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

Chapter 274 One Man's Power Ushers in a Chaotic Era (8k views, please vote)
Jiang Ruoxu stopped.

The two messengers, one black and one red, felt the pressure suddenly disappear, freeing them from the suffocating feeling of death. Both of them looked surprised and puzzled.

The dark-faced envoy said, "Oh, Jiang Ruoxu has stopped!"

The red-faced envoy said, "Does he think he can't beat us?"

The dark-faced envoy said wisely, "I think it's because he is a sword spirit, a primordial spirit, which is a ghost, while we are human. We can't touch him, but he can't touch us either!"

“That makes sense, so why should we be afraid of him?” said the red-faced messenger.

"Yeah, he can't hit us."

The dark-faced envoy extended a finger and beckoned to Jiang Ruoxu, shouting, "Come and hit me!"

Jiang Ruoxu remained expressionless and motionless.

Seeing this, the two became even more certain of their guess. The red-faced envoy also pointed a finger and said arrogantly, "Jiang Ruoxu, come and hit me!"

"Two idiots!"

Jiang Ruoxu waved his hand and slapped the two envoys twice. With two crisp "slap" sounds, the two slaps struck the left and right sides of the two envoys respectively. The two men were immediately sent flying to the left and right, flying dozens of feet away and crashing to the ground unconscious.

immediately,

Jiang Ruoxu looked at the sedan chair and said calmly, "So you're the Holy Maiden of Penglai Island that these two fools are looking for?"

The sedan curtain was lifted.

Xiao Bai emerged from inside, her innocent childlike expression gone, and the clarity and purity in her eyes no longer present. She cupped her hands towards Jiang Ruoxu and said, "When I was still alive, you were still in a remote corner of Jiang Kingdom. By the time you became famous, I was already dead. It's a real pity that I missed your era."

Jiang Ruoxu asked, "Who are you?"

“I am someone who entered Penglai Island thirty years earlier than you,” Xiaobai said. “I am also someone who realized the problem of Penglai Island thirty years earlier than you, and I am the only person in the world who has preserved the memories of my previous life and was reborn on Penglai Island.”

"What does 'new life on Penglai Island' mean?" Jiang Ruoxu asked.

"It means exactly what it says: he was resurrected on Penglai Island after he died," Xiaobai said. "I know you've already noticed the problem with Penglai Island and the imprisonment in your soul, so you're trying to find a way to avoid Penglai Island."

"What do you know?" Jiang Ruoxu asked.

“I know what you know, I know what you don’t know, and I know what you want to know,” Xiaobai said. “But I’m willing to tell you everything.”

"What is the reason?" Jiang Ruoxu asked.

Xiao Bai said, "I need my teammates' help, and you are the only person in the world who has the opportunity to remain conscious on Penglai Island. Only you can help me, and of course, you can also help me, because you and I are the same, both wanting to break free from the restrictions of Penglai Island."

Jiang Ruoxu went straight to the point, saying, "Tell me about your experiences and what you know. I'll try to determine if what you're saying is true or false. If it's true, I'll cooperate with you; if it's false, I'll kill you."

Xiao Bai smiled slightly and said, "In my previous life, I was called Yu Jinghong. I was the only female grandmaster in Yunzhou of Qian Kingdom. However, I was not well-known in the world. But in the evaluation of Penglai Island, I was the number one female martial artist in that era. Therefore, I received an invitation from Penglai Island."

I became famous for my swordsmanship, but I am a Qi cultivator. I received tremendous help on Penglai Island and eventually met Bai Yujing, who helped me develop my skills to a level beyond the Ascension Realm. However, just as I was about to break through to the Ascension Realm and knock on the gates of heaven, I saw my inner demons.

I dared not confront my inner demons, so I was forced to sever my cultivation level, remaining at the half-step ascension realm. It was precisely because of that self-severance that I discovered a mysterious restriction deep within my primordial spirit, binding me. Even if I opened the Heavenly Gate, I still couldn't enter and would be pulled back. You must be in a similar situation, right? You also saw the restriction, didn't you?"

