The male supporting character was actually myself.

Whether or not the mention of a huge compensation claim actually exists remains unknown.

If there really is such a large sum of compensation, the gold and silver jewelry should be intended to enable your father to support his wife and children. In other words, more than half of it should belong to you and your mother. No one has the right to decide to let others take it and squander it.

As for those other elixirs, I remember reading in the newspaper that they were meant to help your father raise offspring. He only has one son, so they were definitely all for you!

You mentioned yesterday that there are only six months left until the selection of this quota, but the spiritual plants in the barren mountains are not so abundant. Even if I have the method of refining medicine, it is difficult to cook without rice.

If you want to make a breakthrough as quickly as possible, I think you should consider asking your father if he compensated you back then. If he did, there's no need to say anything more; just bring the evidence and go to his house to demand it!

"My condition is also very poor right now. I urgently need spiritual energy to sustain me; otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to wait for you to provide enough spiritual energy before my soul is completely annihilated."

The beautiful master's meaning...

She agreed to help!

Gu Xingzhou was overjoyed. As long as she could secretly provide him with power, he wouldn't fear anyone who came knocking on his door. The beauty clearly desperately needed power and couldn't wait; she'd even come up with a reason for him!

That's right. Even the huge compensation shouldn't go to my father alone. My mother and I should each get two-thirds of the gold and silver, while the elixir should rightfully belong to me entirely.

Now we just need to find out whether there is any compensation. If not...

He recalled that newspaper article that presented "irrefutable evidence."

Even if it's fabricated, there's "real evidence." If you bring the evidence and your beautiful mentor who secretly provides assistance, wouldn't all of the Gu family's property be yours?

"Father, I want to ask you something." With that thought, Gu Xingzhou could no longer hold back.

He took a deep breath and stared at his father with a resolute look, asking, "I heard that after you were seriously injured in your battle with Gu Qinglang, he compensated you with seven or eight carriages full of gold, silver and jewels and many spiritual medicines. Is that true?"

When the secret buried deep in his heart for many years was brought up, Gu Feiyue's face immediately turned pale. "Who told you this nonsense? It's all rumors! Gu Qinglang is arrogant and looks down on our branch family. He deliberately prevented Father from cultivating. Why would he give any compensation?"

"Where did the Gu family from Junxi Town bring back seven or eight carriages full of gold, silver and jewels and boxes of spiritual medicines when they returned from the capital?"

As far as I know, my father led the team to participate in the martial arts tournament and was the only winner until he was defeated by Gu Qinglang; while the others did not even get to challenge the ring.

Could it be that they won the enormous wealth and elixirs? I don't believe it! What really happened?

He had only heard about it, but his mother, Xu Xueqing, who was newly married and pregnant and did not go to Kyoto with the team, had seen it with her own eyes. She looked at her husband with a trembling voice and said, "Is what Zhou'er said true? After Gu Qinglang beat you so badly... were all the wealth and elixirs that your father brought back for you?"

She was not someone who coveted wealth and luxury; otherwise, she wouldn't have endured so many years of hardship while still serving her husband and taking care of her son.

But when the hard times have reached a certain point and the tension in one's heart is about to snap, the realization that one should have possessed enormous wealth and not suffered so much hardship is unbearable even for the most determined person.

"I was pregnant three months into our marriage, and before the baby was even born, my husband became a cripple." Xu Xueqing said, her face pale and her whole body trembling. "For so many years, I've endured hardship and only blamed my bad luck. But... but all that gold and silver jewelry was supposed to be compensation for you, and I didn't even get a single hair on it! Your Gu family is going too far!"

You've been hiding this from me and dragging me down, all so you can find yourself a servant to take good care of you!

"If I had known you were so heartless towards my child and me, I wouldn't have had to give up everything and remarry with my child. We wouldn't be living such a miserable life now. Gu Feiyue, you are a heartless bastard who even deceived his wife and child!"

When his son exposed his lie, Gu Feiyue was filled with mixed emotions.

He was the pride of the Gu family from a young age. His father would always smile when he saw him. Back then, he was so full of vigor and wanted to bring glory to the family and lead the Gu family of Junxi Town back to the capital to enjoy the highest honor.

Despite everything going smoothly for him, the Gu clan of Kyoto refused to take the entire clan back to Junxi Town.

That was a blatant public humiliation!

He was young and impetuous, and in a fit of rage, he thought that by publicly beating Gu Qinglang, the most valued member of the Gu clan, to death on the arena, he could demonstrate his immense potential. At that point, even if the clan regretted their decision and begged him to stay, he wouldn't stay; instead, he would choose to enter the imperial court and obtain an official position to humiliate them.

I never expected that I would suffer such a setback, both physically and mentally, in that battle.

Although he survived, he could no longer cultivate!

The gifts and elixirs that Gu Qinglang gave him were more like an insult, letting the world see how magnanimous he was and how he didn't hold grudges against his enemies.

