Chapter 222: Actively Seeking Death

Wang family, East City, Linhai.

Wang Mingxiu, a commander of the Six-Fan Gate, returned home directly for lunch after leaving Qingfeng Inn. Though it meant a slight dereliction of duty, the Six-Fan Gate personnel turned a blind eye. After all, Wang Mingxiu was the second-in-command of the Six-Fan Gate in Linhai Commandery, and most people wouldn't dare say anything. Besides, it was common knowledge that Wang Mingxiu had recently taken a new concubine, and they were in the midst of their honeymoon phase. It was already difficult for him to show up for work daily; one couldn't expect him to forgo even a mealtime to spend some tender moments with her.

As Wang Mingxiu entered the courtyard, a middle-aged woman approached him. She was not unattractive, though she was a little older and somewhat plump.

This was Chen Shi, Wang Mingxiu's primary wife, who had been married to him for over a decade. They had two sons and a daughter, and their relationship was excellent, characterized by mutual respect. Although Wang Mingxiu had taken six or seven concubines over the years due to his rising official status and various reasons, it had not affected their affection for each other.

"My lord, you're back."

Chen Shi stepped forward, took the cloak Wang Mingxiu removed, and said, "Dong'er got into another fight at the academy today."

Wang Mingxiu chuckled, "Did he win or lose?"

Chen Shi retorted irritably, "My lord, you can't always educate Dong'er like this. Fighting at the academy is wrong..."

"So what if he fought? He wasn't bullying anyone," Wang Mingxiu said. "It must have been with that Liu boy, no doubt. His father and I used to fight often. It's normal for the sons to fight if the fathers do. Just make sure he doesn't lose and embarrass me."

Chen Shi sighed helplessly, "Go on and teach him that way. When he grows up, he'll be just like his elder brother, fighting all day long."

"What's wrong with knowing how to fight?" Wang Mingxiu said. "Only by knowing how to fight can one avoid being bullied, and have the courage to fight back when bullied. What's the use of just knowing how to read or make money? If a knife is at your throat, all the money in the world is useless; you'll just be someone else's warehouse!"

Chen Shi didn't argue with Wang Mingxiu. She said, "Dong'er is eating inside. You go teach him. Tell him all those things you just said. Then he'll be fighting every day, neglecting his studies, and won't even recognize a few characters. How will you teach him martial arts then?"

Wang Mingxiu chuckled. "Well, he still needs to learn the basic characters. I'll go teach him..." He stopped mid-sentence and said, "Never mind, let's talk about it tomorrow. I'll go to Muliu's place first today!"

Chen Shi nodded. "Sister Muliu has only been here a few days and isn't familiar with things. It's good if you spend more time with her, my lord."

Wang Mingxiu nodded and headed towards the back courtyard.

As Wang Mingxiu walked away, the maid beside Chen Shi indignantly said, "Madam, you're not worried at all! His Lordship's heart is practically stolen by that new Sixth Madam."

Chen Shi waved her hand. "Don't say such things again. Do you want me to compete for favor with a mere concubine? There are four or five concubines in the manor. If I were to get jealous of every one of them, I probably wouldn't get anything done all day."

The maid said, "Madam, what you say is reasonable. A concubine is a concubine and certainly can't compare to you. However, this Sixth Madam is different. She's incredibly beautiful, and I'm just worried His Lordship might lose his head over her!"

Hearing the maid's words, Chen Shi's mind conjured an image of that devastatingly beautiful face, and her heart immediately felt heavy.

As she had said before, she was the primary wife, and she wasn't afraid of any number of concubines; there was a vast difference in status between a wife and a concubine. But the problem was, Muliu's extraordinary beauty might well bridge that inherent gap in status.

In the back courtyard,

As Wang Mingxiu reached the doorway, he saw a young woman, about twenty years old, dressed in a moon-white ruqun.

