The deepest affection in Gu Long's world

Chapter 162 Li Xunhuan Makes His Debut

The noise broke the silence, and everyone looked solemnly toward the direction from which the footsteps were coming from.

There were quite a few people who came.

Soon after, everyone saw Shangguan Fei leading over a hundred members of the Money Gang to the mountaintop. Upon catching sight of Shangguan Jin Hong, a hint of surprise flashed across their faces.

First, he didn't see Jing Wuming, whom he secretly envied and who had been closely following Shangguan Jin Hong, right away. Second, there was that strange man in white who was talking to Shangguan Jin Hong, and judging from their interaction, they were clearly on equal footing.

Is there ever a time in this world when his father doesn't look at people sideways or look down on them?

He rubbed his eyes, and at that moment, footsteps echoed from another path leading to the mountaintop.

The first to appear was Ximen Rou, whose blue clothes were stained with a lot of blood, indicating that his cleanup work during the battle on the mountaintop was also extremely intense. Behind him were the members who had followed Fang Yunhua's orders to carry out the hunting operation.

But the personnel were not just them; there was also Bai Xiaosheng, and more than thirty skilled individuals selected from Tianji Tower under his leadership.

These were the backup personnel that Fang Yunhua had arranged long ago, just like Shangguan Jin Hong's backup plan for Shangguan Fei's side to avoid any unexpected situations.

This has once again created a situation where the two sides are evenly matched in terms of numbers.

In terms of overall strength, Fang Yunhua's side is naturally stronger, but with the death of the Great Joyful Bodhisattva, all the members of the Blissful Cave have been wiped out.

Although there is still the South China Sea Lady who has completely gone into hiding, the current situation is no longer the same as before, and it is impossible for everyone to regard Fang Yunhua as the only chance to leave this place. The cohesion has dropped by at least two levels.

Meanwhile, the members of the Money Gang led by Shangguan Fei were absolutely loyal to Shangguan Jin Hong.

So after rounding up, it's essentially a draw again.

"See you soon."

These were words that Shangguan Jin Hong would never utter, yet they rang clearly in Fang Yunhua's ears.

He then ordered his followers to carry away the headless corpse of the Great Joyful Bodhisattva, while he ignored the gazes of others and headed straight down the mountain.

Like a shadow, Jing Wuming followed closely behind, but before he descended the mountain, he secretly glanced back at the mysterious and unpredictable Master of Tianji Tower.

At this moment, Bai Xiaosheng also fawned over him.

"Lord, are you alright?"

"It's relatively safe. Later, you and Xian'er will move those newly joined people away." Fang Yunhua gestured towards Zhizunbao. "Remember to have Xian'er check on their situation first. Nanhai Niangzi should still be mixed in with these people on the mountaintop."

And judging from this situation...

As Shangguan Jin Hong retreated after only greeting Fang Yun Hua, the others also did not want to stay on the summit of Mount Lu, which they found thrilling and dangerous, even though the representatives of the three major sects stepped forward in time and said that there was a woman from the South China Sea who was very skilled in disguise among them.

This further fueled the panic among the crowd. Even with the backing of the three major sects, they were unable to forcibly stop these weapon masters.

Especially when Fang Yunhua led his team away, the crowd could no longer control themselves.

The neutral members stayed with Fang Yunhua. They had already verified each other and had a basic level of trust. Of course, Guo Songyang was also in the group.

At this moment, he was being carried by one arm by Ximen Rou, and he kept groaning and moaning on the way down the mountain.

Clearly, while watching Fang Yunhua and Shangguan Jin Hong fight against the Great Joyful Bodhisattva, he was so focused that he forgot he was still injured, which led to the worsening of his injuries.

Meanwhile, Lin Xian'er and Sun Xiaohong, under Sun Baifa's protection, were conducting disguise checks on the fat women who had decided to defect.

Now that he knew all the details of what happened on the mountaintop, Bai Xiaosheng whispered in Fang Yunhua's ear.

“Master, there was actually an opportunity just now. This ‘An Eye for an Eye, Divine Dragon Formless Technique’ is not without flaws. Once internal energy is introduced to interfere, the disguise will be directly exposed.”

"Introduce internal energy? They wouldn't even do something as simple as pinching someone's cheek, let alone something as dangerous as this, and besides..." Fang Yunhua squinted his eyes as he looked at the still dazzling sunset.

