Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Brother Jing, let's get a divorce.

Deep in the dense forest, thorns grow in abundance.

Two figures, like stray dogs, scrambled and crawled through the bushes, their Taoist robes torn to shreds by branches, their hair disheveled, and their faces covered in bloodstains.

It was Zhao Zhijing and Yin Zhiping who escaped from the cave.

He ran for three or four miles in one breath until he could no longer hear any sound behind him. Then, Zhao Zhijing's legs gave way and he collapsed under an old locust tree, panting heavily.

Yin Zhiping was in an even worse state, collapsing to the ground with a thud, his face deathly pale, his hands still trembling uncontrollably. He looked back at the way he had come, his eyes filled with terror, as if that little devil with glowing fingertips might catch up and smash his head open at any moment.

"Senior...Senior Brother," Yin Zhiping swallowed hard, "They...they didn't catch up, did they?"

Zhao Zhijing didn't speak, but stared intently at his right hand, which was still throbbing with pain.

His palm was red and swollen, but the bones weren't broken. His sword was broken again; Yang Guo had also broken his sword last time.

But that force... was far stronger than when Yang Guo used that finger force last time.

Last time, Yang Guo actually shattered it with his finger, and Zhao Zhijing didn't notice anything amiss at the time.

But this time it shot out of thin air, confirming it was undoubtedly the One-Finger Divine Skill.

Zhao Zhijing narrowed his eyes, replaying the last scene in the cave in his mind over and over again.

Yang Guo was covered in blood.

Although the final finger strike was impressive, it was never actually delivered until they ran out of the cave.

Even Yang Guo's posture when standing is quite upright, but his legs seem to be trembling slightly...

"wrong!"

Zhao Zhijing slapped his thigh suddenly. "He's acting! That little bastard is acting!"

Yin Zhiping was startled: "Acting? But that One-Finger Divine Skill..."

"What utter bullshit One-Finger Divine Skill!" Zhao Zhijing gritted his teeth, wishing he could slap himself twice. "If he really had the power to finish that one finger strike, why didn't he just kill us directly? With his personality, he's vengeful and vindictive. If he had the chance to kill us, why would he let us go?"

Zhao Zhijing picked up a tree branch and snapped it in two: "He's at his last gasp! That was a ruse! He has no internal strength left; he's just trying to scare us!"

Yin Zhiping was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening, and his face flushed with extreme embarrassment and anger.

Two third-generation masters of the Quanzhen Sect were scared away by a mere novice who had only been a disciple for less than a year, using such clumsy methods?

If word gets out, how will they ever be able to survive in the underworld again?

"That little bastard!" Yin Zhiping jumped up from the ground, drawing his spare short sword from his waist. "How dare he play us! Senior brother, let's go back! While he's weakened, let's kill him and that witch together!"

As he spoke, Yin Zhiping was about to rush back.

"stop!"

Zhao Zhijing gave a cold shout and grabbed Yin Zhiping's belt.

"Senior brother?" Yin Zhiping turned around, looking puzzled. "Now is the perfect opportunity to launch a surprise attack! That kid must think we've run far away and is letting his guard down. We..."

"Are you stupid?" Zhao Zhijing asked grimly, pointing to the open area they had just passed. "Have you forgotten that pile of warm chicken bones?"

Yin Zhiping froze, realizing he had been so focused on escaping and his anger that he had forgotten about this.

That pile of chewed-up bones.

That was left behind by Ouyang Feng.

Zhao Zhijing's eyes flickered with uncertainty as he looked in the direction of the ancient tomb: "Although Yang Guo is crippled, that old madman Ouyang Feng is definitely nearby. We escaped quickly enough, but if we go back now, we'll run right into that old poisoner returning..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was already quite clear.

Running into Ouyang Feng would be more than just a matter of losing face; it would be a matter of losing your life.

Yin Zhiping shuddered, his short sword falling limply to his side. "So... so we just let it go like this? That brat Yang Guo not only learned our Quanzhen Sect's martial arts, but also colluded with that vixen, and now he's humiliated us like this... If he recovers and becomes more cautious, when will we ever have another chance?"

