Chapter 236: Ghost Town Siege

Inside the factory at Ghost Wind Pass.

As Gu Mo's two flying daggers brought down the two dwarfs, Ye Jinglan swiftly moved to finish them off, severing both their heads directly. He curled his lip and remarked, "It's always those who lack something who try to flaunt it. The famously tall Judge Cui turns out to be two short men!"

With that, Ye Jinglan looked at the heads lying together on the ground, and pointing to the bald one, said, "Brother Gu, taking just this one head will be enough. Judge Cui has always been depicted as this bald man; only this head is needed to confirm his identity and claim the bounty!"

"Alright."

Gu Mo nodded, picking up a piece of discarded cloth from the ground to wrap the head. Although Gu Mo wasn't particularly keen on carrying Judge Cui's head, as they were about to leave Ghost City and many troubles awaited them, making it unlikely the head could be safely transported, he considered its value of over a thousand taels. Regardless, it was worth a try.

Soon, Gu Mo hung the head from his waist.

By then, chaos had already erupted in Ghost Wind Pass market town.

However, Ye Jinglan paid no mind. Instead, he walked over to the cauldron where Judge Cui had been boiling sandalwood, reaching in to gently retrieve a small amount of the sandalwood, which had evaporated from a viscous liquid into a powder.

Ye Jinglan brought the powder to his nose and sniffed it, his brows immediately furrowing. "It's real!" he exclaimed.

Gu Mo asked, puzzled, "Brother Ye, is there a problem?"

Ye Jinglan pinched some sandalwood powder and held it out to Gu Mo, saying, "Brother Gu, you're a physician, very sensitive to smells. Take a sniff and tell me, is there any difference between this Yunlu Sandalwood and the Yunlu Sandalwood at my home?"

Gu Mo gently sniffed, then pinched a bit more to rub between his fingers. "It's very pure, no problems at all," he said. "Judge Cui seems quite scrupulous!"

Ye Jinglan stated gravely, "The fact that there's no problem *is* the problem."

"What do you mean?" Gu Mo asked, confused.

Ye Jinglan explained, "Why is Yunlu Sandalwood from Ghost City so much cheaper? It's because most of it is counterfeit. 'Counterfeit' doesn't mean it's ineffective, but it's inferior to the genuine Yunlu Sandalwood. Ghost City's version lacks several crucial ingredients compared to the authentic one, and that formula has always been exclusively held by the Four Seas Merchant Association. For so many years, countless people have eyed the profits from Yunlu Sandalwood, yet no single power has been able to produce the genuine article. Even aristocratic families couldn't produce the genuine product, so how could this Judge Cui? Furthermore, if he can make the real thing, why hide in Ghost City? Why not sell it for a high price directly outside? Think about the immense profit margin. Ghost Hand Three is a reseller; if he can sell it for thirty-five taels, it means he likely obtains it from Judge Cui for around twenty taels, or even less. How much profit does Judge Cui make then? If he can produce the genuine article, wouldn't it be better to sell it outside directly? The authentic product sells for at least sixty taels outside – nearly quadruple the profit. Is it really possible Judge Cui isn't tempted? That seems unlikely."

Gu Mo said gravely, "So the workers in Ghost Wind Pass market town are making inferior products?"

"Yes," Ye Jinglan nodded. "I've used Yunlu Sandalwood for a long time, so I'm very familiar with its scent. Also, to understand Ghost City better, I specifically studied the differences between genuine and inferior sandalwood on the market. Therefore, I wasn't surprised when we first entered the market town, as I already knew that Yunlu Sandalwood produced in Ghost Wind Pass would definitely be inferior, and the scent and texture of the Yunlu Sandalwood sold outside were indeed of lower quality. However, just now, when I first arrived and saw Judge Cui, I grew suspicious. I noticed that the pot of Yunlu Sandalwood he was boiling seemed very pure and genuine. So, after we dealt with Judge Cui, I immediately came to check, and it truly is the real thing. This means Judge Cui possesses the means to produce authentic Yunlu Sandalwood, yet he continues to only deal in inferior products within Ghost City. As of now, there has been no report of genuine Yunlu Sandalwood appearing on the market that wasn't produced by the Four Seas Merchant Association."

