Chapter 298: Isn't This Just Digging Your Own Grave?
The young man from England stood in front of Gu Xiqiao, knowing that this was the person who had obtained the first place in the selections. He also knew that Gu Xiqiao had broken through the 80th floor. The 80th floor! That meant that her power level was on par with those on Houtian level.
He had never met someone on this power level before, but the formations that he studied were ones that had been passed down from a formation master. His master had always told him that this formation could even trap gods in it.
"You have to watch out." The young man said, his fingers moving.
The surrounding area was plunged into a white void, and the young man's voice echoed around in the air, "There isn't any way to escape the formations of trapping gods. Although I can't beat you in terms of strength, when it comes to formations and arrays, no one can beat me."
Jiang Shuxuan narrowed his eyes when he saw the two disappeared into thin air from the place he was sitting in.
Yi Tong clicked his tongue. "That kid is actually using formations against Miss Gu." Gu Xiqiao was someone who could even patch up a formation that had been left behind by the ancient powers back in Baixing Village, and that was a testament of how far her talents in formations stretched, and now this kid wanted to use that against her?
Seriously? Yi Tong shook his head.
***
Inside the formation, the young man had closed his eyes, beginning to estimate where Gu Xiqiao's position was.
"A formation to trap gods, that's exquisite." A clear voice came from behind him suddenly. "But this formation serves only to trap a person, and there's no lethality in it at all. Here, try it like this."
The young man turned around, with a shocked look on his face. Gu Xiqiao had appeared behind him, and flashed him a smile before raising her hand as five jade stones emerged from her, disappearing into the void. At the same time, the array that was meant to trap people was rewritten to kill instead. Space cracks appeared out of nowhere, it had changed into a killer technique now!
He stared at Gu Xiqiao, the astonishment still present in his eyes. She had managed to rewrite his formation? Changing his trapping formation into a killing one instead? Even the current masters of formations were unable to do this!
During his state of shock, Gu Xiqiao had collected back the pieces of jades and the part of the formation that aimed to kill disappeared.
They reappeared on the ring with disbelief on the young man's face. She easily dissolved the formation that he had always been so proud of?
He looked at her, slumping down. "How... how did you do that?"
Gu Xiqiao had been prepared to get off the ring, but seeing his state, she couldn't help but turn around, halting in her steps. "You are actually very talented." Apart from Baili Bin, he was the only other person she had come across with exceptional talent for formations.
Talented? The young man laughed bitterly at Gu Xiqiao's words. He opened his mouth to say something else, but then his eyes widened.
The girl in front of him dressed in a light green dress, her hair was fluttering lightly though there wasn't any wind. A few dozen pieces of jade were floating in front of her, forming a strange pattern at a slow speed.
The young man watched the scene in front of him, a gleam of light appearing in his dejected eyes.
After a long while, he clenched his fist tightly, and gave a solemn, deep bow to Gu Xiqiao.
Though there were words of appreciation that he wanted to say, saying it out loud would just feel insincere, so he resolved to just remember this matter firmly in his heart.
"Good luck, I'll be watching." Gu Xiqiao nodded her head, then turned to get off the ring slowly. As she walked, she pulled out her phone to continue playing games.
The young man took a deep breath before returning to the circle of people from England's supernatural world. He lowered his head apologetically. "Leader, I've lost."
"I thank the gods above that you weren't flattened by her instead," Wanqi Jue said, his lips curling upwards. "Your courage is commendable, daring to go against her in the match, and your luck isn't bad either."
The young man: "..." Was there such a leader like this? Was there?! To tear apart their subordinates like that?!
"I also feel that my luck isn't bad." The young man thought deeply after hearing Wanqi Jue's words. Gu Xiqiao had been earnestly teaching him just now, and in just one moment, he felt his whole life of learning the previous formations had been a waste. "Leader, I feel that Master's formation skills can't even begin to compare with hers."
"She seemed to have taken a liking to you." Wanqi Jue considered the young man for a moment, before saying suddenly, "Follow me to China the next time I go. Who knows, you might be a formation master in the future."
The young man naturally thought of Gu Xiqiao the moment Wanqi Jue said that, and his eyes lit up. "Yes! Leader!"
"Is she really that powerful?" A woman walked out from behind, her brown hair tied into a ponytail. Her eyebrows were thick, and she had a high nose. Her skin was smooth, and she had curves in all the right places. Her appearance caused a stir when she stepped out.
"Miss Yan Qi, Gu Xiqiao is far more terrifying than you can imagine." The young man looked at Yan Qi, sighing. "I've always thought that my skills in formation is on par to even Baili Bin from China, but it was nothing in her hands."
"Even a formation genius like you is afraid to this extent?" Yan Qi raised an eyebrow, turning to him.
"Do you know why so many people yielded without a fight when they were pitted against her?" Wanqi Jue looked at Yan Qi and the young man. "Because if you go against her, if you're not beaten to death, you'll probably get a psychological shock and die. That's why I said that your luck wasn't bad."
If you weren't beaten to death physically or mentally, and instead received her teachings instead, this kind of luck, even the Baili family had yet to enjoy this privilege.
When he thought about it, Wanqi Jue pulled out his phone and shot off a text to Baili Bin-[My subordinate just got guidance from your little sister heh~]
***
Baili Bin, who was far away in the ancient martial arts world, saw the text, and his mouth twitched.
Heh what heh?! Heh your sh*tty head!
***
"Boss, even you're saying that about her?" Yan Qi's eyes flashed with some interest, and she turned her gaze towards the group of people who were standing beside the first ring.
It was easy to locate Gu Xiqiao and her group of people. Other than their reputation for being strong, there was also a different kind of atmosphere that they exuded in the air. They were playing and chatting with each other, and were quite lively. They had even moved three benches to sit at the side of the ring, which once again attracted everyone's attention.
Yan Qi's eyes finally landed on a thin, slender figure, just in time for the person to turn her head to look at her. A pair of deep, dark eyes that reflected under the sun, with elegant features on a flawless face. Her skin was pale to the point it looked transparent under the sunlight.
Gu Xiqiao locked eyes with her for a while, before looking down to play with her phone.
Her expression had been indifferent and calm the entire time.
