Chapter 251: Su Qianqiu

Early in the morning, Quwo City came alive with noise. Officials, nobles, ordinary merchants, laborers, and common folk alike were streaming out of the city towards Bright Moon Plain. The crowds surged, creating a lively atmosphere.

Today's decisive battle was unlike ordinary duels between martial arts masters. Even when famous masters dueled, the appeal was usually limited to the martial arts world, rarely attracting ordinary citizens. Simply put, no matter how profound a master's martial arts skills were, their fame had significant limitations. For common people, simply surviving was difficult enough; they had neither the leisure nor the means to concern themselves with the conflicts of the pugilistic world.

However, Su Qianqiu was different. While across the various nations, he was known as the foremost master, his renown primarily confined to court politics and the martial arts community, in Southern Jin, he was the spiritual symbol and object of fervent worship for the entire nation, almost to the point of fanaticism. Therefore, countless ordinary citizens went to watch his duel today. Many who traveled from other regions had already been waiting at Bright Moon Plain for several days, while in the capital, people had been waiting at the city gates since before dawn.

This phenomenon wasn't limited to commoners; officials and nobles were equally eager to attend. Even the Jin Emperor himself, accompanied by the Empress and numerous civil and military officials, traveled to Bright Moon Plain.

At Bright Moon Plain, the capital's prefecture office had sent people early to construct a viewing platform, choosing the best vantage point. Ordinary citizens, however, were kept to the periphery by the army. According to rumors, seats on the viewing platform had been traded among the populace for exorbitant prices, reaching thousands of taels of silver per spot.

Gu Mo and his party, however, gained access to the viewing platform without paying. The entire Qian Kingdom delegation was granted entry.

Gu Mo and Gu Chundong arrived relatively late. While the siblings had high expectations for the battle, they didn't view Master Liansheng and Su Qianqiu with the same mysterious aura as ordinary pugilists. Thus, they weren't in a hurry. Knowing the duel was set for the Shen hour (3-5 PM), they timed their arrival for the Wei hour (1-3 PM). By the time they arrived, Bright Moon Plain was already overflowing with people, and the viewing platform was crowded and exceptionally noisy.

Gu Chundong led Gu Mo towards the Qian Kingdom delegation. Gu Chundong looked around for a while, then turned to an envoy and asked, perplexed, "Where's Brother Su? Didn't he arrive much earlier?"

The envoy replied, "Lady Gu, Young Lord Su said he wanted to look around after arriving here, and he hasn't returned yet. But don't worry, he has guards with him; there shouldn't be any danger."

"Oh, alright then." Gu Chundong nodded, asked no further questions, and pulled Gu Mo to a seat, saying, "Brother Su must have gone to look for clues. His eyes were red this morning when he left; he definitely didn't sleep all night, pondering something!"

Gu Mo chuckled, "Even though everything will be revealed today, someone like Brother Su, who loves investigating cases, has an obsession. They always hope to find the answer before the mystery is unraveled."

"Will he make it in time?" Gu Chundong asked.

Gu Mo chuckled, "Probably not."

Gu Chundong laughed softly, "Then he'll be incredibly upset."

Gu Mo said, "It's like having your favorite food right in front of you but being unable to eat it. That kind of frustration."

Gu Chundong rolled her eyes. "Brother, how dare you say that? When we were little, you often teased me for being short. You'd laugh so happily watching me jump around trying to reach things I couldn't."

Gu Mo smiled slightly. "Which siblings don't act like that when they're young? Is it even possible for an elder sibling not to tease a younger one?"

"Hmph!" Gu Chundong puffed out her cheeks and snorted, then asked, "Brother, what do you think are Master Liansheng's chances of winning against Su Qianqiu today?"

Gu Mo thought for a moment and said, "I've never met Su Qianqiu, so I can't comment on him. However, if what Old Heavenly Master Zhang said is true—that Master Liansheng hasn't fully mastered the Thirty-Two Lotus Scripture—then Master Liansheng likely has no chance of winning. But I have a feeling this battle might not even happen today!"

"Why?" Gu Chundong asked.

