Chapter 149: Master Guo Is Truly Dead!
Afterwards, the master in the temple was grateful and gifted a pair of sister nuns to this street runner.
The street runner quickly prepared a fast horse and sent them back to Wuqing County over a thousand li.
And these two sister nuns were not only as beautiful as falling fish and flying geese, but each also had her own unique skills.
The elder sister had a special physique, actually a type of Three Refinements Martial Body, and even a Yin Yuan Chan Body. With the return of one Yin, she was born with a supreme Yin True Qi, cultivated in the Yellow Court.
However, this physique was related to True Intent, causing the elder sister’s Divine Essence to be too powerful, burdening her physical body and leading to a scattered mind, preventing her from living past thirty.
And the younger sister also had something extraordinary about her.
Zhao Guanghui took in these two sisters, and after weighing the pros and cons, gifted the short-lived elder sister to Guo Guanfu to foster closer relations.
As a result, Guo Guanfu accidentally discovered that this woman could actually soak dates!
That is, if three dried dates were inserted into the place given to the elder sister the night before, and after soaking overnight, they were taken out and cleaned the next morning, and fed to an old man, they could extend his life and make him bloom again like an old tree!
This discovery made Guo Guanfu ecstatic, and he immediately sent her back to Tongzhou City, to the residence of Consul Jiang Hui, that very night.
That Consul Jiang Hui was already in his twilight years, an age of eighty or ninety when he was about to breathe his last. He was lustful and afraid of death.
Wasn’t this just like prescribing the right medicine for the right illness, catering to his preferences?!
Guo Guanfu omitted the details and only spoke of the important parts.
After hearing this, everyone finally understood and praised Master Guo for his discerning eye! If Zhao Guanghui had known, he would have regretted it to death!
The sounds of silk and bamboo music were languid and decadent.
And just as everyone was drinking heartily, sharp shouts suddenly came from outside the hall—
“Assassin!”
“Quick, save Madam!”
“The villains have gone to the back residence!”
In an instant, torches flickered, and shadows danced.
Numerous guards, brandishing weapons, rushed towards the back residence, shouting.
In the dim moonlight and flickering firelight, a black figure could be vaguely seen leaping like a ghost among the eaves and corners, nimbly dodging arrows.
Faint, terrified screams from the women could also be heard from afar.
In the hall, Guo Guanfu suddenly sat up straight, most of his drunkenness gone, a flicker of unease crossing his mind.
The other merchants and gang leaders, though startled, were not panicked.
Today, Guo Mansion was full of experts; in this hall alone, there were no less than three True Intent Masters gathered.
Petty thieves were not worth mentioning.
“Gather all forces to apprehend the thief, and be sure to protect Madam!”
“Bao Wenbin, you go and support as well. Zhuang Jun and Kong Ling, stay here and do not leave the hall, guard me!”
Guo Guanfu immediately gave orders, deliberately keeping the two strongest True Intent Masters by his side, fearing a diversionary tactic.
Everyone huddled in the brightly lit hall, hearing the whistling wind and fierce fighting sounds coming from the back residence.
The clashing of weapons was incessant.
A moment later, Bao Wenbin, in tattered clothes and seriously wounded, burst into the hall.
He stumbled, and while running, weakly muttered something,
“The villain’s strength is too great, Master Guo, Master Guo, I alone fear I cannot hold him…”
Seeing his trusted subordinate so severely injured, Guo Guanfu was greatly alarmed and instinctively took a few steps forward, anxiously asking,
“What is the villain’s strength, how did you…”
Suddenly, Guo Guanfu’s pupils shrank to the size of needle points as he discovered a strange anomaly.
The Bao Wenbin before him, in terms of appearance, aura, and demeanor, was indistinguishable from the real Bao Wenbin.
But from beneath his tattered clothes, his exposed skin was covered in wounds.
Where was that otter skin Treasure Robe?
That was a life-saving item I specifically gifted to Bao Wenbin. Given his personality, he would never take it off, especially on such a special occasion.
The Bao Wenbin before him was a fake!!
In a flash, Guo Guanfu reacted immediately.
And just as this thought crossed his mind—
‘Zing~’
A sword light pierced the dim, yellow light of the hall, leaving a bright gleam in Guo Guanfu’s eyes.
The light split, as if dividing into thousands of sharp threads, enveloping Guo Guanfu from the front, the chilling sword energy pricking his skin!
“Not good!”
“Protect Master Guo!”
Several shouts rang out simultaneously!
Zhuang Jun and Kong Ling reacted extremely quickly, their Qi and Blood erupting like a surging tide towards the sword light.
The other guards and trusted subordinates immediately rushed forward.
Guo Guanfu was pulled back by someone. He dazedly touched his somewhat cool forehead, his fingertips touching a thin, wet trace.
A thin scar appeared vaguely on his face.
From top to bottom, extending from his forehead to his jaw.
Almost, just almost.
That sword light could have split him in two.
Seeing that the assassination attempt had failed, ‘Bao Wenbin’ decisively turned, sword in hand, and charged out of the hall, disappearing from sight.
“Kill him, kill him for me!”
“Audacious villain, audacious villain, who is it, who exactly is it?”
Guo Guanfu’s hand still touched the bloodstain on his cheek, his face contorted and ferocious with extreme fear and lingering terror, his voice hoarse and shrill.
The others saw his appearance and were startled.
So fierce?
I should not have attended the banquet today.
Thus, they all covered their faces and fled.
However, just as Zhuang Jun and Kong Ling, the two True Intent Masters, hesitated whether to pursue the killer…
Heaven and Earth suddenly darkened!
