Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Chapter 178 Kill, Kill

"Gu Guanqi!"

Jiang Liren abruptly waved his hand, the wind whistling as he swept away the swirling dust before him. His once refined face was now completely grim. He took a deep breath and roared, "You are the leader of the martial arts alliance of the three states, the foremost righteous figure of our time, yet today you act so arrogantly and recklessly in my Tianzhou territory. How are you any different from those demonic and wicked people? Aren't you afraid that what happened today will spread throughout the world, that you will be scorned by all, and that you will be condemned by thousands?"

His voice, infused with internal energy, swept across the entire camp like rolling thunder, causing the surrounding flags to flutter loudly and even the horses in the distance to snort and pound their hooves uneasily.

Gu Guanqi sat on horseback, looking down at Jiang Liren. He leaned forward slightly, placed one hand on the saddle, and said calmly, "Whoever I say is on the righteous path, is on the righteous path; whoever I say is on the demonic path, is on the demonic path."

He paused, his gaze slowly shifting from Jiang Liren's face to the faces behind her, some shocked, some angry. His tone remained calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty: "Now, I say you are the demonic path."

In an instant, the air seemed to freeze.

"furious!"

Jiang Liren roared hoarsely, "Fellow practitioners! Gu Guanqi has fallen into demonic possession! Forget about all the rules of the martial world, let's unite and eliminate this demon to uphold justice!"

Before he finished speaking, he clapped his hands together, and the true energy in his dantian surged out like a river bursting its banks. He suddenly sprang up, pushing his palms forward with an overwhelming force, striking directly at Gu Guanqi.

Wherever the palm wind passed, the withered grass and dust on the ground were lifted up and turned into a gray-yellow torrent that surged towards Gu Guanqi.

At the same instant, several figures shot out from behind him.

The longsword in the hand of Wang Bo'an, the Criminal Law Elder of the Martial Alliance, was drawn with a clang. The sword light flashed like a bolt of lightning, piercing diagonally from the left. A cold glint gathered at the tip of the sword, aiming straight for Gu Guanqi's vital ribs. His swordsmanship, honed over decades, was poured into this single strike, making it extremely fierce.

Peng Liangtao, the leader of the Dihai Gang, held a jet-black lance in both hands. The lance was over ten feet long, and the tip gleamed with a cold, bluish light.

He took three quick steps, each leaving a deep footprint on the dirt road, his figure like a furious rhinoceros, the tip of his spear aimed straight at Gu Guanqi's chest with the force of a thunderbolt.

Immediately afterwards, two more figures attacked from two other directions simultaneously. One wielded a pair of judge's pens, the tips of which pointed towards Gu Guanqi's Fengfu acupoint at the back of his head; this person was Wan Huiyi, the leader of the Qianshan Sect. The other wielded a thick-backed single-edged sword, the blade sweeping across Gu Guanqi's knees with fierce and ruthless moves; this person was Feng Wanli, the leader of the Zhenling Sect.

Following closely behind was Ruan Jinyun, the leader of the Ziwu Gang, who, like the others, made his move at the same time, unleashing his ultimate killing move.

At this moment, six figures appeared, from six directions, six grandmasters, and six ultimate techniques.

Although these people were meeting Gu Guanqi for the first time, they had all heard of his name and knew that he was very strong, so no one held back.

They arrived in front of Gu Guanqi almost at the same instant.

A surge of air, dust billowing everywhere, and the glint of swords and the clash of blades intertwined in the afternoon sunlight to form an impenetrable web of killing intent.

Six grandmasters unleashed their full power in one strike.

However, Gu Guanqi remained seated on horseback, not even lifting his eyelids.

Then, an immense surge of true energy erupted from his body, like a long-dormant volcano suddenly ignited. The true energy rapidly condensed around him, transforming into a semi-transparent, shimmering white protective shield that completely enveloped him and his horse.

The surface of the protective aura was covered with fine light patterns, like solidified flowing moonlight, yet it also carried an unshakable weight.