"That's the very question Brother Su is struggling to figure out," Gu Mo replied.

As they spoke, Gu Chundong suddenly pointed to the entrance below the viewing platform. "Look, isn't that Brother Su back already!"

A moment later, Su Ziyou arrived, walking straight to Gu Mo's side. "Brother Gu, something's very wrong here," he said.

"It seems you've discovered something?" Gu Mo said.

Su Ziyou shook his head slightly. "It's not a major discovery. After I arrived, I wandered around and noticed two odd things. First, there are cavalry here, both heavy and light. I understand having an army; after all, there are tens of thousands of people from all walks of life on Bright Moon Plain today, so having troops maintain order and protect the Emperor and officials is essential. However, preparing cavalry seems unnecessary. Second, among the onlookers and pugilists, many are disguised military personnel. At first, I wondered if there might be an assassination attempt. But after observing closely for a long time, I noticed their attention wasn't on the viewing platform at all; it was as if they were genuinely just here to watch the duel."

Gu Mo chuckled, "So, have you figured it out?"

"Not entirely," Su Ziyou replied. "I have a general idea of the truth, but a few minor details still elude me."

"Then just wait patiently. The moment of truth is fast approaching," Gu Mo said.

On Bright Moon Plain, the clamor of voices was deafening, utterly boisterous. In the winter plain, gusts of cold wind blew, and by the middle of the Wei hour (around 2 PM), snowflakes even began to fall from the sky. However, no one felt cold; after all, tens of thousands of people were packed together. As the Shen hour (3-5 PM) drew closer, the atmosphere grew increasingly fervent.

At a certain moment, someone in the distant crowd suddenly spotted a monk appearing on Bright Moon Mountain, slowly ascending its slopes.

"Who is that monk?"

"Fool, who else could it be? It must be that foolhardy monk who dares to challenge the Revered Deity of Ultimate Pinnacle!"

"That monk is here to die. He looks so young, why is he so desperate?"

"He's not young, actually. It's said he has a technique for preserving youth, and he's already over fifty!"

"Then he must have some skill, right?"

"The Revered Deity of Ultimate Pinnacle is over seventy, and isn't he also said to look like a young man?"

The crowd erupted, but the sentiment was overwhelmingly critical of Master Liansheng. Many fervent citizens cursed him, believing Master Liansheng's challenge to Su Qianqiu was an affront to a deity and that he deserved to go to hell. Were it not for the soldiers stationed on all sides, countless people would have likely charged to fight Master Liansheng. Immediately, the atmosphere grew incredibly heated.

Then, in the next instant, someone suddenly shouted, "The Revered Deity is here! The Revered Deity is here!"

At that moment, the plain's clamor rose like ocean waves, seemingly dispersing the clouds in the sky. In the distance, on the official road, faint sunlight melted the sky into a soft amber. Dozens of veiled young women approached in three lines, like a formation of wild geese, each carrying a flower basket. As they passed, countless flower petals drifted through the air, leaving winding trails of light on the ground as they settled with the wind. And in the very center, three magnificent striped tigers slowly drew an ornate jade palanquin.

"Greetings to the Revered Deity of Ultimate Pinnacle!""Greetings to the Revered Deity of Ultimate Pinnacle!"

The shouts shook heaven and earth. The watching citizens and pugilists alike knelt down, followed by the soldiers, who also dropped to one knee, all proclaiming, "Welcome, Revered Deity of Ultimate Pinnacle!" The wave of voices caused the clouds to churn, an utterly terrifying display of power.

The jade palanquin did not stop, continuing its journey towards the viewing platform. The three magnificent tigers, roaring deafeningly, parted the surging crowd. Their tiger eyes were blood-red like jasper, and each jingle of the golden bells around their necks sent shivers through the kneeling masses. Yet, what filled the common people's eyes was not fear, but a fanatical devotion.

When the jade palanquin reached the viewing platform, the three giant tigers suddenly halted and lay down. The Jin Emperor, leading his civil and military officials, was already waiting before the viewing platform.

"Welcome, Revered Deity of Ultimate Pinnacle!"

Except for the Jin Emperor and Empress, all civil and military officials