Chapter 779: No One Knew How He Persevered

"Aaargh..."

The man in gray screamed incessantly, writhing on the ground in agony.

"Gu Shuo! How dare you commit such a violent act in public..."

The commoners who had been smashing up the port were thoroughly frightened by the scene.

Chopped off. He really chopped off both his hands.

"A violent act? The pot calling the kettle black. You’ve smashed this massive port to bits for no reason, and you have the nerve to talk about violence?" Gu Shuo lifted his foot and stomped on the man with the severed hands.

The man in gray trembled all over in pain. Pinned firmly underfoot, he had lost both hands, and his blood stained the ground.

"You’re the one who exploited us, the people of Nanyuan, with your business! All the wealth you have now, you earned it from Nanyuan."

"That’s all our blood and sweat! You built roads and restaurants for no other reason than to make money off of Nanyuan..."

"You buy things from us at a low price, then turn around and sell them for several times more. If that’s not black-hearted, what is?"

"A black-hearted merchant like you deserves to be killed by everyone! Smashing your port is letting you off easy."

Ever since the people of Nanyuan learned of the sky-high price of the Immortal Sea Building, they had harbored a deep animosity toward the Gu family.

One hundred and eighteen million...

That was all their Nanyuan money. The amount he must have earned from Nanyuan over so many years... it was an astronomical sum!

Ye Qianning listened to their extraordinary logic and shouting, shaking her head slightly with a faint smile on her lips.

’See? This is human nature.’

’This is reality!’

’No matter how you helped them escape poverty in the past, the moment they see you earning more than them, malice begins to fester in their hearts.’

’And so, it’s hard to be a good person...’

’Back then, I never should have asked Father Gu for help for Nanyuan’s sake...’

’All these years, everyone only knows that he’s earned countless riches, but no one knows how he persevered, step by step, back then.’

’Because of a single decision of mine, Father Gu has suffered for so many years.’

’In the end, others became wealthy, while Father Gu became the great villain everyone wanted to execute.’

A hint of scorn appeared on Qian Fanji’s otherwise indifferent face. ’Ignorance isn’t frightening,’ he thought. ’What’s truly frightening is forgetting one’s roots.’

Gu Shuo showed no trace of anger at the shouting in his ears. He simply pressed down harder with his foot and raised his hand slightly.

A guard beside him immediately handed him a saber.

"Ten years ago, the Emperor of Nanyuan established a contract. In my business, no matter how much money I’ve made or what I’ve done, I have always abided by the law and have never once violated a single clause of that contract. Now, you vandalize my port and spout such arrogant nonsense. It seems you have no regard for the laws of Nanyuan. Since you won’t respect the nation’s laws, then I have no need to hold back." As Gu Shuo finished speaking, his hand rose and fell with the saber—a clean, decisive strike.

The man who had just been screaming in agony was silenced in an instant. A head tumbled across the ground, rolling to a stop at the feet of the crowd.

"Aaaah! Murder!"

"Boss Gu killed someone! Help! Somebody!"

"Go get the authorities! What are you waiting for? Go get the authorities!"

The crowd fell back in terror. A few people seemed to want to flee, but they were blocked by members of the Xianyue Sect, who kicked them back into the throng.

The onlookers who had gathered were also stunned to witness such a bloody scene.

He killed him...

He really killed him...

"Someone, go calculate the total losses to the port," Gu Shuo said, tossing the saber back to the guard beside him.

"Yes, sir."

The commoners who had been vandalizing the port were terrified. Their previous arrogant bluster vanished after the man’s death, replaced by sheer panic.

Gu Shuo’s gaze swept over the crowd, his eyes cold and severe. "It seems just chopping off your hands was too merciful. If you don’t have the money to compensate for the damages, I’ll take your lives!"

’Our lives...’

"Gu Shuo, you wouldn’t dare..."

"There’s nothing I wouldn’t dare. In fact, I’m not a fan of reasoning with people," Gu Shuo said, his gaze shifting to the one who had spoken.

"What are you doing...? What are you doing...?"

Guards immediately seized the man who had spoken and dragged him out.