Gu Mo frowned slightly.

It was indeed abnormal, especially given that Judge Cui himself had admitted to having powerful official backing. His actions seemed highly unusual. After all, this era had no laws regarding patents or trademarks.

Gu Mo thought for a moment and said, "I can think of three possibilities. First, Judge Cui and his backers dare not provoke the Four Seas Merchant Association. Therefore, simply dominating a niche market is enough. If they were to produce genuine products, it would be akin to undermining the Four Seas Merchant Association's foundation, potentially leading to their full suppression. Second, the Four Seas Merchant Association itself is behind Judge Cui. They might also be interested in the market for inferior Yunlu Sandalwood. After all, if two markets conflict, it's better to engage in both rather than be impacted by others, thus earning money from both. Third, this batch of genuine products has secretly infiltrated the market but simply hasn't been discovered. After all, if the product is identical to the Four Seas Merchant Association's, who could tell the difference? Even the Four Seas Merchant Association itself might not be able to. As long as they aren't too greedy and don't expand their market presence too widely, there's no need to worry about being found out."

Ye Jinglan said, "If it's the second possibility, that's fine; I can investigate the Four Seas Merchant Association directly. But if it's the first or third, it will be extremely troublesome to investigate."

Gu Mo asked, "Brother Ye, do you still want to investigate further? From Judge Cui's words just now, it's easy to infer that his backers have extraordinary influence in official circles. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to be so arrogant even after knowing your identity!"

Ye Jinglan nodded slightly. "Investigate, yes. Unless his backer is the Emperor himself, I will pursue this to the very end!"

Gu Mo asked, perplexed, "Why wouldn't you investigate the Emperor? You, Ye Jinglan, don't seem like someone who fears authority!"

Ye Jinglan replied, "My patron is Prince Jin. To be honest, while Prince Jin hasn't shown me immense appreciation, he has indeed been very good to me. If the investigation truly leads to the Emperor, what can I do? I don't care about official positions or power; the main issue is that if I insist on pushing forward, I would implicate Prince Jin. This is a struggle for the Crown Prince position, a battle for succession, bloody at every step. Prince Jin can suffer defeat, can lose, but absolutely not because he was dragged down by me, Ye Jinglan. Brother Gu, the succession struggle is truly brutal and ruthless; once lost, families are ruined, and entire clans are annihilated!"

Gu Mo cupped his hands. "Where righteousness leads, there it stops. Brother Ye, there is nothing wrong with thinking this way. Only a sage can achieve perfection; we are ordinary people, and there's no need to pursue flawlessness."

"Where righteousness leads, there it stops!"

Ye Jinglan murmured the phrase again, then cupped his hands toward Gu Mo and said, "Brother Gu, you've truly read your books."

Gu Mo: "..."

"Hahahaha," Seeing Gu Mo's speechless expression, Ye Jinglan laughed heartily, then picked up his saber and started walking out. "Brother Gu, let's go. We have serious business to attend to; we need to check the ledgers here."

Gu Mo knew the reason Ye Jinglan wanted to check the ledgers: to find clues about the person behind it all. Any place where economic interests are generated, no matter how subtly the true mastermind is hidden, there's one area they can't avoid: finances. Unless the mastermind doesn't care for money, or the money doesn't need to be laundered, then finding clues would be difficult. But as long as they want money, there will inevitably be traces left in the accounts.

However, with Judge Cui and Donggua dead, Gu Mo wondered how Ye Jinglan would find the ledgers. He asked, puzzled, "Brother Ye, how will you find the Ghost Wind Pass accounts?"