A white magnolia was tucked into her hair by her temple. Her eyebrows were like distant green mountains, her eyes slightly upturned like spring water reflecting waves, her nose was elegantly straight, her crimson lips naturally vibrant, and a faint dimple graced her cheeks. She was utterly captivating, none other than Muliu, Wang Mingxiu's new concubine.

Muliu stood at the doorway, her waist like a slender willow swaying in the breeze, her sleeves gracefully hanging like flowing clouds. Her gaze was fixed on the approaching path, as if a myriad of tender feelings were condensed within her eyes. When she saw him, her lips suddenly curved upwards, her dimples deepened, and a smile spread to the corners of her eyes. She quickly rushed towards Wang Mingxiu.

However, just as the beauty was about to embrace him, Wang Mingxiu unromantically stepped back.

Muliu stood still, her eyes teary and hazy, and complained mournfully, "You... as expected, you still despise me..."

Wang Mingxiu looked at the captivating Muliu before him, a complex glint in his eyes, and said, "Alright, let's go inside. I have something serious to discuss with you."

Muliu stopped her weeping, but her eyes were still slightly red, a piteous sight. She followed Wang Mingxiu into the room, looking aggrieved.

Inside the room, a table of steaming hot dishes sat untouched, clearly prepared by Muliu long ago, awaiting Wang Mingxiu.

Wang Mingxiu's eyes were filled with guilt. He sighed and said, "Muliu, let's change your identity. Revert to your male form. You can marry and have children, and live a peaceful life. How about that?"

Muliu trembled all over, looked up at Wang Mingxiu, and said, "You truly do despise me."

Wang Mingxiu said, "I'm not despising you..."

"You *are* despising me!"

Wang Mingxiu took a deep breath and said, "But you were originally a man!"

Muliu chuckled. "In what way do I resemble a man now? Wang Mingxiu, the Extreme Yin Manual was meant for you to cultivate. I became this genderless being today to help you achieve your goals, and now you despise me? You want me to marry and have children? Can I? Don't you know what kind of martial art the Extreme Yin Manual is? Are you intentionally insulting me?"

Wang Mingxiu said, "No, Muliu, what I mean is, we only have one enemy left, that old fellow from the Eastern Realm. Once we kill him, we can abolish our martial arts. As long as you no longer have Extreme Yin Qi in your body, you can slowly recover and become a normal person. I'll abolish my Extreme Yang Qi, and from then on, we won't need to depend on each other for mutual growth."

"Heh, my body can recover," Muliu sneered, "But what about my mind? Wang Mingxiu, I've been a woman for almost thirty years, longer than I was a man. How can I go back? We agreed back then that once we took our revenge, I would stay by your side as a woman for the rest of my life. Now that revenge is done, you find me disgusting, don't you? It was I who cultivated the Extreme Yin Manual for you, Wang Mingxiu! Do you have any conscience left?!

How about this, Wang Mingxiu, just kill me. You can even absorb my Extreme Yin Core. That way, not only will you no longer have to face this disgusting genderless being that I am, but you can also merge Yin and Yang. Even if you don't become invincible, you'll certainly become a grandmaster, right? It's a win-win situation!"

Wang Mingxiu remained silent for a while before saying, "Muliu, it's not what you think."

Muliu sneered without speaking.

Wang Mingxiu slowly said, "Your faked death and escape plan had to be executed prematurely because of Gu Mo, the Great Hero of Yunzhou, interfering. There were flaws, and Pei Yuanzhen has already noticed them."

Muliu's face stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"I met Gu Mo today," Wang Mingxiu said. "He was asking about the specific details of how I killed Madam Liu. He was testing me. As an outsider, he wouldn't suspect me without reason; Pei Yuanzhen must have discovered something. But since Pei Yuanzhen is a newly appointed transient official, he wouldn't dare offend me, a local power, directly. So he used Gu Mo to test me."

"It's Gu Mo again, that Gu Mo! Is he sick?" Muliu's expression turned ferocious, and she said angrily, "I have no grievances or grudges with him, we're strangers! Why won't he leave me alone?"

Wang Mingxiu shook his head slightly. "He's a Head Hunter, and you're a wanted criminal."

