Chapter Seventy-Seven: Planning the Journey to the Capital

“Hey, you’re back?” Lin Meiru, hearing the doorbell, went to open the door with a look of delight. As she opened it, the ladle in her hand fell to the ground with a clatter. “What happened to you two? Why do you look so battered?”

Guo Zhenghua frowned and looked over, seeing Guo Lang in torn clothing, with apparent wounds on his body. His expression grew grave—his son’s skills shouldn’t allow him to get hurt so easily. What’s going on?

“What happened?” Guo Zhenghua asked seriously.

Before Guo Lang could speak, Xiaoting, standing nearby, wrinkled her adorable nose and scoffed, “He got slashed!”

“What?” Lin Meiru’s face filled with worry. “Is it serious? Oh, what’s wrong with you? How do you end up getting slashed just by going out for a meal? Was it thugs, gangsters, or those spoiled rich boys? This is outrageous!”

“It was the gangsters!” Xiaoting, eager to stir things up, continued, “He even went up to fight them himself, and ended up being chased and slashed!”

Guo Lang blushed awkwardly and grabbed Xiaoting’s chubby cheek, stretching it. “Don’t exaggerate, okay? You’re scaring Mom. Besides, your brother fought back too! The other side clearly suffered more!”

“Ouch!” Xiaoting slapped Guo Lang’s hand away and darted behind Guo Zhenghua, poking her head out to make a face. “You think I can’t tell? If your two swords hadn’t broken at the end, you’d have been hacked to death!”

Guo Lang was at a loss for words. The latter part of the incident had actually played out quite normally. Relying on high agility and past experience, he could simulate many skills, but swordsmanship was truly difficult to mimic—especially the kind practiced by the Calm Moon school, which focused on building momentum. High agility and keen observation weren’t enough; the crucial point was that he hadn’t changed classes yet. If he could become the class he yearned for, maybe he’d have succeeded in simulating it, but for now, it was impossible.

So... the situation immediately reversed, and he was chased and slashed. If those two Tang swords hadn’t shattered under the strain, who knows—maybe Xiaoting was right, and he would have been hacked to death. Ah... pretending to be cool is a sure way to court disaster!

Hand-to-hand combat would’ve been fine; why did he have to show off by comparing sword skills? What was he thinking?

“How did Xie Lin fare?” Xie Tianhua, standing nearby, asked anxiously.

Thinking of Second Brother Xie, Guo Lang’s eyelid twitched and he waved his hand. “No problem... He just watched from the sidelines and never got involved. Even Gong Shao from Beijing fought, but he kept his composure.”

Xie Tianhua smiled at this and said to Guo Zhenghua, “My son’s still the best—quiet, never causes trouble!”

Guo Zhenghua: “...........”

Guo Lang was about to head upstairs for a shower when he paused, finally noticing, “Uncle Xie, it’s so late—what are you doing here?”

Xie Tianhua’s face darkened; he glanced at Guo Zhenghua and replied weakly, “Ask your father.”

Guo Lang turned to his dad, who gave an awkward smile. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a drink with Uncle Xie, so I invited him over for a couple of drinks.”

Guo Lang was taken aback. Normally, you’d go to someone’s place to drink, not drag them over to yours. And then... he suddenly noticed the gun holster behind his father and his expression became strange. “Dad, according to regulations, you’re not allowed to carry your gun after work, right?”

“Oh, right!” Guo Zhenghua slapped his forehead and exaggeratedly lamented, “Ah, I was so busy I forgot and just brought it out with me...”

Guo Lang’s eyelid twitched at his father’s shameless acting.

Lin Meiru was also suspicious. She hadn’t noticed it at first, only wondered why Old Xie was visiting so late, but hadn’t paid attention to her husband carrying a gun. Now, seeing Guo Zhenghua’s theatrical performance, she felt something was going on...

“All right, enough!” Guo Zhenghua waved his hand, face stern. “Go take a shower, change your clothes, and then come to my study. Your Uncle Xie and I have something important to discuss with you!”

“Oh...” A strange light flashed in Guo Lang’s eyes. He could guess what this was about.

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After showering, Guo Lang coaxed Xiaoting for a while, promising to teach her how to swing a sword tomorrow before she reluctantly went to her room to sleep. He spent some words reassuring his mother, then entered his father’s study.

Inside, the atmosphere was tense. Seeing Guo Lang enter, Guo Zhenghua signaled him to close the door. Then Xie Tianhua stood, somewhat agitated. “Lang, your father told me about that game pod today. Is it true? Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” Guo Lang replied innocently. “Didn’t you try to test it yourselves?”

