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

Chapter 222 Killing the Six Bandits of Huaihai (A long chapter of 1.2 words)
Early morning at Qingfeng Inn.

Gu Chudong brought over some food, and Gu Mo, having just finished washing up, went straight to the table to eat.

"elder brother,"

Gu Chudong handed the chopsticks to Gu Mo and said, "It seems that we may have wronged that Commander Wang before. He was probably just a little arrogant, which is why he reacted so strongly when he heard what you said a couple of days ago."

Gu Mo nodded slightly and said, "I hope so!"

Gu Mo still harbored suspicions about Wang Mingxiu, because Wang Mingxiu's previous reaction had indeed been somewhat excessive. Based on his deductions, it was highly likely that Wang Mingxiu had secretly helped Madam Liu fake her death.

However, if that's the case, it's hard to explain why Madam Liu faked her death and then suddenly reappeared.

Therefore, it seems more reasonable that Wang Mingxiu was simply deceived by Madam Liu. It is also reasonable that Madam Liu faked her death because she was being pursued too closely by Wang Mingxiu, so she could use this desperate measure to escape and then wait for an opportunity to assassinate Mr. Dongjing.

However, Gu Mo always felt that something was off about Wang Mingxiu.

“Brother,” Gu Chudong said after taking a couple of bites of rice, “Also, last night I kept thinking about the child abduction case that Mr. Dongjing mentioned. I feel like some parts of it are far-fetched.”

Gu Mo asked, "Where?"

Gu Chudong said, "According to Mr. Dongjing, the Mu clan's sphere of influence is only that of a large merchant guild in a county, at most equivalent to the Tang Buyi family's influence in Zhushan County. Do they really have the ability to abduct ten thousand children? Even under a natural disaster, it would be difficult to hide for so long before being discovered, wouldn't it?"
Secondly, according to Mr. Dongjing, the children disappeared over a period of several months to a year, yet while they were tracking them, the children were simultaneously being transported overseas, which doesn't make sense. Could it be that the Mu clan abducted so many children and raised them all together for months or even a year? Such an enormous expense is beyond the reach of a small county-level merchant guild. Furthermore, how could they hide ten thousand children?

Thirdly, and finally, because they couldn't find any evidence, Mr. Dongjing and his group risked their jobs to exterminate the entire Mu clan. This sounds very heroic, showing that Mr. Dongjing and his group were willing to pay any price for the people. But from another perspective, doesn't this mean that the Mu clan might actually be innocent? Otherwise, how could such a major case end up with no evidence at all just because the investigation failed?

After listening, Gu Mo gave Gu Chudong a thumbs up and said, "Chudong, you're getting smarter and smarter. You're smart enough to work for the Six Doors."

Gu Chudong proudly raised her head and said, "I do read books, okay? I even got two books on case handling from Brother Zhuo!"

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "The points you raised are indeed very, very suspicious, but we're not government officials, so we can't investigate the truth. Besides, almost thirty years have passed, so it's even less likely we'll find anything. Furthermore, if you can easily spot these points, couldn't the people who handled the case back then have noticed them? Couldn't the Yunzhou prefectural government have noticed them during their review? Couldn't the Dali Temple in the capital have noticed them during its review? Didn't they all choose to close the case? Even if there really is a problem, that case can't be overturned."

Gu Chudong shook his head and said, "I don't want to overturn any cases. I'm not a government official, so what right or reason do I have to overturn cases? I'm just thinking about that Madam Liu. I feel quite sorry for her. She's only focused on revenge."

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "In the world of martial arts, it's hard to say whether someone is pitiful or not. He may have his pitiful aspects, but he has taken the lives of many innocent people. Those people are not pitiful; they deserve to become stepping stones on his path to revenge."
In other words, if I were killed someday, would I be pitiful? I don't need to be pitiful. There's no such thing as pitiful or not pitiful. Everyone has their own cause and effect. He who kills will be killed in return. Don't talk about right or wrong, or pity; just talk about whether you're part of the martial arts world!

"Pah, pah, pah!" Gu Chudong spat several times and said, "Brother, don't say such unlucky things anymore. You won't die, you're going to become the number one person in the world."

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "Alright, that's enough, let's eat!"

Soon, the brother and sister finished their meal.

Gu Chudong was clearing away the dishes and chopsticks, preparing to take them to the inn's kitchen.

at this time,

A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and soon Pei Yuanzhen's voice rang out: "Hero Gu, Heroine Gu, I, Pei, request an audience!"

Gu Mo was drinking tea when he said softly, "Please come in."

Immediately, Pei Yuanzhen walked in, cupped his hands and said, "Hero Gu, Heroine Gu, I was thinking of coming to thank you in person last night, but it was too late when I arrived. I thought you two were already resting, so I didn't come to disturb you!"

Gu Mo poured Pei Yuanzhen a cup of tea and said, "Prefect Pei, you're too kind."

Pei Yuanzhen took the teacup and said, "If it weren't for the two of you being there last night, Mr. Dongjing would have been in danger."

Gu Mo waved his hand and asked, "This is something I promised you, it's my duty."

Pei Yuanzhen said, "No matter what, we owe you both the best last night. No one expected there to be another woman, Madam Liu. She is very well hidden. She faked her death some time ago to deceive Commander Wang, and then took advantage of Commander Wang's favor towards his new concubine to lure her away."