In fact, given the prestige of the Great Joyful Bodhisattva whom he and Shangguan Jin Hong had just defeated, they could force her to do so. With the arrival of reinforcements from both sides, they were in an absolute advantage. Therefore, they could use the simplest method to force out the two hidden princesses.

However, Shangguan Jin Hong moved too fast. After dealing with the Great Joyful Female Bodhisattva, he had already set his sights on something further away. Indeed, as he had discussed with Fang Yunhua before, he intended to secretly establish a focal point for the three major sects.

Of course, he might also be fishing.

If that woman from the South China Sea isn't stupid, she should be able to see that Shangguan Jin Hong is doing this to intentionally give her a chance.

Similarly, Fang Yunhua's decisive withdrawal was for the same purpose.

Next, the three major sects will definitely make the Lady of the South Sea their first target to eliminate in the entire Central Plains martial arts world. Of course, in the meantime of spreading the threat of the Demonic Sect, Fang Yunhua will also have time to complete the Plum Blossom Thief plan.

Meanwhile, Shaolin Temple is sufficient to ensure that the Plum Blossom Thief incident will not be overshadowed by excessive attention.

This also means that the situation of the South China Sea Lady will become increasingly dangerous.

She can continue to change faces, but this also means she will lose the reputation she has built up over the years, and everything will have to be started from scratch. Moreover, once she reveals her exquisite disguise skills, coupled with some secret techniques with the style of the Demonic Cult, she will be closely watched by the Seven Major Sects.

Unless she can remain completely low-key and be forgotten by the entire martial arts world.

But given her personality, could she possibly tolerate such a dull and peaceful existence?
So how should she break this deadlock?

Perhaps after months of deep thought, or perhaps after Shangguan Jin Hong reveals her true colors and the Money Gang completes its feat of emerging from hiding, she will recall the two greatest enemies who should have been the ones who ruined her plans during the battle atop Mount Lu.

But at the last minute, they suddenly spared her life.

In fact, it wasn't just Lady Nanhai; there was also Tie Gu, whose position was even more delicate. Fang Yunhua deliberately concealed her existence because he anticipated that this intelligence advantage would become a valuable resource if he couldn't directly expose Lady Nanhai.

Fang Yunhua and Shangguan Jin Hong's original plan to fish was to deliberately create a stalemate in their battle with the Great Joyful Bodhisattva in an attempt to provoke the South China Sea Lady to expose herself. However, due to various considerations, they both abandoned this plan.

It's just that a different fishing method has been used now.

Although the two did not discuss the matter again, they continued to use similar methods to lure the South China Sea Lady and the Iron Maiden into coming to them.

"Sure enough, he also developed a great interest in the Demonic Sect."

As Fang Yunhua recalled Shangguan Jin Hong caressing the token of the Lone Peak Heavenly King, his eyes revealing a wild ambition, he subconsciously reached for the token representing the Wisdom Heavenly King that he always kept close to his body. But his outstretched hand was firmly grasped by another slender hand.

The other person's palms were still sweaty. When Fang Yunhua looked into her beautiful eyes, which, despite her disguise, still made her lose her senses, he comforted her.

"Don't worry too much, it's over now, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's over." As if only now could she truly relax, Lin Xian'er let out a long sigh of relief, and then whispered in Fang Yunhua's ear.

“That Supreme Treasure is very pragmatic, and the others are also very perceptive. It seems they were trained by the Great Joyful Bodhisattva. Their abilities are quite good, but I think we need to recruit more reliable people now.”

Lin Xian'er gestured to the neutral members.

Fang Yunhua understood what the other party meant.

"This matter cannot be rushed, nor can it give the impression of repaying a favor. First, exclude some of the powerful figures involved. The remaining interested parties should take the initiative to visit. Only then will it be the right time to discuss this matter in detail."

Oh, and about Lao Qin's side, tell them to keep a low profile.

Speaking of Qin Xiaoyi, this suddenly reminded Lin Xian'er that Fang Yunhua had previously asked her to use this opportunity to do favors for a group of people. The value of a message depends on who said it.

It's not so much that he's just a mysterious young master, but if you consider that he might be the master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, then you need to take it seriously.

However, this also made Lin Xian'er even more worried about Fang Yunhua's premature exposure.

"Let those who are interested know that this is in Jiangxi. When we return to Baoding, the situation will be completely different. It is unrealistic to completely stop the spread of this news, but delaying it for a few more months is not a big problem."

The key is to keep this from our Lord Long and the people we've targeted.

"They have quite a wide network of connections."

"The premise for the existence of connections is that they need to have sufficient value; otherwise, they are just ineffective relationships. Besides, I will help them shift their attention to the right places."

