Chapter 355: Where Did Such Bold Courage Come From?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Jiang Shuxuan had not replied, which made the uneasiness in Butler Jiang's heart grow.
"Butler, go and do something for me..." Suddenly, Jiang Shuxuan raised his head, his cold, piercing eyes on the butler.
Being the recipient of Jiang Shuxuan's icy glare, Butler Jiang felt his heart jump to his throat. Oh my word, what kind of outrageous thing was the young master up to now?
Before the shock completely settled, a cold voice spoke through his mind, making him even more stunned and rooted to the spot.
Gu Xiqiao had intended to take a shower after she went upstairs, but then her steps paused when she stepped into the room, then turned around to check something on the computer in the study. After she was done keying in some instructions, her gaze fell on the wooden box beside her.
The box was at its usual place, even the top was still uncovered.
She looked towards the computer, where the codes were still scrolling through. The computer in the study was not as good as her own one. Her string of instructions had already been inserted, but the computer hadn't fully processed it yet.
Thinking of this, she stood up, walking to the wooden box and opening it.
With Jiang Shuxuan's attitude, she thought that there should be some ancient texts that were damaged and placed here for preservation, but what she found was not books, but... some documents and information, as well as her household registration.
Gu Xiqiao was stunned when she saw the documents. When she was taken from Baixing Village, Master Gu had taken away her household registration. After she had left the Gu family, she had thought that it was gone with the wind. She had severed ties with the Gu family at that time, so it wasn't like it mattered whether or not she had it with her anyway.
She didn't expect to find it here. Gu Xiqiao touched her chin thoughtfully, the cloud in her heart finally clearing up.
The computer made a beeping sound, indicating that it had finished processing her string of commands. Closing the lid, she went back to the computer, inserting a USB drive into the socket.
Various screens had popped up after the string of commands had been processed, and it was moving at a fast speed. There were tons of information and large images, and even some insignificant news. Gu Xiqiao read them with undivided attention, up till the end, when all the image turned into snowflakes, slowly condensing into two big words on screen—Game, start!
[Beauty Qiao.] Jiji's voice rang out in her mind suddenly. [There's some problem with the network, I'll fix it immediately!]
Gu Xiqiao reached out to unplug the USB drive, the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Game? Who's playing a game with you?"
Obviously Jiji could hear the words she spoke.
Butler Jiang saw Jiji shiver suddenly, and couldn't help but ask, "Master Jiji, what's wrong? Are you cold?"
Jiji: "..." Asking a robot whether it's cold, Butler Jiang, are you okay?
Jiji raised its head, looking at the handheld computer in its hands, lamenting. Look at those politicians in America, none of them even dare utter the name of their Beauty Qiao, because they were afraid that she would harm the country. Why were the politicians in China so bold?
Gu Xiqiao obviously didn't know Jiji's thoughts at this time, and she put the USB drive into her pocket, sending all the data on the internet to Jiji.
Just as she was going back to her room to take a shower, Yu Ning's call came suddenly.
"Miss Gu, something has happened." Yu Ning also knew about Peace Manor and the Peace Squad, but he was only interested in the things on the internet, so he had been nesting in Nine Heavens headquarters these days, only interested in collecting news from all the world online.
Ever since he had heard about the calamity that Peace Manor had mentioned, his daily interest had been to collect news about weird events around the world. The search tonight allowed him to find tons of videos that had been taken by the ordinary folk. "There's been many strange happenings all over the world, and some people are even preaching about how the end of the world is near. Usually, the majority of the people wouldn't believe these things, but after these people finished speaking, a bunch of god-knows-what monsters suddenly appeared. Guns couldn't bring them down, and the ordinary folks have been thrown into a panic right now. I'm guessing that the government is in a mess right now. I'm sending you a few videos so you'll see the situation for yourself."
Gu Xiqiao's face sank. "Their actions are fast indeed."
"Miss Gu?" Yu Ning didn't understand what she had meant.
"Let Luo Wenlang know about this matter, he'll know what to do." Gu Xiqiao narrowed her eyes, then hung up and gave a call to Zhu Yuan.
It had taken Zhu Yuan five days to figure out Joyner's illness, and as he lamented about the wonders of the world, he held a syringe as he went to look for Zhuge Yan. But when he walked into the room, he didn't see the man.
"Where's your young master?" Seeing Wei Xi and Wei Xu playing games was a sight that he was already used to.
"Bro, is this person really Jiji?" Wei Xi was doing a quest, and when she saw that the leader of the team turned out to be Jiji, she almost went nuts.
Wei Xu had wanted to reply, but then he heard Zhu Yuan's voice, and he immediately turned to stand. "Mr. Zhu, the young master should be in the courtyard."
The corner of Zhu Yuan's mouth pulled down at the answer, and he walked towards the mentioned location as he muttered, "Watching the night sky again?"
In the compound of the laboratory, Zhuge Yan raised his head slightly to look in the direction of the night sky. Zhu Yuan couldn't help but look up. The skies in the Imperial Capital was foggy and surrounded by tall buildings, it was impossible to see even a speck of stars.
"With just this, what can you see?" Zhu Yuan asked, glancing at Zhuge Yan as he skillfully injected the medicine into his arm.
Zhuge Yan's reply was soft, "It has begun."
"Huh?" Zhu Yuan waited for a long time for the other to elaborate, but nothing came. He rolled his eyes at that. "I say, can you not be like Beauty Gu, speaking in half sentences. With the way you guys communicate halfway, only a high IQ person like Luo Wenlang would be able to understand you both."
