Chapter 493: Eradicating Pests

Using the card, the blood shadow guardian's memories from the last three years before his death immediately surfaced in his mind.

Chen Mu quickly scanned them and found the blood shadow guardian's real name was remarkably plain.

Niu Dashan!

He had lived for over two hundred and eighty years, surpassed the Heavenly Palace realm over a hundred years ago, and with that realm, besides joining the Long Life Sect and consuming various "Human Pills" to accelerate his cultivation, Niu Dashan's natural talent was also decent.

But after surpassing the Heavenly Palace realm, what followed depended on insight.

Insight into the path of martial cultivation, insight into the great Dao of heaven and earth.

Without sufficient insight, no matter how many "Human Pills" he consumed, it would be useless, unless he took the "High-Level Long Life Pill," but such pills were exceedingly rare; Niu Dashan received only three per year from the Long Life Sect, far from enough.

Chen Mu swiftly skimmed past the scenes of consuming Human Pills and murdering for loot, searching for useful information.

Unfortunately, Niu Dashan knew very little about the core secrets of attacking Yaoyue Sect.

He was merely an outer guardian, responsible for post-battle mopping-up and hunting down fugitives.

The true core—

How to break through the mountain-protection great array, how to corrupt the Moon Shadow Flowing Sword, how to surround and kill the Yaoyue Ancestor…

Those were personally handled by the sect master and the two Supreme Elders; he didn't even have the qualifications to observe.

However, one piece of information caught Chen Mu's attention.

Gu Sanxing.

That elder who betrayed Yaoyue Sect, after defecting to the Long Life Sect, attained an extremely high position.

In Niu Dashan's memories, Gu Sanxing's status ranked only below the sect master.

After all, a late-stage Heavenly Palace realm expert was a pillar in any faction.

He knew no further details.

He didn't even know what realm the Long Life Sect master was in, only that he was immensely powerful—so powerful that Niu Dashan didn't even have the qualifications to look up to him.

Chen Mu felt a flicker of disappointment and was about to end the scan when suddenly a memory scene made his gaze sharpen.

In the scene, Niu Dashan sat in a secret chamber, facing a middle-aged man in a blue robe.

The man had a refined appearance, three long whiskers, resembling a learned scholar, yet the aura swirling around him was unmistakably Earth Altar realm, Ascended Soul Altar.

"Guardian Niu, rest assured—on the Yangzhou front, I'm in charge; the Mo Sect's goods move without obstruction," the middle-aged man lifted his teacup and smiled faintly.

Niu Dashan grinned: "With Lord Gu handling things, I naturally have full confidence. The sect master specifically instructed that Lord Gu's contributions are all recorded."

The scene shifted to another meeting.

The two met at a manor outside Yangzhou City, discussing when "that shipment" would arrive, which route to take, and which checkpoints needed bribing.

Chen Mu's pupils contracted slightly.

Gu Wuqiu.

Chief official of the Yangzhou Martial Supervision Office, Director of the Day Si.

In the entire Jiannan Dao Martial Supervision Office, Director of the Day Si was a high-ranking official, second only to the Commander and several Deputy Commanders, wielding real power, responsible for surveillance, apprehension, intelligence, and other critical duties in the entire province.

Such a man had secretly defected to the Long Life Sect!

Chen Mu took a deep breath and reviewed the memory several times, confirming it was accurate.

Gu Wuqiu, Earth Altar realm, Ascended Soul Altar, had served in the Martial Supervision Office for over thirty years, climbing step by step to his current position.

Publicly, he was a clean, capable official; secretly, he smuggled supplies for the Mo Sect, transmitted intelligence, and concealed operatives.

Such a parasite must be rooted out.

Chen Mu opened his eyes, a flash of coldness passing through them.

Yangzhou.

He silently repeated the name in his mind.

It was a major province in eastern Jiannan Dao, bordering Jiangnan Dao, with a vigorous martial culture and thriving economy.

After the True-Mo War broke out, Yangzhou had been tense for a while, but quickly stabilized.