Zhao Zhijing released his grip, leaned against the tree trunk, and his eyes flashed with a cold, venomous light.

"Forget it? How could I forget it?"

Zhao Zhijing sneered, reaching up to touch the wound on his face where the sword energy had slashed him. "I will settle this score with interest."

"Does Senior Brother have a solution?"

"Of course there are," Zhao Zhijing said in a low voice. "We're not the only two who want Yang Guo dead. We can use someone else to do the dirty work."

"Borrow a knife? Borrow whose knife?"

"Yesterday, Yang Guo and that old madman humiliated Huo Du at the foot of the mountain. Many people know about this!" Zhao Zhijing coaxed patiently.

"Huo Du is resting at the inn at the foot of the mountain. If we reveal Yang Guo's whereabouts to him, telling him that Yang Guo is currently seriously injured and hiding in a cave in the back of the mountain, with only an immobile woman by his side..."

Zhao Zhijing chuckled: "Guess what that Mongolian prince will do?"

Yin Zhiping's expression changed, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes: "Senior brother, this...this isn't appropriate, is it? That Huo Du is a Mongol. Our Quanzhen Sect has always taken it upon ourselves to resist the Jin and the Mongols. If we collude with foreign tribes to harm our fellow disciples, this would be a grave crime of betraying our master and ancestors! If the Sect Leader finds out..."

"If you don't tell, and I don't tell, who will know it was us?" Zhao Zhijing interrupted him, his tone tinged with disappointment. "Besides, what kind of fellow disciple is Yang Guo? He colluded with Ouyang Feng, who is the Quanzhen Sect's mortal enemy! We're using their strength against them, acting on behalf of Heaven!"

Seeing that Yin Zhiping was still hesitating, Zhao Zhijing rolled his eyes and decided to take drastic measures.

"Junior brother, you're just too old-fashioned." Zhao Zhijing sighed and leaned close to Yin Zhiping's ear, "Think about it, if we don't get rid of Yang Guo today, will the Quanzhen Sect still have a place for you? Besides..."

Zhao Zhijing paused deliberately, then said meaningfully, "Think about that Little Dragon Girl. Yang Guo not only has Li Mochou by his side now, but he'll also take Little Dragon Girl when they return to the Ancient Tomb. They're fellow disciples, sharing one husband? Tsk tsk tsk, Yang Guo is quite the ladies' man. Imagine having two women by your side every night…"

These words struck Yin Zhiping right to the heart.

Little Dragon Girl.

That ethereal figure, the beautiful image that appears in his dreams every night.

Just thinking about Yang Guo's dirty hands roaming over Xiaolongnu's pure and innocent body makes Yin Zhiping lose his mind instantly.

That feeling is like your first love is currently lying in someone else's arms...

"No!" Yin Zhiping's eyes were bloodshot, his breathing heavy as a bull's. "Absolutely not! Yang Guo must die!"

"That's right." Zhao Zhijing patted Yin Zhiping on the shoulder, a satisfied smile on his face. "Once Yang Guo dies, only Xiaolongnu will be left in the Ancient Tomb. Then, hehe..."

Yin Zhiping raised his head, the cowardice and hesitation in his eyes had disappeared.

"I'll go," Yin Zhiping gritted his teeth. "I'll go down the mountain right now and find Huo Du!"

As Zhao Zhijing watched Yin Zhiping's hurried departure, the smile on his lips grew colder and colder.

Go ahead, junior brother.

Someone has to take the blame for this crime of colluding with foreign tribes.

After Yang Guo dies, and you, this scoundrel who colluded with foreign enemies, are punished according to the sect rules, the position of chief disciple of the third generation of Quanzhen Sect will still belong to me, Zhao Zhijing.

……

Inside the cave, all was deathly silent.

"Yang Guo... Yang Guo!"

Li Mochou's voice trembled, carrying a hint of panic she had never felt before.

That boy, always grinning and full of witty remarks, was now quietly nestled against her chest.

In the past, anyone who dared to be so disrespectful to Fairy Chilian would have been torn to pieces long ago.

But now, Li Mochou felt no anger at all.

She only felt a warmth.

