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

Chapter 220 Seeking Suicide (9.2k long chapter)

Linhai City, the Wang family in the eastern part of the city.

After leaving Qingfeng Inn, Wang Mingxiu, a commander of the Six Doors, went straight home for lunch. Although it was somewhat of a dereliction of duty, the people of the Six Doors turned a blind eye. After all, Wang Mingxiu was the second-in-command of the Six Doors in Linhai County, and most people wouldn't dare to say anything. Besides, everyone knew that Wang Mingxiu had recently taken a concubine, and they were deeply in love. It was already quite difficult for him to come to work every day; they couldn't expect him to not even have time for a meal to be affectionate, could they?

As soon as Wang Mingxiu entered the courtyard, a middle-aged woman walked towards him. The woman was not bad-looking, but she was a bit old and her figure was somewhat bloated.

This woman was none other than Chen, Wang Mingxiu's legal wife. They had been married for over ten years and had two sons and a daughter. The couple had a very good relationship and treated each other with utmost respect. Although Wang Mingxiu had taken six or seven concubines over the years as his official position rose, for various reasons, this had not affected their relationship in the slightest.

"Master, you are back."

Madam Chen stepped forward and took the cloak that Wang Mingxiu had taken off, saying, "Dong'er got into a fight at the academy again today."

Wang Mingxiu chuckled and asked, "Did you win or lose?"

Madam Chen said irritably, "Master, you can't always lecture Dong'er like this. Fighting at the academy is wrong..."

"Let them fight, it's not like we're bullying anyone," Wang Mingxiu said. "It's obvious it's with that kid from the Liu family. His father and I fight all the time. If the father fights, it's normal for the son to fight too. As long as he doesn't lose and embarrass me, it's fine."

Chen said helplessly, "If you keep teaching him like this, he'll definitely grow up to be just like his older brother, all he does is fight all day long."

"What's wrong with being able to fight?" Wang Mingxiu said, "Being able to fight means you won't be bullied. When you are bullied, you'll have the courage to fight back. What's the use of just studying and making money? If someone has a knife to your throat, no amount of money will help. You'll just be someone else's warehouse!"

Madam Chen didn't argue with Wang Mingxiu. She said, "Dong'er is eating in the room. Go and teach him yourself. Just tell him what you just said. If he fights every day and doesn't study hard, he won't even know a few words. How will you teach him martial arts then?"

Wang Mingxiu chuckled and said, "Then the most basic literacy skills still need to be learned. I'll go teach them..." Wang Mingxiu stopped mid-sentence and said, "Never mind, let's talk about it tomorrow. I'll go to Mu Liu's place first today!"

Madam Chen nodded and said, "Sister Muliu has only been in the family for a few days and doesn't know anyone well yet. It would be good for you, sir, to spend more time with her."

Wang Mingxiu nodded and headed towards the backyard.

As Wang Mingxiu walked away, the maid beside Madam Chen said indignantly, "Madam, you really aren't worried at all. Master's soul is almost bewitched by that new sixth madam."

Madam Chen waved her hand and said, "Don't say such things in the future. Do you expect me to compete for favor with a mere concubine? There are four or five concubines in the mansion. If I were to be jealous of them all, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to do anything all day."

The maid said, "Madam, what you say makes sense. I am just a concubine, and I certainly can't compare to you. But this Sixth Madam who came this time is quite different. She is so beautiful that it's unbelievable. I'm afraid that Master will be bewitched!"

Upon hearing the maid's words, Chen's mind conjured up that face that could bring ruin to the country, and her heart immediately felt heavy.

As she said before, she was the legal wife, and she was not afraid of having many concubines. There was a world of difference between a wife and a concubine. But the problem was that being too beautiful could make up for the natural difference in status.

……

backyard,

As soon as Wang Mingxiu arrived at the door, he saw a young woman of about twenty years old dressed in a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).

She had a white magnolia flower pinned to her temple, her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in green, her eyes were slightly upturned like spring water reflecting the waves, her nose was delicate and straight, her lips were naturally red, and her cheeks had shallow dimples. She was truly charming and alluring. She was none other than Mu Liu, the new concubine of Wang Mingxiu.

