Chapter 782: Mid-Foundation Establishment

Gu Shaojun frowned at Gu Shaozhen. “Since you knew they were up to no good, why didn’t you follow them inside?”

“What kind of people are they? Are they even worth my time to go in and waste my breath on? Do I look like I have nothing better to do?” Gu Shaozhen snorted.

Gu Shaoling rolled her eyes at him. “If you’re so busy, why were you following me? Idiot! So boring!”

“Hey, Big Brother, look at her. Isn’t she asking for a beating?” Gu Shaozhen picked up a hard candy from the candy box on the coffee table and threw it at Gu Shaoling. “If I weren’t afraid you’d get sold off and I’d have to go find you, you think I’d bother with you?”

“You’re the one who’s going to get sold! You think everyone is like you—an idle, uneducated, uncultured good-for-nothing!”

“…” Gu Shaozhen was so choked with anger he couldn’t speak. With his big brother there, he couldn’t get physical either, so he could only point at Gu Shaoling. “You just wait! If you’ve got the guts, spit out all that sweet talk Jun Ran and Tian Sisi fed you for everyone to hear!”

Gu Shaoling lifted her chin and snorted haughtily at Gu Shaozhen. “Why should I tell you? I’ll only tell Big Brother!”

Gu Shaojun said, “Alright then, let’s go. I’ll walk you back to your room. We can talk on the way. You should get some rest. I’ll drop you off at school tomorrow morning on my way out.”

“Okay!” Gu Shaoling stood up, took her big brother’s arm, and stuck her tongue out at Gu Shaozhen, making a face triumphantly.

Gu Shaozhen shook his fist at her from a distance, immediately provoking a shriek from Gu Shaoling. “Big Brother! Big Brother! Third Brother is trying to bully me again!”

Gu Shaojun shot Gu Shaozhen another cold glare.

Gu Shaozhen was frustrated. ‘Other people’s little sisters are all well-behaved, gentle, and adorable. How did ours turn out like this? A little spoiled and willful is fine, but being disobedient and always arguing with her brothers is just too annoying. She was so cute when she was little… Sigh!’

After Gu Shaoling explained Jun Ran’s motive for using Tian Sisi to lure her out, the siblings talked for over half an hour. Gu Shaojun helped Gu Shaoling analyze the situation and see Jun Ran and Tian Sisi’s malicious intentions. He gave her some guidance, urged her to rest early, and then went to see their grandfather.

His grandfather had been too busy for a long talk these past few days, and he had been busy as well—today was spent entirely on his date. He and his grandfather had only briefly discussed his new work assignment the other day. It looked like they would be burning the midnight oil tonight.

As for Shaoling’s situation, after guiding her, Gu Shaojun decided to let her handle it herself. It wasn’t that he was washing his hands of it, but rather that he wanted Shaoling to learn to think calmly, view things correctly, and handle matters on her own. Gu Shaojun felt that the daughters of the Gu family were perhaps too protected and overly pampered. They were easily influenced by others, lacked their own opinions, and were both spoiled and fragile. She needed to experience some storms to train her mind and gradually mature.

Gu Shaoling’s case was even more particular. ‘Actually, when you look closely, you can’t really blame her for becoming less likable as she grew up. With a mother like Tian Xueqin, a host of restless maternal relatives, and Tian Sisi as a constant companion since childhood, it would be a miracle if her outlook on life wasn’t warped. As her older brothers, we only knew how to spoil and indulge her, neglecting the importance of guidance and companionship. Then, when we saw her causing trouble, we’d just get angry at her for not living up to expectations, threatening and intimidating her. That was wrong of us, too.’

‘Jun Ran and Tian Sisi dared to plot against and use Gu Shaoling, so they can just wait for their punishment. Dealing with Tian Sisi couldn’t be easier. The Tian family’s foothold in Beijing relies entirely on Tian Xueqin, and didn’t Tian Xueqin get her connections from the Gu family? Shaoling already said that Sisi is a terrible student with grades as bad as her own. She had to rely on Tian Xueqin pulling strings just to get into a vocational college. I could just get her expelled. Being unable to continue her studies in Beijing would be punishment enough for her.’