Ye Jinglan chuckled lightly. "Brother Gu, just wait a moment; I have my ways."

Gu Mo was somewhat puzzled.

However, his confusion quickly dissipated.

Because Ye Jinglan employed a swift, simple method: killing!

Besides the ordinary exploited workers, Ghost Wind Pass also had many of Judge Cui's subordinates. Under Ye Jinglan's blade, heads rolled, and soon, someone, terrified, honestly confessed everything, leaving nothing out.

Judge Cui had four subordinates named after the seasons: Donggua, who was both his subordinate and his woman, usually handled business negotiations for him; Xiagua and Qiugua were long-term delivery managers, usually not in Ghost Wind Pass; and Chungua was the chief accountant in charge of the bookkeeping office.

Soon, Ye Jinglan, saber in hand, cut his way to the accounting office and quickly found Chungua, one of the Four Guas. He was a refined middle-aged man dressed in a long gown, very scholarly and elegant.

When Ye Jinglan and Gu Mo burst into the accounting office, Chungua seemed oblivious to the events outside, calmly sipping his tea.

For a moment, Ye Jinglan was puzzled. He said coldly, "You are Chungua, Judge Cui's chief accountant."

"That's me." Chungua nodded.

For a moment, Ye Jinglan began to wonder if this person was another decoy, just like the bald man in the underground palace.

Chungua slowly put down his teacup and said, "Ye Jinglan, Lord Ye, you can rest assured, I am Chungua, the genuine article. I know you're wondering why I'm not escaping, but there's no need to. I am just an ordinary scholar, with no martial arts skills. Of course, even if I did possess martial arts, being faced by the Saber Emperor... hmm... more people in the jianghu now call you Saber Official. I wonder if you accept that title!"

Ever since news of Ye Jinglan joining the government spread, many in the jianghu began to mock him for willingly degrading himself and becoming a lackey of the imperial court. This was a common phenomenon; virtually all respected jianghu figures who entered official service were ridiculed by the jianghu. After Ye Jinglan became an official, to avoid taboo, he publicly announced to the jianghu that he no longer acknowledged the title "Saber Emperor." After this incident, the jianghu's ridicule and disdain reached an extreme. Consequently, to mock Ye Jinglan, some busybodies in the jianghu bestowed upon him the title "Saber Official." The deliberate use of "Official" was a sarcastic jab, implying Ye Jinglan had lost his martial arts master's integrity and had stooped to being a government lackey. However, Ye Jinglan was quite open-minded about it. When he decided to join officialdom, he had already prepared himself to be scorned by his martial arts peers. Thus, he readily accepted the mocking title "Saber Official." When chatting with Gu Mo, he even said that one day, the name "Saber Official" would be more respected than "Saber Emperor" ever was.

"The title 'Saber Official' is quite good," Ye Jinglan said.

Chungua smiled slightly. "A Saber Official and a Yunzhou Hero – I know my limits. There's no way I can escape, so I'm waiting here. I will be very cooperative; I'll give you whatever you want. If you want to kill me, please make it quick. If not, then I'll have saved my life. As for what I give you, it's harmless; you won't be able to take it out anyway!"

Ye Jinglan chuckled lightly. "With Brother Gu and I working together, do you really think this mere Ghost City can trap us?"

Chungua nodded slightly. "If you had simply killed Judge Cui, I personally believe, given your combined strength, it wouldn't be difficult for you two to fight your way out. But now that you've come to me, the situation is different."

Ye Jinglan asked, perplexed, "Are you implying that killing you would have a greater impact in Ghost City than killing Judge Cui?"

"No," Chungua shook his head. "I'm just a small figure. What's important isn't me, but what I hold. Judge Cui isn't important, nor are Laughing Buddha, Ghost-Faced Guanyin, or anyone else." As he spoke, Chungua gently tapped a few ledgers on the table. "What's important are these account books. Hmm, Lord Ye, Grand Hero Gu, you two came here precisely for these ledgers, to investigate the accounts, didn't you?"

