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

Chapter 96 Counterfeit Goods

That evening, Gu Guanqi and his group stayed in Fang County.

As the saying goes, money makes the world go round. Although there was no horse trading market in Fang County, as long as you were willing to spend money, you could always buy one. Gu Guanqi bought a horse that very night.

The group of six set off early the next morning, and by noon the following day, they had finally entered the territory of Chang County.

Chang County was much larger than Fang County, with towering city walls and a constant stream of people and carriages at the city gates. Gu Guanqi and his companions found an inn in the city to stay in, and then Zhu Jing, who had considerable connections in Chang County, went out to gather information.

After Zhu Jing left, a long time passed, and she didn't return until evening.

As soon as Zhu Jing entered, she said, "I found out that there used to be an iron mine on Dongyang Mountain, but it has been abandoned for many years. If someone is hiding on Dongyang Mountain, that abandoned mine is the most suitable place. Moreover, the mine is deep in Dongyang Mountain, rarely visited by people, so it is generally not easy to be discovered."

Phoenix asked, "Could you get a map of that mine?"

Zhu Jing shook her head and said, "It's been too long, we can't find it."

"That's going to be difficult," Phoenix said. "Generally speaking, mines have very complex terrain, and it's easy to be detected if you rush in. We don't really care about ourselves, but we're worried that those thieves might resort to desperate measures and harm the people who are tied up."

Gu Guanqi thought for a moment and said, "It shouldn't be too much of a problem. Those people kidnapping the families of high-ranking officials from various factions serves a purpose, and they won't harm those people unless absolutely necessary. As long as we act quickly and cautiously, there shouldn't be any major issues."

At this point, Gu Guanqi asked, "Are all of you alright with no problem using your lightness skills?"

Zhu Jing said, "The Tingshan Sect excels in swordsmanship, followed by lightness skill, so my lightness skill is not bad."

Fire Phoenix said with a smile, "Don't worry, Young Master Gu, my lightness skill is also fine."

Jiang Baili didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

Gu Guanqi looked at Jiang Baili and said, "Little Fish, you—"

Jiang Baili knew what Gu Guanqi was going to say. She shook her head slightly and said, "Brother, I want to go. If it were anywhere else, with your martial arts skills, I wouldn't be worried at all, and I would definitely listen to you and stay here. But I've lived in caves since I was a child, and I know that there are many dangers in those places that can't be handled without high martial arts skills. I'll worry if I'm not by your side."

Jiang Baili's voice was devoid of emotion, and her face was also very calm.

But you could tell from her tone that she was being very stubborn.

Gu Guanqi thought for a moment and didn't insist, because he knew Jiang Baili's situation best. As long as she didn't use too much internal energy, there wouldn't be any major problems. Moreover, even if something went wrong, he could keep things stable with him there.

"Let's go then!" Gu Guanqi said.

After settling Qian Susu and her brother Qian Yu at the inn, the four of them headed to Dongyang Mountain.

Dongyang Mountain is very large, stretching across several peaks.

Fortunately, Zhu Jing had already found out the location of the abandoned mine, so Gu Guanqi and the others didn't need to search all over the mountains.

Dongyang Mountain is steep and covered with shrubs and thorns, making it quite strenuous to walk.

After traveling through the mountains for nearly an hour, the group finally reached the mountainside of a large peak, where a relatively open space appeared in a mountain hollow ahead.

Zhu Jing stopped, squatted down, and whispered, "We're here. The entrance to the mine is in that ravine."

1

The group looked around.

Fire Phoenix spotted a patch of bushes on the mountainside diagonally above and said, "We can go over there and take a look."

Immediately, the group rushed over.

This location is perfect; it offers a clear view of the mine entrance.

A tent was pitched in the open space, and seven or eight people stood around it, each with a weapon at their waist. Some were chatting, some were dozing off, and they didn't seem very vigilant.

Behind the tent was a steep mountain wall with a dark opening about the height of a person. The area around the opening was quite clean.

"It's not going to be easy," Phoenix said. "With seven or eight people guarding that entrance, they'll be spotted no matter which way we go down. And the mine entrance is very small. Once the people inside become alert and block the entrance, it will be very difficult for us to get in."

