40: Chapter 40 The Mayor's Son, New Trouble

The rise of the Gu Family was like the morning sun, radiant and unstoppable.

In the following days, Gu Yan began making preliminary preparations for starting his Alchemy furnace.

Alchemy not only required a Pill Formula and technique, but also a large quantity of medicinal herbs as a foundation.

The medicinal herbs confiscated from the Wang Family in the manor were only average in age and quality; they were acceptable for practice, but far from sufficient for refining high-quality Medicinal Pills that could open up market sales.

Therefore, Gu Yan decided to personally take some men and make another trip to the market.

This time, he was not going for a stroll, but to sweep the market!

Early in the morning, the gates of the Gu Family slowly opened.

A large carriage drawn by two sturdy horses, escorted by over a dozen elite servants, slowly drove out.

Gu Yan sat upright inside the carriage, eyes closed, resting his mind.

However, just as the carriage reached the center of the main street, its path was blocked by a group of people.

"Whoa—"

The lead coachman pulled hard on the reins, causing the two sturdy horses to rear up and let out uneasy neighs.

Gu Yan slowly opened his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed.

He lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside.

Directly in front of the street, a young man wearing a moon-white brocade robe, with beautiful jade hanging at his waist, and a handsome but arrogant face, was riding a tall, fiery-red horse that looked extraordinary, blocking their path from a high vantage point.

Behind the young man followed over a dozen guards in uniform armor, each with a fierce aura and bulging temples, clearly all physically strong Martial Artists.

Such a formation was extremely rare in the small Luoyun Town.

The vendors and pedestrians on both sides of the street, the moment they saw this group, scattered like mice seeing a cat, retreating to both sides with expressions of awe and avoidance.

"It... it's Young Master Zhao!"

"Heavens! Why has this Young Master come out?"

"Quick, quick! Everyone back up, don't bring trouble upon yourselves!"

The hushed discussions clearly reached Gu Yan's ears.

Young Master Zhao?

A name immediately surfaced in Gu Yan's mind.

The Luoyun Town mayor, Town Mayor Zhao Hong.

And the only person in the world who could be called "Young Master Zhao" and have such a grand display was one person.

The only son of Town Mayor Zhao Hong, hailed as the "number one Cultivation Genius in Luoyun Town in a hundred years"...

Town Mayors Son!

Rumor had it that this young man was only twenty years old and had already reached the Qi Refining Stage 7!

[Oh ho, Host, work is here! Work is here!]

In his mind, the System's gloating voice rang out at the right moment.

[The number one expert on the local server has appeared! ID: Town Mayors Son, Rank: Qi Refining Stage 7, Equipment: Low Grade magical robe 'Cloud Pattern Robe', Mount: a hybrid spirit steed with the Bloodline of the Yao Beast 'Fire Cloud Horse'... tsk tsk, a whole set of pay-to-win equipment!]

[Damn, it's a pity, according to my big data analysis, characters who appear with their own BGM and entourage usually don't have high IQs, and their survival cycle generally doesn't exceed three chapters. They are standard early-game elite monsters, commonly known as 'experience packs'. I suggest the Host collect it as soon as possible; the drop rate is delightful!]

Gu Yan ignored the System's bantering.

His gaze landed calmly on the young man on horseback.

The other party was also looking at him.

In his narrow eyes, there was undisguised scrutiny, jealousy, and a hint of deeply hidden greed.

"You are Gu Yan?"

Town Mayors Son spoke. His voice was clear but carried a sense of superior arrogance.

Gu Yan did not answer, just looked at him quietly.

Town Mayors Son was clearly dissatisfied with this attitude of being ignored. He frowned, and his tone became sarcastic.

"I heard that Senior Gu has recovered from a serious illness and looks young again; that is truly something to be happy and congratulatory about."

"Not only that, but the old tree has blossomed, and you have had children one after another. It is said that when one of them was born, it even triggered a phenomenon between heaven and earth, with Spiritual Qi flooding the body?"

When he said the four words "phenomenon between heaven and earth," he deliberately emphasized his tone.

In Gu Yan's heart, everything was clear.

Sure enough, he had come for this matter.

The commotion of Liu Ruyan's childbirth was ultimately too great, attracting the covetousness of the true "local bully" of Luoyun Town.

"Senior Gu truly has good fortune and a good Opportunity," Town Mayors Son continued with a fake smile, "However... as the saying goes, it is better to share joy with others than to enjoy it alone."

"Since the Gu Family has obtained such a massive benefit, if you keep hiding it and do not bring it out to 'share' a little with the fellow townsfolk of Luoyun Town, I fear... that would be somewhat unreasonable, right?"

A guard behind him immediately understood, stepped forward, and loudly echoed: "That's right! Our Luoyun Town is under the rule of our Town Mayor! All Opportunities within the town should be distributed by the Town Mayor! What reason does the Gu Family have to hide strange treasures privately?"

Another person also joined in the chorus: "Exactly! I heard the Gu Family recently married some 'husband-killing disaster star.' In my opinion, it's not some recovery of youth at all; it's most likely that you practiced some evil technique of harvesting Yang to replenish Yin with a demoness!"

"Relying on a woman to get ahead, what kind of skill is that!"

One filthy remark after another, unbearable to hear.

The Gu Family's servants were all so angry that their faces flushed red, their fists clenched tight. If not for Gu Yan not giving the order, they would have already rushed up.

[Host, did you hear that? He's calling you a kept man! Damn, beat him up!] The System's voice, fearing no chaos, said, [Can you tolerate this? You can't! According to my database, at this moment you should release your kingly aura and roar 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't bully the young for being poor'... oh wait, you are not a youth now, you are middle-aged. Then you should shout 'Don't bully the middle-aged for being poor'!]

The corner of Gu Yan's mouth twitched, for a rare moment.

He still did not speak.

He just slowly got off the carriage and stood in the center of the street.

He looked up, gazing at Town Mayors Son, who was sitting arrogantly on horseback.

His eyes were as calm as an ancient well of a thousand years, without a ripple.

This kind of gaze made Town Mayors Son feel very uncomfortable.

This was not the kind of gaze a weak person should have when looking up at a strong person.

In his eyes, there was no fear, no anger, not even solemnity.

What there was, was only a kind of pure indifference, as if looking at a clown.

"Old thing, what are you looking at?!" Town Mayors Son felt an inexplicable fire rise in his heart from being looked at this way, his eyes wide with anger. "This Young Master is speaking to you; are you deaf or dumb?!"

Gu Yan finally spoke.

His voice was very soft, very calm.

"Are you done speaking?"

Town Mayors Son was stunned.

"If you are done,"

Gu Yan's voice had no fluctuation.

"then get lost."