Chapter 129 - 127: ’Sword Venerable’ Gu Lichuan
Gu Lichuan, the Swordsman in green robes standing before Chen Yuan, was another expert from the future that Chen Yuan had encountered since meeting Chu Hongshang.
Gu Lichuan hailed from Liang Province as a Swordsman. Martial arts flourished in the borderlands, and Gu Lichuan had made a small name for himself in his youth, roaming the Liang Province Desert with just his sword.
Because of his unparalleled Fast Sword, he earned the nickname "Chasing the Moon Without a Trace" in the Liang Province Jianghu and was one of the most outstanding Martial Artists of the younger generation there.
He later traveled through the Central Plains and journeyed as far as the South Sea, honing his Sword Intent. He even obtained the legacy of an ancient Sword Dao and came to carry the Twelve Swords, each representing an ultimate form of Sword Intent.
In his youth, he was ranked third on the Hidden Dragon Rankings. It wasn't that third was his limit, but rather that he had a limited number of recorded battles and had never fought against the first or second-ranked individuals. Otherwise, it would have been uncertain who truly deserved the top spot on the Hidden Dragon Rankings back then.
Among the Swordsmen of the current era, the Sword God Xie Kunwu was recognized as the strongest—a fact no one disputed.
However, Gu Lichuan was widely acknowledged as the Swordsman most likely to reach the pinnacle of the Sword Dao after Xie Kunwu.
One could say that at his peak, his strength surpassed even that of the Crimson Demon Venerable, Chu Hongshang.
However, at this point in time, he had likely just left Liang Province to make a name for himself in the Central Plains Martial Arts, and he carried only a single sword.
The reason Chen Yuan didn't recognize him at first was that the Gu Lichuan of this era had a somewhat different personality from his future self.
In the original storyline, Gu Lichuan's personality was cold and solitary. He was a man of few words, one could even say he was utterly aloof.
But the Gu Lichuan of this moment was carefree and cheerful, even proactively offering toasts in the tavern—something the Gu Lichuan from the original story would never do.
"Brother Gu, are you Gu Lichuan from Liang Province, the one they call 'Chasing the Moon Without a Trace'?"
Chen Yuan was a little unsure, so he asked again.
"That's me, that's me! Tsk tsk, has my reputation really spread all the way to the Central Plains Martial Arts?"
Gu Lichuan nodded repeatedly, a smug look on his face. "I knew it. Someone as handsome, dashing, and extraordinarily talented as myself was bound to become famous in the Jianghu sooner or later."
"But I didn't expect my peers in the Central Plains Martial Arts to be so generous! I've only just arrived in the Central Plains, and my fame has already preceded me?"
"Didn't that Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower put out some Hidden Dragon Rankings? Shouldn't they include me on that list too?"
"Then again, this pesky nickname 'Chasing the Moon Without a Trace' isn't intimidating or impressive enough."
"I didn't come up with that nickname; some friends I know in Liang Province just started calling me that. I'm not just good at the Fast Sword, you know."
"Brother, if I get on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, do you think I can go to the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower and get them to change my nickname?"
"How about 'Sword Immortal'? Or would that be a bit too arrogant?"
Chen Yuan had only asked a single question, but the Gu Lichuan before him immediately launched into a non-stop tirade, even asking and answering his own questions. His mouth was practically faster than his sword.
If the man hadn't confirmed his origins, Chen Yuan would have seriously doubted if this was the same Gu Lichuan who would become the reticent, aloof, and cold Sword Venerable of the future.
'This guy was a complete chatterbox and jokester in his youth. What on earth happened to turn him into the man he becomes in the future?'
After rambling on for a while, Gu Lichuan finally remembered he hadn't asked for Chen Yuan's name.
"Oh, right, and what might your name be, brother?"
The corner of Chen Yuan's mouth twitched. "I am Chen Jiutian, an Inspector of the Zhenwu Hall."
Dealing with the Hong Family was different from dealing with the Qiu Family; Chen Yuan saw no need to hide his identity from Gu Lichuan.
