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

Chapter 221 The Head Manager of Seven Absolutes Pavilion (1-word chapter)
Madam Liu stared intently at Gu Mo, her eyes filled with resentment, and asked, "Gu... Gu Mo... my heart meridian is broken, I can't live anymore, can you tell me... why... why did you suddenly come to kill me... I have no grudge against you, we've never met before..."

Gu Mo said calmly, "I'm the one who put the knife in my mouth, and you're a wanted criminal. Do I need a reason to kill you?"

Madam Liu said, "There has to be... there has to be a reason... You are from Yunzhou, how could you suddenly want to kill me for no reason..."

Gu Mo said, "I just picked him randomly. I just happened to hear that you are ruthless and vicious, and you often wipe out entire families."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Ha...haha...it's truly...truly unacceptable..." Madam Liu said, "Others can wipe out my entire family...but I can't wipe out theirs..." He looked at the Eastern Lord who was being helped out, his face instantly turning ferocious. He tried to struggle to his feet to fight for his life but couldn't move, and could only let out a hysterical roar: "Old man...you deserve to die...you deserve to die...you old bastard..."

However, he was now barely breathing, and although he roared, his voice wasn't very loud. The scene was quiet, but Mr. Dongjing heard him and asked with some doubt, "Judging from what you're saying, you're different from the assassins who came to kill us before. Are you here because of a personal grudge?"

Madam Liu raised her hand with difficulty, pointed at Mr. Dongjing, and said, "Old fool... do you... still remember the Mu clan thirty years ago, the more than four hundred wronged souls... have you had nightmares about them...?"

Mr. Dongjing frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Are you talking about the Mu clan behind the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce in Pinghai County?"

Madam Liu said emotionally, "Old man...it seems...you also have nightmares..."

"What a load of bull! Nightmares!" Mr. Dongjing asked, "Are you a remnant of the Mu clan?"

"You old fool... don't be so smug, I'll haunt you even after I die!" Madam Liu said viciously.

Mr. Dongjing said coldly, "Come on, I am a man of integrity. What kind of bullshit demons, monsters, and evil spirits dare to come looking for me?"

"Pah..." Madam Liu pointed at Mr. Dongjing, so angry that she choked on a mouthful of blood for a long time before finally letting out a sound. As if she were experiencing a final burst of energy, her spirit suddenly returned. She pointed at Mr. Dongjing and cursed, "Old man... you dare to talk about righteousness? You used more than four hundred members of my Mu clan to take the blame for you. Thirty years... thirty years... more than four hundred lives of my Mu clan died unjustly at your hands, yet you are revered by thousands. Heaven, this is truly unfair! Why doesn't it strike you dead with lightning!"

"injustice?"

Mr. Dongjing said in a deep voice, "What right do you, a mere remnant of the Mu clan, have to speak up for the Mu clan? How many families were destroyed and how many lives were lost because of your Mu clan? More than ten thousand children! Do you know that the Mu clan abducted more than ten thousand children? Every single one of you in the Mu clan deserves to die! I was one of the people who ordered the extermination of your entire Mu clan back then. I was the prefectural magistrate of Linhai County back then, and all eight of us officials unanimously agreed to exterminate the entire Mu clan!"

Over the years, I have indeed had regrets. I regret letting the ringleader of your Mu clan die too easily. They should have been subjected to the death by a thousand cuts, with every single one cut counted!

Madam Liu sneered and said, "Old man, hypocrite... Back then you were officials, and the Mu family's crimes were nothing more than a matter of your word..."

"I hate it! If Wang Mingxiu hadn't been chasing me so relentlessly, I would have had a chance to kill you, you old bastard, long ago. But unfortunately, even the heavens weren't on my side. I finally managed to fake my death and escape Wang Mingxiu, only to be stopped by Gu Mo... It's unfair... It's so unfair, so unfair..."

Madam Liu's voice grew softer and softer, and she finally breathed her last, still murmuring "unfair."

At that moment,

A system notification sounded in Gu Mo's mind:

Kill a four-star wanted criminal

[Received a four-star reward - Max level Tai Chi Divine Skill]

[Whether to receive it]

……

In the blink of an eye, Gu Mo obtained the maximum level of Tai Chi Divine Skill.

He will use this martial art as a harmonizer in his Guiyuan system.

