Chapter 271: How Dare She Compare Herself To You!

Jiang Shuxuan had not been seen for three days since he returned to the Ancient Martial Arts World. During this period, Gu Xiqiao began her mind-numbingly boring research on the Chu family.

She had searched every nook and cranny for information that related to their family and there wasn’t anything that seemed particularly out of place. However, for some unknown reason, something still felt off to her.

The ‘big brother’ who Xiahou Qingyun mentioned was a clear indicator that Chu Ziheng must have at some point, appeared in the desert.

However, as the heir of his family, why would he be there?

Gu Xiqiao then remembered Old Jiu and Shi Yi. Immediately, she dialed for him on her phone.

Old Jiu had just completed his training session when Gu Xiqiao’s phone call came. “Miss Gu?”

“Old Jiu, I have something to ask you. Back when we were in the desert, you guys said that you were trying to rescue someone. Who is that someone?” Gu Xiqiao held the phone up with one hand while the other was hammering away on the keyboard. As expected, the picture on the computer screen was incredibly blurry. One could only make out piles of yellow sand and nothing else.

Old Jiu stole a glance at Ying Xu, who was standing not far away from him. Ying Xu then nodded subtly at him. “Miss Gu, we did receive an order from our superior on that day to help rescue the heir of the Chu family. Their private jet had apparently gone off the radar while flying over the desert.”

Gu Xiqiao thanked Old Jiu right after she received the information she was seeking. Without delay, she called someone else right after hanging up. Her call was answered only a handful of seconds after it started ringing. “Yi Tong, has your big boss dispatched men to the desert?”

“Miss Gu, big boss has already sent three elite squads over. There aren’t any signs of trouble as of yet.” Yi Tong paused for a moment before continuing. “Though, he did not send anyone over to your hometown…”

“I’m not worried about that.” Another idea popped into Gu Xiqiao’s mind. She pulled out a piece of paper from her drawer before scribbling something down on it.

On the paper was drawn nine points. Gu Xiqiao’s eyes widened as she looked down at these points. “Yi Tong, did Brother Tang venture in the South-Western direction?”

“How do you know?” Yi Tong was shocked. Isn’t this Young Master Tang’s secret operation?”

So this was what happened huh? Gu Xiqiao took in a deep breath. “Yi Tong, listen to me. I’m going to send you an email. I want you to look at it closely. If the number of correct points is higher than five, I want you to contact me immediately.”

***

Yi Tong hung up and as Gu Xiqiao had told him, there was already an unopened file waiting for him in his inbox. At this point, he did not care why or how Gu Xiqiao knew about his personal email address. He opened up the file in which a roughly sketched map was found. There were nine points on it, all of which coordinates were provided. Of these points, three were already marked in red.

These points were the North-Western desert, Baixing Village of N City as well as the town in the South-West where Tang Qingqiu visited.

Yi Tong moved onto the remaining six locations. One of them was located Eastwards of China. Five was found on the border of Japan and four more was found in America. Yi Tong’s heart sank when he realized what these points were. Gu Xiqiao was making a prediction and if it comes true, then…

Yi Tong immediately called for Jiang Shuxuan but no matter how many times he tried, his call never got through.

Yi Tong had no choice but to head over to Yi Bing and Yi Tiao with his phone in hand. These two knew how capable Gu Xiqiao was but they definitely would not expect Gu Xiqiao to send them warnings before disaster strikes. Yi Bing pulled out a huge map and swiftly located the six points Gu Xiqiao had selected.

“There is a city in the southwest. If not for big boss detecting something wrong with the place, then it would undoubtedly have been turned into a ghost town. Still, the casualties were high as large parts of the city had been reduced to rubble. It will no doubt, strike panic into the peoples’ hearts but there is one last place left.” Yi Bing marked the spot on the map. “W Town. It appears that we need to evacuate its residents immediately.”

Yi Tiao picked up the phone and began contacting the military branch of W Town as well as its local government.

Although W Town was small, there was still a population of ten thousand people living there. If something were to happen to that place, the ripple effect might cause unexpectedly disastrous consequences for the rest of China. The problem they face now was providing a reason for evacuation.

