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

Chapter 202 The Blood-Sucking Divine Skill Appears Again

Liu Yu turned his head, puzzled, and asked, "What do you mean?"

Gu Guanqi said, "The literal meaning."

Liu Yu said, "This is not in your best interest. The temple has been rooted in Qizhou for many years, and the idea of ​​divine supremacy is deeply ingrained in Qizhou. If you want to control Qizhou, the best way is to take advantage of the temple's downfall and become the new god."

Using this method, you can quickly gain the support of the gentry and powerful families throughout Qizhou, because these are the beneficiaries of the theocratic system. If you now support someone to oppose the theocratic system, you will be infringing on their interests, and they will definitely turn against you.

I know that with your martial arts skills, those gentry and powerful families who oppose you cannot cause any major trouble. However, they will make your rule over Qizhou very slow. Perhaps they outwardly submit to you, but secretly sabotage you, rendering your decrees useless.

Gu Guanqi waved his hand, interrupting Liu Yu, and said, "You're mistaken. I have no interest in Qizhou. The reason I went on a killing spree this time was simply because I happened to come across these things and then took action."

As for now, the main issue is that I've already conquered the largest temple in Qizhou. I can't just let someone else benefit from it all without gaining anything in return, can I? However, I have no interest in building a second temple.

When I take over a place, my primary focus is naturally on maintaining order and improving people's livelihoods. Take Qingyun, Hong, and Sanzhou, especially Hongzhou, for example. I've been in charge of both the government and the martial arts world there, and now not only is the martial arts world orderly, but people's livelihoods are also developing rapidly.

Liu Yu looked at Gu Guanqi, slowly sat up, and asked in surprise, "You—you're going to—"

"Don't overthink it," Gu Guanqi said. "I don't have any particular ideas right now. I'm just doing what I feel like. My pursuit is the pinnacle of martial arts. I don't have a high demand for power and material things. After all, with my cultivation level, I can obtain those things whenever I need them."

Therefore, I do things mostly according to my own will. For example, this time, I couldn't stand what the temple was doing, so I overthrew it, brought a new era to Qizhou, and then supported some people to rise up so that the people of Qizhou could live as human beings as possible.

Liu Yu looked at Gu Guanqi, remained silent for a long time, and slowly said, "Looking at you now feels like looking at a god."

"Don't flatter me," Gu Guanqi chuckled. "If I were a god, I would stay in Qizhou and personally take charge to completely liberate it. But I'm lazy and don't like doing things, so I want to support you. Look at Qingyun and Hongzhou, besides being nominally in charge and pointing out directions, what have I actually done?"

Liu Yu shook his head and said, "It's different. Those who do everything themselves are doers, not managers. You don't need to be very capable; you just need to know how to use people."

Gu Guanqi waved his hand and said, "Stop talking about all that. Just one question: are you in or not?"

The cool moonlight, like water, spilled across the bluestone slabs of the courtyard, shattering into countless shimmering white fragments.

Liu Yu, supporting his wounded body, hastily rose, bowing deeply, and said in a respectful tone, "Liu Yu greets his lord!"

"it is good."

A faint, gentle smile played on Gu Guanqi's lips as he gently placed his hand on Liu Yu's shoulder. A warm, mellow inner energy flowed silently from his palm, like a gentle stream entering Liu Yu's body.

The true energy flowed along the meridians, methodically smoothing out bone bruises and repairing damaged internal organs. Liu Yu felt all the surging pain in his body rapidly dissipate under this power.

He slightly raised his eyes. At this moment, the silvery moonlight seemed to surround Gu Guanqi. His white clothes were bathed in soft light, untouched by any worldly dust, and the true energy emanating from his fingertips shimmered with a faint, lustrous glow.

In this scene, Liu Yu felt as if Gu Guanqi were a god high in the heavens, showing mercy to him, a believer in the mortal world.

After a long while, Gu Guanqi stopped and said, "Now, almost all the high-ranking officials of the temple have been killed. I will go with you one more time. Keep those you think you can take in, and let those you think are beyond saving go to see their sun god."

