Sojin Xiao Shuo shook his head faintly, gazing at the radiant, golden form of Borujin’s body before him, and weakly moaned, “No, let it be this way. One inherits the legacy of the ancient Roman Empire, and the other inherits the legacy of the Roman Royal Academy. This is the fortune of us all Romans. The Borujin and Yakjin families? I concede the legitimacy and justification of both families.”
He looked helplessly at Borujin and Yakjin, “Believe it or not. I do not know if Father used you as bait to secure my future.”
Borujin stared at Hesuojin without a word, bowed deeply to him, and then walked out of the rear garden without looking back.
Yakjin was silent for a moment, then also bowed deeply to Hesuojin, saying, “Your sovereignty will not face any threat. Whoever dares to challenge your position will be met with the full might of the Borujin and Yakjin families. However, our children will become the kings of the Second Roman Kingdom; I believe this without a doubt.”
Nodding, Yakjin slowly walked out of the rear garden, clutching the massive book. The warriors he and Borujin brought surged out behind him, their faces expressionless.
Hesuojin sat rigidly on the throne, raising his head to watch several warships slowly glide across the sky, and asked in a low voice, “Is this the sorrow of a king born to royalty? Father murders one of his sons to elevate another. Is there truly no genuine brotherhood between royal kin?”
He gave a few bitter laughs and sighed mournfully, “Do you believe it? Sometimes I truly envy those rough, savage Earthlings. Though primitive, their familial affection is something I can never attain. Have we Romans, through our long wanderings, discarded these precious emotions—the kinship, love, and brotherhood of the Earthlings?”
“I truly envy those Earthlings! Why can’t I have a brother who stands by me unconditionally?”
On the First Star of the Thirteen Connected Stars, someone would surely scoff at Hesuojin’s sentiment.
Brotherhood? To hell with that. What brotherhood? At least the brothers Gu Xiechen and Gu Juechen would never share such a luxurious emotion.
Because the entire Gu Group had defected to the Church, providing the Holy See with a robust foundation for military-industrial production. Furthermore, the Gu Group even presented the strategic materials accumulated over several generations, which allowed them to enjoy exceptionally high status while Cizte was still alive.
On the First Star, on a small plain less than ten kilometers east of the Central Cathedral, the Gu Group possessed an estate spanning two square kilometers. Clearly designed by masters, the estate perfectly blended the essence of both Eastern and Western architecture, showing ingenuity within grandeur and breadth within delicacy. Every step revealed a new vista, every scene a new realm. Coupled with birdsong beneath shady trees and fish darting among duckweed, with water lilies resting quietly in the still streams, and wisteria trailing from ancient pines, the scenery of this estate was exquisitely beautiful and exquisitely refined.
Amidst red flowers and green trees, within a waterside pavilion encircled by several small streams, Gu Xiechen performed a formal bow to Gu Juechen, who was reclining on a couch made of Xiangfei bamboo.
“Elder Brother, you must take care of your health. This entire large Gu family is watching you. If you happen to kick the bucket, the Gu family will scatter like dry leaves when the main tree falls.” Gu Xiechen looked at Gu Juechen with genuine concern, his tone warm and comforting, yet his wording was so harsh it made one want to vomit blood.
Gu Juechen lay askew on the bamboo couch, glaring furiously at Gu Xiechen, his voice hoarse, “What are you doing here?”
Gu Xiechen straightened his posture and, under the complex gazes of the surrounding Gu clansmen, nonchalantly sat down in a bamboo armchair opposite the couch.
“What am I doing? Worrying about you! It doesn’t matter if you die, but you cannot take my half of the family fortune into your coffin.” Gu Xiechen spoke with malice, “Did you think kicking me out of the Gu family would work? No one can strip me of my legal inheritance without a ruling from the Federal Court! Half of the Gu Group belongs to me! Even that Xiangfei bamboo couch you are lying on has two legs and half a mat that belong to me!”
“You!” Gu Juechen roared in fury, “This is the Papal State!”
“Your current Pope is my ally!” Gu Xiechen drawled, carelessly crossing his legs and sneering, “If you don't accept the Federal Court’s verdict, then we’ll fight this case in the Holy See’s Inquisition! Heh, what’s the name of the Grand Inquisitor? Oh, the one who just took office?”
Gu Juechen trembled with anger, pointing at Gu Xiechen, attempting to lash out, but Gu Xiechen had just landed a punch on his abdomen, shaking his viscera. Now, he couldn’t muster a single thread of true qi. Where would he find the strength to attack? After struggling for a moment, Gu Juechen could only grind his teeth and howl, “Family fortune? You won’t get a single cent!”