"It's nothing." Zhuge Yan turned, smiling at him. "How long before I can return to the ancient martial arts world?"
"You want to return to the ancient martial arts world?" Zhu Yuan thought about it for a while. "You can return any time you want. I'll give you a preservation device tomorrow, you can bring these medicines back and let Wei Xi carry out the procedures for you."
"It's not that I want to return, but it will not be long before we will all need to." Zhuge Yan pulled down his sleeves, then turned around and walked away.
Zhu Yuan stood where he was, a puzzled look on his face. "Talking in half sentences again, I really don't understand a single thing you say!"
Putting away the syringe, he was also about to leave the place when his phone rang. It was the ringtone that he had specifically set for Gu Xiqiao, and so he picked up immediately. "Beauty Gu, what's your command?"
"There's something..." Gu Xiqiao's voice was slightly heavy. She usually had a lazy and carefree tone, and this was the first time Zhu Yuan was hearing her like this.
"You mean the puppet?" Listening to Gu Xiqiao elaborate, Zhu Yuan was surprised for a moment, then slowly curled his lips. "Don't worry, Beauty Gu. How could I not do well in the things that you asked for? Talking about the puppet, I've only seen it in ancient texts, so it isn't a bad idea to pick it up for research."
***
Two days later, in the Elders' Pavilion.
"Miss Gu, Feng Jiu has brought news that the upper management has not agreed to publicize this matter." The great elder looked pale as he relayed the information that he had gotten.
Gu Xiqiao sat next to Jiang Shuxuan as usual, playing a game on her phone, As soon as the great elder said those words, neither of the two reacted. The other elders were the ones who spoke instead. "They don't agree? Have they not realized that the things happening in the capital are impossible to control?"
The second elder took out a few photos. "And these were given to me by Mr. Yi Tong last night. These people, their malicious aura is more terrifying than regular people, because they're more or less immortal."
"What in the world are these?" The photos were passed around, and each one of the elders grew more frightened as the photos passed their hands.
The great elder already had a general idea on the matter. "Leaving aside what has happened in the capital, the higher ups are now mainly relying on their military power, and their weapons which includes powerful nuclear weapons."
"The ancient martial arts world has always been placed above the secular world. Those people are afraid that once the ancient martial arts world is exposed, it won't only affect the regular folk, but that their positions would also be threatened." Yi Tong flipped through a few photos, smirking coldly. These people with power in their hands still placed their own interest above all others. "The Peace Squad, and the youngsters of the ancient martial arts world have been all working non-stop. If this continues, we won't be able to control the development of this situation."
"Mark down the location of the problematic areas." Jiang Shuxuan pulled out a map for Yi Tong to do so.
The job of Yi Tong and the others was to maintain the balance of the secular world, and they knew of the places mentioned very well. They immediately circled all the locations that incidents had happened. "These are all the places. If it wasn't for the appearance of the Peace Squad, many more ordinary folks would have suffered."
Jiang Shuxuan took the map that Yi Tong had circled, and handed it over to Gu Xiqiao.
Because of Yi Tong's words, mutterings started up in the Elders' Pavilion as they all looked at each other. Immortals, what kind of monsters were they? Heated discussions started up one by one.
The great elder glanced at all the elders that were seated. These people were discussing matters, but there was no fear or despair in their eyes, this kind of atmosphere would not have existed months ago. Those immortal monsters that appeared, they would have been invincible foes to the ancient martial arts world before this.
But now, even though there might be an abyss waiting for them in the coming days, there was not a single trace of fear or shrinking back on their faces.
The great elder then turned his gaze towards Gu Xiqiao. All of these changes naturally came from the girl in front of him, and he felt that this time, Gu Xiqiao would surely have something to say about this matter.
As expected!
Just as the discussions around them got even more fierce, a clear, calm voice rang out. "What are you all panicking about?"
Gu Xiqiao placed the map on the table, leaning back against the chair as the corner of her mouth lifted slightly. "I've said it before, the secular world needs to know of the existence of the ancient martial arts world."
What she said would naturally come true in time.
Once her voice had rung out, the entire Elders' Pavilion descended into silence, and the atmosphere changed to be lively the next moment.
"Miss Gu, what would you like to do?"
"Miss Gu, should we catch Feng Jiu and bring him here?"
"Miss Gu, can I go on a mission with the Peace Squad tomorrow?"
"Miss Gu..."
Gu Xiqiao merely graced them with a faint smile. "The most important thing right now is for you to improve your own strength. As elders of the ancient martial arts world, none of you can be weak."
As soon as she said that, all sounds in the room stopped instantly. All the elders were looking at Gu Xiqiao with disbelief in their eyes, and even their fingertips and feet were trembling.
All these elders were already having one foot in their graves, and they were different from those youngsters. Their lifetime achievements would end here, but they didn't expect Gu Xiqiao would say something like that. Making these old farts to be even stronger than now?
If this was in the past, these words would be treated as jokes, and they would let it slide over them once they heard them.
But now, it was Gu Xiqiao who had said those words!
Gu Xiqiao, the person who single handedly created the Peace Manor that was unparalleled in the world, and also the person who had created an existence that was similar to a second Peace Manor, as she had said she could!
Thinking back to the documents that America and Japan had sent over recently, again, she had obtained the worship and admiration of the people of America and Japan single handedly!
Gu Xiqiao, her name had already become some sort of religion in the ancient martial arts world. Everything she said would come true, when had she ever broken her promise?!
