Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 344 Dao Master Chen Zhan
Qingming gripped his longsword tightly, his face pale.

This was his first mission, and he made such a huge mistake, which made him a little flustered.

Gu Yu frowned, glanced at the two cold corpses on the ground, and nodded, saying, "It's alright. I'll take the blame for the mistake in this mission. I'll go explain to my master."

"No! I killed the person; I should be the one to apologize to the Dao Master."

"Whatever the court decides to do, I will bear the consequences."

Qingming said urgently, his tone as firm as iron.

"What responsibility are you going to take? I'm leaving."

Gu Yu didn't say anything more and turned to walk out of the courtyard.

We've been gone since noon, and we still don't know what's going on at the Twenty-Four Towers. Right now, the most important thing is to get out of this troublesome place as soon as possible.

Jingzhe glanced at Qingming, signaling him to follow, and then quickly caught up with Guyu.

The three figures quickly blended into the night and disappeared without a trace in a moment.

Returning to the Twenty-Four Towers, the strange activity inside was immediately apparent, with screams echoing from the depths.

As soon as Gu Yu stood still, Bai Lu reported what had happened inside the building, including how Mo Ganshan was chased by Xingxiu Hai and fled into the building for help.

After hearing the report, Gu Yu nodded.
He turned to Mo Ganshan, who was standing to the side with a pale face, and said, "The Daoist Master has a rule that as long as the rules of the building are not violated, your commission can be accepted."

As soon as he finished speaking, the cold poison in Moganshan's body was removed by Shuangjiang, and the wound in his abdomen gradually stabilized.

He struggled to his feet and bowed deeply to Gu Yu, saying, "Thank you, young lady."

"One month as the time limit."

“It’s impossible for the Twenty-Four Buildings to have people protecting you forever. You will stay on the first floor and find a place to live on your own. You are not allowed to leave the building for even a moment during this time.”

Gu Yu's tone was calm. This was already the bottom line; the building couldn't afford to waste too much manpower on an outsider.

"Uh... ok."

Although Moganshan was not entirely satisfied, he could only nod in agreement.

Seeing the solemn expressions and worried looks on Jingzhe and Qingming's faces, Bailu couldn't help but ask:
"Did something happen to you on this trip?"

"Alas, something unexpected happened when I killed Quan Guanqing."

"If I had given it my all from the beginning, none of the later problems would have happened."

Gu Yu sighed softly, her tone tinged with regret. This time, she had been too playful and overconfident in her martial arts skills.

Jingzhe then stepped forward and briefly recounted how Gao Shilin had been mistakenly killed.

Bai Lu also showed a worried look. Gao Shilin's status was indeed different. Although Emperor Zhezong had ascended the throne, he was only ten years old. The real power was held by Empress Dowager Gao Taotao.

This empress dowager was not a foolish or tyrannical person; she was quite capable.

She contributed significantly to the current tripartite balance of power between the Song, Liao, and Western Xia dynasties, and the adoption of old methods has been met with mixed reviews.

One thing she did well was that after taking power, almost none of the Gao family's relatives were given important positions; they relied entirely on their abilities, and the problem of relatives monopolizing power did not occur.

But when you get down to the point, not being autocratic is one thing, but killing her own brother is another.

"I killed the person..." Qingming began to speak again, but was interrupted by Guyu before he could finish.

"I'm in charge of the building this month, so there's no need to mention this matter again."

"You two go back and rest first. Keep a close eye on Moganshan downstairs. Don't let him die within a month." Gu Yu's tone left no room for argument.

"Okay." Jingzhe and Qingming agreed in unison, and said no more.

There are twenty-four top assassins in the Twenty-Four Towers, but only three of them can manage the affairs of the tower master. These three are the personal disciples of the tower master, while the others are nominal disciples.

The three of them take turns each month, and this month happens to be Grain Rain.

Gu Yu picked up the jeweled belt that Moganshan had given her as payment, glanced at it casually, and then turned and went upstairs.

