CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53: RUTHLESS AND DERANGED!

Regardless of the outcome, although he didn’t manage to obtain the "Profound Turtle Armor Technique", with the "Wandering Snake Step" and "Willow Catkin Swordsmanship", Gu Yuan felt that this trip wasn’t wasted.

The two of them arrived at the entrance of the warehouse, having the old man Chen register the exchange Gu Yuan made — trading the "Black Tiger Fist" for the "Wandering Snake Step".

Immediately afterwards, Gu Yuan turned and left, but after only a few steps, he heard an old voice by his ear:

"Kid, if you want the ’Profound Turtle Armor Technique’, come find me tomorrow night, I’ll be waiting for you in Gaoliu Lane."

Gu Yuan quickly turned his head, only to see the old man Chen lazily sprawled on a chair, squinting his eyes as if dozing off, as though he hadn’t spoken at all.

But Gu Yuan dared to swear by Ah Huang, it was definitely the old man Chen who just spoke!

He glanced at Xia Xiuxue beside him, only to see the girl was completely unaware.

Obviously, he was the only one who heard that voice.

Gu Yuan gave the old man Chen a deep look, said nothing, and turned to leave.

After exiting the Jade Cauldron Tower, as Gu Yuan prepared to head home, he saw Xia Xiuxue following behind.

This surprised Gu Yuan somewhat, so he asked, puzzled:

"Third Miss, do you have any other business?"

Xia Xiuxue tossed an object to Gu Yuan, who caught it in his hand, discovering it to be a string of brass keys. While still puzzled, he heard Xia Xiuxue speak in a calm tone:

"The Leopard Embryo Marrow Cleansing Pill earlier was a reward from my father because you rendered outstanding service and saved me. As for these keys, they are a personal thank you gift from me. They are the keys to the courtyard at the end of Changgong Lane, where no one currently resides."

"You probably don’t have a place in the county to stay; consider this courtyard temporarily lent to you."

"Thank you very much, Third Miss."

Gu Yuan was somewhat taken aback, thought about it, but didn’t refuse. He’s constantly traveling between the Gu Family Village and the county, which was indeed quite inconvenient. Having such a place to stay would indeed be far more convenient.

"Additionally, let me remind you of one more thing."

Xia Xiuxue paused, then seriously said:

"Recently, Qinzhou hasn’t been peaceful. Some places have disturbances not only from demons, but there are also malevolent beings harming people. To not mention distant matters, there was a strange occurrence in our Beiliang County just a few days ago."

"A wealthy merchant’s family, all twenty-six members, were killed horribly and bloodily, not even sparing the infants in swaddling clothes. After investigating, the government found the culprit was an evil demon practitioner, at least an Innate Martial Master, though they haven’t found any trace of him yet, so you better be cautious."

"An evil demon practitioner causing trouble?"

Gu Yuan couldn’t help but feel a bit alarmed.

To have an entire family killed, not even sparing infants — what kind of utterly insane person would do such a thing?!

As he lamented the rampant and inhumane actions of the evil demon practitioner, he also couldn’t help but feel a sense of crisis.

If it were Qinzhou, that would be another story — if something major occurred, there are more significant figures to handle it, leaving no need for a mere Martial Master like him to worry.

But it’s different in Beiliang County, where such an incident happened so close to him. How could Gu Yuan possibly sit still?

After reminding Gu Yuan, Xia Xiuxue returned to the Jade Cauldron Tower.

She entered the room they were in earlier, now occupied only by Xia Mingyang, with Luo Sheng and Old Mo nowhere in sight.

At the time, Xia Mingyang had his back to her, looking out the window.

"Father."

Xia Xiuxue spoke respectfully.

"Did you remind Gu Yuan?"

"I did."

"Very well. The boy seems to have potential. If you manage to favor him and win him over, it could be a valuable aid to you."

Xia Mingyang nodded.

"Father, I think Gu Yuan is quite independent and not easily manipulated."

Xia Xiuxue hesitated, then said:

"Besides, with my abilities, I might not be able to suppress him."

"Whether he’s independent or not doesn’t matter; I also understand you may not be able to subjugate him."

Xia Mingyang appeared indifferent: "None of that is important; as long as he’s in the Jade Cauldron Tower, and if he wishes to advance to become an Innate Martial Master, he must act according to our wishes!"

Before Xia Xiuxue could say anything else, he waved his hand: "This boy’s problems are ultimately minor issues you needn’t overly concern yourself with. On the other hand, Xue’Er, while your resolution is only moderate, your constitution is somewhat special — naturally close to spirit flowers and rare herbs. Old Mo has already examined you and said there’s a possibility you possess a special constitution."

"In some time, an esteemed figure from the sect will arrive. When they do, if you perform well, you might even gain entry to Medicine King Mountain. In comparison, this is your greatest opportunity, so this time, you must seize the chance! Understand?!"

Speaking thus, his tone turned particularly solemn.

Xia Xiuxue’s heart trembled, her expression also becoming serious: "Yes, I understand, Father!"

...

"This courtyard is not bad..."

Gu Yuan had already arrived at the courtyard in Changgong Lane, beginning to look around.

It was a two-entry small courtyard, with everything from bedrooms, living rooms, study rooms, kitchens, stables, wood rooms to latrines — complete and quite comprehensive.

Though currently uninhabited, the courtyard was spotlessly clean. The backyard even had some flowers and plants, and a pond had been dug with goldfish swimming inside.

The rooms were furnished adequately, with everything from beds to daily living essentials, all organized neatly and clearly.

Overall, this courtyard was quite nice and could comfortably accommodate a dozen or more people without feeling crowded.

Gu Yuan knew enough about the house prices in the county.

This property, with its good location and layout inside, could be worth over a thousand silver taels. In any case, he couldn’t afford it.

"Giving me a courtyard and a reminder of recent demon practitioners causing trouble, telling me to be careful..."

Gu Yuan clicked his tongue in wonder, murmuring to himself: "Being so attentive to me, could the Third Miss possibly have taken a liking to me?"

One of life’s three major illusions — she likes me.

Of course, Gu Yuan was just joking.

He actually had quite a bit of self-awareness and didn’t think he’d ever have such charm to make Xia Xiuxue fall for him.

The best possibility is that he demonstrated enough potential to make the other party take notice, hence offering him these benefits, trying to make friendly overtures.

Gu Yuan fully understood this!

It was still early, so Gu Yuan called the trio to the courtyard.

Entering the unfamiliar environment and with no outsiders around, the trio immediately began to let loose.

Ah Wu’s instinctual behavior emerged, twisting its body and subconsciously drilling into obscure, dark corners, unwittingly exuding a trace of demon qi, startling the hidden bugs and even mice.

Especially the mice; several plump rats were terrified, squeaking and scurrying frantically around the courtyard.

This worked in Da Zui’s favor, as it chased after them, opening its mouth, gobbling them up one by one with great pleasure.

One by one, fist-sized bulges began from its neck and traveled down its, thin as a finger, abdomen, forming swellings.

Giving it an odd look of being thicker in the middle and thinner at the sides!