In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 276 is also getting better!
Yang Yan asked, "Han River? Is that Senior Sister Zhou's ancestral home?"

Gu Shaoan nodded slightly and said, "After all, she will be getting married soon. It is only right and proper that we visit the graves of Senior Sister Zhou's relatives to pay our respects."

"Senior sister, what do you think?"

Gu Shaoan's gentle voice was as soft as the mountain breeze that was brushing against his face.

But it was enough to bring a serene smile to Zhou Zhiruo's face.

Looking at the gentle-looking Gu Shaoan in front of her, Zhou Zhiruo slowly nodded: "Okay!"

Yang Yan, who was standing to the side, did not refute, but understood what Gu Shaoan meant.

Marriage is a major life event that should be arranged by parents and matchmakers.

Zhou Zhiruo's parents passed away when she was young, but even though they are gone, the proper etiquette should not be disregarded.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yan slapped her forehead and looked at Zhou Zhiruo with an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry, senior sister, I forgot about these things."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiruo shook her head and said, "It's nothing. I hadn't thought about these things before."

Zhou Zhiruo's words were true.

What she envied was that Yang Yan still had relatives in this world who could witness and preside over Yang Yan's life-long event.

But her loved ones were already gone.

She never imagined that she would go to her father's grave to pay respects with Gu Shaoan before their marriage.

Thinking about it, Zhou Zhiruo turned her head to look at Gu Shaoan, her eyes as clear as water.

Gu Shaoan smiled and shook Zhou Zhiruo's hand, saying, "Let's go!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the three of them set off towards Yujiang Prefecture, led by Gu Shaoan.

a few days later.

Summer weather is always unpredictable; half an hour ago it was sunny and bright, and half an hour later it was covered with dark clouds.

Meanwhile, a hundred miles east of Yuzhou Prefecture, at the Mountain God Temple, three figures slowly stopped in front of the temple.

Seeing Gu Shaoan stop in front of the dilapidated temple, Yang Yan couldn't help but ask, "Senior brother, is there something wrong with this temple?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoan shook his head and said, "It's nothing. I just suddenly remembered that whenever I stay overnight in these dilapidated temples while traveling, something always happens."

There's a saying: "Better to live in a chaotic graveyard than in a dilapidated temple."

In desolate wilderness areas, dilapidated temples and other places that provide shelter from the wind and rain are indeed more likely to cause trouble than other places.

Yang Yan laughed and said, "Isn't that perfect? ​​If we encounter bad people, it's the perfect opportunity to uphold justice and punish evil."

If Yang Yan were alone or with Zhou Zhiruo, they might have been more cautious and avoided entering temples.

With Gu Shaoan by her side, Yang Yan naturally felt very confident.

Seeing this, Gu Shaoan smiled and said, "Let's go! See if there's enough firewood inside. If not, let's collect some dry firewood before the rain starts."

The two women nodded and followed Gu Shaoan into the temple.

There was no one else in the temple at that time. Although there were some weeds to start a fire, there was no dry firewood suitable for burning for a long time.

Seeing this, Gu Shaoan could only ask the two women to tidy up a clean place first, while he himself used his lightness skill to flash to the vicinity, found a dead tree, and then used his five fingers to directly hook into the dead tree and lift it back into the dilapidated temple, placing it in the corner of the wall.

Then, his internal energy circulated, and bursts of sword energy suddenly erupted from Gu Shaoan's fingertips, cutting the withered trees into pieces of suitable size for burning.

While gathering the firewood on the ground, Yang Yan asked, "You can condense sword energy so easily, Senior Brother, have you already entered the second realm of swordsmanship?"

In response to Yang Yan's question, Gu Shaoan shook his head and said, "There's still some distance to go. It will take some time after the banquet is over."

For beginners on the path of martial arts, diligence is paramount.

But for Gu Shaoan to reach his current level, besides diligence, he relies more on enlightenment.

The realm of swordsmanship involves not only sword techniques and moves, but also more profound theories and insights.

Even for Gu Shaoan, it's impossible to achieve success overnight.

Two years later, the martial arts world was in turmoil.

All Gu Shaoan can do is continue to improve his own strength and try to gather as much power as possible.

Only in this way can they be prepared to deal with trouble when it comes to the Emei Sect and him.

Just after the three of them lit the fire, a sudden "boom" resounded through the heavens and earth.

Immediately following was the sound of heavy rain pouring down and pounding on the roof tiles.

After having a quick dinner of dry rations and water, the three of them sat cross-legged around the fire to cultivate.

For ordinary people, spending the night in this desolate wilderness might be a bit boring.

