Stronger by Killing

Now, Gu Zhan has arrived as promised.

...

The two drank a lot of wine in the room and talked a lot, wishing they could say everything they hadn’t said in the past four years all in one night.

It was almost dawn,

when Gu Chuan hiccuped and finally remembered to ask about some serious matters. He said, "Is it convenient to talk here?"

Gu Zhan nodded and said, "Rest assured, with me here, no third person will hear our conversation."

Gu Chuan took off his shoes, lifted his legs right onto the table, reclined in the chair, opened his clothes, his face all red, smiled, and said, "It’s almost dawn, if I don’t ask some serious matters, I might get lectured by my sister when I get back, hahaha..." While laughing, Gu Chuan suddenly leaned over to Gu Zhan and asked, "So, is my sister pretty?"

Gu Zhan raised an eyebrow, bewildered, and said, "This is the serious matter you’re talking about?"

Gu Chuan waved his hand and said, "Didn’t I say before, when you come to the Capital City, I’ll introduce my sister to you!"

Gu Zhan chuckled, "I bet Miss Gu Qi must have scolded you a lot for this?"

"Exactly," Gu Chuan said. "You have no idea how she was back then, saying something like, ’How can an elder brother make such lifelong jokes about his sister?’ Then she went back and had my wife lock the door, and I slept in the study for a whole month without even a quilt!"

As he spoke, Gu Chuan put his hand on Gu Zhan’s shoulder and said, "But you didn’t know, a few months ago, when my sister went to Yunxi to see you, after she came back, she changed and told me with a smile, ’Brother, you have good taste, your judgment is spot-on!’

Gu Zhan smiled and said, "I also think your judgment is quite accurate."

"Show-off," Gu Chuan laughed, "How about this, should I introduce my sister to you again?"

"Forget it," Gu Zhan waved his hand and said, "I am focused on Martial Arts, not interested in anything else."

Gu Chuan: "But that’s not what you said when you visited the brothel."

Gu Zhan: "That was just business!"

Gu Chuan curled his lip and said, "But I heard you have quite a few people in your residence. Among Yunxi’s top ten beauties, four are currently in your residence, and there’s also Yunzhou Martial Arts Alliance Leader, Kou Baimen. Hmm, supposedly you even went to see someone in Yun City a couple of days ago, the top performer from the Ximen Art Hall in Yunzhou, what was her name again — can’t remember. Oh, right, the girl who just brought us wine, she accompanied you all the way here from Yunzhou, right, hehe!"

Gu Zhan’s mouth twitched and he said, "Do you have to know so much?"

Gu Chuan speechlessly said, "You haven’t hidden it, and now there are many people from the Gu Family under you, who wouldn’t see it?"

Gu Zhan smiled, saying, "Alright, alright, but don’t you understand what’s the deal with those women?"

"Hmm," Gu Chuan nodded, "That’s true, so I won’t introduce my sister to you, let’s get back to serious matters!"

Gu Chuan wiped his mouth and said, "About the things you asked to investigate a few days ago, there are some leads. Regarding the events three hundred years ago in the place called Etsu, the Gu Family knows something, though everyone has always regarded it as a story. However, according to what you said, those legends might actually be true.

Etsu, from a Grotto Heaven Level noble family, the Yue Family, was also once glorious. But after the downfall of Etsu, the Yue Family was purged, eventually disappearing without a trace, while Etsu initially had a good reputation, even regarded as a virtuous empress."

Gu Zhan said in surprise, "Virtuous empress?"

"Indeed," Gu Chuan said, "There are aspects of Etsu’s legend that do have historical evidence to back them up, but in between, there are some tales of the strange and supernatural."

Gu Zhan frowned slightly, "Tell me more specifically."

Gu Chuan thought for a moment and said, "I used to listen to it as a story. It was rumored that when Etsu was thirty, she encountered an accident during an outing and lost her soul, unable to recover through medicine, left waiting for death.

Just when things seemed helpless, a Wandering Daoist appeared, pulling Etsu back from the Ghost Gate. But, he left with a warning that Etsu’s soul was unstable and she needed to pray for the blessing of the Fox Immortal for three years at the Spirit Fox Cave on Qixia Mountain in the suburbs of the Capital.

Later, Etsu followed the Daoist’s advice and went to the Spirit Fox Cave, and she was there for three years. However, after those three years, when she returned, Etsu seemed to be a different person. Through various means, she re-cleansed the harem and had the then-Emperor enraptured, earning the infamy of one who brought calamity to the nation. The Emperor, for her, neglected state affairs, discarded his three thousand harem beauties as if they were worn-out shoes, doted solely on Etsu, and against all ministers’ opposition, allowed Etsu to preside over the court, known historically as the reign of the Dual Sages.

Here emerged another legend, claiming that in the Spirit Fox Cave, Etsu had been possessed by a Fox Demon and had been replaced by another person. So, the Etsu ruling in court wasn’t the real Etsu, but a fox spirit. Of course, this sounded too much like a folk tale of the strange and supernatural, and no one believed it.

Later, as the court was gradually controlled by Etsu, the Emperor became a puppet. Etsu launched various wars, causing misery among the populace, and was suppressed by the Martial Arts Holy Land and the two sects of the Buddhist Sect. It’s rumored that two Fifth Realm Grotto Heaven Cultivators exhausted their cultivation to subdue her.

This is the third legend, while true historical records state that Etsu was heavily injured by two High Monks from the Buddhist sects, and eventually led the Yue Family in a rebellion, which was suppressed, culminating in her suicide at Star-Picking Tower."

Gu Zhan frowned slightly and said, "Combining with what I currently know, that legend, instead, seems a bit more like the actual situation."

Gu Chuan nodded and said, "Therefore, combining Etsu’s legend and historical records, if there’s a possibility of hiding her Inheritance Technique, the most likely place would be the Spirit Fox Cave in the suburbs of the Capital. However, if you want to enter the Spirit Fox Cave now, it may be somewhat troublesome."