Peacemaker

"Brother, where are we going now?"

"Out to the outskirts. There's a Mountain God Temple there where we can settle down for the time being."

"We're not staying at an inn?"

"Forget it. Tonight's business isn't over yet. Whichever inn we go to will be unlucky. Breaking a few things would be one thing, but we might even harm innocent people."

Gu Mo knew well that the martial world was vast and magnificent, full of romance, grudges and vengeance, and the freewheeling joy of wandering jianghu. Some became famous overnight, while others blazed briefly like a flash in the pan.

Yet all the world saw was a riot of blooming flowers, while so often overlooking the withered bones buried beneath them. Whether they were great heroes of the martial world or renowned figures of the Demonic Path, fighting and killing might feel exhilarating, but behind that exhilaration often lay shattered ordinary families and the miserable deaths of innocent people.

Gu Mo did not possess much compassion or kindness, but neither did he wish to kill others for no reason. If he could avoid it, he would do his best to avoid it. Of course, if it truly could not be avoided, then there was nothing to be done.

Tonight's matter was definitely not over.

Flower-Picking Thief Zhou Tong was worth three hundred taels of silver, and many Blade Catchers had set their sights on him. Now that he and his sister had picked up the prize, whether everyone else would accept it remained to be seen.

Although they had intimidated a group of people into retreating at the inn earlier, there was no guarantee that there would not be others unwilling to believe it. Besides, Zhang Xiong was a Hall Master of the Great Saber Gang. Having been killed just like that, the Great Saber Gang would surely not let the matter rest easily.

"Brother, can you still fight?"

"I'd have no problem fighting all night."

The Nine Yang Divine Skill truly lived up to its name as a divine skill. It possessed many remarkable traits, one of which was that its inner force generated itself endlessly, ceaselessly renewing itself.

In the martial world, every martial artist cultivated internal arts, because inner force could, in a sense, be understood as stamina. The deeper one's inner force, the greater one's endurance.

Gu Mo's Mystic Void Saber Technique was not the sort of martial art that opened and closed with grand sweeping force, consuming enormous amounts of inner force. With the properties of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, his claim that he could fight all night was somewhat boastful, but not by much.

"Brother, your inner force isn't Profound Void Inner Force, is it?" Gu Chundong voiced the doubt in her heart.

"A couple of days ago, when I was unconscious, I dreamed of a white-bearded old man. He said I was exceptionally handsome and insisted on passing down a divine skill to me..."

"Brother, if you can't make up stories, then don't spout nonsense, okay? I'm already seventeen, not seven."

"Hahaha... This divine skill of mine isn't suitable for girls to cultivate. When I dream of that white-bearded old man again someday, I'll have him give me a divine skill suitable for girls, and then I'll pass it on to you!"

"Fine, I'll wait. Hmm, then how did your Mystic Void Saber Technique suddenly become so powerful?"

"I dreamed of a white-bearded old man..."

"Brother, you're trying to fool me again!"

"Hahaha..."

The siblings bickered and laughed as they headed toward the outskirts, the atmosphere relaxed. With the Nine Yang Divine Skill protecting him, Gu Mo had some concerns but was not overly worried about the troubles ahead. As for Gu Chundong, as long as she was with Gu Mo, and Gu Mo was happy, she felt no pressure at all.

Meanwhile, within Linjiang City,

the two siblings had already stirred up quite a considerable storm.

Zhang Xiong's death was not the greatest event in Linjiang City, but it still shocked many people. After all, the Great Saber Gang's name of "Wolf, Bear, Tiger, Leopard" still carried weight in Linjiang City.

Zhang Xiong was not a First-rate Master, but he was still fairly well-known. Moreover, he had been killed while leading more than twenty Blade Wielders, so naturally many people took notice.

South City, Unique Villa.

The black-clad swordsman came to Yan San Niang's room and clasped his hands. "Boss, your judgment was right. Mine was wrong. That Gu Mo is indeed very strong. Zhang Xiong of the Great Saber Gang led over twenty skilled men to besiege him, but Gu Mo killed more than ten of them in return and beheaded Zhang Xiong. Still, I have one question: how did you see that Gu Mo was an expert?"