Mu Liu stood at the doorway, her waist slender and graceful, her sleeves flowing like clouds. Her gaze followed the way they had come, as if a thousand emotions were concentrated in her eyes. Then, she saw the corners of her lips suddenly turn up, her dimples deepen, and her eyes spread with a smile before she quickly rushed towards Wang Mingxiu.

However, just as the beauty was about to throw herself into his arms, Wang Mingxiu, quite oblivious to romance, took a step back.

Mu Liu stood there, her eyes blurry with tears, and said plaintively, "You... as expected, you still despise me..."

Looking at the alluring Mu Liu before him, Wang Mingxiu's eyes flashed with a complex emotion. He said, "Alright, let's go inside. I have something important to tell you."

Mu Liu stopped crying, but her eyes were still slightly red, making her look pitiful. She followed Wang Mingxiu into the house with a wronged expression.

Inside the room, there was a table of steaming food that hadn't been touched, clearly prepared by Mu Liu long ago, waiting for Wang Mingxiu.

Wang Mingxiu's eyes were filled with guilt. He sighed and said, "Mu Liu, why don't you change your identity back to that of a man? You can get married, have children, and live a peaceful life. What do you say?"

Mu Liu trembled, looked up at Wang Mingxiu, and said, "You really do despise me."

Wang Mingxiu said, "It's not that I'm looking down on you..."

"You just don't like me!"

Wang Mingxiu took a deep breath and said, "But you are a man!"

Mu Liu chuckled and said, "Look at me now, how do I resemble a man? Wang Mingxiu, you were the one who should have cultivated the Extreme Yin Manual. I became this androgynous person I am today to help you, and now you're looking down on me? You want me to get married and have children? Can I? Don't you know what the Extreme Yin Manual is? Are you deliberately insulting me?"

Wang Mingxiu said, "No, Mu Liu, what I mean is that our only remaining enemy is that old man from the Eastern Territory. Once we kill him, we can cripple our martial arts. As long as you no longer have the extreme Yin True Qi in your body, you can slowly recover to a normal person. I will cripple my extreme Yang True Qi, and from now on, we will no longer need to support each other."

"Heh, your body can recover," Mu Liu sneered, "but what about your mindset? Wang Mingxiu, I've been a woman for almost thirty years, more as a woman than as a man. How can I go back? We agreed that once we got our revenge, I would stay by your side as a woman for the rest of my life. Now that we've gotten our revenge, you think I'm disgusting, don't you? I was the one who cultivated the Extreme Yin Secret Manual for you, Wang Mingxiu, do you have any conscience at all!"

"How about this, Wang Mingxiu? Just kill me. You can also absorb my Yin Inner Core. Then, not only will you no longer have to face this disgusting, androgynous thing, but you can also achieve Yin-Yang fusion. While you might not be invincible, becoming a grandmaster wouldn't be a problem, right? A perfect solution!"

Wang Mingxiu remained silent for a while before saying, "Mu Liu, it's not what you think."

Mu Liu sneered and remained silent.

Wang Mingxiu slowly said, "Your feigned death and escape were caused by the interference of Gu Mo, the hero of Yunzhou, which led to our premature execution and some oversights, which Pei Yuanzhen has already noticed."

Mu Liu's face stiffened, and she asked, "What do you mean?"

“I saw Gu Mo today,” Wang Mingxiu said. “He kept asking me about the specific details of how I killed Madam Liu. He was testing me. He’s an outsider, so he couldn’t have suspected me for no reason. Pei Yuanzhen must have found something. But he’s a newly appointed official and doesn’t dare to offend me, the local bigwig, so he’s using Gu Mo to test me.”

"It's Gu Mo again, it's that Gu Mo again, is he crazy!" Mu Liu's expression turned ferocious as she angrily said, "I have no grudge against him, we're complete strangers, why is he targeting me like this?"