Jiang Ruoxu did not answer, but said, "Continue."

Xiao Bai continued, "I failed to ascend and then severed my own primordial spirit with a sword. It was during my slow recovery that I realized that the restriction on me actually came from my martial art."

At that moment, I suddenly realized that Penglai Island's help in improving our cultivation and perfecting our martial arts was not as selfless as it claimed; in reality, it was secretly charging a price.

So I made a bold attempt. I cultivated a demonic martial art that could condense a puppet spirit by devouring the souls of others. If there were enough of them, it could even reach half the cultivation level of the main spirit. Then, I transferred my memories into that puppet spirit.

Then I sealed it within my physical body and the magic array. My true form took a gamble; I chose suicide, letting my consciousness dissipate and my spiritual power return to heaven and earth. My gamble was that the purpose of Penglai Island was my primordial spirit.

Jiang Ruoxu's gaze towards Xiaobai changed, revealing a look of admiration.

Xiao Bai continued, "I don't know how much time passed, but I was really reborn on Penglai Island. However, I have no memories of my previous life. I am just a newborn. Moreover, because a part of my divine consciousness remained in that puppet's primordial spirit, I became an idiot in this life on Penglai Island."

However, my gamble had only just begun. My divine sense was gradually losing its ability to suppress the puppet's primordial spirit. The puppet was no longer willing to be trapped in the coffin and kept resisting. However, my magic array was effective, and it couldn't escape.

Actually, during my life before I grew up, the puppet's primordial spirit almost came out once. Fortunately, I had a good disciple. I left a trace of his sword intent on the coffin, which severely injured the primordial spirit puppet and bought me a few more years.

Ultimately, things didn't go quite as planned. I never imagined that so many years after my death I would be betrayed by someone who had shown me kindness. In the end, the primordial spirit puppet broke out of the coffin ten years earlier than expected. And the moment it broke out of the coffin, the foreshadowing I had laid in my spiritual power in my previous life came into play.

In this life, I was guided and forcibly escaped from Penglai Island. However, because the primordial spirit puppet appeared ten years earlier than I expected, I had ten years less to cultivate in this life. My cultivation was insufficient, and after leaving Penglai Island, I gradually lost the ability to sense the guidance.

However, fate was on my side. I wasted two years in Yunzhou, but I was very lucky to meet Gu Mo. He took me to the Canglan Sword Sect, and then to the place where my puppet primordial spirit was. The puppet primordial spirit was killed, and the divine consciousness I had sealed returned to my primordial spirit, and my memories slowly returned.

This is my experience.

Jiang Ruoxu asked, "Who is your disciple?"

“You may have heard of Qi Tianshu,” Xiaobai said.

“So it was him,” Jiang Ruoxu said. “If it was him, then that explains why his sword intent was able to suppress your primordial spirit puppet. His sword intent is very special.”

"Do you know each other?" Xiaobai asked.

“He was there last time I went to Penglai Island,” Jiang Ruoxu said. “He took an extreme approach. He’s not good at fighting, but when he’s fighting for his life, he’s like a mad dog. He can bite off a piece of flesh from anyone he catches. Many people can beat him, but they are all a little afraid of him.”

Many people thought he had taken the wrong path, but in reality, he hadn't. He had fully utilized his talent, achieving harmony between different levels of life. It's just a pity that beings at the Ascension Realm are so rare in this world, which makes it seem like he had taken the wrong path.

Xiao Bai sighed softly, "His talent in swordsmanship is very strong. When I first met him, I knew that he was destined to become a towering figure in swordsmanship."

“He’s known to us as the Sword Master, and his achievements in swordsmanship alone surpass mine,” Jiang Ruoxu said. “Since you need help, why don’t you ask him?”

