Blind Ghostwriter: Starts with the full level of Nine Yang Magic Skill

Chapter 198 Spending the Night in a Small Village
In a small village house in Shatuo Town.

Around noon, Chen Xiuyuan pushed open the door and entered. He saw Gu Mo and Gu Chudong chatting inside. He quickly walked in and said, "I've found out. It was two nights ago when a raging fire suddenly broke out on Shatuo Mountain. However, by the time the residents at the foot of the mountain arrived, only a few stone walls remained of Shatuo Temple."

Gu Mo frowned and asked, "Have you found the murderer?"

"No," Chen Xiuyuan said. "I just went to the Six Doors outpost in Shatuo City to inquire. They started investigating that very night and only found out that one person had been to Shatuo Temple that night."

However, strangely, some people claim to have seen a young man, others a middle-aged man, and still others a hunched-over old man. All are adamant that they saw him clearly. To date, the Six Doors (the authorities) have commissioned artists to create over a dozen portraits of suspects, yet they still have nowhere to begin their investigation.

Gu Mo frowned.

He arrived in Shatuo City yesterday evening, intending to pay a special visit to Master Jingkong. However, when they arrived at Shatuo Mountain, they found that Shatuo Temple had been burned to ashes, leaving only a few stone walls.

"Then, have you found any clues about the whereabouts of Master Jingkong or Yu Shijiu?" Gu Chudong asked, picking up the thread.

Chen Xiuyuan shook his head and said, "Yu Shijiu left a few days ago and is not on Shatuo Mountain. There are not only Master Jingkong in Shatuo Temple, but also a few novices. Shatuo Mountain is not high, and there are many people at the foot of the mountain, but no one heard any fighting sounds that night."

Therefore, the current inference is either that Master Jingkong and the novice monks encountered a powerful expert who killed or kidnapped them without any chance to resist, or that they voluntarily cooperated with the escape. However, since the other side burned down Shatuo Temple, the first possibility is most likely: Master Jingkong and the novice monks may have perished in the fire, leaving no trace.

Gu Chudong murmured, "Even if someone is dead, surely there would be some trace left behind?"

Chen Xiuyuan said, "If the opponent is very strong and can easily kill Master Jingkong and the others, there are many ways to destroy the evidence, such as using corpse-dissolving powder, which can easily cover up the traces in that fire."

Gu Mo nodded and said, "That's indeed not difficult."

Even without poison, Gu Mo could destroy a corpse without leaving a trace. If he wanted to, he could use his Blazing Sun Technique to burn a corpse, or even a living person, to ashes.

"However, destroying the body and eliminating the evidence is not difficult, but to easily kill Master Jingkong and several novice monks without making a sound is actually quite difficult. After all, Master Jingkong is not weak, especially with his internal strength cultivated for more than eighty years."

Previously in Qiongshan, Gu Mo had noticed Master Jingkong. His combat strength wasn't particularly high, and he practiced Buddhist martial arts focused on cultivating the mind and spirit, emphasizing physical fitness. However, given his advanced age, his internal energy was unmatched. His offensive power wasn't strong, but his endurance was exceptional.

Defeating Master Jingkong is not difficult, but killing him is quite challenging. It requires a single, decisive blow, and even if severely injured, it won't completely render him incapable of fighting for a while.

Based on Gu Mo's understanding of the martial arts world in the northern desert,
It's unlikely that anyone could do that.

Chen Xiuyuan understood Gu Mo's meaning and said, "What Master Gu means is that the murderer is very likely an outsider."

Gu Mo said, "I can't guarantee it completely, but based on the renowned martial arts masters I met in Qiongshan, it would be very difficult for anyone to kill Master Jingkong without making a sound. Of course, if there is a master of poison who is also acquainted with Master Jingkong, it is possible to launch a sneak attack."

Gu Chudong complained, "Brother, isn't that just a waste of your breath?"

Chen Xiuyuan said, "Miss Gu, you're not just saying this for nothing. You've actually pieced together a few clues. First, there's a martial arts master who recently came from outside the martial arts world. Second, it's an acquaintance who committed the crime. Third, it's a poison master."

Locking onto these three clues and investigating the martial arts masters who have recently arrived in Shatuo City shouldn't be too difficult. The biggest problem now is that they might be after the legendary Ruins of Kuoxu. But if they actually enter the Ruins of Kuoxu, then there's no way to investigate them, since legend has it that no one who goes in has ever come out alive.

Gu Mo said, "This is a matter for your Six Doors. I hope you can solve the case soon."

Chen Xiuyuan said, "Lord Zhuo is going to have another headache. If an ordinary martial artist dies, that's it. But Master Jingkong is different. He has a very high status in the martial arts world of Mobei, and recently he has been actively working to get the Six Doors to take over Mobei... Hmm?"

At this point, Chen Xiuyuan paused slightly and said, "Could it be that he offended the martial arts world of the Northern Desert for this matter and was killed?"

Gu Mo didn't respond.

He didn't deny that this might be a potential possibility. However, if the investigation were to proceed in this direction, it would most likely become just an excuse. After all, for the Six Doors, the goal is to suppress the martial arts world, not to investigate cases. Often, investigating cases is merely a pretext for taking action; the truth isn't actually that important.

……

After Chen Xiuyuan learned from the Six Doors stronghold that there were no leads on the Shatuo Temple case for the time being, Gu Mo and the others did not stay in Shatuo City any longer and left immediately.

