Chapter 53: Dust Settles

After entering, Zhuo Qingfeng and Chu Yuan began searching everywhere. Drawing on their years of experience in detective work and navigating the martial arts world, they quickly found a mechanism in the room and opened a secret door.

They exchanged a look, then drew their swords and rushed inside.

After traveling through the darkness for an unknown duration, the path suddenly brightened, revealing a magnificent underground palace before them. The palace was opulent and resplendent. Tall stone pillars were intricately carved with lifelike dragon motifs, appearing as if they could soar into the sky at any moment. Above, the ornate ceiling caissons were embedded with sparkling jewels, glittering like stars in the night sky. The polished golden bricks paving the floor were smooth and even, reflecting the palace's furnishings and exuding an air of luxury and nobility.

At the front of the palace, a massive dragon throne, designed to resemble one from the imperial palace, stood elevated. Wang Yuanbao, clad in lavish robes and wearing a golden crown, sat regally on the throne, obsessively caressing the dragon's head carved into it.

Zhuo Qingfeng declared, "Wang Yuanbao, your plot has been exposed!"

Without raising his head, Wang Yuanbao replied, "Exposed? How can you call it exposed? Isn't it rather a declaration to the world? I am the most legitimate imperial descendant of Daqian. If Emperor Dezhao hadn't treacherously harmed my ancestor back then, I would be emperor now!"

Zhuo Qingfeng retorted, "Your ancestor was a rebel."

"The victor becomes king, the vanquished a rebel," Wang Yuanbao said calmly. "It's the same today – the victor becomes king, the vanquished a rebel. If I had won today, you, Zhuo Qingfeng, would be a major fugitive wanted by both the underworld and the imperial court, wouldn't you? It's just a pity that a blind man named Gu, with such formidable martial arts, appeared from nowhere. One moment of carelessness, and the whole game is lost!"

Zhuo Qingfeng and Chu Yuan both remained silent.

Indeed, as Wang Yuanbao said, if they hadn't underestimated Gu Mo's strength, they wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

"Let's go," Zhuo Qingfeng said. "Wang Yuanbao, I will send you to the capital, to the Emperor, for him to decide your fate. Your imperial bloodline will not be disgraced. I guarantee that neither the county government office nor the Yunzhou Prefect's mansion will take you. I will personally escort you to the capital."

Wang Yuanbao finally lifted his head, his gaze at Zhuo Qingfeng complex and unexpected. He suddenly waved his hand and said, "Leave, Zhuo Qingfeng. I originally intended to drag you all down with me. But because of what you just said, I suddenly feel it's better if you live. Hurry and leave, this place is about to collapse!"

Zhuo Qingfeng was shocked. "Wang Yuanbao, you..." he began.

As a dull roar echoed from all directions, the underground palace began to shake violently. Huge stones peeled off from the ceiling, crashing to the ground amidst clouds of dust. The dragon carvings on the pillars gradually blurred as they cracked and crumbled. The exquisite carvings now served as a prelude to death.

Wang Yuanbao remained steadily seated on the dragon throne, his eyes calm and serene, as if the surrounding catastrophe had nothing to do with him. His luxurious robes were slightly disheveled by the swirling dust, and the jewels on his golden crown rattled with the vibrations. Yet, his posture did not shift an inch, as he quietly awaited the palace's collapse to bury him.

Perhaps, for him, this was a well-deserved end, or perhaps it was his final, futile obsession with the unreachable throne that led him to face death with such composure.

"Go!"

Zhuo Qingfeng and Chu Yuan, however, showed no hesitation. Their footsteps moved swiftly, their figures agile as leopards, as they weaved through the falling stones and pervasive dust, escaping.

***

Outside the small courtyard, in the night, Gu Mo suddenly felt a tremor beneath his feet and was flung backward. Gu Mo's expression changed instantly. He tightened his embrace on Gu Chudong, then pushed off powerfully with his feet, shooting backward like an arrow released from a bow.

The moment they flew backward, the small courtyard seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand. The ground rapidly collapsed, bricks and soil tumbling down, raising a sky full of dust. Gu Mo couldn't see it, but he could sense it. He continuously tapped his feet in the air, adjusting his retreating trajectory with profound internal energy and the agility of Ladder Cloud Ascent. Each step precisely avoided the flying debris, and he swiftly glided dozens of feet away, landing on a tree.

"Brother, the courtyard collapsed!"

"I know."

"Then, what about Master Zhuo and Master Chu?"

"It's up to fate."

Amidst a roar, the pervasive dust in the ruins gradually settled. First, a hand emerged from beneath the rubble. Then, Chu Yuan painstakingly pushed himself out. Covered in dust, he coughed violently, each cough sounding as if he were trying to expel all the foul air from his lungs. His clothes were tattered and torn in many places, revealing scraped and bruised skin. His hair was a mess, like tangled weeds, coated in dust and gravel.

Almost simultaneously, Zhuo Qingfeng struggled to his feet not far away. He propped himself up with one hand, rising unsteadily. His legs were still trembling uncontrollably, clearly utterly exhausted. His face was streaked with black and white, sweat mixed with blood and dust trickling down.

They looked at each other, seeing their own disheveled states reflected, and then both burst into laughter.

Perched on a distant tree, Gu Mo heard their laughter and remarked, "It seems they both have strong luck."

"So, what about us?"

"Let's go. There's no need for us to get involved in what happens next."

"Wait, we forgot something."

"What?"

"The heads!"

Gu Chudong hurriedly ran back, but seeing only ruins, she felt a pang of distress. She said, "Brother, we've lost out! Silver Fox, the head of Silver Fox! Even without the Wang family's bounty, the government office offers three thousand taels!"

"We won't lose out," Gu Mo said calmly. "Master Chu, Master Zhuo, for Silver Fox and Granny Ghostface, you two must bear witness for me!"

"No problem," Zhuo Qingfeng replied from where he lay on the ground.

Chu Yuan also waved, saying, "Many thanks, Hero Gu and Heroine Gu!"

"Let's go."

Gu Mo smiled slightly, then turned and left.

Gu Chudong, also content, linked her arm with Gu Mo's and departed. From a distance, the rhythmic thud of horse hooves could be heard, indicating the arrival of the county soldiers from the magistrate's office.

"Brother, there's something I don't understand."

"What is it?"

"Why did Madam Wang want to kill us?"

"Have you figured it out?"

"Yes," Gu Chudong replied. "I just realized now that it was too much of a coincidence for Buer Villa to conveniently get specific clues about the Poisonous Spider; it must have been a setup to lure us. They must have known Poisonous Spider was our enemy, and the ambush with so many bladesmen in the Red Maple Forest clearly showed they were prepared."

Gu Mo smiled. "Indeed, they deliberately lured us here," he said.

"Why? If Madam Wang or Wang Yuanbao hadn't done that, hadn't lured us here, their plan would have succeeded."

"Because we knew too much. If we didn't die, their plan would always be imperfect, leaving behind extraneous traces. Even if they succeeded this time, there was no guarantee that someone with an agenda wouldn't get information from us, notice irregularities, and uncover things. Never underestimate the imperial court's capabilities."

"I see. But they failed precisely because of that."

"Just an accident," he said.

"No, my brother is invincible!"

"No, no, no, don't exaggerate so much. I'm afraid I'll be beaten to death!"

"Hahahaha..."