Chapter 46: We Must Investigate Who the Qiao Family Is!
Inside the Lord's Residence.
After Qiao Mu accidentally broke the well edge and fell.
The many guards and servants present let out a sigh of relief.
Nobody wants to fight with a fearless enemy, and now they finally finished.
Only City Lord Guo Yan still had a gloomy expression.
After collecting the body of his son, he frowned and looked at the collapsed well buried in rubble, ordering the servants to continue salvaging.
Turning his head, he instructed Zhou Wen beside him:
"Zhou Wen, you stay here and watch. Once the servants have finished moving the rubble, you must go into the water and salvage Qiao Lin's body."
Zhou Wen frowned a little, seeming unwilling.
"I'll go retrieve the body? ...Okay."
City Lord Guo Yan saw Zhou Wen's reaction and sighed softly in his heart.
There were loyal subordinates who dared to give their lives for him.
For example, another martial artist in the mansion, Ah Fu, who ranked 7th.
But since Qiao Lin appeared in the mansion of the city lord, it meant that Ah Fu had already failed. It had been so long and he still hadn't returned, so the outcome didn't look good.
The other loyal subordinates, in this battle, were usually at the front lines and also killed by Qiao Mu.
And Zhou Wen had already become a reliable and powerful subordinate by his side.
Guo Yan himself was still injured and needed to rely on Zhou Wen's strength, so for now, he couldn't be too harsh on him.
As for why Zhou Wen, a low-ranked martial artist, was made to do such a dirty job of retrieving a body from a well... It's mainly because Guo Yan had a hard time explaining.
He was cautious and careful, secretly a member of the Wuji Association. If his identity were exposed, he would be immediately arrested and imprisoned. So, he built three secret rooms and two secret passages in the Lord's mansion... Unfortunately, one of the secret passages led to an underground river beneath the well.
"Qiao Lin's injuries were so severe that he should have died. But it would be best if we could retrieve his body..."
With these thoughts in mind, City Lord Guo Yan quickly returned to his house and entered his study.
By turning the statue of a white crane on the bookshelf, the floor split apart with a rumbling sound, revealing a hidden secret room. He swiftly entered and examined the room.
..............
After a while.
"I've been to all three secret rooms in my house, except for the one in the study. Something is missing."
"《Martial Saint Spiritual Technique》."
"The secret room had a book stolen, and Qiao Lin found the hidden passage in the well. Could there be a spy in my mansion?"
City Lord Guo Yan furrowed his brow and thought for a moment, then casually let it go.
He didn't expect that what was lost would actually be this secret book.
Or rather, luckily it was the "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique" that got lost, and not something else.
The Martial Saint Spiritual Technique is not ordinary.
"Qiao Lin has a good eye. He secretly infiltrated my secret room and stole a miraculous technique founded by the Martial Saint himself."
"The Martial Saint is an extraordinary genius rarely seen in the world, the leading figure in martial arts today. This technique he created can only be described as unbelievable..."
Thinking of the Martial Saint, City Lord Guo Yan also felt a sense of awe in his heart.
Only martial artists with exceptional character can cultivate this Martial Saint Spiritual Technique. It is a secret technique used internally by the Wuji Association to select talented individuals.
This incredible skill can be described as unimaginable, but practicing this skill is actually not a good thing.
For example, Guo Yan himself didn't practice this kind of incredible skill.
As the City Lord of Yan, he has enjoyed a comfortable life for many years and is no longer involved in frontline battles. He has long lost the temperament of his youth.
But of course, that is secondary.
The biggest reason is that he dared not practice.
"This 'Martial Saint Spiritual Technique' is indeed miraculous. It allows even low-level martial artists with extraordinary temperament to practice. It cultivates their subconscious intuition. However, it is extremely difficult to master."
"Of course, even if you manage to master it, it may not necessarily be a good thing. It could even be considered a path of death."
Martial Saint Spiritual Technique.
Martial Saint is derived from the founder of this skill, "Martial Saint," while the term "Spiritual" is inspired by the phrase "hearts connected by an invisible bond of the spirit."
The so-called "hearts connected" doesn't only refer to the cultivation of a mysterious intuition.
What's even more unbelievable is that a martial artist who has mastered the "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique" will have a vague sense of connection with each other, and can sense each other's general position within a certain distance.
It should be noted that as the founder of the "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique," Martial Saint himself has naturally practiced this secret technique as well.
In other words... When both parties are within a certain distance, Martial Saint can sense the position of the martial artist who has practiced this technique!
"Those martial artists who are able to master the 'Martial Saint Spiritual Technique' will eventually become Martial Saint's nourishment."
Just the thought of Martial Saint's unfathomable methods sends a chill through Guo Yan's heart.
"Although Qiao Lin stole the 'Martial Saint Spiritual Technique,' he himself was severely injured and won't survive. Even if the person behind him gets hold of the technique from his corpse, it would only lead to their own demise."
Of course, Martial Saint is not in Yan City, and it wouldn't provoke him to personally take action.
But as a member of the Wuji Association, City Lord Guo Yan happened to know that there was an extraordinary person who practiced the "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique" in the vicinity of Heyang City, near Yan City.
