Chapter 113 Diary

The news can be summarized in two points: Mo Wuhen's body was stolen two months ago; and after investigation by the Seven Star Sect, it is suspected to have been found in the capital.

The people below the hall reacted with varying expressions after hearing this.

Xiang Fengyun asked in confusion, "You're not a corpse driver, why would you steal a corpse?"

Tang Xiliu shook her head: "I'm not sure. Some witnesses said that Mo Wuhen behaved like an ordinary person. If they hadn't noticed something was wrong, they wouldn't have realized that he was a corpse."

Xiang Fei asked doubtfully, "A corpse that's been dead for twenty years should have decomposed into nothing but bones by now, right?"

Yi Sha had asked Hui Gu about this, but unfortunately, he hadn't gotten any useful information.

She briefly explained that after Mo Wuhen was sent back to the sect, his body remained uncorrupted, which is why the sect leader suppressed it in a secret cave in the back mountain. Since it was Yue Mingzhu who captured and killed him, she had also suspected that the witchcraft of the Southern Frontier might have played a role, but Hui Gu said that Mo Wuhen's condition was not due to witchcraft.

Of course, she wouldn't be sure if A-Yue invented some new and unusual Gu after leaving the Southern Frontier.

The sudden news threw the situation into chaos. Shang Yuji then spoke up, recounting the information the two had gathered from their nighttime intrusion into the Second Prince's residence, and added a note:

"Could what they mean by operating something neither human nor ghost is Mo Wuhen's corpse? And they also mentioned that the key to the operation seems to be related to Aunt Yue's belongings."

Hui Gu said in a deep voice, "Since Mo Wuhen died at A Yue's hands, it's not impossible that they're after A Yue's belongings."

Xiang Fengyun snorted: "They wouldn't let us Jianghu people get involved, but in the end, they all stole from their own pockets!"

What he meant was that the imperial court forbade martial arts practitioners from getting involved in the power struggles, but now it was the powerful figures in the court who were actively interfering in the martial arts world, using them to fight for power and profit!

For example, Mo Wuhen's body was perfectly fine at the Seven Star Sect this time. Who would have thought that twenty years later, that so-called Prince Qi, along with someone else, would join forces to steal Mo Wuhen's body? If they've committed the act of stealing a corpse, what good could they possibly do with it?

None of them are capable of seizing power on their own, so they want to focus their attention on the external force of martial arts masters!

If both sides are evenly matched, with both of you having connections in the martial arts world, then whatever happens in the end is up to you.

If someone seizes the throne through the help of江湖人 (jianghu people), and the other side fails because they rely on their own abilities, they may not respect the emperor who succeeded through connections. They will also despise the江湖人 who helped them.

Tang Xiliu reacted quickly and said with a smile, "It's good that they took action. This way, no one else can say anything about the two of them intervening. Moreover, as an elder of the Seven Stars Sect, it is only reasonable for Elder Yi to retrieve the stolen corpse of the traitor from the Seven Stars Sect."

If the news is true, Yi Sha's involvement in the theft of the corpse is not even considered as intervention in the court's disputes, but rather as a matter of personal grudges among the martial arts world.

Those who can steal corpses are mostly people from the martial arts world. It's only natural and morally justifiable for people from the martial arts world to take on other people from the martial arts world.

But if the thief is a corpse controller trained by the imperial court itself, that doesn't make sense. Why should the imperial court be allowed to steal our things without warning?

If Yi Sha were to take action, he would be standing on the moral high ground, and all the factions in the martial arts world would only cheer him on upon hearing the reason.

Xuanming added, "We still need to find out if Mo Wuhen is in their hands first, and only after confirming Senior Yi can we take action."

The crowd below nodded in agreement. Tang Xiliu smiled freely: "Leave it to me. The Beggars' Sect has plenty of people, they are well-informed, quick-witted, and have no fear of being captured."

He paused again and said, "As for the reward, it might take a few of us to chip in. It doesn't need to be too much, just consider it a token of goodwill. My reputation in the gang is still quite good."

Shang Yuji unfolded her folding fan and said, "Senior, please go ahead. I still have the money."

Although Tang Xiliu could save them some money out of consideration for their old friendship, it would be better if the sisters and brothers in the gang could get more.

As everyone knows, the Beggars' Sect is most lacking in money! Otherwise, how could they be called beggars?

Unexpectedly, his old friend managed to get on the good side of the family through his apprentice, and his smile widened even more: "Then I won't stand on ceremony. Rest assured, we will send the news as soon as possible!"

Besides, the key to the matter lies in A-Yue's belongings. After everyone dispersed, Shang Yuji took Hui-Gu to see the belongings. Jiang Xi went to find new clothes for Tang Xi-Liu to change into, and also needed to sew up the tear in his old collar, so she was temporarily busy.

Fortunately, he wasn't the only one in the household who could read the script of southern Xinjiang; Huigu and Acuo were also there.