Ye Jinglan nodded and reached out to take them.

At that moment, Chungua warned, "Lord Ye, think twice!"

Ye Jinglan said gravely, "What do you mean?"

Chungua stated plainly, "When you two killed Judge Cui, he should have told you that he had powerful backing. Perhaps he was too confident and didn't make it clear enough, but theoretically, you two shouldn't have killed him."

Ye Jinglan's brows furrowed. He whispered to Gu Mo, "Brother Gu, is this fellow stalling for time?"

Gu Mo immediately transmitted a reply, "I haven't detected any ambush, nor have I heard any sounds or movements from mechanisms, and there's no poison or anything. It doesn't seem like he's stalling."

With Gu Mo's reply, Ye Jinglan addressed Chungua, "I'd like to hear more."

Chungua said, "It's not very detailed, just a simple principle: existence is reasonable. Lord Ye, Ghost City has existed for hundreds of years. Why has it persisted? Because it is reasonable."

Ye Jinglan asked, "What does this have to do with the ledgers?"

Chungua gently patted the ledgers. "Because the source of that reasonableness is right here. Ghost City has a 'Big Boss.' I don't know the Big Boss's identity, but all the leaders of Ghost City's major powers obey him. Lord Ye, think about it. Is Ghost City really that mysterious? Has it truly stumped the imperial court for hundreds of years? Could one Song Zichu nearly map out Ghost City? Photographic memory... Heh, how many people are there in the Qian Kingdom over hundreds of years? Even if only one in a hundred thousand has a photographic memory, the court could still find a large number. Forget photographic memory; what about those with good ordinary memories? If one person fails, there are hundreds, thousands, working day and night. Could they truly not draw a detailed map of Ghost City? So why has the court remained helpless? Lord Ye, you and Grand Hero Gu could easily kill Judge Cui. How many martial arts masters does the imperial court have? Not to mention the military, consider the Night Department, the Imperial City Guard, the Grand Court of Judicial Review, the Imperial Clan Court, the Six Gates... where are they lacking masters? What is Ghost City? What are the Ten Great Villains? Yet, for hundreds of years, Ghost City has persisted. What does that signify? Who exactly is this 'Big Boss'? Why is there no rumor of him outside? You two probably haven't heard that Ghost City has a Big Boss, have you? The Big Boss certainly isn't a single person, because no one can live for hundreds of years. So, what does 'Big Boss' symbolize? Lord Ye, ponder that carefully!"

Ye Jinglan's pupils contracted slightly.

Chungua continued, "Ah, Lord Ye, those who enter officialdom are intelligent people; even if there are fools, they are extremely few. Therefore, Ghost City's existence has enormous loopholes. How could no one see it? How could no one guess that there are people behind Ghost City? Yet everyone refrains from investigating... no, that's not right. The previous commander of a major department, "Boatman," investigated the human-faced demon beast, but it ended with him saying he couldn't find anything. That was the most mysterious Boatman from the most mysterious Night Department. For him to fail to track it down after clashing with the human-faced demon beast, one can only say... existence is reasonable. People in the imperial court, they can't be so obtuse as to not realize that simply destroying one Ghost City faction and obtaining its ledgers would allow them to trace back to the masterminds. So why has no one ever suggested it? Therefore, Lord Ye, the ledgers are right here. Do you truly still want them?"

The room was extremely somber and oppressive.

Ye Jinglan stared at Chungua. "Is this why you believe Brother Gu and I, even working together, won't be able to get out?"

Chungua nodded. "Killing Judge Cui would merely prompt other factions to act against you two to preserve the dignity of Ghost City's villains, but they wouldn't fight to the death. However, if you take the ledgers, the Big Boss behind it all will certainly not tolerate you leaving alive, and you definitely won't make it out alive."

