Chapter 141: Choice
"Why?"
Su Yizhao asked.
Helping the Gou family meant helping himself?
That was utterly absurd!
The divine deer said leisurely, "Suit yourself. The Gou family is not worth much anyway!"
Su Yizhao was left speechless!
The Gou family was not worth much?
Then what about what you said when you were secretly absorbing profound stones?
The divine deer fell silent once more.
Gou Jianren spoke up, "Young Friend Su, no need to rush your refusal. How about we look at this as a form of cooperation?"
The Gou family's patriarch's expression darkened slightly!
Su Yizhao could not make sense of the divine deer's words, and he hesitated at that moment.
Qin Hongyi chimed in, "Daoist Friend Su, you're quite fierce in a fight anyway, and you also like...!"
"Stop right there!" Su Yizhao quickly interrupted her. "I've never liked fighting, I'm only ever forced into it!"
The Gou family's patriarch suddenly spoke, "Young Friend Su, how much do you know about the Jin family?"
"I heard of them for the first time today!"
"Ten days ago, the Jin family took the initiative to approach me, proposing to join forces with the Gou family in business. What are your thoughts on this?"
Su Yizhao froze!
What were his thoughts?
Did his thoughts even matter?
Knowing there must be a deeper meaning behind the question, he pondered for a moment and said, "Could it be related to me?"
The Gou family's patriarch laughed, "Indeed it is! The moniker of the Brothel Swordsman is not earned for nothing!"
Su Yizhao was speechless!
He was forced to explain, "There is a restaurant in Relying Mountain City named The Brothel. This—this is truly a massive misunderstanding!"
"Pfft!" Qin Hongyi could not help but burst into laughter!
Su Yizhao turned to look at her, his face full of confusion!
Qin Hongyi said, "Well, I can actually vouch for that!"
Su Yizhao remained puzzled!
"Have you forgotten?" Qin Hongyi smiled. "If I'm going to follow by your side, I naturally need to understand your affairs! Everyone in Relying Mountain City knows what happened in that brothel—no, that restaurant of yours!"
Gou Jianren felt a knot in his stomach!
This Qin Hongyi was truly dead set on following him!
It seemed he needed to do something for the young master!
He cut in, "Young Friend Su, it truly is a misunderstanding. The Jin family assumed you wanted to use that moniker to attach yourself to them!"
Attach oneself to the Jin family!
That was undoubtedly the thought of most cultivators!
It was completely normal!
Yet Su Yizhao was precisely not one of them!
Su Yizhao spoke up, "I've already made an announcement today that I no longer want that moniker! The Jin family will certainly come to know my stance as well!"
"Heh! How naive of you, young man!" The Gou family's patriarch chuckled softly. "The Jin family probably thinks you are driving up your price, waiting to be bought. Two paths lie before you!"
Su Yizhao fell into thought!
"First, the Jin family raises their bid until you are satisfied!"
Su Yizhao asked, "And if I am not satisfied with any of it?"
The Gou family's patriarch shook his head. "Heaven-defying treasures, cultivation resources, supreme virtual treasures, stunning female cultivators—all within arm's reach. There will surely come a time when you are satisfied, no?"
Before Su Yizhao could speak, Qin Hongyi hastily jumped in to answer, "Not satisfied? Is Daoist Friend Su the kind of person to be swayed by that?"
Su Yizhao was speechless!
Faced with cultivation resources, very few cultivators could resist!
Including himself.
However, a gentleman obtains wealth through proper means, and he would never accept food handed out in contempt!
Therefore, he shook his head and said, "Although I am in dire need of profound stones, I still know the principle of not accepting rewards without merit. What is the second path?"
The Gou family's patriarch nodded in appreciation.
Then, however, his voice turned gloomy. "Second, they make you disappear!"
Su Yizhao had expected as much!
With a massive faction like that, if recruitment failed, they would never leave a loose end!
Leaving him alive meant nurturing an enemy!
Nurturing an enemy would ultimately bring hidden troubles!
And such major factions would absolute never leave behind even the slightest hidden trouble!
He felt a soft warmth against his left arm as Qin Hongyi's delicate body leaned close to him.
He straightened his back!
The path of immortality should be just like this!