This person was originally a student of Martial Saint, but then betrayed Martial Saint.
Because of this person's actions, they should have been pursued and killed by Wuji Association, but instead they turned around and joined Immortal Gate, becoming a lackey under Immortal Gate's command. They have managed to survive until now...
"No matter who stole the "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique," they are all shallow-minded and ignorant thieves. The only thing worth noting is the Qiao family behind Qiao Lin..."
When mentioning the Qiao family, the first thing Guo Yan thinks of is the Heyang City's Qiao Family, which has already been wiped out.
However, since Martial Saint personally took action, it is impossible for any remnants of the Qiao family to still exist in this world.
Since Butcher Zheng, the informant of Wuji Association, exposed Qiao Mu's use of the Long Life Fist technique, he has been avoiding using it in front of the people in the City Lord's Mansion.
Ever since joining Yan City Army, Qiao Mu has been using "Military Spear Skill" and "Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method" to fight, without revealing their specific origins.
Therefore, in Guo Yan's eyes, the Qiao family behind Qiao Mu and Qiao Lin is still a mystery.
Guo Yan pondered as he walked out of the secret room and returned to the courtyard.
At this moment, the servants had already cleared the collapsed well, and Zhou Wen had returned from below, wearing dry clothes. He shook his head silently at him.
Obviously, Zhou Wen didn't find Qiao Lin's body in the well.
"Since no body was found, we need to consider the possibility that the 'Martial Saint Spiritual Technique' has been stolen by someone else... Could it be the Qiao family behind Qiao Lin?" Guo Yan pondered.
"With their motto of 'dying where they belong,' cultivating fierce martial artists like Qiao Mu and Qiao Lin... I've never even heard of this Qiao family before, they must be extraordinary!"
The thought of the Qiao brothers from the Qiao family causing chaos in his mansion, even causing the death of his own child, filled his heart with turmoil.
This revenge must be avenged, he couldn't find peace!
Guo Yan himself was a sixth-ranked martial artist, but he was far more than just a sixth-ranked martial artist.
But at his level, personal strength was no longer the most important thing.
In this world, success depended on one's influence and network, and on strategic calculations!
Coincidentally, he had been doing business in Yan City for many years and had some connections with those powerful forces.
Only knowing how to fight recklessly, he died long ago.
Qiao Mu, who had just reached the 9th rank, didn't even have the qualifications to personally plan, and was killed by Military Officer Chu with the help of bandits.
Qiao Lin, an 8th rank martial artist, stubbornly barged into the city lord's mansion. In the end, he was surrounded and killed by a group of servants without Guo Yan needing to do it himself.
So, in order to seek revenge on the Qiao family, Guo Yan naturally wouldn't be as reckless as Qiao Mu and Qiao Lin, investigating and fighting on his own.
"I could try the approach from Immortal Gate, to investigate the connections of the Qiao family..." After being injured, Guo Yan realized it would be difficult to continue staying in Yan City during this troubled autumn, so he had the idea of contacting Immortal Gate.
However, this plan was interrupted because of the incident involving his own son and the Qiao brothers. Now that Qiao Mu and Qiao Lin were dead and many people were lost in the mansion, Guo Yan thought about contacting Immortal Gate again.
It was not just Immortal Gate.
Guo Yan was cautious and prudent, and he also had a membership with the Wuji Association secretly!
"Even at great cost, using Wuji Association's connections... I must thoroughly investigate this strange Qiao family!" Guo Yan's gaze gradually became cold.
"Dare to kill my child... no matter what tricks you Qiao family have, you will be buried with them!"
Immortal Gate and Wuji Association are both top forces in the entire Nine Provinces.
Although Guo Yan is not considered a significant figure in these top forces in the Nine Provinces.
However, if he is willing to pay a great price, to offer the benefits that would entice some of the strong individuals in these forces, it is not impossible to stir up their power.
At that time, an unheard-of Qiao family will be stripped to their underwear, and then uprooted!
"The so-called Qiao Mu and Qiao Lin, challenging them one-on-one is really petty. At that time, I will uproot the entire Qiao family!"
"Their so-called family motto led to their own demise? Then let them die thoroughly." Guo Yan's gaze flickered, already plotting.
As the lord of a small city in Nanzhou, he has always struggled between various forces, trying every means to protect himself.
Especially during this eventful autumn when there were suspicions that the Great Yan Emperor might travel around the Yan City area... he felt even more exhausted.
Now, after suffering such a big loss under the Qiao brothers, it allowed him to successfully waver between choices and finally made up his mind...
"To gain benefits, please request the Immortal Gate of Nanzhou and the Xuantian Sect to send cultivators to settle in Yan City."
The Great Yan Imperial Court referred to cultivators as "inhuman," but in the eyes of the people, they were "immortals," "immortal beings," or "immortal masters."
Once this decision is made, it cannot be undone.
But now, Guo Yan is injured, there are casualties amongst the subordinates in the City Lord's Mansion, and his own child has tragically died. At this moment, he no longer cares about so much.
