Chapter 188: Jiong Mountain (Part 1)

Yu Shijiu frowned and said, "Actually, I still have one doubt: how does Lin Duanyun control Ke Wenhui? Grandmaster Gu knows about the existence of the Mental Slave Seal. So, if Ke Wenhui is controlled by Lin Duanyun using such a seal, how can he hide that fact from Grandmaster Gu?"

Master Jingkong shook his head. "I have never seen the Zombie Art and do not know its intricacies, so I cannot answer that question. However, the predecessor of the Zombie Art is your Spirit Tribe's Fiery Golden Body Art. You should know some of its secrets, right?"

Yu Shijiu replied, "The Fiery Golden Body Art and the Zombie Art are not the same martial art. He Changqing was indeed remarkably talented. When he stole the Fiery Golden Body Art, he merely adopted its concept of abandoning the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Strictly speaking, the Zombie Art and the Fiery Golden Body Art are not the same."

Master Jingkong said, "However, that is not the main point right now. Lin Duanyun must have other means. Perhaps he controls Ke Wenhui through something other than a Mental Slave Seal, which is why Grandmaster Gu couldn't detect it.Currently, what's important is that among those who participated in the siege against He Changqing, only I, Yang Tingyun, the sect leader of the Dragon Gate Sect, and Qin Tie, the former leader of the Golden Palm Gang, are still alive. If my suspicions are correct, these two will undoubtedly go to the Qiongshan Sect to offer condolences for Bai Qiliao, as they shared a deep bond with him.Given Lin Duanyun's vengeful nature, he will surely seize this opportunity to ambush and kill them. I even suspect he might move against the other major sects. After all, Ke Wenhui has already taken the blame, so no matter how much commotion arises now, it can ultimately be attributed to Ke Wenhui, with everything being framed as those who cultivated the Zombie Art continuing Ke Wenhui's mission.Not only will Lin Duanyun avoid suspicion, but he can also take advantage of the situation by claiming to eliminate Zombie Art practitioners to unite the various sects. From then on, he will become the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, unifying the martial arts world of the Northern Desert."

Yu Shijiu said gravely, "Currently, there is only one solution. Tengteng Town, near Shatuo City, has a Six Doors outpost. We must go to them immediately. Only they possess the ability to swiftly rescue Qin Tie and Yang Tingyun, and have the power to go to the Qiongshan Sect and expose Lin Duanyun's true identity!"

Master Jingkong hesitated, asking, "The Six Doors... are they capable?"

Yu Shijiu quickly replied, "Master, please rest assured. The Six Doors are different now. The Six Doors branches across the Northern Desert have been integrated into a county-level organization, operating completely independent of local governments. Furthermore, Inspector Zhuo Qingfeng, known as the 'Divine Swift Catcher,' is a man who despises evil, possesses a firm character, and is truly capable of handling major affairs. His ability to form a bond of life and death with Grandmaster Gu Mo is sufficient proof of his character and competence."

Master Jingkong nodded slightly. "In that case, let's go. We will ask the Six Doors to rescue Yang Tingyun and Qin Tie, and we will immediately head to the Qiongshan Sect. Without my presence, even if the Six Doors claim Lin Duanyun is the mastermind behind the zombie incidents, it will likely be difficult to convince the martial arts world."

Yu Shijiu and Master Jingkong concluded their discussion. However, they did not leave immediately. Instead, they remained in the room for a while longer before finally departing.

Master Jingkong continued to feign injury and instructed the young monks to disperse and hide down the mountain. Afterward, he and Yu Shijiu headed towards Tengteng Town.As Master Jingkong and his companions left Shatuo Temple, a figure silently watched from a desolate forest nearby. Seeing that Master Jingkong was unharmed, the figure turned and vanished into the woods.

At the Six Doors Yamen in Changling County, after returning from Tuoling Town, Gu Mo and Gu Chuxia were recuperating. They quietly waited for the Six Doors to find a suitable wanted criminal, while Gu Chuxia trained tirelessly, day and night. Gu Chuxia's time was incredibly tight because she had so much to learn: Cloud Ladder Leap for lightness skill, Nine Solitary Swords for swordsmanship, Bright Jade Skill for internal cultivation, and Extinction Cross Blade for blade art. If Gu Chuxia hadn't been so overwhelmed, Gu Mo even planned to teach her the I Ching so he could later impart the Lingbo Weibu (Drifting Steps).Most martial artists lamented their lack of profound techniques, whereas Gu Chuxia was burdened by having too many to learn. Gu Mo, on the other hand, felt a pang of regret. The ancient Buddha relic that Master Dingchan had given him in Qingzhou City, which could accelerate cultivation, was unfortunately destroyed when used to kill Lu Canyang.

Upon careful reflection, perhaps it was all preordained. Lu Canyang, consumed by jealousy because Master Dingchan was superior in every way, succumbed to demonic cultivation yet was still cast into magma by Master Dingchan. After decades of dormancy, he reemerged and plotted Master Dingchan's death. However, Master Dingchan had coincidentally left a contingency, which in turn led to Lu Canyang's demise. Perhaps it was simply fated that Lu Canyang would fall by Master Dingchan's hand, destined never to overcome him.

This time, they stayed at the Six Doors in Changling County for nearly half a month. During this period, Gu Chuxia's Extinction Cross Blade art improved remarkably quickly; her talent in blade techniques was indeed exceptional.Gu Mo also gave Gu Chuxia the Silver Silk Gloves, a reward from a mission. He jokingly told her she could wear the gloves when cutting off heads in the future. Of course, that was merely a jest. The Silver Silk Gloves are a treasure no less valuable than the Heavenly Silkworm Robe. They are crafted from a blend of heavenly silkworm silk and various metals, rendering them impervious to blades and spears. They offer extremely strong defense, can withstand various metal sharp objects barehanded for extended periods, possess some offensive capabilities, and are convenient to carry.

