Chapter 199: Night Stay in the Small Village

In a humble residence in Shatuo City, a small village.

At noon, Chen Xiuyuan pushed open the door and entered, seeing Gu Mo and Gu Chudong chatting inside. He quickly walked in and said, "I've found out what happened. Two nights ago, a fierce blaze suddenly erupted on Mount Shatuo. However, by the time residents from the foot of the mountain arrived, Shatuo Temple was nothing but a few stone walls."

Gu Mo frowned and asked, "Have you found the culprits?"

"No," Chen Xiuyuan replied. "I just went to the Six Doors' outpost in Shatuo City to inquire. They started their investigation that very night and only found that one person had visited Shatuo Temple. But strangely, some claim to have seen a young man, others a middle-aged man, and still others a hunched old man. All vehemently insisted they saw clearly. So far, the Six Doors have commissioned artists to draw over a dozen suspect portraits, making it impossible to proceed with the investigation."

Gu Mo's brows furrowed deeply.

He had arrived in Shatuo City the previous evening, intending to specifically visit Master Jingkong. To his surprise, when they ascended Mount Shatuo, they found Shatuo Temple burned to ashes, with only a few stone walls remaining.

"Then, have you found any clues about Master Jingkong or Yu Shijiu's whereabouts?" Gu Chudong interjected.

Chen Xiuyuan shook his head. "Yu Shijiu left several days ago and wasn't on Mount Shatuo. Shatuo Temple also had a few novices besides Master Jingkong. Mount Shatuo isn't very tall, and there are many people living at its base, yet no one heard any sounds of struggle that night. Therefore, the current assumption is that either Master Jingkong and the novices encountered powerful masters and were killed or abducted without a chance to resist, or they voluntarily cooperated and left. However, since the temple was burned down, the first possibility is the most likely. Master Jingkong and the novices might have perished in the fire, leaving no traces."

"Even if they died, there shouldn't be absolutely no trace, right?" Gu Chudong murmured.

Chen Xiuyuan explained, "If the opponent was very strong and could easily kill Master Jingkong and the others, then there are many ways to destroy the bodies and evidence, such as using corpse-dissolving powder. The large fire could easily conceal any traces."

Gu Mo also nodded. "That's certainly not difficult."

Even without poison, Gu Mo himself could destroy bodies without leaving a trace. If he wished, he could use his Blazing Sun technique to burn corpses, or even living people, to ashes.

"However, while destroying evidence isn't hard, being able to effortlessly kill Master Jingkong and a few novices without making any sound is quite challenging. After all, Master Jingkong isn't weak, especially with over eighty years of cultivated internal energy."

Previously, on Mount Qiong, Gu Mo had observed Master Jingkong. His combat prowess wasn't strong, and he practiced Buddhist martial arts focused on mental and spiritual cultivation, prioritizing physical conditioning. However, despite his advanced age, his internal energy was unmatched by few. His offensive power wasn't great, but his endurance was remarkable.

Defeating Master Jingkong wasn't difficult, but killing him was quite challenging. It would require an instant kill; even a severe injury wouldn't make him completely lose his combat ability immediately.

Based on Gu Mo's understanding of the martial arts world in Mo'bei, it was highly unlikely that anyone could achieve this.

Chen Xiuyuan understood Gu Mo's implication and said, "Hero Gu means the culprit is likely an outsider."

Gu Mo said, "I can't guarantee it completely, but based on the prominent martial artists I encountered in Mo'bei when I was on Mount Qiong, it would be extremely difficult for anyone to kill Master Jingkong without making a sound. Of course, if there was a master of poison who was also an acquaintance of Master Jingkong, a sneak attack could also achieve it."

"Brother, aren't you stating the obvious?" Gu Chudong quipped.

Chen Xiuyuan explained, "Heroine Gu, Hero Gu isn't stating the obvious at all. He's identified several clues: first, recent foreign martial arts masters; second, an insider job; and third, a master of poison. Focusing on these three leads and systematically investigating recent martial artists arriving in Shatuo City wouldn't be too difficult. The most troubling aspect now is that the perpetrator might be after the legendary Xuhui Ruins. If they truly entered the Xuhui Ruins, then the investigation would hit a dead end, as legend says no one who enters ever comes out alive."

Gu Mo said, "That's a matter for your Six Doors. I hope you can solve the case soon."

Chen Xiuyuan replied, "Lord Zhuo will have another headache. If it were an ordinary pugilist who died, it wouldn't be such a big deal. But Master Jingkong is different. His status in Mo'bei's martial arts world is very high, and recently he's been actively promoting the Six Doors' takeover of Mo'bei... Hmm?"

At this point, Chen Xiuyuan paused slightly, then said, "Could it be that he was killed for offending someone in the Mo'bei martial arts world over this matter?"

Gu Mo did not respond.

He didn't deny that it was a potential possibility. However, if the investigation pursued this direction, it would likely turn into a mere pretext. After all, for the Six Doors, their objective was to suppress the martial arts world, not necessarily to solve cases. Often, solving a case was merely an excuse for action, and the truth itself wasn't always paramount.

After Chen Xiuyuan returned from the Six Doors outpost with the news that the Shatuo Temple case had no immediate leads, Gu Mo and the others did not linger in Shatuo City and departed immediately.

They continued their journey for another three days, entering Juyan County territory on the evening of the third day.

Led by Chen Xiuyuan, they reached a small village before nightfall.

