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

Chapter 301 A Quiet Village (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
The next day, early in the morning.

Gu Mo then went to the Yun family.

The Yun family of Cangzhou was originally one of the seven great families of the three sects and four factions in the Jianghu of Qian Kingdom. It was a first-tier family in the Jianghu. Two years ago, the eldest daughter, Yun Xiu, took power and became the head of the family. She seized the opportunity to become one of the four imperial merchants appointed by Emperor Qian. In one leap, she achieved a half-step class leap, transitioning from a martial arts family to a court family.

Afterwards, Yunxiu took it upon herself to divide the Yun family in two. One part remained in Cangzhou to retain its status as a martial arts family and maintain its basic position in the martial arts world, while the other part moved to the capital and established the Chang'an Yun family.

Although the Yun family is not at its zenith in Chang'an City, it is thriving and gradually gaining some reputation and establishing itself.

When Gu Mo arrived at the Yun family, everyone in the family was very excited and gave him a very grand welcome. The family head, Yun Xiu, who was originally going to the capital to attend the ceremony, immediately changed her plans.

Although the ceremony for establishing the heir apparent was simplified this time, it still lasted three days. As a royal merchant family, Yun Xiu should not have been absent. However, no one in the Yun family felt that there was anything wrong with Yun Xiu changing her schedule today.

In the current court, anyone with a modicum of sense knows just how high Gu Mo's status is in the Qian Kingdom. If necessary, even the ceremony for establishing the crown prince could be halted directly.

Gu Mo is currently in Chang'an City, and countless people want to visit him. However, without exception, whether they are court officials or nobles, unless Gu Mo takes the initiative to see them, they will all be blocked by the people in Ye Jinglan's residence.

The Yun family is also one of those families that wants to see Gu Mo but can't. Fortunately, Yun Xiu has always maintained close contact with Gu Chudong, and she went to see Gu Mo with Gu Chudong a few days ago.

Even such a small matter has enhanced the Yun family's reputation in the capital. Therefore, given that Gu Mo took the initiative to come today, unless the Yun family has lost their minds, there is absolutely no way they would neglect Gu Mo just to attend the Crown Prince Ceremony.

At this moment, in the Yun family's main hall.

While Yunxiu and Gu Mo were alone together, the rest of the Yun family kept their distance. No one was worried that a man and woman being alone together would have any negative impact on Yunxiu's reputation. On the contrary, the Yun family was actually hoping that something would happen between Yunxiu and Gu Mo. If they weren't afraid of offending Gu Mo, the Yun family would even have considered spreading rumors on their own initiative.

In the hall, Yunxiu poured Gu Mo a cup of tea and asked, "Why is Master Gu thinking of going to Northern Zhou?"

“Go find someone,” Gu Mo said.

Seeing that Gu Mo didn't intend to continue, Yunxiu sensibly refrained from asking further and said, "When does Master Gu plan to go? There's no need to wait for the caravan; I'll send someone I know to guide you."

"The sooner the better."

"Is tomorrow okay?" Yunxiu asked.

"Okay." Gu Mo asked, "How chaotic is the situation in Northern Zhou right now?"

Yunxiu thought for a moment and said, "There are no fewer than ten rebel armies in the north, fighting each other and causing chaos everywhere. The south is relatively better. After the Northern Zhou court moved to Wutong City, it has a fairly good control over various parts of the south. Our Yun family mainly trades with the Northern Zhou court in Wutong City."

Gu Mo nodded slightly and said, "By the way, I'm going to Northern Zhou to capture a notorious bandit. I'll inevitably need to deal with the imperial court, which I don't like. So I'll have to trouble you to arrange someone to negotiate with the court on my behalf. Therefore, you'll have to put in a lot of effort in choosing a guide."

Yunxiu quickly replied, "No problem. I'll arrange for two seasoned veterans who frequently deal with the Northern Zhou Court of State Ceremonial to guide you. They'll be familiar with the roads and the Northern Zhou government."

