Chapter 126: Wind Rises

The ordinary town was brightly lit. There weren't many shops along the streets, a sign that it hadn't been bustling or prosperous in the past. However, now, martial artists came and went in an endless stream, creating a great deal of noise.

Gu Mo, Gu Chudong, and the Twin Immortals of Xueling, a group of four, arrived at an inn. Inside, some patrons sat around tables, playing finger-guessing games and drinking with hearty laughter, while others engaged in lively discussions, creating a boisterous atmosphere.

"Innkeeper, we'd like four superior rooms!" Gu Chudong gently tapped the counter.

The innkeeper, who had been calculating accounts, looked up with a smile and said, "Sirs, you can eat here, but I can't offer you rooms."

"What do you mean?" Gu Chudong asked, puzzled. "Are there no rooms left?"

The innkeeper shook his head. "It's not that there are no rooms; it's that they cannot be offered."

Gu Mo and the Twin Immortals of Xueling, standing behind, also looked puzzled. Gu Chudong frowned and asked, "If there are rooms, why can't you give them to us?"

"Young lady," a seasoned swordsman drinking in the inn said at that moment, "Cangshan Town is not like it used to be. To stay in a room, you have to prove your skill."

Gu Chudong cupped her hands and said, "Please enlighten me."

The swordsman took a sip of wine and said, "All the inns and taverns in Cangshan Town have been completely booked out by someone. To find lodging, you need that person's permission. Otherwise, you'll have to seek shelter with local residents or squeeze into a spot in the alleys or streets to rest."

"Completely booked out?" Gu Chudong asked, surprised. "Who did that? Aren't they afraid of being beaten?"

The swordsman chuckled. "He truly isn't afraid of being beaten. The one who booked out all the inns is Daoist Yuan, the Ten Directions Swordsman from Qiushan Sword School in Yunzhou. The rule he set is that only those with superior martial arts skills can stay in the inns."

"Daoist Yuan?" Gu Chudong frowned. "Is his martial arts skill that high? With so many people fighting him, wouldn't he get tired?"

"He would get tired," the swordsman said, "but people from Canglan Sword Sect are also helping him."

Gu Chudong asked, "What are the rules?"

The swordsman said, "There's an inn called Yuelai Inn in the center of town, where they've set up a fighting stage. The rules are simple: survive three moves against him, and you can stay in a lower-grade inn. Remain undefeated for ten moves, and you get a mid-grade inn; for thirty moves, a superior inn. If you remain undefeated for one hundred moves, you can choose any inn and as many rooms as you wish. If you want to stay in an inn, it's best to go to Yuelai Inn now, or else when they rest, you'll have to sleep on the streets!"

"What if someone can't even last three moves?" Gu Chudong asked.

"Hehe," the swordsman chuckled. "Then be sensible and ask them to arrange lodging for you. However, you'll only be able to stay in those very poor residential homes."

"Thank you for the information." Gu Chudong cupped her hands, then looked at Gu Mo and asked, "Brother, what do you say?"

"Let's go to Yuelai Inn."

"Alright!"

Immediately, the four of them left the inn. As Gu Chudong and the other three walked out of the inn, many people from inside followed, shouting that there was a show to watch.

Soon, Gu Mo and his companions arrived outside Yuelai Inn.

From afar, they saw a makeshift fighting stage set up in the center of the street. A stern-faced, unsmiling middle-aged swordsman stood upon it, surrounded by many onlookers.

Below the stage, at a table, sat a short, plump middle-aged man resembling a local landlord, dressed in a dark brown silk robe. He had a comical goatee and was slouching lazily in his chair, holding a wine gourd. He was shouting, "Hurry up and register! A five-tael silver registration fee, and you can go up and challenge. Only five spots left today! Those who want to stay in an inn should hurry! Five taels of silver is no loss; even if you can't win, having a chance to spar with Daoist Yuan is an opportunity you can't buy with money on an ordinary day!"

