noveltune Chapter 76 Who sent you to kill me?
Chapter 76 Who sent you to kill me?
Chapter 76 Who sent you to kill me?
Mo Zheng looked at Liu Qing, never expecting that his teacher, Liu Qing, a figure who was famous throughout Liangzhou, would actually try to find a match for him.
The key issue is that he hasn't even considered getting married yet.
Moreover, now is not the time to consider these things. First, I need to focus on cultivation, and second, once I have achieved success in my cultivation, I will need to go out and find my elder brother and younger brother.
"Teacher, I am still young and have not yet—"
"You don't need to rush to refuse."
Liu Qing interrupted Mo Zheng, saying, "It's just to let you meet her. Besides, my granddaughter might not even be interested in you. It has to be mutual."
If things have come to this point, refusing to even meet him would be somewhat disrespectful to his teacher.
Mo Zheng immediately agreed, then descended from Xiaohan Peak and headed straight for Tiandao Gorge.
"This little brat doesn't even look down on my granddaughter—"
In the living room, Liu Qing watched Mo Zheng's disappearing figure, but couldn't help shaking his head and smiling bitterly.
He came from a poor family back then, but he never got married.
He looked down on women from ordinary families, and he was rejected by women from slightly more powerful families. After going through many twists and turns, he finally married and had children at the age of thirty-eight when he achieved the Visceral Realm.
In the blink of an eye, he's over a hundred years old.
If someone had introduced him to a daughter from a family with strong internal organs earlier, he probably wouldn't have waited until he was thirty-eight to get married.
From behind the screen in the living room, a beautiful and voluptuous young woman emerged, with a plum blossom mark between her brows, exuding charm and allure. It was none other than Liu Rou.
"Grandpa, this brat is so ungrateful."
She said angrily, "You personally spoke to him, and not only is he not grateful, but he also wants to refuse? Does he really think the women of our Liu family are so easy to deal with?"
Thanks to Liu Qing's reputation, even without deliberately gathering offerings or cultivating family power, very few people in the entire Liangzhou City dared to provoke the Liu family members.
Even some powerful forces at the Internal Organs Realm would deliberately try to curry favor with the Liu family to avoid angering Liu Qing.
Since birth, all Liu Rou had ever seen and known was flattery and fawning. She had never seen anything like this before, where she introduced her younger sister to the other party and was rejected.
"Just like me back then, obsessed with martial arts?" Liu Qing wasn't angry at all; instead, he smiled and said, "Besides, these things depend on fate. Find an opportunity to talk to Fei'er about it."
"Fei'er definitely doesn't like him," Liu Rou said decisively.
"That's not necessarily true. If he follows the path he chose smoothly, he can reach the Visceral Realm in one fell swoop. Even a Martial Saint might not be out of the question."
"It's not that easy!"
Liu Rou was not entirely in agreement, but she still agreed, saying, "However, I will arrange for Fei'er to meet him, for your sake, Grandpa."
Tiandao Gorge is located ten miles behind the Yanwu Hall.
It was a majestic mountain, but a deep, narrow opening had split it in the middle. From a distance, it looked as if someone had cleaved the mountain in two with a single stroke.
This was still on the outskirts of the Daliang Mountains, where there weren't many demonic beasts. Mo Zheng hadn't seen many along the way.
"Why did the teacher send me to Tiandao Gorge to practice swordsmanship?"
Mo Zheng had doubts in his heart, but there must be a deeper meaning behind them. He gazed at the mountain and used his movement technique to climb it.
However, once you start climbing, you immediately feel gusts of wind, the wind howling as if it's going to sweep everything away, making it hard to even find a foothold.
"Wow, the wind is so strong!"
Mo Zheng was startled, but then he laughed. In this kind of environment, it was appropriate to practice the Gale Sword from the Twelve Swords of Wind!
But he did not linger and continued toward the summit.
After climbing for about a hundred meters, the howling wind suddenly subsided, and only gentle breezes caressed one's face, which was quite pleasant.
A hundred meters further ahead, the breeze suddenly changed, turning into swirling whirlwinds that sent dust billowing into the sky.
Basically, every hundred meters or so, the wind on the mountain leading to Tiandao Gorge changes. By the time Mo Zheng climbed to the highest point of Tiandao Gorge, the wind was already as sharp as a knife, mixed with gusts of bone-chilling cold air, as if they were really invisible blades.
Even though Mo Zheng had already cultivated to the Stone Skin level, with tough skin and flesh, he still felt a series of cutting and stinging pains.
Despite the stinging pain, Mo Zheng's face showed joy, and he exclaimed, "Heavenly Blade Gorge, what a magnificent Heavenly Blade Gorge!"
Whether it was the work of nature's artistry or a single stroke by the Martial Saint, he could not know.
However, such a strange and unpredictable wind was just right for him to comprehend the Twelve Wind-Riding Swords and the Wind Shadow Sword Technique.