Blood gushed from Yang Guo's left shoulder, soaking through his tattered Taoist robe and then through her peach-colored dress, finally clinging to her skin.

"You idiot..."

Li Mochou wanted to raise her hand to press on his wound, or even just to turn him over so he could lie more comfortably.

But she couldn't do it.

Ouyang Feng's acupoint-seal technique, achieved through reverse cultivation of the Nine Yin Manual, was extremely domineering, sealing off all her meridians. Aside from her neck and mouth, which allowed her to move, her body was now like a stone.

She could only watch helplessly.

Looking at Yang Guo's handsome face, which was usually somewhat annoying, it was now as pale as paper.

His brow was furrowed tightly, as if he were enduring great pain.

The pool of blood was shocking and was slowly expanding.

At this moment, Li Mochou actually felt a trace of fear.

She had killed countless people and was used to life and death.

But this was the first time she had ever been so afraid of someone dying in front of her.

Even if this person took her body, even if this person was a liar, even if this person was a scoundrel.

She was still replaying the scene of Yang Guo standing in front of her in her mind.

Li Mochou bit her lower lip until it bled.

"Who needs your help...?"

"Who cares if you save me..."

Tears, uncontrollably, slid down Yang Guo's cheeks and dripped onto his hair.

Just then.

The light at the cave entrance suddenly dimmed.

A foul wind, carrying a violent airflow, suddenly rushed in.

"My dear daughter-in-law! Look what your father brought you!"

Accompanied by a burst of maniacal laughter, a tall, disheveled, and ragged old man rushed into the cave like a whirlwind.

It was none other than Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison.

He was carrying a large wild boar weighing three or four hundred pounds on his shoulder. The boar had ferocious tusks and had obviously just died. Its neck was twisted into a pretzel.

"Wild boar meat is the most nutritious! Dad was just in the woods..."

Ouyang Feng's excited words came to an abrupt halt.

"boom!"

The huge wild boar was thrown hard to the ground, shaking the cave and sending rocks tumbling down.

Ouyang Feng stood still, his eyes fixed on the boy lying in a pool of blood.

The old man, who had been dancing wildly, now resembled an ancient beast whose scales had been violated. His muscles were tense, and his tattered robe fluttered and rustled even without wind.

A terrifying, suffocating murderous aura instantly filled the cave.

"Son...son?"

Ouyang Feng reached out his hand tremblingly, wanting to touch Yang Guo, but afraid of hurting him.

"Blood...so much blood..."

Ouyang Feng suddenly raised his head, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot, and veins bulging on his forehead.

"who!!!"

This roar contained the profound internal energy of Ouyang Feng's Toad Style, accumulated over decades, causing Li Mochou's eardrums to ache and her blood to surge.

Ouyang Feng flashed and instantly appeared in front of Li Mochou.

His eyes were so fierce they looked like he wanted to devour someone: "Who hurt my son?! Who!!!"

Li Mochou, suppressing the dizziness from the shock of the internal force, gritted her teeth and squeezed out a few words:

"The Complete Truth Sect!"

These three words were like a spark falling into a powder keg.

"The Quanzhen Sect?!"

Ouyang Feng was stunned for a moment, then completely exploded.

In his instinctive memory, he harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Quanzhen Sect. That damned Wang Chongyang, that damned Innate Skill, and those old Taoist priests who spouted benevolence and morality!

"Wang Chongyang! I will kill you! I will kill your disciples and their descendants!"

Ouyang Feng roared wildly and slammed his palm against the rock wall beside him.

"Boom!"

His palm strike left a deep imprint, about an inch deep, on the cave wall, sending fragments of rock flying.

After venting his anger, Ouyang Feng's gaze returned to Li Mochou.

Seeing the woman standing motionless, like a dead person letting her son bleed, Ouyang Feng was even more furious.

"Useless thing! You can't even take care of my son!"

Ouyang Feng cursed and pointed his finger at Li Mochou several times.

The technique was extremely bizarre, and the wind from his fingers exuded a chilling aura.

"Well……"

Li Mochou groaned, feeling several streams of heat rushing through some of her stiff meridians.