That midday, Gu Mo and Gu Chuxia were sparring, both wielding blades, exchanging blows. More precisely, Gu Mo was feeding moves to Gu Chuxia, helping her improve her mastery of the Extinction Cross Blade art.Within the courtyard, blade energy surged and intertwined."Chen Xiuyuan is here," Gu Mo announced, stopping his movements.Gu Chuxia went to open the door, and just as she did, Chen Xiuyuan indeed hurried in, cupping his hands in a salute. "Grandmaster Gu, Lady Gu, Lord Zhuo has sent an urgent letter."

Gu Mo asked, "What is it?"Chen Xiuyuan handed the letter to Gu Chuxia and then explained, "Lord Zhuo says there's been a new breakthrough in the vampire zombie cases; the true mastermind is about to surface. He asks you to go to the Qiongshan Sect; he is currently on his way there."Gu Chuxia quickly scanned the letter and said, "It was Yu Shijiu who brought Master Jingkong, the most senior figure in the Northern Desert martial arts world, to report the case to the Six Doors. According to the letter, Lin Duanyun is He Changqing's son, and Ke Wenhui was merely a scapegoat put forward by Lin Duanyun as a cover..."

Immediately after, Gu Chuxia clearly recounted the letter's contents to Gu Mo, asking, "Brother, should we go to Qiongshan now?""Yes."

At once, Gu Chuxia quickly went to pack her belongings, while Chen Xiuyuan immediately assembled personnel and prepared necessary travel provisions such as dry rations, water, and horses."Brother," Gu Chuxia said as she packed, "If what the letter says is true—that Lin Duanyun is He Changqing's son—since he controlled Ke Wenhui, why did he insist on Ke Wenhui claiming to be He Changqing's son? Wouldn't it have been better to simply invent a disciple or something? Then Master Jingkong probably wouldn't have suspected him."

Gu Mo shook his head. "One lie requires countless other lies to uphold it. Any lie is less likely to be exposed if it contains fewer falsehoods and more truths. If he had fabricated a disciple, he would have needed to arrange a plausible identity for that disciple, and the likelihood of errors occurring in that process would be high.Furthermore, he is avenging his father. If the world doesn't know that it's He Changqing's son avenging He Changqing, then what satisfaction would he gain from his revenge?"

Gu Chuxia nodded thoughtfully and then added, "This Lin Duanyun is truly formidable. When He Changqing died, he was only five or six years old, yet he possessed such cunning and managed to deceive Bai Qiliao. Not only did he deceive Bai Qiliao, but he also gained Bai Qiliao's favor and trust to such an extent that he was taught all of Bai Qiliao's martial arts, inherited the position of sect leader, and even married his daughter.Crucially, he was also able to secretly cultivate and control a large number of people to practice the Zombie Art for his own purposes, all while right under Bai Qiliao's nose. He even groomed Ke Wenhui as his stand-in. If you hadn't, by sheer coincidence, given Yu Shijiu a sword and saved Master Jingkong, he would have truly succeeded in deceiving everyone.To begin at the age of five or six and accomplish so much right under the nose of his father's killer is simply unbelievable."

Gu Mo chuckled. "Unbelievable, isn't it? I also find it hard to believe. A five or six-year-old child living next to his father's killer, secretly cultivating the Zombie Art – especially under the watchful eye of someone like Bai Qiliao – it would be impossible to hide.Setting aside other points, consider martial arts training. A significant characteristic of the Zombie Art is that, as one cultivates it, the Eight Extraordinary Meridians are gradually refined away. If Lin Duanyun truly began cultivating the Zombie Art from a young age, how could Bai Qiliao possibly not have discovered it? If he started as an adult, once his internal cultivation was well-established, Bai Qiliao might not conduct bone examinations, so hiding it would be normal. But in his childhood, as his master, would Bai Qiliao not pay close attention to his disciple's cultivation progress? He would certainly frequently check his bones for any internal energy issues. If Lin Duanyun was cultivating the Zombie Art at that time, he would undoubtedly have been exposed."

Gu Chuxia asked, "So, what if Lin Duanyun had the Zombie Art manual but didn't cultivate it until he grew up?""That is certainly possible," Gu Mo replied. "However, for a five or six-year-old child to constantly plot revenge for his father and manage to show no flaws in front of an experienced martial artist like Bai Qiliao—that possibility is slim. Imagine a five or six-year-old child right in front of you, day and night thinking about killing you. Over a long period, would you truly not detect anything at all?I believe the most flawless way to hide is not to hide at all. If Lin Duanyun, as a child, had no idea that He Changqing was his father and also didn't possess the Zombie Art, then he would exhibit no flaws whatsoever."

Gu Chuxia's pupils constricted slightly. "Brother, you still believe He Changqing isn't dead? So, you mean Lin Duanyun only discovered he was He Changqing's son after growing up, and perhaps all those plans were secretly orchestrated by He Changqing himself?"Gu Mo nodded. "I believe that is more logical."

Gu Chuxia nodded slightly. "If He Changqing is indeed alive, then this time, on Qiongshan, when Master Jingkong exposes Lin Duanyun's true identity, Lin Duanyun will undoubtedly be reviled by everyone. At that point, He Changqing will certainly be unable to remain hidden."Gu Mo chuckled softly. "He is my target!"