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

Chapter 246 Master Liansheng (1.1-word chapter)
Early morning in the imperial city.

During the morning court session, Sima Kong indeed submitted a memorial to Emperor Jin, requesting that the Heavenly Crafted Spirit Cage be sent into the palace for protection. This proposal was unanimously agreed upon by all the civil and military officials. After all, the Heavenly Crafted Spirit Cage could, to some extent, enhance Su Qianqiu's strength and maintain his mythology. Naturally, the Qianqiu Cult members in the court did not want anything to happen to the Heavenly Crafted Spirit Cage.

Emperor Jin was a shrewd man and naturally knew that the Su family's move was a decisive one, completely cutting off any possibility of him sending someone to steal the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage. However, it didn't matter to him. This time, the theft of the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage was merely a convenient move for him, not something he had done through Wen Wangji. Besides, he wouldn't have done that anyway.

Therefore, in the imperial court, Emperor Jin readily agreed and sent it to the palace treasury.

After the court session ended
Emperor Jin then arrived at the Imperial Study, where Gu Mo and Su Ziyou were waiting quietly.

"Su Qing, Gu Qing, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!" Emperor Jin was very amiable and polite.

Su Ziyou cupped his hands and said, "We just arrived recently."

Su Ziyou's words were not just polite talk. The Emperor of Jin had estimated the time before sending someone from the Court of State Ceremonial to invite them, so naturally he couldn't keep them waiting for long.

Emperor Jin chuckled and said, "Minister Su, Minister Gu, would you be interested in seeing the legendary Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage? To be honest, I have heard of it for a long time, but I have never actually seen it. It is said that the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage is impervious to water and fire, and invulnerable to swords and spears. Even if a master of internal energy strikes it with all his might, most of the true energy will be absorbed and converted into energy, which will be fed back to the wearer. Therefore, the cultivation speed of a cultivator wearing the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage can be increased tenfold!"

Gu Mo said, "Then, wouldn't the Su family be full of experts?"

Emperor Jin smiled and shook his head slightly, saying, "It's strange, really. The Su family hasn't produced a single decent expert in all these years. Everyone says that Old Master Su alone has exhausted the Su family's martial luck for dozens of generations!"

"With Su Qianqiu's martial arts level, it should be easy for him to train a few martial arts masters, right?" Gu Mo asked doubtfully.

Emperor Jin shook his head and said, "Old Master Su rarely appears in the world. He spends most of his time cultivating in seclusion on the mountain. Even the Su family doesn't really allow people to go up the mountain to disturb him."

As they chatted, the group arrived at the palace storeroom.

The palace treasury is heavily guarded, with many skilled guards, so its safety is quite guaranteed.

Under the leadership of Emperor Jin,
Gu Mo and Su Ziyou entered the deepest part of the underground palace.

The entire dome of the underground palace is inlaid with luminous pearls, bathed in a soft silver glow.

The legendary Celestial Craftsmanship Cage has been taken out of the box and is now suspended on a jade platform, like a rainbow condensed from the entire Peacock Nebula.

The Celestial Craftsmanship Cage is woven from 720 peacock feathers, each feather shimmering with a different radiance. It consists of three layers: the outer layer of golden feathers is like a rosy dawn, with shimmering crystal scales at the tips and bursting with golden light; the middle layer of indigo feathers is like a deep-sea vortex, with blue light flowing between the feather branches and wispy clouds churning at the eye of the feathers; the inner layer of snow feathers is as thin as a cicada's wing, with downy feathers condensing into seven-colored dewdrops, each drop refracting rainbow light, as if a crushed rainbow has been woven, layer upon layer of colors, shimmering and dazzling.

Gu Mo's eyes were covered with a black cloth. Unlike ordinary people who could see directly, he perceived through his mental will.

In his mind, he seemed to see a huge, very beautiful peacock circling in the air, its tail feathers sweeping lightly and drawing colorful streaks in the air, and amidst the shimmering light, he could vaguely hear the clear sound of a phoenix's cry.

"It's truly a masterpiece!" Su Ziyou exclaimed in amazement as he looked at the Heavenly Craftsmanship Cage. "Even without those miraculous effects, its appearance alone would make it a top-tier treasure in the world."

Emperor Jin exclaimed, "Such a treasure, it would be no exaggeration to call it a celestial garment!"

Gu Mo pondered for a moment and said, "Well, it seems reasonable that Su Qianqiu guarded the country's border almost alone back then."

Emperor Jin asked, "Has Minister Gu sensed the power of the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage?"

“No,” Gu Mo said, “It’s too flashy. Imagine on the battlefield, Su Qianqiu wearing such an eye-catching outfit, sparkling wherever he goes. In such a chaotic battlefield, wouldn’t he be an easy target? Who else would we shoot if not him?”

