I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 258 Watching the Battle
As the morning 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 apprentice Gu Zhengshan came over from the next room. "Master, should we go with her?"

"Walk."

Gu Haochuan stood up and led his nephew out of the courtyard he had rented for two days.

I followed Yuan Ziyi from a distance, stopping precisely at the limit of her divine sense's perception.

After walking for half a day, Gu Zhengshan asked curiously, "Master, where is she going? Doesn't she know that Du Rusong wants to kill her?"

Gu Haochuan had already guessed what she wanted to do, and suddenly sighed, "You guys have been protected too much by your families since you were young, and even the courage to face difficulties has been worn away."

Gu Zhengshan's eyes widened in shock. "You mean, she's trying to use herself as bait to lure Du Rusong out? How dare she?"

How dare someone who has just broken through to the second rank challenge a first rank?
Du Rusong is a first-rank purple-robed official of the Six Doors, a battle-hardened expert, far superior to those useless first-rank officials of the Blood Demon Sect.

What is the difference between this and courting death?
Gu Haochuan said leisurely, "Since she dares to do this, she must have something to rely on. I really want to see what her reliance is. With her courage, if she can break through to the first rank alive, she will definitely be an unparalleled swordsman."

"Master, if she is no match for Du Rusong, will you step in to save her?"

"Why save them?" Gu Haochuan asked in return.

Gu Zhengshan said, "Master appreciates her so much, I thought you wanted to form a good relationship with her."

Gu Haochuan said earnestly, "Xiao Wu, do you know what it is that has allowed my Gu family to stand strong for hundreds of years?"

Gu Zhengshan thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "Because the Ancestor is here."

"Haha, you're not stupid. That's right, as long as our ancestor is alive, our Gu family will always be the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, which is related to the country. But you also need to understand that the only thing we descendants can do for our ancestor is to cause less trouble."

Gu Haochuan said, "Therefore, as a member of the Gu family, you must remember to avoid getting involved in karma when you're out and about. Don't meddle in things that aren't your business. What does Yuan Ziyi's death at Du Rusong's hands have to do with us?"

"If you don't have this detached mindset and just want to settle scores quickly, then don't use the name of the Duke of Jingguo. Otherwise, even if you die outside, the Duke's mansion won't avenge you."

Hearing his stern tone, Gu Zhengshan solemnly replied, "This disciple understands."

"Ah."

Gu Haochuan nodded, feeling that this apprentice was indeed teachable.

Every son of a noble family should understand that the capital is the capital, and the martial arts world is the martial arts world; they are two completely different circles.

Those nobles who didn't understand this principle often met with bad ends. The Prince of Zhenhai is a prime example; despite being of imperial blood, he died an unexplained death.

All these years have passed, and they still haven't found out who the murderer is.

The emperor, the nominal ruler of the world, has always kept this matter a secret.

The world is a deep and treacherous place!
……

As evening approached, Gu Haochuan sensed that Yuan Ziyi had stopped. He stopped as well, about ten miles away from her.

His eyes lit up, and he said, "Du Rusong is here!"

Finally, she appeared. It was worth chasing Yuan Ziyi all the way from Xiazhou to Jiangzhou City, and then from Jiangzhou City to here.

Gu Zhengshan was a third-rank cultivator. He looked ahead and vaguely saw a red light, then felt an astonishing burst of internal energy erupting from it.

This means that the two have already clashed.

He stared intently and saw that Yuan Ziyi had survived Du Rusong's deadly attack! He was somewhat shocked.

Du Rusong certainly wouldn't hold back when he made his move, and it's unbelievable that Yuan Ziyi could withstand the full force of a first-grade expert's attack.

Are there monsters in the martial arts world whose strength far surpasses that of others of the same level?
Gu Haochuan did not rush to make a move. Instead, he stood with his hands behind his back and listened to the conversation between the two. He couldn't help but wonder why Du Rusong called Yuan Ziyi "boy".
This is rather strange.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted, and he exclaimed, "How could she know the 'Lone Goose of Heaven and Earth' sword technique?"

He recognized at a glance that the sword technique Yuan Ziyi was using was the Gu family's secret technique, "The Lone Goose of Heaven and Earth".

How did she know the Gu family's swordsmanship?
Could it be——

Recalling Du Rusong's address earlier, he suddenly realized a possibility: this woman was actually his nephew, Gu Xianyu, in disguise.
Thinking about it this way, everything makes sense.

The question is, how is that possible?

A few months ago, when Xiao Qi left the capital, he was only a fourth-rank official. In Gu Haochuan's judgment, he was still some distance away from the third rank, and it was unlikely that he could break through to the third rank without a year or two of accumulation.

Therefore, he was quite surprised when he heard that Xiao Qi had broken through to the third rank not long ago. He felt that the kid might have had some kind of extraordinary encounter.

However, no matter what kind of extraordinary encounter it may have, it would never have been possible for Xiao Qi to advance from the fourth rank to the second rank in just three or four months.

Unless this kid switched to practicing some peerless demonic art from the Longevity Sect.

However, being a member of the Six Doors, if he had truly cultivated some kind of demonic art, there would be no way he could have hidden it from Zhong Danyang's eyes.

