Chapter 22: Reporting to Xiaolongnu

Hong Qiugong took Ouyang Feng down the mountain to find Huang Yaoshi.

At this time, Gu Qing and Yang Guo also descended Huashan; although they did not experience the plot where Hong Qiugong and Ouyang Feng transmitted their lifetime martial arts before dying, Gu Qing and Yang Guo exchanged martial arts and both gained greatly.

After leaving Huashan, Gu Qing wore a gloomy expression, while Yang Guo laughed and joked, insisting on staying by Gu Qing’s side to closely examine his face.

“Yang Guo, you’ve read many books under Huang Rong—have you ever heard the saying, ‘Misfortune leans on fortune; fortune hides within misfortune—who knows its limit?’”

Gu Qing rode his donkey, face stern, asking Yang Guo.

“What a coincidence—Auntie Huang never taught me the Dao De Jing.”

Yang Guo laughed cheerfully.

Gu Qing nodded, mounted his donkey, and headed toward Mount Zhongnan; after circling the outside for a long while and receiving Hong Qiugong’s confirmation, he could now return to Mount Zhongnan and report his mission.

Yang Guo rode another donkey, following Gu Qing at a leisurely pace.

As they neared Mount Zhongnan, Gu Qing suddenly halted his donkey and stared silently at Yang Guo, who grinned and said, “Brother Gu, I’m coming with you. After you report back to Mount Zhongnan, let’s both go to Huang Yaoshi’s sect and see who can win Cheng Ying’s heart.”

Yang Guo was deliberately provoking Gu Qing.

“Fine, you’ve got guts!”

Gu Qing nodded, mounted his donkey, and rode ahead toward the rear of Mount Zhongnan.

Yang Guo followed slowly behind, re-entering Mount Zhongnan; he felt no nostalgia—he was still young, had spent too long here, and had left too recently, so returning felt ordinary. He paid no mind as Gu Qing headed for the rear mountain, until Gu Qing stopped before a small house, when Yang Guo suddenly straightened his back and widened his eyes.

He saw signs of habitation and immediately thought of Xiaolongnu.

“Yang Guo, your aunt despises noise; for her, the ancient tomb is the only pure land in the world. Where else could she go after leaving you?”

Gu Qing suddenly asked.

Yang Guo felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head—he instantly came to his senses, rushed into the house, dismounted, and sprinted forward; seeing the furnishings inside, he knew Xiaolongnu had indeed been here, his eyes grew hot, nearly brimming with tears.

“Wu wu wu…”

Gu Qing’s weeping voice came from outside: “Miss Long, I’m so glad to see you! I congratulate you!”

Yang Guo, lost in thoughts of Xiaolongnu, pushed open the door and stepped outside, where, in the secluded valley behind Mount Zhongnan, atop the snow, Xiaolongnu stood draped in misty gauze and icy silk, ethereal and otherworldly.

In that moment, Yang Guo felt his recent hardships had finally reached their end.

Xiaolongnu slightly furrowed her brow, puzzled why Gu Qing wept before her; then she heard movement, looked past Gu Qing, and saw Yang Guo behind him—their eyes met, warming her heart.

“Miss Long, Brother Yang has found his righteous father and now has someone he loves—he’s asked his father to propose, and they’re preparing for marriage.”

Gu Qing wiped his tears and said, “I’m truly happy for him! He’s suffered so much!”

Yang Guo sprinted toward Xiaolongnu, just as he heard Gu Qing’s words; his gaze had been locked with hers, feeling the warmth in her eyes—but in that instant, her gaze grew colder than the snow on Mount Zhongnan.

“Brother Yang.”

Gu Qing walked over, patted Yang Guo’s shoulder, and said, “I must return to Quanzhen Sect to report. You two should enjoy your reunion.”

As he spoke, Gu Qing wiped his tears again.

Yang Guo felt his entire body turn cold—he now understood the true meaning of Gu Qing’s words: “Misfortune leans on fortune; fortune hides within misfortune—who knows its limit?”

At the same time, Yang Guo wanted to slap himself—he didn’t understand Xiaolongnu as well as Gu Qing did, and had been so naïve as to let Gu Qing bring him before her, only to be betrayed so cruelly.

“If Brother Yang is getting married, why are you crying?”

Xiaolongnu’s voice was devoid of joy or sorrow; she ignored Yang Guo and questioned Gu Qing.

She didn’t understand why Gu Qing was crying.

“He stole her away…”

Gu Qing, as if unable to bear the reality, wept and fled away.

Xiaolongnu’s gaze fell again upon Yang Guo.

Her eyes held the sharpness of ice cleaving snow.

In that instant, Yang Guo felt he would begin wandering once more.

Quanzhen Sect, Chongyang Palace.

When Gu Qing came to report, his demeanor was calm; he handed Qiu Chuji all the “testimonies” he had gathered, along with Hong Qiugong’s signatures, and said, “Grandmaster, the deaths of Zhen Zhibing and Zhao Zhijing were all part of a Mongol conspiracy!”

Qiu Chuji was no stranger to Mongol elites—when Xiaolongnu was eighteen, Hu Du had disrupted this very place. Now, seeing the testimonies and Hong Qiugong’s signatures, Qiu Chuji had no doubt and passed the documents to other Quanzhen elders for review.

“The Mongols have seized two-thirds of Great Song territory, their domain vast enough to ride horses for years—but still, their ambition is insatiable. Such covert plots endanger not only our Quanzhen Sect but Great Song itself.”

Liu Chu Xuan exclaimed angrily upon reading the documents.

“What should we do now?”

Wang Chu Yi frowned, deeply concerned; if it were only himself, he would fight the Mongols to the death—but thousands of disciples depended on them.

“In my opinion, our Quanzhen Sect should disperse into smaller units.”

Gu Qing, listening nearby, suddenly proposed: “To hold land and lose people is to lose both; to hold people and lose land is to preserve both. Our Quanzhen disciples are all martial experts—we have no advantage fighting the Mongols on open battlefields, but if we move freely, the Mongols cannot touch us.”

“My suggestion is that each of our Quanzhen elders lead a branch, spreading in all directions—this will also expand our sect’s influence.”

Historically, the Seven Masters of Quanzhen founded many branches: the Yuxian Sect, Qingjing Sect, Longmen Sect, Nanwu Sect, Suishan Sect, Huashan Sect, and others.

Gu Qing hoped Quanzhen would disperse—it would remove a weakness from himself, sparing him the worry of dragging the sect into danger.

On another level, once Quanzhen fragmented, each branch would establish its own rules; Gu Qing could quietly insert his own regulations, legitimizing his marriage.

Gu Qing, the reformer, intended to dismantle Quanzhen entirely.

The Quanzhen elders exchanged glances; their sect’s foundation was vital—but the Mongol threat was immediate.

“Are you asking us to become Zhao Gou?”

Hao Datong protested.

“Zhao Gou never intended to return.”

Gu Qing said, “Our departure is to return stronger.”

Gu Qing had prepared ample arguments to persuade the Quanzhen elders.

(End of Chapter)