In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 306: He's got brains, but not many.
Taking in Yuan Dongyuan's expression, Gu Shaoan chuckled softly.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan understood why Yuan Dongyuan, as the owner of Wuzheng Manor, would lower himself to establish something as shady as Bat Island.

They have brains, but not many.

Immediately, Gu Shaoan shook his head and said, "It was not I who wiped out Wuzheng Manor, but the former manor lord."

Before Yuan Dongyuan could speak, Gu Shaoan continued, "Bat Island is shady, and the transactions conducted there are also shady."

"The original owner knew the identities of all the guests who were able to log on to Bat Island. So as long as these people had made a deal on Bat Island, there would be a record, which was equivalent to handing over a handle to the original owner."

No one wants their secrets to be in the hands of others.

"It's just that the people behind Bat Island weren't exposed before, and those people could only be controlled by the former owner of the manor."

"Through this method, Wuzheng Manor has seemingly stayed out of the affairs of the martial world all these years, but in reality, it has secretly controlled all the forces around Taiyuan Prefecture, and even the government of Taiyuan Prefecture has been controlled by the former manor lord using this method."

"With the former master's identity now exposed and his martial arts crippled, how does he think those guests who have landed on Bat Island and whose secrets have fallen into his hands will treat Wuzheng Manor?"

In fact, Yuan Dongyuan had already realized what Gu Shaoan meant when he was halfway through his sentence.

As Gu Shaoan continued speaking, the color drained from Yuan Dongyuan's face little by little.

Creating a Bat Island is nothing to Wuzheng Manor or even the former Dongyuan.

There are similar ghost markets in the martial arts world, and they do things similar to those on Bat Island.

Many people were happy to see such a special place for trading in the martial arts world.

However, Yuan Dongyuan not only benefited from it, but also wanted to control other people in the martial arts world through Bat Island.

This has already angered the public.

Not to mention that Zhu Wushi was also part of Gu Shaoan's plan.

Even without Zhu Wushi, those guests who had been tricked by Wuzheng Manor would have tried every means to ensure that Wuzheng Manor, without a first-class master like Yuan Dongyuan, would be wiped out.

It was at this moment that Gu Shaoan paused in his speech.

As Gu Shaoan abruptly stopped speaking, Yuan Dongyuan subconsciously looked up at Gu Shaoan.

The moment Yuan Dongyuan looked up, a pair of purple eyes once again entered his vision.

Staring at those seemingly constantly spinning purple eyes, Yuan Dongyuan's expression visibly became blank.

After once again using the "Soul Transfer Technique" to bewitch Yuan Dongyuan, Gu Shaoan asked, "Has the Azure Dragon Society already set a time for attacking the Wudang Sect?"

Yuan Dongyuan replied blankly, "I don't know."

"I don't know, does that mean we're not ready yet?"

Gu Shaoan remembered that, according to the normal timeline, the Azure Dragon Society should have started making its move next year.

However, Gu Shaoan did not know the exact time.

As one of the leaders of the Azure Dragon Society, Gu Shaoan thought that Yuan Dongyuan would know some of the Azure Dragon Society's movements in advance, but he never expected that they knew nothing at all.

"They're really careful."

The thought flashed through his mind, and Gu Shaoan spoke again: "What is your purpose in appearing at the Emei Sect this time?"

Yuan Dongyuan: "Take the initiative to provoke the Emei Sect, but avoid direct conflict with the Cihang Jingzhai people."

Upon hearing Yuan Dongyuan's reply, Gu Shaoan looked enlightened.

Gu Shaoan was naturally good at observation.

Qin Mengyao's reaction was normal before, but the elder of Cihang Jingzhai behind Qin Mengyao's back changed his expression very obviously after he was captured from the original Dongyuan.

When the banquet officially began, they couldn't wait to leave.

However, afterwards, the Cihang Jingzhai elder and the people from Cihang Jingzhai did not go to the East Bamboo Forest to rescue Yuan Dongyuan as promised.

In Gu Shaoan's eyes, such a reaction was rather intriguing.

It now appears that the reason the other party did not intervene to help Yuan Dongyuan was entirely because the person who arranged for Yuan Dongyuan to come to the Emei Sect this time did not tell Yuan Dongyuan his true purpose.

It was just that Yuan Dongyuan was given a task and a set of requirements.

After figuring out the reason, Gu Shaoan had a thought and immediately restrained the mental energy circulating in his mind.

He continued, "If the original owner had only established Bat Island as a profit-making business, then so be it."

"From the moment the original owner began to control all guests who came to the island under the pretext of trading on Bat Island, Wuzheng Manor was already dragged to the edge of the abyss by the original owner."

