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

Chapter 249 Su Qianqiu (8.4k long chapter)

At dawn, Quwo City came alive with activity.

Whether they were high-ranking officials, ordinary merchants, or commoners, everyone was heading out of the city towards Mingyue Plain, creating a bustling and lively scene.

Today's decisive battle is different from ordinary duels between martial arts masters.

Even the most renowned martial arts masters, when they duel, will only attract attention within the martial arts world, rarely appealing to ordinary people. Simply put, no matter how profound a master's skill, the spread of their fame is extremely limited. Ordinary people already struggle to survive; they have no time to pay attention to the turmoil of the martial arts world, nor do they have the means to learn about it.

However, Su Qianqiu is different.
For the rest of the world, he was the number one martial arts master, and his fame was limited to the court and the martial arts world. However, in the Southern Jin Dynasty, it was different. He was the spiritual symbol and faith of the entire Southern Jin Dynasty, to the point of extreme fanaticism.

Therefore, countless ordinary people came to watch his duel today. Many people from other places had been waiting in Mingyue Plain for several days. In the capital, many people were already waiting at the city gate before dawn.

This phenomenon was not limited to ordinary people; high-ranking officials and nobles were also eager to go to the scene. Even Emperor Jin personally led the Empress and many civil and military officials to Mingyue Plain.

Over at Mingyue Plain,
The Kyoto Prefectural Government had also sent people to build a viewing platform early on, choosing the best viewing location in Mingyue Plain. As for ordinary people, they were kept on the periphery by the army.

Rumors have it that seats on the viewing platform have been sold for exorbitant prices, reaching several thousand taels of silver per seat.

Gu Mo and his group obtained the qualification to enter the viewing platform without spending any money; everyone in the entire Qian Kingdom delegation had this qualification.

Gu Mo and Gu Chudong arrived relatively late. Although the siblings were quite looking forward to this battle, they weren't in a hurry because Master Liansheng and Su Qianqiu didn't have the mysterious aura that ordinary martial arts people perceived them to be.

They knew the specific time of their duel was Shen Shi (3-5 PM).

They arrived precisely at the hour of Wei (1-3 PM).

When they arrived, Mingyueyuan was already packed with people, and the viewing platform was teeming with people and extremely noisy.

Gu Chudong led Gu Mo toward the Qian Kingdom delegation.

Gu Chudong looked left and right for a while, then looked at an envoy and asked in confusion, "Where is Brother Su? Didn't he arrive a long time ago?"

The envoy said, "Miss Gu, Su Shaoqing said he was going to take a stroll after arriving here, and he hasn't returned yet. But don't worry, he has guards with him, so there won't be any danger."

"Oh, that's fine."

Gu Chudong nodded and didn't ask any more questions. She pulled Gu Mo to sit down on a chair and said, "Brother Su must have gone to look for some clues. His eyes were bloodshot when he left this morning. He must have been thinking about it all night without sleeping!"

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "Although I know that everything will be revealed today, people like Brother Su who love investigating cases have a strong sense of purpose and hope to find the answer before the mystery is revealed."

"Will he make it in time?" Gu Chudong asked.

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "I'm afraid that will be difficult."

Gu Chudong chuckled and said, "Then he must be feeling incredibly upset."

Gu Mo said, "It's just as frustrating as having your favorite food right in front of you but not being able to eat it."

Gu Chudong rolled her eyes and said, "Brother, how dare you? You used to bully me like this when we were kids because I was short. You laughed so happily when you saw me jumping around trying to reach something."

Gu Mo smiled slightly and said, "Which siblings didn't do this when they were little? The older ones bully the younger ones. Is that even possible?"

"Hmph!" Gu Chudong puffed out her cheeks and snorted, then asked, "Brother, what do you think are the chances of Master Liansheng winning today's duel with Su Qianqiu?"

Gu Mo thought for a moment and said, "I've never even met Su Qianqiu, so I can't comment. However, judging from what Master Zhang said, and given that Master Liansheng's Lotus Thirty-Two Heavens Scripture hasn't reached its full potential, Master Liansheng probably has no chance of winning. But I feel that today's battle might not even happen!"

"Why?" Gu Chudong asked.

