Chapter 2 – Yan Sanniang

  Though only seventeen, Gu Chudong was no greenhorn. She’d been running the jianghu with Gu Mo since she was seven and had more than a few years of experience under her belt. Her vigince was excellent—she hid the severed head so well, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary bundle.

  On the way back, nothing unexpected occurred.

  “Brother, it’s like... you can see again.”

  “What makes you say that?” Gu Mo asked.

  “You’re walking really steady,” Gu Chudong said. “Yesterday morning it took us the whole day to reach Mount Dabao. But today we left the mountain and made it this far in just under two hours. I didn’t even need to slow down.”

  Gu Mo smiled faintly. “I had a bit of insight st night. My inner strength has improved a lot—I’ve adjusted to living blind.”

  “Really?” Gu Chudong nodded. “That’s good then. But don’t worry, Brother. I’ll definitely find a way to get your eyesight back.”

  “Alright.”

  Gu Mo smiled again. Honestly, he wasn’t too worried.

  Now that he had the system, he wasn’t afraid of staying blind forever. He pnned to become a bounty hunter—not just to earn money and hire the best doctors, but also because this was a world where martial arts and medicine often walked hand in hand. Divine physicians definitely existed here.

  And even if he didn’t find one? The system’s rewards could very well include something that could restore his sight.

  “Brother, you really do look better when you smile.”

  “Then I’ll try to smile more.”

  “Mm. I like it when you smile. Ever since your eyes got hurt, you’ve been so gloomy, barely talked, and your temper got scary… I was afraid of you.”

  “That won’t happen again.”

  Gu Mo reached out his hand, and Gu Chudong leaned her head against his palm. It was a gesture they had shared since childhood.

  Gu Mo was three years older than Gu Chudong. Their parents vanished ten years ago, leaving the two of them to rely on each other. At just ten years old, Gu Mo set out to raise his sister and search for their missing parents.

  Thankfully, both siblings had been training in martial arts since they were three or four. Though still young, they could at least defend themselves. But life was hard. The two of them had only survived by depending on each other.

  And recently...

  The loss of his eyesight had hit Gu Mo hard. It nearly broke him. His moods had turned violent and unstable. Gu Chudong had suffered just as much.

  Linjiang City was the capital of Linjiang Prefecture—a prosperous hub located at the confluence of several great rivers, making it the commercial heart of the region.

  But with prosperity came problems.

  Trade had boosted the economy, but it also drew a flood of martial artists hoping to strike it rich. And where there are martial artists, there’s trouble. The ancient saying held true: “Heroes defy the w with their strength.”

  The city became chaotic. Criminals flocked here, seeing it as the perfect pce to hide or cause mayhem.

  Though the imperial court’s Six Gates Bureau tried to maintain order, they were always short-staffed. So they turned to an old solution: fight fire with fire. They posted bounty notices and invited the jianghu to help.

  Thus, the bounty hunting profession—Ghostwriters, as they were called—thrived in Linjiang.

  The Six Gates even set up a special department just to deal with Ghostwriters.

  Gu Chudong brought Gu Mo to the yamen and handed in the severed head of Zhou Tong, the infamous flower thief. After a quick verification, they received the promised 300 taels.

  That was a huge sum.

  Back when Gu Mo worked for the Changfeng Escort Agency, he earned about 100 taels a year—assuming he took on dangerous missions. After expenses, there wasn’t much left. Three hundred taels was a windfall.

  Gu Chudong held the silver gleefully as they left the yamen. “Brother, let’s buy a carriage! You can’t walk far, and riding a horse’s out of the question. A carriage would be perfect. We’d be home in half a month. Then we’ll buy a small house, and I’ll open a little business. Once my martial skills are better, I’ll grow the business, earn tons of money, fix your eyes, and find you a wife—one that’ll give you chubby sons!”

  Gu Mo shook his head. “I don’t want to go back.”

  “Huh?” Gu Chudong blinked. “Then… you want to stay in Linjiang?”

  “Yes, we’ll stay.”

  She never opposed him. “Alright. But Linjiang’s property is expensive. Three hundred taels won’t buy us a house—we’ll have to rent. Business here’s also tough. I could work at a martial hall as an instructor. It doesn’t pay much, but it’ll cover our living expenses and give me time to train.”

  Gu Mo smiled. “I want to become a bounty hunter.”

  She hesitated. “Okay… as long as you’re happy. We can take easy bounties. That should be enough to get by.”