The hearts of all the elders present thumped wildly in that moment, and they sat blankly in their seat, staring blankly at Gu Xiqiao. Even after she left, they still didn't recover, and they didn't even hear a single word that she said after that announcement. At this time, they finally understood why the youngsters as well as the leader of America could respect and admire her to such an extent.
Because, she really had that ability.
With just a single sentence, she could ignite everyone's blood!
Even old men like them had the sudden urge to shout 'Long live Miss Gu!' at the top of their lungs!
"M-Mr. Yi Tong, what did Miss Gu say after that?" The second elder was the first to gather himself, and his head snapped to Yi Tong, his eyes bright.
Yi Tong rolled his eyes. "Weren't you listening to Miss Gu when she was speaking?"
"It was just too much of an exciting shock." The second elder smile was a little silly as he scratched his head.
When have you seen the second elder like this? Yi Tong didn't have anything to say to that. "Miss Gu wanted you to watch a show first, then wait for Luo Wenlang's news."
Having said that, he quickly left to look for Jiang Shuxuan.
The elders still remained in their seats, looking like they had no intentions to leave. The second elder suddenly seemed to think of something, then raised his head just to find that the great elder was actually reciting scriptures once again. But no matter how collected the great elder pretended to be, he was unable to hide his trembling hands!
"Do you think those people behind the scenes, pulling the strings are a little depressed?" The great elder suddenly said, a bright look on his face.
The seventh elder finally shook himself out of his daze. "Huh?"
The great elder picked up the pictures. "These immortal monsters were likely used in order to discourage us and bring us down, but now, not only have they failed in that, we're all in such an enthusiastic state insead. Don't you think those people would be depressed when they learn of this?"
The other elders laughed at his words.
Depressed? Of course!
"Fortunately, we have Miss Gu." One of them said. "Otherwise, it would be a real catastrophe."
"Actually, come to think of it, it's been so long, but have you ever seen the people who provoke Miss Gu to have a good life after that?" Another elder said, looking up.
Everyone thought long and hard about it, and there really wasn't any. From China to America, then to Japan... it seems that every single person who had provoked or offended her, they all ended up...
The second elder's heart jumped up to his throat once again as he thought about this, and immediately took out his phone to call Feng Jiu.
***
Feng Jiu was currently struggling with matters between the secular and ancient martial arts world when he received the call, and he was having a terrible headache. "Second Elder, why are you calling me now?"
"Feng Jiu, I specially called you to let you know something." There was a skip in the second elder's steps, which made the guards who caught sight of him have a conflicted expression on their faces, but the second elder didn't feel anything from that at all, the smile still wide on his face. "You better get your higher ups to agree as soon as possible, otherwise you won't even have the time to regret when it's too late."
"What's going on?" Feng Jiu stood up with a bang, his face contorting.
"You'll know soon enough." The second elder's voice remained unchanged, calm and cool. " Say, how can your higher-ups be so clueless? If Miss Gu really wanted to play, all of you together wouldn't even be enough to satisfy her boredom. We've been friends for so many years now, and as an old friend, I'll let you know something else. She's already impatient, and her methods have always been aggressive and violent. Don't wait for her to make her move, it'll be too late to regret your decisions then."
"What do you mean?" Feng Jiu could feel the anxiety overflowing now.
The second elder laughed lightly. "What do I mean? Even the political and power circles of the United States are obedient towards Miss Gu. Meanwhile you guys, where did such bold courage come from?"
Chapter 356: The Real Boss Is Here
The second elder didn't bother saying too much, and hung up the phone directly after that. Feng Jiu felt even more uneasy after that, and thinking back to the words he had just heard, he paced around his office, and the more he paced, the more upset he became.
"Mr. Feng, what's wrong?" A young man came in from outside to deliver some documents, seeing Feng Jiu fidgeting and being anxious, and he couldn't help raise an eyebrow.
Feng Jiu turned to the person, then his eyes landed on the documents in his hands. "What is that?"
"The specific contents for the press conference." The young man shook off his curiosity, and handed the document to Feng Jiu. "The most important thing right now is to reassure the masses. The appearance of those monsters recently has made them scared to even step out of their house, and their safety is our priority."
"What do you know?!" Feng Jiu scratched his head, pacing up and down the room a few times. "Help me connect to the higher ups of America."
At this time, they still needed to clarify what had happened in the United States.
"America?" The young man nodded. As he carried out his orders, he recalled the recent events that had happened in that country. "Mr. Feng, why did you ask about America out of the blue? I heard there's been a major political shuffle, and the position of the newly appointed commander has solidified a lot from it."
"Major shuffle?" Feng Jiu's heart jumped. "How big are we talking about?"
He had kept an ear out regarding the happenings of the United States, since it had been a big matter after all, and even the world felt the waves from the incidents. Although Feng Jiu wasn't really concerned about it, he was still somewhat in the know. After hearing what the second elder had said, the doubt in his heart grew bigger.
"The entire higher ups were cleaned out, but only those who had lifestyle problems whom even the higher ranking commanders were not able to touch previously." The young man had obviously taken an interest in the matter. Not only him, who in the international political circle wasn't paying attention to this matter?
To be able to single-handedly bring down these people, turning them in together with solid evidence, who wouldn't be afraid? Especially the other politicians in America, they were all well aware of the dangers that they potentially faced.
The young man's eyes lit up when he talked about this. "I heard that even the Dickens family had been cleaned out. You probably didn't know, Mr. Feng, but the leader of the Dickens family was Claude. Klaus was just an average heir before this, but now his methods are not inferior to some of the older cunning people."
