Gu Hao casually healed the Suzaku God of War, leaving everyone present utterly astonished.
This young master, who appeared refined and devoid of any cultivation, turned out to be an unfathomable powerhouse. If he could cure the God of War's chronic ailments with a mere wave of his hand, what on earth was his realm of cultivation?
Everyone thought to themselves that it was beyond speculation, completely impossible to fathom.
"Very well, you may all return. Just go about your normal duties; there is no need to report to me. If I have anything for you to do, I will send word. Also, do not leak any information about me."
"Understood, Master."
Everyone bowed respectfully, retreated into the courtyard, and left Kunlun Mountain.
The next day, Uncle Hong took Gu Hao's hand and said, "Young master, since you are going to Zhongzhou to find the mistress and the young lady, please remember to give them my regards and tell them not to worry. I will take good care of this residence."
"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Hong."
Gu Hao produced a porcelain bottle and handed it to Uncle Hong.
"Uncle Hong, these are some medicinal pills I selected for you last night. They can strengthen your constitution, raise your cultivation level, and prolong your life. Take them, and take good care of yourself."
"Thank you, young master."
Uncle Hong accepted the porcelain bottle with emotion.
"Uncle Hong, no need to see us off. We're leaving."
"Right. Young master, take care on the road."
"Don't worry, Uncle Hong. In this Hong Realm, nobody can threaten our safety," said Tun Xiaotian.
"Oh, right, Uncle Hong, I have something for you."
Lin Xiaotian spoke to Uncle Hong, raised a hand, and a streak of flame vanished into Uncle Hong's body.
"Uncle Hong, this is my Qilin fire. It will be of help to you. Refine it as soon as you get back."
Feeling a powerful wave of fiery energy within his body, Uncle Hong cupped his fists and said, "My thanks."
Watching the backs of the three as they walked down the mountain, Uncle Hong muttered to himself, wondering what Hao'er had encountered out in the world all these years. Especially given how deferential Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian were toward him, he increasingly felt that Gu Hao was unfathomably mysterious. But regardless, Hao'er had grown up and could now stand on his own in the world. In the future, he was bound to make something of himself.
The three of them strolled down the mountain, proceeding step by step along the mountain path.
Tun Xiaotian remarked, "Master, why don't the two of us fly out of here? Walking like this is much too slow."
Gu Hao smiled. "Walking slowly, taking in the surrounding scenery at leisure, and letting one's heart grow still and untroubled—isn't that a form of cultivation in itself?"
Lin Xiaotian tapped Tun Xiaotian on the head. "Why do you have so much to say? Whatever Master does, we do."
"I was just worried Master might get tired."
"Given Master's level of cultivation, why would he worry about getting tired? I think you just want to slack off."
Chit-chatting and bantering all the way, the three of them walked out of the Kunlun Mountain range and arrived at a small town.
The town was very quiet, and high-speed trains ran from there directly to Zhongzhou.
Gu Hao took Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian to a shopping mall, where they picked out several sets of suitable clothes and changed into them.
After purchasing their tickets, they boarded the high-speed train and arrived in Zhongzhou by dusk.
As soon as they stepped out of the station, two men and a woman approached them head-on.
The three dropped to one knee in respectful salute: "Welcome, Master."
"Who are you?"
The burly man said, "Palace Master, I am Hu Yong, head of the Zhongzhou branch of Tianlong Hall."
The tall woman said, "Master, I am Ji Ling, president of the Zhongzhou branch of Tianjie Bank."
The average-built man said, "Master, I am Xie Kun, general manager of the Zhongzhou company under Tianyin Group."
"How did you know I was coming?"
Hu Yong replied, "Master, I received a top-secret decree from Tianlong Hall. To properly protect you, Hu Yong and the entire Zhongzhou branch of Tianlong Hall are entirely at your command."
Ji Ling and Xie Kun had likewise received top-secret decrees from Tianjie Bank and Tianyin Group respectively, coming to welcome their master and place themselves at Gu Hao's disposal.
"There's no need to make such a fuss. Hu Yong, Ji Ling, the two of you go back and do not leak word of my whereabouts. Xie Kun, take us to the villa."
"Yes, Master."
Xie Kun drove Gu Hao and the others to the villa, and once there, Gu Hao invited him to sit down.
"Xie Kun, do you know about Tiangu Group?"
"Reporting to Master, the helmsmen of Tiangu Group are Gu Lingyu—wife of former Gu Family head Gu Hongtian—and her daughter Gu Yan. This conglomerate has developed with ferocious momentum, establishing a foothold in Zhongzhou in a mere year's time. I hear the mother and daughter are low-profile, upright, and extremely attractive, making them very popular in the business world."
