Chapter 446: Chapter 253: If Gu Zheng Became the Sovereign
He hadn’t wanted to listen, but Gu Zheng forced him to.
As long as he listened, no matter what happened afterward, the rift between him and the Zhong Family would immediately form, and it would be impossible to erase.
Since Gu Zheng had said it in front of both of them, he wasn’t afraid of the matter getting out.
The problem was, if it got out, it would only widen the rift with the Zhong Family!
The Zhong Family could make all sorts of excuses. They could also offer all kinds of consolation afterward, bestowing Treasure Pills and Treasure Medicines.
But with the example of the Great Sun Armor, could anyone really trust the Treasure Pills and Treasure Medicines bestowed by the Zhong Family?
Who could guarantee the Zhong Family wouldn’t tamper with them again?
This move of Gu Zheng’s was bloodless and didn’t physically harm anyone, but it was chilling to the bone!
This was a blatant scheme to sow dissent!
From now on, the Commanders and Demon-slaying Grand Generals of the various provinces would never be able to stand united with the Zhong Family.
The rift had been created, never to be repaired.
Unless, to keep the secret, the Zhong Family killed all the Demon-slaying Grand Generals and Commanders.
But was that realistic?
Not at all!
The Zhong Family would have to be insane to do something like that.
"Gu King, you..."
Zhao Xiangqian sighed. He felt exhausted, a deep, weary helplessness in his heart.
"There’s nothing to be done. Who told the Zhong Family they couldn’t stand to lose?" Gu Zheng said calmly. "They started it, so they can’t blame me for finishing it."
"Exactly, exactly."
Xiao Xianya stood with Gu Zheng, shouting coldly, "Those Zhong bastards are shameless, sinister, and have no bottom line. A court like that isn’t worth my loyalty. Gu, is Qingshi County in need of people? I’ll go join you. Just make me a Squad Leader or something, I don’t care."
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Before Gu Zheng could speak, Zhao Xiangqian was the first to scold her. "You foolish girl, don’t you ever say such things outside! Words can bring disaster, don’t you know that?"
"Haha," Gu Zheng laughed. "I appreciate the high regard, Xiao. However, Qingshi is just a small place, and I’ve long since cleared out all the Demon Fiends. You can be of more use staying in Hongzhou. Besides, to be honest, you don’t need to be loyal to the Zhong Family. You can be loyal to the people. At least when I was slaying Demon Fiends, it was never for the court."
"That’s because you are righteous and prioritize the people, Gu."
Xiao Xianya said with admiration, "Those high officials in the court, the Royal Family and Relatives, they’ve never given a damn about the common folk. In their eyes, the people are no different from pigs and sheep—to be slaughtered as they please, to be fleeced however they wish. They’re worse than beasts!"
Zhao Xiangqian was speechless.
He was completely numb.
If Gu Zheng hadn’t already had a falling out with the court, he wouldn’t have known what to do.
Xiao Xianya’s words were utterly treasonous. If anyone from the court heard them, she would surely be beheaded.
But Gu Zheng’s past deeds proved that his words weren’t empty boasts, but the truth.
When Grand General Gu carried out missions, the safety of the people was always his top priority.
The number of people he had saved had long surpassed one million.
When it came to the hearts of the people, Gu Zheng was more popular and beloved than the Zhong Family. Compared to Zhong Yi, he was more like a wise ruler.
’If Gu Zheng became the Sovereign...’
’No!’
’What am I thinking?’
Zhao Xiangqian’s body stiffened. A chill ran down his spine, his heart rate quickened, and a flash of terror crossed his eyes.
’Hm?’
Gu Zheng, noticing Zhao Xiangqian’s strange reaction, glanced up at the old man.
He didn’t dwell on it, however, and continued calmly, "Elder Zhao, Xiao, do you want me to remove the hidden dangers in your Great Sun Armor? I can eliminate the trap the Zhong Family left in them."
"Really?"
Xiao Xianya was startled, then her face lit up with joy. "That’s fantastic! Of course, we need to get rid of it. After all, the Great Sun Armor’s defense is still quite good."
"Of course it’s true." Gu Zheng smiled. "I already removed it from my own armor, as well as my two teachers’."
As he spoke, Gu Zheng’s hand flickered, and a slightly larger porcelain vial appeared. It contained Celestial Heart Toad Saliva. He had been collecting the stuff as a backup, and now it was time to use it.
Zhao Xiangqian remained silent, taking several deep breaths to steady his mind.
Then, watching Gu Zheng apply the Celestial Heart Toad Saliva to the Great Sun Armor, he asked softly, "Um, Gu King, regarding the secret of the Great Sun Armor, are you planning to inform all the..."
"Yes."