“This is the problem that Brother Su is struggling with and trying to figure out,” Gu Mo said.

As they were talking, Gu Chudong suddenly pointed to the entrance below the viewing platform and said, "Hey, isn't Brother Su back?"

A short while later, Su Ziyou arrived and sat down next to Gu Mo, saying, "Brother Gu, something is very wrong here."

"It seems you've made a discovery?" Gu Mo said.

Su Ziyou shook his head slightly and said, "It's not exactly a big discovery. I've been wandering around since I arrived and I saw two strange spots."

Firstly, there are cavalry here, both heavy and light. I can understand having an army; after all, there are at least tens of thousands of people in Mingyue Plain today, from all walks of life, so it's necessary to have troops to maintain order and protect the emperor and his officials. However, preparing cavalry is somewhat unnecessary.

Secondly, among the onlookers, including civilians and martial arts figures, many were actually military personnel in disguise. At first, I wondered if someone might be planning an assassination. However, after observing them closely for a long time, I realized that their attention wasn't on the viewing platform at all; they seemed genuinely just there to watch the battle.

Gu Mo chuckled and said, "Have you thought it through?"

“No,” Su Ziyou said, “It’s not that I can’t figure it out at all. I have a general idea of ​​the truth of the matter, but there are still some details I can’t understand.”

"Then let's wait patiently. The moment of truth is fast approaching," Gu Mo said.

On Mingyue Plain, the noise and bustle of people were deafening.

On the winter plains, a cold wind blew in gusts, and by mid-afternoon, snowflakes even began to fall. However, no one felt cold, given that tens of thousands of people were crammed together. As late afternoon approached, the atmosphere grew increasingly lively.

Until a certain moment,
Suddenly, someone in the crowd in the distance saw a monk appear on Mingyue Mountain at some unknown time, slowly walking up the mountain.

Who is that monk?

"Fool, who else could it be? It must be that ignorant monk who dared to challenge the Celestial Venerable of the Established Ultimate!"

"Is that the monk who came here looking for death? He looks so young, why is he so reckless?"

"She's not young anymore. They say she has some secret to staying young; she's already over fifty!"

"You've got some skill, haven't you?"

“The Celestial Venerable Liji is over seventy years old, but isn’t he said to be as young as a young man?”

"..."

The crowd erupted in commotion, but it was almost entirely one-sided criticism of Master Liansheng. Many extreme citizens even cursed him, believing that Master Liansheng's challenge to Su Qianqiu was an act of defiance against the gods and that he deserved to go to hell. They said that if the army hadn't been there to stop them from all sides, who knows how many people would have rushed to fight Master Liansheng to the death.

The atmosphere at the scene immediately became very lively.

Then, in the next instant, someone suddenly shouted: "The Celestial Venerable is here! The Celestial Venerable is here!"

In that instant, the plain roared like ocean waves, as if startling the clouds in the sky into dissipating.

In the distance, along the official road, the faint sunlight was melting the sky into a pale amber hue. Dozens of beautiful young women, their faces veiled in thin gauze, came in three formations, each carrying a flower basket. Wherever they passed, petals fluttered in the air, leaving winding trails of light on the ground as they fell with the wind.

And in the very center,

Three striped tigers pulled a jade carriage slowly towards them.

"Greetings to the Celestial Venerable Liji!"

"Greetings to the Celestial Venerable Liji!"

The shouts were deafening. The civilians and martial arts practitioners who came to watch the battle all knelt down. Then the soldiers of the army also knelt down on one knee, shouting, "Welcome the Heavenly Venerable of the Established Ultimate!"

The sound waves churned the clouds, creating a truly terrifying spectacle.

The imperial carriage did not stop, but continued forward toward the viewing platform.

A three-headed, striped tiger burst through the crowd with a deafening roar. Its eyes were blood-red like jade, and the golden bell around its neck made the kneeling masses tremble with each vibration. But what was revealed in the eyes of those common people was not fear, but a fanatical faith.

As the imperial carriage approached the viewing platform, the three-headed giant tiger suddenly retracted its legs and lay still.

Emperor Jin had already led his civil and military officials to wait in front of the viewing platform.

"Welcome, Celestial Venerable Liji!"

