Chapter 159 Heart-to-Heart

"Actually, the Old Master isn't as scary as they say."

After dinner, Li Qingsui politely bid farewell and left with Uncle Gao in a car. Luo Yu also hurriedly excused himself after taking a call. Lu Nanjin returned to Fenglai Temple to comprehend the intent of the saber.

The villa area regained its tranquility.

Gu Nanfeng and Gu Shen walked along the mountain path. "It's just that Uncle Gao is right. Some people are born with an aura... the Old Master is one of those people."

The Gu family's young master explained softly, "Perhaps it's because he's lived for too long. He has a very strong murderous aura, something left over from the last century. Judging by his age, he's even older than Mr. Shu, a true antique. He personally witnessed and experienced the drastic changes in the history of the Five Continents. Before the [Deep Sea] was even established, the Old Master was already the man in charge of Nagano. I heard that during the war sixty years ago, he single-handedly defended an entire stronghold with a source-energy grenade launcher."

This sounded incredibly mighty.

Completely out of place with the current environment.

The mountain breeze caressed their faces.

The sound of flowing water entered their ears.

Stars dotted the sky, hidden among the swaying leaves of the forest.

Gu Shen imagined the Old Master in his youth, bare-chested, draped in a string of bullets, and carrying a grenade launcher on his shoulder. He clicked his tongue in admiration, "The Old Master was so fierce when he was young... it must have hurt a lot to be hit by him, right?"

Gu Nanfeng smiled. "I've never been hit by him. I was born in the best of times. Back then, the old and new factions hadn't split yet, and Lord Shenzu was already standing at the peak of the world. He dedicated everything to humanity, never marrying or having children, so the Old Master has always hoped for the Gu family's bloodline to be passed on."

And he was born.

It didn't take much to know that Gu Nanfeng was destined to be showered with love and affection from the moment he was born.

"From a very young age, I lived a life of luxury. Anything I wanted, I could get. Even if I wanted the moon in the sky, the Old Master would send someone to take it down and give it to me."

When he said this, Gu Nanfeng's tone didn't carry any hint of boasting.

On the contrary, it was the most genuine.

"Actually, I don't think there's anything good about such a life." He shrugged and asked with a smile, "Because you can get anything, life is just too boring... isn't it?"

Gu Shen answered sincerely, "To be honest... I really want to say yes, but my experiences don't allow me to."

Gu Nanfeng paused, realizing that Gu Shen's childhood in the files wasn't exactly affluent.

"But I can probably understand," Gu Shen said quietly. "Although I've lived a completely different life from you, I understand the principle you just mentioned from another perspective... When I was very young, I only wanted to be full. After being full, I wanted to be warm. After that, I wanted a big house and a lot of money. But after I had all of these things, I still wanted more. There's no end to human desire. Even if you were born with everything, you'd still want to reach out to places you've never touched before."

"Humans are just like that. Because I had everything, I once wanted to escape Nagano," Gu Nanfeng said with a smile. "My father took me to practice the saber from a very young age. I practiced very hard because I was a descendant who carried the hopes of the Gu family, so I had to be the best at everything. And because Lord Shenzu stood at the peak, I had to reach at least halfway up the mountain. Everything I did symbolized the Gu family's honor. I couldn't fail at anything, I couldn't give up halfway, and I couldn't say that I couldn't do it."

"..."

Gu Shen's eyes flickered slightly.

"You probably know what happened after that," Gu Nanfeng said calmly. "After Lord Shenzu fell into slumber, the Gu family experienced a split, and I left Nagano 'as I wished'."

"After going to North Continent, I gradually began to understand the Old Master's teachings from long ago."

He said in a low voice, "It wasn't just for the Gu family... it was also for myself. He was teaching me how to become a strong enough person."

The bare-bones fortress life in North Continent and the luxurious life of abundance in Nagano were worlds apart.

Perhaps no one expected it.

Eight years later.

The Gu family's young master would become Cn021, a legendary figure in North Continent, and the most admired junior of General Rusty Bones.

"Actually..."

Gu Shen said frankly, "I'm not afraid of meeting the Old Master tomorrow."

"Oh?" This time, Gu Nanfeng was a little surprised.

He smiled and said, "I wanted to comfort you and tell you to relax when you see the Old Master tomorrow and not be so nervous."

Perhaps it was because he had seen Gu Changzhi in the Golden Divine Realm.

Gu Shen didn't feel unfamiliar with the Gu family.

Gu Shen slowly asked, "I'm just a little curious, why does the Old Master suddenly want to see me?"

If it wasn't because of divination, and it wasn't because of Huazhi, then what else could it be?

Gu Shen didn't believe.

That the Old Master just randomly picked someone from Nagano, and then picked him.

"You're a hot commodity now, all five families want to see you."

