Chapter 272: Penglai Envoy and the Strange Woman

In the Supreme Purity Palace on Longhu Mountain, Zhang Daoyi dismissed his many disciples, receiving only the two envoys from Penglai Island. Both men were very corpulent, looking remarkably similar. As they sat in the great hall, they resembled two small mountains. However, despite their striking resemblance in facial features and physique, they were easy to distinguish: one had a red face and a long beard, while the other had a dark face and a thick, bushy beard.

Zhang Daoyi poured them tea and, cupping his hands, asked, "I haven't yet had the pleasure of asking your names, esteemed envoys."

The red-faced envoy chuckled as he cupped his hands. "I am the elder brother, Dongwang," he said, pointing to the black-faced, bearded man. "He is the younger brother, Dongqu. We two brothers only have given names, no surnames!"

"Don't listen to his nonsense," the black-faced envoy interjected. "I'm the elder brother; he's the younger!"

The red-faced envoy immediately retorted, "The Great Island Master herself said I was born first."

The black-faced envoy countered, "The Second Island Master said he found us by the roadside. How could the Great Island Master know when we were born? But the Second Island Master said that when he found us, we each had a piece of cloth. Mine said 'elder brother,' and yours said 'younger brother'!"

"Nonsense," the red-faced envoy scoffed. "The Great Island Master said she was sailing past a fishing village and happened upon our mother in difficult labor. She helped deliver us."

The black-faced envoy indignantly replied, "You're just spouting rubbish! The Great Island Master is powerful and omnipotent. If she delivered us, how could our mother have died?"

"Her lamp had run out of oil; even immortals couldn't save her!"

"Heh, what do you know..."

Zhang Daoyi watched the two Penglai Island envoys endlessly bickering over who was the elder brother. Speechless, he suggested, "Gentlemen, perhaps you should have a fight? Whoever wins can be the elder brother."

Zhang Daoyi had merely spoken casually, intending to tease them. To his surprise, both brothers immediately fell silent upon hearing his words. Then, the black-faced envoy suddenly looked up and said, "Heavenly Master Zhang is indeed wise! We've been arguing about this for years; how did we never think of this? Whoever wins gets to be the elder brother, right?"

The red-faced envoy also rejoiced. "Exactly! Come on, let's fight! I'm going to knock you down today!"

The two immediately began exchanging punches.

Zhang Daoyi: "???"

Seeing that they were actually starting to fight, Zhang Daoyi quickly intervened, grabbing each envoy's fist, one in his left hand and one in his right. Then, Zhang Daoyi's heart suddenly jolted as he remembered his chest wound hadn't fully healed. He immediately wanted to withdraw, but in that very instant, the two fists collided.

With a "rumble," the entire great hall shook. Tiles were shattered, and floor bricks were ripped up, scattering like a chaotic wave.

"Pffft." Zhang Daoyi was thrown back several steps, directly aggravating his unhealed wound. Blood immediately seeped from his chest.

As Zhang Daoyi retreated, the two men truly began fighting. Both were supreme masters with profound cultivation. Their fight created immense commotion, like a demolition. Soon, the entire great hall began to shake violently. Zhang Daoyi saw the situation was dire and immediately fled outside. No sooner had he run out of the hall than, with a massive roar, the hall collapsed into fragments.

At that moment, disciples from Longhu Mountain rushed over. Zhang Daoyi quickly waved for them to step back. Meanwhile, the red-faced envoy and the black-faced envoy were still exchanging punches in the ruins.

"Master, why are these two envoys fighting?" Huaisu asked.

Zhang Daoyi: "..." Could he say it was because he ran his mouth?

"A rare duel between masters, learn from it!" Zhang Daoyi said, wanting to cry but having no tears.

"Master, why are you bleeding? They didn't hit you, did they?" Huaisu asked.

Zhang Daoyi: "..."

