Chapter 58: Is It Really Starting?

Cheng Ying helped Gu Qing dig a pit and buried the Golden Wheel Lama.

According to the Golden Wheel Lama’s own customs, he should have been left for sky burial, but since they were in a foreign land, Gu Qing let him be buried in the earth in peace.

Gu Qing put the Padmasambhava scroll away for now; if fate brings him another encounter with Darba, he could still use it.

“What were you two muttering about?”

As Cheng Ying buried the Golden Wheel Lama, she noticed his peaceful expression and smiling face at death, and recalling the earlier murmured conversation between him and Gu Qing, she asked curiously.

When teaching Gu Qing the esoteric truths of Tibetan Buddhism, the Golden Wheel Lama feared misinterpretation and spoke in Tibetan; Gu Qing replied in Tibetan too, while Cheng Ying and Xiaolongnu stood by, unaware of what they were saying.

“He taught me all the essence of Tibetan esotericism.”

Gu Qing said.

Beyond the practices of bliss and emptiness, Tibetan Buddhism contains many valuable elements—some yogic disciplines aim to completely eliminate mental distractions, descriptions closely resembling the Divine Foot Sutra in the Dragon and the Lofty Walk’s Arhat Subduing Demon Art.

Thus, at the outset of Tibetan practice, one cuts off all afflictions, first cultivating the Vajrasattva, then advancing to the Great Yoga Tantra; once body and mind are fully aligned, one may practice the highest martial arts within.

Compared to the highest martial arts here, the Dragon and Elephant Wisdom Skill is indeed crude labor.

Of course, what Gu Qing cared about most was always the dual cultivation technique—this supreme yoga could be practiced by both men and women, aiming to elevate both parties’ cultivation, remove obstacles, deepen spiritual connection, and even enhance mutual pleasure; as he listened, he marveled that generations had empirically refined these methods—they truly had substance.

The three of them rested on the mountain for a long while before descending together.

Since the night raid on the camp until this afternoon, the Song and Mongol troops remained engaged in battle—mostly Mongols fleeing, Song forces chasing, with many martial artists mixed in; Gu Qing had just fought a brutal battle and was now utterly exhausted; along the way, he encountered several skirmishes, all resolved by Cheng Ying stepping forward to help.

Suddenly, a long-eagle circled overhead.

Gu Qing looked up and saw a crimson figure waving frantically among the mountains—it was Guo Fu—and her voice followed: “Gu Qing, hurry and help Yang Guo!”

Where is Yang Guo?

Gu Qing used his lightness skill to climb the cliff, reaching the mountaintop, where he saw Guo Fu, Wanyan Ping, Lu Wushuang, and Yelu Yan all crouching, each bearing wounds; beside them, Yang Guo and Xiao Xiangzi were locked in fierce combat.

Xiao Xiangzi resembled a corpse, moved swiftly, and his martial arts were not to be underestimated; the future Nine Yang Divine Scripture was originally taken from Shaolin Temple by Xiao Xiangzi and Yin Kexi.

At this moment, Yang Guo, having endured multiple battles, was exhausted; he was constantly on the defensive against Xiao Xiangzi, and only when he saw Gu Qing, Xiaolongnu, and Cheng Ying arrive did he finally exhale in relief.

Xiaolongnu, seeing this, prepared to use her twin swords to attack Xiao Xiangzi.

“Wait.”

Gu Qing looked at Yang Guo, recalling the palm technique Yang Guo had used against the Golden Wheel Lama, and shouted: “Yang Guo, fight Xiao Xiangzi the same way you fought the Golden Wheel Lama—you’ll win for sure!”

That technique had been hazy—he hadn’t even clearly seen it back then.

“I’d have used it already if I could!”

Yang Guo growled.

After Guo Fu had dressed him in the Soft Hedgehog Armor, Yang Guo felt released, let go, warmed inside, and could no longer recapture that original feeling; he had tried several times but could not summon the move.

Gu Qing turned back and glanced at the women nearby, then suddenly said: “Miss Wanyan, may I kiss you?”

Wanyan Ping, clad entirely in black, with cold, clear eyes, clenched her teeth at this sudden request, ready to rebuke him.

“Slap!”

On the other side, Xiao Xiangzi had just been struck.

Yang Guo’s rage surged—he found that feeling again.

Though the blow hurt Xiao Xiangzi, it didn’t wound him; relying on his superior lightness skill, he lunged again at Yang Guo.

Though the Melancholy Dissolving Palm’s forms were strange, its true strength lay in internal energy; Yang Guo, still without having eaten the snake gallbladder, lacked profound internal energy, so this palm technique couldn’t kill.

Xiao Xiangzi attacked again, and Yang Guo was once more on the defensive.

“Miss Lu, may I kiss you?”

Gu Qing asked Lu Wushuang.

Having just witnessed Wanyan Ping’s reaction, the women now understood; Lu Wushuang blushed, eyes filled with indignation, yet secretly glanced at Yang Guo.

“Slap!”

Yang Guo unleashed another strange move, striking Xiao Xiangzi.

This finally angered Xiao Xiangzi; he sneered: “You’re quite the flirt!” As he spoke, he launched another furious assault on Yang Guo.

Xiaolongnu and Cheng Ying now kept glancing at Wanyan Ping and Lu Wushuang, while Guo Fu, beside them, flushed red with fury.

“Master Gu, kiss me.”

Yelu Yan waved at Gu Qing, deliberately speaking loudly.

“Slap!”

This time, Xiao Xiangzi struck Yang Guo, sending him flying several zhang away; he rolled twice on the ground, rose with a faint trickle of blood at his lips, but the Soft Hedgehog Armor protected him from serious injury.

Instead, Xiao Xiangzi’s hand was pierced with several holes.

“Yang Guo, you bastard!”

Yelu Yan had been injured; Wanyan Ping and Lu Wushuang could trigger Yang Guo’s strange move, but after she spoke, Yang Guo clearly raised his hand—yet the move missed by a hair’s breadth, lacked power, and was immediately countered.

In Yang Guo’s heart, who mattered more and who less became instantly clear.

Wanyan Ping, Lu Wushuang, and even the angry Guo Fu all smiled.

“Yang Guo, if you don’t get up, I’m going to kiss Guo Fu!”

Gu Qing shouted.

Yang Guo could take no more; he grunted twice, his figure suddenly surged upward, his moves flowing with astonishing brilliance; in that instant, he landed over ten palms on Xiao Xiangzi, sending the man rolling several times on the ground; when he rose to flee, his legs buckled, he staggered again, then stumbled once more.

Yang Guo in his breakthrough state was terrifying.

Cheng Ying leapt forward, her fingers darting out, instantly immobilizing Xiao Xiangzi.

Guo Fu, seeing the result of Yang Guo’s breakthrough, felt both joy and fury; as Yang Guo stormed toward her with blazing eyes, she angrily raised her hand to slap him, hoping to snap him back to his senses.

At that moment, a figure descended slowly, his face as pale as gold, filled with fury; upon entering the scene, his cold gaze swept the area, instantly giving Guo Fu a sense of security; she cried out, “Grandfather!” and wanted to weep.

“Fuhui, be good.”

Huang Yaoshi comforted Guo Fu with two words, then walked to Gu Qing’s side and suddenly seized his throat.

“Huh?”

Yang Guo, about to settle accounts, stepped back at once.

“Gu Qing, will you marry my disciple Cheng Ying?”

Huang Yaoshi demanded sharply.

Is this really starting now?

Gu Qing wasn’t mentally prepared.

(End of Chapter)