Chapter 11: Secretly Exchanging Affection, Appearing to Resolve the Crisis

After admiring Shangguan Haitang's beauty, Gu Hanyuan shifted his gaze to the Emei Sect.

The leader, Abbess Mie Jue, was about forty years old; her appearance was indeed more beautiful than imagined. Pity her face was like severe frost, as if everyone owed her money, forcibly dragging her beauty score from eighty down to sixty. Probably everyone in the Jianghu had forgotten that she too was a beauty in her youth.

The disciples behind Abbess Mie Jue were more worth looking at. Whether practicing martial arts improved one's looks and temperament or Emei only picked beautiful seeds when selecting disciples, one glance revealed no one with a looks score below seventy. Especially the two leading female disciples, both scoring above eighty.

Among them, the tall, handsome-faced one, pity her cheekbones slightly high and lower lip thin, appearing sharp and mean, was most likely Ding Minjun, who would have quite a few scenes.

As for the other, she should be Abbess Mie Jue's other disciple, Bei Jinyi. Judging solely by looks, she was inferior to Ding Minjun, but that girl-next-door temperament was even more admirable than Ding Minjun's.

While Gu Gu Hanyuan was evaluating the beauty of Emei's many female disciples, suddenly his heart stirred; he subconsciously looked toward Yin Yin Susu's position. Sure enough, he caught the gaze she was directing at him.

Yin Yin Susu lowered her head slightly in panic, barely suppressing the embarrassment that made one's face turn red. Yet inwardly she cursed herself: what was there to fear? Why feel so guilty?

The truth was, for these past few days Yin Yin Susu had been unable to see Gu Gu Hanyuan again; today she finally saw him, so naturally her attention shifted to him. But then she saw Gu Gu Hanyuan staring at the Emei female disciples, and just as she was pouting in dissatisfaction, he caught her red-handed.

Gu Gu Hanyuan pondered briefly, guessed what Yin Yin Susu was thinking, and looked at her with some amusement.

When Yin Yin Susu calmed her feelings and raised her head, she saw Gu Gu Hanyuan silently form words with his lips toward her.

"They are not as beautiful as you."

After reading that, Yin Yin Susu dared not look at Gu Gu Hanyuan again; she could only turn sideways to him, listening to her heart beat faster, a smile curling her lips, completely dispelling the nervousness about the impending calamity.

In her heart she thought: Today's calamity relies on you. If things do not go smoothly... then so be it.

The visiting major sects first perfunctorily expressed congratulations on Zhang Zhang Sanfeng's hundredth birthday.

Sects with any shame brought gifts, while shameless sects merely spoke a few dry congratulatory words before staring hungrily at Zhang Cuishan and Yin Yin Susu.

After finishing the surface formalities, the major sects, led by North North Shaolin's Abbot Master Kongwen, began their attack.

Master Kongwen walked before Zhang Zhang Sanfeng and performed a Buddhist bow.

"True Person Zhang, by age I am your junior. Today, besides paying birthday respects, I ought not to raise other matters. But as Abbot of North North Shaolin, I have a few words to ask of my senior; please do not take offense, True Person Zhang."

Although Master Kongwen's manners were proper, his words were full of aggression; first stating he was a junior, yet mentioning he was Abbot of North North Shaolin.

Lin, elevating his status to equal Zhang Zhang Sanfeng's. His words blocked any avenue for Zhang Zhang Sanfeng to refuse inquiries at the birthday celebration.

Zhang Zhang Sanfeng had lived a hundred years; what kinds of people and events had he not seen? One could say even his eyelashes were empty, yet he was accustomed to cultivating his nature and mind in daily life, so his temperament was peaceful.

Today the major sects, ostensibly celebrating the birthday, had a true purpose: they were certainly targeting the fifth disciple and his wife, who knew the whereabouts of Xie Xun and the Dragon-Slaying Blade.

Now, pressured by Master Kongwen and the momentum of the crowd, there were no words to refuse; he spoke directly:

"Is Master here for my fifth disciple, Zhang Cuishan?"

Zhang Cuishan had prepared himself beforehand; though he knew today's calamity would not be easy, he felt no fear, and stepped forward calmly.

Seeing the main person arrived, Master Kongwen went straight to the point.

"Indeed. We have two matters to ask of Zhang Wuxia. First, Zhang Wuxia killed seventy-one people of the Longmen Escort Agency, my North Shaolin Sect's client. How shall the lives of these seventy-one be settled? Second, my senior brother, Master Kongjian, spent his life with compassion, quarreling with no one, yet was killed by the Golden-Haired Lion King Xie Xun. I hear Zhang Wuxia knows his whereabouts; please inform Zhang Wuxia."

A few days prior, Zhang Cuishan had learned that the one who killed the entire Longmen Escort Agency was his wife, Yin Yin Susu; his expression hesitated somewhat. He had always been upright and unyielding, yet in the end it was his wife who placed him in a dilemma; he could only compromise and state:

"The seventy-one lives of the Longmen Escort Agency were absolutely not harmed by this junior."

Yin Yin Susu naturally noticed Zhang Cuishan's slight hesitation; she did not blame him, yet a trace of disappointment inevitably arose.

"Master Kongjian's passing indeed pains the heart, yet that Golden-Haired Lion King and this junior have sworn brotherhood, eight-fold oaths. As for where Xie Xun is, to speak plainly, this junior does know. But we of the martial arts world value the character 'righteousness' above all; Zhang Cuishan's head may be severed, his blood may splash, but the whereabouts of my sworn brother shall absolutely not be revealed. This matter has nothing to do with my honored master, nor with my fellow disciples; Zhang Cuishan alone bears it. If you all wish to force us with death, to kill or flay, then please proceed. This Zhang has never in his life done a single thing shameful to the sect, nor recklessly killed a single good person. If you today force me into unrighteousness, then nothing more than death."

Zhang Cuishan originally did not worry much about today's events. After all, if fighting broke out, Wudang could annihilate all the martial arts experts present at Zixiao Palace. Yet when the moment arrived, pride got the better of him, and he spoke words offering his life.