However, the philosophy and realm of this martial art are extremely profound, embodying the concepts of "yin and yang in balance, non-action yet nothing is left undone," "before Taiji but not considered high, below the six extremes but not considered deep," and "Wuji and Taiji," which can be described as having no upper limit.

The harmonizer of the Guiyuan System needs to harmonize various internal energies, and thus needs to withstand immense pressure. The Tai Chi Divine Skill is the most suitable for this; theoretically, as long as the user's cultivation level is sufficient, the Tai Chi Divine Skill can continuously increase its upper limit, regardless of the skill's inherent strength, but rather depending on the user's level of attainment!
This level of understanding allows one to align with Yin and Yang. When every breath resonates with the rhythm of heaven and earth, techniques cease to be mere techniques and become a way for people to communicate with the world.

……

"All that's missing are the Tai Xuan Scripture and the Lesser Formless Skill!"

Gu Mo was somewhat excited; the Guiyuan System he had been longing for was almost complete.

The harmonizer Tai Chi Divine Skill, the stabilizer Four Illuminations Divine Skill, the protector Heavenly Silkworm Divine Skill, the power source Nine Yang Divine Skill and Bright Jade Skill are all ready. Only the dimensional ascension device Tai Xuan Scripture and the converter Xiao Wu Xiang Skill are missing.

"It's just that the wanted criminals associated with these two martial arts styles are a bit hard to find."

Gu Mo felt a little heavy-hearted. Although he already possessed five of the seven martial arts techniques of the Guiyuan System, the remaining two would be very difficult to obtain.

One is the Lesser Formless Skill, which corresponds to a three-star wanted criminal known in the martial arts world as the Blood-Handed Musician, named Shang Wujiu. This man is a musician, but a perverted one, who likes to randomly find passersby to perform for money. If a passerby refuses, they will be killed; if they choose to pay, they have a chance to live, but only a chance. After playing, he asks the listener to evaluate his skills. If the evaluation is satisfactory, the listener lives and receives ten times the money; if the evaluation is unsatisfactory, they are killed.

The other ascendant, the Tai Xuan Scripture, corresponds to a five-star evil team known in the martial arts world as the Six Bandits of Huaihai. This was a once rampant gang that ran rampant in the four prefectures of Huaihai, committing all sorts of atrocities, including rape, kidnapping, forcing women into prostitution, arson, murder, robbery, and massacres. They did almost every evil thing imaginable.

What makes this group most hated in the martial arts world is that they act without any logic, relying entirely on their likes and dislikes. Many of the evil deeds they commit are without reason; they simply do them because they want to.

However, this group disappeared six years ago.

However, it's quite a coincidence...
Linhai County is one of the four counties of Huaihai, which is the main reason why Gu Mo asked Pei Yuanzhen for a favor.

……

At this time, Qingfeng Inn was still in chaos, as several assassins were still trying to escape and were fiercely fighting against the Six Doors, but they were just desperate struggles.

Mr. Dongjing walked up to Gu Mo, cupped his hands and said, "Hero Gu, thank you for saving my life."

Gu Mo waved his hand and said, "I was invited to protect you; it's just my duty. Don't worry about it."

Mr. Dongjing possessed remarkable composure. Having just survived such a perilous assassination attempt, he showed no discomfort or fear whatsoever. No wonder he was a frequent target of assassination attempts; he even had the composure to debate with Gu Mo, chuckling as he said, "Master Gu, you are mistaken. Although you were invited to protect me, in a sense, it was a transaction between you and Prefect Pei. However, your transaction didn't include the condition that you had to successfully protect me; you could have failed. Therefore, I must thank you, because in the transaction, you chose success over failure. I thank you for successfully completing the transaction and saving my life!"

Gu Mo: “…”

Although he enjoyed listening to Mr. Dongjing debate with others, because Mr. Dongjing could always find some very unique angles to criticize others, and those angles were so cunning that they were astonishing.

However, when the person being teased in this conversation became himself, Gu Mo couldn't bring himself to enjoy it.

He made a casual, polite remark, and then Mr. Dongjing launched into a long-winded explanation.

Gu Mo said speechlessly, "Mr. Dongjing, you really are a stubborn old nitpicker!"

Mr. Dongjing asked, "I know I'm old, but what is this 'nitpicker'?"

"It's a dialect from my hometown that praises someone for being very knowledgeable," Gu Mo said.