Muliu: "..."

Wang Mingxiu sighed, "It's also my fault for losing my mind back then. Gu Mo's reputation intimidated me, and I changed the plan at the last minute. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been flaws due to the haste, and Pei Yuanzhen wouldn't have noticed."

Muliu said, "It's not your fault. It's just that Gu Mo's reputation is too frightening. He's the number one Head Hunter in the world. No wanted criminal he targets has ever escaped. How long has he been active? Shangguan Shang and the Heavenly Mechanism Scholar both fell into his hands. So far, indeed, no wanted criminal has managed to escape from him. It's perfectly normal for you to be afraid; I am too!"

Wang Mingxiu said, "That's why I need you to change your identity again. It's no longer an option. It would be one thing if Pei Yuanzhen merely suspected something, but the crucial point is that I did something incredibly foolish today.

When Gu Mo was asking about the details of how I killed Madam Liu, I couldn't completely suppress my inner annoyance with him and blurted out asking if he suspected me. Although he and Pei Yuanzhen didn't take my words seriously at the time, he will definitely seize upon this point and investigate me. And you, as my new concubine, will certainly fall under their scrutiny."

Muliu said in a low voice, "So, our faked death act this time was meaningless. Not only did it fail to get rid of Gu Mo, but it might also expose you."

Wang Mingxiu said, "It's not entirely meaningless. This time, when we deal with the Eastern Realm figure, you shouldn't intervene. As long as Madam Liu doesn't appear, I won't be exposed. Even if they suspect, there will be no evidence. If you fake your death again and change your identity, no one will be able to trace anything back to me."

Muliu was silent for a moment, then said, "How do I change my identity now?"

Wang Mingxiu said, "You need to stage a scene. Chen Shi's personal maid has a strong dislike for you. Find an opportunity to give her some hallucinogenic poison and manipulate her into disfiguring your face. Remember, it's crucial that many people witness your face being disfigured.

I'll find a body double who looks similar to you, disfigure their face as well, and throw them into a well. Then, we'll announce to the public that you committed suicide by jumping into the well because you were disfigured."

Muliu asked, "What about me then? What identity will I live under?"

"Wait for me!"

Wang Mingxiu said, "Once I've settled everything, I'll fake my own death too, and then I'll take you away to wander the martial world, just the two of us."

Muliu smiled, enchantingly, and chuckled, "You're a forty-year-old commander with a boundless future. Are you really willing to give that up?"

"Yes," Wang Mingxiu said. "I joined the Six-Fan Gate solely for revenge. Now, there's only one enemy left. What future do I have that I can't give up?"

Muliu then added, "But what about your happy family? Your wife, Chen Shi, though ordinary in appearance, is truly virtuous and has silently supported you all these years. Your two sons and one daughter are all doing well, and your eldest son has even achieved scholarly success. Are you willing to abandon such a happy and complete family to wander the martial world with a genderless person like me?"

Wang Mingxiu nodded. "Yes, I am. Wasn't that what we agreed upon back then?"

"You're only willing to fulfill your promise because you feel guilty towards me," Muliu said.

Wang Mingxiu shook his head. "If I fake my death and wander the jianghu, this happy family will still be mine; I won't have lost it. But if I stay here, you'll truly have nothing."

Muliu chuckled. "Alright, then I'll fake my death again. I'm truly looking forward to us wandering the jianghu together!"

"Soon," Wang Mingxiu said. "Tomorrow night, the Seven Absolutes Tower will make their move to assassinate that old fellow from the Eastern Realm. At that time, I will secretly cooperate with them, and we will definitely succeed in killing him. Our clan's great revenge will then be complete!"

Muliu frowned. "Didn't you say Gu Mo is now staying at Qingfeng Inn? Can the assassins from the Seven Absolutes Tower still kill that old fellow from the Eastern Realm?"

Wang Mingxiu nodded. "Don't worry, it's not a big problem. The assassination of that old fellow from the Eastern Realm has already been arranged."