Moreover, one of Hui-gu's concerns was Ah-yue's belongings. They returned late last night, so it wasn't appropriate to ask Hui-gu to come out and look at the belongings. Today, she left early and unfortunately missed them.

Now is a good time.

Yi Sha, Xiang Fengyun, and the others knew what they were up to. After all, it was their secret, and no matter how curious they were, they couldn't afford to offend them.

Therefore, only Huigu and Acuo entered the house with Shang Yuji.

Before entering the house, A-Cuo lowered his head and stared at the Gu box under the eaves.

Early this morning, or last night? She wasn't sure.

In short, the Gu worm she carried had been acting strangely ever since she woke up, as if it were afraid of something, but she couldn't find anything suspicious after searching around. It wasn't until she followed Miss Shang and passed by the Gu box that the Gu worm's reaction intensified; it was no longer just fear, but more like terror.

The Gu worms seemed normal during the day yesterday... what was added to the box?

Out of curiosity, A-Cuo asked, "Miss Shang, is there anything unusual about this Gu box?"

Shang Yuji looked over and saw the Gu box that Jiang Xi used to raise Gu worms. It was actually more like a bamboo cage, mostly square with rounded corners on each side. Inside, there were branches, mulberry leaves, elm leaves, and other things, as well as meat and water for the Gu worms to eat. Even though there were gaps between the bamboo strips, no Gu worms would crawl out of the gaps. Through the gaps, she could vaguely see a pair of white wings. She roughly knew what A-Cuo was asking about.

“A white butterfly has been added inside. It’s one of Aunt Yue’s keepsakes. Xi Qu said it’s a Gu King.”

Not only was A-Cuo surprised, but Hui-Gu also looked astonished.

...The King of Gu, the overlord of Gu they have been searching for their entire lives.

A-Cuo felt a lump in her throat: "Aunt A-Yue, you truly are a born Gu master..." Heaven is jealous of talent, no wonder Aunt Hui remembered her for so long.

If another person of her generation were to appear who was an undisputed natural Gu master, stunning her for half her life, she would also remember her fondly, without a trace of blasphemous jealousy or hatred, only hoping to follow behind her and see her forever proud and aloof, suspended in the sky.

No wonder Hui Gu disliked that Da An man.

A Gu master capable of raising a Gu King, even if they aspire to become the new chieftain of Wuming and unify the villages of the Southern Frontier, would find no one in Wuming objecting. But to die for a man from Da'an… how utterly despicable! That man from Da'an actually stole their once-in-a-century Gu maiden!

A-Cuo's expression grew increasingly complicated. She turned her head to look at Hui-Gu, whose expression had returned to normal, but the strangeness revealed by her Gu worms was not as calm as it appeared.

"Let's go, let me see her daily notes."

The tattered book lay in their hands. Huigu looked at it from beginning to end, while A-Cuo leaned closer to take a look. The two of them fell silent as they looked at the words on it.

A highly talented and diligent practitioner of witchcraft.

From the moment they heard the term "Gu King," Shang Yuji noticed their low spirits, which only intensified after they received the book. To give them time to process this, she remained silent and waited quietly on the stool.

It wasn't until she turned to the mark Jiang Xi had made in the book that Hui Gu vaguely remembered the purpose of her trip. She brushed the pages and said softly, "I'm sorry, I got caught up in my emotions and forgot to read the contents to you, Miss."

Shang Yuji quickly said it was nothing, and that she could just read from this page onwards.

Hui Gu responded and gradually recounted the contents of the document.

Even after many years, Huigu can still recall the scenes from back then after reading Ayue's account of the interesting stories in the village.

The text also included anecdotes about the embarrassing moments of several elders who are now pillars of the village when they were young. Upon hearing this, A-Cuo quietly overturned the composed image he had of them in his memory.

The turning point came when A-Yue left southern Xinjiang.

The early part is a carefree journey through the martial arts world, where she, as a junior from the southern border, challenges one famous martial arts master after another.

Having completed the challenges in the Southern Region, he changed his identity and appearance and continued his journey north.

Later, he met Jiang Molu, a chance encounter between a common young swordsman and a scion of a noble family, as described by storytellers.

The young hero was injured and being chased. While climbing over a wall to hide, she was discovered by the owner of the house. The owner helped her fend off the pursuers and left the young hero there to recover.

During this time, feelings developed between them, and Ah Yue directly confessed her feelings, leading to a year or two of happy times.

The good times didn't last long. Jiang Moli fell seriously ill. Even the miraculous medicine that A Yue sought and the then-rising Yan Qing were of no use. In the end, they decided to use Gu poison to prolong his life.

From then on, his previously relaxed tone disappeared, taking a sharp turn for the worse, and his words were filled with anxiety and urgency.

During the Gu worm experiment, Shang Yuji noticed a sentence: "Someone knows that A Yue is trying to use Gu to prolong life and wants her to create a Gu that can defy fate and change destiny."