Gu Nanfeng said, "So... it's not strange that the Old Master wants to see you."

"No... the five families want to see me because I'm an S-rank, and also because I'm the divination successor appointed by Master Chino."

Gu Shen smiled. "Knowing you, if that were the reason, you would have said it directly. There's nothing to hide... Obviously, the Old Master has other reasons."

Gu Nanfeng sighed softly.

He smiled and said, "Are you really that curious?"

"No, no, no..." Gu Shen realized something was wrong and quickly stopped him, smiling, "You'd better not say it... I'll just go see him tomorrow."

Some things are better left understood than explicitly stated.

Perhaps the reason why the Old Master wanted to see him was very simple, so simple that it didn't need to be pointed out...

Just because his surname was Gu.

...

...

The next day's dinner was booked on the top floor of the most luxurious Jiangbei Hotel in Xuejincheng.

The Gu family had reserved the entire floor.

The atmosphere of this old city was completely different from that of the Dadu District, low-key and simple, but that didn't mean it was crude... The two dinner guests were led to their destination by a waiter.

Gu Nanfeng had changed into a formal suit for public occasions. This was the first time he had taken off the "Mist Cloak" given to him by General Rusty Bones. He hadn't worn such clothes in eight years.

Gu Shen's attire wasn't particularly elaborate... It was still the same outfit he had worn before, with a long, Tribunal-style windbreaker like Sister Lu's draped over it.

The main character of today's meeting was Gu Nanfeng, not him.

He was just an invited guest, a visitor.

Most importantly... He had already participated in the meetings of all five families.

The last time someone invited him to dinner, they set the location in a hutong in the old city.

And this time... In the end, it was just that the two of them hadn't seen each other for many years, drinking and reminiscing. Gu Shen didn't expect the Old Master to set the dinner's specifications so high.

They walked winding paths until they reached the private room.

He pushed open the door.

The magnificent and soft lights fell on the round table. The Old Master in a black suit, as the "dinner host," had arrived early, waiting for the "guests" to arrive.

Standing on his left and right sides were two tall, middle-aged men, one with a shaved head and the other wearing a bowler hat, both with a very strong aura.

Gu Shen cautiously scanned them with Scarlet Flame.

These two... were at least fourth-tier transcendent beings above the tenth level of the Deep Sea!

Perhaps... even stronger!

As for that Old Master.

He could only say... Uncle Gao and Fatty Luo weren't lying to him.

He had been mentally prepared for a long time, but after seeing the Old Master in the black suit, Gu Shen still felt immense pressure. His spirit uncontrollably tensed up, and he actually fell into his previous state of extreme calmness.

The time that the pointer swept across seemed to slow down.

"Tsk... someone seems very nervous."

Sensing the changes in Gu Shen's spiritual power.

"Do you need me to plan an escape route?"

Chu Ling asked seemingly considerately, but actually with a faint mockery, "Friendly reminder... if it really comes to that, your chances of escape are infinitely close to 0."

That was the truth...

Gu Shen took a deep breath and said with a wry smile, "Perhaps you can change your thinking. Starting from when I came to Nagano, has there been a safer time than eating this meal? Even if someone outside is carrying a source-energy cannon, they shouldn't be able to break in, right?"

"That makes sense."

Chu Ling used Gu Shen's Scarlet Flame vision to examine the old man in front of him.

She pulled out a file and said slowly, "Gu Qilin, the Gu family's Second Master who has controlled the situation for sixty years, has experienced forty-three wars of various sizes. After the establishment of the Three Bureaus, he served as the chief commander of the command post. The transfer of files for A-level and above transcendent events in Nagano and the entire Jiangbei region requires his permission. Even without the blessing of the Gu family's identity, he still holds a leading position and has a say in the East Continent Council."

[Source Code] doesn't have human emotions, so it naturally doesn't feel afraid.

But Chu Ling's tone still became solemn.

She could feel the old man's unique "aura."

Like a battle-hardened person like the Old Master.

Even after bathing and changing into new clothes, the aura on his body was like a drawn sword, inspiring awe.

"I have a feeling."

Gu Shen said with emotion, "Even if someone crashed a flying艇 here now, the Old Master could withstand it."

"Gu Qilin does have a record of destroying flying艇s by himself, and three of them at that," Chu Ling said. "Of course... that was a long time ago, and current source-energy flying艇s have undergone changes. But I'm sure that if there really is a flying艇 attack, it will be shot down before the collision occurs."

Although the top floor of the hotel was empty.

But this was Nagano!

The Gu family's base camp!

The Old Master and Gu Nanfeng were also top experts who ranked among the best in the Five Continents... Uncoordinated flying艇 attacks were nothing in the face of title-level personal martial power.

"Can you find any information on these two bodyguards?"