"And very pretty. It's no wonder you always run off to China." Yan Qi sighed, as a woman herself, she had also been shocked by her beauty. "The captain of the team that's nicknamed mythical beasts reaper, I'm really looking forward to knowing the extent of her strength."
Rumors about Bahuang Forest had already piqued her interest in this mythical beasts reaper team, but she didn't have the chance to see them until now.
With so many people yielding the match, and Wanqi Jue's admiration of her, Yan Qi's curiosity was at an extreme level.
"I advise you not to test it." Wanqi Jue looked at her coldly. "You'll regret it."
Yan Qi looked at Wanqi Jue, furrowing her eyebrows. "I, Yan Qi, have never done anything that I regret in my life."
During the seventh match on the ninth day, Yan Qi finally knew how painful it was when something comes to bite you back in your a*s.
She lay on the ground, looking like she had given up on life as she looked towards Gu Xiqiao. She had known that the other was strong, so she had been vigilant and kept her guard up. But she didn't expect Gu Xiqiao's attitude to change the moment she pulled out her sword. A powerful source and overwhelming spiritual energy shot out the moment she did.
Yan Qi walked back to her place, slumped down in dejection. When she returned to her seat, she had still yet to recover.
"How did it feel?" Wanqi Jue smiled, turning his head to look at her.
Hearing his words, Yan Qi froze. "I feel like my entire body is empty now."
"Weren't you looking forward so much to this fight a few days ago?" Wanqi Jue repeated those words that she had said previously.
"What kind of fight was that, I wasn't even able to get a chance to make any moves!" Yan Qi shuddered, experiencing this kind of feeling once in her life was more than enough. She didn't want to feel it the second time... it was incredibly terrible!
Wanqi Jue continued to smile, before turning his gaze to Gu Xiqiao and muttering under his breath, "Is she in a bad mood?"
***
"Er Qiao, did that Yan Qi do something that irritated you?" Wu Hongwen couldn't help but laugh when Gu Xiqiao walked back towards them.
Gu Xiqiao sighed. "It was a slip of hand just now."
On the tenth day, Gu Xiqiao's opponent in her final match was Nozawa. She was expecting a good fight, and had even prepared her weapon, but she didn't expect Nozawa to take one look at her, and yield immediately.
Nozawa's action made everyone look at each other. He... he yielded, just like that?!
"I can't beat you," Nozawa said, looking at Gu Xiqiao with a deep look in his eyes.
Gu Xiqiao: "... oh."
Ten days of qualifying matches ended like that.
Gu Xiqiao obtained first place, and nobody doubted the legitimacy of her ranking.
After the matches, Wanqi Jue brought Yan Qi and the others to look for Gu Xiqiao, only to find that Jiang Shuxuan had already taken their group and had left the area earlier.
China's ancient martial arts world had obtained an impossible feat in this time's qualifying tournament. In the top hundred selections, they had obtained eight placements which was about one-tenth of the entire placements, and they had also produced a terrifying character that was Gu Xiqiao.
***
The top people from the power worlds gathered together after the qualifying tournament and said, "The ancient martial arts world is incredible."
"One-tenth of the placements in the top hundred selections, and all of them were among the top twenty. They've obtained almost half of the resources given out, if this goes on, how will we be able to continue existing?" One of the leaders sighed.
"Are you trying to suggest joining hands to suppress the ancient martial arts world?" Wanqi Jue spoke up, tired of these people beating around the bushes. "The ancient martial arts world has Jiang Shuxuan and Gu Xiqiao sitting at the top. If you intend to suppress them both, you're welcome to try. I wouldn't dare."
Wanqi Jue sneered at them, leaving after saying his piece.
"This Wanqi Jue!" Japan's leader slammed the table with his fist, a dark look on his face.
Was it possible for it not to be? They had thought that Nozawa from their country would obtain first place in this time's qualifying tournament undisputed, but Gu Xiqiao suddenly made an appearance, and Nozawa even gave up in the end without a fight. Forget about the others who had given up, but Nozawa who was close in terms of power to Gu Xiqiao had also given up like them!
How could the leader of Japan not be angry? Especially after Wanqi Jue's words, the people from the other counties also left one after another, signifying that they too didn't dare to make any moves towards China.
Even in the past when it was just Jiang Shuxuan in China, they were already hesitant to make any big moves. Now that the ancient martial arts world had an extra Gu Xiqiao, who would dare to even think of it?
***
In the ten days that Gu Xiqiao had left, changes had begun to happen in the ancient martial arts world.
First was the rise of Peace Manor, which seemed to be a family business that came from nowhere. In the beginning, no one paid much attention to them. Though they've become quite a well-known force in the ancient martial arts world now, the people paid attention to them for a while before returning to their disinterested state.
The second was that a mysterious godly master had suddenly appeared in the ancient martial arts world.
Jiang Tong had been accepted as an apprentice by the mysterious master, and there were a few extra masters beside her to guard her, and rumors surrounding her began to flow once again.
The spotlight she found herself in was comparable to the waves that Gu Xiqiao was making, and even slightly more exaggerated. She was associated with the mysterious master that was a 'god' after all, and everyone didn't even dare to mention that word.
In the ancient martial arts world, Jiang Tong turned to the man in black next to her. "You're certain that Gu Xiqiao has returned?"
"Yes, Miss Jiang. She's in the Elders Association right now." The man replied respectfully to her.
"It's fine that she's back." Jiang Tong smiled mockingly with a venomous look in her eyes. She didn't expect to have had another chance to be in power, to be on par in the limelight as her. The people now looked at her with respect and admiration in their eyes once again. "This time, I'll make sure she never turns her luck around."
She had been eavesdropping on several elders for the past few days, and she heard that Gu Xiqiao was the 'calamity' of the entire ancient martial arts world!
How could such an existence be worshipped by countless people?
When the truth comes out, Gu Xiqiao would definitely be the target of hatred and accusations!
Jiang Tong couldn't help the smile that spread wider on her face when she thought about it. The grievances she had with Gu Xiqiao wasn't something that could be settled by just talking. From the first day that she had known about Gu Xiqiao's existence, she had hated her being like no other on this earth. Up till the end, she had been mocked over and over because of this one person.
