The male supporting character was actually myself.

Father would never confront the old man, so why is he now offering me the elixir? Could it be that I displayed great power and defeated my peers earlier, and he took a liking to me?

The spot he had been longing for suddenly fell into his lap, and his usually aloof and stern grandfather became kind and gentle. Gu Xingzhou was filled with questions and could only be overwhelmed by the powerful aura of his grandfather and dragged towards the family treasury.

That place holds all of the Gu family's gold, silver, treasures, and elixirs!

"Grandpa, are you really going to give me... all the cultivation resources I need?" He was still a little skeptical, and as he watched the other person take out the key and open the door himself, his voice trembled as he said, "I'll give you whatever I need."

Gu Yong opened the layers of safety locks, nodded and smiled, "Would Grandpa lie to you? Your fighting prowess in taking on ten opponents at once was truly outstanding! From now on, whatever you need for cultivation, as long as the family has it, we'll give it to you. Grandpa only hopes that you can surpass your father and even be better than him back then!"

He paused, as if recalling something painful, and lowered his voice considerably, "Xingzhou, remember, never be as stubborn as your father. Back then, many good jobs wanted to recruit him, but your father was too stubborn and refused to go no matter what."

If you ever have such an opportunity in the future, never refuse it outright.

As long as we can manage to stay in Kyoto, it's much better than staying in this poor, remote place! Grandpa's getting old, and we'll have to rely on him for the rest of his life..."

Gu Yong originally wanted to cultivate a good relationship so that his grandson, who was just a tool, could prove himself and use this opportunity to ease tensions so he could be used later. However, before he could finish speaking, he opened the secure doors of the treasure vault and saw the empty vault. His face turned pale and he almost lost his balance. "We've been robbed! Who the hell did this?!"

The old man almost fainted from a sudden shock. He stood there stunned for a while before rushing into the treasure vault and looking around, but he couldn't find any signs of theft.

The others who had followed were stunned by what they saw.

"Dad, when did our family's treasure trove become empty?"

What will we do after we lose all our money?

"Grandpa is a level five expert. He should be safe with the key to the treasure vault, right?"

"I heard that Grandpa lost a lot of money recently!"

"Tsk tsk, look how realistically the old man is acting..."

…………

The grandsons, as fat as pigs, whispered amongst themselves; their father squeezed at the entrance of the treasure vault, peering inside, trying to find a single suspicious clue; Gu Yong searched frantically, his sharp palms nearly tearing the roof off.

No one believed that the treasure trove could be emptied overnight.

After all, no one in the Gu family except the patriarch could open the layers of security; apart from embezzlement and putting on an act in front of everyone, they couldn't imagine who could take the key from a level 5 expert without anyone noticing, empty the treasure vault, and then return it.

"Go and gather everyone in the front yard, quick!" Gu Yong was the only one who was sober. He knew that although the treasure vault did not have as much stock as in previous years, there were still a large number of priceless treasures and elixirs.

I took inventory of the treasure vault early this morning, and only two hours have passed. Even if someone broke in and tried to empty it, it wouldn't be a small undertaking. At the very least, they could steal it out but not take it out of the Gu family compound. This means that many treasures are still hidden somewhere in the house, and I must retrieve them all before they are moved!

The old man, exasperated, added, "Everyone, including all the living creatures in each courtyard—cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, all living things—must gather in the front yard! In case some kind of demon is causing trouble… yes, it could very well be a demon that can change its form…"

"Huh?" Hong Luo, who was watching the commotion from a distance, frowned and became somewhat displeased. "There isn't a trace of demonic energy in the entire town, so why are you accusing us demons of stealing? Did the demons dig up your ancestral graves?"

Chapter Thirty: A Series of Blows

The fluffy little thing bounced over to its host's side, expertly stroking its fur and chuckling, "Host, how much of the wild pseudo-master's aura will drop after being beaten, humiliated, and encountering setbacks?"

Jiang Chen shook his head silently as he looked at the numerous cultivation worlds that the main system had unlocked long ago. Judging from the main system's response, the situation was probably more serious than he had imagined.

Whether the virus can be detected and eliminated is still unknown; the white cat, as an auxiliary system, cannot be touched directly, otherwise there is a risk of infection; will my own soul weapon work? If the soul weapon can't withstand it either, then the trouble will be huge!

