Chapter 129: The China Martial Arts Association

“Brother, come back quickly! Someone has broken into the house!”

Zi Xiaoyin’s voice came through the phone, trembling with tears. In the background, a man was shouting and cursing noisily.

“Little Sister, hand the phone to him. I want to speak with him directly!”

“All right!”

A moment later, the voice of a mature man came over the line.

“Hello? Are you Gu Xiangnan? Hurry back and meet your death!” His tone was arrogantly provocative.

“Don’t touch my family. Whatever you want, wait until I get back and we’ll settle it then!” Gu Xiangnan’s voice was cold, carrying an unmistakable, irresistible authority.

There was a brief silence on the other end before the man spoke again.

“Fine. I’ll wait for you.”

After hanging up, Gu Xiangnan was frantic with worry.

He hailed a taxi and raced home.

As soon as he reached the courtyard gate, he saw that it was standing open.

The flowerpots in the garden had been smashed to pieces. Shards were scattered everywhere in utter disarray.

Had something happened to his family?

Gu Xiangnan’s expression darkened as he strode into the house.

Zi Xiaoyin and Huang Ying stood trembling at the entrance.

The moment they saw Gu Xiangnan walk in, the two girls, who had been pretending to be brave, burst into tears.

He comforted them.

“I’m back. You two go upstairs first. Leave this to me.”

The girls obediently ran upstairs.

Gu Xiangnan walked toward the living room.

Two men were sitting on the sofa—one familiar face and one stranger.

The familiar face belonged to the white-haired old man the Lin family had hired when Gu Xiangnan went to the provincial capital.

He vaguely remembered that the man’s surname was Xiao.

The other was a middle-aged man of about fifty. He wore a white martial arts uniform, with the character “Martial” embroidered over his chest.

“Who are you?”

Gu Xiangnan was speaking to the man in the martial arts uniform.

“I’m from the Chinese Martial Arts Association.”

What a coincidence.

Uncle Fu had only just mentioned the Chinese Martial Arts Association to him, and now someone from the organization had come looking for him.

Gu Xiangnan narrowed his eyes.

“If I’m not mistaken, you came to avenge him, didn’t you?”

Gu Xiangnan pointed at Old Xiao.

Old Xiao became agitated at once, glaring at Gu Xiangnan with his beard bristling.

But he knew perfectly well that he was no match for Gu Xiangnan. So, despite his fury, all he could do was glare angrily.

The man from the Chinese Martial Arts Association barked at Gu Xiangnan, “You injured a member of our association and absorbed most of his vital energy.”

“That destroyed decades of his cultivation!”

“I’ve come today to see justice done!”

With that, he attacked immediately, giving Gu Xiangnan no chance to explain.

The moment the two exchanged blows, the difference in their strength became clear.

“A seventh-level Heaven Realm martial artist!”

Gu Xiangnan instantly discerned his opponent’s level.

With a series of forceful cries, the man was driven into a corner after only two exchanges.

Boom!

Gu Xiangnan launched himself into the air and kicked him away.

The man slammed into the wall with such force that he crashed straight through it, leaving a gaping hole.

Clutching his chest, he stared at Gu Xiangnan in shock.

He had never imagined that he would be defeated so easily.

“You… You’re a ninth-level Heaven Realm martial artist?”

He refused to believe it.

A seventh-level Heaven Realm martial artist was already extraordinarily powerful. Throughout the entire province, there had been only nine Heaven Realm martial artists in total.

Because Gu Xiangnan had absorbed his vital energy, the white-haired old man’s cultivation had fallen to the Mystic Realm.

There were now only eight left.

And now, another Heaven Realm martial artist had appeared—one even stronger than himself.

No wonder he was so stunned.

Gu Xiangnan smiled casually. “Can my strength really have reached the ninth level? Perhaps. I’ve never tested it.”

After catching his breath, the man said, “I am Tan Shaozhi, president of the provincial branch of the Chinese Martial Arts Association. As a martial artist, if you merely injured another martial artist during a normal exchange, that would be one thing.”

“But you absorbed most of the vital energy he had cultivated over several decades.”

“For such a cruel act against another martial artist, our association has every right to arrest you!”