"Oh, I see. Then I can barely be considered an old contrarian!" Mr. Dongjing nodded confidently with a touch of humility, and then said, "Then, Master Gu, you can be considered a young contrarian!"

Gu Mo: “…”

He suspected the old man was doing it on purpose.

Just then, Gu Chudong walked over and asked, "Mr. Dongjing, what was the story about the Mu clan being wiped out, which you were talking about with Madam Liu?"

Mr. Dongjing sighed and said, "It has been nearly thirty years since this incident, but I still feel very guilty whenever I think about it. I was the local official of Linhai County back then, but I have failed the people."

It was twenty-nine years ago, before I went to Bailu Academy. I was serving as the Vice Prefect of Linhai County. That year, a major event occurred in Linhai County: a flood struck, displacing many people and turning them into refugees. Everyone was struggling to cope with the disaster, and the government, merchants, and martial arts practitioners from all walks of life united as one to overcome it.

But no one expected that, amidst such a natural disaster, some people would profit from it to such an unscrupulous degree. The Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce took advantage of the situation to abduct and kidnap children everywhere. In just a few months, tens of thousands of children were abducted throughout Linhai County.

However, due to the disaster at the time, local governments were lax in their oversight, allowing the Mu family to carry out their schemes behind the scenes for so long without being detected. It wasn't until later, after the floods subsided, that the parents and families of the children began to report the crimes. When statistics were compiled from various locations, they were horrified to discover that tens of thousands of children had been abducted.

At the time, this matter caused a great uproar, reaching the ears of the emperor, who personally intervened. Through the concerted efforts of various departments in Linhai County, it was eventually discovered that the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce was behind it, selling those children overseas. We found the clues and hurriedly set sail to pursue them.

But we never imagined the Mu clan would be so ruthless. To avoid being caught red-handed, they ordered all the boats transporting children to be smashed. That's tens of thousands of children! They were all sunk alive to the bottom of the sea. In the end, we only managed to rescue a few dozen.

Mr. Dongjing paused for a long while, his expression forlorn, clearly indicating that even after so many years, he still couldn't let go of the past. After a long while, he took a deep breath and said, "At the time, we were so focused on saving those children that we didn't have time to pursue them, and the Mu family got away."

That night, I and eight other powerful officials from our government office discussed the matter all night. We finally made up our minds to risk losing our official positions to seek justice for the dead children. We took matters into our own hands and led troops to wipe out the entire Mu clan.

After that, the eight of us voluntarily admitted our mistakes to the imperial court. So many children had died, and we were to blame. In the end, unsurprisingly, we all lost our official positions. Some returned to their villages to become teachers, some went into business, and I went to Bailu Academy.

Over the years, we've all gone our separate ways. Although most of us are still in Linhai and Pinggu counties, many of us were political enemies and had no contact with each other. I did hear that two families were wiped out by notorious bandits, but only today did I realize it was the remnants of the Mu family who were behind it all. We weren't careful enough back then!

Gu Mo and Gu Chudong remained silent after hearing this.

Mr. Dongjing chuckled, “I know you Jianghu people believe in the rule of not harming family members, and you might think that it was wrong of us to exterminate the entire Mu family back then, and that we should only kill the participants. But I don’t think I was wrong. If I could do it all over again, I would do the same thing. What did those ten thousand children and their parents do wrong?”

Gu Mo said, "Sir, you misunderstand. I don't think what you did can be judged as right or wrong. I remain silent because I am not at a high enough level to make a judgment on this matter, so I remain silent."

Mr. Dongjing nodded and said, "I see. However, from Madam Liu's perspective, she had a happy family, but we destroyed it. It's not unreasonable for her to seek revenge on us, and to retaliate in kind. It's just that she can't distinguish right from wrong!"

Gu Mo thought for a moment and said, "However, he has committed many massacres over the years. Perhaps it was for money, or perhaps it was to cover up his actions and prevent people from thinking that he was avenging the Mu family, so as not to alert those of you who were involved back then. But, whatever the reason, he has done a lot of things like wiping out entire families, so he deserves to die."

Mr. Dongjing spat and said, "I thought he was just looking for revenge against the eight of us from back then. Although he can't distinguish right from wrong, from his perspective, revenge is understandable. I even respected him for his courage. But it turns out he's just a scoundrel who kills innocent people for his own selfish reasons. He's truly despicable. The Mu clan should all die out. There's not a single good person among them!"

