The Old Man Has Lost His Mind!

Clatter...!

In the canyon beneath the night sky.

A column of cavalry clad in black armor, weapons in hand and armed to the teeth, surged in like a torrent.

They moved without a word, the only sounds the scrape of armor, the pounding of hooves, and the wind whistling past their speeding bodies.

In the blink of an eye, the cavalry charged onto the battlefield.

"It's the Imperial Guard! Retreat!"

The four black-clad experts fighting the Blood Tiger Guard gave the order immediately.

Without hesitation, they fled toward the dense woods on either side.

The other black-clad attackers immediately abandoned the fight and scattered.

Then the black-armored cavalry accelerated, sweeping around both sides of the canyon to encircle them.

Many attackers attempting to break through were riddled like hornets' nests by a flurry of spears, trampled into pulp beneath warhorses, or cut down on the spot...

There were quite a few skilled martial artists among the black-clad attackers.

But facing the charging armored battle formation of the Tiger Guard cavalry-the military elite responsible for safeguarding the Imperial Capital and its surroundings-

They had no chance to resist. It became a one-sided slaughter.

In barely a dozen breaths, the Tiger Guard cavalry had taken control of the battlefield.

Aside from the four Source Sea Realm martial artists, almost none of the black-clad attackers escaped.

They were either killed outright, severely wounded, or captured alive.

Meanwhile, behind the troops.

A graceful figure in crimson armor rode a black horse swiftly forward, her cloak billowing like flames.

Gu Yanshuang leaped from her horse and landed before Gu Chenfeng, her face unable to conceal her anxious concern.

"Chenfeng, are you all..."

The words caught in her throat.

She looked at Gu Chenfeng, battle-axe in hand, severed limbs strewn around him. He stood like a god descended from heaven, surrounded by guards from the Prime Minister's Residence who gazed at him in worship.

Gu Yanshuang was somewhat dumbfounded.

A moment later, a figure in gray robes and a bamboo hat appeared.

He was the Blood Tiger Guard who had fought the four Source Sea Realm experts earlier.

"Young miss! Young master!"

The man's voice was hoarse, but he did not sound particularly old. He was probably middle-aged.

"Ding Si, have you determined who the enemies were?"

The gray-robed man answered, "Two groups attacked us tonight.

"The first group's strength was nothing remarkable. They seemed to come from a Jianghu Sect.

"The second group consisted entirely of well-trained death sworn warriors. Their fighting styles had no distinctive patterns, and they carried no identifying marks.

"Moreover, they took poison beforehand."

Gu Yanshuang swept her gaze over the survivors. Sure enough, some were already succumbing, vomiting black blood.

These men had taken poison before setting out. Only by completing their mission and returning could they receive the antidote.

That way, if their mission failed, they would die from the poison, with no fear of leaving anyone alive to confess.

"What we can confirm is that both groups were after the young master."

A chilling gleam flashed through Gu Yanshuang's eyes.

"Bring them all back, dead or alive. This matter is far from over!"

A short while later.

Inside the carriage returning to the city.

Gu Chenfeng felt unsettled beneath Gu Yanshuang's lingering gaze from the seat opposite him.

Unable to help himself, he spoke first.

"Big sister, how did you get here so quickly?"

"I was worried when you left the Imperial Capital, so I sent people to follow your party.

"The moment the attack began in the canyon, someone fired a signal flare, and I brought the troops over.

"But it seems my coming was rather unnecessary."

Still clad in crimson battle armor, Gu Yanshuang's stern face now held a hint of amusement.

A few strands of hair had fallen across one side of her lovely face during her galloping ride.

Unwittingly, they lent her a touch of captivating charm that left Gu Chenfeng staring.

"Big sister, you actually look even prettier in uniform!"

Gu Yanshuang did not fall for that at all.

"Don't try that on me. When did you start cultivating in secret?

"How far have you gotten? Why did you hide it from me?"

Faced with his big sister's lethal three-question barrage, Gu Chenfeng smiled bitterly inwardly.

This moment had finally arrived, but he was prepared.

"Big sister, weren't you the one who gave me the Iron Elephant Art and the Tiger-Subduing Spear Technique?"

Gu Chenfeng asked with an innocent expression.

This time, Gu Yanshuang was the one left stunned. She hesitated for a few seconds.

"You... you're saying you only started cultivating after I gave you those arts and techniques?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Gu Chenfeng nodded obediently.

But Gu Yanshuang's eyes were full of doubt.

Ding Si and the Gu Lineage's guards had already told her about Gu Chenfeng's ferocious performance in the canyon.

Gu Chenfeng alone had killed more than twenty Meridian-Opening Realm martial artists and nearly ten Source Qi Realm martial artists.

Among them had even been a seven-star Source Qi Realm martial artist.