Apart from the Emperor and Empress, all the civil and military officials knelt down. Even the Emperor and Empress bowed to greet them. Only the delegations from Qian and Chu seemed out of place, sitting still without moving.

"No courtesy, stay on your own."

A calm voice came from inside the jade carriage.

The moment the curtain was lifted, petals filled the air, and a white figure flew out. Dozens of women simultaneously tossed their sleeves, and the petals and gold foil formed a huge peony phantom at his feet.

He stood in the center of the flower shadows, the silver scales on his clothes forming a flowing river of light under the setting sun. When the petals brushed past the snow-white threads that hung down to his waist, they seemed to be suspended in mid-air by celestial energy.

Her full head of white hair was loosely tied up with a jade crown, and the loose ends of her hair were covered with gold foil fragments that shimmered in the winter wind like flowing clouds. Dressed in white, she was as graceful as an immortal. Anyone who saw her would involuntarily exclaim that she was a celestial being descended to earth.

On the viewing platform,

Gu Chudong said in a low voice, "Brother, when Master Zhang said that Su Qianqiu was asking for a beating, I thought it must be related to a personal grudge. What really puzzled me was Master Qi Miaoxuan. He said that he had only seen Su Qianqiu once from afar, but he really wanted to beat him up. I never understood what kind of person could make someone want to beat him up just by looking at him. Now I understand. This person is really... really too... too pretentious!"

Su Ziyou muttered from the side, "They're all old codgers, almost eighty years old, still doing all this fancy stuff. Why are they trying to scare you? Are they trying to pick up young girls?"

"..."

Su Ziyou and Gu Chudong began to criticize Su Qianqiu's appearance.

Meanwhile, on the other side, in front of the viewing platform,

Emperor Jin has already ordered people to bring over the Heavenly Craftsmanship Cage.

Su Qianqiu glanced at the sandalwood box and said, "I heard that this Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage was stolen a few days ago?"

At this moment,
Standing behind Emperor Jin and half a step ahead of the civil and military officials, Su Wanguan, the head of the Su family, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Grandfather, it is my fault for being so useless that I allowed a thief to sneak into the mansion and steal the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage. Fortunately, His Majesty invited the world's number one swordsman, the great hero of Qian Kingdom, Gu Mo, to help us retrieve the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage. Afterwards, for safety reasons, His Majesty personally took it into custody!"

Su Qianqiu nodded slightly and said, "I thank Your Majesty."

Emperor Jin quickly replied, "This is my duty."

Then, Su Qianqiu looked up at Gu Mo and said, "Is that Gu Mo, the third-ranked hero in the world?"

Su Wanguan quickly replied, "That's right."

And at this moment,
Gu Mo, who was on the viewing platform, sensed Su Qianqiu's gaze and sent a divine thought to sweep over her.

At that moment,

In Gu Mo's mind, Su Qianqiu was a sword.

It was a sword that stretched across the Milky Way, yet it made the Milky Way hang upside down as a scabbard, with billions of stars as sword tassels, and the sword intent descending like the Milky Way.

"What a huge sword!" Gu Mo couldn't help but exclaim.

At the same time, Su Qianqiu slowly said, "Not bad, a young man. He has a few points of my youthful charm, but his appearance is far inferior."

His voice wasn't loud, but it somehow managed to reach everyone's ears, including Gu Mo's.

Immediately, Gu Mo's lips twitched slightly, and he said, "You really deserve a beating!"

……

A moment of silence fell over the stands.
No one knew how to respond to Su Qianqiu's words.

Su Wanguan quickly changed the subject, saying, "Grandpa, please put on the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage!"

Su Qianqiu said calmly, "Actually, I don't need the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage to deal with that little monk Liansheng. However, considering your good intentions, I will use the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage to fight that little monk today."

immediately,

Su Qianqiu lightly touched the ground with his feet, and petals fluttered down again. He instantly disappeared into the petals and flew back into the jade carriage, saying softly, "Get dressed."

Immediately, several maids rushed forward, took out the Heavenly Craftsmanship Cage from the box, and put it into the jade carriage.

