Chapter 494

The Hero's Pavilion erupted in chaos.

"Xiao Jingxing? The Xiao Jingxing ranked thirteenth on the Dragon's Hidden Dragon Ranking?"

"Yes, him! He's only twenty this year and already at Eighth Stage Innate!"

"Yuan Ziling isn't bad either—eighteenth on the Dragon's Hidden Dragon Ranking, nineteen, Seventh Stage Innate."

"If these two families marry, the balance of power in Jiannan Dao will shift."

"Shift what? The Xiao family's already one of the top clans in Jiannan Dao—adding the Yuan family just makes them even stronger."

"Easy for you to say—haven't you seen how long the Liu and Yuan families have been feuding? Now the Liu family won't sit still…"

"…"

Voices rose and fell as everyone chattered, analyzing the implications of this alliance.

Chen Mu sat motionless.

Suddenly, someone lowered their voice.

"I heard the Town Guard Office's my lord received an invitation too. After all, the Xiao family has deep ties with the Town Guard Office—Xiao's old patriarch once served there."

"My lord? Which my lord?"

"Who else? The chief of Yangzhou's Town Guard Office—my lord Guo Wuqiu."

"Oh, him. I heard he's been busy lately, always traveling out."

"That's right—I saw him leave the city a few days ago, leading a squad eastward…"

Chen Mu's gaze flickered.

Guo Wuqiu, left the city, headed east?

He picked up his teacup, eyes fixed on the window, but his ears remained locked onto the two men's conversation.

Several martial artists continued chatting, the topic now shifted from the Xiao-Yuan alliance to Guo Wuqiu.

"You say my lord Guo's always traveling out—what's he really busy with? Yangzhou's been quiet lately; no reports of Mo Sect disturbances," asked a man with a rough voice.

The earlier speaker lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously: "You wouldn't know—my friend in the Town Guard Office told me my lord's investigating a major case, something to do with smuggling."

"Smuggling? What's being smuggled?"

"I don't know the details. But it's secretive—my lord personally leads teams out, leaving before dawn and returning at midnight. Sometimes he's gone for two or three days."

"Hmm, looks like a real big case."

Chen Mu listened, coldly smirking inside.

Smuggling?

Yes, it's smuggling.

But not ordinary goods—what's being smuggled are people, materials, and intelligence needed by the Long Life Sect.

He set down his teacup, dropped a few silver coins on the table, and rose to leave the Hero's Pavilion.

Stepping out of the tavern, the sky had grown dim.

Chen Mu walked slowly along the street, sorting through the information he'd gathered these past days.

Guo Wuqiu frequently left the city, heading east.

Eastward lay the route to Jiang Nan Dao—mountainous, sparsely populated, perfect for smuggling.

If he could find Guo's pattern, he might follow and catch him in the act.

But the problem was: no evidence.

Even if he saw Guo meet with Mo Sect members, it was only "witnessed."

At the Town Guard Office, without solid proof, Guo Wuqiu could easily turn the tables—claiming he was conducting an undercover sting, or simply kill the witness and erase all traces.

He needed a safer plan.

As he walked, thinking, he unconsciously entered a quiet alley.

At the alley's end stood a small gate, with a faded wooden plaque bearing two characters: Chen Residence.

It was his rented courtyard.

He pushed open the gate—the yard was small, only three rooms, but clean and tidy.

Chen Mu sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, watching the darkening sky, continuing to think.

After a moment, he suddenly stood, a flash of cunning in his eyes.

Got it.

Rather than wait for Guo Wuqiu to leave the city, he should create an opportunity himself.

The Xiao-Yuan wedding is next month's fifteenth.

Since Guo Wuqiu received an invitation, he will surely attend the Xiao family banquet.

The Xiao family is a major Yangzhou clan—the wedding will be packed with guests, the perfect moment to stir up chaos.

If he could expose Guo Wuqiu's true face publicly at the banquet…

Chen Mu's lips curled slightly.

But how to expose him? That required careful planning.

First, he needed evidence.

Niu Dashan's memories were his alone—they couldn't serve as courtroom proof.

He needed tangible proof of Guo Wuqiu's collusion with the Long Life Sect—

Letters, ledgers, tokens.

Second, he needed witnesses.

Ideally, someone from the Mo Sect who could publicly identify Guo Wuqiu.

Finally, he needed the right timing.

At the Xiao family's wedding banquet, every prominent figure in Yangzhou City will be present.

Xiao Wentian himself might even return.

Exposing Guo Wuqiu in front of the entire city's elite, even if he had immense power, he could never recover.

Chen Mu paced back and forth in the courtyard, rapidly simulating every possible scenario in his mind.

After a moment, he stopped walking, his gaze settling on an old locust tree in the corner of the yard.

First step: find evidence of Guo Wuqiu's collusion with the Mo Sect.

How to find it?

Chen Mu recalled the locations of the two meetings from Niu Dashan's memories.

Outside Yangzhou City, thirty li to the east, there was an estate called "Qingfeng Manor."

It was Guo Wuqiu's private property; on the surface, a leisure villa, but in truth, a rendezvous point for him and the Mo Sect.

If there was anything hidden there…

Chen Mu immediately decided to investigate tonight.

Night deepened; the moon was dark, the wind high.

Chen Mu changed into a black night suit, altered his appearance and figure, and silently leapt over the small courtyard wall, speeding toward the city's edge.

…

Thirty li east: Qingfeng Manor.

The place lay amid rolling hills, surrounded by dense woods, a small stream flowing past its front gate, the environment serene.

The manor covered a large area, with blue bricks and black tiles, clearly an expensive construction.

Chen Mu did not approach from the front, but circled to the rear, quietly extending his spiritual sense.

There were more than twenty people inside the manor.

Most were guards, Foundation Establishment cultivators, scattered across the estate on patrol.

In the back courtyard, several aura signatures were slightly stronger—Innate Realm—likely Guo Wuqiu's trusted subordinates.

In the innermost main house, there was an aura of Earth Altar Realm, Heaven Soul Altar.

It was Guo Wuqiu himself.

Chen Mu frowned slightly.

Guo Wuqiu being inside the manor tonight was troublesome. But since he'd come, he couldn't return empty-handed.

He suppressed his aura and slipped into the manor like a ghost.

Every guard passed within three zhang of him without sensing any anomaly.

Chen Mu reached the back courtyard and found a room that looked like a storage shed.

The door was locked, but to him, it was meaningless.

A thread of true qi slipped into the lock, gently turned—and the lock opened.

He darted inside; the room was piled high with chests and crates.

Chen Mu opened them one by one, checking—mostly gold, silver, and valuables, of little use.

Until he opened a small, unremarkable box in the corner, inside which lay several letters.

He picked up one, pulled out the letter paper, and examined it under the faint light seeping through the window.

The letter contained only a few lines, but the content made Chen Mu's eyes narrow.

"To Lord Guo: Next month's fifteenth, a shipment of 'merchandise' will arrive from Jiangnan Circuit. Please arrange transit arrangements. Upon completion, a substantial reward is assured. — Blood Shadow."

Blood Shadow—that was Niu Dashan!

Chen Mu's lips curled; he collected all the letters, restored the box to its original state, and silently withdrew from the storage room.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard the sound of a door opening from the main house…