Chapter 37: The Music Conservatory is Full of Undercover Agents!

Looking at the Faceless Man’s shriveled appearance, Chen Mo felt he was likely not lying, and he squeezed his palm tightly over the man's little heart.

"Speak, how did you find me?"

The Faceless Man shuddered, his expression bitter.

He was only at the fifth rank and could not yet separate his soul from his body; if his physical form were destroyed, he would truly perish completely!

Logically, ghost cultivators always countered martial artists, not to mention he was a realm higher than his opponent, yet he had been pinned to the ground and rubbed into the dirt...

It was simply an inversion of the natural order!

"I kicked an iron plate..."

The Faceless Man lost all fighting spirit and honestly confessed everything.

After hearing his account and combining it with the information he already possessed, Chen Mo roughly reconstructed the sequence of events.

The Faceless Man was known as Daoist You, hailing from the Ghost-Devouring Sect of the Western Regions.

Three years ago, he had made a mistake during his closed-door cultivation and his cultivation base had fallen; Qin Wuxiang had seized the opportunity to steal his life-bound magic treasure, the Soul-Summoning Banner, and had hidden in Tongling County.

As it turned out, before the magic treasure could even be refined, it had been slashed by Chen Mo.

"...I happened to be tracking it nearby and sensed the fluctuations of the Soul-Summoning Banner, so I followed the trail all the way to Ducheng."

"But after entering the city, the aura of the magic treasure inexplicably vanished, and I could no longer sense it at all..."

"I heard that Qin Wuxiang died at your hands, so I assumed the item must have been taken by you, which is why I followed you to the Music Conservatory..."

Chen Mo’s mouth twitched.

That Soul-Summoning Banner had long since been refined by the Empress, so of course you couldn't sense it.

He hadn't expected the news of him slaying the demon to spread so widely, leading the creditor to come knocking on his door directly...

"This little... sir, I have said everything I know. The ghost was swallowed up by you, and I accept that the magic treasure cannot be recovered. Can you spare my life?"

Daoist You pleaded humbly.

Chen Mo retorted, "Do I look stupid to you?"

Before Daoist You could react, a muffled, explosive sound erupted from within his chest, followed by black blood gushing from his mouth and nose.

"You..."

He stared fixedly at Chen Mo, then collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Chen Mo absorbed his soul, confirmed he was dead beyond any doubt, and only then did he relax.

He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the black blood and gore from his hands.

"Won't there be more people from the Ghost-Devouring Sect coming to avenge him later? That would be truly endless," Chen Mo muttered to himself.

At this moment, the little maid beside him spoke up: "The Ghost-Devouring Sect was wiped out long ago. I suspect this Daoist You obtained their legacy from somewhere and simply claimed the identity of the Ghost-Devouring Sect..."

Chen Mo glanced at her, "You certainly know quite a lot, Saintess Gu."

The little maid’s eyes flickered, and she shook her head, "I don't know what you are talking about."

Still playing dumb?

The system notification that had just popped up, along with that iconic jade scripture... even a fool could see her identity.

"You seem to have forgotten what I said last time. You actually dare to stay in Ducheng? Do you really think I won't kill you?"

Chen Mo’s tone was icy.

Seeing her identity exposed, the little maid stopped pretending, and her unique, soft, and alluring voice rang out, "I haven't forgotten. You said our grievances were settled and we owed each other nothing... This time I helped you kill Daoist You, doesn't that mean you owe me a favor?"

"..."

Chen Mo frowned.

What kind of logic was this?

Last time, he had nearly lost his life!

"I didn't know the Master wanted to plant a gu-insect in you... When I retreated, I deliberately left the corpse of the gu-insect at the scene just to solidify my identity; this should count as a merit for you..."

Bang!

Gu Manzhi was explaining herself, but before she could finish, her body was suddenly lifted into the air and slammed hard against the wall, her face turning pale instantly.

Chen Mo gripped her slender, elegant neck, a flash of killing intent in his eyes.

Gu Manzhi was not panicked, her voice as soft and alluring as ever, "If you kill me, you will inevitably face the Master's retaliation. And even if I die, others will come to take my place... and they are far more ruthless than I am."

Chen Mo certainly understood this logic.

The Moon Radiance Sect would not let this go. Now that the plot had changed, the future was hard to predict; by comparison, Gu Manzhi at least had a foundation of favorability...

But in the face of their opposing stances, how much effect could this little bit of favorability have?

Thinking of how Gu Manzhi had helped him intercept Daoist You just now, Chen Mo hesitated for a moment before loosening his grip.

Gu Manzhi caught her breath, rubbed her fair neck, and frowned, "So heartless. Last time, those few slaps bruised my chest, and it still aches faintly. This time you almost choked me to death again..."

Chen Mo stared straight at her, "Your injuries haven't healed yet. Why risk staying at the Music Conservatory?"

After the incident last time, the number of eyes planted here by various factions had at least doubled. If she left even the slightest trace, it would be a catastrophe for her.

What was the reason for doing this?

Gu Manzhi pursed her lips and said in a low voice, "I have no other skills besides seducing men; where else could I go besides this place of flowers and willows? Besides, it's convenient to gather information here, otherwise I wouldn't have known the Prince was targeting you..."

"The Prince? Targeting me?"

Chen Mo was stunned.

Gu Manzhi said, "Miss Yu'er is the daughter of the former Minister of War. After being demoted to the lowly register, she was used by the Prince as a tool to get close to you... If you don't believe me, go ask her yourself."

Chen Mo went to the bedside, only to see Miss Yu'er’s face was dark and blue, her eyes wide open, and her chest was not rising or falling at all; she had been dead for some time.

He activated his Soul-Sensing ability and discovered her soul had dissipated; she must have died the moment Daoist You possessed her.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing him motionless, Gu Manzhi walked over.

She fell silent after seeing Yu'er’s corpse.

"..."

Chen Mo’s brow was locked in a deep frown.

He did not doubt the truth of Gu Manzhi’s words.

As long as one wanted to investigate, clues could always be found; there was no need to lie about such a thing.

"Is it really worth spending so much effort on me just because of a barbarian slave case?"

"It seems this goes far deeper than just involving a few officials... I thought having Battalion Commander Shen take the fall would be enough, but I didn't expect they would still target me..."

Looking at Yu'er’s corpse on the bed, Daoist You with his heart ripped out on the floor, and Gu Manzhi disguised as a maid beside him... Chen Mo’s head throbbed with pain.

"I just came here to visit a brothel, why is this Music Conservatory full of undercover agents?"

"Daoist You doesn't matter, but with Yu'er dead, I'm afraid there will be some trouble..."

Just then, Gu Manzhi took a paper doll from her bosom, dipped her finger in Yu'er’s blood, and drew a talisman on the paper surface.

As green light was infused into it, the paper doll instantly "came to life," stretched its legs, leaped from Gu Manzhi’s hand, went to Yu'er’s side, pried open her mouth, and crawled inside.

After about half an incense stick's time, Yu'er’s wide-open eyes suddenly blinked.

Then, she turned her head to look at Chen Mo, her voice alluring:

"Sir, my body hasn't gone cold yet. Why don't you... take me while I'm still warm?"

Chen Mo: "..."