I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 271 Heavenly Slaughter Sect

In the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, Gu Zhengwu sat upright in the knife-sharpening hall, intently polishing the precious sword in his hand.

He's been polishing the knife here all day.

News kept coming in. First, Uncle Wu received an urgent report and went out without even taking a carriage, which showed that something serious had happened.

Not long after, another urgent report came, which even alarmed the father.

Gu Zhengwu also received some intelligence, which seemed to indicate that something major had happened in the Heavenly Prison.

Heavenly Prison?

The fact that the Heavenly Slaughter Sect could extend its reach into the Heavenly Prison shows that its strength is truly unfathomable.

Then, more and more news kept coming in.

That bastard is in big trouble.

As for what kind of trouble it was, it was unclear.

Gu Zhengwu was very patient and waited.

They waited until it got dark.

Finally, a complete message came back.

"It's said that the restrictions on the third level of the Heavenly Prison have loosened, and a first-rank expert imprisoned inside has escaped. The Seventh Young Master happened to be inside and almost died."

Almost?

He's still alive?
Gu Zhengwu paused in wiping the precious sword, slowly put it down, and asked in a voice that revealed neither joy nor anger, "How did he survive?"

The subordinate cautiously said, "I heard that Princess Mingyu went to visit Princess Lingyu and encountered danger with the Seventh Young Master. When Princess Lingyu found out, she rescued the two of them. It is said that Princess Lingyu became extremely bloodthirsty and killed all eighteen first-rank officials in the Heavenly Prison."

Princess Lingyu?

Gu Zhengwu never expected that in the end, all his efforts would be in vain because of this crazy woman.

If it weren't for Princess Lingyu, that bastard child would have died in the prison, and no one would have suspected her.

Pity.

Gu Zhengwu then asked, "So, after hearing the news, Fifth Uncle and Father are going to the Imperial Prison one after the other?"

Logically speaking, Uncle Wu should have been able to handle this alone. Why did Father have to go out again so soon afterward?

"It is said that the officer on duty at the Six Doors at the time was a man in red surnamed Xu, who originally intended to take the opportunity to detain the Seventh Young Master. The Duke had no choice but to go and demand his release himself."

"So that's it."

The Duke of Jingguo's mansion also had political enemies, and that red-clad woman surnamed Xu was one of them.

This person's actions are merely meant to annoy the Duke of Jingguo's mansion. They have no intention of actually doing anything to that bastard child.

Gu Zhengwu said, "Alright, go down now."

After everyone left, he took out the black token again, immersed himself in it, and his thoughts once again entered the black hall.

The same man in black was still sitting high up in the room.

Gu Zhengwu said, "Your operation failed; he is not dead."

The man in black said calmly, "Our agreement was to take his life before the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. It's too early to say we've failed. The Heavenly Slaughter Sect never fails to kill those they set their minds to."

"Alright. Then I'll wait for your family's good news."

"However, according to the rules of the Heavenly Slaughter Sect, you must do one thing for the sect every time you make a move."

Gu Zhengwu said coldly, "It was your mistake. What does it have to do with me?"

The man in black said, "According to our sect's plan, killing a second-rank official is more than enough. Even with the addition of Princess Lingyu, it would be impossible to protect him. Therefore, your intelligence must be wrong, and this person has other incredibly powerful methods. You should compensate for our sect's losses."

"impossible!"

"You can cancel this deal, but the price to pay is..."

Gu Zhengwu's face turned extremely grim. "Are you threatening me?"

The man in black said quietly, "If you cannot become the next Duke of Jingguo, you are of no value to our clan. You are a wise man to make your choice."

Knowing there was no turning back, Gu Zhengwu steeled his resolve and said, "Fine. But if you fail again next time, I won't be responsible."

After saying that, he disappeared from the spot.

A cold laugh echoed within the grand black palace. "Heh."

……

"You really gave me a huge surprise!"

Inside the carriage, Gu Haochuan's face was ashen as he stared intently at Chen Ming. "Those prisoners in the Heavenly Prison, are you capable of killing them?"

Chen Ming said innocently, "As you just heard, I was acting on Princess Lingyu's orders. She told me to do it, how could I dare disobey?"

Gu Haochuan angrily retorted, "Princess Lingyu is of noble birth, His Majesty's own niece. Even if she caused a huge mess, His Majesty wouldn't blame her. Can you compare to her? If it weren't for my second brother personally intervening, you would already be imprisoned in the imperial jail, do you understand?"

Chen Ming protested, "The situation was urgent at the time. If I hadn't been by Princess Lingyu's side, any rank one could have killed me. I was forced into it. Fifth Uncle, please don't be angry."

"Don't call me Fifth Uncle."

Gu Haochuan was truly enraged this time. This kid had really stirred up a hornet's nest. "Starting tomorrow, you are not allowed to leave the house. Stay obediently in the Duke's mansion. You are not allowed to go anywhere else."

"Oh."

……

When Chen Ming returned to the Duke's mansion, it was already completely dark.