Yi Tong was interrupted by the person on the other end of the line when he started explaining the situation. “Mr. Yi Tong, I do not know where you got the information from. How could there possibly be anything wrong here? An earthquake? A typhoon, or a tsunami?! Stop joking around mister. This place is the safest area in the whole of China! The reason you provide for an evacuation can’t even convince me, let alone the people who have lived here for generations! Tell me, are you sleeptalking or something?!”

The man hung up right after that.

Yi Tong, who had been shot down mercilessly went silent.

“…”

‘You fish-lipped human, you’ll regret this!

‘You can doubt me all you want but Miss Gu? Are you looking to be executed by our big boss?! ‘

“In any case, let’s head over to W Town.” Yi Bing’s brows furrowed. “Talking has failed, we can’t contact big boss, and when disaster strikes cannot be precisely pinpointed. Seems like we have no other choice but to stay there for now.”

***

After Gu Xiqiao sent the map over to Yi Tong, she started drawing up a new one, which she sent to Baili Bin.

[Big Brother Baili, take a look at these points. Do they ring any bells in your mind?]

Baili Bin, who was playing chess against Baili Qu picked up his phone. Nine points?

He couldn’t suppress the smile that broke across his face.

He didn’t think Gu Xiqiao was pulling his leg, so he began studying it seriously.

“Gramps, will you attend Old Man Tang’s birthday celebration tomorrow?” asked Baili Bin as he made his move.

“That’s right, will Qiao Qiao be going too?” Baili Qu looked at the chess piece which Baili Bin moved and his eyes lit up. “You haven’t played in a month and you’re still pretty good, aren’t you?”

“I guess Aunt Shu will be bringing her over.” Baili Bin chuckled. “I have played against Qiao Qiao a couple of times before. You should totally play with her sometime. Then you’ll realize that every move she makes is a trap. In comparison to me, she’s a far more skilled chess player.”

“Really?” Baili Qu’s eyes glowed. “How does she compare to Shuxuan?”

Baili Bin took a moment before he replied: “Toe-to-toe.”

“If there’s a chance…” Baili Qu thought about it but he stopped speaking afterward. He then switched over to another topic. “Has Madam Jiang been troubling Qiao Qiao?” He had heard that Shu Chen much preferred Jiang Tong over anyone else.

“No,” Baili Bin shook his head. “As a matter of fact, Aunt Shu likes her very much.”

“Not a surprise. Who can possibly hate our precious Qiao Qiao!” Baili Qu stroked his flowing white beard. His facial expression completely gave away how proud he was about Gu Xiqiao. “By the way, I just bought a necklace from the Treasure Court. Apparently, the Eternal Necklace is pretty popular among the young maidens of the ancient martial arts world. I snatched it up as soon as I saw that it was on sale!”

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There was a triumphant look on Baili Qu’s face when he proclaimed his victory. However, one move by Baili Bin totally crushed him on the chessboard.

“…”

Baili Bin got up from his seat. “I gotta go look for Qiao Qiao now. Let me help pass the necklace you bought over to her.”

Baili Qu waved him off with an expression of disgust. “Go go!”

Baili Qu let out a sigh only after he was sure that Baili Bin had left the place. “Have you noticed the change in Ah Bin as of late?”

“Well of course,” answered the old man next to him while nodding. “Even back when he stood at the top of the ancient martial arts world, he would never act so carefreely.”

“Has he not been visiting the Trial Tower recently?” Baili Qu suddenly asked.

“It’s not only Young Master. Even the two from the Tang family have been absent from the Trial Tower for quite some time now. Only Miss Jiang Tong remains in that place now.”

Baili Qu’s brows became knitted when he heard her name. “Jiang Tong? Ah, young people really are energetic aren’t they?”

“Miss Jiang Tong’s talent mustn’t be underestimated. Young Master Qinghong’s record shows that he had only reached fifty-odd levels on the Trial Tower. Miss Jiang Tong’s already on level sixty-two.”

“Don’t just look at what’s obvious. Have you not noticed how long it has been since Qinghong was last at the Trial Tower?” Baili Qu stood up. “Selection for the ranking tournament is happening right after Old Man Tang’s birthday. Ah Bin told me that Qiao Qiao will be participating in it. You guys wait and see. Let’s go! We’re heading to the Treasure Court to see if there’s anything else I can buy for that young’ un!”

The old man beside him was left speechless.

The Tang family belonged to the Big Three of the ancient martial arts world. Although they weren’t exactly on par with the Jiang family, they were still a significant entity and should never be overlooked.