Gu Mo didn't say anything more and left with Gu Chudong.

At this time,
In the Wang family mansion in Dongcheng, Wang Mingxiu was dealing with the matter of his concubine "Mu Liu" committing suicide by jumping into a well. The first wife, Madam Chen, stood aside trembling, not daring to speak. Her personal maid knelt on the ground, her face ashen. The body of the sixth wife, Mu Liu, lay on the ground, her face completely disfigured and terrifying.

The atmosphere was very oppressive and somber.

Wang Mingxiu sat in the main seat without saying a word. Just then, a constable from the Six Doors rushed in and said to Wang Mingxiu in a hurry, "Boss, something terrible has happened. Mr. Dongjing has just been assassinated."

Wang Mingxiu's expression changed.

Before he could speak, the constable continued, "One of the assassins was... Madam Liu. He disguised himself as you and almost succeeded in killing Mr. Dongjing. Fortunately, Miss Gu and Hero Gu saved Mr. Dongjing and killed Madam Liu on the spot."

Wang Mingxiu's mind suddenly went blank.

"Boss," the constable looked at the corpse on the ground with some difficulty, and said in a low voice, "Why don't we go over there first? Things over there are more urgent. As for here... it's already like this, so let's not worry about it for now!"

Here, a concubine died in a power struggle in the backyard, but over there, Mr. Dongjing was assassinated. Most importantly, the assassin was Madam Liu, a notorious bandit who was personally killed by Wang Mingxiu and whose case has been documented and is now in custody.

This is no small matter; if Wang Mingxiu is not careful, he could be demoted. That's why the constable reminded Wang Mingxiu to go there first, as a way of reminding him to try to salvage the situation.

"go!"

Immediately, Wang Mingxiu stood up, pointed at the maid, and said, "Lock her up!"

Immediately, servants dragged the begging and wailing maid out.

Wang Mingxiu then hurriedly headed towards Qingfeng Inn.

Because Wang Mingxiu lived in the East City, which was far from Qingfeng Inn, by the time he arrived, Prefect Pei Yuanzhen and Liu Feng, the Inspector of the Six Doors, had already been there for quite some time.

Liu Feng is the head of the Six Doors and Wang Mingxiu's direct superior, while Pei Yuanzhen is the head of the entire Linhai County. Both of them hold positions above Wang Mingxiu.

Upon seeing the two of them, Wang Mingxiu quickly went over and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Prefect Pei and Inspector Liu."

Pei Yuanzhen nodded slightly without saying anything.

Liu Feng's expression was very unpleasant. Pointing at the corpse of Madam Liu, which was being examined by two coroners, he said coldly, "Commander Wang, you should be familiar with this person, right?"

Wang Mingxiu glanced at her, his pupils contracting slightly, but his expression remained unchanged. He cupped his hands and said, "This humble servant... heard on the way here that it is Madam Liu."

Liu Feng said stiffly, "Then take a look for yourself now and see if you are Madam Liu?"

Wang Mingxiu lowered his head and said, "Yes..."

"So you do know that!" Liu Feng roared, "Wang Mingxiu, what are you doing? Didn't you kill Madam Liu? Didn't you handle that case yourself? You submitted all the files and evidence yourself. How do you explain this now?"

"This humble servant knows his mistake!" Wang Mingxiu offered no explanation.

"Knowing you're wrong, knowing you're wrong, what good is knowing you're wrong!" Liu Feng took a deep breath and said, "You made your own mess, so you have to clean it up yourself and figure out how to explain it to the Tianzhou General Government!"

After saying that, Liu Feng snorted coldly, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Pei Yuanzhen, and then left.

Pei Yuanzhen watched Liu Feng storm off, shook his head slightly, patted Wang Mingxiu's shoulder gently, and said, "Commander Wang, Inspector Liu was just throwing a tantrum, don't take it to heart. This matter isn't that serious. Fortunately, Hero Gu and Heroine Gu were here, and Mr. Dongjing didn't make any mistakes, so the matter isn't serious."

Your real problem is that you abandoned your post today, giving Madam Liu an opportunity to impersonate you and attempt an assassination. When the General Administration arrives, just tell them everything truthfully. The only thing you need to be careful about is this part; it depends on whether Inspector Liu is willing to help you.