They continued their journey for another three days, and on the evening of the third day, they entered the territory of Juyan County.

Led by Chen Xiuyuan, they arrived at a small village before dark.

"This village is called Shenjingtun."

Three riders descended from the barren sandy mountains and saw a small village nestled in a ravine in the vast desert. It consisted of only about a dozen mud-brick houses, which looked quite lonely in the desolate landscape.

“This village is the only one within a twenty-mile radius,” Chen Xiuyuan said, pointing to the distant desert. “If you go out of this village and travel about thirty miles further, it will no longer belong to our Great Qian territory, nor to any country. It’s the Sufang Desert, where the ruins of the ancient ruins are hidden.” Gu Chudong looked out. The desert stretched far into the distance, and on the horizon, the setting sun, like a quenched scimitar, cleaved the desert in two, one light and one dark. Nearby, the sand grains steamed in the heat, while in the distance, bluish-gray sandstorm clouds rose, as if a giant maw was hanging between heaven and earth, ready to devour the light.

Chen Xiuyuan continued, "The biggest challenge in living in these places is water, but there is water underground in Shenjingtun, and crops can be grown in the surrounding land. There are also three or four wells in the village, and those wells are dug very deep, which is why it is called Shenjingtun. I remember that there were quite a few people in the village, probably seventy or eighty."

Dusk is falling and the setting sun is blood-red.

The wind and sand, carrying gravel, pounded against the earthen walls, making a fine rustling sound. The old locust tree at the village entrance had long since withered, a faded wine flag hanging from its branches, fluttering in the wind. Two or three villagers, their heads wrapped in turbans, were hunched over, dragging the last few bundles of camel thorns through the crooked wooden door, the dust they kicked up swirling like seagulls in the dim light.

Gu Mo and his two companions led their horses into the village.

The stone path was riddled with cracks, from which several clumps of gray-green camel thorns sprouted.

At the westernmost end of the mud-brick house, half of the roof had collapsed, revealing a dark stove inside. An old woman was scooping water from the bottom of a jar with a chipped earthenware bowl, her cloudy eyes reflecting the last orange-red hue of the sky. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the street, tearing the coarse cloth clothes on the clothesline, revealing their patched-up linings.

Chen Xiuyuan led Gu Mo and Gu Chudong to a large courtyard with earthen walls in the middle of the village and said, "The only place in Shenjing Village with spare rooms for lodging is the village chief's house."

The earthen wall wasn't high, only about three feet. Gu Chudong could see it from outside the courtyard. The courtyard was a typical structure with a main house and east and west wing rooms. However, it was all built with earthen walls and hadn't been renovated for many years, so it looked very dilapidated.

"Old Qiu, Old Qiu!"

Chen Xiuyuan stood at the door and shouted.

A short while later, an old man with a hunchback led a little girl with pigtails.

The hunched old man opened the fence gate with his cracked hands. His cloudy eyes reflected the setting sun. He looked up and suspiciously examined Gu Mo and the others, his voice dry and hoarse: "Who are you?"

Chen Xiuyuan also looked at the old man with suspicion and asked, "Where is Old Man Qiu? Isn't this Old Man Qiu's house?"

“Dead, long dead,” the hunchbacked old man said. “Half a year ago, bandits ravaged this village and killed them all. The people living in the village now are all newcomers. They had nowhere to live, and since no one lived here, we came.”

Chen Xiuyuan sighed softly.
Such incidents frequently occur in the Northern Desert, which is why Master Jingkong, a figure in the martial arts world, strongly supports the Six Doors taking over the region. Under the jurisdiction of various sects, few people care about the lives of ordinary people.

Chen Xiuyuan said, "The original owner of this courtyard was surnamed Qiu. I am a distant relative of his. I was going to Juyan County on business, so I thought I would come and visit Old Man Qiu. I never expected... sigh!"

"My surname is Sun, you can just call me Old Sun," the hunchbacked old man introduced the little girl he was leading, saying, "This is my granddaughter, Xiao Hong. It's just the two of us living in this courtyard. If you don't mind, please come in and rest for the night!"

"Thank you very much."

Chen Xiuyuan immediately bowed and expressed his gratitude.

Gu Chudong took out her favorite candy from her bosom and handed it to the little girl named Xiaohong.

"Thank you sister!"

Sun Xiaohong wore a coarse cloth skirt, worn and faded, with a straw rope made of camel hair tied around her waist. She looked very simple and unassuming. When she smiled, she was missing two front teeth, which made her look very innocent.

Gu Chudong thought the little girl was very cute and couldn't help but pinch her little cheek.

"Sisters, are you the legendary heroes of the martial arts world?"

“Not a great hero,” Gu Chudong said, “just someone who travels the world to make money.”

"Do you know martial arts?"

"I know a little bit!"

At this moment,
Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the village again. A group of镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) bearing the banner of the Dongyang镖局 (Dongyang Escort Agency) arrived outside the courtyard, consisting of eight men and one woman. The镖师 at the front dismounted, looked at Old Sun and his grandson, and then sized up Gu Mo and his two companions who looked travel-worn, and asked, "Which of you is the owner of this house?"

Seeing the menacing group, Old Sun guessed that the people in the carriage were either rich or noble, and became somewhat frightened. He stammered, "I...I am the owner of this place!"

The man took out a silver ingot, weighing about two or three taels, from his pocket and tossed it to Old Sun, saying, "Prepare two rooms; we need to stay the night."

(End of this chapter)