No Fighting Allowed in the Inn-Chapter 125

◎Solving the Riddle, the Alarm Bell Rings◎

The cave was pitch black.

Even with Lu Jianwei's keen eyesight, she could only make out faint, blurry outlines.

"Hardly a distinguished guest. Why have you lured me here?"

Seeing the procession of insects welcoming her, she was ninety percent certain that the Gu Emperor of the Love Gu in the brocade pouch was undeniably linked to the Gu master hidden in this cave.

Earlier that day, Little Wu had detected the presence of a Gu Emperor on Abandoned Peak, and the other party had sensed it too. However, the Perception Gu Emperor possessed the ability to deceive both humans and insects, distorting her and Little Wu's perception.

No wonder no one in the Carefree Sect had noticed a person hiding on Abandoned Peak.

The mountain forest was teeming with insects. To a high-level Gu master, insects were eyes and ears—the Perception Gu could also relay distant information to its master through the perspectives of other insects.

This person had remained silent during the day but deliberately lured the Mother Love Gu at night, drawing her into the cave. There had to be an ulterior motive.

"No one has come here in over twenty years. Though plenty of beasts have passed through."

"What kind of beasts?"

"Beasts that speak human words."

Lu Jianwei: "You still haven't answered my earlier question."

"I have no particular purpose. I just wanted to ask—is that on your wrist the legendary Yin-Yang Gu?"

"You know of the Yin-Yang Gu?" Lu Jianwei grew even more convinced of her connection to the Gu God Sect.

"If I recall correctly, the Yin-Yang Gu is extremely difficult to refine. It exists only in the ancient texts of the sect, accessible only to the sect leader. What is your relationship with the Gu God Sect?"

Lu Jianwei: "If only the sect leader can access those texts, how do you know about it?"

"My teacher mentioned it." The woman's voice was hoarse and weathered. "My teacher once served as the sect leader. In truth, many in the sect know of the Yin-Yang Gu's existence—just not the method to refine it."

She seemed to be "studying" Lu Jianwei, tilting her head up. After a moment, she sighed approvingly. "My teacher said the Yin-Yang Gu is beyond the reach of ordinary people. For someone as young as you to refine one—truly a rare talent. Which clan do you belong to?"

"I am not from the Gu God Sect," Lu Jianwei replied frankly before countering, "And which clan do you belong to?"

The Gu master fell silent for a long time before coldly asking, "If you're not from the sect, how do you possess the Yin-Yang Gu?"

"I'm the one asking the questions here."

"Could he really have harmed… No, impossible. I used the Life Gu to divine—the sect couldn’t have come to harm. You must be—you’re the thread of hope!"

Lu Jianwei: "…"

The Life Gu truly was miraculous.

Alehong had used the Life Gu to predict a calamity for the Gu God Sect, with a sliver of hope originating from the Central Plains. This person, trapped in a cave within the Carefree Sect’s mountains, so far removed, had somehow learned of it too.

But Alehong was the leader of the Gu God Sect. Exhausting herself to divine fortunes was part of her duty. Why would this person also divine the fate of the sect?

U​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‍nless—

She already knew chaos would erupt during the Gu God Festival.

"What you said, Alehong said the same." Lu Jianwei softened her tone, having guessed her identity. "She used the Life Gu to foresee a great upheaval for the Gu God Sect."

"Alehong…" The woman chuckled lowly, though it sounded more like a sob. "Is she well?"

Lu Jianwei: "She is now the leader of the Gu God Sect. She’s doing fine."

"That’s good." The woman sighed in admiration. "She is kind and benevolent, with unparalleled talent. Becoming the leader was the will of the people. She will surely protect them from harm."

Lu Jianwei cut to the chase: "Yet she never imagined that her childhood friend would collude with outsiders to slaughter the people of the three clans."

A single candle flame flickered to life. The insects around them rustled, instinctively retreating several feet away.

Pei Zhi had found a windless corner and lit the candle with a fire starter. He had come fully prepared.

The candlelight illuminated a small patch of the cave, revealing its cramped interior.

At the center of three branching paths, a disheveled woman was tightly bound by heavy chains.

Having been deprived of light for years, her eyes could no longer tolerate even the faintest glow. She shut them the moment the candle was lit.

Filth covered her completely, obscuring her features.