The young man wasn't aware that the longer he talked, the more worried Feng Jiu got. Before he was aware of it, he was still fine. But now that he knew Gu Xiqiao was related to this, he was even more shocked. "Is what you just said true? Even the higher ranking commanders couldn't touch them?"
To think that they had been taken down by someone else instead? Especially knowing that this person might be Gu Xiqiao, Feng Jiu's anxiety rose to a new level. He picked up his cup of tea, trying to sooth his frazzled nerves.
Even after he found out that Gu Xiqiao had been involved in the incidents, he still wasn't concerned at first. He didn't pay much attention to the political affairs in the first place, so he didn't know how big an impact the incident had on America. But when he heard the young man say that, he suddenly realized that he should have been paying attention.
"Of course, otherwise, why would so many people in the political circle secretly worship that person?" The young man lowered his voice slightly. "Mr. Feng, those politicians in America don't even dare to utter the name of the person. But I heard that that person is someone from our country, and it's a woman."
Clang!
The cup in Feng Jiu's hand fell to the ground, shattering to pieces.
The sound startled the young man. He looked to the shattered cup on the ground, before looking at Feng Jiu again. His voice was cautious when he spoke, "Mr. Feng, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Feng Jiu waved his hand stiffly. "How's the call coming?"
The young man was still holding the special phone that was used for international calls in his hand, and his tone was lighter when he answered, "It's still being transferred. As you know, Mr. Feng, the call has to go through a lot of procedures."
It wasn't like you could put a call through as and when you wanted, it had to go through various channels and departments before it could be connected to any of the higher ups.
"... Tell me more about the matter in America." Feng Jiu was the middle person between the secular world and the ancient martial arts world after all. He was used to seeing unusual things on usual days, and he had already collected himself in the last few minutes, though his fingers were still shaking.
The young man didn't notice these little details about Feng Jiu. He brushed it off, thinking that Feng Jiu had also been shocked by the news, and continued talking excitedly.
How much impact does this incident have towards the United States? You could tell how big it was by the worshipping attitude of those politicians, and the young man in front of him was clearly also one of them, describing the incident as though he had seen it with his own eyes.
"... To think that the impact was so big..." Feng Jiu felt more distrubed the more he listened.
At the same time, Feng Jiu also recalled what happened in Mingzhou previously. He hadn't managed to take any action at that time, before Gu Xiqiao had easily stepped in with her deliberately misunderstood Weibo post, dispersing the matter that had been about to be blown out of proportion.
Her influence on the internet seems to be incredible. With just a single Weibo, countless netizens had been convinced by her words, and a lot of them were also very influential figures in their own field.
To now know that her influence was also incredibly big in the political circles was something that was hard to swallow.
But, why did something feel wrong? That's right, it was the United States! How could she be so bold? The ancient martial arts world were not allowed to interfere with the affairs of the secular world, after all. Did those people not stop her, and let her do as she pleased?
Feng Jiu felt like there was still a missing piece to this puzzle, but before he could continue to think more on it, the young man raised his head, a slightly dazed look on his face. "Mr. Feng, the call has been connected."
"Give it here." Feng Jiu didn't notice the young man's state, and took the phone immediately.
"Hello, Mr. Feng. I am..."
The not so fluent Chinese came through from the other end, causing Feng Jiu to almost throw down the phone in his hands. He had wanted to be connected to one of the higher ups in America, the last person he expected to answer the call was the leader of the power world in the United States?
Wait a minute? Why was he talking in such a respectful tone? Feng Jiu didn't feel that his position was high enough that it would garner such respect in their treatment of him.
Before he could inquire about it, he realized that the leader of America's power world was still speaking. "I heard that Mr. Feng wanted to talk about that person. Seeing that there is no other person who understands better than me, I will tell you everything you wish to know, Mr. Feng."
That person? They didn't even dare to utter her name? Feng Jiu's heart thumped hard in his chest, but his voice was calm and steady as he spoke, "What in the world did Miss Gu do in the United States?"
Feng Jiu had said her name tentatively, in order to test whether 'that person' really was referring to her. There had always been some matters that the other higher ups of America were not privy to, but the commander must know.
"Mr. Feng, please allow me to express my gratitude to that person..." Hearing the name from Feng Jiu, the voice on the other end tightened, before the torrent of admiration and respect came flowing through until they reached the point of their discussion.
Probably thinking that Feng Jiu was well acquainted with 'that person', the leader of America's power circle was detailed in his explanation.
There were only a few people in America who were well aware of the entire happening, despite what had been reported to the outside world. And it was those few who understood clearly, and the more they were aware they were, the more they realized just how terrifying Gu Xiqiao was.
But, these were all being told to Feng Jiu by the leader of America's power world, and his previously anxious heart beat even faster once he heard everything.
Finally, when the call was about to come to and end, the leader said meaningfully, "Mr. Feng, I heard that your country intends to use nuclear weapons to fight against enemies lately. In my humble opinion, there are some things that cannot be handled by those weapons. Our country had a blessing in disguise because of that person, and I naturally hope that our friendship between our countries will be long lasting."
"Of course." Feng Jiu spit out the words, his throat dry.
"Even our power world doesn't dare to touch a single hair on that person, where did you get such courage from?" The leader hung up the call after those parting words.
Feng Jiu was still holding the phone with a blank look on his face, staring at nothing in particular as he processed the words that the leader had said.
The words that the second elder previously mentioned were also echoing in his mind.
Right? Where did such bold courage come from?
