"What is so mysterious about him? We investigated that fellow long ago. To put it bluntly, isn't he just one of our Nine Gates people?" Zhang Yueshan shook his head, hands clasped behind his back, gazing through the window at the brightly lit street below.
"Hmph... Don't guess wildly! That fellow doesn't identify with the Nine Gates at all. He has never once told outsiders that he belongs to the Nine Gates." Yin Nanfeng scoffed unmercifully upon hearing this.
"He doesn't need to state it himself."
"From the day he was adopted by Aunt Bai, he was already tied to the Nine Gates."
"Who is Aunt Bai? She was the person Sixth Master loved most, and that is a fact acknowledged by the entire Nine Gates."
"Sixth Master passed away early, and the Sixth Chamber has long been without a master. In the future, this Sixth Chamber will inevitably be passed on to this Gu Gang." Zhang Yueshan's tone was calm yet revealed an unquestionable attitude.
"Old bastard, back then you all watched Heibei Laoliu die and not a single one of you lifted a finger to help. And yet you expect Gu Gang not to hate your Nine Gates? Besides, during those turbulent times, you barely had enough time to protect yourselves. You only found out Sixth Master was dead after the fact—who can you blame?" Zhang Yueshan's expression instantly darkened, and he retorted in a stern voice.
Yin Nanfeng let out a sarcastic laugh. "All in all, this is still an internal matter for your Nine Gates. I couldn't be bothered to waste energy worrying about it for you." With that, Yin Nanfeng turned and left the room.
Zhang Yueshan looked out the window at the main street, lost in thought as numerous doubts welled up in his heart. How did his subordinates possess such formidable skills? Was he himself just as extraordinary?
"Master, it seemed like someone was tailing us when we left earlier." Gu Yi's slightly chilly voice sounded from inside the car.
"No need to worry." Gu Gang remained expressionless, shaking his head to indicate it was nothing.
"Understood, Master." Although she didn't quite understand the reason behind Gu Gang's response, Gu Yi didn't say another word and focused on driving.
"Zhang Yueshan." Gu Gang narrowed his eyes, a glint flashing in his gaze.
He knew where that look from earlier had come from. Aside from the former adjutant and current president of the Nine Gates Association, Zhang Yueshan, there could be no one else.
Over the past few years, thanks to the formidable reputation of Gu Yi and the others, the business of Gujin Pavilion had been growing increasingly prosperous, with Qi Yuanfu from the Qi Family of the Nine Gates serving as its chief appraiser.
It was entirely predictable that both the Nine Gates and Xinyue Hotel would thoroughly investigate him. With just a little careful inquiry, anyone could find out that the elderly woman who raised him was Aunt Bai. Given Aunt Bai's relationship with Heibei Laoliu, it was inevitable in the eyes of outsiders that he was entangled with the Nine Gates.
Right now, the Nine Gates was at a critical juncture, with the Wang Family and certain other organizations lurking in the shadows and waiting for an opportunity. As the helmsman of the Nine Gates Association, Zhang Yueshan had always been dedicated to reviving and strengthening the Nine Gates to prevent its decline.
Under the current circumstances, the sudden appearance of an uncontrollable Gu Gang—someone connected to the late Heibei Laoliu—how could they not want to thoroughly investigate him, or even bring him into their fold?
Regrettably, in Gu Gang's eyes, he had never considered himself part of the Nine Gates. If they left him alone, he would gladly enjoy his peace; but if they really came to bother him and persisted in their own stubborn way, then they could blame no one for his ruthlessness.
At the same time, that very afternoon when Gu Gang headed to Xinyue Hotel, Wang Fatty successfully met his childhood friend Hu Bayi at the railway station. After such a long separation, there was naturally an exchange of warm regards. Afterwards, Wang Fatty took Hu Bayi to a rinsed mutton restaurant, where they had a hearty and satisfying feast.
The dining table was piled high with emptied plates, and countless finished wine bottles were scattered across the floor. Hu Bayi, tipsy with alcohol, let out a satisfying belch, though his eyes remained quite clear. He looked across at Wang Fatty with deep concern and asked, "Fatty, I heard you used to make a living selling pirated disks. What kind of money could you possibly make doing that? How is it that you're suddenly so generous today, treating me to such a big feast?"
