Grassroots Travel: The Star Lord of Another World

Chapter 285 Token

Gao Xingchen frowned, and the words of the wealthy businessman Li echoed in his ears. He knew the danger of seeking the skin of a tiger, but now Xingchen Pavilion was slandered for treason, and almost the entire star field was hunting them down. He had no way to retreat.

"What does Boss Li want me to do?" Gao Xingchen's voice was low, with a hint of suppressed anger.

"What I want you to help me deal with is..." Mr. Li approached Gao Xingchen and whispered something in his ear.

Gao Xingchen's pupils shrank slightly after hearing this. The target of the wealthy businessman Li was actually... But he quickly calmed down and asked calmly, "How long will it take me?"

"The sooner the better." Li Fushang patted Gao Xingchen's shoulder, his eyes gleaming, "As long as you help me solve this problem, I promise that the crisis of Xingchen Pavilion will be my crisis."

Gao Xingchen sneered in his heart. This rich businessman Li was indeed cunning and treacherous. He spoke nicely but did not mention a word about how to help Xingchen Pavilion clear its grievances. He only promised to lend a hand. It was obvious that he wanted to use him first and then make plans.

But at this moment, Gao Xingchen had no choice. After discussing with Nan Li, he decided to temporarily agree to the conditions of the rich businessman Li in exchange for a chance to breathe.

Under the arrangement of Mr. Li, Gao Xingchen and Nanli successfully escaped several pursuits, but other members of Xingchen Pavilion were not so lucky.

"What did you say? Most of the brothers have been arrested?" Gao Xingchen felt as if struck by lightning when he heard the news.

"Yes, Pavilion Master." The Xingchen Pavilion disciple who came to report the news was full of guilt, "We...we failed to protect them..."

Gao Xingchen suppressed the grief in his heart and asked, "What about Xuanfeng? How is he?"

"Senior Brother Xuanfeng...he single-handedly led away the pursuers in order to cover our retreat..." The disciple's voice choked up when he said this.

Gao Xingchen felt his eyes go dark and he almost fainted. Xuanfeng was his most trusted brother and the backbone of Xingchen Pavilion. If he also...

Nan Li supported Gao Xingchen in time and said in a deep voice: "Now is not the time to be sad, we must find a way to rescue the captured brothers as soon as possible!"

Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He knew that Xingchen Pavilion was in danger and he couldn't fall down. He had to cheer up and lead the remaining brothers through the difficulties.

However, fate seemed to be playing a joke on Gao Xingchen. Just as he was about to rescue the captured Xingchen Pavilion members, another piece of bad news came...

Gao Xingchen suppressed his grief and summoned all the surviving members of the Xingchen Pavilion. The originally magnificent meeting hall now only had a few people left, and the atmosphere was so depressing that it was suffocating.

"Pavilion Master, we can't keep running like this!" A burly man stood up. He was one of the elders of the Xingchen Pavilion, named Zhao Shan, and was known for his hot temper. "Brothers are dead or injured. If this continues, the Xingchen Pavilion will be dragged down sooner or later!"

"Elder Zhao is right!" Another elder also echoed, "We can't just sit there and wait for death. We must fight back! Even if we have to fight to the death, we can't let the court bully us like this!"

Their words resonated with many people. The members of the Star Pavilion, who were already in panic due to the successive blows, were now even more excited.

Gao Xingchen looked at the scene in front of him with mixed feelings. He knew that Zhao Shan and the elders were right. They needed to fight back and avenge their dead brothers. But given the current situation of Xingchen Pavilion, could they really fight back?

"I understand how you feel." Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and said slowly, "But what we need to do now is to first figure out why the court wants to take action against us! We in Xingchen Pavilion have always been law-abiding and have never done anything to harm the court. Why are we suddenly accused of a false crime?"

"Master, what's the point of saying this now!" A young disciple shouted with red eyes, "Since the imperial court wants to kill us, then we will fight them!"

Gao Xingchen wanted to say something else, but Nan Li grabbed his hand. Nan Li shook her head, signaling him not to say anything more.

