Chapter 152: The Murderer Ye Jinglan

Gu Chutong asked, surprised, "Can it be cured?"

“It can,” Wu An replied, “but it’s extremely difficult and requires many rare and powerful medicines...”

“That’s not a problem,” Gu Chutong said. “As long as my brother’s eyes can be cured, we will find a way to get any amount of medicine needed.”

Wu An slowly shook his head. “That’s not the most important thing. The most crucial part is finding a pair of new eyes that are compatible with Senior Gu. Senior Gu’s eyes were poisoned with a potent toxin. Although the poison has been removed, it was too late, causing the eyes to completely necrotize. If my master were alive, his medical skills could bring the eyes back to life. My medical skills aren't capable of that, so the only option is a transplant.”

Gu Chutong quickly asked, “How would you transplant them?”

Wu An simply smiled faintly without speaking.

Confused, Gu Chutong was about to ask again, but Gu Mo waved him off, saying, “Let’s forget about that method.”

Gu Chutong exclaimed anxiously, “Brother…”

Gu Mo waved his hand. “When Doctor Wu talks about replacing eyes, he means digging out the eyes of a living person who is compatible with me!”

“Ah?” Gu Chutong was shocked.

Gu Mo smiled. “We’ll think of other methods later. Brother Zhuo mentioned earlier that he could try to find an imperial physician from the palace to treat me. You don’t need to worry too much.”

Although Qi Miaoxuan had died, Gu Mo’s plan for his eye treatment was temporarily put on hold. However, he wasn't anxious. The medical arts in this world were very powerful. While Qi Miaoxuan was a medical saint, there were still others whose medical skills were just as formidable. Besides Qian, there were also countries like Chu and Xiling.

Furthermore, he had his system, which might one day reward him with unique martial arts that could restore his sight. And with his current skill level, even if his eyes weren't cured, it wouldn’t significantly impact him; the world would merely lack color.

Wu An remarked from the side, “If you could get treatment from the Imperial Medical Academy, it should also be curable. I heard my master say that there are several individuals in the Imperial Medical Academy whose medical skills are no weaker than his.”

Only then did Gu Chutong slightly relax.

Yan Xianmei also chimed in, “I’ve also heard that the court has several imperial physicians with exceptionally profound medical skills…”

Just then,

From behind the screen next to the main hall, a faint rustling sound suddenly emerged, followed by several women whispering and arguing.

Yan Xianmei’s face immediately darkened.

Su Yunjiao, the Palace Master of the Mysterious Maiden Palace, helplessly rubbed her forehead.

In truth, they all knew that several disciples of the Mysterious Maiden Palace were hiding behind the screen, peeking. As long as they didn’t make any noise, everyone chose to turn a blind eye. But now, those disciples were becoming increasingly bold, making sounds. Pretending not to notice them any longer would show great disrespect to Gu Mo.

Immediately, Su Yunjiao reprimanded them, “Come out, all of you! What kind of behavior is this, sneaking and hiding there?”

After a period of silence,

Seven or eight young women with cloud-like updos emerged from behind the ink-wash screen, each lowering her head. Their moon-white palace dresses trailed to the ground, appearing like a cascading galaxy. Each one knew they had done wrong and waited with bowed heads to be lectured.

Gu Chutong, who was sitting next to Gu Mo, had his eyes light up. He whispered, “Brother, remember I told you that besides Lin Qixia, four more of the Ten Fairies came? They’re all here, and they’re incredibly beautiful. The other three aren’t bad either; I heard they are candidates for the Ten Fairies. Any of them would make a great sister-in-law!”

Gu Mo: “...”

Meanwhile, Su Yunjiao’s face was grim as she reprimanded them, “What kind of behavior is this, hiding behind that screen? You…”

“Oh, never mind,”

Yan Xianmei suddenly interrupted Su Yunjiao, saying with a cheerful smile, “It’s natural for young people to admire excellence. These are just unmarried young girls. Upon hearing that a hero and unparalleled talent like Senior Gu has arrived, how could they suppress their curiosity? It’s only human nature, human nature, hahaha. Senior Gu, please forgive their behavior!”

Gu Mo cupped his hands and said, “Senior Yan… you flatter me.”

Yan Xianmei chuckled and said, “What are you all still standing around for? Go forward and pay your respects to Senior Gu!”

Immediately,

The disciples of the Mysterious Maiden Palace stepped forward one by one to greet Gu Mo. As each approached him, they stared intently, scrutinizing him from head to toe. Two of the bolder ones even directly asked Gu Mo if he had anyone he favored.

Gu Mo remained expressionless throughout, politely returning their greetings.

Gu Chutong, however, was overjoyed, continuously sending Gu Mo mental messages: “This one’s good, this one’s good,” “Brother, this one has a shapely figure, she’ll definitely bear big, healthy sons,” “Brother, why not just marry them all…?”

After the greetings, the Mysterious Maiden Palace disciples simply remained in the hall, openly observing Gu Mo, the legendary Senior Gu of Yunzhou.

Afterward, Gu Mo chatted with Yan Xianmei and Su Yunjiao for a while longer, exchanging insights on martial arts, then bid them farewell and departed.

Yan Xianmei and Su Yunjiao personally saw Gu Mo and his brother off.

After leaving the courtyard where the Mysterious Maiden Palace was stationed,

Gu Chutong remained in an excited state, practically skipping as he walked. He incessantly chattered to Gu Mo about which of the Mysterious Maiden Palace disciples had a good personality and which seemed difficult to deal with.

