Gu Hao walked through Kunlun Mountain with Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian, guided by his memories. After walking for a few hours, they reached the depths of Kunlun Mountain and spotted a large courtyard in the distance.
A smile appeared on Gu Hao's face.
"That's my home right ahead."
With that, he led the other two toward it.
The large gates of the courtyard were tightly shut.
Gu Hao looked at them and called out, "Mother, Elder Sister, I'm back."
There was no answer from inside, so he called out a few more times.
Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian asked, "Could the Elder Mistress not be home?"
Just then, the main gate creaked open, revealing half of a man's figure.
"Who are you?"
Gu Hao looked the man over carefully. "Are you... are you Uncle Hong?"
"And you are?"
Uncle Hong also looked Gu Hao up and down. "Who are you?"
"I'm Gu Hao."
"You're Gu Hao?"
"It's me, Uncle Hong."
Upon hearing that it was Gu Hao, Uncle Hong opened the gate wide, came out to welcome them, and looked Gu Hao up and down. "You really are Hao'er..."
"It's me, Uncle Hong."
"It's been eighteen years. Little Hao'er has grown into such a handsome and dashing young man—I almost didn't recognize you."
Uncle Hong led the three of them into the courtyard.
"Uncle Hong, where are my mother and Elder Sister?"
"A year ago, your Elder Sister came back, so the Mistress and the young lady went to Zhongzhou."
"Zhongzhou? What did they go to Zhongzhou for?"
"You may not know this, young master, but the Mistress and the young lady originally come from the Gu Family, the top family in Zhongzhou. If the master hadn't been wounded on the battlefield and then poisoned to death by someone, the Mistress and the young lady would be the masters of the Gu Family today. It's a pity that ever since the master died, the Mistress and the young lady were placed under house arrest by the Gu Family. Later, they managed to escape and lived in seclusion here in Kunlun Mountain for over twenty years. Thanks to the guidance of an expert, the Mistress's cultivation has reached the Great Vehicle Realm, so..."
"So Mother and Elder Sister went back to get revenge..."
"You can't really call it revenge. The Mistress and the young lady established Tiangu Group in Zhongzhou. Over the past year, the group has developed rapidly and has already become one of the four major groups in Zhongzhou."
"Oh, Mother actually reached the Great Vehicle Realm? That makes her a top-tier expert in the Hong Realm. What is my Elder Sister's cultivation level now?"
"I can't see through Yan'er's cultivation, and I didn't dare ask. But I think that ever since Yan'er was taken away by that expert all these years ago, with her cultivation talent and the expert's guidance, it shouldn't be any lower than the Golden Core Realm. Out in the world, she's someone you don't want to mess with."
"Hao'er, must you be hungry? I'll go cook for you."
"Uncle Hong, don't bother. I'll do it; you just rest."
Gu Hao led Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian to the back kitchen to prepare a meal.
Tian Kui, the chairman of Tianjie Bank, was holding a high-level meeting when a voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "Tian Kui, Gu Hao, the new master of Tianjie Bank, has emerged from seclusion. Go and welcome him immediately."
Tian Kui was stunned, then smiled happily.
All the executives in the meeting had no idea why the chairman had suddenly started smiling.
Tian Qiu, the secretary of the board, asked, "Chairman, what is the matter?"
"Tian Qiu, haha, let me share some good news with everyone. Gu Hao, the master of our Tianjie Bank, has emerged from seclusion. Follow me now to pay respects to the new master."
"What? The new master of Tianjie Bank has emerged?"
"Tian Qiu, prepare the helicopters immediately. Everyone, follow me to Kunlun Mountain."
"Yes."
After receiving the message about the new master's emergence, Yifan, the chairman of Tianyin Group, immediately arranged for the group's executives to board helicopters and head toward Kunlun Mountain.
Dong Ping, the Palace Master of Guxuan Palace, and Huowu, the Palace Master of Suzaku Palace, also received the message and rushed straight to Kunlun Mountain with their subordinate elders.
Gu Hao, Lin Xiaotian, Tun Xiaotian, and Uncle Hong were sitting in the main hall eating.
Suddenly, the roar of aircraft engines echoed across the sky above the courtyard.
"Why are there so many planes coming here?"
Uncle Hong put down his bowl and chopsticks and walked out into the courtyard, only to see six helicopters hovering overhead.
Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian also walked outside.
"What, what is going on here?" Uncle Hong asked, feeling somewhat frightened.
"Uncle Hong, don't be afraid. With us here, no one can harm you."
At that moment, the helicopter doors opened, and many people flew down from the six aircraft, landing in the courtyard.
Uncle Hong asked, "Who are you looking for?"
Tian Kui asked respectfully, "Is Gu Hao here?"
Hearing that they were looking for Gu Hao, Uncle Hong replied, "Yes, my young master is inside."
Gu Hao walked out and stood on the steps in front of the courtyard's main entrance.
"You certainly came fast. Come inside, all of you."
Everyone followed Gu Hao into the house while Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian closed the door and stood guard outside.
Seeing how young Gu Hao was, Tian Kui cautiously stepped forward and asked, "Are you Gu Hao?"
"It's me, no doubt about it." With that, a glowing black-gold card appeared in his hand.
Upon seeing it, Tian Kui instantly dropped to his knees. "Greetings, Master."
"Get up."
Yifan stepped forward and bowed. "I am Yifan of Tianyin Group."
Gu Hao took out a token. "This belongs to Tianyin Group, doesn't it?"
Recognizing the token without a doubt, Yifan dropped to his knees. "Greetings, Master."
Dong Ping of Guxuan Palace and Huowu of Suzaku Palace verified the token and knelt, acknowledging Gu Hao as their master.