Now, the hatred she had for her no longer had any reason for it. She just wanted to have this person down at her feet. When she thought about how soon it would be before she could see the desolate and ashen look on her, the joy in her heart surged!
"Let's go to the Elders Association." Jiang Tong couldn't wait to walk into the place.
Jiang Lian followed behind the girl, her tone frustrated as she said, "Tong Tong, are you sure you didn't hear wrongly? If there's any mistake, the Jiang family will definitely not let us off."
"Don't worry, it's something that Master Dubhe said personally, how can it be wrong?" Jiang Tong smiled confidently. "It's a calamity's existence, I don't need to say anything more. The people will come to thank me and appreciate the fact that I found this disaster before anything happened."
This was a fact that Jiang Tong was well aware of. Humans are selfish beings.
If the people in the ancient martial arts world came to find out that there was a calamity walking among them, then they wouldn't need any proof to be convinced. There was a saying that better safe than sorry, killing ten thousand people was better than making one mistake!
Jiang Tong could already imagine how Jiang Shuxuan and Shu Chen, as well as the entire ancient martial arts world would treat Gu Xiqiao once they knew this!
She quickened her steps. She couldn't wait another second to reach the Elders Association to see Gu Xiqiao's crying face when news broke.
People who saw Jiang Tong along the way greeted her respectfully.
That's right, her position was different than that girl. Gu Xiqiao was a calamity, while she was the 'god's' successor, the turning point of the ancient martial arts world!
Inside the Elders Association, Jiang Shuxuan still had some matters to handle, so Gu Xiqiao had returned to the Jiang family house after meeting with a few elders.
When she was walking out, she bumped into Jiang Tong.
When Jiang Tong saw her, she gave her a very strange smile.
Gu Xiqiao: "..." Was there something on her face?
She watched as Jiang Tong eagerly brushed past her and into the building, and she touched her chin thoughtfully.
"Beauty Qiao, you're back!" Jiji ran on its short legs towards her, Shu Chen following behind.
Gu Xiqiao turned around to walk towards their direction, then paused, a stunned look on her face. "Jiji?"
Jiji came to a stop in front of her, twirling around. "Aunt Shu made some clothes for me, does it look good?"
Gu Xiqiao looked at the flowered coat on it, and shook her head. "It's blinding."
Jiji: "... Break up!"
Shu Chen laughed as she reached the two. "I originally prepared some light blue color clothes for it, but it didn't want it."
Jiji pouted. "This one looks nicer."
Gu Xiqiao: "..." That's not it, it's fine with people dressing their dogs and cats up in clothes, but what's the point of a robot doing the same? Wouldn't it hinder your movements?
"Let's go home and talk about it over our meal. Ah Bin and the others are also here." Shu Chen led Gu Xiqiao away, laughing and chatting on the way.
***
On one side, they were having fun. On the other side, the atmosphere was as cold as a harsh winter.
"You said that Gu Xiqiao's existence is a calamity, do you have any evidence to that?" The atmosphere was freezing cold in the Elders Association. Jiang Shuxuan was looking at Jiang Tong, his onyx black eyes seemingly like a deep abyss. His voice was calm, and every word he said resembled a sharp blade.
A few elders had their heads hung low, sweating profusely, feeling the heavy pressure that pressed down on them.
Not to mention Jiang Tong and Jiang Lian, who were in a similar state. They didn't dare to look up at Jiang Shuxuan, his gaze was too piercing, and you would get a headache if you looked at him for more than a second.
Jiang Tong thought that he was being like this because he had just found out that Gu Xiqiao was a calamity, so she continued to add fuel to the fire. "Although I don't have proof, some of the elders also know about it. Gu Xiqiao is not only a calamity to the ancient martial arts world, but the entire world. As long as she is around, the world will never be at peace. Our ancient martial arts world will also be destroyed by her hands sooner or later! Elders, you know about it too, don't you?"
Several of the Jiang family elders frowned, giving Jiang Tong a glance while they sat beside Jiang Shuxuan, not saying a word.
Some of the other elders had already blindly believed in Jiang Tong's words beforehand, with her being the successor of the 'god', they wanted to cultivate a good relationship with her. They looked at Jiang Shuxuan, nodding their heads.
"So, what do you want to do to her?" Jiang Shuxuan asked, looking at them, nothing on his face betraying how he was feeling at the moment.
Hearing Jiang Shuxuan's words, Jiang Tong's eyes lit up. She thought that Jiang Shuxuan was finally listening to her, and she continued, "I think, it's best to let the ancient martial arts world know about this first. Let them know that she is the calamity that harmed us, then burn her at stake and use her as an example. This way, no evil things would dare to come to our world ever again!"
Every consecutive word that came out of her mouth made Jiang Shuxuan's gaze grow colder and colder. By the time she was done, Jiang Shuxuan's eyes were practically ice.
"Burn her to death?" Jiang Shuxuan repeated, looking at Jiang Tong. He then looked to the elders standing at her side. "Do you think so too?"
Hesitating for a while, the elders eventually nodded hurriedly, standing closer to Jiang Tong to express their feelings on the matter. "Since she's the calamity of the ancient martial arts world, she cannot be allowed to stay in this world. We concur with Miss Jiang Tong's view on this."
Jiang Shuxuan stood up slowly.
Crash!
Crash!
Crash!
As he stood, all the cups in the room floated in the air, falling to the ground with a clear, crisp sound, shattering into pieces!
The air seems to freeze at the same moment!
Jiang Shuxuan walked up to Jiang Tong, looking down at her. "Firstly, you said that she's a calamity, but have no proof. Slandering a person whether or not you have proof, is such an execrable attitude. Secondly, 'god' has always been the salvation of the ancient martial arts world, yet your mind and heart are vicious. Burn her to death? Those crude thoughts are unlike the successor of 'god'. Thirdly, even if you are not the successor of 'god', your mind is cruel and vile. It looks like you harbor a lot of sinister intentions towards the ancient martial arts world. Fourthly, she is currently ranked number one in the Youth Ranking List, and has brought in one-third of the current resources in the ancient martial arts world. You want to kill such a talent? The one who should d*mn well die-is you!