“Tch,” Gu Xiechen sneered coldly, raising his chin proudly, “That’s not up to you! Your father has a will stored in the Federal Bank vault. Shall I make it public?”
Gu Juechen fell silent. He gnawed his teeth and remained stunned for a long moment before letting out a weak grunt, “You, the current you, do you still care about the meager assets of the Gu Group?”
After a pause, Gu Juechen, sounding somewhat hesitant, hissed, “Do you still remember the agreement reached between the White Bone Divine Lord and the Corpse Emperor…”
Clapping his hands loudly, Gu Xiechen exclaimed in alarm, “Oh my, you still remember the venerable Elder Bai Gu Shenjun? I heard the Enforcement Team of the Evil Bone Cave is coming to trouble you soon. You defected to the Church; in the eyes of the Dao Alliance, that is treason against your masters. You truly have guts, unafraid of death. I admire you, I truly admire you!”
Blood already surged to his throat. Gu Juechen roared in anger, “What are you trying to say? Huh? What exactly do you want to say?”
Gu Xiechen glared at Gu Juechen without a shred of pity and sneered, “What do I want to say?”
He tilted his head, pondered for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. He spread his hands towards Gu Juechen and laughed, “I was just playing with you!”
“You!” Gu Juechen was so enraged he spewed out a mouthful of blood. The blood was profuse and sudden; a few droplets even shot out of his nostrils. Gu Juechen, his face the color of dead ash, glared fixedly at Gu Xiechen, grinding his teeth as he roared, “Don’t be too arrogant, Gu Xiechen, you will get your comeuppance!”
Gu Xiechen stood up, looking coldly at Gu Juechen, and sneered, “The one who schemed to seize the family fortune and murder his younger brother received no retribution, so what do I have to fear?”
He let out a few cold, strange laughs, his voice turning sinister, “Retribution? What retribution do I fear? Am I afraid of retribution?”
With a sweep of his left sleeve, a chilling gale rose from the ground, and all the streams and rivers in the estate roared in unison. “Hua la la!”
At the sound of the sacred roar, every flower, tree, hall, and pavilion within the two-square-kilometer estate was torn into dust by a swirling vortex of grayish-white. Countless particles danced and twisted in the air, carried high by the vortex, eventually transforming into a hazy, drifting snowfall.
The Xiangfei bamboo couch beneath Gu Juechen was the only piece of furniture remaining in the entire estate.
The Gu clansmen watched Gu Xiechen’s sleeve, which emitted a pale, watery light, with terror, their bodies trembling, unable to speak for a long time.
Gu Juechen looked at Gu Xiechen with near despair, unable to comprehend how, in just three to five years, Gu Xiechen had become so powerful, so insurmountable. Large beads of cold sweat erupted from Gu Juechen’s skin. Under the horrified gaze of the Gu clansmen, the hair and beard on Gu Juechen’s face visibly turned completely snow-white.
Gu Xiechen paused, then strode to Gu Juechen’s side and gripped his chin.
Several Gu clansmen roared in anger and lunged towards Gu Xiechen like protective guardians.
Penghua, Siren, and Ducat snorted coldly and strode forward to meet the attacking clansmen. Ducat picked up the clansmen two at a time and threw them outside. Siren effortlessly delivered several palm strikes, knocking the rushing clansmen unconscious. Penghua, as abrasive as ever, viciously shot out a few groin kicks, causing several clansmen to collapse, clutching their lower bodies and howling, their faces turning green.
Gu Xiechen pulled out several pills and forced them into Gu Juechen’s mouth. Before he could resist, he forcefully blew a breath into his mouth, sending the pills down into his abdomen. He then placed his hands in front of and behind Gu Juechen’s chest in an Yin-Yang Cloud Hand posture, slowly circulating his True Essence, helping Gu Juechen harmonize his qi and driving the medicine to circulate rapidly within his body.
In the blink of an eye, Gu Juechen’s snow-white hair and beard rapidly shifted from white back to black. His withered appearance smoothed out, his skin becoming firm, radiant, and supple, instantly making him appear at least eighty years younger.
Gu Xiechen withdrew his hands, stepped back, and, with his hands behind his back, coldly sneered at the dumbfounded Gu Juechen, “Those few pills can extend your lifespan by three Jiazi cycles. Wait and see how I bankrupt the Gu Group, how I forcibly acquire it, and how I make the Gu Group flourish again.”
