Of course, everyone was only stupefied for a moment.
The mercenaries who surrounded the young man realized that an outsider had intruded. Their first reaction was to raise their guns. A burst of gunfire blasted out.
But what happened next shocked all the people on the scene!
Everyone could only watch as those bullets abruptly exploded in the air the instant they flew out. The bullets blew up in a shower of sparks. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a single exception.
Fear suddenly took hold within the mercenaries’ hearts. Soon after, they couldn’t help but fire repeatedly. It was like they wanted to fire all of their bullets.
Bang, bang, bang!
Crack, clatter!
Each and every bullet exploded the instant it was shot out!
As for the person they were shooting at, he wasn’t harmed in the least…
It could be said that the mountain road had twisted around each new peak. The young man with the wounded calf swiftly dodged to the side. Countless thoughts appeared in his mind. He was completely shocked and terrified.
Who was this guy? What ability was this?!
In the end, the simple and honest man and the numerous mercenaries finally realized that, whoever they encountered, he wasn’t a pushover. After uselessly firing their guns, quite a few fellows who only knew how to flaunt their prowess and fight ruthlessly were already shivering and pissing themselves. They never imagined that something this bizarre could’ve happened — Even the guns they were so proud of were useless!
Their previously complacent moods while threatening the eldest young master turned illusory In this split second.
In the end, that simple and honest man had gone through many things in life. After seeing that person didn’t make any additional moves after emerging from the woods, he stifled the fear in his heart and spoke with a shuddering voice: “Your excellency, we offended you just now. If you’re just passing through, could you leave this place?”
Immediately following that, he glared at the young man. The precautions that ought to be taken couldn’t be ignored.
Soon after, the one wearing strange clothes — The extremely handsome young man opened his mouth. His voice was soft and gentle, but his accent and intonation were somewhat foreign and unfamiliar. However, his voice was undoubtedly pleasant on the ears.
“No.”
The simple and honest man’s pupils shrank. He wanted to immediately resist!
At the exact same time, that newcomer stretched out his fingers, and made a light grasping motion towards them —
In a split second, the twenty-something people on the scene, including that simple and honest man, were gripped by a type of invisible power. Their lungs couldn’t take in a single breath, and their muscles couldn’t budge. Their fingers couldn’t even twitch, let alone using the weapons in their hands. Amid that terrifying squeezing force, they all lost consciousness after just a brief couple of seconds.
The only one awake was the young man with the wounded calf. However, he was horrified to find that the bodies of the traitor and those henchmen who chased him and his subordinates started to contort and twist. The next moment, their heads exploded like the bullets from before. Their skulls burst apart like flowers of gore!
The twenty-something people had died simultaneously. And their deaths had been gruesome and wretched.
The young man instantly wanted to escape, but he quickly restrained his own impulses. Not to mention that his wounded calf made it hard to escape, the capabilities of the person who suddenly appeared made him realize that “wanting to escape” was nothing but a delusion.
Presently, although he didn’t know why the other party spared only him, it probably had a lot to do with him not offending the newcomer. What he needed to do right now was to strive his hardest to socialize and to preserve his own small life.
Hence, the young man braced himself with difficulty, and stood up. He said to the other person: “I am Zhang Bohan, this generation’s eldest grandson of the Zhang Family. The family owns some small businesses… When I came out to handle some matters this time, I ran into traitors. Fortunately, this mister showed up and saved my life. If this sir doesn’t mind, please allow this Bohan to express his gratitude by providing some proper hospitality.”
That person walked over one step at a time. There wasn’t the slightest expression on his face. His gaze was as deep as the ocean. It was like there were dense, dark clouds that obscured the bottom of his heart. If that point was touched upon, it would trigger his unending fury.
His imposing aura would cause one to involuntarily overlook his features. Although his appearance was handsome and without the slightest blemish, it still made Zhang Bohan feel a sense of dread. There wasn’t any feeling of closeness.
That person unhurriedly opened his mouth: “Gongyi Tianheng.”
At last, his gaze fell upon Zhang Bohan’s face: “Lead the way.”