***

Master Tang’s birthday coincided with the start of the selection process; everyone was busy preparing for the final showdown.

“Miss Jiang Tong, I’m terribly sorry.” The shopkeeper of the Treasure Court looked at Jiang Tong with an apologetic expression. “The eternal necklace has already been purchased by someone else.”

“Who bought it?” It wasn’t Jiang Tong who asked the question but the girl next to her, who started interrogating the shopkeeper. “Who dares snatch away something our Tong Tong wants?!”

Jiang Tong was gaining in popularity within the ancient martial arts world. Even Murong Miaoxue had to back off to avoid ticking her off potentially. The Eternal Necklace was a woman’s product so who dared challenge the mighty Jiang Tong?!

“It’s… it was the patriarch of the Baili family.” The shopkeeper wiped the cold sweat on his brows. “Miss Jiang Tong, look…”

“That’s enough. I don’t want to trouble him. He’s not doing this on purpose.” Jiang Tong waved her hand. “I remember that you have a piece of blood jade on sale too right?” It would look really nice if paired with her outfit.

The shopkeeper’s heart sank further when he heard her question. “Miss Jiang Tong, I’m afraid the blood jade has also been sold…”

Even the item that Jiang Tong did not particularly fancy had been bought by someone else. Some of them were bought by the Baili family but the shopkeeper obviously kept this a secret from her.

If not for the shopkeeper’s excessive apologies, Jiang Tong definitely would’ve thought that he was deliberately targeting her!

Who was doing such an evil thing towards her?!

With a dark expression, Jiang Tong left the Treasure Court. The girls behind her noticed how sullen her face had turned and they hurriedly tried to console her. “Jiang Tong, my mother prepared a set of jasper for me. I think it’ll suit your outfit well…”

1

“Forget it.” Jiang Tong’s tone sounded like she was annoyed. “You guys go on home. I’m going to visit the elders.”

Jiang Tong’s mood shot back up after she left the Elders’ Pavilion. Her brooding expression had turned into one of joy and anticipation.

However, this mood of hers would not last long. Her expression returned to darkness when she attended the birthday ceremony of Grandpa Tang the next day.

Tang Wenbo was celebrating his 80th birthday today. Those who attended the ceremony were well-known figures throughout the ancient martial arts world. Everyone present however, was shocked when Shu Chen, Baili Bin as well as Murong Feiye arrived at the scene. Of course, what they were surprised at was the young lady whom Shu Chen was happily clinging onto.

The young lady was wearing a fox fur coat that was the shade of freshly-fallen snow. On her earlobes hung a pair of fiery red earrings which contrasted well against her white jade-like delicate skin. As if that wasn’t enough to piss her off, on her neck was the Eternal Necklace that Jiang Tong had been looking for yesterday!

Her expression was cool and indifferent. Her eyes were so bright that they seemed to glow and shimmer.

The noise in the room died down within mere seconds of her walking in.

Jiang Tong stared at the girl who Shu Chen was holding onto. She bit her lip so hard that they turned white!

Seven-tailed fox fur!

Blood jade earrings!

The Eternal Necklace!

It’s this girl who bought all of them! This, coupled with the information some mysterious person gave her from before confirmed her suspicion that she was looking at Gu Xiqiao!

Thinking about the things she was deprived of due to Gu Xiqiao, Jiang Tong was so furious that she almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Madam Jiang rarely made an appearance in public, reflecting how high up she was in the social ladder. Everyone flocked around her the moment she appeared in the room. Shu Chen then happily proceeded to introduce Gu Xiqiao to her friends. “This is my daughter-in-law!”

“…”

Gu Xiqiao remained silent.

While they congratulated Shu Chen, their eyes remained fixed on Gu Xiqiao.

The girl wasn’t giving off the aura of a person from the ancient martial arts world. No matter how they looked at her, she seemed just like a regular human. Perhaps a wire had come loose in Madam Jiang’s mind?

Gu Xiqiao nodded politely at them but she still wore a proud expression on her face.

“Tong Tong, who’s this girl? Is she a regular human? She looks a bit too arrogant doesn’t she? How dare she? The audacity she has to compare herself to you! Has Madam Jiang gone blind?” The girl standing next to Jiang Tong gritted her teeth as she stared angrily at Gu Xiqiao.