Chapter 925: I'm Not Going Back
Gao Yingxiang shook his head: "No, I can't stop now! I'm so close to success."
The Village Chief retorted angrily, "Wake up, you can't possibly succeed."
Gao Yingxiang also bristled, "Uncle, I respect you as an elder, but you shouldn't look down on me. I burned Fengyang, desecrated the Zhu family ancestral tombs, and now I've even defeated the Guanning Iron Cavalry of the Supreme Commander of five provinces. How can I not succeed? I'm just one step away from victory. As long as I take the Yan Capital, this world will be mine."
Gao Yiye interjected, "Second Uncle, Grandpa Village Chief's idea of success isn't about whom you defeat or overthrow. It's about whether you can successfully establish a nation where everyone can live a good life."
Gao Yingxiang fell silent.
The Village Chief commanded, "Come back with me!"
Gao Yingxiang declared, "I'm not going back. I am now the Supreme Leader of seventy-two factions and three hundred thousand troops. I won't go back."
Gao Chuwu suddenly stepped forward. "Uncle, don't blame little Chuwu for being disrespectful, but even if I have to use brute force, I'll drag you back."
The moment he spoke, the two trusted guards accompanying Gao Yingxiang stepped forward, blocking his path.
Gao Chuwu's build was immense; it was hard to tell what he usually ate, but his bulging muscles gave him a terrifying appearance.
Gao Yingxiang inwardly muttered to himself, "Gao Family Village is so poor. Gao Chuwu, because of his tall stature and large frame, never got enough to eat and always seemed a bit thin as a child. But now, his aura is no less than that of a giant bear. Is he eating meat every day or something?"
Gao Chuwu cracked his knuckles twice, a sharp sound echoing. "Get out of the way! This is Gao Family Village business. You don't bear our name, so don't interfere."
The two guards glanced at Gao Yingxiang, a hint of unease in their eyes.
Gao Yingxiang, however, gave no instructions; in this situation, he was utterly bewildered.
The two guards took his silence as tacit consent and swiftly lunged at Gao Chuwu.
Gao Chuwu, however, settled his stance and slammed his shoulder into one of the guards. The force of this impact was on a completely different scale than Li Daoxuan's previous "Kun Kun Iron Mountain Shoulder Slam."
One guard was instantly sent flying backward, landing with a jarring thud on his back. He then slid across the ground for a considerable distance, scattering dry leaves in his wake.
Simultaneously, Gao Chuwu's fist, massive as a monk's begging bowl, thundered towards the other guard.
The guard blocked with both hands, a dull thud echoing, and his body swayed, nearly losing his footing.
Gao Chuwu lunged forward, intending to unleash the "Ghost-God Fist Style," but suddenly remembered that its moves typically involved snapping necks or breaking bones, which wasn't quite suitable for fighting his uncle's men. He swiftly changed his technique, switching to the Guanzhong Hong Fist that Cheng Xu had taught him.
The Guanzhong Hong Fist was quick and fluid, erupting into a flurry of blows the moment it was initiated.
A rapid "thump-thump-thump-thump" sounded, and the guard, struck an unknown number of times in the blink of an eye, crashed heavily to the ground.
Gao Yingxiang watched, startled. "Chuwu, you brat, you know how to fight now?"
Gao Chuwu grinned, "Hehe. Uncle, you definitely can't beat me. I have to take you back to the village. Pardon my offense."
Gao Yingxiang took half a step back, a hint of panic rising in his heart.
"Stop!" the Village Chief suddenly interjected. "Chuwu, come back."
Gao Chuwu turned his head. "Huh?"
The Village Chief explained, "The Heavenly Lord said that he must surrender himself to avoid the death penalty. If there's no act of surrender, then death is inevitable. If you drag him back to the village, it certainly won't count as a surrender."
Gao Chuwu exclaimed, "Oh? You're right! Can't grab him then."
He sulkily retreated back among the people of Gao Family Village, pouting, "Well, then I'm useless at a time like this."
Gao Yingxiang frowned. He'd caught onto something crucial: the people of Gao Family Village seemed to have pledged allegiance to some power, and the head of this power was called the "Heavenly Lord." Was it something like the White Lotus Society?
He hadn't intended to stop in the first place, and this thought made him even more determined not to.
He reached into his tunic, pulled out an iron hairpin, and gently tossed it to Gao Yiye.
The iron hairpin arced through the air in a graceful parabola, and Gao Yiye quickly reached out to catch it.
Gao Yingxiang said, "Yiye, this belonged to your grandmother. She passed it to my elder sister back then, and naturally, it should be passed down through you. As for your Second Uncle, haha, just consider me long dead."
Hearing him speak like this, everyone understood he was unwilling to stay.
Their expressions couldn't help but darken.
Li Daoxuan couldn't help but sigh. *Just as I thought! If Gao Yingxiang had recently been suffering defeats, chased and cut down by government troops, he might have been persuaded by the Gao Family Village residents to give up.*
But he had just won a major victory!
At a time like this, how could he be so easily convinced?
Human nature...
That's just how human nature is!
Gao Yingxiang cupped his hands in a salute. "Everyone, I am very happy to see you all here today. In these chaotic times, your continued well-being is better than anything. Go back to Gao Family Village and hide yourselves away. Let me seize this world, and then I'll return to the village to bestow high official titles upon all of you. Uncle Village Chief will be appointed Grand Tutor, Yiye a princess, Chuwu a great general. Wait for my good news."
Everyone remained speechless.
Gao Yingxiang said, "I'm off."
He turned and left. The two guards, injured by Gao Chuwu, quickly scrambled to their feet and followed him. The three of them walked out of the gates of Gubai Crossing, mounted their warhorses, and with a "Hiyah!" galloped south, vanishing into the night in moments.
The people of Gao Family Village all turned their heads to look at Li Daoxuan.
Li Daoxuan shrugged, spreading his hands. "Let's head back."
Gao Yiye sadly asked, "Heavenly Lord, is there really no way? No divine means...?"
Li Daoxuan shook his head. "There are no divine means that can manipulate another's heart."
Gao Yiye pleaded, "You can see the past and future. Can you please help us predict what will happen to Second Uncle in the future... exactly?"
Li Daoxuan extended his right hand, feigning the gesture of counting on his fingers. In his mind, however, he was recalling the historical records of the late Ming Dynasty he had seen. In official history, Gao Yingxiang would die in the ninth year of Chongzhen, which was next year. The cause of death was provoking the formidable Sun Chuanting, who utterly crushed him, captured him alive, and sent him to the capital for execution.
But in this timeline, due to Li Daoxuan's intervention, Sun Chuanting had been "abducted" to serve as Principal Sun at the Yellow Pole Military Academy. He likely wouldn't be leading troops to suppress bandits anymore, making Gao Yingxiang's future highly uncertain.
The gentle flap of a butterfly's wings could send the entire world spiraling into an unknown future; who could possibly predict Gao Yingxiang's fate now?
Li Daoxuan could only sigh. "Heaven's secrets cannot be divulged."
Gao Yiye pressed, "Not even a little bit... can you reveal anything?"
Li Daoxuan sighed again. "Yiye, the cycles of Heaven are just. Those who commit evil deeds rarely come to a good end. Don't ask me to foretell this."
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