Emperor Jin was stunned.

Su Ziyou was also slightly taken aback, then chuckled and said, "You know what, Brother Gu's words actually make a lot of sense!"

Emperor Jin couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Minister Gu... is truly no ordinary person. He is indeed a celestial being. His observations and thoughts are indeed different from those of ordinary mortals."

After speaking, Emperor Jin remained silent for a while, then suddenly looked at Gu Mo and asked, "Gu Qing, in the world today, in terms of personal power, you are the person closest to Old Master Su. From your perspective, do you think it is better for the court to be gods or humans?"

Gu Mo asked in confusion, "What does Your Majesty mean by that?"

Emperor Jin said, “This is a question that I discussed with my father back then. My father said that if a person with the power of a god retains complete divinity, it is not a good thing for the country and the court, because a god will transcend, will have no concept of country and family, and will only be indifferent. Therefore, he tried everything he could to preserve a trace of humanity for Old Master Su.”

But I believe that what makes a god a god is that he is free from all attachments, and the Great Dao is ruthless, having abandoned the seven emotions and six desires. If a god retains humanity, he is not a complete god, cannot attain the true Great Dao, and his divinity will gradually fade away.

However, these two viewpoints are those of my father and me. We are both mortals, and we can only use mortal thinking to try to understand gods. Therefore, our conclusions are bound to be flawed. So, I would like to ask you, Minister Gu, since, if gods truly exist, you and Old Master Su are the closest to them!

Upon hearing Emperor Jin's words, Su Ziyou became curious and looked towards Gu Mo.

However, Gu Mo shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, I cannot answer this question. In terms of personal martial prowess and martial arts realm, I do consider myself to be among the top in the world. However, my life experience is too shallow. I am still at a level where my thoughts are swayed by emotions. I have not yet reached the level of pursuing the Great Dao and knocking on the door of immortals and gods."

In my view, the essential difference between immortals and gods and humans lies not in the strength of their power, but in their level of spiritual attainment. When that level is reached, one naturally becomes a god or immortal; when that level is not reached, no matter how powerful one's personal strength, one is still just a human!

Emperor Jin nodded slightly and did not ask any further questions.

Subsequently,

The group then left the treasure vault.

As soon as they stepped outside, Su Ziyou spotted a familiar face – the same three-handed bodyguard who had helped them find Wen Wangji in Qianqiu Town the day before.

At this moment, the three-handed man, dressed in the uniform of an imperial guard, stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your subject Gao Tie greets Your Majesty."

Emperor Jin waved his hand, then said to Su Ziyou, "Minister Su, you already cooperated with Gao Tie yesterday, so I won't go into details. He has now completed his mission as a secret guard and has come to the palace as an imperial bodyguard. From now on, he will fully cooperate with you in investigating the Thousand Autumns Sect. You can review all the files of the Imperial Guard and the Secret Guard Camp. Just give the order to Gao Tie if you need anything!"

Su Ziyou cupped his hands towards the high-speed rail and said, "Brother Gao, I'll be troubling you a lot in the future."

Gao Tie quickly replied, "You're too kind, Lord Su. It's my duty. Please give me your orders!"

……

For the next two days in a row.

Su Ziyou spent the entire two days traveling between the Dark Guard Camp headquarters and the Imperial Guard with Gao Tie, reviewing all the files related to the Thousand Autumns Sect. In total, including the day he went to see the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage, which made it three days, he stayed in the palace the whole time.

Gu Mo and Gu Chudong, accompanied by Sima Kong, spent three days sightseeing in the capital of Southern Jin.

It wasn't that Gu Mo suddenly enjoyed shopping, but rather that the Su family had already delivered the 200,000 taels of silver very quickly and decisively. Therefore, Gu Mo planned to use the 20,000 taels of silver that Su Wanguan had previously given him, for a total of 220,000 taels of silver, to buy valuable rare and precious materials to take back to Qian Kingdom.

So, he wasn't shopping these past few days; he was spending money like crazy.

They purchased a considerable amount of rare and precious natural materials.

At noon that day

Not long after Gu Mo and Gu Chudong returned to the Court of State Ceremonial, Su Ziyou finally came back from the palace. He went straight to Gu Mo's courtyard, found Gu Mo, and said, "Brother Gu, I underestimated the troublesome nature of the Thousand Autumns Sect!"

Gu Mo asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Su Ziyou said, "Currently, apart from the Dark Guard Camp and the Imperial Guard, the entire Southern Jin court, including the Six Ministries and Twenty-Four Departments, has been infiltrated by the Thousand Autumns Sect. It's not that we can't find out who the protectors behind the Thousand Autumns Sect are, but rather that more than 70% of the officials in the entire court are followers of the Thousand Autumns Sect, and they are all protectors. Even the Emperor of Jin is openly a protector of the Thousand Autumns Sect. This kind of thing simply cannot be investigated using conventional methods!"

