Chapter 14: Clue Lost

The following morning, Qu Heng and his group packed their bags and departed early.

Gu Mo handed the heads of Iron Arhat and Nun Kuh-xin to Qu Heng, entrusting him to deliver them to Yan Sanniang in Linjiang City. The heads were quite valuable, too much to discard, but also cumbersome to carry. Having witnessed Gu Mo's martial arts and knowing he was now a bounty hunter, Qu Heng didn't press for details about Gu Mo's mission in Zhushan County. He simply offered a few words of caution about safety before departing. He also didn't inquire further into why Gu Mo's martial arts had improved so dramatically. As for helping Gu Mo transport the two heads, he naturally did not refuse.

After seeing off Qu Heng and his companions, Gu Mo also bid farewell to Tang Buyi.

"Brother Gu," Tang Buyi said, "when you've finished your business, you must come to my home and stay for a couple of days. While Zhushan County may not compare to Linjiang City, it has its own unique character, and I'd be happy to show you around."

Gu Mo nodded slightly, saying, "If I have time, I'll certainly pay you a visit."

"I'll be waiting for you," Tang Buyi replied. "Also, Brother Gu, if you need anything at all, feel free to come to me anytime. I'll be staying at home for a while, and my word, Tang Buyi's word, still carries some weight in Zhushan County."

"Alright," Gu Mo replied, not standing on ceremony. "If I truly run into trouble, I'll certainly come to you, Brother Tang. Farewell!"

"Take care," Tang Buyi said, waving to Gu Chutong. "Sister Chutong, take care!"

Gu Chutong waved back, then helped Gu Mo into their carriage, and they quickly departed.

***

After leaving the Tang family estate, Gu Mo and Gu Chutong arrived at a bustling street and found a pawnshop named Zhicheng Pawnshop. This pawnshop was operated by Wen Yong, Yan Sanniang's informant, known in the martial arts world as 'Night Mouse'. Ostensibly, it functioned as a pawnshop that also offered usurious loans, but in reality, it fenced stolen goods for various underworld figures, including tomb raiders and pickpockets.

"Brother, something's wrong," Gu Chutong said. "This pawnshop is sealed, there are official seals on it!"

Gu Mo, unable to see, asked, "Ask someone at the shop next door."

"Okay."

Immediately, Gu Chutong walked towards a nearby shop, with Gu Mo accompanying her. Although Gu Mo couldn't see, his senses were exceptionally sharp. Unless faced with unusual circumstances, he could generally walk like a sighted person, though he moved a little slower in unfamiliar areas.

The shop next to the pawnshop was a general store, owned by a very enthusiastic middle-aged woman in her forties. However, her demeanor instantly turned cold when she realized Gu Chutong wasn't there to make a purchase.

Gu Chutong quickly said, "Shopkeeper, I pawned something here a few days ago and wanted to retrieve it today, but the pawnshop is sealed. What happened?"

The female shopkeeper pursed her lips and said, "You can forget about it; your belongings won't be retrieved. The night before last, the shop was robbed, the owner was killed, and all the valuables were stolen."

"The owner's name was Wen Yong, wasn't it?"

"Yes," the female shopkeeper replied. "I heard he died a horrible death; half his head was sliced off!"

"Has the killer been caught?"

"I don't know. You'd have to inquire at the magistrate's office to find that out."

"Alright, thank you, shopkeeper."

Gu Chutong and Gu Mo exited the general store. Gu Chutong then asked, "Brother, what do we do now? Wen Yong is dead. How are we going to find Fei Long?"

Gu Mo pondered for a moment. "Let's go to the Tang family," he said. "We'll ask Tang Buyi to help us inquire at the magistrate's office and see if Wen Yong left any clues about Fei Long. If we still can't find anything, we'll have to ask Tang Buyi to leverage his influence in Zhushan County to locate Fei Long."

"Brother, could Fei Long have killed Wen Yong?" Gu Chutong asked. "And might he have already left Zhushan County?"