Zhang Bohan didn’t dare to bring this person straight back to his household. What’s more, he didn’t know what the situation in his family was like right now. As a result, he simply led the person to one of his suburban villas.
This villa was one that he privately purchased in his early years. The location was relatively concealed. Later on, after he slowly took over the duties of the family properties, he stopped going over, and no one else knew about it.
Now, it was considered a path of retreat.
Because it was still early in the morning, Zhang Bohan had travelled under the cover of darkness while enduring the pain in his leg. That strangely-dressed calamity didn’t draw the attention of many people. Once they entered the villa, Zhang Bohan called out to the calamity to take a seat. None of his tense heartstrings relaxed.
Afterwards, Zhang Bohan discovered that the calamity was leisurely sitting on the sofa. No thoughts could be discerned from his expression. And it also wasn’t known where he originated from. What made the young man even more uneasy was that the other party didn’t have any intention of starting the conversation.
After a momentary pause, Zhang Bohan stood up, and limped over to steep a cup of tea. After organizing his speech, he slowly said: “Mister Gongyi’s kindness cannot be repaid with a single meal of hospitality. If this sir has any requests, don’t hesitate to tell me.”
Then, Gongyi Tianheng raised his eyes: “Give me a change of clothes first.”
Zhang Bohan stared blankly: “Does this sir want to…take a bath?”
Tianheng’s expression was as tranquil as a pool of water: “That’s correct.”
Zhang Bohan promptly smiled and said: “So it’s like this. I’m sure that this mister is in need of a bath to freshen up.”
As he spoke, Zhang Bohan led Tianheng to the second floor bathroom. He briefly pointed out where everything was arranged and which valves to turn on. Immediately following which, Zhang Bohan turned around, walked out, and closed the door behind him.
Only Tianheng remained as he stood inside the bathroom.
His expression, which had been tranquil and calm the whole time, slowly revealed a ponderous look.
This continent…was very unusual.
Yes. Tianheng had already discovered that he arrived at an entirely different landmass — It was because he had the previous experience of traveling from one continent to another. As a result, it was also easy for him to accept that the mysterious artifact caused him to cross over to another continent from the historical ruin.
It was just that, regarding this continent, not only was the ambient qi thin to an almost non-existent degree, even the people here were strange. Their style of dress, their behaviors and bearings, everything showed a completely different state of affairs compared to the continent he hailed from.
Among them, the most concerning thing was that martial artists didn’t seem to exist here. Instead, there were some peculiar weapons, which created a certain level of lethality without requiring the wielder to have much power themselves.
Of course, these weapons weren’t even spirit weapons. No matter how flexible their applications, they couldn’t cause any harm to him.
Tianheng loosened his jade coronet, took off his clothes, and entered this odd mechanism which could directly release hot water. He switched on the water, and a stream flowed down at a steady rate.
The water temperature was ordinary. Even if it was adjusted to the highest degree, he only felt some heat. It was barely usable.
Tianheng lowered his eyes.
The stream of water slid down the side of his face, and fell onto the ice-cold, porcelain surface.
He lightly splayed his hand over his heart… He couldn’t sense the existence of his little pharmacist.
This wasn’t the first time he had been separated from his Ah Zuo, but this pain was even more thorny and agonizing than before.
The depths of Tianheng’s gaze were serene and hidden.
He definitely grabbed Ah Zuo, but it seemed that when they passed through a barrier of some sort, they were suddenly separated by a powerful force. After that, he couldn’t extrapolate where the mysterious artifact had gone. Fortunately, his willpower was strong enough. On the contrary, at the final moment, he sensed that the energy of that mysterious artifact had already been exhausted. Thus, his Ah Zuo ought to have been on the same continent as him.
Following this, he would do as he did before, and think of a way to find his Ah Zuo.
Merely, this kind of forced separation still made him realize just how powerless he really was. This caused his own mood to become extremely unhappy — At this moment, he already understood the Xiao Clan’s schemes.
After pondering for a little while, Tianheng temporarily tossed aside the matters of the Central Continent.
His top priority was to figure out what was going on with this continent.