Gu Haochuan's expression turned extremely gloomy as he stared intently at the figure of "Yuan Ziyi".

Not only does she possess the sword technique "Heaven and Earth Lone Goose," but even more impressive is her movement technique, which is so elusive that even Du Rusong, a first-rank official, cannot touch the hem of her clothes.

He had never seen such a movement technique before.

Furthermore, the Qi energy used by this person is quite different from that of Xiao Qi.

This person is definitely not Xiao Qi!
What are his true intentions in impersonating Xiao Qi?

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Gu Haochuan's mind, and his expression became even more solemn.

"It really is 'The Lone Goose in the Sky'!"

Gu Zhengshan, who was standing next to him, also recognized him and asked in surprise, "Where did this person learn our Gu family's unique skills?" Gu Haochuan sneered, "Naturally, he learned them from your good-for-nothing seventh brother."

Since this "Gu Xianyu" is fake, Xiao Qi's fate is naturally predictable.

Gu Zhengshan's mind went blank for a moment. "Master, what do you mean?"

Gu Haochuan said in a deep voice, "The Gu Xianyu who was famous in Xiazhou before was someone else impersonating him. I was wondering how Xiao Qi could have changed so much after leaving the capital, like a completely different person. It turns out, she really has changed."

Gu Zhengshan never expected such a thing to happen, and he was speechless for a long time.

At this moment, Du Rusong finally unleashed his sword domain to restrict Yuan Ziyi's movements.

"Yuan Ziyi" shouted, "Miss Yu, why aren't you making a move?"

……

"They actually found that girl from the Yu family to be their helper."

Gu Haochuan's heart stirred, and he turned his head to see a green figure flying up from several miles away, transforming into a huge sword aura that slashed towards Du Rusong.

This sword strike possessed the power of a first-rank official.

He couldn't help but be moved.

This little girl from the Yu family is truly extraordinary. With only a third-grade cultivation level, she possesses such formidable power. Moreover, he hadn't been able to track her down at all during their journey.

How did she manage to keep it from me?
"Hahaha—I am your opponent."

Suddenly, a burst of wild laughter rang out, and a man in black rushed out from the side and blocked Yu Haitang's path.

Du Rusong said, "You have helpers, but I don't?"

Ignoring the cost, he expanded his sword domain to its limit and finally caught sight of "Yuan Ziyi," firmly locking onto her aura.

"Where do you think you're going to run to now!"

He roared, his body and sword becoming one, and he slashed down towards "Yuan Ziyi's" head.

Just then, "Yuan Ziyi" raised her head slightly, and a smile appeared on her face, as if to say that this was the moment she had been waiting for.

A sense of unease welled up in Du Rusong's heart, but the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released. He had finally managed to trap and lock onto it, waiting for a full-force strike to kill it.

Pretend to be a ghost!

He believed it; a mere second-rank cultivator could withstand his sword strike!
Without further hesitation, he slashed down with his longsword, which crackled with crimson energy, shouting, "Die!"

"Taiyue Sword!"

At this critical moment of life and death, Chen Ming used his last trump card, splitting off half of the yellow spiritual soil in his dantian and pouring it all into the "Taiyue Sword".

Instantly, the "Taiyue Sword" burst forth with unparalleled brilliance, and an aura that made the entire world tremble erupted.

"This is--"

Du Rusong's expression changed drastically.

Gu Haochuan, standing not far away, also showed a look of astonishment. This sword strike was equivalent to a blow from a Divine Realm expert. He was all too familiar with that kind of power that made one's heart tremble and shook the heavens and earth.

"Close your eyes!"

A flash of yellow sword light illuminated the world, as if all color had vanished. Compared to it, the red light seemed as faint as a firefly.

Gu Haochuan's eyes were tightly closed, but tears still streamed down his face.

Gu Zhengshan, standing next to him, was in an even worse state. He let out a scream, and bloody tears streamed from his eyes.

On the other side, the burly man in black who was fighting with Yu Haitang let out a strange cry, took a sword strike from her, and fled.

Yu Haitang did not give chase; her power was precious, and she would not waste it on an insignificant opponent.

She said loudly, "Sect Leader Yuan's sword slaying a first-rank official is truly awe-inspiring. I have other important matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

Then, his figure flashed and disappeared.

You have defeated a level 99 enemy and gained 2.1 million experience points.

Chen Ming breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the notification; he had finally eliminated this formidable enemy.

Of course, the price paid was not small.

The "Taiyue Sword" in his hand dimmed; that attack had taken a heavy toll on it. It was best not to use it for a while, otherwise, it would deplete its life essence.

In the end, it may very well end up like the "Singing Phoenix Sword".

Fortunately, that attack just now only consumed the power of the spiritual soil, and the amount of vital energy in his body was not much, so he still has the strength to fight.

He shouted, "Gentlemen, have you had enough of the show? You can come out now."

Three figures emerged from three different directions and bowed to her from a distance. One of them said, "I am He Rui from Gu County. With your second-rank cultivation, you have managed to slay a first-rank opponent. Such swordsmanship is truly divine and breathtaking..."

The He family of Gu County.

We've been looking for you!

Chen Ming interrupted him, "Since you've seen it, then go die."

(End of this chapter)