After a while

Su Qianqiu stepped out of the jade carriage once again. Now, with the Heavenly Craftsmanship Spirit Cage surrounding him, he radiated a seven-colored immortal light, making him appear even more divine and celestial.

He slowly began to speak: "Today's battle is mine..."

Suddenly, Su Qianqiu's voice stopped abruptly. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and the Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage on his body suddenly emitted bursts of spiritual light, igniting a raging blue flame that instantly engulfed Su Qianqiu's entire body.

Su Qianqiu pointed at Emperor Jin and said, "Emperor Jin, you have harmed me!" Emperor Jin's pupils contracted slightly, but he did not speak to defend himself.

"Quickly, put out the fire and save people!"

Su Wanguan was furious. He pushed aside the Emperor Jin and ran towards Su Qianqiu. But in that instant, Su Qianqiu was engulfed in flames and was burned to ashes in a flash.

As sparks drifted up,

Su Qianqiu's voice echoed in the void: "On Mount Qianqiu, 33,333 followers will chant the Thousand Autumns and Ten Thousand Worlds Scripture for seven days and seven nights. After seven days, aided by the Emperor's dragon energy, the Thousand Autumns Sect will be formally established, and I will be able to be reborn through the golden body!"

At this moment, chaos erupted on Mingyue Plain.
The onlookers were in a frenzy, with many shouting for the emperor to pay with his life. Many rushed toward the viewing platform, and the army could hardly stop them.

This was a scene that shocked both the Qian and Chu delegations, who were astonished to hear the phrase "the emperor must pay with his life."

This was utterly unbelievable to the envoys from Qian and Chu. In Qian and Chu, such a thing was simply impossible. No one, let alone anyone, could convict the emperor with a single word. Even if the emperor had truly committed a crime, no one could pin the blame on him.

However, this scene of reversing the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches occurred in the State of Jin.

Just because one person pointed at the emperor before he died and said, "You ruined me."

Then, not even evidence is needed.
The people then began to shout things like "The emperor should pay with his life!"

At this moment, on the viewing platform,
Su Wanguan knelt on the ground. The Heavenly Craftsmanship Cage dissipated, and Su Qianqiu turned to ashes. He looked at Emperor Jin and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, why have you gone to such lengths? This empire was all built by my grandfather. How can you not tolerate him?"

Emperor Jin stared at Su Wanguan and sighed softly.

Su Wanguan slowly rose, walked to the Emperor of Jin, bowed and said, "This humble subject begs Your Majesty to go to Qianqiu Mountain for the sake of the people of Jin, to help the Heavenly Venerable be reborn, and to protect the land of our Great Jin!"

At this moment, more than a dozen court officials also knelt down and shouted, "Your Majesty, please move your residence to Qianqiu Mountain!"

The other courtiers all had different expressions at this moment.

“Your Majesty,” an old minister said, “Your Majesty, for your own selfish reasons, you have committed such a heinous crime. Do you still not repent? How will you answer to the people of the Great Jin Dynasty? How will you answer to our ancestors?”

"Your Majesty, I implore you to go into the mountains to atone for your sins!"

Another old minister pointed at the motionless courtiers and roared, "What are you all standing there for? His Majesty has committed such a grave mistake, which is tantamount to the destruction of our Great Jin Dynasty. Such a foolish act, and you don't even try to persuade His Majesty to turn back? How can you face the common people?"

The court officials, seeing the fervent emotions of the crowd below the viewing platform and the densely packed people chanting "The Emperor should pay with his life," felt immense pressure.

After the first courtier, unable to withstand the pressure, knelt down and cried out, "Your Majesty, please atone for your sins," more and more courtiers who originally did not want to get involved began to take sides. In no time, all the courtiers knelt down, urging the emperor to atone for his sins.

Some veteran officials even pointed at Emperor Jin's nose and cursed him, while others were willing to die to remonstrate with him.

Emperor Jin glanced at the kneeling civil and military officials, then fixed his gaze on Su Wanguan and said, "Brother Su, why go through all this trouble? How could I refuse a word from Old Master Su? Alas!"

The Emperor of Jin sighed deeply and said, "I will grant your wish and depart for eternity..."

"slow!"

At this moment,
On the viewing platform, Su Ziyou suddenly ran over and shouted, "I understand! I've figured it out!"

