The Gao Family's Secret!

The night deepened, and Gao Family Fort fell quiet. A lamp still burned inside Gao Yucheng's room. Now, however, several masked, shadowy figures had appeared inside. "Gao Yucheng, how are things going?" one of the shadows asked coldly. With an ashen face, Gao Yucheng replied in a deep voice, "That old bastard had me bring Wu Jing, the famous physician from Nanyang City." "This Wu Jing actually has some real skill. He realized Gao Yuzhi had been afflicted with a composite poison—he nearly ruined our grand undertaking!" "Fortunately, Wu Jing is merely a physician. Though he identified it as a composite poison, he can't cure it. That ended up doing us a huge favor." "By now, the old bastard is probably close to making up his mind to use that method. He will never let Gao Yuzhi die." "Once the old bastard decides to use that method, our chance will come..." A ruthless glint flashed through Gao Yucheng's eyes. "Rest assured. The composite poison we concocted cannot possibly be cured by a mere physician." "Just keep a close eye on Gao Zhanhu. The moment he makes a move, follow him. You must find that item." With that, the shadows vanished as though they had never existed at all. Watching them disappear, a cold sneer gradually appeared at the corners of Gao Yucheng's lips. "You all take me for a fool? Let's see who the real fool is!" He pushed open the door and vanished into the night. *** Inside his room, Lu Changsheng practiced the Cold Ice Tempering Bone Technique several times before lying down to rest. Rustle, rustle... Faintly, Lu Changsheng caught the sound of an unusual movement. Whoosh. Lu Changsheng's eyes snapped open. He tilted his ear to listen, then looked up at the ceiling. Evidently, the noise came from the rooftop. Lu Changsheng's brow furrowed slightly. At this late hour, someone in Gao Family Fort was treading across the rooftops, clearly trying to avoid notice from the Gao family. When coming to Gao Family Fort this time, Lu Changsheng had brought along a black cloth mask and night-prowling garments. After a brief consideration, he quickly changed into the night garments, donned the mask, and slipped out of the room without making a sound. Having practiced so many martial techniques, he naturally possessed body-lightening skills. He moved almost completely noiselessly. Lu Changsheng climbed onto the roof as well. He spotted several figures sneaking along furtively, seemingly heading toward the Fort Lord's manor. So Lu Changsheng trailed after them. Inside the Fort Lord's manor, Gao Zhanhu took a deep breath and lifted the unconscious Gao Yuzhi into his arms. "Yuzhi, soon. Soon you'll wake up and be restored to how you were. Soon it will all be over..." Carrying Gao Yuzhi, Gao Zhanhu left the room and made his way to the ancestral residence. Beneath the spirit tablets in the ancestral residence was a hidden mechanism. Gao Zhanhu activated it. Rumble... The spirit tablets parted on their own, revealing a pitch-black entrance in the wall. Gao Zhanhu quickly stepped inside. Not long after Gao Zhanhu entered, Gao Yucheng arrived. Staring at the entrance, his eyes burned with madness and malice. "Old bastard, you really won't give up. You're going to use that method to save Gao Yuzhi." "Yet I am your son too..." Gao Yucheng muttered under his breath, his voice dripping with venom. The next moment, Gao Yucheng entered the opening as well. The passage was pitch-black. Yet Gao Zhanhu seemed intimately familiar with it, navigating through the dark until he reached an underground hall. He lit a candle, and the hall was gradually illuminated. It was an immense hall, surrounded by numerous secret chambers, each piled high with supplies. This was the innermost, most confidential place in Gao Family Fort, known only to successive fort lords. Gao Zhanhu laid Gao Yuzhi onto a stone bed, then opened one of the secret chambers. Rumble... The chamber's heavy door slowly opened. Inside lay piles of sabers, spears, crossbows, and arrows—and even suits of armor. The imperial court did not forbid sabers and spears, but strictly outlawed armor. Anyone caught hoarding armor was punished for high