Chapter 90: Excellent! Don

Leaving the first floor of the Blue Robe Tower, Gu Qing stood in the sunlight, feeling warmth all around, while Huo Tianqing, standing in the same sunlight, felt a chilling cold deep within his heart.

Huo Tianqing saw here a man—a man who absolutely should not be standing here, a man who should be lying in his grave.

Du Gu Yihè.

Beside Du Gu Yihè were Su Shaoying of Emei, as well as Ma Xiuzhen, Sun Xiuqing, Shi Xiuxue, Ye Xiuzhu, and Ma Xingkong from the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion.

“Huo Tianqing, kill yourself.”

Du Gu Yihè said in a deep voice.

After a night’s rest, Du Gu Yihè could now wield sword and blade, so he brought his disciples to the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion, seized Ma Xingkong inside, interrogated him, followed the directions, and arrived outside the Blue Robe Tower.

“Du Gu Yihè!”

Shanxi Yan stepped forward and said: “This is Shanxi, not Sichuan!”

The Tianqin Sect is the local power here; Shanxi Yan and his men could not stand idly by while Du Gu Yihè bullied Huo Tianqing.

Gu Qing, Shangguan Feiyan, Lu Xiaofeng, and Hua Manlou watched from the side, listening to Emei’s account—only then did the Tianqin Sect learn that Huo Tianqing had dared to assassinate Du Gu Yihè.

After Du Gu Yihè pretended to be dead, Ye Xiuzhu took the lead, urging Emei’s disciples to surround Gu Qing—but all of it was watched coldly by Du Gu Yihè, who controlled the situation.

“Whoever does wrong must pay the price—Huo Tianqing is no exception!”

Du Gu Yihè said calmly.

“Go ahead.”

“Go ahead with what?”

“Go ahead and strike! Huo Tianqing is the master of the Tianqin Sect, and we are his disciples!”

“Are you declaring war on Emei?”

“Let there be war! We’ve always been reckless and clueless!”

The Tianqin Sect members shouted at Du Gu Yihè, each standing protectively before Huo Tianqing; one bun vendor, nicknamed Bao Wuya, shouted the loudest: “We know we’re being unreasonable—we’re the kind of people who can’t tell right from wrong, good from evil, and deserve to die, right here and now!”

As he spoke, Bao Wuya slammed his body into a nearby tree, his frame rigid midair.

He seemed to live in shame.

Shanxi Yan pulled Bao Wuya down from midair; suddenly, the Tianqin Sect was in chaos—some trying to die, others vowing to defend Huo Tianqing to the death, shouting loudly and passionately.

Huo Tianqing looked at the Tianqin Sect members, deeply moved, tears welling in his eyes.

“I can’t take it anymore!”

Gu Qing, unable to bear the noise, shouted for silence, then spoke a fair word: “Huo Tianqing, haven’t you noticed both sides are forcing you to kill yourself?”

The tears Huo Tianqing had been about to shed vanished instantly.

The Tianqin Sect members stood stunned—they had intended to morally blackmail Emei, but Gu Qing’s words left them looking like fools on both sides.

“Master Gu.”

Hua Manlou said gently: “Forgive when you can.”

Gu Qing’s words had pushed Huo Tianqing straight to the edge.

“Didn’t you hear what Emei said? Huo Tianqing and Ye Xiuzhu, that pair of traitors, conspired to bring trouble upon me?”

Gu Qing retorted.

Hua Manlou fell silent—he hadn’t expected Gu Qing to suddenly strike with this truth; it was all because of this.

Huo Tianqing’s gaze turned to Gu Qing and Shangguan Feiyan—in his eyes, they were the real traitors.

“Tianqing.”

Gu Qing’s tone softened: “You’re the son of Tianqin the Elder—don’t disgrace yourself!”

