Chapter 34: Unexpected Changes

At this moment, Gu Mo was stationed in a corner of the Wang family estate, as arranged by Zhuo Qingfeng. He and Gu Chudong sat on the rooftop, surrounded by Six-Door Enforcement agents ready to provide support. The plan was to immediately form an encirclement the moment Silver Fox's whereabouts were discovered.

"Stop, villain! Silver Fox has appeared!"

This loud shout suddenly echoed through the silent estate.

Gu Mo recognized the voice as that of Old Man Baitou, a gold-medal Bounty Hunter from Dongyang's Chasing Wind Tower. He was an elder with profound internal energy. Gu Mo had interacted with him over the past two days at the Wang family estate, so he could identify the voice.

Immediately, Gu Mo swiftly flew over, carrying Gu Chudong. The distance between his position and Old Man Baitou's ambush spot was only two small courtyards, easily covered in two or three agile leaps using his Qinggong.

At the same time, Six-Door Enforcement masters hidden in various locations also formed an encirclement as planned. The scene instantly erupted into chaos, with a large group of people pursuing and cornering someone on the rooftops.

A white-clad swordsman, wearing a bronze mask, was attempting to break through the encirclement. He showed no desire to fight, only occasionally drawing his sword when absolutely forced, mostly relying on his Qinggong to evade and escape.

"What incredible Qinggong!" Gu Chudong exclaimed in awe.

Gu Mo felt a bit helpless. The scene was too chaotic, and his inability to see was a huge disadvantage. He didn't dare to strike indiscriminately for fear of accidentally harming others. However, it didn't matter; he was guarding this direction as per Zhuo Qingfeng's instructions. If Silver Fox attempted to break through here, he would be able to pinpoint him instantly.

Yet, he could tell that Silver Fox wasn't coming his way; the commotion was growing increasingly distant.

"Too bad, he got away!" Gu Chudong said.

"He actually got away?" Gu Mo was surprised. He knew very well that Zhuo Qingfeng's arrangement was a true inescapable net. Even if Silver Fox's Qinggong was exceptional, there was no reason he should have escaped so easily.

"Several people didn't appear," Gu Chudong explained. "The Hermit from Xinyi Lane's Chasing Wind Tower has the most skilled Qinggong among those present and was supposed to hold back Silver Fox, but he didn't make a move. Additionally, Wang Yuanbao's three martial arts friends who came to help, the Tong brothers, didn't show up either. Not a single one of them appeared, and Silver Fox escaped from the direction they were supposed to be guarding."

Gu Mo's brows furrowed slightly.

Soon after, Zhuo Qingfeng returned, annoyed. "He actually got away! What happened to those people? And where is the Hermit? He was supposed to keep Silver Fox locked down, where did he go?"

Zhuo Qingfeng's words echoed Gu Mo's own suspicions.

"Captain Zhuo, the Hermit is dead!" Old Man Baitou reported. "Just now, the Hermit and I were staking out the adjacent courtyard. I suddenly heard the Hermit scream. I rushed over and saw Silver Fox fatally stab him with a sword. That's when I shouted the alarm."

Zhuo Qingfeng's expression changed, and he quickly ordered, "Go, check the northwest courtyard! See what happened to the Tong brothers!"

The group hurried over. Gu Mo followed closely. As soon as they reached the entrance, he smelled a strong scent of blood.

Everyone entered, and a collective gasp went through the group. All three brothers were dead, each with a single fatal sword thrust to the throat.

Deputy Captain Xiao Xuan said gravely, "Sir, the opponent came prepared. They killed the Tong brothers first, then the Hermit. This was to create an escape route, carving a gap right through our encirclement."

As soon as Xiao Xuan finished speaking, Zhuo Qingfeng's face suddenly changed, and he quickly urged, "Let's go! Quickly, check on Squire Wang!"

Upon hearing this, everyone, including Gu Mo, changed their expressions.

If Silver Fox killed the Hermit and the Tong brothers to create a gap in the encirclement for escape, didn't that imply that Wang Yuanbao might have already been assassinated? However, there had been no sound of struggle.

Furthermore, Wang Yuanbao had been placed in a hidden location known only to Zhuo Qingfeng among those present. Even Deputy Captain Xiao Xuan didn't know the exact spot, let alone Gu Mo and the others. Because Zhuo Qingfeng didn't fully trust the martial arts world, all the people assigned to protect Wang Yuanbao personally were Six-Door Enforcement masters. Of the thirty-odd people in the team Zhuo Qingfeng brought, half were directly assigned to protect Wang Yuanbao.

Therefore, although the operation had failed and Silver Fox had escaped, Zhuo Qingfeng remained relatively composed. He didn't believe Silver Fox could have successfully assassinated Wang Yuanbao.

Immediately, the group, led by Zhuo Qingfeng, rushed to a secluded courtyard within the estate.

However, as soon as they reached the entrance, Zhuo Qingfeng's composed expression completely shattered. Inside the small courtyard, bodies lay strewn haphazardly across the ground. They were the Six-Door Enforcement masters he had assigned to protect Wang Yuanbao.

"Xiao San, Old Liu..." Zhuo Qingfeng's composure collapsed. He rushed in, shouting at the bodies, especially when he pushed open a door and saw the corpses of his two apprentices, whom he regarded as his own sons. He stumbled, almost falling.

Many in the jianghu knew that Zhuo Qingfeng had never married or had children. He had adopted two orphans as apprentices and raised them. Both had fully inherited Zhuo Qingfeng's teachings and had made a name for themselves in the Six-Door Enforcement at a young age, working seamlessly with him. For this operation, Zhuo Qingfeng had brought them along and entrusted them with the crucial task of protecting Wang Yuanbao. Now, however, both were dead. Like the bodies outside, they too had been killed with a single sword thrust to the throat, with no signs of resistance whatsoever.

Wang Yuanbao was also dead. He was sitting in a chair in the room, killed in the same manner: a single sword thrust to the throat.

Zhuo Qingfeng slumped dejectedly to the ground, his eyes vacant, muttering, "How is this possible? How could this happen?"

Everyone else remained silent. Gu Mo was also filled with shock.

He had interacted with the Hermit from Xinyi Lane and the Tong brothers over the past two days. The Hermit's Qinggong was extremely skillful; even with his max-level Cloud-Scaling Steps, Gu Mo could only compare in terms of agility, far lagging behind in full-speed pursuit. As for the Tong brothers, they were triplets with a telepathic connection. Their combined combat power was formidable, and their tactics were incredibly difficult to guard against. Yet, all of them had died by Silver Fox's hand, each with a single fatal thrust to the throat.

Now, the situation here was even more terrifying. Over a dozen Six-Door Enforcement masters, several of whom were top-tier martial artists, along with Wang Yuanbao himself—a master of considerable skill—all died from a single sword thrust to the throat. These dozen-plus individuals didn't even have a chance to cry out for help.

Gu Mo couldn't imagine how incredibly fast Silver Fox's sword must be!

"Sir..." Deputy Captain Xiao Xuan took a deep breath, walked over to Zhuo Qingfeng, and said, "Sir, let's deal with the immediate situation first. You must pull yourself together. We will surely bring Silver Fox to justice!"