Chapter 150: A Bold Conjecture

Conversely, if he were to rely solely on his own strength, the outcome would be precisely as Gu Hanguang had stated earlier: the gap between him and Luo Kui would only continue to widen.

"Pardon my dullness, my lord, but I must ask you to spell it out clearly." Although Lu Yunshu did not fully grasp the underlying depth, he knew very well in his heart that the Lord Gu before him was no benevolent saint, nor did he possess any desire to save the world. Without the driving force of mutual benefit, there was simply no reason for the other party to cast aside the lucrative business of the Rouge Pavilion to help him exact his revenge.

Yet, after careful reflection, Lu Yunshu felt a sense of relief.

Right now, this seemed to be the only path left for him to take. But as long as there remained a glimmer of survival, he would not give up. Though his family and dependents had only gathered together after arriving in the Ghost City, the bonds between them ran deep, and he was not a cold-blooded and unfeeling man.

What happened earlier was born of absolute necessity. If he had not made a swift choice, none of them would have survived in the end. Rather than throwing away his own life, it was far better to preserve the green mountains so that wood could still be cut. Such a simple and straightforward truth was something most people would make the correct choice upon realizing.

As for whether Gu Hanguang harbored any other motives, Lu Yunshu actually did not mind, nor did he harbor any resentment in his heart. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world; it was entirely reasonable for the other party to extract benefits from him.

Whether it was Gu Hanguang helping him establish the Rouge Pavilion in the past or this unknown purpose now, what he gained would always outweigh what he lost, would it not?

To put it bluntly, they were merely taking what they needed from each other.

"The scope of the Ghost City is simply too small. Even if one fights tooth and nail, there is no guarantee of ascending to a high position. Only that vast and boundless world out there is filled with infinite possibilities. I have a mind to establish a caravan to facilitate trade and exchange between the two realms. I wonder if you have the confidence to shoulder this heavy responsibility?" A sharp gleam flashed in Gu Hanguang's eyes. This idea had long taken root in his mind, but he had never found a suitable opportunity.

It was only just now, when the notion resurfaced, that it refused to be dismissed. Compared to this grand vision before him, everything he had done in the past could only be described as trifling child's play.

However, opportunity and danger always coexisted. For beings like them, who were ghosts walking among the mortal realm, the journey would hardly be smooth sailing, destined as it was to be fraught with countless thorny obstacles.

Back then, these people had gathered in the Ghost City precisely to escape the rejection of the mortal world. If they were to be sent back into the mortal realm, almost none of them would be willing.

Yet Gu Hanguang believed that heavy rewards would inevitably attract brave men—an immutable truth throughout the ages.

"This..." Hearing this, Lu Yunshu froze in surprise. Gu Hanguang's words caught him entirely off guard. Walking between the mortal realm and the Ghost City—how was that any different from licking blood off the blade of a knife?

However, the tone in which Gu Hanguang spoke clearly brooked no refusal; he simply had no room for negotiation.

Gu Hanguang smiled, having long anticipated Lu Yunshu's reaction.

"You should not view this as a bitter chore. In fact, if you think about it carefully, how can one grow rapidly without experiencing hardship?"

"You might as well change your perspective and treat this as a disguised form of self-cultivation. Sometimes, by imposing proper pressure upon yourself, your vengeance will not seem so far away."

Gu Hanguang slowly persuaded him. Although much of it sounded like high-sounding platitudes, it was undeniable that his words were not wrong. Sometimes, when refusal is impossible, one might as well change direction and try to accept it.

At the very least, doing so would make one's own heart feel much lighter.

Lu Yunshu remained silent for a moment before finally nodding gently, yielding to the other's arrangement.

"My lord, although the mortal realm appears peaceful on the surface, it is actually fraught with churning undercurrents. Whether it is the Bureau of Extraordinary Beings, other unknown factions, or those unpredictable and unforeseen dangers, all of them pose massive hindrances to us. With my... meager strength, I fear I might fail the lord's expectations," Lu Yunshu said with a troubled expression.

These were the greatest difficulties they were about to face. Although talented and extraordinary individuals in the mortal world had nearly vanished from sight, the mortal realm was definitely not as simple as it appeared on the surface. Otherwise, ghosts and monsters would have run rampant through the human world long ago, and they would not have needed to flee into this Ghost City for refuge.

Gu Hanguang mused, "You need not worry about any of this. I will arrange everything properly. While I cannot guarantee absolute infallibility, I will do my utmost to ensure your safety. As long as you maintain the overarching stability of the big picture, generally no major errors will occur."

"Besides, what we are about to do is legitimate business. As long as you act in a low-key manner and refrain from committing crimes, it should not draw the attention of others."

How could he not have considered these potential crises? It was just that such crises could only be guarded against, not entirely eliminated.

And the only method of prevention was to strengthen oneself while remaining cautious; beyond that, there was no other way.

Lu Yunshu nodded thoughtfully. The logic was indeed sound; it sounded simple, but putting it into practice remained a formidable trial.

Moreover, the things he was about to do next would likely be hard-pressed *not* to attract the attention of others. Gu Hanguang's concept was none other than extracting items absent from the mortal realm out of the Ghost City, and then purchasing goods scarce in the Ghost City from the mortal world—this was the simplest form of commercial enterprise.

Yet very few people in the Ghost City ever attempted it, not because of superficial vision, but because the myriad restrictions deterred many from even taking the first step.

Even Gu Hanguang had no certainty in his heart as to whether this endeavor would succeed; the truth would only reveal itself after they tried. Even if it failed, however, the losses would not be overly devastating for him.

If it succeeded, on the other hand, the profits would be astronomical.

Therefore, from whatever angle one viewed it, this endeavor was absolutely worth a try.

In this small realm, if one wanted power, one must first possess wealth. Opening up trade routes was the first and most crucial step in accumulating his capital.

In truth, this Ghost City was merely a mirrored reflection of the mortal world, and even its officialdom was shockingly similar. To be promoted rapidly in the mortal realm, one either needed extraordinary talent coupled with a certain degree of fortune to rise steadily, though a vast majority of talented individuals still languished in obscurity.

Perhaps they lacked opportunities, or perhaps due to other reasons, but advancing step by footprint through honest toil was far too slow compared to the second path.

As for the second path, it required connections—or, to put it more colloquially, having someone powerful behind the scenes. The factional strife within the mortal imperial court mostly stemmed from this very cause.

Without a backer, one had to devise every possible means to create one. This was the primary purpose behind Gu Hanguang's painstaking efforts to expand the trade routes; if he relied solely on conventional promotions, it would be virtually impossible for him to advance any further.