This time, it was indeed a bit dangerous. If Princess Lingyu hadn't taken the initiative to take responsibility and said that killing those first-rank officials was her responsibility, he probably wouldn't have been able to leave the Six Doors so easily.

Eighteen high-ranking officials died right under the emperor's nose—a truly earth-shattering event. Even the Six Doors (the imperial secret police) couldn't cover it up. Who were these people imprisoned in the imperial jail?

With Princess Lingyu being the emperor's niece, the Six Doors will surely face the emperor's wrath on this trip.

The Six Doors (a government agency) definitely wants to find someone to take the blame; he killed the person, so he can't get rid of the blame no matter what.

Unexpectedly, Princess Lingyu took the blame.

Now, I owe her a huge favor.

It's alright, this favor was owed by Gu Xianyu, what does it have to do with me, Chen Ming?

Chen Ming thought to himself with a clear conscience.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he was greeted by the maid Xiaohe's red and swollen eyes, which showed that the news of his accident had already spread.

He asked a few questions and immediately understood.

Rumors are circulating that the man was killed by Princess Lingyu, and that he was lucky to have encountered her and escaped with his life.

"Very good, it seems no one believes I can kill a first-rank official."

Chen Ming felt this was the best possible outcome.

After comforting the maid for a couple of minutes, he sent her back to rest.

He stayed in the house alone, pondering the whole thing.

"That person from the Undying Sect said that someone wants to take my life. Who could it be?"

The fact that the opponent could cause problems in the Heavenly Prison shows that their power is simply unimaginable.

its not right.

If the other side has so much power, why not just kill me directly? Why go through all this trouble?
With so little useful information, it's difficult to deduce who's behind it all.

"Conversely, if I die, who benefits the most?"

Chen Ming quickly found the most crucial key.

Who wants him to die the most?

Almost instantly, he thought of two people: the second brother, Gu Zhengtian, and the third brother, Gu Zhengwu!
As for the others, they all lacked strong motivation.

Even if the Gu family had any enemies, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths to kill him if they didn't know his true strength.

With the Ghost Festival banquet just around the corner, how many eyes in the capital are watching?

The more important a person is in the capital, the less likely they are to make any moves at times like this.

But the second and third brothers were different; they not only wanted him dead, but they wanted him to die before the Ghost Festival banquet.

"How did they do it?"

Chen Ming felt that given the status and strength of these two people, they seemed incapable of accomplishing such a significant feat.

Got it!

When in doubt, consult a tortoise shell.

He took the tortoise shell from his robes; after these days of nurturing, its luster had recovered considerably. Asking him some clearly specific questions should be no problem.

"Tortoise shell, oh tortoise shell, please tell me, when I encountered danger in the Heavenly Prison this time, was it either Gu Zhengtian or Gu Zhengwu who was behind it?"

After asking the question, Chen Ming had a vague feeling in his heart.

Sure enough it was them!
I never would have guessed that these two would go to such lengths to kill him. They even managed to break the prison's defenses; that's no ordinary feat.

We should never underestimate anyone.

After Chen Ming figured out who was behind it all, his sense of crisis intensified. Who knew if they would make another move?
We need to find a way to kill them.

After much thought, he decided to ask the old Taoist priest, who knew many secrets and was no ordinary person.

"Master Wangchenzi, Master Wangchenzi, Master Wangchenzi!"

……

Chen Ming's consciousness re-entered that cave.

The old Taoist priest appeared even more otherworldly and dignified. "It seems you've just killed quite a few people, young friend. The sheer amount of malevolent energy emanating from you is quite alarming."

"Master, you have excellent eyesight. I was in great danger today and almost didn't get to see you again."

The old Taoist priest naturally didn't believe him. He had no injuries at all, so how could he be in any danger?
"Young friend, you are a person with great fortune. Even if you encounter any danger, you will be able to turn danger into safety and turn misfortune into good fortune."

"This time is different."

Chen Ming briefly recounted what had happened that day, "Through the tortoise shell, I confirmed that the mastermind was one of my second or third brothers. It's unbelievable how they managed to do such a thing?"

After hearing this, the old Taoist priest pondered for a moment and said, "This style of doing things reminds me of a certain force. Perhaps it's related to them."

He hurriedly asked, "Oh? What kind of force is it?"

The old Taoist priest said, "The Heavenly Slaughter Sect!"

"The Heavenly Slaughter Sect? Daoist, are you referring to the most mysterious Heavenly Slaughter Sect within the Longevity Sect?"

"Exactly. This force has always operated in the shadows, specializing in assassinations. They lure people from powerful factions into joining the Heavenly Slaughter Sect by offering to kill for them. For every person they kill, they have to do something for the Heavenly Slaughter Sect. In this way, they have secretly formed a huge black network. No one knows who is a member or not."

Upon hearing his description, Chen Ming couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

If that's true, then the Heavenly Slaughter Sect is truly terrifying.

This means that anyone could suddenly attack and kill him. It's truly impossible to guard against.

Perhaps one of the elders of the Gu family owes the Heavenly Slaughter Sect something, and will suddenly come knocking on his door and kill him with a single blow.

(End of this chapter)