Chapter 17: Cheng Ying

Gu Qing was poking at the spines of the elder and younger Wu brothers.

The Wu family's house rules were likely quite lax; Wu Dunru and Wu Xiuwen were both unpromising, Wu Santong wanted to take his goddaughter, and the future Wu Lie and Wu Qingying were also heavyweights.

In terms of family learning, it could be considered profound in the Wu Lin, but it just never produced any results.

"You're spouting nonsense!"

Hearing Gu Qing insult his father, Wu Dunru's eyes were about to split, and he flew forward, intending to risk his life against Gu Qing.

"You don't even like hearing the truth!"

At this moment, Gu Qing did not strike first. Instead, he utilized the Gumu Sect's lightness skill, swaying left and right in the arena, making it impossible for Wu Dunru to even touch his clothes. He said calmly, "Then let me tell you another truth: Wu Sanniang died because of Li Mochou. In all these years, have you ever thought of studying diligently to avenge your mother?"

Wu Dunru and Wu Xiuwen's mother was an extremely kind woman. After the scoundrel Wu Santong stopped coming home, Wu Sanniang raised the two sons alone. When she learned that Wu Santong was going to cause trouble for the Lu family, she went ahead to help, ultimately dying from sucking out the poison for Wu Santong.

Gu Qing's sudden mention of Wu Sanniang caused Wu Dunru's lunging body to pause. Wu Xiuwen, who had wanted to follow suit, also stopped instantly, his face turning bright red.

"Of course we want to avenge our mother!"

Wu Xiuwen shouted, "Li Mochou harmed our mother; we have never forgotten this hatred for a single moment!"

Because of the events of that year, Wu Santong was insane; the task of avenging their mother could only fall upon these two brothers.

"Oh?"

Gu Qing also stopped his body, looked at the elder and younger Wu, and said, "With your mother's revenge still unfulfilled, you are jealous of Yang Guo, clamoring that you would rather die at someone else's hands than let Yang Guo rescue you—is this your method of avenging your mother?"

The matter of their mother was a sore point for the Wu brothers. Both Wu Dunru and Wu Xiuwen flushed red, feeling ashamed. Thinking of how they had spent these years trying to please Guo Fu and thus neglecting their Wu Gong training, they felt so ashamed they wanted to slap themselves twice.

"Smack!"

"Smack!"

Gu Qing slapped the elder and younger Wu across the face twice and asked, "Knowing you are ashamed now, do you have any complaints about these two slaps?"

The faces of the elder and younger Wu were swollen. At this moment, they looked up at Gu Qing and shook their heads repeatedly; they truly had no complaints at all.

"Hurry up and thank Yang Guo!"

Gu Qing shouted again.

The elder and younger Wu looked at Yang Guo. By now, they had lost all arrogance and said honestly to Yang Guo, "Yang Guo, we were wrong. Thank you for saving our lives."

Yang Guo looked at the elder and younger Wu. After forgiving the two, he looked at Gu Qing with a hint of admiration. Perhaps only Gu Qing could slap the elder and younger Wu a few times and still make them sincerely convinced.

"Although we had disputes in our youth, we are playmates after all."

Yang Guo patted the two on the shoulders and said, "Thinking about it carefully, I also had many faults."

Back then on Taohuadao, Yang Guo had used the Toad Art to hit people and stood on the mountaintop throwing stones, nearly crushing the elder and younger Wu to death. But now that it was said, everything had been cleared up.

Watching Gu Qing kill Ni Mo Xing and then discipline the elder and younger Wu, every move he made was free and easy. Guo Fu's starry eyes held a strange look, but Gu Qing's gaze was cast far away, seemingly not looking at her, which made Guo Fu feel vaguely lost... Usually, as the apple of everyone's eye, she was the center of attention everywhere, but now, apart from speaking to her at the very beginning, he had ignored her.

"Yang Guo, how are you doing at the Quanzhen Sect?"