In the ruins, the two envoys were creating a huge commotion with their fight. After a long time, the black-faced envoy suddenly threw his hands up. "That's enough, that's enough! It just occurred to me, we both practice the exact same martial arts. We can't break each other's moves; we could fight for a year and never decide a winner!"

"Oh, right," the red-faced envoy said, as if awakening from a dream. "That's true! What you know, I know; what I know, you know. And we're connected in spirit, so we'll never get a result no matter how we fight. No more, no more!"

"But what now? We've destroyed his house!"

"Let's pretend we don't know!"

"Hmm, good idea."

The two walked out of the ruins. Hearing their conversation, Zhang Daoyi almost spat out another mouthful of old blood. If it weren't for the clear innocence in their eyes, he would have definitely suspected they were doing it on purpose.

"Heavenly Master Zhang!" The red-faced envoy took out a jade token from his sleeve, saying, "This is the Penglai Token. We invite you to the East Sea on the fifteenth day of the eighth month next year. Will you be available?"

Zhang Daoyi didn't take the token, but instead asked, "Envoys, who else has been invited this time?"

The black-faced envoy said, "Many, but are you perhaps wondering if Jiang Ruoxu and Su Qianqiu have accepted the Penglai Token?"

Zhang Daoyi nodded slightly. He knew Su Qianqiu would definitely go. His main reason for asking was to ascertain if Jiang Ruoxu was truly still alive and if Penglai Island could locate him.

The black-faced envoy grinned. "Heh, you really did want to ask about those two! Zhang San and Li Si didn't lie to me. They said you were beaten by Jiang Ruoxu and Su Qianqiu back then, and that if those two go to Penglai Island, you'd definitely go. You must be looking for revenge for that beating, aren't you? I heard Jiang Ruoxu beat Su Qianqiu, and then Su Qianqiu took it out on you. You, being powerless, encouraged Su Qianqiu to team up with Jiang Ruoxu, but even then, you both still got beaten. Su Qianqiu got angrier the more she thought about it and beat you again. Is that true?"

Zhang Daoyi: "..."

The red-faced envoy quickly said, "Old Hei, you really don't know how to talk! How can you ask Heavenly Master Zhang something so embarrassing?"

"Then how should I ask?" the black-faced envoy inquired.

The red-faced envoy leaned close to Zhang Daoyi and asked, "Heavenly Master Zhang, does Jiang Ruoxu's beating hurt more, or Su Qianqiu's?"

Zhang Daoyi flicked his sleeve. "Farewell, esteemed envoys!"

The black-faced envoy pulled the red-faced envoy aside, angrily saying, "You dare say you don't know how to talk? You've angered Heavenly Master Zhang!" The black-faced envoy then brought his large face close to Zhang Daoyi and said, "Heavenly Master Zhang, Jiang Ruoxu and Su Qianqiu have both accepted the Penglai Token."

Zhang Daoyi asked, "Jiang Ruoxu accepted as well?"

"Yes, he did," the black-faced envoy nodded.

Zhang Daoyi took the token and asked, "Where did you find him?"

"Heh heh," the black-faced envoy shook his head. "That's something we can't reveal." With that, the black-faced envoy took out a scroll and handed it to Zhang Daoyi, saying, "Heavenly Master Zhang, besides delivering the Penglai Token, we have another favor to ask of you today."

"What is it?"

Zhang Daoyi unrolled the scroll; it was a portrait of a very beautiful young woman, eighteen or nineteen years old.

The red-faced envoy explained, "This girl is named Xiaobai. She is the Great Island Master's personal disciple and the current Saintess of Penglai Island. She's mischievous and secretly ran away from the island. We don't know where she's gone, so we'd like to ask you to use your connections in Qian Nation to help us find her."

Zhang Daoyi asked, puzzled, "You can find Jiang Ruoxu, who disappeared for decades, but you can't find your own Saintess?"

