4: Join the sect first, then plan your next move!

The scream, suppressed to the extreme, sounded exceptionally piercing in the dead of night.

Gu Changsheng opened his eyes in the darkness. Without the slightest hesitation, he rolled off the bed, rushed toward the door with all his might, and yanked the latch open.

"There's a thief! There's a thief!"

He shouted sharply toward the courtyard in a child's voice mixed with terror and shrillness.

This cry completely ignited the silent mine slave camp.

"What's wrong!"

"What happened!"

The door next door was violently kicked open, and his uncle Gu Dashan and aunt Mrs. Li rushed out, disheveled, their faces full of shock and sleepiness.

Immediately after, the surrounding neighbors were also alarmed. Wooden doors were pushed open one by one, flickering torches lit up, and chaotic footsteps and inquiries quickly converged toward the Gu family's small courtyard.

"Changsheng! What's going on!" Gu Dashan rushed to Gu Changsheng's side in one stride and protected him behind his back.

Gu Changsheng gripped his uncle's pant leg tightly, his body trembling like a sieve. He pointed a finger outside the window of his utility room, his voice filled with a crying tone.

"There... there's a bad guy! He wanted to climb in through the window! And then... then there was a sound, and he started screaming!"

He perfectly played the part of a terrified eight-year-old child, incoherent and full of fear.

The crowd held up their torches and gathered in the direction he pointed.

When the torchlight illuminated the ground under the window, sounds of gasping filled the air.

Old Fourth Zhao was seen lying twisted on the ground, one of his lower legs firmly bitten by a giant, rusty animal trap.

White bone shards pierced through flesh and were exposed to the air, with fresh blood gushing from the wound, staining the soil on the ground red.

He had already passed out from the excruciating pain and blood loss, with only his chest still rising and falling weakly.

"It's Old Fourth Zhao!"

"Good heavens! His leg... is broken!"

"This trap is truly fearsome!"

The neighbors let out gasps of shock, and a few timid women retreated repeatedly, not daring to look at the bloody scene again.

The moment Gu Dashan saw the animal trap clearly, he froze, the color draining from his face at a visible speed until he turned deathly pale.

This animal trap... was his! It was something he used for hunting in his youth, hidden under the bed for over a decade. How could it be here? And it had broken someone's leg!

If this were reported to the steward, even if he didn't have to pay with his life, he would still lose a layer of skin!

Mrs. Li also recognized the object. Her legs went weak with fear, and she almost collapsed to the ground, pointing at Gu Dashan, her lips trembling but unable to utter a single word.

The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly shifted from the indignation of catching a thief to fear and sympathy for the Gu family, who were about to face a disaster.

Just as Gu Dashan's mind went blank and he was at a loss for what to do, he felt his pant leg being tugged forcefully.

He looked down and saw Gu Changsheng looking up with a tear-stained little face, crying out loudly in a tone filled with adoration and innocence:

"Uncle! Did the trap you set yesterday catch the bad guy? Was he trying to come in and steal our family's things?"

This sentence was clearly heard by everyone present.

Like a thunderbolt, it split open Gu Dashan's chaotic thoughts.

That's right! Animal trap! To ward off wild beasts! To ward off thieves!

Old Fourth Zhao was notorious in the camp for having sticky fingers, often engaging in petty theft, and his reputation was extremely poor.

He didn't sleep in the middle of the night and snuck under someone else's window—if he wasn't trying to steal something, what was he doing?

This wasn't hurting someone at all; this was the thief running into the trap himself, asking for it!

"Right! Right!" Gu Dashan reacted instantly. He straightened his back, hugged Gu Changsheng in his arms, and shouted to the surrounding neighbors, "My family has been hearing noises outside the window lately, fearing there might be some wild beast or something unclean, so I dug out an old trap and placed it under the window for protection! Who knew this Old Fourth Zhao... Sigh! He brought this upon himself!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding neighbors suddenly realized.

"So that's how it is! I was wondering how Great Mountain would hurt someone for no reason!"

"Exactly! That old thing, Old Fourth Zhao, he deserves it! A few days ago, he even swiped the salted fish I was drying!"

"Climbing into someone's window in the middle of the night, having his leg broken by a trap is just retribution!"

The tide of public opinion instantly reversed. No one sympathized with the unconscious Old Fourth Zhao anymore; instead, everyone felt he deserved his punishment.

Mrs. Li also came back to her senses. She looked at Gu Changsheng, who was still "shivering" in her husband's arms, her eyes filled with extreme complexity.

If it weren't for this child's words waking them up, they probably wouldn't have been able to escape this disaster today.

Soon, the steward of the mine slave camp was also alarmed. A middle-aged man with a beer belly and a greasy face walked in, pushing through the crowd with two guards.

"What are you making noise for in the middle of the night! Do you all want your wages deducted!" the steward shouted impatiently.

