In the martial arts world, he threatens Yin Susu from the start.

"Pah! You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth! Who said we're husband and wife!"

After wiping away her tears, Yin Susu instinctively retorted to Gu Hanyuan's words, but failed to realize that there was a hint of girlish coquettishness in her tone.

“I know that your husband is Zhang Cuishan, there’s no need to emphasize it to me again.”

"I consider him my husband, but I don't know if he still considers me his wife."

Yin Susu's eyes were blank; clearly, what had happened before had greatly hurt her.

"Heh, you know Zhang Cuishan's personality better than I do. He was just acting impulsively because he couldn't think straight. He'll definitely want to apologize to you tomorrow, but he'll just look too embarrassed to do it."

Gu Hanyuan's words, seemingly comforting, actually carried a deeper meaning. If he hadn't said those words, even if Zhang Cuishan didn't apologize first when he came to see Yin Susu tomorrow, Yin Susu would have offered him a way out. However, having heard these words beforehand, Yin Susu was mentally prepared that he would apologize first, and her attitude became more arrogant; she was no longer likely to offer him a way out first. This was what was meant by a psychological gap.

"I didn't expect you to say good things about Fifth Brother?"

Yin Susu was genuinely surprised to hear Gu Hanyuan speak well of Zhang Cuishan, and acted as if she were meeting him for the first time.

Gu Hanyuan scoffed lightly.

"While I might stop at nothing to get what I want, I wouldn't stoop so low as to make a few hurtful remarks behind someone's back."

The implication is that it's meaningless because it's neither painful nor beneficial; if it were meaningful, they would still do it. Besides, while they're saying nice things on the surface, they're actually steer the situation in a direction more favorable to themselves.

P.S.: More exciting developments are coming soon, it'll be absolutely mind-blowing! Please bookmark this page and give it a like if you enjoy it.

Chapter 7: What good thing is Madam thinking?

Yin Susu failed to perceive Gu Hanyuan's sinister intentions and instead began to look at him with new respect.

"Anyway, thank you."

Her sorrow had completely subsided, and she smiled gently at Gu Hanyuan, a dimple appearing on her left cheek, captivating him. Gu Hanyuan couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke the dimple on her face, his thumb caressing the sunken, inviting area.

Although Yin Susu was somewhat surprised by Gu Hanyuan's boldness, she offered little resistance except for a faint blush on her face.

However, Gu Hanyuan's expression turned indifferent again at this moment. He withdrew his hand, turned around, and pretended to leave.

"Since you are no longer sad, I will be leaving now."

"You're just leaving?"

Yin Susu was surprised by Gu Hanyuan's decisive departure.

"What is it, Madam? Is there something else?"

Gu Hanyuan replied without turning his head.

Yin Susu hesitated for a moment, her blush deepening, and muttered:

"I thought you were going to threaten me into doing those things again."

Gu Hanyuan turned around in surprise, his eyes turning contemptuous.

"What good news are you thinking, Madam? Our deal is done..."

After taking a few steps, he left another sentence.

"The handkerchief is for you, Madam; you don't need to return it."

Yin Susu stared blankly at Gu Hanyuan's departing figure, unable to react for a moment. When she came to her senses, her face was filled with shame and indignation.

"Pah! Who's thinking of anything good! You talk like you've been taken advantage of! You little rascal who takes advantage of others and then denies it! And don't call me 'Madam,' I'm not your madam!"

Regardless of whether Gu Hanyuan, who had already gone far away, could hear her, Yin Susu subconsciously scolded him. Of course, if you ignored the blush on her face, it might be more convincing.

She felt that the more she endured, the angrier she became, and the more she felt she lost, the more she felt she was being taken advantage of. She wanted to chase after him to regain his dignity. Suddenly, however, she stopped, her spirits dampened, and stared blankly at the handkerchief still clutched in her hand. Then, as if struck by a thought, she covered her mouth and chuckled softly. Her laughter was so joyful, so delicate, and so exquisitely beautiful.

It turned out that Yin Susu was thinking that, considering Gu Hanyuan comforted her today, she would just not kill him to silence him later.

For the next two days, Zhang Cuishan indeed tried to apologize to Yin Susu. However, he couldn't bring himself to say anything each time he saw the silent Yin Susu, and the matter eventually came to nothing.

Yin Susu also frequently visited Yu Daiyan's courtyard. The reason, of course, was to visit Yu Daiyan; what she truly felt was only known to herself. Ironically, she hadn't had a single "chance encounter" with Gu Hanyuan in the past two days, as if he were avoiding her. Of course, Yin Susu would never admit to wanting a "chance encounter," telling herself she simply wanted to return the handkerchief. After all, it was rather inappropriate for a married woman to carry another man's handkerchief.

Gu Hanyuan didn't intentionally avoid Yin Susu. He was simply making some minor adjustments to the plans for Zhang Sanfeng's 100th birthday celebration, and happened to be away from the Wudang Sect.

