Chapter 373: 373. Chapter 373: Really not clear?

373. Chapter 373: Really not clear?

"How could he call me?"

Looking at the three characters Gu Zhanglin on the phone screen, Gu Changkong felt a thump in his heart.

Could it be that news of the Jiang Cheng Alchemy Technique upgrade has spread?

It shouldn't have, right?

You see, during this period he was in charge of inventorying the finished pills refined by Jiang Cheng, so only he knows the exact details.

Moreover, this was less than an hour ago; even if Gu Zhanglin were extremely well-informed, he couldn't have known it so quickly.

The phone's vibration continued.

Gu Changkong took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.

After all, the incident hasn't occurred yet; panicking now wouldn't be the move of a wise person.

After a moment, he pressed the answer button.

"Lao San, were you asleep? Why did it take so long to answer?"

Gu Zhanglin's voice sounded, with a hint of ease.

"I was just cultivating, so I answered a bit late," Gu Changkong chuckled, "Brother, you called me this late; it can't be just to wish me good night, can it?"

"Hahaha, indeed, I want to ask you about something."

"What is it?"

"I heard that not long ago something happened at your place: someone broke into your Experiment Building in broad daylight, heading straight for that kid with the surname Jiang, right?"

"Brother, your information is truly swift."

Gu Changkong didn't deny it; after all, the matter caused such a stir that it couldn't be suppressed.

"Indeed, such an incident did occur."

"And then? What was the outcome?" Gu Zhanglin asked leisurely.

"Later, someone called me and told me about it; I arrived in time and killed that person."

Gu Changkong recounted the events in detail.

"I heard you finally employed the Fire Snake Talisman Treasure your father gave you to kill the intruder; being able to use that item means that guy's strength is considerable, at least Master Level, right?"

"Indeed, Master Level."

Gu Changkong replied.

He felt some relief, but also unease.

What relieved him was that the other party indeed hadn't mentioned Jiang Cheng's current Refining Alchemy strength.

What worried him was that his brother had always plotted before moving; without having secured certain intelligence, he wouldn't have called me to inquire about this matter.

"Then do you know who he is?"

"That, I still don't know."

"Oh? Really don't know?"

Gu Zhanglin gave a meaningfully lingering smile.

"I know the kid's background; I heard he defected from the Dawn Society, but a mere Dawn Society shouldn't have such strength to dispatch a Master Level powerhouse, right? Who then ordered that person?"

"That, I truly don't know, but I've been assigning people to investigate; an answer should be forthcoming soon."

"Lao San, are you really clueless, or just playing dumb with me here?"

On the other end, Gu Zhanglin squinted slightly. "These past two days, I've received some news."

He stopped speaking at that point.

Gu Changkong forced himself to ask, "May I ask, Brother, what is the news?"

"Our Fifth Brother always had a Master surnamed Huang by his side, right? Wherever he went, that Master followed him, but these past few days—guess what? He's disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

Gu Changkong was a bit surprised, then gave a wry smile, "If he's gone, he's gone; it doesn't concern me anyway."

"Not necessarily."

Gu Zhanglin deliberately elongated his voice, "I sent people to investigate and uncovered another matter."

Gu Changkong was already sweating.

"I found that the period when the Huang individual vanished coincides exactly with after you killed the intruder; could it be that the two are the same person?"

"The same person? No way?"

"That intruder, I saw him—he wasn't that person; his aura was different, and I couldn't mistake that. Moreover, I have no grudge against him, so he wouldn't act that way. I think perhaps he was occupied with something, which is why we haven't seen him these days, right?"

"Is that so?"

"Lao San, do you truly believe what you're saying? Deep down you know why he would do that, don't you? Pretending to be clueless here—does that amuse you?" Gu Zhanglin sneered.

Gu Changkong swallowed, "Brother, I understand your point, but the attacker here was indeed not Huang Xing; I can guarantee that."

"Fine, then will you hand over the corpse? Or are you going to tell me that the body has already been burned by you?"

"Indeed, I have already burned it."

Gu Changkong said softly.

"Hahaha, hahahaha."

Gu Zhanglin let out a burst of loud laughter.

"Changkong, Changkong, you really are naive."

"Exactly. I called you today to have you tell our father about this, to give that kid a taste of hardship, and let others see this guy's true face. But it seems I'm already a step late; I suppose you and he have already struck some deal, right?"

"Brother, what are you talking about?"

Gu Changkong forced himself to deny.

"It's fine, you can go ahead and deny it, but as your big brother I want to give you a piece of advice."

Gu Zhanglin let out a chuckle.

"Do you think this matter will end here? Paper can't hide fire; since I was able to notice that kid's companions disappearing, others will slowly notice too, and someday this news will reach that woman of the Bai Family, hum."

At this point, Gu Zhanglin let out a cold snort, clearly harboring great displeasure toward that woman.

If that woman hadn't given birth to Gu Zhangjun, he wouldn't have these extra troubles now; moreover, whether he could succeed to the Family Head position in the future is also doubtful.

After a moment of silence, he continued: "That fellow Huang Xing was brought by that woman from the Bai Family; in a sense, he also grew up watching that woman. The master‑servant bond runs deep. Think about it—if she found out you killed Huang Xing, what would she do?"

Gu Zhangkong said evenly, "Even if I don't say whether I killed him, assuming I did, would that woman dare to do anything to me?"

"Heh, she doesn't dare to do anything to you now; after all, you're also a young master of our Gu Family. If something happened to you, the entire Outer City District would have to dig three feet for you, but your good brother Jiang Cheng might not be so lucky, right? He's not a member of the Gu Family, just a Refining Alchemy practitioner."

"Moreover, have you ever thought about what would become of you if, one day, the one sitting on the Patriarch of Gu Family's seat were not me but Gu Zhangjun? Can you guarantee that that woman won't bring up old grievances?" (End of chapter)