Jiang Liren's palm strike landed first.

"boom"

A muffled, deafening roar erupted, sending shockwaves through the air and dust billowing. The palm strike felt like hitting an iron mountain; the protective aura remained completely unmoved, not even a crack appeared.

Immediately afterwards, Wang Bo'an's sword tip pierced the protective aura shield.

"bite"

With a crisp, metallic clang, the sword tip pressed against the surface of the protective aura, but could not advance even an inch further. A very faint ripple appeared on the protective aura, and then there was no further movement.

Peng Liangtao's lance followed closely behind, its tip slamming into the protective aura with tremendous force, producing a deafening metallic clang. In that instant, the lance shaft bent into an astonishing arc, and the force of the recoil numbed Peng Liangtao's arms, splitting his hands and drawing blood down the shaft.

The judge's pen and the thick-backed single-edged sword landed on the protective aura almost simultaneously, leaving only two barely visible white marks on the surface before making no further progress.

Six grandmasters unleashed their full power in one strike.

Not a single hair was broken.

At that very moment, Gu Guanqi opened his palms.

In an instant, countless fine black silk threads surged from his palm, like two black torrents bursting through the dam, sweeping outwards in all directions.

Jiang Liren's pupils suddenly contracted, and he let out a rapid, low shout: "Retreat—!"

His reaction was extremely fast. He pushed off with his feet and flew backward, clapping his hands together several times in front of him to use the recoil to create distance.

Besides them, there was Ruan Jinyun, who was most skilled in the art of light footwork. He almost immediately released his weapon, turned his feet, and drifted to the side like a withered leaf blown by the wind.

But the other four were not so quick.

It wasn't that they were slow to react; as martial arts masters, none of them were slow to react. It was just that the silkworm threads were incredibly fast, almost invisible in the sunlight. They only felt a flash of black light before they had already wrapped around the four people's bodies.

Wang Bo'an's sword remained in the thrusting posture, black silkworm silk had already wrapped around his blade, spreading up the hilt and instantly enveloping his wrist, forearm, and shoulder. He tried to shake it off in terror, but the silkworm silk tightened as if it were alive, digging into his flesh, and the poison seeped into his meridians along the threads.

Peng Liangtao looked down as the silk threads rolled up the lance, covering his palms and elbows, and rapidly climbing up his arms. Wherever they passed, his robes tore. He wanted to discard the lance, but it was too late; the silk threads had already penetrated his body.

The screams rang out almost simultaneously, and then stopped almost simultaneously.

At the same time, the four people's bodies were pierced by dense silkworm silk, which penetrated their internal organs. The silkworm silk quickly wrapped around them, freezing their movements in a final struggle. Then, they were covered and wrapped by countless black silk threads. In just two or three breaths, they turned into four pitch-black cocoons.

The silkworm cocoon fell to the ground with a dull thud, rolled twice on the dirt road, and then remained still.

From the moment Jiang Liren launched his attack to the moment the four were wrapped up like silkworms in cocoons, it took only five or six breaths.

Outside the camp area, it was as silent as a graveyard.

Jiang Liren and Ruan Jinyun stood a dozen feet away, exchanging a glance and seeing the same fear in each other's eyes. Their faces were ashen, cold sweat poured down their foreheads, and the composure they had displayed as masters was now completely gone; even the hands gripping their weapons were trembling slightly.

At that moment, everyone was filled with shock.

Everyone knows Gu Guanqi is powerful, but the impact of witnessing it firsthand is unimaginable.

In just one round, four grandmasters were defeated!

Many people who saw it felt like they were dreaming!

At this moment, Jiang Liren's face turned deathly pale, his Adam's apple bobbing several times. Suppressing his inner fear, he roared, "Attack! Everyone, attack together!"

His voice echoed hysterically across the empty camp. He suddenly raised his arm, pointed at Gu Guanqi, and roared hoarsely, "No matter how strong he is, he's only one person! Let's charge together and take him down! Eliminate the demon and uphold justice!"

