Chapter 36: The Gu-Breeding Ground of Royalty

“Have you ever heard of ‘Gu’ breeding?”

Hearing Sasaki utter that term, Su Mu’s numerous doubts about the assassination suddenly became clear.

Sasaki continued to explain:

“Legend has it that this is a forgotten art from the ancient Huang Kingdom, dating back thousands of years. The ancients, in their quest to cultivate powerful insect companions, would place a group of highly venomous Gu insects into a small basket, forcing them to fight to the death. The sole survivor would then become the ‘Gu King,’ precisely what the breeder desired.”

He had never expected to hear such a classic term, one straight out of the wuxia novels of his previous life, in this world.

Perhaps the system’s translation function had automatically converted those obscure, alien terms into concepts he could easily grasp.

Otherwise, he couldn’t believe such a coincidence—that various elements from his previous life would appear here so similarly, even retaining their names.

“Hmm, a rather foolish method, but undeniably effective.” Su Mu remarked casually.

Sasaki nodded, a profound sadness flickering in his eyes.

“Indeed. Do you understand now? In this Gu-breeding ground known as the royal family, you and I are merely two Gu insects, and Father is the one who breeds them.”

Su Mu pondered this, though the realization didn’t truly surprise him.

After transmigrating here, suffering injuries, and losing his memory, his ‘father’ had never once bothered to visit him. From that moment, Su Mu knew exactly what kind of person the original body’s father was.

‘The most ruthless are those of the imperial family.’

That saying wasn’t entirely comprehensive, but it certainly wasn’t false.

Seeing Su Mu’s silent, contemplative expression, Sasaki assumed he was frightened and quickly tried to reassure him.

“Of course, I’m still investigating the specifics. These are, after all, just my most favored conjectures. You needn’t worry too much. If anything truly happens, I’ll be here to bear the brunt of it…”

As he spoke, Sasaki couldn’t resist ruffling Su Mu’s soft hair once more.

This time, Su Mu didn’t pull away. Instead, he looked into Sasaki’s eyes and asked, “So, your cold indifference towards me in public was to avoid suspicion, or rather, a performance for Father and the others?”

“I’m sorry. I put you through so much…”

His younger brother had just lost his memory, and his own flesh and blood had treated him with such coolness. Susumu must have been terribly heartbroken. This thought filled Sasaki with a pang of guilt.

Susumu, however, didn’t seem to mind much. His mind was entirely focused on seizing this opportunity to clear his doubts, so he immediately asked again:

“How much do you know about Laura?”

Su Mu found it difficult to directly inquire about the curse, so he could only ask generally.

“Laura? I’ve had very little contact with her. My only impressions are of her being a genius healing mage, a God-given Saintess, and so on. I heard she might be the next Chief Royal Healing Mage. Other than that, I’m not very clear… I remember you two used to be quite close. What, even after losing your memory, you still can’t forget her?”

Sasaki flashed an ‘auntie smile,’ teasing Su Mu.

Su Mu was speechless. He hadn’t realized his older brother was such a gossip.

It seemed Sasaki didn’t have much more information, so Su Mu bypassed the topic and continued to ask, “What about Bai Ji then? Why did you want to poach her from me?”

Su Mu still remembered how overly solicitous Sasaki had been towards Bai Ji the first time they met.

“To escape Bai Ji’s control—wasn’t that your wish?”

Sasaki looked at Su Mu’s confused expression and gave a wry smile. “Right, you’ve forgotten. Bai Ji, as one of the Great Sword Saints, voluntarily became your personal attendant. Everyone thought it was a tremendous boon, but she controlled every aspect of your life excessively. Six months ago, you asked me for help, saying you wanted to leave Bai Ji’s side.”

With that, Su Mu naturally understood Sasaki’s motive for trying to poach her.

On one hand, it was to display discord between them. On the other, it was to help him escape Bai Ji, killing two birds with one stone. Of course, whether Sasaki himself coveted Bai Ji’s power remained unknown.

Su Mu pondered, remaining silent.

Sasaki tenderly stroked his head, saying softly, “Don’t worry, it will be soon, very soon… I will help you leave Bai Ji’s side. In fact, I’ve already arranged an ambush on your way home to eliminate her. That woman, since she doesn’t know what’s good for her and refuses to leave you peacefully, then she’ll just have to die!”

As he spoke, a ruthless glint appeared in Sasaki’s eyes.

Su Mu froze, somewhat astonished.

He hadn’t expected Sasaki to voluntarily bring up this matter. Originally, he’d thought it would be difficult to ask about, fearing he might tip off his brother. He had planned to save it as a bombshell for after he’d asked about everything else.

Su Mu gazed at the tenderness and affection on Sasaki’s face. Only now did he truly let down his guard.

However, recalling the tragic outcome of the previous ambush, he felt a bitter taste in his mouth, saying weakly, “How can you be certain your people can successfully kill Bai Ji? She’s one of the Four Great Sword Saints!”

“Don’t worry,” Sasaki said, a confident smile gracing his lips. “Although the six death knights I sent out don’t possess the strength of a Sword Saint individually, their combined efforts can achieve the destructive power of a half-step War God. Dealing with a minor Sword Saint will be more than enough.”

Su Mu offered a wry smile, remaining silent.

“When you head back later, if they start fighting, remember to stay far away and protect yourself.”

“Brother, call off those people…”

“Hm?” Sasaki paused, then asked, “Are you sure?”

Su Mu nodded emphatically. “Yes, I will leave Bai Ji, but not now. Brother, perhaps I will ask for your help again in the future. Will you still assist me then?”

“Of course. I will always be your brother.” Sasaki replied with an unhesitating smile.

The matter concerning Bai Ji concluded there.

The atmosphere gradually grew more amicable.

“Brother, why would Bai Ji feel confident allowing me to come to Paradise of Illusions alone?” Su Mu suddenly thought to ask.

Sasaki explained, “Do you remember Bu You, who was so insistent on accompanying you earlier?”

“Yes.”

“It’s the rule here. Paradise of Illusions guarantees the safety of every customer. At the same time, each room serves only one customer, so the security here is exceptionally high.”

Su Mu remained somewhat puzzled, asking, “But without concrete proof, why do others trust this place so much?”

Sasaki offered a mysterious smile. “I’ve heard that Paradise of Illusions has some true god-level figures overseeing it. Under the watchful eyes of gods, the safety of mortals is but the simplest matter.”

Su Mu felt a jolt of alarm. He hadn’t expected this place to possess such a powerful background. No wonder Bu You had shown no fear earlier, even when facing Sasaki, the crown prince.

Perhaps this was the fundamental reason Paradise of Illusions could flourish so spectacularly in the heart of the most prosperous royal capital.

If only he could possess such power himself, then those ridiculous reasons that could so easily lead to his death would simply be a joke.

Within Su Mu’s heart, the yearning for power began to stir once more.

****

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