That meant Gu Chenfeng's combat strength had almost reached the level of an eight-star Source Qi Realm martial artist.

Yet even counting generously, it had only been a month since she gave him those cultivation arts and martial techniques.

"Impossible. Even the greatest genius in the Great Li Dynasty couldn't accomplish that in a month.

"Besides, you're practicing external cultivation, which takes even more time to temper your body.

"Are there other secrets you haven't told me?"

Big sister really isn't that easy to fool. Didn't they say big breasts meant no brains?

Gu Chenfeng pretended to think, then recalled.

"Now I remember. When I fell off that cliff a little over a month ago, I happened to find a glowing fruit at the bottom.

"I was hungry then, so I couldn't resist eating it.

"Afterward, I felt much stronger. When I practiced the Iron Elephant Art and the Tiger-Subduing Spear Technique, I picked them up immediately and progressed very quickly."

At his words, Gu Yanshuang's eyes lit up.

"Could you have eaten some heaven-defying heavenly treasure that changed your body's properties?

"And given you a special talent for external cultivation and martial techniques?

"Only something like that could allow someone to improve so dramatically in such a short time!"

To test her theory, Gu Yanshuang seized Gu Chenfeng's wrist.

Gu Chenfeng felt a warm current enter through his wrist and spread throughout his body.

He hurriedly circulated the Heaven-Opening Creation Art in secret, concealing the unusual gray source qi within him.

Otherwise, if his big sister learned that he practiced both internal and external cultivation, it would be far too heaven-defying.

His lie would fall apart as well.

A moment later, the warm current receded, and delighted surprise appeared on Gu Yanshuang's face.

"Your meridians have widened considerably, and your sinews, bones, skin, and membranes have all undergone deep tempering. You really have experienced essence-cleansing marrow-purging!

"It seems that fruit truly was an extraordinary heavenly treasure that transformed and strengthened your physique."

After her delight, Gu Yanshuang felt a little regretful.

"Alas, it's a shame you've taken the body cultivator's path. Its ceiling is too low."

Even at complete mastery of external cultivation, a body cultivator could only rival the peak of the Source Qi Realm.

The end of Gu Chenfeng's cultivation path was almost visible at a glance.

Gu Chenfeng, however, remained optimistic.

"It's all right, big sister. Since I ate that fruit, perhaps my body can break through the limits of body cultivation.

"If nothing else works, I can try internal cultivation once I can no longer improve."

Gu Yanshuang nodded. "True. Receiving such a blessing was already tremendous luck bestowed by heaven. We shouldn't be ungrateful."

Seeing that his big sister finally believed him, Gu Chenfeng changed the subject.

"Big sister, the people who attacked me tonight were probably from the Left Chancellor's faction, right?"

Gu Yanshuang gave a cold snort.

"That's obvious."

"Then why did they want to abduct me instead of killing me?"

Gu Chenfeng remembered that neither group of black-clad attackers had intended to kill him outright.

Instead, they had wanted to take him captive.

"They don't dare kill you."

Gu Yanshuang spoke bluntly.

"Until they know Grandfather's situation for certain, even the Huangfu Lineage wouldn't dare lay a lethal hand on you.

"Otherwise, they'd be declaring all-out war on our Gu Lineage.

"Once Grandfather returns from seclusion, the Left Chancellor's faction would pay a price they couldn't bear."

Gu Chenfeng considered this. "They wanted to kidnap me to force Grandfather to appear and test our Gu Lineage?"

Gu Yanshuang mused, "That's part of it, but they probably have another objective."

"What objective?"

"To exchange you for our Gu Lineage's mineral vein."

"Mineral vein?"

"Our Gu Lineage owns a fine iron mine on the border of Great Wilderness Ridge. The late emperor bestowed it upon us.

"The fine iron vein is of excellent quality, and mining it is one of our Gu Lineage's main sources of income.

"But Grandfather ordered it sealed off a year ago."

"Why?" Gu Chenfeng was quite surprised.

"Because a year ago, an explosion occurred deep within the vein.

"The mine collapsed, killing many miners.

"Later, someone discovered numerous source crystal fragments among the debris at the explosion site.

"Some suspect that a source crystal vein might be hidden deep within the fine iron vein."

Thump!

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing. The road's too bumpy. I lost my balance.

"Big sister, is that... really a source crystal vein?"

Gu Chenfeng's heart pounded wildly.

A single low-grade source crystal could fetch three thousand taels on the market.

His family actually owned a source crystal vein. Didn't that make them rich enough to rival a nation?

Why should I bother refining pills or earning money? Wouldn't it be better to live as a freeloader?

Gu Yanshuang gave no definite answer.

"I don't know. It's all speculation.

"After the mine collapsed, Grandfather ordered it sealed off and decided to suspend mining."

"Ah, the old man has lost his mind!"