"I know everyone is in pain and angry." Nan Li's voice was cold and firm, "But we can't lose our composure now! There must be a reason why Xingchen Pavilion has come to this point today. Only by finding the reason can we find a solution to the problem!"

"Reason? What other reason is there?" Zhao Shan snorted coldly, "It's because we are blocking someone's way! Those people want to kill all of us in Xingchen Pavilion!"

"Elder Zhao, calm down!" Gao Xingchen said in a deep voice, "We haven't found any evidence yet to prove that someone is framing us from behind."

"Evidence? What evidence do you need?" Zhao Shan pointed at Gao Xingchen's nose and roared, "Ever since you became the Pavilion Master, our Xingchen Pavilion has been on a downward spiral! First we offended the Tianxing Sect, and now we are wanted by the court. All of this is caused by you!"

Zhao Shan's accusation was like a sharp blade that stabbed into Gao Xingchen's heart. He knew that although Zhao Shan's words were harsh, they were not completely unreasonable. Since he became the Pavilion Master, Xingchen Pavilion has indeed experienced many twists and turns.

"That's enough!" Nan Li shouted at Zhao Shan, "What time is it now? Do you still want to fight among yourselves?"

Nan Li's words calmed everyone down. Yes, what time is it now? Xingchen Pavilion has reached a critical moment of life and death, but they are still fighting among themselves. What is the difference between this and self-destruction?

"Report——"

Just then, a disciple ran in hurriedly, breaking the depressing atmosphere in the meeting room.

"What's the matter? How can you be so flustered!" Gao Xingchen scolded.

"Pavilion Master..." the disciple panted, "We...our spies in the city...all...all were killed..."

"what?!"

Gao Xingchen and Nan Li's faces suddenly turned ugly when they heard this. The spies they had planted in the city were all specially trained and were responsible for collecting intelligence for them. Now that all these spies were killed, it meant that they had completely lost contact with the outside world and also lost an important source of intelligence.

Not long ago, their mysterious ally was also exposed due to an accident and was hunted by the court. His life or death is still unknown...

The successive blows made Gao Xingchen and Nan Li feel unprecedented pressure. They seemed to be trapped in an invisible net, being ruthlessly played by fate.

Gao Xingchen knew that they didn't have much time left. He had to find the truth as soon as possible, otherwise, Xingchen Pavilion would be doomed...

The meeting room was in deathly silence, and everyone seemed to be unable to breathe as if they were being crushed by a huge rock. Gao Xingchen slumped down in his chair, his eyes full of bloodshot. The continuous blows had pushed him to the brink of collapse.

Nan Li walked to his side and gently held his hand, silently passing on strength. She understood that what Gao Xingchen needed now was not comfort, but hope.

"I'll go investigate." Nan Li's voice was as calm as ever, yet with an unquestionable firmness.

She turned and left the meeting room, her slender figure disappearing into the night. Watching Nan Li leave, Gao Xingchen felt a glimmer of hope in his heart. He knew that Nan Li would not give up, and as long as she was there, there was still hope for Xingchen Pavilion.

Nan Li's investigation was extremely difficult. The imperial court blocked all news, and all the spies of the Xingchen Pavilion were killed. She could only rely on her limited connections and extraordinary wisdom to find clues bit by bit.

Finally, she discovered a deliberately concealed secret in an inconspicuous corner. It turned out that the reason why Xingchen Pavilion was wanted by the court was because they accidentally got the key evidence about a mysterious force. This mysterious force has been hiding in the dark, controlling the court and even the entire Nine Star Realm. In order to cover up the truth, the court wanted to kill Xingchen Pavilion at all costs.

Nan Li, who learned the truth, was in a state of panic. She finally understood that what Xingchen Pavilion was facing this time was not only pressure from the court, but also a huge and terrifying conspiracy.

She immediately passed the news to Gao Xingchen. After listening to Nan Li's report, Gao Xingchen was speechless for a long time. He finally understood that all this was not accidental, and they had fallen into someone else's trap from the beginning.

"Xingchen, what should we do now?" Xuanfeng asked anxiously.

Gao Xingchen took a deep breath, a determined light flashed in his eyes: "Since they want to play, then we will play with them to the end! I will go to the palace to meet the emperor, tell him everything, and expose the true face of that mysterious force!"