Gu Shen asked in a low voice.

"... The war between the new and old factions of the Gu family has lasted for eight years, and they are still wary of each other. The files of important figures have all been encrypted." Chu Ling shook her head and said, "However, I just made a simple estimate and prediction. Their personal strength is not much worse than Han Dang's."

In other words, these two are about the eleventh level?

As expected... Even if the Gu family is divided into two factions, it still has extremely strong hidden strength!

The Old Master waved his hand, and the two "bodyguards" bowed and left.

He gently pressed the table bell.

"Ding-dong!"

Dozens of waiters in small suits poured in like flowing water, carrying plates and entering in single file. In less than a minute, the round table was full of food. The waiters didn't say a word throughout the entire process, and quickly left after serving the dishes.

Soon.

Only three people were left in the huge private room.

The Old Master smiled and gestured to Gu Shen with a friendly invitation: "... Sit."

Gu Shen took a deep breath and sat down nearby.

Gu Nanfeng chose a compromise position... The three people, three directions, formed a three-legged stand, with a rather tense atmosphere of impending turmoil.

This damned silence.

Gu Shen looked up at Gu Nanfeng, signaling with his eyes to say something, anything.

The Gu family's young master noticed Gu Shen's gaze, but only smiled, without any other expression. It seemed he didn't think there was anything wrong with such silence... Gu Nanfeng made the same gesture as the Old Master, and succinctly uttered a single word.

"... Eat."

At the same time, Lan Qie's voice transmission entered his ears.

Gu Nanfeng said gently, "Eat with peace of mind... The Old Master doesn't like to talk about serious matters while eating."

Good lord!

Was this the Gu family's way of treating guests?

So inviting someone to dinner... really just meant inviting someone to dinner!

Since these two "main characters" weren't willing to speak first, then he had nothing to say.

Gu Shen silently began to eat.

...

...

The top floor of the Jiangbei Hotel was silent.

If someone were there, their expression would definitely be very interesting.

This was probably the quietest meal Gu Shen had ever eaten in his life... Every few bites, he would subconsciously look up at the Old Master across from him, who was quietly eating the food on his plate.

The old man lowered his eyes and ate silently, as quiet as a sleeping lion.

"... Really, do we not need to say anything?"

Gu Shen condensed his voice with Scarlet Flame, asking very cautiously.

"I'm done eating."

Gu Nanfeng wiped his lips with a napkin, took the lead in speaking, and broke the silence that was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

The Old Master stopped using his knife and fork, looked up at him.

"Say it... your so-called 'serious matter'."

A deep voice sounded on the round table.

Gu Nanfeng said calmly, "It's very simple."

"I hope that within a month, Nagano and Dadu will hold negotiations. The Gu family, as the representative of the five families, will reach a cooperation with Huazhi, reject the Awakening Act in East Continent, and at the same time, the East Continent Council needs to strongly demand the intervention of the Central Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct an in-depth investigation of the 'Apostle cases' in Dadu and hold Yuan Zhita accountable and punish them."

These words were said in one breath.

Gu Shen's expression looking at Gu Nanfeng could be described as a mixture of astonishment and admiration.

In fact, he had prepared a lot for tonight's dinner... In the spirit world, he and Chu Ling had simulated some of the troubles they might encounter in the "negotiations" and the attitude that the Old Master might take.

But how could there be such "negotiations" in the world?

Without any preamble, and without any room for maneuver.

Straight to the point.

No... This was deep into the bone marrow!

Opening, was a trump card.

"... Do you think it's possible?"

The Old Master narrowed his eyes, leaned back slightly, and rested on the back of his chair.

He didn't reveal any emotions, but said slowly, "Don't say that the Gu family is now divided into two factions. Even during the peak period of the Gu family ten years ago, I couldn't represent the entire Nagano to agree to your request. If I nodded, I would be lying to you. You should be clear that I... don't have the ability to agree to this request."

"As long as you want to, you can have it."

Gu Nanfeng continued, "You only need to reconcile the five families to complete all of this. Almost all of the Jiangbei Group's voting rights are in the hands of the five families. First, persuade the Li family, and then use this as a springboard to win over the Gong and Mu families. Doing this is enough to declare victory. If you're afraid of trouble, I can do these things."

Gu Shen finally understood where the strangeness he had noticed came from.

Yes.

How could there be such a negotiation in this world?

Tonight's dinner wasn't a negotiation at all.

But a heart-to-heart talk between family members.

This was the first collision of two major wills in the Gu family in eight years, and it was a true showdown after the old man and the young man had a deep understanding of each other.

There was no need to beat around the bush.

What Gu Nanfeng was thinking... the Old Master actually knew long ago.

And the so-called eating was just a reason.

