Cutting Throats

Gu Chen's parents had died early, but he had, after all, been one of the heirs to the Gu family patriarch. They had left behind no small amount of cultivation resources.

Now, those cultivation resources were being "safeguarded" by Gu Zhengchun and his wife!

Once Gu Chen came of age, he would be able to reclaim his inheritance.

Yet Gu Zhengchun and his wife had long since diverted that inheritance toward their own son's cultivation. They had no intention of loosening their jaws around such a fat piece of meat.

"Then what do we do? Feng'er needs plenty of resources to cultivate at the Cangshan Sword Sect. We can't just let that little bastard Gu Chen benefit for nothing, can we?" Liu Caiyun's face twisted viciously, leaving no trace of the warm kindness she had shown before.

The Feng'er she spoke of was their biological son, Gu Feng!

"Good thing we fooled that little wench Gu Youwei ahead of time and had her name changed in the family register."

Gu Zhengchun laughed smugly, seemingly delighted by his own cleverness.

"But what do we want that little wench for? We won't let her cultivate, yet we still have to feed and house her well. What a waste of food!"

Liu Caiyun looked thoroughly disgusted.

"What do you know? Once that little wench grows a bit older, we'll send her into the Cangshan Sword Sect to pave the way for Feng'er. Those elders love little girls like her most." Gu Zhengchun sneered.

"Then what about that little bastard Gu Chen? How about..."

Liu Caiyun made a throat-slitting gesture, murderous intent gleaming in her eyes.

"That's the worst possible option. So what if Gu Chen has seen through our schemes? He can't truly abandon his sister, can he?"

"Gu Youwei only listens to us now. If Gu Chen refuses to obediently give up that inheritance, we'll make Gu Youwei truly cut ties with him!" Gu Zhengchun said sinisterly.

"That's a good plan! What a brilliant scheme!"

Liu Caiyun was instantly overjoyed.

Gu Chen had already returned to his room.

If he had known of Gu Zhengchun and his wife's scheme, he would have scoffed at it outright.

Because they had used this very method in his previous life.

For Gu Youwei's sake, to free her from the couple's clutches, Gu Chen had truly agreed to give up that inheritance and had brought Gu Youwei to struggle for survival in East Desolation Commandery.

Yet Gu Youwei had believed that Gu Chen had done it deliberately, deliberately preventing her from acknowledging her parents, and her heart had filled with resentment.

Gu Chen could not help laughing. Since Gu Youwei wanted to throw herself into the fire pit, why should he stop her?

What was more, he would be quite happy to give her two kicks on the way down.

"In the end, strength reigns supreme. Before true power, all schemes and tricks are nothing but illusions!"

Gu Chen calmed his mind and began cultivating.

In this world, cultivation had its own established system. The first four realms were Body Tempering, Innate, Mystic Astral, and Foundation Establishment.

The Body Tempering Realm had ten levels. It involved drawing spiritual energy into one's sea of qi, scouring the meridians, cleansing marrow and cutting hair, shedding the mortal flesh from then on, and stepping onto the path of cultivation.

In his previous life, because he had needed to look after Gu Youwei, Gu Chen's foundation in the Body Tempering Realm had been unstable. Though he had later reinforced it with countless secret arts, a faint flaw had remained in the end.

This time, Gu Chen was determined to forge an unrivaled foundation for himself with all his heart!

If resources were lacking, then his cultivation technique would make up the difference!

Gu Chen no longer thought much of the Gu family's inherited cultivation technique. This time, he decided to cultivate the Primordial Celestial Scripture from his previous life directly!

He closed his eyes and focused, absorbing spiritual energy according to the technique.

Boom!

A terrifying, vast aura emerged from Gu Chen's body. Spiritual energy between heaven and earth was swallowed into his dantian and sea of qi as though he were drinking down a whale and gulping an ox.

The immense spiritual energy surged through his meridians like a rushing river, and his mortal body steadily rose in realm!

Body Tempering Realm, First Level!

Body Tempering Realm, Second Level!

Body Tempering Realm, Third Level!

Only upon reaching the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm did Gu Chen voluntarily withdraw from cultivation.

It was not that Gu Chen could not break through to the tenth level in one go. It was simply not enough!

"Suppress!"

Gu Chen gave a low shout. His cultivation at the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm receded like a tide, falling level by level until it dropped all the way to the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm!