And what about yourself?

To accept those insulting gifts of gold and white?

Wouldn't that be admitting that he is inferior to Gu Qinglang in both martial arts and integrity?

No! I, Gu Feiyue, am no worse than anyone else. I will never accept charity or suffer humiliation!

"You're all women at heart." Gu Feiyue clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, "Do you really think that with me, a cripple, and you, a pregnant woman without the support of your family, you could have protected such a huge fortune from being coveted by bad people?"

As expected, there was a huge compensation!

Gu Xingzhou's breathing became rapid, and his excited voice trembled violently and became slightly hoarse, "If the Gu family of Junxi Town were to sit idly by and let the property of an orphan and widow be taken away, then your father would be a terrible person."

Even if my mother couldn't manage it at the time, you should have signed an agreement to have the Gu family keep it for you and paid them a commission.

But now?

Eighteen years have passed, and my mother still doesn't even know that the inheritance exists! Your father hasn't returned a single penny to us, and the elixir that originally belonged to me—who knows how much of it that old bastard gave to his other illegitimate children!

He was so angry that he stopped calling him "grandfather," which made Gu Feiyue's forehead veins bulge. He grabbed his chopsticks and threw them at him, shouting, "Watch your mouth! That's my father!"

"Your father?" Xu Xueqing had recovered from her emotional rollercoaster and said coldly, "He's not just your father, he's the father of many sons and daughters. Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to make decisions for me and the children?"

He didn't tell me a word and secretly gave all the money to your father.

Anyway, I've had enough over the years. I, Xu Xueqing, never coveted any wealth or glory. I've endured so many years with you. Even if I owed you in my past life, I've paid it off in this one. From now on, you can ask your father to take care of you.

My son is grown up and doesn't need his mother's constant protection anymore. I won't interfere in your family matters. From today onwards, I'm no longer in this family.

She stood up, brushed the dust off her patched clothes, glanced coldly at Gu Feiyue, and said in a completely flat tone, "I will go to the yamen to explain the situation and ask the magistrate to grant me my freedom."

Zhou'er, your mother will find a job as a cook in town to earn money to support herself and not be a burden on you.

If you're willing to stay with your mother, you can come over once you've settled things with the Gu family.

If you don't want to, then live according to your own wishes. Anyway, you're an adult now and have your own ideas and thoughts. Just one thing: listen to your mother and remember, there are always people more capable than you, and the world is vast. Don't be like your father, so be careful; danger has no eyes.

The fluffy dumpling watched her get up and leave, combing her hair with the river water by the stream not far away and leaving without looking back. She jumped up and down, cursing the paralyzed Gu Feiyue, "You're really a piece of trash! You don't have the life of a protagonist but you have the illness of one. What are you pretending to be, a dragon overlord?"

When you have money, give it to your father as a token of filial piety.

If you're down on your luck and have to drag your wife and kids through all that hardship, you might as well have just died back then!

At least your wife can remarry and find a good family while she's still young. No wonder she gave birth to such a son. Guys with bad genes really deserve to be destroyed by the heavens..."

"You gold-digging bitch, I knew you looked down on me because I'm poor and a useless person!" It took Gu Fei a while to recover from his shock.

He never imagined that his submissive wife would leave him so ruthlessly!

Back then, Xu Xueqing was the most beautiful woman in Junxi Town, and she was young and arrogant. She believed that she was so talented that she didn't have to worry about her child not being able to cultivate. Therefore, she married the beauty into the family despite the opposition from the whole family.

She soon became pregnant. Given her status in the Gu family at the time, no one made things difficult for her. However, due to the disdain that superhumans have for mortals, the entire Gu family, including herself, did not take her seriously.

Until she met her lifelong rival, Gu Qinglang, the gentle and virtuous woman remained by his side without ever complaining after he was crippled. She endured the mistreatment from her in-laws and the bullying from her sisters-in-law in silence.

At first, Gu Feiyue felt a little ashamed, but he gradually got used to it.

He's ruined himself; his wife is just an ordinary person, what's the use of keeping so much money in his hands? It would be better to give it to his father and put it into the family treasury to strengthen the Gu family!

Moreover, all the suffering and hardship was caused by the son's arrogance in insisting on moving out; otherwise, how could things have come to this?

"What makes you say she's a gold digger?" Gu Xingzhou couldn't hold back any longer and jumped up to curse, "If she really coveted wealth and status, would she have stayed with you all these years? You useless piece of trash, you made her live as a widow for eighteen years and suffer for eighteen years, and in the end, you still insulted her like this!"

What right do you have to give gold, silver, jewels, and elixirs to others?

That was Gu Qinglang's compensation for you supporting your wife and children! My mother and I each got a third of that money, and you should even give my mother a share of your hard-earned money—that's only fair! The elixir should all be mine! Mine! What right do you have to be so generous with other people's money!