Besides, whether it was this talkative Gu Lichuan before him or the cold, reticent Gu Lichuan of the future, his reputation in the Jianghu was excellent.
The man valued trust and kept his promises. Anything he agreed to, he would undoubtedly accomplish.
Of course, there were times when he, enraged, threatened to wipe out entire families—and he was a man of his word then, too. He once unleashed his Twelve Swords and hacked a Sect to pieces, leaving not a trace behind.
"Chen Jiutian? The one ranked forty-ninth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, who killed Feng Xieyun, the Saint Heir of the Blood God Sect, and slayed Bo Gudun, the Little Prince of the Chi Shu Tribe and a Descendant of the Thirty-Six Kings of the Golden Horde, on the battlefield of the Western Grassland?"
Gu Lichuan was taken aback for a moment, then scratched his head in slight embarrassment. "And here I was, feeling so good about myself. I can't believe I've run into a true prodigy from the Hidden Dragon Rankings."
Previously, Chen Yuan had felt that Yun Zhaolan putting him on the Hidden Dragon Rankings was rather pointless.
But now, it seemed it was quite useful after all.
At the very least, most Martial Artists in the Jianghu had seen the Hidden Dragon Rankings, so the name Chen Jiutian was finally starting to gain some recognition. Sometimes, stating his name could save him a lot of trouble.
"Brother Gu, you're too modest. You are a renowned young prodigy in Liang Province. It's only a matter of time before you're on the Hidden Dragon Rankings."
"And not just the Hidden Dragon Rankings. In the future, you will surely reach the top of the Lingxiao Rankings and look down upon the entire Jianghu."
Chen Yuan's words brought a wide smile to Gu Lichuan's face. He felt the same way Luo the Thirteenth Lang had.
They both felt that although this Brother Chen was powerful, he was humble, and his words were sincere and pleasant to hear. Their favorable impression of him grew immensely.
Neither Gu Lichuan nor Luo the Thirteenth Lang were idiots. They could genuinely sense whether Chen Yuan was praising them sincerely or offering empty flattery.
They had heard their share of hollow compliments, but Chen Yuan's praise was genuine. He truly believed they could reach the top of the Lingxiao Rankings in the future, and his attitude was exceedingly sincere.
To be honest, even the master who taught Gu Lichuan Swordsmanship had never dared to hold such high hopes for him. Yet Chen Yuan, a person he had just met, could believe in him so sincerely. How could Gu Lichuan's fondness for him not soar?
Seeing that Gu Lichuan was about to say more, Chen Yuan, afraid he would start rambling again, quickly steered the conversation back to business.
"By the way, Brother Gu, why are you targeting the Hong Family?"
Gu Lichuan sighed, his eyes filled with a mixture of pity and rage.
"A month ago, I was buying wine in a small village not far from here, but I didn't have any money on me. The young woman at the winery gave me a gourd of wine and didn't ask for payment."
"I have a weakness for good wine, but I'm not one to take advantage of others. So I promised the young woman that I would bring her a gift when I passed through here again on my way back from Pingchuan City."
"The young woman said she wanted some rouge from the city. She wanted to wear it on her wedding day, saying she would surely be the most beautiful girl in the village."
"I bought the best rouge in Pingchuan City to bring back to her, but when I passed through that little village again, the girl was gone. Her whole family was gone."
"The villagers said the youngest son of the Hong Family Castle's Fortress Lord came here to hunt. Afterward, he went to the village to rest, took a liking to the young woman, and decided to violate her."
"After forcing himself on her, he killed her entire family, because he was afraid of the Hong Family's bloodline spreading."
Gu Lichuan took out an exquisite small jade box from his robes. Inside was brightly colored rouge.
"I don't like being indebted to people. In my home of Liang Province, if someone gives you a sip of water in the Great Desert, you repay them with ten thousand taels of gold when you make your fortune."
"I drank that young woman's wine, so I owe her a favor. I promised to bring her rouge, but now I can't deliver it."