Thinking of this, he immediately picked up the documents that the young man had brought in. He glanced through it quickly, and found that it mainly wanted to announce to the masses that the country was still in the midst of investigating the recent incidents that had been happening in the country, and that they had sent out special forces to suppress it. They had the most advanced weapons needed to carry out the task, and they weren't afraid of those monsters.
But now that he thought back to what the leader of America's power world has said, maybe there really were some things that couldn't be dealt with by nuclear weapons. When he thought about that, the anxiety in his heart climbed up once again.
Fortunately, there was still time. He immediately gave the second elder a call, intending to contact Gu Xiqiao.
When the second elder received the call, he was in the middle of training. "Feng Jiu, can you not bother me now? I'm in the middle of training!"
"You're already such an old fart, what training are you doing?!" Feng Jiu also retorted rudely. "Where is Miss Gu now, do you know? Can I meet her?"
"Who says I can't train? Miss Gu said that even though our bones are old, it would still be barely possible to push us to Xiantian level. Ah, forget it, why am I even telling you this? If you want to meet Miss Gu, then you should contact Luo Wenlang, or Nine Heavens." The second elder hung up the call after saying that, muttering under his breath. "I already told you before this, and you didn't listen to me earlier. What do you expect me to do now when you find me?"
These words made Feng Jiu want to break down and cry.
How would he have known earlier that things would get so bad to this point?!
It wasn't like he knew Gu Xiqiao would turn out to be such a terrifying force to be reckoned with, and that there would be monsters appearing that even their nuclear weapons would do nothing to them. He hadn't known at that time, and so had treated it all as unimportant!
After listening to the commander's explanation, he finally understood, but it was a little too late now.
***
"Qiao Qiao, there's a Mr. Feng here to see you." Mu Zong made a call to Gu Xiqiao. "I initially didn't want to bother you, but he came through Mr. Tang's assistant, Qin Heng."
Mu Zong and Qin Heng had some form of close friendship between them, and knowing that Gu Xiqiao and Tang Qingqiu weren't strangers or just mere acquaintances, adding on the fact that Qin Heng was a polite and courteous person, Mu Zong felt inclined to inform Gu Xiqiao of this matter when it came to him, instead of rejecting it like normal.
"Mr. Feng?" Gu Xiqiao was sitting on top of a tree at this time, a piece of leaf in her mouth as she watched over the group of elders who were underneath the tree. She narrowed her eyes when she received the call, and blinked when she remembered who the person was.
"That's right. He says that you know him."
"It's fine. Let him wait a bit, I'm heading back to Nine Heavens." Gu Xiqiao sat up, removing the leaf from her mouth and threw it to the side suddenly with a swoosh.
"Ow!" The second elder had been eavesdropping on Gu Xiqiao's conversation, but he didn't expect the piece of leaf she threw would be so powerful? He looked at the place where his clothes were torn from, and a stab of fear went through him. If he had been slow to avoid that, he may have ended up with a torn arm instead.
"Can you afford to be distracted at this time?" The great elder slapped away a ferocious beast, and took a chance to glance at the second elder. "Just leave Feng Jiu alone, Miss Gu has her own mind to make her decisions."
The second elder smiled wryly when he heard those words, and his hand shot out to also hit a fierce beast away. "Of course I know that, it's just..."
"What is it?" The great elder asked, turning to look at him.
"I'm afraid Miss Gu's usual methods will scare ordinary people." The second elder let out a sigh, slapping away another beast. "We're from the ancient martial arts world, and we've seen many things over the years, and obviously we can come to accept the crazy things that Miss Gu does, but ordinary people don't have the same heart of steel that we do. I just fear that things will backfire if Miss Gu's methods are too aggressive."
"You're really thinking too much." The great elder laughed. "To think so heavily on this, do you think Miss Gu is stupid? She's someone who has changed the entire ancient martial arts world, and also a person so greatly sought after in the secular world. Do you think that her EQ is so low?"
The second elder paused in his actions as the great elder's words slowly sank in. Well, that was right, wasn't it?
When he raised his head, he found that Gu Xiqiao, who had been above them had disappeared. But at this time, he didn't have any further thoughts on where she had gone, or what to do with the matters of the secular world.
Because several ferocious beasts chose the same time to come rushing at him alone, making him panic slightly as he hurried to defend himself. How could he think of other things in this situation?
The other elders didn't bother about him either. What a joke, who would dare to? After being trained by Gu Xiqiao the past few days, they all knew just how much of a grudge this girl could hold. They could cry if they were to delve deeper into this topic.
***
"When is Brother Jiang coming back?" Gu Xiqiao jumped down the tree, turning to look down at Jiji.
Jiji thought about it for a while, then looked up. "You can feel Master Jiang's presence right, Beauty Qiao? Gimme a sec, I'll look at the map. Master Jiang has gone to the desert, so his journey should take about a couple of days."
"A couple of days?" Gu Xiqiao nodded her head. "Has there been any movement from Chu Enterprise lately?"
She had been busy with the elders recently, and everything had been delegated over to Luo Wenlang and Mu Zong. One of the two were keeping an eye on the ancient martial arts world for her, and the other was keeping an eye on the secular world. She was lazy, but there was only so much she could goof off. There were some things that she had to handle personally after all.
Jiji had churned out all the documents that Yu Ning had sent over, and with its powerful scanning capabilities, it could pinpoint all the important points in a flash. "It's all here, Beauty Qiao. Oh right, that strange person that Yi Tong brought back previously, Zhu Yuan has already carried out some study on him and has some clues. I've sent it to your mailbox, I need you to take a look at it."