Gu Guanqi waved his hand and said, "That aspect isn't a big problem. The main issue is that people come out from time to time, which makes it a bit difficult to prevent."

After careful analysis, he concluded that with his Lingbo Weibu (a martial arts technique) and Finger Flicking Divine Skill, he was fully confident that he could take down all those people inside without alerting them.

However, just a short while ago, three or four people have come out of the cave to get some fresh air.

"Let's make our move tonight," Fire Phoenix said. "People are less alert at night, and most of them are asleep, so fewer people will come out."

Gu Guanqi and Zhu Jing both nodded slightly.

Then, the group began to wait.

Before long, it got dark.

However, the group waited until midnight, but no one had come out for fresh air for quite some time.

The moonlight was dim, with dark clouds obscuring most of it, leaving only a few slivers of cold, silvery light.

The wind was biting cold. There were fewer guards outside the cave than during the day, only five people. Two were dozing by the tent, and three were sitting around the fire talking in hushed tones.

Gu Guanqi estimated the time and felt it was about right.

He immediately used the Lingbo Weibu technique, and his figure floated away like a wisp of green smoke.

Under the moonlight, he moved erratically, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, sometimes forward, sometimes backward, like a fallen leaf blown by the wind, or a wisp of smoke drifting in the night.

The five guards were completely unaware of his approach.

Gu Guanqi approached and flicked his fingers repeatedly.

Ten steel balls shot out silently from the fingertips, as fast as shooting stars.

The two people who were dozing off didn't react at all; their snoring stopped. The three people who were warming themselves around the fire were all frozen in that instant. Two of them fell to the ground, and the third was terrified, unable to move or make a sound.

Because Gu Guanqi simultaneously applied the "immobilization" and "silence" acupoints.

Immediately, Gu Guanqi dragged the only guard who wasn't unconscious aside, released the pressure points on his body, and held a sword to his neck.

"I'll ask, you answer," Gu Guanqi said in a very low voice. "Anyone who makes a move will die instantly. You can bet on whether your movements are faster or my sword is faster!"

The guard's eyes widened, his whole body trembled, and he nodded frantically.

Gu Guanqi asked in a low voice, "How many people have you tied up here?"

The guard stammered, "I don't know the exact number, but it's about forty or fifty people—locked in the innermost part, deep inside the mine, there's a very large cave, a grotto, where a dozen or so people take turns guarding them."

"Besides those who were kidnapped, how many other people are there?" Gu Guanqi asked.

The guard quickly replied, "There are probably seventy or eighty people, all from various places, from unorthodox sects."

Gu Guanqi then asked, "Where are the people from the Guanyin Sect?"

The guard said, "Only Lei Ming, the Thunder Protector, said that the Guanyin Sect has been under close surveillance recently and it is inconvenient to take action, so no one else came."

"lead the way."

Gu Guanqi said, "Take me to the people who were kidnapped."

"well!"

Immediately, Gu Guanqi silenced the other party by pressing their acupoint to prevent them from suddenly shouting.

Then, he picked up a piece of firewood and waved it gently.

Upon receiving the signal, the Fire Phoenix team quickly flew down from the hillside.

Then, the guard led the way, and Gu Guanqi and the others followed behind.

Torches were lit at intervals inside the cave, making it easy to see, but the air was filled with a damp, musty smell, mixed with some other unpleasant odors.

Gu Guanqi and the others were completely focused.

However, to Gu Guanqi and the others' surprise, the cave's defenses were extremely weak, almost nonexistent. As they entered, they encountered two patrolling guards at a bend in the road. Both were still half asleep and were knocked unconscious by Gu Guanqi before they could even react.

After that, the journey was smooth and they soon arrived at a rather spacious cave.

A dozen torches were stuck around the cave, making the cave very bright.

In the center of the cave, dozens of people, some sitting and some lying down, were huddled together. They were mostly women or children, and all of them looked haggard.

These people were the family members of the high-ranking members of various martial arts factions who had been kidnapped.

Around the cave stood seven or eight guards, all of whom were yawning and drowsy.

Gu Guanqi used his finger-flicking technique to effortlessly knock down all seven or eight guards.

In that instant, the hostages were all shocked.