While speaking, the old fat man lowered his head and counted the silver taels in the plate, overjoyed. Many people watching him were itching to beat him up, but could only fantasize about it, because striking the old fat man was no easier than challenging Daoist Yuan on the stage. The old fat man was none other than Sang Tugong, one of the Ten Great Elders of Canglan Sword Sect, known in the martial arts world as the Laughing Arhat. Despite his plump appearance, his swordsmanship was exceedingly skilled, and he also possessed formidable, unpredictable gu techniques.

Perhaps because most of the day's challengers had already participated, no one registered for a challenge for the time being.

Just then, a calm voice spoke out: "Does everyone who wants to stay in an inn have to fight?"

Sang Tugong didn't even lift his head. "Of course," he said, "even if the King of Heaven himself came, they'd have to prove their skill to stay in an inn."

"Then can we challenge you?"

"Of course you can."

"Alright then, sign me up."

Sang Tugong immediately broke into a smile. "That's more like it, young man! Don't worry about a few taels of silver; this is a rare opportunity..."

While speaking, Sang Tugong pocketed the silver, then slowly raised his head. His eyes fell upon Gu Mo standing in front of him, and he immediately shivered with fright, his body going limp, sliding under the table like a pile of mud. He then quickly scrambled out from under the table, like a plump ball of flesh, stammering, "You... You... How did you get here, esteemed elder?"

Gu Mo chuckled and cupped his hands. "You are the elder, Senior Sang. I'm here to register!"

"Oh dear," Sang Tugong exclaimed upon hearing "Senior" and the mention of registration, his body going limp and almost collapsing, thankfully caught by Gu Mo's outstretched hand. He quickly said, "Oh, my hero Gu, please don't joke with an old man like me." As he spoke, Sang Tugong noticed Gu Chudong chuckling beside them and said, "My dear young lady, please don't make fun of me. In Pinggu County, I bought you so many sugar-coated hawthorns. You don't remember any of that goodness, letting the Great Hero Gu scare an old fellow like me!"

"Hehe," Gu Chudong laughed. "Who told you to be so disrespectful in your old age and extort money here? Five taels for a registration fee, you're too greedy. Aren't you afraid Master Qi will find out and say you're ruining the reputation of your Canglan Sword Sect?"

Sang Tugong said helplessly, "I have my reasons, alright..." With that, he immediately shouted to those around him, "Where have all the disciples of Canglan Sword Sect gone? Hurry and come pay respects to the Great Hero of Yunzhou!"

Immediately, about a dozen young disciples dressed in Canglan Sword Sect attire emerged from the crowd, cupping their hands in unison and bowing, "Greetings, Great Hero Gu!"

Immediately after, shouts erupted from the crowd: "Has Great Hero Gu actually come in person?"

"Gui Changshu of the Divine Fist Sect in Yunzhou greets Great Hero Gu!"

"Sima Wei of Jinlan Prefecture greets Great Hero Gu and Heroine Gu."

For a time, the crowd surged. Many martial artists from Yunzhou who had been watching the excitement here pushed forward to pay their respects to Gu Mo. These were not minor figures but well-known individuals in the martial arts world, making the scene extremely lively.

This scene puzzled many martial artists from Qingzhou on the street, and they began discussing it. They all inquired about Gu Mo's identity, wondering how someone so young could hold such a prominent position in the Yunzhou martial arts world.

Even Daoist Yuan, the Ten Directions Swordsman, who was usually stern and silent, flew down from the fighting stage. He respectfully cupped his hands towards Gu Mo and called out, "Great Hero Gu."

The Qingzhou martial artists were shocked when they heard that Gu Mo was a recognized grandmaster of the Yunzhou martial arts world, and that his title was directly prefixed with Yunzhou. However, many were more skeptical, believing that Gu Mo, being so young, was likely not living up to his reputation. What they found even more absurd was that this grandmaster specialized in internal martial arts, which notoriously requires the most time to refine.

The Twin Immortals of Xueling, following behind Gu Mo, deeply sympathized when they heard the crowd's doubts about his strength. In fact, when they first received news about Gu Mo, their skepticism outweighed their acceptance. After all, an internal martial arts grandmaster barely past twenty was, by any measure, hard to believe.