All the candles and lamps in the hall were extinguished at the same instant without warning!
They were not blown out by the wind, but it was as if all ‘light’ had been instantly swallowed by some invisible force.
Without a trace of brilliance, everyone seemed to be in the depths of the Nine Nether Springs!
Immediately after, from outside the hall, various shrill and panicked shouts surged like waves:
“Master Guo is dead!”
“Wuwuwu, Master Guo was killed by the villains!”
“Quick, let’s divide the property and scatter, that treasure is mine, don’t you grab it!”
Many maidservants and servants were stunned upon hearing these words, some in disbelief.
But some sharp-eyed individuals saw figures coming out of Master’s study, carrying famous paintings, sandalwood boxes, and other valuables.
At once, many could no longer restrain themselves, and even some guards, wrapping their heads in cloth, stormed into the study!
The entire Guo Mansion was in complete chaos.
“Presumptuous, presumptuous, I’m not dead yet!”
“Don’t panic, obey my orders!”
In the darkness, Guo Guanfu listened to the sounds of arson, killing, and smashing outside, so enraged that he spat blood, roaring furiously.
Then, a familiar and urgent voice pierced through the chaos,
“Master Guo, hurry and come with me, the rioters of the Guo Lu Society are here!”
It was another True Intent Master, Zhuang Jun.
He supported Guo Guanfu and took a path towards the Secret Passage behind the hall screen.
Seeing this, Guo Guanfu felt a little relieved.
With two True Intent Masters protecting me, who can kill me—
The next moment, his back suddenly ached.
Then, a terrifying force like a mountain surge and an overwhelming tide poured into his body!
That power was incomparably violent, instantly tearing apart his internal organs, shattering his heart meridian, and collapsing his Dantian!
The momentum continued, almost blowing his entire body apart.
He felt all his strength drain away like a receding tide, and he turned his head in disbelief.
It was pitch black before his eyes; he couldn’t even see the killer’s face.
Guo Guanfu died.
Several breaths later, the sky gradually brightened, and the candlelight reignited.
Zhuang Jun, Kong Ling, a group of guards who rushed over, and Water Carrier rushed to the hall, looking at the bloody, mangled corpse lying on the ground, like a pool of mud.
From its clothing, aura, and the remaining half of its facial features, it could be identified that the owner of this corpse was Guo Guanfu.
And on the wall beside it, there was a line of large characters written with blood and ink—
The killer is the Guo Lu Society, Red Fifth Master, and Bai Manlou.
Thus, the previously noisy Guo Mansion instantly fell into dead silence.
“Master Guo is really dead!”
Zhuang Jun and Kong Ling exchanged glances, their eyes filled with pain.
Guo Mansion is finished.
They… should also divide the property and seek new paths.
…
It was noon, the autumn sun hung in the sky, but there was not much warmth.
Chen Shun’an, carrying a fish cage and a fishing rod, ambled towards the bank of the Black Fork River.
“Senior Chen, going fishing at the Black Fork River again?”
“Master Chen, yesterday during pearl gathering, I found a yellowish pearl and have come to offer it to you. Please look after my wayward son, who keeps diving into deep water.”
“Sir, shall I row for you today? My rowing is swift as a flying oar, I am known for my speed!”
As soon as they reached the Black Fork River, many Tanka fishermen, mostly bare-chested except for their shorts, swarmed up, their faces showing awe and fawning as they greeted him.
The Sancha River is where three rivers converge, eventually flowing into the mighty Canal.
And these three rivers are called the Black Fork River, the Green Fork River, and the Great Fork River, respectively.
The topography of the three fork rivers differs, and their territories vary. In the Black Fork River, there is a water area where, due to the cold and piercing water quality, a special type of pearl, the Eastern Pearl（ and Blue Pearl）, is produced.
According to their luster and age, Eastern Pearls come in white, yellowish, green, indigo, and black.
Not only are they greatly beneficial for the cultivation of Martial Artists, but the precious black Eastern Pearls are also ornaments on the winter coronets of empresses and empress dowagers, imperial treasures!
If one could collect even one, it would truly lead to immense wealth, allowing them to move into the county and become a rich man.
Even a yellowish pearl is already worth a fortune.
Chen Shun’an received the bribe with a calm expression and then kicked away the person who had boasted about his boat’s speed.
The faster the boat, the faster it sinks!
Such bad luck!
Reaching the riverside, Chen Shun’an saw fishing boats and sampans lined up, about fifty or sixty in number, some tied to the shore, others floating in the water.
On the boats, some Tanka fishermen were casting nets, some were sleeping with their heads propped on the boat’s edge, and some, with a light rope tied around their waists, were preparing to dive into the water to gather pearls.
Some Tanka fishermen, seeing Chen Shun’an’s figure, their gazes were indifferent, even showing undisguised indifference and resistance.
Clearly, they did not have much respect for this ‘Senior Chen’ who had come to protect them.
These Tanka fishermen were hardened individuals who had risked their lives against storms and fought water beasts for years, and they were already accustomed to being exploited layer by layer by the Fish Huo.
In the past, the Fish Huo would weigh and appraise the pearls, having already squeezed all the profits from them.
Now, the Wuqing Stick Bureau had arrived, and in their eyes, protection was superficial, while exploitation was real.
It was merely one gang driving away another, the people changed, but the protection fees did not.
These people ignored Chen Shun’an as if he were invisible.
Chen Shun’an naturally had no intention of proving himself to be of the Pure Stream or a good person.
He was happy for these tough characters to overlook him, making it easier to fish.
As long as there were no mistakes, no trouble caused for him, and he could complete his Errand smoothly, that was enough.
