Chapter 190

Pingjiang Prefecture has three hundred bridges, with water veins flowing through it; the trees and flowers are verdant even without rain, and clothes feel damp even without being rained upon.

Mu Mu Wanqing was dressed entirely in black, with a black veil, not revealing even an inch of her skin. Her eyes were deep as she sized up Gu Qing before her. She had grown up by the side of her master, the Guest of the Hidden Valley, and the education she had received was that all men in the world were glib-tongued, none had a conscience, and any kindness shown to her was merely a pretext for ulterior motives.

However, Mu Mu Wanqing had been ordered by her master to come here to assassinate Lady Wang. Firstly, she had a strange and irritable temper; secondly, her horse was eye-catching; and thirdly, she was a stranger in a strange land. She had already caused trouble three times in Pingjiang Prefecture, all of which Gu Qing had helped to resolve. It was after the third time Gu Qing helped Mu Mu Wanqing deal with Jianghu people that he simply said, "I will send you to the Mandara Shanzhuang."

Only then did Mu Mu Wanqing realize that her target was already known to Gu Qing.

Afterward, Mu Mu Wanqing asked for Gu Qing's name, and then, inside the Pine Crane Tower, she heard about Gu Qing's deeds, which led her to seek out Gu Qing for a confrontation.

"You are virtuous?"

Mu Mu Wanqing seemed to be doubting him.

"It is virtue, though it is merely a virtue for seeking fame."

A voice came from the water, interrupting the conversation. Mu Mu Wanqing turned back and saw that, at some unknown time, a boat had appeared on the Taihu Lake. The person rowing the boat was a girl in green, her whole being jade-colored and her face full of gentleness. Sitting on the boat were three unwelcome guests. The leader was dressed like a Confucian scholar, and it was he who had spoken the words about seeking fame.

After saying this, the three unwelcome guests on the boat leaped over. Mu Mu Wanqing saw that one of them had a thin build, sunken cheeks, a rat-tail mustache, and drooping eyebrows. His appearance was extremely ugly, but his lightness skill was truly extraordinary. When he landed before Gu Qing, it was like a gust of wind.

"I ask you, was this letter of challenge placed by you in the main hall of the Canhe Shanzhuang?"

The man with the extremely ugly appearance and thin build held up the letter, almost thrusting it into Gu Qing's face.

Mu Mu Wanqing looked at the letter. It read something about having long heard of Young Master Miss Murong's great name, then went on to say that his reputation was huge but his battle record was zero, that South Miss Murong relied entirely on throwing money around to boast, and that he was a man of empty reputation. It said that if Miss Murong Fu had even a shred of shame, he should donate gold to have a plaque cast for Gu Qing, and that Gu Qing would also bestow upon Miss Murong Fu the title of "Number One in Marketing."

Mu Mu Wanqing had a perverse temperament and had been insulted by many people, so she knew many of the dirty words used in the Jianghu. However, this was the first time she had seen such a wicked act as Gu Qing's, who invented new terms, talked about people "marketing," and crowned them as number one.

"It was me."

Gu Qing admitted it frankly.

"Good, good, good!"

The ugly-looking man laughed and said, "It was not in vain that I, Feng Bo'e, rushed here overnight to join in this excitement!" As he spoke, Feng Bo'e had already reached out to grab Gu Qing's waist.

Gu Qing turned his body to the side, but Feng Bo'e was relentless, shrinking his body and launching a series of hand and foot strikes. Gu Qing either retreated or dodged, lifting his legs and stepping back, dodging all ten or more moves.

Suddenly, Feng Bo'e circled behind Gu Qing, shouted "Careful!", and a white, gleaming knife appeared in his hand, which he slashed backward toward Gu Qing.

This slash was extremely fast, like a gust of wind drifting by.

It was at this moment that Gu Qing suddenly made his move. He performed an extremely ordinary action: he reached out, and with two fingers, he pinched the blade of Feng Bo'e's knife, as if he were catching the wind or grasping at shadows.

