Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 314 [Good heavens!]

Chapter 308 [Good heavens!]

As the morning sun shone into the valley, the temperature began to rise slightly. The dampness and slight chill that had accumulated in the mountains overnight began to dissipate little by little as the morning sun pierced through the forest.

Chen Yan stopped in a valley, found a sunny spot, put Gu Tongbing down on the ground, and slowly exhaled.

After traveling all night, we have covered a considerable distance—at least several hundred miles away from the waterfall and the mountainside we visited last night.

Gu Tongbing had been carried by Chen Yan all the way, and he looked rather exhausted. Despite being poisoned, he gritted his teeth and persevered, but once he was put on the ground, he simply sat down and took a few breaths before recovering a little.

"for you."

Gu Tongbing heard Chen Yan's voice, looked up, and saw Chen Yan's outstretched hand, holding a kettle in his hand.

Gu Tongbing didn't stand on ceremony. He took the bottle, opened it, and gulped down a lot of water before tossing it back to Chen Yan: "Thanks."

"No need to thank me. Since I promised to save your life, of course I won't let you die."

Chen Yan put away the water bottle, looked around at the valley, thought for a moment, and then said, "I..."

"You're planning to leave me here?" Gu Tongbing suddenly chuckled softly, his tone suggesting he understood Chen Yan's intentions.

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow: "I promised not to kill you, and I kept my promise. I promised to save your life, so I took you with me. So, is there a problem?"

Gu Tongbing gave a bitter laugh: "Don't you have any common sense? I'm still recovering from the poisoning, and I've lost all my cultivation."

Right now, my physical condition is weaker than that of an ordinary elderly person. Do you intend to abandon me in this vast, desolate wilderness? Do you think I, in my current state, can even survive to leave these mountains?”

As he spoke, Gu Tongbing sighed, "Let alone encountering any villains or powerful enemies, even if I were to run into a wild beast in the mountains, it would be enough to bury me here."

"I'll leave you a few talismans. If you encounter any wild beasts attacking you, just tear off the talisman and it will drive them away," Chen Yan said calmly. "I also have things to do myself. I can't exactly escort you out of these mountains, or carry you all the way back to the Gu family, can I?"

"There's no need to send me back to my hometown; just send me back to the City of No Return."

Chen Yan laughed and shook his head, saying, "I can't do it. I have my own things to do and don't have time to send you back to No Return City."

Gu Tongbing remained silent, only looking at Chen Yan, and suddenly said, "You said you could give me a few talismans that can be activated by tearing them open, so... they must be talismans that store magic, right?"

So, it's a talisman used in a spirit-sealing technique?

Chen Yan remained silent, frowning as he looked at Gu Tongbing.

Gu Tongbing looked at Chen Yan with a serious expression, his eyes holding a strange look: "Who exactly are you?"

He paused, then slowly said, "You have the branch of the Evil Spirit Tree, so you've been outside Snow Cliff Pass. You have the meat of the hunted beasts, so you must have come into contact with the Ferocious Beast Clan—you've most likely hunted the Ferocious Beast Clan or other beasts, which is why you have dried meat of the hunted beasts."

You possess an incredibly mysterious invisibility technique. When you conceal your presence, even with my cultivation level, I cannot see through your magic or find your location—this is quite unbelievable considering your third-realm cultivation.

Moreover, you used shapeshifting magic! Your current appearance is not your original appearance at all.

Furthermore, you actually became friends with that Yun family boy from the Black Feather Lark Clan, and traveled together with him.

"You, a seemingly unremarkable third-realm cultivator, possess quite a few unusual qualities."

Chen Yan said coldly, "What do you want to say?"

Gu Tongbing lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up and stared intently at Chen Yan: "Do you know Gu Jinjia?"

Chen Yan: "..."

"When I proposed to you to save my life, I wasn't really sure I was going to succeed."

Because in that situation, putting myself in your shoes, I wouldn't agree to such a deal either. After all, I've been chasing you all along; we're enemies, not friends.

In addition, there was the rare and precious treasure, the Glazed Purple Vine, inside the mountain at that time.

Anyone else would have chosen to kill me to protect themselves, and then keep the rare treasures for themselves.

In addition, they can plunder my belongings and make a fortune.

In that situation, you actually spared my life. To be honest, even I was surprised at the time—I was prepared to die.

So, I was thinking, why did this guy spare my life?

At the time, I thought you recognized me, knew I was Gu Tongbing, and wanted to use me to curry favor with the Gu family? But upon closer reflection, that didn't seem quite right.

