Gift, Clue to Withered Wood Dragon's Roar

Sun Baichuan felt worse than if he'd eaten a dead fly.

He had previously exaggerated his complaint to Hu Qingyun, hoping his godfather would back him up.

Who would have thought that because of this Dragon Turtle matter, his biggest backer would actually betray him!

What was the point of playing this game anymore?!

Sun Baichuan looked utterly defeated. With a thump, he knelt on the ground and bowed his head to Gu Cheng in a full prostration, saying:

"Brother Cheng, I know I was wrong."

"..."

Gu Cheng glanced at the kneeling captain in black, then opened the jade box in his hand.

Chh—

A wave of scorching demonic aura instantly spread out, causing the temperature of the small courtyard to rise sharply.

Gu Cheng looked closely and saw that the jade box contained a demonic core the size of an egg, from the Innate Realm!

It was crimson all over, emitting a dark red demonic aura like flames, vaguely forming the phantom image of a fiery strange bird.

Judging by the intensity of the demonic aura contained within this crimson demonic core, the strength of the fiery strange bird in its life was no less than that of the Azure Water Demon Ape.

"What a treasure!"

Gu Cheng's heart rejoiced. He closed the lid of the jade box and put it into his storage pouch.

Then, with a smile, he helped Sun Baichuan, who was still prostrating, up with both hands.

The feud between them was considered settled.

Hu Qingyun pulled his godson behind him, cupped his fists towards Gu Cheng, and said seriously:

"Young Hero Gu, my family has quite a bit of foundation in Tianshui City. With the talent and potential you've shown, you'll definitely receive strong support and ample resources from the Demon Suppression Bureau for your cultivation. However, if you have any material needs in the future, I will do my utmost to satisfy your requests!"

"Kid Gu, don't you dare be polite with this old fox!"

Xu Wenying chuckled and added fuel to the fire from the side.

"Their old Hu family is one of the top wealthy families in Tianshui City. Many shops, restaurants, casinos, and auction houses in Tianshui City are their family's businesses. They have more money than they could spend in several lifetimes. If there's any treasure you want, or if you want to have a blast at the casino, just ask him. Go ahead and bleed this rich dog dry!"

"You old geezer who owes money, get lost!"

Hu Qingyun glared fiercely at his old friend, then smiled at Gu Cheng, tacitly acknowledging the latter's statement.

A treasure I want?

Gu Cheng's eyes flickered at the mention of it. He cupped his fists towards the refined man and said, "Lord Hu, I actually do have a treasure that I'd like to ask for your help in finding."

"Oh? Speak freely!"

Hu Qingyun waved his hand grandly, his tone quite domineering.

"It's an ancient zither that's quite old. It's said that not long ago, it appeared at an auction house in Tianshui City..."

Gu Cheng nodded and added, "The name of that ancient zither is—Withered Wood Dragon's Roar."

"Withered Wood Dragon's Roar?!"

Upon hearing this, the other four people in the courtyard immediately showed strange expressions, looking at Gu Cheng with peculiar eyes.

"???"

Gu Cheng frowned, about to ask.

"Heh, I really didn't expect you, kid, to be into that kind of thing?"

Xu Wenying sized Gu Cheng up and down, his expression immediately turning serious. He earnestly advised, "However... Kid Gu, beauty is like a steel knife that scrapes bone. Don't let your obsession with women delay your cultivation."

"Alright, you old fellow, stop worrying unnecessarily. It's normal for a prodigy like Young Hero Gu to be a bit romantic in his youth."

Hu Qingyun retorted to his old friend, cupped his fists towards Gu Cheng, and said, "Young Hero Gu, please rest assured. Within a month, I will personally deliver that 'Withered Wood Dragon's Roar' to you."

After saying that, the three of them turned and left, leaving someone standing in the spot, completely bewildered.

"Strange, did they misunderstand something? How did Withered Wood Dragon's Roar get related to being obsessed with women?"

Gu Cheng was completely baffled. He then turned to look at the one-armed swordsman beside him.

