At dawn on the fourth day of the twelfth winter month, thick ceremonial sandalwood incense curled up toward the vaulted cedar rafters of the Gu Clan Ancestral Hall.
Outside the hall’s bronze doors, fifty newly promoted mansion guards led by Rank 2 Early Captain Gu Tie stood at crisp attention in the morning snow. Their spears gleaming and their chests puffed out with pride after a hearty breakfast of hot pork buns at the Third Branch canteen.
Inside the solemn hall, standing before the towering tiered altar of the Gu Clan’s ancestors. Were the three white-bearded Grand Elders who had come out of their rear-mountain courtyard retirement that morning: First Grand Elder Gu Song. Second Grand Elder Gu Bai, and Third Grand Elder Gu He.
All three retired elders were past seventy years old and sat at the peak of Rank 1 Martial. Normally they stayed out of daily clan business. Leaving the estate to Second Elder Gu Ba—until yesterday afternoon.
When news reached the rear mountain that Gu Ba had gambled away ten thousand silver of ancestral farmland on Public Latrine Bucket #4, bankrupted the main vault. Driven every single guard and servant to quit in a single hour!
Kneeling to the left of the altar with five missing molars and a bruised face was a disgraced Second Elder Gu Ba. Lin Fan stood hunched in the corner behind a stone pillar, his bloodshot eyes fixed secretly on the hollow gray flagstones directly in front of the ancestral table.
Standing calmly on the right side of the hall was twenty-eight-year-old Gu Changsheng.
Behind him stood sixty-two-year-old Grandpa Fu with his black-iron abacus tucked under his arm, twenty-four-year-old Rank 2 Alchemist Qin Wan’er as an honored clan guest. Eight-year-old Gu Nian in his yellow home smock and [Rank 1 Iron-Defense Yellow Bunny Slippers].
Earlier at midnight, the daily system settlement had deposited +5,400 DP into Gu Changsheng’s account, bringing his balance to 9,760 DP.
And ten minutes ago, while walking up the ancestral hall steps. Gu Changsheng had already checked [Dad’s Plot-Spoiler Notebook]—reading every single detail of the three Rank 2 Early Shadow-Rat Assassins. That Lin Fan had paid with his wrist-blood to hide inside the ventilation crawlspace beneath the altar floor tiles!
That was why, before stepping into the hall. Gu Changsheng had quietly spent 50 DP in [Dad’s Care-Package Upgrade Box] [9,760 -> 9,710 DP balance] to fuse [Fifty Glass Playing. Marbles] with [Ten-Times Super-Slick Loach Oil & Instant Pine-Resin Glue] into a small leather pouch tucked right inside eight-year-old Gu Nian’s pocket!
Up on the altar dais, First Grand Elder Gu Song struck his dragon-headed wooden staff against the stone floor with a heavy thud.
“Second Elder Gu Ba!” First Grand Elder Gu Song’s voice trembled with righteous anger as he pointed at the empty treasury ledger on the table. “In two years as steward, you starved the Third Branch, tried to execute your own nephew Gu Changsheng on fake charges, lost the Central Street Pill Hall in a corrupt wager.
Mortgaged ten thousand silver of our ancestors’ land to buy a stolen public toilet bucket!
Do you have anything to say for yourself?!”
“Grand Elders, I was bewitched by scammers at the auction!” Second Elder Gu Ba wailed, knocking his head against the floor while secretly glancing at the hollow flagstones in front of Gu Changsheng’s boots. “Even so, I am Gu Changsheng’s senior elder!
You cannot hand the Patriarch Seal to a twenty-eight-year-old junior!”
“A twenty-eight-year-old junior who cured his own dantian, established a Grade-A Prefecture Pharmacy with a Rank 2 Alchemist, paid off eighty-four guards’ back wages out of his own pocket. Raised two Rank 2 Iron-Bone experts in his household in three days!” Second Grand Elder Gu Bai countered sharply.
Lifting the heavy golden-bronze box holding the [Frost-Pine Gu Clan Bronze Patriarch Seal] from the altar table.
“By unanimous vote of all three Grand Elders, we hereby strip Gu Ba of all clan authority and appoint Third Branch Head Gu Changsheng as the new Patriarch of the Frost-Pine Gu Clan!”
“Gu Changsheng, step forward to the altar and receive the Patriarch Seal!”
In the dark corner behind the stone pillar, Lin Fan’s lips twisted into a vicious, silent snarl as he tapped his heel three times against the base of the pillar!
Die, Gu Changsheng!
CRASH—SHATTER!