treason! Yet this secret chamber held a vast quantity of armor, more than enough to fully outfit hundreds of men. Gao Zhanhu, however, turned a blind eye to the armor, not caring in the slightest. He pressed a spot on the chamber wall. Click. A hidden compartment opened in the wall. From the compartment, Gao Zhanhu retrieved a box. He brought the box over to Gao Yuzhi's side and gently opened it. Snap. As the box opened, a blood-colored bead came into view. The blood-colored bead was only thumb-sized, etched with fine, delicate patterns that made it look exceptionally wondrous. At the sight of this blood-colored bead, a hint of feverish devotion appeared in Gao Zhanhu's eyes. "Yuzhi, this is the most precious treasure of our Gao family—the Blood Exchange Bead!" "As long as you use this Blood Exchange Bead, you will gradually undergo a complete metamorphosis. Even the most virulent poison can be neutralized." "With your innate talent, once you use the Blood Exchange Bead, there is a high probability you can open the life-and-death gateway, transform your marrow and exchange your blood, achieving the Divine Strength Realm! It was only because Father hesitated back then and didn't let you use the Blood Exchange Bead sooner. If you had reached the Divine Strength Realm, how could scoundrels have ever poisoned you?" "Still, it's not too late..." Gao Zhanhu took a deep breath, preparing to use the Blood Exchange Bead on Gao Yuzhi. Whoosh! Right then, a figure appeared in the underground hall. "Who's there?" Gao Zhanhu snapped his head up, his gaze razor-sharp as it locked onto the figure not far away. "It's you... Yucheng?" Gao Zhanhu's eyes widened in profound shock and disbelief. "Father, it's me." "You really do have the Blood Exchange Bead. The Blood Exchange Bead can allow a martial artist to exchange their blood, virtually placing half a step into the Divine Strength Realm. Such a precious treasure, yet you want to give it to an unconscious cripple on the brink of death?" "Father, have you gone senile in your old age?" Gao Yucheng's expression twisted into a ferocious scowl. "Silence!" "Speak! How did you get in here?" "Did you follow me?" "You unfilial wretch! This place may only be entered by successive family heads! You—" Gao Zhanhu was beside himself with fury. Yet as he spoke, something seemed to strike him, cutting him off mid-sentence. Instead, his eyes went wide, filled with sudden horror and shock. Gao Yucheng remained composed, even offering a faint smile. "Father, it seems you've figured it out." "That's right. The poison in Eldest Brother was my doing. In fact, not just Eldest Brother—all those poisoned people in Gao Family Fort were my doing as well." Gao Zhanhu's chest heaved violently. Gritting his teeth, he squeezed out word by word, "You rebellious wretch! Why? Why would you do this? He's your elder brother!" "Why?" "Hahaha! Old bastard, you know full well why! Our Gao family originates from the Five Poisons Sect. But when the Five Poisons Sect rebelled, it was crushed by the imperial court and shattered into pieces! Over a hundred years have passed since then, so why do you still cling to that bullshit ancestral training?" "All these years, you've been hell-bent on gathering strength and forging weapons and armor. Aren't you just preparing to rebel?" "This isn't a hundred years ago! The Five Poisons Sect has long vanished into thin air, yet you're dead set on rebelling—isn't that throwing away the lives of everyone in Gao Family Fort?" "I will never let you wager the lives of everyone in Gao Family Fort on your gamble! And Eldest Brother has always been the apple of your eye. You poured nearly all your effort and resources into him! But what about me? I am your son too!" "All of that I could have stomached. But you want to give the Blood Exchange Bead to Eldest Brother as well! This must be the only Blood Exchange Bead our Gao family has left, right? You would rather give it to a dying man than to me! Old bastard, since you show no benevolence, don't blame your son for being unfilial!" Gao Yucheng's qi and blood surged tempestuously. At the same time, he slowly drew the saber in his hand!