The others also dropped to their knees before Gu Hao in unison, shouting, "Greetings, Master!"
Gu Hao raised a hand. "All of you, rise. The others may leave. Tian Kui, Yifan, Dong Ping, and Huowu, stay behind."
"Yes."
The others leaped back onto the helicopters and departed.
Tian Kui and the other four followed Gu Hao into the main hall of the courtyard.
"Tell me about your respective situations."
"Yes, Master."
Tianjie Bank, Tianyin Group, Guxuan Palace, and Suzaku Palace reported on their current statuses one by one.
Gu Hao was very satisfied.
At that moment, another helicopter arrived, and five people flew down from it into the courtyard.
One of them asked, "Vice Palace Master, is this the place?"
"It should be. Go ask."
Uncle Hong walked out. "Excuse me, who are you looking for?"
"Does someone named Gu Hao live here?"
"Yes, my young master is inside. I'll go announce you."
Just as Uncle Hong turned around, Gu Hao's voice came from inside the main hall: "Let them in."
Uncle Hong led the five people to the main hall, then withdrew to stand guard in the courtyard. He was baffled: ever since Gu Hao came back, why had so many people come to visit him? What on earth had Gu Hao experienced during his eighteen years away? He didn't dare ask, and even less dared to guess. Everyone had their own destiny; as long as Hao'er was doing well, that was enough.
"You must be from Tianlong Hall," Gu Hao said, rubbing his finger as the Tianlong Ring manifested upon it, radiating golden light.
Dragon Hua, the Vice Palace Master of Tianlong Hall, and the Four Commanders—Qinglong, Baihu, Suzaku, and Xuanwu—knelt in unison upon seeing this.
"We greet the Palace Master, we greet the Heavenly Venerable."
With a gentle lift of Gu Hao's hand, Dragon Hua and the Four Commanders were supported upward by a soft surge of energy.
The five of them were startled. What kind of cultivation level was this, to be so profound? Yet Gu Hao looked no different from an ordinary person. Deep shock filled their hearts.
"Suzaku, I observe that your body bears hidden injuries from the past that have been constantly tormenting you."
Suzaku was taken aback. "Palace Master, you could tell just by looking?"
"Of course. These hidden ailments of yours are extremely stubborn; no one in this Hong Realm, nor even the entire galaxy, can cure them."
"What the Palace Master says is entirely true. I have sought medical treatment for these hidden injuries for many years to no avail, causing my cultivation to stagnate, which has been quite agonizing."
"Then I shall step in and cure you today."
"What? Master can cure this?" Dong Ping, the Palace Master of Guxuan Palace, was also shocked. When it came to medical skills, Guxuan Palace had medicinal herbs and elixirs everywhere, and divine doctors were ten a penny, yet even they were completely helpless against Commander Suzaku's hidden ailments.
Gu Hao raised his finger and pointed it at Suzaku, sending a beam of golden light straight into her body.
Suzaku hurriedly sat cross-legged as turbulent waves churned within her.
"Hold on, it will be over soon."
Watching Suzaku in her agony, Gu Hao greatly admired her resilience and endurance.
A few minutes later, golden light surged from Suzaku's body. Her hidden injuries were completely healed, and her cultivation realm even broke through to the Great Vehicle Realm.
Suzaku stood up and dropped to one knee. "My gratitude to the Palace Master."
At this moment, Dragon Hua and the other three commanders were filled with absolute, overwhelming admiration for Gu Hao's capabilities.
Afterward, Dragon Hua reported the current state of Tianlong Hall to Gu Hao.
Gu Hao said to Dragon Hua, "Starting today, Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian shall serve as the left and right protectors of Tianlong Hall, and also as the spokespersons for the Heavenly Venerable."
"Understood. We greet the Left and Right Protectors."
Dragon Hua produced two golden tokens.
"Protectors, these are the highest-grade tokens of Tianlong Hall. With these tokens, you can command all personnel of Tianlong Hall, making it convenient for the two of you to travel outside."
Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian took the tokens and weighed them in their hands. Forged from extraterrestrial meteorites and pure gold, the tokens were not only substantial in weight but also radiated a unique glow that outsiders could never forge.
"Not bad. I have some communication jades here; I'll give them to you to make it easier for us to stay in touch."
Gu Hao produced several communication jades, handing one to each person.
Holding the communication jades, everyone was dumbfounded—these were clearly not items of the mortal world.
Tian Kui retrieved three smartphones and a case of cash from his storage ring. "Master, to make your travels outside more convenient, I figured you might find these three smartphones and one billion in cash useful."
Gu Hao took a look and was very pleased. "Tian Kui, you are very thoughtful."
Yifan also stepped forward and said, "Master, I heard you are going to Zhongzhou. I have prepared a villa for you there, along with several luxury vehicles and a full staff of maids and drivers to make your stay and travel comfortable."
With both hands, he presented the villa access card and car keys to Gu Hao.
Gu Hao stored these items away in his spatial ring.
Casually, he took out a batch of elixirs. "These elixirs are for you. They will be of immense help in raising your cultivation levels. If you're going to work for me, your cultivation must reach the very top tier of the current era; otherwise, if I have to step in and handle every little thing myself, wouldn't I be worked half to death?"
Hearing Gu Hao's words, everyone burst into laughter as they stepped forward to receive their elixirs.
Gu Hao then handed another storage ring to Dragon Hua. "Dragon Hua, this contains countless elixirs as well as divine weapons and sharp blades. Take them to improve the cultivation and combat power of the members of Tianlong Hall."
"My gratitude to the Palace Master."