Chapter 56: Cat

Just as Yan Sanniang had predicted, Gu Mo's name became renowned across the jianghu.

The incident involving the Wang family in Yong'an County sent shockwaves through the Yunzhou jianghu. A colossal fabrication, orchestrated by a descendant of King Mu, ensnared numerous renowned jianghu figures and resulted in the deaths of dozens of Six-Door Gate masters. This was considered a major case across all of Yunzhou.

The entire affair was filled with twists and turns. Zhuo Qingfeng's reputation swung dramatically from the 'Swift Divine Catcher' to a universally reviled figure, before his name was finally cleared. Similarly, the Wang family evolved from a wealthy clan marked for death to the alleged descendants of King Mu, and ultimately, to conspirators plotting treason.

Ultimately, the events solidified Gu Mo's reputation as a true hero.

He slew the Poisonous Spider and the top assassin, Silver Fox. From initially being ranked alongside the Four Golden Blade Masters, he then single-handedly uncovered the conspiracy, eliminating the other three Blade Masters. He also killed the Ghost-Masked Granny, who had faked her death for years, and alone, he broke through a hundred-man crossbow squad.

These accomplishments, combined, stirred the waters of the jianghu into a turbulent frenzy.

Moreover, numerous unofficial rumors began to circulate throughout the jianghu concerning Gu Mo and Zhuo Qingfeng. It was said that the two, despite their recent acquaintance, felt an immediate kinship and regretted not having met sooner. Even when the rest of the world doubted Zhuo Qingfeng, Gu Mo remained steadfast in his belief, publicly refusing to take him down as a Blade Master. He was entirely unfazed by lucrative rewards and instead overcame every obstacle to help clear Zhuo Qingfeng's name. Their profound friendship became a celebrated tale in the jianghu, earning Gu Mo immense respect for his unwavering loyalty.

When Gu Mo eventually heard these various rumors circulating throughout the jianghu — tales of him and Zhuo Qingfeng regretting their late acquaintance and prioritizing righteousness — he was utterly dumbfounded.

Because almost none of it was true.

While he did indeed refuse to apprehend Zhuo Qingfeng, his decision had nothing to do with trust. It was simply because his system hadn't issued a task, and he suspected deeper hidden circumstances.

Furthermore, the claims of him prioritizing loyalty and selflessly helping to clear Zhuo Qingfeng's name were entirely Chu Yuan's actions, yet they were forcibly credited to him.

To be fair, Gu Mo did form a good impression of Zhuo Qingfeng during their initial two days together at the Wang family residence. However, no genuine friendship had been established between them. Later, Gu Mo merely assisted in locating Chu Yuan. His journey to Yong'an County was solely to eliminate the Poisonous Spider, and that's how he became entangled in the events.

It was Chu Yuan who wholeheartedly believed in Zhuo Qingfeng, offering truly unconditional trust and risking his life to accompany him.

It had very little to do with Gu Mo himself.

In the Gu family's small courtyard on Qingping Lane.

Zhuo Qingfeng and Chu Yuan arrived to visit Gu Mo. As they discussed the recent jianghu rumors, all of them burst into laughter.

"Although the rumors aren't entirely accurate, they haven't strayed too far from the truth," Zhuo Qingfeng remarked. "Both Master Chu and I owe our lives to Hero Gu. I consider it a great honor to be part of such a celebrated jianghu tale alongside him!"

Chu Yuan chimed in, "One of you is the Swift Divine Catcher, and the other is a Blade Master. Both of you have long been active in the jianghu — one investigating crimes and apprehending thieves, the other hunting down and eliminating criminals. It's perfectly reasonable for such a celebrated jianghu tale to arise between you two!"

Gu Mo smiled. "I am deeply honored as well," he said. "First, congratulations to Master Zhuo on having your name cleared and being reinstated to your original position. I've heard rumors of a promotion for you; is that true?"

Zhuo Qingfeng shook his head. "What promotion?" he scoffed. "Though the truth was ultimately uncovered, so many brothers sacrificed their lives during the process. My dereliction of duty was a grave offense. My reinstatement is solely due to headquarters considering my years of diligent service."