"OK." Gu Xiqiao glanced at the transparent panel that had popped up in front of her, then snapped her fingers. "Let's go to Nine Heavens first and settle that one."
"Alright, Beauty Qiao." Jiji confirmed the location of Nine Heavens, and the two of them disappeared from the spot.
***
At Nine Heavens, Feng Jiu was getting restless. Just as he raised his arm, a mechanical voice spoke. "Sir, what service would you require?"
The reverberating mechanical sound almost made Feng Jiu jump out of his skin, his heart thumping violently in his chest. Oh my f*ck, an arm that could speak?! What kind of ghosts were there in this room? Also, what's with the decorations in this room, wasn't it all a little too high tech?
"My apologies, Mr. Feng." Mu Zong walked in, seeing Mr. Feng's flustered state, reassuring him immediately. "This room was set up by Miss Gu in order to make Jiji's body, and it contains all her favourite electrical products which are a little smarter than your usual ones. But don't worry, they won't harm anyone. This is the place that Miss Gu will first come to when she comes back, so it's the best place to wait for her."
"It's fine, it's fine." Feng Jiu waved his hand hurriedly. What a joke, how could he make any trouble for Gu Xiqiao's right hand man? "President Mu, did Miss Gu say that she'll see me?"
"That's right, she'll be here soon," Mu Zong said, smiling.
Soon? Feng Jiu was equally anxious and anticipating.
Just as Mu Zong said that, several voices came through from outside the door. "Miss Gu."
Feng Jiu knew that the real boss of the place was coming, and immediately stood up, waiting for her to come in. His eyes were in the direction of the glass door. It wasn't just a glass door, even the walls were all made of glass, and so he could clearly see everything that was happening outside of it.
There was a single person walking slowly towards the room, and her pace was unhurried. Her head was slightly lowered, the soft light shining on her face, illuminating her gentle appearance. Everyone stopped to greet her as she passed, and their faces lit up with admiration and respect when they did so.
Feng Jiu didn't doubt anymore that this person was Miss Gu, the same person that even the leader of America dreaded. Only, she was a little different than what he had expected.
Chapter 357: Always Been Her Modus Operandi
"Miss Gu," Mu Zong had also heard the voices, and he put down the documents in hand, standing up to greet her.
Before he could reach out to open the door, the arm that was beside Feng Jiu reached out to do it instead.
"You're on a roll." Jiji came in behind Gu Xiqiao, looking at the mechanical arm that had opened the door, patting its head. "Even so, you won't be able to get a body. Even my own awesome self has yet to be settled after all."
The robotic arm seemed to turn away in anger, not talking to Jiji.
Gu Xiqiao wasn't bothered by the two, and after greeting Mu Zong, she turned to Feng Jiu. When she raised her head, it revealed a young, snow-white face. Her eyes were dark and clear. This was the first time Feng Jiu had seen Gu Xiqiao in person.
Even though he had seen pictures of her on the internet, and even gone through her Weibo, hearing things about her from the second elder, it wasn't as shocking as meeting the person themself with his own eyes.
Too young, to the point that Feng Jiu felt that everything he had heard about her must be over-exaggerated or even false.
"Miss Gu," Feng Jiu greeted after a while, finally returning to his senses.
Gu Xiqiao nodded and smiled at him. At this time, the secretary brought in a cup of team and she took it, placing it beside the robotic arm. "Mr. Feng, please have a seat."
Feng Jiu did as she said, but he was still slightly unstable on his feet. He watched as the secretary came in once again with a pile of documents, and Gu Xiqio flipped through it quickly, seemingly not intending to continue the line of conversation.
But Feng Jiu didn't come here for tea, and he could only sit still for another few minutes before he finally couldn't take it anymore. "Miss Gu, the reason I came here today..."
"I know, we'll talk about the issue later." Gu Xiqiao flipped through the last document, then took the pen that Mu Zong was holding, signing her name. She smiled at Mu Zong. "Uncle Mu, the plan that they are making is becoming better and perfect. There's basically nothing wrong with it."
Mu Zong laughed at her words. "Your teaching was good." There was little that he needed to manage, now that everyone in the company had become so competent.
He took the documents and handed them over to the secretary. Thinking about how Boss Gu had taught everyone without holding back nor hiding anything, such an unselfish method, forget about how all the people in Nine Heavens were financial geniuses, even an ordinary finance student would easily improve leaps and bounds under her tutelage.
Everyone in the Imperial Capital knew that Nine Heavens was full of talents and luck, but they didn't see the real reason was because of their boss. Mu Zong looked at Gu Xiqiao, and thought that, for someone to impart everything they knew to everyone else so openly, there was only one person in the entire world that was willing to do that, and that was their Boss Gu.
It was a pity that although she had taught them everything that she could, there were still a lot of things that their people in Nine Heavens still didn't understand.
"Boss Gu!" Yu Ning rushed in from outside. "How could you not even take a walk around the web department even though you came back?"
"Aren't you here in person?" Gu Xiqiao leaned against the robotic arm beside her, taking a sip of her tea as she glanced at Yu Ning. "You're more or less done with the research on the virtual world. I see you've been working on Star Network lately, if you have any issues, you can look for Jiji. Jiji is more knowledgeable in this area compared to me."
Yu Ning sighed lightly." Aih, I say, Luo Wenlang said that there would be a live broadcast on some news today that would likely have a great impact on you guys. Do you want me to get in touch with my hacking network and let the masses only be able to see Logger Vick..." (T/N: Logger Vick (Boonie Bears character) / nickname for bald people)
"Cough, cough!" Before Yu Ning could finish his sentence, Mu Zong coughed loudly. There was a high ranking official in the same room as them, and you're casually talking about how you were going to get people to hack into their live broadcast, were you looking to die?
