Chapter 2: 燕三娘

Although Gu Chutong was only seventeen years old, she had been traveling the martial arts world with Gu Mo since she was seven. She was quite an experienced veteran, so she had a very high level of vigilance. She hid the head so well that it looked like an ordinary bundle.

They didn't encounter any unexpected problems on the journey back with Gu Mo.

"Brother, how do I feel like you can see?"

"Why do you say that?" Gu Mo asked.

"You walk so steadily," Gu Chutong said. "Yesterday morning, we set off and walked all day to reach Mount Dabao. Today, we're returning from Mount Dabao, but it's only taken less than two hours. I don't even need to deliberately slow down."

Gu Mo smiled slightly and said, "I had an epiphany last night. My internal energy has improved greatly, and I can now adapt to living as a blind person."

"Is that so?" Gu Chutong nodded and said, "That's good. But don't worry, Brother, I'll definitely find a way to cure your eyes in the future."

"Okay."

Gu Mo smiled faintly. He wasn't too worried about that problem.

With the system accompanying him, he wasn't overly concerned about his eyes not being cured. He planned to become a bounty hunter. First, he could earn money to hire renowned doctors. This was a world where martial arts flourished. As the saying goes, medicine and martial arts are intertwined, so there was no shortage of brilliant doctors. There would always be a chance to find a doctor who could cure his eyes.

Second, even if he couldn't find a human doctor, as long as he kept hunting wanted criminals, the system's rewards might one day provide something that could treat his eyes.

"Brother, you look really handsome when you smile."

"Then I'll smile more often in the future."

"Mm, I like to see you smile. Ever since your eyes got sick, you've been so sullen, barely speaking, and your temper was volatile. I was so scared."

"That won't happen again."

Gu Mo reached out, making a gesture to stroke her. Gu Chutong cooperatively tilted her head and rubbed against Gu Mo's palm.

This was a habit they had had since childhood.

Gu Mo was three years older than Gu Chutong. Ten years ago, their parents suddenly disappeared, leaving the siblings to rely on each other. Ten-year-old Gu Mo began a journey to raise his sister and search for their parents.

Fortunately, both siblings had started practicing martial arts with their parents at the age of three or four. Although young, they had some ability to protect themselves. But they were still very young and suffered many hardships. They had both survived by being each other's spiritual pillars.

Before this, Gu Mo couldn't bear the blow of losing his sight, his spirit was on the verge of collapse, and his temper was erratic and prone to outbursts. Gu Chutong had indeed endured a difficult time.

...

Linjiang City was the capital of Linjiang Prefecture, a very prosperous place. Its geographical location at the confluence of several major rivers made it the commercial hub for the surrounding prefectures.

However, just as trade brought rapid economic development, it also brought many problems. The most typical was the increasing number of martial artists coming to strike it rich. Since ancient times, martial artists have had a common flaw of defying laws, leading to a rather chaotic order in Linjiang City. Many wrongdoers liked to commit crimes here.

Although the Six Doors of the imperial court tried their best to suppress them, they were always stretched thin and understaffed. Therefore, the authorities had to resort to using martial arts to control martial arts, issuing bounty orders to invite martial artists to assist. Consequently, bounty hunting flourished in Linjiang Prefecture.

For this reason, the Six Doors specifically established a department to deal with bounty hunters.

Gu Chutong took Gu Mo to the yamen and turned in the head of Zhou Tong, the flower thief. It quickly passed inspection, and they received the three hundred taels bounty.

Three hundred taels of silver was a huge sum. In the past, when Gu Mo worked as a bodyguard at Changfeng Escort Agency, with his daring and combative nature, he could only earn about one hundred taels a year. After various expenses, not much money was left at the end of the year.

So, three hundred taels of silver was an enormous amount for them.

Gu Chutong, clutching the money, happily emerged from the yamen and suggested, "Brother, let's buy a carriage. It's inconvenient for you to walk, and you can't ride a horse. A carriage is most suitable. We can be back home in about half a month. Then, we can buy a small house. Hmm, we'll still have some money left. I can start a small business or something. Once my martial arts improve, I can do big business and earn a lot of money, then cure your eyes. After that, we can marry a sister-in-law into the family, and she can give you a few big, chubby sons!"