"It's not the same," the black-faced envoy replied. "We use divination to find people. However, our Saintess Xiaobai carries a special treasure that puts her outside the heavenly mechanism, and she also has a way to counteract our Penglai Island's divination techniques. So, we naturally can't find her."

"Thank you, thank you!" The two envoys quickly expressed their gratitude.

Zhang Daoyi then asked, "Oh, by the way, are you planning to invite Gu Mo?"

"Of course," the black-faced envoy affirmed. "He is the foremost master in the world today, so he's naturally on the invitation list."

"What about Zhang San and Li Si?" Zhang Daoyi asked. "When I left the island that year, didn't they say they would be the ones to invite us this time?"

"They died," the red-faced envoy said. "They passed away a few years ago. Both were around ninety, so it was their time."

Zhang Daoyi suddenly realized. "Ah, yes, I'm an old bone myself now!"

Just as Zhang Daoyi was sighing with emotion, the red-faced and black-faced envoys quietly slipped away, running incredibly fast, as if they wished they had four legs.

"Hurry, hurry! Otherwise, he'll make us pay for the house in a bit."

"I don't have money to pay!"

"You do! I saw you had a hundred taels in your shoe sole last night."

"No, you're mistaken!"

"I'm the elder brother! If I say you have it, you have it!"

"I'm the elder brother..."

After leaving Longhu Mountain, Gu Mo and his group took half a month to reach the border of Yunzhou. They were accompanied by disciples from the Canglan Sword Sect who were on their way to attend the Luotian Grand Ceremony, led by Chen Shu, one of the three Grandmasters of the Canglan Sword Sect. Gu Mo and Chen Shu knew each other, though not intimately. They had merely discussed the Dao together at the Canglan Sword Sect last year when Gu Mo attended Shen Bai's wedding.

They hadn't met at Longhu Mountain this time until Gu Mo emerged from the Scripture Pavilion. Chen Shu finally saw Gu Mo and immediately invited him to travel together upon learning he was returning to Yunzhou. Gu Mo already had close ties with the Canglan Sword Sect, so he agreed.

As the sect most vocal in praising Gu Mo, the Canglan Sword Sect had always felt a sense of pride in his current achievement as the world's foremost master. Although Gu Mo was not a member of their sect, they always felt they were the first to recognize his martial prowess. Furthermore, ever since the great battle between righteous and demonic forces in Dongping Commandery, the entire Canglan Sword Sect had worked to establish Gu Mo's reputation as the Great Hero of Yunzhou.

Therefore, traveling together, few Canglan Sword Sect disciples showed fear or distance towards Gu Mo, the world's foremost master, despite their immense respect. The atmosphere throughout the journey was excellent. This feeling, Gu Mo realized, he could no longer experience with disciples from other sects.

One evening, the Canglan Sword Sect's group of about thirty people arrived at a large mountain on the border of Yunzhou. As dusk approached, they prepared to quicken their pace, hoping to reach a village outside the mountain before nightfall. However, heavy rain began to pour from the sky. The group had to temporarily change their plans and returned to a nearby abandoned temple they had passed earlier to take shelter from the rain.

In truth, whether it rained or snowed, it had no effect on Gu Mo's current abilities. In fact, if he were in a hurry, he could even fly by sword with Gu Chudong, reaching Linjiang City from Longhu Mountain in just a few hours. However, despite his increasingly higher cultivation, Gu Mo had grown to prefer walking normally and living a regular life. Perhaps it was human nature: the more one lacked something, the more one flaunted it. When he craved fame, he wished to display his martial prowess everywhere. Now that he was the world's foremost master, he preferred to act like an ordinary jianghu wanderer.

The heavy rain poured down. The Canglan Sword Sect disciples quickly cut some trees to repair the temple's dilapidated roof. Then, all twenty-odd of them crowded into the temple's main hall. Gu Mo and Chen Shu sat in a corner chatting, while Gu Chudong was on the other side, chattering excitedly with a few female Canglan Sword Sect disciples. Whether they were female heroes or female Grandmasters, they couldn't help but enjoy gossiping.