"I'm all prepared. The moment his aura fades, it could attract a virus." Fluffy Ball was clearly unaware of the difficulties she was about to face, and confidently declared, "If it dares to show up again, I'll immediately report it and have the virus detected and eliminated!"

Once we complete our mission, everything will be on track. Without those wild, unruly pseudo-masters causing trouble, even if the demon realm opens, it won't matter much, right?

After all, we have Ling Qiye, the true protagonist with impeccable values, immense strength, and impeccable lineage. No matter what difficulties arise, the protagonist's aura will surely activate, and he'll be able to overcome them with a single burst of power!

Jiang Chen didn't respond, staring intently at the messy Gu family compound.

"Heh, what a coincidence." Gu Xingzhou looked at the empty treasure vault without a trace of theft, a cold smile appearing on his face. "No wonder he was unusually friendly and enthusiastic towards me earlier. He wanted me to be a tool to prove that the treasure vault had been robbed. The dignified Gu family, the treasure vault actually got robbed? People would laugh their heads off if they heard that."

His expression grew increasingly sinister, and his piercing gaze swept over the crowd. "This is such a low-level tactic. At least put on a show and frame someone; that would make it easier for people to believe."

No one ignored him.

Aside from the servants, few people paid any attention to the anxious old man who was jumping up and down and slapping his thighs. They all believed that the old man was putting on an act in order to renege on everyone else's monthly share so that he could keep all the remaining treasures for himself!

"Everyone, assemble in the front yard!"

"As the clan chief commands, bring all the living creatures in the courtyard!"

"Young master, all those chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, deer, and birds you raise, tie them all up and take them to the front yard!"

"Don't forget the cats and dogs that the ladies keep..."

…………

The servants hurriedly relayed orders to gather, while Gu Yong, preoccupied with the small treasury in his courtyard, ran back to the secret room.

A moment later, an aura unique to a level five expert suddenly erupted from the main courtyard, followed by the old man's frantic roar, "Ah!!! Who did this? Once I find him, I'll tear him to pieces!"

"Oh no!" Only then did the others realize what was happening. They stopped huddling together and whispering about the old man's purpose in putting on this show, and hurriedly dispersed to check their own savings.

Before long, howls echoed throughout the Gu family compound.

To everyone's dismay, not only was the treasure vault empty, but even their own secret stashes were deserted, with not even the account books left...

The crowd was furious and shouted that they wanted to find the thief, leaving Gu Xingzhou somewhat bewildered.

My first impression was that he was putting on a show for himself. Did he want to use this as an excuse to avoid returning the gold, silver and elixirs that belonged to him?

But then he thought it was unlikely that everyone would open their secret stashes so openly as a show, unless they had agreed to move their assets to another place far away from Junxi Town.

Those small secret rooms that looked like they were storing treasures were empty, and the aunts all looked ashen-faced as if their parents had died; the cousins ​​were even more outrageous, and when they learned that their private stash of money was gone, they all wailed, threw tantrums, and made a huge fuss.

"This is really strange, what's going on?" Gu Xingzhou looked around and was even more confused.

Is it really necessary to go to such extremes to avoid paying off a debt?

Even now, no experts have shown up. Could it be...? He raised an eyebrow and guessed that perhaps the powerful expert his beautiful master had mentioned had robbed the Gu family of everything!

The thought of losing all the readily available wealth and elixirs sent a shock through Gu Xingzhou, making him breathless.

The thrill of showing off and getting slapped in the face vanished instantly. He felt like a clown who was about to win the crown and the reward, but everything had turned to nothing!

An unstable state of mind caused Gu Xingzhou's aura to dim somewhat.

"Yay! Get ready for the second wave of attacks!" The little white cat jumped up and leaped onto the treetop at the entrance of the Gu family's house.

As the crowd of onlookers gathered, drawn by the noise, it took out ledgers containing all sorts of despicable evidence of crimes such as human trafficking, running casinos, and smuggling, and threw them down like a shower of flowers. "Take a look, take a look! There's not a single good person in this family!"

Inside the Gu family compound, a noisy commotion ensued as numerous experts searched for signs of theft.

The onlookers were whispering amongst themselves, with various opinions ranging from Gu Xingzhou demanding compensation to the theft of the Gu family's treasure vault.