Gu Mo considered this. "If that's the case," he said, "it means there's a strong possibility that Fei Long is definitely still in Zhushan County. Perhaps he's about to stay in one location for a long time, and Wen Yong was the only one who knew his whereabouts. Fearing exposure, Fei Long might have chosen to silence him. Alternatively, it's possible Wen Yong had a conflict of interest with Fei Long, or Fei Long discovered his intention to betray his location and killed him in anger. Or, it might not have been Fei Long at all. However, we need to gather more information about the crime scene to draw any conclusions."

***

Gu Mo and Gu Chutong immediately rushed back to the Tang family estate. When the gatekeeper announced Gu Mo and Gu Chutong's return, Tang Buyi immediately came out to greet them. As soon as he reached the entrance and saw them, he eagerly asked, "Brother Gu, Sister Chutong, have you finished your business?"

"No," Gu Mo replied, cupping his hands. "Brother Tang, we've run into some trouble and would like to ask for your help."

"No problem at all, just tell me what you need," Tang Buyi readily agreed.

Gu Mo explained, "I was actually going to visit a friend, but when I arrived, I discovered he had been murdered the night before last. Do you have any connections at the magistrate's office? Could you help us inquire about the specifics of the case?"

"That's no problem at all," Tang Buyi replied. "I have many friends at the county magistrate's office. I can take you there right now to get the details."

Immediately, Tang Buyi got into Gu Mo's carriage, and they headed straight for the county magistrate's office. Tang Buyi's status as the young master of the Tang family proved very useful. The Inspector from the Patrol Office personally received them.

The Inspector stated, "Based on our Patrol Office's investigation of the scene, we've tentatively determined that Wen Yong and the perpetrator knew each other. Wen Yong secretly ran a fencing business. On the night of the incident, he sent his apprentices away and remained in the shop alone, likely to meet one of his associates. His associates were typically tomb raiders or pickpockets—unsavory characters he always met in private. The crime scene showed no signs of struggle; Wen Yong was killed with a single blow. The assailant was a master with a blade, slicing off half of Wen Yong's head in one clean stroke—a feat only someone of profound skill could accomplish. It's highly probable that the perpetrator acted out of rage, as Wen Yong's limbs were severed. According to the coroner's examination, Wen Yong died from the fatal head injury before his limbs were cut off. Moreover, the assailant wasn't after money, as many valuable items in Wen Yong's shop were left untouched."

Gu Chutong asked, puzzled, "But didn't you say all the valuable items in the shop were stolen?"

"No," the Inspector clarified. "The items in the shop were stolen the next day by Wen Yong's apprentice. He discovered Wen Yong dead when he opened the shop in the morning, got greedy, stole many valuable items, hid them, and only then reported the crime. Our Patrol Office constables later uncovered his theft."

"So, are there any clues about the killer?"

"Not yet," the Inspector replied.

Gu Mo then asked a few more questions, but he didn't receive much useful information. Soon after, they bid farewell and departed.

After leaving the magistrate's office, Gu Chutong leaned closer to Gu Mo and whispered, "Brother, it was most likely Fei Long. A master with a blade, acting out of rage, someone Wen Yong knew – it all matches. It's highly probable that Fei Long discovered Wen Yong was betraying him and killed him in a fit of rage. It certainly wouldn't have been an unknown enemy, otherwise Wen Yong wouldn't have dismissed his apprentices to meet alone."

Gu Mo pondered for a moment, then said to Tang Buyi, "Brother Tang, I'll be honest with you. I'm a bounty hunter, and I came to Zhushan County to apprehend a wanted criminal: Fei Long, the leader of the Flying Horse Gang. The Wen Yong who was killed was an informant for Swiftwind Tower, with which I'm affiliated. I suspect he was killed by Fei Long, and Fei Long is very likely hiding somewhere in Zhushan County right now. Your Tang family wields significant influence here; could you assist us in finding him?"

"This..." Tang Buyi hesitated, looking troubled. "Brother Gu, it's not that I'm unwilling to help, but I can't make the decision on this matter myself. I know of Fei Long; he's a notoriously vicious criminal. My Tang family might not be willing to provoke such a person. I'll need to ask my father. Only if he agrees can I use the Tang family's resources!"