His main purpose in comforting Yin Susu earlier wasn't to provoke her, but rather to appease her. After all, only Yin Susu knew his true colors, and many of his future plans were bound to cause a huge uproar. If he didn't appease her, there was a possibility of unforeseen events. Of course, the best solution was still to kill Yin Susu, since only the mouths of the dead are truly safe. It wasn't that Gu Hanyuan was reluctant to kill her, but he was confident he could grasp Yin Susu's weakness; given her level of skill, she couldn't escape his grasp.

As Lu Xun said, "With perseverance, even metal and stone can be carved. As long as you keep trying, you can transform the other person into your own shape."

Yu Daiyan's condition naturally alarmed Zhang Sanfeng, who personally intervened to break up the misaligned bone fragments. After correcting the position of the bone fragments, he applied Black Jade Bone-Mending Ointment and then immobilized the area with a wooden board. As long as Yu Daiyan patiently waited a few months and did not rush to walk, he would recover completely.

To confirm the efficacy of the Black Jade Bone-Mending Ointment, Zhang Sanfeng even broke off one of his fingers to test its effects. Fortunately, the Black Jade Bone-Mending Ointment was indeed incredibly effective; the pain quickly disappeared, and a tingling, itchy sensation came from the broken bone, allowing him to clearly feel the bone being healed.

It can only be said that Zhang Sanfeng truly loved his disciples dearly, treating them as his own children. The Seven Heroes of Wudang were so moved that they wiped away tears.

Zhang Sanfeng praised Yin Susu highly, completely disregarding the fact that if Yu Daiyan hadn't been poisoned by the mosquito needle in the first place, none of the subsequent events would have occurred. Of course, even if Yu Daiyan had been unharmed at the time, he might not have escaped the schemes of the Prince of Ruyang's mansion.

Zhang Sanfeng intended to reconcile Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu, but unfortunately, the awkward cold war between them did not ease.

Time does not stand still for anyone, and Zhang Sanfeng's 100th birthday arrived as scheduled.

Originally, only various sects from the Wudang School came to offer birthday greetings, without sending out invitations. However, the number of sects visiting the mountain was extremely large. Fortunately, the Wudang School was extremely powerful in this world, and no one dared to provoke them. Apart from Abbess Miejue's Heaven-Slaying Sword from the Emei School, the weapons of the other major sects were all stored in the Sword-Unlocking Pool.

The leading sects are Northern Shaolin, Emei, Kunlun, and Kongtong. Xianyu Tong, who should have been the head of the Huashan Sect, is now merely the head of the Eagle-Snake Fighting Sect, a sect whose strength is only second-rate. As for the likes of the Sea Sand Gang, they don't even have the right to be seated.

Leading the Wudang sect was Zhang Sanfeng, flanked by various abbots, including Mu Daoren. Behind them stood the Seven Heroes of Wudang, excluding Yu Daiyan. Further back, in a corner where the third-generation disciples were gathered, Gu Hanyuan watched these uninvited guests with great interest.

It's worth mentioning that the Ming Dynasty court also sent someone. It was none other than Shangguan Haitang, the head of the Number One Manor in the World. However, as the person in charge of intelligence for the Dragon Guard Manor, it was indeed fitting that Shangguan Haitang would come to join in on this kind of commotion.

Shangguan Haitang was dressed in pristine white, her figure slender, wearing a turban and holding a folding fan. With delicate features, she was more handsome than Zaixing and as beautiful as a woman. If one did not know that she was a woman disguised as a man, one would only exclaim, "What a handsome young man!"

However, for Gu Hanyuan, who already knew the other person's gender, just imagining what she would look like in women's clothing was enough to amaze him. Although she was slightly inferior in charm, in terms of looks alone, she was even three points better than Yin Susu. If Gu Hanyuan were to rate her, she would score at least 90 points.

Incidentally, Yin Susu was considered a 90-point beauty in his eyes.

Shangguan Haitang noticed Gu Hanyuan's scrutinizing gaze and saw that he was a handsome and distinguished third-generation disciple. Although somewhat surprised, she didn't take it to heart, lightly waved her folding fan, and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Being the center of attention was common for her, but what was frustrating was that most of those staring at her were women. Seeing such a handsome young man as Gu Hanyuan today, however, lifted her spirits considerably. Especially his striking presence, standing out even in a crowd, was truly impressive.

Chapter 8: Secretly Conveying Affection, Making a Surprise Appearance to Resolve the Crisis

After admiring Shangguan Haitang's beauty, Gu Hanyuan turned his attention to the Emei Sect.

The leader, Abbess Miejue, was around forty years old, and her appearance was more beautiful than expected. Unfortunately, her face was as cold as ice, as if everyone owed her money, which dragged her beauty down from an 80 to a 60. It seems everyone in the martial arts world has forgotten that she was a beauty in her youth.

The disciples behind Abbess Miejue were quite a sight to behold. Whether it was the enhancement of their appearance and demeanor from martial arts training, or whether Emei only selected beauties for their disciples, none of them scored below 70 points in looks. The two leading female disciples, in particular, were well over 80 points.