Upon seeing Su Ziyou running over, an old minister of the Jin state immediately shouted, "Stop him!"

Immediately, several soldiers stopped Su Ziyou.

The old minister said in a deep voice, "Minister Su, please do not shout here. This is the Grand Preceptor of our Jin Kingdom, and has nothing to do with you, a mere citizen of the Qian Kingdom..."

Su Ziyou quickly said, "Su Qianqiu isn't dead, he's faking it..."

"It seems that Su Shaoqing is drunk. Send him to rest," the minister called out.

"stop!"

Emperor Jin shouted, "I am still here, and you are already so eager to make decisions for me? Even if you want to usurp the throne, you can't wait even a little while, can you?"

The old minister looked embarrassed after being spoken to by the Emperor of Jin.

Emperor Jin looked at the soldiers who were blocking Su Ziyou.

The soldiers quickly moved aside.

Su Ziyou then quickly walked over, cupped his hands in greeting to the Emperor of Jin, and said, "Your Majesty, I have truly learned a great deal today!"

Emperor Jin smiled awkwardly and said, "Minister Su, you should just do your own thing and stop mocking me."

At this moment,
A minister from the State of Jin bowed to Su Ziyou and said, “Minister Su, I don’t know what the rules are in your State of Qian, but our State of Jin is a place with rules and laws. As a foreign envoy, if you do not understand our laws, it is best not to meddle in the affairs of our State of Jin, so as not to cause conflict between the two countries. If that happens, you, as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, may not be able to bear the consequences!”

Su Ziyou glanced at the minister and said, "Do you dare to kill me? If you dare to kill me, I'll respect you as a man, and I'll let you see the iron cavalry of the Qian Kingdom!"

"you……"

Su Ziyou then said, "I was ordered by your emperor to investigate the leader of the Thousand Autumns Cult, and I have found him now."

The minister said, "The leader of the Thousand Autumns Cult was arrested yesterday; it was the Seventh Prince! If you, Su Shaoqing, are here to cause trouble, then don't blame us for being impolite. The crowd is in a state of high spirits right now, and if something happens later, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"

Su Ziyou ignored the minister and continued, "Actually, when Sima Kong went to take the blame yesterday, I had already determined that the Su family was the one manipulating the Qianqiu Sect behind the scenes. Five years ago, Su Qianqiu personally went down the mountain to investigate the Qianqiu Sect, but after killing a bunch of people, the matter was dropped. It wasn't that he couldn't find the person behind it, but because he found out that the person behind it was the Su family, he had to give up. Your Majesty, am I right?"

Emperor Jin nodded slightly.

Su Ziyou chuckled and said, "Indeed, it was all thanks to Your Majesty's guidance that I was able to so easily find out that Manager Wen, who sells wine at Cuihua Restaurant, is Wen Wangji's sister, and then follow the clues to find Hong Xu."

Emperor Jin smiled slightly.

Su Ziyou continued, "Actually, you already knew that the Su family was manipulating the Qianqiu Cult, but you didn't know Su Qianqiu's attitude, so you chose to let it go and go with the flow."

Emperor Jin said, “It’s not that I want to follow the crowd, but that’s how it is in our Jin Kingdom. I’m waiting for Old Master Su to make his stance clear. If Old Master Su supports the Su family, I have nothing to object to, nor do I have the ability to do so. If Old Master Su does not support the Su family, then no matter how powerful the Thousand Autumns Cult becomes, it will ultimately amount to nothing.”

Su Ziyou said, "Then... today Old Master Su stated his support for the Su family. So, Your Majesty, you didn't even have a chance to defend yourself..."

At this moment,
Suddenly, a commotion broke out below the viewing platform. Enraged civilians broke through the army's blockade and surged towards the viewing platform, all roaring for the emperor to pay with his life!
At this moment,
On the viewing platform, the civil and military officials hurriedly surrounded Emperor Jin, interrupting his conversation with Su Ziyou.

"Your Majesty, leave immediately!"

"Go, quickly take His Majesty away..."

"This place is dangerous. Forget everything else, get His Majesty out of here first!"

"..."

Immediately, many civil and military officials attempted to forcibly take Emperor Jin away.

