Volume One: The Soul-Gathering Gourd, the Soul-Igniting Lamp Chapter Forty-Nine: On the Brink
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Heavy footsteps echoed through the gloomy, narrow corridor.
Clip-clop—clip-clop—
Before Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou could even gather their wits, two armed men, guns at the ready, appeared before them, dragging thick iron chains.
Looking closer, the armed personnel stepping forward to bind the corpse were tall, imposing figures exuding martial vigor. Their muscular forms were entirely encased in black combat uniforms, even their faces hidden behind gas masks, leaving no hint of their true appearance.
Their combat suits bore no insignia or markings, but what inspired the greatest dread was the sheer firepower they carried. Steel knives, pistols, bulletproof vests—their tactical vests bristled with deadly implements. At their waists hung two “little pineapples”—hand grenades. The unwavering, determined look in their eyes, glimpsed through their visors, sent a chill down one’s spine.
It felt as though such a scene belonged only in gunfight or sci-fi movies—yet why did all kinds of bizarre events seem to unfold around Gu Mo?
Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou stood like two windswept scarecrows, utterly bewildered, unable to make heads or tails of the situation. In this predicament, they couldn't even begin to figure out their next move.
Clearly, these two were no ordinary thugs. And that so-called “749 Provisions Company” possessed such formidable weaponry—the organization became all the more mysterious. Perhaps, they were even military.
Clank! Clank!
The two armed men moved with startling speed. In the blink of an eye, the corpse on the dissection table was trussed up tightly with the heavy iron chains.
The tension in the air quickly dissipated, yet Gu Mo grew more suspicious by the second.
At that moment, the strange corpse turned its hollow eyes to Gu Mo. Its mouth gaped, as if trying to speak, but no words came.
Under that gaze, a sudden chill gripped Gu Mo’s heart. The expression in those eyes was unfathomably complex.
It seemed… as though the corpse was seeking his help!
Gu Mo arched an eyebrow and let slip a devilish smile—a daring idea sparked to life in his mind.
“No matter what… This bizarre corpse is, after all, my big brother in name, though we never met in life. Still, his death was an immense injustice! If the scruffy priest’s guess is right, my cheap big brother was only made like this because of me. Were it not for him, I might have been the one on the autopsy table. If I let outsiders have their way with him, how could I continue to make a name for myself in Beihuang Town?”
At this, a surge of anger welled up within Gu Mo.
With an abnormal train of thought, he glanced at the inexplicable scene before him, snorted coldly, and spoke.
“Hey! You come barging in here and think you can just take something without asking the owner?”
Li Hetang, standing opposite, responded with a cold, mocking smile, his eyes fixed on Gu Mo.
“You cocky brat, who do you think you are? Do you really want to make an enemy of the entire ‘749 Provisions Company’? You’re really overestimating yourself!”
That would have sufficed, but Gu Mo curled his lips in a wicked grin, his retort even sharper.
“Provisions Company? Just a bunch of country bumpkins hawking spicy strips and sausages—how dare you talk so big?”
Suddenly, the sound of safeties being clicked off sliced through the air.
The two armed men had already drawn their pistols from their thighs, pointing the cold muzzles directly at Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou.
In the cramped mortuary, the tension soared—the pounding of their hearts was almost audible.
The medical examiner and his apprentice were drenched in cold sweat.
Yet these two stubborn, reckless fools showed not a hint of fear.
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Gu Mo stared coldly at the situation, then abruptly lowered his stance—a surge of ghostly green fire erupted around him, burning fiercely.
The eerie green light bathed the mortuary, making the already sinister place all the more terrifying.
Li Hetang frowned at the two fools before him, inwardly mulling over his options.
“If I give the word, the armed men behind me could pull the trigger in an instant and end these two overconfident idiots then and there. But that would violate protocol and taboo! Who exactly are these two?”
As Li Hetang pondered, Gu Mo snorted again, full of contempt.
“Boy, it’s cramped in here. Why not step outside and settle this?”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than urgent footsteps sounded in the corridor.
In a few breaths, the ashen-faced Chief Niu arrived at the scene. His belly protruding, he forced a sheepish smile, eager to smooth things over.
“Gentlemen, there’s no need for this! We’re all on the same side! Please, let’s all calm down.”
Despite his words, none of the parties showed any intention of backing down. It was as if Chief Niu and Li Hetang were utterly invisible.
After a while, the mysterious Li Hetang simply sneered, took off his sterile gown, and strode out into the corridor. The two men in black combat gear shouldered the trussed corpse and followed.
But as they passed Gu Mo, he could sense the naked hostility behind those gas masks.
“So—anti-terror operatives, huh? All this for a single corpse? Looks like I have to get involved!”
With that, Gu Mo turned to Xiao Yulou.
Their eyes met—both stubborn men, their gazes full of resolve. Xiao Yulou, a wandering priest of Jade Void Peak’s Wuzhuang Temple, would always stand by Gu Mo’s side.
