Time slowly moved forward.
After Mei Xue left, Old Gao, who had been following behind Gu Yan, resumed his duties as a driver.
Gu Yan sat in the back, his eyes filled with a mischievous gleam.
Mei Xue should have met her brother by now, right?
But she probably wouldn't recognize him, after all, the person called Deng Feng was still a weak and useless waste at the moment.
Gu Yan's mind flashed back to the scene of his first meeting with this Deng Feng.
The other party had a timid appearance and told him that Leng Ling'er had gone to the city to sing.
It could only be called fate.
Gu Yan smiled softly. If he wasn't mistaken, Deng Feng would soon be noticed by the people of Black Tortoise Gate and taught their techniques.
From then on, he would open the door to the path of cultivation.
He would also become one of the main character's team's fighting forces, accompanying the protagonist and becoming his unbreakable shield.
However...
Gu Yan's mind flashed to that timid love and admiration the other had for Leng Ling'er, and he sneered disdainfully.
What a pity. If it were the female lead, it would be fine. He could use his own charm to make her despise the protagonist and thus not provide him with help.
But for a male supporting character... Sorry, he neither had a preference for men nor any intention of having someone close to him restrain the other party.
Not to mention, Deng Feng was a key factor in Mei Xue's betrayal later on.
A cold light flashed in Gu Yan's eyes. Although he was sorry, but... you have no choice but to die, Deng Feng.
Old Gao was driving the car. Seeing that his young master seemed to have come out of his contemplative state, he spoke up, "Young Master, I've completed the investigation on the Yan Xing Group."
"This enterprise is ostensibly a charitable real estate company that frequently donates, but behind the scenes, it colludes with many local criminal forces."
"They specifically let those thugs and hooligans regularly threaten other real estate companies and building material companies."
"They even use some unsavory methods to obtain certain well-located properties."
"There have also been many safety accidents at construction sites, causing numerous casualties, but unfortunately, these incidents can't appear on the internet."
"The families of the deceased have repeatedly demanded explanations, but to no avail."
"Let alone compensation, they can't even get an apology. Many families of those who died due to safety accidents or were implicated by criminal forces chose to commit suicide after seeing no hope."
"And according to our investigation."
"Although more than half of the buildings in Jianghai City were built by this real estate company, there are... also a large number of unfinished buildings."
"Some people bought houses built by them, watching with hope every day as the buildings were constructed floor by floor, expecting to move in one day."
"Then they became desperate about life when construction stopped and the buildings were left unfinished."
"Even after repeatedly asking for explanations, it was completely useless. Some people were even beaten severely and hospitalized when they tried to seek explanations."
At this point, Old Gao could no longer suppress his anger.
He said through gritted teeth, "Young Master... The reason why the Yan Xing Group can be so lawless is because they also have martial artists among them! And they're also related to..."
Before he could finish, Gu Yan interrupted, "Alright, I understand."
Although he already knew about these dirty deeds of the Yan Xing Group, hearing about them again still felt incredibly absurd.
The reason they had such confidence and resources was actually because of the King of Hell Palace, which had close connections with a certain person in power in the Special Action Investigation Department.
That's why they could act so lawlessly in Jianghai City.
If he wasn't mistaken, the only one who could do such things should be Yan Huang, the master of the King of Hell Palace.
Old Gao calmed down a bit. He seemed to think of something and said, "Young Master, there's one more thing to report."
"The Yan Xing Group is hosting a banquet and has invited our Gu family. The master intends to send you there."
"It's a good opportunity to get to know the younger generation of the Yan Xing Group. The mistress reminded you to be polite and greet the elders."
A banquet?
Gu Yan was stunned, feeling a bit puzzled: "Why are they suddenly hosting a banquet?"
Old Gao hesitated upon hearing this and said, "It's said that... Yan Huang, the main controller of the Yan Xing Group... is about to die from illness."
"This banquet is actually to select the next successor."
?
Dying from illness?
Gu Yan was stunned. Wait, does that mean Yan Huang is about to die??
Huh? That's not right?
In the original story, he was still alive and kicking.
If he died, how would he clash with the protagonist Xiao Lin?
Gu Yan felt something was strange and a guess arose in his mind. Could it be that Leng Qingqiu's ability could even bring people back to life or extend their lifespan??
