Chapter 278: The Price
No one at the scene had expected such a sudden turn of events.
The woman in black gauze had always been seen by everyone as a highly powerful figure. She had fought countless battles of wits and magic throughout her life and had never been defeated.
Whether domestically or internationally, many people revered her and believed in her abilities without question.
Gu Yujing was able to make contact with her thanks to his teacher’s connections, and he even owed her a debt.
Even though Gu Yujing didn’t want to repay that debt, her sudden death was clearly unexpected.
“It’s impossible! The Empress wouldn’t die so easily! She must have faked her death!” one of the Empress’s subordinates said urgently.
But Gu Yujing, still checking her pulse, hadn’t withdrawn his hand and was certain that the woman was genuinely dead.
“The Empress is dead, so what about Xu Youyou in the courtyard…” Gu Yujing hadn’t finished his sentence when he saw the door to the courtyard open, and Xu Youyou was escorted out by a group of bodyguards, all of whom were frantically massaging their temples.
Xu Youyou’s current state didn’t appear to show any signs of injury.
It was backlash.
Gu Yujing could think of no other explanation. He turned away and, impatiently glancing at the Empress’s corpse, muttered, “Useless!”
Gu Yujing had only brought his sister Gu Xueying and two bodyguards abroad, and now, in this situation where the enemies outnumbered them, he had no intention of continuing to confront Xu Youyou. He took Gu Xueying and quickly left the tall building.
Once Xu Youyou left the courtyard and saw the system task completed, the bodyguards and Xu Fang were all confused, not knowing what had really happened.
After all, they only felt that the events in the courtyard were unclear, like seeing flowers through fog, almost like a dream.
“Boss, the gray fog inside came quickly and left just as quickly. We destroyed their surveillance and forced our way in. Should we contact the property owner for compensation?” one of the bodyguards hesitated and asked.
They didn’t remember what had happened in the courtyard, but Xu Youyou remembered it all too clearly. Just thinking of the smooth baby’s head still sent chills down her spine.
Xu Youyou appreciated the integrity of her bodyguards but didn’t feel it was appropriate to explain the mysterious events involving metaphysics.
“I’ve already compensated,” Xu Youyou casually said.
She then turned to Xu Fang and asked, “Has the flight route been approved?”
Before leaving today, Xu Youyou had asked Xu Fang to apply for a flight route with the airline, as she was eager to leave, regardless of whether the task succeeded or failed.
Xu Fang nodded and replied, “Boss, the international flight we applied for is departing from Bangkok at 2:30 PM.”
Xu Youyou said, “Let’s return to Bangkok now.”
No matter how beautiful the seaside town was, Xu Youyou didn’t want to stay any longer.
Her time was limited. After returning to Bangkok by car and hastily having a meal at the airport, she began boarding the plane.
As the plane ascended, and she watched the city grow smaller and smaller, Xu Youyou’s anxiety gradually eased.
Despite the setbacks, the Gu siblings did not leave Thailand immediately.
“How could the Empress die? Fighting magic? Involving Xu Youyou? That damn girl is such bad luck! It’s a good thing we didn’t accept her back, or our Gu family would have been ruined by her!” On the other end of the phone, Father Gu was shouting furiously.
Gu Yujing silently moved the phone further away and waited until his father had finished venting before asking slowly, “Dad, things need to be dealt with. Without the Empress, there’s still the King. Can’t someone else handle this?”
Father Gu fell silent for a moment before replying, “Our family’s feng shui has been destroyed. We need a real expert to help us. Right now, the two most recognized figures are the Empress and the Red Dragon King…”
Although the Gu family had not directly offended the Red Dragon King, there had been some tensions, and since they were well-connected, it was likely the Red Dragon King would soon hear about their visit to the Empress.
“If we want to convince Lord Dragon King, we may need to pay a hefty price. The question is, what will he ask for?” Father Gu continued.
Gu Yujing frowned slightly and said, “I’ve heard that the Red Dragon King is in Chiang Mai. I’ll take Xueying there to see him personally. We won’t know if we’ll succeed until we speak with him face to face.”
Father Gu gave him a detailed warning over the phone, concerned that his son might offend the wrong people in his haste.
Gu Yujing and his sister changed course and headed to Chiang Mai.
Surprisingly, the Red Dragon King did not refuse the Gu siblings’ request to meet.
Before meeting the Red Dragon King, they first met with his secretary.
“Lord Dragon King is generous. He already knows about your visit to Pattaya to meet the Empress,” the secretary said.
Gu Yujing showed no embarrassment and replied, “The Empress’s reputation is difficult to live up to. Now that she has lost in her fight with someone, our Gu family knows who the real expert is.”
The secretary smiled slightly at this and said, “Many years ago, the Dragon King had dealings with her. Back then, he already said that she was all show. Who would have thought she would dare to claim equality with the Dragon King, calling herself the East King and West Empress? The Dragon King’s reputation was built with real strength, not empty posturing. Does she really think she’s worthy?”
Gu Yujing nodded lightly. He had never witnessed the Empress’s true abilities, and since she was dead now, he felt no harm in saying a few bad things about her.
The secretary continued, “If it weren’t for the old friendship with the Gu family, Lord Dragon King wouldn’t have been willing to meet you.”
Hearing these pointed words, Gu Yujing understood that the Red Dragon King might ask for a price the Gu family couldn’t afford.
Sure enough, when they met the Red Dragon King in person, he said, “Thirty billion.”
Gu Yujing’s brow furrowed upon hearing this. “The Gu family is currently under siege by the Lu family. Our cash flow has been cut off. We can’t come up with that much money.”
The Red Dragon King replied, “The Gu family may not be able to provide that much cash, but you have many antiques and real estate. My people will give you a fair evaluation.”
Hearing these almost openly extortive words, Gu Yujing, even though he didn’t manage the family’s finances, felt it was excessive. “We find it difficult to accept your terms.”
The Red Dragon King said directly, “If I help, you’ll have a chance to rise again. If I don’t, you’ll be doomed. Whether you agree or not depends on your decision.”
Gu Yujing’s expression changed repeatedly. In the end, he called his father back in China.
After a long silence, Father Gu’s voice sounded worn and tired, “Agree to him.”
The Red Dragon King wasn’t surprised by the Gu family’s response.
“When can Lord Dragon King take action to help the Gu family with their current troubles?” Gu Yujing asked.
The Red Dragon King smiled. “There’s no rush. I haven’t finished stating my terms. You didn’t pay the Empress’s price, so you’ll have to pay it to me instead.”
