In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 262 A Pure and Beautiful Figure
After learning about the effects of this spirit flower, Huang Xuemei nodded slightly and then looked away, still standing quietly to the side with one hand behind her back.

Gu Shaoan then opened the remaining boxes one by one.

Although the remaining boxes did not contain flowers as valuable as the Spire Flower or the Blackwood Blossom Flower, they were still quite rare.

If Gu Shaoan or even the Emei Sect wanted to collect them, they could only rely on luck.

Just then, Huang Xuemei spoke up: "I will arrange for someone to deliver these rare flowers and herbs to Emei later so that you can come and take a look. This is just to make sure there are any medicines that are particularly important or precious to you, so you can handle them yourself first."

Before Gu Shaoan could speak, Huang Xuemei said, "Compared to what you make, these things are just material possessions. If you need them, there's no need to refuse them."

Although Gu Shaoan was not the kind of person who would take advantage of someone's kindness, he was not a pretentious person either.

The medicines in the Heavenly Dragon Treasury are indeed all things that Gu Shaoan uses on a daily basis.

Gu Shaoan immediately replied, "Then I shall accept your offer."

Huang Xuemei nodded and said nothing more, then turned and left the secret vault with Gu Shaoan.

Upon returning to Tingyuxuan, Huang Xuemei asked, "Are you planning to go straight back to Emei next?"

Gu Shaoan nodded in acknowledgment.

Half a month has passed since the message was sent to Emei.

Although it is estimated that there are still more than two months before the banquet is held.

As the current young leader of the Emei Sect and a true martial artist who has condensed his inner energy into a powerful force, the sooner Gu Shaoan returns to Emei, the sooner Abbess Miejue and the others can feel at ease.

After a brief chat, Gu Shaoan did not linger for long.

After putting the two kinds of medicine he had just obtained into his bundle, he headed towards the entrance to the mountaintop.

"Take care, Miss Huang."

"Take care of yourself!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Shaoan gathered his energy and leaped down the mountain, his figure as light as a white feather.

In just a few leaps and bounds, he had already reached the mountainside.

After a hundred breaths, as Gu Shaoan's figure completely disappeared from sight, Huang Xuemei slowly turned around.

In the instant she turned around, the peace in Huang Xuemei's eyes was replaced by a chilling coldness.

"Somebody come!"

The cold and arrogant voice had barely faded when several figures emerged from the weeds on both sides and knelt before Huang Xuemei.

"Give the order: in three days, proceed to Xinyang Prefecture and purge the Tianlongmen."

In response to Huang Xuemei's words, one of the Tianlong Sect elders kneeling before her raised his head: "Our sect leader just passed away yesterday, shouldn't we..."

However, before the elder of the Heavenly Dragon Sect could finish speaking, Huang Xuemei suddenly raised her right hand, which was behind her back, bent slightly backward, and then pushed forward sharply.

"boom!"

The next second, a powerful palm strike shot out and hit the Tianlongmen elder on the shoulder, sending him flying several feet before he crashed heavily to the ground.

"I gave the order; I didn't consult you."

His voice was cold and slow, yet it carried a chilling domineering air.

Huang Xuemei slowly turned around and glanced at the remaining people.

"Any further comments?"

The remaining elders of the Heavenly Dragon Sect hurriedly replied respectfully, "We will obey the young sect leader's order."

Upon hearing this, Huang Xuemei frowned, then asked, "What did you call me?"

The coldness and dissatisfaction in the voice caused the kneeling elders of the Heavenly Dragon Sect to tremble.

After a moment's thought, one of them quickly replied, "We will obey the sect leader's order."

Upon hearing this, the others also chimed in with their agreement.

Only then did Huang Xuemei casually wave her hand in acknowledgment.

The mountain wind howled, fluttering the hem of Huang Xuemei's clothes.

However, Huang Xuemei's domineering aura, like a flame, grew even stronger in the mountain wind.

The air of April, like a wisp of smoke, permeates the land of Sichuan.

It was noon, and although spring had arrived, the city of Chongqing still felt damp and cool due to the recent light rains.

The daylight wasn't particularly bright; a few wispy clouds floated lazily by, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, falling on the cobblestone streets of the city, creating dappled patterns of light and shadow.

The air was filled with the slightly fishy smell of mud after the rain, the aroma of food and oil rising from the street-side eateries, and a faint odor emanating from unclean corners.

Pedestrians' footsteps pattered softly on the wet flagstones.