Before he finished speaking, some of the martial arts practitioners behind him actually made a move.

Several hot-blooded young martial artists, their eyes red, grabbed their swords and charged forward, shouting, "Give me back my master's life!" Immediately afterward, even more people poured out from all directions, their swords drawn, flashing cold light, like a chaotic tide surging towards Gu Guanqi.

Gu Guanqi looked at the figures rushing towards him, his expression remaining calm.

He slowly drew his sword.

The moment the Autumn Water Sword was drawn, an extremely clear and melodious sword cry pierced the afternoon air, like the roar of a dragon and the cry of a phoenix, echoing endlessly in the empty camp.

Then, he gently swung his sword.

That sword strike wasn't fast, nor fierce, and it wasn't even particularly sharp. But the moment the sword energy poured out from the tip of the sword, the entire camp seemed to be suppressed by an invisible force.

The sword energy, like a silver-white ribbon, swept across the ground, carving a deep trench in the yellow earth where it passed, and churning up pebbles and dust, which were then crushed into powder in mid-air.

The sword energy landed in the crowd that was rushing towards them.

In an instant, a mist of blood filled the air.

Screams, cries of alarm, and the sounds of weapons breaking mingled together, yet all were extremely brief. The dozens of men at the forefront didn't even have time to raise their weapons before their bodies were swept by the sword energy, their bodies flying at various angles, some crashing heavily to the ground, others flying out and overturning the tents behind them.

Blood sprayed like rain, spreading large patches of dark red on the dirt road, with broken weapons and tattered flags scattered all over the ground.

Gu Guanqi stood with his sword in hand, the swirling blood mist around him still lingering. He suddenly looked up, his gaze locking onto the two figures retreating in the distance.

Jiang Liren and Ruan Jinyun.

next moment.

Gu Guanqi spurred his horse into the air, his figure flashing away like a streak of light.

The next moment, he appeared in front of Jiang Liren.

Clad in white, his robes fluttered in the wind, and the Autumn Water Sword hung askew in his hand.

"Brother Ruan, let's go for it!"

Jiang Liren's eyes were bloodshot, and two soft swords suddenly sprang out from his sleeves. The swords were silver-white and as thin as cicada wings, gleaming with a cold, serpentine light in the afternoon sunlight.

He crossed his two swords, the tips pointing directly at Gu Guanqi's throat, and in the same instant, his body shot out, the yellow earth beneath his feet kicked up by the soles of his boots, raising a cloud of grayish-yellow dust.

Ruan Jinyun's movements were only half a beat slower. The large sword in his hand was as wide as a palm, dark and heavy, with a row of iron rings cast on the back, which jingled like shattered jade with each swing. Before the sword strike was even fully unleashed, the sharp wind from the blade had already scattered the pebbles on the ground.

The two masters, one on the left and one on the right, attacked with their swords.

Gu Guanqi drew his sword.

His sword strike was so fast that it was impossible to see clearly. In that instant, everyone's vision lost all color. The bright sunlight, the gray tents, the yellowish-brown official road, and the dark blue mountain shadows in the distance were all stripped of their color, leaving only stark black and white lines and light and shadow.

It wasn't that the light had dimmed or the view had become blurry, but rather that the whole world had suddenly become like an old painting that had been splattered with ink, leaving only pure black and white.

At the same time, an indescribable chill from the depths of the soul surged from the bottom of everyone's heart, as if they were being watched by some superhuman being, and even breathing became difficult.

At that moment, everyone who sensed that sword intent had the same thought:

Death has come.

Gu Guanqi's figure swept through the black and white world, his white clothes now pure white, while the ground and sky were an endless expanse of gray and black.

He was like a ray of moonlight falling from the sky, silent and unseen, yet passing through the attacks of Jiang Liren and Ruan Jinyun with an absolute and irresistible force.

