Chapter 620: Chapter 534: Returned (Part 2)

"But didn’t the Gongsun Clan promise us they wouldn’t just show up in Beijing whenever they pleased?"

"A verbal promise means nothing. Who can keep an eye on them all the time? As the saying goes, a thief can ply their trade for a thousand years, but you can’t stand guard for a thousand years. This time, we were lucky Shaojun’s cultivation was just enough to control the situation and hit them where it hurts. They couldn’t squirm their way out of it and had no choice but to confess to their past evils. But they won’t just take this lying down. Didn’t you see how Gongsun Xiang’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot? And when Gongsun Li crippled Gongsun Ruxue’s cultivation, the looks on the rest of the family’s faces were quite a sight. Then there’s Gongsun Hanshan, the one who was in seclusion. He’s only going to be more resentful—when he destroyed the Gu family’s Guardian Array for the Bai family, it was definitely for more than just repaying an ancestral debt. He must have taken bribes from the Bai Family. But now, he’s forced his own clan to forfeit so much wealth, including those two storage rings, the most crucial part of the compensation. Those are powerful Magic Artifacts! Artifacts like that are truly a rarity these days; you could even say they’re one of a kind. In any era, strength earns respect, and only the strong get to possess treasures. If the Gu and Tang Families only had standing in military and political circles and weren’t Cultivators with Foundation Establishment Cultivation, the Gongsun Family never would have meekly offered up something so valuable as compensation to show their ’sincerity’. As it stands, the most bitter person is probably Gongsun Hanshan. I think he’ll make an appearance now that he’s out of seclusion. I’ve already warned the Gu family, and I’ll have to bother your Uncle Gu about it again tomorrow. Gongsun Hanshan might be coming, and we have to be on guard. His appearance this time is likely a provocation. The Gu family has already made their position clear: since the Gongsun Clan has paid for all costs to repair the Guardian Array, they won’t hold the incident against the entire clan. But Gongsun Hanshan is the main culprit, and the Gu family cannot let him go! If our paths don’t cross, so be it, but the moment he’s seen, he’s a dead man! Now that Gongsun Hanshan is out of seclusion, it means he’s reached Foundation Establishment. That man is ruthless and vicious. He’s a dangerous person."

Xiao Man was taken aback for a moment. "Right now, Gu Shaojun is the only one in the Gu and Tang Families who has broken through to Late-stage Foundation Establishment, but he’s not in Beijing. If Gongsun Hanshan tries to pull something, there really aren’t many people who can confront him head-on. Maybe... I shouldn’t go back to the South yet?"

"Foundation Establishment Cultivators aren’t invincible. At the very least, they can’t block bullets. As long as he hasn’t completely lost his mind, you don’t need to be too worried. Besides, he’s left again, hasn’t he? And he took Wu Qin with him. His goal is obviously the herbs, so it seems he’s also desperate to get his hands on them... That herb garden on the little hill in Gongdao Village, did you place a ward on it?"

"Yes. It’s an Array Map left behind by a predecessor. I just casually applied it. It specifically targets people with cultivation, and the higher their cultivation, the greater the resistance they’ll face."

"No wonder he sought out Wu Qin and took her with him to be treated. This shows that Gongsun Hanshan doesn’t want to provoke us for now. Otherwise, he could have gone to Gongdao Village and used his own methods or just plundered the herbs by force. In that case, you should go back to Gongdao Village as soon as possible and check on the situation. The Gu family has already arranged for people to secretly guard the herb garden. You just need to watch out for your own safety. How about I get you a handgun?"

Xiao Man smiled. "No, thanks. I don’t even know how to shoot. Carrying a gun would just feel weird. I can make intermediate-level talismans and arrays now. If I really have to face Gongsun Hanshan, I’m not afraid of him, even if my cultivation is lower than his!"

"So, he can make talismans too?"

"He can, but he’s not very good at it. Everyone has their specialty. We don’t know what the Gongsun Clan was like in the past, but right now, aside from basic Body Training, this Cultivation Family focuses mainly on Alchemy and Medicine Making. Talisman making and arrays are their weak points. Plus, the materials they use for their talismans are terrible and have hardly any Spiritual Power. They might look impressive on the surface, but in reality, they’re not very useful."

"Really? Not like that Fire Talisman you gave me. I threw it, and not only did it kill a wild boar, it also burned down over twenty square meters of the woods! If I hadn’t run fast enough, the Forest Patrol Officer who came running would have arrested me for arson!"

Xiao Man burst out laughing. "Well, I used top-quality materials, plus my Talisman Making Skill is the real, orthodox deal. It was maxed out on Spiritual Power, so of course it’s powerful! Dad, it was your first time using one, so you were probably a little panicked. You’ll get the hang of it after you use them a few more times."

Thinking back on that photography trip in the mountains, Tang Qingshan couldn’t help but laugh too. "Anyway, we’ll keep investigating Gongsun Hanshan’s whereabouts from our end. You be careful on your journey. Shaojun will come out to meet you when you get there. That kid... if he doesn’t protect you properly, I’ll have his hide!"

Xiao Man blushed. Meeting Gu Shaojun in the South during the summer break was something they had planned together. They hadn’t let anything slip when they talked on the phone, only using code words, but he had still figured it out. "Dad, how did you know? You were just guessing, right?"

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