"I couldn't," Yan San Niang said with a smiling gaze. "When we were at the yamen, I happened to see the siblings collecting their reward. Something about Gu Mo's bearing made me feel that he was no ordinary man. Though he had become a blind man, he showed none of the unease of someone who had lost his sight. He was exceedingly calm. If he had been blind for many years and had grown accustomed to that life, it would have been normal enough. But he had only recently gone blind, so for him to possess such composure was truly rare."

"So that was it." The black-clad swordsman nodded. "Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case. His state of mind is formidable. But he is probably in serious trouble now. Zhang Xiong belonged to Old Saber Handle Lu Yingchuan. That Old Saber Handle is no kind man, and Wolf, Bear, Tiger, Leopard under his command are all no simple characters either. Though he does not have as many Blade Wielders as the rumors claim, he still has three or four hundred."

Yan San Niang waved her hand. "Old Saber Handle is old. He's already in his sixties or seventies and lost the ambitions of his youth long ago. All he wants is to retire in peace. If he were not worried that he would be settled with after washing his hands in a golden basin, he might even be willing to withdraw from the martial world and enjoy his remaining years.

The Great Saber Gang may look powerful, but apart from the four of 'Wolf, Bear, Tiger, Leopard,' what other figures do they have whose names can be spoken of? There is nothing to fear. Send Old Saber Handle a letter in my name and invite him to dine at the Hundred Flowers Restaurant. I'll lay out several tables and act as peacemaker between the Great Saber Gang and Gu Mo."

"And Gu Mo's side?" the black-clad swordsman asked.

"I'll go see him again." Yan San Niang smiled sweetly. "I cannot let the other Wind Chasing Towers snatch him away from me. Gu Mo appeared at exactly the right time. If he can quickly capture a few famous Wanted Criminals, then Unique Villa's transition into the wind chasing business will be a success!"

Every business needed a name.

To open a Wind Chasing Tower, one needed to stake one's life among the Blade Catchers. If Gu Mo could capture several more famous Wanted Criminals and make a name for himself among the Blade Catchers, everyone would know that Unique Villa was backing him. Naturally, many Blade Catchers would then come drawn by its reputation.

Especially since Gu Mo was such a representative blind man, he could better demonstrate Unique Villa's intelligence-gathering and support capabilities, making it even more appealing to Blade Catchers.

As Gu Mo and Gu Chundong made their way toward the outskirts, they encountered Yan San Niang once again.

The moment Yan San Niang spoke, Gu Mo recognized her voice.

"Boss Yan, what a coincidence?"

"Not a coincidence. I came specifically to find you, Young Hero Gu."

As Yan San Niang spoke, she walked up before Gu Mo.

At once, a unique floral fragrance drifted over.

Gu Mo took half a step back.

That movement left Yan San Niang somewhat amused and exasperated, though she did not take it too seriously. "I never expected that after only being apart from Young Hero Gu for such a short while, you would cause such a huge commotion. Wolf, Bear, Tiger, Leopard, and Old Saber Handle—none of them are good people. You have thoroughly offended the Great Saber Gang now."

Gu Mo chuckled. "Could it be that the Great Saber Gang offended me instead?"

"Uh..." Yan San Niang froze slightly, then smiled. "Young Hero Gu truly is... overflowing with dominance. I won't beat around the bush. To show my sincerity in wanting to cooperate with you, I'll take on the grudge between you and the Great Saber Gang. I've already arranged to meet Old Saber Handle and will reconcile the two sides. In truth, there is no irreconcilable enmity between you and the Great Saber Gang. After all, the one who formed a grudge with you was Zhang Xiong, and you have already killed him."

"If we can reconcile, then of course that would be fine. Many thanks, then."

Gu Mo agreed at once. His goal was to become a Blade Catcher and capture or kill more Wanted Criminals. He had no interest in fighting the Great Saber Gang to the bitter end. There had never been any conflict of interest between them, and Zhang Xiong, who had stirred up the trouble, was already dead. So long as the Great Saber Gang was willing to let the matter go, he did not care.