Feng Bo'e tried to pull the knife and turn sharply, but he felt the tip of the knife become heavy, exceeding his control.

Feng Bo'e loved fighting most in his life and had been in thousands of battles, big and small. Now that Gu Qing had controlled his long knife with two fingers, Feng Bo'e was terrified, but he was also delighted by such martial arts. Using the knife to borrow force, he immediately lifted a foot and kicked toward Gu Qing's cheek!

"Boom!"

Gu Qing pinched with two fingers, and Feng Bo'e's long knife snapped. With a flick of his finger, he struck the leg Feng Bo'e was kicking with, sending Feng Bo'e himself flying several yards and falling into Taihu Lake with a splash.

"Good finger strength!"

Just as Feng Bo'e fell into the water, Gongye Gan flew over, raised his hand, and slashed down with a powerful palm force.

Gongye Gan was dressed as a Confucian scholar, but his palm force was the most ferocious. He had always been known as the "Second in Jiangnan," with the saying that the one with the number one palm force was Gusu's Miss Murong Fu. In the future, he would once receive three palms from Northern Qiao Feng, and Northern Qiao Feng would consider him a hero and not deliver a fourth palm.

"Let me test your Excellency's number one palm force in the world!"

Gongye Gan launched this move while still far from Gu Qing. He knew this distance; if Gu Qing wanted to dodge, he could just lift his foot and avoid it. Thus, he said a word about comparing palm force first to make Gu Qing clash with him head-on.

Hearing Gongye Gan's words, Gu Qing indeed stood still. Until Gongye Gan's palm force arrived, he suddenly reached out and pushed straight forward.

This palm was light and airy, as if it had no strength at all, but such a palm was the very essence of the Flower-Shedding Palace's palm techniques.

Seeing this palm, Gongye Gan knew his retreat was completely blocked, so he tapped his foot and launched an all-out strike.

"Bang!"

As their palms collided, Gongye Gan's palm suddenly recoiled, striking his own chest with a heavy blow that made him spit blood from his mouth and nose, flip over, and fall into Taihu Lake along with Feng Bo'e.

"Shift of Stars?"

The burly man saw this and exclaimed.

In Deng Deng Baichuan's view, this move of Gu Qing's was precisely the Miss Murong family's art of "Returning the same way to the same person."

"Is it really the Shift of Stars?"

Gu Qing lifted his palm lightly and stared at Deng Deng Baichuan.

Deng Deng Baichuan, Gongye Gan, and the others had all followed Miss Murong Bo and were most familiar with the Gusu Miss Murong family's martial arts. That palm just now looked like the Shift of Stars, but thinking carefully, its core seemed different. This was another art of "Returning the same way to the same person" appearing in the Jianghu.

"May I ask your Excellency, what is this palm called?"

Deng Deng Baichuan asked.

Seeing the "Flower-Shedding Jade-Receiving," Deng Deng Baichuan knew that even if he made a move today, he would be hard-pressed to win. It was at this moment that Deng Deng Baichuan understood why Gu Qing insisted on finding trouble with Miss Murong Fu; their martial arts were too similar, and there would always be a need to determine who was superior.

"Flower-Shedding Jade-Receiving, unrivaled by gods or ghosts."

Gu Qing withdrew his hand and looked at Deng Deng Baichuan, asking, "Has Miss Murong Fu not returned yet?"

Gu Qing had left the letter and mocked them wantonly precisely to make Miss Murong Fu return and to strike down the reputation of the Shift of Stars.

"Flower-Shedding Jade-Receiving, unrivaled by gods or ghosts..."

Deng Deng Baichuan chewed on Gu Qing's words, knowing that Gu Qing would sooner or later have a showdown with Miss Murong Fu. He cupped his hands and said, "My Young Master has other important matters and is not in the Canhe Shanzhuang. When he returns, he will definitely come to seek your instruction."

"That is fine."

Gu Qing became reasonable at this moment and said, "I believe he will definitely come to find me."