Jiang Liren's twin swords seemed to lose their sharpness in front of him. The white light flowing on the swords melted away as quickly as wax meeting a raging fire when it touched the black and white sword intent. Ruan Jinyun's broadsword was even more like it had been cleaved into an invisible void. The blade sank down without even a spark.

Then Gu Guanqi walked through them.

He simply walked between the two without stopping, his sword blade unstained by a single drop of blood, and his robes untouched by a speck of dust.

Jiang Liren was still charging forward, and Ruan Jinyun's broadsword was still in the downward swinging posture. After the two of them passed Gu Guanqi, they both stopped at the same time.

The next moment, his knees buckled.

The two seemed to have all their strength drained away, and they fell forward to the ground almost simultaneously.

They had no wounds.

No blood. No sword marks.

But their eyes had lost their luster; the sparkle in their pupils had been extinguished like a candle flame blown out by the wind.

The black and white world regained its color in that instant. The sunlight turned golden again, the canvas of the tents turned greyish-white once more, and the dark blue of the distant mountains slowly reappeared. Everything returned to normal, as if the anomaly of just a moment ago had been nothing more than an illusion.

But the two corpses lying on the ground were real.

Gu Guanqi slowly sheathed his sword, and the Autumn Water Sword returned to its sheath, emitting a clear and melodious ringing sound.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the figures in front of the camp who had not yet managed to escape. Those martial arts practitioners from various factions who had been hesitating and observing were now all pale-faced. Some had already dropped their weapons to the ground, while others stared wide-eyed but dared not even breathe.

Gu Guanqi's gaze slowly swept across their faces, his tone calm, and he said, "I hereby declare that Jiang Liren and—well, these guys—colluded with the Four Extremes Palace, fell into the demonic path, and have now been executed. Who agrees, who disagrees?"

There was a deathly silence in the shadows of the tents and huts.

No one spoke, no one moved, and even the sound of swallowing was deliberately suppressed.

Gu Guanqi waited for a moment.

No one spoke up, and no one stepped forward.

"Since no one objects," Gu Guanqi said in a calm tone, "then what are you still doing here? Waiting for me to treat you to dinner?"

'

This sentence was like a stone thrown into stagnant water, instantly shattering the frozen air.

The first figure started running backwards, followed by the second and the third, and then the entire camp area exploded like a swarm of ants being disturbed.

Whether they were ordinary martial arts practitioners or so-called martial arts masters, they all rushed in from all directions at this moment.

The sounds of horses' hooves, footsteps, and shouts mingled together, and the crowd quickly dispersed in the afternoon sunlight.

In just a short while, the once bustling Wulin Alliance camp area was now as empty as if it had been washed away by a flood.

All that remained were scattered weapons, overturned flags, crushed baggage, and a few horses still standing there bewildered, snorting.

Gu Guanqi stood in that open space, his white clothes still as clean as ever.

Chu Yaoyin, Liu Yuanqin, Mi Dongwang and the others stood at a distance, all dumbfounded.

Chu Yaoyin swallowed hard and said, "This—it's over already?"

Liu Yuanqin said, "That seems reasonable, doesn't it? Even an army would collapse in this situation, wouldn't it?"

Chu Yaoyin said in a deep voice, "That's not what I meant. What I meant was—this conference is comparable to a small-scale martial arts tournament, isn't it? It's not what I expected. I thought that since Alliance Leader Gu came today, he would negotiate with Jiang Liren and the others, then wrangle around and finally agree on a set of rules—but it ended without any discussion at all!"

Mi Dong waved his hand and said, "My concerns are a little different from yours. I'm thinking about something right now. Alliance Leader Gu has had his fill of killing now, but what about afterwards? Once word gets out, he might really be labeled a demon by the entire martial arts world!"

"Yes," Chu Yaoyin's face darkened, "What are we going to do?"