Once his body was rinsed down, Tianheng acted in accordance with Zhang Bohan’s statements. From a locker on the side, he took out a clean bathrobe and put it on.
After that, he walked out of the bathroom, and returned to the first floor’s lounge.
At this time, a medicine box was set up on the small side table. Meanwhile, Zhang Bohan was holding a scalpel and tweezers in his hands as he poked and prodded at his own calf. He had tried several times, but because he wasn’t a professional, taking out the bullet wasn’t going smoothly. His complexion was deathly pale from the pain, and his forehead was drenched with fine rivulets of sweat.
Tianheng’s figure slightly flickered, and he was already standing in front of Zhang Bohan.
Zhang Bohan was startled as he sensed that a shadow had been cast over him. Soon after, he realized that the calamitous personage he brought back had silently appeared!
Tianheng glanced at the leg wound: “Do you want that thing taken out?”
Zhang Bohan forced a smile and said: “Yes. Unfortunately, there isn’t a doctor here, and I…”
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Bohan discovered a stream of warmth had rushed into his calf. Immediately following which, there was a spurt of hot blood. Something trembled inside his flesh, and subsequently shot out.
It was precisely that bullet!
Zhang Bohan had never seen someone who could make a bullet do this. His heart gave a thumping lurch. He considered the method that the calamity used to kill those people before. Could it be that what he used was… qigong? This kind of conjecture caused his face to pale a bit more.
In the end, no matter how steady or calm he presented himself, Zhang Bohan wasn’t even thirty years old yet. While he had a vague understanding of some things, he still had a restraining fear of esoteric and mysterious subject matters.
Following this, another streak of power came over. Zhang Bohan’s calf, which was still oozing blood, stopped bleeding. Instead, the wound was rapidly staunched. If it wasn’t for the bullet hole and the pain that was still present, he would’ve thought that he had simply imagined being shot in the leg.
Zhang Bohan forced himself to remain calm: “Many thanks, mister.”
Tianheng looked over. His gaze was a little deep: “I want to stay here for a few days. Is that alright?”
How could Zhang Bohan dare to refuse? Right away, he nodded his head: “Of course! This sir can stay here for as long as he wants.”
Tianheng finally revealed his first smiling expression after coming here. It was just that this smile didn’t contain any warmth: “During this time period, if anyone comes looking for you to cause trouble, I will naturally take action.”
After hearing these words, Zhang Bohan’s heart couldn’t help feeling a trace of happiness: “In that case, I’ll have to trouble this sir.”
After he lost all of his loyal subordinates, the pros far outweighed the cons when it came to gaining the help of such an expert. As far as he was concerned, it didn’t matter what the origins of the expert were or why that expert’s style of speech was somewhat strange.
At the very least, his life was guaranteed.
Tianheng faintly nodded his head at the young man.
Zhang Bohan continued to speak: “It isn’t convenient for me to go out right now, but this place still has several sets of clothes that haven’t been worn before. I can give them to this sir to change into. It’s just that you’re a little bigger than me. I’m afraid that you’ll have to put up with it temporarily. Once I’ve finished handling my obligations, I’ll provide the very best for this mister.”
Tianheng said: “It’s no bother.”
Upon meeting the forces of both sides, he quickly chose Zhang Bohan. It was because the young man had fallen to a disadvantageous position, but it was also because the other side’s leader actually dared to harbor ideas on his own person.
Now, it appeared that this decision wasn’t wrong.
Gu Zuo silently stood just beyond the threshold.
After he spoke the words “It’s me”, the movements inside the room suddenly stopped.
In a split second, a feeling of fright arose from the bottom of Gu Zuo’s heart.
What happened? The voice just now was clearly his dad’s. Why didn’t he open the door?
Was it because he had been gone for too long, and his dad already…already wasn’t willing to forgive him anymore?
But he really didn’t do it on purpose!
Gu Zuo’s frame started to tremble slightly.
He and his dad had been relying on one another for the past many years. It could be imagined that his dad would’ve been inconsolable after his initial disappearance. Five years passed in the blink of an eye. Because of an accident, he never returned in time. As a result…
Just as Gu Zuo’s imagination was running wild in his head, the door was suddenly opened!