Gu Chudong asked, "Isn't Commander Wang's concubine vying for favor in the harem?"

Pei Yuanzhen shook his head and said, "It has been investigated. Yesterday, the poison that disfigured the concubine of Commander Wang's family was the most commonly used poison by Madam Liu. In addition, the maid who attacked the concubine was also poisoned by Madam Liu and then bewitched by Madam Liu's illusion magic, which is why she dared to be so audacious as to harm Commander Wang's concubine."

“No wonder that maid was so bold,” Gu Chudong said. “So, Madam Liu deliberately lured Commander Wang away.”

“Indeed,” Pei Yuanzhen said, “Not long after Commander Wang left, the Seven Absolutes Tower made its move. Madam Liu took advantage of the chaos to disguise herself as Commander Wang, and hardly anyone noticed. It was a series of interconnected schemes, making it truly impossible to guard against.”

Gu Mo nodded slightly.

Last night was indeed somewhat dangerous, though not for him, but for Mr. Dongjing. He hadn't initially realized that the Wang Mingxiu was an imposter, but because he already harbored suspicions about Wang Mingxiu, he specifically instructed Gu Chudong to keep a close eye on him when he went to hunt down Ruan Hongqiao. Ironically, this led to him accidentally spotting the fake Wang Mingxiu.

“Prefect Pei,” Gu Chudong said, “are you familiar with the case of the Mu family massacre thirty years ago?”

Pei Yuanzhen was slightly taken aback and said, "Is Miss Gu interested in that case?"

“No,” Gu Chudong said, “I just heard Mr. Dongjing mention it last night and I was a little curious.”

Pei Yuanzhen chuckled and said, "You think that case back then was full of loopholes, right? There were many unreasonable aspects, weren't there?"

Gu Chudong blinked and asked doubtfully, "Prefect Pei, do you also think this is unreasonable?"

Pei Yuanzhen said, "Judging from the publicly available information at the time, it was definitely unreasonable. The feeding, drinking, and toileting of ten thousand children was simply something that the Mu family could not afford, nor could they have kept it a secret."

Gu Chudong quickly asked, "So, you mean there's more to this than meets the eye?"

Pei Yuanzhen nodded and said, "To be honest, the reason I was transferred to Linhai County as the prefect was actually because I was ordered to investigate."

"To exonerate the Mu family?" Gu Chudong asked.

"That's not it."

Pei Yuanzhen said, "The Mu clan deserved to be exterminated. It was a case from back then, but due to some special reasons, we lost the clues and were forced to stop. Now it will be restarted."

Gu Chudong quickly asked, "What happened? Pei..."

“Early winter.” Gu Mo waved his hand, interrupting Gu Chu Dong, and cupped his hands to Pei Yuan Zhen, saying, “Prefect Pei, the inside story is probably confidential, so please don’t make things difficult for me if it can’t be said.”

Pei Yuanzhen waved his hand and said, "My grandmaster mentioned in a letter some time ago that although this case is top secret to others, it is not to Master Gu. As long as Master Gu is interested, he can tell you the truth."

"Why?" Gu Mo asked, puzzled.

Pei Yuanzhen said, "Because it involves a top-level wanted criminal, and everyone knows that no wanted criminal can escape from your hands. My grandmaster firmly believes this, and he thinks that you have some kind of destiny-related metaphysics on you."

Gu Mo's lips twitched, and he said, "Your grandmaster was the third most powerful expert in the world, and he believed in these rumors?"

“He doesn’t believe in rumors, but he believes in fate,” Pei Yuanzhen said. “Master Gu, we at Longhu Mountain are Taoist practitioners, and our grandmaster was the Celestial Master of our time. If there really are immortals, he should be the person closest to them. He believes in fate more than anyone else.”

Gu Mo was speechless and asked, "Which wanted criminal?"

Pei Yuanzhen said, "The master of the Seven Absolutes Pavilion is known in the martial arts world as the Grand Manager."

at this time,

A system notification sounded in Gu Mo's mind:
【New target detected】

[Wanted Target - The Head Manager]

[Mission Level - Six Stars]

[Quest Reward - Heavenly Demon Harp, plus a max-level Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds]

……

Upon seeing the system's notification, Gu Mo immediately felt a surge of interest.

The second six-star wanted criminal, and this time the reward is also worthy of a six-star rating.

The Heavenly Demon Harp is a terrifying instrument. Once played, it can cause mountains to collapse and the earth to split, possessing immense power that can change the color of mountains and rivers. It attacks indiscriminately and is a perfect match for the Eight Sounds of the Heavenly Dragon. Theoretically, it must be played in conjunction with the Eight Sounds of the Heavenly Dragon to unleash its full power and avoid being harmed by the Heavenly Demon Harp's backlash.

The Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds are based on eight sounds: "stick, kill, seize, capture, pull, drag, spin, and hammer." Different sound waves are emitted from the Heavenly Demon Harp to attack enemies. Each sound can contain multiple variations and attack methods, giving rise to various techniques.
Once the Heavenly Demon Harp is combined with the Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds, it not only possesses powerful single-target attacks but can also achieve large-area damage, making its group attack capabilities outstanding. As a sonic attack, it can largely ignore most defenses, directly affecting different levels of the target's bones, meridians, and soul. For example, "Whirling Sound" can shatter protective qi, and "Sound Capture" can break through mental barriers.

……

"Master Gu, are you interested in this head manager?" Pei Yuanzhen asked.