Gu Mo frowned and said, "So, you mean the Thousand Autumns Sect can be said to have no secrets at all?"

Su Ziyou nodded and said, "Based on the files I've reviewed these past few days, if we define Qianqiu Sect as a cult, we can arrest people directly. Most of the officials in the court, plus officials from more than twenty prefectures in Southern Jin, can be sent directly to prison."

Take, for example, the Qianqiu Temples in Qianqiu Town. They don't hide anything; they openly say they were built with funds from certain officials. They're all like that. More than half of the Qianqiu Temples in Qianqiu Town are backed by court officials. I don't even know how to investigate anymore.

Gu Mo asked, "Where's the money? Surely we can trace where it went?"

Su Ziyou said, "This can be investigated, but it's useless. It's all incense money, and it's all used for the daily maintenance of Qianqiu Temple. It didn't go directly into any official's pocket."

Gu Mo asked doubtfully, "Didn't you go in directly? So you went in indirectly?"

Su Ziyou said, "Many of the heads of Qianqiu Temples are relatives of various officials. However, the problem is that the Southern Jin Dynasty openly supports the worship and practice of the Liji Tianzun at Qianqiu Temples. Moreover, in the past, in order to promote this, the court encouraged officials to personally take the lead in worshipping. Therefore, it can be said that it is legal for those officials' relatives to use Qianqiu Temples to amass wealth. In fact, many Qianqiu Temples are even affiliated with the royal family, and there are quite a few that are registered under the name of the Jin Emperor!"

Gu Mo was speechless for a moment, and said, "Then what's the point of investigating? The entire court is the mastermind behind this, and the emperor is the leader of the Thousand Autumns Cult!"

Su Ziyou shook his head and said, "But I am certain that there must be a leader of the Qianqiu Sect behind this, a real Qianqiu Sect that has quietly connected these seemingly rebellious Qianqiu Temples in various places."

"Why?" Gu Mo asked.

Su Ziyou said, "Five years ago, the Qianqiu Cult encroached on land in Nanlin County of Jin State. Someone came to Quwo City to file a complaint with the emperor, and the Qianqiu Cult was exposed at once, which also alarmed Su Qianqiu."

Su Qianqiu personally came down the mountain to investigate that matter. He killed many people, starting from Nanlin County and moving through nearly ten counties in Southern Jin, killing hundreds of people. But in the end, the investigation only reached the county level, without involving any high-ranking officials of the court or any powerful families.

The Qianqiu Temple land encroachment case had such a wide impact, but the final result was that all the Qianqiu sects in various places acted on their own, and there was no connection between the Qianqiu sects in different places. They were all independent and did their own thing. Meanwhile, the high-ranking officials in the court were all incorruptible, and the powerful families and clans opened Qianqiu Temples but did not take advantage of the opportunity to profit!

Brother Gu, do you think it's possible?

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "That's indeed impossible."

Su Ziyou said, "So, if the land encroachment case was just a small case, it would be understandable. But it affected more than a dozen counties, yet it all remained at the county level. I can confirm that there is a truly unified Thousand Autumns Sect leading it behind the scenes. Only in this way can all the court officials be united to make a unified decision at the first time. Without a unified organization to manage it, how could it be so clean and orderly?"

Gu Mo nodded and said, "But the problem now is how do you investigate? They've made their intentions clear, it's legal, and they've severed ties with the Qianqiu Cult. If we investigate the Qianqiu Cult normally, we can arrest anyone we want, even the emperor."

Su Ziyou said, "I don't have any clues for the time being either. It's impossible to find any useful clues just by looking at the files. So, I'm going to go to Qianqiu Town to see if I can find any useful clues and find out the ultimate goal of the Qianqiu Sect. If we can determine their goal, it will be easier to investigate!"

Gu Mo nodded and said, "Then let's go for a stroll around Qianqiu Town together!"

Immediately,

Gu Mo, Gu Chudong, and Su Ziyou went out, accompanied by Gao Tie.

This high-speed train is now considered Emperor Jin's personal bodyguard and errand runner for Su Ziyou, tasked with protecting Su Ziyou's safety and needing to obey Su Ziyou's orders at any time.

Upon learning that Gu Mo and his group were heading to Qianqiu Town, Gao Tie asked, "Are you all going to see Master Liansheng?"

Gu Chudong asked in confusion, "Is Master Liansheng in Qianqiu Town?"

Gao Tie said, "Haven't you heard? Master Liansheng arrived yesterday afternoon with the Chu delegation. However, after entering the city, Master Liansheng separated from the Chu delegation and went to Qianqiu Town alone to publicly debate scriptures with people. Many followers of the Qianqiu Sect went to debate scriptures with Master Liansheng."