As he spoke, Gu Qing did not lift his feet or bend his knees, but suddenly arrived on the boat. He sat down on his own, looked at the girl in green, and smiled, "Miss Abi, take us to the Mandara Shanzhuang."

In the new edition of *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*, some things were updated; the Li Xiaoyao Sect's "Small Formless Art" was hidden in the Mandara Shanzhuang.

Abi had always been gentle, but Gu Qing had first maliciously insulted Miss Murong Fu and then defeated Feng Bo'e and Gongye Gan, which really made her dislike him. Thus, she frowned and refused, saying, "I will not take you." Abi spoke with a bit of Suzhou dialect, and this half-local, half-standard soft speech sounded like she was acting spoiled even when she was angry.

Gu Qing leaned over and whispered in Abi's ear, "Miss Abi, you wouldn't want Miss Murong Bo's coffin to have an accident, would you?"

Abi asked in shock, "What do you want to do?"

Gu Qing lay back on the boat and said very casually, "When I was writing the letter of challenge for you all, I incidentally dug up Miss Murong Bo's coffin. If you want to find it back, hmph hmph."

The threat was evident.

Abi was stunned and looked at Deng Deng Baichuan.

Deng Deng Baichuan said angrily, "Young Master Gu has high martial arts, but the Gu family's graves may not necessarily have any martial arts!"

The Miss Murong family had the "Returning the same way to the same person." If Gu Qing dug up the Miss Murong family's graves, wasn't he afraid the Miss Murong family would dig his back?

"It doesn't matter."

Gu Qing smiled, "As long as you can find my family's graveyard, feel free to dig!"

Gu Qing was truly not afraid of the Miss Murong family digging up his graves.

!

Deng Deng Baichuan was so angry his face turned red. Feng Bo'e and Gongye Gan, who had just surfaced, were even angrier, spitting blood and struggling to fight Gu Qing to the death.

Gu Qing was very calm. He looked at Mu Mu Wanqing and said, "Miss, this is the boat to the Mandara Shanzhuang. Would you like to go together?"

Mu Mu Wanqing had been watching from the side the whole time. Seeing Gu Qing offend people one after another, and even dig up the Miss Murong family's graves, and then force them to sail to the Mandara Shanzhuang—such hatred, no matter how ignorant Mu Mu Wanqing was, she didn't want to get involved. She immediately refused, saying, "I will go myself!"

After saying this, Mu Mu Wanqing ignored the probing gazes of Deng Deng Baichuan, Gongye Gan, Feng Bo'e, and the others, turned around, and left.

"Sister Abi, row the boat and take him there!"

Deng Deng Baichuan returned to the boat, and Feng Bo'e also climbed onto it.

Feng Bo'e had drawn his knife behind Gu Qing's back and even shouted "Careful." When Gu Qing made his move, he had held back and only knocked him into the water without hurting him. As for Gongye Gan, he had been injured by his own force reflected by the "Flower-Shedding Jade-Receiving," and his internal injuries were the most severe; following along would only be a burden.

Moreover, Gongye Gan also needed to rush back to Canhe Shanzhuang to verify whether Miss Murong Bo's grave had been dug up by Gu Qing.

But regardless of whether it was dug up or not, for the people of Canhe Shanzhuang, Gu Qing's hatred level was already full.

As long as they found even the slightest opportunity, they would fight Gu Qing to the death.

Gu Qing did not care about this hatred. Instead, he called out to Gongye Gan, saying, "You owe me one tael of gold."

Gongye Gan had blood on the corners of his mouth and turned around.

"My title of 'Perfectly Virtuous Man' still lacks weight in the Jianghu."

Gu Qing said lightly, "So, everyone I defeat must present me with a piece of gold. In the future, I will melt these pieces of gold to cast my 'Number One in the World' into a golden plaque and hang it up. Gongye Gan, Feng Bo'e, you two are one part of the 'Number One Palm in the World' and one part of the 'Number One Finger in the World'."