Soon, it grew completely dark. Everyone began to meditate and rest. The temple quickly fell silent and plunged into darkness.

At a certain moment, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the temple. Immediately after, the door was violently pushed open. A crude male voice rang out, cursing and muttering, "Quick, get in and shelter from the rain! Damn this weather, it just decides to rain!"

Then a female voice spoke, "Say less, and keep your voices down. Don't attract that woman!"

Another voice said, "What woman? That's a demoness who kills without batting an eye!"

As they spoke, the group walked towards the main hall. A Canglan Sword Sect disciple quickly called out, "Gentlemen, please go to the side rooms; the main hall is occupied." The newcomers were clearly startled. The crude male voice cursed, "Damn it, why didn't you speak up earlier? You want to scare someone to death?! What's wrong with us coming in here to shelter from the rain in such a big building? How many of you are there, anyway? Did you damn well pack this place full?"

As he spoke, the man pulled out a fire starter and blew hard on it. A flame instantly pierced the darkness, casting light outward. Then, all of them froze. They saw a room full of people. They couldn't make out the exact number because the light from the fire starter was so dim, illuminating only a limited area. But it was clear there were many people, and all of them were holding swords, all expressionless.

The man holding the fire starter's face stiffened even more. He didn't know if the drops on his forehead were sweat or rainwater. His lips twitched involuntarily, and he swallowed, saying, "Ap... apologies... for the disturbance, everyone. We... we'll just go shelter elsewhere!"

Two flames instantly lit up in the main hall as two Canglan Sword Sect disciples ignited torches. The light from the two torches immediately illuminated the main hall. The Canglan Sword Sect disciple standing at the entrance had a very unpleasant expression, looking at the group at the door with great unfriendliness. After all, the man holding the fire starter had spoken very offensively, constantly cursing others' mothers.

Everyone observed the group at the door: there were four people in total—three men and one woman. Standing at the front was a rugged-looking middle-aged man with a steel saber tucked into his waistband. Beside him was a woman who appeared delicate and refined, with a graceful figure. Though not young, she still possessed charm. She carried a heavy-looking bundle slung over her shoulder. Behind them were two young men, both powerfully built with broad shoulders and towering, imposing physiques. One carried a broadsword, and the other held an iron cudgel. Standing together, the four looked as if three bandits were abducting the woman.

At this moment, the burly middle-aged man swallowed hard. He also noticed the Canglan Sword Sect disciple's unfriendly gaze and stammered, "G-g-great hero... I'm sorry... I have a foul mouth... Please be magnanimous... I... I'll slap myself!" With that, the middle-aged man severely slapped his own face, the sounds echoing loudly.

"Alright," the Canglan Sword Sect disciple said, his anger subsiding at the man's attitude. He stopped the middle-aged man's actions and waved a hand. "That's enough. In the future, don't curse people's parents every other word. Who isn't born of a father and mother?"

"Yes, yes, yes," the middle-aged man said, bowing. "The great hero's lesson is correct. I won't have such a foul mouth again."

The Canglan Sword Sect disciple waved his hand. Immediately, the middle-aged man prepared to leave with the other three.

Inside, Chen Shu suddenly noticed bloodstains on the middle-aged man's clothes. Then, he noticed fresh bloodstains on the sleeves of the two young men behind him. Instantly, Chen Shu called out, "Wait a moment." The group immediately stopped.

Chen Shu slowly walked to the entrance and asked, "Who are you, and where are you heading?"

The middle-aged man looked troubled. The woman, however, whispered, "Husband, this great hero is asking you, so just tell him the truth. This great hero looks like an upright person, what are you afraid of?"

The middle-aged man hesitated, then said, "To be frank, great hero, I am from Chen Family Village at the foot of Dongyang Mountain, named Chen Liao. Years ago, I learned a bit of martial arts and spent a few days in the jianghu. After earning some savings, I married my wife and returned to the village."