Only a glistening tear trailed down her cheek—whether from the sting of light or the pain of Lu Jianwei’s words was unclear.

Her clothes were tattered beyond recognition, the original colors long faded. Some of her nails were long and sharp, others broken to the quick.

In short, she looked worse than a beggar.

"Alehong told you so much and even gave you the method to refine the Yin-Yang Gu. You must be the sect’s honored guest." Still keeping her eyes closed, she spoke with gratitude. "Might I ask your name?"

"You first."

"Amuyan. My name is Amuyan—the traitor you spoke of, who conspired with outsiders to slaughter her own people." Her voice was bitter with self-mockery.

"So it really is you."

Lu Jianwei wasn’t surprised, yet an indescribable emotion welled up inside her.

"During last year’s Gu God Festival, Azhaqi allied with martial artists from the Central Plains to seize the sect leadership. He used Gu Emperors to control warriors from the three clans, forcing them to kill each other."

"…"

"You said earlier that you divined the sect’s safety, meaning you were aware of the turmoil. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have used the Life Gu for divination." Lu Jianwei leaned against the stone wall, her tone firm. "The Gu Emperor in Azhaduo’s mind—you were the one who refined it, weren’t you?"

Amuyan bowed her head. "My crimes are unforgivable. I’ve failed Alehong and the people of the three clans. If you’ve come on behalf of the sect to punish me, do as you will. I won’t resist."

"If you seek redemption, there are many ways. Death is the least meaningful." Lu Jianwei’s voice dripped with scorn. "You lured me here—surely not just to beg for death?"

Someone truly seeking death wouldn’t have endured imprisonment for so many years.

Ordinary people would go mad after twenty days in isolation, yet Amuyan remained lucid—proof of her extraordinary willpower.

After a pause, Amuyan said, "The Love Gu Emperor at your waist—I refined it fifteen years ago. It shouldn’t be here. I just wanted to understand what happened."

"Don’t your insects gather information for you?"

"Insects are just insects. The information they relay is limited. I only knew three guests had come to this peak. I thought the one carrying the Love Gu Emperor was… But when you entered the cave, I realized you weren’t her."

Lu Jianwei: "You mean Helian Xue?"

"So… her name is Xue." Amuyan seemed dazed before murmuring hoarsely, "Why is this Gu Emperor with you?"

"Were you its keeper?"

"No, but I refined it. I can sense it." She pressed again, "Why is it with you?"

The Gu master who refined a Gu and its keeper could be different people—the keeper was the one "bound by blood" to the Gu. But given Amuyan’s skill, sensing a Gu Emperor she had crafted was no challenge.

Lu Jianwei answered plainly, "I dug it out from the back of her head."

"How?" Amuyan’s eyes flew open in shock, only to shut again against the light. "A Gu Emperor being removed would never go unnoticed by its keeper."

"I have the Yin-Yang Gu."

"Ah, right. I forgot—you have the Yin-Yang Gu."

"I've answered your questions. Now it's your turn to answer mine." Lu Jianwei studied her expression. "The puppet Gu emperor that controlled the Central Plains assassins during the Gu God Festival—was that also your creation?"

"Yes."

"Who controlled the Gu emperor?"

Amuyan nearly gritted her teeth. "Helian Zheng."

"And who planted the love Gu emperor in Helian Xue?"

"Him again."

"Aside from these, have you crafted any other Gu emperors for him?"

"Yes." Amuyan held nothing back. "Over more than a decade, I created four Gu emperors. Three were puppet Gu emperors, and the last one was the love Gu emperor—the one inside you."

Of the three puppet Gu emperors, one had been embedded in Azhaduo's skull before Alehong reclaimed it with her staff, and another had been in Zhuang Wenqing's possession before perishing.

"Are you certain there are no others?"

"None." Amuyan sensed something. "You're here to investigate Helian Zheng?"

Lu Jianwei replied, "After the chaos during the Gu God Festival, Alehong tried interrogating the Central Plains assassins, but their puppet Gu larvae, controlled by the Gu emperor, made it impossible. The Gu God Sect never uncovered the mastermind's identity."

Amuyan whispered, "This is all my fault."

"At first, I suspected the Carefree Sect’s Zhuang Wenqing was behind it. But even after his Gu emperor died, the Gu God Sect remained inactive—clearly, they still couldn’t extract any information from the assassins. So I concluded someone else must have sent those killers to slaughter the three clans."