"If you need anything else, please feel free to ask. The Yun family owes its current prosperity entirely to you, Master Gu. You have done us a great favor, so let alone this small matter, the Yun family would go through fire and water for you!"

Gu Mo asked doubtfully, "What favor have I done for the Yun family? Patriarch Yun, don't even mention the matter of me arresting Shangguan Shang back then. That was you paying me to do a favor, it was a transaction, so there's no question of any favor."

Yunxiu said, "I also have to thank Master Gu for that matter. If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't have been able to open the clothing store that time, and I wouldn't have become the head of the family. However, that's not what I'm talking about."

"Master Gu, when you went to Yunzhou to investigate the case of Master Qingye, you eventually discovered that Master Qingye was actually Old Madam Lin of the Lin family. But in reality, Old Madam Lin, or rather the Lin family, is backed by His Highness Prince Qi."

Gu Mo nodded and said, "I know. When I entered the palace last year, His Majesty the Emperor told me that although the Old Madam Lin of the Lin family was the head of the Qingye Hall, she did so because the Lin family was facing a generational gap. In order to prevent the Lin family from declining, she cooperated with Prince Qi, Li Zhongyi, to secretly establish the Qingye Hall."

Yunxiu nodded slightly and said, "Actually, after the Lin family was exposed, half of the Prince Qi's plans in Cangzhou were ruined. He continued to support new substitutes, and the Yun family and I were the substitutes he chose."

It was because of his mediation that our Yun family had the opportunity to become imperial merchants. However, last year, in order to establish a crown prince, His Majesty suddenly began to purge Prince Qi and his forces. Our Yun family was doomed to perish anyway.

However, because of my past relationship with you and Sister Chu Dong, my Yun family was given a chance. As long as we voluntarily severed ties with the Qi Prince's Mansion, they would not hold a grudge and would not pursue the matter further. That's how my Yun family escaped this calamity and still retained our status as imperial merchants.

Gu Mo suddenly realized, "So there were these things in between. This can be considered a blessing in disguise. From now on, the Yun family will turn their fortunes around and will surely soar to new heights."

Yunxiu chuckled and teased, "Luckily, I've never refused Chudong's request to be her sister-in-law..."

Gu Mo smiled slightly but did not reply.

Although Yunxiu said it jokingly, she had been watching Gu Mo's expression the whole time. When she saw that Gu Mo did not respond or show any emotional change, she felt a pang of disappointment.

Often, joking is a way of testing someone.

of course,

Gu Mo understood this principle, so he didn't respond.
He has no plans to get married for the time being.

……

The next day, at dawn, just as the sky was beginning to brighten.

The Yun family then sent someone to see Gu Mo. They were very proactive in their dealings with Gu Mo. If they could use this opportunity to deepen their relationship with him, it would be extremely beneficial for the Yun family.

The Yun family sent two direct descendants of the Yun family, two brothers named Yun Song and Yun Qing. Both were around forty years old and had high levels of martial arts cultivation. They had long been responsible for leading an entire caravan between Northern Zhou and Qian Kingdom.

These two were not only familiar with the route and frequently dealt with the Northern Zhou government, but they were also experienced and had plenty of experience in the martial arts world, which perfectly suited Gu Mo's requirements for leading the way.

The entrance to the Ye residence.

Gu Chudong saw Gu Mo to the door, and said with great reluctance, "Brother, how long will you be gone this time? It won't be like when you went to Penglai Island before, where you were gone for several months, will it?"

"No," Gu Mo smiled slightly, "I have a secret weapon now, and I should be able to find the target soon."

Just like last year's trip to Penglai Island, Gu Mo didn't let Gu Chudong accompany him to Northern Zhou this time, because the opponent he was going to face this time was not human, but a demon that had roamed the mortal world for seven hundred years, a guy who, according to rumors, had single-handedly blocked the path to immortality.

Therefore, he did not take Gu Chudong on any adventures.

"Then you must be careful!"

Gu Chudong was somewhat worried. Although she had great confidence in Gu Mo's strength and firmly believed that Gu Mo was invincible, she couldn't help but feel a little anxious when Gu Mo said he wouldn't take her with him.

