as a disciple.
This expert was at least a sixth-grade martial artist, or one in the middle ranks.
With such a “master” around, it made perfect sense for Su Jingxing to know some secret information.
As a result, Gu Bo could not contain his anxiety and nervousness.
No matter how much Su Jingxing tried to comfort him, his smile was gone.
Gu Bo’s wife took that in while they were parting. Although she did not say anything, there was panic in her eyes.
It was Su Jingxing who gave her a calming look and comforted her.
The next morning.
With dark circles under his eyes, Gu Bo rushed to find Su Jingxing.
The two of them drove straight to the city where Gu Bo’s ancestral home was located.
His hometown was over 800 kilometers away from Qinghe City.
Gu Bo had borrowed a car, but Su Jingxing wouldn’t let him drive it. Instead, Su Jingxing drove it at full speed, and they arrived before noon.
When they arrived at the ancestral home, Gu Bo led the way. They found Gu Huanxi’s belongings in a large trunk and began rummaging through it.
And they actually managed to find the Introduction To Pills!
There were many other ancient manuals on pill refinement as well.
Of course, these ancient texts were all simple ones. They weren’t any with advanced content.
Naturally, they weren’t worth much either.
If they were valuable, Gu Bo’s cousins wouldn’t have had a chance to keep them.
Su Jingxing wanted the Introduction To Pills. On Gu Bo’s account, the Gu family did not say anything. They did not even take money.
Initially, Su Jingxing had planned to buy it for 100,000 Great Yu dollars.
Since the Gu Family refused, Su Jingxing did not insist.
Gripping the ancient manual in his hands, he felt the material and charm of its pages. After verifying it and confirming that Introduction To Pills was the same as the three ancient manuals, he was finally at ease.
With all four ancient manuals in hand, he would be able to solve the mystery of the location of the Mausoleum of Prince Qin!
After Gu Bo shared Su Jingxing’s advice with his family repeatedly, and after they all agreed, the two of them drove back to Qinghe City.
After sending Gu Bo home and returning the car,
Su Jingxing returned to his small courtyard at the foot of the mountain and headed straight for the Green Cloud Mountain Range, where the big white goose was.
The treasures Liu Jufen had seized from his old friend could also be used to reveal the maps in the four ancient manuals.
But Su Jingxing didn’t take it.
The first reason was that Liu Jufen had hidden the treasure in a bank safe. Getting it from there would require a lot of procedures and would be troublesome.
The second reason was that treasure had limited power, and it might not be able to activate all four ancient manuals at once.
The big white goose had no such problem!
Therefore, Su Jingxing brought the four ancient books to the valley to the big white goose. He made it glow and shine its light on the four ancient books.
The exact process was the same as what Su Jingxing had seen before.
First, they were activated, released light, absorbed worldly energy and projected light maps in the air.
Finally, he combined the four light maps into one.
The exact location of the Mausoleum of Prince Qin was clearly marked on the map!
[1] The term can also be a derogatory insult among people
[2] Meaning that he’s so hopeless he should just start afresh
