Chapter 114: Lu Xiaofeng Respected Physics

The martial world was in shock.

But Lu Xiaofeng feared Gu Qing might change his mind.

"Don't worry, I've already started."

Gu Qing gazed toward the Golden Throne; the old man's former position was now gone.

For Hu Manlou's restored sight, Gu Qing only needed to demonstrate value; the old man had far more to consider.

Lu Xiaofeng leapt down from the Taihe Hall with Gu Qing on his back, effortlessly, then went to carry Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng. After landing, all three—Gu Qing, Ximen Chuixue, and Ye Gucheng—were exhausted. The surrounding martial artists gathered around, praising them sincerely.

On the night of the fifteenth day of the ninth month, it was no festival, yet the imperial palace held a banquet.

The current Emperor hosted the banquet for the martial artists who came to watch the duel—some were sect elders, others were sect leaders; they had been honored with invitations to many places before, but today, in the Forbidden City, they were honored by the Emperor himself.

The banquet only ended as dawn approached.

After leaving the Forbidden City, Ye Gucheng bowed to Gu Qing, said no more, and boarded his carriage to depart.

At this moment, Lu Xiaofeng stood beside Gu Qing and whispered: "Actually, Prince Pingnan's affair involved him too, didn't it?"

Ye Gucheng was the master of Prince Pingnan's heir; the duel's location had been changed to the Forbidden City by Ye Gucheng himself. From this, the political upheaval before and after the duel clearly tied back to Ye Gucheng… even the attack by the two lamas that day was not meant to silence Ye Gucheng, but to rescue him.

Talking about this now feels like hindsight, but Lu Xiaofeng had finally pieced everything together.

By taking Ye Gucheng to seek medicine and demand justice, Gu Qing's true aim was to sever Ye Gucheng's ties to the conspiracy.

Hearing Lu Xiaofeng's words, Gu Qing smiled.

"You want him to turn back because you consider him a friend, right?"

Lu Xiaofeng asked with a grin.

In Lu Xiaofeng's view, he believed Gu Qing and Ye Gucheng had partnered during the Embroidered Bandit case, sensed Ye Gucheng was about to make a fatal mistake, and used these methods to make him pull back from the brink.

"I just wanted to eat dumplings."

Gu Qing said casually.

Mu Daoren, Dugu Yihé, Lao Shi the Monk—all terrible at making dumplings—yet in the Forbidden City, they all accepted defeat and rolled up their sleeves to make a huge pot of dumplings. The taste was excellent, and the martial artists who tasted them sincerely thanked Gu Qing.

One duel atop the Forbidden City, one meal of dumplings—Gu Qing gained over six hundred good deeds in total.

"Heh…"

Lu Xiaofeng chuckled, and after kissing Gu Qing's shoe, he grew even closer to him.

He was a reliable friend—even if he was often unreliable.

Ximen Chuixue and Sun Xiuqing walked over together, nodded slightly to Gu Qing, and said: "Farewell."

Gu Qing nodded in return.

As Ximen Chuixue turned to leave, he asked: "If you wanted to kill me, how many moves would it take?"

The battle atop the Forbidden City appeared a draw, but in truth, Gu Qing had won—neither Ximen Chuixue nor Ye Gucheng could overcome him; one-on-one, it was clear.

Gu Qing shook his head slightly. "I never calculate killing moves against those I have no wish to kill."

If Gu Qing truly wanted to kill, he would fight like when he faced the Golden Wheel Lama—exchange injury for injury, leveraging his good deeds to heal and outlast his opponent. But against those he didn't wish to kill, he always sought victory alone.

Ximen Chuixue nodded, took Sun Xiuqing's hand, and they boarded the carriage, driving back to their manor.

Footsteps approached again; Gu Qing turned his head and saw Mu Daoren, Gu Song Jushi, Lao Shi the Monk, Dugu Yihé, and all three heroes and one beauty of Emei walking over.

They too had come to bid Gu Qing farewell.