  “We can take hard ones too.”

  “Brother, I can’t beat them!”

  “No worries. I’ll do the fighting. You just lead the way and grab the heads.”

  She looked at the blindfold over his eyes, hesitating. She wanted to dissuade him but was afraid to crush his spirit. He’d only just recovered mentally, and she didn’t want to risk him slipping back into despair.

  Though he cimed his inner strength had improved, she didn’t believe it could make up for his blindness.

  “Alright, Brother. Let’s find an inn first. Then I’ll look for a pce to rent.”

  She figured: he couldn’t see. It’s not like he’d really go out and fight. There was no need to argue.

  As they chatted and searched for an inn—

  Gu Mo suddenly stopped. “The two friends behind us—no need to keep tailing us. Come out and speak your mind.”

  Gu Chudong’s expression shifted. She instantly grabbed her bde.

  A woman’s voice came from the alley: “Please don’t misunderstand, Young Master Gu, Miss Gu—I mean no harm.”

  Gu Mo couldn’t see, but the voice was pleasant—yet not merely sweet. It carried a strange allure, a kind of charm that could ensnare hearts. If her looks matched her voice, she’d be a stunner.

  As it turned out, she was.

  A breathtaking woman stepped out, her figure graceful, wrapped in flowing white silk that hugged her slender waist. Every smile and gesture dripped with seductive charm.

  Behind her stood a tall, serious-looking young man in bck, a longsword strapped to his back. He followed half a step behind, clearly her bodyguard.

  “I am Yan Sanniang of Buer Manor,” the woman said with a cupped-fist salute.

  “Oh, the Bone-Scraping Bde herself—Boss Yan. I’ve heard of you,” Gu Mo replied, returning the gesture. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  He had lived in Linjiang for four years and knew the local jianghu well. Anyone with a name, he’d heard of.

  Yan Sanniang was a rare female powerhouse in the jianghu. She ran a winery in Linjiang. Though famous for her beauty, her ruthlessness had earned her the nickname “Bone-Scraping Bde.”

  Hearing her name made Gu Chudong visibly tense. She knew that anyone with a nickname in the jianghu wasn’t to be trifled with.

  Gu Mo, for all his skill, had never earned such a title.

  Yan Sanniang said, “I saw you hand in Zhou Tong’s head at the yamen earlier. Are you two pnning to become bounty hunters? If so, I’d like to propose a partnership.”

  Gu Mo chuckled. “Boss Yan, pnning to quit the wine business and open a branch of Windchase House?”

  She smiled. “You’re not wrong. The wine trade’s tough these days. I’ve officially changed nes.”

  Windchase House was a network of brokers that served Ghostwriters. Since many bounty hunters avoided direct dealings with the government—some even being wanted criminals themselves—these houses acted as middlemen.

  They negotiated bounties, provided intel, and helped coordinate group hunts for powerful targets.

  A Windchase broker could double or even triple your reward by gathering extra private bounties from families the criminal had harmed.

  “Interesting,” Gu Mo said. “But Linjiang’s got at least ten Windchase branches. Why go with your brand-new shop instead of an old, reliable one?”

  “I have my advantages,” Yan Sanniang replied. “First, I don’t have many Ghostwriters under me yet, so I have lots of resources to spare. I can prioritize you two with intel. If you go with a big-name house, you’ll get scraps.

  “Second, while I still split bounties fifty-fifty on paper, I’ll discreetly return twenty percent to you—through gifts or other means. That leaves me with just thirty percent.

  “Well?”

  Gu Mo nodded. “Alright. But I’m tired today. Send someone with a proper offer tomorrow. I trust a broker like you can figure out where we’re staying.”

  “Of course. See you tomorrow.”

  “Farewell.”

  Gu Mo and Gu Chudong walked away.

  Watching them go, the man in bck behind Yan Sanniang muttered, “Boss, why bother recruiting them? One’s a girl, the other’s a blind man. Zhou Tong was clearly already wounded—they just got lucky.”

  “I’m not recruiting the girl,” Yan Sanniang said. “I want the blind man.”

  “…He’s blind.”

  “Yes. He is.”

  The man chuckled. “I think you’re making a mistake. That blind guy won’t live to see tomorrow.”

  “Oh? Why?”

  “Three hundred taels for a pretty young girl and a blind man? That’s a bounty on their own heads now. People would kill for less.”

  (End of Chapter)