C12 Stealing and Cheating

Gu Feng stripped down to his boxer shorts by the riverbank and waded into the water for a quick wash before diving in to catch some fish. Having subsisted on dry rations for several days, he craved the taste of something fresh; his body had even slimmed down a bit. While his own weight loss was of little concern, he couldn't bear the thought of his mother, Xianyue, suffering the same. She had sacrificed so much for him, particularly since Gu Tian had injured him. She had remained steadfastly by his side, day and night, without fail.

As for Gu Tian, ever since his abduction, he had been a shadow of his former self, confined within the Gu family compound, his once formidable presence now replaced by a deep sense of defeat, his fighting spirit seemingly extinguished. Gu Mong wouldn't have bothered with him if he weren't a promising seedling. In his heart, he saw his son as nothing more than a weakling, unable to withstand life's storms.

"Tian, listen to me," he said. "The Gu family came here from Reigh. Do you know where that is? It's a land where countless sects stand tall and geniuses emerge. With your current level of skill, you wouldn't even qualify as an outer disciple there. I'm not trying to belittle you; you're just that disappointing. A minor setback should be nothing to you. A true powerhouse must be able to rise from adversity and the brink of death, or else they'll remain a failure for life.

You should know, our ancestor was once the most formidable being in the world, ruling over all sects and commanding respect from all. At his beck and call, the mightiest would not dare to defy him. His name has been a taboo for millions of years, unspoken by all. This Tamura Empire is but a speck in the grand scheme of things, merely a garden in the backyard of a great family. According to your grandfather, the Gu family once kept countless nations like Tamura as mere estates."

Hearing his father's words, a fierce determination ignited in Gu Tian's eyes. Recalling the humiliation of being manhandled by his enemies, he declared with resolve, "Father, I will become stronger. I must become powerful!"

"Alright, listen closely. Currently, aside from you and Gu Feng, who carry the Ten Thousand Ancient Bloodline, everyone else here belongs to the older generation. Going forward, the future of the Gu family rests on your shoulders. It's up to you to restore the Gu family's past splendor. Remember, the path of the mighty is paved with a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. At our ancestral lands in Reigh, there's a Blood Pool. All direct descendants of the Gu family can immerse themselves in it to awaken the bloodline within, gaining the innate talents and strengths of our forebears.

"Father, I must return to Reigh. I am determined to grow stronger, no matter the hardships. I will face them head-on. I must become more powerful," Gu Tian declared, his fists clenched and his resolve evident through his gritted teeth.

"Very well, you truly are a scion of the Gu family!"

After the attack on the Gu family by the man in black, Gu Mong had come to a definitive conclusion. The elders concurred, deciding to send a few of them to escort Gu Tian and some of the side branch disciples back to Reigh with a trading caravan. Despite the risks, if even one can awaken their bloodline and receive the ancient ancestor's legacy, there is hope for the Gu family. Otherwise, the Gu family's descendants are doomed to perish in this isolated backwater.

The Gu family's deepest secrets are known only to the elders. The younger generation remains oblivious. If Gu Feng were aware, he would undoubtedly find a way to reach the Gu family's ancestral grounds in Reigh, no matter the challenges.

At that moment, Gu Feng had just emerged from the water when he heard a faint, melodious singing from a woman downstream. He couldn't make out the lyrics, but the sound was enchanting. Emboldened, he ventured downstream and spotted a woman bathing in the river from a distance.

"A woman alone in this forest, teeming with Soul Beasts and bandits, is surely no ordinary individual. I wonder if she carries a soulstone. If so, it's probably tucked away in her belongings."

Reflecting on his plan, Gu Feng harbored a wicked thought. He submerged himself once more and swam downstream, emerging silently from the water to dress. Stealthily, he crept into the woods, inching toward the downstream section of the river, where he hid among the trees to spy on the girl in the water.

Regrettably, the young woman in the river had her back to him, concealing her face. Though he couldn't discern her features, her slender figure suggested she was a young maiden.

Gu Feng wasn't just any thief; he had a particular target in mind. His gaze fixed on a pile of clothes resting on a small branch by the riverbank. It was clear what Gu Feng intended to do. One had to concede, the man certainly had a knack for thievery. He moved with great caution, mindful of the brittle branches beneath him, careful not to make a sound. With each step, his eyes darted back to the girl in the water, wary of being detected.

In a moment of stealth, Gu Feng reached behind a tree and snatched a small piece of clothing, only to find it was an exquisitely embroidered, fragrant woman's undergarment. Reluctantly, he placed it back. Then, with a deft hand, he pilfered a stack of silver notes from a bag perched on the tree, swiftly hiding behind the trunk. The bundle contained roughly ten notes, several valued at ten thousand taels each.

He mused to himself, "Damn, this girl is extraordinarily wealthy, carrying tens of thousands of taels of silver on her person. Isn't she afraid of being robbed?"

Beyond the silver notes, there was also a jade bottle, but Gu Feng didn't bother to inspect its contents, instead tucking it along with the notes into his pocket. He then extracted a palm-sized, embroidered silk pouch from the bag, which held three soulstones, each the size of a ping pong ball.

Gu Feng's heart raced as he took in his haul. He stole another glance at the river, where the beauty continued her bathing, oblivious to his presence. He carefully replaced the bag on the tree and slipped away as silently as he had arrived. He came without a trace and left without a trace, taking only a few small items. He convinced himself that such a wealthy woman wouldn't miss these trifles, smirking at the thought.