Having received two slaps, the elder and younger Wu had temporarily turned over a new leaf. Remembering that Yang Guo's Wu Gong was far superior to theirs, they took the initiative to ask.

"I am at the Quanzhen Sect..."

Yang Guo recalled all sorts of things at the Quanzhen Sect. He could forgive the Taohuadao affair now, but he could never forgive the fact that Hao Datong of the Quanzhen Sect had killed Granny Sun.

"The Quanzhen Sect is really..."

Yang Guo narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Hmm..."

Gu Qing suddenly interrupted and said to Yang Guo, "Do not say things that are detrimental to unity!"

Yang Guo turned his face to look at Gu Qing, almost laughing in anger.

"You could achieve what you have today, and it's at least one-third thanks to the Quanzhen Sect manuals, right?"

Gu Qing said.

Yang Guo remembered that when he cultivated the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture, he indeed needed the Quanzhen Sect's cultivation methods as an aid. Thinking of it this way, he felt he was indeed indebted in an alternative way. Coupled with the fact that Zhao Zhiping was already dead, Yang Guo sighed and erased his harsh words about the Quanzhen Sect.

What remained was the grudge against Hao Datong.

Gu Qing's gaze looked elsewhere again.

A young woman suddenly leaped down from the tree. Her figure was exquisite, but her face was strangely ugly. After landing, she cupped her hands toward Gu Qing and said, "Master Shi, greetings." Her voice had a clear charm.

Seeing this woman, Guo Fu's eyes held a hint of surprise. Seeing this woman's face, she thought of Huang Yaoshi's human-skin mask.

"I was just on the tree, thinking of finding the right moment to help, but I didn't expect Master Shi to have already killed the person."

The woman in green walked forward, her words very polite. When she reached Lu Wushuang, she gently tugged at her. Lu Wushuang was immediately full of surprise, and then full of joy.

This woman in green was Huang Yaoshi's youngest disciple, Lu Wushuang's cousin, Cheng Ying.

Gu Qing looked at Cheng Ying, sizing her up from top to bottom... He only pretended to like Xiaolongnu because her appearance was outstanding and she was too innocent, so he would tease her a bit, just like Yang Guo liked to see Lu Wushuang in a rage. But he truly liked Cheng Ying. When reading the novel, Gu Qing had always liked Cheng Ying's introverted and subtle personality.

"Miss."

Gu Qing chose to be direct and asked straightforwardly, "How can I marry you?"

"Ah?"

Cheng Ying had no preparation for such words and looked at Gu Qing in shock. Along with her, Yang Guo, Yelu Qi, Lu Wushuang, Guo Fu, and the elder and younger Wu were also shocked. Take Guo Fu, for instance; she had recognized the human-skin mask, and what surprised her was that Gu Qing could say such things directly.

But to Yang Guo and the others, what was surprising was that Gu Qing would actually like someone with such an appearance.

"Ma... Master Shi."

Cheng Ying stuttered slightly and said, "I have never thought about this question."

Cheng Ying had followed Huang Yaoshi since she was young, cultivating the Wu Gong of Taohuadao. Her personality carried a hint of a hermit's style, possessing that sense of peace where one could live a lifetime alone. Gu Qing's words left her somewhat at a loss.

"It doesn't matter, take your time to think."

Gu Qing said, "Tell me once you've figured it out."

Yang Guo, standing to the side, silently watched all this, screaming in his heart: It's stable!

Gu Qing liked someone with such an ugly face, so Xiaolongnu's extremely beautiful appearance naturally wouldn't be in his eyes.

In this instant, Yang Guo felt an unprecedented sense of security regarding Xiaolongnu.

Thinking this in his heart, Yang Guo asked cautiously, "Master Shi, my aunt..."

"Your aunt won't mind."

Gu Qing saw Yang Guo's joy and directly suppressed his enthusiasm.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 18 =====