Wang Mingxiu shook his head slightly and said, "He is the one who put the knife to your name, and you are a wanted criminal."

Mu Liu: "..."

Wang Mingxiu sighed and said, "It's also my fault for losing my mind at the time. I was intimidated by Gu Mo's reputation and changed the plan at the last minute. Otherwise, we wouldn't have made a mistake that Pei Yuanzhen noticed because we were in such a hurry."

Mu Liu said, "It's not your fault. It's just that Gu Mo's reputation is too terrifying. He's the number one ghostwriter in the world. No wanted criminal he has ever targeted has ever escaped. How long has it been since he made his statement? Shangguan Shang and Tianji Shusheng have both fallen into his hands. So far, no wanted criminal has ever been able to escape from him. It's normal for you to be afraid. I'm afraid too!"

Wang Mingxiu said, "That's why I made you change your identity again. You had no choice. It's one thing if Pei Yuanzhen noticed, but the key point is that I did something incredibly stupid today."

When Gu Mo questioned me about the details of killing Madam Liu, I couldn't completely suppress my disgust for him and blurted out that I suspected him. Although neither he nor Pei Yuanzhen took my words to heart at the time, he would definitely seize on this point and investigate me. As my newly acquired concubine, you would definitely come under their scrutiny.

Mu Liu said in a deep voice, "In other words, our fake death act this time was meaningless. Not only did it fail to lure Gu Mo away, it could even expose you."

Wang Mingxiu said, "It's not entirely meaningless. You shouldn't participate in the killing of the Eastern Border this time. As long as Madam Liu doesn't show up, I won't be exposed. Even if there's suspicion, there's no evidence. If you fake your death and change your identity, no one will be able to trace it back to me."

Mu Liu was silent for a moment before saying, "How do I change now?"

Wang Mingxiu said, "Find some time to put on a play. Chen's personal maid has a lot of grievances against you. Find an opportunity to give her some hallucinogenic poison and lead her to ruin your face. Remember, you must make sure that many people see your face ruined."

I'll find a body double who looks like you, disfigure them, and throw them into a well. Then, we'll announce to the public that you committed suicide by jumping into the well because of your disfigurement.

Mu Liu asked, "Then what about me in the future? What identity will I live under?"

"Wait for me!"

Wang Mingxiu said, "Once I've settled everything, I'll fake my death and then take you with me to wander the world, just the two of us."

Mu Liu smiled charmingly and said with a light laugh, "You are a forty-year-old commander with a bright future. Are you really willing to give that up?"

“I’m willing to give it up,” Wang Mingxiu said. “I joined the Six Doors for revenge, and now I only have one enemy left. What future do I have to give up?”

Mu Liu continued, "But what about your happy family? Your wife, Chen, although not particularly beautiful, is truly virtuous and has silently supported you all these years. Your two sons and one daughter are all very accomplished, and your eldest son has even passed the imperial examinations. Such a happy and fulfilling family, are you really willing to give it all up? To wander the world with a neither-male-nor-female fellow like me?"

Wang Mingxiu nodded and said, "I'm willing to part with it. That's what we agreed on back then, isn't it?"

“You’re only keeping your promise because you feel guilty towards me,” Mu Liu said.

Wang Mingxiu shook his head and said, "I faked my death and wandered the world. This happy family is still mine, and I haven't lost anything. But if I stay here, you will really have nothing left."

Mu Liu chuckled and said, "Alright, then I'll fake my death again. I'm really looking forward to the two of us wandering the world together!"

"It will be soon," Wang Mingxiu said. "Tomorrow night, the Seven Absolutes Tower will launch an assassination attempt on that old bastard from the Eastern Territory. I will secretly cooperate with them, and we will definitely succeed in killing that old bastard. Then we will have avenged our clan's extermination!"

Mu Liu frowned and said, "Didn't you say that Gu Mo is now staying at Qingfeng Inn? Can the assassins from the Seven Absolutes Pavilion really kill that old bastard from the Eastern Territory?"

Wang Mingxiu nodded and said, "Don't worry, it's not a big problem. Killing that old bastard in the Eastern Territory was already arranged."