Chen Shu asked, "Since you are from this mountain, why are you so dusty and disheveled?"

"Fleeing disaster," Chen Liao swallowed. "Great hero, a demoness came to our village. We don't know why, but she kills anyone she sees. The village is almost wiped out. My two sons and I are martial artists, so we were fortunate enough to gather some gold and silver and escape. When we left, more than half the village had already been killed!"

Chen Shu's expression subtly changed. "What does this demoness look like?"

Chen Liao described, "She looks about seventeen or eighteen, with disheveled hair. She's quite pretty, but she just keeps killing, muttering 'all must die, all must die.' She's truly ruthless!" As he spoke, Chen Liao tugged at his clothes. "Great hero, I'm not lying to you. Look, we still have blood on us from when we escaped!"

"Which direction is the village?" Chen Shu asked.

Chen Liao quickly replied, "There's only one path. Just keep heading east; you'll see it when you go down the mountain!"

Chen Shu's pupils constricted slightly. He then turned and re-entered the temple, saying to Gu Mo, "Great Hero Gu, you and Heroine Gu should rest here. I'll take the disciples to investigate. If there truly is a demoness killing people, my Canglan Sword Sect disciples cannot stand idly by!"

Gu Mo stood up. "I'll go with you."

"We'd be honored."

Immediately, Chen Shu gestured. "Everyone, follow me!"

Traveling at night in the pouring rain was extremely difficult. However, Gu Chudong directly took out the Gouchen Demonic Blade and activated its demonic flame for illumination. The group didn't take long to reach the small village at the foot of the mountain. From a distance, thick smoke could be seen pervading the village, and in some places, flames still burned, not yet extinguished by the heavy rain. Everyone smelled a strong, pervasive scent of blood, so potent that even the torrential rain couldn't mask it.

Immediately, the Canglan Sword Sect disciples drew their swords and ran into the village. As expected, the village was a scene of utter devastation. Corpses were everywhere, few of them intact; most had severed limbs, and blood mixed with rainwater flowed freely.

"Ah!" A scream came from one part of the village. Immediately, everyone rushed towards the sound.

At this moment, in a small courtyard engulfed in flames, a disheveled woman was tearing open the chest of a middle-aged man kneeling on the ground. Under the flickering firelight, the woman was visible: dressed in plain gray clothes, with disheveled hair, and standing barefoot in a pool of blood. Not far from the woman, an old woman huddled in the rain, trembling, clutching a five or six-year-old boy. The woman tore open the man's chest, then turned her head to look at the old woman and the small boy. She then dropped the corpse to the ground and walked towards the two.

"Villain, stop!" Just then, through the weaving curtain of rain, Chen Shu's toe touched the edge of a green tile. His soaked robes flapped wildly in the strong wind as he let out a roar, the sound wave shattering the rain curtain. His longsword suddenly shot from its scabbard. The instant a silver gleam sliced through the rain, he twisted his wrist, and the blade flew like a meteor towards the center of the courtyard.

Raindrops coalesced into a curtain of beads in mid-air, only to be sliced apart one by one by the rapidly moving sword — the sword's momentum was so fast that it was merely a silver streak, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound as it instantly reached the gray-clad woman. The woman stood in the rain with her eyes cast down, not even a speck of her hem wet. Only when she heard the sharp wind did she slowly raise her gaze. Her eyes were as tranquil as an ancient pool, and as her gaze shifted, a light azure energy wall appeared around her, like glazed jade.

"Clang!" The sound of metal on metal exploded in the rain. The instant the sword tip struck the energy wall, a shower of sparks erupted, like suddenly ignited fireflies. The longsword seemed to have struck an immovable boulder, repelled by an invisible immense force, flying backward. Its hilt traced a silver arc in the air.