Internal martial arts are widely recognized as requiring the most time to hone among all martial arts. The two sisters specialized in internal martial arts, having cultivated it since childhood, and even with nearly forty years of cultivation to date, they still couldn't be considered internal martial arts grandmasters.

However, after witnessing Gu Mo effortlessly kill Fan Tangxi, the Soul-Chasing Whip, with a casual flick of his finger from a distance of four or five zhang at Kongming Temple, they no longer harbored any doubts.

At this moment, the long street was teeming with people.

Gu Mo, Sang Tugong, and a crowd of Yunzhou martial artists entered Yuelai Inn, surrounded by a throng of people.

The group took their seats one by one. Gu Mo was naturally placed in the main seat at the center of the hall, with Gu Chudong at the right-hand seat of honor. However, when arranging seats for the Twin Immortals of Xueling, Sang Tugong couldn't quite figure out their relationship with Gu Mo.

Although the Twin Immortals of Xueling were veiled, they possessed graceful figures and remarkable temperaments. Following a young, unmarried man like Gu Mo naturally led to speculation. Therefore, Sang Tugong and the others were very polite to the Twin Immortals of Xueling and arranged for them to sit beside Gu Chudong.

However, Gu Chudong was quick-witted; she immediately had the Twin Immortals of Xueling sit in front. This action made everyone present ponder, and Sang Tugong quickly asked, "Great Hero Gu, may I ask who these two ladies are?"

Everyone looked over, full of curiosity.

With two beautiful women accompanying a young grandmaster like Gu Mo, it was hard for people not to entertain romantic rumors.

Gu Mo quickly introduced them: "These two are Immortal Ling Su and Immortal Wan Yue from Xueling Mountain Villa in Qingzhou. I met them by chance and came here together with them."

Immediately, everyone was greatly surprised.

The Twin Immortals of Xueling were not unknown figures in the martial arts world; in fact, among those present, only Sang Tugong and Daoist Yuan, the Ten Directions Swordsman, could be considered to be on the same level as them.

Sang Tugong held the position of an elder in Canglan Sword Sect, while Daoist Yuan was the second disciple of Li Qiuyu, the Grandmaster and Sword Head of Qiushan Sword School.

"It is indeed the Twin Immortals of Xueling! Please forgive this old man's poor eyesight; I am truly disrespectful!" Sang Tugong quickly rose to his feet.

All the martial artists present stood up and saluted.

Ye Ling Su and Ye Wan Yue, the sisters, did not put on airs; they removed their veils and rose to return the greeting.

"It is often inconvenient for us women to travel in the martial arts world, so we had no choice but to conceal our identities. Please forgive us!"

"Understood, understood!"

"You are too kind, Immortals!"

Everyone present naturally understood. The Twin Immortals of Xueling were famously beautiful in the martial arts world, and when traveling, their beauty often attracted unnecessary trouble. Therefore, when not accompanied by their disciples, wearing veils indeed reduced many problems for them. It wasn't out of fear, but simply because no one wished to attract trouble everywhere they went.

After the exchange of greetings, Sang Tugong examined the Twin Immortals of Xueling and asked, puzzled, "Have the two Immortals been injured?"

Ye Ling Su cupped her hands and asked, "How did Elder Sang figure that out?"

Sang Tugong said, "I have some basic medical knowledge and am quite sensitive to the smell of blood. Although the two Immortals used perfume to mask it, ordinary people wouldn't notice, but I could distinguish it."

Ye Ling Su said, "Yes, we sustained some minor injuries, but nothing serious, just some superficial wounds."

Sang Tugong said, "I have some excellent golden wound medicine, a unique secret formula not available on the market, which has miraculous effects on flesh wounds. I'll have someone deliver it to the two Immortals shortly."

"Then we thank you very much."

"It's a small matter, a small matter!"

Sang Tugong waved his hand and began to explain to Gu Mo, "Great Hero Gu, we didn't set up this fighting stage here just to make money; we truly had no choice."

Gu Mo chuckled. "Elder Sang, please don't take my sister's words to heart. She's young and naive; please don't blame her."