Mu Liu's eyes were red as she said, "It's been almost thirty years. The more than four hundred wronged souls of our Mu clan can finally rest in peace!"

……

Qingfeng Inn, in the courtyard.

Gu Mo was sitting in a chair with a throwing knife on the table in front of him. He made a sword-finger gesture with his right index and middle fingers, and with a slight lift, the throwing knife flew up instantly. As he pointed his finger forward, the throwing knife flew out again. Then, he pointed his finger, and the throwing knife turned a corner, but wobbled and fell to the ground.

Gu Mo was not discouraged. He reached out and sucked the throwing knife back into his hand.

Ever since he conceived the idea of ​​forging a flying sword using the Xuan Tian Floating Stone, Gu Mo had been pondering whether he could create a sword control technique. Therefore, during this period, he frequently experimented with using his immense internal energy as a conduit, combined with the skills of the Dragon Capturing Technique, Little Li's Flying Dagger, and his exquisite control over internal energy.

Theoretically, it is feasible, but in practice it is somewhat difficult. It is possible to control a weapon and attack with internal force, but it is not on the same level as sword control.

However, Gu Mo was not in a hurry.
He couldn't forge his flying sword anytime soon, and he hadn't even finished developing the Guiyuan System, which was his top priority. He hadn't even chosen a name yet. Should it be called 100% Guiyuan Qi, 1000% Guiyuan Qi, 90% Guiyuan Qi, or 100% Guiyuan Qi? He would add a number for each type of internal energy he added.
Just as Gu Mo was thinking,
Gu Chudong pushed open the door from outside and sat down next to Gu Mo, holding a scroll in her hand. She said, "Brother, just now Prefect Pei's clerk brought over the case file of Madam Liu's execution."

immediately,

Gu Chudong then recounted the contents of the case file, especially the details of Madam Liu's murder.

After listening,

Gu Mo thought for a moment and said, "The case file says that when the house caught fire, fourteen constables from the Six Doors fought fiercely with Madam Liu. After seriously injuring one of them, Madam Liu took the opportunity to escape. When she flew up the wall, Wang Mingxiu threw a knife that hit her in the back, and she fell into the fire. Then, Wang Mingxiu rushed into the fire alone and soon dragged out Madam Liu's body, which was burned extensively."

“Yes, that’s it,” Gu Chudong confirmed.

Gu Mo said, "In other words, no one saw what happened after Madam Liu fell into the fire, and we don't know if she really died. The body that was dragged out was severely burned. The identification of Madam Liu was mainly based on her appearance, clothing, and Wang Mingxiu's knife."

Gu Chudong nodded and said, "In that situation, having these things should be enough to prove Madam Liu's identity, right?"

“Proof can be provided,” Gu Mo said. “However, if we look at the files after confirming that Madam Liu is not dead, we can confirm that Madam Liu faked her death there to escape. In other words, she prepared a substitute to die there in advance.”

Gu Chudong asked, "Then, how do we investigate this?"

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "There are many places we can investigate. For example, if it was a stand-in who faked his death, then the time of death of the body would definitely not match. Also, why did Madam Liu fake her death? That's also a direction for investigation. And then there's... Wang Mingxiu's abnormal behavior. Let's put them together."

For Madam Liu to perfectly fake her death and escape, given the circumstances, it's highly likely that Wang Mingxiu helped her. Think about it: a corpse would be burned to erase traces, but if Madam Liu faked her death, she would have inevitably pulled out Wang Mingxiu's knife and stabbed it into the substitute's body. With Wang Mingxiu's years of experience in solving cases, wouldn't he have noticed the difference in the knife wound between the two bodies?

Gu Chudong said, "Then Wang Mingxiu must be involved in something. He's colluding with Madam Liu. But, brother, the problem is that even if we know Wang Mingxiu is involved, we can't identify him. We don't have any evidence. Besides, we're in an unfamiliar place, so we can't investigate."

