Chapter 158: Wants to Marry the Mistress of Yihua Palace

In bygone days, the Lord of the Imperial Valley, Xiao Wangsun, dueled Master Lan on the peak of Mount Tai; Chu Liuxiang fought the Water Mother Yinji in the Divine Water Palace—though both battles shook heaven and earth, neither matched the clash between Gu Qing and Li Tanhua in the Miao wilderness.

Gu Qing and Li Xunhuan began as friends, but a single misstep led them to fight to the death in the Miao wilderness; after Li Xunhuan unleashed his blade, thunder descended, and Gu Qing, amid the lightning, caught Li Xunhuan's flying dagger and won the battle.

Yet after that battle, Gu Qing withdrew from the Jianghu, while Li Xunhuan's Flying Dagger became the absolute symbol of justice in the Jianghu.

Gu Qing was too proud—perhaps he suffered an incurable injury beneath that lightning.

The victor lost; the loser won.

The current Jianghu belongs to Li Xunhuan's era.

…

Gu Qing, today's duel—you cannot escape.

Blue Scorpion, do you truly believe I was grievously wounded beneath that lightning?

Hehe, of course not.

Looks like you've come to be beaten—Electric Current Propels the Soul-Disrupting Hand!

…

A Fei, what are you holding?

My daughter—born to Lin Xian'er!

!!! (Дノ)ノ

I would never have stayed with Lin Xian'er, but it was all your fault that night… Anyway, Lin Xian'er named her Shen Xiao Xian and gave her to me to raise…

…

You are Bai Tianyu?

Correct—I am Bai Tianyu!

Boss, the carriage to Plum Blossom Nunnery is ready…

…

On the vast grassland, Gu Qing stretched lazily; having spent roughly one year in the world of the Passionate Swordsman and the Heartless Swordsman, he awoke one winter night to find himself transported.

This new world had the Ten Evils, the Twelve Star Signs, the Jiangnan Great Hero, and the Mistress of Yihua Palace—exciting Gu Qing immensely.

In Gu Long's universe, four legendary arts were universally recognized: the Four-Reflection Divine Art, the Formless Divine Art, the Wedding Robe Divine Art, and the Mingyu Art; among them, the Four-Reflection and Formless Divine Arts required virginity or could reverse waterfalls, but neither existed here, and Gu Qing gave them no further thought.

The Wedding Robe Divine Art was the martial art of the Iron Blood Great Flag Sect, known as the "Chan School of Martial Dao," with immense power—but its inner energy was so brutal that practicing it caused unbearable agony; to achieve mastery, one must destroy six or seven tenths of one's martial skills and retrain from scratch, after which the inner energy would be fully controllable, its brutality undiminished.

As for the Mingyu Art, it was another extraordinary art: when cultivated to the ninth level, the practitioner's body became translucent, their inner energy never depleted, and their true qi multiplied with use.

These arts held immense allure for Gu Qing, who craved strength above all.

Especially the Mingyu Art—perhaps paired with Yao Yue and Lian Xing as dowries…

To come to this world without marrying the Mistress of Yihua Palace was to come in vain.

Hooves pounded swiftly.

Gu Qing turned toward the sound.

The sky was gray, vast and boundless.

A "man" rode a horse, carrying Xiao Yuer, heading toward a tent.

More than a decade ago, a famed hero of the realm, for some reason, had to enter the Valley of Evils; before departing, he hid his collection of ancient treasures and the peerless sword manual in a secret location, leaving behind a treasure map.

Now, that map was in Tie Xinlan's hands.

Because of this map, Tie Xinlan disguised herself as "Tie Xinman," fleeing and hiding, drawing relentless pursuit from Jianghu figures; now, Tie Xinlan entered this tent to rescue those harmed by her association.

Upon arriving, over a dozen iron-horsed riders surrounded Tie Xinlan, demanding what she carried.

"The map is in my hands—but you few are unworthy to touch it."

As the daughter of Tie Zhan, one of the Ten Evils, Tie Xinlan possessed the family martial art, the Frenzied One-Hundred-Eight Strikes; these common Jianghu figures meant nothing to her.

Seeing this, the Li brothers attacked together, but Tie Xinlan knocked them all down in mere moments.

"The Li brothers aren't worthy of the map—what about my brothers, the Mao clan?"

The voice, weak and listless, sent a chill through Tie Xinlan.

Three hairs atop Mount Emei—ghosts and demons alike cannot escape.

These three hairs rode a massive horse; each looked more grotesque than the last. The first resembled a five- or six-year-old child, but his entire body was covered in white fur, his left eye higher than his right, his mouth twisted into his neck—this one was called Mao Maochong.

The second was twice as large as Mao Maochong, yet his neck was three times longer, his head sharp and tiny, as thin as his neck—his name was Mao Gongji.

The third looked like a gorilla—his name was Mao Xingxing.

These three brothers were the most ruthless figures in the Jianghu over the past decade; upon arriving, seeing Tie Xinlan unafraid, they intended to kill the Li brothers to establish their dominance.

One of the Li brothers tried to flee; Mao Gongji leapt forward, seized him, and hurled him into the air—he landed before Mao Maochong.

Seeing this, Mao Maochong grinned with delight: "A freshly steamed bun!"

As he spoke, Mao Maochong reached to tear out the Li brother's heart.

The move was swift, precise—but it struck empty air.

The Mao brothers opened their eyes and saw, on the grassland, a green-clad man had appeared; the Li brothers now lay on the ground, held by him.

"Thank you! Thank you!"

Having escaped death, the man bowed repeatedly to Gu Qing; even the other Li brothers gathered around him.

In this life-or-death moment, Gu Qing's arrival might save them all—so their gratitude was utterly sincere.

"Mao Maochong rips out hearts and eats them alive…"

The Li brothers trembled at the memory.

The Mao brothers all stared at Gu Qing and closed in.

"Who are you, brother?"

Mao Maochong studied Gu Qing; having roamed the Jianghu for ten years and earned their fearsome reputation, their greatest strength was reading the situation—picking on the weak, avoiding the strong. Gu Qing had acted suddenly, rescuing the man with clear skill; Mao Maochong needed to find out more.

Gu Qing.

Gu Qing stated his name calmly.

The Mao brothers exchanged glances; the name meant nothing to them—not a famed Jianghu master—and asked again: "Who is your master?"

"No matter how much you ask, you'll learn nothing of my identity."

Gu Qing spoke coolly: "Besides, your time is up."

Gu Qing's words were blunt, yet the Mao brothers did not anger—because on the grassland, a red-clad girl rode in; seeing her, the Mao brothers raised their brows.

This was Little Fairy Zhang Jing.

(End of Chapter)