Chapter 19

"Ha ha, Brother Hu Gao has finally woken up! I said it, how could a successor be so easily defeated."

While Hu Gao and Qinglian were speaking in low voices, a hearty laugh suddenly broke the originally intimate atmosphere in the room.

"Grandpa? Uncle? Why are you here?" Qinglian let out a cry of surprise, quickly standing up from where she had been sitting by the bed.

Hu Gao frowned slightly, not expecting the visitors to be the Great Elder Youming and the Ninth Elder, two major figures of the Qing lineage. As the saying goes, one does not visit the temple without a reason. The intentions of these two in coming to see him were all too clear.

What troubled him most was that this Great Elder Youming actually called him brother, which was a complete mess of generations. If he were the successor, it would be reasonable for Youming to call him "Sir" with respect, but to treat him as Hu Gao, there was no reason for the Fourth Elder, who held significant power in the Hu family, to call him brother!

This Qingzhi, if not naively romantic to the point of having something wrong with his right brain, must be a deeply scheming old fox. At least in this new world, everyone Hu Gao had met, whether good or bad to him, had their thoughts clearly written on their faces. From this, it was clear that Qingzhi would not be easy to deal with!

Before Hu Gao could figure out Qingzhi's intentions, he did not want to say much. His eyes swept past the two and directly looked at Hu Yinxue, who was following behind them, and asked, "Where is the Clan Head?"

"Due to some issues with the Qingyuan mine, the Clan Head has already taken some of the clan's elite members to deal with it. Don't worry, I'm here. If the Zebai branch dares to come again, I'll make sure they regret it!" Great Elder Youming Qingzhi pulled over a chair and sat down by the bed without any grace, patting the empty chair beside him and saying, "Yuanjin, what are you standing for? Sit down."

Elder Hu Yuanjin, with a black line on his forehead, did not dare to disobey the Clan Head's command and sat down, a hint of awkwardness on his face. He had heard Qingzhi call Hu Gao brother and was at a loss for words, stammering for a while before saying, "Great Guardian, you truly displayed your might this time. After this battle, everyone in the clan will know your power."

This was flattery to the extreme. Hu Gao's life had been on the line, and this was supposed to be his "might"? Any good feelings Hu Gao had for the Ninth Elder vanished with these words. He replied coldly, "I appreciate your concern, Ninth Elder. It's very thoughtful of the two elders to come and visit me despite your busy schedules."

The Ninth Elder scratched his head. With his experience, he naturally picked up on the coldness in Hu Gao's words. Sighing, he thought, I am indeed the least eloquent among the elders. After some thought, he decided to stop overthinking and asked sincerely, "Hu Gao, did you recover any of your memories during this coma?"

Before Hu Gao could respond, Qingzhi laughed loudly, "Yuanjin, you're overthinking it. Blood is thicker than water. A bit of memory is nothing. This time, we were careless. We didn't expect that old man Huangquan to go this far, making Brother Hu Gao suffer."

Hu Gao was speechless. Qingzhi, who was supposed to be Qinglian's grandfather, should be quite old, but he looked like a middle-aged man, even younger than the Ninth Elder Hu Yuanjin. It was truly strange. Could his totem have the effect of rejuvenation? That would be a waste of talent.

"Great Elder, you're too polite. I wonder how the guy who tried to assassinate me is doing now?" Hu Gao didn't want to dwell on this topic and casually asked a question he was more concerned about.

"Oh, you mean that fool Bai Xiao! His injuries are stable for now, and he probably won't die. Elder Hu Feng didn't want to kill him out of old feelings." Qingzhi patted Hu Gao's head and smiled, "You, you really forget your pain once you're healed. You even have the leisure to care about someone else's life."

"Ha ha." Hu Gao forced a smile, "It's good he's alive. I really admire him. Although there's a bit of a misunderstanding between us, I don't think it will affect our friendship, don't you think, Great Elder?"

Qingzhi's smile faltered for a moment before he regained his composure, "Bai Xiao is indeed a good one. It's said that this battle made him directly break through to the Burst Essence Realm. Our Hu family has gained another expert. Brother Hu Gao, you need to work harder."

Qingzhi's words were veiled with hidden meanings, and Hu Gao couldn't miss them. With Bai Xiao's critical breakthrough, if no one in the clan could suppress him, his status would likely rise. After all, the Second Elder, who temporarily leads the Zebai lineage, is only at the late Body Passage Realm. Additionally, these words also told Hu Gao that he was merely a Shadow Formation Realm warrior, and without a powerful backer, what right did he have to be friends with Bai Xiao?

Hu Gao didn't back down, saying calmly, "Great Elder, you're right. My injuries are now healed, and I need to focus on my cultivation. It's already a great honor for the two elders to take the time to visit me amidst your busy schedules. I wouldn't dare to waste your precious time any further. If something happens in the clan, it would be my fault."

"Good, good!" Qingzhi patted Hu Gao's shoulder and stood up, "Then we'll take our leave. Qinglian, you stay and take good care of Brother Hu Gao."

"Y-Yes, G-Grandpa." Qinglian bowed her head and saw the two elders off, only returning after they had gone far.

Hu Gao's expression was serious. The words he had just said made him feel extremely nauseous. If it weren't for the classic drama he had watched out of boredom during his studies, he wouldn't have been able to come up with such a scathing response. But looking at Qinglian's innocent face, he felt a bit guilty. Was he being too insecure, turning into a real conspiracy theorist?

"Alright, you rest well. I've already completed all the procedures for the Battle Academy. I'll come to your residence early tomorrow to take you there." Hu Yinxue, as before, quickly disappeared after giving her instructions.

"Tch, this guy really thinks he's a female ninja! By the way, Qinglian, where are we now?" Hu Gao asked curiously. Only after hearing Hu Yinxue's words did he have the leisure to look around the room. The furniture was intricately carved with various patterns, exuding a delicate and gentle atmosphere typical of a woman's room, and there was a faint, sweet fragrance in the air...

"U-Uh, B-Brother, t-this is... Sister Wushuang's room!"

"Ah?" Hearing this, Hu Gao almost fell off the bed.