Gu Mo nodded slightly and said, "I am interested in any wanted criminal in the world."

Pei Yuanzhen was overjoyed and said, "The Seven Absolutes Tower was founded about ten years ago and has now become one of the top assassin organizations in the world. Its leader, the Grand Manager, is also one of the most mysterious people in the martial arts world. No one knows who he really is, only the title of Grand Manager. Even the assassins of the Seven Absolutes Tower have never seen the Grand Manager's true face. The child disappearance case more than twenty or nearly thirty years ago is actually related to the Seven Absolutes Tower."

The Seven Absolutes Tower is not actually just a simple assassin organization. It originated from the seven secret guards of the deposed crown prince during the reign of Emperor Jiawen more than a hundred years ago. They were Yin Yang, Wind and Thunder, Heaven, Earth, Mountain, Fire, and Water.

Over a hundred years ago, the deposed Crown Prince Li Yong's plot to rebel failed. The leaders of his seven secret guard units fled with the prince's descendants. These seven guards were all Qi cultivators from Penglai Island, fellow disciples, each possessing a peerless divine skill. When their seven meridians were combined, they formed the unparalleled martial art, the Heavenly Abyss Returns to Silence Seven Killings Ode. Legend has it that when the seven killings were combined, one would be invincible.

Gu Mo chuckled lightly, "The best in the world again."

He had already heard of many self-proclaimed great achievements and invincible divine skills.

However, this is normal. The stronger a person is, the more confident they become. The further one goes in the path of martial arts, the more isolated one becomes, and the more likely one is to develop a mindset of looking down on all the heroes under heaven. Just like him now, he has a feeling that once his Guiyuan System is established and he achieves the Wuji Guiyuan Qi, he feels that he can be invincible.

He had already decided that the Guiyuan System would be named Wuji Guiyuan Qi. It is taken from the Tao Te Ching, "Knowing the white, yet keeping to the black, one becomes a model for the world. Being a model for the world, one's constant virtue will not err, and one will return to the Wuji," which means the origin of all things in the universe, which is formless, imageless, soundless, colorless, without beginning or end.

Simply put, it means limitless.

He always felt that the Wuji Guiyuan Qi was invincible. After all, the Wuji Guiyuan Qi could not only integrate the internal energy required, but also retain the characteristics of each martial art. In a sense, it was flawless, and he was very confident in it.

Therefore, he could understand why those who created divine skills always liked to boast that once their martial arts were fully mastered, they would be invincible.

Pei Yuanzhen continued, "Yin Yang, Wind and Thunder, Heaven, Earth, Mountain, Fire, and Water—these seven secret guards disappeared after fleeing with the descendants of the deposed crown prince. For decades, the imperial court has been investigating them, but without any leads. In reality, they didn't go far at all; they're hiding within the territory of Tianzhou."

The seven secret guards, hiding their identities and changing their appearances, built up their power base throughout Tianzhou, secretly supporting the descendants of the deposed crown prince to hide on a remote island in the sea. For decades, the descendants of the seven secret guards, adhering to their ancestral teachings, continuously sent supplies overseas to raise money and provisions in preparation for a rebellion.

However, besides money, rebellion also requires manpower and an army. The descendants of the deposed crown prince, hiding on an island in the sea, were simply not capable of raising an army. Although the descendants of the seven secret guards had been continuously smuggling people overseas, they could only keep the descendants of the deposed crown prince's family employed.

Until that year, natural disaster struck. The four prefectures of Huaihai suffered great upheaval, especially Linhai Prefecture, where countless people were displaced. The descendants of the Seven Great Guards and the deposed crown prince saw an opportunity and, in a fit of madness, went all out to abduct children.

The absurd thing is that many people in the Linhai County government were infiltrated by the Seventh Division of the Secret Guard. Under their cover, and taking advantage of the characteristics of a year of natural disasters, they actually managed to keep it a secret until the disasters were over before it was exposed.

The Mu clan are descendants of the Yin-Yang Division secret guards among the seven secret guards. On the surface, they operate under the guise of the Mu Clan Chamber of Commerce, but in reality, they have been doing things for the descendants of the deposed crown prince overseas for a long time.

At the time, all seven secret guard forces decisively withdrew upon realizing something was amiss. The Mu clan, to cover for the other six tribes, deliberately stayed behind to create confusion and misled the authorities. By the time the authorities realized what was happening, they had only tracked down the last group of about a hundred children. In the end, of the seven secret guards, only the Mu clan, belonging to the Yin-Yang tribe, was captured.

Gu Chudong asked in confusion, "Then why did you just wipe out the whole family? The truth wasn't revealed, and why didn't you continue the investigation? Even if they went overseas, couldn't you have investigated?"

"Cannot be checked."

Pei Yuanzhen said, "The descendants of the deposed crown prince are hiding in the Tiansha Islands. The terrain there is treacherous and there are many islands, making it difficult to investigate. But that's not the point. The point is that that place is very special. It has always been the border between our Qian Kingdom and the Southern Jin Dynasty, and there has been constant conflict there."

However, the situation at that time was extremely sensitive. Our Great Qian was at a disadvantage in its war against Chu and was seeking help from Southern Jin. If we had sent troops to search the Tiansha Islands then, it could very well have strained and broken our relationship with Southern Jin, potentially leading to the downfall of our nation.