Liu Yu cupped his hands and said, "I will certainly uphold my lord's beliefs and dedicate myself to ensuring that the people have justice to speak of and laws to abide by."

"May everyone have enough to eat; may all poor children have access to education, opportunities to pursue their dreams, and a future to look forward to!"

Gu Guanqi patted Liu Yu on the shoulder and chuckled, "I don't think I have such lofty beliefs. Well, never mind, just do what you want. I'll call some helpers for you later."

Your Qizhou Martial Arts Alliance leader, Chen Shanhe, and Elder Bai Xu are both very insightful individuals. Furthermore, Qizhou borders Yunzhou, so I'll write you another letter. Have someone deliver it to the Yunzhou Martial Arts Alliance, and they will surely come to your aid. So rest assured, you are not alone; you have powerful backers!

Liu Yu quickly replied, "Thank you, my lord."

Gu Guanqi smiled slightly, raised the glass skull in his hand, and asked, "What's the story behind this?"

Liu Yu shook his head and said, "I don't know either. Mo Xun took it out from the oldest statue in the temple. That statue is the most mysterious existence in the temple. It is said to be the divine body needed for the sun god to manifest in the human world."

Mo Xun had fled back earlier, hoping to use the statue to restore it, but, my lord, you attacked too quickly; he didn't have time to prepare to escape. Now, he doesn't want anything else, just this head; it's undoubtedly the foundation of the temple's most precious treasure.

Gu Guanqi said, "I can sense a very unique energy within this, but I can't activate it. You've been in the temple for so many years, haven't you heard of it?"

Liu Yu said, "No, the temple has no records or documents about the ancient temple. It is very likely that it has been passed down orally from generation to generation. Of course, it is also possible that it is hidden by the sect leader."

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly and said, "Then I'll go look for them in a bit, but first, let's deal with the others in the temple."

Afterwards, Liu Yu led Gu Guanqi through the temple, where Gu Guanqi once again went on a killing spree.

However, with Liu Yu leading the charge, they started from the top. Apart from those who had escaped, the rest were either killed or taken into custody. After that, the suppression became much easier. All the core high-ranking officials fell, the middle and upper-ranking officials who survived chose to surrender, and the lower-ranking officials, except for a few who put up a stubborn resistance, surrendered readily.

Afterwards, Gu Guanqi handed the matter over to Liu Yu, while he went to the sect leader's study and other places to look for documents about the glass skull. He also took the time to visit the temple's storeroom.

The temple had accumulated a very large fortune.

Gu Guanqi selected a batch of rare and precious materials that could enhance cultivation and instructed Liu Yu to send them to Qingyun, Hong, and Sanzhou respectively. He then kept some to take to the capital.

After that, he continued searching for literature.

However, there has been no progress.

The next evening, while Gu Guanqi was still browsing through the mountains of documents in Mo Xun's study, someone came to announce that Wen Shuyi had arrived.

Gu Guanqi immediately sent someone to invite him.

Wen Shuyi entered the study and saw it filled with books. She asked疑惑地问道, "Guanqi, are you preparing to cultivate the Sun God Technique?"

Gu Guanqi shook his head slightly and said, "I have my own path."

Wen Shuyi approached, puzzled, and asked, "What are you doing?"

Gu Guanqi pointed to the glass human head wrapped in a black cloth on the table next to him and said, "I'm looking for records about that thing, trying to figure out what it is."

Wen Shuyi walked over, removed the black cloth, and saw a human head that shimmered slightly, like glass. She was slightly taken aback, examined it carefully for a while, and said, "I might know what this is."

Gu Guanqi quickly asked, "What is this?"

Wen Shuyi said softly, "Can you smell a very faint, pleasant fragrance?"

Gu Guanqi nodded and said, "Yes, it's coming from this head!"

Wen Shuyi said, "I once heard my master say that if one's martial arts level reaches a certain level, one can ascend to become an immortal."