He curled his lip in mockery, and Gu Xiechen proudly stated, “I remember what you told me back then… but you’d better not mess up the Gu Group, understand?”
One of Gu Juechen’s sons roared and lunged at Gu Xiechen from mid-air, his hands clawing like eagle talons towards the crown of Gu Xiechen’s head.
Gu Xiechen laughed mockingly, swept his wide sleeve in a circle, and tossed the man flying away.
“Nephew, busy showing filial piety? Tsk tsk, your Second Uncle here hasn’t even sorted out this inheritance dispute yet, where do you think you fit in to even think about it?” Gu Xiechen boomed with laughter, “Forget about all of you, the Heguang Tongchen, Yuanrun Ruyi—the Yuan and Run generations are too old. In front of me, you have zero chance of inheriting the Gu family. Perhaps the youngest Ru and Yi generations stand a chance? Hehe. Who told you I’m the youngest?”
“You are too arrogant!” an angry voice came from a distance, “With Gu Yuru here, don’t even dream of laying a finger on the Gu Group!”
A beam of pale golden light shot in from afar. Gu Yuru, with six golden wings fluttering behind him against the wind, yelled as he shot down towards Gu Xiechen, his fists descending like thunderous lightning.
Gu Xiechen shouted, “Good timing!” and swung his fist to meet Gu Yuru.
To Gu Juechen’s mixed surprise and joy, Gu Xiechen was blasted hundreds of meters away by Gu Yuru’s punch, spitting out a mouthful of blood on the spot.
Gu Xiechen haphazardly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, glanced at Gu Yuru with both shock and anger, and roared furiously, “Good, Gu Yuru, you’ve got guts! Let’s go!”
Dejected and crestfallen, under the ecstatic gaze of the Gu clansmen, Gu Xiechen scrambled away like a stray dog. The clansmen joyfully looked at Gu Yuru, whose six golden wings were slowly beating, and suddenly erupted in earth-shattering cheers. Amidst the cheers of his relatives, Gu Yuru proudly retracted his wings, and performed a series of solemn bows to his elders.
Gu Juechen hurriedly inquired of Gu Yuru what exactly had happened.
Gu Yuru recounted in detail what had transpired in the Central Cathedral. He proudly told Gu Juechen that Andre had appointed Gu Yuru to be in charge of all military procurement authority in the Papal State. He was essentially equivalent to the Minister of General Armament and Logistics for the Earth Federation, fully responsible for the supply and preparation of military materials.
Gu Juechen was ecstatic. He grabbed Gu Yuru, dancing with excitement, and immediately announced that Gu Yuru would enter the core decision-making circle of the family—Gu Yuru would become the General Manager of the Gu Group’s Manufacturing Department!
Gu Xiechen had already slipped away with his people more than ten kilometers distant.
He suddenly turned back, casting an extremely secretive glance towards the direction of the Gu family estate.
“Gu Juechen, our contest officially begins. You must be careful, extremely careful, and try not to lose too miserably!”
“I will prove to Father that I am the best, the only heir to the Gu family!”
“I have enough capital and enough foundation to play with you slowly, but what about you? You cannot afford to lose, because the moment you lose, you will be devoured by the wolves inside and outside the Church.”
“Of course, rest assured. I will spare your life. No matter what, I won’t let you die. You must live, live well.”
With a cold laugh, Gu Xiechen spat out a rubber capsule containing bloody foam from his mouth. He nodded to Penghua and smiled, “This idea is excellent. If I had forced myself to spit blood, it would have damaged my vital energy. Prepare more of these blood sacs in the future; they are great for playing the pig to eat the tiger.”
Penghua nodded smugly, “Isn’t that right? I learned to be clever this time; I prepared many of these condoms. That way, I won’t have to worry about getting those girls pregnant anymore.”
Gu Xiechen’s expression changed. He hissed inwardly with nausea, “What did you say this is?”
Penghua blinked, frowned, and replied, “Condoms? They contain squirrel blood. Huh? Are you allergic to squirrel blood?”
Gu Xiechen froze. He looked at the transparent capsule in his hand, thinking about how he had been brandishing it while holding a condom in front of Gu Juechen for quite a while, and nearly threw up on the spot.
“Penghua, I’ll kill you!”
Gu Xiechen roared angrily, waving the Five Water Dragon Beard Fan, and lunged towards Penghua.