The First Mission

After signing the contract, Yan San Niang immediately arranged a residence for Gu Mo and his sister. It was a small courtyard not far from Unique Villa, and it was free of charge. The house itself belonged to Yan San Niang, and it was fully furnished with furniture and kitchenware.

That night, the siblings moved in.

The next day, as soon as dawn broke, Gu Chundong had already bought the daily necessities. By the time Gu Mo woke up, the meal was ready, perfectly timed.

This was a tacit understanding the siblings had developed over many years.

Ever since Gu Chundong was seven years old, Gu Mo had brought her along to wander the Martial World. They had traveled to many places together, and from a young age, their roles were clearly defined: Gu Mo was responsible for earning money, while Gu Chundong managed all domestic matters, including food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

Gu Chundong knew Gu Mo's schedule like the back of her hand, which allowed her to save a lot of time. The reason for this need to save time was that Gu Mo not only had to earn money but also practice martial arts. He never slacked off, regardless of the season. This was the main reason why he could practice his Mystic Void Saber Technique to the forty-eight forms without any guidance, all thanks to his diligence and perseverance.

After they finished their meal, Gu Mo began to instruct Gu Chundong in her saber techniques.

Gu Chundong found it astonishing. Despite Gu Mo being unable to see, he could always spot the flaws in her saber techniques, even the slightest, most subtle ones.

Gu Chundong couldn't help but complain, "Brother, if you were this skilled earlier, I would have become a great hero by now!"

"Then I would have had to lose my sight even earlier."

Gu Chundong pouted and said, "Forget it, I'd rather you weren't so strong. But seriously, Brother, just looking at your martial arts, you seem like a completely different person."

"And what about me as a person?"

"Well, your personality hasn't changed, nor have your habits. It's just that your aura has changed, giving off a sense of enlightenment!"

Gu Mo smiled slightly.

Indeed, he could be considered to have achieved a form of enlightenment.

Buddhism speaks of the great terror between life and death, and the great confusion between reincarnations.

He had experienced a great upheaval and awakened his past life memories.

To put it one way, he had indeed changed. To put it another way, he was still the same person.

However, in terms of martial arts, his attainment had reached a level that most people could not achieve in a lifetime, thanks to the Nine Yang Divine Skill. He was still a step away from the Grandmaster realm of returning to simplicity, but he was far superior to ordinary first-rate experts in the Martial World.

Of course, this was only his martial arts realm, not his actual combat power.

Combat power was difficult to evaluate.

It was similar to the Old Saber Handle he dealt with last night. He was a renowned first-rate expert in his youth, and after decades of immersion, his martial arts realm should have far surpassed that of a typical first-rate expert. Yet, he was intimidated by Gu Mo's exquisite internal energy techniques and dared not make a move.

Combat power and martial arts realm were not always directly correlated.

As Gu Mo was guiding Gu Chundong in her saber practice, he heard footsteps outside the courtyard. Although he couldn't hear them yet, he could tell it was Yan San Niang and the swordsman named A Qi who always protected her.

"Bang, bang, bang."

There was a knock on the door.

Gu Chundong opened the door, and indeed, Yan San Niang and the black-clothed swordsman named A Qi entered.

"Young Hero Gu," Yan San Niang asked as she entered, "Are you planning to rest for a while before taking on missions, or would you like to take one now?"

"Anytime is fine," Gu Mo replied. "Do you have many missions available?"

"Naturally, there are many," Yan San Niang said. "However, I'd like to ask Young Hero Gu to apprehend a great thief. As you know, my Wind Chasing Tower has just opened, and it's a crucial time to build our reputation. The best way to do that is to complete a few impressive Blade Catcher missions."

"Tell me about it," Gu Mo said.

Gu Chundong brought out the teapot to pour tea and casually added, "Boss Yan, please don't give us a heaven-defying mission like capturing a Sect Master of a demonic cult. We're Blade Catchers, not corpses."

"Sister Chundong is joking," Yan San Niang said. "Even if you wanted to capture those demonic overlords, I wouldn't dare let you. My Unique Villa couldn't withstand the wrath of those demonic overlords, nor do I have the means to gather information on such individuals. Moreover, I'm counting on your brother to earn money for me. If I were to get your brother killed, I'd be at a huge loss."

Gu Chundong poured tea for Yan San Niang and A Qi, then sat down beside Gu Mo without saying anything further.

Yan San Niang took out a stack of Xuan paper and said, "This is the intelligence I've gathered. Have you heard of the Flying Horse Gang, Young Hero Gu?"

"Are you referring to that group of horse bandits who roam Mobei all year round?" Gu Mo asked.

"Yes," Yan San Niang replied. "It seems Young Hero Gu is aware of them."

Gu Mo nodded.

Having escorted escorts for several years with the Long Wind Escort Agency, he naturally paid close attention to organizations like bandits and horse bandits.

The Flying Horse Gang was a group of horse bandits that the escorts focused on. They roamed the Mobei region year-round, often massacring entire villages. Very few escorts who encountered them managed to escape alive.

These horse bandits were vicious. Most ordinary bandits and robbers primarily sought wealth. If the victims willingly handed over their money, they could usually survive, with the worst-case scenario being the abduction of beautiful women.

However, the Flying Horse Gang was different.

When they attacked, they always took both wealth and lives. Their favorite activity was to massacre villages, gathering all the villagers together and then beginning their slaughter, competing to see who could kill more people. Their methods were extremely brutal, sparing neither the elderly, children, nor infants.

The authorities had attempted to round them up multiple times, but with little success.

This was because the horse bandits never stayed in one place, constantly moving around. Most importantly, the Flying Horse Gang was led by Flying Dragon; the other members were not as crucial. If one died, another would immediately take their place. Over the past decade, the members of the Flying Horse Gang had changed many times, with only the leader, Flying Dragon, remaining the same.

Yan San Niang continued, "Recently, this group of horse bandits has appeared in Linjiang County."

Gu Mo asked with confusion, "The Flying Horse Gang hasn't left Mobei for over ten years. Why would they suddenly appear in Linjiang County?"

Yan San Niang explained, "They've run into a tough opponent. A swordsman has emerged in Mobei, and he's recently gained immense fame in the Mobei region. The martial world calls him the Flying Swordsman. He appeared suddenly, and no one knows his name, so some also call him Nameless."

This person must have some serious grudge against the Flying Horse Gang, relentlessly hunting them down day and night. What's worse, their swordsmanship and movement techniques are incredibly advanced, forcing the Flying Horse Gang to flee all the way out of Mobei.

In just half a month, they've already committed three village massacres in Linjiang County. The Six Doors are pursuing them with great force. Although they've captured a few Flying Horse Gang bandits, they haven't been able to catch Flying Dragon. The authorities have increased the bounty to one thousand taels."

Gu Mo remarked, "One thousand taels? That'll drive the Blade Catchers wild!"

"Indeed," Yan San Niang replied. "Not only that, but various martial world factions and wealthy merchants have also offered rewards. The total sum exceeds three thousand taels. Completing this bounty would be enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably for a lifetime."

Gu Mo asked curiously, "You have insider information?"

Yan San Niang nodded. "Absolutely. It's the most up-to-date intel in the entire Martial World right now. The Flying Horse Gang committed three massacres in Pingze County, and all leads and information about them are currently concentrated in Pingze County and its surroundings. However, I have a piece of breaking news: Flying Dragon has fled to the Zhushan County area. Are you interested?"

"Let's give it a shot!"

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

[New target detected]
[Wanted Target - Flying Dragon]
[Mission Level - Three Stars]
[Mission Reward - Max-level Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms]