Chapter 405: Damn You

With Xiao Xue’s help, Ye Guan settled into a hotel. Ye Guan sat down cross-legged on the bed and began circulating the Universe Beholdment Skill. He was absorbing spiritual energy from his surroundings, but the spiritual energy was extremely scarce.

If it weren't for the Universe Beholdment Skill, he wouldn't have been able to absorb any spiritual energy at all. Strangely, he discovered that he couldn't use the profound energy that he had accumulated inside of him but could use the newly converted profound energy he had gathered from the scarce spiritual energy of Huaxia.

A peculiar realization dawned upon him. He was starting to get convinced that the seal was the work of his father. Was this his father's plan for him to make a breakthrough?

Ye Guan looked out the window. A bright moon hung in the night sky, casting an otherworldly glow. Ye Guan slowly closed his eyes. In the past, his cultivation methods involved meditation and combat, with no other forms of practice.

However, his time in Huaxia had made him realize that life itself could be a form of cultivation. His life had been too fast-paced. His life here was exponentially slower than his life in the Guanxuan Universe. Now, he enjoyed having breakfast. He liked to go shopping, and he liked... money! The Milky Way was great!

Ye Guan smiled. Waves of Sword Intent emanated from him, passing through the window and drifting toward the sky. However, a mysterious force suppressed his Sword Intent once more.

Ye Guan, however, remained unperturbed. He looked up and chuckled, "Damn you! I really want to see just how long you can keep on sealing me!"

Boom!

Suddenly, the same mysterious force struck Ye Guan. He keeled over and collapsed to the ground.

"Fuck!" Ye Guan cursed before losing consciousness.

...

Su Zi and Su Mu sat facing each other in the Su Residence.

Su Mu looked at Su Zi with a grave look. "Li Mingbo is dead."

Su Zi nodded calmly. "I know."

Su Mu asked, "Did he do it?"

Su Zi nodded once again.

Su Mu went silent.

Su Zi looked at Su Mu and asked, "Grandpa, are you worried?"

Su Mu's expression was complex. "I am worried about you."

Su Zi was puzzled.

Su Mu sighed softly. "Child, he is not an ordinary person."

"Yes," Su Zi nodded and said, "I know."

"He must be a martial artist, perhaps even a legendary cultivator..." Su Mu muttered.

Su Zi was silent, but her hands slowly balled into fists.

Su Mu wanted to say more, but Su Zi smiled and said, "Grandpa, don't worry."

After a brief silence, Su Mu sighed and replied, "Well, he's not a bad person. He has a good heart, and he treats you sincerely. He is a blessing to our family."

Su Mu's years of experience told him that Su Zi and Ye Guan weren't from the same world. Ye Guan was a ruthless character capable of killing those daring enough to show even the tiniest trace of killing intent toward him.

Su Zi smiled and said, "Grandpa, he's very kind. He has always reassured me, and his intentions toward me are pure."

Su Zi recalled the time when she purposely got drunk. Back then, she thought he would take advantage of her, and she had even braced herself for it. However, Ye Guan didn't take advantage of her.

"I don't think I should take off the clothes of a woman I'm not ready to take care of for her entire life."

Ye Guan's words were still vivid in Su Zi's mind, and his words on that fateful night had left an indelible mark on her heart.

Su Mu smiled at Su Zi's words and said, "Anyway, the two of you should handle your own matters. I will not interfere whatsoever.”

"Okay." Su Zi nodded.

Just then, Su Mu's expression turned serious. "An esteemed guest will visit us on your birthday."

"An esteemed guest?" Su Zi asked, sounding curious.

Su Mu nodded and explained, "Yes, she's Miss Xuanyuan Ling from the Xuanyuan Clan in Yanjing. I sent her an invitation without expecting anything. I also haven't heard a reply from her for her until today. She said that she's coming to your birthday party."

The Xuanyuan Clan?

Su Zi's expression became serious. They were one of the four major clans in Yanjing. Their willingness to come was undoubtedly a great honor for the Su Clan[1].

"There must be a reason behind her reply. I mean, she hasn't replied for the longest time until now, right?" Su Zi asked.

"That's right," Su Mu said with a nod. "We are unaware of the reason, but she has decided to give us a lot of face by coming to your birthday party. We should treat her well when the time comes."

Su Zi nodded. "Of course."

Su Mu hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Wang Clan is coming as well."

"Oh," Su Zi acknowledged nonchalantly.

Su Mu smiled bitterly without saying anything.

The two decided to talk a bit more, and Su Zi eventually left the hall. Back in her room, she couldn't quite sleep as she lay on her bed. She took out her phone and sent a text message to Ye Guan: [Are you awake?]

Su Zi received no response, but Su Zi decided to wait.

Ten minutes later, there was still no response. Su Zi held her phone tightly, waiting patiently for a reply. However, Ye Guan still hadn't replied even after thirty minutes, and Su Zi was starting to feel concerned.

After a brief hesitation, Su Zi dialed Su Zi's number, but the automated reply told her that the phone was unattended.

A sudden sense of unease gripped her heart, and she jumped up the bed.

"Xiao Xue, let's go to the hotel!" she cried out into her phone.

...

The door to Ye Guan's room was flung open, and Su Zi rushed in. Su Zi turned pale upon seeing Ye Guan on the ground. She ran over to him and asked with a trembling voice, "W-what happened to you?"

