Chapter 40: Guo, Call Me Uncle-in-Law

When the morning sun first rose, Li Mochou had already arrived in the secluded valley, sitting quietly outside the thatched hut, watching Cheng Ying, Yang Guo, and Lu Wushuang stand guard; near noon, the side chamber door opened, and Gu Qing and Xiaolongnu stepped out.

After this night, Gu Qing looked worn and listless, while Xiaolongnu’s radiance was dazzling, her gaze sharp and vivid—she seemed like a different person from last night.

“Thump…”

Yang Guo didn’t know what had happened, but he felt as if a sword had pierced his chest.

It’s cold.

“Sister.”

Xiaolongnu leapt into the air, and as she landed, her body moved with the grace of the Luoshen Walking on Waves from the Beauty Fist, light and elegant, exuding an unmatched poise.

Li Mochou gazed at Xiaolongnu’s exquisite beauty and vivid complexion—something she had never seen in her life—and involuntarily froze for a moment before saying, “Sister, you look splendid.”

Xiaolongnu’s eyes shimmered with joy, her expression radiant.

Seeing Xiaolongnu like this, Li Mochou felt herself growing more and more like a bitter, resentful woman; she flicked her dust whisk, launching a fierce assault, silver threads spreading like a net—yet the technique itself was derived from the Ancient Tomb School’s martial arts.

Seeing this, Xiaolongnu’s figure darted swiftly, golden bells and silver cords swirling around her, her form floating like a fairy, her strikes lightning-fast; she slipped beside Li Mochou and unleashed the Beauty Fist from the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture—techniques layered upon techniques, winning through speed; before one move fully formed, another already arrived. No matter how deep Li Mochou’s cultivation, she could only defend herself now.

“Incredibly powerful technique.”

Cheng Ying, watching Xiaolongnu’s attack, sincerely praised her.

Xiaolongnu’s Ancient Tomb School arts descended from Lin Chaoying, a woman who rivaled Wang Chongyang and was herself a Fifth Apex-level master; yet few knew of her martial prowess. Now, with full force applied, it naturally stunned Cheng Ying, a disciple of the Eastern Heretic.

“What did you do to my aunt?”

Yang Guo grabbed Gu Qing’s collar, his voice choked with suppressed fury.

Xiaolongnu’s transformation was too drastic—Yang Guo felt a dark premonition.

Gu Qing looked drained, yawned, and a sweet, cloying scent drifted from his mouth; Yang Guo smelled it and instantly lost all strength in his limbs, slumping to the ground.

Gu Qing, seeing Yang Guo’s shattered expression, crouched slightly and said in a low voice, “Last night, I broke through your aunt’s…”

Yang Guo clapped his hands over his ears, unable to bear hearing more.

“...Jade Maiden Heart Scripture.”

Gu Qing touched Yang Guo’s arm, vibrating his internal energy to make his voice clear; once the words reached Yang Guo’s ears, he lowered his hands, his face lighting up with joy.

The Ancient Tomb School’s martial arts made practitioners grow increasingly inhuman, with foundational practices of Twelve Few and Twelve Many that had long oppressed Yang Guo; now, hearing only the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture had been broken, he recalled Xiaolongnu’s radiant appearance today—and everything made sense.

“That’s all?”

Yang Guo’s heart tightened.

“Essentially, yes.”

Gu Qing said.

Yang Guo patted his chest, finally at ease.

“From now on, your uncle-in-law won’t let you down.”

Gu Qing clapped Yang Guo on the shoulder.

The smile that had just bloomed on Yang Guo’s face froze instantly; his eyes widened as he stared at Gu Qing, who gave him a solemn nod—confirming it was all true.

The Ancient Tomb School’s martial arts naturally suppressed personal emotion; once that chain was broken, all long-repressed feelings surged forth. Gu Qing had stepped forward and kissed Xiaolongnu when her desires first stirred, unrestrained—and thus, they became lovers.

Yang Guo’s face turned ashen; he now understood the source of that sweet scent on Gu Qing. He slumped against the wall, watching Xiaolongnu and Li Mochou fight.

With the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture broken, Xiaolongnu’s strikes remained swift, her posture ethereal as a celestial being; in combat with Li Mochou, her left hand suddenly flashed like lightning—spinning upward, twisting downward, slicing left, shifting right—each move aimed squarely at Li Mochou’s head.

Yang Guo had seen this technique before—it was the Shatter-Strong Claw Gu Qing had used. As Li Mochou raised her whisk to block, the silver cords and golden bells instantly gathered at Xiaolongnu’s hand; with a flick, they became a whip, swirling through the air in several loops, yanking the whisk aside.

Her left hand seized the opening, lunging forward, five fingers hovering above Li Mochou’s forehead.

Li Mochou stared, dumbfounded—this woman was not just different from last night; even her martial arts had transformed utterly.

Li Mochou had clashed with Xiaolongnu before; she knew Xiaolongnu’s internal energy hadn’t grown, yet these strange, lightning-fast techniques were beyond her capacity to counter.

“Sister, this isn’t Ancient Tomb martial arts.”

Li Mochou’s expression darkened; she knew Xiaolongnu’s pure, simple nature, and asked this to confirm.

“It will be, from now on.”

Gu Qing stepped forward and said to Li Mochou.

The future Yellow Robe Maiden would deeply study the Nine Yin Scripture—clearly, the Ancient Tomb lineage’s future direction lies along the Nine Yin path.

Li Mochou, wary of Gu Qing, seeing him now close at hand, ceased probing Xiaolongnu and turned to leave.

“Wait.”

Gu Qing called out to her: “Our duel agreement didn’t include an option for you to leave just because you lost.”

Li Mochou halted and turned to Gu Qing.

“I mean no harm.”

Gu Qing looked at Lu Wushuang and said: “I’m simply giving her a chance for revenge.”

Lu Wushuang was the daughter of the Jiangnan Lu family; because her father was Lu Zhanyuan’s younger brother, Li Mochou stormed their home, slaughtered the entire Lu clan, and took Lu Wushuang captive, tormenting her endlessly.

Now that Gu Qing’s strength surpassed Li Mochou’s, driven by simple justice, he stepped forward to uphold fairness for Lu Wushuang.

This time, no merit points collected.

Li Mochou looked at Lu Wushuang, seeing the fierce hatred blazing in her eyes; their gazes met, yet Li Mochou remained expressionless, her conscience clear.

After a long silence, Lu Wushuang’s body sagged and said: “Brother Gu, let her go. Consider this repayment for her raising me. I’ll train hard and seek revenge myself.”

Lu Wushuang was usually cruel and sharp—but at this moment of vengeance, she couldn’t bring herself to kill.

Gu Qing said nothing, waved his hand, and let Li Mochou leave; he knew well that with Lu Wushuang’s current progress, she would never be able to avenge herself on Li Mochou in this lifetime.

Xiaolongnu turned her face toward Gu Qing; when their eyes met, she smiled faintly—her brows like dark mountain peaks, her cheeks like blooming flowers, her scent like a gentle breeze; the magnificent landscape blended seamlessly with her, intoxicating the eyes and soul.

Gu Qing reached out and took Xiaolongnu’s hand.

Got it!

At this moment, Lu Wushuang stood frozen; Cheng Ying stood apart, watching Gu Qing and Xiaolongnu’s closeness, lost in thought; in this forgotten corner, Yang Guo was transforming into the Brooding Yang Guo.

The Brooding Yang Guo—single palm can subdue all foes!

(End of Chapter)