"Well, that's all. Take these assassins' bodies back first, and see if you can find any clues about the Seven Absolutes Tower."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir!" Wang Mingxiu cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Pei Yuanzhen. Immediately...

Wang Mingxiu began to handle the cleanup work at the scene.

Not long after, he led a group of assassins, including the corpses of Ruan Hongqiao and Madam Liu, to the Six Doors. After going through a series of procedures, it was already past midnight.

Wang Mingxiu arrived at the morgue.

The morgue was quiet at this time, with only two constables guarding the door.

After informing the two constables, he went inside. As a commander of the Six Doors, who had been investigating cases for a long time, it was perfectly normal for him to come and examine the corpse; no one would find it strange.

Wang Mingxiu slowly approached Madam Liu's body with an oil lamp in hand. He gently lifted the white cloth, looked at the familiar face, and his body trembled slightly.

Madam Liu's words suddenly echoed in his ears: "You are only willing to keep your promise because you feel guilty towards me."

After a long while, Wang Mingxiu took a deep breath, gently grasped Madam Liu's hand, and whispered, "My feelings for you have never stemmed from guilt. From the very beginning, they have been sincere. I just didn't dare to admit it because we are brothers of the same clan. I am not as brave as you and cannot face the distortion in my heart. Actually, I also look forward to the two of us wandering the world together!"

Wang Mingxiu closed his eyes slightly for a long, long time.
He slowly reached out and gently placed his hand on Madam Liu's forehead. A stream of true energy slowly appeared on his hand and flowed into the Yintang acupoint, Niwan Palace, and Dantian.

Normally, when a person dies, the true qi in the dantian transforms into its essence.

But in that instant, within Madam Liu's dantian, it was as if a dormant dragon had awakened, and true energy surged forth once more.

First, a chilling aura quietly arose in the upper dantian, Niwan Palace. Then, the middle dantian, Tanzhong acupoint, and the lower dantian, Guanyuan acupoint, were also filled with yin energy. Streams of extremely yin true energy, like mist in a deep mountain, emerged and slowly gathered in the air.

In the blink of an eye, it condensed into a pearl the size of an egg, crystal clear and exuding a chilling aura.

Seeing this, Wang Mingxiu immediately swung his hands like wheels, circulating his magic seals, and his aura suddenly changed. Between his palms, the extreme yang true energy surged and gushed out like the blazing summer sun, merging with the extreme cold elixir.

In an instant, Yin and Yang converged, the two energies intertwining and merging, like the ever-changing flow of Tai Chi. Then, this merging Yin and Yang energy, like a nimble snake, slowly surged into his three dantian.

For a moment, the surrounding world seemed to be drawn by this strange power. After a long while, Wang Mingxiu slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them, and his aura instantly became deep and restrained, like a deep pool and a towering mountain, unfathomable.

"Yin and Yang coexist, minds are connected, is this the legendary Yin-Yang secret manual at its peak?" Wang Mingxiu murmured to himself, "No wonder you've always cultivated much faster than me, you've always dared to look directly into your heart, but I haven't!"

Wang Mingxiu stared at Madam Liu's body for a long, long time before slowly covering it with a white sheet. His expression became very calm, and he slowly walked out of the morgue and left the Six Doors government office.

In the dead of night, the coastal city was chilly and somewhat desolate.

Wang Mingxiu walked along the long street under the moonlight, his shadow stretching very long. This stretch of road, which he had walked countless times, felt like a year's journey, as if he had walked hundreds of miles.

He went straight to the backyard and entered the courtyard where his concubine, Mu Liu, lived. The servants who were on night patrol saw this and could only sigh that their master was mourning the death of his sixth wife, who had been very favored during this time.

Entering the room,
Wang Mingxiu stood quietly at the door, looking at Mu Liu's bed, his mind filled with the scene of the two of them talking in this room earlier that day.

"Sad?"

Suddenly, a voice came from behind, sending a chill down Wang Mingxiu's spine. He immediately struck out with his palm.

However, there was nothing there.

Just then, the voice sounded behind him again: "Commander Wang, I mean no harm."

Wang Mingxiu quickly turned around and saw a black-robed man wearing a ghost mask sitting in a chair.

"Who are you?" Wang Mingxiu asked in a deep voice.

The masked man uttered a voice that was neither male nor female: "People in the martial world call me the head manager!"