Because the Commander-in-Chief of Jiannan Dao's expeditionary forces, the late-stage Heavenly Palace realm Xiao Wentian, was from Yangzhou.

The Xiao family was a local major clan, with a clean and upright family ethos; with the Xiao family present, the Mo Sect dared not act too recklessly.

Chen Mu stood up, oriented himself, and soared into the air.

The flight speed of a Heavenly Palace realm far exceeded that of an Earth Altar realm; within a single day, he entered Yangzhou's territory.

Yangzhou's provincial capital spanned dozens of li, its walls towering, its streets wide, far more prosperous than ordinary prefectures.

Within the city, people bustled about, vendors shouted, haggling echoed, children laughed—a scene utterly untouched by the True-Mo War.

Chen Mu landed outside the city, disguised himself as an ordinary cultivator in his thirties, changed into a half-worn blue cotton robe, and entered the city at a leisurely pace.

He did not go to the Martial Supervision Office.

Going there now would only alert the snake.

Gu Wuqiu had operated in Yangzhou for over a decade; his network of spies was countless.

Rushing in blindly might cause him to be detected instead.

Chen Mu rented a small courtyard in the inner city, paid three months' rent, and settled in.

Over the next several days, Chen Mu daily visited teahouses and taverns, gathering information.

The most well-informed place was naturally the Hero's Pavilion.

Every afternoon, Chen Mu would sit at the Hero's Pavilion for one or two hours, order a pot of tea and a few snacks, and quietly listen to the surrounding chatter.

"That affair with Yaoyue Sect—it's been half a year, but thinking about it still makes one sigh," said a middle-aged martial artist at the next table.

"Indeed. One of the Seven Wu Zong, gone in an instant."

"I heard some Yaoyue Sect disciples escaped; the Long Life Sect has been hunting them down."

"Hunting them? Pfft. Half a year, how many have they caught? Yaoyue Sect has existed for over a thousand years—they must have backup plans; those disciples are probably long hidden away."

"That's true..."

Chen Mu listened in silence, his expression unchanged.

Even after half a year, the fall of the Yaoyue Sect remained the talk of the town.

After all, it was the first top-tier power to be wiped out since the Holy-Demon War; the impact was too far-reaching.

In the following days, Chen Mu came to Hero Hall every day, sitting from morning till night, gathering every piece of news from inside and outside Yangzhou City.

The movements of the Zhenwu Bureau, the situation of the Xiao family, the feuds among the city's major clans, even which street's brothel had taken on a new Miss.

He heard it all clearly.

But news about Guo Wuqiu was scarce.

All he knew was that this Director of the Sun Office was low-key, kept to himself, and rarely showed up in public.

Most affairs of the Zhenwu Bureau were handled by his deputies; he only appeared at important events.

Chen Mu wasn't in a hurry.

Fishing requires patience.

That afternoon, Chen Mu sat as usual in the corner of the first floor, listening to the chatter around him.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded at the door; a martial artist in his thirties rushed in, his face flushed with excitement, and shouted as soon as he entered.

"Everyone, have you heard? The Xiao family is forming an alliance with the Yuan family!"

The entire first-floor hall fell silent for an instant, then erupted.

"The Xiao family? Which Xiao family?"

"Which Xiao family could it be? The Yangzhou Xiao family! The one headed by Grand Commander Xiao Wentian!"

"And the Yuan family? Which Yuan family?"

"How many Yuan families are there in Jiannan Dao? Of course, the Jiangdu Yuan family! The one with Grandpa Yuan, at the Heavenly Palace Realm's mid-stage!"

"An alliance between the Xiao and Yuan families? This..."

"When did this happen? Who's marrying whom?"

The martial artist beamed with pride, savoring the attention, and deliberately delayed before speaking slowly:

"Xiao Jingxing, the third young master of the Xiao family, and Yuan Ziling, the eldest young lady of the Yuan family. The two families have already exchanged the betrothal documents; the official engagement will be on the eighth day of next month!"