Chapter 73: Big Case

Returning to Qingyang Prefecture from Fang County, their first stop was the neighboring Qixian County, merely two hundred li away.

However, Gu Mo, a blind man, and Mo Qingxian, an old man nearing seventy, traveled by carriage, which meant it took them a grueling three days to arrive.

Nonetheless, the journey was far from boring.

Mo Qingxian was a martial arts master, an exceptionally experienced top-tier expert with decades of worldly wisdom from the jianghu.

Throughout their journey, the two exchanged insights on martial arts, finding profound resonance with each other's perspectives.

On the afternoon of the third day, the carriage finally rolled slowly into Qixian County town.

Gu Chutong drove the carriage to the Cloud Inn. This was the inn where they had stayed when passing through Qixian County on their way here, which is why Zhuo Qingfeng had arranged to meet them there.

However, just as Gu Mo and his companions arrived outside the inn and alighted from the carriage, a waiter rushed out, asking, "Is that Master Gu Mo?"

Gu Mo was slightly taken aback. "I am Gu Mo," he replied.

The waiter explained, "A guest named Zhuo asked me to tell you to wait for him here for two days. He has urgent business to attend to. He has already arranged rooms for you."

Gu Mo immediately understood that Zhuo Qingfeng had gone to investigate a case.

Gu Chutong looked at the waiter with confusion and asked, "How did you recognize my brother?"

The waiter quickly replied, "The guest named Zhuo told me that today, a beautiful young lady would arrive here driving a carriage, and on the carriage would be a blind man who least resembles a blind person. When I first saw you, young lady, and then Master Gu, I immediately knew you were the people the esteemed guest named Zhuo was referring to."

Gu Chutong chuckled softly. "'A blind man who least resembles a blind person,' Brother, that's such an apt description!" she exclaimed.

She knew that Gu Mo didn't mind people mentioning his blindness or the fact that he was blind in front of him. Therefore, she no longer felt the initial reluctance to speak about it.

At that moment, Mo Qingxian, who was slowly alighting from the carriage with the help of a servant, also chuckled. "Commander Zhuo always claims to be a crude man, yet he consistently manages to use the most concise words for the most precise descriptions. I, this old man, have been spending these past few days with Master Gu, trying to find a single phrase to describe him, but I couldn't come up with anything suitable. Hearing that phrase just now, I suddenly had an epiphany!"

Gu Mo smiled faintly and suddenly asked, "How did Manor Lord Mo know it was Commander Zhuo?"

Mo Qingxian chuckled. "A few days ago at Dongshan Sword Sect, I heard that Master Gu was with Commander Zhuo. However, by the time I arrived, Commander Zhuo had already left. Based on my understanding of him, he must have been investigating a case privately this time, worried about being recognized by officials from Fang County Yamen, so he left beforehand."

"Manor Lord Mo seems to know Commander Zhuo quite well."

Mo Qingxian smiled. "Commander Zhuo is the official who most resembles a jianghu wanderer, which is why jianghu people like me enjoy interacting with him."

"An official who most resembles a jianghu wanderer," Gu Mo nodded slightly. "Manor Lord Mo's assessment of Commander Zhuo is also very apt, isn't it?"

Mo Qingxian chuckled. "It's only after hearing Commander Zhuo's assessment of you that I came up with it. Well, since we're waiting for Commander Zhuo, I, this old man, might as well wait too. It's a good chance to rest; after days of continuous travel by carriage, my back is almost giving out." Mo Qingxian lightly massaged his lower back and said to the waiter, "Young man, please open two more rooms!"

...

Zhuo Qingfeng had broken his word.

He had instructed the waiter to tell them to wait two days, but Gu Mo waited at the inn for three days and still hadn't seen Zhuo Qingfeng. Instead, he received a shocking piece of news.

"The Four Great Sect Leaders of the Four Directions Sword Sects have disappeared, abducted by a cat demon!"

Inside the Cloud Inn, Gu Chutong rushed in and, with her first words, startled both Gu Mo and Mo Qingxian, who had been engrossed in discussing martial arts insights.

