Chapter 54: Renowned in the Martial World

In the early morning, a faint streak of dawn light, like a thin veil, gently descended from the sky. In the city, curling wisps of cooking smoke slowly rose, gradually blending with the morning glow.

In the streets and alleys, the cobblestone paths were still damp with night dew. Occasionally, a few barks broke the morning quiet. In the distance, the outline of the market gradually became clear, with early rising vendors already setting out their goods, preparing for the new day.

Inside the Peerless Villa,

Yan Sanniang had been awake for a long time and was in her study reviewing intelligence gathered from various regions. A knock sounded at the door, and A-Qi entered.

"Boss, an immense fortune has arrived."

Yan Sanniang looked up, eyed A-Qi suspiciously, and said in surprise, "Why does that sound so out of place coming from you?"

"Because it's simply astounding," A-Qi replied.

"For you, with your personality, to say something like that, it must be a big deal," Yan Sanniang said. "Tell me, how big a deal is it?"

A-Qi handed Yan Sanniang a stack of Xuan paper and said, "We just received intelligence that government offices across Yunzhou have withdrawn the warrant for Zhuo Qingfeng's arrest. They also issued a notice stating that Zhuo Qingfeng's name has been cleared, he has been reinstated to his original post, and has even performed a great service. I speculate that he will be promoted once his term ends."

Yan Sanniang was somewhat surprised and said, "This is indeed a big deal, but what does it have to do with me? Where does this immense fortune come from?"

"Zhuo Qingfeng's exoneration involved a major matter: the descendant of King Mu," A-Qi said. "And the identity of this descendant has also been revealed. You'll never guess who it is."

"Who?"

"Wang Yuanbao."

"Then I certainly wouldn't have guessed."

"Starting from the Silver Fox's death notice, it has all been a lie fabricated by Wang Yuanbao," A-Qi said. "This must be the biggest case in Linjiang City in decades, and the main participant in solving it was Gu Mo, the chief enforcer of the Peerless Villa. He single-handedly exposed Wang Yuanbao's grand conspiracy, and single-handedly killed White-haired Old Man, Scholar, Poisonous Spider, and Hermit. Oh, Hermit is actually Silver Fox, Yunzhou's top assassin. Also, Ghost-faced Granny didn't die back then; she feigned her death and married Wang Yuanbao to become Madam Wang. Furthermore, Gu Mo also counter-killed over a hundred of Wang Yuanbao's crossbow-wielding assassins."

Yan Sanniang was stunned.

A-Qi continued, "To quote Zhuo Qingfeng directly, 'It's not Silver Fox who's invincible below the Grandmaster level, but Gu Mo!'"

Yan Sanniang's arched eyebrows instantly shot up, and a shallow crease formed between her brows. It was as if a stone had broken the tranquility of a calm lake. Her eyes suddenly widened, her long eyelashes trembled violently, and her gaze was filled with shock and bewilderment, like shimmering stars in the night sky suddenly illuminated. Her mouth unconsciously fell slightly open, as if she were about to swallow an egg whole.

She quickly picked up the intelligence A-Qi had handed her and rapidly scanned through it. After a long moment, she slapped the table and exclaimed excitedly, "It truly is an immense fortune!"

Yan Sanniang took a deep breath and said, "A few days ago, Gu Mo and his sister came to hand over Poisonous Spider's head. Let me think, at the time, Sister Chutong, bouncing with excitement, told me there would be a big surprise in a few days. I thought that girl was planning to give me some kind of gift. I never imagined it would be such a huge surprise!"

A-Qi nodded and said, "Hero Gu, he's truly strong. I really want to fight him."

"You?"

"Of course, I can't beat him," A-Qi said, "but it would be an immense honor just to cross swords with such a master. Boss, you have excellent judgment!"

Yan Sanniang slapped her forehead and said, "No, no, no, don't praise me. I don't deserve it. While I did speculate that Gu Mo's strength was considerable, I never imagined it was *this* considerable!"