The fact that Gu Mo didn't take her along means that the level of danger is very high.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon." Gu Mo smiled slightly and said, "After I leave, don't let your guard down. Follow Hongyi's instructions and practice when you need to. Also, take Hongyi with you wherever you go."

"Got it!" Gu Chudong said with a grin, "Brother, you're the best in the world, and Sister in Red is second best. It's safest to follow her!"

At this moment,
The sound of hooves rang out, and a fast horse galloped towards them.

"Big brother, am I not late?"

The person who arrived was Ye Chen. Unlike his listless state yesterday, Ye Chen was very excited and looked refreshed. He smelled of rouge and powder, which meant that the tonic pills Gu Mo had prepared for him yesterday were working.

In fact, Gu Mo's Ten-Ingredient Tonic Pill is not a magical elixir; it simply stimulates the blood and qi, enhances desire, and arouses the mind of the user so that they don't have time to think about the psychological trauma.

When Gu Chudong saw Ye Chen, she immediately pouted and said, "Brother, you take him but not me... My martial arts skills aren't weak either!"

Gu Mo said, "Ye Chen is my secret weapon."

"Why?"

“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you,” Gu Mo said. “With Ye Chen around, my ghostwriting career can reach a new level. He means a lot to me!”

Ye Chen was deeply moved and said, "Brother, am I that important to you? My martial arts skills are nothing to you. When you took me to Northern Zhou, I was actually afraid of holding you back!"

"Don't underestimate yourself. You are very important to me. I really hope that you can accompany me to catch wanted criminals in the future!"

"Big brother..."

Ye Chen was deeply moved. He knew Gu Mo's strength; he was on a completely different level from him. Taking him along would be like taking a burden. But he never expected that he held such a high position in Gu Mo's heart!

Gu Mo patted Ye Chen and said, "Let's go, the Yun family caravan is already waiting for us outside the city."

Gu Chudong looked at Gu Mo, then at Ye Chen, and felt that there was something more to Gu Mo's statement that Ye Chen was his secret weapon!

In fact,
Gu Mozhen wasn't talking nonsense.
Ye Chen was his secret weapon. The reason he didn't fly directly to Northern Zhou on his sword was not only because it would be troublesome and a waste of time for him to go to Wutong City alone to negotiate with the court, but also mainly because he wanted to take Ye Chen with him.

He was confident that his trip to Beizhou wouldn't be in vain, precisely because Ye Chen was there.

After all, who else but him can tread the Thunder Saint Body?

……

The Yun brothers had been traveling between Northern Zhou and Qian Kingdom for a long time and were very familiar with the routes. Moreover, the Yun family had taken care of all the necessary arrangements along the way, so even after entering Northern Zhou territory, they still had no obstacles.

In addition, all of them were martial arts masters, and their speed was beyond that of ordinary people.

Starting from Chang'an, it took half a month to enter the territory of Northern Zhou.

However, once they entered the territory of Northern Zhou, even though the Yun family had made arrangements for the trade route, their speed inevitably slowed down. This was because Northern Zhou was in a state of chaos, with wars raging everywhere and countless people displaced. In many places they passed through, even the government offices had disappeared.

Even though Gu Mo and Ye Chen had been traveling the world for years and had seen all sorts of tragedies, their moods became increasingly somber after entering Northern Zhou.

That evening, the sky suddenly darkened, and a heavy rain was imminent.

The group of four arrived outside a small town.

Yun Song cupped his hands and said, "Hero Gu, this town is called Mud Bottle Town. It is the only market town within a radius of twenty or thirty miles. There are inns here. We can rest here for the night and replenish our food supplies."

"Once we get here, we'll be close to Wutong City; it'll be about another five days' journey."

The four of them then entered the town.

Mud Bottle Town.

The town, true to its name, resembled a dilapidated clay bottle carelessly discarded in the wilderness—dusty and lifeless. As the four men led their horses into the town, an indescribable chill washed over them.

However, as they walked on,

Gu Mo and the others sensed something was off; it was too quiet.

