Book 4: Chapter 90: Using Both Brains and Brawn
Book 4: Chapter 90: Using Both Brains and Brawn
Xi Yong appeared depressed. I have not caused a commotion yet. What are you shouting about?
When Gu Hai suddenly shouted, the many Yuan Nation citizens heard his voice. The faces of some of the people fixing the buildings sank immediately.
“Mister Gu’s voice?”
“They are seeking trouble for Mister Gu again?”
“Back then, they wanted to embarrass Mister Gu at Five Sacred Mountains Academy. In the end, Mister Gu turned the tables around with his outstanding talent. I heard that not long ago, they even forced Mister Gu to leave the Mo Residence. Now, they are seeking trouble for Mister Gu again?”
“If not for Mister Gu stopping the Divine Blood Army from entering the city, we would be dead already.”
“Who dares to seek trouble for Mister Gu?”
Many citizens hurried over to Gu Hai’s manor.
Mo Yike’s expression suddenly changed. Gu Hai’s shout strengthened Mo Yike’s suspicions that Long Wanyu had truly left Major Metropolitan City.
Mo Yike grew increasingly anxious. As he looked at the ritual array behind Gu Hai, he thought, I have to go in and check, even if I have to use force.
Qin Zibai frowned slightly. While he did not have Mo Yike’s intelligence, he felt that something was off.
However, Xi Yong glared at Gu Hai. Why are you shouting so loudly? Look, citizens are starting to come over to watch.
“Gu Hai, there’s no point in shouting. Are you trying to frame me? Do you think that shouting is enough?” Xi Yong barked while glaring.
Blargh!
Suddenly, Gu Hai held his chest and spewed out a mouthful of blood. His face immediately flushed red.
Xi Yong: “…”
Xi Yong crumbled mentally. Gu Hai, isn’t this too much?
Just earlier, a crack appeared in the barrier sealing the fire calabash in Gu Hai’s fire deity palace. A loud report rang out as surging fire rushed out.
Although there was only a crack, Gu Hai’s fire deity palace could not take it. Intense flame rushed throughout his body.
The various deity palaces continuously sent out energy to suppress the fire. However, the fire was too powerful, pressing Gu Hai’s endurance. He immediately vomited a mouthful of blood, flushed red, and showed a grave expression.
Gu Hai genuinely got injured and was not pretending.
However, Mo Yike, Qin Zibai, and Xi Yong thought that Gu Hai was feigning injury.
Mo Yike goggled. When Gu Hai shouted earlier, he knew that Gu Hai was going to vilify Xi Yong. He had counted on Xi Yong barging in rashly, but Gu Hai spoiled his plans. Moreover, he had not anticipated that Gu Hai would go this far, even vomiting some blood to make Xi Yong look bad.
He really put in his all to frame Xi Yong.
Mo Yike unconsciously took a step back.
Qin Zibai could not understand what was going on. However, he could tell that Gu Hai was vilifying Xi Yong. He frowned slightly and looked at Mo Yike, immediately realizing that this was a clash between Gu Hai and Mo Yike.
The victim, Xi Yong, stared at Gu Hai’s blood. Is he going to blackmail me?
“I did not do anything at all. What do you want?” Xi Yong snarled, staring at Gu Hai.
The nearby citizens immediately noticed Xi Yong’s furious expression.
“Mister Gu is injured!”
“Xi Yong injured Mister Gu!”
“It’s Xi Yong, that troublemaker! He caused Mister Gu to vomit blood!”
The nearby citizens immediately came to their own conclusions.
“You bastards! Who is accusing me?!” Xi Yong glared at the nearby citizens.
“Is Xi Yong going to silence us?”
“Mister Gu, do not fear. You saved this old man’s life. We will not let Xi Yong harm you!”
“We will implore His Reverence, petition him with the citizens’ signatures. Xi Yong is a scourge on society, harming the benefactor of the Yuan Nation, a source of trouble for the nation!”
“Your Reverence, the corrupt official Xi Yong is harming the nation and causing suffering to the people. Your Reverence, please bring justice!”
“Your Reverence, when a nation is about to plunge into chaos, evil demons will appear. Xi Yong is the evil demon bringing harm to the nation and suffering to the people!”
The citizens clamored, causing rage to appear on Xi Yong’s face.
But I did not do anything?!
I did not harm Gu Hai!
With the citizens standing on Gu Hai’s side, Mo Yike’s gaze turned colder and sharper.
Given Gu Hai’s actions, the likelihood of Long Wanyu having left Major Metropolitan City increased further.
“Gu Hai, you are pretending! This is just a pretense!” Xi Yong shouted furiously.
Gu Hai really was not pretending. At this moment, he was holding his chest, finding even speaking difficult.
Blargh! Blargh! Gu Hai vomited another two mouthfuls of blood.
“Mister Gu, are you alright?” The surrounding citizens came over, looking worried.
“Xi Yong, what insidious attack did you use on Mister Gu?”
“Xi Yong, how ruthless of you! A corrupt official, a scourge of the nation!”
The nearby citizens could sense that Gu Hai was truly severely injured. Hence, they immediately started berating Xi Yong.
Xi Yong: “…”
Xi Yong stared at Gu Hai, incredulous that someone could be this shameless.
Everyone pointed at Xi Yong, excoriating him. He could not talk his way out.
Previously, he was the one accusing others; never had others accused him. He could not help appearing anxious.
At the side, Mo Yike whispered to Xi Yong, “Gu Hai is doing this on purpose to prevent us from entering the manor. He might have already sent Long Wanyu away in secret.”
Xi Yong’s expression suddenly changed.