When the hostages saw Gu Guanqi and his group of four appear, their eyes lit up with surprise. Several of the bolder ones stood up, mouths agape, as if trying to say something.

Gu Guanqi quickly put his index finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture, and said in a low voice, "Don't make a sound, we're here to rescue you. Come with me, don't make a sound."

The hostages nodded in agreement, and the women quickly covered the children's mouths or whispered words of comfort.

A short while later, the group emerged from the cave one after another, all of them tiptoeing and trying to make as little noise as possible.

As Gu Guanqi and the others walked, they listened intently to the sounds ahead.

Everything is going smooth.

No one spoke, no one fell behind, and there were no unusual sounds coming from the darkness ahead.

However, just as the group had walked a short distance and passed a fork in the road leading to a spacious hall, a cry rang out: "Ah—something's happened! Help!"

"Help! Someone has broken in!"

39

Among the hostages, a woman suddenly burst out with a sharp voice, which abruptly shattered the quiet hall.

Gu Guanqi's pupils contracted sharply as he immediately realized that this must have been deliberately planted among the hostages by the Guanyin Sect in preparation for a rescue attempt.

He turned around abruptly, flicked his left finger, and a steel ball shot out from his fingertip, heading straight in the direction from which the sound came.

"puff"

The steel ball struck the woman precisely in the back of the head.

The woman's body stiffened abruptly, and her shout came to an abrupt halt.

But it was too late.

Her shouts echoed through the empty mine shaft, reverberating between the walls and carrying far, far away.

The next instant, hurried footsteps sounded from all directions, dense and chaotic, surging from all passages.

"Take them all back!"

Gu Guanqi gave a low shout.

Fire Phoenix and Zhu Jing also helped to guide the hostages back into the cave they had been in.

Immediately afterwards, a large number of people emerged from four or five different mine tunnels, densely packed together, numbering at least fifty or sixty. Gu Guanqi even saw that a few of them were notorious thieves wanted on Qingzhou's local wanted list.

At this moment, the local bandits of Qingzhou clearly recognized Gu Guanqi. Several of them instantly changed their expressions, and one of them even exclaimed, "Gu Guanqi! He's the Sword Immortal Gu Guanqi!"

Upon hearing this, the bandits who had surrounded them all paused in surprise.

Although Gu Guanqi's reputation wasn't very high outside of Qingzhou, most of these bandits had heard of him to some extent after arriving in Qingzhou.

Although Qingzhou is recognized as a weak place in martial arts, it is still a state, and the title of Grandmaster still has some value, especially for a twenty-year-old Grandmaster.

For a time, he managed to intimidate so many people present simply by virtue of his reputation.

However, it was only a moment later, a short man who looked like a mouse jumped onto a stone platform and sneered, "A grandmaster at the age of twenty, what a grand title! I am Flying Rat—"

"puff"

In that instant, the short man stopped speaking before he could finish.

The group of thieves looked over in confusion and saw a bloody hole in the short man's neck. Blood gushed out instantly, and he collapsed to the ground.

For a moment, the group of thieves fell silent, as no one had clearly seen how Gu Guanqi made his move.

"Don't be afraid, don't panic!"

From the crowd, someone shouted, "There are so many of us! He might not be able to kill us all before he runs out of strength!"

However, as soon as this person said it, there was an awkward silence as no one agreed with him.

At the same time, Gu Guanqi flicked his finger, and a bloody hole appeared on the man's forehead, causing him to fall to the ground instantly.

"Since you know my reputation, then don't waste your time," Gu Guanqi took a step forward and said, "Either you all come at me now and I'll kill you all, or you all get out of here now!"

The group of thieves looked at each other in bewilderment.

Gu Guanqi's reputation as a sword immortal is very intimidating, and his two recent moves have brought that power from his name into reality.

After all, these people did not come from the same faction, did not share a common belief, and were all a mixed bag of people, many of whom were forced to come here.

If they are divided, they are all thieves; if they are united, they are a disorganized mess.

No one dared to speak, all intimidated by Gu Guanqi alone.

"Sword Immortal Gu Guanqi, what a magnificent sight!"

Just then, a somewhat hoarse voice came from behind the crowd.

Immediately afterwards, a person wearing a ghost mask walked out of a hole. This person was tall and burly, with two fist-sized meteor hammers hanging from his waist.