“It’s no use,” Xiaobai said. “What I need is someone who can remain unaffected by the restrictions after arriving on the island. Tian Shu… he hasn’t been able to detect the restrictions all these years. His swordsmanship is very strong, but he himself can’t fully control it. He can’t be the helper I need. I can’t think of anyone else besides you. Even if you hadn’t come to me today, I would have come to you.”

"How do you know me?" Jiang Ruoxu asked.

Xiao Bai said, "I lived on Penglai Island for eighteen years in this life, but I was born with extraordinary talent and became the Holy Maiden of Penglai Island. Because of my mental disability, the First Island Lord and the Second Island Lord did not hide anything from me."

They've talked about you more than once. They could sense that you were trying to break the seal within your primordial spirit, so when my mind and memories returned, the first person I thought of to help was you.

Jiang Ruoxu asked, "As far as I know, Gu Mo is also in the Canglan Sword Sect. This young man is the number one in the world, and his cultivation is unfathomable. If we don't rely on the Jingzhe Sword, even I am not confident in facing him head-on. Why don't you invite him? He has never been to Penglai Island, so he is not subject to the restrictions of Penglai Island."

"I don't dare invite him," Xiaobai said.

"Why?" Jiang Ruoxu asked, puzzled.

Xiao Bai said, "I suspect that Gu Mo is the inner demon!"

"Hmm?" Jiang Ruoxu asked in surprise, "Where did you get that idea?"

Xiao Bai said, "Gu Mo possesses a complete primordial spirit, allowing him to freely use the technique of primordial spirit leaving the body while retaining his physical body. This is simply impossible in this world. Jiang Ruoxu, as you know, only a complete Ascension Realm cultivator can freely leave their body, and once one reaches the Ascension Realm, one will inevitably knock on the Heavenly Gate, where the inner demon lies."

No one in this world can defeat their inner demons. And even if someone were lucky enough to defeat them and open the gates to heaven, they would surely enter those gates quickly. How could they possibly remain in the mortal realm? Therefore, I suspect that Gu Mo has been controlled by his inner demons. This also explains why Gu Mo, who was originally just an ordinary martial artist, became the number one martial artist in the world in just a few years!

Jiang Ruoxu slowly said, "What you said makes sense. In just a few years, Gu Mo suddenly went from someone with no background to becoming the number one in the world. It is indeed unbelievable and fits the possibility of being controlled by inner demons. However, it is not necessarily true."

There are sages in the world, one type being those born with innate knowledge. Gu Mo fits this category. As for your statement that it's absolutely impossible to successfully knock on the gates of heaven, that's not true at all; it's possible.

Xiao Bai asked in confusion, "With inner demons present, how could one possibly knock on the Heavenly Gate?"

Jiang Ruoxu said, "I have successfully knocked on the Heavenly Gate."

Xiao Bai's pupils constricted, and she exclaimed in surprise, "How did you knock on the Heavenly Gate?"

Jiang Ruoxu said, "I am different from you. When you ascended, you were afraid of your inner demons and cut off your realm, but I faced my inner demons directly."

The inner demon is very powerful, and its life level surpasses that of humans. Even if one reaches the Ascension Realm, the damage it can cause is not high. However, coincidentally, the Jingzhe Sword that I brought from Penglai Island can damage the inner demon.

I fought my inner demon for a long time, and I was indeed no match for it. However, during the battle, I successfully knocked open the Heavenly Gate. I saw the Heavenly Gate, but I couldn't enter because my primordial spirit was bound by the Penglai Island restriction; I was pulled back.

Xiao Bai was completely shocked, and it took him a while to come to his senses before he said, "So you've already surpassed the Ascension Realm?"

"Barely," Jiang Ruoxu said. "I knocked on the Heavenly Gate, and although I couldn't get in, I did get a wisp of immortal energy from beyond the Heavenly Gate, which did indeed surpass the Ascension Realm in terms of life level."

Xiao Bai asked in confusion, "After my memories and mind returned, I stayed at the Canglan Sword Sect for more than a month. During that time, I learned a lot about the current world, including something about you..."