"It wasn't until you brought me out and took out a stick from the evil spirit tree that I began to suspect something was wrong."

Chen Yan suddenly realized: "So, you deliberately asked me if I had any game meat?"

"Hmm." Gu Jinjia nodded, then continued:
"When I saw the branch of the Evil Spirit Tree, I was only about 30% certain. But when you actually produced the beast meat, I was already 70% sure. And you implicitly admitted to having been to Snow Cliff Pass..."

So, the answer to why you spared my life is quite clear.

You recognize Gu Jinjia, you recognize my elder brother, right?

After hearing Gu Tongbing's words, Chen Yan couldn't help but sigh.

This guy is ruthless and cunning; he really knows how to think fast!

Seeing that Chen Yan remained silent, Gu Tongbing nodded, his tone very certain, and said calmly, "Hmm, you do recognize Gu Jinjia... Yes, you must be a member of that brotherhood he started."

At this point, it was pointless for Chen Yan to deny or remain silent, so he simply said, "If you say so, then so be it."

Gu Tongbing carefully looked Chen Yan up and down, then sighed: "You are a spirited person, decisive in your actions, and you also have a unique magic skill. As for your cultivation level... the third realm is already quite high."

Bold yet meticulous, possessing considerable skill and a good character.

It's not surprising that Gu Jinjia took a liking to such a talent and brought him into the Brotherhood.

But... I just don't understand.

Ok?
Chen Yan frowned.

What does it mean?
Gu Tongbing spoke calmly and slowly: "I've talked about the Brotherhood that my elder brother started before. It's a complete mess. He uses the struggling rogue cultivators in Snow Cliff Pass as members of the Brotherhood, and uses social class as a way to attract talent—that's not a bad approach."

However, his approach of using brotherhood as the core of the organization's cohesion was far too crude.

I once said that he would ruin that brotherhood and make it a mess, and it wouldn't amount to anything.

And as I predicted, his brotherhood, though making quite a name for itself in Snow Cliff Pass, actually didn't produce many decent figures.

Hmm, I remember he used to be called Luo Shang. He was a pretty good guy, quite a character. His methods and temperament were both remarkable. He was one of the few people in the Brotherhood who caught my eye.

Such a person has an overly strong obsession; if guided by shared beliefs, he could very well become a core force within his organization.

Unfortunately, relying on something as crude and superficial as brotherhood as a means of cohesion won't work.

For an organization to last and have cohesion, it must have its own set of principles and guidelines!

The saying "like-minded people share the same ideals" means that only by having common goals can we attract more like-minded people and achieve unity and cohesion.

Otherwise, like the fraternity my older brother started, once a real core issue concerning everyone's beliefs and choices of path arises, and disagreements arise, relying solely on brotherhood will not be enough to maintain it.

Sure enough, I later heard that the Luo merchant had done something that angered the public, so he left the Brotherhood and joined the city defense army of Xueya Pass.

It's a pity that the guy was a talented person, but my older brother didn't know how to use him.

If I were Gu Jinjia or someone like Luo Shang, if I couldn't restrain him with good ideals and principles, then I simply wouldn't have recruited him into the association in the first place!

If such a person cannot be of one mind, allowing him to join will only cause more damage to the organization if conflicts arise and he later leaves.

At this point, Gu Tongbing smiled at Chen Yan: "You are indeed a talented person. You have both temperament and methods. Your cultivation at the third realm is already quite high. If you have the resources of a powerful family to support you, there is a greater than 50% chance that you will break through to the Celestial Realm. Then you can become a core talent of the organization."

Such a talented person, yet my elder brother doesn't keep you by his side to properly cultivate and win you over?

Sure enough, he's always been like this: ambitious, wanting to do great things, but his methods are always so crude.

He spoke so eloquently that even Chen Yan couldn't help but agree with him.

Gu Tongbing's evaluation of Gu Jinjia and the Brotherhood was truly insightful!

The Brotherhood was indeed too loosely organized, with an unclear code of conduct. It only attracted people of the same social class who were independent cultivators, and used brotherhood as its organizational principle.

To put it bluntly, they are indeed a mob.

Was that Luo merchant a talented person? Of course he was! He had remarkable skills and a resilient character. His only flaw was that he was too obsessed and would stop at nothing to do things.

As Gu Tongbing said, such a person either needs a guiding principle that truly convinces him, making him willing to suppress his inner obsessions under that principle.

Either we shouldn't have recruited him in the first place! The more capable this kind of person is, the greater the damage he will cause if he rebels and leaves the Brotherhood!

Gu Tongbing...