Among them, the tall and pretty one, but with slightly high cheekbones and a thin lower lip, making her appear sharp and mean, is mostly Ding Minjun, who has a lot of screen time.

As for the other person, it should be Bei Jinyi, another disciple of Abbess Miejue. In terms of appearance alone, she is not as good as Ding Minjun, but her girl-next-door temperament is more admirable than Ding Minjun's.

Gu Hanyuan was appraising the beauty of the many female disciples of Emei when a thought suddenly struck him, and he subconsciously looked towards where Yin Susu was. Sure enough, he caught her gaze fixed on him.

Yin Susu lowered her head in slight panic, barely suppressing her blushing embarrassment. Inwardly, she cursed herself for being so afraid and so guilty.

It turned out that Yin Susu hadn't been able to see Gu Hanyuan for the past few days, and today, finally seeing him, she couldn't help but subconsciously shift her attention to him. However, she found Gu Hanyuan staring at the Emei female disciples, and just as she was pouting in dissatisfaction, he caught her red-handed.

Gu Hanyuan quickly guessed what Yin Susu was thinking and looked at her with amusement.

When Yin Susu calmed down and looked up, she saw Gu Hanyuan silently mouthing something to her.

"They're not as pretty as you."

After understanding, Yin Susu dared not look at Gu Hanyuan again. She could only turn to the side and listen to her own heartbeat, a smile appearing on her lips, which completely dispelled the tension of facing the impending calamity.

Thinking to myself, "Today's ordeal depends on you. If things don't go well... well, so be it."

The visiting sects first offered perfunctory congratulations on Zhang Sanfeng's 100th birthday.

The sects with any sense of shame brought congratulatory gifts, while the shameless sects just casually uttered a few dry congratulatory words before eyeing Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu with predatory intent.

After dealing with the superficial formalities, the major sects, led by Abbot Kongwen of the Northern Shaolin Temple, began to launch their attack.

Kong Wen walked up to Zhang Sanfeng and performed a Buddhist salute.

“Master Zhang, I am your junior in terms of age. Today, apart from celebrating your birthday, I should not bring up anything else. However, as the abbot of the Northern Shaolin Temple, I have a few questions to ask you, and I hope you will not take offense.”

Although Kong Wen was polite, his words were aggressive. He first explained that he was a junior, but then mentioned that he was the young master of the North.

Abbot Lin elevated himself to the same level as Zhang Sanfeng, effectively silencing Zhang Sanfeng's refusal to answer questions at his birthday celebration.

Zhang Sanfeng lived for a hundred years and had seen all kinds of people and things. You could say he had no experience, but he was used to cultivating his character and temperament, so he was peaceful.

Today, while the various sects are ostensibly celebrating Xie Xun's birthday, their true purpose is undoubtedly to target the fifth disciple and his wife, who know the whereabouts of Xie Xun and the Dragon-Slaying Saber.

At this moment, forced by Kong Wen's overwhelming influence, yet unable to refuse, he went straight to the point:

"Master, did you come here for my fifth disciple, Zhang Cuishan?"

Zhang Cuishan was prepared. Although he knew that today's ordeal would not be easy, he was not afraid and stepped forward calmly.

Upon hearing that the person in question had arrived, we got straight to the point.

"Indeed, we have two matters to ask Zhang Wuxia. First, Zhang Wuxia killed all seventy-one members of the Longmen Escort Agency of our Shaolin Sect. How should we end the lives of these seventy-one people? Second, my senior brother, Master Kongjian, was a compassionate man who never fought with anyone, yet he was killed by Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King. We heard that Zhang Wuxia knows his whereabouts, so please inform him."

Zhang Cuishan had just learned a few days earlier that his own wife, Yin Susu, was the one who murdered the entire Longmen Escort Agency, and he hesitated. He had always been upright and incorruptible, yet in the end, it was his wife who had put him in a dilemma, leaving him with no choice but to compromise:

"The deaths of the seventy-one people in Longmen Escort Agency were definitely not caused by this junior."

Yin Susu naturally noticed Zhang Cuishan's hesitation, but she didn't blame him; she was just a little disappointed.

"The passing of Master Kongjian is indeed heartbreaking. However, I have a sworn brotherhood with the Golden-Haired Lion King. I do know Xie Xun's whereabouts. But in the martial world, 'righteousness' is paramount. I would rather lose my head than reveal my sworn brother's whereabouts. This matter has nothing to do with my master or my fellow disciples; I will bear the responsibility alone. If you wish to force me to my death, then so be it. I have never done anything to shame my sect, nor have I ever unjustly killed a good person. If you insist on forcing me into this unjust situation, then so be it, I will simply die."

Zhang Cuishan wasn't particularly worried about today's events. After all, if a fight broke out, Wudang could wipe out all the martial artists present at Zixiao Palace. However, when the time came, his pride got the better of him, and he uttered words that would cost him his life.