Chapter 481 384: Ice Soul Divine Needle, Differing Hearts and Minds

Having confirmed this, Feng Chengxiu recalled the promise Tong Guan had made in his letter, and a sense of eagerness surged within him once more.

'The audience lasted less than ten minutes. He came out very quickly…' At the Weishui Garrison, Fan Zheng Heng lowered his head in deep thought upon hearing the news.

Judging from the various pieces of information, the Gu Family's attempt to win over Chen Ping'an was perfectly clear. However, it now seemed his previous speculations differed somewhat from reality. Combining this with the rumors that had been widely circulating in the State Garrison Command, Fan Zheng Heng had already reached a conclusion.

'Previously, Gu Qingchan didn't hesitate to antagonize a Grandmaster from the Qiankun Bureau for Chen Ping'an's sake. But that was just a chance for her to state her position and protect her family's prestige and interests!'

'It was the Gu Family making a grand gesture to attract talent! It was a calculated move, definitely not because Gu Qingchan herself saw something special in Chen Ping'an!'

All things considered, the one within the Gu Family who truly decided to win over Chen Ping'an was Gu Haoqing, the Candidate for Chief of the State Garrison Command, not Gu Qingchan herself.

Fan Zheng Heng had held a high position for many years and was familiar with the ways of the Noble Families. Noble Families had numerous factions, each with its own interests and considerations. Even a family as powerful as the Gu Family was no exception. For the same action or decision, the results would be vastly different depending on the power backing it.

Take the Gu Family trying to win over Chen Ping'an through a marriage alliance. The outcome would be completely different if Gu Qingchan were the one pushing for it versus Gu Haoqing. This might not have mattered before, but now that Gu Qingchan had entered the Mid-Jade Balance Stage, her status in the Gu Family had skyrocketed, far surpassing Gu Qinghao's.

If Chen Ping'an could win her favor, his ascent would truly be unstoppable!

Even within the same family, getting something done naturally required the corresponding power to push it forward. For the same matter, the greater one's authority, the more forceful the push!

Just like with the marriage alliance, if Gu Qingchan were to champion the matter, the noble daughter the Gu Family eventually married off would be of absolutely extraordinary status. At the very least, she would be from the direct lineage, and possibly even from the core direct lineage!

Conversely, if Gu Qinghao were the one pushing for it, the results would be somewhat diminished.

'It seems the Gu Family's regard for Chen Ping'an is quite a bit lower than I expected,' Fan Zheng Heng thought.

According to his prior understanding, both Gu Qingchan and Gu Haoqing held Chen Ping'an in high regard. They were willing to offend a Grandmaster of the Same Realm to secure the marriage alliance and bring him into the Gu Family's fold.

But the reality now was that only Gu Haoqing truly valued Chen Ping'an. While Gu Qingchan didn't look down on Chen Ping'an, she definitely didn't regard him as highly as he had anticipated.

Now that he thought about it carefully, this was the only thing that made sense!

With very few exceptions, which of the renowned Martial Arts Masters hadn't once been a prodigy on the Rising Star Chart! And those who ascended to the Grandmaster Realm were once prodigies who had stunned an entire generation.

Gu Qingchan herself had once been a peerless prodigy who dominated her generation! She had crushed the prodigies from over a dozen Rising Star Chart cycles to claim the number one spot!

Canglong State City spanned thousands of miles and had a countless population. Every year, dazzling new prodigies would emerge like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. But in the end, only a small handful of them would become famous masters!

Mang Blade Chen Ping'an's talent was certainly good, even bordering on astonishing, but in Gu Qingchan's eyes, it was probably nothing special!

The news that Chen Ping'an had been granted an audience but came out quickly also reached the other top-level dignitaries of Weishui County City. However, people at different levels naturally had different perspectives and outlooks.

Some were still marveling that Chen Ping'an had been granted a special audience with Gu Qingchan, while others used this event to discern something deeper.

...

A jet-black carriage rolled slowly to a stop in front of a residence.

"Elder Gu, we're here!" Inside the carriage, Chen Ping'an was a bit speechless as he looked at the beautiful, palace-gowned woman sitting across from him.

'I only went to pay her a token visit. How did she end up sneaking out with me!?'

'Unbelievable!'