<h4>Chapter 1172: Chapter 1179: Guo Qiang (1)</h4>


    "What was left behind?" Guo Liang thought seriously for a moment and said, "Our ancestors indeed left many things, but none of them seem rted to the Tianling de you mentioned."


    "Mr. Guo..."


    Before Ling Chen could finish, Guo Liang raised his hand to stop him, saying, "Alright, you don’t need to say more. I understand what you mean. Follow me, I’ll take you to have a look." With that, Guo Liang walked straight out.


    Soon, the two arrived at an elegant study. The study was very spacious, with a wide desk neatly arranged with the four treasures of the study. On the wall opposite the desk hung a painting by a famous artist.


    "Sit down first." Guo Liang pointed to a chair beside him and then walked straight to the painting, moving it aside. Instantly, a safe embedded in the wall was revealed behind the painting. In front of Ling Chen, Guo Liang opened the safe and took out several long wooden boxes.


    "These are all items left by the Guo Family ancestors. The maker of your Tianling de was Guo Qiang, the third-generation descendant of our Guo Family, and I am the eighth generation. Look, these things are relics of ancestor Guo Qiang, all weapons forged during his lifetime. Since our Guo Family is a family of weapons, weapons are our most valuable wealth."


    As the long wooden boxes were opened, several swords and knives were revealed inside, still emitting a cold gleam after many years, incredibly sharp. After examining them for a while, Ling Chen couldn’t help but feel disappointed, as there were no clues on the weapons.


    Could it be that, as Guo Liang said, the Guo Family ancestors left nothing behind?


    As he pondered, the sharp-eyed Ling Chen suddenly noticed that inside one of the long wooden boxes, beside a steel knife, there was also an oilmp.


    "Mr. Guo, is this oilmp also an heirloom from the Guo Family ancestors?"


    Guo Liang nodded and said, "Indeed. This oilmp has always been kept in this box. What, you don’t suspect there’s something wrong with the oilmp?"


    Ling Chen remained silent but felt curious. Why would the Guo Family ancestors put an oilmp in the box? There must be a reason. After all, it’s just an oilmp, not something valuable enough to pass on to descendants.


    Thinking of this, Ling Chen asked, "Mr. Guo, can I..."


    "Feel free to take a look if you want."


    With Guo Liang’s permission, Ling Chen gently held the oilmp, examining it closely in his hands. The oilmp was an old item, having some age to it, but well-preserved, with a very smooth surface and an intact wick. However, aside from it being an antique, Ling Chen didn’t find any clues rted to the Tianling de or Ling Gengqiu.


    Could he have been mistaken? Ling Chen felt puzzled. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he quickly brought the oilmp closer to his eyes. Yes! Ling Chen was overjoyed. In the middle of the oilmp, there was a very thin seam.


    Immediately, Ling Chen grasped the base of the oilmp with one hand and the top with the other, gently twisting it.


    It moved! As the seam in the middle gradually widened, Ling Chen was increasingly certain of his suspicion that there was indeed something unusual about the oilmp. Beside him, Guo Liang was equally surprised, not expecting Ling Chen to have guessed right that a secret was hidden within this oilmp by their ancestor.


    As the middle of the oilmp was unscrewed, it revealed a hollow interior with a bamboo tube as thick as a finger. Ling Chen tapped on the bottom of the oilmp, causing the bamboo tube to fall out immediately.


    Picking up the bamboo tube, Guo Liang removed the stopper at the top and shook out a roll of paper from inside. As the paper unfurled, it was densely packed with writing, the size of ants.


    "This is needle engraving, a unique technique of our Guo Family," Guo Liang said. "Wait a moment, I’ll get something."


    Shortly thereafter, Guo Liang brought a magnifying ss and began to read line by line the content recorded on the paper. As Ling Chen had suspected, the content was indeed rted to Ling Gengqiu. Moreover, the Guo Family ancestor had an extraordinary rtionship with Ling Gengqiu, being sworn brothers.


    Reading the roll of paper, Ling Chen was filled with emotions.


    The Guo Family ancestor and Ling Gengqiu were sworn brothers. At the time, Ling Gengqiu, who had lived for over two hundred years, was struggling against the pursuit of the Ling Family from the South. Although he wished to retreat into the mountains and sever all ties with the mundane world, his nature was not one to settle down. Later, Ling Gengqiu approached Guo Qiang, seeking help. He told Guo Qiang that someone wished him harm. From Guo Qiang’s ount, when Ling Gengqiu came to him, he seemed very frightened, as if facing a terrifying situation.


    With Ling Gengqiu’s abilities, something that could instill fear in him was extremely rare, which Guo Qiang found very strange. However, Ling Gengqiu kept silent about his predicament, and Guo Qiang dared not inquire further.


    One night, Guo Qiang, following Ling Gengqiu’s instructions, secretly hid in a deserted wilderness. At midnight, Ling Gengqiu was brought there by a group of men in ck. At that time, it appeared as though Ling Gengqiu had been kidnapped by the group. Moreover, those men in ck were digging all around, seemingly searching for something. However, they didn’t find what they were looking for.


    That very night, Ling Gengqiu was brutally murdered by the men in ck, his body torn apart. Witnessing everything unfold, Guo Qiang didn’t intervene. He mentioned in the paper that when Ling Gengqiu sought him out, he had already expressed that he might die. Thus, he requested Guo Qiang to retrieve his body and ensure it was properly buried, never to fall into others’ hands.


    Guo Qiangplied. When the men in ck were about to leave with Ling Gengqiu’s body, Guo Qiangunched a stealthy attack. Though not particrly powerful, Guo Qiang was an expert on the Earthly List. Moreover, during the ambush, Guo Qiang had prepared numerous traps hidden around the wilderness.


    Utilizing those traps and hidden weapons, Guo Qiang sessfully seized Ling Gengqiu’s head, torso, and one leg. Due to the urgency, Guo Qiang couldn’t grab the other parts of Ling Gengqiu’s body and had to escape with what he had acquired.


    Afterward, Guo Qiang found a ce to build a grave, burying Ling Gengqiu’s body parts inside. Besides him, no one else knew about this incident or the exact location of the grave.


    Until hisst moments, Guo Qiang didn’t want the secret to remain buried forever, so he recorded the entire incident on the paper and hid it within the oilmp. Fortunately, Guo Qiang did this; otherwise, no one would know where Ling Gengqiu had been buried.


    Tianling de!


    In Guo Qiang’s final words, he mentioned that the location of the grave was hidden within the Tianling de.