Ye Jinglan chuckled lightly, then directly picked up the ledgers from the table and began to flip through them, quickly reviewing a few of them. He didn't fully understand accountancy, but he had a general grasp and felt they were genuine, so he took them all.

Chungua said, somewhat surprised, "Lord Ye is truly skilled and daring. However, you won't be able to leave."

Ye Jinglan gave a cold laugh, then suddenly swung his saber and plunged it into Chungua's chest. "I don't believe there's any place in this world that Brother Gu and I, working together, cannot break out of. As for you, no one who thrives in Ghost City deserves to live, so you may as well die!" The long saber was pulled out, blood spurted from Chungua's chest, and he instantly fell to the ground.

Ye Jinglan then ran out and seized several other accountants, interrogating them one by one. After confirming that the ledgers Chungua had given him were indeed the genuine accounts for Ghost Wind Pass, he found a cloth, wrapped the ledgers, and slung them onto his back.

"Brother Gu, from what Chungua just said, it seems we're in for big trouble today," Ye Jinglan said, saber in hand, a slight smile on his face.

"It doesn't matter!" Gu Mo chuckled lightly. "Brother Ye, just keep killing. I'll block all the hidden weapons for you, ensuring you won't be harmed in the slightest."

Ye Jinglan grinned. He had no doubt about Gu Mo's words, having witnessed Gu Mo's defensive capabilities firsthand. Just a short while ago, when they were cooperating to trick Donggua, both had fallen into quicksand. Ye Jinglan had held back from acting, and it was Gu Mo who activated his Innate Astral Qi to break free from the quicksand. If Gu Mo could defend against something as terrifying as quicksand, Ye Jinglan naturally believed he could block all overt and hidden attacks for him.

Immediately, the two left.

Ye Jinglan grabbed a boatman to escort them out. On their way in, Gu Mo had prepared medicinal powder that left a scent, allowing them to find their way back. The entire water journey was uneventful, without any disturbances.

The two proceeded through the pipeline. Just as they reached a crossroad, a grating "crunch" suddenly echoed from the damp tunnel. The rock wall of the pipe they had come through cracked into a spiderweb pattern, and mud mixed with gravel rustled down. Immediately after, the entire rock wall collapsed with a deafening roar. Huge chunks of earth, like the fangs of a beast, plummeted to the ground amidst thick dust, completely blocking their retreat. At that moment, soul-stirring rumbles emanated from the depths of the other three pipelines, like the roar of ancient beasts awakening. Eerie blue flames surged from the dark pipe openings. Immediately after, three enormous boulders, much taller than a person and nearly filling the tunnel, rolled out, wrapped in oil-soaked burlap. Where the boulders crushed the ground, spiderweb cracks appeared, and the heavy oppressive force distorted the air. A pungent smell of gunpowder mixed with sulfur assailed them.

"Brother Gu, protect me!"

Ye Jinglan's cry was swallowed by the thundering rumble of the boulders.

Gu Mo understood immediately, his arms suddenly spreading wide. Dazzling Innate Astral Qi transformed into a silver barrier, enveloping both of them. Almost simultaneously, Ye Jinglan moved like lightning. His long saber, drawn from its sheath, unleashed a sky full of cold light. The blade pulsed with a crimson glow, and he charged towards the boulders like a meteor.

"Boom!"

The moment the blade sliced through the boulder, the gunpowder hidden within exploded with a deafening roar. A searing blast of air, laden with碎石, shot outwards. The two boulders behind them, propelled by the explosion, collided with a thunderous crash, like two meteorites crashing, shaking the entire pipe violently. Large sections of the ceiling rock began to peel off, and massive stones rained down. The ground surged and collapsed like boiling water, forming a giant vortex. The grinding of the boulders, the roaring of the gunpowder, all merged into a single cacophony. The pipe broke apart like rotten wood, and the ground sank as if it were punctured tofu. Thick mud mixed with rock debris pressed in from all directions.

