Fifteen properties!!
At Zhou City's housing prices, each was worth at least three million, bringing the total easily above forty or fifty million.
Faced with the old man's generous gift, Gu Chen merely waved a hand, pocketed the bank card, and said calmly, "I only need cash right now, so there's no need for the properties. Thank you again, sir."
The old man's gaze trembled slightly. What surprised him was not only that Gu Chen had turned down the properties, but also how calm and composed he was in the face of such enormous wealth. Though Gu Chen looked as young as a high school student, his temperament was far beyond that of ordinary people. Even with the bank card in hand, his expression had not so much as flickered when he heard how many properties there were.
On second thought, the old man understood. Indeed, only someone with such a temperament was worthy of Gu Chen's strength.
"I heard you're planning to leave Zhou City?" Gu Chen asked.
"Yes."
The old man answered, a trace of nostalgia flashing in his eyes. "I'm not from Zhou City. I only came back this time to purchase Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains and pay my respects to an old friend while I was here."
Gu Chen was silent for a moment, then said, "Write down the cultivation technique this afternoon and send someone to deliver it. I'll give you an address and a phone number."
"Hmm?" The old man was taken aback. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was nearly noon, so he offered, "Mr. Gu, why don't you stay for a meal?"
Gu Chen refused without hesitation. "No, I have things to do. I'll take my leave."
Seeing this, the old man did not press him. With a wry laugh, he instructed Wang Hu to drive their guest home.
But Gu Chen turned down the private ride and insisted on taking the bus back. He did not want to draw too much attention.
The old man's health made it inconvenient for him to see Gu Chen off, so he had Wang Hu escort him to the door. He stood on the third-floor balcony himself, watching Gu Chen board the bus and gradually disappear into the distance.
"Grandpa!"
Just then, Hua Yumo came to the old man's side and called out softly.
Though she had not been seriously injured when she fought Gu Chen earlier, she had suffered quite a fright. After a short rest to recuperate, she had now recovered.
"Are you all right?" the old man asked, turning to look at his granddaughter.
Hua Yumo nodded, then looked her grandfather up and down. Surprised to see that his complexion had improved considerably, she could not help asking, "Grandpa, you look much better. Was what that kid said true? Were your meridians really blocked? And has he already cured you?"
The old man let out a long sigh and said with deep emotion, "Mr. Gu truly has great wisdom and courage! Yumo, you must remember this: beyond the strong, there are always stronger hands; behind the capable, there are always more capable people. If Mr. Gu hadn't been so magnanimous today, even I would have had difficulty keeping you safe."
"He's even stronger than you, Grandpa?" Hua Yumo was a little unconvinced. Her grandfather was a Late Bone-Forge Realm martial artist, after all!
"I've already reached the peak of the Bone-Forge Realm now." The old man was radiant, though his words carried a hint of envy and regret. "If I hadn't been seriously injured in the past, I should have reached the Grandmaster Realm long ago... As for Mr. Gu, I reckon he has already reached the Grandmaster Realm!"
"The Grandmaster Realm?!" Hua Yumo was shocked once again.
Martial artists' cultivation was divided into the Initiation Realm, the Bone-Forge Realm, and the Revolving Illumination Realm. The Revolving Illumination Realm was also known as the Grandmaster Realm, the pinnacle of martial cultivation. Even her senior, who was renowned throughout Huaxia, had only reached the Revolving Illumination Realm!
"Indeed, he truly is a young grandmaster!" The old man was filled with emotion, revealing a hint of helplessness before the passing years. "Every age brings forth talented people, each holding sway for centuries! Yumo, you must take today's lesson deeply to heart. Also, you must spend more time with Mr. Gu in the future. With talent like his, his name is bound to spread throughout Huaxia, and his might will shake all four corners! Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
Hua Yumo lowered her head, her beautiful eyes shimmering with a succession of strange lights. No one knew what she was pondering.
The old man was an extraordinarily proud man. In all of Huaxia, those who had earned such praise from him could be counted on one hand!
Meanwhile, after a half-hour bus ride that rattled him all the way, Gu Chen returned home. As soon as he entered, he heard his father, Gu Beichi, shouting in the room. He frowned and pushed the door open.
"You're back?"
When Gu Beichi saw Gu Chen, he forced a smile onto his troubled face.
"Dad, what happened?" Gu Chen keenly sensed that something was wrong.
"Nothing." Gu Beichi stepped forward and put an arm around Gu Chen. "Your exam was today, right? Come on, let's eat first."
"I've already finished the exam." Gu Chen shook his head and looked firmly at his father. "Dad, tell me what happened first. Did Xu Zhongwen make a move against you?"
Gu Beichi was just about to say, "It's nothing," when Gu Chen cut him off. "Dad, the two of us were driven out by Gu Changfeng and came to Zhou City with nothing. Shouldn't we be honest with each other and support each other?"
Gu Chen took a deep breath and continued, "I don't want you to bear all the pressure alone. It's precisely because you've been too busy and under so much pressure lately that you nearly fell for Xu Zhongwen's scheme yesterday. Dad, I'm grown up now, and I can help shoulder the burden, but you have to tell me the truth!"
Gu Beichi's body jolted. His expression changed several times before he finally sat down on the sofa and held his head in his hands. "The company's trucks have been impounded."
"What trucks?" Gu Chen's eyes narrowed.
"Six freight trucks, all of them impounded!" Gu Beichi scratched his head in distress, frantic with worry. "Now all transport has come to a complete standstill, and the drivers and employees have been detained too. Worse still, shortly after I left the company at noon today, I got word that someone had smashed the place up!"
"Was it Xu Zhongwen?" Gu Chen's voice was icy.
"Who else but that bastard?" Gu Beichi said through gritted teeth. "The trucks weren't impounded in Zhou City, but at a toll ramp on the road from Zhou City to Su City. They have all the proper paperwork. I just made a few calls, but there's nothing anyone can do. Even if there's nothing wrong with the trucks, it'll take five days. A small company like ours can't afford to wait. We could lose hundreds of thousands every day!"
Gu Chen let out a heavy breath.
"That's not all!" Gu Beichi continued. "During my six months in Zhou City, I'd cultivated a lot of connections. But that guy Gu Changfeng deliberately spread word that we'd been driven out of the Gu Family and were no longer under its protection. So within a month, many of our business partners started keeping their distance, though they didn't cancel their contracts. But this morning, three or four of them came one after another, wanting to discuss raising prices or terminating their contracts with me. The losses would be in the millions, or even over ten million! They can use the impounded trucks as leverage under the contracts. If we have to pay breach-of-contract penalties, the company will definitely collapse!"
The attack on the company, the losses from the impounded trucks, and the partners terminating their contracts-this string of blows had nearly driven Gu Beichi to collapse. They currently had only a little over twenty million in assets they could draw on. Once they paid compensation, not only would the money be gone, but the company would also go under!
"Ruthless, far too ruthless!" Gu Chen was beside himself with rage. "That guy Xu Zhongwen failed to trap Dad yesterday, so he flew into a rage out of humiliation and resorted to such underhanded tactics!"