She reached for her phone to call an ambulance, but Ye Guan opened his eyes and muttered, "N-nothing..."

Su Zi let out a sigh of relief upon seeing that Ye Guan was awake.

"What happened to you?” she asked.

Ye Guan smiled bitterly and said, "I got beaten up.”

Su Zi was stunned. "Beaten up?”

Ye Guan nodded. "Yes."

Su Zi asked, "Who did it?"

Ye Guan sighed. "I'm not sure as well.”

In reality, he had cursed at the mysterious assailants to test out something. Now, Ye Guan was convinced that one of the mysterious assailants was his father. Ye Guan knew that he had to be more careful with his words in the future.

"Who gave you such a severe beating?" Su Zi was angry. "This is too much. You can't even move..."

"I-it's my fault. Ye Guan quickly grabbed Su Zi's hand and said, "R-really..."

Su Zi's face blushed slightly, and she replied, "I'll take you to the hospital."

Ye Guan shook his head and said, "No need, I just need some rest."

Su Zi nodded slightly. "I'll stay with you."

Ye Guan agreed. "Okay."

Ye Guan closed his eyes to recuperate while in Su Zi's embrace.

Su Zi had found Ye Guan devoid of his upper clothing, revealing a scar on his chest.

Su Zi was struck by an epiphany upon seeing the scar.

The shape and the size of the scar allowed Su Zi to deduce that it had to have been the scar from the bullet Ye Guan had taken for Su Zi.

Su Zi stroked the scar gently and asked with a trembling voice, "It must have been painful when you got shot..."

Ye Guan opened his eyes and saw that tears had welled up in Su Zi's eyes.

Ye Guan smiled lightly and said, "That was nothing compared to my life before."

Su Zi stared deeply at Ye Guan and asked, "Have you been suffering back then?"

Ye Guan chuckled and smiled wryly. "I had to ignite my fleshly body and soul just to survive."

Su Zi didn't exactly understand what Ye Guan was talking about, but she could sense that Ye Guan wasn't lying. Realizing that, she unconsciously hugged Ye Guan even tighter.

Ye Guan turned to look out of the window. The moon was shining brightly in the night sky.

Yanjing!

Ye Guan closed his eyes and wondered if he could meet his father and his plain-skirt aunt in Yanjing. After a while, Ye Guan drifted off to sleep in Su Zi's arms.

Just then, Xiao Xiao suddenly appeared.

Su Zi's expression changed drastically, and she shouted, "Who are you?!"

Ignoring Su Zi, Xiao Xiao looked at Ye Guan and gasped, "He's injured?"

Su Zi turned Ye Guan away from Xiao Xiao and glared at the latter. Her hand wrapped discreetly around a gun inside her bag. Su Mu had provided Su Zi with a gun after the recent attempt on her life.

However, Xiao Xiao continued to ignore Su Zi and stared intently at Ye Guan. She had arrived here quickly, as she had been secretly tailing Ye Guan. She considered Ye Guan an extremely dangerous individual, and the higher-ups of the Dragon Group were still investigating Ye Guan's background.

Ye Guan seemed injured, and Xiao Xiao realized that the best time to capture him would be now.

Should I capture him or not?

Xiao Xiao grappled with her internal dilemma as she kept a wary eye on Ye Guan. Despite her reservations and wariness toward Ye Guan, she knew that this might be the best chance to apprehend him.

On the sidelines, Su Zi remained on high alert.

Xiao Xiao took out a small white jade bottle and placed it in front of Su Zi.

"This will treat his injuries. Give it to him.”

Su Zi was stunned.

Xiao Xiao glanced at Ye Guan and declared, "I harbor no ill intentions toward him."

In the end, Xiao Xiao decided to let Ye Guan go. Her intuition was telling her that Ye Guan was a cultivator. If her intuition were right, the Dragon Group wouldn't be able to handle him. A cultivator could only be dealt with using diplomatic methods.

Moreover, Ye Guan seemed reasonable. If she took advantage of his vulnerability but failed to subdue him, both she and the Dragon Group would have to face the consequences of angering a cultivator.

It was crucial for people in her line of work to remain observant at all times. They had to be able to make sound judgments when necessary and make more friends than enemies.

Su Zi picked up the white jade bottle but remained cautious.

Xiao Xiao glanced at Su Zi and said, "Miss Su, he is your..."

"He's my boyfriend," Su Zi said after a brief hesitation.

Boyfriend?

Xiao Xiao was surprised, and her expression turned oddly complex.

Su Zi noticed that and frowned. "What? Do you not like it?"

Xiao Xiao did a double take at Su Zi and opened her palm. A golden card fell in front of Su Zi.

"That card contains my contact information, Miss Su," Xiao Xiao explained, "If you need anything, you can contact me anytime."

With that, Xiao Xiao turned around and left.

Su Zi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Ye Guan suddenly opened his eyes and glanced at the door.

If Xiao Xiao had made a move, it would have been her final mistake.

...

Outside the door, a middle-aged man blocked Xiao Xiao’s path. His face was clouded with dissatisfaction as he asked, "Why did you give up?"

Xiao Xiao remained silent for a moment before saying, "He's a cultivator."

The middle-aged man froze.

Xiao Xiao shook her head slightly and added, "We martial artists cannot contend with cultivators. If we can't beat them, we can just make allies out of them!”

The middle-aged man stayed silent. As he was a part of the Dragon Group, he was well aware of a cultivator's strength.

1. Su Clan from now on ?