Chen Yan suddenly realized that this guy, besides being cunning and ruthless, also had a certain unique trait.

proud!

His assessment of his elder brother, Gu Jinjia, was indeed insightful and incisive. However, Chen Yan clearly noticed the arrogance that naturally emanated from his commentary.

It seemed that this third son of the Gu family didn't think much of his eldest brother, Gu Jinjia.

However, Chen Yan naturally wouldn't agree with Gu Tongbing's statement.

Chen Yan's expression was indifferent as he shook his head and said, "You are Gu Jinjia's younger brother, how can you say such things about your elder brother? Brother Jinjia has been very good to me. You say that his loyalty to his brothers is not good, but I think that if it weren't for his loyalty, the Brotherhood wouldn't have been able to attract so many brothers in such a small place as Xueya Pass."

Gu Tongbing disagreed: "A large number of people is useless. If they can't share the same goals, they're just a bunch of loose sand. They call each other brothers affectionately and drink and eat together all the time. But when it comes to something serious, a word of brotherhood isn't enough." Chen Yan shook his head, not wanting to continue the conversation with Gu Tongbing.

However, Gu Tongbing clearly wasn't going to let Chen Yan off the hook so easily. Staring at him, his eyes darted around, and he chuckled, "So, which member of the Brotherhood are you?"

"What does this mean?" Chen Yan felt a sense of unease.

Gu Tongbing remained calm: "I know the list of all the sworn brothers in my elder brother's brotherhood by heart. I know their appearance, cultivation level, special spells and supernatural powers, and personality very well!"
I remember that two months ago, I received the fraternity's latest roster, which showed a total of 135 members!
I just thought about it. Considering your cultivation level, your temperament, the spells you're good at, and your appearance... I roughly analyzed you among those 135 people.

I can only categorize seven or eight people who share some similar characteristics.

However, let's look for some differences.

Some were of similar age, but their cultivation levels were different.

Some have sufficient cultivation, but their appearance is not quite right.

Some may be similar in age and appearance, but their magical abilities are vastly different from yours.

After counting and recounting, I found only one person who looked most similar.

Chen Yan frowned and looked coldly at Gu Tongbing.

Gu Tongbing smiled at Chen Yan: "So... you are the 135th brother of the Brotherhood, the old monster in the guild, and the one who joined the most recently."

Your name is...

Wang Chuyi!

What the hell!

Chen Yan couldn't help but be somewhat surprised.

This Gu Tongbing is a bit scary!

Moreover, Chen Yan felt that Gu Tongbing was extremely determined. Since he had guessed and come to a conclusion, it would be useless to deny it or try to confuse his cognition with words.

That being the case...

"Alright." Chen Yan sighed deliberately, feigning helplessness: "You guessed right, Third Young Master Gu."

I am Wang Chuyi, number 135 in the fraternity.

"Just admit it," Chen Yan thought to himself. Wang Chuyi's analytical abilities were so extraordinary; there was no point in denying it.

Moreover... he only dropped one layer of disguise; he still has another layer on top of him.

Wang Chuyi is not his real identity.

Gu Tongbing nodded, seemingly unsurprised, clearly having long been confident in his guess.

However, there was a hint of admiration in his eyes as he looked at Chen Yan.

He stared at him for a long while, then slowly nodded: "You are very good!"

As he spoke, he suddenly struggled to sit up straight. Despite his weakness, he forced his back to straighten and said seriously, "Wang Chuyi, do you know why I know so much about your brotherhood? I'm even so familiar with your roster?"

Chen Yan shook his head and said casually, "You are Gu Jinjia's third brother. He is close to you, so it's not surprising that he would be willing to tell you about the Brotherhood."

"That's not the case. Rather... it was my suggestion that my elder brother establish the Brotherhood," Gu Tongbing said, shaking his head.

"Ok?"

"My eldest brother seems like a peaceful person, and as the eldest brother in the family, he also shows a kind and generous nature."

But I know that he actually has extremely high aspirations. As the eldest son of the Gu family, he has been groomed from a young age to be the next head of the family.

Therefore, he always wanted to accomplish something great, something worthy of his status as the eldest son of the Gu family.

Especially after my fourth sister suddenly appeared out of nowhere and, with her unparalleled talent, forcefully reversed the family's succession rights. Although my eldest brother accepted this out of politeness, he also showed the love and deference of an elder brother towards his younger siblings.

But... he was extremely proud and still held his breath.

Even if it wasn't to reclaim his position as the future head of the family, he still wanted to prove himself, make a name for himself, and demonstrate his abilities.

Back then, when he volunteered to go to the frontier, I gave him an idea.