"It was him." Amuyan’s voice was icy. "That heartless, ungrateful beast!"

Lu Jianwei frowned. "Why would he do this?"

As the leader of the world’s foremost sect, Helian Zheng already stood at the pinnacle of the martial world. What reason did he have to stir chaos in the southwest?

"Again, it’s my fault." Amuyan’s guilt resurfaced, tears carving trails through the grime on her face. "When I was young and foolish, I fell for him. I shared everything with him—even the secret of the dual Gu emperor."

Lu Jianwei’s eyes widened in realization. "He conspired with Azhaqi to seize the Gu God Sect’s leadership and obtain the dual Gu’s refinement method."

Since Amuyan wasn’t the sect leader, even if her master had mentioned the dual Gu, she wouldn’t have known how to craft it. Helian Zheng had no choice but to scheme his way into obtaining that ancient text.

But—

"Why did he want the dual Gu?"

Amuyan scoffed. "He’s already the leader of the greatest sect, drowning in wealth and glory. Why would he use puppet Gu to sow chaos in the martial world? Because he’s insatiable."

"But he already controlled three Gu emperors. The dual Gu would be redundant for him."

Amuyan had crafted four—one for Zhuang Wenqing, but even that posed no threat to his own Gu emperors.

"The dual Gu can neutralize any poison," Amuyan said. "He wanted everyone to revere him, fear him, and beg for his help."

Lu Jianwei pressed, "One more question. The puppet Gu alone could control others—why did he use the love Gu on Helian Xue?"

"Because I wanted to protect A-Xue."

"What do you mean?" Lu Jianwei studied her solemn expression, and a sudden suspicion took root in her mind.

Amuyan slowly adjusted to the dim light, blinking open her eyes. Years in darkness had dulled her vision, despite her inner strength.

She traced Lu Jianwei’s face with her gaze before smiling. "Little friend, you truly are peerless."

Lu Jianwei: "..."

She was wearing a mask. How could Amuyan tell?

Then Amuyan turned to Pei Zhi, pausing before murmuring, "For some reason, looking at you fills me with sorrow."

Those who used fate Gu to divine destiny often possessed an uncanny intuition.

If she felt sorrow, there had to be a connection.

But the Gu matter took precedence.

Licking her cracked lips, she asked, "Do you have water?"

Lu Jianwei tossed her a waterskin. Amuyan caught it, unscrewed the cap, and tilted her head back to drink carefully, ensuring not a drop was wasted or the skin dirtied.

"How do you usually quench your thirst?"

After moistening her throat, Amuyan’s voice was less hoarse. "I’ve trained some little helpers. They fetch fruit for me or soak cloth in the nearby pond so I can wring it out."

"..."

She must have relied on these insects for food as well.

Lu Jianwei couldn’t fathom such an existence.

No wonder Amuyan had mastered the Gu emperor. Twenty years of imprisonment hadn’t broken her—her willpower surpassed ordinary limits.

"Let’s return to A-Xue," Amuyan said hesitantly. "How is she? Did you remove her Gu emperor because the martial world discovered it? Was she harmed?"

"Why do you care so much?" Lu Jianwei asked. "What’s your relationship with her?"

"She’s my daughter." Amuyan’s lashes dampened again. "But I’ve never even seen her. I don’t even know her name. The only bond we share is that love Gu emperor."

Lu Jianwei said, "Earlier, you mentioned wanting to protect her."

"Exactly." Amuyan’s voice trembled. "That monster took her from me after birth and used her life to force me into crafting Gu for him."

"Then?"

"Then I made the puppet Gu for him. But he’s paranoid—he feared I’d tamper with it, so he gathered orphans, implanted them with larvae, and gave the mother Gu to someone else."

Amuyan clenched her chains. "Back then, I couldn’t yet refine a Gu emperor. The puppet Gu was crude, easily detected by skilled martial artists. He was furious. He threatened to kill my child if I didn’t succeed."

"Panma Mountain. Yang Jidu." Lu Jianwei glanced at Pei Zhi. "Before Yang Jidu took his own life, he claimed he’d stumbled upon a Gu recipe and used it to create puppet Gu, raising those assassins. But the strongest among them was only sixth-rank—nowhere near the killers who attacked the inn in Yanzhou or the Fengzhou arena."

