Chapter 184: Charge! Wei Wuya! Charge!

Jiang Biehe and Jiang Yulang were both very astute.

"We should also thank Great Hero Gu for protecting us and helping us evade capture."

Jiang Yulang bowed to Gu Qing in thanks, speaking sincerely—but Gu Qing saw not a single point of merit.

Fine, if you won't thank me, plenty of others will.

Gu Qing had nothing more to say to such hypocrites; he tossed two steamed buns over and said, "Here, eat!"

Jiang Biehe and Jiang Yulang's false facades cracked—they stared down at the buns fallen at their feet.

Not cool, bro…

"You won't give me face?"

Gu Qing asked again.

Jiang Biehe glanced at Yao Yue; seeing she paid him no mind, he bent down to pick up the bun. When he looked at Jiang Yulang, Jiang Yulang had already shoved the bun into his mouth.

That little monster Jiang Yulang had extraordinary patience—he could endure any humiliation when weak, but the moment he gained strength, he struck back: killing, defiling women. Now, seeing Gu Qing's dominance, Jiang Yulang ate the bun with perfect deference.

"This boy is cunning and dark-hearted—he must not be left alive."

Gu Qing watched Jiang Yulang and smiled inwardly.

In the original story, Little Fish grew into a great do-gooder, forgiving people like Jiang Yulang and Jiang Biehe, even finding them refuge in the Gu family. With Gu Renyu and Little Fairy's sharp wits, Little Fish truly had no fear of being betrayed by Jiang Biehe and Jiang Yulang.

"You've escaped the assassins—where are you headed now?"

Gu Qing asked the two.

Jiang Biehe's brow twitched—years ago, Jiang Feng had been a wealthy young master who sold all his family's assets to flee with Hua Yuenu. Jiang Biehe then alerted the Twelve Stars and colluded with them to plunder Jiang Feng's entire fortune.

The Twelve Stars' Wei Wuya gave Jiang Biehe two-tenths of Jiang Feng's estate as his share.

Now, Jiang Biehe was infamous and gaunt, but with his and Jiang Yulang's skills, they could still eat. Their current state was to evade the Jianghu's search—and to contact Wei Wuya, activating this backup resource.

"We truly don't know where to go."

Jiang Yulang lowered his head, speaking softly, like a timid bride.

"If you don't know, how about dying?"

Outside the inn came a hoarse voice.

Gu Qing and Yao Yue remained unmoved—their senses had already detected the commotion. As the voice echoed, a large group surrounded the inn. The leader wore a tight emerald-green suit, slender and small. Flanking him were a couple: the woman dressed lavishly, stunningly beautiful; the man, dark-faced, with iron-like bristling whiskers.

Beyond these three, a group of black-clad men stood ready—all of formidable martial skill.

"The Twelve Stars."

Jiang Biehe recognized them and cried out: "Green Snake Divine Lord!"

Gu Qing's gaze also turned to the Green Snake Divine Lord.

This Green Snake Divine Lord was pathetic—he'd had to cut off his own left hand to survive when facing Murong Jiu in the original story. Gu Qing had no idea what gave him the nerve. The two beside him were likely the Tiger of the Twelve Stars, called Bai Shan Jun, and his wife, the Horse of the Twelve Stars, Ma Yiyun.

In the original, the Green Snake Divine Lord should have died at Emei Mountain. Probably because Gu Qing altered events, allowing him to survive.

"You're Jiang Biehe? I'll kill you soon!"

The Green Snake Divine Lord dismissed him, shouting loudly: "Lady Yao Yue, our leader Wei Wuya wishes to speak with you."

As he spoke, the Green Snake Divine Lord stepped aside. Outside the inn, a wheeled chair creaked forward. Seated upon it was a man resembling a giant rat—only his neatly groomed beard gave him a semblance of humanity. Yet this giant rat was famed throughout the Jianghu; the Twelve Stars dared roam freely because of Wei Wuya.

"Wei Wuya."

Yao Yue spoke coldly: "You know I came out this time to kill you."

"I know."

Wei Wuya replied coolly: "For this day, I've trained for twenty years."

Gu Qing looked at Wei Wuya and suddenly realized—for Wei Wuya, this might truly be an excellent "opportunity."

In Wei Wuya's mind, after two decades of relentless practice, his martial skill could now match the old Yao Yue and Lianxing. Now Yao Yue acted alone, and Gu Qing? A well-known pretty face in the Jianghu, with no notable victories.

So Wei Wuya's ambush was, in his eyes, perfectly viable.

"Great Hero Gu…"

Jiang Biehe hurried toward Gu Qing, clearly terrified of the Twelve Stars.

!

Gu Qing's gaze swept past him as if uninterested, stepping forward to meet the Twelve Stars head-on. In the instant he passed Jiang Biehe, Jiang Biehe's eyes turned icy—he unleashed a heavy palm strike at Gu Qing's back!

The words of the Green Snake Divine Lord and Jiang Biehe were merely a cover for Jiang Biehe's betrayal.

"Crack!"

Jiang Biehe's martial skill, honed over years of arduous practice, was no ordinary force. His powerful palm struck Gu Qing's Zhiyang point. The palm energy surged forward—but Jiang Biehe felt as if he'd struck iron. The internal energy flowing from Gu Qing's Zhiyang point was like magma from the earth's core, surging along Jiang Biehe's meridians into his body.

In that instant, Jiang Biehe felt every meridian burning. Gu Qing's true qi was thick and searing, uneven and violent. Once inside him, it felt as if countless blades were ravaging his meridians. The pain surpassed death by a thousand cuts. Worse still, as Gu Qing's qi traveled, Jiang Biehe's meridians withered where it passed.

In moments, the qi circled Jiang Biehe's body once. All his internal cultivation was vaporized; every meridian was scorched dry. The few lingering traces of the Jia Yi qi caused endless stabbing pain within him.

"Thud!"

Jiang Biehe collapsed helplessly to his knees behind Gu Qing.

"How… how can you control this internal skill?"

Jiang Biehe's voice was filled with despair and disbelief.

"Attack together!"

Wei Wuya barked, ordering the Green Snake Divine Lord and his disciples to strike. Yet at that moment, Wei Wuya gripped his wheelchair and turned it around.

Twenty years of isolation had kept Wei Wuya from the Jianghu—and bred in him a delusion: that he alone had progressed.

Only when he saw Jiang Biehe strike did he suddenly realize: twenty years ago, Yao Yue and Lianxing were stronger than him; twenty years later, they still were. Everyone else had advanced too.

And Jiang Biehe couldn't withstand even one blow from Gu Qing. Wei Wuya assessed the situation and knew this battle was lost. His command was merely to buy himself time to flee.

The Green Snake Divine Lord and Wei Wuya's disciples had already charged forward—when they reached Gu Qing's side, they turned and saw Wei Wuya seated in his wheelchair, pushing the wheels with his hands, speeding away like a runaway cart, not even glancing back.

"Charge! Wei Wuya!"

Gu Qing watched Wei Wuya speed away in his wheelchair and laughed.

(End of Chapter)