Without hardship and adversity, it could not be called a true path of immortality!
Without hesitation, he countered, "If it comes to the second path, how would Senior Gou choose?"
He would not go to the Jin family!
Nor would he ever attach himself to them!
Because they were strangers!
Once attached, one would simply be treated as a hired thug!
A hired thug was someone meant to take the blame at any moment and discarded whenever convenient!
"How would I choose? If you agree to the Gou family's cultivation plan, you become a member of the Gou family! The Gou family will naturally shelter you from the wind and rain, no matter how high the cost!"
Su Yizhao fell silent!
What about his sect?
He was an elite disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect!
Furthermore, Xuan Wuji had already hinted that he would be heavily nurtured!
Daring as the Jin family might be, surely they would not dare to openly oppose the sect!
As if reading his thoughts, the Gou family's patriarch said, "The sect will protect you, but there are certain limitations."
"What limitations?" Su Yizhao asked in surprise.
The Gou family's patriarch said calmly, "The Jin family also holds immense influence within the sect. In a fair, one-on-one duel, can you refuse? Can you refuse seemingly fair sect missions?"
Su Yizhao fell silent once more!
This was the truth!
With the Jin family's vast influence, their power within the sect could not possibly be small!
Even if the sect intended to show partiality toward him, after all, they were all disciples, and the sect would naturally not be too blatantly preferential!
If someone from the Jin family controlled key departments within the sect, such as the mission assignment board—
Elite disciples were required to accept sect missions!
The Gou family's patriarch sighed deeply and said, "The Gou family only does business! That is the family motto!"
The air in the grand hall grew slightly heavy!
Standing in opposition to the Jin family was definitely not a good idea!
It went directly against the Gou family's motto!
Violating the family motto!
Everything hinged on his single word.
"Patriarch!" Gou Jianren called out. "Why don't we reconsider?"
The Gou family's patriarch shook his head!
Su Yizhao remained silent!
He truly did not necessarily care for the Gou family's protection!
However, he did not wish to have a falling out with them just like that!
Gou Yu'er's trust in him was simply too heavy to ignore!
Suddenly!
Qin Hongyi spoke up, "Doing business is, in reality, a game of chess!"
The three of them looked at her!
"Since it's a game, there are always winners and losers. Why doesn't the Gou family use him as a bargaining chip and get involved?"
Su Yizhao was utterly speechless!
Where on earth did this come from?
He was a living, breathing human being!
The Gou family's patriarch's eyes lit up, but they immediately dimmed again.
If they lost, the Gou family's foundation of a thousand years would be completely destroyed!
If they won, the Gou family could open up markets in other continents, multiplying their business seven or eightfold!
The stakes of winning and losing were immensely high!
Could the Gou family's auction house afford to gamble?
Everyone fell silent! The air froze!
Three breaths later, Su Yizhao broke the silence. "Forget it! This time...!"
"My Gou family will take the gamble!"
The Gou family's patriarch interrupted him, speaking with absolute finality.
"Patriarch?" Gou Jianren found it hard to believe!
Su Yizhao was equally astonished!
Having weathered countless storms, a man like the Gou family's patriarch would not make a decision lightly, but once made, he would never alter it.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he said in a deep voice, "For thousands of years, the Gou family's auction house has pursued stability, but I have a feeling that this stability will not last much longer! If we do not make a breakthrough, the Gou family will likely be destroyed in a single stroke!"
Su Yizhao and the other two froze instantly!
The continent appeared peaceful and prosperous!
Those who cultivated cultivated, those who went into seclusion went into seclusion—where were there any signs of instability?
Even if there were, how could they possibly destroy a colossal entity like the Gou family?
"Peace is merely on the surface. The Tang family, bordering the southwest and with a millennium of heritage renowned for forging profound weapons, possessed financial and military strength scarcely inferior to our Gou family. Why did they vanish overnight? Is that not a warning?"
"The Yuan family, bordering the northwest, also with a millennium of heritage focused on crafting talisman scrolls, with businesses spread across the entire continent, possessed wealth and strength comparable to the Gou family. Yet they, too, had their entire household slaughtered overnight. Is that not a warning?"
The Gou family's patriarch spoke rapidly, leaving Su Yizhao and the others breaking out in cold sweat...