Gu Zhong's thoughts coincided with hers this time.
The two immediately got up and chased after the suspicious figure.
It was only because the two of them were fast enough and agile enough that they didn't lose track of the person.
The southeast direction was designated as a forbidden area by Tianwu Sect. Apart from sending necessary disciples to guard the mountain gate, few people came and went. As they traveled, the population gradually decreased and the lights became less frequent, making tracking increasingly difficult.
The man in black robes seemed to sense something as well, his movements becoming increasingly unpredictable, and his movements becoming increasingly secluded.
"Since you've realized it, there's no need to beat around the bush with us anymore."
Sensing something was amiss, Lingyan instinctively knew she couldn't let this person keep them hanging. They were quite a distance from Tianwu Gate, so she made a quick decision and blocked his path.
"Who are you? Why have you been following me?"
Despite being blocked, the man in black robes remained calm and asked in a strange, hoarse tone.
"That's the question I should be asking you. Who are you, and why are you sneaking into Tianwu Gate at night?"
Taking advantage of the darkness and the fact that both of them were wearing masks, Lingyan asked vague questions. If one did not investigate further, one might mistake her for a night watchman from the Tianwu Sect.
"Ha—you're not from the Tianwu Sect, just thieves on the roof, yet you dare to question me?"
The man let out a strange laugh, his words revealing his true feelings, filled with arrogance.
Since you are unwilling to answer—
With a feigned sigh, Gu Zhong instantly shot out three sharp arrows from his sleeve. The sharp arrowheads gleamed with an eerie green light in the night, clearly indicating that they were coated with deadly poison.
"Ruthless enough!" The man quickly rolled away to dodge, and after landing, he praised with admiration, "He should be one of our disciples!"
"I think you're quite good, little girl. How about coming back with me?"
This invitation caused Lingyan's hand to pause in its action of drawing its sword. How could someone think of taking someone under their wing after only one move? What kind of strange thought process did this person have? Or was their sect really short of people?
"No, no—it would be better if you came back with us!"
In response to Ling Yan's slashing sword, Gu Zhong drew her soft sword from her waist, and the swordsmanship that Ye Tian had used during the day was reproduced in her hands.
"Gu Family Sword Technique! You are?! No, that's impossible!"
Upon seeing this sword move, the man couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"You seem to know quite a lot?"
Fighting spirit and hope filled Gu Zhong's eyes in an instant.
"What a pity, we can only take your body back with us now."
The man in black robes feigned regret and extended his palm to meet the two men.
This person's martial arts skills were neither particularly high nor low, but his strength lay in his unpredictable and cunning methods. Coupled with the darkness of night, which made him difficult to guard against, he managed to entangle with two top-tier martial arts masters for a long time. Although it was also because the two men had no intention of taking his life, it was clear that this person's background was not simple.
After several dozen rounds of fighting, the man in black robes returned the favor, unleashing a barrage of hidden weapons. Thousands of tiny needles flew towards him, and he seized the opportunity to retreat rapidly, intending to escape.
"Who is fighting within the territory of Tianwu Gate?!"
A firelight flickered in the distance, and a question came from nearby. It was unclear how this had alerted the Tianwu Sect to send people to investigate.
Seeing that the person was about to escape, Gu Zhong was momentarily confused and, ignoring the swarm of hidden weapons, gave chase.
Lingyan was worried about her, so she quickly turned around and stepped forward to parry with her sword, but was accidentally hit by several needles.
Chasing after the man in black robes, Gu Zhong drew his sword again, this time with a killing move.
In this world, there are no more than five people who can dodge a single, powerful attack from the Sword-Overturning Lord.
In the blink of an eye, the black-robed man, who thought he was about to escape, met his end.
"I can't let him tell anyone about what happened to me."
For some reason, Gu Zhong unconsciously offered an explanation to Ling Yan.
She then crouched down and searched the body at lightning speed, examining the person's face, belongings, and even pulling out a luminous pearl from somewhere to check the tattoos on the person's skin.
Such a hurried yet meticulous search was not entirely fruitless.
On the back of that person's neck was a vermilion tattoo, shaped like a wispy cloud.
"Lingbo?"
Upon seeing the design, Lingyan couldn't help but express her surprise.
"What?"
Gu Zhong quickly pressed for more information.
"It's not appropriate to discuss this further here, let's go!"
The footsteps of the Tianwu Sect's search party grew closer. Lingyan cut off a piece of skin from the neck, slashed the man's face, and quickly cleaned up the scene. The two then left with all their belongings.
Chapter 63 The Leader of the Righteous Alliance and the Leader of the Demonic Cult (Sixteen)
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They closed the carved nanmu door and entered the inner room. The two removed their night clothes and returned to their usual attire.
"Is the Pavilion Master injured?"
Noticing that the bright, clean rosewood floor was stained with some mottled bloodstains as the clothes fell to the ground, Gu Zhong frowned, looking worried, and involuntarily stepped forward.
"It's alright." Ling Yan gently pressed her slightly stinging right hand and subconsciously took a step back.
Gu Zhong stopped three steps away from her, chuckled, and walked naturally to the incense burner on the table. He rolled up his sleeves, picked up the candlestick beside him, and lit the incense stick.
The subtle fragrance of pine mixed with bergamot permeates the room, which has a calming effect.