"So, I decided to kill that monster from the Hong Family. I think this gift is now a more fitting way to repay the favor."
Chen Yuan shook his head.
Gu Lichuan asked in surprise, "Brother Chen, do you think I'm wrong?"
"You said it yourself: when you owe someone, you should repay them many times over. How could a single head be enough?"
"The actions of that Hong Family monster show what kind of person the Hong Family Patriarch, Hong Yuanqing, is, and what the rest of the people in the Hong Family Castle are like."
"Why not kill them all? Only then would it be worthy of that gourd of wine, and worthy of the sword at your side."
Gu Lichuan's eyes lit up. "Brother Chen, you make a good point! You truly are a prodigy from the Hidden Dragon Rankings. Your insight is so clear!"
He came from the borderlands of Liang Province, a place even more chaotic than Ning Province or You Province. The climate was harsh, Alien Races were everywhere, and it was the sort of place the Court couldn't even be bothered to govern.
Therefore, at his core, Gu Lichuan was the kind of Jianghu Person who repaid kindness and took revenge with equal passion.
Chen Yuan's words didn't make him feel that Chen Yuan was ruthless. On the contrary, it made him think Chen Yuan was refreshingly direct, not hypocritical like many of those people from the Central Plains Jianghu.
"Right, Brother Chen, why were you planning to move against the Hong Family Castle?"
"My reason isn't as storied as yours. The people of the Hong Family Castle simply took something of mine, and I want to get it back."
The Celestial Fire Secret Manual was now in Chen Yuan's possession, making him Pang Xizhen's successor. Naturally, the Fire Frost Broken Sword was his as well.
So, there was nothing wrong with saying the people of Hong Family Castle had taken his belongings.
Gu Lichuan nodded. "Those people from the Hong Family Castle truly are villains who rape, pillage, and commit every evil imaginable. They deserve to be killed!"
Chen Yuan suddenly asked, "Brother Gu, were you planning to just... fight your way through every single sentry post to get into the Hong Family's fortress?"
"Yes. I'm not good with Lightweight Skill, but my sword is fast, so I can only fight my way in."
Chen Yuan shook his head gently. "Haven't you noticed? The sentry posts of the Hong Family Castle are all interlinked. They have to raise their torches to exchange signals at set intervals."
"Once you're halfway through, the Hong Family sentries will notice that no one below is responding to the signal. They'll immediately realize there's an attack. The dock fortress will be sealed, and all their experts will emerge. What will you do then? Still try to fight your way through?"
"I... actually didn't notice that."
Gu Lichuan was slightly embarrassed. At this stage in his life, his methods were still rather simple and crude.
"But I was prepared to be discovered. If the Hong Family found me, the Hong Family members would surely surround and attack me."
"At that point, I'd just find that monster, kill him with one strike, and escape. Back in Liang Province, I managed to escape from three Condensing Truth Realm masters who were hunting me down."
"Even if Hong Yuanqing, the Fortress Lord of Hong Family Castle, is at the Condensing Truth Realm Late Stage, he won't be able to kill me either."
Chen Yuan looked at the Hong Family Dock Fortress on the mountaintop and said in a low voice, "There's still some time before the sentries exchange signals."
"Brother Gu, if you trust me, the two of us can destroy their entire sentry defense. Then we can storm the Hong Family Castle and annihilate the entire Hong Family!"
Before meeting Gu Lichuan, Chen Yuan's plan had centered around infiltrating the Hong Family Castle, with the main goal of seizing the Broken Sword Fire Phoenix.
But now that Gu Lichuan was here, he wouldn't have to go to so much trouble.
Although the Gu Lichuan of this time was young and not the future expert who would be revered as a master of the Sword Dao, his strength was still enough to rank on the Hidden Dragon Rankings; he just lacked the battle records to prove it.
Together, the two of them could completely shatter the defenses of the Hong Family Castle, kill Hong Yuanqing in a frontal assault, and annihilate the Hong Family.