"Congratulations!" Lu Xiaofeng bowed to Mu Daoren, yet with some confusion: "Aren't you always fond of wandering, even refusing to become Wudang's sect leader? Why suddenly take over Quanzhen?"

A Wudang elder taking over as Quanzhen's patriarch—even with the Emperor's approval—would face massive resistance from all sides.

Lu Xiaofeng felt this was a thankless, grueling task.

Mu Daoren was helpless; he hadn't wanted to be Wudang's leader, yet he hadn't obtained the position. Now that the role of Quanzhen patriarch lay before him, he naturally seized it. Yet he had long prepared an answer to Lu Xiaofeng's question.

"Gu Qing Feng went too far. If Quanzhen isn't properly reorganized, this lineage will wither."

Through Gu Qing's recommendation, the Emperor had already approved Mu Daoren.

Lu Xiaofeng smiled. "Then you won't have much free time anymore."

Mu Daoren seemed troubled, murmuring: "I hope Quanzhen has a worthy successor." He clearly intended to pass on the leadership.

"Great Master Gu…"

A voice came; Gu Qing turned and saw Sima Ziye.

In the martial world, there's a saying: "Golden Nangong, Silver Ouyang, Jade Sima." The Sima family of Jiangnan's Tiger Hill, Shuangyu Pond, and Changle Manor was the wealthiest among them. Sima Ziye was a disciple of the Iron Sword Master; he usually held himself high, yet now he respected Gu Qing, speaking politely and inviting him to visit Changle Manor someday in Jiangnan.

!

Gu Qing also bid farewell to Sima Ziye. The Iron Sword Master was one of Gu Long's protagonists; his martial arts were extraordinary. Chang Mantian, whose eyes were blinded by the Embroidered Bandit, had trained in the Iron Sword Master's sword techniques.

After bidding everyone farewell, Gu Qing boarded the carriage prepared by Shangguan Feiyan. Just as he was about to leave, Lu Xiaofeng shamelessly sat on the carriage's front, ready to drive for him.

"I'm not running away…"

Gu Qing looked at Lu Xiaofeng's eager expression and said: "I'll rest in the capital for a few days, then head to Jiangnan."

Gu Qing knew Lu Xiaofeng was doing this for Hu Manlou.

"I know you won't run."

Lu Xiaofeng said: "Gu Qing, I want to exchange martial arts with you."

Gu Qing was greatly surprised.

"I know you're the top martial artist in the world, and I know you can learn my Lingxi Finger in an instant—but my Lingxi Finger isn't that simple."

Lu Xiaofeng said confidently.

Lingxi Finger wasn't just about pinching weapons; it was a complete finger technique. Lu Xiaofeng's index and middle fingers possessed immense finger strength—he could snap his fingers and send a man flying.

Gu Qing looked at Lu Xiaofeng. Indeed, Lu Xiaofeng possessed one martial art Gu Qing wanted to learn.

That was the technique of stepping on one foot with the other to leap into the air. Such a flying skill would be devastating in battle and immensely useful for exploring the great world.

"I'm not the top martial artist."

Gu Qing wasn't being modest; the Gu-style martial world held too many hidden monsters whose arts far surpassed his own. He added: "But exchanging martial arts is fine."

Lu Xiaofeng wanted to exchange for Gu Qing's ability to focus on two things at once, parts of the Jiuyin Zhenjing, the Yihun Dafa, and so on; in return, he offered Lingxi Finger, his own lightness skill, and the "Tiyun Zong" Gu Qing had mentioned.

"Actually, stepping on one foot with the other will never make you fly."

Lu Xiaofeng respected physics and said: "The collision of the two feet isn't for leverage—it's for generating force."

The feet contain many acupoints that can store internal energy. At critical moments, this energy can be triggered, surging out to generate force mid-air, enabling a second jump.

Hearing this, Gu Qing's eyes brightened. He had long sought ways to apply internal energy through acupoints; he hadn't expected Lu Xiaofeng had already mastered such techniques.

This exchange was a massive win.

(End of Chapter)