"As soon as the identity of the person behind Bat Island is exposed in the future, the entire Wuzheng Manor and the original manor owner will immediately become the target of everyone's criticism."

"Does the former master think that Wuzheng Manor needs me and the Emei Sect to take action?"

Without the influence of spiritual energy, Yuan Dongyuan blinked, his expression immediately returning to its previous solemn state.

The moment Yuan Dongyuan regained consciousness, Gu Shaoan's voice rang in his ears once again.

Yuan Dongyuan's attention was once again focused on what Gu Shaoan had said, his brows furrowed.

It was as if none of those things had happened.

After a while, Yuan Dongyuan, who was sitting against the wall, seemed to have aged decades in an instant. His originally straight back suddenly became hunched over.

Immediately afterwards, Yuan Dongyuan's somewhat weak voice suddenly rang out.

"What do you want to gain by telling me all this?"

In response to Yuan Dongyuan's question, Gu Shaoan said calmly, "What I wanted, I have already obtained."

Yuan Dongyuan asked, "What do you mean?"

Gu Shaoan shook his head without explaining.

“If the former owner has no other problems, he can lie down now.”

Yuan Dongyuan asked, "So, are you planning to lock me in this room indefinitely after you've used acupressure on me?"

Gu Shaoan said calmly, "After some time, when the people from Wudang Sect and Shaolin Temple set off for Taiyuan Prefecture, I will also escort Master Yuan to Wuzheng Manor." Upon hearing this, Yuan Dongyuan's eyes flickered, and then he nodded and said, "That's good. It's better to return to one's roots than to die in Wuzheng Manor."

After saying that, Yuan Dongyuan slowly turned over and lay back down.

Gu Shaoan raised his right hand, and his fingertips released a burst of energy, resealing all the acupoints on Yuan Dongyuan's body.

Only then did Gu Shaoan move the stool away, turn around, and walk out of the room.

As the door was closed again, the light inside the room dimmed once more.

Even Yuan Dongyuan's eyes seemed to darken.

As he walked towards his courtyard, Gu Shaoan had a smile on his lips.

Originally belonging to the Azure Dragon Society, Gu Shaoan knew what was going to happen in the future, but it was not convenient for him to directly take action against the original Dongyuan and Wuzheng Manor.

Unexpectedly, because of the Cihang Jingzhai incident, Yuan Dongyuan actually came to us on its own initiative.

It can be said that a major enemy of the Emei Sect in the future was unexpectedly eliminated.

It was indeed a pleasant surprise.

As dusk settles and the lanterns of Jiading Prefecture come on, the daytime hustle and bustle subsides, leaving only the faint murmur of the streets.

In the backyard of a riverside inn in the city, a secluded courtyard was surrounded by a dozen or so Cihang Jingzhai disciples dressed in elegant dresses, their refined demeanor like jade sculptures blending into the twilight, silently guarding the core area from various corners.

The main house in the courtyard was not lit by candles. With the faint light coming in from the windows and the shimmering reflection of the river lanterns on the opposite bank, the room was filled with a quiet but slightly oppressive atmosphere.

Inside the room, three people sat upright on prayer cushions in a triangular formation. Besides Qin Mengyao and the bright and elegant Song Miyun standing beside her, another woman sat in the shadow of the main seat.

The woman appeared to be in her forties, wearing a faded gray-blue Taoist robe. Her hands were thin and withered, resting quietly on her knees with her knuckles bony.

Her facial features still faintly reveal the delicate beauty of her youth; she should be a middle-aged woman, still possessing charm.

However, she exuded a heavy, oppressive aura of twilight, like a withered tree dried up by the years, stripped of all its vitality.

What is most shocking is her face.

The left side of her face was loose and covered with deep, chiseled wrinkles, its color dull, like the bark of an old tree weathered by time, looking gloomy and aged. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she was an old woman in her sixties.

However, the right side of her face presented an eerie appearance, with delicate and smooth skin, even radiating a luminous glow like that of a newborn baby, so delicate it seemed as if it could be broken with a touch, forming a stark contrast to the withered and decayed left side of her face.

These two extreme signs of aging were brutally pieced together on her face, with the dividing line appearing particularly clear and menacing in the dim light.

Song Miyun glanced cautiously at the strangely-looking woman in the main seat: "Senior Sister, are you really sure that besides that Abbess of Insulation, there is another expert in that bamboo forest?"

In response to Song Miyun's question, Abbess Kurong calmly replied, "That's right. And if I'm not mistaken, the person in the bamboo forest should be a martial artist who has reached the Qi Condensation stage."