"Are you talking about my qi deviation?" Jiang Ruoxu asked.

Xiaobai nodded.

Jiang Ruoxu said, "I successfully knocked on the Heavenly Gate, but was pulled back to the mortal realm by the restriction. On the way, I fought with my inner demon and was disturbed by his demonic energy, which confused my mind. In the end, I went mad and was besieged by the world. In the end, I woke up and did not want to get entangled anymore because my inner demon was still watching me. So I took the initiative to become the sword spirit of the Jingzhe Sword to avoid the inner demon taking advantage of me!"

"I see," Xiaobai nodded.

Jiang Ruoxu asked, "Why don't you continue talking about Penglai Island? What's the truth?"

Xiao Bai said, "Actually, there is no Bai Yujing on Penglai Island. No, to be precise, the First Island Master and the Second Island Master are Bai Yujing. They are two immortal old people who have lived for countless years."

They have been doing one thing all along: constantly creating and perfecting martial arts, making them more and more powerful and their abilities more and more diverse. However, human strength is ultimately limited. Even if they have lived for countless years and reached the highest level of mastery, they will still have misconceptions in their thinking.

Therefore, every thirty years, they would invite the world's most talented individuals to Penglai Island to create together, gathering the collective wisdom of an era's geniuses. They would generously share their newly created and perfected martial arts manuals, thus pooling the collective intelligence of even more exceptional individuals.

Jiang Ruoxu asked in confusion, "What is their purpose?"

"I don't know," Xiaobai shook his head and said, "Their purpose seems to be to create and perfect martial arts."

"Where is Bai Yujing?" Jiang Ruoxu asked.

Xiao Bai said, "From what I understand, Bai Yujing is actually a kind of spiritual illusion created by the First Island Master and the Second Island Master. Their realms are very high, and I suspect that they may have even surpassed the Ascension Realm."

Therefore, their creation of Bai Yujing was actually to select the most talented individuals, using their combined powerful mental strength to refine martial arts techniques for others, making them stronger and more perfect. Simultaneously, they also had another purpose: to deceive all the prodigies into having mental restrictions subtly placed upon them.

After those who have been placed under mental restrictions die, they will be guided to reincarnate. This reincarnation is not the kind of reincarnation that ordinary people understand, but rather something they deliberately guide. All those who successfully reincarnate will have restrictions placed on them while they are still in the womb.

These people are all reincarnations of the world's top geniuses, retaining their powerful spiritual strength from their previous lives. At the same time, they have been placed under a restriction, and all of them possess a pure and innocent heart. You've been to Penglai Island; you should know that the people there are all very simple-minded, just like those two fat guys you just slapped away—simple-minded indeed.

Jiang Ruoxu nodded and said, "I thought it was because Penglai Island was isolated from the world."

"That's only part of the reason," Xiaobai said. "The main reason is that when they are reincarnated, they are all restricted by the First and Second Island Masters. They all have pure hearts and honestly cultivate martial arts, study martial arts, and create and perfect all kinds of martial arts. Therefore, when the geniuses from the outside world come to the island every thirty years, they will see all kinds of powerful, profound and diverse martial arts on Penglai Island. This is because the people on the island are all the creation machines of the First and Second Island Masters."

Jiang Ruoxu said in a deep voice, "So, the purpose of placing restrictions on our primordial spirits is to wait for us to be reincarnated on Penglai Island after we die so that they can use us."

“Not bad.” Xiaobai nodded. Jiang Ruoxu thought for a moment and said, “If that’s the case, if it weren’t for my pursuit of ascension, I really wouldn’t have needed to be enemies with Penglai Island. They gave me opportunities, helped me improve my martial arts, and allowed me to break through my limits in this life. Their reward is to serve them after death. They even gave me a second chance at life.”

Xiao Bai said, "Theoretically speaking, that's true. But would you not try to remove the restrictions in your primordial spirit out of gratitude?"

"No," Jiang Ruoxu said.

“That’s it,” Xiaobai said. “Therefore, we should cooperate.”