Before First Grand Elder Gu Song could take two steps down the dais holding the Patriarch Seal. Three heavy gray flagstones directly between Gu Changsheng and the altar exploded upward in a shower of stone splinters!
Out of the dark crawlspace beneath the floor erupted three gaunt figures wearing terrifying iron rat-masks and cloaks of gray shadow!
Every single one of the three killers radiated the cold, lethal aura of a genuine Rank 2 Early Martial (Iron-Bone Stage) underworld assassin—and each held a pair of curved, green-poisoned Bone-Piercing Daggers!
“Shadow-Rat Assassins at Rank 2?!” First Grand Elder Gu Song gasped in horror, frozen on the steps as the deadly wind of six poisoned daggers filled the hall!
Outside the bronze doors, Captain Gu Tie heard the shattering flagstones. Roared to his guards to charge inside—but the three Shadow-Rat Assassins were already less than five paces from Gu Changsheng, Grandpa Fu, and eight-year-old Gu Nian!
In the back corner behind the stone pillar, Lin Fan’s bloodshot eyes widened with savage glee as he watched the six green-poisoned blades flash in the morning incense smoke.
Die, Gu Changsheng! Even if you and Grandpa Fu reached Rank 2 Early, nobody can block three professional Rank 2 Shadow-Rat Assassins launching a surprise attack from five feet underground while protecting an eight-year-old brat!
Following Lin Fan’s ruthless orders, two of the Rank 2 Shadow-Rat Assassins lunged straight for Gu Changsheng’s throat and heart from the front—while the third assassin. Their squad leader Rat-One, twisted in midair like a boneless viper to drive his poisoned blades straight into sixty-two-year-old Grandpa Fu’s and little Gu Nian’s backs!
“Hahaha! Nobody can block three Rank 2 Iron-Bone assassins at five paces!” Second Elder Gu Ba leaped up from the floor.
Laughing maniacally as he pulled a hidden iron rod from his boot to join the ambush!
“Once Gu Changsheng and his little bastard are dead, I am still the only steward of the Gu Clan!”
Except neither Gu Changsheng nor eight-year-old Gu Nian looked surprised for even a tenth of a second.
Before walking into the Ancestral Hall ten minutes ago, Gu Changsheng had already whispered the exact position of the three loose floor tiles to his son over breakfast:.
“Nian’er, three ugly mice are hiding under the third grey tile in front of the incense table. When they jump out, show the Grand Elders how fast your bunny slippers can slide.”
“Nian’er—floor!” Gu Changsheng called out calmly.
“On it, Dad!”
Moving faster than the eye could follow with his fifteen hundred pounds of combined Rank 1 Peak and Chaos-Bone agility, eight-year-old Gu Nian didn’t retreat half an inch.
Instead, the boy dropped into a low baseball slide across the polished stone floor in his [Rank 1 Iron-Defense Yellow Bunny Slippers]—SQUEAK-WHOOSH!—and whipped the leather pouch out of his smock pocket. Flicking fifty glowing [Fused Loach-Oil & Instant-Glue Glass Marbles] directly beneath the landing boots of the three charging Rank 2 assassins!
Clatter-roll-spin!
The three Rank 2 Shadow-Rat Assassins had just touched their toes to the floor to launch their fatal dagger thrusts when all six of their boots stepped squarely onto fifty frictionless, loach-oil-coated glass marbles!
“Whoa—what the hell?!”
Even with Iron-Bone cultivation, martial artists relied on ground traction to exert force!
The instant their soles touched those system-fused loach-oil marbles, friction dropped to absolute zero!
WHOOP—SLIP—CRASH!
Rat-Two and Rat-Three’s legs flew straight up toward the ceiling like men stepping on greased lightning! Their poisoned daggers went flying into the rafters. Both Rank 2 assassins somersaulted backward in midair.
Slamming chin-first into the two-foot-thick stone ancestral pillar—where the instant-setting pine-resin glue on the second layer of the marbles immediately cemented their iron rat-masks. Palms flat against the stone pillar like flies on flypaper!
Only the squad leader, Rat-One, managed to stab one dagger into a floor crack to stop his slide—and at that exact heartbeat, a towering shadow fell over his head!
[ FATHER’S AUTHORITY — FULL HOUSEHOLD RESONANCE ACTIVATED! ]
* Protected Household Within 30 Yards :.
- Child #1: Gu Nian (Rank 1 Peak + Chaos Bone)
- Allies : Grandpa Fu (Rank 2 Early), Qin Wan’er (Rank 2 Early),.
Captain Gu Tie & 50 Guards outside!
