Chapter 60 Old Man, You Wouldn't Want...

The first condition was still somewhat comprehensible to Gu Santong, but as for the second condition—let alone the fact that Su Xin had suddenly rushed out during his decisive battle with Zhu Wushi, thrusting herself between them and taking the full force of both their strikes head-on, meaning her bones were likely cold and turned to dust by now—where on earth was Lin Bei supposed to pull her out from?

Furthermore, if Gu Santong were to truly pass on all his internal energy, he would likely perish himself, making it completely impossible for him to work for Lin Bei.

The look Gu Santong cast at Lin Bei was as if he were gazing at a complete fool.

What a pity, he thought, that such a fine appearance was wasted on a simpleton.

Lin Bei naturally caught the disdain in Gu Santong's eyes, but he remained entirely unperturbed.

Once he brought Gu Santong under his command, there would be plenty of ways to deal with him later.

"You don't need to look at me like that. I know you possess the Sucking Skill大法. Even if you impart the energy of the Invincible Vajra Divine Skill to me, as long as you retain just ten or twenty percent of it, you can preserve your life. Afterward, you can use the Sucking Skill to absorb energy from others, and I presume you will recover in no time."

Hearing these words, Gu Santong cast a startled glance at Lin Bei.

The fact that he knew the Sucking Skill was a secret unknown even to Iron-胆 Divine Marquis Zhu Wushi, who had obtained the manual alongside him.

Back then, the two of them had received the legacy of the Heavenly Pool Strange Hero. Gu Santong had first picked up the Sucking Skill, while Zhu Wushi had taken the Invincible Vajra Divine Skill.

However, because the latter required the practitioner to remain a virgin, the two had exchanged manuals.

What Zhu Wushi did not know, however, was that taking advantage of the opportunity to skim through it, Gu Santong had already memorized the manual for the Sucking Skill.

Later, when Zhu Wushi framed him for using the Sucking Skill to drain the martial arts masters of the eight major sects, it was not entirely a false accusation.

After all, Gu Santong truly knew the Sucking Skill, and after being locked away on the ninth level of the Celestial Prison by Zhu Wushi, he had indeed drained the internal energy of every expert Zhu Wushi sent in.

From them, he had also acquired the martial arts of the eight major sects.

Considered purely among the masters in the world of *The Legendary Siblings* (Note: referring to the specific universe context, translated conceptually), Gu Santong, who combined both the Sucking Skill and the Invincible Vajra Divine Skill, was perhaps the true number one under heaven.

The reason he had not left all these years was not because he was genuinely trapped by Zhu Wushi, but because he was keeping a promise.

It was precisely for this reason that Lin Bei wished to recruit him into his service.

Gu Santong glanced at the stone tablet bearing the inscription "Iron-胆 Divine Marquis" behind Lin Bei, shook his head, and said, "I made a promise to Zhu Wushi. If I were to agree to you, wouldn't that make me a faithless and disloyal wretch?"

Lin Bei asked with a profound and meaningful smile, "Even if it's for the sake of Su Xin?"

Gu Santong instantly frowned. "Su Xin is already dead. If you want to manipulate me, you'd better come up with a better excuse."

***

Lin Bei raised an eyebrow and said, "Who told you Su Xin is dead? Although she took the full-strength blow from both you and Zhu Wushi, Zhu Wushi timely administered a Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom Bean to her, preserving her life. Though she is currently like the living dead, if we can gather the remaining two beans and have her consume them, I believe she will wake up very soon.

"Gu Santong, you wouldn't want to see Zhu Wushi and Su Xin together, would you? Besides, she even bore you a son!"

Upon hearing that Su Xin was still alive, Gu Santong was already dumbfounded; when he heard that Su Xin had borne him a son, his brain simply short-circuited entirely.

His lips kept muttering incessantly: "I have a son? I have a son? I actually have a son?!"

In great agitation, Gu Santong grabbed Lin Bei's hands.