"As for you, as elders of the ancient martial arts world, you are unable to distinguish between right and wrong, and follow the herd instead. You're better off relinquishing your positions as elders!"
As soon as he said that, the smug look on Jiang Tong's face disappeared. Her face paled as all blood drained from it, and the chill crept up her spine, sweat sliding down her face. Her mind was in a jumbled mess.
She didn't expect Jiang Shuxuan to react this way, wasn't she the successor of the 'god'?! Why was he still so indifferent towards her?!
Jiang Lian, who had accompanied her, fell to the ground immediately, his legs unable to support him. Jiang Shuxuan's exclamation echoed over and over in his spirit, especially the words 'die'.
The elders who were on the same boat as Jiang Tong had also been shocked. One by one, they knelt down to the ground, their faces white as a sheet. They were more aware than Jiang Lian, and they carefully considered Jiang Shuxuan's words again. The message behind his words was probably this: First, Jiang Shuxuan was really doubtful of Jiang Tong's position as the successor of the 'god'. Second, Jiang Tong's position was way inferior compared to Gu Xiqiao. If you piss Jiang Shuxuan off, he would even dare to kill the person that was the successor to 'god'!
The elders who sided with Jiang Tong couldn't help but regret their decision after they thought it over properly, and seem to wake up from their stupidity immediately.
In the past few days, apart from the qualifying tournament, the ancient martial arts world had been paying attention to Jiang Tong. Now that they had been stunned by Jiang Shuxuan, they sobered up quite a bit, and it made the terror they felt in their heart even worse.
Jiang Shuxuan glanced at the direction of the door, and then left the Elders Association. He didn't even bother with the matters that he had stayed back to settle after delaying it for a few days due to the qualifying tournament.
Dubhe was standing at the door. Jiang Shuxuan knew that he wouldn't be able to kill Jiang Tong with Dubhe present, so he didn't make any move. Not that he had intended to anyway. Want to burn Gu Xiqiao to death? How could he let her die so easily?
Thinking of this, Jiang Shuxuan clenched his fist, his expression darkening. His strength was still not enough.
"Miss Jiang Tong, successor of the 'god' indeed!" The few elders had huddled together once Jiang Shuxuan had left, glaring at Jiang Tong and Jiang Lian. "Consider the lesson learnt! What disciple of 'god', it's possible that she's the calamity instead!"
The few of them who had just lost their position as elders naturally turned their hatred towards Jiang Lian and his daughter.
Not to mention, Jiang Tong's position as the successor of 'god' was in doubt. Even if there was no doubt about her position, these former elders would still not have any more good feelings towards her.
Jiang Tong stood rooted to the spot, her body shaking and unstable, almost falling to the ground. She bit her lips, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Why was this happening? Shouldn't Jiang Shuxuan be afraid and hate Gu Xiqiao now? Why was the suspicion thrown upon her instead?
"Miss Jiang Tong, I think it's better if you head on back," The Jiang family's great elder said, a calm expression on his face as he looked at her. He had already figured out what Jiang Shuxuan meant, and that explained his indifferent attitude towards Jiang Tong. "You should also be clearly aware that no one in the ancient martial arts world can control Shuxuan's attitude. Even if he were to kill you when the time comes, everyone would dare to complain about it. You had better think twice before doing anything."
Of all the people for you to go after, you had to go after the one that Jiang Shuxuan treasured the most? Wasn't this just digging your own grave?
Great Elder Jiang continued to look at Jiang Tong, shaking his head. It was fine now, her position as the successor of 'god' was in doubt. Thinking about how Jiang Shuxuan and Gu Xiqiao were, the great elder didn't think that Jiang Tong would be able to escape their grasp.
Another layer of cold sweat broke out on Jiang Tong's head when she heard those words, and she muttered, "Thank you, elder."
She supported Jiang Lian to leave the place, and the two walked out of the door slowly. The feeling of narrowly escaping death pounded fiercely within them, and the paleness on their faces had yet to fade. They had been so smug, coming here just now, and not even ten minutes later, they were leaving the place with a haunted look.
The guards who were standing outside the Elders Association watched as the two passed them, a strange expression on their faces.
Jiang Tong had her head lowered in shame. She had made a terrible move this time. She hadn't expected Jiang Shuxuan to go that far for Gu Xiqiao!
She clenched her fist tightly, the hatred for Gu Xiqiao growing bigger as she thought about it. She vowed in her heart that Gu Xiqiao wouldn't be so lucky the next time.
Little did she know that everything she was thinking now and her every movement was already known to Gu Xiqiao.
Chapter 299: You're Worried About Her?
When Jiang Shuxuan got back to Jiang Manor, Gu Xiqiao, Baili Bin, and the others were seated around the dining table.
"Shuxuan!" Shu Chen was quite surprised upon seeing him, and she had the butler prepare another set of chopsticks. "I thought you weren't coming back today."
Jiang Shuxuan nodded and looked at everyone sitting at the table-Baili Bin, Murong Feiye, his mother sitting to the left of Gu Xiqiao, and to Gu Xiqiao's right, a colorful blob of... Jiji?
He fixed Jiji with an emotionless stare, and when the latter noticed it, its mechanical hand freezing in place before it jumped off the seat with its bowl.
Jiang Shuxuan walked over and sat on the seat which Jiji had sat on calmly, before accepting the bowl and chopsticks that the butler gave him and starting to eat slowly.
Murong Feiye looked at Jiang Shuxuan strangely. "Do you bully the robot too?"
What did he do to have emotionally traumatized a robot to the point of having such a reaction to his stare?
"Do you want to try getting bullied too?" Jiang Shuxuan asked, looking straight into his eyes.
Murong Feiye rubbed his arms, feeling a chill coming on. "No, no, I would never challenge you. Please, eat."
Jiang Shuxuan looked back gloomily at his bowl. Ever since he was born he had been put under immense amounts of stress, and while he didn't quite care about the ancient martial arts world in the start, everything changed after he met Gu Xiqiao. He started to take as much power as he could in the ancient martial arts world so that one day he would have the power to protect her when her secrets were revealed.
He never expected that day to come so quickly, however.