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "We'll see about Pei Yuanzhen then. I'll help him protect Mr. Dongjing. He owes me a favor, so I can ask him to help with the investigation."

"We have no choice but to contact him," Gu Chudong said.

Gu Mo smiled and said, "But this favor is not so easy to repay. I'll have to do an even bigger favor for him."

"What kind of help?" Gu Chudong asked, puzzled.

"He has to help me find the whereabouts of the Six Bandits of Huaihai."

As he spoke, Gu Mo glanced at the information on the system page:
[Wanted Target - The Six Bandits of Huaihai]

[Mission Level—Five Stars]

[Task Reward - Max Level Tai Xuan Scripture] The Six Bandits of Huaihai were once a notorious evil organization in the Huaihai area. Linhai County is one of the four counties in Huaihai. Pei Yuanzhen, as the prefect of Linhai County, can provide great help.

……

The next day, early in the morning, just after Gu Mo and Gu Chudong finished eating, a group of people came to the courtyard. It was Mr. Dongjing and several of his disciples who came to visit and express their gratitude.

Gu Mo was somewhat surprised.

He hadn't expected Mr. Dongjing to visit him. After all, literature and martial arts each hold half the sky. He held a very high position in the martial arts world and was a grandmaster of his generation, while Mr. Dongjing was a great scholar in the literary world and a grandmaster in the literary and official circles.

The two of them were not on the same page, so Gu Mo did not visit Master Dongjing. He assumed that Master Dongjing would think the same way and not disturb each other. Unexpectedly, Master Dongjing came in person and warmly invited him to debate scriptures and doctrines.

Gu Mo wasn't particularly interested in the literary debates among scholars; he only went out of politeness, intending to listen for a while and then leave.

And then, it really tasted good.

The brother and sister both enjoyed listening to people discuss and debate, because they found that Mr. Dongjing's debates were different from the scene they had imagined of a group of scholars nitpicking over words and quoting classics.

Mr. Dongjing is just insulting people.
He would verbally abuse those scholars who advocated peace, leaving them thoroughly humiliated. After each attack, he would point his finger at them and make threats, demanding that they meet him at the academy during his lectures.

Gu Mo finally understood why Mr. Dongjing was considered a great Confucian scholar; it must have been earned through verbal abuse. Gu Mo even felt that the Six Doors were less about protecting Mr. Dongjing from assassination and more about protecting him from being beaten to death by those scholars who had been verbally abused so vehemently.

Scholars can be truly ruthless when they curse; Gu Mo actually saw someone get so badly scolded by Mr. Dongjing that they vomited blood.

He stayed in the courtyard listening to Mr. Dongjing's debate (or rather, verbal sparring) with someone until lunchtime before leaving. Gu Chudong was very interested and went to listen to the debate again after lunch.

Gu Chudong didn't return until evening. She found Gu Mo and said, "Brother, something happened to Wang Mingxiu's family!"

Gu Mo asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Gu Chudong said, "I just heard that there's trouble in the household. Wang Mingxiu recently took a new concubine, who is said to be very beautiful and deeply favored by Wang Mingxiu. This has made the first wife feel threatened, and she secretly instructed her maid to disfigure the concubine's face. It is said that some kind of poison was used. The concubine couldn't bear the shock and committed suicide by jumping into a well."

Gu Mo frowned slightly.

He felt that this happened too coincidentally.

Madam Liu had wreaked havoc in Linhai and Shanggu counties for years without ever being captured. Just as he was about to arrive, she was captured and killed, but the crucial point is that it was a staged death, which means Wang Mingxiu is extremely suspicious.

In this situation, he was planning to have Pei Yuanzhen thoroughly investigate Wang Mingxiu after the matter with Mr. Dongjing was resolved. Then, something happened in Wang Mingxiu's family, which happened just before the time for Mr. Dongjing's lectures and debates.

Gu Mo sensed that something was wrong.
Ever since he reached the state of oneness with heaven and man in terms of internal energy, he has placed great faith in his intuition. Although he told Gu Chudong that he was bragging about how he determined that Madam Liu was not dead because of his connection with heaven and man, it does not mean that his connection with heaven and man is true or false.