Jiang Ruoxu said, "I did this to remove the restrictions, but even if you remove the restrictions, you won't dare to face your inner demons and you won't be able to ascend. What have you been planning for all these years?"

Xiao Bai said in a deep voice, "I will always find a way to deal with the inner demon, or there may be something on Penglai Island that can deal with the inner demon. But I can't wait until I have a way to deal with the inner demon before slowly trying to find a way to remove the restriction, can I?"

“That makes sense.” Jiang Ruoxu asked, “What’s this reincarnation thing?”

Xiao Bai said, "Unlike the legendary reincarnation, in a sense it's more like possession. When an ordinary person dies, their consciousness and will disappear, but when a martial arts expert dies, their consciousness disappears, but their spiritual power and will remain for a long time."

During this process, the first and second island lords would use their methods to infuse their spiritual power and will into the consciousness of the fetus inside the pregnant woman's womb. This could be considered both a rebirth and a possession. It was a rebirth because the fetus's consciousness was already like this from the moment it was born, while it was a possession because without this infusion of spiritual power, the fetus's life would have taken a completely different turn.

Speaking of which,

Xiao Bai was silent for a while, then said, "So, my current life is actually unrelated to my previous life, because my consciousness in the previous life had already died out. In this life, I am born with a new consciousness."

However, another problem arises: memories. I now have memories of my past life, and my consciousness is still this newly born consciousness. However, all my cognition, beliefs, and emotions will change. So, am I a newly born consciousness or a consciousness from my past life?

Am I a novice, or a brilliant strategist?

Jiang Ruoxu chuckled and said, "I can't answer that question, because according to this logic, the me of the previous moment is stuck in the past, and the me of the present is the real me. The me of this moment is not the me of the previous moment. I am not myself. I am already dead in this moment. The me of the next moment is just another person who has my memories!"

Xiao Bai fell into deep thought.

Jiang Ruoxu waved his hand and said, "My personal suggestion is that you invite Gu Mo to cooperate. To be honest, it's unlikely that he is a demon. Besides, even if he is, wouldn't it be easier to cooperate? The existence of Penglai Island has deprived demons of so many nourishing ingredients?"

Xiao Bai asked doubtfully, "Gu Mo killed your physical body and your descendants. Now, the Jiang Kingdom may perish because of Gu Mo. Can you put aside your prejudices and cooperate with him?"

Jiang Ruoxu said, "At our level, would we still care about family ties or descendants? How can one ascend without completely severing karmic ties? Did you not sever your karmic ties in the mortal world when you ascended?"

Xiao Bai suddenly realized and said, "It seems I'm somewhat affected by the memories of this life."

If she still valued worldly emotions, she wouldn't have let the Lu family lose all means of self-protection just because she was worried about being exposed.

In her past life, in her eyes, Doctor Lu, though her grandson, was more of a tool for her to manage the magic array. To prevent the Lu family members from developing ulterior motives and wanting to stay in Qingyi Village because of their martial arts skills, she never allowed them to practice martial arts.

"I will come to Penglai Island on the fifteenth of August next year. I hope you can be prepared," Jiang Ruoxu said.

"Aren't you curious about what I'm going to do?" Xiaobai asked.

Jiang Ruoxu said calmly, "I have no interest in knowing your plans. If it succeeds, great. If it doesn't, I will kill. If I win, I will regain my freedom. If I lose, I will bear all the consequences myself."

Xiao Bai said, "When the time comes, you really will need to fight me."

"can."

After saying that, Jiang Ruoxu transformed into a wisp of mist and instantly disappeared into the Jingzhe Sword. The Jingzhe Sword then shot into the sky and vanished into the night in the blink of an eye.

……

The day after meeting with the envoy from Penglai Island, Gu Mo and Gu Chudong left the Canglan Sword Sect and headed towards Linjiang County.