But for martial artists, it's perfect for practicing and passing the time.

The rain pounded fiercely against the dilapidated roof of the temple, producing a dense, drum-like sound, yet it could not penetrate the tranquil atmosphere created by the three people inside.

The campfire emitted a steady light and heat.

Gu Shaoan sat cross-legged with his back against the wall, his mind focused, and the refined, golden-jade-like internal energy slowly circulated in the meridians near his middle dantian.

Under Gu Shaoan's control, the Qi Yuan within his body gathered in one of the hidden meridians. The Qi Yuan, like a liquid diamond with a spirit, slowly and steadily impacted the seemingly invisible yet tangible barrier within the meridian under his precise and slow manipulation.

Each impact is accompanied by a subtle resonance of qi and blood within the body.

A moment later, as a slight ripple appeared in Gu Shaoan's aura, a hidden meridian was successfully opened under the influence of his vital energy.

"Not bad, another hidden meridian has been opened."

Thanks to his exceptional physical constitution, Gu Shaoan found it much easier to open up his meridians.

Over the past two weeks, Gu Shaoan has successfully opened up several subtle meridians and hidden channels located in the middle dantian area.

The progress was even faster than Gu Shaoan had anticipated.

"It's a pity that opening up the hidden meridians in the body doesn't grant achievement points; otherwise, it would be even more motivating."

After muttering to himself, Gu Shaoan calmed his mind and focused his attention on his internal body once again.

Zhou Zhiruo and Yang Yan beside her also gradually began to breathe deeply. Inside the dilapidated temple, only the flickering firelight and the endless sound of rain outside could be heard.

As time passed, the rain outside seemed to intensify. Just as Gu Shaoan was using his primordial energy to stabilize the newly opened hidden meridians, several figures were rapidly approaching the dilapidated temple in the darkness.

"Senior Brother, hurry, over here!"

"Junior sister, slow down. The temple is right here, you can't run away. Getting a little rainy once in a while isn't so bad."

"If you don't hurry, my shoes will get wet. They were made by my mother herself."

A crisp, clear female voice and a somewhat carefree male voice rang out from outside the dilapidated temple.

"crunch-"

As the sound stopped at the doorway, two soaking wet figures, a man and a woman, rushed in, almost touching. The man was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, wearing a blue robe that was already soaked through, with a long sword hanging at his waist.

Although his face was wet from the rain, he was smiling and showed no sign of embarrassment at being soaked. On the contrary, he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Beside her was a woman, also around twenty years old, with almond-shaped eyes and peach-blossom cheeks, radiant and beautiful, but now looking slightly disheveled from the rain.

She stamped her foot, shook off the rain, and muttered a complaint about the weather.

The next second, the two noticed three figures wearing straw hats sitting cross-legged in the corner of the dilapidated temple.

When they arrived, the two had already seen the firelight coming from inside the dilapidated temple, and naturally knew that there were already people inside.

The two were not surprised to see the three figures in the corner.

However, there was a hint of wariness in his eyes.

After entering the dilapidated temple, the two did not immediately find a place to rest, but stood at the entrance as if waiting for someone.

A dozen or so breaths later, several footsteps sounded again from outside the dilapidated temple.

Then a couple stepped over the threshold and folded up the paper umbrellas they had been holding over their heads.

The man wore a square scarf on his head, had a dignified and lean face, and three long wisps of beard under his chin. Although his body was wet, there was no trace of dishevelment on his face. On the contrary, he appeared calm and composed, exuding a scholarly air and the demeanor of a superior.

Beside him was a woman dressed in an elegant pale yellow dress, with a beautiful and dignified appearance.

Behind him were seven or eight disciples, each holding a long sword and standing tall.

It was also when the middle-aged couple entered the dilapidated temple that Gu Shaoan and the other two in the corner opened their eyes.

When their gaze fell upon the group of people entering the temple, Gu Shaoan and his companions immediately recognized the middle-aged couple.

It was none other than Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze, whom I had met several years ago.

Several years ago, Gu Shaoan met Yue Buqun and others in a dilapidated temple in the wilderness.

Gu Shaoan never expected that years later, they would meet again in a dilapidated temple in the wilderness.

However, after glancing at the dozen or so disciples behind Yue Buqun and his wife, and then at the fabric of the clothes worn by Yue Buqun and the others, Gu Shaoan chuckled softly to himself.

"It seems that with the Songshan Sect gone, the Huashan Qi Sect has been doing quite well these past few years!"

If it were the old Huashan Sect, they wouldn't have been able to support so many disciples.

Not to mention that the clothes worn by these disciples were all made of medium to high quality materials.