He truly possesses a connection with the divine; at his level, any special feeling he experiences is not unfounded.

Gu Mo immediately stood up and said, "I feel something is wrong. Let's go to Mr. Dongjing's place."

"Huh?" Gu Chudong quickly slung his large book box over his shoulder and followed Gu Mo, saying, "Brother, you mean, the assassin from the Seven Absolutes Tower will assassinate Mr. Dongjing tonight?"

Gu Mo said in a low voice, "If it's just one assassin, that's easy to say, but I'm afraid there's more than one."

at this time,

From the courtyard where Mr. Dongjing was staying, the sounds of clashing weapons rang out. Immediately afterwards, shouts of battle came from the direction of the courtyard, and a signal flare shot into the sky, piercing the horizon.

Without saying a word, Gu Mo and Gu Chudong used their superior lightness skills to fly towards the scene of the incident like two arrows released from a bow.

At the same time, a large group of Six Doors constables flew over from the other side, leaping across the tiled rooftops. The leader was none other than Commander Wang Mingxiu.

At this moment, the courtyard was in complete chaos.

Seven or eight assassins, wielding sharp blades, were locked in a fierce battle with the constables from the Six Doors. Several wooden carts were parked at the entrance, loaded with vegetables and firewood. Clearly, the assassins had disguised themselves as deliverymen to infiltrate the area, but the Six Doors had failed to notice, allowing the assassins to succeed easily.

But this was not the time to assign blame. The situation in the courtyard was tense, with both sides locked in a bloody battle. The assassins' blades were gleaming with a dark blue hue, and they aimed specifically for the constables' throats and hearts. The head constable had been stabbed in the left arm, and after being poisoned, black and red blood beads sprayed and bloomed on the blue bricks. He was being forced against a pillar by the assassins, but his sword had already been dulled.

Just as Gu Mo and Gu Chudong were about to make their move, Wang Mingxiu led a team of elite Six Doors warriors to the scene. Each member of this elite team was exceptionally skilled, and once they entered the battlefield, they were as brave and fearless as tigers descending from the mountain.

Wang Mingxiu wielded a large sword with tremendous force, and in the blink of an eye, he had already cut down the three assassins.

Seeing the situation was dire, the remaining assassins dared not linger. With a shout, they turned and fled. The members of the Six Doors were not about to let them go, and they all used their agility to give chase. In an instant, the scene was chaotic, with people and horses falling, weapons and debris scattered all over the ground, a complete mess.

Seeing the assassin escape,

Wang Mingxiu led a group of constables and quickly ran towards Mr. Dongjing in the corner, protecting him in the middle. At this time, Mr. Dongjing was being protected by several of his disciples who were skilled in martial arts.

Just then, Wang Mingxiu caught a glimpse of a constable approaching Mr. Dongjing out of the corner of his eye. Visibility was poor in the darkness, and the man's hair was somewhat disheveled, making it difficult to discern his features. Wang Mingxiu instinctively sensed something was wrong and pointed at the constable, demanding, "What's your name?"

The constable quickly replied, "Sir, my name is You Bai, and I'm under Commander Ma..."

The constable's words were still lingering on his lips when his figure suddenly changed. A cold glint flashed from his sleeve, and two thin, cicada-wing-like daggers, like shooting stars in the dark night, flew towards Mr. Dongjing's throat, carrying a chilling killing intent.

The throwing knife was faster than lightning; the air was sliced ​​open by the sharp blade, emitting a piercing whistle, and it could take a life in the blink of an eye.

However, Wang Mingxiu was a seasoned veteran, and his reaction was extremely quick. He swung his broadsword rapidly, and the blade light rolled out a semi-circular silver arc like splashed ink. When the blade collided with the throwing knife, sparks flew and two crisp "clanging" sounds were made. The flying knife was accurately struck down and fell to the ground with a crisp "clanging" sound, actually embedding the two hidden weapons into the floor tiles.

