Chapter 258 : Observing the Battle
Chapter 258: Observing the Battle
In the early morning, as the first rays of the sun shone into the courtyard, Gu Haochuan, who was meditating in his room, suddenly opened his eyes and said, “She has come out of the Chen Residence.”
A few breaths later, his nephew and disciple Gu Zhengshan came over from the neighboring room. “Master, should we follow her?”
“Let’s go.”
Gu Haochuan stood up and, taking his nephew, left the courtyard they had rented for two days.
All the way, they trailed Yuan Ziyi from afar, keeping precisely at the edge of her spiritual sense.
After walking for half a day, Gu Zhengshan asked curiously, “Master, where is she going? Doesn’t she know Du Rusong wants to kill her?”
Gu Haochuan had already guessed her intentions. He suddenly sighed and said, “You all… from childhood have been too well sheltered by the family. Even the courage to face difficulties head-on has been worn away.”
Gu Zhengshan’s eyes widened in shock. “You’re saying she wants to use herself as bait to draw Du Rusong out? How does she dare?”
A newly-broken-through Second Grade—how dare she challenge a First Grade?
Du Rusong was a First Grade Purple-Robed Inspector of the Six Doors, a battle-hardened powerhouse. He was by no means comparable to those trash First Grades from the Blood Demon Sect.
How was this any different from courting death?
Gu Haochuan said calmly, “Since she dares to do this, she must have some reliance. I truly want to see what her reliance is. With just this courage, if she can live to break through to First Grade, she will surely be a peerless sword master.”
“Master, if she cannot withstand that Du Rusong, will you step in to save her?”
“Why save her?” Gu Haochuan asked in return.
Gu Zhengshan said, “Master admires her so much. This disciple thought you wanted to form some good ties with her.”
Gu Haochuan said earnestly, “Little Five, do you know what our Gu Family has relied upon to stand unshaken for hundreds of years?”
Gu Zhengshan thought for a moment and whispered, “Because the Ancestor is still here.”
“Hahaha, you’re not stupid. That’s right. As long as the Ancestor lives, our Gu Family is the Jingguo Duke’s Residence, sharing fortunes and misfortunes with the State. But you must also understand, as descendants, the only thing we can do for the Ancestor is to stir up less trouble.”
Gu Haochuan continued, “So, as a Gu Family scion, you must remember—outside our doors, entangle yourself with fewer causes and effects. Don’t meddle in what you shouldn’t. If Yuan Ziyi dies at Du Rusong’s hands, what’s that to us?
“If you lack this detached state of mind and want to seek revenge and gratify enmity, then don’t do it under the Duke’s name. If you die outside like that, the Duke’s Residence will not avenge you.”
Hearing his master speak so sternly, Gu Zhengshan responded solemnly, “This disciple understands.”
“Good.”
Gu Haochuan nodded, feeling this disciple was indeed teachable.
Every aristocratic scion should understand—the capital is the capital, the jianghu is the jianghu. They are two entirely different worlds.
Those nobles who do not grasp this truth often end up with no good fate. The Sea-Calming King was the best example. As a member of the imperial bloodline, he also died inexplicably.
After so many years, even the killer has not been found.
That so-called ruler of the world, His Majesty the Emperor, has always kept silent on the matter.
The waters of the martial world run deep!
…
By evening, Gu Haochuan sensed Yuan Ziyi had stopped. Keeping about ten li between them, he also stopped.
His eyes lit up. “Du Rusong is here!”
At last he had appeared. It was not in vain that he had followed Yuan Ziyi all the way—from Xiazhou City to Jiangzhou City, then here.
Gu Zhengshan, with his Third Grade cultivation, peered ahead and faintly saw a flash of red. He immediately felt a terrifying burst of Gang Yuan.
This meant the two had already crossed hands.
He focused his gaze and saw Yuan Ziyi receive one of Du Rusong’s killing strikes—and actually survive! His heart trembled in shock.
When Du Rusong struck, he certainly would not hold back. For Yuan Ziyi to withstand a full-force blow from a First Grade powerhouse was simply inconceivable.
Were there such monsters in the jianghu whose strength far surpassed their rank?
Gu Haochuan did not rush to act. He stood with hands clasped behind his back, listening to their exchange. His heart held some doubts—why was Du Rusong calling Yuan Ziyi “kid”?
This was strange indeed.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted and he cried out, “How does she know the ‘Heaven and Earth’s Lone Swan’ Sword Technique?”
With one glance he recognized the swordplay Yuan Ziyi was using as the Gu Family’s secret art, ‘Heaven and Earth’s Lone Swan’.
How did she know the Gu Family’s sword art?
Could it be—
Recalling Du Rusong’s earlier address, a possibility flashed in his mind. Could this woman actually be his nephew Gu Xianyu in disguise?
If so, everything made sense.
But how could this be?
Just a few months ago, when Xiao Qi left the capital, he had only been Fourth Grade. By Gu Haochuan’s estimate, he was still some distance from Third Grade. Without one or two years of accumulation, it was impossible to break through.
Thus, when he heard the news that Xiao Qi had reached Third Grade not long ago, he had been quite surprised, thinking the boy must have encountered some fortuitous chance.
But no matter what opportunity, it was absolutely impossible for Xiao Qi to go from Fourth Grade to Second Grade in just three or four months.