Muliu's eyes turned red. "Almost thirty years! The more than four hundred wronged souls of our Mu clan can finally rest in peace!"

Qingfeng Inn, in the small courtyard.

Gu Mo was sitting in a chair. On the table before him lay a throwing knife. He formed a 'sword-finger' with his right index and middle fingers, and with a slight lift, the throwing knife instantly flew up. As he pointed his finger forward, the knife shot out. Then, as he moved his finger, the knife turned a corner, but it wavered and fell to the ground.

Gu Mo wasn't discouraged. He extended his hand, and the throwing knife flew back into his grasp.

Ever since he conceived the idea of forging a flying sword using the Profound Heaven Floating Stone, Gu Mo had been contemplating whether he could create a sword manipulation technique. Therefore, during this period, he frequently experimented using his vast internal energy as a guide, combined with the techniques of Dragon Capture Art and Little Li Flying Dagger, and his exquisite control over internal energy.

Theoretically, it was feasible. However, in practice, it was quite challenging. While he could use internal energy to control weapons for off-hand attacks, it was nowhere near the level of a true sword manipulation technique.

Still, Gu Mo wasn't in a hurry.

His flying sword couldn't be forged anytime soon, and his top-priority Reversion System wasn't complete yet, not even named. Should it be called Hundred Percent Reversion Qi, Thousand Percent Reversion Qi, or Nine Tenths Reversion Qi, or Ten Tenths Reversion Qi? Should he just add a number for each new internal energy he added?

As Gu Mo was pondering,

Gu Chutong pushed open the door from outside, walked over, and sat beside Gu Mo. Holding a scroll, she said, "Brother, Prefect Pei's aide just delivered the case file for Madam Liu's apprehension."

Immediately after,

Gu Chutong recounted the contents of the file, especially the details of Madam Liu's death.

After listening,

Gu Mo thought for a moment and said, "The file states that the civilian house caught fire at the time. Fourteen Six-Fan Gate constables battled Madam Liu. Madam Liu severely injured one person and seized the opportunity to escape. As she flew over the wall, Wang Mingxiu threw a knife, hitting her in the back, and she fell into the raging fire. Afterward, Wang Mingxiu single-handedly rushed into the blaze and soon after dragged out Madam Liu's body, which was extensively burned."

"Yes, that's right," Gu Chutong confirmed.

Gu Mo said, "This means no one saw what happened after Madam Liu fell into the fire, and it's uncertain if she truly died. The retrieved body was severely burned, and Madam Liu's identity was primarily determined by her appearance, clothing, and Wang Mingxiu's knife."

Gu Chutong nodded. "In that situation, with those items, it should have been enough to confirm Madam Liu's identity, right?"

"It could certainly prove it," Gu Mo said. "However, if we re-examine the file under the assumption that Madam Liu did not die, then it would confirm that Madam Liu faked her death and escaped there. In other words, he had prepared a body double to die in her place beforehand."

Gu Chutong asked, "Then how do we investigate this?"

Gu Mo chuckled, "There are many places to investigate. For instance, if it was a body double who faked death, then the time of death of the body would definitely not match. Additionally, why would Madam Liu fake her death? That's also an investigation direction. And then there's... Wang Mingxiu's abnormal behavior, when combined.

For Madam Liu to perfectly fake her death and escape, given the circumstances at the time, it's highly probable that Wang Mingxiu helped. Think about it: a burned body would eliminate traces, but if Madam Liu faked her death, Wang Mingxiu would have had to pull his knife out and reinsert it into the body double's corpse. With Wang Mingxiu's years of investigative experience, would he not be able to tell the difference in the knife wounds on the body?"

Gu Chutong said, "So Wang Mingxiu definitely has a problem; he's colluding with Madam Liu. But, Brother, the problem now is that even if we know Wang Mingxiu is suspicious, we can't accuse him. We don't have any evidence. Besides, we're new here and unfamiliar with the place, so we can't even investigate."