Just as Wang Mingxiu was about to step forward and make a move, he suddenly saw the soft sword at the constable's waist flick out like a snake's tongue. The nine rings wrapped around the blade made no sound at all, and it moved along the ground like a living thing. When it suddenly straightened up, it was already at Mr. Dongjing's knees.

Wang Mingxiu had no time to think. He swung his broadsword horizontally and tried his best to block. The soft sword struck the blade, but instead of being blocked as usual, it meandered up the blade, curving strangely and bypassing it in the blink of an eye.

The moment the back of the blade struck the sword, Wang Mingxiu heard a muffled thud from his sternum. The soft sword twisted as if it were alive, its tip piercing through his chest armor and slicing a foot-long gash into his ribs.

His clothes tore, blood seeped out, and Wang Mingxiu groaned, staggering backward. But his action successfully averted the crisis for Mr. Dongjing, and the assassin posing as a constable missed his best opportunity to kill.

Upon seeing this, the assassin was not angry at all. Instead, he threw his head back and laughed loudly. His voice was clear and delicate, and it was actually a woman's voice.

Before her laughter subsided, she flicked her wrist, and several smoke bombs were accurately tossed onto the ground. With a few muffled thuds, thick smoke instantly billowed out, enveloping the entire courtyard. Within the smoke, seven or eight figures darted about like ghosts in all directions, some lunging at rooftops, others crashing into moon gates. Their movements were as unpredictable as the fleeing wolves of Liaodong—a signature technique of Ruan Hongqiao, the "Tail Needle," using specially made smoke to create indistinguishable decoys. This was her secret weapon for escaping unscathed after successful assassinations since her debut.

However, amidst this chaos, a figure soared into the sky from the darkness—it was Gu Mo. He stood almost suspended in mid-air, his fingers rapidly tapping the air, each tap causing a violent fluctuation in the surrounding air. Immediately afterward, invisible sword energy, barely perceptible to the naked eye, shot forth from his fingertips—the Six Meridians Divine Sword.

Sword energy crisscrossed, and wherever it went, the fleeing phantoms instantly vanished into nothingness. A shrill scream suddenly rang out, emanating from Ruan Hongqiao's true form.

At that moment, she was running for her life in a narrow alley, forcing a turn despite her serious injuries, trying to find a wall to use as cover.

But Gu Mo's figure was like lightning, flying over so fast that it was almost impossible to see his figure.

In the blink of an eye, Gu Mo descended from the sky, his right foot carrying immense force, stomping heavily on Ruan Hongqiao's head.

Ruan Hongqiao's body stiffened abruptly, and she instantly spat out a mouthful of blood. Her body, already pierced by the Six Meridians Divine Sword, was now covered in blood, which splattered like a fountain, staining the ground beneath her feet red.

At this moment,

A system notification sounded in Gu Mo's mind:

Killing a three-star wanted criminal

[Achieve a 3-star reward - Max level White Rainbow Palm Power]

[Whether to receive it]

……

In an instant, Gu Mo's mind was filled with awareness of Bai Hong's palm power, and all the techniques for channeling energy flooded into his mind like a surging tide. From the most basic methods of circulating energy to the unfathomable variations of palm techniques, every detail and every skill was clearly presented in the depths of his mind, as if he had already practiced and studied them diligently for countless years.

At the same time, a brand new internal force quietly emerged in his meridians. This internal force initially flowed like a babbling brook, but it gathered and grew rapidly, as if all rivers were flowing into the sea.

……

Meanwhile, in the courtyard over there.

Wang Mingxiu was pierced by the sharp sword, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and his body uncontrollably fell backward. Two disciples of Master Dongjing reacted quickly and rushed forward, each catching him steadily on one side.

However, at this moment, Wang Mingxiu suddenly launched an attack.

He struck out with both palms, accompanied by a whistling wind, as fast as lightning, and landed heavily on the chests of the two disciples.

Before the two disciples could even utter a cry of alarm, they were sent flying several meters away like sandbags, crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out blood, their fate unknown.

