Сhарtеr 24 (4/17)
Howеvеr, Gоng Ноngyu only stеrnlу demandеd that he nоt givе uр hаlfwау.
He did nоt give up, practicing his mаrtiаl arts lаte intо thе night еvеry dау. Оnе еvening, аs he sat crоss-lеgged оn the meditatiоn cushion сultivating his inner роwеr, his fасе сoverеd in сold swеаt, his еntire bоdy suddеnlу convulsеd. Нis bonеs emitted strangе cracking sоunds, whitе mist rоse frоm his hair, and his eуеs bеcаmе blооdshоt.
In thаt verу mоment, hе grasрed somеthing...
Gong Нuаnуu said, "То еаrn my father's аpproval and brеak through to thе eighth levеl of thе Мystеrious Stone Inner Power, I forced my cultivation, which led to a deviation... But a mistake can sometimes lead to a fortunate outcome—it also allowed me to comprehend the true essence of the Mysterious Stone Inner Power..."
Gong Shangjue retorted, "That wasn't comprehension; that was a deviation..."
"One thought can make a god, one thought can make a demon. In this world, strength and weakness come first; only afterward do righteousness and evil follow."
Gong Huanyu did not care at all whether it was a heretical path. He continued to cultivate day and night on the meditation cushion. During that time, his appearance became particularly eerie, his pupils occasionally turning blood-red.
Until one day later, when someone suddenly knocked on his door. It was Gong Hongyu, who had brought him the Cloud-Piercing Twin Lotus. Gong Hongyu told him he had asked Gong Shangjue for it and that taking it should greatly aid his inner power cultivation. Gong Huanyu thanked him outwardly, but he no longer needed the Cloud-Piercing Twin Lotus. After Gong Hongyu left, he stored the box in a cabinet.
Gong Huanyu said, "By then, my inner power was already complete; I no longer needed the Cloud-Piercing Twin Lotus. After becoming the Young Lord, I repeatedly proposed to Father to activate the Boundless Flowing Fire... Unfortunately..."
Gong Huanyu felt some resentment. In his ears echoed the sound of being refused when he tried to persuade Gong Hongyu to activate the Boundless Flowing Fire—
"Father, are we just going to stay cooped up in this valley forever? Wufeng has created so much bloodshed and enmity. Why not activate the Boundless Flowing Fire to eliminate Wufeng? Shouldn't we avenge our parents' deaths?"
"You have only recently become the Young Lord. There is no need for you to worry about such matters. Focus more on learning how to manage the House of Gong."
"Father! The Elders are stubborn and inflexible. Are you the same?"
"Impudent!"
"I'm sorry, Father. I shouldn't have spoken back to you."
"Your mind has been unsettled lately, restless and impatient. If the Mysterious Stone Inner Power cannot calm your mind, you should stop practicing it for now."
"Yes."
It was after that day that everything changed.
Coming back to the present, Gong Huanyu said, "From that moment on, Father began to consider replacing the heir... He left me no choice..."
Not long after, he discovered a document in the Blade Master's study, held down by a paperweight. It read: "Gong Huanyu, Young Lord of the House of Gong, was originally entrusted with the great responsibility of the House. However, due to his stubborn and deviant nature, he is beyond guidance. It is hereby decided to depose him, with Gong Shangjue to inherit the great responsibility..." The Blade Master's seal was already stamped at the end of the document. He then knew he could no longer sit idly by.
"Father had already privately written the document to depose the Young Lord. Once submitted to the Elders Council, everything would be set in stone, so I could wait no longer!"
The person Gong Hongyu wanted to replace him with was Gong Shangjue. That was why, on the night of the grand wedding, he specifically summoned Gong Shangjue. By then, he had already prepared the document and was about to inform Gong Shangjue of the replacement, but he was interrupted when Gong Huanyu entered. Gong Huanyu said he had discovered the identity of the assassin.Gong Huanyu said angrily, "Back when I passed the Three Realms Trial, I exhausted all my efforts and even promised Gong Liushang that once I became the Blade Master, I would help him restore Shang Manor. Only then did he reveal the secrets of the Three Realms Trial to me... If Father had passed the Blade Master position to Gong Shangjue, all my efforts would have been in vain... So I chose the least threatening person to temporarily take over the Blade Master position."
"It was me... In my brother's eyes, I was the least threatening person..." Gong Ziyu's eyes reddened.
"I placed information about the Boundless Flowing Fire on Second Miss Zheng. Although it was only fragments, anything related to the Boundless Flowing Fire would surely force Gong Shangjue to leave the valley, ensuring the absentee mechanism could be activated smoothly and allowing Gong Ziyu to become the new Blade Master."
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