Chapter 186: I Married Lianxing, Yet I Can Still Be With You

In The Peerless Twins, it is said that when a cultivator uses internal energy, traces inevitably remain on the ground; when Yao Yue reached the ninth level of Mingyu Gong, the earth beneath her feet would bulge—only when Yan Nan Tian perfected the Jia Yi Divine Art could he fully control his internal force without the slightest leakage.

Someone like Wei Wuya, fleeing under Gu Qing and Yao Yue's pursuit, left noticeable traces as he pushed his wheelchair all the way.

Gu Qing and Yao Yue followed these traces forward.

Tie Pinggu was left in the care of a branch of Yihua Palace.

Yihua Palace was not confined to Xiuyu Valley alone—it had branches in towns as well; since they were heading to Guishan, Gu Qing felt it inappropriate to bring Tie Pinggu along.

The wheelchair's ruts stretched straight ahead; Gu Qing could picture Wei Wuya speeding forward in his chair.

Yao Yue glanced sideways at Gu Qing; on Dongting Lake, he had outmaneuvered her by switching between two sets of lightness arts—now, her competitive spirit flared, and she sprinted at full speed, pulling half a body's length ahead of Gu Qing.

Seeing this, Gu Qing also unleashed his full lightness art; his foundation was Quanzhen School's techniques, then he studied the Ancient Tomb lightness art, followed by the Jiuyin Zhenjing, and exchanged insights on lightness with Lu Xiaofeng—on solid ground, he possessed the Dragon and Elephant Samadhi Power, his strength far surpassing Yao Yue's; as he ran, his Jia Yi Divine Art's internal force churned the air like a tiger's roar and a dragon's bellow, allowing him to overtake Yao Yue.

"Come to think of it, you seem to want my lightness art?"

Gu Qing smiled at Yao Yue.

During his time at Yihua Palace, Gu Qing exchanged many martial arts with Lianxing—but not lightness art, since Lianxing was recovering from a foot injury, and Yao Yue occasionally listened in without hearing any secrets of lightness.

"Tell me then."

Yao Yue smiled faintly, a touch of pride in her voice: "Am I not your fairy sister now?"

Gu Qing intended to transmit all his martial arts without reservation to the "Fairy in the Painting"—now that he was to teach Yao Yue, the title "Fairy in the Painting" must pass to her.

After all, Gu Qing had kissed Yao Yue, making her feel she had surpassed Lianxing.

"No."

Gu Qing said.

Yao Yue frowned in displeasure: "Then why did you kiss me?"

Gu Qing smiled: "Because I want to be with you."

Yao Yue smiled lightly: "So you're giving up the 'Fairy in the Painting'?"

This outcome thrilled her even more—her personal charm far outweighed Lianxing's; even with the dreamlike allure of the "Fairy in the Painting," Gu Qing still chose Yao Yue over Lianxing.

It made Yao Yue feel utterly victorious.

"Not giving up."

Gu Qing said.

Yao Yue's brow furrowed again: "Then what do you mean?"

Gu Qing turned back to look at Yao Yue and said gently: "I married Lianxing, yet I can still be with you."

"Disgusting!"

Yao Yue let out a sharp cry and struck at Gu Qing with her palm.

Yihua Palace's martial arts had long refined complexity into simplicity—countless techniques were distilled into a single palm strike, and this streamlined strike was always the optimal solution; now, with hatred in her heart, Yao Yue unleashed her full force, leaving Gu Qing no chance to survive.

Gu Qing had studied Yihua Palace's techniques through his exchanges with Lianxing—he knew them intimately; as they sprinted forward, he casually swept his arm, responding with fists, palms, fingers, and elbows; even when his techniques fell short, his lightness art carried him past them—they fought as they ran, following the ruts toward Guishan.

Guishan was Wei Wuya's stronghold; he knew full well that after provoking Yao Yue, fleeing elsewhere was useless—he had raced back on his wheelchair without hesitation, barely set up some traps, and now cowered nervously at the cave entrance.

After about two hours, Wei Wuya heard Yao Yue's long cry, crept to the cave mouth, and saw two distant black dots moving at incredible speed—fighting as they ran; in just a few blinks, he could clearly make out their faces.

"Gu Qing, how dare you!"

Yao Yue's hair whipped wildly as she pressed her attack relentlessly.

"My courage has always been great."

Gu Qing laughed cheerfully: "I wonder if Lady Yao Yue has the courage for this."

Yao Yue's palm surged forward, snatching up a boulder midair and shattering it into a rain of shards; Gu Qing flipped through the air, swept his sleeve, and the falling stones clattered harmlessly to the ground—he raised his hand swiftly, exchanged several palm strikes with Yao Yue, then dodged aside and dashed toward the cave entrance on Guishan.

Wei Wuya's hideout resembled a rat's burrow—covered in vines above, below, and on all sides, twisted, dark, and narrow within.

Yet Gu Qing leapt straight in, moving so fast he feared no ambush in sudden darkness or collision with the winding walls; in Wei Wuya's stunned gaze, Gu Qing vanished in three flickers and reappeared on the wide corridor.

Candles had been lit here, casting light.

Yao Yue followed close behind; as she burst from the cave mouth, Gu Qing reached out, wrapped his arm around her slender waist, spun her midair, and set her down lightly beside him.

!

"There are hidden traps in this corridor—be careful."

Gu Qing's hand rested on Yao Yue's waist as he warned.

"Slap!"

Yao Yue struck his hand sharply, the sound crisp and loud, forcing him to release her; she glared at him: "I'll bury you and Wei Wuya together!"

Gu Qing smiled and, together with Yao Yue, gazed down the corridor; without a word, they both leapt forward—just one bound carried them past the deadly traps into the stone chamber.

Inside lay two corpses, seemingly killed by some strange martial art; beside them was written: "Disciples of Wei Wuya—killable, but not dishonorable"; nearby were many small caves bearing traces of Wei Wuya's disciples' lives—but after hearing the news of Yao Yue and Gu Qing's marriage, Wei Wuya, in a fit of rage, led his disciples in an attack and lost nearly all of them.

The two remaining were likely the cave guardians.

Now, even these two disciples had been killed.

Yao Yue stood still, examining their wounds, pondering whether Wei Wuya had returned and who had killed these two.

Gu Qing stood beside Yao Yue, feigning inspection, waiting for Wei Wuya to seal the cave and create a private space for him and Yao Yue.

When the moment seemed right, Gu Qing suddenly said: "I see—it was Wei Wuya who killed them!"

Yao Yue glanced sideways.

"You've figured it out now? Too late."

Wei Wuya spoke coldly: "You're trapped inside—the walls on both sides are ten-thousand-jin stones; you can't escape. Yao Yue, I'd like to see if you can still maintain your holy demeanor in this hopeless situation."

The thought of Yao Yue trapped made Wei Wuya involuntarily moan.

Gu Qing and Yao Yue were both masters—but in Wei Wuya's hands, these two masters were now cornered.

Wei Wuya smiled.

Gu Qing smiled too.

(End of Chapter)