Such cultivation was not conspicuous in East Desolation Commandery, nor even within the Gu family.

But Gu Chen's foundation had been tempered to a terrifying extent. While others were built from green bricks and clay tiles, he was forged from diamond bedrock.

Cultivation knew no years. In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.

"Father, Mother, your daughter has already broken through to the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm! Isn't your daughter's talent amazing?"

When Gu Chen entered the main hall again, he heard Gu Youwei boasting without restraint about her cultivation before Gu Zhengchun and Liu Caiyun.

Gu Zhengchun was so startled that the tea in his hand nearly spilled.

Absolutely no one in the Gu family had taught Gu Youwei cultivation. How had this little girl gone from an ordinary mortal to a cultivator at the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm in just a few days?

Even his own biological son, Gu Feng, had needed an entire year to cultivate to this point.

This little girl was far too frightening. If she were allowed to grow, who knew what would happen?

Gu Zhengchun and Liu Caiyun exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with deep wariness.

Gu Chen sneered inwardly. Only Gu Youwei was blind in both eyes and heart, utterly unable to see it.

"Daughter, cultivation is so exhausting. Wouldn't it be better for you to simply be our daughter in peace? Also, how did you cultivate? How did you advance so quickly?" Liu Caiyun probed indirectly.

Naturally, Gu Youwei did not dare reveal that she had lived another life. Her gaze darted about as she evasively said, "I just cultivated like that, and I didn't cultivate any technique at all."

How could such a clumsy lie escape the eyes of two old foxes like Gu Zhengchun and Liu Caiyun?

In their eyes, Gu Youwei had developed ulterior motives!

Gu Chen strode into the main hall. "The three days are up. Uncle and Aunt, can you return the inheritance my parents left me now?"

"Gu Chen, you have only just come of age. If you keep this inheritance yourself, I'm afraid others may harm you!" Gu Zhengchun put on an act of having Gu Chen's best interests at heart.

"There's no need. They were things my parents left me, after all. It would not be proper for them to remain in someone else's hands." Gu Chen was firm.

Gu Zhengchun's face darkened. Gu Chen's refusal to yield to either soft or hard tactics greatly irritated him!

"Fine, then. Come with me!"

Gu Zhengchun rose and led Gu Chen into the rear courtyard, while Liu Caiyun kept Gu Youwei behind.

Only after confirming that no one else was nearby did Gu Zhengchun finally shed his hypocritical facade. His eyes turned icy. "Gu Chen, I'm afraid you won't be getting that inheritance!"

"What? You finally can't keep pretending?"

Gu Chen sneered.

Gu Zhengchun spoke with complete confidence. "Gu Chen, although I don't know how you saw through our scheme, your sister is in my hands now. Do you believe that one word from me can make you two siblings completely turn against each other?"

"Do I have a sister? Why isn't she listed in the family register?"

"Hmph, Gu Chen, stop pretending. Everyone knows that you have doted on this sister of yours since childhood. Give up the inheritance, and I can let you two siblings leave!"

Gu Zhengchun simply did not believe Gu Chen was as calm as he appeared.

"Uncle, you're trying to steal what my parents left behind."

A cold light flickered in Gu Chen's eyes.

"So what if I am? Can you do anything about it?"

Bang!

Just as Gu Zhengchun was feeling smug, Gu Chen flashed before him and smashed a fist into his face.

"You damned little bastard, you really dare to attack me! I'll beat you to death today!"

Gu Zhengchun was wracked by pain and rage. He raised his hand, intending to strike Gu Chen's crown.

Though he had spent these many years living in luxury and neglecting cultivation, he still possessed Innate Realm cultivation, even if he was among the weakest of its practitioners.

Smack!

The next instant, Gu Chen struck after him yet arrived first. One kick landed squarely on Gu Zhengchun's chest, sending him flying backward into the wall. He crashed against it heavily, then slid limply to the ground.

Just as he struggled to rise, Gu Chen planted a foot on his chest, leaving him unable to move.

Gu Chen looked down at Gu Zhengchun from above and said coldly, "Do you still enjoy stealing other people's things?"

"Y-you... what are you trying to do? I'm warning you, don't do anything reckless..."

Gu Zhengchun trembled all over in terror.

Had he known Gu Chen was this formidable, he would not have dared speak so boldly even if beaten to death.