The weeping willows along the street are sprouting tender buds, their verdant greenness making them appear even more vibrant against the wet backdrop.

Gu Shaoan strolled leisurely through the streets and alleys of Yuzhou Prefecture.

Dressed in a long gold and white robe, with a tall and straight figure, outstanding temperament and appearance, Gu Shaoan attracted the attention of women passing by on the street, their eyes shining.

After arriving in Yuzhou Prefecture, given Gu Shaoan's current pace, it would only take him a few days to get back to the Emei Sect.

He continued on his way until he reached the bustling and prosperous eastern part of the city, where he slowed down, occasionally entering shops or pastry stalls to select gifts for Zhou Zhiruo, Yang Yan, and Mei Jiangxue.

Half an hour later.

Clutching the few pieces of jewelry he had just bought, Gu Shaoan was walking down the street again when a noisy sound suddenly reached his ears.

Looking out, one could see that a group of onlookers had already gathered in a relatively open area at the street corner a dozen or so feet away.

Gu Shaoan frowned slightly, but since Yuzhou Prefecture was within the territory of the Emei Sect, he still stepped forward.

As they drew nearer, they saw a young woman kneeling on the ground in the center of the crowd. Her hair was loose, her sideburns were disheveled, and she was only wearing a faded, patched coarse linen garment.

Although she was poorly dressed, the woman was still quite beautiful.

She is definitely the type of girl from a modest family.

A white cloth was spread out in front of her, on which a line of large characters appeared to be written in charcoal.

"Sold myself to bury my father for twenty taels of silver."

The woman's head was buried deep in her hands, and her thin shoulders trembled violently.

With her beautiful face, she gave off a somewhat pitiful feeling.

At this moment, several people were standing in front of the woman.

The leader was a young nobleman dressed in a cloud-blue brocade robe and wearing a jade crown to tie his hair up.

Behind him followed four or five servants, their hands on hips, bellies puffed out, and fierce-looking. They were of ordinary appearance, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with an undisguised arrogance and meanness between their brows.

At this moment, the young master was glancing flirtatiously at the woman kneeling on the ground, his gaze sweeping over her face and figure.

When he saw the woman's ample bosom, which even her loose clothing couldn't conceal, he couldn't help but swallow hard.

However, when his gaze swept over the white cloth on the ground that read "twenty taels," he immediately let out a very loud sneer.

"Ha! Twenty taels? The burial of the servants in my manor only cost three taels of silver. Is the burial of a lowly man worth twenty taels of silver? It's like a toad yawning. What a big mouth you have."

The young man in the brocade robe casually kicked the broken bowl in front of the woman, which held a few scattered copper coins, making the coins clink.

His gaze then fell on the woman's lowered face.

Looking at the woman with tears streaming down her face, a pitiful sight, a lewd glint still crept into his eyes.

He stroked his chin, a haughty smile curving his lips, and held up five fingers, speaking as if bestowing a favor.

"I'm being kind today, so I'll give you five taels of silver to bury your dead father. Once you've done it, come with me obediently."

Upon hearing this, the woman suddenly raised her head, and tears streamed down her face like broken beads.

Her lips trembled, her eyes filled with pleading and despair: "Sir, sir, please have mercy! Please give me more! I still have an elderly mother and a seven-year-old brother at home. My brother has just recovered from an illness, and we have no rice left. The money I have left after selling myself is the money to save my family's lives!"

As she spoke, she kowtowed heavily again, her forehead hitting the cold, damp stone slab with a "thump, thump" sound.

"Money to survive?" The young master seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. His face suddenly darkened, his voice rose eight octaves, and he stared at the woman with a sinister look. "If you can't afford to live, then don't live! What do I care if your mother and brother live or die? I'll give you five taels because I think you're pretty. Twenty taels? Don't you even know if you're worth anything?"

Faced with this scene, several suppressed murmurs immediately arose among the onlookers.

"Tsk, the second young master of Liu the Skinflint is causing trouble again."

"A coffin alone costs three taels of silver, and hiring someone to bury you will cost five taels. You'll probably only have a few dozen coins left. My father is dead, leaving behind a widow and her children. There's no man to support the family. What can those few dozen coins do? This Liu Eryue is too greedy!"

"Alas! This girl is probably in trouble."

"Keep your voice down! If he hears you, you're doomed!"

A series of sounds rang out from the crowd. Although Gu Shaoan, who was at the back of the crowd, also frowned, his gaze was fixed on the white cloth on the ground, as if he was thinking about something.