Wang Mingxiu's pupils contracted slightly as he said, "Manager of the Seven Absolutes Pavilion, how dare you! Don't you know you're the most wanted criminal by the Six Doors of Tianzhou? I am a commander of the Six Doors. How dare you appear before me?"

The masked man chuckled and said, "I really didn't expect that a mere commander of the Six Doors would dare to be so arrogant in front of me."

"Humph!"

Wang Mingxiu snorted coldly, and his aura suddenly changed. On his palm, two streams of true energy, one yin and one yang, surged and intertwined, spreading out strange fluctuations as they swiftly struck towards the head manager.

The head manager remained calm and composed, sitting steadily in his chair as if he didn't take the fierce attack seriously. Only when Wang Mingxiu's palm strike was about to hit him did he slowly and deliberately move his body slightly, letting the blow land on him.

Immediately, Wang Mingxiu felt as if his palm had sunk into a ball of soft cotton, without any sense of force. The originally surging Yin and Yang energies instantly dispersed and disappeared, like a mud ox entering the sea, swallowed up in an instant by the head steward's robe, without even causing a crease.

Wang Mingxiu's heart skipped a beat, and he knew he was in trouble. Without thinking, he instantly withdrew his hand. Almost at the same moment, he struck out with both hands again. His left hand was filled with yang energy, carrying a rolling heat wave, while his right hand was filled with yin energy, condensing into a chilling cold aura. The yin and yang energy, combined with the airflow generated by his palm strikes, actually swirled the dust accumulated in the corner of the wall into two vortexes, one red and one green, spinning in mid-air like two agile dragons, pouncing towards the head manager once again.

The head manager finally raised his hand, slamming the teacup onto the table without spilling a drop of tea. He reached out as if scooping up a floating weed, two fingers gripping Wang Mingxiu's wrist pulse point. With a twist of his palm, it was as if an invisible millstone was turning. Wang Mingxiu felt his strength suddenly lose its aim, like a kite string being pulled taut. He watched helplessly as his hands crossed uncontrollably, hurtling towards his face. The head manager's other hand then casually pushed him at the waist, the seemingly effortless force like a river bursting its banks. Wang Mingxiu was sent flying backward, landing squarely back where he had been standing.

"No wonder you're so arrogant!" The head manager lightly patted the tea leaves off his clothes and said, "I never expected that the Six Doors of Linhai County would hide such a master of internal energy as you. With your Yin-Yang Harmony Internal Energy Technique, you could be called a grandmaster in any state outside of Tianzhou."

Wang Mingxiu stared intently at the head manager, not daring to make any rash moves. He had just absorbed Madam Liu's internal energy and was confident that he could reach the pinnacle of martial arts, but he did not expect that his first opponent would be so unfathomable.

The Yin-Yang Secret Manual is the unique skill of their Mu clan.

When the clan was wiped out, only he and Mu Liu survived. At the last moment, the clan leader gave the two of them a secret manual, which was divided into two manuals, one Yin and one Yang. Originally, he was supposed to cultivate the Yin manual, but Mu Liu exchanged it with him.

Over the years, thanks to the Yin and Yang Secret Manuals, both of them have achieved considerable success. He became a thousand-household officer of the Six Doors in a prefecture, while Mu Liu became the fearsome Lady Liu, a notorious thief in the martial arts world. Both of them are top-tier masters in the martial arts world.

Now, he has achieved the unity of Yin and Yang, reaching the realm of Yin-Yang coexistence and harmony between Heaven and Man. He thought he could rival the top ten masters of the Qian Kingdom, but he didn't expect to be hit with this blow as soon as he returned.

Having just exchanged blows with the head manager, although he didn't fight to the death, the head manager's nonchalant attitude made him feel a deep sense of powerlessness.

“But,” the head manager spoke again, “it’s far from enough to seek revenge on Gu Mo with just this Yin-Yang Harmony internal energy.”

Wang Mingxiu was startled, but his expression remained unchanged. He said, "I have no grudge against Gu Mo. Why would I seek revenge against him?"

"Stop pretending, Wang Mingxiu."

The head manager said, "Since I've come to find you, it means I've investigated you thoroughly. I already noticed when you secretly hired assassins from my Seven Absolutes Pavilion to assassinate Mr. Dongjing."

Madam Liu faked her death to escape, changed her identity, and became your concubine. You are descendants of the Mu family, which was wiped out thirty years ago. Now, your only remaining enemy is Mr. Dongjing. No, you should have one more enemy: Gu Mo.