A man’s silhouette emerged from within the doorway. When he looked at Gu Zuo in the hallway, his face was struck with disbelief!
“Xiao Zuo?” The man’s lips faintly quivered, “Is it really Xiao Zuo? This kid hasn’t been willing to see his old man in five years. Why did you come out during the day? Aren’t you worried about vanishing in the sunlight, you silly child?!”
Gu Zuo looked at his family whom he hadn’t seen in five years, and also spoke somewhat incoherently: “Dad, it was daytime when I returned. I couldn’t just wait until night to come back. By the way, it’s only been a couple years. Why are you so thin? You aren’t a girl. There’s no need to lose weight. You’re thinner than a bolt of lightning!”
Speaking up to here, his voice warbled: “…I’ve come back. Dad, aren’t you going to let me in?”
The man hastily made room: “Right, right. Quickly come inside. Don’t let outsiders see you!”
Gu Zuo hurriedly walked through the doorway. Just as he went in, he couldn’t help giving the man a strong, heartfelt hug: “Dad, I missed you! I really, really missed you!”
The man who just closed the door was tightly hugged by Gu Zuo. After that, he stared blankly.
Warm and solid… Alive?
Didn’t he watch with his own eyes as his Xiao Zuo was cremated and interred at the public cemetery?!
What was going on?
Gu Zuo sensed the man’s rigidity. After doing his best to calm down, he pulled the man’s hand, went back to the room, and sat down on the living room sofa: “Dad, I have a lot to tell you. You wouldn’t know, but for the past five years, my experiences have been so strange…”
At the exact same time, the man’s doubtful voice also echoed out: “Xiao Zuo, you’re not a ghost?”
Gu Zuo: “…”
The man: “…”
It seemed that something wasn’t quite right.
After the chicken clucked and the duck quacked for a while, Gu Zuo eventually figured out what transpired five years ago from his dear dad. He also realized the reason behind his dad’s current behavior.
As it turned out, on the day of Gu Zuo’s traffic accident, Gu Zuo thought that he had only disappeared. However, when his dad, Gu Qi, received the notification and rushed over, what he saw was Gu Zuo’s corpse.
Gu Qi didn’t expect that his son, who went to learn some knowledge as usual, would have an accident on the way back. He died, covered in blood. It was so miserable and wretched that there wasn’t even a need to call an ambulance. His son had already stopped breathing… For a time, he didn’t dare to believe it, but when that dead body was unequivocally laid out in that place and the police officer rushed over to offer condolences, he only barely accepted reality after a long period of anguish. He had Gu Zuo’s mangled corpse cremated and buried.
Afterwards, Gu Qi shut himself away in this room. Apart from replenishing the necessary supplies to live, he rarely went out. So long as he left this place and saw that street, he would think about his son who died tragically. The agony in his heart was crushing. Later on, he had no choice but to isolate himself. Under the unending grief and mourning, his entire person inevitably lost weight until he was practically skin and bones.
As a result, Gu Qi, who was originally 1.8 meters tall and had a sunny and handsome appearance, now looked like he had aged twenty years. Even his hair was mixed with strands of gray.
He was thin, pallid, and haggard.
After listening to Gu Qi’s narration, Gu Zuo quickly understood. Back then, that dead body was definitely fabricated by the system. Its goal was probably to prevent any mishaps? It was just that no one anticipated that he wouldn’t utilize the Void Pill, and would instead be accidentally brought back by the Void-Breaking Shuttle.
Originally, being able to go back and see his dad should’ve been a joyous occasion. If it wasn’t for this error, Gu Qi would’ve only seen his son returning home with the groceries, and not the corpse and “ghost” of his son who returned five years later.
Gu Zuo forced a smile: “Dad, I’m really sorry. I didn’t think it would be like this.”
Gu Qi’s eyes reddened. He ruffled Gu Zuo’s hair: “My good son, you were able to come home. Dad is already very happy.”
The father and son met each other’s gazes. Their eyes shined with tears.