"This village is called Shenjing Village," Chen Xiuyuan said.

Three swift horses descended from the sandy hills. From a distance, they spotted a small village nestled in a ravine within the vast, endless desert. It consisted of about a dozen earthen-walled houses clustered together, appearing solitary amidst the wilderness.

"This is the only village within a twenty-li radius," Chen Xiuyuan said, pointing to the distant desert. "From here, if you travel another thirty li or so, you'll be outside our Great Qian territory. It doesn't belong to any country, it's just the Suofang Desert, where the Xuhui Ruins are said to be hidden."

Gu Chudong looked out. The vast desert stretched far into the distance, with the setting sun on the horizon appearing like a tempered scimitar, cleaving the desert into halves of light and shadow. Nearby, sand particles shimmered in the heat haze, while in the distance, a bluish-gray sandstorm cloud was already rising, resembling a colossal maw hanging in the heavens, poised to devour the light.

Chen Xiuyuan continued, "The greatest challenge of living in these areas is water. But Shenjing Village has underground water, and the surrounding land can grow crops. There are also three or four wells in the village, all dug exceptionally deep, which is how it got its name, 'Deep Well Village.' I recall the village population wasn't small; there should be seventy to eighty people."

Dusk gathered, and the setting sun was like blood.

Wind-blown sand, mixed with fine gravel, struck the earthen walls, creating a soft rustling sound. The old locust tree at the village entrance had long withered, its branches holding a faded, half-torn tavern flag that flapped loudly in the wind. Two or three turban-clad villagers, hunched over, were dragging the last bundles of camel thorn through a crooked wooden door, the stirred dust swirling in the dim yellow light like sand gulls.

Gu Mo and his two companions led their horses into the village.

The flagstone path was riddled with cracks, from which clumps of grayish-green camel thorn sprouted.

The westernmost adobe house had a collapsed half-roof, exposing its dark, sooty hearth. An old woman was scooping clear water from the bottom of a jar with a chipped pottery bowl, her cloudy eyes reflecting the last trace of orange-red on the horizon. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the alley, tearing at the coarse cloth clothes on a clothesline, revealing their patch-on-patch insides with a loud flapping.

Chen Xiuyuan led Gu Mo and Gu Chudong to a large earthen-walled courtyard in the middle of the village and said, "The only place in Shenjing Village that has spare rooms for lodging is the village head's home."

The earthen walls were not high, only about three chi tall. Gu Chudong, standing outside the courtyard, could see that this large compound had the typical layout of a main house with east and west wing-rooms. However, everything was built with earthen walls and had not been renovated for many years, making it appear very dilapidated.

"Old Man Qiu! Old Man Qiu!"

Chen Xiuyuan shouted from the entrance.

Soon, a hunched old man appeared, holding the hand of a little girl with pigtails.

The hunched old man opened the wattle gate with his cracked hand, his cloudy eyes reflecting the fading sunset. He looked up, scrutinizing Gu Mo and his companions with suspicion, and asked in a dry voice, "Who are you?"

Chen Xiuyuan also looked at the old man in confusion and asked, "Where's Old Man Qiu? Isn't this Old Man Qiu's house?"

"He's dead, long dead," the hunched old man replied. "Half a year ago, horse bandits raided this village and killed everyone. The people living in the village now all came later, with nowhere else to go. Since no one lived here, we moved in."

Chen Xiuyuan sighed softly.

Such incidents were common in Mo'bei, which was why Master Jingkong, despite being a pugilist, strongly supported the Six Doors taking over Mo'bei. Under the jurisdiction of various martial arts sects, few cared about the lives of ordinary people.

Chen Xiuyuan said, "The original owner of this courtyard was named Qiu. I'm a distant relative of his and was on my way to Juyan County for some business, so I thought I'd visit Old Man Qiu, but I didn't expect... alas!"

"My surname is Sun, you can just call me Old Sun," the hunched old man said, introducing the little girl he was holding. "This is my granddaughter, Xiaohong. Only my granddaughter and I live in this courtyard. If you don't mind, please come in and rest for the night!"

"Many thanks."

Chen Xiuyuan immediately clasped his hands in gratitude.

Gu Chudong took out her favorite candy from her pocket and offered it to the little girl named Xiaohong.

"Thank you, big sister!"

Sun Xiaohong wore a coarse cloth skirt, somewhat faded from wear, tied at the waist with a simple rope twisted from camel hair. She was very simply dressed. When she smiled, revealing two missing front teeth, she looked very innocent.

Gu Chudong found the little girl adorable and couldn't help but pinch her cheek.

"Big sister, are you legendary martial arts heroes?"

"Not heroes," Gu Chudong replied, "just people who travel the martial arts world to earn money."

"Do you know martial arts?"

"Just a little!"

Just then,

A sudden burst of rapid hoofbeats echoed through the village. A group of eight men and one woman, escorts bearing the banner of the Dongyang Escort Agency, arrived outside the courtyard with a carriage. The leading escort dismounted, eyed Old Sun and his granddaughter, then scrutinized Gu Mo and his two travel-worn companions, and asked, "Who is the owner of this house?"

Old Sun, seeing the intimidating group and guessing that the people in the carriage were either wealthy or noble, felt a little scared and stammered, "I... I am the owner here!"

The man took out a silver ingot, weighing about two or three taels, from his pocket and tossed it to Old Sun, saying, "Prepare two rooms. We need lodging for the night."