Chapter 411: Calming Spirit Pearl

411. Chapter 411 Calming Spirit Pearl

Gu Zhanglin had a beautiful dream.

In the dream, he became the Family Head of the Gu Family, and his word was as weighty as nine tripods.

And Gu Zhangjun, who had once contested the Family Head position with him, now crawled beneath his feet, crying with a runny nose and tears, constantly begging for his forgiveness.

Moreover, he also dreamed of Jiang Cheng.

In the dream, the latter could refine ten furnaces of Top-grade Awakening Pill per day, bringing him a pure profit of fifty to sixty million each day, fifteen to sixteen hundred million a month, and a year…

When he calculated the yearly amount, it seemed someone slapped him, and the pain jolted him awake.

What came into view were the dark‑faced Gu Tianyuan and several elders of the family, each with a solemn expression.

At that moment, a scorching sensation spread across his cheek.

Gu Zhanglin then realized that the slap was not an illusion but real, and the one who slapped him must have been his father.

"Awake?"

Gu Tianyuan's voice carried an unprecedented chill: "Now that you're awake, wipe the drool from the corner of your mouth. Today, the Gu Family's reputation in the Inner City District has been completely ruined by you!"

Gu Zhanglin's mind was still in chaos; upon hearing that, he instinctively wiped his mouth corner with his palm, and indeed there was quite a bit of drool.

"?"

He was stunned.

What on earth was happening right now? How did he end up here? Wasn't he in a restaurant, dining with Jiang Cheng?

Wait.

Suddenly, a memory floated into his mind.

While he was eating, a melodious flute sound rang from outside; the people around either collapsed onto the tables or fell to the ground, but he, aided by the Calming Spirit Pearl, managed to stay upright.

But he didn't hold on completely.

His command of the Calming Spirit Pearl was not profound; after all, as a Seven-grade Treasure, it was a prized heirloom of the family. Recently, he needed to open the two most important Acupoints; once opened, he could become a Fourth-level Grandmaster, so he borrowed it from his father, the Family Head.

In the end, his head went heavy and he lost consciousness.

At the time he thought his fate was grim and he couldn't escape disaster, but now it seemed his life had been spared.

Wait!

Something seemed off! Gu Zhanglin realized something, and the next moment his complexion changed dramatically!

Because he could no longer sense the presence of the Calming Spirit Pearl.

Although he hadn't performed the blood‑binding rite to claim it, he did have some usage rights; if it were still on his person, he would certainly sense it.

At that moment, Gu Tianyuan's voice rang out, "What's wrong?"

Gu Zhanglin, awakened, lifted his head, looked at the other side, his eyes filled with terror.

Even the Gu Family possessed only a few Seven-grade Treasures.

Moreover, the Calming Spirit Pearl is a spiritual treasure; besides resisting spiritual attacks, its primary function is to steady the mind and prevent demonic deviation. Not only he, but even his father needed it when striking the Acupoints.

So this precious item was actually lost?

How could he even say that? "What on earth happened?"

Gu Tianyuan also sensed something, and a hint of panic appeared in his voice.

Upon receiving the news, his first action was to rush to the scene and examine Gu Zhanglin's body, checking for injuries.

Thus, the treasures on Gu Zhanglin were completely stripped; he naturally knew this, but those were only Fifth- and Sixth-grade treasures—losing them was regrettable, yet as long as the person is unharmed, it's a huge relief.

But seeing Gu Zhanglin's devastated expression, could this wayward son have taken the Calming Spirit Pearl he secretly lent using his Family Head authority and kept it on him? "Father, father, I, I…"

Gu Zhanglin stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.

The other few people in the room also sensed something amiss. "Changlin, what's really going on? Speak quickly, don't babble!"

"Now everyone in the Inner City knows about this, and you're still babbling here—do you think our Gu Family hasn't been shamed enough?"

"Speak quickly!"

Gu Zhanglin felt a tingling on his scalp; he knew that unless he clarified the matter today, he couldn't leave this room, and even if he did explain, he would likely be placed under house arrest for months to come.

"Has the Calming Spirit Pearl gone missing?"

Gu Tianyuan asked.

A hint of luck flickered in his heart.

After all, paper can't contain fire; if it were lost, when others later asked to borrow it, he couldn't magically produce a real one.

But if it hadn't been lost, asking this wouldn't be a problem; any other Family Head would do the same.

"What, the Calming Spirit Pearl?"

"Tianyuan, you lent the Calming Spirit Pearl to him?"

"The Calming Spirit Pearl is missing?"

"Impossible, right?"

The few people behind them heard this and their faces changed dramatically.

Gu Zhanglin trembled all over and nodded.

"Really lost?"

Gu Tianyuan's eyes reddened instantly, a trace of murderous intent flashing within.

"Father, please listen to my explanation, I…" Gu Zhanglin was so frightened his soul seemed to leave his body.

"Silence! You wayward son!"

Gu Tianyuan could no longer contain his fury and struck his head with a palm.

The palm wind alone shattered all the surrounding tables, chairs, and benches.

"Tianyuan, don't act rashly!"

An old man stepped forward and grabbed his right hand firmly, "The matter hasn't been clarified yet; wait until it's clarified before you act, it's not too late."

"Not bad, the Calming Spirit Pearl is something our Gu Family ancestors obtained at great cost; to just lose it with a casual remark is unacceptable—we must get to the bottom of what happened." Beside, an old man looked at the terrified Gu Zhanglin slumped on the ground, then at Gu Tianyuan whose eyes were filled with killing intent, feeling suspicious.

Perhaps this is a self-directed and self-acted play by this father and son; for a Calming Spirit Pearl, doing this is also worthwhile.

Gu Tianyuan took several deep breaths, finally suppressing his anger, and stared fiercely at Gu Zhanglin, saying, "Tell me clearly, what exactly happened! Calming Spirit Pearl, why was it lost!"

"Yes, yes, father."

Gu Zhanglin nodded, still feeling lingering fear; he had never been so close to death as just now.

And the one who wanted to kill him was no one else but his own biological father.

However, being part of the Gu Family, he had anticipated this to some extent, and did not feel particularly sorrowful.

After all, Gu Tianyuan had many other sons besides him, and over the years had been intentionally cultivating Gu Zhangjun to compete with him; if he died here, they could simply make Gu Zhangjun the next Family Head.

However, the Calming Spirit Pearl—perhaps the only one in the entire Gu Family, or even on this planet—once lost, would be very hard to recover.

"Father, this all needs to start from yesterday; last night I received a call from Gao Ling saying Jiang Cheng…… Right, Father, where is Jiang Cheng? Where is he?"

Gu Zhanglin suddenly realized something and asked in an urgent tone.

(End of chapter)