"Heroine Gu is innocent and spirited; I already knew that back in Qiandeng Town." Sang Tugong smiled and cupped his hands. "Great Hero Gu, to be honest, setting up this fighting stage here was a last resort. During this period, martial artists from all over have come to Cangshan to search for the Netherworld Ephemeral Flower, but it only appears on the night of the full moon. Those who arrive early can only wait. However, there's only one Cangshan Town in the entire Cangshan area, so people from all walks of life have converged here, leading to extremely chaotic order.

People of the martial arts world are fine; they are accustomed to fighting and killing. But the common folk in this town face trouble. As you know, among those who wander the martial arts world, there are good people, but many bad ones too. In just this short time, many incidents of arson, murder, and robbery have already occurred. Therefore, our Canglan Sword Sect teamed up with Qiushan Sword School to establish rules here. Ostensibly, it's about room and lodging, but in reality, it's to compile a registry and make those martial artists exercise restraint and be wary."

"I see. Elder Sang and Great Hero Yuan are indeed worthy of being from reputable orthodox sects; this act is truly righteous!"

Gu Mo nodded slightly, strongly agreeing with the actions of Sang Tugong and Daoist Yuan. Their conduct truly displayed the demeanor of a great sect.

This is the difference between the orthodox and the demonic paths.

Undeniably, whether orthodox or demonic, everyone who ventures into the martial arts world does so for fame and fortune. Among the orthodox sects, there are certainly corrupt elements, like the Four Directions Sword School in Qingyang Commandery before. Similarly, among the demonic paths, there are also righteous individuals. However, one cannot deny the orthodox path and affirm the demonic path simply because of a few exceptions.

This is because the orthodox and demonic paths have fundamental differences. The demonic path stops at nothing for profit, while the orthodox path, while also pursuing profit, adheres to rules and cares about reputation. They may not always have a strict bottom line in everything they do, but they will certainly try their best to maintain their public image.

Take Cangshan Town now, where people from all walks of life have gathered. They are all martial artists, accustomed to fighting and killing year-round, and unlikely to care much for the law. In such circumstances, the lives of ordinary people would be difficult. If the demonic path were here, they would likely disregard rules even more, leading acts of arson, murder, and robbery for sheer gratification. But orthodox sects like Canglan Sword Sect and Qiushan Sword School are different; they would try to maintain order.

Judging by deeds, not intentions, one shouldn't dwell on whether their purpose was to earn money or gain reputation. In reality, they genuinely helped the common folk, administered justice for them, and maintained order.

Gu Mo also found Sang Tugong's actions justifiable – charging a registration fee, booking out all inns at a low price, and renting them out at a higher price to earn a profit. If they work hard as agents of justice, yet are not allowed to earn fame or profit, why would they offend so many people to stand up for the common folk?

Sang Tugong chuckled. "As for charging some money, it's truly unavoidable. We had to spend money to book out all the inns, including residential homes. Only then can we make other martial artists wary, making them stay as guests of our Canglan Sword Sect and Qiushan Sword School. If they dare to act recklessly, we'll have legitimate reasons to intervene and punish them. Furthermore, everyone who checks in must register their information with us. If they plan to commit murder or arson and simply leave, we can track them down, which makes them wary. So, charging some money is also to recoup our costs; this expense is not small."

Gu Mo naturally wouldn't expose Sang Tugong's profit-making scheme. He cupped his hands and said, "This is perfectly reasonable and beyond reproach. However, Lingnan is ultimately within Qingzhou territory. With your Canglan Sword Sect and Qiushan Sword School stepping forward here, won't the martial arts factions in Qingzhou have objections?"

In the martial arts world, regionalism is quite important.

Canglan Sword Sect is the undisputed leader of the martial arts world in Yunzhou. If they acted this way within Yunzhou territory, it would naturally be unobjectionable. However, doing so in Qingzhou territory could easily be misinterpreted as a provocation, potentially triggering a regional conflict if one isn't careful.

"Hehe," Sang Tugong chuckled. "Naturally, they wouldn't be pleased. That's why I called upon Daoist Yuan. I handle the affairs, and he handles the fighting. It kills two birds with one stone: it suppresses those Qingzhou factions, and it satisfies the known fondness for fighting of Great Hero Yuan and others.