Therefore, at that time, Mr. Dongjing, who was still serving as the prefect of Linhai County, thought long and hard and decided to abandon those children. So, he announced to the public that during the investigation, all the children had been drowned at sea. This was to prevent the children's parents and relatives from causing a scene. Because, if those parents and relatives learned that their children might still be alive, they would definitely put pressure on the government and might even launch a search party to the Tiansha Islands, which could damage the alliance between Daqian and Nanjin. The Tiansha Islands were too sensitive, and the descendants of the deposed crown prince's choice to hide there was also a well-thought-out decision.

As for why the Mu clan wasn't publicly tried but instead exterminated, the reason wasn't a lack of evidence. It was because it involved a scandal within the Great Qian imperial family, which would have a significant impact on the royal family's reputation. Therefore, Mr. Dongjing chose to use vigilante justice to exterminate the Mu clan.

"Back then, the seven officials, including Mr. Dongjing, were stripped of their posts not because they used vigilante justice to exterminate the entire Mu family, but actually because of inadequate supervision. After all, there were over ten thousand children involved, and the seven secret guards had been hiding in Linhai County for so many years without being discovered. These eight powerful officials could not escape blame."

After listening to Pei Yuanzhen's explanation, Gu Chudong suddenly realized and said, "So that's how it is. Last night, after hearing Mr. Dongjing's flawed explanation, I thought..."

Pei Yuanzhen chuckled and said, "You think that Mr. Dongjing was covered up by some big shot in the court, and that the Mu family was made a scapegoat so that the entire Mu family was wiped out, and then he gained the favor of a nobleman and rose to prominence from then on, right?"

Gu Chudong grinned.

Pei Yuanzhen said, "More than 10,000 children involve thousands of families in the four prefectures of Huaihai, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people. How powerful must the background be to suppress this? Is it just an explanation? It would require all the officials in the court to shut up and pretend to be blind to avoid it. It is impossible for anyone to do that."

"If it weren't for the impending national war, our Great Qian Dynasty desperately needing the assistance of the Southern Jin Dynasty and not daring to offend them, how could it have just ended like that?"

Gu Mo asked, "You said that the Seven Absolutes Tower is related to the seven secret guards from back then, what's the story behind that?"

Pei Yuanzhen said, "Thirty years ago, after the Mu family was wiped out, the Seven Secret Guards and the descendants of the deposed crown prince never appeared again. Until ten years ago, a mysterious assassin organization called the Seven Absolutes Tower appeared in the Tianzhou Jianghu. In just a few years, it became the most top assassin organization in the world."

This organization is extremely mysterious, and the imperial court has been investigating it for a long time, but with little success. Only in the last year or two has the court gradually discovered that the methods used by some of the assassins from the Seven Absolutes Tower bear the hallmarks of the "Seven Killings Ode of Heavenly Abyss Returning to Silence," leading them to deduce that the Seven Absolutes Tower is the re-emergence of the original Seven Divisions of the Dark Guards, particularly concentrated in the four prefectures of Huaihai. Therefore, I was transferred here as the prefect, my main task being to investigate the Seven Absolutes Tower and, following the clues, find the descendants of the deposed crown prince.”

Gu Mo nodded slightly and asked, "Then, are there any clues?"

Pei Yuanzhen became wary, looked around, and whispered closer, "Yes."

Gu Mo rubbed his nose and said, "Hmm... Prefect Pei, you don't need to get so close to me. Don't worry, with me here, no one should be able to overhear our conversation."

Pei Yuanzhen smiled awkwardly and said, "The Seven Absolutes Tower is very cautious. The assassins they send out are all death squads, making them very difficult to track down. We haven't had many clues, and none of them have been particularly useful. At most, we've planted a few undercover agents, but they're all low-ranking and can't contact the head manager or find out where the deposed crown prince's descendants are hiding. But last night, we made a major breakthrough: Madam Liu is actually a descendant of the Mu family!"

Gu Mo frowned and asked, "But... Madam Liu is dead?"

Pei Yuanzhen said, "Even the dead have value. Madam Liu appeared last night. On the surface, it was because Wang Mingxiu had been deceived due to his poor performance. Then, she used Wang Mingxiu's concubine to lure him away, and then disguised herself as Wang Mingxiu to assassinate Mr. Dongjing. It was a series of interconnected schemes that made it impossible to guard against."

"Is there a problem with this?" Gu Mo asked.

“That’s the official explanation,” Pei Yuanzhen said. “That’s what I said when I first came in, because at that time I didn’t know whether you, Master Gu, were interested in the head manager of the Seven Absolutes Pavilion.”

If you're not interested, I'll stick to that story until the truth is revealed. But now that you've clearly expressed interest in the head manager, I'm also eager to get your help, so I won't hold back anymore.

Last night, Madam Liu appeared and was murdered, and the revelation of her identity at the end was all perfectly logical. However, there is a fundamental question: how did she manage to deceive Wang Mingxiu under the inescapable trap set by Wang Mingxiu?

Going back to the beginning, Madam Liu was killed by Wang Mingxiu, and the case was closed. However, a few days ago, after you, Master Gu, came, you expressed your doubts that Madam Liu was still alive. At that time, I didn't take it seriously because if Madam Liu wasn't dead, it would mean that Wang Mingxiu, a high-ranking officer of the Six Doors, was colluding with a notorious bandit.

