Chapter 173: A Journey with Yueyue

Yueyue's gaze passed through her bronze mask, studying Gu Qing; the original Yueyue had hated Gu Qing intensely, but now, seeing how he defended her, she began to find some merit in him.

Of course, even if he had merit, Yueyue still intended to kill Gu Qing, for the matter of Jiang Xiaoyu and Hua Wukui was a scheme she had nurtured for over a decade—this hatred had twisted her soul, and she would not allow anyone to interfere with her plan.

Disguising herself as the Bronze Master and lurking beside Gu Qing was merely to find out how many knew Jiang Xiaoyu and Hua Wukui were brothers, then eliminate them all.

"Gu Da Xia, righteous in defending his wife—truly a hero!"

Gu Qing's slam on the table startled Qiu Qingbo, who bowed to Gu Qing and stepped forward.

This Qiu Qingbo was the patriarch of the Qiu Clan of Zhe Dong, a family renowned for spear techniques; he had been among those following Master Huangji during the treasure hunt on Mount Emei. His wife was the most beautiful woman in Suzhou. In The Peerless Twins, one of the Ten Evils, Xuan Yuan Sanguang forced Qiu Qingbo into a wager—with his wife as the stake—and Qiu Qingbo chose suicide rather than gamble.

Now, hearing Gu Qing's words, Qiu Qingbo found them perfectly to his taste and stepped forward to praise him.

Gu Qing returned Qiu Qingbo's bow.

"Gu Da Xia, on Mount Emei, you claimed the treasure conspiracy was orchestrated by Jiang Biehe. Since then, most of us treasure hunters have gone to Jiang Biehe demanding justice. Wang Yizhao of the Eagle Claw Clan secretly infiltrated Jiang Biehe's study and uncovered his secrets."

Qiu Qingbo said: "Jiang Biehe has fled toward Dongting, seemingly seeking protection. I received a letter from Wang Yizhao and came here to lend my aid."

Qiu Qingbo and Wang Yizhao had generations of close familial ties; when one was in trouble, the other always came to help.

"Seeking protection…"

Gu Qing seemed to recall something, hesitated slightly, then changed the subject.

At this moment, the group discussed various martial world affairs: Li Dazui of the Ten Evils had reappeared in the martial world, and Tie Wushuang, the leader of the Three Xiang Martial Alliance, was hunting him down; rumors also suggested the Ten Evils were now turning on each other.

After conversing with them for a while, Gu Qing judged the time right—the small boat was nearly ready. He finished his tea, bid farewell to the group, and walked toward the boat.

Yueyue, disguised as the Bronze Master, followed closely behind Gu Qing; once he boarded, she drifted silently to his side.

The cabin where Gu Qing sat was spotlessly clean; after inspecting it, Yueyue approved and said: "You are indeed a man who values cleanliness."

"Actually, I wasn't always so particular."

Gu Qing smiled and said: "Only after falling for the Lady of the Moonflower Palace did I learn she adored cleanliness, so I forced myself to change—I couldn't bear to leave her with a bad impression."

These words made Yueyue glance at him again; she hadn't expected this obsessed fool to be so devoted.

"Do you know who I am?"

Yueyue asked coldly.

Gu Qing studied her and smiled: "Hua Wukui said that after leaving the Moonflower Palace, he must obey the Bronze Master. Are you perhaps the Lady of the Moonflower Palace's friend—the Bronze Master?"

Yueyue nodded: "You have some discernment."

Gu Qing smiled.

"You should also know what I do."

Yueyue asked coldly.

"I know."

Gu Qing, of course, knew Yueyue had come to silence him; he said calmly: "But before I meet Yueyue, I will say nothing."

Yueyue's gaze turned utterly cold.

"If I spoke, I'd never see Yueyue again."

Gu Qing said with a smile.

Yueyue's voice was icy: "What a devoted fool—tell me, what on earth has Yueyue done to bewitch you?"

