Chapter 140 - 138: Beating Them at Their Own Game
Qin Suguang came from humble origins. Although he was on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, he always felt inferior to talented young prodigies like Cui Xuanye and Lu Chuanshan, who hailed from major sects.
He had never even imagined that he could one day reach a high position, yet Chen Yuan had told him with utmost sincerity that he could soar to the heavens. This deeply moved Qin Suguang.
He drank a cup of wine and laughed heartily. "Then may your auspicious words come true, Brother Chen!"
Cui Xuanye and Lu Chuanshan also immediately felt that Chen Yuan was a man worth befriending.
At the Celestial Fragrance Building, he had fought six men alone with awe-inspiring might, yet in person, he was humble and courteous, showing no hint of arrogance.
It was truly the case that the more capable someone was, the more humble they behaved—unlike that scoundrel Shangguan Yun, who was nothing more than a man coasting on his family’s status, yet acted as if he looked down on everyone.
"By the way, Brother Chen, it’s best you don’t leave Danyang Prefecture for a while."
Lu Chuanshan said suddenly, his expression grave.
"Why is that?"
Lu Chuanshan said in a low voice, "My Jianghai Alliance has disciples all over the Yangtze River Basin. Although Ping Province has no major rivers, it does have a tributary, so my Jianghai Alliance has a small branch here as well.
Because I’m here for the Alchemy Convention, I’ve received quite a few intelligence reports on people from the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
According to the news from my Jianghai Alliance disciples, the people from the Blazing Sect have already returned to Yong Province, but Zuo Feiyu, Shangguan Yun, and Duan Mingzhen have been traveling around Ping Province, visiting local Jianghu experts.
You can’t bring in outside help for the Alchemy Convention, so one can only imagine what they’re doing in Ping Province.
That scoundrel Shangguan Yun may come from a noble family, but he has no principles. You must be careful, Brother Chen."
Chen Yuan nodded. "Thank you for the warning. I’ll be careful. But if Zuo Feiyu and the others are looking for someone to deal with me, could they hire a Grandmaster of the Primordial Pill Realm?"
"Of course not."
Cui Xuanye added from the side, "What kind of status does a Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster have? How could they be ordered around by a few juniors?
With their connections in Ping Province, they definitely couldn’t hire a Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster. However, they could still get some renowned experts of the Condensing Truth Realm. You shouldn’t be careless either, Brother Chen."
Chen Yuan nodded. The four of them then chatted about some Jianghu gossip, and after eating and drinking their fill, they parted ways.
Chen Yuan, for his part, was more than happy to befriend the three of them.
’Needless to say, there’s Qin Suguang, the future God of Capture of the Six Gates, a top-tier figure in both the Jianghu and the imperial court.’
’Lu Chuanshan and Cui Xuanye won’t become as famous in the future, but Lu Chuanshan is the personal disciple of the Jianghai Alliance’s Alliance Leader, and Cui Xuanye is currently the most outstanding prodigy of the Cui Family’s younger generation.’
’Given their status, as long as nothing unexpected happens, they are destined to lead the Jianghai Alliance and the Cui Family one day.’
As for Cui Xuanye and the other two, they also felt that Chen Yuan was a good person. Despite his astonishing combat record, he was very humble.
This was especially true for Qin Suguang. Even his late master had never shown such faith in him. Back then, his master had only accepted him as a disciple because Qin Suguang had saved his life. Since he didn’t have long to live anyway, he had simply grabbed a random person to pass on his Cultivation Technique.
When Chen Yuan returned to the inn, he saw a swordsman in a green robe drinking in the lobby. A closer look revealed it was Gu Lichuan.
Seeing Chen Yuan return, Gu Lichuan quickly waved his wine gourd at him.
"Brother Gu, how did you know I was staying here?"
Gu Lichuan chuckled. "Brother Chen, you fought six men alone at the Celestial Fragrance Building and crushed Shangguan Yun. Even Yao Tiancheng, a prodigy from the previous Hidden Dragon Rankings who has already reached the Condensing Truth Realm, was no match for you. Your fame has spread throughout all of Danyang Prefecture. I found out just by asking around a little.