Furthermore, I've already greeted the major factions that have arrived in Cangshan Town. There's no need to mention those from Yunzhou; everyone supports us. As for the Qingzhou factions, they are the Shennong Gang, Xiandu Temple, the Shi family, and Yanxing Gate.

The Shennong Gang is a local power in Lingnan, and they are the least eager for trouble in Cangshan Town, so they naturally won't object. As for Xiandu Temple, Old Daoist Qingyun came this time. This fellow is solely devoted to cultivation and rarely interferes with martial arts affairs, so he also doesn't object. As for the Shi family, Mr. Iron Qin, Shi Hongye, is here. He's a friend of mine, so he doesn't object either. The only one who objected was Situ Heng, the head of Yanxing Gate, but he lost to Daoist Yuan in three hundred moves, leaving him with nothing to say. And after that, as for the other experts, leaving them to Daoist Yuan is no problem!"

Gu Mo nodded.

Daoist Yuan's worth was still quite high. As the second disciple of Grandmaster Li Qiuyu, although his reputation couldn't compare to his senior brother Jiang Wanzhao, he was still the third most important figure in Qiushan Sword School and undoubtedly a top expert in the martial arts world, among the first tier of individuals below grandmasters.

Immediately after, Sang Tugong added, "However, now that you, Great Hero Gu, have arrived, Cangshan Town will need you to preside over the overall situation..."

Gu Mo waved his hand. "Let's not talk about that. I'm just a lone wanderer of the martial arts world; what right do I have to manage these things? I came to Cangshan to search for the Netherworld Ephemeral Flower, and I have no interest in meddling with other matters."

Sang Tugong then looked at the Twin Immortals of Xueling, cupped his hands, and said, "Two Immortals, I have just explained the situation. As renowned figures of the Qingzhou martial arts world, if you have any advice or instructions, please feel free to speak."

Ye Ling Su chuckled softly and said, "Elder Sang, you've done very well. Canglan Sword Sect is truly worthy of being one of the Top Three Sects, leaders of the Qian Kingdom's martial arts world. Your actions are just and chivalrous. My sister and I greatly admire and fully support your sect's initiative. However, we do have one request."

"Please speak," Sang Tugong quickly said.

"Elder Sang, if you would be so kind as to arrange two rooms for my sister and me to rest," Ye Ling Su said.

"Of course, of course!" Sang Tugong quickly said, "Before you even entered, I had already instructed my disciples to arrange them. The two of you can rest whenever you wish. However, I have already arranged a banquet here, and I hope the two Immortals will grace us with their presence."

"No," Ye Ling Su waved her hand, "Thank you for your kindness, Elder Sang. However, my sister and I have some injuries, which cause inconvenience, so we'll go rest first."

Since Ye Ling Su had said so, Sang Tugong couldn't press further. He quickly beckoned a female disciple to lead the Twin Immortals of Xueling to their rooms to rest.

Soon after, a disciple came to announce that the banquet was ready.

Sang Tugong immediately pulled Gu Mo away to drink. As they walked, he leaned close to Gu Mo, winking and whispering, "Great Hero Gu, hehe, the room I arranged for you is right next to the Twin Immortals of Xueling's room, hehe. I have a kind of elixir, and I'm telling you, after taking it, fighting two at once will be absolutely no problem!"

Gu Mo's mouth twitched. "Elder Sang, you've misunderstood. My relationship with the Twin Immortals of Xueling is not what you imagine. On the way here, I accidentally came across them fighting members of the Moon-Worshipping Cult and helped them out, which is how we met. It just so happened that they were also coming to Cangshan Town, so we traveled together. Where did your thoughts wander off to?"

"Is that so," Sang Tugong said with a look of disappointment. "I thought Great Hero Gu, you... tsk tsk tsk, those are the Twin Immortals of Xueling! In our generation, when we were young, countless people pursued them, but to this day, no one has succeeded. I thought Great Hero Gu, you had accomplished what no one in my generation could, and caught two at once!"

Gu Mo said, speechless, "You just said they're from your generation. How old do you think I am?"

Sang Tugong said