Although the frontier is desolate, it is a place where resilience grows from adversity and true heroes emerge from slaughter! The frontier may well be a place where hidden talents reside.

With constant warfare, there is an even greater chance of achieving great merit.

I gave Gu Jinjia a plan: let him establish his own organization at Xueya Pass, separate from the family's influence, and control it himself. This way, he could make a name for himself and demonstrate his abilities—that he could achieve great things without relying on the family's power.

Unfortunately, he...wasted my strategy.

Snow Cliff Pass is a war-torn land, but it's actually a treasure trove. However, the Brotherhood he established initially had considerable potential, and I often offered him advice back then. You could say that in the early days of your Brotherhood, many things were designed by me for my elder brother.

Later, however, he used his crude methods to build the organization, and slowly, a promising organization was turned into something neither fish nor fowl.

The fraternity that followed was a mixed bag, seemingly lively but lacking unity. They couldn't handle big tasks, nor could they manage small ones well!

I gradually became disappointed in him, and slowly stopped caring about his fraternity affairs.

However, my elder brother was grateful for my help in devising the fraternity, so he regularly sent me lists of fraternity members, resource expenditures, and losses.

Good guy...

This Gu Tongbing is the hidden founder of the Liangshan... oops, pshaw!

Chen Yan sighed inwardly.

Unbeknownst to him, Gu Tongbing's gaze toward him grew increasingly strange and increasingly ardent.

Suddenly, Gu Tongbing spoke, his expression solemn and serious, his tone deep and sincere: "Wang Chuyi... there's no future in following my elder brother in his fraternity. His fraternity is just a disorganized mess; they have no idea what they're going to do in the future, let alone what this so-called fraternity was established for, what its goals are, or what kind of cause it aims to achieve!"
They recruited a group of independent cultivators, using brotherhood as a pretext, but all they did was laze around and wait to die.

You're such a talented person, why don't you... work with me in the future, how about it?

Um? ? ? ?

Chen Yan was stunned.

No, brother, strictly speaking, you're my prisoner now!

This isn't even forced defection.

This is practically forced recruitment!
Chen Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he deliberately asked, "Gu Tongbing, what kind of business are you involved in? Assassinating members of aristocratic families and framing the demon race? An assassin organization?"

Gu Tongbing laughed heartily, but for some reason, Chen Yan found his laughter to be somewhat heroic.

"Wang Chuyi! What do you think the current state of the realm is like?"

"Huh?" Chen Yan was taken aback.
Gu Tongbing's face darkened, and he shouted sternly: "Rotten! Suffocating! Oppressive! Exploitative!!"
The sages and revered ones are high above, disregarding the masses, and only worship the Heavenly Way that doesn't care about the lives of ordinary people!

Powerful and influential families, like leeches, cling to the common people, monopolizing all cultivation resources in this realm!

Year after year, generation after generation, they have enslaved all living beings in the realm!
The masses are only fit to be pigs and dogs at the bottom of society!

Why are they born superior? Why should ordinary people, even those with great talent, have to fight for scraps at the feet of powerful families and sects?

Did everything in this realm originally belong to aristocratic families and sects?
Then what gives the sage and venerable one the right to stand on the clouds and look down upon all living beings?
Sendai is unable to centralize power internally and is weak and ineffective externally! Those in high positions are incompetent and cause chaos in governance!

What gives powerful and wealthy families the right to live off the masses?

This is oppression!! This is exploitation! This is... shackles!!

My mission is to awaken all living beings in this realm!

I want to shatter all of this with my like-minded friends!!

The billions of oppressed beings in the lower realms should stand up and resist together!
Fight! Only fight!
The struggle to break free of shackles!!

Chen Yan: "………………………………"

Break free of shackles?

Breaking free from exploitation?!
Holy crap! I know that word so well!!!

Good guy!
Good guy! !

Chen Yan was filled with a series of "Good heavens!"

His expression was extremely strange...

Gu Tongbing! You really are way more awesome than your older brother Gu Jinjia!

At most, Gu Jinjia could only create a Liangshan Marsh within a specific territory.

You, Gu Tongbing...you're trying to cross the boundary...

No, bro, have you forgotten that you're a top-tier rich kid in the entire realm?!

If we're talking about the exploiting class, you're one of them, you idiot!
·
[Attention! I have an announcement to make!] (Important! Important! Important!)
I have to go on a business trip to Wuhan today to attend a writers' conference event hosted by Qidian.com, so I'll be taking a day off tomorrow. Updates will resume on the platform on the 17th!

This is to inform you.

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(End of this chapter)