Gu Xiangnan let out a cold laugh. “As president, you shouldn’t listen to only one side of the story.”

Tan Shaozhi frowned but said nothing.

“The truth is, he was a Heaven Realm martial artist hired by a powerful family to do their dirty work. They forced an ordinary man to surrender his business.”

Gu Xiangnan stepped forward until he stood before Tan Shaozhi.

“Is that the kind of person your association protects?”

Tan Shaozhi looked suspiciously at Old Xiao.

Old Xiao had not told him anything like this before.

“Old Xiao, is that true?”

“This… At the time, I…”

Old Xiao stammered, unable to finish.

Gu Xiangnan smiled. “A guilty man always grows nervous.”

“If you want to know whether I’m telling the truth, ask the head of the Jia family. He can confirm everything. Given his status, it’s impossible that he would lie for someone as insignificant as me, isn’t it?”

Tan Shaozhi’s face flushed, then paled.

It seemed Gu Xiangnan had been telling the truth.

But Gu Xiangnan added, “In fact, I already showed him mercy. Otherwise, he would have been dead by now.”

Old Xiao’s pupils contracted sharply.

Although he did not want to admit it, that was indeed the truth.

Tan Shaozhi was startled.

The words were arrogant and overbearing, but Gu Xiangnan had the strength to back them up.

Even the president of the Chinese Martial Arts Association himself was no match for him.

Tan Shaozhi softened his tone and said sincerely, “Mr. Gu, I truly apologize. I came here rashly without verifying the facts.”

He turned to Old Xiao.

“Old Xiao, you didn’t tell me the truth and caused this enormous misunderstanding. You’ll be disciplined when we return.”

Old Xiao lowered his head dejectedly and was just about to leave with Tan Shaozhi.

“Wait!”

Gu Xiangnan’s shout stopped them.

The two men halted and turned to look at him.

“President Tan, I’d like to ask you about someone,” Gu Xiangnan said calmly. “Do you know Gu Zhengtian?”

Tan Shaozhi was clearly taken aback. Then he shook his head.

“I don’t.”

“He’s from the imperial capital. Could you help me investigate?”

“If I get the chance, I’ll ask the president of the imperial capital branch of the Chinese Martial Arts Association. He should know.”

Gu Xiangnan said gratefully, “Then I’ll thank you in advance.”

The two men were about to leave when Gu Xiangnan stopped them again.

“President Tan, the plants and flowers in my courtyard were destroyed, and my family was frightened. Shouldn’t you offer some compensation?”

Tan Shaozhi looked embarrassed.

Old Xiao had described Gu Xiangnan as a tyrant. When they entered the house, they had already been furious and had shown no restraint.

“I think Old Xiao should pay for it,” Gu Xiangnan said.

Old Xiao stared at him in disbelief.

“Why should I pay?”

Gu Xiangnan gave a cold laugh. “Do you really think you’re in any position to negotiate terms with me?”

He flashed forward and seized Old Xiao by the throat.

Old Xiao’s face instantly turned red. He felt as though he could no longer breathe and hurriedly waved his hands.

Tan Shaozhi pleaded from the side, “Mr. Gu, please, let’s talk this out!”

He could only plead. He did not dare intervene.

He could not beat Gu Xiangnan, and he had no desire to create further trouble for himself.

Seeing Tan Shaozhi’s concern, Gu Xiangnan relented slightly and loosened his grip.

Old Xiao finally managed to draw breath. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Fine! I’ll pay. How much?”

“ one hundred thousand!” Gu Xiangnan named the amount.

“What?”

Old Xiao nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Aren’t you extorting me?”

“Do you think you can come and go from my home whenever you please? Do you think you can frighten my family without consequence?”

“If you don’t pay a price today, how am I supposed to hold my head up? Everyone will think I’m easy to bully!”

Old Xiao had long been accustomed to throwing his weight around, relying on his status as a Heaven Realm martial artist.

He wanted to resist.

But the moment he raised his hand—

Bang!

Gu Xiangnan grabbed him by the collar with one hand and hurled him away.

Old Xiao was thrown back into the living room, sliding five or six meters across the floor.

With a blur of motion, Gu Xiangnan appeared before him.

“Are you paying or not?”