Gu Mo chuckled, "We'll see about Pei Yuanzhen then. I'll help him protect Master Dongjing, and he'll owe me a favor. Then I can ask him to help with the investigation."

"He's the only one we can ask," Gu Chutong said.

Gu Mo smiled and said, "But this favor won't be easy for him to repay. He'll have to help me with a much bigger one."

"What kind of favor?" Gu Chutong asked, confused.

"He has to help me find the whereabouts of the Six Pirates of Huaihai."

As he spoke, Gu Mo glanced at the information on his system page:

Wanted Target: The Six Pirates of HuaihaiMission Level: Five StarsMission Reward: Max-level Taixuan Scripture

The Six Pirates of Huaihai were once a notorious evil sect in the Huaihai region. Linhai Commandery is one of the four Huaihai commanderies, so Pei Yuanzhen, as its prefect, could be of great assistance.

The next day, early in the morning, just as Gu Mo and Gu Chutong finished their meal, a group of people arrived outside the courtyard. It was Master Dongjing, accompanied by several of his disciples, coming to pay a visit and express his gratitude.

Gu Mo was somewhat surprised.

He hadn't expected Master Dongjing to visit him. After all, scholars and martial artists occupied different spheres. Gu Mo was a grandmaster with high standing in the martial world, while Master Dongjing was a great Confucian scholar, a grandmaster in the literary and official circles.

Their paths generally did not intersect. Thus, Gu Mo hadn't visited Master Dongjing, assuming Master Dongjing would share his view of mutual non-interference. He hadn't expected Master Dongjing to come in person and even cordially invite him to participate in scholarly debates.

Gu Mo wasn't very interested in the refined debates among scholars. He went purely out of politeness, intending to listen for a while to show respect, and then leave.

But then, he was pleasantly surprised.

Both siblings grew to enjoy listening to the debates because they found Master Dongjing's debates different from the pedantic, quote-heavy discussions they had imagined from scholars.

Master Dongjing simply hurled insults.

He thoroughly berated those famous scholars who advocated for peace, leaving them utterly humiliated. After each tirade, he would point his finger and issue stern warnings, demanding they meet him at the prefectural academy during his lecture period.

Gu Mo finally understood why Master Dongjing was a great Confucian scholar; it was probably because he cursed so effectively. Gu Mo even felt that the Six-Fan Gate was less about protecting Master Dongjing from assassination and more about protecting him from being beaten to death by the scholars he had verbally abused.

Scholars could indeed be ruthless when they cursed. Gu Mo actually saw someone vomit blood from Master Dongjing's verbal abuse.

He stayed in the courtyard, listening to Master Dongjing debate (or rather, exchange insults) with others, and only left for lunch. Gu Chutong was very interested; after eating, she rushed back to listen to the debate.

It wasn't until evening that Gu Chutong returned. She found Gu Mo and said, "Brother, something happened at Wang Mingxiu's home!"

Gu Mo asked, puzzled, "What happened?"

Gu Chutong said, "I just heard it was domestic unrest. Wang Mingxiu recently took a new concubine, didn't he? She's reportedly incredibly beautiful and deeply favored by him, which made the primary wife, the Madam, feel threatened. She secretly instructed her maid to disfigure the concubine's face, supposedly with some kind of poison. The concubine couldn't bear the blow and committed suicide by jumping into a well."

Gu Mo frowned slightly.

He felt the timing of this incident was too coincidental.

Madam Liu had terrorized Linhai and Shanggu commanderies for years without being caught. Just as he was about to arrive, she was coincidentally captured and killed – and the key was that it was a faked death. Wang Mingxiu had very serious issues.

Given this situation, he was planning to ask Pei Yuanzhen to thoroughly investigate Wang Mingxiu after Master Dongjing's matter was resolved. Then, something happened at Wang Mingxiu's home, precisely when Master Dongjing's lecture and debate period was nearing.

Gu Mo felt something was amiss.

Ever since his internal energy reached the Heaven-Man Unity realm, he highly trusted his intuition. Although he had boasted to Gu Chutong that his assertion of Madam Liu's survival was based on Heaven-Man Synchronization, it didn't mean his Heaven-Man Synchronization was fake.