You’re truly impressive, Brother Chen, routing those scions of noble families right from the start."
"Have you finished your business, Brother Gu?" Chen Yuan asked, sitting down opposite Gu Lichuan.
Gu Lichuan nodded. "It’s done. And it’s all thanks to those gold bars you gave me, Brother Chen. They saved me a lot of trouble."
’Although Gu Lichuan didn’t say what his business was, Chen Yuan could roughly guess.’
’He was a Ranger from Liang Province. He had made many friends there, but he had also accumulated many karmic debts in the Jianghu.’
’Coming to the Central Plains to make his mark, Gu Lichuan had a lot on his plate.’
’Simply put, it was about repaying vengeance with vengeance and kindness with kindness. He also had to help out some old friends who had fallen on hard times and settle a few karmic scores.’
’All in all, he was extremely busy with all sorts of chaotic affairs, so money was truly useful to him.’
"And not only did I finish my business," Gu Lichuan said, "I also came across a fateful opportunity. I’m much more confident about the Alchemy Convention now."
As he spoke, Gu Lichuan patted a Long Sword by his side. Its scabbard was as red as fire and inscribed with dragon patterns.
’The future Gu Lichuan would carry the Twelve Swords, with each sword representing a formidable style of Swordsmanship and an ultimate Sword Intent.’
’Previously, Gu Lichuan only had the Mountain and Sea Sword Scripture and carried just one sword.’
’Now, after a single trip, he had returned with an extra sword, which meant he had gained another Sword Dao inheritance. In a way, Gu Lichuan was someone blessed with great fortune.’
Even before, Gu Lichuan’s strength had been quite formidable, at least stronger than the likes of Shangguan Yun.
Now that he had obtained another Sword Dao inheritance, his strength was bound to soar.
An idea sparked in Chen Yuan’s mind. "Brother Gu," he said, "let’s go drink in my room."
Seeing Chen Yuan’s expression, Gu Lichuan knew he had something important to say. He immediately grabbed his wine gourd and followed Chen Yuan to his room.
After closing the door, Chen Yuan said in a low voice, "Brother Gu, I offended quite a few people in that fight at the Celestial Fragrance Building. However, Medicine King Valley has a rule that forbids fighting within Danyang Prefecture.
So, Zuo Feiyu, Shangguan Yun, and the others will probably try to lure me outside Danyang Prefecture to ambush and kill me.
Originally, I wasn’t going to bother with them, intending to prioritize the Alchemy Convention.
But now that you’re here, Brother Gu, I’m thinking of turning their own plot against them and killing them instead. Would you be willing to help me, Brother Gu?"
After Lu Chuanshan’s warning, Chen Yuan truly hadn’t planned on stirring up any more trouble.
Zuo Feiyu was no idiot. After losing to him once, then twice, he absolutely would not make the same mistake a third time. He would definitely take Chen Yuan extremely seriously.
Therefore, the moment he stepped out of Danyang Prefecture, he would be met with a devastating strike.
Although Chen Yuan had his own trump cards, there was no need to fight them to the death at a time like this. The Alchemy Convention was still the priority.
But now, with Gu Lichuan as reinforcement, Chen Yuan had an extra layer of confidence. He really could try turning their plot back on them and launching a counterattack.
This Zuo Feiyu was like a fly, constantly buzzing around and looking for trouble.
Once or twice was tolerable, but any more than that, and Chen Yuan found it extremely annoying.
Even if Zuo Feiyu was blessed by fortune, this time, Chen Yuan was determined to crush him completely.
After hearing him out, Gu Lichuan didn’t hesitate for a moment. "Just tell me what to do, Brother Chen. I’ll follow your lead."
He had a carefree and generous personality. Back in Liang Province, he had many friends—people he’d call a friend after just sharing a meal or a drink.
Gu Lichuan would travel a thousand miles to settle some karmic debts for such drinking buddies, to say nothing of Chen Yuan, a friend with whom he had fought side-by-side, killing enemies and wiping out entire clans.
As for his opponents’ status or strength, those were things Gu Lichuan would never consider.
Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes. "First, we need to see what move they’ll make. I just hope Zuo Feiyu doesn’t hide in the background this time."
For the next few days, Chen Yuan cultivated peacefully in the inn.
Gu Lichuan, on the other hand, couldn’t sit still. He wandered all over Danyang Prefecture, searching for small taverns or street-side stalls with good food.
Chen Yuan seemed to have never seen him cultivate arduously. His improvement in strength seemed to rely entirely on his talent and various opportunities.
This continued for five days, until an inn attendant came to tell Chen Yuan he had a visitor.
Chen Yuan went out and saw that his visitor was a Celestial Martial Guard wearing the armor of the Zhenwu Hall.
The man was in his thirties and had the cultivation of the Blood Movement Realm. Upon seeing Chen Yuan, he bowed. "Greetings, Inspector Chen."
Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. "You’re from the Celestial Martial Guard?"
The man nodded. "This subordinate is part of the Zhenwu Hall’s team responsible for procuring Elixirs externally. I was indeed previously with the Celestial Martial Guard.
Some of my colleagues ran into trouble with local forces while procuring Elixirs. I sent a message back to the Main Hall, and since you are here in Danyang Prefecture, Inspector Chen, the Main Hall has requested your assistance in resolving the matter. This is the command token from the Main Hall."
As he spoke, the man handed over a Token from the Zhenwu Hall’s Main Hall.
’A Token of this level held authority over the Four Martial Halls of Zhenwu. In theory, upon seeing this Token, Chen Yuan was indeed supposed to obey its command.’
Toying with the Token in his hand, Chen Yuan suddenly smiled. "I’m good friends with Captain Qiu Sheng of your Celestial Martial Guard. You could have just come to me directly. I certainly would have helped. Why waste time sending a message back to the Main Hall?"
The man was taken aback for a moment, then gave an awkward smile. "Inspector Chen, you must be joking. Everyone knows you defeated Captain Qiu Sheng to earn your spot in the Alchemy Convention.
But the matter between you and Captain Qiu Sheng was just an internal contest to determine who was better. Out here, we are all people of the Zhenwu Hall."
Chen Yuan also smiled and casually tossed the Token back to the man. "Just a little joke. I’ll go get my weapon, and then we can leave."
Turning back into his room, the smile on Chen Yuan’s face instantly vanished.
’The Zhenwu Hall is like a sieve these days,’ he thought. ’For a Main Hall Token to fall into outside hands is simply outrageous.’
’And it’s just as bad at keeping secrets.’
’The news of my duel with Qiu Sheng was only seen by some of the Zhenwu Hall’s upper echelons back then; it only circulated within a small circle.’
’Yet this man knew about it crystal clear. It was obvious that Shangguan Yun knew almost everything about the Zhenwu Hall’s internal affairs. The information was most likely leaked by Cui Wenzhong of the Cyan Dragon Hall.’
’To be fair, this guy’s acting wasn’t bad, and his story was quite reasonable.’
’Although the Zhenwu Hall is based in Ning Province, it does have people stationed externally to procure Elixirs and handle trade.’
’So there were no holes in the story Shangguan Yun had fabricated, and this Martial Artist hadn’t revealed any flaws.’
’But even without Lu Chuanshan’s warning, Chen Yuan wouldn’t have fallen for it.’
’Because Shangguan Yun had miscalculated the attitude of the Zhenwu Hall’s leadership towards him.’
’The Grand Commandant wouldn’t bother with such a minor issue, but both Yun Zhaolan and Liu Suifeng regarded him as part of their Direct Lineage.’
’Under normal circumstances, they might have asked for his help, but with the Alchemy Convention about to begin, why would they distract Chen Yuan and have him deal with such matters?’
’Therefore, Shangguan Yun’s pretext was flawed from its very foundation.’
’Still, the show had to go on.’
Chen Yuan opened the window and hung a black cloth as a signal for Gu Lichuan.
Gu Lichuan was wandering around nearby; upon seeing the black cloth, he would follow behind Chen Yuan.
Then, Chen Yuan took the Celestial Blade from his Qiankun Bag and followed the Martial Artist out of Danyang Prefecture.