Mo Qingxian, doubting his ears, quickly asked, "Young Lady Gu, are you saying that the sect leaders of the Dongshan, Xichuan, Nanhai, and Beihu Sword Sects, the Four Directions Sword Sects, have been abducted by a cat demon?"

"Yes!" Gu Chutong picked up a teacup and gulped down its contents. "I just went out for a stroll, and I saw wanted posters plastered everywhere on the streets. The Four Directions Sword Sects have been holding a martial arts competition these past few days, and all four sect leaders were staying at Dongshan Sword Sect. These four men are brothers of many years, and they were all resting in the same room. Just three nights ago, the cat demon reappeared at Dongshan Sword Sect. Its manifestation point was the courtyard where the four sect leaders were resting, causing a massive commotion. By the time the disciples of the four sects arrived, they only saw the cat demon departing, and the four sect leaders were nowhere to be found."

"How is that possible?" Mo Qingxian exclaimed. "I'm quite familiar with the sect leaders of the Four Directions Sword Sects. Although they are all getting on in years, they are masters of profound skill. Any one of them, if placed in the jianghu, would still be a top-tier expert. Furthermore, when they are together, they possess a combined sword technique said to be capable of fending off even a Grandmaster. How could they possibly have been abducted?"

Gu Chutong shook her head. "I don't know either. I just saw on the wanted posters issued by the yamen that some evil cultivators were pretending to be ghosts and demons and abducted the four sect leaders. Oh, by the way, the cat demon has now been given a codename by the authorities: 'The Cat Demon,' and there's a reward of three thousand taels for it!"

Just then, a system notification sound rang in Gu Mo's mind:

New target detectedWanted Target – The Cat DemonQuest Level – Four StarsQuest Reward – Max-level Mingyu Divine Skill...

The system page appeared in Gu Mo's sea of consciousness. Looking at the system reward, he felt greatly tempted.

The Mingyu Divine Skill was the supreme internal cultivation method of the Yihua Palace, practiced by generations of its Palace Mistresses. This divine skill possessed profound power and could even grant eternal youth.

This martial art was divided into nine levels. Reaching the sixth level already allowed one to contend with top-tier experts of the era. Reaching the eighth level would grant invincibility throughout the land.

If cultivated to the ninth and highest level, one's skin would become transparent like jade when circulating the energy. The internal energy would not dissipate outwards but rather converge inwards, allowing one to cultivate without depleting inner energy; instead, it would continuously increase, becoming endless and inexhaustible.

Furthermore, the true qi within the body would form a vortex-like suction. Anything that came into contact with the practitioner would be drawn in like iron to a magnet.

Moreover, when the skill was fully activated, the practitioner's appearance would become increasingly transparent, resembling white ice enshrouded in cold mist. If one were to seize an opponent's acupoint, the terrifying coldness generated by the true qi would penetrate directly to their core, causing their body to freeze solid.

The Mingyu Divine Skill was an unparalleled divine art, even more profound than the Nine Yang Divine Skill.

...

Gu Mo and Mo Qingxian went out together.

Sure enough, outside, they heard about the disappearance of the four sect leaders and the reward for the cat demon. The incident had occurred a few days prior, but the news had only spread in Qixian County today.

However, this incident was far too strange. Moreover, the authorities only had a codename for the 'Cat Demon' as a clue, leaving them with no practical way to pursue or capture it.

Even with Mo Qingxian's decades of experience, he remained silent for a long time after hearing Gu Mo recount his brief encounter with the cat demon at Dongshan Sword Sect that day.

"Could it be that demons truly exist in this world?" Mo Qingxian's voice was heavy as he said, "Otherwise, I truly cannot imagine who could abduct the four sect leaders so silently and without a trace."

Gu Mo nodded. "I am blind, yet I could see that cat. Other than it being a demon, I can't think of any other explanation."

Just then, a clear voice came from the doorway: "Gu Mo, remember, there are absolutely no demons, gods, or ghosts in this world. If you encounter something you can't explain, it only means your knowledge is limited. The jianghu is vast, and its techniques are mysterious and unpredictable. Even what appears to be a demon can be artificially created!"

The person who had arrived was none other than Zhuo Qingfeng, whom they hadn't seen in days.