Cao Jianxin instantly understood. After a moment of thought, he explained softly:

"Brother Gu, do you remember the Tianyin girl from Spring Breeze Tower I mentioned before?"

"The courtesan who is skilled in music?" Gu Cheng frowned slightly.

"What? Does she have any connection to this Withered Wood Dragon's Roar zither?"

"Of course, there's a connection."

Cao Jianxin nodded and continued:

"Legend has it that this ancient zither, 'Withered Wood Dragon's Roar,' was the ancestral heirloom of the Tianyin girl.

Unfortunately, her family later declined, and she was forced to sell herself. The ancient zither then disappeared without a trace."

"Tianyin girl has been trying to retrieve this ancient zither. For this, she once offered a reward:

Whoever can bring back the Withered Wood Dragon's Roar for her can become her honored guest and spend a pleasant night with her..."

After speaking, Cao Jianxin glanced at Gu Cheng, secretly chuckling to himself.

If he hadn't known that the other party was truly a master of the zither and that it was normal for him to collect famous zithers, he might have jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"..."

Gu Cheng was speechless.

Well, no wonder the expressions of the few people just now were so strange.

So they thought he was just an old lecher trying to win the favor of a courtesan...

But speaking of which.

If the Withered Wood Dragon's Roar was truly the Tianyin girl's ancestral heirloom.

Doesn't that mean that the courtesan's ancestor once produced a rather prominent Spirit Refinement expert?

Three days later.

Tianshui City Demon Suppression Bureau, mess hall.

Gu Cheng sat alone in a corner seat, quietly enjoying his meal.

The Demon Suppression Bureau's welfare and benefits had always been good. He could eat for free at the Changle County branch, and the situation was even more exaggerated at the Tianshui City headquarters.

Not only could he feast on meat and fish as he pleased, but there were also occasionally limited supplies of medicinal cuisine specifically prepared for martial artists.

It was already afternoon, and there weren't many people in the mess hall. Most were gathered in twos and threes, quietly discussing major recent events within the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Gu Cheng listened with one ear while enjoying the medicinal cuisine, and he managed to pick up quite a bit of gossip...

"Hey, you guys think the Blood Blade Sect is going to make a comeback?"

A cadet in black robes lowered his voice and whispered to his colleagues at the same table:

"Why are all the investigation missions on the External Affairs Hall's mission board recently related to the demonic cultivators of the Blood Blade Sect?"

"Heh, isn't that obvious? The Blood Blade Sect's demonic techniques are so special. As long as they're willing to kill people and absorb their blood, they can get stronger quickly.

For those jianghu martial artists without a strong foundation, not many can resist such temptation.

A cadet with a large beard chimed in:

"But don't worry, ever since their former sect master, who was in the Spirit Sea Realm, died, the Blood Blade Sect has been unable to gain any traction. Now, they're just a few annoying cockroaches."

"Our Demon Suppression Bureau's number one enemy right now is still the Flood Dragon Palace in the Tianshui River!"

Hearing this, several other cadets in black robes nodded frequently in agreement.

"Yeah, those damned long creatures have started to get restless again recently."

"I heard that a few days ago, several Innate Realm flood dragons suddenly appeared in Baihe County. They summoned rain and stirred up trouble, attempting to flood the county town!"

"Fortunately, the Demon Suppression Bureau was prepared for this and secretly dispatched Commander Xu to guard the area, driving away those flood dragons in time. Otherwise, Baihe County would probably have become a waterlogged land by now!"

"Hey? You guys think... these flood dragons suddenly attacking Baihe County might be to avenge that Dragon Turtle from a few days ago?"

"..."

Gu Cheng's chewing motion suddenly paused.

Because they didn't dare to cause trouble in Tianshui City, they chose to vent their anger on the nearby common people?

These beasts are really asking for death more and more...

A cold glint flashed in Gu Cheng's eyes, and his curiosity about the taste of "flood dragon meat" grew even stronger.