Gu Mo shook his head slightly and said, "I don't want to go back."

"Huh?" Gu Chutong asked, puzzled. "If we don't go back, are we staying in Linjiang City?"

"Yes, we'll stay in Linjiang City," Gu Mo said.

Gu Chutong never opposed Gu Mo, so she immediately said, "That's fine too. It's just that housing prices in Linjiang City are very expensive. Three hundred taels isn't enough to buy a house, so we can only rent. It's also not easy to do business here. I can find a martial arts school to be a martial arts instructor. Although the monthly pay is less, it's enough for us to live, and I can also have time to practice my martial arts properly."

Gu Mo smiled slightly and said, "I want to be a bounty hunter."

Gu Chutong hesitated, then said, "That's fine, as long as you're happy, Brother. We can take some simple bounty missions and still get by."

"Even difficult missions aren't out of the question."

"Brother, I can't beat them!"

"It's alright, I'll fight. You're responsible for leading the way and picking up the heads."

Gu Chutong looked at Gu Mo's blindfolded eyes and wanted to speak but held back. She really wanted to dispel Gu Mo's unrealistic idea, but she was also worried about hurting his morale and didn't want the spirit he had painstakingly recovered to become depressed and collapse again.

Although Gu Mo told her his internal energy had improved last night, she didn't believe it could compensate for the defect of blindness.

"Okay, Brother, I'll listen to you. We'll find an inn to stay at first, and then I'll slowly look for a house."

Gu Chutong thought to herself that since Gu Mo couldn't see, it was impossible for him to truly go out and be a bounty hunter, so there wouldn't be any danger. She decided not to argue with Gu Mo about the feasibility of being a bounty hunter.

The siblings chatted as they searched for an inn.

As they passed a small alley, Gu Mo suddenly stopped and said, "My two friends behind us, you've been following us the whole way. What advice do you have? Why don't you show yourselves and speak plainly?"

Gu Chutong's expression changed slightly, and she immediately gripped her saber hilt, adopting an attacking stance.

Immediately, a female voice came from the alley, "Young Hero Gu, Heroine Gu, please don't misunderstand, I have no ill intentions!"

Gu Mo couldn't see the person, only hear the voice. It was a very pleasant voice, not merely melodious, but one filled with an inexplicable allure. If the person's appearance matched the voice, she would undoubtedly be a very charming woman.

In fact, it was just as Gu Mo had guessed.

The person who emerged was indeed a very beautiful woman, with a graceful figure, clad in a moon-white silk gown that perfectly accentuated her slender waist, delicate enough to be held in one hand, as if it could break easily. Every glance and smile exuded charm.

Behind the woman followed a tall and imposing young man, with a serious face, dressed in black, clutching a black longsword. He stood one step behind the woman, seemingly a bodyguard.

"I am Yan Sanniang of No-Two Villa," the woman said, cupping her hands in a formal bow.

"So it's Madam Yan, 'Bone-Scraping Blade'. I've long heard of your reputation. May I ask what advice Madam Yan has?" Gu Mo bowed.

Gu Mo had been in Linjiang City for four years, constantly traveling the martial arts world. He was very familiar with the martial arts scene in Linjiang Prefecture and generally knew the notable figures.

This Yan Sanniang was an extraordinary person, one of the few women who had made a name for herself in the martial arts world. She owned a villa in Linjiang City that specialized in wine. She was famously beautiful, captivating many men, but her methods were ruthless, earning her the moniker "Bone-Scraping Blade" in the martial arts world.

Upon hearing Yan Sanniang announce her name, Gu Chutong, who was already vigilant, became even more so, even somewhat tense.

Because she knew very well that anyone who could make a name for themselves in the martial arts world was not simple.

Gu Mo was considered a rising star in the Linjiang Prefecture martial arts scene, with exquisite saber techniques, but even after several years, he hadn't earned a resounding title.