But coincidentally, they tacitly restrained their own emotions. Gu Zuo also slowly talked about his own experiences.
From the traffic accident, he was sent directly to another world. His life had been saved by the system. He bound himself to the system, did the missions required by the system, got acquainted with his big brother, Gongyi Tianheng, advanced and retreated with his big brother, passed through several continents…
Gu Zuo wasn’t the type of person who was good at telling stories, but even when he narrated so dryly, it still caused Gu Qi to listen with rapt attention. The anguish of mourning his son for the past five years seemed to be cured little by little amid Gu Zuo’s tales. Gu Qi’s countenance no longer carried anxiety or distress.
Of course, Gu Zuo didn’t talk about his own feelings for Tianheng. He only finally concluded: “…It’s like this. I still didn’t have enough time to say goodbye to big brother when I was brought back by the Void-Breaking Shuttle. I only hope that big brother, who was shaken off halfway, didn’t encounter any dangers while traveling through spacetime. Rather, I hope that he smoothly returned to Ten Ultimates Sect.”
Gu Qi finished listening, and took a long time to digest everything. After giving a lengthy sigh, he consoled: “Son, you don’t have to worry. Didn’t you say that this adoptive big brother has the Tiandu Body? His innate luck is good, so he’s definitely okay.”
Gu Zuo vigorously nodded his head: “The system also said that nothing happened to big brother. I’m only… I can’t help feeling a little worried.”
Gu Qi revealed a clear and bright smile, and felt the same five years ago: “Isn’t feeling worried for your adoptive brother normal? It’s okay. Don’t let this worry harm your health.”
Then, he spread out his arms, and gave Gu Zuo a great, big hug: “Son, welcome back!”
Although Gu Zuo’s heart still had an unbearable ache after mentioning Tianheng, now that he saw his dear dad like this, he returned the hug: “Dad, I’m back. I’m really back.”
Gu Qi’s body suddenly trembled.
Some warm tears fell onto Gu Zuo’s shoulder. Gu Zuo closed his eyes, and revealed a smiling expression.
He had returned.
Only…
He and his big brother had probably parted ways forever.
Gongyi Tianheng sat on the sofa. One hand was holding a remote control, which lightly clicked at a widescreen, digital television. It promptly changed channels.
His posture was graceful and his bearing was unhurried. Though he was jumping from one channel to the next, every time he lingered on one channel, it never exceeded ten minutes. Yet, it still made people feel that he seemed to be doing something grand, and these actions weren’t to be underestimated in the slightest.
Zhang Bohan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, and looked at…the dead bodies piled up under the perimeter wall.
Should it be said that it was fortunate that this was a private villa? While this was a residential district of villas, every property was far apart. Therefore, whatever happened in one of the villas might not necessarily be known to the nearest neighbor.
In these two days, someone had still found him.
Merely, whenever the pursuers scaled the walls at night and tried to assassinate him, they would’ve already silently died just as they climbed over the perimeter wall. In the end, they were never able to step foot into the villa.
Originally, Zhang Bohan slept well at night, but when he was exercising in the courtyard during the day, he conspicuously noticed the corpses at the base of the wall. Shock flashed across his whole face. Once he moved closer to take a look, he discovered that those corpses didn’t have any wounds or bruises anywhere on their bodies. It was like they had simply stopped breathing. At that point, he felt even more indescribable reverence toward Tianheng’s methods.
He could tell that this Gongyi Tianheng didn’t place any importance on human life at all. Although, as far as his family was concerned, it was a matter of course for some people to die during a power struggle. However, at the very least, they always had some special feelings after taking people’s lives. Yet, in Tianheng’s eyes, killing a human was no different from squashing an ant. It wasn’t a question of capability, but necessity.
In Zhang Bohan’s mind, Tianheng’s danger level had already risen to first place for the rest of his life.
He didn’t dare to offend this calamity one bit.
However, after the other party arrived two days ago, apart from living in this place, Zhang Bohan still couldn’t figure out what kind of goal the other side had.
As for Tianheng, his mood at this moment was hard to put into words…
It was gloomy.
T/N: Thanks for the corrections, Charysa.
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