Su Ziyou asked suspiciously, "They're debating the doctrines of the Thousand Autumns Sect with holy monks of Buddhism who have a history of over a thousand years? Are the people from the Thousand Autumns Sect alright?"

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "Isn't this great? Losing isn't shameful. If we win, won't the Thousand Autumns Sect become famous throughout the world?"

Gao Tie smiled and said, "I'm just a rough man and don't understand those scriptures. However, we can still make it to Qianqiu Town in time. Master Liansheng said that he will be giving a sermon at Qianqiu Temple next to the soapberry tree in Qianqiu Town at 1-3 PM today!"

Su Ziyou nodded and said, "We can go and listen. Master Liansheng is not only the fourth best in the world, um... now he is the fifth best. He is also a recognized holy monk and leader of Buddhism. He and our Qian Kingdom's National Master Zhang are known as the two saints of Buddhism and Taoism!"

Just as the group arrived at the entrance of the Honglu Temple, they were greeted by a group of people dressed in Chu official robes. It was the Chu delegation, and the leader was a young woman wearing a face mask. The moon-white face mask covered half of her face, leaving only her slightly upturned phoenix eyes exposed. Her eyelashes were still covered with unmelted frost, like the snow line that never melts on the Tianshan Mountains.

As the group of people from the Chu Kingdom delegation passed by Gu Mo and his companions, the veiled woman glanced at Gu Mo.

Gu Mo's heart tightened immediately; he sensed a prying intent.

This wasn't just ordinary looking or observing; it was spying, a spying on martial arts consciousness. Although it was only for a moment, it made Gu Mo feel that this was definitely a top-tier martial arts master in the world. Because even ordinary grandmasters couldn't perceive his martial arts will.

"Who is that person?" Gu Mo stopped and pointed at the masked woman.

Su Ziyou and the others quickly looked over.

now,

The group of Chu envoys had already entered a courtyard next door.

Gao Tie quickly said, "That person is Princess Xiao Ziyin of Chu, and she is the minister sent by Chu to assist in this mission."

Su Ziyou asked, "Brother Gu, is there a problem?"

Gu Mo said, "He's a master."

Gu Chudong immediately asked, "How tall?"

"I don't know since we haven't fought each other," Gu Mo said, "but he's definitely not weak."

Su Ziyou said in a deep voice, "To be worthy of being called a master by you, Brother Gu, you must be an extraordinary master. However, I have only ever heard that the Princess of Chu is a very capable person, but I have never heard that she is also a martial arts master."

Gu Chudong asked curiously, "Is this person very powerful?"

Su Ziyou said, "She is exceptionally capable. The current Emperor Xiao Zhaolin of Chu was able to ascend the throne at the age of thirteen and maintain a stable position in the court, which is inseparable from the assistance of this eldest princess, Xiao Ziyin."

Six years ago, when Xiao Zhaolin had just ascended the throne, the King of Zhao of Chu, who held considerable power, attempted to take advantage of Xiao Zhaolin's youth to seize power. However, his attempt to seize control was thwarted that very afternoon by assassins arranged by Xiao Ziyin, who then quickly suppressed the King of Zhao's forces.

"That's incredible!" Gu Chudong exclaimed in surprise. "Doesn't that mean that the eldest princess was the main reason why the emperor of Chu was able to secure his throne? How can you say that she was just assisting him?"

Su Ziyou shook his head slightly and said, "We can only assist her. Although this princess is powerful, the truly powerful one is Emperor Xiao Zhaolin of Chu. Although he was young when he ascended the throne, he was decisive and ruthless. On the day the late emperor of Chu passed away, the empress conspired with the regents to alter the will and install another prince instead."

Thirteen-year-old Xiao Zhaolin personally led eight hundred soldiers into the palace and seized the throne. The day after his ascension, the late empress and three regents all committed suicide. Furthermore…

Su Ziyou looked at Gu Chudong and asked, "He has a title that is similar to one of your brother's titles."

"Which one?" Gu Chudong asked, puzzled.

Su Ziyou said, "Your brother is the youngest Grandmaster of Internal Energy in the world, while Xiao Zhaolin is the youngest Grandmaster of Martial Arts. Back when Xiao Zhaolin was only twelve years old, he had already earned the title of Grandmaster of Martial Arts!"

Gu Chudong exclaimed in shock, "Twelve years old?"

Su Ziyou nodded and said, "That's right, twelve years old. It is said that Xiao Zhaolin is a born saint. He was born with double pupils, and he has superhuman strength and is incredibly powerful. He can learn all kinds of martial arts, such as swords, spears, and halberds. He dared to go into battle to kill enemies at the age of seven. His title of Grandmaster is well-deserved because he killed a martial arts Grandmaster from our Qian Kingdom in the Grandmaster Battle. He was only twelve years old that year."

