Chapter 75: Kill My Way Across the Steppe Until No One Dares Call Himself Khan!

On a sunny afternoon, Gu Qing bade farewell to Xiaolongnu and Cheng Ying, mounted a white horse, and set out directly for Karakorum, the capital of the Great Mongol State.

About a month later, the Tartar forces across the land suddenly fell into chaos.

Yang Guo saw the Tartar army’s morale crumbling and led his troops to capture several cities in succession, until Yelu Qi captured a descendant of Chiluowen; under interrogation, Yang Guo and the others learned that Gu Qing had stormed Karakorum, thrown the city into utter turmoil, and left the Mongols terrified and disoriented.

“Can one man cause chaos in an entire city?”

Since raising his army, Yang Guo had kept close tabs on the state of the world; Karakorum had been under construction since Ögedei’s time, over a decade ago. As the greatest power of the age, the Mongols commanded tribute from all nations, drawing every talent under heaven to their capital—how could Gu Qing, alone and unaided, possibly turn Karakorum upside down?

That man arrived in Karakorum and immediately began shooting arrows and killing people. The city was filled with experts; over a dozen sprang forward at once to stop Gu Qing, but he killed them all one by one, then whipped the neck of a High Lama of the Secret Sect and dragged him down Karakorum’s main street, stripping the Lama of all dignity before death.

The descendant of Chiluowen spoke; Yelu Qi translated his words.

Huang Yaoshi, Ouyang Feng, and others nodded. Gu Qing was a man of ferocious nature—he had once drawn his bow and slain over a thousand Tartars, reclaimed Dengzhou, and set an example for the martial artists of the Great Song, paving the way for the later recapture of Nanyang. For the past year, Gu Qing had lain low, yet the Jianghu had not forgotten him—but no one expected that after his silence, he would go and raze Karakorum.

There must be experts surrounding him in Karakorum, along with the Mongol army.

Yang Guo said.

After hearing the translation, the descendant of Chiluowen added: “Indeed, many have surrounded him in Mongolia, but Karakorum is a city of nations paying tribute, its situation complex. Gu Qing draws his bow and shoots—not killing guards, but ministers—and he moves like a shadow… He kills over a hundred people daily, leaving Karakorum in terror; even children dare not cry at night.”

Karakorum has many experts too; under the Empress’s orders, the city is on high alert—but these experts, one-on-one, cannot match Gu Qing. Whenever they scatter, he eliminates several; whenever they regroup, he turns and kills others elsewhere. By day it’s bad enough, but at night he sets fires everywhere. Our winds are fierce; even a single spark can ignite a catastrophe.

“When night brings chaos, he takes advantage to assassinate ministers—no matter their virtue or rank, he kills whoever he encounters.”

“Sometimes Gu Qing reveals his position, and we send men to chase him—but in the time it takes him to speak a single word, he can vanish miles away; even Mongolia’s finest horses cannot catch him…”

The descendant of Chiluowen spoke of these things, his face shadowed with dread.

Huang Yaoshi smiled, sat back in his chair, and said: “It seems Gu Qing’s year of seclusion has further enhanced his strength—this pace rivals even you and me.”

Huang Yaoshi spoke these words to Ouyang Feng.

An expert of the Five Greats, going to a place solely to wreak havoc, would paralyze the enemy if they lacked comparable experts to counter him.

“Hmph…”

Ouyang Feng said upon hearing this: “If I had gone to Karakorum, I would have caused even greater chaos than Gu Qing.”

Huang Yaoshi nodded; he acknowledged Ouyang Feng’s poison.

“Only after Empress Naiman learned Gu Qing was a Song man, come to avenge the burning of the Chongyang Palace, did she draft an edict: Mongolia would withdraw its troops and return Kaifeng and Luoyang—but only if Gu Qing came to negotiate.”

The descendant of Chiluowen spoke of this: “On that day, thousands of archers stood outside the palace hall; inside, over a hundred Secret Sect experts waited. Before Empress Naiman lay the treaty, beside it a bowl of wine—brewed from every exotic poison Mongolia could gather—to lure Gu Qing in and kill him.”