Everything was in the palm of his hand except for Dubhe which had been a variable that was sent by the heavens completely out of the blue. He still wasn't a match for this monster as of yet, so his plans and actions had to be modified and obstructed at every turn.
Once he thought of this, he seemed to become even more depressed, but it was right at this moment that Gu Xiqiao put a chicken wing into his bowl and smiled at him reassuringly.
Feeling his dark and dreary state of mind fill up with some color once again, Jiang Shuxuan curled his lips in a soft smile.
They finished dinner quickly, and after Baili Bin talked about the ranking battles with Gu Xiqiao, Shu Chen dragged her upstairs to see the newly furnished art studio.
Jiang Shuxuan saw two of the most important women in his life go upstairs before he retracted his gaze.
"Qiao Qiao was there but I didn't mention it, but you know what Dubhe said, right?" Baili Bin looked at Jiang Shuxuan with a serious gaze. He didn't want to talk about this while the girl was there so as to not affect her mood, though it was probably an inevitability that she would find out.
Jiang Shuxuan nodded, before getting a cigarette from Murong Feiye and lighting it up, before blowing out a puff of smoke. "I know."
His tone was as calm as always, and Baili Bin couldn't read what he felt about this. "What do we do now?"
In terms of strength, the three of them added together wouldn't be a match for Dubhe so he made a beeline for the Jiang Manor as soon as he could, while Baili Qu was at his wit's end at home.
"I don't have a lot of influence on the Murong family just yet, but I'm completely on your side." Murong Feiye leaned back comfortably on the couch as he sipped on a cup of tea. "Of course, we don't believe in fate, so Dubhe wouldn't do anything too radical just yet."
"We'll be moving out of the ancient martial arts world tomorrow." Jiang Shuxuan tapped his cigarette on the ashtray.
"Back to the secular world?" Baili Bin asked in surprise.
"I don't want to get involved in the ancient martial arts world for a while." Jiang Shuxuan snuffed out his cigarette. "We'll come back after the dust has settled."
Baili Bin nodded, knowing that the other man had already made up his mind. "Alright."
"Thanks, you two." Jiang Shuxuan looked at the two men in front of him, knowing that they came here for the sake of helping Gu Xiqiao, and he would remember this fondly.
"She's my sister." Baili Bin replied. "You have nothing to thank me for."
Murong Feiye rolled his eyes. "Don't get all formal with me, we're bros after all. Well, it seems that I have to go pack my bags, then."
How boring would the ancient martial arts world without these people? He would rather be happy neighbors with them.
Before the two could leave, Gu Xiqiao walked down the stairs, holding a glass cup in one hand and a tattered book in another. She glanced at Murong Feiye, before throwing the book in his direction.
Murong Feiye caught the book carefully before he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What's this?"
"It's for you. I hope you can take over the Murong family soon." Gu Xiqiao poured herself a cup of water, before continuing, "Or else it's going to be seeing its last days soon enough with those elders in power."
Murong Feiye: "... Roger that."
What did she mean, that the Murong family was going to see its last days?
But anyway, he was more curious about the book that Gu Xiqiao had given him, and his heart itched with curiosity, and all he wanted to do was go home and read this book properly.
After the two of them left, Jiang Shuxuan looked towards Gu Xiqiao and grumbled, "Why did you give that to him?"
"Isn't he your friend?" Gu Xiqiao asked with a smile. "That's why I gave it to him."
Jiang Shuxuan nodded, accepting her reasoning. "Get prepared, we'll be leaving this place tomorrow."
"Alright." Gu Xiqiao nodded. "We haven't been back in a while, after all."
It had been a month since she went back to the secular world and checked on Nine Heavens and the laboratory, but she wasn't worried in the slightest. Even though Luo Wenlang wasn't there at the moment, he had a bunch of financial geniuses that could hold the fort while he was gone, and the laboratory at A University was even less of a problem with Zhu Yuan there.
"Alright, and we have to deal with the brat's matters too." Jiang Shuxuan commented as they walked upstairs.
Gu Xiqiao didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. Even though Jiang Shuxuan didn't say who it was, she knew that he was referring to Hua Youlin.
"Let me ask him when we get back." Hua Youlin's random mission still hadn't been accomplished, yet, and even though he didn't speak a word about it, Gu Xiqiao could feel that it was always on his mind.
After Shu Chen found out that Gu Xiqiao liked to do art, she immediately had one of the storage rooms upstairs renovated into an art studio. The wall in the direction of the sun was demolished and replaced with glass panes, and set in front of them was a chair and an easel. On the other side of the room was a well-made bookshelf, and placed in it were art materials like paintbrushes, graphite pencils, and palettes. The entire was room was furnished elegantly and homely, and it was clear just by looking at it that it was decorated with great care.
Gu Xiqiao was surprised when she came in here for the first time, and it was Jiang Shuxuan's turn to be surprised too.
"Not bad, don't you think?" Shu Chen asked with raised eyebrows.
Jiang Shuxuan imaged his own monotonous study in his mind before looking again at the meticulously furnished room in front of him, and he suddenly felt as if Gu Xiqiao was her child instead of him.
"Look at this!" Shu Chen pointed at the canvas with a painting in its early stages. "Qiao Qiao was in the middle of painting this for me, isn't it pretty?"
Jiang Shuxuan looked at the painting with a clear divide between warm and cold colors, and after researching on oil paintings because of Gu Xiqiao, he knew that the girl had put a lot of heart into it.
He knew that the painting was of Shu Chen, but upon seeing her pleased face, he was silent for a moment before he replied, "I can't see what the painting is about."
"You have no taste!" Shu Chen glared at him before she looked over at Gu Xiqiao that started to resume her painting.
She was quite focused as she painted, and at that moment, her gaze lacked her usual nonchalance, which was replaced with a glint of passion.
Jiang Shuxuan looked at this for a bit, before taking out his phone and snapping a picture of her and posting it casually on Weibo.
A Flowing River: [JPEG]
He didn't know the amount of attention this post would get.
Gu Xiqiao herself hadn't posted anything on her Weibo for more than a month, and her fans were crying under her past posts for her to come back, and just as everyone was guessing whether she was abducted by aliens, someone came across Jiang Shuxuan's post!
And so, everyone went crazy.
