Chapter 1555 Eight Hundred Schemes
"I am the live-in son-in-law of the Su family in the capital. My future father-in-law is Su Qian, a member of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau."
"No wonder you know so much. Back then, your father-in-law was among the members of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau during that operation," the disheveled Taoist said with deep agreement.
"You participated in the operation too, why were you alright?" Chen Xuan frowned.
"I... hehe..."
The disheveled Taoist scratched his head, then suddenly became serious. "I guessed there was danger inside and didn't enter at all."
In reality, the disheveled Taoist back then was merely responsible for leading the way and was not qualified to enter.
"So that's how it is."
Chen Xuan asked again, "Then, should we go in?"
"Of course, we're going in, but we might not be able to open this bronze door," the disheveled Taoist said.
Chen Xuan remembered that when his father Chen Jianhua entered the bronze door back then, it opened with just a push.
He reached out to push the bronze door, but felt a powerful force repelling him. He circulated his spiritual energy to the extreme, yet the bronze door did not move at all.
"It's so hard to open?"
Chen Xuan took a breath and exerted force again, slapping out with his palm. The bronze door let out a rumble, but still did not open.
"Don't waste your energy. This bronze door has a secret mechanism that not just anyone can open," the disheveled Taoist suddenly said as Chen Xuan prepared to act again.
"Then what do we do next?"
Chen Xuan was very anxious.
According to the disheveled Taoist, all the bronze doors in the world were connected. If he could enter a bronze door, he might be able to find his father, Chen Jianhua.
"You're more anxious than I am? No need to rush. Let's withdraw first and make a long-term plan. I'll contact you when I find a way to open the bronze door," the disheveled Taoist said.
"It can only be this way!"
Chen Xuan shook his head helplessly.
Thus, Chen Xuan and the disheveled Taoist returned the way they came, and closed the secret chamber door again to avoid being discovered by the Gu family.
As he just walked out of the entrance, a whistling sound suddenly broke the air. An arrow, as fast as lightning, shot towards him, making his pupils widen instantly.
"Quick, retreat!"
Chen Xuan took a sudden step back.
The arrow flew past his scalp, lodging itself into a rock with a clang, its tail vibrating intensely.
Looking at the arrow, Chen Xuan felt a lingering fear. If he had reacted even half a second slower, he would have been beheaded.
He looked outside and saw many people surrounding them. Leading them was a white-haired old man, who appeared to be extremely powerful. Beside the white-haired old man was a young man. This young man had a red ribbon tied around his forehead and held a long bow in his hand, with a quiver of arrows on his back.
The long bow flickered with a faint light, its aura condensed. It was clearly a very powerful magical artifact.
"What's going on?" the disheveled Taoist asked.
"This is trouble. We've been surrounded."
"How is that possible? No one noticed us coming in?" The disheveled Taoist's face turned a bit grim. "Speak, did you report us?"
Chen Xuan rolled his eyes. "Am I crazy? Report you?"
"True, we're in the same boat now," the disheveled Taoist muttered.
"Quick, think of what to do?" Chen Xuan asked.
The disheveled Taoist glanced at the arrow and said, "The long bow outside is the Godly Bow of Hou Yi Shooting the Sun, extremely powerful. If struck by it, one will turn into a ball of fire and suffer the pain of being burned. So, we cannot fight it head-on."
"Godly Bow of Hou Yi Shooting the Sun?"
Chen Xuan glanced at the long bow in the hands of the red-ribboned youth.
"Yes, that is the Gu family's ancestral magical artifact. It's rumored to be in the hands of the Gu family elder, Gu Xinhe. How is it in the hands of a young person?"
The disheveled Taoist looked confused and cautiously peeked outside.
Upon seeing the white-haired old man, he immediately understood. "No wonder. That white-haired old man is Gu Xinhe, and the red-ribboned youth is Gu Xinhe's grandson, Gu Tianlang. He has deeply inherited Gu Xinhe's teachings. I can't believe he can even draw the Godly Bow of Hou Yi Shooting the Sun. It's truly unbelievable."
"How do you know so much?" Chen Xuan knew very little about the Gu family, yet this disheveled Taoist knew so much, which was astonishing.
"This is nothing. Before I came to the Gu family, I naturally had to investigate the Gu family thoroughly," the disheveled Taoist said.
"Then, what do you suggest we do?"
"I have a pill here. If I get shot, it can temporarily resist the fiery power of the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow, but I only have one of these pills. What do you think we should do?" the disheveled Taoist said, pulling out a pale blue pill from his Qiankun bag.
As soon as the pill appeared, it emitted a chilling aura, and the entire pill was covered in a thin layer of ice.
"What do you mean by that?"
Seeing the strange look in the disheveled Taoist's eyes, Chen Xuan frowned.
The disheveled Taoist coughed twice and said, "How about this? I'll give you this pill, and you can go charge forward, while I take the opportunity to escape. With us splitting up, they definitely won't be able to catch us."
"You truly are a 'dead teammate, not a poor Taoist'!"
Chen Xuan's eyes almost popped out.
This guy was too unreliable!
"Look at what you're saying. Am I not finding a way out for everyone?"
The disheveled Taoist said in a deep voice, "This pill is called the Ice Spirit Pill, it's rarely seen in the world, but it's my savings from so many years."
"No!"
Chen Xuan flatly refused.
Putting aside the idea of charging forward, can your pill guarantee it will work?
The disheveled Taoist said, "Then what do you suggest? If we charge out now, we'll surely be killed. I have the pill, so there might be a sliver of hope, but you... hehehe..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan gritted his teeth. "Fine, I agree!"
"That's more like it. We're always good teammates," the disheveled Taoist said with a smile.
Chen Xuan's mouth twitched.
But he had no choice since the other person had the pill; otherwise, he would have had even less chance of survival.
"Here's the pill. You can't go back on your word."
"Don't worry."
Hearing Chen Xuan's promise, the disheveled Taoist handed the pill to Chen Xuan. Chen Xuan held the pill in his mouth, and as soon as he was shot by the Godly Bow of Hou Yi Shooting the Sun, he would swallow the pill.
"You inside, listen up! You trespassed into our Gu family and acted atrociously. If you come out, our Gu family will spare your lives!" Suddenly, a voice came through.
Gu Tianlang's voice was resonant.
Chen Xuan's mouth twitched upon hearing this.
Are you kidding me?
If he had been even a little slower just now, he would have been beheaded by that arrow. Now, they were saying they would spare their lives?
The disheveled Taoist coughed twice and suddenly said, "Brothers outside, don't make a move. I meant no offense. I will come out now, but you must guarantee our safety!"
While speaking, he gave Chen Xuan a look.
Chen Xuan understood and nodded, preparing to rush out.
"No problem, no problem. As long as you come out, our Gu family will treat you well!" Gu Tianlang said loudly.
As he spoke, he drew an arrow and nocked it onto the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow, aiming at the entrance.
Gu Xinhe waved his hand. "Don't act rashly. Wait for the right moment to strike."