AGW 12🔐

Chapter 12 ….

Perhaps it was the shock from eavesdropping on Dong Yeonhwa and the Dong siblings’ conversation, or the exhaustion from using the nanobots, but as soon as Gu Yangcheongang returned to his room, he fell into a deep sleep. He didn’t awaken until long after the sun had passed its zenith.

As he retraced the events that had unfolded so far, he realized anew how little he actually knew about the Gu Yang family. Although he had read many books in the room, none were related to the family.

“They say to know your enemy and know yourself to remain invincible. Right now, I can’t even properly assess myself, let alone my surroundings. I especially need to understand this family’s past and present if I want to figure out how to move forward.”

Now, with Akasha’s help enabling him to absorb knowledge at lightning speed, it was the perfect opportunity.

When he asked Hwang Nodae about the location of the family’s archives, the old man looked puzzled but soon guided him to a long-forgotten, dust-covered repository in the back garden.

The archive was smaller than expected, and the books, clearly long unmaintained, were blanketed in thick dust. Though he couldn’t know what it had been like in the past, the desolation reflected the current diminished status of the Gu Yang family.

[Doctor, it seems that the upper shelves in the eastern section hold old books that look like family chronicles or gazetteers. They appear organized by year, so it would be best to go through them in order.]

Following Akasha’s guidance, Gu Yangcheongang pulled out the oldest-looking book. The cover was almost decayed, the title barely legible, but as he turned the first page, the words “Founding of the Gu Yang Clan ” came into view.

“Around one hundred and fifty years… not as long as I imagined.”

With Akasha’s assistance, he quickly flipped through the pages. Akasha analyzed the text flowing into his optic nerves in real time, summarizing the information directly to his mind.

According to the records, the Gu Yang family had settled about one hundred and fifty years ago on a vast tract of land east of Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, near the fertile shores of Poyang Lake.

This area, a broad plain in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, had long been known as the “Granary of the World” due to its abundant grain production.

“With such geographical advantages and land scale, they must have wielded tremendous influence in the past.”

[According to the records, after the clan was founded by the Iron-Fist Hero Gu Yangdam, it took only about fifty years for the Gu Yang family to grow into the wealthiest and most powerful household in Jiangxi Province.]

“As expected.”

[The Gu Yang family dominated the production of the region’s specialty hemp (ma-po) and also controlled the distribution of top-quality ceramics from nearby Jingdezhen, as well as paper made from bamboo (jukji). This allowed them to amass immense wealth. The distribution of rice, hemp, and ceramics via Poyang Lake and the Yangtze River was literally a golden goose.]

Gu Yangcheongang moved to the next record.

The family’s economic wealth naturally led to influence in the martial world. Particularly in Jiangxi Province, where no other strong rival sects existed, the Gu Yang family maintained an unassailable position as the dominant power.

“The Jiangxi martial world’s dominant family… entirely different from the dilapidated state it’s in now. What could have caused such a great family to fall so low?”

As if answering that question, the next chapter detailed the family’s “fatal flaw.”

[Doctor, the Gu Yang family’s geographic location was a significant weakness. It faced the southern provinces, where the mighty demonic sect, the Sacred Fire Cult , controlled Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and eastern Yunnan. The provinces’ borders abutted the cult’s territory. People of the world feared and called them a “demonic sect.”]

“A demonic sect based in the Ten-Thousand Mountains… living next to an active volcano without knowing when it might erupt.”

The record continued matter-of-factly.

For hundreds of years, the demonic sect had periodically descended from their stronghold in the Ten-Thousand Mountains to punish the Central Plains’ martial world, claiming to defend their religion. Each time, the martial sects formed a united front in what was called the Righteous vs. Demonic War.

The final, fifth war erupted only forty years ago.

[During that war, the Gu Yang family’s geographic location put them on the front line of the cult’s invasion. Although the clan leadership mobilized all its strength to resist, they suffered catastrophic losses.]

A bitter smile crossed Gu Yangcheongang’s lips.

[It’s recorded that your grandfather, then the clan head, along with the elders and most of the clan’s elite warriors, perished in that war.]

The book described in detail the demonic sect’s cruelty and the war’s horrors. Not only the Gu Yang family, but other martial sects south of the Yangtze—like the Dianchang sect in Yunnan, the Hungsan sect in Hunan, Qingcheng and Ami sects in Sichuan, Tangmen, and the Baili family in Fujian—suffered severe blows.

After the war, the historically established sects isolated themselves from outsiders and focused on rebuilding through fengmen, gradually recovering much of their former glory. Some, however, disappeared entirely from history.

Gu Yangcheongang closed the book with a heavy sigh.