Just then, someone looked up and saw many papers falling from the sky, exclaiming in surprise, "Look what that is!"

"Huh? There seem to be words on it!"

"Where did it come from?"

"Quick, look at what's written on it!"

…………

Everyone looked up at the papers fluttering like paper butterflies, and reached out to grab them and examine them carefully.

"The Gu family's ledgers! The underground auction was run by their family!"

"This is a record of loan sharking!"

"Murder, robbery, and smuggling—what other evidence is there?"

"Auctioning off people! The seemingly respectable Gu family is actually making a fortune through such shady dealings..."

…………

The angry crowd raised their voices in protest, and some busybodies grabbed handfuls of ledgers and papers and ran to report it to the authorities.

Gu Xingzhou stood out from the panicked crowd, completely bewildered. He couldn't believe how things had suddenly turned out this way.

The Gu family was secretly involved in all the shady businesses in Junxi Town. The once highly respected family instantly fell from grace and became sinners that everyone wanted to kill.

They neither received compensation nor the elixir.

The Gu family's assets have vanished.

Now that so many of their crimes have been exposed, the Gu family has become an object of public scorn and is very likely to be investigated and sentenced by the government!

Thinking of this, he turned around and prepared to run.

Fortunately, I made the wise choice to leave the Gu family. Everyone in Junxi Town knew that I had been "driven out" of the Gu family, so I shouldn't be implicated... But I offended that corrupt official in court just now, and he might take advantage of the situation to get me thrown into jail as well!

Gu Xingzhou ran very fast, and was about to rush out of the Gu family gate when he tripped and fell heavily to the ground for some reason.

"Damn it, it's all because of you, you jinx!" Just then, he fell and bumped into his older cousin who was crying.

The other party was a weak level two cultivator. Upon learning that all his family's assets were gone, he was furious and had no room to vent his anger. He grabbed him and roared, "Bastard! Before you came back and caused trouble, our family was perfectly fine. You were the one who did all that, weren't you? You stole the gold, silver, jewels, and spiritual medicines and even left the account books everywhere! It was you, you jinx, you big scourge!"

"Kill him! Damn it, it was definitely him!"

"Kill that brat!"

…………

The sudden disaster filled everyone with a complex mix of panic, anger, and fear. Amidst the chaos, they heard someone shouting and finally found an opportunity to vent their anger. So they surrounded the "culprit" and wanted to beat him to death to vent their frustration.

Gu Yong didn't call a halt. He gradually recovered from the blows and realized there was no turning back.

Losing money is a small matter, but the family's secret ledgers have all been exposed, and the evidence is overwhelming. How should we deal with the government's investigation?

For a fleeting moment, Gu Yong came up with an idea—to find a scapegoat.

To put it bluntly, even if this matter goes to the authorities, it will only be handled by the county magistrate. And I still have connections from years of business dealings in Junxi Town. As long as I can find a reasonable excuse, I can turn the tide!

The most reasonable explanation is that Gu Xingzhou forged false accounts to smear everyone in the family in order to obtain the family's assets. Otherwise, why would the entire Gu family, except for him and his father, be implicated?

Yes, and that newspaper too!

Whether others believe it or not, as long as the county magistrate "believes," that's enough.

Then everything will make sense—Gu Xingzhou fabricated evidence to demand property, but failed, so he used his trump card to maliciously spread the forged account books to smear and retaliate against his family.

Losing money is not important. As a level 5 master, I was able to start from scratch and establish myself in Junxi Town. Now I still have so many underground businesses. It is not difficult for me to make a comeback.

As long as the reputation can be turned around and people stop hating and killing us, there is still hope!

"You heartless scoundrel!" Thinking of this, Gu Yong looked at Gu Xingzhou, who was barely holding his own against the crowd, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. "The Gu family raised you all these years, and now you want to destroy everyone after failing to seize the inheritance? Such a vicious mind at such a young age! The Gu family cannot keep you here!"

After speaking, he unleashed a fierce palm strike, overwhelming Gu Xingzhou, who was fighting with increasing ferocity, and knocked him to the ground with a single blow.

"Pfft!" Gu Xingzhou, who had been barely holding his own against the crowd, could no longer withstand such a demotion and a mouthful of blood gushed out from his throat.