Chapter 126: Risking One's Own Safety

For a moment, his wild laughter echoed throughout the entire Gu residence, waking countless people from their sleep nearby.

He laughed so recklessly and arrogantly, as if no one in the world could stand against him!

"Yes, I killed them!

If you don’t comply with my wishes today, I will personally slaughter this boy!"

With that, Chu Xingyun casually grabbed Gu Qingshi by the back of his collar with one hand, as if he were holding a chick.

Gu Qingshi felt his neck tighten, his feet lifted off the ground, and his breath caught. He began to struggle violently. "Sister, sister—"

Gu Weilan and Xu Weizhou couldn’t help but frown at the sight; Chu Xingyun was simply too outrageous!

"Enough!" Gu Weiyu snapped coldly.

"You just want the alchemy formula, don’t you? That’s right, the Qi Yu ancestor’s formula is indeed in my possession!"

Hearing this, Chu Xingyun’s eyes brightened. As he had suspected, the formula was most likely with Gu Weiyu.

"As long as you hand over the formula, I promise not to harm Little Stone."

Chu Xingyun said with a charming smile, gently patting Gu Qingshi’s head as he spoke.

"After all, Little Stone is so well-behaved, I wouldn’t want to hurt him."

For some reason, Gu Qingshi shivered all over at those words. This man was truly unpredictable.

"The formula isn’t with me right now," Gu Weiyu continued. "But if you release Little Stone, I will take you to get it!"

Chu Xingyun’s expression changed, but thinking of how clever Gu Weiyu was, it made sense that she wouldn’t carry the formula on her person.

"Fine, then it’s a deal!" Chu Xingyun agreed after a moment’s thought.

He glanced around the courtyard and told Xin Niang, "Let’s go."

Xin Niang took out her flying spirit artifact—a small, exquisite folding fan—and tossed it into the air. Chu Xingyun and Gu Qingshi stepped onto it.

The fan carried the three of them into the sky. Chu Xingyun’s voice came from above, "Only you are allowed to come!"

The fan vanished in an instant. Gu Weiyu quickly summoned the Thunder-Hidden Sword and followed closely behind.

Inside Taihe Residence, the four watched the fan and Gu Weiyu disappear into the night sky, exchanging worried glances.

Gu Weilan’s voice was cold and indifferent, but her eyes betrayed a subtle concern.

"Third Ancestor, Eleventh Sister..."

"Ahem... little Eleven is blessed by fate; she will be fine."

Gu Qun’s face was pale as he covered his mouth to cough weakly.

Those words, even he found hard to believe.

But besides this self-comfort, he couldn’t think of any other way to convince himself or the Little Fourth.

If only Big Brother were here... Gu Qun felt a deep sense of loss and failure as the Third Ancestor, unable to protect even his own descendants.

"Young Master Xu Weizhou greets the head of the Gu family."

Xu Weizhou, who had been silently standing nearby, stepped forward and performed a respectful bow.

Gu Qun shifted aside to avoid his gesture and waved his hand.

"Young Master Xu, there is no need for such formality. We cultivators do not concern ourselves with ranks; let’s treat each other as equals."

Both were foundational stage cultivators. Though Gu Qun was older by decades, he could not accept such deference easily.

Xu Weizhou was silent for a moment, intending to explain, but feared the Gu family might misunderstand his father.

After all, it was because of his father, Xu Qingfeng, that Chu Xingyun had been able to find Qin County so smoothly.

Ultimately, it all boiled down to him.

Deep down, Xu Weizhou harbored a sense of guilt toward the Gu family.

Gu Weilan stepped forward and supported Gu Qun.

"Third Ancestor, you should rest inside."

Gu Qun nodded. "Very well. Young Master Xu, you should also go inside and rest."

Xu Weizhou’s expression darkened as he stood like a statue in the courtyard, unmoving.

"No need for such courtesy, head of the Gu family. It’s fine if I stand here for a while."

Gu Weilan glanced coldly at the young man in black, then helped Gu Qun inside.

Fifteen minutes later, Gu Weilan emerged from the house.

"Shall we take a walk?"

Xu Weizhou’s voice was cold, but he nodded in agreement.

Before Gu Weiyu returned to Qin County, the two had coincidentally met there.

They had not acted because they had not found the right opportunity and were unsure of Chu Xingyun’s true strength.

Tonight, after Gu Qun and Chu Xingyun clashed, the two who had been closely monitoring the Gu residence noticed immediately.

That was why they appeared so quickly.

Under the cover of night, the two figures rode their swords swiftly and disappeared into the darkness.

Inside Taihe Residence, Gu Qun sensed Gu Weilan and Xu Weizhou’s departure and quietly closed his eyes on the couch.

——

Outside Qin County, Gu Weiyu stood on the Thunder-Hidden Sword, quickly catching up to Chu Xingyun and his group.

"Stop!" Gu Weiyu shouted. "Release my brother, and I will go with you!"

Chu Xingyun sat cross-legged on the folding fan, calm and composed again.

"Come here."

Gu Weiyu flew her sword up to the fan, sheathed the Thunder-Hidden Sword, and lightly leapt onto it.

"Xin Niang, throw this brat off."

Chu Xingyun glanced indifferently at Gu Qingshi and spoke coldly.

In the rush, Gu Qingshi only managed to call out "Sister!" before Xin Niang flicked her long sleeves, sending him tumbling off the fan.

"Ah—"

Gu Qingshi, an ordinary mortal, fell from a great height, his face turning pale with fear as he screamed uncontrollably.

"Little Stone!" Gu Weiyu looked down anxiously.

"Don’t worry, that height won’t kill the little one," Xin Niang said coquettishly.

Gu Weiyu glared furiously at both of them—this was clearly malicious revenge!

Below was a dense forest, towering ancient trees with lush branches and leaves.

At that height, the fall wouldn’t be fatal, but he would surely suffer some scrapes and bruises.

If luck were bad, he might even injure muscles and bones.

For a mortal child, this was nothing short of a nightmare.

Gu Qingshi landed heavily on an ancient tree, his limbs and chest numb from the impact.

He instinctively clutched a thick branch nearby, barely preventing himself from falling further, trembling in terror.

He anxiously looked up, but his vision was limited; above was only a dark blur.

Had his sister been taken away by those two villains? He whispered, "Sister—Sister—"

The surroundings were silent, without a single echo.

Gu Qingshi looked down at the tree beneath him, feeling disheartened.

When he had fallen, countless insects, snakes, and birds had been startled into flight.

Now, all was silent and pitch-black.

His heart, just settled, now soared with fear again.

"I want to go home, Father, Mother! Sister—"

After a quarter of an hour, his arms grew sore from holding on, and his body ached all over, yet the forest remained still and silent.

He could no longer hold back and began to sob quietly, overwhelmed.

In the dense forest, a faint, broken sobbing echoed—deep and oppressive.