In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 117 A shower of flowers and coins, the Ghost Hand Gang

The sound that suddenly appeared was initially faint and difficult to discern, but it spread in an instant.

It's like millions of golden-winged bees flapping their wings at the same time, creating a strange sense of rhythm.

Gu Shaoan, who had been on guard ever since leaving the tavern, immediately patted his horse's back with one hand upon hearing the sounds behind him, using the slight force from his palm to suddenly leap into the air.

The moment his body was airborne, the heavy sword that Gu Shaoan had been carrying on his back just a second ago appeared in his hand the next second.

As the heavy sword swept across the sky, it encountered a dazzling golden halo, like shimmering water under the blazing summer sun, which poured down unexpectedly from the treetops behind the official road.

It wasn't pure light, but hundreds upon hundreds of gold dust particles, thin as cicada wings, with edges shimmering with a cold, metallic light, that came with the wind and waves.

Like the gentlest willow catkins of spring scattered by a fierce wind, or like a shower of golden flowers, dazzling and spectacular.

This caused Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan to pause in surprise, momentarily stunned by the dazzling beauty.

However, as the gold dust touched Gu Shaoan's heavy sword, it produced a crackling sound like raindrops hitting banana leaves, revealing a unique energy within it.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of voices rang out in succession.

It's unclear whether the opponent's skill was insufficient or whether the move itself wasn't intended to kill, but the energy contained in the gold dust wasn't particularly strong.

The moment these gold dust particles, imbued with special energy, touched Gu Shaoan's heavy sword, neither his hand holding the sword nor the heavy sword itself trembled in the slightest.

The broad, heavy sword moved as gracefully as willow catkins, yet it was impenetrable, blocking all the gold dust that came with the wind and rushed towards the three of them.

This ensured that neither he, Zhou Zhiruo, nor Yang Yan were stained with any of the gold dust.

But Gu Shaoan, who was wielding his sword amidst the golden rain of flowers, seemed to have taken a liking to it.

This gust of wind may seem chaotic, but its attack point is actually quite peculiar.

Moreover, the energy contained within these gold powders is a mixture of real and illusory. Unless one's martial arts skills and power have reached a certain level, one would definitely suffer some hardship when facing such an overwhelming and difficult-to-defend golden rain of flowers.

"Shh!"

Just then, a figure in pure white darted out from behind the tree canopy, which was showering golden rain, like a ghost.

The person seemed to be walking close to the ground of the official road, moving at an extremely fast speed, appearing as swiftly as a fleeting glimpse of a swan.

In just a few breaths, it had already covered a distance of seven or eight zhang and appeared beside the horse beneath Gu Shaoan, its target the injured man who stood frozen like a wooden statue.

It was the woman wearing a straw hat that the group had seen in the tavern earlier.

It must be said that the woman's choice of when to set off was quite clever.

Just then, the golden rain of flowers in the sky was at its heaviest and heaviest, and Gu Shaoan had no time to break away and attack her.

Meanwhile, Gu Shaoan, who was wielding his sword in mid-air to block the rain of flowers, seemed completely unaware of the woman who had suddenly appeared beneath him. His attention remained focused on the golden powder in the air, which contained a special kind of energy.

But a hint of mockery was creeping into his eyes.

Just as the woman wearing a straw hat was about to skim past Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan, two whooshing sounds suddenly reached her ears.

The next instant, the woman saw two cold beams of light, carrying the Milky Way from the heavens and accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, coming towards her simultaneously.

However, Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan, who were on horseback, attacked at the same time.

Two sword lights appeared, one like mercury spilling onto the ground, as fast as lightning.

The other was like a curtain falling, with sword shadows suddenly appearing and weaving into a large net.

Most importantly, the speed of the two women's swordplay, the exquisiteness of their moves, and the timing of their attacks far exceeded the woman in the straw hat's expectations.

Seeing the sword light rushing towards her, a hint of panic flashed in the woman's starry eyes.

In a moment of haste, she quickly raised her right hand, the folding fan flipping at her fingertips, opening halfway in an instant, like a small shield, precisely meeting Yang Yan's sword tip that was thrusting towards her wrist.

The sound of metal clashing resounded in my ears, and a strange, soft yet strong and elastic force was transmitted from the folding fan ribs.