So, you think my mother is materialistic?

If your dad isn't materialistic, he'll be the one cleaning up your messes and wiping your diapers from now on!

Having witnessed a spectacular drama up close, Hong Luo could only pity the woman who had been deceived for eighteen years and wasted her youth.

She worked hard and devoted herself to her husband, only to end up with two ungrateful men. It's such a shame she married the wrong person!

Clearly, Gu Feiyue didn't love her at all. He just wanted to keep a free slave by his side to serve him since he was crippled and no one would take care of him. Otherwise, if he had even a little bit of love for her, how could he bear not to fight for her interests, so that she would suffer less?

Even if he didn't want to give her money, he was already a useless person. He could just give her a divorce and give her her freedom. While she was still young, she could find a like-minded husband and live a stable life.

Any path would be far better than letting her suffer for eighteen years, yet this selfish man shamelessly burdens his wife with the resources of others.

"Little cat, I need to change my plans." Taking advantage of the moment when Gu Xingzhou was fuming as he went down the mountain with the newspaper, Hongluo floated to the bushes in the forest where she met the little demon cat and said anxiously, "Those two, father and son, are really awful, but Gu Xingzhou's mother is innocent. She is so pitiful."

I was thinking of secretly helping Gu Xingzhou return to the Gu family in Junxi Town to reclaim their property, and then giving his mother a share.

Otherwise, if one reaches middle age and is burdened by worries and overwork, developing numerous health problems, with an unreliable husband and son, how will one survive in the future?

The fluffy ball of fluff perched on a treetop, gave him an OK sign, and meowed, "Don't worry, Master Host, I'll play it by ear! I'll make sure he gets another blow and loses his aura this time!"

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Let him learn his lesson!

Jiang Chen didn't answer but first asked for the details.

“Senior, you can’t just listen to one side of the story. You have to understand the whole incident before deciding whether to get involved.” He spread his hands helplessly and said, “What if Gu Feiyue had wanted to please his father back then and had offered to hand over his property?”

As long as the Gu family did not seize the wealth by force, there would be no problem in handling this fortune.

Xu Xueqing's tragic life was caused by Gu Feiyue, and we cannot let other innocent people be implicated.

As for their attitude towards Gu Xingzhou and his family of three, we need to know the real story. Especially since Gu Xingzhou insisted on moving out this time, strictly speaking, the Gu family just didn't stop them; they didn't kick them out.

Seniors who want to be on the side of justice must not be prejudiced or biased; they must thoroughly understand all the circumstances, determine who should be compensated and who should be punished, before making a final judgment.

According to what the elders said, Gu Xingzhou's mother, Xu Xueqing, was indeed very pitiful.

After investigating and confirming that she had been wronged, compensation needed to be considered. Otherwise, it would be a disaster for a woman with no ability to protect herself and no powerful backing to suddenly possess enormous wealth so ostentatiously.

Hong Luo: (⊙_⊙)

Yes, that makes sense!

What if the Gu family in Junxi Town are all good people, and it's Gu Feiyue and his son who are causing trouble and dragging innocent women down with them? Wouldn't it be a sin for me to angrily go and help them by going to their door?

"A single conversation with you is worth more than ten years of study! Little cat, you are so clever!" she praised sincerely.

The little white cat perched on a treetop and rolled its eyes. "It's because your character is too stupid, honey. You're so easily provoked. If you hadn't been lucky enough to meet my host, you would have been kidnapped and sold, and you'd still be counting the money for the seller!"

Taking the opportunity, Jiang Chen probed, "It's not that I'm clever, but that you don't understand humans at all. Speaking of which, could I ask you how you ended up here? Logically speaking, since you've never been to the human world, a wisp of your soul shouldn't be drifting here to stay."

"Me?" Hong Luo was taken aback, then looked down and said helplessly, "I'm just a remnant soul, I don't remember many things. I'm probably only able to survive here because of some contingency plan I left behind... Anyway, I know I need to hurry back to the demon clan, there are some very important and troublesome things there that I need to handle personally!"

"Huh? Something very important, senior, you wouldn't happen to be a demon queen or something, would you?"

"Empress?" Hong Luo was amused. "Since the old emperor fell and disappeared, the demon race hasn't had a new emperor for many years. I'm not an empress. I'm just..."

She didn't finish her sentence, whether she didn't want to mention it or couldn't remember it.

Jiang Chen didn't dwell on it and continued to ask, "Does the demon realm have divine beasts? I've heard that there are hidden, mysterious sects in the human world, guarded by divine beasts!"

This time, Hong Luo stopped joking and asked seriously, "Little Cat, have you really heard news of divine beasts? Where are they? I only know that during the turmoil of the demon race, some divine beasts did indeed leave with the demon race's treasures and their whereabouts are still unknown. If they really are in the human world and have been captured by a mysterious sect..."