'Ahhhhhhhhh! After forty-seven days and eighteen hours, I finally get to see my beauty again! I don't have the words to describe what I'm feeling right now!"
'Even though it appeared on our love rival's Weibo page, it's enough to know that she's still doing well QAQ'
'Am I the only one that's licking the screen[1]?! Look at those eyelashes, those eyes! Ahhhh! Why is my screen so dirty!'
'You're not alone, upper floor, wait for me!'
And so, under the combined effort of Gu Xiqiao's fans, Jiang Shuxuan's post became one of the trending posts of the day, with almost fifty thousand comments after less than twenty minutes.
"Brother Jiang, you posted a picture of me?" Gu Xiqiao laughed when she saw Li Yu @ her and reposted Jiang Shuxuan's post.
v For A Millennium: Goodnight, everyone. //A Flowing River: [JPEG]
After she posted this, her fans became even more frenzied.
At the same time, the words 'Goodnight, Beauty.' surged to the top of the Weibo hot topic rankings.
The top post under this topic was Gu Xiqiao's post, and after everyone stopped spamming 'AAAAAA', they started to reply:
'Jade-like beauty, goodnight!'
Gu Xiqiao was quite happy upon seeing this, knowing that no matter when it was, there would be a bunch of people waiting for her and loving her.
Jiang Shuxuan had wanted to talk to her, but his phone rang, and upon seeing the caller ID, his expression changed, and with another glance at Gu Xiqiao, he turned around and left to take the call.
Gu Xiqiao looked at him go, before rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
Something wasn't right...
Her phone vibrated, and Gu Xiqiao looked down to see a message sent by Xiao Yun. The message sent by Xiao Yun made her brows furrow slightly, and her fingers rested on the screen for a short moment, but she didn't reply as she was still in thought.
After about two minutes, Xiao Yun called her instead.
Gu Xiqiao accepted the call. "Xiao Yun, what's up?"
"Gu Er Qiao! Why didn't you reply my message? I'm freaking out right now!" Xiao Yun's words spilled out the moment she heard Gu Xiqiao's voice. "Do you know what's happening right now? I'm so worried-"
Gu Xiqiao held the phone far away from her ear and only put it back to her ear after Xiao Yun finished her rant.
Xiao Yun had always been as cool as a cucumber, and she knew that the reason why she was this agitated was because of her, so it warmed her heart quite a bit. "It's alright, you don't need to worry about this, hm?"
"How could it be alright?" Xiao Yun almost cried from anxiousness upon hearing this. "How could I not worry?"
"It's alright, I'll be moving out of the ancient martial arts world and back to the condominium together with Brother Jiang tomorrow, so you can always come to visit, yes?" Gu Xiqiao had wanted to inform them as such, and now was exactly the chance to do so.
Xiao Yun nodded and asked her why she wanted to move out of the ancient martial arts world, and Gu Xiqiao just replied that she needed to take a breather.
After the two of them chatted for a bit, Gu Xiqiao concluded, "Alright, I'll be heading off to bed now. Bye~"
***
It was only after Xiao Yun hung up on the phone that she realized she had been tricked by Gu Xiqiao into not talking about what worried her in the first place, and she just hung up like that?
Looking back at Wu Hongwen and Yao Jiamu, they were quite expectedly looking at her as if she were dumb.
"Well, it's good that she doesn't know." Yin Shaoyuan leaned back on his chair and squinted slightly. Who would want to know that they were regarded as a calamity and that they were blamed and questioned by everyone?
As a glint of ruthlessness flashed through his eyes, he asked, "Do any of you know who let out this rumor?"
"Jiang Tong did." Tang Qinghong handed him his phone. "Look at what an elder messaged me just now."
Yin Shaoyuan took over the phone and read through it, and the flames of anger in his eyes burned even brighter.
Jiang Tong!
"What about Wenlang?" Yao Jiamu suddenly raised his head. "His brains are on par with Miss Gu's, he must have a way!"
It was true that Luo Wenlang was the smartest among them, and it was clear as day how capable he was just by seeing how well he managed the Peace Manor.
And so, a certain genius was dragged out of his pile of paperwork and sat onto a chair, and after hearing Luo Wenlang and Yao Jiamu tell him everything, he only looked back at them with a wordless stare. "Is that all?"
"Are you not worried?" Yao Jiamu was quite anxious upon seeing how Luo Wenlang didn't even have a change in expression. "You're not part of the ancient martial arts world so you wouldn't know, but this is no joking matter!"
"You guys already called her, correct?" Luo Wenlang asked.
"We did." Xiao Yun nodded.
"Let me guess, she told you not to worry, and to not get involved?" Luo Wenlang asked again.
This question was met with another bout of nods from Xiao Yun.
"I guessed so." Luo Wenlang sighed and glanced at them. "Have you people forgot what she started out as after loitering around in the ancient martial arts world?"
Seeing them blink dumbly in return, Luo Wenlang poured himself a cup of water and sighed again. "Well, I don't know if you guys remember, but she started a certain company called Nine Heavens? You know, the one that became an indomitable force on the market? I should show you the plans she wrote out, really, and you guys would know how terrifying her foresight is. Before the enemy even takes one step, she would already predict their next hundred steps, and honestly, I think this situation is probably part of her calculations too. If you really have to be worried about someone, be worried about the one that's pointing arrows at her behind the scenes, get some popcorn, and watch the show! If she needs any help, she'll be the last person to be cordial, as I'm sure you know."
Wu Hongwen was suddenly reminded of this, and he commented, "Right, she did lead that Bai family into a trap that time, didn't she?"
Tang Qinghong wasn't quite versed in the matters of the secular world, so he didn't quite understand what Luo Wenlang meant, but he was quite surprised at his high appraisal of her-To be able to predict an opponent's moves a hundred steps into the future?
***
Murong Feiye and Baili Bin saw the posts on the forum too, and many of these comments were so filled with malice and disdain that Baili Bin smashed his phone on the ground.
Once they got back and discussed the matter even further, Murong Feiye took out the old, tattered book that Gu Xiqiao had gifted him.
The moment he flipped open the pages, a golden pulse of energy surged towards him, and the words 'Pentamerous Truth' appeared in his mind's eye, the golden lettering thrumming with power.