It wasn't a desolate silence, but rather an emptiness that sent chills down your spine. The cobblestone path was fairly clean, and the low mud-brick houses and wooden cabins on either side had their doors and windows tightly shut, but none of them were locked.

As dusk settled in, an indescribable eeriness permeated the air.

"This..." Yun Song reined in his horse, his brows furrowed, his years of experience in the martial world making him instantly tense. "How come there's not a single person here?"

Yun Qing said, "Could it be that war might break out in this area, so everyone in this town has fled?"

Yun Song nodded slightly and said, "We'll know once we see. If it's a mass escape, they'll definitely take all the food and valuables with them." "That makes sense," Yun Qing cupped his hands and said, "Hero Gu, Hero Ye, let's go check it out."

Immediately, the two Yun brothers walked towards the nearby houses.

Soon, after entering four or five houses, the two returned with very serious expressions.

Gu Mo asked, "How is the situation?"

“Something’s not right,” Yun Song said. “It wasn’t a mass exodus, nor was it a robbery by bandits. We just checked a few houses, and the furnishings inside were all in good order. Moreover, the rice, flour, food, and valuables were all there. It’s as if these people disappeared suddenly, and not for long. There are obvious signs of their lives.”

Gu Mo's gaze swept across the empty streets and closed doors and windows. His divine sense spread out like invisible tentacles, but he only felt a deathly emptiness, without any spiritual fluctuations from any living being. He said in a deep voice, "It's going to rain heavily. Let's find a place to rest first."

The Yun brothers exchanged a glance, suppressing their unease, and led Gu Mo and Ye Chen toward the center of town. The horses' hooves clattered sharply on the cobblestones, their sound particularly jarring in the deathly silence.

Soon, they saw a relatively tall two-story wooden building with a crooked, dusty sign hanging at the entrance—"Youfu Inn." The inn's door was ajar, and the inside was dark.

"This is it."

Yun Song stepped forward and carefully pushed open the creaking wooden door.

The inn's lobby was also deserted. The tables and chairs were arranged fairly neatly, but the area behind the counter was empty, and the wooden staircase leading to the second floor looked like a gaping maw leading to an unknown abyss in the dim light.

Yun Song lit a candle, then took out some dry food and a water bag from his bundle and placed them on the table. He said, "Master Gu, Master Ye, please have a seat. Yun Qing and I will go upstairs to check if there are any clean rooms and see if anyone is home."

Gu Mo took the water bag and nodded: "Okay."

The brothers Yun Song and Yun Qing drew their short swords from their waists, each holding a candle in one hand, and cautiously ascended the stairs. Their footsteps echoed in the empty hall, each step feeling like a blow to the heart.

Soon, the two brothers went upstairs.

Gu Mo and Ye Chen sat downstairs. Gu Mo was drinking water, and Ye Chen was eating a dry biscuit. The two of them looked at the dimly lit street. The wind was howling, blowing all sorts of random things flying around on the street.

Time passed little by little.

The two people downstairs waited in silence.

The sky outside grew darker and darker, with low-hanging clouds and a stuffy, suffocating atmosphere, as if the impending downpour could come at any moment.

However, no sound came from the Yun brothers upstairs for a long time. There were no shouts, no fighting, and even the sound of footsteps disappeared.

Dead silence.

A deathly stillness, even thicker and more viscous than that at the entrance to the town, descended.

Ye Chen stuffed the last bit of dry biscuit into his mouth, wiped his mouth, and said, "Hey, big brother, the Yun brothers... they've been up there for a while, haven't they? Why haven't we heard a sound?"

Gu Mo was slightly taken aback, then said, "Oh, right!"

Immediately, Gu Mo stood up abruptly: "Let's go upstairs and take a look!"

Then, the two went upstairs.

The second-floor corridor was extremely dimly lit, with only a few faint rays of light filtering in through a broken window at the end.

