Sangmo was somewhat surprised, "So, it used to be you who was out in the open, and now it's your brother's turn?"
Gu Chao nodded, "That's right."
Sangmo was puzzled, "Even so, there's no need to treat you so cruelly, is there?"
Gu Chao sighed upon hearing this, "High-ranking families lack kinship; brothers born of an egg begin competing with each other in the womb."
"After birth, due to my outstanding spiritual root, I was taken away by Grandfather to be raised, and so I never had much of a bond with my parents."
"You know, after Grandfather passed away, I no longer had any relatives."
Having been through what happened in his past life, Sangmo had little sympathy for him; he simply stepped forward to check on his injuries.
The ban on alms had not been lifted when the person died.
The several chilling chains that had pierced through his body were laden with dried blood.
Whenever he spoke, the flesh around his clavicle would be tugged at, causing blood to seep out, which made Sangmo frown deeply.
One absolutely could not move these chains; it was easy for someone to die because of it.
After much thought, she could only bite her finger again and draw a devouring talisman on the chains to consume them.
Drawing talismans with one's own blood was extremely draining on the body; by the time she dealt with all the chains, Sangmo was so exhausted she couldn't even lift her arms and had to support Gu Chao with her body.
"Ajin, I have dragged you down."
Sangmo said nothing, taking his words as if they were meant for Su Jinyi, who had already died for him.
"How do we get out now?" Sangmo asked, as she was not confident she could drag the crippled Gu Chao out.
Gu Chao said, "Don't worry, watch me." As he spoke, he bowed his head, his lips moved as if chanting a few spells.
Suddenly, a huge Golden Python sprang out from the mouth of the cave, flicking its crimson tongue, it made a round in the cell, then placed its tail under Gu Chao's hands.
Gu Chao bent down to embrace the snake's tail, and the python easily slithered into the hole with him.
It turned out that the hole was meant for the snake's passage.
At such a critical moment, Sangmo no longer hesitated and followed the python into the hole.
By the time they crawled out of the hole, it was already dark.
Sangmo stood at the entrance of the cave and silently furrowed her brow.
Something was off; in such a vast forest, it was unnaturally silent without the slightest chirp or birdsong.
She looked around but didn't see anything terrifying.
If there were a poison suppressing the animals in the forest, she should have felt the effects after staying so long.
Could it be that there was something underneath the ground?
Pressed for time, Sangmo didn't dwell on these thoughts.
When the two emerged from the forest, the Gu Family was already in total disarray.
There were guards everywhere, searching with torches in hand.
Carrying Gu Chao on her back, Sangmo hid in a dense thicket of grass, "Where to now?"
"To the ancestral hall," Gu Chao replied.
The path to the ancestral hall was dark, without a single lantern lit.
When they arrived, there were no guards at the entrance to the hall.
Seeing this, Gu Chao snorted coldly, "He never came after all."
The two fumbled their way into the hall in the dark.
The ancestral hall was even darker than outside, and after placing him on a meditation cushion, Sangmo casually lit a stick of incense.
"Please hand me Grandfather's spirit tablet," he requested.
Sangmo looked at the several hundred spirit tablets all with the surname Gu in front of her and felt a bit at a loss.
She didn't know the name of Gu Chao's grandfather.
The candle flame flickered, and Gu Chao's face was hidden in the half-light, his expression indiscernible as he stared fixedly at Sangmo.
She stared back at him.
An eerie silence fell between them.
After a long while, Gu Chao finally spoke slowly, "You forgot, Grandfather's esteemed name is Gu Changtian."
Sangmo nodded and, holding a candle, found the name of Gu Changtian among the numerous plaques.
After Gu Chao received the plaque, he fiddled with the base for a moment and extracted a pill from inside.
He swallowed the pill and began to close his eyes and regulate his breathing.
"Can you help me adjust my leg?" he asked.
Sangmo hesitated, then walked over and helped him straighten his legs into a meditative posture.
All night long, Sangmo stood guard at the doorway with her sword in hand.
She heard the sound of guards walking back and forth with their swords and spears, and the clip-clop of passing horse hooves.
From beginning to end, those people never entered the courtyard of the ancestral hall.
Glancing back at Gu Chao, who was meditating, Sangmo thought, "This one seems to be a bit stronger than the other one outside."
It would be a matter of who would win. As dawn faintly broke, Gu Chao eventually opened his eyes, spat out a mouthful of poison blood, and Sangmo handed him a handkerchief. After taking it, he glanced toward the door.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Sangmo shook her head.
"Take me out," he said evenly, with the tone of a superior.
Sangmo arched an eyebrow and picked him up once again.
Carrying him, Sangmo walked out of the ancestral hall under the astonished gaze of the various servants and maids.
Gu Chao looked straight ahead and said, "Go and report back to him."
The servants and maids didn't dare act out, and someone swiftly ran off to do as commanded.
Sangmo moved a Taishi Chair out of the room and had Gu Chao sit down.
Soon, a large group of armed guards walked into the ancestral hall.
Gu Chao Number Two came in, supported by a group of skilled fighters.
His gaze fixed on Sangmo, "So, it was all your doing."
Sangmo didn't speak. Gu Chao Number Two then locked his gaze on his brother, "The bride disappeared yesterday, and now everyone outside is helping to look for her. Are you sure you want to make a scene?"
Gu Chao smiled lightly, "In any case, there's bound to be a fight. We'll see who can walk out of this door today."
Gu Chao Number Two let out an exaggerated laugh, and then brandished his sword toward Gu Chao.
The atmosphere on the field stirred with tension.
Sangmo quietly stepped back a few paces.
Suddenly, Gu Chao raised his hand and a powerful gust of air sent Gu Chao Number Two flying.
Before Gu Chao Number Two could get up again, Gu Chao reached out, and a pair of invisible hands pinioned Gu Chao Number Two in place.
Gu Chao Number Two raised his head in disbelief, "Impossible! How could this be?"
Gu Chao chuckled softly, looking down at Gu Chao Number Two, who was pinned to the ground, "You have controlled the Family for so long, how come you never thought of coming to the ancestral hall and offering a stick of incense?"
"Grandfather hid a divine medicine beneath his own plaque; had you only cared to clean his plaque thoroughly, you would have discovered it."
"I then would not have had the chance to recover my cultivation and compete with you for the position of Family Head."
Gu Chao Number Two took a moment to stop struggling and finally gave up, "That old man indeed favored you more."
Gu Chao looked up again, ceasing to look at him.
Gu Chao Number Two, still unwilling to give up, "Even if you become the Family Head, so what? Our parents will never acknowledge you. You might as well live a lonely life from now on!"
Speaking, he looked toward Sangmo in her Red Bridal Gown, "Ha ha, you still don't know whom you've married, do you? You've married Su Qianqian, the sister of Su Jinyi!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Chao's face finally showed a change.
"The Su Family has already arrived, and Su Jinyi is sure to face death upon her return!" Gu Chao Number Two spat triumphantly as he was dragged away by the servants.
With everything settled, Sangmo quietly rolled up her sleeve, and indeed, one of the knife wounds on her arm had disappeared.
She looked up to see Gu Chao watching her with a complex expression.
Sangmo, realizing his gaze fell upon her neck, remembered what Shen Yanqing had done to her on the wedding bed the previous day.
She immediately covered her neck, her face turning red as she looked at Gu Chao.
But Gu Chao had already composed his facial expression, returning to his usual demeanor, "Ajin, since you've worn the bridal gown, you are my bride. I will go out and clear this up with everyone right away."
Without waiting for Sangmo's consent, he ordered the servants to take Sangmo out.