Liu Yuanqin said, "If you guide today's events a little, they will turn into a massacre by Alliance Leader Gu in order to seize the Hua family's wealth, and a ruthless attack on the righteous path of the martial arts world."

"What... what should we do?" Chu Yaoyin asked anxiously.

"You're overthinking it!"

Just then, Gu Guanqi mounted his horse and rode over, saying, "The essence of the martial world is that whoever has the biggest fist is on the righteous path. If anyone can defeat me, then I am doing the work of the demonic path today. If no one can defeat me, then I am eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path today!"

Chu Yaoyin said, "But you killed Jiang Liren, the leader of the martial arts alliance, and several righteous masters from Tianzhou!"

Gu Guanqi calmly said, "Miss Chu, you must understand one thing: if they can beat me, then even if I do good deeds every day, they can still condemn me to the demonic path with a single word."

"And if they can't beat me, even if I kill people every day, they'll try their best to cover it up for me, saying I'm eliminating demons and upholding justice, because they'll worry that I'll really fall into demonic ways and act recklessly."

Chu Yaoyin asked in surprise, "Is this the true nature of righteous and demonic forces?"

Gu Guanqi said, "I wouldn't say all, but most are like that. If someone calls you a demon, then you'd better actually have the ability to be a demon. When that happens, someone will naturally defend you!"

Having said that, Gu Guanqi looked at Mi Dongwang and said, "Chief Detective Mi, let's go to Tinghua Manor!"

Immediately, Mi Dongwang led a group of Dongchang officers to Tinghua Villa with Gu Guanqi.

Chu Yaoyin and Liu Yuanqin followed closely behind.

Just as the Eastern Depot's troops were heading towards Tinghua Manor, at the manor's entrance halfway up the mountain, Commandant Wang Changnian was quietly watching and exclaimed, "Gu Guanqi's martial arts skills are ridiculously high!"

The adjutant beside him quickly inquired, "Commander Wang, you once served under the General and must have witnessed his prowess. How does Gu Guanqi compare to the General?"

"How can that be compared?" Wang Changnian said, "No matter how strong Gu Guanqi is, he can only show off in the martial arts world. If he were to go to the battlefield, there would be armored soldiers or experts everywhere. How many more could he fight?"

The Great General is a true warrior capable of taking on ten thousand men on the battlefield; even surrounded by heavily armored soldiers, he can single-handedly route enemy troops. However, Gu Guanqi is no pushover either; he should have no problem sparring with the Great General.

The adjutant exclaimed in surprise, "Gu Guanqi is already so powerful he's almost inhuman, and the General is going to be even stronger! How strong must he be?"

Wang Changnian said, "I guess that if the General were a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the martial arts world), he would be the number one or two in the world, definitely not someone Gu Guanqi could compare to."

The adjutant nodded and then said, "However, Commandant Wang, what do we do now? Gu Guanqi has already come up?"

Should we retreat?

Wang Changnian said coldly, "Withdraw? What are you talking about? If we withdraw now, how am I supposed to explain this to the General?"

"But what about Gu Guanqi?"

"Hmph, they'll just keep delaying shamelessly anyway," Wang Changnian said. "The General will make his own arrangements. While we keep him occupied for a few days, we can secretly transfer the Hua family's money."

As for Gu Guanqi, would he dare kill an official? Would he kill over a thousand of our soldiers? Anyway, he wouldn't dare kill me. As long as I don't do anything stupid like sparring with him, he won't even have a chance to make a move.

The adjutant hesitated, saying, "This man has a domineering personality; I'm worried he won't follow the rules!"

"Unless he's plotting a rebellion!" Wang Changnian said, "who would dare to openly kill an official?"

At this moment, the sound of horses' hooves grew closer and closer.

Gu Guanqi and the East Depot's team walked along the wide bluestone path to the gate of the villa.

The vermilion gate was tightly closed, and the golden plaque with the words "Tinghua Villa" hanging above the gate still gleamed in the afternoon sun. The stone lions on both sides of the stone steps in front of the gate stood with their heads held high, still exuding an air of grandeur.