This man was extremely warlike. In the six years since his ascension to the throne, he had launched four large-scale foreign campaigns involving over 100,000 soldiers, three of which he personally led. As a result, the people of Chu had become increasingly fierce in recent years, and the morale of the Chu army was widely recognized as the strongest among all the states.

Gu Chudong exclaimed in shock, "He's only the same age as me! This... I thought the Princess of Chu was already strong enough, but I didn't expect the Emperor to be even more powerful. This brother and sister are simply... unbelievable!"

Su Ziyou sighed and said, "The Chu emperor's aggressive and warlike nature is not a blessing for the Qian Kingdom or the world. War is only a matter of time!"

For a while, several people were silent.

……

Qianqiu Town during the day is more than ten times more lively than it is at night. The main street is very congested, and the smell of burning incense and paper money permeates the air.

Walking on the street,
Gu Mo was a little curious. Su Qianqiu was still alive, so he definitely didn't need these incense sticks anymore. He wondered if there was a place to store the incense sticks so that they could be used after he died.

Soon,
Gu Mo and his companions arrived at Qianqiu Temple, where Master Liansheng had debated the scriptures. However, to their surprise, the debate had already ended and the crowd had dispersed by the time they arrived.

Upon inquiry, it was learned that a group of followers of the Qianqiu Sect had come to challenge Master Liansheng to a debate, but the ten debate masters they had chosen were all defeated and left in disgrace, unable to last an hour against Master Liansheng.

After hearing the details, Gu Mo and the others were speechless.

However, upon closer reflection, it seems to make sense.

The Buddhist tradition has a thousand-year history and countless scriptures. It would be strange if Master Liansheng, as the master of all these teachings, could not easily suppress even a few unorthodox disciples in his debates on scriptures and doctrines.

Unable to hear Master Liansheng's debate, the group discussed visiting other places. However, none of them were familiar with Qianqiu Town, so they asked Gao Tie to make the suggestion.

After thinking for a moment, Gao Tie said, "I see that Master Gu and Lord Su both enjoy drinking. How about I take you for a drink? There are several master brewers in Qianqiu Town who produce excellent wines that you can't find anywhere else. You'll see once you try them; it will definitely be worth the trip!"

Su Ziyou was also a connoisseur of wine, and his eyes immediately lit up. Since he was out strolling around trying his luck anyway, if he found some good wine, the trip would be worthwhile. So he asked, "Brother Gao, do you really have good wine? Don't try to fool me!"

Gao Tie said, "Lord Su, why would I lie to you? That thief Wen Wangji is known for only drinking fine wine, yet he can stay in Qianqiu Town. Think about it, how could the wine in Qianqiu Town be bad?" Su Ziyou hurriedly said, "Come on, take me there, take me there! Let's start with the best place, um..." Suddenly, Su Ziyou paused, frowned, and said, "Brother Gao, I want to go to the Cuihua Restaurant where Wen Wangji was captured that day and have a couple of drinks!"

Gao Tie said, "Where can you find any good wine? Let me take you to drink bamboo leaf wine first!"

"No, let's go to Cuihua Restaurant first."

"Uh..." Seeing that Su Ziyou was adamant, Gao Tie said, "Then let's go!"

Gu Mo and Gu Chudong were already quite familiar with Su Ziyou and knew that Su Ziyou always did things in a very methodical way. They guessed that Su Ziyou might have thought of something at this moment, so they agreed to go to Cuihua Restaurant.

Just as the group entered a cobblestone alley, a Buddhist chant suddenly came from behind them: "Amitabha."

The group turned around and saw a young monk wearing a moon-white silk robe. His face was as white as jade without a single flaw, and his eyes were like autumn pools, seemingly filled with boundless compassion. His palms were clasped together, his fingers were white and slender, and his figure was thin but possessed a profound and dignified air, and his temperament was as gentle and refined as jade.

Su Ziyou's pupils constricted slightly, and he said softly, "Master Liansheng!"

When he came to Nanjin, he naturally knew that the biggest and most sensational event in Nanjin was the duel between Master Liansheng and Su Qianqiu. Therefore, he had made a point of learning about it before coming and had seen a portrait of Master Liansheng.

Gu Chudong and Gao Tie were both very surprised. They never imagined that this young monk, who looked to be no more than twenty years old, would actually be the renowned holy monk Master Liansheng, who was nearly sixty years old.

"Amitabha."

Master Liansheng walked over, put his hands together in a gesture of respect, and said, "This humble monk, Liansheng, greets you benefactors!"

Immediately,

Su Ziyou and Gao Tie quickly bowed and greeted Master Liansheng!

Gu Mo and Gu Chudong also bowed in greeting.

Master Liansheng said to Gu Mo, "Hero Gu, this humble monk was just about to go to the Honglu Temple to find you."