However, there are two ways to ascend to immortality. One is to pass through the heavenly tribulation and ascend together with one's physical body and soul. The other is what Taoism calls "feathering" and Buddhism calls "nirvana," which means shedding the mortal body and abandoning the physical body, with only the soul ascending.

During ascension and nirvana, one also undergoes tribulations, but these tribulations are earth tribulations, also known as the Three Calamities and Nine Difficulties. The Three Calamities are divided into minor and major tribulations. The minor tribulations are natural disasters, man-made disasters, and epidemics; the major tribulations are heavenly thunder, earthly fire, and fierce winds; and the Nine Difficulties are qi, yin, and yang.

Emotion, greed, lust, delusion, detachment, attachment, mind.

After a practitioner has overcome the three major and nine minor calamities, they can shed their mortal body and attain enlightenment. The mortal body they leave behind is naturally extraordinary; Buddhist practitioners will produce relics, while Taoist practitioners will achieve physical sainthood. Both possess power that transcends the mundane.

As she spoke, Wen Shuyi pointed to the head and said, "This head perfectly fits the Taoist concept of physical immortality. It has a natural fragrance, its skin and bones are like glass, it will last for a thousand years, and it contains unique energy."

Moreover, there is a legend that both the physical body after ascension and the relics after nirvana carry the will of the immortals and can establish a connection with the ascended immortals through special methods.

Of course, this is just a legend and cannot be verified. However, it is true that both Buddhism and Taoism have methods to mobilize the power of relics and the physical body after spiritual transformation.

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly and said, "I understand. In other words, this thing is of no use to me. After all, I don't understand the temple's methods, and besides, I can't borrow other people's power; there's always a risk of being scammed."

Wen Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "If this head is truly the physical body left behind after ascension, then it really won't be of much use to you. However, I'm not entirely sure if it is indeed the physical body left behind after ascension."

Gu Guanqi waved his hand and said, "Forget it, keeping this thing might lead to some hidden tricks. It's better to destroy it!"

Without hesitation, Gu Guanqi struck the glass head with his palm.

With a crisp cracking sound, the crystal-clear head shattered into powder. Immediately afterward, wisps of unique Qi drifted out, swirling and circling within the sealed room. After circling several times, it changed direction and surged rapidly towards Wen Shuyi's location.

Gu Guanqi's eyes darkened, and he struck out with his palm from a distance, unleashing a burst of powerful true energy that collided head-on with the wisp of air.

The eerie energy instantly dissipated, turning into fine wisps of green smoke and vanishing without a trace.

Gu Guanqi frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "As expected, there was something fishy going on. Just now, I actually managed to catch a wisp of spiritual will from it."

Wen Shuyi chuckled and said, "Then it seems that this is indeed the physical body left behind after ascension. Cultivators who can achieve ascension are all unparalleled powerhouses throughout history, so it is normal for their physical bodies to retain their will."

As far as I know, whether it's a physical body that has been immortalized or a relic, the energy it possesses is finite. This temple only has a head left, which suggests it has been used many times over the past few hundred years and is now nearly depleted.

Gu Guanqi pondered for a moment and said, "That should be the case, but why did it choose you when there were just the two of us here?"

Wen Shuyi laughed and said, "Because I have cultivated divine arts, in its perception, I'm one of its own!"

"Wouldn't that mean you missed a great opportunity?" Gu Guanqi said.

Wen Shuyi chuckled and said, "As you just said, other people's power still retains their spirit and will. Whether this is an opportunity or a trap is hard to say."

"That's true." Gu Guanqi tossed aside the book in his hand and said, "The temple's treasury contains many rare and precious materials that can enhance cultivation. Would you like to take some?"

Wen Shuyi said, "At my level, unless it's some specific rare and precious materials, they won't be of much use to me. Using them would be a waste."