Before Gu Shaoan could think further, faced with the accusations and disgusted comments from the crowd, the young master surnamed Liu couldn't help but turn his head sharply and glance around at the crowd.

"A bunch of lowly bastards, how dare you gossip about my affairs? Are you asking for a beating?"

As soon as the young master surnamed Liu spoke, the servants behind him also swept their unfriendly gazes across the crowd.

Stared at by these servants, those who had just spoken shrank back.

Upon seeing this, the young master surnamed Liu revealed a smug look on his face.

But due to the criticism from those around him, the young master surnamed Liu seemed to lose his patience.

Seeing the woman's forehead touching the ground but still not agreeing, the young master surnamed Liu sneered, "Ungrateful wretch. Men, take her away! Send five taels of silver to her house later."

The servants, like wolves and tigers, responded with a loud "Yes!" Two servants grinned and stepped forward to lift the woman off the ground.

Faced with this scene, the woman's face was full of panic.

"No, let me go! Please, young master, have mercy! Help me!"

Gu Shaoan frowned slightly as he watched the young master surnamed Liu forcibly snatch someone from the field.

The arrogant and domineering rich young master, the desperately pleading woman, and the brutal and tyrannical servants, along with the suppressed anger of the surrounding crowd, create a bleak picture that is not uncommon, yet repulsive.

Faced with this scene, Gu Shaoan frowned slightly.

However, just as he found two copper coins in his hand, as if sensing something, Gu Shaoan's gaze suddenly shifted.

The instant his gaze fell upon the air, Gu Shaoan saw two pebbles of different sizes streak across the sky like arrows, striking the two men who were desperately holding the woman's arms squarely.

"Ouch!"

"Uh!"

As two cries of pain rang out, the two servants who had just been supporting the woman on either side felt a sharp pain in their arms, and their arms went limp as if their bones had been removed.

Losing the servants' control, the woman staggered and fell to the ground. In a panic, she scrambled back to her previous position, trembling as if she had been terrified.

The next second, a graceful figure appeared as if carried by a gentle breeze, her movements so light and ethereal that she seemed almost like a fairy, passing through the crowd.

As they drew near, the newcomer lightly touched the edge of a basket carried on the back of a bystander with the tip of their foot, used the momentum to perform a somersault, and landed in a breathtakingly beautiful arc.

In an instant, everyone's eyes were on this beautiful figure.

The woman's skin was like white jade, her eyebrows like distant mountains, and her eyes like autumn water. Her long, glossy black hair was not deliberately combed; it was simply tied into a bun at the back of her head with a natural, slightly curved wooden hairpin. A few strands of hair fell across her forehead, adding to her casual and unrestrained air.

In terms of looks alone, she is far superior to that woman who sold herself to bury her father.

The outfit made the woman's figure appear both graceful and slender.

Although the clothes were made of nothing more than coarse white cloth, they somehow gave the woman an air of purity and nobility that even the most elaborate garments could not match.

What's most captivating is her eyes!

His eyes were bright as stars in a cold pool, and so deep that they seemed to reflect the deepest part of people's hearts.

At this moment, there was no deliberate indifference in his eyes, nor any obvious anger aroused by the chaos before him. There was only an extremely pure determination and clarity, like an ancient sword without a blade drawn from its sheath, calm yet containing a sharpness capable of cutting through all filth.

Gu Shaoan raised an eyebrow as he watched the woman who suddenly appeared in the room, holding a sword in her left hand.

In Gu Shaoan's perception, the woman in front of him had just used her lightness skill when the fluctuations of true essence emanated from her body.

In other words, the woman in front of him, who looked to be only in her early twenties, had actually reached the level of Qi Condensation and Yuan Formation in terms of internal energy cultivation.

Although masters who condense Qi into Yuan are far less rare than those who condense Qi into Gang.

However, even when placed in the martial arts world, it wouldn't be so ubiquitous as to be found everywhere.

Not to mention someone as young as a woman who has condensed her Qi to the Yuan level.

Naturally, they are even rarer.

Not only that.

Gu Shaoan could sense a peculiar sharpness emanating from the woman.

This sharpness does not stem from one's inherent temperament.

Rather, it is a sharpness unique to those who have been immersed in Kendo for many years.

It feels somewhat similar to the aura that Sun Bai gave Gu Shaoan when he demonstrated the second realm of swordsmanship.

Although it's just a resemblance, it's enough to show that the woman in our sight, with her outstanding appearance and temperament, has very likely entered the second realm of swordsmanship.

　Sorry it's a bit late!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)