Watching the withered appearance of the Faceless Man, Chen Mo felt that he probably hadn’t lied, and squeezed his little liver forcefully with his palm.
"Talk, how did you find me?"
The Faceless Man shivered, his face turning bitter.
He was only fifth-grade, unable to separate his Divine Soul from his body. If his physical form was destroyed, he would truly cease to exist!
In theory, Ghost Cultivators are the bane of Martial Cultivators, especially since he was a whole realm above his opponent, yet he ended up being pinned down and ground against the floor...
It was utterly against the natural order!
"I’ve kicked an iron plate..."
The Faceless Man completely lost his will to fight and confessed honestly.
After listening to his narrative and combining the information he knew, Chen Mo roughly pieced together the course of events.
The Faceless Man was called You Daoist, from the Western Regions Devouring Ghost Sect.
Three years ago, an error occurred during his secluded cultivation, causing his cultivation to fall. Qin Wuxiang took the opportunity to steal his Life-bound Magical Treasure, the Soul Summoning Banner, and hid in Tongling County.
But before the Magical Treasure could be refined, it was destroyed by Chen Mo.
"...I was coincidentally investigating nearby and felt the fluctuations of the Soul Summoning Banner, so I followed them all the way to Tiandu City."
"But after entering the city, the aura of the Magical Treasure disappeared without a trace, completely beyond my detection..."
"I heard that Qin Wuxiang died at your hands, and guessed that the item must have been taken by you, which is why I followed you to the Imperial Music Bureau..."
Chen Mo’s mouth twitched.
The Soul Summoning Banner had already been refined by the Empress; of course, you couldn’t sense it.
He hadn’t expected the news of him slaughtering a demon to spread so widely, leading his creditor straight to him...
"This little... Lord, I’ve said all there is to say, the ghostly beings have been devoured by you, and I’ve resigned myself to not retrieving the Magical Treasure, can you spare my life?"
You Daoist pleaded humbly.
Chen Mo retorted, "Do I look stupid to you?"
You Daoist had not yet reacted when a muffled explosion sounded within his chest, followed by black blood spurting out of his mouth and nose.
He stared dead-eyed at Chen Mo and thudded to the ground.
Chen Mo absorbed his Divine Soul, making sure he was completely dead, before finally relaxing.
Taking out a handkerchief, he wiped the black blood and flesh off his hands.
"I hope there won’t be another person from the Devouring Ghost Sect coming to seek vengeance for him. That would truly be endless." Chen Mo muttered to himself.
At this moment, the little maid beside him spoke up, "The Devouring Ghost Sect has long been exterminated. I guess this You Daoist got some inheritance from somewhere and claimed to be from the Devouring Ghost Sect..."
Chen Mo glanced at her, "You seem to know quite a bit, Saintess Gu."
The maid’s eyes flickered, and she shook her head, "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
The system prompt just now, along with that characteristic Green Jade Scripture... even a fool could see her identity.
"The words I said last time, you seem to have forgotten. You still dare to stay in Tiandu City? Do you really think I won’t kill you?"
Chen Mo’s tone was icy.
Seeing her identity exposed, the maid no longer pretended, her unique soft voice rising, "I haven’t forgotten, you said our grudges were settled, and we owed nothing to each other... Now that I have helped you kill You Daoist, does that mean you owe me a favor?"
What kind of thought process does this person have?
Last time he almost lost his life!
"I didn’t know Master wanted to use Gu Poison Worm on you... When withdrawing, I deliberately left the corpse of the Gu Poison Worm at the scene to solidify my identity; this could also be considered as earning merits for you..."
As Gu Manzhi explained herself, before she could finish, her figure suddenly soared into the air and harshly smashed into the wall, her complexion turning pale instantly.
Chen Mo grasped her slender, delicate neck, a flash of murderous intent in his eyes.
Gu Manzhi was not panicked, her voice as seductively soft as ever, "Once you kill me, you are bound to face Master’s retaliation, and even if I die, there will be others to take my place... They are far more ruthless than me."
Chen Mo of course understood this rationale.
The Moon Brilliance Sect would not rest easily. Now that the plot has shifted and the future is unpredictable, compared to others, at least Gu Manzhi still has a basis of favorability...
However, facing their opposing stances, how effective could this little bit of favorability be?
Thinking of how Gu Manzhi had just intercepted You Daoist for him, Chen Mo hesitated for a moment but finally released his hand.
Gu Manzhi caught her breath and rubbed her pale neck, frowning, "You’re so cruel, last time you swelled my chest with several slaps, and it still hurts a bit, now you almost strangled me to death..."
Chen Mo looked straight at her, "Your injuries haven’t healed yet, and you’re taking risks staying at the Imperial Music Bureau, what exactly do you want to do?"
Last time, the incident caused a great uproar, and the spy forces implanted here by various powers at least doubled. If any trace were revealed, it would be a catastrophe for her.
What was the reason for doing this?
Gu Manzhi pursed her lips and whispered softly, "Other than seducing men, I have no other skills. Besides this place of fireworks, where else could I go? Moreover, it is convenient here to gather information, otherwise, I wouldn’t know that the Princely Heir was targeting you..."
"Princely Heir? Targeting me?"
Chen Mo was momentarily stunned.
Gu Manzhi said, "Miss Yu’er is the daughter of the former Minister of War; after being reduced to the servant class, she was used by the Princely Heir as a tool to get close to you... If you don’t believe it, you can ask her yourself."
Chen Mo walked over to the bedside only to see Miss Yu’er’s complexion was ashen, her eyes wide open, and her chest utterly still, she had been dead for quite a while.
Using Soul Capturing, he found her Divine Soul had dissipated, probably dying when You Daoist possessed her.
Gu Manzhi saw he hadn’t moved and walked over.
Seeing Miss Yu’er’s corpse, she also fell into silence.
Chen Mo furrowed his brows tightly.
He didn’t doubt the truthfulness of Gu Manzhi’s words.
If he wanted to investigate, he would ultimately be able to trace the subtle clues; there was no need to lie about such a matter.
"Just because of the Barbarian Slave Case, is it worth putting so much effort on me?"
"It seems there’s more behind this than just involving a few high officials... I thought with Households Commander Shen taking the blame upfront, I wouldn’t be targeted. Yet it seems I still am..."
Looking at Miss Yu’er’s corpse on the bed, the floor with You Daoist’s heart carved out, and Gu Manzhi dressed as a maid beside him... Chen Mo’s head throbbed with pain.
"I just came to PC, how come the Imperial Music Bureau is full of undercover agents?"
"You Daoist doesn’t matter, but with Yu’er dead, there might be some trouble..."
Just then, Gu Manzhi drew a talisman covered in Yu’er’s blood from her bosom.
A blue light injected into it, and the paper figure instantly "came to life," stepping off Gu Manzhi’s hand, it approached Yu’er’s side and crawled into her mouth.
Approximately after half a stick of incense’s time, Yu’er’s wide-open eyes suddenly blinked.
Then, turning her head towards Chen Mo, she spoke in a seductive voice:
"Lord, my body hasn’t cooled down yet; how about taking advantage while it’s still warm?"