CHAPTER 179: CHAPTER 176: BODY SEIZING? (NUO YE’S BIRTHDAY, ASKING FOR MONTHLY TICKETS~)

Chapter 176 [Body Seizing?]

Guo Kang was born in the late 1950s. He lived through the renowned three-year period of difficulties after the founding of New Huaxia. He was born in an era when resources were scarce and even food was in short supply.

Thus, he was named Guo Kang.

Guo Kang was the fourth son of the contemporary Family Head of the Guo Family.

The Guo Family, an old clan that had been entrenched in one place for many years, had firmly taken root in the northwest after weathering the storms of several generations. They had long since abandoned the life of toiling in the fields, faces to the yellow earth and backs to the sky.

They had been in the jade trade for a hundred years.

From a young age, Guo Kang was intelligent, and unlike his several elder brothers, he loved martial arts!

In fact, starting from two generations earlier, the Guo Family had already shown signs: the well-fed descendants of the main branch were no longer willing to practice martial arts.

However, in the decades of chaos before the founding of New Huaxia, martial power still occupied a very important position.

The martial arts of the Guo Family’s Family Head were very good.

Unfortunately, after the founding of New Huaxia, the Guo Family again fell into a comfortable environment, and practicing martial arts had become the last choice for the sons of the main branch.

Practicing martial arts required tempering the body from a young age, enduring hardships, practicing basic skills, and training through the bitterness of winter and the heat of summer.

Guo Kang’s eldest brother practiced half-heartedly and ran off in his teens. The Guo Family’s second and third sons did the same. Coinciding with the "Ten-Year XX" period, they ran off to join others in causing trouble.

Guo Kang, however, was someone who could keep his mind focused.

He stayed in the old house, earnestly practicing martial arts and calligraphy—living as though he were a traditional member of the Guo Family.

Among the four sons of the main branch, Guo Kang’s martial arts were the best, and naturally, he was his father’s favorite.

At the age of twenty, Guo Kang married; his wife was arranged by his family. They met once before the wedding, then set a date, and held a bustling wedding ceremony.

The couple’s daily life was neither particularly good nor bad. They lived plainly and simply.

By the time they married, the Reform and Opening-Up period had already begun. The Guo Family, with their deep roots in the northwest for many years, rose meteorically with the winds of development.

Control over resources was key to their mining business.

Guo Kang, who was both literate and martially skilled, naturally stood out as a rising star among the four brothers. His father’s reliance on and admiration for him, combined with his own outstanding abilities, quickly made Guo Kang a prominent name for the Guo Family in their dealings with the outside world!

Moreover, Guo Kang had a very good assistant, Guo Qiang, a child adopted by the Guo Family many years earlier.

Guo Qiang went from a disciple of the Outer Gate to entering the Inner Gate in just a few years. His martial talent could be called the strongest in the Guo Family, even surpassing Guo Kang.

Guo Kang had identified Guo Qiang’s potential early on and thus began to actively approach this boy adopted by the family.

In their daily meals, he would share half of whatever he had with Guo Qiang—whether it stemmed from sincerity or was a technique used by descendants of great clans to win people’s hearts.

In any case, the effect was very good. Guo Qiang, though a few years older than Guo Kang, became his most capable and trusted assistant in the family.

Guo Kang was a descendant of the main branch, practicing the Guo Family’s finest martial arts, while Guo Qiang could only start from the most basic Outer Gate techniques.

So, Guo Kang would secretly teach Guo Qiang the Inner Gate techniques he practiced every night.

The result was that, by the age of sixteen, Guo Qiang was Invincible among his peers. None of the young people of his generation could beat him, including Guo Kang himself.

Guo Kang was not jealous but rather showed great pride and happiness. The two lived together in the Inner Gate for many years, sharing meals, practicing martial arts, reading, and writing together.

Guo Kang even helped Guo Qiang write love letters when Guo Qiang fell in love with Guo Kang’s fourth cousin, Guo Yuzhen.

When Guo Kang grew up and faced his first major venture outside the family—being sent to work in a mine—Guo Qiang actively followed!