Yang Yan felt as if the tip of the sword had pierced into thick, tough clay. A surge of yin energy traveled straight up the blade, causing her arm to go slightly numb, and the sword's momentum was cleverly deflected slightly.

This prompted Yang Yan to let out a soft "hmm" in her heart.

However, as Yang Yan's sword was parried, Zhou Zhiruo's sword net, which covered the woman in the bamboo hat like a net from heaven and earth, descended upon her.

The woman in the straw hat was caught off guard and could only instinctively raise her arm, trying to block Zhou Zhiruo's sword with her forearm.

Once the sword falls, the woman in the bamboo hat will likely have her arm severed by the sharp blade.

Noticing this, Zhou Zhiruo frowned slightly, turned her wrist slightly, changed her move, and her sword flashed past the woman's arm like a scattering of flowers, before striking the woman's abdomen with a sudden blow.

Even though Zhou Zhiruo held back, the woman in the bamboo hat was still struck squarely by her sword. Her body trembled violently, and a muffled groan of suppressed pain escaped from under the hat. She then flew uncontrollably backward like a kite with a broken string.

As her body flew backward, a mouthful of bright red blood gushed out. The bright red blood spots, like red plum blossoms blooming in winter, instantly soaked through the white veil she used to cover her face.

The bloodstains spread across the light gauze, like a strange and mournful flower.

"Clap!"

The woman in white staggered to the ground, her toes tapping the ground several times before she managed to deflect the impact that was both fierce and gentle. She steadied herself and stopped about two zhang away, her body slightly hunched and trembling uncontrollably.

Blood dripped down the edge of the white veil, leaving glaring red marks on her snow-white clothes and the dust in front of her, clearly indicating that she had been seriously injured by Zhou Zhiruo's attack.

Yang Yan twirled her sword, stepped forward, and said in an icy tone, "You think you can just walk past the two of us? You're really looking down on us."

The woman in the straw hat did not speak, but the expression behind the veil grew increasingly solemn.

From the very beginning, the woman in the bamboo hat was only wary of Gu Shaoan, who was carrying a heavy sword, and did not take Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan seriously.

But little did she know that among the three, besides Gu Shaoan, Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan, who looked so young, actually had such strong abilities.
Due to a misjudgment and a moment of carelessness, she was injured by Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan in a single encounter.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan in the air blocked all the gold dust, and his body floated down to the ground as lightly as a feather.

His gaze swept over the gold dust scattered on the ground, then he looked up at the woman in the bamboo hat who was struggling to stand two zhang away, and Gu Shaoan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Gu Shaoan hadn't thought about it in detail before, but if you count the hidden weapon techniques in the world, there are countless, but only one in the world can combine hidden weapon techniques with gold powder to create the feeling of a rain of flowers.

In the martial arts world, this is the signature skill of the "Traceless Gentleman".

"A shower of flowers and coins."

As for that Wuhen Gongzi, he had already entered the realm of Qi Condensation and Yuan Formation several years ago.

If it were his "Rain of Flowers and Coins" technique, even Gu Shaoan would not be able to withstand it.

Therefore, the identity of the figure opposite is already obvious.

Shangguan Haitang is the disciple of the Unmarked Young Master and the number one secret agent of the Dragon Guard Manor.

Just as Gu Shaoan recognized Shangguan Haitang's identity, Shangguan Haitang's internal energy circulated rapidly as she tried her best to soothe the severe pain in her abdomen and the surging blood and qi.

A gentle breeze blew by, causing the light veil in front of Shangguan Haitang to sway continuously.

Shangguan Haitang's eyes fell on Gu Shaoan and the others, and she gritted her teeth and said, "I never thought that the dignified Emei Sect would collude with a bunch of human traffickers. You are unworthy of being called a righteous sect."

Upon hearing this, both Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan's expressions changed.

Even Gu Shaoan's expression quickly darkened.

However, before the three could recover from Shangguan Haitang's words, another series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the fork in the tree-lined path in the distance.

Gu Shaoan and his companions looked up and saw four men, dressed in ordinary merchant's short-sleeved clothing and carrying sharp blades at their waists, approaching. However, as these four men ran out from the side road and saw Gu Shaoan and his companions, along with the immobilized man in front of them, their expressions changed drastically.