He truly possessed Heaven-Man Synchronization. At his level, any special sensation was never without basis.

Immediately, Gu Mo stood up and said, "I feel like something's not right. Let's go to Master Dongjing's place."

"Huh?" Gu Chutong quickly shouldered her large book satchel and followed beside Gu Mo, saying, "Brother, are you saying that assassin from the Seven Absolutes Tower will try to assassinate Master Dongjing tonight?"

Gu Mo whispered, "If it's just one assassin, it would be easy. I'm afraid there's more than one."

Just then,

From the courtyard where Master Dongjing was staying, sounds of clashing weapons erupted. Immediately after, shouts of battle came from that direction, and a signal flare shot into the sky, cutting through the darkness.

Instantly, Gu Mo and Gu Chutong wasted no words. They unleashed their superior lightness skill, barely touching the ground, and sped like two arrows released from a bowstring towards the scene.

At the same time, from another direction, a large group of Six-Fan Gate constables leaped and ran quickly across the tiled rooftops. The leader was none other than Commander Wang Mingxiu.

By this time, the courtyard was already in chaos.

Seven or eight assassins, wielding sharp blades, were locked in a fierce battle with the Six-Fan Gate constables. Several wooden carts, loaded with vegetables and firewood, were parked at the entrance. It was clear that these assassins had disguised themselves as delivery boys, slipping in undetected by the Six-Fan Gate, thus easily succeeding in their infiltration.

But this was no time to assign blame. The situation in the courtyard was tense, with both sides fighting with bloodshot eyes. The assassins' blades glowed with a faint blue, specifically targeting the constables' throats and hearts. The lead constable's left arm had been stabbed, and after being poisoned, black-red blood splattered on the green bricks. He was being forced against a corridor pillar, his saber already blunted.

Just as Gu Mo and Gu Chutong were preparing to act, Wang Mingxiu's elite squad of Six-Fan Gate members arrived. Each member of this elite team possessed extraordinary skill; upon entering the battlefield, they were as fierce and fearless as tigers descending from the mountains.

Wang Mingxiu, with his great saber, created a formidable whirlwind of cold light, swiftly cutting down three assassins.

The remaining assassins, seeing the unfavorable situation, dared not continue fighting. They shouted and turned to flee. The Six-Fan Gate members, unwilling to let them escape, activated their movement techniques and pursued them closely. For a moment, the scene was chaotic, with people scattered, and weapons and miscellaneous items strewn across the ground.

Seeing the assassins flee,

Wang Mingxiu led his constables swiftly towards Master Dongjing in the corner, shielding him in the center. At this moment, Master Dongjing was being protected by several of his martial artist disciples.

Just then, Wang Mingxiu's peripheral vision caught sight of a constable approaching Master Dongjing. In the dim light of night, visibility was poor, and the person's hair was somewhat disheveled, making their face unclear. Wang Mingxiu instinctively felt something was wrong and pointed at the constable, demanding, "What's your name?"

The constable quickly said, "My lord, my name is You Bai, and I'm under Chief Ma's command..."

Before the constable could finish speaking, his figure abruptly shifted. A cold glint flashed from his sleeve, and two small, cicada-wing-thin knives, like meteors in the dark night, shot out with piercing murderous intent, aiming straight for Master Dongjing's throat.

The flying knives were faster than lightning. The air shrieked as they sliced through it, threatening to take a life in the blink of an eye.

However, Wang Mingxiu, being an experienced veteran, reacted incredibly swiftly. His great saber swept out, its blade arcing like splashed ink in a semi-circular silver glow. Sparks flew as the saber struck the flying knives, producing two crisp "ding-ding" sounds. The rapidly approaching knives were precisely knocked down, falling to the ground with a clear "clanging" sound, embedding themselves into the floor tiles.