Seeing the tension subside, Chief Niu finally felt a weight lift from his heart.
“Phew—what is Gu Mo up to now? And doesn’t Master Xiao realize how powerful the ‘Provisions Company’ is? Even officials from the capital treat them with deference. I hope they don’t make a mess of things!”
Soon after, Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou shed their sterile gowns and strode out into the corridor.
Whoosh—
The sky was clear, the sun shining brightly.
The breeze carried the fresh scent of grass and trees, but the tense, awkward atmosphere refused to dissipate.
A military truck with white license plates was parked at the mortuary entrance. In front of it, ten heavily armed men stood guard, weapons at the ready.
Their fully armored appearance gave Xiao Yulou an uncanny sense of déjà vu. But Gu Mo, ever the reckless one, didn’t care at all.
In an instant, Xiao Yulou quietly hid his hands behind his back, muttering calculations under his breath. The sly priest’s lips curled into a strange smile.
As Gu Mo considered his options, a tiny voice buzzed in his ear.
“Brother Gu, it’s up to you if we fight or not. I can handle all twelve of these armed men for you!”
With that, the mischievous priest—seemingly on a whim—flicked his black Daoist robe and formed a mystical seal, chanting loudly.
“Sacred Flames of the Three Pure Ones!”
With a roar, a blazing fireball the size of a truck cab erupted above Xiao Yulou’s palm.
Bang!
Behind them, forensic examiner Song Yuer hurriedly locked the security door. Chief Niu and Li Hetang, seeing this, quickly took cover on the sidelines, watching the shifting situation with trepidation.
In an instant, the twelve men in black combat gear leveled their guns at Gu Mo and Xiao Yulou!
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The tension, already at its breaking point, ratcheted up another notch.
Li Hetang, his intentions still unclear, stood before the twelve armed men with a cold smile, pulling out a cigarette and clamping it between his teeth. The pack was white and spare, adorned only with a bright red star.
Facing the threat of firearms, Gu Mo appeared utterly fearless.
As the saying goes: “A newborn calf fears no tiger!”
Gu Mo offered Xiao Yulou a cigarette from his pack. The two cocky youths lit their smokes on the “Sacred Flame of the Three Pure Ones.”
As smoke curled around them, Li Hetang grinned darkly at Gu Mo.
“You little brat, I’m on a mission now. If you want to fight, let’s take it out to the wild lake!”
Gu Mo raised his head arrogantly, exhaling a delicate plume of smoke.
“Little punk! That corpse you’ve got tied up is my ‘big brother in name.’ You just walk off with him like that—where does that leave my dignity?”
To this provocation, Li Hetang showed not a trace of anger. In fact, he seemed intent on probing Gu Mo’s true background. Fortune had delivered his quarry right to him!
In a flash, the cigarette-clenching Xiao Yulou bared his teeth and snarled.
“Enough talk! Let’s fight!”
At the critical moment, the immortal-looking Xiao Yulou swept his hand. The “Sacred Flame of the Three Pure Ones” before them instantly transformed into a wall of fire.
Gunshots rang out from beyond the flames.
Rat-tat-tat-tat—!
Merciless bullets poured forth…
Gu Mo shuddered at the deafening gunfire. But when he looked, he saw the bullets melt into pools of molten metal as soon as they touched the firewall.
Relieved but annoyed, Gu Mo glared at Xiao Yulou.
“You showoff! It was fine to bluff a bit, but you actually went through with it!”
The Daoist, looking harmless as ever, blinked innocently at Gu Mo.
“Brother Gu, weren’t you trying to rescue your ‘big brother’? Bullets don’t have eyes—how can you tease a poor priest like me?”
Gu Mo’s face twisted in exasperation.
“Damn it! Aren’t you supposed to negotiate before a fight breaks out?”
Xiao Yulou immediately caught on. The sneaky priest looked at Gu Mo with a clueless expression.
“So, what now, Brother Gu?”
Gu Mo’s face darkened; he gritted his teeth and replied helplessly.
“What else? Fight!”
No sooner had he spoken than Xiao Yulou unhurriedly pulled out two magical artifacts from his robe. The precious jade hairpin he tucked into his hair, while the palm-sized “Wealth Beyond Measure” was pressed into Gu Mo’s hand.
Bewildered, Gu Mo raised an eyebrow, and Xiao Yulou’s voice sounded in his ear.
“Brother Gu, the tortoiseshell will keep you safe. You can go forward and fight!”
Hearing this, Gu Mo put on a bitter face, tossing the tortoiseshell in his hand, doubtful it would stop a bullet.
“This sneaky priest! I have to charge into battle while he sits on the sidelines—does he plan to watch the show from afar?”
Suddenly, the gunfire beyond the firewall ceased, and an awkward silence fell over the scene.