Ye Chen held up a candle, and the two walked quickly forward. When they turned the corner and reached the second-floor lobby, their pupils suddenly contracted, and a chill instantly rushed from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads!
terror!
An indescribably terrifying sight!
In the lobby, dozens of corpses were hanging densely!
They were all hanging from the rafters and doorframes with rough hemp ropes around their necks. Judging from their attire, they didn't look like villagers from the local town, but rather like bandits and robbers.

The corpses were still adorned with weapons such as swords and axes, and many of them had fierce and menacing faces. However, at this moment, their faces were bluish-purple, their tongues were sticking out, their eyes were bulging, and their bodies were swaying gently in the breeze that blew from somewhere, like a slaughterhouse full of cured meat!

They're already dead, but the time of death must have been within the last two or three days.

Among those corpses, two familiar figures were hanging there—Yun Song and Yun Qing!

Like other hanged men, the two had rough hemp ropes around their necks, their toes barely off the ground, their bodies swaying slightly, their faces a bluish-purple color indistinguishable from other corpses, their eyes wide open, staring blankly in the direction of the stairwell.

"What are they doing?" Ye Chen said. "These two think everyone else is swinging on a swing, so they're doing it too?"

Gu Mo: “…”

However, jokes aside, Ye Chen moved quickly, his figure like lightning, instantly appearing beside the Yun brothers. He gathered a sharp Qi at his fingertips and precisely cut the hanging hemp rope.

The two quickly laid the Yun brothers flat on the ground.

Gu Mo quickly placed his palms on the chests of the two men, channeling his inner energy to stimulate their heart meridians.

Stimulated by Gu Mo's true energy, Yun Song and Yun Qing's bodies convulsed violently, followed by a violent coughing fit, gasping for breath. Their bluish-purple faces quickly faded, and their color returned.

The two opened their eyes blankly, their gazes initially empty before focusing. When they saw Gu Mo and Ye Chen squatting in front of them, their faces were filled with extreme confusion and a hint of fear.

"Cough cough... Master Gu... Master Gu? Young Master Ye?" Yun Song struggled to sit up, his voice hoarse, "What... what happened to us?"

"Don't you remember?" Ye Chen asked hurriedly, pointing to the horrifying sights hanging around them. "You came up to check, and then you hanged yourselves! Just like these people!"

"Hanging...?" Yun Qing's eyes widened in horror. He instinctively touched his neck, where there was indeed a clear, burning ligature mark. He looked around and saw the hellish scene, and was instantly terrified. His face turned deathly pale again. He said, "We just came up here, and then I think I saw someone suddenly smile at me, and then I don't remember anything..."

Yun Song, still looking shaken, said, "I remember it like that too. I suddenly saw someone, and before I could react, I saw that person smile, and then I have no memory of it."

Ye Chen frowned and said, "Big brother, could it be that those two have encountered a ghost?"

Gu Mo shook his head slightly and said, "Someone must have used some tricks."

Ye Chen said, "Then how come only the two of them saw someone laughing? We came up too, how come we didn't see anything?"

Ye Chen shrugged, raised the candle and shone it on the hanging corpses, saying, "It couldn't have been them laughing..."

Then, before he could finish speaking,
Ye Chen suddenly noticed that the several people hanging next to him were all smiling at him.

"Oh my, you guys actually laughed?"

As soon as Ye Chen finished speaking, he suddenly made a move, striking out with several palms, which snapped the ropes around the corpses and sent them flying backward.

"Big brother, did you see that? Those corpses just laughed! My goodness, the corpses laughed! It's like we've encountered a ghost! Did you see that?" Ye Chen asked.

Gu Mo shook his head: "No."

Ye Chen's expression changed, and he said, "My goodness, big brother... is something really fishy going on?"

Gu Mo waved his hand slightly and said, "There's no ghost, and I didn't see the corpse laugh either. However, I just sensed a mental fluctuation. Someone here has done something..."

While talking,

Gu Mo unleashed several sword strikes from a distance, and with a few clanging sounds, several black stones fell from the roof beams and walls.

