Chapter 39: Suspicious Points

"Why? Why would they slander my brother?" Gu Chudon indignantly asked. "We don't know them, and we have no grievances against them. Why would they do such a thing?"

Lin Buqi said, "Perhaps rivals in the same field are always at odds. I was foolish to truly believe their words. Senior Gu, Miss Gu, I'm truly sorry. I acted too impulsively and spoke disrespectfully to you without proper investigation."

"It's alright," Gu Mo waved his hand. "You are a person of strong character. I also misunderstood you before, thinking you were someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong, just seeking fame."

Lin Buqi awkwardly scratched his head and said, "Actually, I did have such intentions before. But after you defeated me with a single palm strike, I took the time to understand you better and realized you're not someone who seeks fame by dishonest means. I truly couldn't imagine that the renowned Old Man Braiton and the Scholar would be the kind of people to envy capable individuals."

Gu Mo slightly frowned and asked, "Are you sure you personally heard them both slandering me?"

"Of course," Lin Buqi replied. "As you know, I'm just a junior in the martial arts world, while Old Man Braiton and the Scholar are respected seniors. After arriving at the Wang family estate, I specifically visited them to ask for their guidance. They were both very generous with their advice and extremely gentle, which is why I completely believed their words. That day, I also went specifically to seek their guidance. Afterwards, we chatted, and the topic of your arrival at the Wang family came up. That's when I heard them say many derogatory things about you. They claimed to know you were a swindler, but as martial arts seniors, it wasn't convenient for them to personally expose you. I thought what they said made sense, and since I'm a newcomer to the martial world, I was perfectly suited for the task. So, in a fit of righteous anger, I went straight to the gate to confront you."

Gu Chudon angrily exclaimed, "Those two are just awful! What kind of martial arts seniors slander people behind their backs? Brother, let's ignore them from now on. They're two-faced! For the past two days at the Wang family, they've been so polite; I actually thought they were good people. I even thought they had good temperaments and the demeanor of true masters!"

Gu Mo slightly frowned, lost in thought.

Gu Chudon asked, puzzled, "Brother, what are you thinking about?"

"I just feel like something isn't right," Gu Mo said. "Old Man Braiton is from the East Wind Chasing Pavilion, and the Scholar is from the Fuwei Wind Chasing Pavilion. Both of these pavilions have tried to recruit me in the past, and the terms they offered were quite good. This means they must have investigated me and should know my capabilities. Given that, Old Man Braiton and the Scholar shouldn't have such significant doubts about my strength. So what was their purpose in instigating young Master Lin to provoke me? If they merely disliked me and wanted to cause trouble, they wouldn't have let young Master Lin make a move. He couldn't defeat me, and it would only make the Wang family pay more attention to me."

Gu Chudon pondered for a moment and said, "Yes, that logic doesn't hold up!"

Gu Mo slowly said, "Unless Young Master Lin's attack on me somehow benefited them. It couldn't just be that they wanted to personally witness my skills, could it? Hmm? It doesn't seem impossible."

As he spoke, Gu Mo suddenly froze, then his expression subtly changed. "If their goal was merely to see if my abilities truly matched the rumors, then their intentions aren't so straightforward. If it were just pure curiosity, they could have simply challenged me to a spar, but instead, they resorted to such a method..."

Gu Chudon pondered for a moment and said, "Could they have been trying to take advantage of the chaos caused by Silver Fox's assassination of Wang Yuanbao, perhaps to gain something from the Wang family? But then, they might have worried you'd interfere, so they wanted to gauge your strength beforehand... No, that doesn't make sense either. There are so many people from the Six Doors, plus the Tong brothers, and the Hermit. With so many experts present, even without you, they wouldn't be able to do anything during the chaos!"

Lin Buqi suggested, "Could it simply be a case of rivals in the same field deliberately slandering someone, and I just happened to be pig-headed?"

Gu Mo shook his head and said, "They are experienced martial artists; they wouldn't do something so childish."

Lin Buqi said, "If we can't figure it out, then so be it, Senior Gu. The next time I encounter them, I'll confront them directly and get to the bottom of this."

Gu Mo said gravely, "I still feel there's something off about those two; it's too deliberate. It feels like I've overlooked something. Hmm, Young Master Lin, there's something you might be able to help with?"

"What is it? Please, feel free to command me," Lin Buqi replied.

Gu Mo said, "Old Man Braiton and the Scholar are currently assisting Officer Zhuo Qingfeng in escorting goods to Yunzhou City. They should still be within Linjiang Commandery. Your Bashan Sect has a strong presence in Linjiang Commandery. See if there's a way to warn Officer Zhuo to be wary of Old Man Braiton and the Scholar."

"No problem," Lin Buqi said. "Our Bashan Sect has connections throughout Linjiang Commandery. There are only a few shortcuts from Yong'an County to Yunzhou City. I can send a pigeon message to people near those routes and have them warn Officer Zhuo as soon as his whereabouts are discovered."

"Thank you," Gu Mo said, cupping his hands.

"It's my duty," Lin Buqi said. "If those two genuinely harbor ill intentions, I should warn Officer Zhuo. Although Officer Zhuo doesn't think highly of me, I still admire him greatly; he's a good official!"

That night, Gu Mo and his companions stayed at an inn.

Early the next morning, Gu Mo and Gu Chudon departed, while Lin Buqi remained behind to arrange for contacts with the local county yamen and prepare to notify Zhuo Qingfeng.

The carriage sped along the official road.

Gu Mo once again began to ponder the matter of Old Man Braiton and the Scholar slandering him in front of Lin Buqi.

"Brother, are you still thinking about that?"

"Yes."

"I think there's some truth to what Lin Buqi said. It might genuinely be a case of rivals in the same field. After all, you are all blade-wielders; they are established, and you are newly risen. Your emergence is bound to put pressure on them, so they might resent you."

Gu Mo mused for a moment, then said, "Don't you think there's something off about how the assassination of Wang Yuanbao, the descendants of the Mu Prince's Residence, and the treasure map are all linked together?"

"Not really, it all seems quite logical," Gu Chudon replied. "If there's one thing that struck me as most illogical about this whole affair, it's how incredibly strong Silver Fox was. Honestly, after arriving at the Wang family estate and seeing Officer Zhuo Qingfeng's arrangements, as well as the numerous experts protecting Wang Yuanbao, I never imagined Silver Fox's assassination would actually succeed."

Gu Mo sighed, "I didn't expect it either."

Gu Chudon said, "It's fortunate that after Silver Fox killed Wang Yuanbao, he seemed to have no intention of killing anyone else. When he was surrounded and pursued, all he wanted was to escape. Otherwise, with his martial arts skills, if he had truly gone on a rampage, who knows how many more people would have died?"

"Indeed, it's a good thing he didn't go on a killing spree!"