Chapter 239 - 140: A Direct Approach
Before he heard that voice, Gu Yuxian had been in quite a good mood.
As a highly respected elder of the Jianghu, renowned for both his seniority and his Martial Arts, he had clearly been afforded the courtesy his station deserved.
These juniors from the younger generation knew their place, a fact he thoroughly enjoyed.
This feeling of satisfaction almost made him forget the wound to his pride inflicted by a certain brat who had no respect for his elders.
But just then, that familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.
A deliberately buried memory was suddenly unlocked, and a bone-deep chill shot up his spine to the crown of his head.
The people who had just been clearing a path for him couldn’t help but stare in astonishment when they heard this name.
For one, they wondered who could be so audacious as to call Gu Yuxian "Old Man Gu." For another, they were shocked by Gu Yuxian’s reaction... Why did he look like he’d been struck motionless, as if his pressure points were sealed?
He was frozen to the spot, not moving a muscle.
They had all heard that Gu Yuxian had a terrible temper. Was he so incandescent with rage that he was on the verge of exploding?
They turned to see who was so hopelessly tactless.
What they saw was a man and a woman, accompanied by a little girl.
They all looked remarkably young.
Just as the crowd was wondering where these greenhorns had come from, the trio arrived before them. The young man reached out and clapped Gu Yuxian on the shoulder.
"Old Man Gu, long time no see."
Everyone who witnessed this scene stared with wide eyes.
And yet, Gu Yuxian—who everyone expected to erupt in fury—showed no anger at all...
He turned, his wrinkled face breaking into a wide smile. Onlookers could even detect a hint of fawning in the creases of his expression.
’What in the world is going on?’
Then they heard Gu Yuxian say with a laugh:
"Young Hero Fang... It’s been a while. I trust you’ve been well?"
What they didn’t know was that in that very instant, Gu Yuxian was mentally kicking himself.
’Did I have to get so carried away?’
’How did I not notice that this Evil God was here too?’
After leaving Flying Snow City, Gu Yuxian had actually laid low for quite some time, no longer daring to pull rank on the younger generation.
He was terrified of running into another "unreasonable" person like Fang Shuwen. In fact, he had made up his mind to give Fang Shuwen a wide berth whenever he encountered him in the Jianghu.
Who would have thought he’d be cornered like this before he even had a chance to retreat?
He wasn’t worried that Fang Shuwen still wanted to kill him; if that were the case, he would have done it back in the tunnels beneath Flying Snow City.
His main concern now was that Fang Shuwen would humiliate him.
"I’m doing fine."
Fang Shuwen gave Gu Yuxian a knowing, crooked smile and said:
"Seeing as you’re cutting such an impressive figure here, Elder Gu, how about you lead the way for us? Let us bask in your radiant glory?"
HISS!
Gu Yuxian drew a sharp breath. ’Has the boy had a change of heart? Why is he being so respectful all of a sudden?’
Not daring to overthink it, he nodded quickly.
"Young Hero Fang, follow me. With me here, no one will dare stand in your way."
"Excellent. Then we’ll be counting on you, Elder."
Hearing this, Gu Yuxian finally relaxed. He immediately clasped his hands behind his back and bellowed to the crowd ahead:
"Make way!"
The onlookers, as if waking from a dream, finally snapped to their senses and cleared a path.
Gu Yuxian strode ahead, somehow appearing even more ostentatious than before.
People on both sides of the path couldn’t help but stare at Fang Shuwen. Some tried to guess his identity; anyone who could make Gu Yuxian clear the way for them while they reaped the benefits was no ordinary person.
Then, someone gasped.
"Could... could that be Fang Shuwen?!"
The name "Fang Shuwen" seemed to possess a kind of Magic Power.
As it reached the ears of everyone present, a series of sharp gasps rippled through the crowd.
The fiend who walks the earth is no scholar! He’s the Demon Evil God who stains the sky with blood!
Although storytellers were known for their exaggerations,
for some reason, those two lines had taken root deep in people’s hearts.
Suddenly, even the hint of a smile playing on Fang Shuwen’s lips seemed to carry a murderous edge.
No wonder Gu Yuxian was acting like a fox borrowing a tiger’s might. And no wonder he was so polite to Fang Shuwen...
It seemed the rumors about the Demon Evil God were true. Even Gu Yuxian didn’t dare to put on airs in his presence.
The gazes from the crowd were a mixture of confusion, wariness, and terror.
Fang Shuwen took it all in, but pretended not to notice.
He had only approached Gu Yuxian to have him clear a path.
It saved him the trouble of having to push his way through the crowd himself.
As it turned out, Gu Yuxian’s reputation was quite useful. The group soon reached the very front of the crowd.
Fang Shuwen scanned the area, but he didn’t see Yu Yaoguang or the others. Dong Wangyou hadn’t arrived yet, either.
And those hidden beneath the surface had yet to show themselves.
However, his eyes did land on several noteworthy figures.
They all shared one distinct feature: no one dared to crowd them.
Fang Shuwen glanced at them one by one—five men and one woman. ’I wonder who they are?’
Chen Yan had been led away by that donkey of his, leaving Fang Shuwen without an important source of information.
Fortunately, Gu Yuxian was worldly and knowledgeable, so he asked:
"Elder Gu, who are they?"
Hearing the words "Elder Gu" again, Gu Yuxian was practically overwhelmed with flattery. He followed Fang Shuwen’s pointing finger and quickly replied with a smile:
"Those are all masters from the Eastern Domain Martial World."
"The man in his thirties with the Iron Sword on his back is known in the Jianghu as the ’Cyan Mountain Cross Sword.’ His name is Jian Yiheng."
"His Seven Cross Swordsmanship is quite ingenious. I’ve never crossed swords with him myself, but I’ve heard his Swordsmanship is focused on defense, not offense."
"He always puts himself in an unbeatable position from the outset. If an opponent dares to attack, he seizes the opportunity to counter, thereby securing his victory."