Chapter 201: Xiao Pojun Appears

Grandma Bloodhand, Scholar Fusheng, and Wu Chang all looked speechless. Initially, hearing Xiao Pojun's aggressive words, they had thought the old man was going to assassinate Gu Mo.

Grandma Bloodhand pursed her lips and said, "I thought you old man had the guts to assassinate Gu Mo!"

Xiao Pojun said gravely, "I'm not insane. He's one of Qian Nation's top ten Grandmasters. Although I believe his reputation is likely exaggerated, those battles did happen, and many experts died by his hand. If I go to kill him alone, how is that different from suicide?"

Grandma Bloodhand sneered, "Then how do you plan to lure Gu Mo away? If you show yourself directly, I'm afraid he'll kill you before you even get a chance to draw him off."

Xiao Pojun chuckled, "Have you forgotten there are two other people in that courtyard, besides Gu Mo's group and the Second Prince's group?"

Grandma Bloodhand's expression darkened. "Sun Xiaotian and Sun Xiaohong, that grandfather and granddaughter, are our contingency plan."

Xiao Pojun said helplessly, "Isn't this an unexpected situation now? Gu Mo's appearance *is* the biggest surprise. If you're unwilling to use those two, then I'll just have to sacrifice myself. Fine, I'll go, but if I die, you still won't complete the mission."

Wu Chang said, "Grandma, this old eccentric is right. Gu Mo is the biggest unexpected factor."

Grandma Bloodhand pondered for a moment, then asked, "What do you propose?"

Xiao Pojun replied, "Sun Xiaohong is a child; no one will guard against her. Being a girl, her approaching Gu Chundong won't arouse suspicion. She can definitely succeed in poisoning Gu Chundong. Once Gu Chundong is affected by the poison, I'll reveal myself to lure Gu Mo away. You should be familiar with my qinggong; while I might not be peerless, if I'm focused on escaping, few can catch me. You can then use that opportunity to assassinate the Second Prince. If handled well, neither Sun Xiaotian nor Sun Xiaohong might even be exposed."

Grandma Bloodhand thought about it and said, "This seems to be the only way forward. What do you all think?"

Scholar Fusheng nodded in agreement, "I concur."

The others then looked at Wu Chang.

Wu Chang, however, looked hesitant. He said, "I have some concerns. From what I know, Gu Mo and Gu Chundong, the siblings, have relied on each other since childhood. Harming Gu Chundong will absolutely enrage Gu Mo. Normally, if we fail, we can still escape. But if we provoke Gu Mo, then if we fail, we'll have no retreat whatsoever."

Xiao Pojun asked, "Which part do you think might fail? Will Sun Xiaohong's poisoning fail? Or my luring Gu Mo away? Or your assassination of the Second Prince?"

"Logically, as long as the first step doesn't fail, the next two steps cannot fail. If Gu Chundong is poisoned, Gu Mo will definitely pursue me relentlessly, and I am absolutely confident I can keep him from catching me for a while. As for assassinating the Second Prince, you've been preparing for so long; if you still fail, then there's truly nothing more we can do. Du Sha will arrive by tomorrow at the latest. When he's personally guarding the Second Prince, along with Six Doors experts, we'll have even less of a chance."

Grandma Bloodhand chimed in, "There shouldn't be any issues. Sun Xiaohong looks like she's only five or six, but she's actually almost thirty and has mastered Sun Xiaotian's poison techniques. Furthermore, her childlike appearance is very deceptive and allows people to drop their guard. Dealing with a young girl like Gu Chundong will be no problem at all."

Wu Chang nodded and said, "Since everyone agrees it won't be a problem, let's proceed with this plan!"

Night descended, dotted with stars, and the wind whimpered.

Gu Chundong was sitting cross-legged on her bed, cultivating, when she suddenly heard footsteps outside her door. Immediately after, Sun Xiaohong's voice piped up, "Sister, are you asleep?"

Gu Chundong got up and opened the door. She saw Sun Xiaohong cautiously holding a bowl. When she opened the lid, there was a steaming bowl of meat inside. Sun Xiaohong whispered, "Sister, you're a good person; you gave me candy, so I'm treating you to meat!"

Sun Xiaohong looked up, her face innocent and her chubby cheeks very adorable.

Gu Chundong smiled faintly. The meat in the bowl wasn't particularly fragrant and didn't look very appetizing. However, seeing Sun Xiaohong's innocent expression deeply touched Gu Chundong. She knew that this bowl of meat was probably the best thing the family could afford.

Gu Chundong immediately took the bowl and said, "Thank you, Xiaohong!"

Sun Xiaohong grinned, happy and proud. "Sister, can you tell me about your adventures in the jianghu? I really want to know what it's like. My parents went into the jianghu, and Grandpa says they are amazing heroes who fight for justice. They'll come back when I grow up!"

Gu Chundong looked at Sun Xiaohong, who tilted her head, and for a moment, she seemed to see her ten-year-old self, equally naive in believing her parents would return.

"Okay, come in. I'll tell you slowly!"

Gu Chundong opened the door wider and let Sun Xiaohong in.

At this moment, in the main house, Old Man Sun sat in the dark, seemingly enjoying the cool air, but in reality, his eyes were narrowed, observing everything in the courtyard. When he saw Sun Xiaohong enter Gu Chundong's room, a faint smile appeared on his face.

The very next moment, a scream suddenly erupted from Gu Chundong's room, followed by a loud "bang" as the wooden wall was broken through, and a figure was flung out.