This is the essence of the matter. We cannot ignore Wang Mingxiu's suspicious aspects just because Madam Liu's later appearance seems very reasonable.

When I realized Wang Mingxiu was suspicious, everything made sense. You suspected Madam Liu wasn't dead, and your reputation, Master Gu, certainly puts pressure on wanted criminals. Madam Liu's assassination attempt last night theoretically served to both avenge herself and provide cover for Wang Mingxiu, perfectly concealing his identity. Coincidentally, Madam Liu cultivates extremely Yin energy, while Wang Mingxiu possesses an extremely Yang martial art. Together, they seem to have practiced the Yin-Yang secrets of the Mu clan separately.

Gu Mo nodded slightly and said, "This speculation is very reasonable."

Pei Yuanzhen said, "If Wang Mingxiu is a member of the Mu family, then the Seven Absolutes Pavilion will definitely come to contact him. So, all I need to do now is keep a close eye on Wang Mingxiu, and I'm very likely to be able to track down the Seven Absolutes Pavilion."

Gu Mo asked, "But what if the Seven Absolutes Pavilion doesn't contact Wang Mingxiu?"

"The possibility of contact is very high,"

Pei Yuanzhen said, "The Seven Killings Ode of Heavenly Abyss Returns to Silence, the Seven Killings combined are invincible under heaven, and it is impossible to be without any one of them. This is a great temptation. And I only need to secretly reveal a little bit of information to the Seven Absolutes Tower that Wang Mingxiu is suspected to be a descendant of the Mu family like Madam Liu. The Seven Absolutes Tower will definitely investigate. With the methods of the Seven Absolutes Tower, once they investigate, they will definitely be able to find out whether Wang Mingxiu is a descendant of the Mu family. If he is, they will definitely contact Wang Mingxiu."

If Wang Mingxiu isn't a descendant of the Mu family, or if the Seven Absolutes Tower can resist the temptation of the Seven Killings Merging into One, then there's nothing I can do. I can only continue with my previous plan, investigating step by step, which makes my assistance even more crucial, Master Gu.

"I'll help with the fight," Gu Mo nodded and said.

Gu Chudong hurriedly asked, "But, Prefect Pei, my brother's fee is quite high. He helped you protect Mr. Dongjing this time out of a favor!"

Pei Yuanzhen said, "The head manager's reward is very high, it is the highest reward offered by the government, a full ten thousand taels."

Gu Chudong blinked and stared intently at Pei Yuanzhen, asking, "And then? This is the imperial reward, of course, to help you, Prefect Pei."

Pei Yuanzhen: "..."

Gu Mo quickly said, "Prefect Pei, I'm sorry, my younger sister is young and ignorant, please don't take it to heart. Um, this head manager... just consider it as me voluntarily accepting the imperial warrant, although I didn't plan to pursue him beforehand..."

Pei Yuanzhen's lips twitched violently, his eyes filled with resentment.
Then please don't say it out loud. If you say it, it makes me look like a terrible person who won't even spend a penny to ask for help!
“Master Gu, let’s keep things separate,” Pei Yuanzhen said. “The imperial reward is the imperial reward, and your help is my help. However, my salary is meager, and Master Gu, you are a man of great righteousness. If I were to offer you such a vulgar gift as money, it would be an insult. How about this, Master Gu, our Longhu Mountain has an Ascension Platform, a rare and blessed land, a place of enlightenment that all martial artists dream of. With your cultivation level, it’s certainly useless there, but Master Gu might find it useful…”

"Deal." Gu Mo said decisively.

"By the way, there's one more question," Gu Mo asked, "Thirty years ago, we were worried about the Southern Jin and couldn't go to the Tiansha Islands. Now we can go?"

Pei Yuanzhen said, "The roles have reversed. Now it is the Southern Jin that needs our Great Qian's help, and they are worried about it breaking the alliance. As long as we have a legitimate reason to go to the Tiansha Islands, they will have nothing to say!"

"Could it be that the imperial court is planning to take advantage of this opportunity to seize the Tiansha Islands?"

Pei Yuanzhen: "I don't know..."

After agreeing to help Pei Yuanzhen deal with the head manager, Gu Mo temporarily abandoned his plan to return to Yunzhou and decided to relax and stay at Qingfeng Inn.

Perhaps it was because Madam Liu died and no one paid her, or perhaps it was because Ruan Hongqiao's death made the Seven Absolutes Tower back down, but in the following days, Mr. Dongjing did not encounter any assassination attempts.

Mr. Dongjing's lectures at the prefectural school went very smoothly.

For three consecutive days, Gu Mo and Gu Chudong gained a lot of experience. Mr. Dongjing single-handedly engaged in verbal battles with many famous scholars from Linhai County, from morning till night for three whole days. At his most intense moment, Mr. Dongjing was able to verbally battle ten people at once, and he verbally abused them mercilessly.

Of course, when scholars insult others, it's not called insulting, it's called debating scriptures!

Gu Mo was somewhat dazed.
Martial arts masters are made through fighting, while literary masters are made through verbal abuse.

Just as the debates and lectures were in full swing, a major case occurred in Linhai County. The six bandits of Huaihai, who had been missing for several years, reappeared and committed another bloody crime, wiping out an entire family of more than thirty people.

"The opponent has made their move!"