But it wasn't mentioned in the story, and if it wasn't mentioned, doesn't that mean it doesn't exist?
Gu Yan had a bit of a headache. These matters kept piling up one after another.
Most importantly, they were completely different from what he remembered.
Sigh.
Well, let's take it one step at a time.
"When is it? I'll attend."
Gu Yan rubbed his brow.
"The day after tomorrow afternoon."
The day after tomorrow, huh...
Gu Yan nodded.
Just then.
Ding dong~
His phone notification sounded.
Gu Yan picked it up and saw it was a message from someone he hadn't contacted in a long time.
[Are you there?]
He had already guessed this person would contact him, so he directly dialed the number.
It was answered almost instantly.
Gu Yan smiled lightly and deliberately asked, "Hello? Sister Yingyin, why did you suddenly think of messaging me? Shouldn't you be busy convicting Xiao Lin right now?"
A voice immediately came from the other end of the phone.
"Gu Yan? Where are you now?"
"I've... encountered some unexpected issues on my end."
On Chen Yingyin's side, she had changed into casual clothes at home. Hearing Gu Yan's words, her eyes also revealed a hint of unwillingness.
Damn it... Xiao Lin, no matter what your identity is, I must arrest you!
"Oh... I'm at... Never mind, I'll come find you directly."
Gu Yan looked and saw that his current location was also very close to Chen Yingyin's home, so he changed his words.
"That's fine too. I have something very important to tell you. Call me when you arrive."
Click, the call ended.
Gu Yan put away his phone with a smile, his eyes revealing a mysterious meaning.
Hmm, let me think, regarding Chen Yingyin's plot point, it should be that incident, right...
Oh... It seems that incident was also orchestrated by someone from the King of Hell Palace.
No matter how you look at it, it all comes back to the King of Hell Palace? As expected of the early-stage antagonist.
But besides Chen Yingyin, there's also Wang Yulan. Her storyline is coming up soon too. The Dragon King Palace as well. I need to get my hands on the half jade pendant quickly. There's also Mei Xue's situation. Both she and her brother are unstable factors. And Shen Wan'er too. She's the most crucial and hidden step.
These are all existences that will threaten Leng Qingqiu in the future.
I must eliminate them all. If I miss even one, the predetermined tragedy might still occur.
I don't want Leng Qingqiu to die, and I don't want to die either. I want to live together with Leng Qingqiu...
Even if it means more people have to die, it doesn't matter. As long as the people around me don't die, it's fine.
As for the rest... it doesn't matter how dirty my methods are or how much of a scumbag I become.
I need to hurry. The next plot point...
Gu Yan felt a sense of urgency in his heart. The plot had already become somewhat different from what he knew. He needed to quickly resolve the known threats before everything became unrecognizable.
Otherwise, his family, Qingqiu, and himself might all die.
Old Gao was driving the car. He saw the contemplative Gu Yan through the rearview mirror.
He felt a bit worried in his heart.
The young master seemed to have changed a lot, becoming more mature and steady, but... for some reason, Old Gao felt that his young master was like a person bearing something very, very heavy alone.
After thinking for a moment, he still decided to interrupt Gu Yan's train of thought: "Young Master... Although I'm not the master or mistress, it might not be appropriate for me to say this, but I still want to say something."
"Young Master, the Gu family is very powerful. You can occasionally rely on the family's strength, after all... you are the young master of the Gu family."
Gu Yan, who had come back to his senses, was stunned. He looked at Old Gao, and as he looked, he couldn't help but reveal a smile.
"Thank you, Old Gao. You're right."
Gu Yan took a deep breath, allowing himself to relax slightly and reining in his agitated state of mind.
Right, the Gu family. How could I have forgotten about them?
The main reason for the Gu family's downfall and destruction was, in fact, due to the combined assault led by the protagonist Xiao Lin and all his forces.
That's why they fell into ruin.
But let's not forget.
The Gu family has Old Gao, a master-level bodyguard, and their underlying strength is certainly not to be underestimated.
If that's the case, then he had a new line of thought.
Suddenly, everything became clear, making Gu Yan feel that the pressure in his heart had also lessened considerably.
When in doubt, find a powerful backer!
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