Yan Sanniang cupped her hands and said, "Young Hero Gu, Heroine Gu, I was just at the yamen and saw you two turn in the head of Zhou Tong, the flower thief. I wanted to ask, are you two planning to become bounty hunters? If so, we can cooperate."

Gu Mo chuckled, "Madam Yan, are you not planning to run your wine villa anymore and switching to the 'Wind-Chasing Tower' business?"

Yan Sanniang said, "Young Hero Gu hit the nail on the head. The wine villa business is tough these days, so I am indeed switching to the wind-chasing business."

Wind-Chasing Tower was an intermediary organization that specifically served bounty hunters. Because bounty hunters were special, mostly martial artists, most didn't like dealing with the yamen, and some bounty hunters were even wanted criminals themselves. There was a need for someone to act as an intermediary to deal with the yamen on their behalf.

Furthermore, bounty hunters usually operated alone. When trying to catch wanted criminals, they lacked intelligence, making their efficiency very low. Sometimes, they would be in the same place as a wanted criminal and miss them without knowing.

In this situation, organizations like Wind-Chasing Tower emerged to serve bounty hunters.

Bounty hunters would affiliate themselves with Wind-Chasing Tower. Wind-Chasing Tower would help negotiate prices with the yamen, provide accurate intelligence, and, when facing powerful wanted criminals, could help connect with other bounty hunters for cooperation.

In simple terms, Wind-Chasing Tower was an organization that aimed to help bounty hunters complete their bounty missions faster and more easily. They also tried their best to raise the bounties for bounty hunters. After completion, the bounty money was split fifty-fifty.

This model was a win-win cooperation for both Wind-Chasing Tower and bounty hunters.

Even though half of the bounty money would be taken, bounty hunters definitely wouldn't lose out.

For example, with Zhou Tong, whom Gu Mo killed last night, if he had a powerful Wind-Chasing Tower behind him, even if the bounty money were split in half, it would be more than just the three hundred taels from the yamen. This is because there would also be bounties from other martial arts factions or wealthy families harmed by Zhou Tong. These were all things that Wind-Chasing Tower would inquire about and negotiate prices for.

"I see," Gu Mo said. "However, Madam Yan, there are at least eight or ten Wind-Chasing Towers in Linjiang City right now. Why should I go to your newly established Wind-Chasing Tower instead of those well-established, older ones?"

Yan Sanniang said, "Naturally, I have my advantages. First, I currently have very few bounty hunters under me, so the connections and resources I can utilize are abundant. If Young Hero Gu and Heroine Gu affiliate with me, I will naturally do my best to provide you with intelligence. If you go to those large Wind-Chasing Towers, it will be difficult to get first-hand information.

Second, my commission is low. I dare not break the industry rules, so outwardly it's still a fifty-fifty split. However, I will return twenty percent through other means, such as giving gifts. I will only take thirty percent.

What do Young Hero Gu and Heroine Gu think?"

Gu Mo nodded and said, "That works. However, I am a bit tired today. Please send someone with sincerity to discuss the details with me tomorrow. Since Madam Yan is in the wind-chasing business, I presume you won't have trouble finding where I'm staying, right?"

Yan Sanniang cupped her hands and said, "See you tomorrow."

"Farewell."

Gu Mo bowed and left with Gu Chutong.

Watching Gu Mo and Gu Chutong leave, the black-clad young man standing behind Yan Sanniang asked, "Boss, is there any point in recruiting that Gu Chutong, who's just a little girl, and a blind burden? That Zhou Tong was clearly a windfall for them. Everyone knows Zhou Tong had been hunted for days, and his strength was less than one-tenth of what it once was."

Yan Sanniang shook her head slightly and said, "I'm not recruiting Gu Chutong, but Gu Mo."

"A blind man."

"Yes, a blind man."

The black-clad young man chuckled, "Boss, this time you might have misjudged. That blind man won't see tomorrow's sun."

"Why do you say that?"

The black-clad young man said, "A little girl and a blind man, they stumbled upon a big windfall and got three hundred taels of silver. Now they've become the big windfall. Three hundred taels is enough to buy several lives, let alone a little girl with a blind man."