After the tense standoff, Xu Yuanjun finally chose to retreat in silence.
Neither he nor Gu Nan could deal with each other, but in the end, he still had his family, his kin, to consider. Gu Nan, on the other hand… From the looks of things, Gu Nan didn't really care about the Gu family.
When Gu Nan saw that Xu Yuanjun had the good sense to leave, he also didn't have any intention of pursuing. He smiled as he put away the blade in his hand. His injuries had entirely recovered by now, and even the half of his neck that had been sliced off had healed. There weren't even traces of a scar.
Xu Yuanjun was a very troublesome person. Since he was in the middle of an event right now, Gu Nan was in no hurry to deal with Xu Yuanjun.
As for the matter of exterminating Xu Yuanjun's entire family… Killing them wouldn't give Gu Nan any Evil Value, so what's there to kill? A true top player would never waste any effort on matters that wouldn't provide benefits.
Not to mention—the Xu family is Xu Yuanjun's weak spot. Letting the Xu family live would be the most effective threat against Xu Yuanjun. A sharp sword hanging high above one's head is often more useful than a sword that has already fallen.
The moment Gu Nan led Lin Yunyun out of the adoption center, a prompt came from the Evil God Temple once again.
｢Event Complete: Adopt orphan Lin Yunyun. Total Evil Value obtained: 8｣
'Eight? Not bad. Now my Evil Value has reached 120…' Gu Nan silently calculated the difficulty level of this event in his heart and finally nodded.
In general, the amount of Evil Value rewarded was calculated based on the event's difficulty level. This was especially true for this kind of event with a clear objective.
The more enemies that appeared to hinder the completion of the event, the higher the Evil Value received.
So sometimes, players would deliberately get themselves into trouble, but there weren't too many suitable opportunities like that. This time, Gu Nan hit the jackpot with the appearance of the Seven Stars Team.
Lu Danze was still frozen in his wheelchair, stunned. The heavy stench of blood on the grass hit his nose, almost making him throw up.
But this sensory stimulation couldn't even come close to the chill in his heart right now.
He might not know much about the Seven Stars Team, but he just witnessed seven Prodigious experts die by Gu Nan's hands.
Lu Danze couldn't help falling into deep despair.
For the first time, he wondered if he really had the ability to reach Gu Nan's level in his lifetime, and even if he did, what level would the other party be at that time?
But there was actually nothing to wonder about, because Gu Nan had already walked up to him, holding Lin Yunyun's hand.
"You're the one who brought them here?" Gu Nan asked as if he didn't recognize Lu Danze at all. It was a tone of pure curiosity, without the slightest hint of a threat.
Without waiting for Lu Danze to answer, Gu Nan patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you so much for the gift! Sending a wave of monsters over to me."
While saying that, he reached out and snapped Lu Danze's neck.
Lin Yunyun looked up at him. "Your way of expressing thanks… is really unique."
"Thanks."
Lin Yunyun then felt a bit of a chill on her neck.
...
Of course Gu Nan wouldn't hurt Lin Yunyun. On the contrary, he was quite eager to take her home and hang her on the wall, then wait for the mission event to refresh.
Speaking of which, the Evil God Temple had been silent after its last notification about the completion of the adoption event.
This series of events had obviously not been completed yet; many questions remained unanswered—such as Lin Yunyun's origins.
Gu Nan didn't believe that there would be someone whose body would be full of internal energy for no reason at all. Clearly, all of these events revolved around her, so there must be a story behind it.
The fact that the next event had yet to appear meant that he hadn't satisfied the conditions to trigger it.
It's just like how Gu Nan had to hear about the Martial Arts Competition from Gu Nian in order to trigger the first event about the Martial Arts Competition.
'What can it be…' Gu Nan sat in one of the Gu family's lofts, stroking his chin and pondering.
...
For the time being, Gu Nan was stuck trying to find clues about the next event. However, the results of his battle with the Seven Stars Team spread at an unbelievable speed.
The rumors may have been spread by the Gu family, or the Xu family may have secretly played a role.
But the result was the same—the Seven Stars Team was completely wiped out, and Gu Nan's fame resounded throughout Ruby Fish Star, even going so far as to spread to the different regions of Star Realm as well.
After the Gu family heard about the result, someone from the group of elders immediately came forward and captured Gu Xingzhu, sending her to Gu Nan.
Gu Xingzhu's clumsy plan to kill Gu Nan using the Seven Stars Team couldn't be concealed for long, so it was better to admit it early.
"So that's how it is." Gu Nan looked at Gu Xingzhu and smiled as he spoke to the Gu family elder beside him, "I'm a simple person—I don't like to use my brain. If you guys didn't mention this, I wouldn't have thought of it… So I can deal with her however I want?"
Gu Nan pointed at Gu Xingzhu, who had her meridians blocked and resembled an ordinary young girl, tied up with a few hemp ropes.
The person who tied her was clearly a highly skilled teacher. The parts that should be exposed weren't blocked by the ropes at all. Instead, the ropes actually made Gu Xingzhu's flat body look exquisite.
"Of course, please enjoy yourself to the fullest," this elder didn't put on airs at all and even used a respectful tone.
"Anyways, thank you." Gu Nan smiled and asked, "By the way, what's your name?"
"...Gu Tianwen."
...