Pei Zhi nodded. "This was likely an experiment. He secretly occupied Panma Mountain and hid those assassins to avoid exposure."

The unsolved mysteries were finally falling into place.

Lu Jianwei felt an odd certainty—Amuyan was the missing link connecting all these cases. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

She asked, "So you were forced to refine a Gu emperor?"

"All I could think about was protecting my daughter." Amuyan smiled faintly. "Perhaps the Gu God heard my prayers—I created a love Gu emperor. Unlike other Gu, its larvae hosts would instinctively protect the mother Gu’s host without external control."

"So your first Gu emperor was the love Gu."

"Correct." Amuyan’s smile turned bitter. "I told that beast that even if he obtained a puppet Gu emperor, he’d only be able to manipulate lowly martial artists."

Lu Jianwei nodded slightly: "I've read in books that those implanted with the puppet Gu's offspring not only see their martial arts talent diminished, but with prolonged control, they gradually lose their own thoughts, becoming true puppets."

"But the love Gu is different," Amuyan said. "Those implanted with the love Gu's offspring retain most of their talent and intellect. I asked him whether he wanted to rule a soulless, mindless martial world or one brimming with vitality and endless possibilities."

Lu Jianwei understood: "Rather than controlling mere puppets, it's better to nurture the elite disciples of various sects early on. As long as Helian Xue remains the daughter of the Carefree Sect's leader, they would have to obey the sect's orders. Once these disciples grow into the pillars of their respective factions, the entire martial world would become the Carefree Sect's vassal."

For someone as power-hungry as Helian Zheng, this was undoubtedly the perfect choice.

By controlling Helian Xue, he effectively controlled the most elite group in the martial world.

They were still young, with boundless potential for growth.

This was precisely why elite disciples like Zhao Rui and Bian Xingzhou were spared the puppet Gu's offspring, while less talented young martial artists, such as Xu Cheng—Xue Guanhe's opponent in the grand competition—fell victim to Zhuang Wenqing's puppet Gu.

"Yes, he agreed," Amuyan said, her eyes gleaming with approval. "I also wanted to use this method to protect A'Xue's life as much as possible."

Lu Jianwei: "But you didn’t know that Zhuang Wenqing had planned to exploit Helian Xue's love Gu to incite chaos in the martial world, even intending to pin the blame on her and turn her into a reviled witch."

"That Zhuang is just as vile!" Amuyan spat bitterly. "They’re two of a kind. Without Zhuang Wenqing, Helian Zheng would never have ascended to the sect leader’s position. He naively dreamed of controlling the entire martial world but couldn’t even keep Zhuang Wenqing in check. What a joke."

"You knew they were acquainted?"

"When I was in Dada City, I met Zhuang Wenqing first," Amuyan said with self-mockery. "Looking back now, I realize I was ensnared in his schemes from the very beginning."

Lu Jianwei: "His schemes? Not theirs?"

"Exactly. That beast was just an ordinary disciple of the Carefree Sect back then, while Zhuang Wenqing was already the master of Thousand Miles Tower. Without Zhuang Wenqing’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering, he would never have become sect leader."

The letters retrieved from Wu Ping by the Xuanjing Division indeed revealed a peculiar tone in Helian Zheng’s wording—unbefitting a powerful sect leader, more like someone in a subservient position.

When Lu Jianwei read the letters, she found them oddly dissonant. Now she understood why.

From the start, Zhuang Wenqing was the mastermind behind this chain of events.

"But Zhuang Wenqing is dead," Lu Jianwei said. "We only discovered his connection to Helian Zheng through his letters."

Amuyan froze, her clouded eyes suddenly alight with vindictive joy.

"Dead? Good! It couldn’t have happened sooner!"

Lu Jianwei waited quietly for her emotions to settle.

"Have you come to the Carefree Sect in secret to eliminate that beast?"

"The Alliance Leader’s decree has been issued. Heroes from all sides will gather at the Carefree Sect to give Helian Zheng a chance to defend himself."

"Defend himself?" Amuyan sneered. "What defense could there be for the atrocities he’s committed?"

"With just a few letters as evidence, we can’t condemn him," Lu Jianwei said calmly. "We might leave empty-handed this time."

Amuyan’s eyes widened in alarm: "No! He must not escape justice!"