How could they? The game pods had all been confiscated. Xie Tianhua’s face turned awkward, and he coughed, becoming serious again. “Lang, what we’re about to discuss is important, but remember—it’s all for the country.”

He then laid out the plan he and Guo Zhenghua had discussed that afternoon. Guo Lang listened, inwardly startled. He knew his father, a military man, was deeply loyal to Central Asia, but hadn’t expected such high resolve. Even Uncle Xie, a politician, showed surprising conviction. Guo Lang had intended to persuade his father to go to the capital, but realized he’d underestimated him. However, he suspected Xie Tianhua was somewhat coerced—his father’s gun likely played a major role!

“I have no problem with it,” Guo Lang declared.

“Good!” Guo Zhenghua decided. “Then tomorrow, we’ll take the earliest flight to the capital!”

“Dad...” Guo Lang rolled his eyes, helpless. “With your status, traveling to the capital at such a sensitive time will attract attention...”

He looked at Xie Tianhua. “Uncle Xie, why not try to dissuade him?”

Xie Tianhua’s face twitched. “He has a gun. I can’t talk him out of it!”

Guo Lang: “............”

“I know there’s risk, but the situation is urgent. We have to report to the center before other districts react, so our Central Asian region can gain the greatest advantage in the coming era!”

Guo Zhenghua’s patriotic fervor left the other two speechless. Xie Tianhua gave Guo Lang a helpless gesture, as if to say, “See? I told you I couldn’t talk him out of it.”

Guo Lang was equally exasperated. Finally, he sighed. “I have a way to go quietly...”

“What way?” Both men perked up.

Guo Lang took out his phone, dialed a number—one he’d exchanged during the encounter after dealing with Sun Biao. Truth be told, meeting her then had been a pleasant surprise. As a fellow mage, she was often more useful than Second Brother Xie.

Once connected, a syrupy voice flowed from the phone. “Oh my, oppa, what made you think of me all of a sudden?”

Guo Lang sighed, then forced himself to sound energetic. “Hi, Sister Liu!”

“Mmm, I’m listening. Go ahead!”

“You said you just came back from the capital last time, right? Did you leave any markers there?”

“Oh! You know so many secrets—how did you know about the marker?”

Knowing her personality well, Guo Lang sighed, “There’s compensation.”

The moment she heard about compensation, she cut to the chase. “How much?”

Just as in his previous life. Jiang Liuying was peculiar—though she’d been an epic-level legend, she still took low-end jobs if the price was right. Guo Lang had once asked her to craft a bronze-grade magical weapon; the price was steep, but her reliability was unquestionable.

“Two hundred energy points.”

“Are you kidding? Five hundred!”

“For a teleportation gate, the cost is only about twenty energy points for such a short distance. Don’t think I don’t know! Two hundred fifty—that’s my bottom line.”

“Cost is one thing, but what about labor? If you’re so clever, go find someone else! Four hundred, and if you haggle again, I’ll hang up!”

“Three hundred! If you dare, hang up!” Guo Lang retorted.

“Fine, always squeezing me. First transaction, I’ll make an exception for friendship’s sake—next time, don’t do this! I’ll come find you tomorrow morning!” With that, she hung up.

Guo Lang ended the call, his face twisted in pain. Xie Tianhua asked with concern, “Lang, you don’t look well—is she a friend?”

“Sort of...” Guo Lang replied weakly.

Guo Zhenghua was serious. “Is she like you?”

“Yeah...”

“Trustworthy?”

“Uh... should be reliable...” Guo Lang said, a bit uncertain. She was cunning, but her reputation in the previous life had been good.

Regardless, a teleportation gate for three hundred energy points was daylight robbery. If not for his father’s insistence, he wouldn’t have spent it. Three hundred energy points could buy a full set of female hunter gear, including the Moonblade Leopard!

Well, he had to go to the capital anyway. There was a teammate he desperately needed there. Counting his current line-up—Water Mage Xie Lin, Arcane Master Jiang Liuying, the undefeated Swordsman Ye Zhiqiu he’d met in a fight yesterday, and his foolish little brother—he already had four teammates. It was an impressive roster; every one of them had been a legend in his past life, but now they were helping Guo Lang hunt down a little necromancer who hadn’t even surfaced back then. Still, Guo Lang wasn’t confident. Necromancers were too overpowered in the early stages; even if they couldn’t win, their chances of escape were high. Guo Lang needed a skilled tracker.

He remembered there was someone in the capital who was among the first to return—her reputation for tracking was unmatched. Guo Lang wasn’t certain he could recruit her, but it was worth a try. With her on board, the siege would be almost guaranteed.