Gu Mo's Innate Astral Qi rippled under the impact of the stone torrent, while Ye Jinglan gripped his trembling saber hilt, feeling the ground beneath his feet sink at a visible rate.

"Brother Gu, get ready to fly up!"

Before he finished speaking, dazzling light erupted around Ye Jinglan. He transformed into a streak of light and merged into his saber. The long saber instantly grew dozens of times in size, a Qilin pattern appearing on its blade. Its saber aura shot straight into the sky, as if it aimed to cleave heaven and earth.

Amidst the collapsing rockslide, the divine saber tore through the air. Wherever it passed, massive boulders shattered, and the rock wall was split open with a straight crack. As they burst through the surface, a brilliant saber light bloomed in mid-air, like the dawn's first light, dispelling the sky full of dust and debris. The two had emerged from the side of a collapsing small mountain and were now plummeting towards a rushing underground river below.

Fortunately, Gu Mo grabbed Ye Jinglan's arm. Just as they were about to fall into the water, a stream of internal energy emanated from Gu Mo's feet, like a gust of wind sweeping over the river surface, and the two instantly floated away, entering a tunnel within the canyon.

"Brother Gu, what superb light footwork!" Ye Jinglan couldn't help but exclaim.

"Brother Ye, that fusion of man and saber just now, the power of your saber intent, is something I've truly never seen in my life." Gu Mo remarked sincerely, genuinely not flattering him. The saber intent from Ye Jinglan's strike just now far surpassed his Heavenly Question Thirteen Sabers technique when he killed Zen Master Ding in Qingzhou. Gu Mo strongly suspected he had even created a fourteenth saber.

However, this was not the time for them to discuss martial arts. Neither man lingered, instead dashing forward rapidly.

However, their original route had been disrupted, and they now had to find a way to locate someone.

After emerging from the pipeline, they found themselves by a river. They searched around and found a wooden board, then used it to travel down the river. However, after less than two li, they felt something gathering beneath the water. Slowly, crocodiles began to appear.

Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan both sighed helplessly, drawing their sabers simultaneously. They only had this one wooden board, and it couldn't be destroyed, as neither of them was adept at underwater combat.

In a small courtyard in Ghost City, three of the Ten Great Villains of Ghost City had gathered. One of them was the Laughing Buddha, a human trafficker whom Ye Jinglan had specifically intended to kill.

The Laughing Buddha was a monk with a round, fleshy face who always wore a smiling expression, which earned him his name in the jianghu.

At this moment, the Laughing Buddha sat in a chair with his chest exposed, his corpulent chest even larger than that of most women in the world. A string of prayer beads hung from his neck, and he held a monk's staff in his hand, saying with a grin, "Gentlemen, the Big Boss has issued a death order: Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan must be killed. Hehe, this old monk is getting on in years, so I'll mostly have to rely on you two youngsters!"

Sitting opposite the Laughing Buddha were a man and a woman. The man wore a scarlet opera costume and heavy makeup, making his age impossible to discern. However, his attire easily identified him as the Thousand-Faced Actor, one of Ghost City's Ten Great Villains. The other person was a hunchbacked woman with an ugly face covered in wounds oozing poisonous blood. Her body was swarming with fingernail-sized blue-backed poisonous spiders, and her bare feet astonishingly had six toes each. This person was the Poisonous Spider Matron, another of the Ten Great Villains, renowned as a master of poison who raised countless types of spiders.

Neither the Thousand-Faced Actor nor the Poisonous Spider Matron were known for their martial prowess among the Ten Great Villains, but they commanded the most subordinates. This was because over half of Ghost City's purely commercial market towns were under their control; they dealt in territory. In contrast, those like Laughing Buddha and Judge Cui, who ran specialized businesses, required far fewer subordinates.