Wang Mingxiu said coldly, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

The head manager's voice remained calm: "Madam Liu faked her death to become your concubine. This was a rather crude affair. Of course, I can understand. After all, Gu Mo, the world's number one ghostwriter, is under a lot of pressure. Your plans have been disrupted."

Unfortunately, one wrong step led to another, and you made a mistake. To protect you, Madam Liu didn't hesitate to expose herself, perfectly covering up your cooperation in faking your death to escape. The matter of the concubine is also over. Now that Madam Liu is dead, no one will suspect you.

The world only knows that Madam Liu is a descendant of the Mu family and that she cooperated with the Seven Absolutes Tower in assassination to seek revenge on Mr. Dongjing. As for you, you are just a commander of the Six Doors who was deceived by his faked death. Now, you have even lost a beloved concubine because of her. Hmm... the poison that disfigured your concubine was Madam Liu's poison, which has perfectly sealed the wound.

Madam Liu faked her death to evade your pursuit, then murdered your concubine to lure you away from Qingfeng Inn, before assassinating Mr. Dongjing. You were merely punished for poor handling of the case; at most, you'll be demoted, but you'll continue as an official and live a happy life.

It's a pity, though, that he ultimately failed to kill Mr. Dongjing. He was just one step away, a hair's breadth short. Madam Liu's plan was excellent; by killing the last enemy, he could both avenge himself and protect and fulfill your wishes.

Wang Mingxiu stared at the head manager and said in a deep voice, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

The head manager chuckled and said, "Wang Mingxiu, the enemy who wiped out your entire family isn't just Mr. Dongjing; he was merely pushed to the forefront to do someone else's bidding. Besides, with your martial arts skills, you're definitely no match for Gu Mo. I'm not trying to belittle you, but you have the level of an internal energy master. However, Gu Mo is a grandmaster of both internal energy and swordsmanship. If you cooperate with me, I'll help you take your revenge!"

Wang Mingxiu stared intently at the head manager and asked, "Who is behind Mr. Dongjing?"

The head manager shook his head slightly and said, "I don't know either. But you can think about it yourself. If Mr. Dongjing didn't have anyone backing him, could such a big case back then have been explained away just by destroying the Mu family?"

Over ten thousand children went missing, and only a few dozen were found at sea. A simple explanation—the ship sank—and that was it. You're an official now; think about how absurd that is! Even if all ten thousand children sank, some bodies should have floated back, right? Surely they all perished at sea?

Wang Mingxiu's face darkened. He asked, "What do you mean?"

The head manager chuckled and said, "In your and Madam Liu's understanding, Mr. Dongjing and the others only used your Mu clan as a scapegoat back then, right?"

Wang Mingxiu nodded slightly.

The head manager said, "Then, where did those children go? Mu was just taking the blame, which means that the story of all the children being drowned is also false. So, where are those children?"

Wang Mingxiu's expression changed; he hadn't really thought about this issue all these years.

The head steward continued, "Back then, there were eight officials who ordered the massacre of the entire Mu family. In the end, they all lost their official positions, and six of them faded into obscurity. The best they became were wealthy merchants. But Mr. Dongjing's reputation only grew stronger than when he was in government. He became a great Confucian scholar, respected by all, with disciples all over the court. He was incredibly successful. Why? Because of his knowledge? There are plenty of knowledgeable people in the world!"

Wang Mingxiu gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "You mean to say that the disappearance of those more than 10,000 children back then was orchestrated by powerful figures in the imperial court? That old scoundrel in the Eastern Territory was covering for them, and although he no longer holds an official position, he has risen through the ranks in another form!"

The head manager nodded and said, "If I'm not mistaken, the Eastern Territory must have found out who was behind this back then and made a deal with them. They helped cover it up in exchange for a meteoric rise in their careers. As for who that big shot was, I don't know. Someone who could help someone who was already famous become a great Confucian scholar must be someone with extraordinary connections."

After saying that, the head manager raised his head slightly. Under the ghost mask, his eyes were somewhat weathered. He slowly said, "Cooperate with me, and I will help you find out who is behind this and help you take revenge. I can help you kill Dong Jing and Gu Mo."

"Can you kill Gu Mo?" Wang Mingxiu asked.