The building has 24 floors and six stories.

The first floor is empty, the second floor is the reception desk, and the third and fourth floors are the living quarters for the building's members. Now, with the addition of Hongluan, it is more than enough.

The fifth floor is a place for practicing martial arts and exchanging skills. It is equipped with protective measures to ensure that the building structure will not be damaged.

The sixth floor is the residence of Dao Master Chen Zhan.

The people inside the building knew very little about this Dao Lord, only that he lived a secluded life and his strength was unfathomable.

Gu Yu climbed the steps and went straight to the sixth floor.

The top floor was not specially decorated; it consisted of ordinary wooden houses.

She walked to a door and whispered, "Master, there is something I need to report to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened by itself.

Chen Zhan remained as languid as ever, leaning against the table, and asked casually, "What happened in the middle of the night?"

Gu Yu entered the room and explained the details of the assassination of Quan Guanqing and the accidental killing of Gao Shilin, taking full responsibility for the crime and preparing to be used as a scapegoat.

After listening, Chen Zhan's expression remained unchanged; he simply asked casually, "Is there anything else?"

Gu Yu paused for a moment, then remembered something and handed over the gemstone belt: "Mo Ganshan was being chased by Xingxiu Sea, but it seems it wasn't for the gemstone in this belt. This disciple finds something strange about this belt, but can't figure out what it is. Please take a look, Master."

Chen Zhan took the belt, glanced at it with his divine sense, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

The belt was made of ordinary material, and although the gemstones were real, they weren't worth much money, certainly not enough to warrant a large-scale pursuit by Xingxiuhai.

With a slight exertion, the belt shattered into countless pieces with a "crack," scattering gems all over the ground and revealing the inner lining woven with gold thread.

Chen Zhan tossed the gold-threaded inner lining to Gu Yu: "Heat it over a fire."

Gu Yu immediately went to the table, lit the candle, and brought the gold-threaded inner liner close to the candle flame.

After a moment, the golden inner liner gradually turned black, and a blurry pattern slowly appeared on it.

“Master, it’s a painting,” Gu Yu said softly.

Chen Zhan looked up and saw that although the pattern was not clear, the outline was extremely vivid, and with just a few strokes, it conveyed the artistic conception of a secluded orchid in a valley.

"This is not a painting, but a map. Judging from its shape, it should be the territory near southern Xinjiang."

Chen Zhan stared at the map of southern Xinjiang, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, and pondered for a moment.

The Starry Sea, Southern Xinjiang, the Starry Sea Monster, and the relentless pursuit of Mogan Mountain—all these clues, when pieced together, have created a coherent narrative.

"Where is Moganshan from?" Chen Zhan asked.

"I am from the Yan and Zhao regions," Gu Yu answered truthfully.

"Chased all the way from Xingxiuhai, fleeing from Yan and Zhao to Kaifeng?"

“That’s right. According to him, the pursuit began on the border of Yan and Zhao and they fled all the way to the capital.”

"Well, I see."

Chen Zhan nodded, his tone calm and even: "Next, you will go and kill the Four Evils. Leave Duan Yanqing alive, and deal with the other three directly."

After saying that, he waved his hand, signaling Gu Yu to leave.

"what?"

Gu Yu was stunned, and subconsciously said, "Master, Gao Shilin is Empress Dowager Gao's younger brother, and the court..."

She thought Chen Zhan had forgotten about it.

"so what?"

"You want me to send my apprentice, whom I've trained for over ten years, to be buried alive with a relative of the emperor?"

Chen Zhan looked up, his tone tinged with impatience, and raised his hand to his forehead, as if he had a headache.

Gu Yu has been with him since childhood. She is highly talented, has outstanding abilities, and is lively, which is a good thing.

He dislikes people who are overly calculating.

Among these apprentices, some were meticulous, some were unconventional, and each possessed unique talents and abilities; however, none of them realized...
The matter of one's own status.

It is what enabled them to have their current martial arts skills in their teens and twenties, with some even reaching the Profound Realm.