Gu Mo asked in confusion, "What business does the master have with me?"

Master Liansheng said, “There are two things. First, I would like to thank you in person. I have a disciple named Dingchan, who is the abbot of Guangming Temple in Qingzhou, your country. Last year, he was killed in a duel in Qingzhou. Fortunately, you, Master Gu, sent his body back to Guangming Temple and protected his disciples in your name.”

After saying this, Master Liansheng bowed to Gu Mo and said, "This humble monk thanks you!"

Gu Mo said, "You're too kind, Master."

Master Liansheng then said, "As for the second matter, it is a private matter of this humble monk. I have heard that Hero Gu's martial arts surpass those of Elder Zhang, so I have dared to ask you to exchange martial arts insights. If this is inconvenient, please forgive me!"

Gu Mo shook his head slightly and said, "It's not that I'm bothering you, but I have some things to attend to right now..."

“Brother Gu,” Su Ziyou said at this moment, “I’ll go for a drink. You can stay here and discuss the Dao with the master. You don’t need to come with me. Well, Brother Gao will keep me company!”

With that, Su Ziyou pulled the high-speed train away.

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "In that case, please, Master!"

"Master Gu, Lady Gu, please!"

Immediately, Gu Mo and Gu Chudong followed Master Liansheng through the alley and walked for a while before arriving at a small courtyard.

"This place was rented by our country's eldest princess for this humble monk to rest in, and it is quite quiet."

Master Liansheng led Gu Mo and Gu Chudong into the room, invited them to sit down, and then brewed a pot of tea. He said, "I heard of Master Gu's name last year and have been looking forward to meeting you one day!"

At this point, Master Liansheng suddenly remembered something, turned around and walked to the corner of the room, where there was a bamboo basket. He fiddled with the basket for a while, took out a small box, and then walked over and placed the small box in front of Gu Chudong, saying, "This humble monk heard that when Dingchan was alive, he gave you, Miss Gu, a relic. However, later, you used the relic to slay demons and monsters, which was of great merit. So, this humble monk thought that when he had time, he would give you one. When I came to Jin State this time, I heard that you and your brother came to Jin State, so I specially brought you a relic."

Gu Chudong opened the box, and sure enough, there was a relic inside. It emitted a soft and holy luster, and was smooth and lustrous. Its texture was like jade but even more translucent than jade. Inside, it seemed as if there were galaxies flowing and Buddha's light permeating the air.

It is very similar to the one that Master Dingchan gave me before.

This relic is a very precious treasure. She had used it before. It can not only help suppress the demonic nature of the Gouchen Demon Blade, but also increase cultivation speed and improve comprehension. It is a treasure that people in the martial arts world dream of, and its value is very high.

The relic given by Master Dingchan was blasted into powder in order to kill Lu Canyang.

“Master, this is too valuable, I can’t accept it.” Gu Chudong refused directly.

Master Liansheng smiled and said, "Please accept it, Miss Gu."

"I will not accept rewards without merit," Gu Chudong said.

Master Liansheng said, "It was my presumption. The martial art I practice is called the Lotus Thirty-Two Heavens Scripture. One of the scriptures is called the Future Scripture and the other is called the Past Scripture. When these two scriptures are intertwined, I will wander between the past and the future, and many times I will not be able to distinguish between reality and illusion."

Therefore, this humble monk felt quite familiar with you two, Master Gu and Lady Gu, but forgot that this is our first meeting. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused!

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "Does the master mean that we will have a lot of contact and interaction in the future?"

“I don’t know,” Master Liansheng said. “What I saw and heard in the Past and Future Sutra was actually deduced from my understanding. Before I knew you, Master Gu, you would not have appeared in my past and future. But after I knew you, you appeared. It’s not that I really traveled to the real future, but that I traveled to the future as I understood it.”

Gu Mo chuckled and pushed the box containing the relic back, saying, "Let's talk about that later!"

"Alright."

Master Liansheng said, "This humble monk observes that Great Hero Gu possesses a Buddhist aura; could it be that he also practices Buddhist martial arts?"

"Have."

Gu Mo nodded slightly.

His Yi Jin Jing and Xi Sui Jing are typical Buddhist martial arts, and they are extraordinary.

“Excellent,” Master Liansheng chuckled. “Then, what is your opinion on Buddhism, Hero Gu?”

"..."

The two then began to discuss martial arts.

……

At this time,
Su Ziyou and Gao Tie have arrived at Cuihua Restaurant.

Cuihua Restaurant remained as deserted as ever, with only a handful of customers. The female manager was carrying out several dishes of side dishes to serve the guests when she saw Su Ziyou and Gao Tie. Her expression instantly changed, and she was filled with fear. She stammered, "You two... sirs... have..."