Ye Chen leaned closer to take a look and said, "It's a Ba Lin Stone. It's a rare stone with a great reputation in the martial arts world. It's highly sought after by martial artists who practice illusion techniques. This stone contains extremely strong spiritual power. If an illusionist uses it, they can achieve twice the result with half the effort!"

As he spoke, Ye Chen looked up and asked, "Big brother, is someone using this demon phosphorus stone to set up a mental array to harm people here? Can we track down who's behind this?"

Gu Mo shook his head slightly and said, "This is just a magic array. Since no one is remotely controlling it, it's impossible to trace."

Ye Chen frowned as he looked at the corpses. "These people don't look like good people. They seem like bandits. Could it be that some chivalrous person set up a magic array here to kill bandits? If so, we've probably been caught in the crossfire!"

Gu Mo slowly said, "If that's the explanation, then all the people in the town disappeared to hide from these bandits and brigands?"

"Boom!"

A deafening clap of thunder suddenly exploded in the sky, and a pale flash of lightning instantly tore through the dim space inside the inn, illuminating the hanging corpses as if they were dancing like ghosts.

Immediately afterwards, large raindrops poured down like a celestial river, densely pounding on rooftops and streets, making a deafening "whoosh" sound, instantly enveloping the entire town of Mud Bottle in a misty curtain of water.

The sounds of rain and thunder intertwined, as if to completely engulf this eerie and desolate town.

Gu Mo frowned slightly, not because of the thunder and rain, but because his extraordinary, keen senses had clearly detected a trace of life force amidst the lingering thunder, a life force that seemed out of place in the deathly silence. That energy wasn't coming from inside the inn, but from outside the town, slowly approaching the Youfu Inn.

"Someone's coming," Gu Mo said.

Ye Chen immediately sharpened his gaze and swept it towards the stairwell, while Yun Song and Yun Qing instinctively gripped the hilts of their knives, back to back, tense and on guard. Having just experienced a bizarre life-or-death ordeal, the slightest disturbance was enough to keep them on edge.

The group went downstairs, and the lobby was even dimmer than before, with only the faint light filtering through the rain outside and the occasional flash of pale lightning providing illumination.

They walked to the entrance of the inn, stood under the eaves, and gazed through the dense rain curtain into the depths of the town.

The rain obscured the view, making visibility difficult.

But in Gu Mo's perception, that aura became clearer and clearer, and closer and closer.

A moment later, a blurry figure appeared in the rain and mist, and gradually became clearer.

The newcomer carried an oil-paper umbrella, its surface appearing ordinary yellow, but looking somewhat worn in the dim rain. Under the umbrella stood a young monk, about twenty years old.

He walked straight to the eaves of Youfu Inn, stopped a few steps away from Gu Mo and the others, and slightly raised the edge of his umbrella to reveal his entire face.

The young monk clasped his hands together, bowed slightly to Gu Mo, and spoke in a clear, calm voice, which clearly drowned out the sound of the pouring rain.
“Amitabha. Dear benefactors, I have come by the decree of Maitreya Buddha to invite you to Xiaoleiyin Temple.”

Ye Chen couldn't help but whisper, "Brother, is this monk crazy?"

Gu Mo stared at the young monk, feeling a little strange.

Because when the monk was talking about the Little Thunder Temple and Maitreya Buddha, there was no sign that he was lying.

With Gu Mo's current cultivation level, he can sense if anyone is lying to him.

Gu Mo remained silent, while Ye Chen asked, "Monk, what does your Buddha want with us? And where is the Little Thunderclap Temple?"

The young monk bowed with his hands clasped together again, his face still bearing that calm, almost indifferent smile: "The Buddha said that the worries and desires of you benefactors can be fulfilled at Xiaoleiyin Temple."

As for the location of the temple, you will find out when you follow this humble monk. The Buddha said, "This is a virtuous karmic connection; you need not worry."

Ye Chen transmitted his voice, "Big brother, something seems off here, a bit eerie. What do you think? Should we go or not?"

"go."

Immediately, the group held up umbrellas and followed the young monk away. Soon, they left the town, climbed a mountain, and saw a brightly lit manor in the distance.

(End of this chapter)