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly. Wen Shuyi's words made a lot of sense. The value of rare and precious materials also depends on one's cultivation level. Ordinary rare and precious materials can be of great help to ordinary martial artists, but for people with high martial arts cultivation levels, they are no different from eating a bowl of noodles or a mouthful of rice.

"However," Wen Shuyi added, "I would like to take a look at the Sun God Technique of the temple. It is the most powerful and profound of all the divine arts, and it is something I do not know. After all, only the sect leader in the temple can cultivate this technique."

"Wait a minute."

Immediately, Gu Guanqi went to the bookshelf and flipped through it for a while. Soon, he found a book that was at least two inches thick and handed it to Wen Shuyi, saying, "This is the Sun God Technique."

Wen Shuyi was slightly taken aback and said, "You're really giving it to me? This is a secret technique passed down only by the temple, the most top-tier manual in the entire world—"

Gu Guanqi said, "I have no use for it."

"This—" Wen Shuyi looked at Gu Guanqi and said, "I just said that casually, and now, you—"

Gu Guanqi shoved the item directly into Wen Shuyi's hand and said, "Just keep cultivating. If you need to in the future, just help me fight."

Wen Shuyi glanced at the manual in her hand, then looked up at Gu Guanqi, her cheeks inexplicably flushing. She whispered, "Then—then I'll accept it, anyway—whatever you want to do, just tell me, and I'll do whatever you say!"

Gu Guanqi smiled slightly and asked, "By the way, I haven't asked you yet, what brings you here?"

Wen Shuyi said, "After you chased after Mo Xun yesterday, I was worried, so I rushed over after settling my parents. I was worried that something might have happened to you, but I didn't expect you to level the temple."

Gu Guanqi said, "Since we've already fought this far, let's just end it now to avoid future trouble."

Wen Shuyi chuckled lightly, "To destroy one of the eight great sects, the Divine Temple, so easily—you'd be hard-pressed to find another like it in the entire world. However—"

Wen Shuyi frowned slightly and said, "First it was the Hanyue Sect, then the Divine Temple. I'm afraid that what Mo Xun said will really get out, and some people will really think that you want to unify the martial arts world!"

"It doesn't matter," Gu Guanqi said. "If anyone attacks me because of this rumor, they're out of their mind."

Wen Shuyi asked, "So what are you planning to do now?"

Gu Guanqi sat down in a chair and said, "I have supported Liu Yu, the Grand Master of the Divine Oracle Academy, to launch a campaign to destroy the gods and eliminate the influence of the temple on the faith in Qizhou as much as possible. I have also invited Chen Shanhe, the leader of the martial arts alliance, to cooperate with Liu Yu. In addition, the martial arts alliance of Yunzhou will also come to help."

Wen Shuyi sat down next to Gu Guanqi and said, "As for the martial arts world, your arrangement is fine. However, if we want to break the faith of the temple, the biggest obstacle will actually come from the government."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that while the temple was in power, the Qizhou government was essentially a puppet with no real authority. However, once the temple falls, the government's power will return, and they will then pose a significant obstacle."

Gu Guanqi's eyes lit up, and he said, "I had overlooked this issue before. I'm afraid I'll have to make a trip to the prefectural government office."

Wen Shuyi said, "This matter should be handled sooner rather than later. While they haven't reacted yet, you should first control the governor, then the military command, and it would be best to support a group of people who already have grudges against the temple to take power."

"Now that your relationship with His Majesty is quite good, you can request an official appointment from him. Then the problems in Qizhou will be much less serious, and eliminating the influence of the temple's faith will only be a matter of time."

Gu Guanqi nodded and said, "Your analysis makes a lot of sense. I'll do as you say."

Wen Shuyi pondered for a moment, then said, "But there is another problem that comes with it, which is that you may arouse His Majesty's suspicion. You are now the leader of the martial arts alliance in three states. Not to mention Qingyun State, this is purely in terms of the martial arts world."

But Hongzhou is different. You are practically a regional warlord, with the power to freely enter and leave the palace at any time, and now you've made a move against Qizhou. I'm somewhat worried that His Majesty might have some reservations.”

