Light Fortress

"Investigate!"

"Investigate thoroughly for me!"

The Holy Judges dispersed, searching the docking port of the Gu Family Envoy. To ensure nothing was overlooked, the cloud ship hovering above the port descended a glow resembling a "barrier." Regarding these actions, Gu Nanfeng merely waved his hand, indicating there was no harm.

Every Transcendent in the Gu Family Envoy was summoned.

Yao Jin inspected each one...

The Light Mirror had completely failed; that slight glow mark dimmed and never appeared again.

Yao Jin could only rely on recognizing through wounds, but this search was utterly unsuccessful; not a single person in the Gu Family Envoy was injured... let alone an arrow wound on the shoulder.

In his understanding,

There were very few across the Five Continents who could eliminate an arrow wound from the Red Phoenix Crossbow in just one night!

Not to mention, the escaping target had always been under the cloud ship’s pursuit... how long had it been since they reached the docking port? Even if some time was delayed talking with the Gu Family, it was absolutely impossible for the wound to have healed!

If not in the envoy, then they must be hiding in the cabin.

Having checked the envoy members, Yao Jin immediately joined the search targeting the docking port, with a strong foreboding feeling in his heart.

Half a day passed.

From the dawn of sunrise to the blaze of midday.

This absurd search was drawing to a close. Those initially aggressive Holy Judges became silent one by one, regrouping beside Yao Jin.

The scorching sun.

Yao Jin, frail in stature, looked as pale as paper.

"Finished the search?" Gu Nanfeng asked.

"...Finished,"

Yao Jin’s voice was hoarse: "Young Master Gu, this is all a misunderstanding."

"Pfft."

Luo Yu couldn’t help but laugh on the side.

Yao Jin clenched his ten fingers tightly but had nothing to say.

"Since the search is done, why are you still here?"

Gu Nanfeng said calmly, "Remember to tell the Temple Grand Elder that I expect his personal apology when I arrive in Light City tomorrow."

Yao Jin opened his mouth, eventually swallowing those useless apologies back down.

Seeing Luo Yu’s mocking smile, veins bulged on Yao Jin’s forehead... In his long, bleak life, he had never endured such humiliation.

Even leaving the docking port, Yao Jin could not figure out where exactly the problem had occurred.

...

...

After the Holy Judges departed, the shadow of the cloud ship hovering above the Gu Family’s massive ship also gradually dissipated.

Under the oppressive gloom, the docking port felt stifling.

At this moment, the sky finally cleared up, and the Gu Family Night Watchmen busied themselves... The day was already filled with trivial tasks, processing a pile of items from the west crossing. But after Yao Jin and his men stirred things up, half a day’s time was delayed, causing subsequent plans to be postponed.

"Young Master, those words you said just now were truly satisfying!"

Luo Yu leaned against the railing, saying cheerfully, "That wretched Yao, his face looked like a corpse when he left!"

Gu Nanfeng watched the backs of the departing Holy Judges and softly replied with a sound.

He suddenly asked, "So who was the one that brought you to Gent last night?"

This question wasn’t directed at Luo Yu.

From within the ranks of the Gu Family Night Watchmen, Zhong Fan slowly stepped out.

His face was somewhat pale, but the arrow wound on his shoulder had healed, and after Gu Shen removed the Light Mark with the flame of life, within just a few seconds, the wound scabbed and fell off, utterly miraculous!

"Lord Nanfeng, I mentioned to you before... In the Ice Sea Ruins, the scouting team encountered a mysterious ’evil ghost.’

When Zhong Fan fled to the docking port, it was too urgent.

The earlier incident.

He hadn’t had time to elaborate to Gu Nanfeng...

Now he slowly recounted the events of last night.

After listening, Luo Yu was exasperated and said, "You kid, you usually seem pretty smart, so why did you do something so reckless and silent? Don’t you know that if it weren’t for that ’evil ghost’ rescuing you, you’d be dead by now!"

"I..."

Zhong Fan sighed deeply.

He had realized last night that his actions were impulsive.

"Let the matter rest; there’s no need for blame."

Gu Nanfeng, as always gentle, patted Fatty Luo’s shoulder, signaling him not to get angry, and softly asked, "Are you saying... the ’evil ghost’ you encountered had the power of fire and healed your injuries in less than ten minutes?"

"Yes."

Zhong Fan said solemnly, "He also effortlessly removed that so-called Light Mirror mark, it was simply miraculous... Yao Jin could never have guessed that someone could find and instantly remove all the thousands of strands of Spiritual Radiance dispersed by the Red Phoenix Crossbow. To mislead Yao Jin, the Evil Ghost Senior even deliberately left a mark for me to destroy after reaching the docking port."

Recalling the scene from last night,

He couldn’t help but ask, "Lord Nanfeng, is it possible you don’t know this person?"

"Uses fire, capable of healing severe injuries, with exceptional spiritual power..."

Gu Nanfeng thought about the current titles in East Continent and shook his head.

Not just in East Continent.

Looking across the entire Five Continents, he couldn’t think of anyone who fit Zhong Fan’s description.

Zhong Fan murmured, "That’s strange. From the way he spoke, it seemed like he knew you, and was quite familiar..."

"Quite familiar?"

Gu Nanfeng felt a sudden, unexpected tug at his heartstrings.

He suddenly thought of a figure.

According to Zhong Fan’s description, there’s indeed no such person in the current Five Continents... but if we go back a few years, there was one such fitting person, but that person died under the volcanic eruption of Sangzhou Cave, completely buried in the torrent.