Chen Shu's figure, like a fledgling swallow piercing the rain, leapt up the instant the longsword flew back, grabbing the trembling hilt in mid-air with both hands. He twisted his waist, his toes touching the roof's chiwen ornament for leverage, transforming himself into a streak of white, descending with the force of wind and thunder. As the blade tore through the rain curtain, it condensed several sharp sword auras around it. Green tiles were rattled by the force, flaking off and shattering into dust upon hitting the ground.

As this lightning-fast sword strike was about to reach her, the gray-clad woman didn't even blink. She lightly raised her hand, extending her five fingers as if plucking a flower, and, in a split second, she clutched the sharp sword blade. Chen Shu felt his wrist sink. That seemingly delicate hand contained immense power. Before he could pull his sword back to defend, the gray-clad woman's arm suddenly exerted force, swinging forward like a broom!

"Bang—" Chen Shu felt a colossal force surge through him. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string. The longsword was knocked from his hand, embedding itself in the ground nearby, still trembling. He crashed heavily into the west courtyard wall. The rammed-earth wall collapsed, and yellow earth and broken bricks cascaded down like a waterfall, burying him in waist-high rubble, leaving only a cloud of rain-soaked dust in the air.

The rain continued to fall. The gray-clad woman still stood quietly in the courtyard, only a single wet strand of hair at her temple tracing a line across her pale cheek. She continued walking towards the old woman and child. Chen Shu quickly climbed out of the ruins, shouting, "Stop her!"

Immediately, the Canglan Sword Sect disciples rushed in, quickly forming a sword array to surround the gray-clad woman. The gray-clad woman stopped, slightly turning her body as if searching for a weakness. Chen Shu quickly picked up the longsword stuck in the ground and prepared to form a new array to attack the gray-clad woman again.

"Wait." Gu Mo walked in and said, "Elder Chen, I'm afraid there's a misunderstanding. As I came through, I noticed two types of people in this village: one type are villagers, and the other looks like people who have been in the jianghu for a long time, with horses and weapons. Their manner of death was also different: the villagers died from blades and weapons, while the jianghu people were torn apart."

Chen Shu was stunned. "Great Hero Gu, are you saying there's a misunderstanding?"

Gu Mo looked at the woman surrounded by the sword array. "It seems the villagers were killed by those jianghu people. This young woman is likely avenging them."

Chen Shu's pupils constricted. "That makes sense, now that you mention it. Thinking back, that woman didn't seem to intend to harm me!"

"All must die!" The gray-clad woman, surrounded by the sword array, suddenly raised her neck, a low growl like a trapped beast emanating from her throat. Her previously drooping wet hair abruptly stood on end. She stomped, shattering the accumulated water beneath her feet. Like a mad demon unleashed from chains, she charged towards the Canglan Sword Sect disciples with a furious momentum that tore through the rain curtain.

The sword array formed by the Canglan disciples instantly rippled. Several sword auras were shattered inch by inch by the fierce aura erupting around her. That violent, wild energy, mixed with the scent of blood, made even the battle-hardened disciples instinctively take half a step back. At this moment, Gu Mo's figure suddenly vanished. The next instant, he stood quietly before the gray-clad woman, his moon-white long robe utterly still amidst the violent aura.

His figure was reflected in the woman's scarlet pupils. A rattling sound came from her throat as her claws, like a hawk's preying talons, fiercely swiped at his face—her knuckles were swollen with dark blue veins, and her fingernails, propelled by the malevolent aura, had transformed into half-inch sharp blades, their whistling sound even more piercing than a sword's edge. Gu Mo remained standing with lowered eyes, his expression calm, allowing the gray-clad woman's sharp claws to tear towards his throat. But those claws suddenly froze an inch from him, embedded within Gu Mo's protective true energy.