* Host Combat Power : Rank 1 Peak + Household Stack = RANK 2 LATE.
EQUIVALENT COMBAT FORCE (4,000+ LBS)!
* Weapon Summoned : [Rank 3 Nine-Flavor Earth-Fire Chef Wok]!
HUMMMMM!
In Gu Changsheng’s right hand, the walnut-sized charm in his sleeve expanded in a tenth of a breath into a massive, six-foot-wide. Matte black-gold [Rank 3 Nine-Flavor Earth-Fire Chef Wok] weighing two thousand pounds and wreathed in roaring golden Earth-Fire runes!
“Bringing poisoned knives in front of my eight-year-old son at dawn?”
Gu Changsheng’s eyes flashed like cold stars as he gripped the dark-gold handle of the giant wok with both hands. Swung the flat bottom of the Rank 3 divine pot across the hall in a horizontal hurricane sweep!
“Eat Dad’s flat-bottomed wok!”
BOOOOOOOM—CLANG!
The sound was like the heavens collapsing inside the Ancestral Hall!
Rat-One raised both Rank 2 Iron-Bone arms and his remaining steel dagger to block—only for the indestructible Rank 3 dark-gold wok bottom to shatter his steel dagger into iron dust. Crack both of his Iron-Bone forearms like dry twigs. Launch him together with the charging Second Elder Gu Ba and the glued Rat-Two and Rat-Three straight through the stone pillar into a single, flattened heap in the center of the floor!
Dust and splintered stone rained down across the silent hall.
When the dust cleared three seconds later, the three terrifying Rank 2 Early Shadow-Rat Assassins. Second Elder Gu Ba lay stacked like four pancakes on the flagstones with golden Earth-Fire wok-ring imprints stamped across their chests. Groaning weakly and completely unable to move a finger!
Up on the altar steps, First Grand Elder Gu Song, Second Grand Elder Gu Bai. Third Grand Elder Gu He stood with their white beards trembling and their jaws hanging open to their chests.
One swing of a giant black-gold kitchen wok had flattened three Rank 2 Iron-Bone assassins and Second Elder Gu Ba at the same time?!
In the back corner behind the pillar, Lin Fan turned whiter than snow, didn’t even wait to see if the assassins were alive, and bolted out the side window into the alley!
Slowly, Gu Changsheng shrank the [Rank 3 Nine-Flavor Earth-Fire Chef Wok] back down into his sleeve, brushed a speck of dust off Gu Nian’s yellow bunny ears. Looked politely up at the three stunned Grand Elders.
“Sorry about the floor tiles, Grand Elders,” Gu Changsheng said warmly. “You were saying something about the Patriarch Seal?”
All three seventy-year-old Grand Elders shuddered, ran down the altar steps together, and presented the [Frost-Pine Gu Clan Bronze Patriarch Seal] to Gu Changsheng with six trembling hands, bowing ninety degrees in unison:.
“Long live Patriarch Gu Changsheng!”
Outside the open bronze doors, Rank 2 Early Captain Gu Tie. All fifty mansion guards struck the butts of their iron spears against the courtyard flagstones in a thunderous salute that echoed across the northern quarter of Frost-Pine Town:.
“LONG LIVE PATRIARCH GU! LONG LIVE LITTLE MASTER NIAN!”
Gu Changsheng accepted the heavy bronze seal with one steady hand, then turned and let eight-year-old Gu Nian hold the cool bronze dragon-handle for a moment so the boy could feel its weight.
“Heavy, isn’t it, Nian’er?” Gu Changsheng asked with a gentle smile. “A clan seal isn’t a toy for bullying people—it’s a promise that nobody under our roof goes to bed hungry or cold.”
“I understand, Dad,” Gu Nian said seriously, handing the seal back with both hands before glancing down at the four groaning figures flattened on the floor tiles. “And what do we do with Second Elder Gu Ba and these three ugly mice on the floor? They broke six big stone tiles!”
“Simple,” Gu Changsheng chuckled, glancing toward Grandpa Fu’s abacus. “Anyone who breaks floor tiles in our house gets to put on a pink apron and work off the repair bill in the back yard.”
[ DING! STAGE 3 CLIMAX — PATRIARCH OF THE FROST-PINE GU CLAN! ]
* Achievement : Crushed 3x Rank 2 Assassins & Claimed the.
[Bronze Patriarch Seal] Unanimously!
* Immediate DP : +500 DP Patriarch Seal Bonus (Balance: 10,210 DP)
* Daily Income : +5,400 DP/day -> +6,000 DP/day!