Gu Guanqi said, "It's alright, we'll talk about it later. Without my intervention, the imperial court couldn't get involved in Qizhou at all. Now that I've destroyed the temple, the court can take the opportunity to intervene in the government. So, all things considered, I've done His Majesty a great favor!"

Wen Shuyi said, "Different perspectives lead to different viewpoints. Of course, I'm just offering a reminder."

"I will be careful."

After Wen Shuyi's reminder, Gu Guanqi immediately began to pay attention to the problems of the Qizhou government.

Then, he spent nearly half a month replacing all the officials in Qizhou. His methods were naturally very...

The primitive and brutal method of suppressing the enemy with force is very effective.

Although the government was thrown into chaos for a short time, the Qizhou government had never had much of a presence to begin with, so the overall impact was not significant.

As for the martial arts world of Qizhou, there is one temple, one monastery, and three major gangs. Among them, the leader of the Tianhe Gang, Situ Jian, had already fled at the first sign of trouble and no one knows where he went. The Tianhe Gang had also been taken over by the Martial Alliance long ago.

Jingye Temple, Qingsong Temple, Jinguan Gang, and Hongye Gang—these four forces all participated in the siege of Gu Guanqi during the battle at Yinchuan Gorge. Now, those four factions are living in constant fear, afraid that Gu Guanqi will settle scores later. They all wish they could hide and naturally wouldn't make any moves.

With the major powers remaining silent, the smaller factions were naturally no longer a concern.

Therefore, overall, the progress in bringing the situation under control in Qizhou has been very rapid.

With local masters Liu Yu and Chen Shanshuang leading the way, and the Yunzhou Martial Arts Alliance coming to assist, things naturally went very smoothly.

However, eliminating the temple's faith will not be achieved in a short time, and Liu Yu still has a long way to go.

Gu Guanqi lost interest in following up further. A few days after suppressing the government, he left Qizhou with Wen Shuyi.

Originally, with the temple destroyed, the Wen family wouldn't have needed to leave Qizhou anymore.

However, after this incident, Wen Shuyi no longer wanted to return to Qizhou. In addition, she was worried that some remnants of the temple would seek revenge. Therefore, she decided to have the Wen family move to the capital.

The Wen family waited at the border of Qizhou for about twenty days before Gu Guanqi and Wen Shuyi finally arrived. The group then set off again for the capital.

Now that the temple is no longer a concern, there's no longer a rush to travel. After all, the Wen family has women and children who are not used to the long journey. Now that things are less urgent, there's no need to force themselves to eat without permission.

This trip was much slower.

Taking advantage of their time together, Wen Shuyi often discussed the Sun God Technique with Gu Guanqi. Although Gu Guanqi had not practiced it, his martial arts level was very high, and he was able to offer some suggestions.

It was evening that day.

-

The group of people and horses arrived at an official road.

The sky gradually darkened.

Zhuo Yi, who was at the very front, turned his horse around and looked at Gu Guanqi and Wen Shuyi, saying, "Alliance Leader Gu, Miss Wen, it's getting dark, and we're not familiar with this place. Let's find a place nearby to set up camp, otherwise it will be too troublesome if we wait until dark."

"Master Zhuo, there's no need to set up camp," Gu Guanqi said. "Hurry up and there's a town about three miles ahead in a mountain valley. There's a wealthy family in the town where you can stay for the night."

Wen Shuyi asked, "Guanqi, how did you know?"

Gu Guanqi said, "When I came to Qizhou before, I took this road and stayed there. The owner of that house was a very interesting old man named Wu Ming. He had also traveled the martial arts world when he was young, and returned to the town in his middle age to open a martial arts school."

"Is he very skilled in martial arts?" Wen Shuyi asked.

"Not high," Gu Guanqi said. "He's only second or third-rate in the martial arts world. The main thing is that he's witty and humorous. Although he's quite old, he's very entertaining. I stayed at his house for one night and we had a very pleasant conversation."