“Ah…”

Huo Tianqing looked from Emei to Tianqin, sighed deeply. As the son of Tianqin the Elder, he had always wanted to accomplish something earth-shattering to prove himself—but every plan he made was seen through by the old fox Huo Xiu, and his martial skills had been thoroughly humiliated by Gu Qing.

Now, it seemed, he finally had a chance to prove himself.

Suicide.

“I, Huo Tianqing, take full responsibility—this has nothing to do with these poor fools of the Tianqin Sect.”

Huo Tianqing severed ties with the Tianqin Sect, transferred the mastership, drew a sword, and walked step by step onto the open ground.

At that moment, Ye Xiuzhu’s eyes were filled with sorrow; she stepped forward from among Emei’s disciples and stood beside Huo Tianqing. After locking eyes, each drew their sword and slashed their own throat.

“Good!”

Gu Qing, seeing both dead, applauded them, glancing at his system—ten points of good karma. Fewer than ten from Emei had come, yet still someone in the Tianqin Sect had wanted Huo Tianqing dead.

The misunderstanding between Emei and the Tianqin Sect was now cleared; the Tianqin Sect members dispersed, and Emei’s people prepared to leave as well.

“Congratulations.”

Lu Xiaofeng, standing beside Shangguan Feiyan, suddenly said: “This entire stretch of land now belongs to you!”

Lu Xiaofeng had seen Huo Tianqing and Ye Xiuzhu punished, yet Shangguan Feiyan—the woman tied to multiple deaths—faced no punishment at all; instead, she gained control of the Blue Robe Tower and the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion. His heart burned with resentment.

“It’s a fine place.”

Shangguan Feiyan pretended not to hear Lu Xiaofeng’s implication: “I plan to build a grand estate here—bamboo fences, thatched huts, raising chickens and dogs…”

Her words carried the scent of retirement.

“Hmph…”

Lu Xiaofeng was about to speak when he heard a strange dog barking—so peculiar it drew the attention of the departing Emei disciples, Tianqin Sect members, and Hua Manlou. They turned—and saw the barking dog was none other than the escort captain, Ma Xingkong.

Ma Xingkong’s internal energy had been slashed in half by Huo Tianqing; stripped of his livelihood, he abandoned his dignity to survive. With Shanxi’s power structure now overturned, Ma Xingkong naturally sought to please the new master.

“No need, no need…”

Gu Qing, unable to bear a man groveling for survival, reached out, seized Ma Xingkong, and pressed his fingers to his meridians. Nine Yang true qi surged through Ma Xingkong’s channels, locating blockages. Under this force, every obstruction dissolved. Soon, Ma Xingkong was drenched in sweat—his lost true qi would return within a month.

“Thank you, thank you…”

With his injuries gone, Ma Xingkong’s bent spine straightened. He looked at Gu Qing, tears streaming down his face.

Gu Qing patted Ma Xingkong’s shoulder—this one point of good karma felt satisfying.

Lu Xiaofeng, who had intended to argue with Shangguan Feiyan, now softened: “At least you found a good man. If you two become a pair, it’s fine.”

Though Gu Qing loved the spotlight, held grudges, and enjoyed tormenting others—in Lu Xiaofeng’s eyes, he was still a good man, a good husband. With Gu Qing around, Shangguan Feiyan’s danger was greatly reduced.

“I can’t be with him.”

Shangguan Feiyan suddenly grew melancholy: “I can only be his partner. When I’m in danger, I ask for his help; when he needs martial manuals or silver, I support him. When we’re bored, we sleep together. But painting eyebrows, playing the qin, watching rain, sharing thoughts… none of that is possible.”

Gu Qing talked with Shangguan Feiyan about everything—except love.

Lu Xiaofeng, hearing this, felt a pang of recognition—he too was a wanderer, and after wandering, he too longed for someone to paint his eyebrows, play the qin, watch the rain, and talk with him… Lu Xiaofeng thought of Xue Bing.

But now, Lu Xiaofeng did not wish for any fixed home.

(End of Chapter)