-
Especially at the top of Tiandao Gorge, the wind is sharp as a knife, and it seems to contain an unparalleled knife intent. Unfortunately, with Mo Zheng's current cultivation level, he is still unable to comprehend it.
The realm of martial arts intent is something that only masters at the Visceral Realm can grasp. Mo Zheng has not yet achieved the Unity Realm and is still far from it.
However, as the saying goes, "A nine-story tower begins with a pile of earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." As long as he persists in his cultivation, with Mo Zheng's talent, the challenge of mastering the martial arts realm may not be too difficult for him.
If the wind at the top of Tiandao Gorge is this sharp, what about the very center of the gorge?
Mo Zheng stared at the deep, mysterious crack below, but had no intention of exploring it.
Instead, he turned around and headed straight down the mountain, arriving at the place where the wind had first howled. He found a spot, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and quietly meditated.
Seven days passed in this peaceful practice.
On this day, Mo Zheng finished his training in Tiandao Gorge, left the martial arts hall, mounted his black-scaled horse, and headed straight home.
With his sister-in-law and Mo Qiu both in Liangzhou City, Mo Zheng naturally couldn't ignore them.
Now, he goes home every few days to check on Wang Yumei and his nephew.
-
It's not that it will delay your cultivation. Martial arts cultivation is about balance. Being constantly on edge is not necessarily beneficial to cultivation.
Upon entering the city, where there were many pedestrians, Mo Zheng dismounted and led his horse forward.
His steps suddenly stopped in front of a small stall.
It was a small stall where an old man was making wood carvings. He had a small knife in his hand and was carving various wood carvings with great skill. The wood carvings of cats, dogs and other animals on the stall were extremely lifelike and vivid.
"Sir, how much is this wood carving?"
Mo Zheng picked up a small tiger and asked with great interest.
Such a delicate and adorable little gadget would be perfect to take back and amuse his dear nephew.
"This one costs ten coins."
The old man didn't even look up, speaking nonchalantly while his knife continued to whirl and carve rapidly into a piece of wood.
Mo Zheng took out a few copper coins, placed them on the ground, and prepared to leave with the wooden carving.
Just then, a sugar figurine vendor approached and said with a smile, "Young master, would you like to buy a string of sugar figurines? My sugar figurines are very sweet."
Mo Zheng thought of his nephew, smiled and nodded, saying, "Get me one."
After saying that, he reached into his pocket again, intending to take out some money.
However, just as his hand reached into his robes, a cold light suddenly flashed!
A gleaming dagger was suddenly drawn from the vendor's waist, swift and agile like a venomous snake's tongue, and viciously stabbed towards Mo Zheng's neck.
This scene was too sudden; before anyone around could notice anything amiss, Mo Zheng was already shrouded in death.
It must be said that this assassin's methods were truly masterful. He chose the perfect moment when Mo Zheng was about to take out his money, leaving him no time to draw his sword.
If it were an ordinary martial artist, they would likely meet a fate other than death.
But he was facing Mo Zheng.
The dagger suddenly stopped an inch from Mo Zheng's throat.
Because the vendor's arm holding the dagger was firmly gripped by another arm.
Mo Zheng's left hand.
How—is that possible?
The vendor's pupils suddenly contracted, and he mustered all his strength, trying to stab the man so close to the throat.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, it was like a stone ox sinking into the sea; he couldn't budge that arm an inch.
"Who sent you to kill me?" Mo Zheng said coldly.
call out!
Another flash of cold light appeared, and the vendor's fierce gaze answered him, along with a dagger drawn again from between the candy figurines, brimming with murderous intent and moving with incredible speed, aimed at Mo Zheng's brow.
Seeing how vicious the vendor was, Mo Zheng couldn't help but snort coldly. With a forceful slash of his left hand, the vendor's right-hand dagger uncontrollably sliced across his neck. The attacking left hand immediately froze in mid-air, and the vendor's entire body stiffened, falling backward uncontrollably.
Blood gushed from the assassin's neck, quickly staining the ground red.
Only then did the people around notice what was happening, and they were immediately terrified and scattered in screams.
Only Mo Zheng stood there, staring thoughtfully at the vendor's corpse.
He didn't know this person well, so why would he want to kill him?
Mo Zheng squatted down and carefully searched the vendor's body. The vendor didn't carry much; besides a money bag containing about ten taels of silver, he only had a token.
The token clearly reads "Blackwater".
"Blackwater—?" Mo Zheng frowned even more deeply, filled with doubt.
He had never heard of this name before, and the vendor carrying the Blackwater Token was also a Stone Skin Realm martial artist, ruthless in his attacks, and definitely not a weakling.
"Make way! Make way!" "Where has this murder taken?" "Everyone, scatter immediately!" ————
Amidst a series of stern rebukes, a squad of constables quickly rushed to Mo Zheng's side.
The leader was a burly man with a full beard.