"May I ask you, Lord, what is Lingbo?"
"Lingbo Sect is a secretive sect of Tianshan, rarely appearing in the martial arts world, so very few people know about them. The rumors about them are from decades ago, and no one can say for sure what this sect is like now."
After a moment of contemplation, Ling Yan could only recall a vague impression in her mind. If it weren't for her extensive knowledge and strong memory, she would have been unable to recognize the cinnabar tattoo today, thus missing a crucial clue.
It now seems that Ye Tian, Lingbo Sect, and the Gu family tragedy of twenty years ago are inextricably linked, which can be considered a glimmer of hope.
"Speaking of which, isn't Your Excellency curious about just who I am?"
After a moment of contemplation, perhaps having found another target to investigate, Gu Zhong seemed much brighter and even started teasing Ling Yan again.
"The Lingbo Sect member has already made it clear that you are a descendant of the Gu family."
Sitting on the couch, Lingyan looked up at Gu Zhong, rolled up her right sleeve, and prepared to apply medicine to the wound caused by the hidden weapon.
"As you know, what I said is not true."
Gu Zhong walked over and sat down beside her, casually taking the medicine bottle that Ling Yan had just taken out. He skillfully pulled her hand onto his lap and carefully applied the medicine to the wound, as if he had done it many times before.
"It seems that the Pavilion Master has always known who I am."
Upon hearing this, Lingyan's fingers involuntarily curled up, only to be gently smoothed out by Gu Zhong along the base of her fingers.
"Who are you? What is your identity? What is your significance to me?"
You are the leader of the Demonic Sect, and I am the leader of the Righteous Alliance. Even if the world sees us as natural enemies, destined to fight to the death, I don't care.
"So, does the Pavilion Master simply not care, or is he completely uninhibited and indifferent?"
Gu Zhong moved closer to her face, their breaths mingling and becoming increasingly rapid, his cool lips seeming as if he were about to place a kiss on her lips.
Just then, the door, which had been secured with a bolt, was suddenly kicked open from the outside. Ye Tian led a group of Tianwu Sect members dressed in armor and stood outside the door, making quite a show of force. This surprise attack was truly silent.
Gu Zhong lay sprawled on top of Ling Yan, covering her injured right arm, making the scene suddenly seem somewhat erotic. The disciples who were more sensitive and followed behind Ye Tian all turned their faces away, unable to bear to look.
"What does Sect Leader Ye mean by this?"
Ling Yan asked in a deep voice, her words carrying an barely suppressed anger.
"Hahaha—it's my fault for disturbing the Pavilion Master's good time. A thief broke into the sect today, and I'm currently leading people to search everywhere. Please forgive any shortcomings, and I will apologize to the Pavilion Master tomorrow."
Ye Tian clasped his hands in a salute, waved his hand, and tactfully dismissed the guests, closing the door behind him.
He has doubts.
Holding her breath and listening intently to the sounds outside, Ling Yan spoke in a soft voice, barely audible to the two of them, only after confirming that Ye Tian had indeed gone far away.
"Indeed, to be able to conceal one's aura to the point that the Pavilion Master, in his state of mental confusion, could not detect it, truly demonstrates an extraordinary level of skill."
Who's distracted?
Touched on his secret, the Pavilion Master instantly flew into a rage and hurriedly tried to push this lawless woman away, but Gu Zhong just clung to her tightly, not moving an inch.
After struggling for a while and realizing it was all in vain, Lingyan gave up resisting and let Gu Zhong hug her to his heart's content.
Besides, she already longed for Gu Zhong's embrace.
After playing around enough, Gu Zhong consciously let go of Ling Yan.
"Do you still want to investigate the Tianwu Sect?" Ling Yan asked again, getting back to the main topic.
"Of course, there's also Lingbo Sect—" Gu Zhong rolled his eyes at Ling Yan, his face clearly saying "nonsense."
"...The Heavenly Mystery Pavilion will certainly lend you a hand." This answer was expected, but it made Ling Yan even more worried.
"Then I really must thank you, Pavilion Master. I wonder how I can express my gratitude so that you will be satisfied?" Gu Zhong deliberately teased him again.
"Now, immediately, go back to your room and go to sleep!"
Lingyan felt a deep headache coming on, as if some inexplicable change had occurred tonight, making this person even more lawless.
"The Tianwu Sect is still keeping an eye on me~ Does the Pavilion Master really intend to send me away?"
Gu Zhong seemed determined to take over Ling Yan's bed tonight, and his reason sounded quite plausible.
In the end, Lingyan had no choice but to give in and was held by this person, sleeping for half the night with her eyes open.
The next day, when she appeared before everyone with a somber expression, she inexplicably attracted many mocking glances. Even Cheng Yun's probing gaze shifted between her and Gu Zhong several times.
Without much thought, it's clear that the commotion Ye Tian caused last night has generated a lot of gossip circulating in the bustling Tianwu Sect, including the romantic escapades of the Tianji Pavilion Master.
However, the most talked-about topic was why Ye Tian disregarded offending his distinguished guests and searched the entire Tianwu Sect.
Who exactly broke into the gate and stole what priceless treasures to warrant such a display?
Ling Yan knew that Tianwu Sect had not lost any priceless treasures, but only a life, and this dead person was likely of great importance to Ye Tian.