At this moment, the Poisonous Spider Matron heard the Laughing Buddha's words and spoke, her voice surprisingly pleasant, clear as an oriole's. "Buddha, you're wrong to say that. Everyone knows Spider and I are the type to pull tricks from behind the scenes. If it truly comes to a fight, ten of us combined wouldn't be a match for you, old man, even for a single move."

The Thousand-Faced Actor also said with a smile, "Buddha, since the Big Boss has tasked the three of us with this, the objective is clear: Spider and I will provide the manpower, and you, old man, will provide the ultimate support. Who doesn't know that the Laughing Buddha's Ten Great Vajras are all valiant and formidable!"

The Laughing Buddha chuckled lightly. "Alright, let's stop pushing the responsibility around. We all know in our hearts that if Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan truly arrive before us unharmed, the combined might of all three of us wouldn't be enough to handle even one of them!"

"Not at all, not at all," the Poisonous Spider Matron said. "Buddha, your martial arts, if placed in the righteous martial world, would absolutely make you a grandmaster. Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan are formidable, but not to that extent."

The Laughing Buddha waved his hand. "Enough with the pleasantries. I just arrived, so you two should tell me what the situation is now. Ideally, those two should have been killed on the way here."

The Poisonous Spider Matron shook her head. "That might be a bit difficult. Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan, working together, are terrifyingly powerful. I prepared so many explosives near Black Hill, directly collapsing half a mountain, sending tens of thousands of catties of rock tumbling down from high above, but those two escaped completely unharmed."

The Thousand-Faced Actor also said, "I arranged hundreds of fierce crocodiles over at New River and even collapsed the river caves, but still couldn't injure either of them..."

Immediately, the two began to recount their plans.

After listening, the Laughing Buddha's face stiffened. He swallowed hard and said, "Underground rivers, mountain rocks, explosives, assassinations... This means you've essentially used every available method, nearly ten killing traps, all of them failed, almost to the point of being completely useless!"

The Poisonous Spider Matron and the Thousand-Faced Actor nodded.

Then, the Thousand-Faced Actor said, "But it's not entirely useless. Even if those two are gods, they must be close to exhaustion by now. We've led them towards the Corpse Cocoon Cave. Buddha, as you know, outside Corpse Cocoon Cave Town is an abyss. If anything unexpected happens, we can use that abyss to escape. I don't believe Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan would dare to pursue us inside."

The Laughing Buddha waved his hand. "It won't come to that, it won't. By the time Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan reach Corpse Cocoon Cave, they'll be at the end of their tether. What kind of waves can they still make? I've brought all ten of my Great Vajras, and you two must have a considerable number of people on your side, too, right?"

The Thousand-Faced Actor replied, "We've each arranged two hundred people. Additionally, there are nearly a thousand beggars and laborers in that market town, as well as many merchants from the outside world and common folk seeking a livelihood. Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan are both martial arts heroes who uphold justice, so those people can serve as hostages for us to control them! However, Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan are ultimately top-tier masters, and there's no guarantee they don't have hidden cards, especially Gu Mo with his Gouchen Demonic Saber, now recognized as a divine weapon in the jianghu. Therefore, at that time, we will still have to rely on you, Buddha!"

The Laughing Buddha nodded. "Indeed, the two of you are the least to be provoked in Ghost City. You have all sorts of people at your disposal, practically Ghost City experts. If you two want to kill someone, you can truly exploit the Ghost City environment to its fullest!"

"Buddha, stop exaggerating about us," the Poisonous Spider Matron sighed. "If we were truly that formidable, would we still need to rely on numbers, and still be ranked lowest among the Ten Great Villains?"

The Laughing Buddha waved his hand. "The time is almost right. We should set off for Corpse Cocoon Cave. Although we can't kill Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan in a one-on-one fight, just imagine being able to surround and kill the Yunzhou Hero and the Saber Official... Tsk, tsk, that will surely bring us immense fame in the jianghu!"

The Thousand-Faced Actor licked his lips and said, "If we can achieve this, it will indeed be a tremendous honor, something we can boast about for a lifetime!"