Chapter 259: Tian Shan Tianchi Su Xin

'Giddyap!'

'Giddyap!'

Zhu Wushi whipped his horse in impatience, wishing it could cover a thousand li in a single day to carry him swiftly to Mount Tian Shan; behind him, Duan Tianya and Shangguan Haitang closely followed.

'In my youth, while traveling the Jianghu, I met Gu Santong; the two of us deciphered the cryptic messages of the Tianchi Odd Hero and received his legacy...'

Zhu Wushi recounted his past to Duan Tianya and Haitang—his own version of the 'truth': how he and Gu Santong had once obtained the secret manual together, how the three of them had roamed the Jianghu, how Gu Santong had lost control, and so on; he revealed this now to Duan Tianya and Haitang to appeal to their emotions.

He hoped Duan Tianya would soften Gu Qing, and that Shangguan Haitang would soften Guihai Yidao.

'Why would Master suddenly go to Tianchi to disturb Miss Su Xin?'

Duan Tianya asked, puzzled after hearing Zhu Wushi's tale.

'I don't know!'

Zhu Wushi said coldly: 'It is my greatest secret—I have never told it to anyone!'

Upon hearing that Gu Qing had gone to seek Su Xin, Zhu Wushi had felt like thorns pricking his back; he did not know how much Gu Qing knew, but he knew Gu Qing was targeting him!

Even now, whenever a conspiracy against Gu Qing arose, Gu Qing immediately came to Tian Shan to dig up Su Xin—it was clearly retaliation.

The Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis, anxious for Su Xin, rode furiously, almost without sleep or rest; Duan Tianya, who had studied ninjutsu in Japan, possessed sufficient willpower, but Haitang could barely hold on—he grew dazed and lethargic while riding, dozing half-asleep on his horse, only saved from disaster by Duan Tianya holding his reins.

On this day, Zhu Wushi, Duan Tianya, and Haitang arrived at a town on Mount Tian Shan; the Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis, sensing an imminent battle, dared not exhaust his body—he took Duan Tianya and Haitang to rest well in the town, feasted on meat to replenish their strength, and quietly studied the latest intelligence.

'Gu Qing bought two sets of fox fur coats and one long coat.'

Haitang flipped through the intelligence report and reported to the Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis: 'The two fox fur coats were meant for the Liu Sheng sisters; the long coat was for Yidao. While they were buying clothes, something else happened...'

The Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis glared at him.

Haitang, seeing the Marquis showed no joy, hurriedly continued: 'The townsfolk learned Gu Qing was a murderous monster and refused to sell him anything. After Gu Qing picked out the clothes, he said, "If I don't pay, it's not a sale," and simply snatched them away, then beat the shopkeeper. Since then, Gu Qing has run rampant through this town, and no one dares oppose him.'

Such boycotts did exist in the world of the Top One; during Guihai Yidao's descent into darkness, many debts in the Jianghu were pinned on Hu Long Mountain Villa; Cheng Feishi, as Huangzi No. 1, was boycotted even when entering a restaurant.

'Even more reckless than Gu Santong!'

Zhu Wushi said coldly: 'Gu Santong relied on his martial prowess to mock senior martial artists, accumulating enemies until he lost control and committed bloodshed at Taihu Lake. This Gu Qing, so utterly unrestrained, will surely bring even greater calamity!'

Duan Tianya and Haitang accepted the rebuke and silently studied the intelligence.

'Here is an account of Gu Qing acting righteously along the way.'

Duan Tianya found a report and said: 'According to the intelligence, Wu Laoshi's wife was forcibly taken by the county magistrate; as she cried out by the roadside, Gu Qing learned of it. That night, he rescued her, stripped the magistrate naked, and exposed all his crimes to the world.'

This was truly righteous conduct.

Zhu Wushi said coldly: 'People's faces may be known, but their hearts remain hidden. In my youth, when I once had no silver on me, several burly men saw me and paid my bill on the spot. I was deeply grateful and swore to repay them. But when I went to repay them, I discovered they were notorious bandits who had killed countless people in the Jianghu.'

Hearing this, Duan Tianya and Haitang realized the Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis held a deep prejudice against Gu Qing and dared not speak further.

Zhu Wushi, studying the intelligence, suddenly asked: 'What's this about the Tianxia Hui?'

The officer in charge of intelligence immediately reported: 'It was idle chatter between Gu Qing and the Liu Sheng sisters—he mentioned establishing a Tianxia Hui on Mount Tian Shan to vie for dominion over the world, but after saying it, he never mentioned it again.' Zhu Wushi let it go, then studied the reports on various martial artists' injuries and sighed: 'Yidao's recent progress in swordplay is indeed encouraging.'

Upon hearing this, Duan Tianya and Haitang felt closer to the Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis.

'Get some rest.'

The Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis finished reading the intelligence and said: 'Tomorrow, we must go to Tianchi.'

Duan Tianya and Haitang dared not disobey.

Early the next morning, the Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis packed everything and set out for Tianchi with Duan Tianya and Haitang.

The wind on Mount Tian Shan was bitterly cold.

Along the way, the Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis saw many corpses strewn across the mountain; Duan Tianya examined the wounds and said: 'Father, these appear to be wounds from Yidao's sword technique... and this one—this must be from the Liu Sheng sisters' Snowfall Across the World.'

Duan Tianya had never hidden his thoughts before the Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis; the Marquis trusted his judgment implicitly.

From Duan Tianya's words, the Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis seemed to understand the situation: 'Let's hurry up the mountain—before they meet the same fate.'

!

Duan Tianya and Haitang quickly agreed.

Along the path to Tianchi, more corpses lay scattered; the Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis studied the wounds and realized Gu Qing was indeed an exceptional teacher—both Duan Tianya and Guihai Yidao had trained briefly under him, yet their martial skills had advanced rapidly.

Above Tianchi, the wind was bitterly cold.

Zhu Wushi finally saw figures: the Liu Sheng sisters, clad in fox fur coats, were dueling with several martial artists, while Guihai Yidao stood guard tightly by Tianchi, preventing outsiders from entering.

'Where is Gu Qing?'

Zhu Wushi suddenly advanced, his gaze sweeping the scene; his voice boomed like thunder, instantly silencing everyone present.

Most of the Jianghu figures were here—but Gu Qing was nowhere to be seen; Zhu Wushi grew anxious, his eyes constantly fixed on Tianchi.

'He's already inside.'

Liu Sheng Xueji, sword in hand, replied to the Iron-Blooded Divine Marquis: 'The entrance to Tianchi is indeed complex, but it cannot hide from my husband. He told us to guard here for a while—he'll be out soon.'

Hearing this, Zhu Wushi flew into a rage, unleashed the Absorbing Star Technique, his hands glowing violet as he lunged to seize the Liu Sheng sisters.

'Boom!'

Tianchi suddenly exploded—a frozen coffin flew through the air, blocking the path of the Absorbing Star Technique and pulling Zhu Wushi forward with the force of his own absorption.

Inside the coffin lay a woman; Zhu Wushi saw her and immediately wept.

'Su Xin...'

(End of Chapter)