Holding the three Rank Three soulstones close, Gu Feng's spirits soared. "My dear, don't hold it against me. I'm broke at the moment, but once I rise to power, I'll repay you a hundredfold. If I owe you too much, and if you're willing, I'll make you my wife as a token of my gratitude."

Imagine if she found out. What would she do? There's no need to even say it – she'd gouge out her eyes and subject her to a death by a thousand cuts.

After pocketing the items, Gu Feng hurried back to the upper reaches of the river where Xianyue was still bathing. Without a second thought, he dashed to the riverbank, startling Xianyue into the water, where she submerged all but her head.

"Mother, we need to get out of here fast. I'll wait for you up top. Please, hurry and get dressed." Having said that, Gu Feng turned his back to her. The beauty in the river anxiously felt for the three soulstones hidden in her clothing, fearing the young girl might pursue them to this spot.

Xianyue, catching the urgency in Gu Feng's voice, quickly grasped the situation. She glanced around, shielded her chest with her hand, and made her way to the bank. Hastily dressing, she occasionally stole glances at Gu Feng's turned back, wondering to herself, "What kind of trouble has this little rascal gotten into now? Has he resorted to murder and theft again? My son, how did you turn into such a heartless devil?"

Xianyue knew Gu Feng's character better than anyone; she had raised him herself. He had grown bolder, his methods more ruthless, and he kept his distance from women. The more he changed, the more Xianyue feared that hatred was clouding his judgment.

Gu Feng turned back to see his mother in her undergarments. He rushed over, handed her the outer garment he had picked up, and slung two bags over his shoulder. Clutching two longswords in one hand and Xianyue's delicate hand in the other, he urged, "Mother, we must leave now, or it'll be too late. Come on!"

"Is something wrong?" Xianyue observed Gu Feng's frantic behavior as she walked and dressed, asking, "Did the companions of those you killed come after us?"

"Mother, please don't ask questions now. We need to get out of here first, then I'll explain everything," Gu Feng urged, thinking that the woman downstream was certainly no ordinary person. He wanted to leave before she finished bathing, fearing that the consequences would be far worse than just death.

After leaving the small river, Gu Feng and Xianyue ran for several miles without stopping. They continued on for a few more miles, ensuring that no one was following them. Gu Feng finally let out a sigh of relief, then began searching for a hidden spot to settle down and properly assimilate the items he had stolen.

"This brocade pouch looks like it belongs to a woman. How did you come by it? Surely you didn't..." Xianyue couldn't recall her son ever possessing such an item, her mind conjuring up the image of a woman bathing, her belongings pilfered by her son.

"I just stole it," Gu Feng admitted with a grin, pulling out a soulstone as large as a ping pong ball and showing it to his mother.

"Just now? That is..."

"Ha, you know what it is. But please don't think of me as that kind of person; I'm not into stealing," Gu Feng reassured Xianyue with a smile. "If only I had thought to take that woman's clothes, leaving her with nothing to wear, we wouldn't have had to flee so urgently."

Before Gu Feng could finish, Xianyue's cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and disapproval. She gave him a reproachful look and said, "You're really not just any troublemaker, stealing a girl's belongings!"

"Cough, cough, Mother, let's not talk about that, alright? Consider our current predicament. You must understand that in this world, only the fittest survive. It doesn't matter whether she's a woman or he's a handsome man; strength is all that counts." Gu Feng spoke with a hint of sheepishness, but internally he mused, "My apologies to that beautiful lady. I meant what I said, though. If I grow stronger and you hold no grudges, I'll make you my wife and cherish and protect you for a lifetime."

Gu Feng wasn't one to be fussy about his partners. With a 21st-century mindset, he didn't care if his potential spouse wasn't a first-timer, as long as she was attractive. In this unfamiliar world, establishing a family was a necessity, whether out of gratitude or any other reason.

There was a historical figure, Zhuge Liang, whose wife was described as unattractive in ancient texts. But what did her looks matter? She was a woman of talent, adept in both scholarly and domestic affairs. Interestingly, some ancient records also portrayed Zhuge Liang's wife as a Persian beauty, but through the lens of ancient Chinese standards, she was deemed unattractive.

At present, Gu Feng's priority was to assimilate the power of three third-tier soulstones. These could potentially help him advance to the second level of Body Tempering, significantly boosting his strength. He wasn't concerned with the origins of the soulstones or the Soul Beasts they came from; he just knew they would enhance his power.

"You keep focusing on your cultivation; I'll watch over you and help you aim for the second level. Your father mentioned that once you reach that level, you'll understand the true power of the Bronze Mandate you hold," Xianyue recalled Gu Mong's advice. Gu Mong had entrusted the Bronze Mandate to Gu Feng only after he had achieved the second level of Body Tempering, believing it would benefit him.

"Is that so? I've been examining it for days, and it seemed no more useful than junk," Gu Feng said, handling the Bronze Mandate in his possession, wondering if it truly had the power to command the heavens and stand supreme over ancient times.

"Your father wouldn't lie about such a thing," Xianyue replied, patting her son's head, who was sharper than any thief. She pondered, "Perhaps Gu Mong had long recognized Feng's potential, which is why he gave him the Nine Dragons Sky Mandate."