Grassroots Travel: The Star Lord of Another World

Chapter 278 Pressure from all sides

Gao Xingchen read the letter over and over again. The strange seal seemed to have a magical power that attracted his eyes, but he could not understand its meaning. He rubbed his eyebrows, and an inexplicable irritation surged in his heart.

"What's wrong? Whose letter is it?" Seeing Gao Xingchen's strange expression, Nan Li put down the book in her hand and walked over.

Gao Xingchen handed the letter to Nan Li and briefly explained the matter. Nan Li took the letter, read it carefully, and frowned slightly.

"I seem to have seen this seal somewhere..." Nanli murmured, but couldn't remember it for a moment.

"Could it be a trap?" Xuan Feng at the side could not help but ask, "Pavilion Master, your status is different now. Those scoundrels hiding in the dark might use some shady tricks!"

Gao Xingchen naturally understood this truth, but he always had a feeling in his heart that this letter might be the key to solving his problem. He pondered for a moment and said, "If I don't go, I will only have more trouble. I want to see who is playing tricks behind the scenes!"

Nan Li saw that Gao Xingchen had made up his mind, so she stopped trying to dissuade him. She just reminded him, "If you want to go, you must be fully prepared. I'll go with you."

Gao Xingchen shook his head and refused: "You have more important things to do. Xingchen Pavilion needs you to take charge."

"But..." Nan Li wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Gao Xingchen.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful." Gao Xingchen said firmly, with confidence in his eyes. He knew that this meeting might be full of dangers, but he would not back down, because he believed that his fate was in his own hands.

Three days later, on a full moon night, Gao Xingchen went alone to the Zuixianlou mentioned in the letter. This Zuixianlou was not an ordinary restaurant, but a secret underground trading place that could only be entered by people holding special tokens.

Gao Xingchen followed the instructions in the letter, walked through a series of dark alleys, and finally arrived in front of an ancient wooden door. He took a deep breath and knocked gently on the door.

A deep voice came from behind the door: "Password?"

Gao Xingchen described the seal pattern on the envelope. After a moment, the wooden door slowly opened, revealing a dim passage.

Gao Xingchen stepped into the passage, and the wooden door behind him closed immediately, as if isolating all the noise from the outside world and bringing him into an unknown realm...

Gao Xingchen stepped into the passage and a smell of decay hit him in the face. Unlike the brightly lit underground trading place he had imagined, there was only a dark stone road here. There was a dim oil lamp lit at intervals on the walls on both sides, making his shadow particularly slender.

He was extremely careful with every step he took, observing his surroundings vigilantly. The content of the letter was too brief, with almost no information about the meeting person except the time and place, which made him feel uneasy and always felt that something was wrong.

"Swoosh!" A sharp arrow, wrapped in a strong wind, shot out from the darkness and headed straight for Gao Xingchen's face. Gao Xingchen had been prepared for this, and dodged it with a flash of his body. The sharp arrow hit the stone wall behind him, making a buzzing sound.

"It's a trap!" Gao Xingchen shouted, his true energy surged, and a dazzling starlight condensed in his hand, illuminating the surrounding environment. The walls on both sides of the passage were densely covered with arrow holes, and it was obvious that an ambush had been set here.

"Kill!" Several black shadows rushed out from the darkness, holding sharp blades, and attacked Gao Xingchen. Gao Xingchen remained calm in the face of danger, moving like a ghost, with sharp starlight between his fists and feet, repelling the men in black one by one.

These men in black were well-trained and worked well together, but they were still far behind Gao Xingchen in strength. However, just when Gao Xingchen was about to kill the last man in black, something strange happened.

A black shadow came from the depths of the passage at an astonishing speed, with the long sword in its hand pointing directly at Gao Xingchen's back. Gao Xingchen sensed the murderous intent behind him and wanted to dodge, but it was too late.

"Bang!" A crisp sound of metal collision was heard, and Gao Xingchen felt a huge force on his back that made his blood surge, and he almost spurted out a mouthful of blood.

"Master!" A familiar voice sounded in his ears. Gao Xingchen turned around and saw a woman in black clothes with a stern face standing in front of him. She was his mysterious ally.

"Why are you here?" Gao Xingchen asked in surprise.

"There's no time to explain, let's leave here first!" The mysterious ally said nothing more, pulled Gao Xingchen and ran deep into the passage.

The two of them fought their way through the passage and finally rushed out of it, arriving at an open underground square. However, when Gao Xingchen saw the scene in the center of the square, his expression suddenly turned ugly.

The mysterious man who was supposed to be waiting here had long disappeared, leaving only an empty table and two cups of cold tea, as if mocking his stupidity.

"We are late..." Gao Xingchen clenched his fists, his heart filled with regret and anger. He knew that this missed opportunity might make the situation more complicated.

At this time, Li, a wealthy businessman who was far away in Xingchen Pavilion, also got the news that Gao Xingchen went to the appointment alone. He was so angry that he smashed the teacup in his hand and shouted, "Stupid! It's so stupid! Who does he think he is? He dared to go to such an unclear appointment alone. I think he was blinded by victory!"

A cold light flashed in Li Fushang's eyes, and he had already made a decision in his heart. He wanted to withdraw all his investment in Xingchen Pavilion, because he had a premonition that Gao Xingchen's reckless action this time would bring disaster to Xingchen Pavilion...