In a struggle over a mine with another family from the northwest, Guo Qiang single-handedly defeated five or six of their best men. In the end, when the opposing side, out of frustration, pointed a gun at Guo Qiang, Guo Kang did not hesitate to step forward, standing in front of Guo Qiang!

Their relationship was truly unique within the entire Guo Family.

Based on their generational status, Guo Qiang and Guo Kang were of the same generation. Guo Qiang was older, and though adopted, he also carried the surname Guo.

Guo Qiang called Guo Kang "Fourth Brother."

And regarding the relationship with the fourth young miss... she was Guo Kang’s cousin, so Guo Kang liked to call Guo Qiang "Brother-in-law."

In the 1980s, Guo Kang began consciously extending the family’s reach northward.

Many domestic issues were restrictive, but once across the border to the north, the world was vast with much to gain! And those places were very chaotic!

In chaotic times, naturally, those with the biggest fists had the advantage!

Guo Kang, Guo Qiang, and a group of family disciples went north many times a year, establishing a foundation abroad. They even secured some lucrative opportunities from the Russians!

Had things gone as expected, everyone believed Guo Kang would eventually take over the family business.

The position of the next Family Head was almost universally recognized as reserved for him.

But tragically, Guo Kang died!

In 1981, during an expedition, Guo Kang went abroad, allegedly to compete for a newly discovered ore vein.

That time, he took a large sum of money and a group of elite guards who had followed him for many years.

It was spring when he left; before he departed, his wife was already pregnant.

After being away for over two months, Guo Kang returned in the summer.

Guo Kang came back alone, severely injured, and hanging onto life by a thread.

After struggling to return to the Guo Family, he lay in bed for over two months.

He returned in the summer, and it wasn’t until the autumn winds began to blow that he could barely get out of bed.

This was Guo Kang’s biggest failure since starting his ventures. All the invested funds were lost, and all the elite forces of the Guo Family perished abroad. It was said that he met formidable opponents overseas, was utterly defeated, and his entire contingent was annihilated.

Guo Qiang hadn’t gone with him that time; he was involved in other matters. By the time Guo Qiang rushed back home, Guo Kang was already critically ill.

The furious Guo Qiang later went several times alone into Russian territory seeking revenge but achieved little, capturing only a few insignificant figures.

By the time Guo Qiang returned that autumn, Guo Kang was already dead. Guo Qiang didn’t even get to see his "Fourth Brother" one last time.

What Guo Qiang found hardest to accept was that ever since Guo Kang returned home in failure and lay wounded, the entire Guo Family’s attitude toward him had changed.

A dying wreck, he no longer qualified to be the Family Head’s successor.

Besides, this wreck had lost all his capable followers abroad.

Furthermore, this wreck still controlled some of the Guo Family’s most lucrative resources.

Even Guo Kang’s father, the Guo Family Head, showed a cold attitude towards his own fourth son.

By the end, Guo Kang was virtually placed under house arrest in the Inner Gate.

When Guo Qiang returned from his last attempt at revenge, Guo Kang was already gone.

The Family Head’s attitude towards his once highly regarded fourth son incensed Guo Qiang to the extreme.

The funeral was very simple; without even setting up a mourning hall, he was hastily buried. It was said that Guo Kang died in such a dire state, his body too horrifying to be seen, so everything was kept as simple as possible.

At that time, a rumor started circulating within the Guo Family’s Inner Gate:

During that failure abroad, Guo Kang had actually reclaimed a treasure, but he had pocketed the item acquired at the cost of his clansmen’s lives, an act that greatly angered the Family Head. This was why, even after Guo Kang died, he didn’t receive a proper funeral.

Moreover, Guo Qiang heard that on the night of Guo Kang’s death, the Family Head entered Guo Kang’s room alone.

Everyone was ordered to wait outside the courtyard!

Only the Family Head and Steward Liu entered.

Outside, people heard intense arguments coming from the yard: the Family Head’s angry roars, Young Master Guo Kang’s fierce rebuttals, and the sounds of things being smashed.

Because of the Family Head’s strict orders, those outside were not allowed to enter.

After the Family Head came out, Guo Kang was already dead.