Gu Qing had come to this Jianghu just to fight.

Gongye Gan was so angry his face turned blue and purple. Walking the Jianghu, victory and defeat were common occurrences. Like Gu Qing, using people as a base and engraving their defeats forever was a deep hatred.

It was just that for Gu Qing, this kind of hatred was like having so many lice that he was no longer afraid of being bitten.

Abi let out a hateful breath, walked to the stern of the boat, and began to row. Her flushed face, snow-white skin, and emerald dress combined to give her a unique charm.

Deng Deng Baichuan and Feng Bo'e also sat on the boat, adjusting their breathing and assuming the stance most ready for a strike.

The lotus leaves in Taihu Lake were dense, with thousands of ports and channels. If one were not familiar with the water routes, it would be impossible to find the way out. Abi rowed the boat into the lotus leaves, turning left and right, wasting time with Gu Qing on the water.

"Sister Abi."

Gu Qing suddenly spoke, "I have ten 'Number Ones' in the Jianghu: Number One Sword Art, Number One Palm Art, Number One Finger Strength, Number One Lightness Skill, Number One Hidden Weapon, Number One Poison Art, Number One Fist Art, Number One Internal Energy, Number One Strongman, and Number One Wisdom. Think carefully, can you deceive me?"

The implication was that Gu Qing had already seen through Abi's little thoughts.

Abi wrinkled her nose and sneered, "Arrogant and conceited. Aren't you afraid of meeting a Jianghu expert who will smash your signboard?"

Gu Qing smiled and said, "Actually, my signboard has really been smashed before."

Saying this made Deng Deng Baichuan and Feng Bo'e perk up.

"After I achieved success in my skills, in Bianliang City, I called myself the 'Number One Poet' and wanted to clash with the romantic figures of the time. Then I met the current Minister of Rites, Su Su Dongpo. The moment I saw him, I knew Su Su Dongpo was as strong as a monster, and even with all my might, I could hardly defeat him. So I admitted defeat on the spot and yielded the title of 'Number One Poet in the World' to him!"

Gu Qing spoke of this matter without any embarrassment, his face still smiling.

When Abi heard this, she was almost so angry she laughed.

The current Su Su Dongpo was already fifty-seven or fifty-eight years old, and his *Shuidiao Getou* was famous throughout the world; everyone knew who the current "Number One Poet in the World" was. Gu Qing actually had the nerve to say he had yielded the title to someone else...

"Young Master is so thick-skinned; no wonder you can list a title like 'Perfectly Virtuous Man'."

Abi mocked.

"At that time, there was also an eight or nine-year-old girl named Li Li Qingzhao who pointed at my nose and mocked me. That little girl had a sharp tongue, even better at scolding than you."

Gu Qing said, "That little girl told me to keep hanging the title of 'Number One Poet in the World' and not to lose it, to pass it down for generations. But I felt that being able to know oneself and retreat was a kind of wisdom, so I yielded the title of 'Number One Poet' to Su Su Dongpo and gained a 'Number One Wisdom' for myself, which was a win-win."

Abi was truly laughed to anger this time and said, "Has your 'Number One Wisdom in the World' been acknowledged by Master Su Dongpo?"

"This does not need Master Su Dongpo's acknowledgment."

Gu Qing said solemnly, "The wisdom of retreating is something many people in the Jianghu do not understand. As I walk the Jianghu, whenever I meet someone whose palm force is stronger than mine, whose sword art is stronger, whose finger strength is stronger, whose lightness skill is stronger, or whose internal energy is stronger, I will immediately yield the title of 'Number One' to the other party."

"This is my wisdom."

"But for those stubborn fools, I will also punish them severely, beat their brains out, and collect their family property to cast a plaque for my 'Number One Wisdom'."

Those who could serve as the base for the "Number One Wisdom" were all brainless people.

Hearing this, Abi muttered, "After all that talk, this Jianghu wisdom of yours—the ability to bend and stretch—is probably the only true part."

(End of chapter)