But the inside of the door was eerily quiet; not even a dog could be heard barking.

A line of soldiers, about thirty or forty in full armor, stood in front of the gate, each with a single sword at their waist and a long spear in their hand, completely blocking the entrance.

The first man was clad in black iron armor, around forty years old, with a square face and a neatly trimmed thick beard. He had a broad-backed, thick sword hanging at his waist, his hand on the hilt, and he stared intently at the approaching figure.

Mi Dong rode his horse beside Gu Guanqi and whispered, "Alliance Leader Gu, that man is Wang Changnian, the Commandant of Tianhu County. He was the one who stopped me from entering the manor earlier."

66

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly and continued riding forward.

The horses' hooves clattered crisply on the bluestone slabs. The procession stopped about ten feet in front of the manor gate. Mi Dong dismounted and walked straight up to Wang Changnian, saying in a deep voice, "Wang Changnian, I have been ordered to investigate the Hua family. Get out of my way."

Wang Changnian looked at Mi Dongwang and said, "Chief Detective Mi, as I said before, you don't have an official letter from the prefectural government, so I can't let you in. I only recognize official letters from the prefectural government or the Ministry of War."

Mi Dong said in a deep voice, "Wang Changnian, what do you mean by this? The Martial Alliance has already withdrawn, and you're still blocking the door and refusing to let them in?"

Wang Changnian stood with his arms crossed, his expression unchanged, his tone neither warm nor cold: "Whether the Martial Alliance withdraws or not is the Martial Alliance's business. The yamen has its own rules for investigating cases. Tinghua Manor has far-reaching implications, and I am acting under orders. Until this case is resolved, no one is allowed to enter or leave the manor. That is the rule!"

'

Mi Dongwang's face darkened, and he said, "Wang Changnian, are you crazy? Didn't you see what just happened down the mountain?"

"6

Wang Changnian remained unmoved and said, "Are you threatening me? I am an official appointed by the imperial court, the Commandant of Tianhu County, a fourth-rank official. Mi Dongwang, do you intend to publicly kill an official and provoke the imperial court?" He then looked at Gu Guanqi and asked, "Or are you, Gu Guanqi, planning to kill an official and rebel?"

Wang Changnian's voice echoed in front of the empty villa, carrying an air of confident arrogance.

Gu Guanqi chuckled softly, leaned forward slightly, placed one hand on the front edge of the saddle, and looked directly at Wang Changnian, his tone tinged with amusement: "No wonder you're so brave. Did you think I wouldn't dare touch you just because you're a court official?"

Hearing this tone, Wang Changnian's heart tightened inexplicably. His Adam's apple bobbed as he said, "Gu Guanqi! You need to understand one thing: your killing of Jiang Liren and the others is ultimately just a matter of martial arts disputes. You've only killed martial artists, so you still have a chance to distort the truth. But if you dare to kill an official, that would be treason!"

He swallowed hard, raising his voice slightly: "You need to understand this: investigating a case requires evidence, but suppressing a rebellion only requires knowing the location. At that point, no matter if you're the leader of the martial arts alliance of three states, or even if you're the Heavenly King himself, the imperial army will raze your territory to the ground!"

After saying this, Wang Changnian felt a bit more confident, straightened his back slightly, and continued:

I urge you to wake up, you—"

In that instant, Gu Guanqi suddenly raised his right hand and then struck out with his palm.

The slap was delivered casually, as if it were merely a casual brush away a patch of unsightly willow catkins, devoid of any hint of worldly concern.

But as the palm struck, a low hum suddenly emanated from the air.

A visible burst of energy shot out from his palm, as fast as an invisible meteor, instantly traversing a distance of several feet and landing precisely on Wang Changnian's head.

"Bang!"

A dull, crisp sound.

Wang Changnian's head exploded instantly, as if it had been smashed head-on by a massive hammer.