Yang Yan used her true essence to transmit her voice and asked, "Senior brother, should we reveal our identities?"

After a moment's thought, Gu Shaoan replied, "We're not that close, so there's no need for that."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yan stopped speaking and focused on circulating her internal energy while keeping an eye on Yue Buqun and the others.

With the fire burning on Gu Shaoan's side, the dilapidated temple wasn't so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

After glancing at Gu Shaoan and the other two, and seeing that they neither stood up nor spoke, Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze exchanged a glance, then walked forward and sat down in the middle of the temple.

The two had just sat down when Yue Lingshan moved closer to Yue Buqun.

“Father, I just took a look. There’s a lot of dry grass in this dilapidated temple, but it seems that only those three people over there have firewood suitable for burning.”

One of the disciples asked, "Could it be that they collected all this firewood beforehand?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Buqun frowned slightly: "Without evidence, don't jump to conclusions. Be careful what you say."

After being reprimanded by Yue Buqun, the disciple shrank back and immediately fell silent.

Glancing at the still torrential rain outside the dilapidated temple, Yue Buqun said, "Chong'er, go and ask those three if they can get some firewood. If not, you can buy it with money. Remember, don't act rashly."

The rain had just started, and apart from Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze, the other disciples' clothes were soaked and needed to be dried.

Moreover, the absence of firelight in the darkness of night can be quite unsettling.

Upon hearing Yue Buqun's instructions, Linghu Chong nodded and stood up, walking towards Gu Shaoan and the others.

Upon approaching, Linghu Chong bowed slightly and clasped his hands in greeting: "Gentlemen, the temple is out of firewood. May I ask if I could borrow some dry firewood to start a fire and keep warm? I can also pay for it."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoan casually replied, "Suit yourself!"

After those two words were uttered, there was no further sound.

His attitude was somewhat cold and distant.

"Thank you," Linghu Chong replied with a smile, then walked to the pile of firewood, picked up some firewood, and returned to Yue Buqun's side.

Before long, two bonfires were lit in front of Yue Buqun.

The disciples, whose clothes were soaked, sat around the fire to dry their garments.

With a new source of fire, the dilapidated temple became much brighter again.

However, just as the firelight appeared, Yue Buqun seemed to sense something and suddenly let out a soft "hmm" in his heart, picking up a piece of wood from the ground.

After glancing over for a few moments, Yue Buqun cupped his hands towards Gu Shaoan and the others in the corner and said, "Thank you all for the timber."

In response to Yue Buqun's words, Gu Shaoan replied softly, "Helping others is helping yourself; there's no need to be polite."

Yue Lingshan leaned closer to look at the wood in Yue Buqun's hand and asked curiously, "Dad, why did you thank him all of a sudden?"

Yue Buqun frowned, looking at Yue Lingshan with some displeasure, and said, "I told you to study and observe more in your spare time, but what have you learned in the past few years? Can't you see the condition of these timbers?"

Unwittingly scolded by Yue Buqun, Yue Lingshan immediately puffed up her cheeks in grievance.

Seeing this, Yue Buqun shook his head in anger at their lack of ambition.

Suddenly, the image of Gu Shaoan, whom I had met several years ago, came to mind.

Then, thinking back to the story circulating in the martial arts world over the past six months about Gu Shaoan defeating the demonic master Pang Ban.

Looking at Yue Lingshan, Linghu Chong, and the others, Yue Buqun couldn't help but sigh deeply.

But after thinking for a moment, Yue Buqun still endured his exhaustion and explained, "The smooth, flat cut surface of this wood is clearly cut by an extremely sharp blade, and it is dry but not parched, so it looks like it was just chopped off."

"The firewood we are using now was left by those three loggers, not by the dilapidated temple itself. It is only right that we thank them."

After hearing Yue Buqun's explanation, the others finally understood.

Yang Yan glanced at Yue Buqun and then transmitted her voice with her true essence: "I must say, this Sect Leader Yue of the Huashan Qi Sect does seem a bit like the way my master and senior uncle, the sect leader, used to teach us."

Zhou Zhiruo replied with a smile, "Since we are all taught by the same master, it's natural that our feelings would be similar."

Yang Yan pursed her lips and said, "That's true, but those people aren't young at all, yet they don't even understand these simple principles."

Zhou Zhiruo simply smiled and remained silent in response.

The martial arts world is so vast, but there is only one Emei Sect.

Not every sect, in terms of its traditions and the way it teaches its disciples, can compare with the Emei Sect.

However, at that moment, the sound of horses' hooves and the sound of wooden cart wheels rolling over the ground suddenly rang out from outside the dilapidated temple.

(End of this chapter)