He gazed at Mo Zheng, with his fair skin, red lips, and delicate features, then at the vendor lying motionless on the ground clutching his throat. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did you kill him?"
His tone clearly indicated disbelief.
"I am a disciple of the Martial Arts Hall."
Mo Zheng said calmly, "As for him, he attempted to assassinate me in the street, and everyone present could witness it."
At such a young age, is he a disciple of the Martial Arts Hall?
The burly man with the thick beard was startled. The young man in front of him looked about the same age as his son. How could he be a disciple of the Martial Arts Hall?
It's no wonder he was surprised, since most of the disciples admitted to the Liangzhou Martial Arts Academy are seventeen or eighteen-year-old youths, and someone like Mo Zheng is a very small minority.
"Boss—look at that token!"
Just as the bearded man was surprised, a sharp-eyed constable pointed at the token in Mo Zheng's hand and shouted urgently.
Immediately, the burly man's gaze fell upon the token, his heart skipped a beat, and he exclaimed in surprise, "The Blackwater Token! It's actually the Blackwater Token!"
"The Blackwater Token? Is that what you mean? What's its origin?" Mo Zheng asked.
"You don't know Blackwater Tower? It's one of the three most powerful assassin organizations in our Great Yan. Not many people can escape Blackwater Tower's assassination attempts."
The burly man with a thick beard explained, and seeing Mo Zheng's bewildered look, he kindly reminded him, "The government can't interfere with the affairs of these assassin organizations. But don't worry, Blackwater Tower failed once, and unless the employer raises the price, they won't make a second attempt. You should be safe for the time being."
"Think about who you have offended."
After saying that, he waved his hand, and the constables immediately carried the body away. They also brought several buckets of water to wash the bloodstains off the ground, and then quickly withdrew, looking rather disheveled as they fled, clearly not intending to continue the investigation.
"Blackwater Tower? One of the three major assassin organizations of the Great Yan?"
Mo Zheng rubbed the token in his palm, his heart sinking to the bottom. Who exactly invited these so-called three major assassin organizations to assassinate him?
There are quite a few people with motives.
That young master You Chendong, the inner disciples he dealt with in the Rebirth Secret Realm, the disciples of the Hidden Dragon Society, the Luo family of Jinqing Prefecture, and the Zhang family and those纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) in Shangyin County whom he killed.
These people all had grudges against him, but the deepest grudges were with the Luo family of Jinqing Prefecture, You Chendong, and Zhang Li's uncle.
As for Blackwater Tower, do they really not want to assassinate me again?
For an assassination force known as one of the three major assassin organizations in the Great Yan Dynasty, dealing with a mere flesh-and-blood martial artist like myself would be far too easy.
Thinking of the burly man's advice, Mo Zheng felt no sense of security. After all, it concerned his own life, as well as that of his sister-in-law and nephew.
Fortunately, the area where the families of the Martial Arts Hall members reside is constantly guarded by disciples of the Martial Arts Hall, and there are also teachers stationed there. Unless a master of the Visceral Realm breaks in to assassinate, anyone who dares to trespass will surely die.
Mo Zheng's enemies don't have the face or wealth to hire a master of the Internal Organs Realm to help him.
"Tomorrow I'll ask my teacher and Senior Brother Zhou Xian how to deal with this. If that doesn't work, I'll hide in the martial arts hall for a while," Mo Zheng muttered to himself, having already made up his mind.
The safety of the Martial Arts Hall goes without saying, and the Tiandao Gorge, located in the Daliang Mountains, is also a remote and inaccessible place, making it impossible for assassins to find it.
He would immerse himself in cultivation for a year or two, and he didn't believe that the Blackwater Tower assassins could keep an eye on him for so long.
Having made up his mind, he led his horse back home.
The little boy was overjoyed when the wood carving was handed to Qiu'er, and he didn't want to put it down until he went to sleep.
After a period of cultivation, Mo Zheng said to Wang Yumei when he left home the next morning, "Sister-in-law, I will be in seclusion for cultivation for the next few days and will not be coming back. You and Qiu'er should try not to leave the Martial Arts Hall's family area to avoid getting into trouble."
After saying that, he took out all the silver notes from the sale of gifts that day and stuffed them into Wang Yumei's hand.
"What are you doing—"
Looking at the tens of thousands of taels of silver notes in her hand, Wang Yumei keenly sensed that something was amiss.
However, she looked at Mo Zheng, but ultimately said nothing. She just sighed softly and said, "I know. Take care of yourself."
There's no point in saying more; she can't help with anything anyway.
Seeing Wang Yumei's expression, Mo Zheng couldn't help but smile and reassure her, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, nothing will happen. I'll be back soon."
Having said that, he led the black-scaled horse and headed out of the city on his own.
However, this time, he had only just stepped out of his house when a young woman in green approached him, stopped him, bowed, and said, "Young Master Mo, my young lady invites you in."