Veins bulged on the woman's arms, and an unwilling roar escaped her throat. Her ten fingertips twitched futilely, yet she couldn't advance even a fraction of an inch further. Rainwater dripped from her hair, forming precarious droplets at the tips of her frozen claws, creating an uncanny standoff with the undisturbed calm in Gu Mo's eyes. Gu Mo slowly raised his hand, extending a finger to gently tap the woman's forehead. The instant his fingertip touched her skin, the malevolent aura swirling around the woman receded like a tide. Her bulging veins instantly flattened, and her scarlet pupils rapidly faded back to their original clarity.

She remained frozen in her attacking posture. Finally, her eyelashes fluttered, and she softly lowered her arms like a broken puppet. Even the raindrops splashed on her cheeks seemed to grow gentler.

"Hmm? How can this be?" Gu Mo frowned slightly. He sensed that the woman's spiritual energy was very powerful, yet far from reaching the Ascension Realm. However, it was also in a state where her spirit could leave her body at any moment.

"Great Hero Gu, how is it?" Chen Shu walked over and asked.

"Something isn't quite right," Gu Mo said. "This young woman's state is unusual. She doesn't seem to have much awareness."

Chen Shu subconsciously asked, "A puppet?"

"No," Gu Mo immediately shook his head. "She's not a puppet. Puppets are controlled by spirits, which is different from this young woman's state. To put this young woman's state in simple terms, she's... intellectually disabled!"

Chen Shu: "..."

"Brother!" Gu Chudong called out, "We really misunderstood!"

Immediately, Gu Mo and Chen Shu looked towards Gu Chudong, seeing her coaxing the child with a piece of candy. Gu Mo and Chen Shu walked over. The child, frightened, quickly curled into the old woman's embrace. The old woman held the boy, looking terrified.

"Brother," Gu Chudong said, "the old lady just said that horse bandits came to massacre the village, killing everyone." She pointed to the gray-clad woman who stood still. "She, this old lady, and this little boy were just returning from the mountain when the horse bandits prepared to kill them. Then that young woman suddenly went berserk and started slaughtering the bandits. The people we met on the mountain earlier probably weren't villagers; they were horse bandits!"

Chen Shu's face darkened. He quickly said, "Quick, everyone go search and see if there are any survivors!" The Canglan Sword Sect disciples began searching the village.

Gu Mo and his group, meanwhile, brought the old woman, the grandchild, and the gray-clad woman to a small, undamaged courtyard. The gray-clad woman had been put to sleep by Gu Mo's touch, while the old woman and grandchild took a while to calm down. The old woman slowly recounted, "She came to our village two years ago, dirty and like a three or four-year-old child. She could barely speak, only saying a few words. If you asked where she was from, she'd say Dongya Village in Yunzhou. If you asked her name, she'd say Xiaobai. She wouldn't answer anything else or say any other words. Everyone in the village knew she was simple-minded.

"But the girl was beautiful, and some idlers in the village wanted to take advantage of her. My son, feeling sorry for her, publicly adopted her as his goddaughter. As the village head, he had prestige. Once he took Xiaobai in, no one dared to bully her anymore. For two whole years, she only spoke those two phrases. Today at noon, I took my grandson and Xiaobai up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables. When we returned, we stumbled upon horse bandits raiding the village. My son... he was hanged at the village entrance. After seeing him, Xiaobai spoke a third phrase; she screamed 'all must die,' and then she went berserk! Xiaobai didn't kill the villagers; she killed all those horse bandits. When we returned, there were no survivors left in the village except us. Xiaobai killed all the horse bandits. My little grandson and I have been with Xiaobai the whole time."

Gu Chudong quickly cupped her hands. "Elder, was there anyone named Chen Liao in your village?"

The old woman looked puzzled. "My... my son is named Chen Liao. Heroine, how do you know my son's name?"