"He’s a late-stage Level Eight Martial King. Without irrefutable proof, the martial world can’t touch him."

"Late-stage Level Eight?" Amuyan shook her head. "No, he’s already broken through to Level Nine."

Lu Jianwei: "..."

So he had deliberately suppressed the news.

"When did he break through?"

"Soon after he decided to move against the Gu God Sect."

Lu Jianwei glanced at Pei Zhi: "No one in the martial world knows. This must be one of his escape plans."

The first was the puppet Gu, the second the love Gu. Once the Gu insects sowed chaos, he could exploit the confusion to flee with his Level Nine Martial King strength.

Even if other Level Nine Martial Kings were present, they wouldn’t dare act rashly—one misstep could harm innocents.

Helian Zheng wouldn’t care, but the "righteous" forces coming to "punish" him would.

"How do you plan to deal with him?" Amuyan asked, her expression uneasy. "He’s cunning and ruthless, willing to do anything to seize power. Now that he’s a Level Nine Martial King, killing him would come at a great cost—just like Elder Huan’s death back then. To eliminate Elder Huan, they even deceived the Qingtian Hall."

Lu Jianwei’s interest sharpened: "Are you referring to the battle of the Level Nine Martial Kings in Moonview City?"

"I don’t know the details, but I remember him rushing to me that day, overjoyed, saying the biggest obstacle was gone—that the Patriarch of Qingtian Hall had killed Elder Huan, and no one would suspect him."

Lu Jianwei turned to Pei Zhi: "It seems the truth of that incident can only be uncovered by questioning Helian Zheng directly."

"Mn."

As soon as he spoke, a deep, resonant tolling of a bell echoed through the sect—nine solemn strikes, reverberating across the grounds.

"This—" Amuyan’s eyes widened. "This is the bell summoning the sect’s assembly."

Lu Jianwei smiled faintly: "Quite the spectacle. Is Helian Zheng rallying the entire sect to absolve himself?"

"The martial artists from various factions must be arriving soon," Pei Zhi said. "The sect’s disciples are restless. He’s trying to steady their morale."

Lu Jianwei: "Helian Xue must have heard it too. She’ll worry if she can’t find us. Let’s head back."

"Wait." Amuyan called out urgently. "Young friend, is the third person with you… my child?"

Lu Jianwei didn’t hide it: "Yes."

"You must leave at once."

"Why?"

Amuyan’s voice was frantic: "Every time Helian Zheng prepares for a major move, he comes to gloat to me. The bell has rung—in four hours, all elders and disciples will gather inside and outside the main hall. He won’t have time to come here. You must go now! As a Level Nine Martial King, he’ll detect your presence!"

"Understood." Lu Jianwei retrieved the water pouch, erasing all traces of their visit.

Pei Zhi picked up the candle, carefully wiping away the wax drippings on the floor.

The two retraced their steps, their inner energy manifesting as palm winds to erase their footprints.

Though Lu Jianwei wasn’t afraid of Helian Zheng, she wasn’t eager for a direct confrontation yet.

Her covert infiltration of the Carefree Sect wasn’t to kill him outright.

Wouldn’t it be far more satisfying to let him fall from grace before meeting his end?

All Helian Zheng cared about was his reputation and status. The perfect outcome would be to strip him of both before forcing him to atone with his life.

Moreover, the truth behind the Huan family’s tragedy over twenty years ago still owed Pei Zhi an explanation.

Returning to the dilapidated dwelling, they found Helian Xue pacing anxiously in the courtyard.

"A'Xue," Lu Jianwei called softly.

Helian Xue turned and hurried over.

"Where have you been?"

"Did you hear the bell just now?"

"I did. That’s the alarm bell summoning the sect’s assembly." Helian Xue wrung her hands nervously, her fingers twisting the hem of her robe. "Shopkeeper, I’m… I’m scared."

"You must stay calm. There's one more crucial task I need you to handle," Lu Jianwei said with a solemn expression.

Helian Xue responded, "Go ahead."

"After the sect assembly, the Carefree Sect will tighten its security. Leaving afterward will likely be difficult."

"Then let's leave now!"

"Not yet."

"Why?"

"Because we need to take someone with us when we leave the Carefree Sect," Lu Jianwei explained.

"Who?"

"Someone who can unravel the mystery."

Helian Xue: ???