Feng Jiu's mouth was also downturned, but he took the chance to look closely at Yu Ning. For someone to talk so brazenly about hacking a nationwide live broadcast, it shouldn't be just some boastful words. He had heard that Nine Heavens had an expert hacker, could it be this young man in front of him?
Yu Ning also noted that Feng Jiu was in the room at this time, and he turned to greet him. "Hello, Mr. Feng Jiu."
"Hello." Feng Jiu nodded stiffly. Seeing that it was almost time for the broadcast, and he hadn't said a single word about it to Gu Xiqiao, he was suddenly in a panic. "Miss Gu, I..."
Gu Xiqiao picked up her phone, looking at the time, the corners of her mouth curving up. "It's time."
She snapped her fingers, and the TV on the opposite wall turned on instantly, playing the live broadcast.
Feng Jiu turned his head when he heard the voices from it, seeing that it was the press conference that was live at this moment. The venue was the National Lecture Hall. A middle-aged man in military uniform was on screen with a serious look on his face. "The recent happenings in the country have caused panic to everyone, we ask that you please trust in your government, believe in the higher-ups, and we will all get through this difficult time together."
As he said that, the camera panned out, and zoomed to a group of soldiers standing behind. "We have the best firearms at our disposal, and we will definitely kill those monsters..."
The live broadcast had confirmed the existence of these monsters, and the public who were already in a panic before, were in a more panicked state right now. It was at this moment, that a bunch of monsters suddenly appeared on the scene of the live broadcast.
When they appeared, a hint of fear crossed the middle-aged man's face which was stoic just a few moments before, and he immediately instructed the army to engage these monsters. Unfortunately, the firearms they held were clearly useless against them!
Bullets were useless against them!
The viewers watching from home held their breath as horror spread on their faces, watching with their own eyes as the bullets pierced through those monsters, but it didn't stop them a single bit!
Oh my god, what the hell are those things?
Why weren't they dying to guns?
Those soldiers clearly saw that they were done for, and they retreated backward. There was also shock on their faces when they realized that nothing had worked.
At this moment, whether it was the viewers or those on scene, the only thing they could feel was terror running through their veins. Those who were watching at home were already in shock, and their first reaction was to think that whatever was happening on screen was fake, but no matter how much they rubbed their eyes, the scene was still the same!
Everyone watching this bloody scene could feel the despair rising in their hearts.
If it was a monster that wouldn't even die to a gun, then what should ordinary people with no firearms do to defend themselves?
The ordinary folks weren't the only ones in shock, even Feng Jiu was in the same state. His eyes were fixed on the screen, his eyes wide, finally understanding what the conversation he had yesterday meant. There were just some monsters that couldn't be dealt with, either with firearms or white arms! (T/N: A cold weapon, or white arm, is a weapon that doesn't involve fire or explosives.)
In this moment of despair, the shaking of the camera suddenly stopped, and a young face appeared in front of it.
The live broadcast was currently displayed on every screen across the nation, whether you were watching TV at home, in a meeting, or at a shopping mall, as long as there was a screen, this young face was on it.
Behind her, the scene was like a scene from hell, but even amongst the horrifying scene, this young lady stood out, calm and unaffected by everything happening behind her.
Then, a team of ten people appeared. "Miss Gu!"
"Go ahead." The clear, melodious voice sounded in response, as if ringing in the hearts of everyone who were watching.
This was likely a scene that no one would be forgetting for the rest of their lives. A second ago, those monsters who were indestructible and bringing despair to every single person watching were easily beaten down by those ten people that had appeared. The young lady also reached out her hands, casually picking one of the monsters up and throwing it to the side like it was nothing, taking out at least one-tenth of those monsters!
Blades were glinting, swinging and flying everywhere, there were also flames appearing!
These arrogant, unbeatable monsters were taken down by just these ten people!
Those who were watching the live broadcast held their breath once again, not quite believing what they had just seen.
It simply looks like a scene right out of a fantasy!
Who would believe it, if they didn't see it with their own eyes?
The ten people piled all the monsters together.
The girl who was holding the camera smiled at the lens at this time, then raised her hand, purple thunder striking down instantly with a loud 'boom'.
It slammed right down into the pile of monsters, incinerating them instantly.
Since the appearance of the thunder with just a wave of her hand, it felt like the entire country fell into silence. There were some who were eating, and forgot to chew their food. There were some who had been hugging pillows tightly in fear, and that pillow had fallen to the floor. Everyone's expression was the same, blank face, as though they had seen a ghost. But, wasn't that the most accurate description at this moment? Otherwise, how do you explain what they had just seen?
Everyone was stunned speechless after watching such a scene.
"I must be going crazy..." A young girl who was watching the live broadcast said. She went to the washroom to splash water on her face, then came back, but it was still the same scene on the screen.
"It... it was just a hallucination. I'll just close my eyes for a bit," A boy who had been playing games said, closing his eyes. Two minutes later, he opened them to find that the scene on his computer screen had not changed at all.
Those were probably the same things the entire China was doing now, and everyone must be thinking that they had gone crazy.
Gu Xiqiao gave the people maybe about three minutes to gather themselves, then snapped her fingers. "I know that not everyone will believe this scene they are watching on screen, but I'll tell everyone now, everything you just saw was real. WIthout your knowledge, China has always been in possession of such powers."
As she spoke, a ball of lightning crackled softly in her other hand, floating slightly above her open palm.