Immediately, Gu Chudong and the others had their suspicions confirmed. Afterward, Gu Chudong briefly described the appearance of the people they had met on the mountain. The old woman burst into tears upon hearing the description, stating that the person who impersonated Chen Liao was the leader of the horse bandits. She had personally witnessed the bandit leader ordering his men to kill Xiaobai. She also remembered the woman, who was the only female in the bandit gang, having left an impression. She couldn't recall the other two men but was certain they were also bandits because they were with the others.

Chen Shu angrily slammed the table. "I was careless! Their clothing clearly didn't look like that of ordinary people, and when I heard that fellow say he was a martial artist, I didn't think much of it. Now that I think about it, those people had a strong bandit aura. And that woman was carrying such a large bundle of gold and silver! It's not something villagers from this type of place should have. How could I have been so careless!"

Gu Chudong quickly said, "Elder Chen, please don't blame yourself. There were so many of us at the time, and none of us noticed either!"

"No!" Chen Shu said angrily. "I cannot let those villains escape justice! I'm going up the mountain now to find that group. This matter will not end here. When I return to the Canglan Sword Sect, I will gather fellow martial artists from both lakes to eliminate those escaped horse bandits!"

With that, Chen Shu, clutching his sword, rushed to head up the mountain. Gu Mo stopped Chen Shu, saying, "Elder Chen, since those people are horse bandits, they would surely recognize the markings of your Canglan Sword Sect. If you go up the mountain now, they won't still be waiting there for you; they must have already fled."

Chen Shu's face was grim. "I will search for them!"

Gu Mo slowly said, "Let me handle it." With that, Gu Mo subtly waved his hand, and the Void-Piercing Flying Sword instantly transformed into a streak of light, flying out and vanishing into the night in the blink of an eye.

At this time, on Dongyang Mountain, the group who had encountered Gu Mo and his companions at the temple were indeed no longer there, just as Gu Mo had surmised. Instead, they had fled deep into the dense forest, avoiding the main road. The group ran through the mountain in the dark, braving the heavy rain.

As they ran, the woman plopped onto the ground, dropping the bundle of gold and silver from her shoulder. "Husband," she said, "I can't run anymore. Let's rest for a bit!"

The middle-aged man quickly picked up the bundle and slung it over his shoulder. "If you want to rest, then rest. We're not waiting for you. Didn't you recognize those people in the temple? They're from the Canglan Sword Sect! Once they go to the village, they'll surely realize we were lying and figure out who we are. They'll definitely chase us. You can just wait here to die!" With that, the middle-aged man ran off without hesitation. The other two burly young men also said nothing, simply following the middle-aged man and running. Helpless, the woman also quickly got up, ready to follow.

In that very instant, she suddenly saw a faint white light darting towards her. Before she could react, that faint white light appeared behind her. The woman's body twitched slightly, then she stood motionless.

At this moment, the middle-aged man, who had already run a dozen feet away, thought for a moment, then turned back and took the woman's hand, saying, "Come on, if we're going to rest, let's wait until we're out of the mountain. If the Canglan Sword Sect or that demoness chases us, we'll really be dead!"

As he spoke, the middle-aged man pulled the woman. In that very instant, with a "thud," the woman's head directly fell to the ground, landing at the middle-aged man's feet. Immediately after, blood spurted from the woman's neck, and her headless body remained standing.

"Ah!" The middle-aged man let out a terrified scream, startling the other two burly young men who quickly ran over. All three wore expressions of horror.

And, in the rainy night, a faint white light descended from the sky, hovering in mid-air, humming. It revealed its true form: a sword, precisely the Void-Piercing Sword. This scene clearly surpassed the understanding of the three horse bandits.

"Split up and run!" However, the bandit leader reacted quickly, shouted, and turned to run. The other two young men immediately followed suit, splitting up to escape. But in that very instant, the Void-Piercing Sword emitted a "hum," and three sword auras instantly shot out in three directions, piercing through the bodies of the three bandits and shredding their internal organs.

Immediately after, the Void-Piercing Sword flew into the night sky and disappeared.