Just as Wang Mingxiu was about to step forward and attack, he suddenly saw a soft sword at the constable's waist, flicking out like a serpent's tongue. The nine rings wrapped around the sword made no sound as it slithered along the ground like a living creature, then suddenly straightened, reaching Master Dongjing's knee.

Wang Mingxiu had no time to think. He swung his great saber horizontally to block with all his might. The soft sword struck the saber, but instead of being parried away as usual, it snaked its way up the blade, bending strangely, and in a blink, coiled around it.

The moment the back of his saber struck the sword, Wang Mingxiu heard a dull thud from his breastbone. The soft sword twisted like a living thing, its tip tearing through his chest armor and carving a foot-long gash across his ribs.

His clothes ripped, and blood seeped out. Wang Mingxiu groaned, stumbling backward. However, his block successfully averted Master Dongjing's crisis, and the assassin disguised as a constable missed the optimal moment for assassination.

The assassin, seeing this, was not angered. Instead, she threw her head back and laughed, a clear, soft voice that revealed she was a woman.

Before her laughter faded, she flung her hand, and several smoke bombs landed precisely on the ground. With a few muffled "bangs," thick smoke instantly billowed out, engulfing the entire courtyard. Within the smoke, seven or eight figures, like phantoms, rapidly scattered in all directions. Some leaped onto rooftops, others crashed towards the moon gate, their footwork as elusive as the "Liaodong Wolf Run." This was Ruan Hongqiao's signature technique, "Tail-End Needle," utilizing specially made smoke to create indistinguishable decoys. It was her reliance for escaping unharmed after successful assassinations since her debut.

However, in the midst of this chaos, a figure shot into the night sky—it was Gu Mo. He stood almost suspended in mid-air, his fingers quickly tapping a few times in the void. Each tap caused a violent fluctuation in the surrounding air. Immediately after, streaks of invisible sword energy, imperceptible to the naked eye, shot from his fingertips. Not a trace could be seen, yet it was clearly the Six Meridian Divine Swords.

The sword qi crisscrossed, and wherever it passed, the fleeing phantoms instantly dissipated into nothingness. A piercing shriek suddenly rang out—it was Ruan Hongqiao's true self.

At that moment, she was frantically fleeing through a narrow alley, forcing a turn despite severe injuries, attempting to find a wall for cover.

But Gu Mo's figure was like lightning, sweeping in so fast that he was almost imperceptible.

In an instant, Gu Mo descended from the sky, his right foot carrying immense force, stomping heavily on Ruan Hongqiao's head.

Ruan Hongqiao's body abruptly stiffened, and she instantly spat out a large mouthful of blood. Her body, already pierced by the Six Meridian Divine Swords, now gushed blood like a fountain, staining the ground beneath her feet.

In that very instant,

Gu Mo's mind echoed with the system's prompt:

Killed a three-star wanted criminalObtained three-star reward: Max-level White Rainbow Palm StrengthClaim?

In a flash, Gu Mo's mind gained an understanding of White Rainbow Palm Strength. All the techniques for exerting force flooded into his mind like a surging tide. From the most basic methods of internal energy circulation to the profound and unpredictable changes in palm techniques, every detail, every nuance, was clearly presented in the depths of his consciousness, as if he had already painstakingly practiced and studied them for countless years.

At the same time, a new surge of internal energy quietly arose within his meridians. This energy, initially like a babbling brook, rapidly gathered and grew, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard.

Wang Mingxiu, struck by that sharp sword, spat out a mouthful of blood and involuntarily fell backward. Two of Master Dongjing's quick-witted disciples rushed forward, each steadily supporting him.

However, just then, Wang Mingxiu suddenly made his move.

He struck out with both palms, enveloped in whistling wind, as fast as lightning, slamming heavily into the chests of the two disciples.

The two disciples didn't even have time to let out a cry of surprise before they were sent flying several yards like sandbags, crashing heavily to the ground, spitting blood, their lives unknown.

Simultaneously, Wang Mingxiu suddenly tilted his head back, a cold glint flashing in his mouth. A poisoned steel needle, like an arrow released from a bowstring, shot straight for Master Dongjing's throat.

This sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard.

No one could have imagined that Wang Mingxiu, who had been desperately trying to save Master Dongjing just moments before, would suddenly turn into a ruthless assassin attempting to kill him. Such a reversal was completely unexpected.

The other two disciples personally protecting Master Dongjing, although their martial arts were considered top-tier in the martial world, had no time to react to this unannounced fatal strike.

The poisoned needle, carrying a deadly cold gleam, reached Master Dongjing's neck in the blink of an eye.

Just at this critical moment, a crisp "ding" sound, like metal striking stone, echoed. The poisoned needle was miraculously knocked away, both falling to the ground.

Everyone looked closely and saw a small steel bead shooting out from the darkness. It was this bead that knocked away the poisoned needle, saving Master Dongjing's life.

Simultaneously, a cross-shaped blade energy, wreathed in raging flames, tore through the void and struck towards Wang Mingxiu like lightning.

Wang Mingxiu's expression instantly changed. Without thinking, he pushed off the ground and rapidly retreated backward. When he stabilized himself and looked up, he saw Gu Chutong standing gracefully, her long saber radiating a chilling coldness. It was she who had intervened.

Seeing this, Wang Mingxiu's eyes widened in fury, and he roared, "You little brat, how dare you ruin my plans?! You're asking for death!"

Gu Chutong coldly said, "Wang Mingxiu, you truly are suspicious. Not only are you colluding with the Seven Absolutes Tower, but you're also colluding with Madam Liu to help her fake her death and escape, aren't you?!"

Wang Mingxiu snorted coldly and said nothing more. With a flick of his hand, countless poisoned needles rained down on Gu Chutong like a pear blossom storm, densely packed and overwhelming, leaving no room to evade.

Seeing this, Gu Chutong's eyebrows shot up in anger. She snorted coldly, then sharply swung her long saber. One cross-shaped blade energy after another shot out like arrows from a bowstring, resembling a surging wave.

The blade energies and poisoned needles clashed violently in the air, producing a flurry of "ding-ding-dong-dong" sounds, with sparks flying. In a blink, all the poisoned needles were struck down, falling to the ground with crisp sounds, sizzling and smoking on the green bricks.

Wang Mingxiu seized the opportunity to leap back ten yards. His toes barely touched the top of the wall before he shot out of the courtyard like a bird in flight.

However, before his figure had completely vanished from sight, a deafening dragon's roar suddenly resounded. A mighty, dragon-shaped qi energy, like an enraged dragon emerging from the sea, surged towards him with an earth-shattering aura.

Wang Mingxiu was terrified. In a panic, he quickly channeled all his cultivation to resist. But the dragon-shaped qi energy was too powerful; he felt an overwhelming force surge towards him, utterly irresistible.

He was instantly sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a stone wall, then tumbling across the ground, carving deep furrows, finally slamming hard into a rockery.

With a loud "rumble," the rockery instantly collapsed, sending debris flying.

When the dust settled, Wang Mingxiu was seen slumped on the ground, barely breathing, his face ashen, blood continuously oozing from the corners of his mouth. He was at the end of his tether, with no power left to fight back.

At this moment, a large group of Six-Fan Gate constables surrounded him, but none stepped forward to apprehend him. Although Wang Mingxiu's collusion with assassins to murder Master Dongjing was undeniable, he had been their superior for many years, and for a moment, they didn't know what to do.

"You are not Wang Mingxiu!"

At this moment, Gu Mo flew over, slowly landed on the ground, and said, "Wang Mingxiu's internal energy is fire-attributed, but your true qi is extremely yin and cold. However, your technique is impressive; you managed to disguise your Extreme Yin Qi as Extreme Yang Qi, even deceiving me."

With that,

Gu Mo waved his hand, sending out a burst of energy that tore off the human-skin mask from "Wang Mingxiu's" face, revealing an exceedingly beautiful and delicate countenance.

Immediately, a Six-Fan Gate constable exclaimed in shock, "Madam Liu!"