From the announcement of death to the funeral and burial, the Family Head did not show his face. The outside world was only told that the Family Head was so distraught by the loss of his son that he fell severely ill and could not leave his bed.

The funeral, almost crude in its simplicity, was managed by Steward Liu, who was close to the Family Head.

Guo Qiang, stricken with grief, sought justice for his Fourth Brother.

He knelt outside the Family Head’s courtyard for three days but ultimately did not get to see the Family Head.

After Guo Kang’s death, his properties were mostly ordered by the Family Head to be distributed to others.

Seeing Guo Kang’s pregnant widow, Guo Qiang again pleaded with the Family Head to transfer the small share he had earned through years of service to the Guo Family to Guo Kang’s unborn child.

This request was also refused.

However, some time later, the Family Head ordered Guo Kang’s wife to be taken into the Inner Gate to reside. Initially, everyone thought the Family Head finally pitied his deceased youngest son and was taking care of his pregnant daughter-in-law by bringing her into the Inner Gate for proper care until childbirth.

But ultimately, even after the child was born and named Guo Xiaowei by the Family Head himself, mother and son remained in the Inner Gate. The Family Head showed no intention of having them move out and live separately.

It was as if the whole family had stopped mentioning the matter altogether.

So, once again, a rumor began to circulate:

Guo Xiaowei might not be Guo Kang’s biological child at all.

Guo Kang had spent years abroad building his career...

"So, Body Seizing?" Chen Nuo looked at the "Ancestor" kneeling on the ground.

Guo Qiang didn’t speak, but the expression on his face was one of utter disbelief.

Clenching his teeth tightly, he stared at the "Ancestor" for a long time before tremblingly asking, "Is... is what he said true? You... you’re my Fourth Brother?"

The "Ancestor" hung his head low, his body still as stone.

Chen Nuo sighed and waved his hand gently.

Finally, the "Ancestor’s" body relaxed. His hands propped on the ground as he caught his breath before lifting his head.

"Speak up!!!" Guo Qiang’s body trembled uncontrollably.

The "Ancestor" let out a faint sigh and slowly said, "On the night of your nineteenth birthday, I stole a roast chicken and two white flour buns from the kitchen. We hid by the water vat to eat them.

"It was only the next day that we found out the roast chicken was prepared for ancestral offerings. The house was in chaos; Father was furious. Both of us knew the seriousness of the matter and vowed never to speak of it."

Guo Qiang’s body went limp, and he slumped to the ground.

The "Ancestor" continued with a cold laugh, "The first love letter you wrote to Guo Yuzhen, from beginning to end, was dictated by me while you wrote it. In it, there’s a line: ’To hold your hand, and with you, grow old.’

"That character for ’with,’ you didn’t know how to write it at the time, so you wrote it wrong, ending up with the character for ’borrow.’

"Guo Yuzhen mocked you about it for a long time.

"I blamed you for not studying diligently, for not even knowing how to write that character, wasting the literary flair I had come up with for you.

"You blamed me for not checking it over properly for you.

"This matter, besides the three of us, no one knows."

He paused and, with another cold chuckle, continued, "And the first time I went out on a job, you knocked down five or six of their men, and in the end, we were held at gunpoint...

"That time, I grabbed one of their men and jumped into the lake. You teased me about my poor skills.

"In fact, you only found out later that I had wet my pants out of fear when I was held at gunpoint.

"To cover it up, I had no choice but to jump into the lake, holding that man.

"You ridiculed me for over a month about that, but again, only you and I knew!

"And there’s more..."

"Stop talking!!!"

Guo Qiang suddenly roared.

He jumped up from the ground, clenching his fists and heading towards the person in front of him. But as he walked, his steps slowed, and his voice grew weak as he muttered, "Stop talking, stop talking... don’t say anymore..."

Chen Nuo sighed, walked over, and patted Guo Qiang on the shoulder, then looked down at the figure on the ground.

"So... Body Seizing?"

Chen Nuo frowned. "Does such a thing as Body Seizing really exist in this world?"

"Sort of, and sort of not."

The "Ancestor," who now seemed to be Guo Kang, slowly lifted his head to look at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo thought for a moment and nodded. "Then, the strange thing must be what you brought back from overseas when you escaped!"

