Chapter 194: When Did Murong Fu Fall?

"You're the one who tried to assassinate me?"

Lady Wang studied Mu Wanching, but could discern little—Mu Wanching was entirely shrouded in black gauze, revealing only her eyes, dark as polished lacquer. Lady Wang waved her hand, signaling someone to remove her veil.

"You dare!"

Mu Wanching cried out, voice sharp but hollow with fear.

Duan Zhengchun was a man of many tricks; his deep affection for women was real, but so was his irresponsibility. Since Qin Hongmian had been with him, Duan had abandoned her, leaving Qin Hongmian to raise their child alone.

This made Qin Hongmian despise all men. When Mu Wanching turned fourteen, Qin Hongmian veiled her face so no one could see her features. On this descent from the mountain, unable to find Lady Wang, the two split up. Before parting, Qin Hongmian warned Mu Wanching: whoever lifted her veil must marry her; if he refused, she must kill him.

If she neither married nor killed him, Qin Hongmian would kill herself.

Trapped by this rigid rule, Mu Wanching had no choice but to obey. Now, surrounded by so many men in broad daylight, she feared her master would take her own life if her veil were lifted.

"What's there to dare?"

At Lady Wang's command, a fat old nurse stepped forward and reached for Mu Wanching's veil.

"Wait!"

Gu Qing suddenly called out.

Mu Wanching looked at Gu Qing, her eyes faintly grateful.

Though she understood little of human affairs, she knew the principle of repaying kindness. In the original story, when Mu Wanching was surrounded by Ping Laopo and others, an old man surnamed Zhu pleaded for her—she let him leave first, her words cold but her intent clear.

Gu Qing's intervention stirred something in Mu Wanching.

The fat nurse ignored Gu Qing entirely, reaching straight for Mu Wanching's veil.

Seeing this, Gu Qing stood still and exhaled.

A wisp of white smoke shot from his mouth—a slender, endless thread—that sliced through the nurse's arm with a sharp *shhh*.

The hand that had been reaching for the veil fell to the ground.

The nurse raised her arm, saw it gone, screamed, and fainted.

"What kind of internal skill is this?"

Wang Yuyan had read countless martial arts manuals and knew the effects of all internal arts—but she had never seen anything like Gu Qing's. This wasn't a technique from the Jianghu; it resembled the legends of sword immortals who spat out sword pellets from their mouths to kill at a glance.

Deng Baichuan and Feng Bo'e, watching this, froze in shock. Facing Gu Qing, they felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

With Gu Qing's power, even if he dug up Murong Bo's grave, they could do nothing.

"The Way of Zen, the Robe-Transferring Divine Art."

Gu Qing spoke with quiet pride.

This martial art was excruciating to cultivate. At first, Gu Qing had hoped to tame its inner force with his own strength. But the more he trained, the worse it became. By the time he transmitted the energy to Murong Jiu, he felt his meridians burning to ash. After transferring the energy and retraining, the inner force of the Robe-Transferring Divine Art became like mercury—each particle perfect, seamless—and Gu Qing finally mastered it completely.

Of all the martial arts Gu Qing had ever learned, the Robe-Transferring Divine Art was the hardest—and now, perfected, it was the most powerful.

This breath that harms is one application of the Robe-Transferring Divine Art. The Night Emperor's Consort, who cultivated it, could exhale a thread of condensed inner energy through gauze, repelling Tie Zhongtang's two foes. Gu Qing, having retrained it twice, now controlled it even better than she had.

"The Way of Zen, the Robe-Transferring Divine Art…"

Wang Yuyan murmured the words inwardly. Though she didn't understand the art's subtleties, just seeing Gu Qing's breath-strike told her his martial realm. Unconsciously, she thought of Murong Fu: Gu Qing's inner energy was so formidable—Murong Fu was nowhere near.

Gu Qing's exhalation made the guards surrounding Mu Wanching recoil in panic. Seizing the moment, Mu Wanching hurried to Gu Qing's side and said: "Help me free myself."

Her acupoints were sealed, her body bound by ropes, surrounded by enemies—she had no choice but to trust Gu Qing.

"Of course." Gu Qing reached to remove her veil.

"What are you doing?"

Mu Wanching was startled. She had come to him to ask him to cut her ropes—not to lift her veil.

So all along, Gu Qing had stopped that old woman just so he could do it himself?

"Just teasing you."

Gu Qing smiled, tore the veil away—and the ropes binding Mu Wanching instantly fell loose.

Mu Wanching, half-ashamed, half-angry, shot him a furious glare.

"Qin Hongmian?"

Lady Wang's wit in matters of jealousy far surpassed her ordinary intelligence. Though Mu Wanching's face was veiled, her guarded posture instantly revealed her identity.

"Who is Qin Hongmian?"

Mu Wanching didn't know her master was her mother, nor did she know Qin Hongmian's name. She was utterly confused—but still tensed, ready to fight Lady Wang to the death.

!

Deng Baichuan and Feng Bo'e immediately stepped in front of Lady Wang.

"Lady Wang, we—"

Deng Baichuan began speaking, when suddenly a sword stabbed toward Gu Qing's back!

"Watch out!"

Wang Yuyan had been trailing behind Lady Wang, knowing little of Gu Qing's background. She had regarded his breath-strike—severing the nurse's arm—as ordinary, having grown up in the Mantis Garden, where life was often treated lightly. But now, seeing someone launch a surprise attack, she couldn't help but cry out.

Gu Qing turned calmly and reached out to grasp the incoming sword.

The blade plunged straight into his palm—neither piercing through nor clashing with a clang. Instead, it softened, folding upon itself, drawing the swordsman closer and closer to Gu Qing.

"Attack together!"

Deng Baichuan shouted, unleashing a torrent of inner energy.

Feng Bo'e drew his blade and charged.

From among the Murong family members escorting Mu Wanching, over a dozen surged forward—some with swords, some with fists—each a formidable martial artist.

Bringing Mu Wanching here had been part of the Murong family's plan.

Gu Qing stepped forward, leapt into the air, twisted his body, and struck as he flew—his movements and techniques flowing together like a fish swimming through water, a dragon soaring through clouds. He unleashed the Kunlun Supreme Skill, the Eight Great Dragon Forms, recorded in the Five Supreme Arts of the Ancient World—those who stood before him were scattered.

*Boom! *Boom! *Boom! *Boom!

Gu Qing swung fists, slapped palms, raised knees, crushed heads—in three moves, two strikes, he laid every attacker flat. Then he twisted midair and landed steadily.

"Cousin!"

At that moment, Wang Yuyan recognized one of the fallen men and cried out.

Murong Fu?

Gu Qing turned, looked at the men on the ground—which one? When had he been defeated?

Murong Fu lay on the ground, his face dark purple.

The Murong family had a supreme skill called "Redirecting Stars and Moving Mountains"—a technique to use an opponent's force against them. It was excellent for deflecting attacks, but it drained internal energy. Against foes far stronger than himself, it could only be used to dissipate and guide force.

Murong Fu had relied on this, stepping forward to take Gu Qing's blow directly, hoping to redirect it and create an opening. But he had collided with the Robe-Transferring Divine Art—its energy dense, utterly immune to any pulling force. He took one strike, was instantly crushed, and felled in a single blow—so much so that Gu Qing didn't even remember him as anything more than a weakling.

"That's the Southern Murong?"

Gu Qing was surprised.

(End of Chapter)