"Thunder Protector!" "Thunder Protector—"

At this moment, all the bandits seemed to have found their leader and paid their respects. At the same time, the bandit aura that had been suppressed by Gu Guanqi reappeared.

"Are you Lei Ming?" Gu Guanqi asked.

"Yes." The masked man said in a deep voice, "Gu Guanqi, you are a genius. Our sect leader greatly admires you. If you are willing to become a disciple of our compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva, we can promise you the position of Grand Elder, making you the fourth person under the sect leader, second only to the sect leader and the left and right protectors!"

Gu Guanqi chuckled, "Does Wen Qiuchi think so highly of me? Then how do you settle the score between us? I killed her personal disciple and two senior brothers!"

The masked man said, "Our leader is a man of both literary and martial virtues, with a heart that embraces all under heaven. As long as you are willing to submit, all past transgressions will be forgiven!"

Gu Guanqi chuckled softly, about to speak.

Just then, Fire Phoenix suddenly spoke up: "You guys are so insincere. If you want to recruit Young Master Gu, you should at least show your face. It's one thing to just talk the talk, but you won't even meet him. What kind of recruitment is this?"

The masked man said in a deep voice, "The timing is special, and it is inconvenient for me to show myself."

The Fire Phoenix sneered, "Is it that you're inconvenient to show your face, or that you dare not show your face?"

The masked man said coldly, "Where did this wild girl come from? Who gives you the right to speak here?"

The Fire Phoenix revealed a mocking expression and said, "You don't even recognize me, yet you dare to impersonate a protector of my Guanyin Sect!"

""

Everyone was shocked by these words.

Gu Guanqi and Zhu Jing also looked at the Fire Phoenix in surprise.

The masked man demanded, "Who exactly are you?"

Fire Phoenix snorted coldly and said, "My name is Fire Phoenix. You might not know this name, but I also have another title: Sudhana Dragon Girl under Guanyin's command!"

The masked man's pupils contracted.

The Fire Phoenix immediately rebuked, "Who exactly are you, daring to impersonate a protector of my Guanyin Sect and commit such rebellious acts, tarnishing the reputation of the Guanyin Sect!"

At this moment, Zhu Jing exclaimed in surprise, "Fire Phoenix, who exactly are you?"

"I'm sorry," Fire Phoenix said, "Young Master Gu, Lady Zhu, I'm truly sorry, but I'm not actually a member of the Cangzhou Martial Arts Alliance. I'm a member of the Guanyin Sect. My Guanyin Sect has never had the idea of ​​ruling the Qingzhou martial arts world. From beginning to end, we've only responded to the imperial court's call to establish our sect in Qingzhou."

However, my master was unwilling to clash with the martial arts world of Qingzhou, so he requested that the Wenjian Sect convene a martial arts conference to discuss the matter with the various sects. If a reconciliation could not be reached, they would remain in the northern frontier. However, for some reason, rumors suddenly spread in the martial arts world of Qingzhou that my Guanyin Sect wanted to rule the martial arts world of Qingzhou.

My master is currently in the capital and can't come anytime soon, so he sent me to investigate. As soon as I arrived, I discovered someone impersonating my Guanyin Sect and committing perverse acts. I dared not reveal my identity, so I had no choice but to borrow the identity of the Cangzhou Martial Arts Alliance.

As she spoke, Fire Phoenix stared intently at the masked man. Seeing that the man made no move, she glanced at Gu Guanqi, took out a letter from her bosom, and handed it to Gu Guanqi, saying, "Young Master Gu, my master established the Guanyin Sect and completely severed ties with the Heavenly Demon Sect."

My master never intended to settle past grievances with you.

On the contrary, my master actually admires you very much. Well, although this imposter is fake, what he said is similar to what my master said. However, he is still too timid. My master's original words were that if you are willing to join the Guanyin Sect, she can directly promise you the position of vice leader.

Of course, it's fine if you don't want to. This letter is in my master's own handwriting. It clearly states that the Guanyin Sect is the Guanyin Sect, and the Heavenly Demon Sect is the Heavenly Demon Sect. He invites you to the martial arts tournament, where he will explain things to you in person.