“Brother,” Gu Chutong said, “I noticed that Senior Yan and Palace Master Su Yunjiao seemed very eager to set you up with the disciples of the Mysterious Maiden Palace. I have a feeling that if you fancied any of them, they would immediately agree to a marriage proposal. Wow, Brother, those Mysterious Maiden Palace disciples earlier, their eyes were practically glued to you!”

Gu Mo said in a low voice, “Don’t you think it’s a bit too utilitarian?”

Gu Chutong tilted his head and said, “That’s perfectly normal. You are a Grandmaster, the Senior Gu of Yunzhou, and without affiliation. To any sect, you’re a prize catch. It’s completely normal for the Mysterious Maiden Palace to be a bit pragmatic. Isn’t their biggest advantage having many eligible young women? And they are all as beautiful as flowers. Besides, you are the Senior Gu of Yunzhou! Do you think anyone would consider you unworthy?”

Gu Mo waved his hand. “Alright, let’s not talk about that anymore. Did you feel that Wu An was a bit off?”

Gu Chutong frowned, thought carefully, and said, “No, I don’t think so. He seemed quite normal to me.”

“No,” Gu Mo said. “There’s a clear loophole in what Wu An said.”

“Where?”

“He said he was scared and hid for a few days,” Gu Mo explained. “Normally, even if a martial artist dislikes dealing with the authorities or Six Doors, he should still seek help from familiar martial arts experts. There are many renowned martial artists and orthodox sects in Qingzhou City, and quite a few had good relations with Qi Miaoxuan. Therefore, Wu An’s behavior is clearly illogical. From this, we can infer that he was evading something, and the reason for his evasion was that the killer was too powerful – so powerful that even with Qi Miaoxuan’s connections, they wouldn't dare provoke them; so powerful that Six Doors couldn't handle them. Yet, after the Mysterious Maiden Palace found him, he still didn't tell the truth, which indicates that the killer is not only powerful but also connected to the Mysterious Maiden Palace. So, the killer is obvious – Ye Jinglan of the Heaven’s Blade Sect!”

Gu Chutong stared at Gu Mo, dumbfounded, and exclaimed, “Brother, are you this sharp now? You can deduce so many clues from just a tiny suspicion! You’re amazing!”

“Oh, not really.”

Gu Mo opened his palm, revealing a small note with a few words written on it: The killer is Ye Jinglan.

“Wu An slipped it to me when he was examining my eyes,” Gu Mo explained. “Then, I roughly felt it, and based on touch, I deduced that the note said the killer was Ye Jinglan. That’s why I worked backward to make my deduction.”

Gu Chutong: “...”

“Brother, you’re no fun!”

Gu Mo smiled and said, “Go contact Zhuo Qingfeng. See if Six Doors is willing to get involved.”

Gu Chutong nodded. “No wonder Wu An barely escaped with his life but dared not come out. Qingzhou City is the Jiangyou territory, Ye Jinglan’s domain. Most of the major gangs in the city are affiliated with the Heaven’s Blade Sect, and besides them, there’s the influence of the Mysterious Maiden Palace. Everyone knows now that the Mysterious Maiden Palace and the Heaven’s Blade Sect have formed a powerful alliance. No matter who he turned to, it would be walking into a trap. As for Six Doors, even we know they might not get involved, so Wu An naturally knows too. His situation truly was desperate.”

Gu Mo nodded. “It was quite desperate. The key is that he didn’t manage to hide, and the Mysterious Maiden Palace found him.”

“However, he’s quite clever,” Gu Chutong said. “He knew the Mysterious Maiden Palace would choose to shield Ye Jinglan at this time. So, he cooperated, essentially using his status to clear Ye Jinglan’s suspicion and restore his reputation, especially since there have been many rumors recently about Ye Jinglan killing Qi Miaoxuan.”

That afternoon,

A team from Six Doors arrived at Divine Weapon Manor and immediately took Wu An away.

Zhuo Qingfeng was among them. He didn’t return with the team but came directly to Gu Mo’s courtyard.

“After receiving Miss Chutong’s message, Six Doors immediately went to Tingsong Ridge and indeed unearthed a corpse on the mountainside,” Zhuo Qingfeng said, taking a sip of tea. “Although it was already decomposed, we could still identify it as Qi Miaoxuan’s body. But don’t worry, Six Doors maintains excellent secrecy; no one will know that you reported it.”

Gu Mo said exasperatedly, “Anyone could guess I was the one who tipped them off. Six Doors came right after meeting me today.”

Zhuo Qingfeng smiled. “Actually, the Mysterious Maiden Palace dared to let you see Wu An because they had their reasons and were prepared for you to inform Six Doors.”

“What do you mean?” Gu Mo asked. “Do they believe Wu An could keep their secret and cover for Ye Jinglan even after being taken by Six Doors?”

“Of course not,” Zhuo Qingfeng replied. “Yan Xianmei and the others are well aware that once Wu An is with Six Doors, he will truthfully reveal that Ye Jinglan is the real killer. However, that’s not important, because Yan Xianmei understands Six Doors’ rules. They will only officially identify the culprit after the decisive battle at Duanhun Cliff.”

“If Ye Jinglan wins, it means he will become the new leader of Qingzhou’s martial arts world. No matter what Wu An says, Six Doors will not publicly declare Ye Jinglan as the killer. They will only make Wu An stick to his original story, pointing to an enemy from a non-existent Tingsong Villa.”

“And if Ye Jinglan loses, he will lose everything, including his life. At that point, whether or not he is identified as the killer will be meaningless to the Mysterious Maiden Palace, and there would be no point in protecting him. Therefore, the Mysterious Maiden Palace doesn’t care whether Wu An is taken to Six Doors or not!”