To have Twenty-Four Towers establish itself on Zhuque Street in Kaifeng, with no one daring to disturb it, how could his master have a weak background?
Chen Zhan gazed at the night outside the window, his thoughts drifting far away. He had been in the Northern Song Dynasty for thirteen years.

This period is particularly delicate. The top masters of the previous generation, Zhao Kuangyin, Xiaoyaozi, Murong Longcheng, and Duan Siping, are either dead or missing. In the martial arts world, only that old monk from Shaolin Temple still has some influence.

The story of the new generation has not yet begun. Qiao Feng is only a little over ten years old, while Duan Yu and Xu Zhu are still innocent children.

Given his level of understanding, he would naturally not do anything to sever a child's destiny.

At that time, the Song Dynasty was in turmoil, with internal factional strife between the old and new parties and external threats from the Liao and Xia dynasties. He adopted twenty-four orphans and carefully nurtured them from childhood to adulthood. It was not until recently that the Twenty-Four Towers were officially established.

"Master means..." Gu Yu vaguely understood something.

"Just go do your thing," Chen Zhan waved his hand, saying no more.

"Yes."

Gu Yu bowed in agreement and reluctantly left the room.

She was still completely bewildered. Empress Dowager Gao would surely be furious upon learning of her younger brother's murder, and she wondered how her master would quell the storm.

But from childhood to adulthood, no matter how big the trouble, her master had never failed, and the last trace of worry in her heart vanished.

The next morning,

The bloodshed that occurred on Imperial Street last night has spread like wildfire throughout Kaifeng.

Last night, Gu Yu and his two companions only killed Gao Shilin and the guards who tried to stop them, without implicating any of the family members in the household. As a result, just as dawn broke, a servant reported the matter to the Wude Division, and the news quickly spread to the palace.

Committing a crime on the Imperial Street is already a major taboo, let alone killing a high-ranking official of the court, not to mention that the deceased was Empress Dowager Gao's own brother.

This incident was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples.

The entire Wude Division was in chaos. The captain on night duty dared not delay and rushed to the homes of the two division chiefs to report the situation.

Wei Wuhai had been restless and sleepless all night. Upon hearing the news, he immediately got up, put on his clothes, and rode his horse at full speed to Gao Shilin's residence.

The mansion was in complete disarray, with the cries of family members echoing amidst the ruins. Nearly half of the guards were dead, and the rest were mostly wounded. They had witnessed the entire battle the previous night, so there was no need for them to investigate further.

"They're from the Twenty-Four Towers!"

A surviving guard, clutching his wound, said in a trembling voice.

"Twenty-four towers!"

Wei Wuhai's eyes twitched violently, his mind in turmoil.

He never expected that "that person" would directly confront the Empress Dowager.

On one side is the ruthless and powerful Empress Dowager Gao, and on the other is the enigmatic...
Both sides were entities he couldn't afford to offend, putting him in a dilemma.

As Wei Wuhai hesitated, in the dim morning light, dew dripped from the eaves, splashing up tiny water droplets.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of a figure in a blue Taoist robe slowly walking towards the end of the Imperial Street.

The Imperial Street was already surrounded by the Martial Virtue Division's men. Outside the cordon, ordinary people and merchants along the street kept their doors and windows tightly shut, not daring to even peek out. Only this figure walked with a calm and composed demeanor, heading straight towards the mansion.

"The Military Affairs Division is conducting an investigation; unauthorized personnel are not permitted to approach!"

When the guards at the gate of the mansion saw him enter the restricted area, they immediately drew their swords to stop him, speaking sternly.

The figure in the blue Taoist robe looked up; it was Chen Zhan.

His expression was calm, and his gaze passed over the guards and landed on Wei Wuhai: "I am here to see Director Wei. I have important matters to discuss with him."

Wei Wuhai stood frozen for a long time before finally seeing the person's appearance clearly. He was shocked and snapped out of his dilemma.