"What?!" Xuan Feng was horrified. "Pavilion Master, this is too dangerous! The imperial court is looking for us everywhere now. If you enter the palace alone, it will be like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth!"

"I know it's dangerous, but I have no choice." Gao Xingchen said firmly, "Instead of sitting and waiting to die, it's better to give it a try! I believe the emperor is a wise ruler. As long as he knows the truth, he will definitely give justice to Xingchen Pavilion!"

Xuanfeng wanted to persuade her again but was stopped by Nanli.

"Let him go." Nan Li looked at Gao Xingchen, his eyes full of trust and worry, "I believe in him."

Gao Xingchen looked at Nan Li gratefully, then turned and strode away. He knew that this time, his life or death was uncertain, but he had made up his mind that for the sake of Xingchen Pavilion, for his dead brothers, and for the justice in his heart, he would never back down!

However, the road to the palace was more difficult than Gao Xingchen had imagined. Along the way, he encountered countless assassinations, and each time was dangerous. His physical and mental strength had reached the limit, but he always gritted his teeth and persisted, because he knew that he could not fall down, and the hope of Xingchen Pavilion rested on him.

Just when Gao Xingchen felt desperate, Nan Li suddenly appeared in front of him, holding an ancient token in her hand...

Gao Xingchen staggered to avoid a flying blade, and his violent panting made his eyes go dark. Ever since the Xingchen Pavilion was wanted by the imperial court, he had been fleeing with the remaining brothers. The pursuit along the way made them exhausted. The once high-spirited Pavilion Master of Xingchen Pavilion was now ragged and covered with scars.

"Master, we can't go any further. There is the Black Wind Ridge ahead, which is an ambush circle set by the imperial court!" Xuanfeng supported the staggering Gao Xingchen, his face full of anxiety.

"Cough cough... cough cough..." Gao Xingchen coughed out a mouthful of blood foam. He looked up at the dark mountains in the distance, his eyes full of despair, "Am I really going to die here? I feel sorry for my dead brothers, and even more sorry for Li'er..."

The days of fleeing and fighting had already pushed his physical and mental strength to the limit. What made him even more desperate was that there were disagreements within the Star Pavilion. Some people could not stand this kind of displaced life and chose to leave. The people's hearts were scattered, and the once united Star Pavilion was now only a shaky shell.

"Stars!"

Just when Gao Xingchen was about to give up hope, a familiar voice rang in his ears like the sound of nature. He looked up suddenly and saw a graceful figure passing through the treetops like the breeze and landing steadily in front of him.

It’s Nanli!

Gao Xingchen could hardly believe his eyes. Ever since Nanli said she was going to investigate the truth, they had lost contact. He prayed countless times for Nanli's safe return, but he was also worried that she would meet with an accident. Now, she finally came back, just like every time she appeared beside him, timely and firm, bringing him hope and strength.

"Lier, I'm so glad that you're okay..." Gao Xingchen wanted to stand up excitedly, but fell to the ground again due to exhaustion.

Nan Li supported him, her eyes full of heartache. She gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said firmly: "I'm fine, I'll take you away from here."

"Leave? Where else can we go?" Gao Xingchen smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Is there still a place for us in the entire Nine Star Realm?"

Nan Li did not speak, but took out an ancient token from his bosom and handed it to Gao Xingchen. The token was dark in color, with a lifelike five-clawed golden dragon carved on it, emitting a kind of frightening pressure.

"This is..." Gao Xingchen took the token doubtfully, and a familiar feeling came over him. He had seen this token in the secret room of Xingchen Pavilion before, and it was said to be the key token to unlock a mysterious force.

"During my investigation, I discovered that the one who framed Xingchen Pavilion was not the emperor, but a mysterious force hidden within the court." Nan Li lowered his voice and said, "This token is the evidence of their collusion!"

Gao Xingchen was immediately cheered up when he heard this. He tightly grasped the token in his hand, and the light of hope rekindled in his eyes.

"Lier, could the news you bring be a turning point for Xingchen Pavilion?" he murmured to himself, his tone full of anticipation and uneasiness.