And the biggest oddity was... in such a conversation, all of one's background and conditions were no longer important. No matter how great the origin, one should silently close the door and wait outside like those two bodyguards.

But yet, he was able to sit at the dinner table and be a silent, listening glutton.

"As you said... Even if you win over the Li family, the Gong family, and the Mu family, is that really enough?"

The Old Master looked at his grandnephew with a blank expression, "When the balance of Nagano is broken, the other half of the Gu family, and the entire Bai family, will be enough to resist the power you mentioned. At that time, war will break out."

Among the five families, there were strong and weak ones.

Now that the Gu family was divided, it was still strong, but if it was completely separated... if the new and old factions fell into infighting again, after suffering losses, the Gu family would no longer have a "hegemonic position."

And at that time, the Bai family would have the ability to ascend to the top.

"If conflicts arise because of the 'Act'... then a war is inevitable. If not today, then tomorrow."

Gu Nanfeng said calmly, "You were once a terrifying enemy of ten thousand, bathed in blood every day, but now you fear war?"

The old man narrowed his eyes.

This was already a provocative statement, but he still didn't get angry, and said softly, "It is only after experiencing countless wars that one knows the value of peace."

"But what if the Gu family can't merge peacefully?"

Gu Nanfeng said calmly, "Either, split into two halves, and drift further and further apart from then on... Or, reunify by force, fight a battle, and eliminate future troubles forever!"

"That's typical North Continent military thinking."

The Old Master said lightly, "Did you learn it from Rusty Bones? You have to understand that sometimes, a big fist is useless..."

Gu Nanfeng immediately responded, "Think about your nephew."

The Old Master was indeed silent.

"There are always exceptions, and he is that exception." Gu Qilin said slowly, "If your fist can be as big as his, then there would be no need to eat this meal today... When you return to Nagano from North Continent, the new faction's leaders will kneel in the snow and lick your shoes, wagging their tails like dogs."

Gu Shen choked a little halfway through his meal, not expecting the Old Master's analogy to be so fresh and refined.

"..."

Gu Nanfeng was also silent for a second, he said slowly, "Although my fist isn't as hard as Lord Shenzu's, it can still pound a little."

"On the battlefield, as long as you are strong enough, then you are a well-deserved warrior. You can kill one person, ten people, a hundred people." The Old Master lowered his head and lit a cigarette, and said quietly, "But Xuejincheng is not a battlefield. There are tens of millions of people here, and the five families have their own rules. Before you become Gu Changzhi... you can't violate these rules."

"The one in Qingzhong is unlikely to wake up."

Gu Nanfeng took a deep breath and said the biggest reason, "The 'Apostle War' that broke out in the Dadu District earlier was not because Mr. Gu Changzhi chose his apostle. That token badge was something I asked for from Guangmingcheng in West Continent."

There are no secrets in Nagano.

There is Feng Tong above, and Earthworm below.

But this news... still exceeded the old man's expectations.

The Old Master frowned and stared at his grandnephew. At this time, he realized that eight years could really change a person a lot... Before leaving Nagano, everything this child did was within the chessboard.

And the first move upon returning home was a "move outside the board."

Gu Nanfeng should have concealed this from everyone inside and outside the Gu family... It was very likely that only the tomb keeper knew about it.

Gu Shen's expression was a little complicated.

Although he knew everything... but, was this something he could listen to?

"How did you get in touch with 'Guangmingcheng'?" The Old Master asked seriously, "Don't say that Rusty Bones introduced you... That Shenzu in Guangmingcheng might meet you for this reason, but he would never lend you such an important thing as a token. It's even less likely that he would give away divine power for nothing to create an apostle, just to cover up for East Continent."

"Don't forget, I stayed in North Continent for eight years... In these eight years, the Gu family didn't help me."

Gu Nanfeng said slowly, "I should have my own secrets."

"Is that so... That's really a big secret..."

Hearing this, the Old Master smiled with relief.

Gu Nanfeng continued to ask, "Yuan Zhita's Dionysus Shenzu was defeated, and East Continent seems peaceful... But in reality, how long can this peace last? Do you think the 'new faction' is willing to compromise all the time? Once they discover the truth about Qingzhong, what will happen? You want peace... Can Nagano really remain peaceful all the time?"

Question after question.

Every question hit the soul directly.

Unfortunately, the old man's expression didn't change much.

"It seems you came prepared."

Gu Qilin said lightly, "So... just say what you want."

Gu Nanfeng stared at the Old Master and said word by word, "If Lord Shenzu cannot wake up, then I want to become the Gu family's head. The formal, true... head."

If anyone else said this, it would be a statement of immense ambition.

But it just so happened that Gu Nanfeng said it.

Making it feel so... right.

He should have said these words.

Because he should have been... the Gu family's head.

...

...

(A new month, asking for monthly tickets!)