Chapter 16: Finding a Way to Make Money

The next day, many readers who had been following the novel "Immortal Execution" couldn't help but open it the moment they woke up.

"Wow, another hundred thousand words!"

"That guy from yesterday is probably on the rooftop by now!"

"Is this author's hand and brain on loan and rushing to be returned? This speed is insane."

Onlookers fueled the excitement, and the post about spending ten thousand yuan was pushed to the top by the readers.

But Gu Jianfeng saw none of this. He had been writing deep into the night, and when he finally shut off his computer, his hands and waist felt like they no longer belonged to him.

After morning exercises the next day, Long Fei called Gu Jianfeng into his office.

"I've actually wanted to talk to you these past few days, but I didn't know how to begin," Long Fei said softly, pouring Gu Jianfeng a glass of water and meeting his gaze.

"Captain, come on, is there really any need for formality between us?" Gu Jianfeng took a sip, moistening his throat.

"The disbandment of the First Company is inevitable; no one can stop it," Long Fei said, voice heavy. "The only reason I'm still here is because I'm the First Company's commander—and my grandfather served in this very company. I can't let it end under my watch, do you understand?"

"You're still young. With your abilities, your future will be glorious—why throw it away here?"

He looked at Gu Jianfeng with earnest concern.

"Don't act like you're so much older than me," Gu Jianfeng retorted, rolling his eyes. "I've been in the border regiment's First Company since I was a rookie, always under your command."

"To me, you're not just my captain—you're my brother."

"Some things aren't meant to be carried alone. The First Company is our home; it’s a whole, a family."

Long Fei fell silent for a long while. He realized he had been stuck in a rut, overcomplicating everything.

"So, what's your plan?" he finally asked. "You know, ranking in the theater's military dog competition isn't that easy. Even at its peak, our company never guaranteed a spot. And now, our dogs are either too old or too young. You're just too young and impulsive."

Long Fei sighed.

Gu Jianfeng grinned slyly. "The regiment commander thinks he’s got me beat? I don't like losing propositions."

"Lao Fu thinks highly of you, and I trust my instincts too. From now on, my help may be limited. Most things, you’ll have to handle yourself," Long Fei said.

"I understand, Captain. Why are you sounding so sentimental these days?" Gu Jianfeng teased. "By the way, I've got something good for you. Close your eyes and relax—no matter what happens, just ignore it."

Long Fei eyed him with suspicion. "What’s so mysterious? Did you change after your trip to Sirius?"

"Just close your eyes. How could I possibly harm you?" Gu Jianfeng replied, a little impatient.

Long Fei stared at him for a moment, then, with a resigned air, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for anything.

Clearing his mind, Gu Jianfeng pressed his left hand to Long Fei’s chest and his right to Long Fei’s back. Channeling his soul power, he began to cleanse and refine Long Fei’s body.

Finally, he left a trace of soul power and a circulation route within Long Fei before slowly withdrawing.

Exhausted, Gu Jianfeng’s face turned pale, sweat beading on his brow. Even with his current abilities, performing such a cleansing on someone else took a toll.

"Are you alright, Jianfeng?" Long Fei, feeling refreshed, looked at the drained Gu Jianfeng with concern.

"I’ll be fine, Captain. Just need to rest a bit," Gu Jianfeng murmured, sounding utterly spent.

Long Fei didn’t disturb him. Given his background, he knew more than most. What Gu Jianfeng had just done was reminiscent of the ancient martial art practice of cleansing and refining the body. But as far as Long Fei knew, that required many medicinal ingredients—he’d never heard of doing it like Gu Jianfeng just had.

When Gu Jianfeng opened his eyes again, Long Fei couldn't help but ask, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I'll recover after meditating today," Gu Jianfeng replied.

Seeing that he was alright, Long Fei finally relaxed.

"What you just did for me—was it really body cleansing and refinement?" Long Fei asked.

"Yes," Gu Jianfeng answered. This cultivation method was unique to him, and its effects far surpassed those of traditional martial arts, but to avoid lengthy explanations, he kept things vague.

"Don’t be so reckless in the future," Long Fei said earnestly. "If something happened to you because of this, I’d never forgive myself."

"Captain, I've left some internal energy and a circulation route in your body. As long as you practice daily, you’ll see changes," Gu Jianfeng said, deftly changing the subject.

In truth, his main purpose was to prevent Long Fei's illness from recurring—the soul power would have a significant effect.

Looking at Gu Jianfeng, Long Fei felt a sudden sense of unfamiliarity. Apart from his outward appearance, everything else about him seemed different—the way he handled matters was more composed, and there was a subtle air of authority about him that inspired confidence.

Perhaps it was because he'd grown up during his time at Sirius.

Such were Long Fei's thoughts.

Time passed swiftly, full yet uneventful.

The two songs Gu Jianfeng had written were adopted by the film crew, who paid him two hundred thousand yuan for the rights.

Meanwhile, the novel "Immortal Execution" was taking the Qidian Novel Network by storm, dominating all the major charts.

Thanks to his incredible speed and outstanding quality, the novel was receiving daily tips exceeding a hundred thousand yuan—setting a new record in the site's history.

The money in Gu Jianfeng’s bank account was growing at a pace visible to the naked eye.

The upper management of Qidian was even holding meetings to discuss whether to purchase the rights to "Immortal Execution" outright. But for now, Gu Jianfeng remained unaware of all this.