Unless the boy had switched to some peerless demonic art from the Cult of Eternal Life.
But as someone in the Six Doors, if he really practiced some demonic art, it would be impossible to hide it from Zhong Danyang’s eyes.
Gu Haochuan’s expression grew extremely dark. He stared hard at that “Yuan Ziyi” figure.
She not only wielded the ‘Heaven and Earth’s Lone Swan’ sword technique but her movement art was even more astonishing—coming and going without a trace, even Du Rusong, a First Grade, could not touch the hem of her robe.
Such a movement technique he had never seen in his life.
And the Gang Yuan this person used also differed greatly from Xiao Qi’s.
This person was absolutely not Xiao Qi!
What was his purpose in impersonating Xiao Qi?
Countless thoughts flickered through Gu Haochuan’s mind in an instant, his expression growing heavier.
“It really is the ‘Heaven and Earth’s Lone Swan’!”
Beside him, Gu Zhengshan also recognized it. Startled, he asked, “From where did this person learn our Gu Family’s supreme art?”
Gu Haochuan sneered. “Naturally from your useless Seventh Brother.”
Since this “Gu Xianyu” was a fake, then Xiao Qi’s fate was self-evident.
Gu Zhengshan’s mind could hardly keep up. “Master, what do you mean?”
Gu Haochuan said in a deep voice, “That so-called Gu Xianyu who became famous in Xiazhou was someone else in disguise. I said then, how could Xiao Qi transform overnight after leaving the capital? Turns out, he literally became another person.”
Gu Zhengshan could hardly imagine such a thing. For a long while he could not speak.
At that moment, Du Rusong finally unleashed his Sword Domain, trying to pin down “Yuan Ziyi’s” movement.
“Yuan Ziyi” shouted loudly, “Miss Yu, still not making your move?”
…
“So she found that Yu Family girl as a helper.”
Gu Haochuan’s heart stirred. He turned to look and saw a streak of azure light shoot up from several li away, transforming into a massive sword-gang slashing toward Du Rusong.
This sword carried the might of a First Grade.
He was moved.
That Yu Family little girl was indeed extraordinary. With only Third Grade cultivation, she could wield such power. Moreover, along the way, he had not noticed her presence at all.
How had she hidden from him?
“Hahaha—your opponent is me.”
Suddenly, a wild laugh rang out as a black-clad man leaped out from the side, blocking Yu Haitang.
Du Rusong said, “You have helpers—am I without?”
Regardless of the cost, he expanded his Sword Domain to the limit, finally locking onto “Yuan Ziyi’s” aura.
“Let’s see where you run now!”
He roared, merging man and sword, and slashed down at “Yuan Ziyi’s” head.
At this moment, “Yuan Ziyi” raised her head slightly, a faint smile appearing on her face as if to say: this was exactly what she had been waiting for.
A surge of unease rose in Du Rusong’s heart. But the arrow was on the string; he could not stop now. He had finally trapped and locked her. All that remained was one full-force blow to kill her.
Parlor tricks!
Could a mere Second Grade block his sword?
No longer hesitating, his long sword carrying crimson sword-gang chopped down fiercely. “Die!”
“Taiyue Sword!”
At this life-and-death moment, Chen Ming unleashed his final trump card. He split off half of the yellow spiritual soil in his Qi Sea and poured it entirely into the “Taiyue Sword”.
Instantly, the “Taiyue Sword” bloomed with peerless radiance. A power that made heaven and earth tremble erupted forth.
“This is—”
Du Rusong’s expression drastically changed.
Not far away, Gu Haochuan’s face also showed shock. This sword was equivalent to a strike from a Divine Repository Realm expert. That awe-inspiring force, shaking heaven and earth—he knew it well.
“Close your eyes!”
A flash of yellow sword light. The world seemed to lose all color. Compared to it, that crimson light was like a mere firefly.
Gu Haochuan closed his eyes tightly, yet still tears streamed down.
Beside him, Gu Zhengshan fared worse, screaming as bloody tears flowed from his eyes.
On the other side, the black-clad man battling Yu Haitang let out a strange cry, forcibly taking a blow from her sword before fleeing in panic.
Yu Haitang did not pursue. Her power was precious; she naturally would not waste it on irrelevant opponents.
She called out loudly, “Headmaster Yuan’s sword slays a First Grade—such might commands admiration. I have other matters and will take my leave first.”
Then her figure flickered and vanished.
【You have slain an LV99 enemy, gaining 2.1 million experience points.】
Seeing the prompt before him, Chen Ming exhaled in relief. At last he had eliminated this great foe.
Of course, the price paid was not small.
The “Taiyue Sword” in his hand had turned dim. That one strike had drained it greatly. In the near future, it was best not to wield it again, or it would consume its origin.
In the end, it might end up like the “Phoenix Cry Sword.”
Fortunately, that strike had consumed the power of the spiritual soil, not much of his own Gang Yuan. He still had strength for another fight.
He shouted, “Gentlemen, have you watched enough of the show? You can come out now.”
Three figures stepped out from three directions, bowing from afar. One of them said, “I am He Rui of Gu County. For a lady of Second Grade to slay a First Grade—this sword art is truly divine, astonishing to behold…”
The He Family of Gu County.
Just the ones he was looking for!
Chen Ming cut him off. “Since you’ve seen it, then go die.”