Yan Sanniang took a deep breath and said, "Immediately issue orders. Use all our connections and influence to widely publicize this matter. I want his name to be known throughout Yunzhou. Also, don't forget to spread the fame of the three Swiftwind Towers: Dongyang, Fuwei, and Xinyi."

Yan Sanniang's face revealed a sly and cunning expression as she said, "White-haired Old Man, Scholar, and Hermit were all prominent figures of these three Swiftwind Towers. If news of their collusion with the rebels gets out, their names will surely become widely known, and then their reputation will be utterly ruined. Won't this be our Peerless Villa's chance to rise?"

A-Qi thought for a moment and said, "That's right, why didn't I think of that?"

Yan Sanniang rolled her eyes and said, "Go do it quickly! Even if we can't completely ruin them with such a good opportunity, we can still carve out a piece of their business. Furthermore, Hero Gu saved Zhuo Qingfeng and Chu Yuan, which is a huge favor to the Six Doors. With this connection, who will be able to get first-hand information from within Linjiang Prefecture's Six Doors faster than me?"

"Congratulations, Boss."

A-Qi said slowly, then turned and left the room.

Yan Sanniang, beaming with joy, stood up and called out, "A-Lu, bring me my rouge... Never mind, no matter how good the makeup, that guy won't see it anyway. Hmm, bring me the outfit I bought for Sister Chutong a few days ago."

Yan Sanniang muttered, "If I get on good terms with that girl, no one will be able to snatch Gu Mo away!"

...

Qingping Lane, Gu family courtyard.

Gu Chutong returned with a basket of vegetables and meat and saw Gu Mo sitting in the courtyard, holding a small knife and carving a wooden sculpture.

"Brother, what are you carving?" Gu Chutong asked.

"Can't you tell?" Gu Mo said. "I'm carving a person."

"Huh?"

Gu Chutong meticulously examined the wooden sculpture in Gu Mo's hand. She asked suspiciously, "Are you sure that's a person and not a pig? Why are its ears bigger than its head, and its eyes bigger than its mouth? The most important thing is its head; half of it has hair, and the other half... well, the other half is bald! Hahahaha, it's so ugly! Brother, who are you carving? Hahahaha, it's hideous!"

Gu Mo silently put the wooden sculpture away.

Gu Chutong continued to laugh loudly, saying, "Brother, tell me, who is this? How can anyone be so ugly? Hahahaha, who exactly holds such an image in your mind? Hahahaha..."

Gu Mo remained silent.

Gu Chutong's laughter slowly died, her expression stiffening. Her face looked very unnatural as she said, "Brother, don't tell me... you carved *me*..."

Gu Mo was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Gu Chutong was speechless.

"Ah, Brother, you're going too far! How can I be that ugly?"

"How about I carve a new one?"

"No way! Quickly destroy this one."

Just then,

Yan Sanniang appeared at the doorway and said, "Sister Chutong, what don't you want?"

"My brother wants to carve a wooden sculpture of me," Gu Chutong said.

"Hero Gu has this skill too? Then carve one for me!" Yan Sanniang said.

"I haven't seen what you look like," Gu Mo said.

"No problem, just carve one for me based on how you imagine I look," Yan Sanniang said.

"Alright," Gu Mo said, picking up the wooden sculpture in his hand, "Since Chutong doesn't want this one, I'll just modify it and carve one for you based on what I imagine in my mind."

"Thank you... Wait, no, is that Sister Chutong in your hand?"

"Yes."

"Never mind, Hero Gu, I appreciate the thought. Let's just forget about the wooden sculpture; I wouldn't want to trouble you!"

"It's no trouble at all. I'd be happy to," Gu Mo said. "Boss Yan has taken such good care of my sister and me; carving a wooden sculpture is a small way to repay your kindness."

"Isn't this revenge?"

Gu Mo was silent.