Su Ziyou smiled slightly and said, "You serve the guests first. We're here to drink with you today too. Hmm, bring me a pot of your best wine, and also cook a few of your signature dishes!"

"Okay, okay!"

After the female manager placed the dishes for the guests, she immediately went into the kitchen.

Before long, the female innkeeper brought out the wine and dishes, placed them tremblingly on Su Ziyou's table, and asked cautiously, "My lords... is there... anything else you need?"

Clearly, the killing of Wen Wangji by Su Ziyou and his group here two days ago had left a psychological scar on the female shopkeeper. Although she later explained that it was the government arresting wanted criminals, it did nothing to eliminate her fear of Su Ziyou and Gao Tie.

As Su Ziyou poured the wine, he said, "Shopkeeper, if you're not busy, why don't you sit down and chat with me?"

The female shopkeeper's heart tightened suddenly. However, after carefully examining Su Ziyou, she realized that although he was about the same age as her, he was refined and handsome, and did not seem like the kind of lecherous man who wanted to take advantage of her.

Then, she looked at the high-speed train.
So he decisively sat down next to Su Ziyou.

High-speed rail: "??"

Su Ziyou picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and immediately frowned.

The female shopkeeper quickly asked, "Sir, is the wine not good?"

Instead of answering whether it tasted good or not, Su Ziyou asked, "Shopkeeper, where do you get this wine from?"

“I… I brewed it myself,” the female shopkeeper said.

"Oh," Su Ziyou looked the female shopkeeper up and down and said, "I didn't expect the shopkeeper to have this skill. It's rare to see a woman willing to learn winemaking!"

The female shopkeeper said, "I didn't learn it specifically; it's a family skill. My father was a brewer, and I learned it from a young age by being exposed to it. However, my skills are not even a tenth or a twelfth of what my father did, and I have disgraced his craft."

“That’s already very good,” Su Ziyou said. “May I ask your surname, shopkeeper?”

"My surname is Wen."

Su Ziyou's pupils contracted slightly, and he said, "So it's Manager Wen. Judging from your accent, you don't seem to be a local from Kyoto, do you?"

“Indeed not.” Manager Wen sighed and said, “I am originally from Shangtang County. Twenty years ago, my hometown was ravaged by bandits, my mother was killed, and my father fled with my younger brother and me.”

Unfortunately, my younger brother contracted the plague. To save him, I sold myself into slavery to a landlord. To avoid the plague, the landlord moved away, and I was separated from my family from then on.

Later, due to the decline of my family's fortunes, my master sold me to a broker. After many twists and turns, I was sold to many different places. It wasn't until a few years ago, when I was sold to the capital, that I finally settled down. Because of my age, I was no longer valuable, so I used the little money I had saved to redeem myself. Lacking other means of making a living, I remembered my father's brewing skills and opened a wine shop here to earn a living!

Su Ziyou sighed and said, "You've had a tough time, but now that you've been redeemed, haven't you thought about going to find your family?"

Shopkeeper Wen shook his head and said, "How could we possibly find them? We might not even know if they're still alive. Besides, in this world, with war and bandits roaming everywhere, how could a woman like me possibly get back to Shangtang County? I'd probably be ambushed and killed by bandits on the way!"

Su Ziyou nodded and said, "Yes, it's true that such a person is hard to find in this world..."

Just then, a guest shouted.

Manager Wen hesitated, "Sir, what do you think of this..."

“Go on, go on,” Su Ziyou waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry about us, just go and do your thing.”

"Thank you, sir!"

Manager Wen quickly got up and left.

Not long after, Su Ziyou left a piece of silver and departed with the high-speed train.

Walking out of the restaurant,

Su Ziyou then whispered, "Brother Gao, go and investigate who's behind this Manager Wen right away?"

Gao Tie asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with Manager Wen?"

Su Ziyou said, "Her wine is very ordinary, extremely ordinary."

The high-speed railman asked, puzzled, "It's just poor craftsmanship, what could be wrong with that?"

Su Ziyou said, "Wen Wangji, as a person who loves wine, and especially fine wine, is it not strange that he can drink such inferior wine? Moreover, this Cuihua Restaurant has no reputation, is located in a remote area, and the wine is not very good. Why would Wen Wangji come here to drink? Furthermore, when Wen Wangji was arrested a few days ago, he drank two whole jugs of wine here. I saw it very clearly at the time; he drank both jugs clean."

After thinking for a moment, Gao Tie said, "That is indeed a bit strange!"

Su Ziyou said, "This is why I insisted on coming to Cuihua Restaurant. Combined with what Manager Wen just said about his background, and Wen Wangji's background, do you notice anything wrong? Doesn't it fit together perfectly?"