Blood, brain matter, and bone fragments splattered in all directions, drawing dark red arcs in the afternoon sunlight.

The headless body stood frozen in place for a brief moment, then, like a puppet stripped of all its support, it slumped backward, the iron armor striking the bluestone slab with a heavy thud.

Fresh blood gushed from her neck, quickly pooling into a dark red puddle in the cracks of the stone slabs, spreading over a large area.

The entire venue was deathly silent.

The dozens of soldiers stood frozen in place, and then some of them tried to draw their swords.

Wang Changnian's adjutant immediately shouted, "Stop! Everyone, stop moving!"

Gu Guanqi looked at the adjutant.

The adjutant was about thirty years old and wore armor similar to Wang Changnian's. At this moment, his face was deathly pale, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

Gu Guanqi looked at him, his tone still calm, revealing no emotion: "I'm asking you, how did Wang Changnian die?"

'

The adjutant shuddered violently, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, instantly sobering him up. He hurriedly said, "It was—it was—it was—killed by Jiang...Jiang Liren, that demonic cultivator—we all saw it, we saw it with our own eyes!"

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly and said, "Now that Jiang Liren, that demonic cultivator, has been executed, the Eastern Depot needs to continue investigating the case of the Hua family's collusion with the bandits of Cangmang Mountain. We need the cooperation of the Tianhu Prefecture army. Is that alright?"

The adjutant quickly replied, "No problem, the Tianhu County government and army will fully cooperate."

"it is good."

Immediately, Gu Guanqi rode his horse directly into Tinghua Manor.

Mi Dong followed closely behind.

The adjutant quickly ordered his men to move the body away, and then led his men into Tinghua Manor.

From the back of the crowd, Chu Yaoyin said in a deep voice, "Senior brother, Alliance Leader Gu publicly killed a fourth-rank official. Can he really be as indifferent to this as he was to Jiang Liren and the others? Even if the imperial court is concerned about its reputation, it's unlikely to let this go so easily!"

Liu Yuanqin shook his head and said, "What face? If we didn't deliberately publicize it, would these things get out?"

You're well aware of the current situation in the capital. Our Eastern Depot is at loggerheads with the Left Chancellor and the Grand General, and the battle is nearing its end. And Leader Gu is clearly on our Eastern Depot's side.

Therefore, whether he killed an official or fell into demonic ways depends on which side wins in the end. If the Eastern Depot and the Empress Dowager win, then this county magistrate today was killed by Jiang Liren, who fell into demonic ways, and this will also be the case when the story spreads among the people.

"But if the Left Chancellor and the Grand General win, even if Alliance Leader Gu didn't kill Jiang Liren or Wang Changnian today, or even if he didn't come to the capital, the Left Chancellor can still frame him for forcibly entering the palace and issue a nationwide warrant for his arrest."

"this----"

Chu Yaoyin sighed and said, "What Alliance Leader Gu said, 'There will always be someone to defend me,' is absolutely true. This is true not only in the martial arts world, but also in the imperial court!"

Gu Guanqi stayed at Tinghua Manor for two days to help Mi Dongwang stabilize the situation, and then he left.

There's no point in him staying there any longer.

The confiscation of the Hua family's property was not limited to Tinghua Manor; it mainly involved the Hua family's businesses scattered throughout various regions. Converting these assets into cash would take a very long time.

After spending those two days figuring out the Hua family's businesses and having a basic understanding of the situation, Gu Guanqi headed to the capital.

He was well aware that the situation in the capital had now reached a point of no return.

It was absolutely necessary for him to get to the capital as soon as possible.

He doesn't need to worry too much about the Hua family. As long as he can help the Eastern Depot win, the Hua family's money will safely reach Hongzhou. However, if the Eastern Depot loses, even if it reaches Hongzhou, it may not be safe.

His most important purpose in coming to the capital was naturally to find a partner, improve his martial arts skills, and increase his chances of defeating Zhang Jiexi and Yan Kunlun.