Chapter 135

Third Elder, as an elder you should lead by example and set a good example for the younger disciples of the clan!

Rather than bullying others with your influence and doing as you please!

The Fifth Elder suppressed his inner anger, stared fixedly at the Third Elder, and said in a cold voice,

Serving in the military is the national policy of Ben Lang Guo; even if you are an elder of the Gu Family, you cannot unilaterally violate the policy and let Gu Han serve in your grandson's place!

What the Third Elder said, those so-called words for Gu Han's own good,

are obviously deceitful nonsense!

Anyone who believes the Third Elder might as well consider their life over!

The Fifth Elder is accustomed to people's hearts being cold and deceitful.

How could one possibly believe the Third Elder's nonsense?

If the Third Elder truly had Gu Han's best interests at heart, then when he proposed letting Gu Han become one of the Gu Family's main lineage heirs,

the Third Elder could not possibly have stood up to oppose this; instead he would have done everything to promote it!

Yet the Third Elder seemed to pay it no heed, sneering,

"Fifth Elder, you really have misunderstood me; I acted out of pure goodwill, taking great risk to help Gu Han, and your accusations make me feel cold."

The Fifth Elder's eyes turned slightly cold; he never expected that even now the Third Elder would still show no remorse!

If only a few people knew about this matter, it would be tolerable.

But if it were spread abroad, not only would the Third Elder be punished,

but the Gu Family itself would likely be implicated as well!

The Third Elder, merely to keep his own grandson from suffering at the border, violated state policy and acted so recklessly.

This caused the Fifth and Eighth Elders, who always consider the family's welfare, to burn with fury!

"Third Elder, have you ever considered what disaster your actions could bring upon the Gu Family?"

Faced with the Fifth Elder's questioning, the Third Elder merely gave a contemptuous smile,

"Disaster?"

"As long as you don't speak of it, who would know about this matter?"

The Third Elder's gaze swept over Xu Xin Zhu and Gu Si and other collateral relatives, and he coldly chuckled,

"If today's matter is spread and causes the Gu Family to be implicated, then the blame lies with you!"

The Third Elder essentially threw all responsibility onto Xu Xin Zhu and the others.

He showed no self-reflection on his mistake, instead verbally threatening those present that they must never reveal this!

"If you want no one to know, then don't do it!"

The Fifth Elder looked at the Third Elder with grief and indignation,

"You may be able to hide it for a while, but do you think you can hide it forever?"

"Whether it can be concealed or not, I don't care."

The Third Elder snorted, his gaze falling on the Fifth Elder, and said lightly,

"But whoever intends to betray us grandfather and grandson must pay a price!"

A chill rose in the Fifth Elder's heart, and he looked at the Third Elder with utter disappointment!

"Since Third Elder, you insist on going your own way, I will apply to convene the Council of Elders, ask the Family Head to leave seclusion, and summon the Chief Elder home to determine who is right and wrong!"

"What?!"

The Third Elder staggered, staring at the Fifth Elder in disbelief,

"Do you know what you're saying?"

"Just over the trivial matter of letting Gu Han serve in place of your grandson, you would actually disturb the Family Head in closed-door cultivation?"

"And the Chief Elder, who bears important duties and is often away!"

You should know, the Council of Elders is specifically convened to decide major affairs affecting the family's future!

Under normal circumstances, it might not be convened even once in several years!

The Fifth Elder's action clearly shows he believes the conflict between the Third Elder and Gu Han will affect the Gu Family's prospects!

"Third Elder, you had better behave yourself!"

After saying that, the Fifth and Eighth Elders left the Yishi Ting together, taking Xu Xin Zhu and the others with them.

Before leaving, the Fifth Elder gave the Third Elder a cold glance,

"I do not wish for anyone to threaten the Xu Xin Zhu siblings' family before the Council of Elders begins."

"If I discover that the Xu Xin Zhu siblings' family encounters any danger, I expect you, Third Elder, to take responsibility."

After the Fifth Elder and his party departed, the Third Elder flew into a rage and smashed the master's chair to pieces with a single punch!

"Damn it! Damn Gu Ren!"

The Third Elder's anger surged to the heavens, his eyes filled with ruthless intent,

"You would actually become my enemy over a mere branch-line member!"

Gu Han standing nearby wore a look of panic, sensing the rare fury emanating from his grandfather.

Even Gu Han, whom the Third Elder doted on most, dared not speak at this moment, only able to stand silently by his grandfather's side.

The two returned to the Third Elder's residence without uttering a word.

The Third Elder took out an envelope, handed it to Gu Han, and said in a low voice,

"Write a letter to your father, urging him to take action and find an opportunity to eliminate Gu Han."

Gu Han's hand, receiving the envelope, froze at those words.

He hesitated for a moment, swallowed, then slowly said,

"Grandfather, are we really going to act against Gu Han? After all, he is still a member of our Gu Family..."

Now you've thought of this?

Gu Cang Shan looked at Gu Han indifferently.

"Back then I advised you to focus your energy on honing your own strength, but you kept worrying about Gu Han, who took your place in the army."

"But now we've already torn faces with each other; even if we give up targeting Gu Han, once he learns what's happening now, he'll become our enemy!"

"Mercy toward the enemy is cruelty toward oneself!"

"Your hesitation now will doom all of us in the family!"

Gu Han lowered his head in silence.

"Grandfather, I understand."

Gu Cang Shan patted his grandson's shoulder and comforted him.

"You're still young; many principles you don't yet understand."

"In this world, for most things, once you decide, you can only go down that path to the end."

"Wanting to turn back midway will only harm yourself!"

Gu Han patiently listened to his grandfather's teachings, knowing they were the grandfather's years of experience and would not harm him.

After Gu Cang Shan finished speaking, Gu Han clasped his hands.

"Grandfather, rest early; don't let anger harm your health. I'll go write a letter to my father."

After Gu Han said that, he turned and left, but before he stepped out the door, he heard Gu Cang Shan suddenly say:

"Remember to remind your father to act cleanly, so as not to give anyone a handle."

"If it were before, leaving a handle wouldn't matter."

"But now their conflict with Gu Han is essentially out in the open."

"If the Fifth Elder seizes the opportunity, things will likely end badly!"

"Although Gu Cang Shan fears no Fifth Elder, he also doesn't want to needlessly invite this trouble."

"I've noted it down."

After Gu Han said that, he left Gu Cang Shan's courtyard and went to send a pigeon message to his father.

Meanwhile, under the Fifth Elder's arrangement, the Family Head's wife personally went to Seclusion Valley to inform the Family Head, Gu Xiao Dao, to emerge from seclusion.

For safety reasons, Gu Xiao Dao's seclusion place is extremely hidden; only his wife knows where it is.

Meanwhile, the clan also sent out pigeon letters, earnestly requesting the Grand Elder, who is away, to return to the clan.

Seeing the Fifth Elder's tight arrangements, the Third Elder, who had been secretly gathering information, was even more furious.

"Fifth Elder, we really have no choice but to break with him!"