Upon learning of the news about the Six Bandits of Huaihai, Pei Yuanzhen immediately found Gu Mo and said, "I have recently sent people to keep an eye on Wang Mingxiu. A few days ago, Wang Mingxiu reviewed a large number of files from the Six Doors, one of which was about the Six Bandits of Huaihai. He is trying to lure you away."

Gu Mo said in a deep voice, "You mean Wang Mingxiu has already made contact with the Seven Absolutes Pavilion?"

Pei Yuanzhen said in a deep voice, "Very likely."

"So what do you want me to do now?" Gu Mo asked.

“Of course we’ll cooperate,” Pei Yuanzhen said. “Whether it’s Wang Mingxiu or the Seven Absolutes Tower, if they want to find fault with you, they need to actively reveal more clues. Leading you away is very likely a way to make a second move against Mr. Dongjing. Wang Mingxiu definitely can’t do this alone; there’s a high probability that the Seven Absolutes Tower is involved.”

Gu Mo thought for a moment and said, "Aren't you afraid that if I leave, they will harm Mr. Dongjing?"

Pei Yuanzhen chuckled and said, "They can't harm Mr. Dongjing. Four imperial guards arrived yesterday without alerting anyone."

Gu Mo asked curiously, "How skilled is he?"

Pei Yuanzhen said, "All four of them are masters of the martial arts world, and they also know how to use a combined attack technique. When the four of them join forces, they can definitely unleash the combat power of the Qian Kingdom's top-ranked fighters. Moreover, they are in the shadows, and there are also experts from the Linhai County government in the open."

……

Early the next morning,
Gu Mo and Gu Chudong set off, accompanied by Duan Fei, the deputy commander of the Six Doors, and a group of Six Doors constables, heading to Yanluo County, where the Six Bandits of Huaihai were suspected to have appeared.

Just as Gu Mo and his group arrived in Yanluo County, a centurion from the Six Doors Office of Yanluo County came to greet them and informed them that the Six Bandits of Huaihai had committed another crime, wiping out entire families once again.

Duan Fei immediately ordered his men to go to the scene.

This time, the family wiped out was surnamed Luo, and they weren't just any ordinary family. They were a martial arts family in Yanluo County, with more than twenty members, all of whom knew martial arts, even the children knew a few moves. The head of the family was a famous master in Yanluo County, a first-rate expert even in the martial arts world, and he ran the largest martial arts school in Yanluo County.

But at this moment, the Luo family courtyard was like a living hell, with corpses strewn everywhere, their bodies torn to pieces, and several young women clearly having been violated before their deaths.

Duan Fei arrived at the scene and identified himself. The Six Doors Hundred-Household Officer from Yanluo County immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Commander Duan, it's the same as the Liu family massacre three days ago. There were six murderers, who used legs, palms, fists, claws, knives, and poison respectively. The details are almost identical to those of the Six Bandits of Huaihai when they committed their crimes. They used poison first, and after the victims lost their fighting ability, they reappeared."

"Almost the same?" Duan Fei asked, puzzled.

The centurion said, "In terms of details, they are only about 80% similar. However, the arrogance is still the same. After killing someone, he left six bloody handprints. In addition, all the valuables in the house were looted."

Duan Fei's pupils contracted slightly, and he said, "It should be about 80% similar. If it's exactly the same, it might be fake. After all, several years have passed. How could it still maintain the exact same technique?"

The centurion quickly replied, "You are right, sir."

Duan Fei asked, "Are there any other clues?"

“Not yet,” the centurion said. “However, I have ordered a search, especially of the gold and silver jewelry business in pawnshops.”

Duan Fei nodded and asked Gu Mo, "Master Gu, what are your thoughts?"

Gu Mo shook his head slightly.

He wasn't good at investigating cases, and he wasn't particularly interested in this one either, because he knew in his heart that the Seven Absolutes Tower was impersonating the Six Bandits of Huaihai, and they weren't the real Six Bandits at all. Therefore, considering it from the perspective of the Six Bandits of Huaihai was destined to yield little result.

Gu Chudong, on the other hand, was very interested. She stayed in the courtyard for a while and then ran outside to ask the local people for clues about the incident with the constables from the Six Doors.

But the answer they all got was the same: even the neighbors living near the Luo family hadn't heard anything. It wasn't until the martial arts school disciples saw that the Luo family head hadn't come to the school to shout that they discovered the Luo family had been wiped out.

……

That night, Gu Mo and Gu Chudong, brother and sister, moved into the Liushanmen Hundred Household Office in Yanluo County with Duan Fei.

Duan Fei immediately summoned all the high-ranking officers of the Hundred Households Office to analyze the case overnight, and even specially invited Gu Mo. Gu Mo gladly participated. Although he knew that the perpetrators were not the real Six Bandits of Huaihai, it did not stop him from wanting to find and kill them.

Gu Chudong was also very proactive. She even shared her views while analyzing the case. Although she wasn't very experienced, her opinions were quite reasonable and not abrupt. Afterwards, she went to the city with Duan Fei and the others to search.

It wasn't that she suddenly became enthusiastic about investigating the case, but rather because she knew the inside story: that group was deliberately committing crimes to distract Gu Mo, which meant that as long as things in Linhai City weren't over, there would be another batch of victims.

For three days in a row, there was no success.

However, Gu Chudong remained very proactive.

Early that morning, just as dawn was breaking, Gu Chudong got up, washed up, and prepared to continue investigating the clues.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard hurried footsteps outside the courtyard.