At the same time, Wang Mingxiu suddenly tilted his head back, a cold light flashed in his mouth, and a poisoned steel needle flew like an arrow, aiming straight for Mr. Dongjing's throat.

This sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard.

No one could have imagined that Wang Mingxiu, who was risking his life to save someone just a moment ago, would suddenly become a ruthless assassin trying to kill Mr. Dongjing. This reversal was truly unexpected.

The other two disciples who were closely protecting Mr. Dongjing were also top-notch in martial arts, but they had no time to react to this sudden and fatal blow.

The poisoned needle, carrying a deadly glint, was already at Mr. Dongjing's neck in the blink of an eye.

At this critical moment when life hangs by a thread, a crisp "clang" rang out, like metal striking stone, and the poisoned needles were knocked away out of thin air, landing on the ground.

Everyone looked closely and saw a small steel ball shooting out from the shadows. It was this steel ball that deflected the poison needle and saved Mr. Dongjing's life.

At the same time, a cross-shaped blade of energy, wrapped in raging flames, tore through the void and slashed toward Wang Mingxiu like lightning.

Wang Mingxiu's expression changed drastically. Without thinking, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and quickly retreated. When he regained his footing and looked up, he saw Gu Chudong standing there, her long knife radiating a chilling aura. It was she who had intervened.

Seeing this, Wang Mingxiu's eyes widened in anger, and he roared, "You little brat, you dare to ruin my plans? You're asking for death!"

Gu Chudong said coldly, "Wang Mingxiu, you're definitely not right. You not only colluded with the Seven Absolutes Pavilion, but you also colluded with Madam Liu to help him fake his death and escape!"

Wang Mingxiu snorted coldly and said nothing more. He simply raised his hand, and countless poison needles rained down on Gu Chudong like a storm of pear blossoms. They were dense and overwhelming, leaving no room for escape.

Seeing this, Gu Chudong raised her eyebrows, snorted coldly, and swung her long sword fiercely. One after another, cross-shaped sword energies shot out like arrows released from a bow, resembling a wave of the sea.

The blade energy and the poison needles collided fiercely in the air, producing a dense series of clanging sounds and sparks flying everywhere. In the blink of an eye, all the poison needles were knocked down, falling to the ground with a crisp sound and sizzling white smoke on the blue bricks.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wang Mingxiu leaped back three zhang (approximately 10 meters), his toes barely touching the top of the wall before he flew swiftly out of the courtyard like a bird.

However, before his figure had completely disappeared from everyone's sight, a deafening dragon's roar suddenly rang out. A powerful dragon-shaped energy, like an angry dragon emerging from the sea, surged towards him with a world-destroying momentum.

Wang Mingxiu was terrified. In his panic, he hurriedly used all his strength to defend himself. However, the dragon-shaped energy was too powerful. He felt an overwhelming force rushing towards him, which he was completely unable to resist.

He was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a stone wall, rolling all the way on the ground, carving deep furrows, and finally slamming into a rockery.

With a loud "boom," the artificial hill collapsed instantly, sending debris flying everywhere.

When the dust settled, Wang Mingxiu was seen slumped on the ground, barely breathing, his face ashen, blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth. He was at his last gasp and had no power left to fight back.

At this moment, a large group of Six Doors constables surrounded him, but none of them stepped forward to arrest him. Although there was irrefutable evidence that Wang Mingxiu had colluded with the assassin to assassinate Mr. Dongjing, he was still their superior of many years, and they did not know what to do for the time being.

"You are not Wang Mingxiu!"

At this moment, Gu Mo flew over and slowly landed on the ground, saying, "Wang Mingxiu's internal energy is of the fire attribute, while your true energy is extremely cold. However, your methods are quite good. Although it is clearly extremely yin true energy, you actually disguised it as extremely yang true energy before, even fooling me."

After all,

Gu Mo waved his hand, and with a burst of force, tore off the human skin mask from "Wang Mingxiu's" face, revealing an extremely beautiful and delicate face.

Immediately, a constable from the Six Doors exclaimed in surprise, "Madam Liu!"

(End of this chapter)