Qin Mengyao also said with a solemn expression: "The 'Kuru Rong Zen Technique' cultivated by Uncle Kuru Rong is the most special. The Kuru Rong energy in the body not only has the effect of nourishing spiritual energy, but also amplifies the cultivator's perception."

"Even though Master has already condensed his Yuan Qi into Gang Qi, he still can't compare to Uncle-Master in terms of the five senses. Since Uncle-Master has spoken, his feeling should be correct."

"But all the famous masters of the Emei Sect are on the Golden Summit Square today, so why is there another master who has reached the Qi Condensation stage in the East Bamboo Forest?"

Abbess Kurong shook her head and said, "I don't know either."

"Moreover, the person in the bamboo forest possesses a body with qi and blood as bright as the sun, and is by no means an ordinary person."

"I just don't know who this person is, or why he would submit to the Emei Sect?"

Qin Mengyao sighed and said, "I didn't expect that the Emei Sect is more complicated than we imagined. Besides that Young Master Gu, there is actually a master who has achieved the Qi Condensation Realm. Fortunately, Uncle Ku Rong is with us this time. Otherwise, if Uncle Song had rashly rushed into the bamboo forest, things would have been troublesome."

Song Miyun, standing to the side, said with a somewhat ashen face, "But if Yuan Dongyuan is arrested and the Emei Sect interrogates him, it will also expose my Cihang Jingzhai, which would be a problem as well."

In response, Abbess Kurong said, "Don't worry! Before we came, the head of the sect said that Yuan Dongyuan was not invited directly by my Cihang Jingzhai and does not know our true purpose for coming to the Emei Sect. If we encounter danger, we can just give up."

Song Miyun breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good, that's good. Fortunately, the sect leader was thoughtful and had Senior Sister wait in secret instead of coming up the mountain with us. Otherwise, this time it might have really been dangerous."

Abbess Kurong looked at Qin Mengyao and asked, "Mengyao, how are things on your end?"

Faced with Abbess Kurong's question, Qin Mengyao gave a wry smile and shook her head in acknowledgment.

Upon seeing this, both Abbess Kurong and Song Miyun's expressions darkened slightly.

Song Miyun then asked, "What happened?"

Qin Mengyao did not hide anything and recounted in detail what happened after Song Miyun left.

During the process, Qin Mengyao couldn't help but recall the feeling of Gu Shaoan stroking her cheeks and neck with the back of his fingers after he pressed her acupoints, and a wave of pleasure washed over her.

After Qin Mengyao repeated what Gu Shaoan had said, Song Miyun frowned and said, "This boy didn't have much interaction with our Cihang Jingzhai before, and he's not that old. Why does he know so much about the affairs of our Cihang Jingzhai, even such a secret as the Love Protection Clan?"

Qin Mengyao shook her head and said, "Mengyao doesn't know about this matter either. Perhaps this young master Gu has met some senior figures in the martial arts world and thus learned about these things."

After closing her eyes and pondering for a moment, Abbess Kurong opened them again and looked at Qin Mengyao.

Do you think there's still a chance?

Upon hearing this, Qin Mengyao shook her head and said, "Judging from my interactions with him today, Gu Shaoan may seem young, but he is actually quite insightful and experienced in matters of the heart."

"Furthermore, Mengyao was not confident because she knew too much about my Cihang Jingzhai beforehand."

Song Miyun sneered, "The sect has made so many preparations for this Gu Shaoan, and now you say you're not confident?"

Qin Mengyao slowly lowered her head, not daring to respond.

The nun Ku Rong shook her head and said, "Alright, Gu Shaoan is different from ordinary people. Judging from his calm and steady temperament, he is far beyond his peers. Moreover, he knew about my Cihang Jingzhai beforehand and was wary in advance. It is indeed not easy to make him fall in love with ordinary methods. Mengyao cannot be blamed for this."

Upon hearing Abbess Kurong speak, Song Miyun swallowed back the rest of her words.

"So what do we do now? Mengyao is now 'clear-minded about swords.' If she can overcome her emotional hurdles and enter the life-or-death hurdle before she turns thirty, she may be able to become the second master to enter the Celestial Realm after the founder of the sect."

"But looking across the martial arts world, among the younger generation, besides Gu Shaoan, who else is worthy of being Mengyao's guardian of love?"

Abbess Kurong said, "Don't worry, the Master of the Abode has already made preparations for this matter."

Meeting their gazes, Abbess Kurong said, "Next, we will change course and head towards Wudang."

(End of this chapter)