He strode forward, shoved aside the guard who was about to speak, bowed deeply to Chen Zhan, and spoke with a respectful tone tinged with disbelief:

"Master Dao... why have you come? More than ten years have passed, yet you haven't changed at all."

The reason he was lost in thought was because Chen Zhan's face showed no signs of aging compared to when he first met him twelve years ago, as if time had stood still for him.

Those who practice martial arts generally have a longer lifespan than ordinary people, but even with profound internal strength, more than ten years can inevitably leave some marks of time.

Just like himself, he believes his martial arts skills are not weak, and over the years he has gained a few more gray hairs and wrinkles.

"Ah."

"We met back then, and I don't want to put you in a difficult position."

Chen Zhan responded with a faint "yes".

"Thank you for your compassion, Daoist."

Wei Wuhai breathed a sigh of relief: "However, this matter has far-reaching implications. There is still no definite news from the palace. But the Empress Dowager has always doted on Gao Shilin. When she hears the bad news, she will surely be furious. After all, he is her only younger brother."

In the end, he looked utterly helpless.

"It doesn't matter."

“I will accompany you to the palace.”

"Forehead……"

Wei Wuhai's expression changed drastically, and his heart skipped a beat: "This...this might not be appropriate, right?"

Although he did not know the extent of Chen Zhan's martial arts skills, he knew that Chen Zhan was far beyond the reach of ordinary masters.

If he were to force his way into the palace with martial arts practitioners, any mishap would inevitably lead to chaos, a situation he simply could not afford to cause.

"You think I can't get into the palace if you don't take me with you?" Chen Zhan glanced at him.

"."

"Don't worry, I won't do anything."

“Once Gao Taotao sees me, she naturally won’t care about what happened last night,” Chen Zhan said confidently.

There's no turning back now.

Wei Wuhai gritted his teeth, stopped worrying, and ordered his subordinates to prepare an official sedan chair. He then led Chen Zhan into the sedan chair and headed towards the palace.

Deep within the imperial palace, inside the Cining Palace.

Gao Taotao had already learned of her brother's murder, but she did not fly into a rage as everyone had expected.

She was always very shrewd and calculating. Over the years, Gao Shilin had repeatedly requested to go to the Western Xia border to make contributions, but she rejected him every time.

On the one hand, she was unwilling to let her relatives seize power and ruin her reputation.

On the other hand, she was also aware of the dangers at the border and secretly protected her only younger brother.

Unexpectedly, he eventually died in Kaifeng, at the hands of the Twenty-Four Towers.

Her thoughts briefly drifted back to the past, but Gao Taotao quickly regained her composure, lightly tapping the table with her fingertips, her expression so calm that no one could discern her emotions.

Not long after, a young eunuch rushed in: "Your Majesty, Director Wei of the Martial Virtue Department is requesting an audience, and he has brought someone with him."

"With people?"

"Who are you bringing? Why don't you state your name?" Gao Taotao looked up.

"This servant will go and inquire immediately..."

"No need."

"Bring it in directly."

Gao Taotao raised her hand to interrupt him, already having a guess in her mind: it was most likely that the people from the Twenty-Four Towers had come to her door on their own initiative.

A moment later, Wei Wuhai led Chen Zhan into the back hall.

"Your subject, Wei Wuhai, pays his respects to the Empress Dowager." Wei Wuhai bowed deeply.

"Rise." Gao Taotao said half a sentence, her gaze falling on Chen Zhan, and her movements suddenly stopped.

The morning light streamed in from outside the hall, illuminating the figure in the blue Taoist robe, and a sense of familiarity washed over him.

She subconsciously took two steps forward, and when she saw the person's face clearly, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Chen Zhan raised his hands in a fist salute, but did not kneel in obeisance: "Your Majesty, how have you been?"

Gao Taotao steadied herself, her mind sharp, and quickly regained her composure. Suddenly, she laughed:
"Having ventured alone into the dragon's den, the Daoist Master's martial arts skills must have improved considerably?"

(End of this chapter)