Although Xi Yong was not as smart as Mo Yike, Xi Yong could understand this obvious logic. Previously, Archduke Xi Kang told Xi Yong that he had arranged for the soldiers to lock down Major Metropolitan City. Hence, Xi Yong understood how important Long Wanyu was to the Yuan Nation.
After Mo Yike’s reminder, Xi Yong immediately understood why Gu Hai wanted to vilify him.
“Men! Men! Why are the nearby guards still not coming over?!” Xi Yong suddenly shouted.
However, Mo Yike and Qin Zibai stepped back.
Xi Yong is going to make his move?
Rumble…!
A large number of nearby soldiers immediately came over.
This place was currently noisy and chaotic, so some soldiers had already started making their way over. When Xi Yong shouted, these soldiers quickly arrived.
Is the army coming to suppress the chaos?
The expressions of the surrounding citizens changed.
“Send away these wicked citizens and open a path for me. I want to enter the manor! Hurry!” Xi Yong commanded.
Xi Yong wanted to enter the manor to investigate whether Long Wanyu was still around.
The three thousand soldiers that had just arrived gaped in shock.
“Young Archduke, this…this is Mister Gu’s manor,” the leader of these soldiers said with an unsightly expression.
Not long ago, Gu Hai risked his life to save the people of the city, including these soldiers. Only how long had passed, yet Xi Yong wanted to deal with Gu Hai?
The three thousand soldiers naturally felt unwilling.
“What are you looking at? Why are you not chasing away these wicked citizens yet?” Xi Yong shouted.
The three thousand soldiers appeared anxious. We can’t do that, requiting good with evil. However, we are under Archduke Xi Kang, so we have to obey the young archduke’s orders. The troubled soldiers looked at Mo Yike and Qin Zibai.
Naturally, Mo Yike and Qin Zibai would not say anything. They also wanted to go into the manor to check out the situation.
The three thousand soldiers were in a quandary. They weighed the pros and cons, needing to decide for themselves.
Suddenly, an old woman walked out from the crowd and over to one of the soldiers. Then, she grabbed his ear.
“Mother! Mother! Let go! Let go! Many people are watching here!” that soldier pleaded.
“You little ingrate! If not for Mister Gu, your mother would have died long ago. Mister Gu is our family’s benefactor, yet you are helping these corrupt officials deal with our family’s benefactor? Do you think that you are incredible just because you are wearing this uniform? Since when did our family have such an unfilial son like you?”
“Mother! Mother, I was wrong! I was wrong! Stop pulling my ear!” that soldier said bitterly.
This was not the only instance. Several other citizens rushed forward as well.
“You ingrate! Were you going to deal with Mister Gu? Well, over my dead body! Go on! Trample on your father and help the scourge of the nation deal with our family’s benefactor! I should not have sired you back then. At least, it would not embarrass our ancestors!”
“Nephew? How could you do such a heartless thing? How are you going to face your parents and wife tomorrow?”
The citizens’ criticisms were terrifying, especially those from the soldiers’ families. Chaos immediately broke out among the soldiers. Search Gu Hai’s manor? What a joke! If I take a single step in, I will drown in the saliva of my family spitting on me tomorrow.
Standing at the side, Mo Yike smiled bitterly. Fortunately, he sought Xi Yong out. Otherwise, his reputation in the Yuan Nation would have been lost.
Gu Hai held his chest, his face red, doing his best to suppress the fire in his body. With the citizens and soldiers causing a commotion, Xi Yong could not enter.
Seeing the soldiers useless, Xi Yong immediately showed a furious expression. “You bastards! The one who saved you was His Reverence, not Gu Hai!”
The citizens immediately stopped clamoring and turned to Xi Yong.
“Corrupt official!”
“Scourge of the nation!”
“Thankless wretch!”
Voices of criticism immediately rang out. More soldiers started to approach. At the same time, more citizens came over as well. The citizens restrained the soldiers since the soldiers did not dare raise their weapons against the Yuan Nation citizens. Furthermore, they did not want to barge in, either. Thus, the commotion grew larger.
“Young Archduke!” Suddenly, two black-clad guards arrived before Xi Yong.
These two black-clad guards exuded strong auras, clearly experts.
“You came at a good time. There’s no need to protect me. Just barge in. Gu Hai cannot stop you. These wicked citizens cannot stop you, either. Open a path for me; I want to go in!” Xi Yong commanded.
“Yes!” the two guards answered with a shout.
Boom!
The two released a powerful burst of aura.
“Heavenly Palace Realm cultivators?” Gu Hai’s face sank.
The two guards’ unleashed auras pushed aside the surrounding citizens and soldiers.
Boom!
After being pushed away, the citizens immediately started cursing and scolding the two. However, that did not stop the two.
Whiz!
Just as the ferociously scowling Xi Yong was about to enter, a golden beam of light suddenly shot over from a distance.
Boom!
The golden beam of light arrived before the two guards in the blink of an eye.
“Oh no!” The two’s expressions immediately changed as they swung their weapons simultaneously.
Boom!
A golden arrow explosively knocked away the two guards and continued towards Xi Yong.
“Go!” Qin Zibai shouted and swung his sword.
Boom!
This attack deflected the arrow, sending it to the sky.
It was danger after danger. Xi Yong nearly got shot dead by an arrow. Frightened, he broke out in a cold sweat.
Qin Zibai’s face sank as he looked towards a figure approaching from the distance.
Bang!
Li Shenji suddenly landed next to Gu Hai while holding his bow.
“Li Shenji?” Xi Yong suddenly felt enraged.
The earlier arrow nearly killed him.
At the side, Mo Yike’s heart sank to rock bottom.
Using his brains, Gu Hai leveraged reasoning and social etiquette to stop the search. Li Shenji used his brawn to stop the search. Given this, not only could they not do this by force, but they did not even have an excuse to do so.