This is the second snowfall we've experienced in Jiujiang Prefecture.

Judging from the travel time, that Little Li Flying Dagger should indeed be unable to bear the pain of longing any longer and has decided to return to the interior.

It's worth noting that recently, the relationship between Lin Shiyin and Long Xiaoyun has been at its most tense in ten years, and Li Xunhuan just happened to return at this crucial moment.

Let alone a rumor that Young Master Fang is suspected of being equated with the Master of Tianji Tower, even the news of the death of the Great Joyful Bodhisattva would probably not attract much attention from Long Xiaoyun.

At this moment, the three words "Li Xunhuan" were imprinted in his mind, in the depths of his eyes, and in his heart.
-
The cold wind is like a knife, using the earth as a chopping board and treating all living beings as fish and meat.

Snowflakes fly for thousands of miles, turning the sky into a furnace, melting all things into silver.

The first snow in the North arrives earlier, especially in the border regions, where people who can afford it are already bundled up in fur coats and cotton-padded jackets.

Living in an extremely unassuming little house, Li Xunhuan was holding a wine bottle and drinking large gulps of wine.

When the bottle was empty, he picked up a small knife and began to carve a human figure. The blade was thin and sharp, and his fingers were long and strong.

This is a portrait of a woman. Under his skillful touch, the outline and lines of the portrait appear so soft and beautiful that it seems almost alive.

But he is no longer young.

His eyes were lined with wrinkles, each one a testament to the worries and misfortunes of his life, yet his eyes remained youthful.

These were strange eyes, seemingly emerald green, like willow branches swaying in the spring breeze, gentle and flexible, or like seawater under the summer sun, full of delightful vitality.

Perhaps it is because of these eyes that he has survived to this day.

Boom boom boom!
The sudden knocking at the door startled him. After carefully putting away the unfinished statue, he coughed as he got up and opened the door, where he saw Bai Tianyu, who had come to visit.

The other person stood in the snow, his figure as straight as a pine tree, his black cloak fluttering in the wind, and his brows seemed to hold the sharp edge of a blade.

The Divine Blade Hall Master's majesty needs no words; it is an aura of dominance that emanates from his very bones, as if the wind and snow in the world have stopped for him. On his bronze face, a pair of eagle eyes are sharp as lightning!
Upon seeing Li Xunhuan, the corners of his mouth slightly lifted, and the raging wind and snow around him seemed to lessen considerably.

"I heard you're going back?"

"Yes, if everything is ready, we'll set off the day after tomorrow."

This was the message Li Xunhuan instructed Tie Chuanjia to send to the other party. As his best friend in this area outside the pass, he couldn't leave without saying goodbye, neither out of courtesy nor reason.

"Have you figured it out?" Bai Tianyu, carrying a wine jar, swaggered into the wooden house.

Looking at the simple decorations inside, he couldn't help but shake his head.

"Your ascetic life is truly boring. If you didn't still remember to drink, I would suspect that you would have become a monk."

Bai Tianyu threw the wine jar onto the table, and the amber-colored wine inside swayed for a moment. Before Li Xunhuan could respond, he had already broken the mud seal, and then found two large bowls in the wooden house and filled them directly.

"This is the Tianshan Wine that you've been longing for. Here beyond the Great Wall, only you are worthy to drink with me!"

Li Xunhuan smiled helplessly. He didn't want to continue the topic that he couldn't figure out, so he directly steered the conversation toward Bai Tianyu's own problems.

"Isn't even the leader of the Demonic Sect worthy?"

"Him? Tch, a delusional madman. He's ranked below me on the weapon ranking list, yet he's always trying to get me to pledge allegiance to him. He really dares to dream." Bai Tianyu said with disdain, and he certainly didn't take Hua Baikong, that old geezer, seriously.

After speaking, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in the large bowl in one gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing as he revealed his bold and unrestrained nature.

"You still can't underestimate the Demonic Sect," Li Xunhuan solemnly advised. Only after arriving at this border region did he realize how influential the Demonic Sect was. The combined forces of the Divine Blade Hall and the Ten Thousand Horses Hall were not considered a threat by the Demonic Sect at all.

The main reason was that Hua Baikong had a high opinion of Bai Tianyu, which gave the opponent the opportunity to gain momentum.

In fact, this optimism helped Bai Tianyu quickly establish his prestige outside the pass, and his heroic demeanor did indeed attract many people to join him.

(End of this chapter)