Amid the chaos, Su Ziyou looked at Su Wanguan.

At that moment, Su Wanguan was also looking at Su Ziyou.

Both of them understood that once the Emperor Jin left, everything would become a fact, an undeniable fact. The Emperor Jin, driven by selfishness and disregarding the greater good, had caused Su Qianqiu's death, and then, to atone for his sins, he went to Qianqiu Mountain to chant scriptures to help Su Qianqiu be reborn.

Su Ziyou looked at the surging crowd outside the viewing platform, but his expression remained calm, because he knew that the Emperor of Jin also had a backup plan.

as predicted,

Just the next moment,

Unexpectedly, many people in the crowd suddenly took off their outer garments, revealing the attire of the imperial guards.

"The Imperial Guards are here to protect His Majesty!"

"Protect Your Majesty!"

"..."

A large group of six or seven hundred people engaged in a chaotic slaughter, leaving a river of blood, before gathering in front of the viewing platform. At the same time, on the viewing platform, many of the martial arts practitioners and ordinary people who had originally purchased their entry qualifications on the black market removed their outer garments, revealing the uniforms of imperial guards.

Immediately, those courtiers who wanted to forcibly take the Emperor away had no choice but to stop and stand still.

Emperor Jin waved his hand gently and said, "Minister Su, please continue!"

Su Ziyou walked to Emperor Jin's side and said, "Actually, my previous doubts mainly stemmed from not understanding what the Su family was trying to do. If they wanted to usurp the throne, if they wanted to overthrow the royal family and seize imperial power, shouldn't they be more focused on preserving the myth of Su Qianqiu? Why would they be guarding the stolen Heavenly Craft Spirit Cage?"
If there were other schemes at play, how could it be guaranteed that Su Qianqiu would cooperate? If Su Qianqiu was willing to act, why not simply say one thing and easily persuade the Sima family to abdicate in favor of the Su family? Why go through all this trouble? Given Su Qianqiu's reputation in Jin, there's no need for such underhanded tactics. Or, to put it more simply, Your Majesty could directly pass the throne to Sima Kong, easily resolving the issue without damaging your reputation and changing the royal family.

The Emperor of Jin chuckled and said, "So, do you understand now?"

"understood."

Su Ziyou said, "The Su family doesn't want the throne; they want to turn Jin into a religion, with the royal family as a symbol and the sect as the true ruler. Today, if Your Majesty leaves with them, the royal family's prestige and reputation will plummet, and they will even be universally condemned."

Seven days later, the Thousand Autumns Sect will be established and will naturally take over the ruling power. Su Qianqiu will stage a drama of a god's rebirth, and the faith of the entire Jin Kingdom will reach an unprecedented height. He will truly become a "god," and then the god will appoint Su Wanguan or someone from the Su family as the sect leader to govern the country. This sect leader can also be renamed the Pope, who can be called the person closest to God in the world. From then on, the emperor will be completely appointed by the Thousand Autumns Sect. Even if Su Qianqiu really dies one day, the Su family will still hold supreme power in the Jin Kingdom.

"Your Majesty, do you think my speculation is correct?"

Emperor Jin nodded slightly and said, "It seems that's the case for now." He looked at Su Wanguan and said, "Originally, my plan was that as long as Old Master Su supported the Su family, I would accept it without hesitation, and losing the throne wouldn't matter. Our Sima family's empire was originally bestowed by Old Master Su, and now it's just a matter of returning it!"

Su Wanguan remained silent.

Emperor Jin continued, "However, after Master Liansheng of Chu announced his duel with Elder Su, and Elder Su accepted the challenge, I realized that things were not so simple. The Su family not only wants my throne, but it seems they also intend to betray the country!"

From that moment on, I wanted to rebel. However, I felt utterly powerless. And then, by sheer coincidence, Sima Kong brought Su Qing and Gu Qing from the Qian Kingdom. I knew then that your Su family didn't consider this child one of your own, so he had no idea about your Su family's plans.

Therefore, I began to guide Su Qing and Gu Qing in investigating the Qianqiu Cult. However, I only guided them up to the point of finding Sima Kong; after that, I did nothing more. Whether Su Qing and Gu Qing ultimately choose to help me is entirely their own decision. I did not want to exploit their lack of knowledge to lead them to make enemies and be forced to help me out of necessity.