Zhuo Yi said, "We shouldn't delay, let's hurry over!"

Before long, Gu Guanqi and his group arrived at a town called Bianwujia Town.

The town is quite large, with at least one or two hundred households, but there are far fewer pedestrians on the streets than in a typical town. A few figures hurried through the alleyway, all with their heads down and walking quickly, as if they did not want to linger on the street.

Gu Guanqi and his group walked through the town.

As they walked along the street, they discovered that many families in the town were holding funerals. They saw three or four such funerals along the way.

The atmosphere on the street was very oppressive.

Before long, the group walked along the main street to a deeper part of the street and stopped in front of a large courtyard with blue bricks and gray tiles.

A pair of stone lions stood on either side of the gate, and an old plaque with the words "Wu Shuai" hung above the gate. But now, a plain white cloth banner was also hanging above the gate, and the lanterns on the eaves had been replaced with white paper funeral lanterns.

Seeing this, Gu Guanqi thought to himself, "Could it be that old man Wu Ming has passed away? I saw him last month, and he was still in very good health!"

Immediately, Gu Guanqi dismounted, handed the reins to Meng Qi beside him, and then stepped up the stone steps alone.

The door was wide open, and a cacophony of sounds came from inside. The copper bells jingled incessantly, accompanied by urgent chanting and numerous people reciting incantations simultaneously.

He walked to the door and glanced to the side. He saw eight Taoist priests dressed in apricot-yellow robes standing in formation around an offering table in the courtyard. On the table were images of the Three Pure Ones, as well as incense burners, talismans, peach wood swords, and other items. A thick layer of yellow sand covered the ground, with intricate talisman arrays drawn on it.

An old Taoist priest, holding a peach wood sword, was swiftly circling the talisman array. His steps were sometimes fast and sometimes slow as he chanted incantations. Every now and then, he would stomp his foot and slap a yellow talisman onto the sand, making a crisp "smack" sound.

On one side of the courtyard, under the eaves, lay two thin coffins, each with an ever-burning lamp in front of it. The lamplight flickered slightly in the draft, making the two white paper lanterns appear even more bleak.

Gu Guanqi scanned the courtyard and quickly spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.

It was a short, thin old man with a goatee, wearing a gray cloth jacket and an old, white belt around his waist, standing by the offering table with his hands clasped.

This little old man was none other than Wu Ming.

At this moment, Wu Mingcha noticed someone entering through the door and turned his head to look. When he saw it was Gu Guanqi, his thin eyes suddenly lit up, and he quickly came around from beside the offering table, rushing forward in a few steps to greet him, smiling and cupping his hands in greeting, "Young friend Gu! What brings you here?"

Gu Guanqi returned the greeting with a cupped hand and said, "I just happened to be passing by and thought I'd come and see Old Master Wu." He then pointed to the Taoist priests in the courtyard and asked, "What's going on here?"

Wu Ming sighed and said, "There have been evil spirits haunting the town these past few days, and I'm currently hiring someone to perform an exorcism!"

"Evil spirits at work?" Gu Guanqi was taken aback and asked in confusion, "What's going on?"

"This matter is a long story," Wu Ming sighed, his gaze falling on Su Shan Liu Zi and the others outside the courtyard gate. He asked, "Young friend Gu, were those people with you?"

Gu Guanqi nodded and said, "Yes, they are all my relatives and friends. We were passing through this place, and it was getting late, so I thought I'd come and see you, and also ask if it would be convenient for us to stay the night?"

"Of course it's convenient," Wu Ming said, patting his chest as he cast his line. "However, be careful at night. Don't sleep alone, and whatever you catch at night, don't go out. There's been a lot of trouble in town lately."

As he spoke, Wu Ming waved his hand again and said, "Never mind, I'll tell you later. You have a carriage and horses, so I'll open the side door and you can come in from the side."

As he spoke, he turned and waved to a young man in the courtyard, gave him a few instructions, and then turned back to Gu Guanqi and said, "Okay, let's go. Tell your friends to come with me."