"Exactly," Chu Yuan added. "Both of us were called to Yunzhou headquarters and received a severe reprimand. All I hope for now is a period of calm so we can finally catch our breath."

"Don't say such things," Gu Mo said with a helpless sigh. "It's usually a bad omen; what you fear often comes to pass."

Chu Yuan was speechless.

"Hero Gu, please don't scare me!"

"Just kidding, just kidding, haha," Gu Mo said.

Zhuo Qingfeng chuckled. "Please don't joke like that, Hero Gu. Master Chu and I were truly put through the wringer with this incident; we're genuinely quite shaken. Oh, by the way, Hero Gu, your name has truly become renowned throughout the jianghu recently. We were at Yunzhou headquarters a few days ago reporting for duty, and your reputation had already reached Yunzhou City."

Chu Yuan suddenly interjected, "Have either of you considered something? Becoming renowned in the jianghu is undeniably a good thing, but it isn't without its disadvantages."

"How so?" Zhuo Qingfeng inquired.

"In the past, when Hero Gu set out to capture a wanted criminal, no one recognized him. He'd arrive, and the criminal might even bravely confront him for a fight. Now, however, the criminal will flee before Hero Gu even gets there. Won't Hero Gu stride out triumphantly only to return with his tail between his legs?"

"Haha, that's certainly true!"

"Hero Gu, your bounties will be much harder to earn now!"

...

Gu Mo's reputation indeed spread rapidly. It was undeniably the most significant jianghu event in Linjiang Prefecture, and even beyond its borders, it generated considerable buzz throughout Yunzhou. While not as clamorous as within Linjiang, many jianghu members were still actively discussing it.

One day, in a small town located in Qingyang Prefecture.

The sun was high in the sky. A group of escort guards were resting in an open area, with a few of them heading into town to a farmhouse to request water. This particular escort mission was substantial, involving nearly a hundred guards and over a dozen fully loaded carriages. The escorts belonged to the Changfeng Escort Agency, a century-old establishment from Linjiang Prefecture.

Their leader was Lin Zhenyue, the chief escort of the Changfeng Escort Agency, famously known in the jianghu as the 'Hundred Victories Divine Fist.' He was a highly distinguished escort across Yunzhou, and even beyond the escort trade, he held considerable renown within the wider Yunzhou jianghu, having relied on his formidable 'iron fists' to guard escorts for decades.

However, even Lin Zhenyue approached this particular escort with extreme caution. This mission was arguably one of the top three most significant escorts handled by the Changfeng Escort Agency in its century-long history, carrying a guarantee of two hundred thousand taels. Consequently, almost all of the agency's top masters were deployed, with the chief escort and eight out of ten escort leaders present.

Some rested, while others kept watch.

A short while later, the escort guards who had gone to fetch water returned. One of them, a man with a full beard, shouted from a distance, "Escort Leader Qu, Escort Leader Qu, guess what I just overheard in town?"

Qu Heng, resting on the ground, inquired with a puzzled expression, "What did you hear?"

"I overheard people discussing Gu Mo," the bearded guard exclaimed. "Your nephew! Oh, at first I thought I misheard, but after asking a few times, I confirmed they were indeed talking about your young Gu Mo. He's now known as Hero Gu, and even the assassin Silver Fox has fallen at his hands!"

"What? The foremost assassin in Yunzhou?"

Immediately, all the escort guards, including Chief Escort Lin Zhenyue, were intrigued.

They had been continuously on escort missions, so their information was somewhat outdated, still operating under the impression that Silver Fox was Yunzhou's top assassin.

The bearded escort guard set down the water buckets. "Our information is indeed outdated," he announced. "Many significant events have recently occurred in Linjiang Prefecture, and they all involve that young Gu Mo... no, no, he's Hero Gu now..."

The escort guards listened intently, occasionally letting out exclamations of surprise.

Meanwhile, those on watch continued to cautiously scan their surroundings. What they failed to notice, however, was a black civet cat observing them from a rooftop in the town. After a long observation, the civet cat turned and silently departed. In that same instant, cats began to appear on every rooftop throughout the town — one, then two, then hundreds. They moved like a dense, silent tide, so quiet that it sent chills down one's spine, resembling a ghostly army that swiftly disappeared.