183: Hu Mingxin

The next day, Gu Yuchuan woke up unusually late. By the time he stirred, it was already noon. Since it was already that time, he simply stayed to have lunch before finally heading home.

Once home, he began to ponder a certain matter—specifically, the matter of Hu Mingxin. Her desire for revenge had never ceased, and in the end, she had even become entangled with the Imperial Grandson of the Great Yong Dynasty. He wondered if this connection could be of any help to him; surely, there would be benefits.

The Great Yong Dynasty possessed far more territory and Cultivators than they did, and their resources were also much more abundant. Although the Imperial Grandson was of a younger generation, his status was high, and the resources he could mobilize now would not be few. If handled with proper communication, he could become a great asset, which meant Hu Mingxin needed to be nurtured properly.

He summoned Hu Mingxin to his secret room. Hu Mingxin felt a bit at a loss; since coming to the Flood Dragon Palace, she had felt somewhat like a ghost. she held no official position, and her cultivation resources were far fewer than her sister's. Although she could still receive resources, she understood it was merely a gesture of Face. She feared this meeting was meant to drive her away.

Upon seeing Gu Yuchuan, she knelt down: "This little demon greets the Great King."

Gu Yuchuan directly told her to rise. Even after all this time, he was still not used to people kneeling to him like this: "Rise. I called you here today to discuss something with you."

Unexpectedly, after he spoke, Hu Mingxin did not rise but instead burst into tears: "I beg the Great King not to drive me away. I can forgo all resources in the future; I only ask the Great King to grant me a place to stay."

"Huh?" This time, it was Gu Yuchuan who was stunned. He had no such intention; this was a total misunderstanding.

"You are overthinking things. Since I brought you back, you are a member of my Flood Dragon Palace. I will not drive you away. If you wish, you can stay here with your sister for the rest of your life."

Hu Mingxin realized she had overthought it and hastily stood up: "It was my petty woman's heart that misjudged the Great King. The Great King is an upright man, and your thoughts are surely different from mine. My apologies, Great King. I do not know why you summoned me, but I will certainly not refuse whatever it is."

At this point, they finally began to discuss the real business.

"Hu Mingxin, you have never forgotten your hatred, have you? You are so clever, much more so than your sister. You must have realized that the destruction of the Hu Residence was definitely not something the Mangshan Ghost King would do on his own. He wouldn't dare strike a City God. There must be someone behind him, most likely someone from the Capital City. Am I right?"

Her eyes turned red. Although she didn't know why Gu Yuchuan was asking this now, she truly could not bring herself to speak any words of concealment.

"The Great King has a Wisdom Eye; my thoughts indeed cannot be hidden. I do have this intention. Even if my Aptitude is poor, I am a daughter of the Hu Family. I cannot let go of this hatred in my heart. I must Cultivate well and will surely avenge my family."

Gu Yuchuan actually admired such a personality. One truly should not forget the debt of revenge for one's family; if it were him, he wouldn't forget it either.

"For a man to seek revenge, he must often endure hardships and bide his time, but for a woman, it is actually not that difficult—especially for a beautiful woman. Low cultivation has its own methods. Now that cooperation between the Human Race and Yao Race is imminent..."

Hu Mingxin now understood clearly that Gu Yuchuan was helping her infiltrate the Human Race. Consequently, she knelt down once more: "Great King, this little demon is foolish and truly cannot guess the Great King's thoughts. I ask the Great King to speak plainly; this little demon will surely repay the Great King in the future."

Since she had put it that way, he decided to speak openly: "Very well, I'll be direct. A beautiful woman can naturally conquer men, especially you Fox Demons. I believe in your methods of dealing with men. The Imperial Grandson of the Great Yong Dynasty is in the prime of his youth. As long as you win him over—not necessarily as the Imperial Grandson's Consort, but even just a high-ranking position like an Imperial Consort—this revenge will naturally not be hard to achieve."

Hu Mingxin's eyes lit up. Clearly, she was moved by this idea.

"I ask Senior to teach me. If one day I truly become an Imperial Consort in the Great Yong Dynasty, I will surely repay the Great King and provide many resources for my sister. My sister is my only relative."

Gu Yuchuan placed the Heavenly Demon Shapeshifting Secret Art into her hands: "Take this and Cultivate it well. I don't understand how you should build a rapport with the Imperial Grandson; you'll have to handle that yourself. But what I do know is that by concealing your Yao Race identity, the Imperial Grandson can better favor you, at least in front of those officials. Go and Cultivate well. It won't be long before the day we head to the Human Race. If you can't even master the basics, things will be more difficult."

She took it and knelt to kowtow three times. When she looked up, her forehead was red: "Thank you, Great King. After I return, I will certainly Cultivate with all my heart."

After she left, Gu Yuchuan stopped thinking about the matter. This move was merely a casual gambit. It would be good if it yielded results, but if not, he could simply end it. Regardless, what he had invested wasn't much; one could even say it was a cost-free venture that could yield immense returns.

He then continued his own Cultivation. He hoped to achieve a good rank in the Human-Yao Tournament, so he wanted to advance to the Golden Core. He could only continue to work hard; if he didn't reach the Golden Core, it would be impossible for him to defeat that Saint of Dragon Tiger Mountain. Being in the same era as such a Prodigy indeed brought quite a bit of pressure.

He thus entered closed-door cultivation once again. With pressure, his cultivation speed actually increased somewhat. He was getting closer and closer to the Golden Core Stage, and he believed it wouldn't be long before he could prepare for the Breakthrough. However, no one knew if he could break through before the tournament.

Soon, a week passed. His foundation had indeed become more robust, but there was still a significant distance to the Golden Core Stage. The date for the Human-Yao Tournament had been finalized, and they would set out in a few days. They were given two ways to go: one was to go on their own, and the other was to follow the Fox Immortal as in the simulator, letting everyone choose for themselves. Gu Yuchuan immediately chose to go on his own. He wanted to see the world of the Human Race; although he had been there before, he had always been hiding, which was never comfortable. This time, he wanted to truly see the prosperity of the Immortal Cultivation World.