The trap was too obvious.

Yang Guo shook his head and laughed: “Gu Qing is far smarter than you. A straight hook won’t catch anyone.”

“We knew that.”

The descendant of Chiluowen said: “We planned—if Gu Qing didn’t come, we’d declare victory, rally the people, and launch our invasion of the Song, hunting Gu Qing down. But that day, Gu Qing actually came. He walked toward the palace, and we stood tense, eyes fixed on him, wondering if he had three heads and six arms, waiting for him to enter the hall before striking.”

Gu Qing truly walked into the hall, glanced left and right, and said, “My qinggong is peerless in this world—your closed doors cannot trap me!” No sooner had he spoken than the Secret Sect experts slammed shut all doors and locked them from both sides, determined not even a fly could escape.

Huang Yaoshi and Ouyang Feng’s expressions changed instantly—even they, with their own abilities, if caught in enemy encirclement with doors locked and facing over a hundred experts, would likely be unable to escape.

The greatest strength of a martial artist is mobility.

“I was there that day. Watching Gu Qing walk into the encirclement, calm and unshaken, I admired him deeply. Listening to him negotiate the troop withdrawal—with Kaifeng, Luoyang, and even the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun—I saw Empress Naiman treat him as a dead man and agree to all his demands. When Gu Qing signed the treaty, I brought him the poisoned wine…”

The descendant of Chiluowen spoke, his face filled with strange emotion: “At that moment, I truly admired his courage. Though our sides were opposed, I saw him as a true hero. As I handed him the wine, I whispered a warning… I simply could not bear to see such a courageous man die by poison.”

“But Gu Qing, upon hearing my words, smiled at me and said, ‘You have a good conscience,’ then lifted the poisoned wine and drank it all down.”

“Ah…”

Yang Guo stood up abruptly. He walked into the trap himself and drank the poison—wasn’t this making his aunt a widow?

The descendant of Chiluowen paused, seeing Yang Guo’s lack of further reaction, then continued: “The moment Gu Qing drank the poison, the Secret Sect monks simultaneously attacked him. He had plagued Karakorum for so long—his head was worth a fief, worth cattle and sheep; they had long been desperate to kill him!”

“But suddenly, Gu Qing’s face turned crimson, white vapor steamed from his entire body. The monks who moved to strike inhaled the vapor and collapsed, dizzy and blacked-out. Gu Qing moved like lightning—he grabbed one monk and hurled him, and the man died instantly, poison seeping into his organs. We realized then: he was immune to all poisons, and had turned the poison into a weapon by vaporizing it.”

Huang Yaoshi and Ouyang Feng both rose to their feet—such mastery of the mysterious arts was beyond them.

“That day, the hall’s doors and windows were sealed; the poison could not escape. Gu Qing’s hands turned crimson—touch meant death. The Secret Sect monks, initially fearless, were poisoned and slain by the half; the survivors tried to flee, but the poison left them dizzy and weak-legged.”

“Even those near Empress Naiman were struck by a wave of white vapor he flung—each one scattered in panic—and Gu Qing seized the Empress in an instant.”

“The Empress begged for mercy, insisting they honor the treaty, but Gu Qing crumpled the treaty into a ball and shoved it into her mouth, saying, ‘Did you truly think I came to sign? I will kill my way across the steppe until no one dares call himself Khan.’”

“Gu Qing’s hands were already poisoned; Empress Naiman swallowed the treaty and kicked her legs, dead.”

The descendant of Chiluowen trembled: “Afterward, he killed more in the hall—no sound remained. I had been pinned under a Secret Sect corpse, unable to move. When Gu Qing finished killing everyone, he seemed to glance at me, then opened the hall doors.”

“In an instant, it felt as if ten thousand arrows flew—but Gu Qing was gone.”

After that, the descendant of Chiluowen, terrified, dared not remain in Karakorum; he fled on horseback that night.

Huang Yaoshi and Ouyang Feng, upon hearing this, fell silent, stunned.

Gu Qing’s actions had surpassed them.

And that phrase: “I will kill my way across the steppe until no one dares call himself Khan!”

What a grand spirit!

(End of Chapter)