23: Chapter 23 Will you be remembered for good or for bad?

The commotion at Yunfeng Mountain had long since alerted the Security Bureau.

Director Du had actually arrived at the foot of the mountain with his men quite early, but he dared not approach. That battle, far beyond the scope of human understanding, with its sky-filling flames and thunderous roars, was simply not something an ordinary person like him could get near.

He could only stand at the foot of the mountain, watching the heart-stopping light on the mountain and listening to the deafening roars, his palms already soaked in cold sweat.

Until everything fell silent.

Director Du then summoned the courage to call his men to enter the mountain.

Walking along the mountain path, everyone gasped at the shocking scene.

The forest was destroyed, the earth scorched black; everywhere were broken tree trunks and shattered rocks, as if plowed by heavenly fire. The thick stench of blood mixed with the smell of scorching made people feel like vomiting.

The shock in their hearts was beyond words.

Just as they were approaching the mountainside, the path of Director Du and his men was blocked by an old monk.

"Benefactors, do not go any further."

The old monk pressed his palms together, his expression peaceful.

Director Du's gaze crossed over the old monk's shoulder. He did not see the rumored giant white snake, only a gray wolf as huge as a mountain.

The wolf was covered in blood, its injuries extremely severe, and it was currently prostrate on the ground. Beside it sat a young novice monk, eyes closed and chanting scriptures, his tender, childlike voice echoing through the forest.

Director Du was very amenable to advice; he did not step forward but immediately ordered his subordinates behind him that no one was to leak a single word about today's events. At the same time, he ordered all available personnel from the bureau to be mobilized to blockade Yunfeng Mountain, forbidding even a fly from entering.

After arranging everything, he dialed Gu Xiao's number.

At this moment, Gu Xiao was standing by Dongting Lake.

His brows were tightly locked as he gazed at the calm water in the distance. The water surface appeared waveless, but underneath it hid something that made him uneasy.

The phone rang. Gu Xiao put away his thoughts and answered the call.

"Old Du, what's wrong?"

"What did you say?!"

Gu Xiao's pupils shrank. Something had happened after all!

"I'm coming back immediately!"

Without further ado, Gu Xiao hung up the phone and turned to leave. And as he turned and walked away, the originally calm surface of Dongting Lake began to bubble.

On the way back to Jiangcheng, Gu Xiao first called his superior at the Jiantian Bureau to urgently report the situation at Yunfeng Mountain. The superior on the other end understood the weight of the matter after listening.

"Old Du said that he heard several especially loud gunshots last night; it must have been a very powerful firearm. The white snake's life or death is currently unknown, and the specific situation is still unclear."

The superior on the other end of the line said: "I have already sent people to investigate, and we will find out soon."

"That white snake was already undergoing Flood Dragon Transformation. It could have been our ally, but now the plan has been ruined by Deputy Director Lv Haidong. If it is not dead, it will likely harbor resentment toward humans because of this."

Gu Xiao now wished he could skin Deputy Director Lv Haidong alive. At the same time, he was also puzzled: where did Deputy Director Lv Haidong mobilize his manpower from?

"If it harbors resentment toward humans because of this, then we can only appease it first and strive for forgiveness. If we cannot obtain it, we will have to resort to some extreme measures."

The solution provided by Gu Xiao's superior was a last resort. Originally, blockading Yunfeng Mountain and letting Li Xiuyuan stay inside without provoking him was the best choice, but now the plan was in chaos because of Deputy Director Lv Haidong.

Gu Xiao hadn't yet figured out how exactly to appease Li Xiuyuan; he still had to go to the scene to check the situation.

On the other side, Deputy Director Lv Haidong, who had long since withdrawn from the primary scene, dismissed all three of his confidants. He withdrew decisively, without the slightest hesitation. The commotion on the mountain was so great that although he wanted to see the snake die with his own eyes, he did not want to expose himself even more.

Arriving at the airport, Deputy Director Lv Haidong bought a plane ticket to Yanjing. He believed that the Qiu Family would surely be able to completely eliminate the giant snake on Yunfeng Mountain.

At this moment, Deputy Director Lv Haidong was still planning how to maneuver things once he returned to Yanjing so that the Qiu Family could occupy Yunfeng Mountain, and how to enable the Qiu Family to build a Daoist temple there.

Relying on his own strength alone was definitely not enough, so he had to find a way to drag another ancient family onto his boat.