Gao Tie's eyes lit up immediately, and he said, "That's right, Wen Wangji's surname is Wen, and he's also from Shangtang County. He fled Shangtang County when he was young and later learned martial arts by chance." Gao Tie looked at Su Ziyou and said, "So, Wen Wangji is very likely the lost younger brother of Manager Wen? That's why Wen Wangji came to Cuihua Restaurant specifically to drink. Such cheap wine, yet Wen Wangji can drink two jugs at a time. If we hadn't come to find him, he might have drunk even more. It's not that the wine is special, but that this person is special!"

Su Ziyou nodded and said, "That's right."

Gao Tie asked again, puzzled, "But there's no problem with that. Wen Wangji is already dead, the case is closed, and the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage has been retrieved. What's the point of continuing the investigation?"

Su Ziyou said, "Actually, from the beginning, I felt that there was something unreasonable, that is, Wen Wangji's motive for stealing the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage was somewhat unreasonable."

According to Wen Wangji, it was because of the high-ranking official positions, wealth, and honors promised by the pseudo-Jin dynasty. However, judging from Wen Wangji's behavior over the years, he was a madman who had no interest in power and wealth. Otherwise, he would not have stolen the disaster relief funds and then deliberately notified the government to watch him throw all the money into the river.

But now I understand. What moved Wen Wangji wasn't high-ranking official positions and generous salaries, but rather the only glimmer of light in his morbid heart that stemmed from familial affection? It couldn't be a threat, otherwise, there would be no way to guarantee that Wen Wangji would remain loyal to the death and never betray him. Therefore, it could only be a matter of using a favor as leverage.

Furthermore, it seems that Manager Wen is unaware of Wen Wangji's identity. In other words, Wen Wangji has not acknowledged Manager Wen. It appears that he wants Manager Wen to continue living a peaceful life here, and he is certain that the person behind him has the ability to ensure that Manager Wen continues to live a peaceful life here.

Therefore, Manager Wen's redemption and his selling wine here were definitely not coincidences, but rather premeditated. Furthermore, Wen Wangji was very confident that the other party could protect him in Qianqiu Town. Whoever could do all this in Qianqiu Town could not be the pseudo-Jin Dynasty behind him, but only the Qianqiu Sect!

……

In the small courtyard, withered leaves were fluttering in the air.

Gu Mo and Master Liansheng sat and talked in silence, both of them in high spirits.

For those who have reached their level in martial arts, finding someone to exchange ideas with is extremely difficult; they are few and far between. Therefore, once they meet, their enthusiasm for conversation only grows stronger.

However, at a certain moment,
Gu Mo's voice suddenly stopped, and he chuckled, "Master, I'm afraid this is the end of the day."

Master Liansheng chuckled and said, "It means that our connection today has come to an end, Master Gu. However, we will surely have many more and longer connections together."

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "I don't know if I'll be very busy in the future, but no matter how busy I am, I will definitely go to watch your duel with Su Qianqiu in a few days."

Master Liansheng chuckled and said, "I hope I won't disappoint Master Gu then."

The two chatted as they reached the door.

As soon as Master Liansheng opened the door, he saw Su Ziyou and Gao Tie coming from the opposite direction.

Master Liansheng clasped his hands together, bowed to Gu Mo and Gu Chudong, and said, "Hero Gu and Heroine Gu, may your journey be smooth and successful!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Master!"

Gu Mo cupped his hands in farewell, and Gu Chudong followed suit.

Master Liansheng watched the brother and sister leave.

When Su Ziyou saw Gu Mo and Gu Chudong walking over, he said in surprise, "What a coincidence, Brother Gu, I was just about to come looking for you."

Gu Chudong chuckled and said, "My brother and Master Liansheng noticed you from a distance. It wasn't a coincidence that you just came out; they only ended their discussion because you arrived."

Su Ziyou exclaimed, "No wonder everyone says that martial arts can lead to divine enlightenment!"

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "You're in such a hurry, have you found any leads?"

“Hmm,” Su Ziyou nodded and said, “Let’s go, we can talk as we walk. Oh, by the way, how did you learn from your long conversation with Master Liansheng?”

Gu Mo said, "I have gained a lot and benefited greatly. However, I have discovered something rather strange about Master Liansheng."

"What's strange about it?" Su Ziyou asked, puzzled.

Gu Mo slowly said, "Master Liansheng doesn't seem to have any fighting spirit. He doesn't seem to be here for a duel. Instead, he seems to be here to discuss the Dao with Su Qianqiu. Also, during our conversation just now, some of Master Liansheng's words revealed that he has not yet cultivated his Lotus Thirty-Two Heavens Scripture to the point of perfection."

"Is there a problem with this?" Su Ziyou asked.

Gu Mo said in a deep voice, "Without the will to fight, and with the Lotus Thirty-Two Heavens Scripture not yet fully mastered, how dare he challenge Su Qianqiu?"

(End of this chapter)