"interesting!"

Taking in the other party's expression and reaction, and then looking at Shangguan Haitang and the man whose pressure points had been struck, Gu Shaoan became interested.

Looking at the group of people in the distance, Zhou Zhiruo's gaze turned to Gu Shaoan with a hint of inquiry in her eyes.

"Junior brother?"

Yang Yan, standing to the side, also looked at Gu Shaoan immediately, just like Zhou Zhiruo, exuding a sense of eagerness.

After glancing at the seriously injured man and then at the four men wielding blades in the distance, Gu Shaoan said, "Things don't seem that simple. Let's find out what's going on first."

As he spoke, Gu Shaoan squatted down and repeatedly pressed his fingers around his face to temporarily stop the man's bleeding, preventing him from dying from excessive blood loss and causing further complications.

At the same time, the four men with knives in the distance paused briefly, then started walking quickly toward Gu Shaoan and his group.

He did not sheathe the blade in his hand, and his expression was wary.

However, when the group got closer and saw Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan's appearances clearly, all four of them were amazed by the two women's beauty.

However, when the four men's eyes fell on the elegant and simple Emei cloud pattern embroidered with silver thread on the three men's clothes, their expressions changed drastically, and a hint of apprehension appeared in their eyes. They looked at each other and began to communicate with their eyes.

A few moments later, upon seeing Gu Shaoan and the other two, one of the four men, who looked rather honest and simple, sheathed his blade and quickly stepped forward to Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan, saying, "I am Zhao Chongshan, a bodyguard from the 'Furui Escort Agency' in Linjiang Town. I'd like to greet you."

After a brief introduction, Zhao Chongshan pointed to the man in front of Gu Shaoan and said, "This man is called Wu Sangou. This scoundrel was originally a bodyguard in my Furui Escort Agency, but a few days ago, he suddenly embezzled all the goods we were escorting and even killed the two bodyguards who were guarding them with him. We searched for him in the north of the city for three days before we found his trail. We chased him all the way here. Since this concerns the reputation of my agency, I implore you gentlemen to hand this thief over to us. My Furui Escort Agency will be eternally grateful."

Seeing this, Zhao Chongshan's companions echoed him, bowing and clasping their hands in greeting to Yang Yan.

It really does look quite professional.

This prompted Zhou Zhiruo to look at the person in front of Gu Shaoan, her face showing a thoughtful expression, as if she was considering whether what the other person said was true or false.

As Yang Yan turned around, Zhao Chongshan, who was less than ten feet away from her, inadvertently took half a step forward. He slightly turned his body, one hand still gripping the hilt of the knife tightly against his arm, but his other left hand had somehow been tucked back into his wide sleeve.

Seemingly having heard the commotion, Yang Yan, Gu Shaoan, and Zhou Zhiruo all looked at Zhao Chongshan immediately.

Furthermore, all three of them noticed with particular keenness that Zhao Chongshan had taken half a step forward.

Looking at Zhao Chongshan's sideways body, as if realizing something, Yang Yan's beautiful eyes turned cold. In the blink of an eye, she lightly touched the ground with her toes and rushed forward, her sword blade flashing across the sky as fast as lightning.

With a flash of light, the blade in Yang Yan's hand traced a slight arc in the air, and with a "whoosh," it swiftly and accurately swept away from Zhao Chongshan's wrist, which was tucked into his sleeve.

Zhao Chongshan never expected that the girl in front of him, who looked pretty but clearly had a bit of a childishness, would act so decisively.

A flash of white light appeared before my eyes, and the fabric of my left sleeve was instantly slashed by the sharp blade.

After tearing through the sleeve, the sword suddenly stopped, then gently released its grip, piercing Zhao Chongshan's wrist.

As a scream came from Zhao Chongshan's mouth, Yang Yan, Gu Shaoan, and Zhou Zhiruo also looked at Zhao Chongshan's left hand.

On Zhao Chongshan's left hand, there was a little bit of yellowish-brown powder.

As Zhao Chongshan's pierced left hand trembled slightly, the powder fell down in a "rustling" sound.

Yang Yan, who was closer, could even faintly smell a sweet, fishy odor.