The people could still pretend they were hallucinating previously, but it was a live broadcast, and the lightning had appeared out of nowhere in front of them.
"Introductions, then. The ten people behind me are the Peace Squad. This is the first time they've appeared in public, and from today on, they will have more contact with everyone. You have seen first hand what they can do. Let's move on and talk about the monsters now. Firstly, they will appear again in the future. I don't know how many more will appear, but know that every single one of you has the possibility of encountering them." Gu Xiqiao vanished the ball of lightning, facing the camera with a calm look on her face. Her tranquil demeanor served to reassure everyone watching, and calmed them down. "Our ancient martial arts world exists to protect everyone in China, we don't want to see any accidents happening to anybody. Therefore, our goal is to bring the entire nation to arms. I believe that every one of you will be able to face off these monsters by yourselves, and fight to protect your loved ones. Tell me, are you all afraid?"
Boom!
As soon as she said that, the entire China was in an uproar, and those hot-blooded youths were the ones who reacted the biggest. They should be in a state of panic, loss of faith and in life, but at the time of their darkest hour, such a powerful team had made an appearance, and a young lady told them that they wanted to 'bring the entire nation to arms', and then she asked, 'are you all afraid?'?
Afraid?
It wouldn't be strange for ordinary people to be afraid after watching such a scene, they should be blaming the country, and why they didn't announce that the country had such powers in the first place. But at this time, everyone's eyes were on these ten people. Their hearts were fired up, and their blood was boiling!
It was undeniable that they had been fearful at first, but now, they were excited! Every single cell in their body was clamoring!
"No, we're not afraid!" Those youngsters sitting in front of computers stood up with a bang, their hearts thumping wildly in their chest. Their faces were flushed red, anticipation running through their veins!
It wasn't only the youths that were excited, even those elderly who thought that there was nothing left in the world that could make their heart skip a beat anymore, all of them were feeling exhilarated, probably because they had never experienced such a passionate scene before.
"Very good." Gu Xiqiao smiled lightly. "This is the true soul of China. Next, I will have Mr. Feng Jiu arrange the matters that come after. You don't have to change the way you're living your life. There are people who wish us to be in a state of chaos, and I believe you will not lose faith in living. If you encounter a problem that you can't solve by yourself, just call out for the Peace Squad. If you're infected with strange diseases that cannot be cured, please head to the medical labs in the capital to get treatment. Our medical labs will be giving free treatments during this time before this disaster is over."
The broadcast abruptly stopped as soon as she finished speaking.
However, no one would ever forget the scene that they had just witnessed, because the video circulated over the internet at lightning speed.
It seemed that everyone across the nation remembered the young girl's speech that had calmed the hearts of all of them, the way she had settled down everyone with just a few sentences.
At this moment, news about her spread on the internet almost instantly.
The most mysterious blogger on the net!
China's largest chain company—the person behind Nine Heavens!
A student from the Faculty of Medicine from A University, one who has researched various treatments and medicine for countless patients, and also disclosing the methods to the world for free!
There were really just too many amazing and mysterious things about this person. Before this, if you heard about someone who could be this amazingly generous in the world, would anyone believe it, and not deny it?
The facts right now are telling you, there is!
And just today, everyone found out that those were just small parts about her. Having a mysterious power that allowed her to call upon lightning, bringing hope to the people in their darkest hour, this was enough to drive the entire nation out of their minds!
On this day, the name 'Gu Xiqiao' swept wildly across the country. No matter where you went, you could hear the people talking about this person.
***
"Leader, I really envy the people of China." One of the higher-ups of the United States said as they watched the live broadcast that Cecily had shown them. He let out a long sigh, lifting his hands to cover his eyes, and whispered, "Their ancient martial arts world has really lucked out."
The leader of America didn't say anything in response to that, playing the video once again. Looking at the young woman on screen with a serene look and gentle aura, he dragged his hand down his face. "Do you think these are all coincidences? Do you see, the medical labs, Peace Squad, these are two indispensable forces right now. In such a short time, Miss Gu had arranged everything in such an orderly manner. Perhaps, a long time ago, when she first built up the medical labs, she predicted that such a day would come. Cecily was right, Miss Gu really is unfathomable, you will never know what she's thinking in that mind of hers. The person pulling the strings behind the scene should be feeling the most powerless right now. They clearly intended to sow discord and create havoc in the country, perhaps also hoping that China would collapse unto itself. Unfortunately for them, for every step they took, Miss Gu had already predicted it and arranged the appropriate countermeasures to it. Even up to the final step of bringing the entire nation to arms."
Everyone else gathered here didn't have anything to say after that.
After a long while of silence, the leader finally stood. "Make the preparations, we'll head to China today."
These people had probably learnt of the terrifying strength the Peace Squad and Gu Xiqiao wielded, and so were not surprised or shocked when they saw this, but instead felt envious of the people of China.
Compared to them, Feng Jiu was the one who was most in shock right now. Forget about Feng Jiu and those upper management of the government, even the ancient martial arts world was in the same state. They hadn't expected Gu Xiqiao would use such a bloody and violent method to announce their presence to the nation. And not only did it not cause mass panic to the public at large, it served to ignite the passion in everyone's hearts instead!
But, this had always been Gu Xiqiao's modus operandi! She had always been direct and aggressive, and had always been creating miracles as she went!
The regard for Gu Xiqiao that the people in the ancient martial arts world held was many times higher than those from the secular world. If you were to peruse through the entire world history, who would be able to perform such feats, other than Gu Xiqiao? Who else? Who else!