The head manager sneered and said, "In the entire Qian Kingdom, only Zhang Daoyi is someone I can't kill. Besides, Gu Mo is just a mere wandering martial artist. My Seven Absolutes Pavilion has countless experts; killing him would be a piece of cake."

Wang Mingxiu pondered for a moment, then asked, "What do you need me to do?"

The head manager said, "I have a shipment that needs to be shipped overseas. I need the Six Doors to do me a favor."

"What kind of goods?" Wang Mingxiu asked.

“Some weapons,” the head manager said.

"That's it? Is it a large quantity?" Wang Mingxiu asked.

The head manager slowly said, "Two thousand knives."

"Are you crazy?" Wang Mingxiu exclaimed. "What do you need so many weapons for? Are you trying to rebel? You're too much of a target; I can't help you."

The head manager said, "It won't be a one-time thing, it'll be done gradually. Several merchant guilds will mainly help with the operation. You'll just need to issue some permits and provide cover. After it's done, I'll bring that guy from the Eastern Territory to you, how about that?"

Wang Mingxiu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What are you going to do with so many weapons?"

The head steward said, "There are many pirates on those islands overseas. Their weapons are worn out year-round, and they can't get weapons from the mainland. So, these weapons are worth as much as gold at sea."

Wang Mingxiu hesitated for a while before saying, "I can help you, but it might be difficult to capture him in the Eastern Territory. Gu Mo is currently staying at the Qingfeng Inn."

The head manager said, "Gu Mo will eventually leave; he can't protect the Eastern Border forever."

Wang Mingxiu said, "Do you know why I'm so insistent on killing people from the Eastern Border at Qingfeng Inn?"

"What do you mean?" the head manager asked, puzzled.

“If I don’t kill him this time, I’ll hardly have another chance,” Wang Mingxiu said. “I have received definite news that His Majesty has issued an edict appointing the Eastern Commander as the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince.”

The head manager asked in confusion, "Wait, hasn't the crown prince been decided yet?"

Wang Mingxiu said, “This means that the Crown Prince will be decided soon. That’s not important, it has nothing to do with us. What’s important is that once the imperial edict arrives, the Eastern Territory will definitely be taken to the capital. Can you take the Eastern Territory away from the Imperial Guards?”

The head manager shook his head slightly.

“So,” Wang Mingxiu said, “if Gu Mo hadn’t left Linhai City before this, then Dong Jing isn’t stupid. Knowing that someone has been trying to assassinate him, he would definitely stay with Gu Mo. I believe you can beat Gu Mo, but Gu Mo can stop you from kidnapping people and send a message to the Six Doors in the city, right? Unless you can quickly suppress Gu Mo.”

The head manager nodded and said, "You can rest assured, I have a way to lure Gu Mo away."

Wang Mingxiu asked, "How do we do it?"

The head manager said, "Actually, the way to lure Gu Mo away is very simple. His personality is very obvious. He likes to act as a ghostwriter and enjoys catching and hunting down wanted criminals. As long as there is news about a wanted criminal that interests him, we can immediately lure him away."

Wang Mingxiu said, "I know this method, of course. But right now, we can be sure that the wanted criminals he is interested in are the Six Bandits of Huaihai and the Blood Hand Qin Master. But both the Six Bandits of Huaihai and the Blood Hand Qin Master have been missing for many years, and we can't find any clues at all."

The head shopkeeper said, "If we can't find clues, we can create them. The Blood Hand Musician is too far away to lure Gu Mo away in the shortest amount of time. But the Six Bandits of Huaihai are different. They are wanted criminals from the four prefectures of Huaihai. It's reasonable for them to appear in other parts of Huaihai, isn't it?"

Wang Mingxiu frowned and said, "You mean you want to find someone to impersonate you?"

The head steward nodded and said, "The methods used by the Six Bandits of Huaihai back then were very distinctive and easy to imitate. Commander Wang, you're not the kind of person who's soft-hearted. Surely you wouldn't object to the deaths of a few innocent people? Over the years, in order to cover up her tracks, Madam Liu has not only sought revenge but has also wiped out countless innocent families!"

Wang Mingxiu said in a deep voice, "What I mean is, you need to make your methods look more convincing, so that no one can spot the flaws. My Six Doors has detailed files on this, and I can give you a copy."

The head shopkeeper nodded and said, "Alright, just give the things to the old beggar playing the erhu at the west end of the bridge."

(End of this chapter)