“The extinguished Baili family is gone forever… and the Gu Yang family’s current state is precisely the process of its decline.”

In a short time, the rise and fall of an entire family passed through his mind like a panoramic vision.

[Doctor, understanding this historical context provides crucial insight into the Gu Yang family’s present problems: financial decline, potential internal power struggles, and even the relationship between Dong Yeonhwa and the Geumtap Mountain Villa.]

“Agreed. Ultimately, the past and present are connected.”

His gaze deepened.

By evening, Gu Yangcheongang sat down for dinner with Hwang Nodae. He had questions he needed answered.

“Master Hwang.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“The assassins… and the Dong siblings from Geumtap Mountain Villa… I can’t shake the feeling that their actions hide something. Something doesn’t add up.”

“What do you mean?”

“I suspect the main house may be hiding secrets or treasures unknown to me. Master Hwang, do you know anything?”

Hwang Nodae swallowed dryly, hesitated, then, resolute, spoke with a solemn expression.

“Young Master, what I’m about to tell you may concern the survival of the Gu Yang family. You must not reveal it to anyone. Can you promise me that?”

Gu Yangcheongang nodded silently.

Hwang Nodae glanced around briefly, then lowered his voice.

“You asked if the Gu Yang family holds treasures coveted by others. If the clan’s martial secrets had survived intact, they would indeed be treasures. But as you know, most were lost in the fires of the Righteous vs. Demonic War.”

Gu Yangcheongang held his breath, listening intently.

“However, there is a legendary story handed down through generations. If it is true, it could be considered a true treasure.”

“Legend? What is it?”

Hwang Nodae’s expression grew stern.

“Three hundred years ago, during the Third Righteous vs. Demonic War, the demonic sect’s power was at its peak. Their leader, Absolute Celestial Demon, was unmatched, and despair spread across the Central Plains martial world. It was truly the darkest age.”

“Hmm…”

“Yet unbelievably, they were defeated. Absolute Celestial Demon himself perished.”

Gu Yangcheongang’s gaze sharpened.

“Why did they lose?”

“A supreme martial artist, recognized by later historians as the greatest of all time, appeared in the righteous martial world.”

“Ah!”

“He single-handedly defeated tens of thousands of demonic sect disciples and even defeated Absolute Celestial Demon atop Mount Huang’s peak.”

Gu Yangcheongang asked,

“Who was he?”

“Celestial Martial Emperor .”

“Celestial Martial Emperor… is his real name known?”

“No. He was not affiliated with the Martial Alliance, acted for a short time, and disappeared after defeating the demonic sect. Everything about him remains a mystery.”

Gu Yangcheongang’s eyes deepened.

“You tell me this story because the ‘legend’ of the main house is connected to the Celestial Martial Emperor, right?”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Hwang Nodae nodded.

“The founder of the Gu Yang family, the Iron-Fist Hero Gu Yangdam, has no recorded disciples. But legend says that in his youth, he inherited part of the Celestial Martial Emperor’s hidden techniques.”

“The founder’s disciples are unknown… and there’s a legend that he inherited the Celestial Martial Emperor’s secret techniques…”

Hwang Nodae continued solemnly.

“Decades after the Second Righteous vs. Demonic War, rumors spread throughout the martial world that the Celestial Martial Emperor had left behind the legendary martial compendium, Martial Emperor Grand Canon .”

“A blood frenzy must have erupted.”

“Exactly. People went mad searching for it. Masters and disciples turned on each other, brothers and sisters fought, and prominent families were annihilated overnight. But when the treasure could not be found, the frenzy gradually faded to ashes.”

“You’re saying the first clan head obtained this Martial Emperor Grand Canon?”

“No. If he had, the Gu Yang family would already be the greatest family in the world.”

“Then what was the connection between the first clan head and the Celestial Martial Emperor?”

“Gu Yangdam learned martial arts from descendants of the emperor’s attendants. Simultaneously, he obtained a map indicating the hidden location of the Martial Emperor Grand Canon. That is the core of the legend.”

Gu Yangcheongang’s eyes widened.

“A map? Has it been verified?”

Hwang Nodae shook his head.

“If it were true, the Gu Yang family would have been destroyed long ago by countless forces seeking the map.”

“Certainly…”

“The rumor was known to only a few, and Gu Yangdam maintained his innocence, claiming no connection to the map until his death.”

“His claim was accepted?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Gu Yangdam’s martial arts never exceeded the utmost peak of human capability. If he had truly obtained the Celestial Martial Emperor’s map, it would have been impossible.”

“Hmm…”

“Thus, the rumor was dismissed, and eventually forgotten. In this era, very few, if any, remember it.”

Having finished the story, Hwang Nodae left the room.