He had once, in his spare time, joined the Changye Investigation Team, attempting to find out the truth behind Gu Shen’s death.

In the end.

Gu Nanfeng had to accept this fact, and slowly come to terms with it.

"Young Master, did you think of that person?"

Beside him, Luo Yu noticed Gu Nanfeng gazing blankly and couldn’t help but speak.

"They’ve all passed..."

Gu Nanfeng shook his head, his voice tinged with self-mockery as he smiled, saying, "The departed are gone. Such thoughts must be delusions."

He looked at Zhong Fan and said, "What else did the evil ghost say to you?"

"He instructed me on what to do once I reached the mooring port."

Zhong Fan said slowly, "I left a streak of Spiritual Radiance as he said, then extinguished it when the Cloud Ship approached, and the Holy Judge clashed with the envoy... As he predicted, Yao Jin opted for a forced search."

In the end, naturally, there would be no result.

Luo Yu, after hearing this, couldn’t help but sigh. "That evil ghost sure plays his cards well. Yao Jin is no good seed... If it weren’t for your precise timing, it would be hard to make him suffer such a setback."

The Light Mirror’s radiance extinguished at just the right moment!

At that time, Yao Jin had only one choice... to grit his teeth and search.

As soon as he pursued to the mooring port, conflict with the Gu Family envoy was destined to happen!

"It’s not that simple."

Gu Nanfeng suddenly said, "If all he wanted was to make Yao Jin suffer, why make you run all night, arriving here by dawn..."

Luo Yu was stunned for a second, then immediately understood the Young Master’s meaning.

"He’s using the Gu Family’s hand to delay Yao Jin."

Gu Nanfeng calmly said, "The Grand Judge deliberately instructed that the three major offices of the Changye Five Families need not interfere in the ’Wutuo case’. This escaped Third Judge, carrying Changye’s vast secrets... the Grand Judge cannot tolerate his survival. There’s only one explanation for this arrangement. Changye is already convinced that someone will kill him."

Zhong Fan incredulously said, "So you mean..."

Gu Nanfeng looked at Zhong Fan and said, "It’s not easy to kill Wutuo. Light City has a thousand ways to hide him away from us. And the best time to kill is at this moment... Wutuo has just exposed his identity, calling out the ’assassin’, and everyone thinks this farce is over. Because in their eyes, the real ’murderer’ has already been locked by Yao Jin."

"Yao Jin pursues you, while he kills."

"The reason he made you run overnight is to observe Yao Jin’s reaction..."

"Clearly, the Holy Judge let you run. Right from the start, Yao Jin didn’t believe the assassination was a mere coincidence last night. How could the long-awaited ’assassin’ have no one behind the scenes directing?"

Gu Nanfeng chuckled softly, "And who could that person be?"

Surveying East Continent, only one person best fits Yao Jin’s image of the ’one behind the scenes’.

"That would be me."

Gu Nanfeng sighed lightly, "So no matter what, Yao Jin must lead a search on the giant ship, because he waited all night, finally waiting for the capture target to reach the mooring port... As long as he finds the ’Light Mirror Mark’ here, then everything will be over. The purpose of the Gu Family envoy can no longer be explained, my journey west has just begun, only to meet its end. With the envoy hiding criminals becoming a fact, West Continent has ample reason to refuse my entrance into Light City."

"That guy is really insidious..."

After listening, Luo Yu broke out a few drops of cold sweat on his forehead.

"To deal with someone like Yao Jin, you have to use such tactics. He indeed knows me very well..."

Gu Nanfeng looked towards the interiors of Gent City and murmured, "He knows very clearly, that by sending you to the envoy, even with no time to explain, I would definitely protect at all costs. As for the subsequent conflicts, they would naturally unfold, as expected. Once knowing Yao Jin is looking for that ’one behind the scenes’, I would naturally play the part of that ’one behind the scenes’."

"So he’s gone to kill now?"

Zhong Fan, looking worried, said, "Could it be dangerous?"

"Killing Wutuo is always a dangerous affair."

Gu Nanfeng said, "According to my information, Temple Second Elder Yuan Yang has been missing for a long time now, probably due to punishment. And the reason Yao Jin was able to gain importance in the temple is that he saved the most important person in the Number One Dark Line... So no matter what he wants to do with Wutuo, he must ensure the safety of this important figure. This search of the Gu Family envoy’s giant ship, failing to find the murderer, doesn’t mean much to Yao Jin. The Grand Elder can apologize at the door, only losing face, not affecting the root."

"But if Wutuo dies..."

"Foxed by the Number One Dark Line matter, the ’momentum’ he painstakingly built up in the temple will dissipate by half, the half that belonged to the Grand Elder’s trust."

Luo Yu continued where the Young Master left off: "So for a character as important as Wutuo, Yao Jin will definitely mobilize all his power for protection, either sending him to an absolutely secluded place or assigning a master who leaves no room for accidents for guarding."

"Recently I searched for a long time... but there’s been no news of Wutuo."

Zhong Fan realized, "I guess he was sent outside of Light City?"

"Yao Jin’s neck is not long, the number of powerful people listening to him must be few and far between."

Gu Nanfeng smiled and said, "But even if Light City really has some powerful person protecting Wutuo... it’s no use. After all, in your description, that evil ghost can take on two by himself, easily tearing apart two titled matchless ferocious beings."

...

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(That’s all for tonight’s update, everyone. Good night, there will be another update before noon tomorrow at 12 o’clock!)