With a face of awkwardness, old man Gu Tianwen left Gu Nan's room. Now only Gu Nan and Gu Xingzhu were left.
Gu Xingzhu was gagged with a white handkerchief and sat curled up in the corner, completely devoid of her usual confidence and strength, looking pitiful.
Gu Nan casually took off the handkerchief and asked with interest, "Did Lu Zhanyu send you here? Is it purely to seduce me, or do you have a message for me?"
These words made Gu Xingzhu flinch. Her gaze was a little dull, and she could only force herself to say, "W-What are you talking about…"
"Don't pretend anymore." Gu Nan waved his hand. "You work under Gu Nian, so how can you get the news of the Seven Stars Team before everyone else in the Gu family does? It's obvious that an outsider told you."
"The only outsider here who has considerable power outside Ruby Fish Star is the Lu sisters, and of the two sisters, Lu Zhanyu is the only one with the motive to do so."
"As for that Gu Tianwen, he's either on your side or being used by you to send you to me."
"You want to first immobilize me and then replace Gu Nian? This should also be Lu Zhanyu's intention as well, right? She really is poisonous. She wants to make the first move just because Gu Nian has noticed something?"
Gu Nan analyzed with a smile. At the end, he also added a sentence, "You assume all the risk, while you have to share the benefits with Lu Zhanyu. You really are a selfless model citizen."
The corners of Gu Xingzhu's mouth twitched, and her face was a bit gloomy. She suddenly had the feeling of standing in front of someone else after being stripped naked. The other party's gaze was so cold and piercing.
But after she was seen through, she instead relaxed again. She straightened her body and came up to Gu Nan's ear, chuckling softly. "Don't you want to know what I'm going to seduce you with?"
Gu Nan pushed her away and said righteously, "I won't be interested in any methods from a woman your age. Please respect a lolicon's convictions."
Devotee's Game System Inspired Note
» This section of the chapter is a Fan based created system to mock-up or simulate the 'Status Information' of our MC - Gu Nan. This implies that you are free to skip reading this and continue your journey onto the next chapter.
» All catalog data below is a summary of various information achieved by Gu Nan that corresponds till the end of the related chapter and is compiled into a singular 'Status Screen.' Additionally, the invented system below would continue to evolve as we progress and learn more about the novel itself.
MC's Status Information
Name: Gu Nan
Current Location: Gu family's residence, Ruby Fish Star
Current Soul Location: N/A
Status: ⟪ Evil God ⟫
Advancement Direction: Agility Type
Current Evil God Rank: Tier 3
Equivalent/Current Martial Art: Prodigious Realm
◈ Comprehension of Innate ability: Domain Stage
Chosen Core Skill: The Law of Shadow
Current Evil God Temple Quest:
→ Main Mission Objective/s:
-— Evil Event: Adopt the orphan Lin Yunyun. - Evil God Temple Issued
◈ Status: Cleared
→ Side Quest Objective:
-— None. - N/A
◈ Status: N/A
Current Evil Points: 100
Overall Evil Points: 3875, Overall Evil Value: 120
Core Skill Acquired
— Shadow. ｢Also known precisely as 'The law of Shadow' - its one of the highest-ranked laws in the game. Skill 'Power of Shadows' LVL +1｣
Normal Skills Acquired:
— Resistance. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Your body will resist damage, and any damage taken will be reduced by 50%｣
— Locked ｢N/A｣
— Locked ｢N/A｣
Exclusive Skills Acquired:
— Deceitful Steps. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Movement Speed increased by 30%. Attack Speed increased by 50%｣
— Power of Shadows. [ LVL 3 ] ｢Allows the players to activate the skill "Hidden Shadows" at LVL 1 and unlocks the skill "Shadow Form" at LVL 2. If the 'Power of Shadows' reached LVL 3, the player will be able to use the 'Law of Shadow' to a much finer degree.｣
▸Hidden Shadows. ｢The power to manipulate shadows to a fine degree.｣
▸Shadow Form. ｢An incomparable handy skill that allows the player to manipulate shadows to create things, like weapons and armor. At the highest level of mastery, it could even create a humanoid clone.｣
Equipment being worn
→ Armor
-— Dawn Sage's Robe. ｢Basic level defense. If you are not attacked within 3 seconds, you will receive the "Praise of Dawn" effect.｣
→ Weapon
-— Blade of the Sanguine King. ｢High attack. Ignores external defense. Enhanced sharpness. Triggers the effect "Curse of Blood" on hit.｣
◈ Curse of Blood. ｢This is a cursed divine weapon. Whenever your attack hits your opponent, you will take equal damage.｣
→ Accessories - Facial Accessories, Necklace, Earrings
-— Observer Eyepiece. ｢An eyepiece that have a fixed Tier 2 magic 'Insight' inscribe in it.｣
-— Dragon Heart Pendant. ｢Allows players to activate the skill "Dragon Power". This skill cannot be upgraded｣
-— Shadow Earrings. ｢Skill 'Power of Shadows' LVL +1｣
Equipment Skills Acquired:
-— Insight. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Ability to obtain high-precision data analysis when looking at people or objects.｣
-— Dragon Power. ｢Greatly enhances the player's strength and physique. Duration: 5 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes｣
-— Praise of Dawn. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Increases self-healing ability by 300%｣
Item/s owned:
→ Four Element Crossbow. ｢Was used in Chapter 9-104.｣