Chapter 27: The Gao Clan’s Secret!

As night deepened, Gao Fortress finally fell into silence.

In Gao Yucheng’s quarters, however, the lamps were still burning. Several masked figures had silently entered his room.

“Gao Yucheng, how did it go?” one of the masked figures asked coldly.

Gao Yucheng’s face was as dark as iron as he whispered, “That old man made me fetch the renowned Physician Wu Jing from Nanyang City. He truly knew what he was doing. He actually realized that Gao Yuzhi was afflicted by a mixed poison. He nearly ruined our plans! But lucky for us, Wu Jing is only a physician. Though he recognized the nature of the poison, he couldn’t treat it.”

A trace of ruthless malice flickered in Gao Yucheng’s eyes. “I suspect that old man will go with that method. He’d never let Gao Yuzhi die. Once he resorts to that, we’ll get our chance…”

The masked figure replied, “Don’t worry. The poison we created cannot be unraveled by a mere physician. Keep your attention on Gao Zhanhu. The moment he makes a move, follow him. You must find that thing.”

With that, the masked figures vanished, as though they had never been there in the first place.

Gao Yucheng was left alone, a cold smile slowly creeping on his face. “They all think I’m a fool? We shall see who the real fool is.”

Then he pushed open the door and slipped into the night.

***

In his room, Lu Changsheng practiced the Bone Tempering Art several times before lying down to rest.

Rustle, rustle, rustle…

His eyes snapped open as he heard something in the faint stillness. He tilted his head to listen, then slowly raised his gaze toward the roof. The sound was unmistakably coming from above.

Lu Changsheng frowned slightly. At such a late hour, someone was prowling across the roof of Gao Fortress. Whoever was up there, it was clear they were trying not to alert the Gao Clan of their presence.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Changsheng changed into his night attire, wrapped the black scarf he had brought for this trip around his face, and slipped out of the room. He had trained in countless martial techniques, among them lightness techniques, allowing him to move without a sound.

He climbed onto the roof and saw several shadowy figures skulking about, heading toward the fortress lord’s residence. He followed them at once, silent as a ghost.

Inside the lord’s residence, Gao Zhanhu drew a deep breath and carried the unconscious Gao Yuzhi in his arms.

“Yuzhi, just a little longer. Soon you will recover and return to how you once were,” he murmured as he made his way toward the ancestral hall.

Rumble…

Beneath the rows of ancestral tablets lay a hidden mechanism. Gao Zhanhu pressed it, and with a heavy rumble, the tablets shifted apart, revealing an entrance in the wall. Without hesitation, he stepped into the darkness.

Not long after he had entered, Gao Yucheng arrived. He stared at the secret entrance, his eyes brimming with madness and malice.

“Old man, you don’t know when to give up. You want to use that method to save Gao Yuzhi,” he hissed, his voice dropping to a whisper. “But I am your son too…”

The next moment, Gao Yucheng stepped into the dark passage as well.

Though it was pitch-black, Gao Zhanhu seemed perfectly familiar with the path. Guided only by memory, he pressed on until he reached a vast underground hall.

Gao Zhanhu lit a candle, revealing the enormous hall. Along the walls stood rows of hidden chambers, each one piled with items. This was the most vital and most secret place within Gao Fortress, known only to the lords of each generation.

Gao Zhanhu laid Gao Yuzhi upon a stone bed, then opened one of the hidden chambers.

Rumble…

The heavy stone door creaked as it slowly gave way, revealing piles of weapons—swords, spears, crossbows, and even armor.

The imperial court did not forbid the keeping of sabers or spears, but armor was strictly prohibited. Anyone who secretly possessed it would be judged guilty of rebellion. Yet here, the chamber contained enough armor to fully equip hundreds of men.

Gao Zhanhu, however, showed no concern. He glanced over the forbidden armaments with indifference, as though they meant nothing to him, before pressing against a section of the stone wall.

Click.

A hidden compartment slid open in the wall, and Gao Zhanhu reached inside to draw out a small box, which he carried to Gao Yuzhi’s side and carefully opened.

Snap.

Inside lay a single bead that glowed faintly with a blood-red light. It was no larger than a thumb and etched with delicate, mysterious patterns that shimmered faintly.

Gao Zhanhu’s eyes burned with a faint fervor at the sight of it.

“Yuzhi, this is the Gao family’s most precious treasure, the Blood Replacement Bead! With this, your body shall be reborn, free from any poison. My son, you are talented enough to break through the Profound Gate of life and Death, transform your marrow and blood, and step into the Divine Strength Realm! If I’d given you the bead sooner, you might already have reached the Divine Strength Realm, and no one would have dared to poison you…

“Still, it is not too late…”

Gao Zhanhu took a deep breath. He was just about to place the Blood Replacement Bead on Gao Yuzhi when a sound cut through the silence.

Swish!

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared in the underground hall.

“Who’s there?” Gao Zhanhu snapped his head up, his gaze sharp as a saber, locking instantly onto the intruder. His eyes widened in shock when he recognized his face.

“It’s you… Yucheng?”

“Yes, Father,” Gao Yucheng said coldly. “So it’s true. You really do have the Blood Replacement Bead. A treasure that can remake a martial practitioner’s blood, putting their foot into the Divine Strength Realm! To think you would waste it on a half-dead cripple who may never waken!”

Gao Yucheng’s expression twisted into a scowl. “Father, have you gone senile?”

“Silence!” Gao Zhanhu roared, fury blazing in his eyes. “Tell me, how did you get in here? Did you follow me…?

“Wretched son! This place is known only to the fortress lords of each generation. You—”

He broke off mid-sentence, his face freezing as a sudden realization struck him. Instead, his eyes widened further, a trace of horror flashing across his face.

Gao Yucheng remained calm, a sly grin tugging at his lips. “Seems like you’ve caught on, Father. That’s right. I was the one who poisoned Big Brother. Not just him, but everyone else in the fortress who now lies unconscious. It was my doing.”

Gao Zhanhu’s chest heaved violently. He had to force out the words through his clenched teeth.

“Wretched son… Why? Why would you do this? He is your older brother!”

“Why?” Gao Yucheng’s smile widened, his eyes glinting with malice. “Hahaha! Old fool, you know well enough why! The Gao Clan descends from the Five Venoms Cult. When they rebelled, the imperial court crushed them, and more than a century has passed since their downfall. Yet you still cling to that worthless ancestral creed. All these years, you have hoarded arms and armor, preparing for rebellion, haven’t you?

“But this is no longer the world from a hundred years ago. The Five Venoms Cult has long since turned to dust. By pursuing your rebellion, you’d doom every soul in Gao Fortress. I cannot let you gamble with everyone’s lives on your madness! And what of me? Big Brother is the apple of your eye. You poured all your resources and all your hopes into him. What about me? Am I not your son as well?

“How much I have endured, and yet you would give the Blood Replacement Bead to him? The Gao Clan only has one left, isn’t that so? And still you would waste it on someone on the brink of death, instead of giving it to me? Old man, you have shown me no kindness, so do not curse me for being unfilial to you.”

Along with his words of condemnation, blood qi surged violently from Gao Yucheng. He slowly drew a saber from his waist.

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