Throughout the journey, Gu Chudong was extremely excited because they hadn't been back to Linjiang City for over a year.

but,

Upon returning to Linjiang City, Gu Mo and Gu Chudong were somewhat surprised by the scene in the city; Linjiang City had become much more desolate.

Linjiang City, being the confluence of three rivers, enjoys convenient water transportation, making it a prosperous commercial center. Among the six prefectures of Yunzhou, its level of prosperity is only slightly less than that of Yunzhou Prefecture, where the prefecture capital is located.

Gu Mo and Gu Chudong are locals of Linjiang and have lived in Linjiang City for many years. They are very familiar with Linjiang City and have never seen it so desolate. Many shops on the street are closed, and the street vendors they remember are nowhere to be seen.

"Brother, something must have happened in Linjiang City!" Gu Chudong asked in surprise.

Gu Mo said in a deep voice, "We haven't been back for a long time. There might be a new prefect, and the new prefect might have implemented some new policies..."

Gu Mo didn't finish speaking.

They saw a group of constables arrogantly enter a restaurant and vandalize it. In the end, the manager came out with a smile and paid the money to settle the matter.

Gu Mo and Gu Chudong witnessed all of this from the doorway.

As they continued their journey, they witnessed several instances of constables using violence to force merchants to pay money. They also saw many hooligans swaggering around the streets, acting arrogantly, which the constables ignored.

These scenes,

This left both Gu Mo and Gu Chudong very puzzled.

The brother and sister had lived in Linjiang City for many years and had never encountered such chaotic public order.

Soon, when the two passed by Changfeng Escort Agency, they were surprised to find that the entrance was bustling with activity, with many people queuing to enter and exit. What surprised Gu Mo and Gu Chudong even more was that many of them were colleagues they had met when they were escorts, and many of them were well-known veteran escorts in Linjiang City, the backbone of other escort agencies.

Gu Mo and Gu Chudong went over to inquire and found out that they were all there to apply for jobs at Changfeng Escort Agency.

The doubts in their hearts grew even more.

Just then, Gu Chudong suddenly tugged at Gu Mo's sleeve, pointed to the door, and said, "Brother, it's Uncle Qu... and that other person... seems to be Xie Zaiyuan, the head镖师 (chief镖师) of Pingnan镖局 (Pingnan Escort Agency). No way, Pingnan镖局 is the number one镖局 in Linjiang. Unless it collapses, Xie Zaiyuan wouldn't switch jobs!"

Gu Mo also recognized that the person next to Qu Heng was indeed Xie Zaiyuan.

Although Xie Zaiyuan is an insignificant figure in the world of martial arts, that is only in the eyes of Gu Mo now. A few years ago, when Gu Mo was still a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), someone like Xie Zaiyuan could be considered his lifelong pursuit.

As a fellow traveler, Xie Zaiyuan's name was well-known to him. Although he had never had the opportunity to interact with him, he had often observed him from afar with other people who had worked together on the same escort mission.

Even Qu Heng, a seasoned镖头 (bodyguard/escort) in the past, was a level below Xie Zaiyuan. However, Xie Zaiyuan was extremely humble in front of Qu Heng at this moment, to the point of being almost obsequious.

Qu Heng escorted Xie Zaiyuan to the door. Xie Zaiyuan grasped Qu Heng's hand and said, "Brother Qu, we've known each other for many years, and you know my character and abilities. Please put in a good word for Boss Tang. I'm willing to be a bodyguard, not just a head bodyguard. I'm begging you!"

Qu Heng smiled and said, "Brother Xie, how could you possibly be a bodyguard? If you condescend to come to Changfeng Escort Agency, I would gladly step down and let you become the chief bodyguard..."

"Brother Qu, please don't say that," Xie Zaiyuan quickly said, "Brother Qu, given the current situation, alas, we really need your help to earn a living!"

"Don't mention it, Brother Xie. You can go back and wait for news. I'll get back to you in two days at most," Qu Heng said.

"Brother Qu, I'm begging you!"

"polite."