Yang Yan, who had been learning medicine from Gu Shaoan for several years, immediately recognized from the color and smell of the powder that the powder in Zhao Chongshan's hand was clearly a sleeping powder commonly used by the lowest of the low in the martial arts world.

He had just approached Yang Yan to talk, clearly intending to take advantage of her unpreparedness and secretly use the sleeping powder to attack her.

"mean."

Seeing this, Yang Yan let out a cold shout, channeled her inner strength into her hand, and pulled the long sword from Zhao Chongshan's wrist. At the same time, she struck Zhao Chongshan's chest with a palm, sending him flying backward.

Zhou Zhiruo, who was standing to the side, noticed the sleeping powder in Zhao Chongshan's hand and, without hesitation, drew her long sword and moved like the wind towards the remaining three.

As the sword flashed, several screams quickly emerged from the forest.

In less than the blink of an eye, the remaining three fell to the ground, their wrists bleeding profusely, clearly indicating that their tendons had been severed.

This prompted Yang Yan to give Zhou Zhiruo a thumbs up.

Watching the two women's ruthless attacks from a distance, Shangguan Haitang couldn't help but feel a sense of surprise.

Immediately afterwards, as if she had thought of something, Shangguan Haitang's expression under her bamboo hat suddenly relaxed a little.

The two women then moved simultaneously, their slender, jade-like fingers moving swiftly like the wind, transforming into swords, and accurately striking the vital points on the waists and backs of the others.

In an instant, only Zhao Chongshan remained, clutching his wound and looking at Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan, who stood with their swords drawn, with a look of astonishment on his face.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan withdrew his gaze from Zhao Chongshan and the others, glanced at Shangguan Haitang, and then walked to Wu Sangou. With a wave of his hand, Gu Shaoan channeled his refined true energy mixed with special force onto Wu Sangou's body, releasing his mute acupoint and the acupoints above his neck.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

With the pressure points released, Wu Sangou raised his pale face, first looking at Gu Shaoan suspiciously, then turning his head to look at Zhao Chongshan and the others.

Seeing the miserable state of the others, a look of satisfaction flashed in Wu Sangou's eyes.

After catching his breath, Wu Sangou did not respond to Gu Shaoan immediately, but instead looked at Shangguan Haitang in the distance.

With her internal energy restored, Shangguan Haitang's body was no longer visibly hunched over as before. She replied, "They shouldn't be with the Emei disciples in Linhai Town. Otherwise, they wouldn't have crippled the Ghost Hand Gang members. You could say that."

His voice was hoarse as he said, "They, they are not, they are not bodyguards, but members of the Ghost Hand Gang."

"Ghost Hand Gang".

Yang Yan and Zhou Zhiruo exchanged a glance, both looking bewildered.

Seeing that Wu Sangou was having difficulty even speaking a complete sentence, Gu Shaoan raised his hand and placed it on Wu Sangou's wrist.

In addition to the external injury to his abdomen and excessive bleeding, Wu Sangou was found to have multiple internal injuries, with his internal organs shaken by the external force, whether from rolling down the hillside or for some other reason.

It had reached a point where it could endanger lives.

Gu Shaoan reached into his robes, pulled out a pill he had concocted himself, and stuffed it directly into Wu Sangou's mouth. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he tossed the entire bottle of pills towards Shangguan Haitang.

How many pills should I take?

Shangguan Haitang had no doubt that the medicine Gu Shaoan gave her was problematic.

Given the strength that Gu Shaoan and his group have displayed and her current situation, if Gu Shaoan and his group wanted to harm her, there was absolutely no need for them to go through all this trouble.

"One!"

While responding to Shangguan Haitang, Gu Shaoan channeled a small amount of his internal energy into Wu Sangou's body to help him refine the medicinal power of the pills.

After receiving the reply, Shangguan Haitang poured out a brown pill and swallowed it.

Then his internal energy circulated rapidly.

Soon, with the help of internal energy, the medicinal power rapidly rose.

In just a few breaths, Shangguan Haitang felt that the discomfort in her abdomen and the surging blood and qi had lessened considerably.

This scene made Shangguan Haitang look at the medicine bottle in her hand with surprise.

　Because the plot felt a bit off, I made some changes. As a result, most of this chapter had to be rewritten. Please forgive me!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)