Hearing this, Wang Fatty waved his hand grandiosely and recounted the events of selling the jade pendant that very day to his old friend without holding anything back.
*Bang!*
Hearing this, Hu Bayi slammed a hand heavily onto the table, his face showing a mix of shock and anger. "Fatty, that was the jade pendant your father left you! You just went and sold it like that?"
"Old Hu, don't get worked up yet. Yes, I did sell the pendant, but it really couldn't be helped. Ever since you left to join the army, I've had to get by selling pirated disks, and my life hasn't improved at all. Now that you're back, of course I have to play the proper host. Besides, that jade pendant got me thirty thousand yuan in exchange. Do you know what thirty thousand yuan means? To me, it's a huge sum of money. It was totally worth it."
"Thirty thousand? How much did you say?" Hearing the figure, Hu Bayi's expression changed drastically, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Thirty thousand yuan! I thought it was just pocket change. I had no idea it could be worth that much."
After a moment of shock, Hu Bayi directly called out to the owner to add two more plates of mutton, and replied, "I don't know much about these things either, but I suppose it's about right. But Fatty, wait a minute... Didn't you notice something? When we went down to the countryside back then, weren't there loads of antique-style things in the villagers' homes? If we could bring those things back to sell, we might just make a fortune!"
"Old Hu, you really read my mind." Wang Fatty's eyes rolled around a few times as he said, "The villagers' lives have improved a bit, but things are still tough. If we can sell those things, not only will we make money, but the villagers can also live better lives. Isn't that a win-win?"
After hashing it out, the two of them grew more and more enthusiastic and immediately settled on a plan: return to the place they used to stay, buy up the idle old items in the villagers' homes, and bring them back to Beijing to sell. They also planned to make a massive purchase of goods to take back as gifts for the villagers as a token of gratitude.
As for what Hu Bayi and Wang Fatty were discussing, Gu Gang, who was currently at home, knew nothing about it.
After returning to the courtyard house and seeing Gu Yi off, Gu Gang walked straight over to the stone table in the back courtyard and sat down. Now that his tasks at Panjiayuan and Xinyue Hotel were complete, it was time to test the specific effects of the True Essence Pill.
With a wave of his hand, a cyan-white jade bottle appeared in Gu Gang's palm. "I wonder how much true essence a single True Essence Pill will allow me to condense and compress." Muttering to himself, he took out one of the chocolate-sized pills.
The moment the pill touched his hand, it melted, releasing a wisp of delicate fragrance. Once swallowed, it directly transformed into a surging medicinal current that poured into all the meridians of his body. Gu Gang quickly sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and silently circulated the technique of the Nine Yang Manual to refine this power.
Hum... Hum...
The medicinal effect gradually penetrated his body and mind. The spiritual Qi in Gu Gang's Dantian swirled like mist. Gradually, this spiritual Qi began to rapidly purify, condensing drop by drop into pure true essence like pearls of water, which slowly drifted down to the bottom of his Dantian.
Time flowed away silently. In the blink of an eye, the true essence accumulated at the base of his Dantian had transformed into the state of a babbling stream. Yet in contrast, the dense, cloud-like spiritual Qi remained vast and boundless; by comparison, this tiny stream of true essence was utterly insignificant.
*Whoosh!*
Gu Gang suddenly opened his eyes wide, a sharp, piercing brilliance flashing within them.
"This True Essence Pill is truly extraordinary! In the past, I could only condense a dozen or so drops of true essence each night, but after taking a single True Essence Pill, its potency actually increased my refinement speed by dozens of times! If I keep relying on the power of this True Essence Pill, it won't be long before I break through the bottleneck and enter the Xiantian Realm!"
He muttered to himself, expressing the shock and joy in his heart, and immediately took out another True Essence Pill to swallow. The pill's instructions stated a maximum of five pills could be taken per month, without restricting whether they had to be taken all at once.
Once he fully immersed himself in cultivation, the entire courtyard instantly fell silent, as if the clamor of the outside world had nothing to do with him at all.