‘Jun Ran and Zeng Rong were once the best of friends. Now, both have been rejected by the Gu and Tang families, and for some unknown reason, these good friends have become bitter rivals. Jun Ran, knowing full well that Gu Shaoling trusts and likes Zeng Rong, specifically had Tian Sisi coax her out. The words she spoke to Shaoling were clearly a trap, designed to use Gu Shaoling as bait to lure Zeng Rong in.’

Thinking of the Jun Ran and Zeng Rong from his past life’s memories, Gu Shaojun felt nothing but disgust. ‘Neither woman is any good. They wear the masks of high-society ladies, but their minds and methods are utterly vicious and despicable. In my past life, I occasionally overheard Shaozheng and Zhen Ting discussing rumors about them, and I felt ashamed on behalf of Shaofeng and his father.’

‘In this life, I don’t know what unforgivable things Zeng Rong has done yet, but Jun Ran’s demonic claws have already reached out repeatedly. She’s unscrupulous, sinister, vile, and shameless. I still haven’t settled the score for her trying to ruin Xiao Man’s reputation, and now she’s scheming against Shaoling. This woman must have a death wish. To think that I used to treat her like a little sister for the sake of her brother, Jun Yang, my childhood friend and comrade-in-arms.’

However, the fight between the two women was currently at an inextricable, white-hot stage. Gu Shaojun decided to ignore it for the time being and let them fight it out. It would serve as a perfect negative example for Gu Shaoling, letting her see the true character of the “idols” she so admired.

「Three days later.」

Gu Shaojun went to the Medical College to meet Xiao Man again. His new job had been basically confirmed, but the scope was a bit broad and involved confidential matters, so they simply didn’t talk about it. In any case, he had been allocated a large house, which was the thing that made them both happiest—another great place for a rendezvous! Before her dad, Tang Qingshan, could react, they could secretly shack up there for a few days without any problem!

Xiao Man had been incredibly happy lately. Living in the same city as Gu Shaojun, even though they couldn’t see each other every day, she felt as if the very air was filled with his scent. She smiled sweetly every day, as if she had suddenly discovered that her surroundings were filled with many more beautiful colors, and life was full of excitement and joy. Her efficiency in both work and her studies had increased significantly.

It wasn’t that she was inefficient before, of course. She just felt that right now, everything was going exceptionally smoothly. She was being super, super efficient!

This change in her state of mind, combined with their frequent small gatherings to cultivate together, directly caused Xiao Man’s cultivation to advance rapidly. She broke through the Early-stage Foundation Establishment and smoothly entered the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. Gu Shaojun acted as her personal guardian during the process, and as he felt the Spiritual Energy surge and gather in an instant, he naturally benefited as well.

Cultivation in the End of Dharma World was an all-but-impossible task for ordinary people. But once you found the right direction, walked the right path, and entered that gate, you were no longer ordinary. In the beginning, as long as you put in the hard work and progressed step-by-step, it wasn’t too arduous. However, after reaching a certain height, advancing became progressively more difficult. For example, upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, or even the Golden Core Stage, it was impossible to break through level after level with the same ease as in the Qi Refinement Realm. For one, it was difficult to gather Spiritual Energy in this world. Even if one could absorb Spiritual Energy from jade and ancient artifacts, the required amount was enormous, and there was no guarantee of success each time. Secondly, it was just like constructing a building: the foundation had to be solid, and the higher you built, the more cautious you had to be, otherwise, there was a risk of collapse!

Now that Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man had reached this level and could feel the difficulty, they were in no rush to advance recklessly. Instead, they followed the guidance from the Jade Scrolls left by their predecessors, cultivating diligently with perseverance and willpower. They would add to their cultivation step by step, bit by bit, building a solid foundation as they went.

Of course, it wasn’t impossible to make lightning-fast progress and have one’s cultivation advance a thousand miles in a day; that would require a fortunate encounter. But Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man both understood that in the End of Dharma World, such opportunities, in theory, shouldn’t exist.

However, the two of them were able to see the bigger picture. ‘To be able to live a second life, to be reunited and live together, making up for the regrets of our past lives—we’re already very content with that. We even obtained the Treasure Pearl Space and renewed the legacy of Cultivation. That’s the greatest fortunate encounter of all. Anyway, we have plenty of time. Besides Cultivation, we can also enjoy life. We can take it slow; there’s no need to rush.’