Chapter 194 - 194 194 The Belated Truth (1)

Words : 1394 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

Chapter 194: Chapter 194: The Belated Truth (1) Chapter 194: Chapter 194: The Belated Truth (1) No matter the past or present life, ten years is such a long time. How could Gu Qiaoqiao not recognize her grandfather’s handwriting? It was a handwritten manuscript. The strokes were still somewhat immature. Similar to her own when she was fifteen. Gu Qiaoqiao’s eyes blurred, her heart thudding as if someone was hammering away at it. Sёarch* The Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. She felt weak and sat down on the floor. Then she took a deep breath, pinched the inside of her thigh, and forced herself to calm down. She glanced at the door, which was quiet now. Gu Qiaoqiao lowered her head and began to read from the first page. The characters were written vertically, making it somewhat difficult to read, but she eagerly devoured every word. It was knowledge about gemstones, excerpted by her grandfather from other books. It was comprehensive, and it even included diagrams of the gemstones. One look at the diagrams and she knew they were drawn by her grandfather. For one of them, he had drawn it for her before, teaching her that such a gemstone, if possessed, would bring fortune to the owner. As Gu Qiaoqiao reached the end, she suddenly gripped the corner of a page tightly. This had nothing to do with gemstones. It was a random note written by her grandfather after he had finished. “There are countless jade stones in the world, and this may be one of them. Only a jade of spirit can be made into an Organ Box, which cannot be opened by force but requires a secret method to unlock. My lifelong wish is to master the art of the mechanism and open the object my father cherished, seeking its secret is enough, strive and strive.” Gu Qiaoqiao narrowed her eyes slightly. Organ Box, the item her father cherished — could it be the Mysterious Dragon Box in her grandfather’s hands? It must be. Otherwise, what else could it be? And the reason why the name Mysterious Dragon Box wasn’t mentioned here was because it was inconvenient to write about. Gu Qiaoqiao turned the pages to the back. Blank… Turning one more page, she was at the last one, which read: The cuckoo usurps the nest of another, human hearts are perilous. Below it was the signature, Hermit. Hermit, Hermit! Gu Qiaoqiao’s face paled, that was her grandfather’s pseudonym. It was also the mark he used when carving. This book was written by her grandfather. Gu Qiaoqiao stood up, leaning on the bookcase. She let out a long breath. And held the book tightly to her chest. In this moment, Gu Qiaoqiao’s face was stone-cold and her heart was in turmoil. But then her phone rang, snapping Gu Qiaoqiao back to reality, and she hurried to the coffee table to answer it. It was Qin Yize’s voice, clear and melodious as a mountain spring splashing on rocks, “I will be with the Great Grandfather at the hospital at noon. You and Xiao Yuan go ahead and eat lunch. I’ll be back in the afternoon.” Gu Qiaoqiao paused for a moment, then spoke up in a hoarse voice, “How is Old Patriarch Gu doing?” “He’s fine, just suffered some minor injuries. It’s just that the son he just acknowledged has died, from a cerebral hemorrhage…” “I see,” she said. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in the afternoon,” Qin Yize said, trying to comfort her gently. Gu Qiaoqiao suddenly asked in an unusually calm voice, “Is Great Grandfather there with you?” “Yes, do you need something?” “Um.” Soon, Old Grand Master Qin’s robust voice came through, “Qiaoqiao, what do you need from me?” “Great Grandfather, I just found a gemstone catalogue on your bookshelf. Where did you buy it?” Old Lady Qin obviously paused, then slapped her forehead, “You mean that handwritten copy?” “Yes, Great Grandfather,” Gu Qiaoqiao’s voice was gentle and yet serene. “It wasn’t bought; it was given to me by Gu Qingfeng. Once, when I wanted to learn how to appraise gemstones, he found that book for me. He said it was copied by his son Gu Kun when he was in his teens. It’s very comprehensive. Later, when we fell out, the book just stayed with me.” Gu Qiaoqiao’s hand held the phone receiver tightly, but her voice remained calm, “Great Grandfather, may I take a look at it?” “Of course, Qiaoqiao, you can pick whichever book you like, no need to be polite with your great grandfather.” “Alright, thank you, Great Grandfather, then you go ahead with your business.” “Qiaoqiao, just stay at home; we will be back soon.” “Okay,” Gu Qiaoqiao agreed. After the line was disconnected, she also mechanically placed the receiver down. Looking at the book in her hands, her eyes reddened, wanting to cry but with not a single tear coming out; her eyes dry and sore. She blinked her eyes. Without even looking at the photos, linking one thing to another, she was certain—her Grandfather was Gu Kun. He was the son of Gu Qingfeng! The Gu Kun who had just passed away was an impostor. And Grandfather had changed his name to Gu Dashan because in his childhood his nickname was “Mountain Hermit.” Mountain Hermit. Add a horizontal stroke to the character for “person” and it becomes the character for “big”; there was a reason behind calling him Gu Dashan. Gu Qingfeng also had a Second Lady. The Second Lady now lived in the North Mountain Villa with a son named Gu Cheng, ten years younger than Grandfather. Sun Chuxia had seen the Second Lady before leaving the Imperial Capital! Gu Qiaoqiao’s expression hardened; without hesitation, she took her shoulder bag and gingerly placed the book inside. She glanced at a rectangular box, similar to a lighter, inside her bag. It was something Qin Yize had picked up last night on the way home, from an inconspicuous and dark little shop. In fact, it was a miniature shooting weapon for self-defense with a switch. It contained ten bullets made from ground stones. Its range was a hundred meters. But it was disguised as a lighter. Gu Qiaoqiao pressed the lighter, then strode towards the door. But at the entrance, she ran into Xiao Yuan who had just returned from buying groceries. Gu Qiaoqiao told her that Old Patriarch and Qin Yize were both at the hospital, she had something urgent and needed to leave first. Xiao Yuan was extremely disappointed. Gu Qiaoqiao apologized, assuring her that she would surely come back after a few days when things had settled down. Then Gu Qiaoqiao hurried away. When she reached the main road, she hailed a taxi and headed towards the North Mountain Villa District. The distance from here to the North Mountain Villa wasn’t far, and Gu Qiaoqiao was unusually calm today. In the past, she was muddle-headed because she knew nothing. When something happened, she would guess wildly. But now, she had a direction. However, she still had one last question that wasn’t yet confirmed; Gu Qiaoqiao did not indulge in wild conjectures any longer. She needed to stay clear-headed to deal with whatever came next. The car stopped at the entrance to the North Mountain Villa District. Vehicles from outside were not allowed in. The security guard at the gate stopped them directly. Gu Qiaoqiao got out of the car with confidence, put on her sunglasses, and smiled sweetly at the guard. As he got distracted, she walked past him as if no one else was there. The area here was actually quite spacious. It was a newly built affluent area in recent years. It featured convenient transportation and beautiful scenery. Gu Qiaoqiao furrowed her brows as she looked into the distance, noticing that there were quite a number of people coming and going. She walked a bit further, until she saw an old lady selling ice cream from a cart. Gu Qiaoqiao approached, bought an ice cream, and after paying, she asked the old lady with a beaming smile, “Ma’am, I want to ask you about someone.”

Chapter 194 - 194 194 The Belated Truth (1)

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