When he saw Old Fourth Zhao in a pool of blood and the ferocious animal trap, he also frowned.

Gu Dashan quickly stepped forward and repeated the same story, and the neighbors also spoke up to testify, chattering about Old Fourth Zhao's usual misdeeds.

After listening, the steward just questioned them perfunctorily for a few sentences before waving his hand impatiently.

"Alright, I get it. Isn't it just a thief who stepped on a trap himself? Bad luck!"

He instructed the guards, "Carry him to the woodshed. Whether he lives or dies is up to fate. Everyone disperse! If you don't want to work tomorrow, you can continue watching the show here!"

Hearing this, the crowd scattered like birds and beasts.

The two guards looked at the bloodied Old Fourth Zhao with disgust, but still stepped forward to lift him up, dragging him like a dead dog toward the woodshed in the corner of the camp.

Old Fourth Zhao's wails and curses gradually faded away, and the courtyard finally returned to peace.

Mrs. Li nimbly brought a bucket of water and washed away the blood on the ground, as if to wash away all the bad luck.

After finishing all this, she walked up to Gu Changsheng. On her usually harsh face, she actually squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying.

"Changsheng, today... thanks to you. Go back to your room and sleep, don't be scared."

Her attitude had done a 180-degree turn. In her view, Gu Changsheng was not a jinx, but a lucky star! As soon as he arrived, he helped the family block a major disaster!

Gu Changsheng nodded obediently and returned to his utility room well-behaved.

Closing the door, he cut off everything from the outside world.

He leaned against the door panel, the terrified and innocent expression on his face slowly fading, replaced by a depth and coldness that did not match his age.

His first time indirectly killing someone.

There was no fear or anxiety as imagined; instead, his heart was completely calm.

When Old Fourth Zhao stared at him with resentment, the outcome was already destined. Either he dies, or I die.

In this world where human life is cheaper than grass, any softness of heart is an irresponsibility toward one's own life.

He lay back on the bed, reviewing every detail of the entire plan. From setting the trap to guiding public opinion, everything was under his control.

The only variable was his uncle Gu Dashan, but that too had been perfectly resolved by his childlike innocence.

There must be a foolproof plan; one must cut the weeds and eliminate the roots. This was the most profound lesson he learned tonight.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, when the first ray of sunlight shone into the room through the cracks in the window, Gu Changsheng opened his eyes.

He felt his whole body filled with unprecedented power; the effects of the marrow cleansing and bone tempering were still continuing.

And the familiar pale gold text appeared in his mind right on time.

【daily intelligence has refreshed】

【Intelligence: The mine slave Old Fourth Zhao did not dare to make a scene about the Spiritual Plant. He went back and bandaged it simply, but eventually died in the woodshed in the early morning hours due to wound infection and excessive blood loss.】

【Intelligence 2: The mine slave camp steward, Fatty Wang, has been skimming off the mine slaves' pensions and Spirit Stone shares for years. Under the third floor tile beneath his bed, there is a hidden iron box containing fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones that he has privately hoarded. Risk assessment: Medium. (Because the source is illegitimate, he generally does not carry them on his person.)】

Looking at the first piece of intelligence, Gu Changsheng felt no ripples in his heart. Old Fourth Zhao was dead; this threat was completely erased.

His gaze fell on the second piece of intelligence. Fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

For a mine slave, this was a huge sum of money that one wouldn't even dare to imagine!

The Spirit Testing Convention is in two days. Even though his spiritual orifices have opened, relying on talent alone is not enough to stand out among the many children and gain the Sect's attention.

In cultivation, the four essentials are wealth, companions, methods, and locations; wealth is always the first priority.

He must get his hands on these fifty Spirit Stones!

A blazing flame ignited in the depths of Gu Changsheng's eyes. His target was fixed on Fatty Wang, who skimmed off the mine slaves' hard-earned money.

Fatty Wang. Fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Gu Changsheng looked calmly at the intelligence appearing in his mind, calculating quickly in his heart.

The risk assessment is "Medium," which means this trip is by no means as simple as reaching into one's pocket to take something.

As an Outer Sect steward, even if Fatty Wang is fat and weak, he must have some level of cultivation.

Although he has undergone marrow cleansing and bone tempering and opened his spiritual orifices, he is ultimately just an eight-year-old child with no experience in combat.

More importantly, the Spirit Testing Convention is in two days.

This is the most important thing right now, and the only important thing.

Compared to the paramount task of entering the Taiqing Sect and embarking on the path of immortality, the temptation of fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones can be put aside for the time being.

A gentleman takes revenge, ten years is not too late. For a villain stealing treasure, there is no need to rush for the morning or evening.

He suppressed that blazing flame back into his heart and made the most rational decision. Enter the Sect first, then plan for the future.