Guo Kang sighed. "Indeed."

With a chilly smile, he said, "That thing is truly magical, and not just for simple Body Seizing. After I returned, Father desperately demanded it from me, and that’s when I knew I couldn’t give it to him!

"The trip I took abroad, it was Father who sent me! Everyone thought I was leading men overseas to expand our business.

"But only I knew that Father specifically ordered me to help him retrieve something.

"After so many of my people perished abroad and I finally seized the item, and I understood what it was, what it was used for...

"I knew I couldn’t give this thing to Father!"

"You were afraid your father would seize your body?" Chen Nuo asked.

"Afraid, of course, I was afraid! How could I not be?" Guo Kang snorted. "The old man knew what that thing was used for; that’s why he specifically sent me to find it.

"The old man had already grown old!

"And the Body Seizing from that thing has many restrictions—it can only occur between those of the same bloodline!

"It won’t work on outsiders!

"Among everyone in the Guo Family, I was the best candidate for Body Seizing!

"I was young and strong, with the best martial arts, in my prime at over twenty years old... I had prestige and authority!

"Once he seized my body, using my physical form to continue living, he could still remain the Guo Family Head!

"I thought it over and over. If I were the old man, choosing someone for Body Seizing, I would probably be the only choice!

"At such a time, how could I possibly hand the item over to him?"

"Weren’t you severely injured and on the brink of death back then?" Guo Qiang couldn’t help but ask.

Guo Kang glanced at Guo Qiang, frowned, and then sighed. "Brother-in-law! That young man was right just now. With your temperament, you’d better stick to running a noodle shop in the future and don’t get involved in the affairs of the martial world."

Chen Nuo sighed. "So, Guo Kang was actually killed by the old man?"

"My injuries were severe, but given some time, I naturally would have recovered," Guo Kang said. "But how could the old man dare let me heal when he was scheming to get that item from me? If I were fully recovered, he couldn’t control me anymore.

"My wounds only got worse the more they were ’treated’!"

Shaking his head, Guo Kang continued, "That old man’s mind was even more poisonous than mine. In the end, I was cornered. He even threatened me with the life of my pregnant wife...

"When things reached that point, I had no other choice.

"If I didn’t kill him, he would kill me!"

"How did you manage to kill him?" Chen Nuo asked.

"That night..." Guo Kang looked up at the sky, smiling faintly. "The old man barged into my room with Liu Changgui and sent everyone away.

"I was informed that if I didn’t hand over the item that night, my wife would die the next morning, and so would the child in her belly.

"I would die too.

"Since it had come to that, I had no choice.

"I kept saying I hadn’t found the item, but the old man stubbornly refused to believe me.

"During the argument, I slipped something into the old man’s pocket."

As he spoke, Guo Kang turned his head to look at Guo Qiang and said indifferently, "The item you stole from the house is a white jade bead, right?

"In fact, it’s a set of two pieces!

"One black, one white!

"The white represents yang, and the black, yin!

"I held onto the white one and gave the old man the black one...

"Heh heh! I knew that night he was likely going to kill me, so... I really can’t be blamed for what happened!

"With the white one in my possession, my soul would be transferred to the black one upon my death.

"And with the black one on the old man... Heh heh heh heh...

"So, it’s really not my fault. If he hadn’t tried to kill me, my soul wouldn’t have seized his body.

"As for this matter, it can only be said that he brought death upon himself."

Neither Chen Nuo nor Guo Qiang spoke.

Guo Kang’s face bore a grim smile as he slowly said, "What I didn’t expect... is that the old man, in the end, didn’t kill me with his own hands. Perhaps... he was afraid of retribution from the netherworld.

"After all, I was his biological son; he couldn’t bring himself to kill me personally.

"So, he left me with Steward Liu, and then he departed.

"Steward Liu personally killed me.

"It was also on that night that Steward Liu strangled me... but before he killed me, he also attempted to extract the whereabouts of the treasure from me.

"He even tempted me, saying that if I handed over the treasure to him, he could secretly take care of my wife and child...

"Ha ha ha ha!

"It was from that night that I knew Liu Changgui and the old man were not of one mind!"