Gu Zheng didn’t stop what he was doing as he replied, "I’ve already informed those in Luozhou. After I’m done here in Hongzhou, I will go to Hengzhou, Shuzhou, Muzhou, and Guangzhou, one by one, to tell the Demon Slayer Bureau’s Grand Generals and Commanders in each region the secret of the Great Sun Armor."
Zhao Xiangqian’s mouth fell open, and he lapsed into silence.
Xiao Xianya, however, clapped her hands, exclaiming excitedly, "That’s exactly what you should do! Let those shameless Zhong bastards squirm! Now all the Demon-slaying Grand Generals and Commanders will know their ugly true colors!"
The crucial part was that the Zhong Family was powerless to stop it. They could only grit their teeth and swallow this bitter pill!
"Sigh..." Zhao Xiangqian sighed.
"Old man, what are you sighing for? Don’t tell me you’re still blindly loyal to the Zhong Family?"
Xiao Xianya said, annoyed. As she spoke, she moved forward to pull the Great Sun Armor off Zhao Xiangqian.
"Don’t, don’t," Zhao Xiangqian quickly stopped her. "I’ll do it myself. I’ll take it off myself, alright?"
"Hmph," Xiao Xianya finally backed away, watched Zhao Xiangqian remove the armor, then took it and handed it to Gu Zheng.
"Gu, don’t you worry. From now on, we won’t listen to any more of the Zhong Family’s orders."
"That’s not necessary," Gu Zheng said while working. "This is a contest between me and the Zhong Family. Xiao, you all should just stand aside and watch. There’s no need to take sides."
Dragging Xiao Xianya and Zuo Lingfeng into the mess was not what Gu Zheng wanted to see.
It was just that exposing the secret of the Great Sun Armor required it to be widely known, so he told them along the way.
As for removing the hidden dangers, that naturally depended on the person.
For acquaintances like Zhao Xiangqian, Xiao Xianya, and Zuo Lingfeng, he would remove the hidden dangers.
But he would skip the others.
He didn’t have that much Celestial Heart Toad Saliva, anyway.
However, there were also die-hard loyalists to the Zhong Family.
When Gu Zheng entered Hengzhou, he found the Demon-slaying Grand General and Commander of the Hengzhou Demon Slayer Bureau and informed them, one by one, of the Great Sun Armor’s secret. One of the Demon-slaying Grand Generals immediately flew into a rage, cursing Gu Zheng for spreading malicious rumors to sow discord between them and their sovereign.
The man acted like a die-hard loyalist, looking as if he wished he could die for his cause on the spot. Gu Zheng found it amusing. He directly chopped off the man’s legs, smashed them into a pulp, and then told the people nearby to watch him and make sure he didn’t bleed out and die.
Then he left them with a single sentence.
"Let’s hope your loyalty can move the Zhong Family to give you a Regeneration Source Fruit or a Life Marvel to heal your legs."
A Regeneration Source Fruit?
A Life Marvel?
Even if the Zhong Family had such treasures, they would never give them away!
These treasures were equivalent to a second life. How could they possibly be given to a subordinate who hadn’t performed some Great Merit?
But if they didn’t, their subordinates would once again be disillusioned.
It was a dead end.
...
「Zhong Family Ancestral Land.」
"This is too much! That Gu bastard has gone too far!"
Zhong Zhengxiao paced back and forth, his aura surging as he roared, his eyes spitting fire, "No, I can’t take this anymore! I’m going to mobilize the troops..."
"Mobilize the troops to attack Qingshi County, are you sure?" Zhong Yi said with a deadpan expression. "Are you unaware that Gu Zheng has sealed off Qingshi County, making it impossible for even those in the Alien Body Realm to enter? You want to send ordinary soldiers in? Are you trying to give him free labor?"
Zhong Zhengxiao was speechless.
"What, nothing to say?" Zhong Yi continued to press him. "I told you before not to touch Xie Bisheng and Meng Taiqi. You wouldn’t listen, insisting on getting even. And now look. Gu Zheng has exposed the secret of the Great Sun Armor. The Commanders and Demon-slaying Grand Generals of every province are now estranged from us. What do we do next? Can anyone tell me?"
Silence.
The upper echelons of the Zhong Family were at a loss for words.
The secret of the Great Sun Armor was supposed to be top-secret. Even if someone suspected there was a problem, they would never have discovered the truth.
But Gu Zheng had exposed it with ease, putting the Zhong Family in an impossible position. For the past two days, they’d had to be extremely careful when interacting with outsiders, weighing every single word.
"Enough."
Zhong Duxiu’s face was grim as he spoke coldly, "This round goes to that Gu bastard. However, I have already contacted the South Wilderness Divine Temple. Once I break through to the True Body Realm, it won’t be too late to settle the score with him!"
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