As he spoke, the Emperor of Jin looked at Su Ziyou and said, "However, it seems that Minister Su has chosen to help me."

Su Ziyou cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, let's be frank. I am truly worried that after the Su family seizes power, they will open your country's gates and allow foreign troops to cross the border!"

"Then, Minister Gu?" Emperor Jin looked at Gu Mo.

In an instant, everyone looked over.

To be honest, in the current situation, Su Ziyou's intimidation lies in representing the attitude of the Qian Kingdom. The real pressure is behind him, and right now, the fear surrounding the Qian Kingdom's delegation rests entirely on Gu Mo. Gu Mo's identity is also unique; although he is a citizen of the Qian Kingdom, he is a江湖人 (jianghu person, a martial arts practitioner) rather than a Qian Kingdom official. What choice he will ultimately make is truly uncertain.

The entire Chu delegation was also paying close attention to Gu Mo.

Gu Mo slowly said, "I'm just a ghostwriter. I haven't read many books and don't understand any grand principles or the relationship between family and country. I only arrest wanted criminals."

As he spoke, Gu Mo pointed at Su Wanguan and said, "Sect Leader Su, the Jin Kingdom's court has offered a reward of 30,000 taels of silver for your head. I have already accepted the reward order, so now I need to borrow your head!"

Su Wanguan said in a deep voice, "That good-for-nothing Sima Kong is good for nothing and good for making things worse, he has brought such a big trouble upon himself!"

Emperor Jin sighed and said, "Brother Su, that child ultimately chose your Su family, which greatly disappoints me. When Hong Xu is arrested and goes back to check the accounts, he will guess the general intentions of your Su family and know that your Su family must have something to do today."

He knew that if he hadn't taken the blame yesterday, the investigation would have inevitably reached your Su family. Then, I would have had a reason to go to Qianqiu Mountain to find Old Master Su, and today's sacred battle would have had to be postponed, leading to unforeseen circumstances. To ensure the smooth progress of today's decisive battle and to ensure the Su family's plans proceeded smoothly, he chose to take the blame for your Su family with a flawed lie. In the end, he was on your Su family's side.

The real problem isn't with him, but with you. You've never trusted him. From the moment he was sent to the palace, subconsciously you stopped treating him as your son. That's why he was completely unaware of such a grand plan, which is why he brought Su Qing and Gu Qing from Qian Kingdom.

Su Wanguan chuckled and said, “Your Majesty, I know nothing of any plan. All I know is that for your own selfish reasons, you killed the Heavenly Venerable in public today, and now you are colluding with the Qian Kingdom’s envoy to distort the truth here.”

I strongly suspect that today's events were a conspiracy between you and the Qian Kingdom to kill the Heavenly Venerable. You may have already sold the Southern Jin Dynasty to the Qian Kingdom. Your Majesty, the Heavenly Venerable possesses great supernatural powers and still has a chance to be resurrected. Do not remain so deluded; go to Thousand Autumns Mountain to atone for your sins, Your Majesty!

At this moment,
In the distance, from the viewing platform, the thunderous sound of hooves echoed. Lead-gray clouds were torn apart in the far distance, flowing like shattered mercury across a bluish-gray plain. What began as a tremor of the horizon, like an ancient behemoth churning beneath the earth, was transformed into a dense mass of silver iron cavalry charging forward, forging all colors of the world into the cold, metallic gray. The leading heavy cavalry formed a mobile metal fortress.

"Gu Mo of the Qian Kingdom has taken His Majesty hostage, attempting to prevent the Heavenly Venerable from being resurrected!"

"Kill Gu Mo, save His Majesty, and resurrect the Heavenly Venerable!"

"Resurrect the Celestial Venerable!"

"When everyone chants the 'Thousand Autumns and Ten Thousand Generations Sutra,' the celestial deity's spirit can be briefly invoked to descend to earth and vanquish demons!"

"..."

Immediately, a powerful chanting of sutras resounded across the plains!

A sword intent appeared between heaven and earth.

(End of this chapter)