Murong Feiye almost burst out with excitement as he felt the words in his mind-It was a true ancient artifact with an ancient spell inscribed on it, and it had the consciousness of an ancient warrior sealed in it too!
It was a sleepless night for Murong Feiye, who only opened his eyes after he felt his mental power on the brink of drying out.
He knew that Gu Xiqiao had ancient scrolls, but he thought that those were just copies and not the real deal!
There weren't many spells and training methods left behind from the archaic times to the point where even a copy would be regarded as a treasure, not to mention a legitimate scroll!
The true remains of the ancient martial arts world had disappeared for a long time, and he hadn't expected such treasures to be in Gu Xiqiao's collection.
From the looks of it, she had quite a lot of them, too!
If these books appeared in the ancient martial arts world, it would definitely turn it upside down.
Thinking of this and remembering how the Baili Family became stronger exponentially in such a short time, then thinking to the relationship between the girl and the Baili family, Murong Feiye let out another chuckle.
What would those people that said she was a calamity think when they knew that she was exactly the key to change their fate?
[1] Usually meant as the action of fawning over someone that looks very pretty or handsome.
Chapter 300: Digging Her Own Grave
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The next day, Gu Xiqiao and Jiang Shuxuan returned to the Imperial Capital together.
"Mother, you'll stay in the ancient martial arts world." Jiang Shuxuan said. "The Jiang family can't go without someone in charge."
Shu Chen had actually packed up her bags, but after hearing this she pondered for a bit before agreeing, "Alright, but you better take good care of Qiao Qiao, got it? Don't let anyone bully her!
"Understood." Jiang Shuxuan nodded.
He took out his car keys and sat in the driver's seat before revving up the engine.
"Aunt Shu." Gu Xiqiao couldn't help but yawn even as she was bidding Shu Chen goodbye. "I've finished the painting, it's in Brother Jiang's study."
"That fast?" Shu Chen was a little surprised because even though she didn't know much about oil paintings or art in general, she knew that such a painting would need at least a week to finish. How did she finish it in a single night?
Upon thinking of this, Shu Chen walked upstairs, and the painting was placed right where someone that entered the room could see.
The painting was of a beautiful woman in a purple qipao dress, and the contrast of colors used made the picture seem quite stylized and spatial.
"Madam, so this is Miss Gu's painting? How beautiful." The maid that passed by on her way to clean up saw this painting, and even someone such as her who didn't have the slightest bit of an artistic eye knew that this was a good work of art. How could those colors look so good when put together?
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Shu Chen muttered, "Who knows how long it took for her to finish this..."
Upon thinking of how the girl was still yawning when they left earlier, she felt quite sorry towards her but also quite touched, and she immediately got someone to get it framed so that she could hang it up in her bedroom to look at it daily!
***
The black Bugatti drove into the residential area, attracting the gaze of the passersby.
Even though this sort of luxury car was quite commonplace in the Imperial Capital, it never failed to be an eye-catcher whenever one appeared on the streets.
Jiang Shuxuan drove his car into the garage, before looking over at the girl that had rolled down her seat and passed out the moment they bid farewell to Shu Chen.
He looked at her sleeping visage and affectionately brushed his pale fingers against her forehead, her face warm against his snow cold fingers, and as if she felt this coldness, she stirred a little but didn't wake up.
Jiang Shuxuan immediately withdrew his hand and got off the car as softly as he could, not wanting to wake her up.
After he got off the car, he leaned his back on it and made a box of cigarettes appear in his hand along with a white flash. With a cigarette in one hand and his phone in the other, he called a number and held it to his ear. "Great Elder, I'll be heading somewhere in a few days."
The great elder was surprised at this sudden declaration. "What about the matter with Miss Gu?"
"I was just about to tell you, so..." Jiang Shuxuan told the great elder everything slowly before hanging up on the phone.
The great elder couldn't help but get chills up his spine as he looked at his phone-Jiang Tong wanted to burn Gu Xiqiao to death, but Jiang Shuxuan wanted to make Jiang Tong's world a living hell!
After a short moment of silence, he set down his phone and looked at the document on his desk.
"Great Elder, this is the information you wanted me to investigate on Gu Xiqiao, please take a look." The second elder pushed the document towards him. "Miss Gu is young but her feats and capabilities are much to be feared and respected. I feel this incident isn't over just yet."
The expression of shock reappeared on the great elder's face as he read through the documents. He had thought that the girl was the disciple of a hidden master, but upon investigation, she had already turned the entire Imperial Capital upside down!
Now, who would be so blind as to offend Nine Heavens?
"This is..." The great elder broke out in cold sweat as he reached the end of the document before he looked up at the other elder and asked, "How did you get your hands on this information?"
It wasn't as if they hadn't tried to investigate Gu Xiqiao before, but back then all they got was a blank slate that they couldn't get through even with their confidential permissions, and now the second elder got all this secret information with such ease?
"I don't know, it just came up when I tried to investigate." The second elder shook his head. "More importantly, what I'm wary of is that she's already calculated the ancient martial arts world into her machinations."
To him, nothing was more important than the ancient martial arts world.
"What do you mean?" The great elder asked. "Do you think she has the ability to do so?"
Even though he was quite astonished at Gu Xiqiao's feats in the secular world, he was still skeptical of how a twenty-year-old could turn the ancient martial arts world upside down. Their families and forces weren't as weak as the ones outside, after all!
"Yes, I do." The second elder inhaled deeply. "Just now, someone from England contacted me."
"England?" The great elder was quite confused as to why he suddenly mentioned the unrelated country.
"Yes, you should know that Miss Gu has good relations with Leader Wanqi, right?" The great elder nodded, and to this, the second elder said. "Well did you know that the reason he could take over the position as heir was because of Miss Gu?"
And so, the poor document was dropped unceremoniously onto the floor.
He felt another chill as he remembered what Jiang Shuxuan told him, and if he was worried that Gu Xiqiao was a calamity before, now he was worried about what would happen if they did anything to her. This was a terrifying couple, and sooner or later, Jiang Tong, Dubhe, and the entire martial arts world would be spun into their dangerous web!
