Chapter 21: A Meeting of Minds
When Gu Yu asked, Zhang San had a bit of confusion on his face. However, since it concerned money, Zhang San didn’t refuse and tried his best to recall what the clan elder had said and done before.
Indeed, thinking about it, he did recall some clues.
“I’ve seen outsiders disappear without a trace in Chongmiao Village before. I once curiously asked the clan elder, but the elder’s expression was very unpleasant, and he told me not to ask too much!”
“Is that all?”
“Of course not. Although the clan elder didn’t tell me the reason, I secretly found the answer.”
Afterward, hearing Gu Yu’s somewhat disappointed words, Zhang San quickly said something else.
He didn’t want to experience what happened last night again, for fear that Gu Yu, this big patron, would wave his sleeve and leave, like a cooked duck flying away!
Money was his!
“Because I had heard about the guardian god of Chongmiao Village before, I strongly suspect that all those missing outsiders were fed to the worms… The reason I didn’t answer immediately when Lord Gu asked if I wanted to try was because I thought of this possibility, so I didn’t dare to say anything.”
“Oh? Why do you dare to say it now?”
Hearing Zhang San’s words, Gu Yu couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows, having great doubts about what he said.
He didn’t want to say it before, but now he wants to.
It’s just because he wants his silver that he’s saying these things.
“This… it’s just that I’ve thought it through. After all, Lord Gu, you are the man acknowledged by the guardian god. You must be a very powerful person. My admiration for you is like a mighty river…”
“Alright, alright, let’s get to the point.”
“Yes, yes, it’s also my great luck. Just as I wanted to investigate those missing outsiders, another outsider came to our village to lodge. I saw the clan elder whisper a few words to him secretly, and then the outsider’s eyes lit up as he followed the elder to a cave… I cautiously squatted outside and only saw the elder come out. That outsider never came out!”
When Zhang San spoke of that outsider, his body couldn’t help but tremble, clearly recalling the scene, which made him feel great fear.
A living person entered the cave and disappeared as if from the face of the earth. How could this bring peace of mind?
Because of this, Zhang San couldn’t sleep well for a long time and no longer dared to interact with the clan elder of Chongmiao Village.
However, life had to go on.
The missing outsiders were just a small interlude. The people and things around Zhang San remained as they were, without the slightest change, which made him stop dwelling on it and just treat it as a nightmare.
It was the arrival of Gu Yu and his group that awakened the nightmare Zhang San wanted to forget.
“After all that talk, it seems you haven’t gotten to the point! My current doubt is why your clan elder chose me and not others to see the guardian god?”
However, Gu Yu didn’t have time to argue with Zhang San here, so he directly pointed out the core issue, telling Zhang San not to go off-topic and to get to the point!
Those missing outsiders had nothing to do with him. Who cared if they lived or died!
Now, Gu Yu only wanted to confirm why that old geezer had chosen him.
What hidden reasons were there behind this!
If it were a coincidence, let alone Gu Yu, even a three-year-old child wouldn’t believe it was just a coincidence.
After all, the appearance of the Chongmiao Village clan elder last night was very strange.
He seemed to have only recognized Gu Yu.
“Look at me, I can’t stop talking! What I just said was my curiosity about the guardian god, which made me want to gather more information. Then, through inquiries from all directions and deliberate investigation, I learned a very important secret…”
When he said the words “very important secret,” Zhang San didn’t continue but looked at Gu Yu with a fervent gaze, his expression becoming extremely expectant.
Seeing Zhang San’s demeanor, Gu Yu was not a fool and naturally knew that he was here to ask for favors.
If there were no favors, Zhang San wouldn’t say anything more.
Upon this, Gu Yu didn’t hesitate and directly threw the silver he was playing with. Zhang San fumbled to catch it.
As if he didn’t believe it, Zhang San even bit the silver. After his teeth hurt from the impact, he was satisfied and put the silver into his pocket.
He was overjoyed, his face glowing.
“Now, can you tell me?”
“Sure, sure, I’ll tell you! I discovered that the clan elder had a small black stone. If someone’s physical spiritual energy was very strong, circles of red patterns would appear on the stone. The more circles, the stronger the person’s spiritual power.”
Subsequently, listening to the words coming from Zhang San’s mouth, Gu Yu’s eyebrows couldn’t help but furrow.
This wasn’t a fantasy novel, so why were there even stones that could detect spiritual energy?
And what about this spiritual energy? Wasn’t it a vague concept?
Now, listening to Zhang San’s words, he seemed very certain about this spiritual energy, believing that spiritual energy within the human body was a real thing.
This made Gu Yu even more curious, wondering what kind of place this Southern Border truly was.
He wasn’t talking about the surface of the Southern Border, but its true nature.
“The spiritual energy you’re talking about…”
“Lord Gu, you are not from the Southern Border, so you don’t know what spiritual energy is… To explain in detail, I’m not too clear either, but I do know that people with strong spiritual energy are very powerful! The Gu masters in the Southern Border recruit disciples based on their spiritual energy!”
“I see, continue.”
“There’s nothing else that needs special explanation. It should be that the clan elder’s black stone considered Lord Gu’s spiritual energy to be very strong, which is why he wanted you to go over. But now that you have been recognized by the guardian god, there is nothing else.”
“Mhm, you are a smart person, and you naturally know what to do next.”
Hearing Gu Yu’s words, Zhang San chuckled.
Then, he didn’t stay with Gu Yu any longer. He prepared to hide the silver and then find a river ditch to fall into and splash around.
“Of course, I was groggy today and fell into the ditch, so I felt unwell and didn’t get out of bed all day.”
Seeing that Zhang San was so understanding, Gu Yu was very satisfied, thinking that Zhang San was truly a shrewd person.
Given how much information Zhang San knew, he definitely wouldn’t believe the story about being bestowed with divine power and then passing out. However, he was a person with a bit of cunning.
As the saying goes, “Man dies for wealth, just as birds die for food.”
As long as there was silver, everything was negotiable. Even if the clan elder died and went to heaven, Zhang San wouldn’t pursue it.
Of course, it was also because the deterrent power of Gu Mengyao and her group was too great, making people realize that they couldn’t match the opponent’s combat strength.
Therefore, it was best to exchange some information for money. Gu Yu and Zhang San hit it off, and both got what they wanted.
After seeing Zhang San happily leave, Gu Yu didn’t stay idle. He walked towards where the Chongmiao Village clan elder lived, preparing to get his hands on that black stone.