Yueyue herself was curious. "Orchids bloom, swallows fly, spring returns; flowers, willows, all true and bright; every deed graceful, every motion tender, every soul poised and perfect."

Gu Qing murmured the lines, his thoughts drifting far away.

Yueyue snorted: "Do you take the Lady of the Moonflower Palace for some demon like Zhen Zhen?"

In this world, there is a legend: a Tang dynasty scholar obtained a scroll named Zhen Zhen. Each night, when he called her name, Zhen Zhen would step from the painting and share his bed. After a year, she bore him a son. Later, his friends suspected her of being a demon and planned to kill her. Zhen Zhen declared she was a celestial immortal, then returned to the scroll and never emerged again.

Such tales of painted immortals haunted many scholars.

"She is my painted immortal."

Gu Qing said calmly.

Yueyue, thrown off guard by this direct confession, paused, then said: "Overly contrived, pretentious, and vulgar—Jiao Ji's layered words are grotesque; they don't even deserve to carry Li Yian's slippers!"

Yueyue launched an outright attack on the poem's author.

"…."

!

Gu Qing fell silent, sipped his tea, and said: "You say so, then it is."

Yueyue felt she had gained the upper hand, her heart pleased; only then did she pick up the teacup. She admired its exquisite craftsmanship and intricate design, then took a delicate sip.

Hunan's mountains cast cool shadows over winding waters; as Gu Qing and the "Bronze Master" sailed toward Dongting, they admired much of the scenery along the way.

On this day, as the boat sailed, a clash of weapons rang ahead. Gu Qing stood at the bow and saw Shen Qinghong being chased. He had rescued Shen Qinghong while posing as Yan Nan Tian, and Shen had greatly aided him in excavating the treasure in Ouyang Ting's underground palace. Seeing him hunted, Gu Qing would not stand idle.

"Swoosh!"

Gu Qing flicked his finger; from within the cabin, a pine nut shot through the air, striking the shore. A metallic clang rang out as a long sword flew from its wielder's grip. The pursuer slowed, turning toward the cabin.

"Gu Da Xia!"

Seeing Gu Qing, Shen Qinghong was deeply moved and cried out.

Gu Qing, still in the cabin, suddenly leapt forward. After cultivating the Jiayi Divine Art, his internal energy had grown ferocious; his movements lost their calm grace, gaining instead a brutal, dominant force. He landed with one foot midair, twisted in a flip, and descended like a hungry tiger leaping across a ravine.

Behind him, Yueyue watched this display of agility; her eyes grew cold and fixed on Gu Qing—his skill in lightness exceeded even hers.

The man who dropped his sword retreated, tempted to flee, but hesitated upon seeing Shen Qinghong.

"Good, good, good—Shen Qinghong, you've won this round!"

The man who lost his golden blade said coldly.

Gu Qing's intervention made him realize revenge was impossible.

Gu Qing stared at the man and suddenly asked: "Tie Rulong?"

The man was stunned—he hadn't expected Gu Qing to know his name—and nodded: "Yes, I am Tie Rulong."

Shen Qinghong and Tie Rulong had once been close friends. When competing for the position of head escort, Tie Rulong's martial skill surpassed Shen's, but Shen used trickery to injure Tie, after which Tie vanished. Shen wished to apologize, but could not find Tie, and was himself trapped in the mountains for over a decade.

Originally, Tie Rulong should have thrown vast treasures down the mountain when Jiang Xiaoyu was trapped in the cave, luring martial artists into a bloody massacre where he would have died. Now, Gu Qing killed Xian Guo Shen Jun, rescued Shen Qinghong, and indirectly saved Tie Rulong's life.

"I've heard of your feud."

Gu Qing looked at the two and said: "Better to plant peach and plum than thorns. You've been apart for years—why not speak first, then draw your swords?"

Gu Qing presented himself as the benevolent hero who valued harmony.

(End of Chapter)