[A madman even crazier than me, the Longevity Gu? What Longevity Gu? If you Da'an are so capable, then concoct the Nine-Turn Resurrection Pill that can bring the dead back to life before you mention the Longevity Gu to me.]

[They can't even manage to die and be brought back to life, yet they dare to dream of immortality?]

Then came the theft of materials for the Heart-to-Heart Gu, the Myriad Manifestations Gu, the Thousand-Year Lotus Seed, the Ice Lotus on the Ten-Thousand-Foot Cliff... and the Thousand-Year Blood Jade.

As time went on, the more urgent it became. A-Yue anxiously skipped over many records, only hastily noting down where the treasure was and how to get it.

The last of the thousand-year-old blood jade... is in the Qi Prince's Mansion in Hebei Province.

Rumor has it that the Empress Dowager bestowed it upon the King of Qi.

After infiltrating the Qi Prince's mansion and investigating for a long time, she not only discovered the location of the Blood Jade, but also uncovered the Qi Prince's secrets.

After she dealt with the Prince of Qi and finally obtained the Millennium Blood Jade, she still couldn't save Jiang Moliu.

—The King of Qi tampered with the Blood Jade. The Heart-Binding Gu made from this Blood Jade will take Jiang Moliu's life in an instant.

This is a deadly weapon.

The reason why King Qi tampered with the Blood Jade was because he wanted the Heart-Connecting Gu to be used by him, or by that "person".

The further you go in the book, the more messy the handwriting becomes, and the less content there is.

[They're all lunatics! One after another, they're all lunatics!]

[If they don't have the Longevity Gu, they covet the Unity Gu.]

The King of Qi was keeping a damned monster.

That monster isn't human, it's not human, it's not human!

[This is utterly insane... to actually try to create a monster that knows no pain and only knows how to kill...]

[They actually thought the Heart-Sharing Gu could distribute the pain inflicted on a monster among thousands of "people," so the monster wouldn't die? Hahaha, idiot, idiot, idiot! The Heart-Sharing Gu has so many limitations, idiot!!]

[Furious? In the capital! I'll kill you if I have to!]

[Disgusting guy! Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting—]

[The King of Qi? The King of Qi! The basement is full of blood, corpses, and bits of flesh! He's feeding living people to the monster!]

[Madman...that monster is getting more and more powerful...it's impervious to pain and heals quickly. Most importantly, even if it loses an arm...it can be used again as long as a new one is sewn on, even if it's a hand torn from a living person.]

[No, no, no, no—he knows witchcraft! He knows witchcraft too! We've been ambushed! *!]

[He can refine the Heart-to-Heart Gu, *him*! He can refine the Heart-to-Heart Gu into the desired split-damage technique? No, as long as... as long as the Heart-to-Heart Gu is used, he can't dig it out, nor can he refine it, hahaha, my good child, you can use the Gu~ Angry? Not at all, silly, hehe]

【*******! I can't beat that monster! Those few Jianghu bastards didn't believe me, I'm speechless, a bunch of idiots! What's wrong with people from Southern Xinjiang? I was just trying to help you Da'an get rid of this scourge! (Cross out.) **Zhou Yun! I'll never forgive you!!!**

[…Never played it, so annoying—]

That monster is getting more and more troublesome. It's been covered in the bodies of many of the Jianghu people from Da'an who fought alongside me before… and on its back is that woman's face. She even gave me a meat pie yesterday… Was what I did right? So many people have died, and Zhou Yun hasn't let a single person who knew the truth escape…

[Hahahaha! That monster, half-dead—all my poison is gone, gone, gone! How come its skin is so fleshy?]

[...]

[…I agree, Zhou Yun!]

[As long as I die, he'll spare the martial arts world who know the truth; as long as I die... he won't interfere with Wu Ming of Southern Xinjiang... Annoying—what are you yelling about? Since we can't beat him, let's go back and rebuild our forces. We'll come back stronger when you're ready to strike again! This isn't death; I'm just stalling for time!]

[**! I've been tricked! He actually erased their memories... They won't remember me, nor will they remember him and the monster. Hey, it's okay, I tricked him too, hahaha. The feeling of being heartbroken isn't pleasant, is it, Zhou Yun?**]

[My belongings? Watch me raise a Gu King, and when you open the bag, you'll be dead, dead, dead, dead, dead!]

[...It's a pity I couldn't kill that person and the monster; it's such a pity they don't remember my heroic figure; it's such a pity that such a peerless genius like me is going to die...Why are there so many regrettable things? Hey, since that's the case, why call me Wu Zhao? Call me Jiang Xi! It's such a pity that a genius like me is about to fall from grace, sigh.]

【Damn it, Yi Sha! Xiang Fengyun! Huo Wei! Guan Tong! How dare you forget me! I will hold a grudge against you in the underworld!】

[Don't forget me! There's no other genius like me in the entire Southern Frontier, or even the Great An—Wu Yue!!!]