"Does Tianyin Group have any cooperation with Tiangu Group?"
"Not yet. Reportedly, the enterprises that Tiangu Group cooperates with are precisely those that partner with the Gu Family Group. Furthermore, it seems the Gu Family Group holds deep prejudices against Tiangu Group and constantly tries to suppress them everywhere they can. Yet, goodness knows what abilities Tiangu Group has behind the scenes, because they have never been successfully suppressed. Numerous clients of the Gu Family Group have defected to Tiangu Group, causing the Gu Family Group heavy losses over the past year."
"It seems Mother and Elder Sister have returned to exact revenge."
"Master, you know Gu Lingyu and Gu Yan?"
"They are my mother and elder sister."
Upon hearing this, Xie Kun hastily stood up and said respectfully, "So they are the esteemed former grand matriarch and eldest young lady! This humble one was blind and ignorant, and I hope Master will punish me."
"Punish you? You haven't done anything wrong; what is there to punish?"
"If I had known that Gu Lingyu and Gu Yan were Master's mother and elder sister, Tianyin Group would certainly have thrown its full support behind the old matriarch and Princess Yan."
"It's fine. My mother and elder sister have their own ideas; Tianyin Group can just let nature take its course."
"Understood. Then I shall take my leave first. Master, you've had a tiring day, so please rest early."
"Alright, you may head back. Lin Xiaotian, see President Xie out."
"No need to send me off, no need! You all rest early."
After Xie Kun left, the three of them each retired to their respective rooms to rest.
Lying on the spacious bed, Gu Hao pondered the situation, a trace of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
The next day, tended to by the housekeeper, the three of them finished breakfast just as the driver walked in.
"Master, the vehicle is ready. Just call if you need anything."
"Alright. From now on, remember not to call me Master; just call me young master."
"Yes, young master," the driver and housekeeper replied.
Gu Hao told the driver, "You can take the day off. The three of us will just wander around casually. It's our first time in Zhongzhou, so we want to get familiar with the environment."
"Young master, let me drive you around instead."
"No need. Riding in a car gives you that hurried, skimming-through-the-scenery feeling—it's not comfortable."
"Very well. I await the young master's orders at any time."
The driver withdrew.
Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian accompanied Gu Hao out of the villa compound and onto the street.
The three of them walked aimlessly along the street, looking around as they went.
After walking for a while, Tun Xiaotian cried out, "Young master, look over there..."
Gu Hao and Lin Xiaotian turned their heads to look in the direction of Tun Xiaotian's pointing finger. On a tall office building, four large characters were erected: Tiangu Group.
*Tiangu Group*.
"Young master, it's Tiangu Group! Should we go over and take a look?"
"Alright. Let's go take a stroll."
Before long, the three of them arrived near Tiangu Group and stood watching from a distance.
Gu Hao swept his gaze over the Tiangu Group building.
Tun Xiaotian asked, "Young master, aren't we going over?"
"Not yet. Lin Xiaotian, Tun Xiaotian, I'm giving the two of you a task: go gather intelligence on the Gu Family and the Gu Family Group for me. The more detailed, the better."
"Don't worry, young master. Leave it to us."
Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian departed from Gu Hao's side.
Gu Hao stood there alone, gazing up at the Tiangu Group office building.
He hadn't seen his mother and elder sister in eighteen years—would they still recognize him? He longed to see them, but now was not yet the time.
Gu Hao had a premonition that the very purpose of his mother and elder sister establishing Tiangu Group was to crush the Gu Family Group. Since that was the case, they were bound to encounter a counterattack from the Gu Family Group. With his mother and elder sister out in the open while he remained in the shadows, he would be in a better position to assist them.
At that moment, a group of people hurried past Gu Hao.
One girl pulled another along, saying, "Hurry up, the recruitment time for Tiangu Group is almost here. We mustn't be late."
*Recruitment?* Gu Hao thought to himself, a sudden idea striking him. He followed the crowd into the recruitment venue of Tiangu Group.
Outside the venue were recruitment notices. Gu Hao read through them from top to bottom—general manager's assistant, personnel supervisor, sales specialist, and so on, everything imaginable was there. However, none of these were quite right. At the very end, he spotted positions for several security guards.
*Security guard—that sounds not bad.*
Gu Hao stepped into the recruitment venue, scanned his surroundings, and located the security guard recruitment section. He picked up a form, filled it out swiftly, took a number, joined the queue, and waited for his number to be called for the interview.