Old Man Sun frowned and muttered, "Why did that girl start a fight? Wasn't she just supposed to administer the poison and leave?"

"Grandpa, help me..."

However, when he heard that cry from the figure in the courtyard, Old Man Sun's face instantly contorted in shock. He realized it wasn't Gu Chundong who had been thrown out, but Sun Xiaohong.

Immediately, Old Man Sun quickly stood up. At the same time, Gu Chundong rushed out, holding a saber, while Gu Mo and Chen Xiuyuan also emerged from their rooms.

Gu Chundong shouted, "Brother, that little girl tried to poison me!"

Gu Mo's expression darkened. He knew Sun Xiaohong had gone to see Gu Chundong and could sense her entering Gu Chundong's room. However, he hadn't paid much attention or deliberately listened to their conversation. He only suddenly sensed that Gu Chundong had made a move.

At this moment, the night was as still as water, and absolute silence reigned, broken only by the dappled shadows cast by the few withered trees in the small courtyard under the moonlight. Old Man Sun suddenly lunged out from the darkness, moving with ghost-like swiftness. He raised both hands, and in an instant, a thick black mist surged from his palms. Within the mist, countless biting insects swarmed, rolling and surging towards Gu Mo and the others, like a menacing dragon with bared fangs, intent on devouring them.

Wherever the dense mist passed, flowers and plants withered instantly, and the ground turned scorched black. The air was filled with a pungent, putrid smell, clearly indicating its extreme toxicity. The mist coiled and surged, layer upon layer, seemingly endless, completely blocking Gu Mo's group's escape routes in the blink of an eye.

Gu Mo's expression was calm. He let out a cold snort and thrust his palm forward. The palm wind roared like a tidal wave. Where the palm wind reached, the surging mist was forcibly torn open, rapidly dispersing to the sides and vanishing into thin air.

Taking advantage of this momentary gap, Old Man Sun darted to Sun Xiaohong, who lay severely injured on the ground. He bent down, scooped her up, and with a light tap of his foot, prepared to use qinggong to escape the area.

"Where do you think you're going!" Gu Chundong's cold shout rang out. She held the Gouchen Demon Blade, her almond eyes wide, emanating a fierce killing intent.

As Old Man Sun's toes had just touched the eaves, a saber's keen whistle suddenly ripped through the air from an oblique angle. Gu Chundong's Gouchen Blade glowed with an eerie bloody light. The saber qi condensed into a blood-red cross in mid-air, leaving scorched marks on the air wherever it passed. As the cross-shaped saber qi pierced the void, it emitted a ghostly wail, as if vengeful spirits clung to the blade, seeking lives.

For a moment, the air hummed. Several dazzling cross-shaped saber qis appeared out of nowhere, shooting like lightning towards Old Man Sun and Sun Xiaohong. The Gouchen Blade in Gu Chundong's hand seemed to sense its master's fury; its blade emitted an eerie red glow, turning the surrounding night crimson. The saber qi also grew more sinister, making sizzling sounds as it passed, as if tearing through space.

Old Man Sun was too slow to dodge, and the saber qi instantly struck both him and Sun Xiaohong. Their bodies immediately stiffened, unable to move, their faces contorted in extreme terror. Immediately after, streaks of blood slowly appeared on their bodies, crisscrossing to form horrifying crosses.

With a dull thud, the grandfather and granddaughter fell straight to the ground. Blood gushed from their wounds, spreading across the dirt, looking particularly ghastly under the cold moonlight.

At this moment, several members of the Dongyang Escort Agency, residing in the east wing, came out, including Huang Ying and Xiao Ziyan. They stood at their doorway, looking into the courtyard with tense expressions and full vigilance. In particular, when they saw Gu Chundong's recent saber strike, they were all utterly shocked, especially Xiao Ziyan, whose face was filled with astonishment and disbelief.

Huang Ying glanced at Xiao Ziyan, her eyes full of doubt. Xiao Ziyan's expression was a little awkward as he recalled how he had confidently declared that a delicate-looking young girl certainly wouldn't have high martial arts skills. In reality, however, the young girl not only possessed exceptionally high martial arts but was also incredibly fierce.

What weighed more heavily on Xiao Ziyan's mind now was that he hadn't only misjudged Gu Mo's group; the grandfather and granddaughter turned out to be martial arts masters as well. Although they were now dead, it was unclear whether the victorious party was friend or foe!

Immediately, Xiao Ziyan prepared to cautiously inquire. He had just cupped his hands but before he could speak, he saw the blind young man suddenly step forward, lift his head, and shout angrily, "You cowardly hidden figures, get out here!"

This loud roar was like a majestic bell, its powerful sound waves, imbued with profound internal energy, surged forth like a vast, turbulent river, instantly sweeping through the entire courtyard. Where the sound waves reached, tangible ripples seemed to spread through the air. The thick stone tiles on the courtyard roofs, unable to withstand the impact of this immense power, began to crackle and splinter. Fragments of stone tiles flew everywhere like hidden weapons, striking the courtyard walls and leaving dense, small indentations.

At once, Xiao Ziyan and the others quickly covered their ears, all looking at Gu Mo in terror.

Simultaneously, amidst the shattering and scattering tiles, a figure flew out and landed on the rooftop. It was an old man with striking red hair and a wine gourd hanging from his waist. He declared loudly, "Gu Mo, the Great Hero of Yunzhou, truly lives up to his reputation! You are indeed a master of internal energy, but if this is all you have to kill me, Xiao Pojun, I'm afraid it's not enough!"