Gu Chudong opened the door, and the person who came in was Duan Fei. As soon as he saw Gu Chudong, he said, "Heroine Gu, we have received another report. The Six Bandits of Huaihai have committed another crime. This time it was a wealthy merchant, and more than a dozen people were all killed!"

"Brother, are you going?" Gu Chudong called out as he turned around.

Gu Mo thought for a moment and then went out.

Soon, the group arrived at the crime scene.

Just like yesterday, a large number of people had gathered at the entrance.

The situation inside was similar to yesterday's, and the murderer's methods were the same, but even more gruesome. Perhaps because this family were not martial arts practitioners, the murderer was bolder, and several of them were tortured to death.

Just like yesterday, Gu Chudong followed several constables from the Six Doors to conduct interviews and inquiries.

After a long time, the scene was cordoned off.

The men from the Six Doors left with the corpse.

Back inside the Six Doors, Duan Fei slammed his fist on the table in anger, shouting, "Are these six bandits from Huaihai provoking me? They killed an entire family the day I arrived, and just three days later, they killed another family. What does this mean? Are they going to wipe out an entire family every day until the case is solved?"

The atmosphere in the hall was very somber and oppressive.

Gu Chudong and Gu Mo sat in a corner. Gu Chudong transmitted her voice, "Brother, do you have any way to find these people quickly? They're so despicable! If this continues, who knows how many more innocent people will be killed!"

Gu Mo felt a little heavy-hearted. He didn't know how those people planned it. They might really be crazy enough to commit a crime every day, just like Duan Fei said.

Given the methods of the Seven Absolutes Pavilion, these people are all assassins, only concerned with completing their missions and not with whether they themselves will be exposed. Therefore, in order to delay him as much as possible, the intervals between their crimes will definitely not be too long.

However, Gu Mo was also very helpless.

He considered himself to be quite skilled in martial arts and a good fighter, but he was truly not good at investigating cases.

Seeing Gu Mo's expression, Gu Chudong knew that Gu Mo had no choice, and sighed slightly.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through her mind, and she abruptly stood up.

Gu Chudong's movement startled everyone in the hall, and they all involuntarily looked at her.

Duan Fei quickly asked, "Miss Gu, do you have any insights to offer?"

Gu Chudong said excitedly, "Commander Duan, I just suddenly remembered something. I saw the same faces at yesterday's crime scene and today's crime scene!"

"Ok?"

As soon as Gu Chudong said this,
Duan Fei and the other constables from the Six Doors were all excited.

Since the two crime scenes were more than 20 miles apart, it was unlikely that ordinary people would travel such a long distance to join in the excitement, especially in the morning.

Duan Fei quickly asked, "Miss Gu, can you describe what those people look like?"

"Yes, I remember it very clearly."

Gu Chudong's current Mingyu Skill is at the level of "forgetting oneself and others," which means that she can remember or forget whatever she wants, or she can remember nothing at all, or she can have a photographic memory.

Immediately, Gu Chudong described the appearances of the three people whose images matched her memory. The professional artists in the Six Doors, based on Gu Chudong's description, revised the images more than ten times, and finally presented the images that matched the people in Gu Chudong's memory.

Immediately, Duan Fei summoned the constables from the Six Doors and the county government to search the entire city.

The townspeople were not surprised by the sudden and large-scale reaction from the government. The Yanluo County government had been searching for the murderer for some time, and with another murder occurring today, it was normal for them to intensify their search efforts.

Noon,
Several squads of constables from the Six Doors quietly surrounded a restaurant.

Gu Mo, Gu Chudong, and Duan Fei walked side by side toward the restaurant. As they walked, Duan Fei said, "Following the clues provided by Miss Gu, we found the three people. They are the chef, waiter, and accountant of this restaurant."

This restaurant was founded four years ago. Coincidentally, there were exactly six founders, who served as manager, bartender, waiter, cook, accountant, and tea server, respectively. Business was neither particularly good nor bad. And although their appearances had changed, these six men could still be roughly identified as the Six Bandits of Huaihai. It's almost certain that these six were indeed the Six Bandits of Huaihai!

"No disguise?"

"No, these men disappeared six years ago and came here to open a restaurant four years ago. They've all gotten fat, and some of them have grown big beards. If you didn't compare them directly with the portraits of the Six Bandits of Huaihai, you wouldn't suspect them. I suppose that's why they dare to openly open a restaurant here."

Gu Mo and Gu Chudong were both stunned.

Judging from Duan Fei's words, these are actually the Six Bandits of Huaihai!

"Could it be that the Seven Absolutes Pavilion hired the real Six Bandits of Huaihai to commit the crime?"

The thought flashed through the minds of both the brother and sister.

quickly,

The three entered the restaurant, and at the same time, the Six Doors constables, disguised outside, had already quietly surrounded the restaurant.

"Sir, please come in. How many of you are there?"

The waiter came over to greet us very warmly.

Gu Mo slowly said, "We're looking for someone."

The waiter quickly asked, "Who are you looking for, sir?"

"The Six Bandits of Huaihai," Gu Mo said.

Upon hearing this, the waiter's expression subtly changed, then he chuckled and said, "Sir, this is a restaurant. We can't help you find the Six Bandits of Huaihai. You'll have to go find the government officials!"

Duan Fei looked the waiter over with interest and said, "Zhang Lang, the Night Cryer, what's wrong? You really don't recognize me? This morning, weren't you watching me from the gate of the Wu family, who were wiped out?"