Qu Heng waved goodbye to Xie Zaiyuan and was about to turn and enter the escort agency when he suddenly heard a familiar voice: "Uncle Qu".

Qu Heng trembled instantly and turned around to look in the crowd. Soon, he saw Gu Mo and Gu Chudong by the roadside. Although the brother and sister were wearing straw hats and their faces were not visible, Qu Heng recognized them at a glance and ran over quickly.

"When did you get back?" Qu Heng asked, both excited and reproachful, "You didn't even say you were back!"

Gu Chudong said with a grin, "Uncle, we just arrived." She shook the large suitcase on her back and said, "Look, I haven't even put my things down yet, and I haven't even gone home yet."

Qu Heng smiled slightly and said, "You two siblings have been gone for a year and a half this time, but I often hear news about you in Yunzhou."

Gu Chudong smiled and said, "It must be news from my brother!"

Qu Heng said, "I have news about your brother, but I also have a lot of news about you. You are now the ninth-ranked Grandmaster on the Yunzhou Heavenly Ranking, the only female Grandmaster. Your reputation in Yunzhou is quite high, especially among the women of the martial arts world. Many of them are hoping that you will follow the example of the Xuan Nu Palace and start a women's sect!"

"Then forget it, I'm not cut out to be a sect leader," Gu Chudong waved his hand and said, "By the way, Uncle Qu, what happened in Linjiang City? Why has it changed so much? Has the prefect been changed?"

"No," Qu Heng said. "Let's go, we can talk as we walk. Tang Buyi is also at the escort agency."

The three of them immediately went into the security agency.

At this moment, many people were paying attention to Gu Mo and Gu Chudong. After all, Qu Heng's status in the Linjiang bodyguard industry was quite extraordinary, and the fact that he personally came to pick them up naturally aroused curiosity.

At this moment, Xie Zaiyuan, who hadn't gone far, was also watching Gu Mo and Gu Chudong with a few friends.

As Gu Mo and Gu Chudong entered the gate, Gu Chudong turned slightly to the side, and when she looked up, her profile was revealed.

Xie Zaiyuan was suddenly startled and said, "That... seems to be Gu Chudong... Lady Gu!"

The group was immediately taken aback, and one of them exclaimed in surprise, "Then...doesn't that mean...the person next to him is the number one hero in the world...Gu Mo, the great hero!"

"Has Master Gu returned to Yunzhou?"

"Is Changfeng Escort Agency really related to Master Gu?"

"What's there to doubt? Tang Buyi, the Timely Rain of Linjiang, once fought back-to-back with Master Gu, and Chief Escort Qu Heng is Master Gu's uncle..."

"..."

Inside the escort agency,
Gu Mo, Gu Chudong, and Qu Heng walked side by side. Qu Heng said in a deep voice, "Linjiang City has not changed its prefect. The reason why it is so desolate now is because the government forcibly levies taxes, and many shops have gone bankrupt."

Gu Mo asked doubtfully, "Does the Linjiang government dare to levy taxes privately?"

"It's not done privately, it's a nationwide taxation," Qu Heng said in surprise. "Have you not been out and about for quite some time?"

“Yes,” Gu Mo said, “I really don’t know what happened in the outside world during these two months, when I was first at Longhu Mountain and later at Canglan Mountain.”

Qu Heng sighed and said, "War is about to begin."

Gu Chudong asked in surprise, "A war? With whom?"

"The State of Chu," Qu Heng said, "I don't know the specifics, but I heard from the officials that the imperial court has dispatched over 300,000 troops to the State of Jiang, while the State of Chu also has hundreds of thousands of troops in the State of Jiang. It is said that the State of Chu wants to use the State of Jiang as a route to attack our State of Qian. I don't know what's going on with the State of Jiang, but they actually let the State of Chu's army into their territory without even trying to stop them!"

Gu Chudong suddenly looked up at Gu Mo.

Gu Mo's lips twitched: "..."

It seems that the reason Jiang Guo didn't stop him was because of him!

(End of this chapter)