An incredibly blazing aura erupted within Gu Zhan's body, like a ball of fire, his Inner Strength surging step by step, and the True Qi that was already incomparably pure now became violently explosive.
In just an instant,
Gu Zhan felt his consciousness change drastically, like heaven and earth had been overturned,
From Fourth Grade rising to Third Grade,
Though it's only a difference of one Grade, it's a leap from Middle Three Grades to Upper Three Grades. In the whole of Linjiang Prefecture, this was enough to be called a figure of some renown.
This was a qualitative leap.
However, after all, thanks to the Golden Finger, there was no discomfort from the sudden surge of Inner Strength. Every advancement in his cultivation was smooth and natural, like water flowing downhill.
Even the Gu Chuan right next to him, as an Innate Martial Artist, failed to sense the changes Gu Zhan had undergone in that instant.
"Brother Gu," Gu Chuan picked up a cup of tea and said, "Your promotion to Chief Banner is settled. The appointment decree and Token will be delivered to the Hundred Households Office soon. When the time comes, just collect them there."
Gu Zhan cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the promotion, sir."
Gu Chuan smiled faintly, "No need to be so formal. Today, I have two purposes for coming here. The first, well, that required no action from me at all. The second, I want to talk to you about my plan."
"Please, sir," Gu Zhan said.
Gu Chuan spoke slowly: "Once you're healed, the South City Hundred Households Office will be yours to manage. Don't worry, the other three Chief Banners of the office were all promoted by me in the past few years. You can trust them to handle things.
As for my side, I need to start gathering allies. You've seen yourself, those old guys at the Hundred Households Office can't be relied on. If we go after the Celestial Water Gang, not only will we face pressure from all sides, but we'll also need to watch out for sabotage behind our backs.
Three years ago, I failed precisely because, once I left the Hundred Households Office, I became a lone fighter with no one to support me. Even now, though the Hundred Households Office is basically my people, there's still a lack of someone bold enough to hold down the fort. That task falls to you now!"
Gu Zhan nodded slightly, his face grave. "Sir, what are the specifics of the plan? If it's convenient, could you share them…"
"Nothing inconvenient about it," Gu Chuan smiled, "I trust you completely. Otherwise, I wouldn't entrust you with my back.
My plan is actually simple. Over the past few years, I've recruited quite a few people—among the Embroidered Uniform Guard Banner Courts in the twenty-two counties of Linjiang Prefecture, there are seven or eight under my command now, and I have several experts by my side. That's enough to take action against the Celestial Water Gang.
I've already gathered plenty of evidence of the Celestial Water Gang's high-level crimes. And this time, with you breaking through at Changning Fang, you've provided much of the evidence I was lacking before. The timing is ripe. I'll use these to pressure those useless officials at the Prefecture Government, so they won't dare support the Celestial Water Gang.
Once things are set on my end, I'll strike at the Celestial Water Gang directly. To prevent them from becoming desperate, I've also contacted the Linjiang Prefecture Garrison Army. If they try to fight to the death, the army will suppress them. As for you, you have only one task: keep the Hundred Households Office stable, don't let anyone sow chaos from within."
After listening, Gu Zhan nodded slightly,
After all, Gu Chuan had been preparing for years—the plan was already thorough. What he really lacked was a right moment and someone trustworthy to guard his back.
And his own arrival just happened to fulfill that need.
"Rest assured, sir," Gu Zhan said, "With me here, nothing will go wrong at the Hundred Households Office."
"With you around, I feel very assured," Gu Chuan smiled, "When all this is over, that old man Luo Bingsheng should step down early. At that time, I'll take over the Thousand Households Office, and the South City Hundred Households Office will be yours. You'll become the youngest Hundred Households in Linjiang Prefecture's history.
Don't worry, even though I'll be leaving later, before I go, I'll make sure the Linjiang Prefecture situation is stable for you, and make you Thousand Households. If I can't, then come with me—if you're willing to stand with me against all factions in Linjiang, I absolutely won't let anything happen to you."
With that, Gu Chuan patted Gu Zhan's shoulder and said, "I'm not just feeding you empty promises. Every word I say to you is straight from the heart."
Gu Zhan nodded earnestly. "I trust you."
Gu Chuan poured Gu Zhan a cup of tea and asked, "By the way, I heard from Chen Fei a couple days ago that you're searching for a Saber Technique?"
"Yes," Gu Zhan replied. "But I haven't found a suitable one yet."
"You won't find any in the Hundred Households Office Inheritance Pavilion," Gu Chuan smiled. "With your cultivation, the martial arts there are pretty much useless for you. The highest-level Martial Arts Secret Manual in there is just second-rate. Even cultivating it to Great Success won't yield much."
Gu Zhan gave an awkward laugh,
This is what it's like with the scions of big families—those who eat their fill don't know the hunger of the starving.
Backed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he was already better resourced than most. For ordinary people, let alone something second-rate—even those common Martial Arts Secret Manuals would cost a fortune, and many people, even struggling all their lives, never find a decent Secret Manual at all.
However,
Gu Zhan had to admit,
The Inheritance Pavilion at the Hundred Households Office really didn't have anything high-level. The Mountain-Opening Saber Technique and Big Goose Skill he'd taken before were already among the best of the lot.
"Sir, these Martial Arts Secret Manuals—they're the very foundation for any Martial Artist. If they were that easy to find, there wouldn't be so few Martial Artists in the world," Gu Zhan said with a laugh.
Gu Chuan patted Gu Zhan's shoulder, grinning. "Usually you're so sharp—why are you so slow today? After all I've hinted, don't you get it? Of course, I have a high-level Secret Manual in hand!"
As he spoke, Gu Chuan produced a yellowed ancient book from his robe and handed it to Gu Zhan, saying, "This Saber Technique… let me put it this way—if you reach Great Success, you'll be unrivaled beneath the Innate Realm."
Gu Zhan's heart blazed with desire,
But he knew just how deep the taboo against sharing Martial Arts Secret Manuals ran in this world—they were the foundation of any faction's legacy.
He hesitated, and said, "Sir, I'm afraid this isn't appropriate?"
Gu Chuan grinned wide. "Relax, it's not the Gu Family's inherited Martial Arts. If I gave you that, I'd be hurting you, not helping. This Saber Technique came from an enemy I killed long ago.
Honestly, it's a little embarrassing—the man was only a Second Grade Martial Artist, and I'd already broken into the Innate Realm, yet I nearly lost to that bastard."
Gu Zhan's eyes flashed in surprise.
He understood a good deal about the Martial Arts Level. He was well aware that Innate Martial Artists were on a completely different level from Postnatal. Their Inner Strength would transform into True Qi, which could gather Innate Gang Qi to protect the whole body, and True Qi could even be unleashed to kill invisibly. Compared to the techniques of Postnatal Inner Strength, it was the difference between clouds and mud.
Gu Chuan saw Gu Zhan's confusion and smiled, saying, "This Saber Technique is called the Jinghong Saber Technique. Its strength lies in this: cultivate it to Great Success, and you can use Inner Strength to condense Saber Qi, which is by no means inferior to Innate True Qi!"