The waiter put on a fawning smile and said, "Sir, you're joking..."

Before the waiter could finish speaking, his expression suddenly tightened, and he abruptly swung his arm, sending a wisp of white smoke snakeing out. At the same time, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brothers, run! We've been spotted..."

But before the words were even finished, an unexpected event occurred.

A deep, resounding thud, like thunder in mid-air, followed. Gu Mo unleashed a massive palm strike, carrying a whistling force that surged forth with overwhelming power.

The poison powder that the waiter threw out was instantly dispersed by this powerful palm strike, like willow catkins encountering a strong wind, leaving no trace.

Not only that, the force of the palm strike had not yet dissipated, and it landed directly on the waiter.

The waiter, like a kite with a broken string, flew uncontrollably backward and crashed heavily into a thick pillar. With a crisp "crack," the pillar, unable to bear the weight, broke in two.

The waiter's chest heaved violently, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, which flew in a horrific arc through the air. Then his neck lolled to the side, and he collapsed limply to the ground, lifeless on the spot.

The restaurant instantly descended into chaos. Diners screamed in terror and fled, tables and chairs were overturned, and the place was a complete mess.

at the same time,

A system notification sounded in Gu Mo's mind:
[Slaying a five-star wanted criminal (1/6)]

……

At that moment,

Gu Mo was filled with doubt; it really was the Six Bandits of Huaihai!

However, despite the doubts,

Gu Mo didn't waste any time. He slightly raised his right index finger, and a sharp, powerful sword aura, carrying a whistling force, shot out like lightning.

The shopkeeper, who was about to flee, had no time to react. A bloody mark appeared between his eyebrows, his eyes widened, and his face still showed fear and resentment. He fell straight to the ground and died without a sound.

Almost simultaneously, Gu Mo's left hand shot out, his palm brimming with powerful internal energy, and he struck out with a palm. This palm strike seemed ordinary, but the palm print twisted strangely in mid-air, like a nimble snake, heading straight for the bartender who had already fled into the back door.

It was Bai Hong's palm strike.

With a muffled thud, the bartender was struck by the palm strike and flew backward like a kite with a broken string, spitting out blood as he crashed heavily to the ground, his fate unknown.

Meanwhile, chaos erupted in the backyard of the inn, with shouts of battle and the clash of weapons mingling together.

Three people were being attacked by a group of constables from the Six Doors. These three were the restaurant's tea server, accountant, and cook.

These three men, like the three who had just been killed by Gu Mo in the main hall, were all obese and bloated, and moved somewhat slowly. Every time they dodged an attack, they appeared extremely disheveled, completely unlike the vicious and agile bandits of the Huaihai Six Bandits as rumored in the martial arts world.

Seeing this, Gu Mo lightly touched the ground with his toes and darted towards the backyard like a ghost, immediately launching his attack. Just then, Duan Fei shouted anxiously from behind, "Hero Gu, spare them alive!"

However, Duan Fei's words came too late. Gu Mo's Six Meridians Divine Sword had already unleashed its power, the sword energy containing immense internal force piercing straight through the tea master's chest.

The tea server's eyes widened, a gurgling sound came from his throat, and he slowly collapsed to the ground.

However, upon hearing Duan Fei's shout, Gu Mo reacted instantly. Instead of continuing the killing, he flashed forward like a gust of wind, rushing towards the cook and the accountant. His hands moved rapidly, his moves unpredictable, and in just a few moves, he subdued the two. With nimble fingers, he lightly touched several acupoints on their bodies, rendering them immobile and filled with despair.

Gu Mo took two steps back, his brows furrowed.
Although he had previously discovered during his research on the past of the Six Bandits of Huaihai that these six men were rated as five-star wanted criminals, it was purely because they had committed many and ruthless evil deeds; their martial arts skills were all quite ordinary.

However, Gu Mo hadn't expected it to be so ordinary.
Just as he made his move, he could clearly sense that these people had no murderous aura at all, and they seemed completely rusty, as if they hadn't fought in years.

If it weren't for the system notification, he would have thought he had contacted the wrong person.

"With your martial arts skills, how did you manage to commit so many serious crimes?" Gu Mo asked, expressing his doubts.

The cook said somewhat indignantly, "Master Gu, I admit that your martial arts are unparalleled. However, if it weren't for the fact that we brothers have neglected our martial arts for many years and haven't fought even once in the last five or six years, even you wouldn't have been able to kill us so easily."

Gu Mo asked suspiciously, "Are you saying that you weren't responsible for the recent massacres in Yanluo County?"

The cook shook his head and said, "We've been living in seclusion for six years, how could we possibly commit a crime?"

"Then why do you always appear at the crime scene?" At this moment, Duan Fei walked over and asked.

The cook said, "Someone is impersonating us to commit crimes. How could we not go and see? Commander Duan, you have seen how badly our martial arts have deteriorated. How could we possibly wipe out an entire family? Not to mention the Wu family that was wiped out today, there was the Luo family a few days ago. That was a great martial arts family. The head of the Luo family was a famous first-class master. With our current strength, we would be lucky if we weren't killed in return."

Duan Fei's expression darkened slightly as he asked, "Then why did you suddenly disappear six years ago?"

The cook was silent for a moment, then said, "Because we accidentally did something terribly wrong, and we were terrified!"

(End of this chapter)