"This won't do, I'll go see Jiang Tong!"
***
Meanwhile, Jiang Tong was in her home with two bodyguards, and upon seeing the great elder, she was surprised for a moment before standing up. "Great Elder?"
"Miss Jiang Tong, I just want to ask something." The great elder cupped one palm over his fist and bowed slightly, before continuing, "Do you have bad blood with Miss Gu?"
Judging by how Jiang Tong had acted yesterday, he knew that Jiang Tong hated Gu Xiqiao to her core.
If they let Jiang Tong do as she wished any further, the ancient martial arts world might lay witness to a one-sided abuse.
One was a genius that was the object of the fear and respect of everyone in the Imperial Capital while the other was a flower bud raised delicately in the greenhouse called the ancient martial arts world, and probably not even ten Jiang Tongs would be a match for Gu Xiqiao. Just judging by how she acted and what she did earlier, it was clear how underhanded she was.
Upon thinking of this, the great elder felt a migraine coming on again.
"Great Elder, I'm not quite sure what you mean." Upon hearing this, Jiang Tong's smile faltered slightly.
"Just listen to me, alright? Miss Gu has already left the ancient martial arts world, so I hope you can let this pass. Please don't provoke her any further, understood?" The great elder was quite serious when he said this, and all he wished for right now was for Jiang Tong not to stir up any trouble.
Jiang Tong's expression froze for a moment as she nodded mechanically, lowering her head and hiding her expression from the great elder.
Upon seeing this, the great elder turned around and left. He already did all he could, and if anything happened in the future it wouldn't be his responsibility!
After he left, Jiang Tong's phone vibrated, and upon tapping it open there was a message from an anonymous sender-[Just do what I ask of you. Don't go up against her by yourself, you will definitely lose.]
"Tong Tong." Jiang Lian walked in. "Did you hear what the head elder said? Don't get involved with Gu Xiqiao any further. All you have to do now is be a good successor and be the object of admiration and respect."
He knew better than Jiang Tong about how Jiang Shuxuan wouldn't take kindly to this, and after hearing what the great elder said from outside the door, he came in and advised Jiang Tong once again.
"Alright, alright, I know already!" Jiang Tong waved her hand impatiently, gesturing for the man to leave.
Jiang Lian didn't speak any further-His daughter was the successor to a 'god' after all, so there wouldn't be much of a problem.
Jiang Tong was already enraged by what the great elder said, then she got that message, and even her own father came to talk her down?
Gu Xiqiao! Gu Xiqiao! What was so special about that b*tch?!
After being bullied by Jiang Shuxuan the other day and after the events of today, Jiang Tong breathed deeply before scoffing. "She's just a calamity! No amount of protection would change that, and if she doesn't open her eyes to reality, I'll let her know what's what!"
She had already been humiliated by Gu Xiqiao time and time again, and so how could she let things pass without stepping her into the ground?
***
"I wouldn't want you to let me go, now would I?" Gu Xiqiao had gotten into her home at this point and was currently patting Haha's furry head lazily. "How could we continue the show if you gave up so easily?"
"Beauty Qiao!" Jiji was tapping on the computer across her, and it suddenly asked curiously, "Why did you let me hand that information to the second elder?"
"Take off those clothes before you talk to me." Gu Xiqiao didn't want to look at the robot any further, who gave it that sense of fashion?
"Are you going to make me a big and strong body?" Jiji was a little excited.
1
Gu Xiqiao took out her phone and set it on the table, before squinting and not saying anything.
Jiji: "..."
Jiang Shuxuan walked out with a plate of sliced fruits and set it where she could get it, and right at that moment, Gu Xiqiao's phone rang so he handed it to her, duly noting that it was Cheng Zhou that was calling her.
Gu Xiqiao took the phone while Haha got off of Gu Xiqiao under Jiang Shuxuan's gaze, laying down next to her feet.
"Ah, there you are! I didn't think you would pick up!" Cheng Zhou was quite excited upon knowing that his number wasn't blocked by Gu Xiqiao.
That morning he came to his office with all his employees buzzing over something, and realized that what they were fussing so much about was a certain post that had gone viral overnight!
Cheng Zhou knew that it was Gu Xiqiao's from the moment he was told that the post went viral just through the sheer amount and passion of her fans so he immediately called her, and he hadn't expected the call to go through so easily.
Gu Xiqiao was silent for a single second before she said, "Well, I should be hanging up now."
"Wait, it's something important!" Cheng Zhou was afraid that the girl would hang up just like that and rushed to stop her. "Since you're back, I wanted to arrange the premiere date of 'Divergent Paths'. No point in spending money on promotion with you here, after all!"
'Divergent Paths' had been edited early on, but Gu Xiqiao had Cheng Zhou postpone it so as to not affect Ning Qing's odds of getting an award, and it was just about the right time to let it onto the silver screen.
"Alright, I'll call you later!" Cheng Zhou was quite excited as he hung up the phone.
Gu Xiqiao ate a slice of apple before she put down her phone again. "Brother Jiang, I'm going to fetch Little Hua, are you coming with me?"
Since it was a Sunday, Hua Youlin went to Luo Wenlin's place, which was at a staff dorm that Gu Xiqiao had rented for her employees. Jiang Shuxuan wanted to go with her, but the next second he shook his head. "I won't be going, but stay safe okay?"
After escorting her downstairs, Jiang Shuxuan returned to his study.
A while later, someone knocked on the door, and Mrs. Zhang was the one that opened it.
"Mr. Yi Tong, yes? Sir Jiang is in his study, please make yourself at home." Mrs. Zhang smiled amiably and directed him in the direction of the study.
Yi Tong thanked her and walked up the stairs before handing what was in his hands to Jiang Shuxuan. "Boss, why did you suddenly change your mind?"
Didn't he just say not to care about Jiang Tong the other day?
Jiang Shuxuan didn't reply, only putting down his porcelain cup and looking out the window.
If someone wanted a show, he and Gu Xiqiao would gladly cooperate, and he wouldn't blame Jiang Tong if she just followed what she was told to act as, but now she was looking for trouble on her own accord!
Yi Tong looked at the cracks on the cup, wondering how it wasn't crumbling to pieces on the spot.