The Ancient Gods' Whisper-Chapter 781 - 377: The Secret of Qing and Chi
When night fell, Gu Jianlin arrived at the Shinjuku Imperial Garden by car.
He disguised himself again as the young master of the Si Family, wearing an ancient golden mask. His white shirt paired with black tailored pants, and brightly polished black leather shoes gave him an air of sharp efficiency.
He greeted the security at the entrance politely, and casually glanced into the depths of the garden. In the seemingly quiet forest, there was a hidden, bustling Life Rhythm—obviously, all were Ascenders of the Jiang Family, and all at Superdimensional Level.
This is the largest Japanese-style garden in Tokyo, and supposedly has quite a few French-style buildings. During the Edo Period, it was the residence of the Neiteng Family, later managed by the Imperial Household Agency, and is now a national park governed by the Ministry of the Environment. Today, it remains open to the public, though a portion has turned into private territory belonging to the Jiang Family’s assets.
"Don’t look around, I know your Life Perception range is broad." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
A youthful female voice came through the headset: "These are all Jiang Chunyang’s private guards. The old guy has been very cautious ever since he was cursed, especially after your senior brother came knocking. He didn’t choose to fight but instead hid in the deepest part of the Shinjuku Imperial Garden, where there’s an Alchemy Domain modified by the Red King, claiming to be the ’Land-based Heavenly Plain.’
She deliberately emphasized: "To this day, no one knows the effects of this Alchemy Domain, but when the Red King defected, his first base was established in Tokyo, and even the Ether Association couldn’t break through."
A new Shadow was remotely guiding his actions.
This was the so-called novice tutorial.
This Shadow’s number was No.5, sounding no older than ten years.
The personality profile was of a young, home-bound girl hiding in a rental room, with hair covering her face like a ghost, curled up in an oversized hoodie, fingers typing away, and toes twitching.
"Understood."
Gu Jianlin replied calmly.
Shinjuku was known as the city that never sleeps. Even at 6 PM, the national park was still bustling with crowds, tourists from various countries poured in, and late cherry blossoms fell onto the tranquil lake, causing ripples in the water.
The bell from the awakening bell still echoed in the park, yet the tourists remained oblivious.
Old Master Si led his subordinates, supporting himself with a cane as they approached. Dressed in sophisticated suits, they looked like upper-class individuals visiting the Imperial Garden, blending silently into the crowd, standing beside the youth.
"You’re here."
The elder raised his hand, signaling with an eye of respect.
Gu Jianlin assisted him, their interaction resembling a close-knit relationship between grandfather and grandson, seemingly harmonious.
"Has Uncle passed the test of the awakening bell?"
"Naturally, it was no difficulty for me."
"Were you not affected?"
"After all, I haven’t done anything wrong, so the awakening bell’s deterrent is like nothing."
"That’s good."
Evidently a conversation between uncle and nephew, yet seemingly meant for others to overhear.
The former had no other thoughts, as he never considered himself an Ancient Supreme.
Respecting the elderly and loving the young is a traditional virtue of Eastern nations.
As for Old Master Si, he didn’t think that way. Now they had to play the roles of a kind uncle and a dutiful nephew, he had to maintain the demeanor of one in power, which wasn’t difficult for him, as the Si Family was one of the Six Major Families in the Dark World, and he was the undisputed elder Family Head.
The issue was that posturing before an Ancient Supreme was quite stressful.
Especially considering the things they were about to do, it made him even more nervous.
"I only give you this one chance to show the aura you had when you swallowed the Ancient God’s Blood in front of me. If you fail this time, you might as well start considering where to buy a cemetery plot." Gu Jianlin said calmly.
This was a life-and-death moment, Old Master Si puffed out his chest, lifted his head, seemingly growing younger by fifty years in an instant, returning to his peak years, when he swaggered with hands in pockets, arrogant enough to forget his own surname.
Indeed, he was someone who had seen an Ancient Supreme and lived to tell the tale.
What was there to fear about Jiang Chunyang!
Gu Jianlin listened silently to the voice coming through the headset.
"I don’t know how you managed to gain control of the Si Family, but if they can cooperate with you, it’d be ideal. You’re young, after all, lacking in foundation. Your capacity doesn’t allow you to negotiate terms with the Jiang Family. You need the Si Family to back you, thus making your actions more justified." No.5 stated.
"You give me the feeling of Taixu."
Gu Jianlin tapped the microphone, using the coded language he just learned today.
"You’re adept at profiles, finding this isn’t surprising."
No.5 responded: "Three years ago, there was a program update in Taixu, her logical thinking was programmed by me. Since the creator of Deep Space was the Red King, one can never be sure he wouldn’t leave behind anything peculiar."
Gu Jianlin was slightly stunned, surprised to find out this was indeed a hacker prodigy.
The further they walked into the Imperial Garden, the fewer tourists there were.
Fathers holding children, elders with canes, artists with easels, and photographers carrying equipment all gradually faded away, seemingly vanishing into the night with the cool breeze, leaving no trace.
Clearly, they had stepped into a barrier visible only to Ascenders.
No.5 tapped the coded language, continuing to guide him: "Turn left ahead, and you’ll meet an outside member, not part of our department’s core team but an excellent informant nonetheless."