Seeing him like this, Lin Bei truly feared that this fellow might suffer a stroke from sheer overexcitement.

Pulling his hands free from Gu Santong's grip, Lin Bei said, "Don't get too excited yet. You're getting up in years; if something untoward were to happen to you, wouldn't it all just benefit Zhu Wushi in the end? Just imagine: the woman you love becomes Zhu Wushi's wife, and your own son has to call him 'Dad'..."

Gu Santong naturally had a vivid imagination, and in an instant, his mind conjured the exact scene Lin Bei had described.

Unable to contain himself a moment longer, he unleashed a palm strike across the air, smashing the stone tablet inscribed with the name of the Iron-胆 Divine Marquis into powder.

This attitude made it clear that he no longer intended to honor his promise.

Regaining his composure, Gu Santong cast aside his previous unhinged appearance, looked earnestly at Lin Bei, and said, "As long as you can reunite our family of three, I don't mind working myself to the bone for you. But I'm curious: just who are you? How do you know about these hidden secrets?"

Lin Bei replied expressionlessly, "By seniority, I ought to call Zhu Wushi 'Imperial Uncle'."

Although Gu Santong had spent twenty years in the Celestial Prison, it did not mean he was entirely ignorant of the world outside.

Zhu Wushi routinely sent various experts into the prison at intervals to test Gu Santong, which kept him informed of many external developments.

For instance, Zhang Cuishan, one of the Seven Heroes of Wulin (Wudang), had been missing for years, and the Third Hero had been crippled.

Down in the Southern Song domains, two young masters had emerged, hailed as Northern Qiao and Southern Murong.

Furthermore, a peerless swordsman had crossed thousands of miles across national borders to hunt down a certain individual with four eyebrows, all for the sake of a promise.

In the twenty years of Gu Santong's disappearance, the outside martial world had transformed completely, with all manner of experts springing up continuously.

Of course, the undisputed number one remained that slovenly, portly Taoist priest on Mount Wudang who no longer traveled abroad.

Twenty years ago, the contest between Gu Santong and Zhu Wushi was for the title of number one among the younger generation, and the older generation had not been factored in.

After all, virtually no one in this world dared to issue a challenge to Old Zhang.

***

By the time the Great Ming Dynasty was founded, that old Taoist priest had already appeared elderly and decrepit, and now, a hundred-odd years later, he still looked exactly the same.

His lifespan was practically longer than a turtle's, and no one knew what realm he had reached by now.

As is well-known, Taoist-style martial arts grew more profound the older the practitioner became.

Unlike various heterodox martial arts that constantly hit bottlenecks and barriers, Taoist martial arts advanced slowly, but their strength lay in being upright and balanced; as long as one persevered, one would always achieve success.

To return to the point, it was precisely because he had some understanding of the outside world that Gu Santong immediately guessed Lin Bei's identity.

His eyes widening in shock, he blurted out, "You're the reigning Emperor? Do I need to kneel down and kowtow to you?"

Lin Bei rolled his eyes. "Then go ahead and move, rather than just talking about it!"

Gu Santong chuckled awkwardly, quickly brushing the matter aside.

So what if he was the Emperor? Wasn't he still just a human being?

Working for the Emperor, when spoken aloud, didn't sound all that unappealing either.

After all, an ancient adage had been passed down through the ages: *Once one masters civil and martial arts, one sells them to the Imperial House.*

"I agree to all your conditions, but you must show me some sincerity first. Who knows if you're just tricking me?"

"Sincerity?"

Lin Bei turned and pointed at a sneaky figure hiding by the cave entrance. "That one over there is your son. You can verify it yourself."

Hearing this, Gu Santong immediately employed the Sucking Skill, pulling Cheng是非 right out from his hiding spot at the cave entrance.

When had Cheng是非 ever experienced such a bizarre ordeal? He instantly let out a strange shriek.

Finding him noisy, Gu Santong simply struck a point to seal his mute acupoint.