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly, turned around and gestured to Zhuo Yi and the others outside the door, indicating that they should follow. Then, he and Wu Ming went out the door side by side and headed towards the side gate along the alley outside the courtyard wall.

While saying this, Wu Ming said in a low voice, "Young friend Gu, you have no idea how unsettled the town has been these past few days."

In just four days, thirteen people have died, all of them young and middle-aged.

My two most skilled guards were also dead. They had wandered here during the Hong Nian era, with no relatives or friends, so I was the only one who could hold their funerals at home.

Gu Guanqi asked, "How did he die? How did it get involved with evil spirits?"

Wu Ming said, "Because they were all drained of their yang energy by demons, they all became dried-up corpses, skin and bones, without a trace of flesh or blood. When the autopsy team came to examine them, they couldn't find a single wound. The town is saying that they are either demons or ghosts that come out at night to suck people's yang energy."

When Wu Ming mentioned the dried corpses, Gu Guanqi couldn't help but recall the zombie rampage in Yunzhou. Yuan Guangkai used his blood-sucking divine skill combined with his zombie skill to almost drain the Yunzhou martial arts world dry.

"Grandpa," Gu Guanqi asked, "is the body still there?"

"Yes, I'm here," Wu Ming said, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

Gu Guanqi said, "What you're describing sounds a bit like a kind of evil martial art in the martial arts world, but I need to see the body to confirm."

Wu Ming quickly said, "Alright, young man, you've grown up to be so handsome. You even dared to travel alone before. You must be a master of the martial arts world. You're knowledgeable and experienced. Who knows, you might actually be able to find someone."

Gu Guanqi said, "I wouldn't call myself knowledgeable, I just know a little bit."

"Alright, I'll settle your relatives and friends first before I take you to see the body."

As they were talking, the group arrived at the side gate of the compound.

Wu Ming stepped aside and said, "Come, come in first. Tie the horses in the backyard, and I'll have someone get some fodder."

Immediately, everyone followed into the courtyard.

Afterwards, Wu Ming instructed his men to take the Wen family members to rest. Su Shan Liu Zi's mission was to protect the Wen family members, so he naturally went along as well.

Wen Shuyi stayed behind to go with Gu Guanqi to see the body.

Wu Ming led the two to the front yard, saying as they walked, "I've already sent someone to prepare food. Would you like to eat something first, or go now?"

Gu Guanqi said, "Let's go now."

"Okay then."

Immediately afterwards, Wu Ming led Gu Guanqi and Wen Shuyi to a side room in the front yard.

The room was set up as a mourning hall, with white curtains hanging low, incense burning and smoke curling up. Two black lacquered coffins were placed side by side in the center of the room, creating a somber and oppressive atmosphere.

Gu Guanqi stepped forward slowly and lifted the heavy lid of one of the coffins.

Just as Wu Ming had said, there was a dried corpse in the coffin. Its flesh was withered and clung tightly to the bones. Its outline was clear and protruding, its cheekbones were high and prominent, and its cheekbones were sunken into two dark holes. Its lips were dry and curled up, clenching its teeth tightly. There was no flesh or blood left on its body, only a withered skin tightly wrapped around the skeleton.

Gu Guanqi shot out a silkworm-shaped object from his fingertip, examined the corpse, and then slowly said, "Old man, it's not some evil spirit causing trouble; someone has been practicing evil arts."

Wu Ming quickly asked, "What kind of evil skill?"

"The Blood-Sucking Divine Skill," Gu Guanqi said, "is an evil skill that allows martial arts cultivation to be accelerated. It absorbs the essence of a person and uses it for one's own benefit, transforming it into power. The stronger the blood and energy absorbed, the better the effect."

"No wonder it was all young and strong men who got into trouble, but—" Wu Ming asked, puzzled, "then why attack ordinary people in the town? Shouldn't they have sought out martial arts masters? Even if ordinary people are strong and healthy, how much vitality do they have?"

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