"This is a giant ship leading to a new world, and also an icebreaker that will break through the heavy fog for the Xia Kingdom, unveil the chaos, and open up a new shipping lane."

In the departure lounge, Deputy Director Lv Haidong leaned back in his chair, gazing at the tarmac outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, his eyes gradually becoming deep.

The people of the Xia Kingdom would cast monuments and write biographies for him on the path he paved with his great achievements.

Hundreds of years later, children would bathe in the morning sun and listen to legendary stories about him from their elders.

He would leave a good name for posterity.

Thinking of this, the corners of Deputy Director Lv Haidong's mouth raised slightly.

...

Gu Xiao finally arrived at Yunfeng Mountain. Looking at the tragic scene before him, his heart trembled. The once verdant forest was now mostly turned into scorched earth. The thick stench of blood mixed with the smell of scorching lingered in the mountains for a long time. The traces of devastation everywhere silently recounted the intensity of last night's battle.

Director Du had already led his men to surround Yunfeng Mountain tightly, and with Yunfeng Mountain as the center, they had enforced a strict blockade radiating five kilometers outward.

Densely packed drones cruised back and forth in the sky, and the operators were all on edge, not daring to have the slightest distraction.

Gu Xiao stepped onto the mountain path and arrived at the platform halfway up the mountain, seeing only Director Du and two monks.

"Old Du, how is it?" Gu Xiao stepped forward, his voice urgent.

Director Du said: "A giant wolf was seriously injured, but it has been healed. As for the other giant snake, its whereabouts are unknown, and the old monk refuses to say."

Hearing this, Gu Xiao turned his head quickly and came before the old monk, his expression exceptionally serious: "Old sir, where is that snake? Is it alive or dead?"

The old monk said: "It also suffered not-insignificant injuries and is in the depths of Yunfeng Mountain. It would be best if you, Benefactor, did not disturb it."

Learning that Li Xiuyuan was not yet dead, Gu Xiao immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

He thanked the old monk and went to find Director Du to explain the situation.

Although Director Du had been warning his subordinates not to leak the matter, the commotion at Yunfeng Mountain was too great. Furthermore, this was not a particularly remote deep mountain or old forest, so some people still saw what happened last night and filmed videos.

Now it has spread all over the internet; however, most people who watched the videos scoffed, saying it was made by AI and was too fake.

In today's internet age, AI videos are everywhere, made to look more real than reality. The few people who filmed the videos swore to the heavens, but it was useless; the comment sections were full of disbelief.

After discussing it, the Jiantian Bureau decided that there was no need to make a big fuss about deleting the videos. The top leader also felt that they could use this incident to slowly guide the news of the world's changes out, giving people some psychological preparation.

The vigilance at Yunfeng Mountain was further strengthened.

The people sent by the Jiantian Bureau set up several formations in the mountain. Some were to make intruders get lost, falling into a state of "ghost-walling," walking around in circles until they walked out themselves; others were to monitor the spiritual energy fluctuations in the mountain to prevent the creatures inside from suddenly erupting.

The formations were set, but the guard posts remained.

Yanjing. Mysterious Investigation Bureau.

Deputy Director Lv Haidong had just returned to his residence when the door was kicked open.

The person who arrived was none other than the Director of the Mysterious Investigation Bureau, his face full of rage and murderous intent.

The Director immediately launched into a head-on scolding, his spit almost spraying onto Deputy Director Lv Haidong's face, "Deputy Director Lv Haidong! You tired-of-living dog, do you know that you have harmed me?!"

Deputy Director Lv Haidong knew why the Director was angry; he had even mentally prepared himself to be scolded, but in his view, this was just a little bit of hardship.

"Director, don't be angry yet. The matter of Yunfeng Mountain has been resolved. That giant snake is ultimately unstable; we cannot naively think we can talk about any cooperation with it just because it performed gently for a while."

"I did this matter perfectly. The Qiu Family is already willing to attach themselves to the state. By killing that snake and letting the Qiu Family build a Daoist temple at Yunfeng Mountain, the state will gain a Qiu Family with infinite potential and strong power in the future."

After he finished speaking, he raised his chin slightly, waiting for the Director's reaction.

The Director looked at his face, his rage rushing straight to his skull.

He swung his arm around and slapped Deputy Director Lv Haidong hard in the face.

'Slap!'

This slap directly stunned Deputy Director Lv Haidong.