When Mr. Li learned that Gao Xingchen went to the appointment alone, he was furious. He paced back and forth in the room, cursing Gao Xingchen's stupidity.

"This Gao Xingchen is really more of a hindrance than a help! Who does he think he is? He actually dared to go to such an unclear appointment alone. He is simply playing with the future of Xingchen Pavilion!"

The more Mr. Li thought about it, the angrier he got. Finally, he slapped the table with his palm, and it broke into pieces. "Someone come!" He shouted to the outside of the door.

An old man who looked like a butler came in hurriedly, bowed and asked, "Master, what can I do for you?"

"Go, notify them immediately that I want to withdraw all investment in Xingchen Pavilion!" Mr. Li said in a cold tone, leaving no room for negotiation.

The housekeeper was horrified upon hearing this, and hurriedly persuaded: "Master, you must not do this! Xingchen Pavilion is now in a critical period of development and growth. If we withdraw our investment at this time, wouldn't it be..."

"What do you know!" said the wealthy businessman Li angrily. "Gao Xingchen's reckless action this time has proven that he has no ability to lead Xingchen Pavilion to glory. I, Li, will not bet on a fool!"

The housekeeper wanted to persuade him again, but was stopped by a sharp look from Li Fushang. He knew Li Fushang's temper, and once he made a decision, he would never change it easily.

When the news reached Xingchen Pavilion, it was like a huge rock dropped on a calm lake, causing a storm. Nanli immediately found Gao Xingchen and told him the news of Mr. Li's withdrawal of investment.

"What? Mr. Li withdrew his investment?" Gao Xingchen was shocked when he heard the news. He was stunned. He knew that this operation was too risky, but he never expected that Mr. Li would withdraw his investment because of this.

Without the financial support of the wealthy businessman Li, the Xingchen Pavilion was in a precarious situation. The construction work that was in full swing had to be suspended again, and the disciples in the pavilion were unable to obtain the best training resources due to the lack of funds.

Gao Xingchen looked at the scene in front of him, his heart filled with self-blame and regret. He knew that all this was caused by his momentary impulse.

"I was wrong..." Gao Xingchen muttered to himself, his eyes full of pain and confusion. He began to reflect on his decision. Was he really wrong?

Just as Gao Xingchen was about to apologize to the members of the Star Pavilion and make new plans, a disciple of the Star Pavilion hurried over with a letter with a bright red seal on the envelope.

"Master, there is a letter from the imperial court!"

Gao Xingchen's face was heavy. The withdrawal of the rich businessman Li was undoubtedly worse than before. He clenched his fists, his heart full of self-blame. He was too impulsive. If he could be more cautious, perhaps he could get more information from the mysterious person and would not end up in such a passive situation.

"Xingchen, now is not the time to blame yourself. We should think about how to deal with the current difficulties." Nanli's cold voice brought Gao Xingchen back to reality from his thoughts.

Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Nan Li was right. The most important thing now was to solve the problem instead of indulging in regret.

"You're right. I must cheer up." Gao Xingchen's eyes gradually became firm. "It's not easy for Xingchen Pavilion to get to where it is today. I can't let it be destroyed in my hands."

He looked around at his disciples who were worried because of the lack of funds, and felt even more guilty.

"I will find a solution." Gao Xingchen said in a firm tone, as if cheering himself up.

"I believe you." Nan Li looked at Gao Xingchen, his eyes full of trust and support.

"Master, there is a letter from the imperial court!" the disciple said breathlessly, looking anxious.

"The imperial court?" Gao Xingchen frowned slightly, with a bad feeling in his heart. Xingchen Pavilion was located in a remote area and rarely dealt with the imperial court. Why did they suddenly send a letter this time?

He took the letter and saw a few big words written on the envelope: "Personally written by Gao Xingchen of Xingchen Pavilion". The handwriting was vigorous and powerful, and it revealed a sense of majesty.

Gao Xingchen took a deep breath, slowly opened the envelope, and pulled out the letter inside. There were only a few lines of words on the letter, but it was like a basin of cold water poured over his head, making Gao Xingchen's heart sink to the bottom in an instant.

"Xingchen, what's wrong?" Nan Li saw Gao Xingchen's expression suddenly change, and she became nervous too.

Gao Xingchen didn't say anything, but handed the letter in his hand to Nan Li.

Nan Li took the letter and read it carefully. As she read deeper, her brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and her expression became uglier and uglier.

The content of the letter was simple, but it revealed an unquestionable majesty. The court suspected that the Star Pavilion had colluded with the mysterious forces that had recently been active in the Nine Stars Realm, and demanded that the Star Pavilion be disbanded immediately, otherwise it would send troops to encircle and suppress it.

"How could this happen?" Nan Li muttered to herself in disbelief after reading the letter. Although Xingchen Pavilion has developed rapidly, it has always strictly followed the laws of the Nine Star Realm and has never had any connection with any forces, let alone mysterious forces.

Gao Xingchen's face turned pale. He never thought that his adventurous action would bring such a huge disaster to Xingchen Pavilion. This letter from the court undoubtedly pushed Xingchen Pavilion to the forefront.

"What should we do?" Nan Li looked at Gao Xingchen, eyes full of worry.

Gao Xingchen was silent. He knew that they didn't have much time left...