I regained feeling in my hands and feet.

It can move now.

But the internal energy in his dantian remained empty.

Ouyang Feng, though insane, possessed terrifying skill in martial arts.

He only released Li Mochou's movement acupoints, but did not release the acupoints that sealed her internal energy.

The Li Mochou of today is just an ordinary person who can move.

"Take good care of my son!"

"If he loses even a single hair, I'll chop you up and feed you to the snakes!"

After saying that, Ouyang Feng didn't give Li Mochou a chance to speak at all.

"The Quanzhen Sect... dared to harm my son... I will kill you all!!!"

With a chilling scream, Ouyang Feng turned upside down, braced himself with his hands on the ground, and instantly rushed out of the cave.

That overwhelming killing intent could be felt from a great distance, heading straight towards the Chongyang Palace of the Quanzhen Sect.

The cave fell silent again.

Only the wild boar, its eyes wide open in death, lay alone on the ground.

Li Mochou had no time to spare for anything else.

She struggled to sit up, her whole body aching as if it had fallen apart.

But she immediately reached out and carefully helped Yang Guo, who was lying on top of her, up so that he could lie flat on the ground.

Her movements were so gentle that she didn't even notice them herself.

"hiss……"

Tearing open Yang Guo's clothes, which were soaked in blood on his left shoulder, revealed the horrific through-and-through wound.

The skin and flesh were rolled up, and the bone was visible deep inside.

Li Mochou gasped, feeling as if her heart had been pricked by a needle.

"Are you made of iron? Don't you feel pain?"

While cursing under her breath, Li Mochou tore off the cleanest piece of fabric from her skirt without hesitation.

There is no medicine for wounds.

She could only use the most basic method to stop the bleeding first.

Her hands were trembling slightly.

The Red-Lian Fairy, who has been using poison for many years, is a master at killing, but saving someone is a first for her.

She clumsily bandaged Yang Guo's wounds, her fingertips inevitably touching his burning skin and his muscular chest.

Even in his unconscious state, Yang Guo still had a furrowed brow and seemed to be muttering something.

Li Mochou leaned closer, wanting to hear clearly.

"Wife...wife...don't be afraid..."

Li Mochou's fingers trembled suddenly.

He was struck dumb, frozen in place.

She looked at the face so close to hers.

With her beautiful eyebrows and eyes, and a straight nose, she had the appearance of a frivolous and dissolute woman, yet at this moment, people felt sorry for her.

That's the little rascal.

It robbed her of her innocence, which she had guarded for thirty years.

They forced their way into her world using such despicable and shameless methods.

He was her enemy.

It was a stain on her life.

but……

It's that little rascal too.

When facing a powerful enemy, protect her behind you.

Even at the risk of serious injury, he would take that sword for her.

Even while she was unconscious, he kept telling her not to be afraid.

An unprecedented and extremely complex emotion surged within Li Mochou's heart.

That's a disgrace.

I am also grateful.

It is hatred.

It is also a kind of throbbing feeling called "reliance".

This feeling is terrifying.

It terrified her even more than Lu Zhanyuan's betrayal back then.

She was afraid she would get caught up in it.

She feared that she would suffer the same fate as that naive girl from years ago, falling into utter ruin once again.

"no……"

Li Mochou abruptly withdrew her hand, her eyes gradually turning cold, and she forcefully suppressed the tenderness that had just arisen within her.

She is Li Mochou, the Red Serpent Fairy.

She was a ruthless female demon who killed without blinking an eye.

What she hates most in her life is men, and what she needs least is a man's protection!

What's more, this man had seen her at her most vulnerable and had taken what was most precious to her.

As long as he lives, that will forever be a disgrace that Li Mochou can never wash away.

"Kill him..."

A voice was screaming wildly in my mind.

"Kill him, and everything will be over."

"Kill him, and no one will know what happened."

"Kill him, then commit suicide; that would be a clean death."

Li Mochou's hand trembled as she reached into her bosom.

He pulled out a dagger.

This was her last weapon for self-defense, which she kept close to her body; even Ouyang Feng couldn't take it.

A flash of cold light.

The dagger hung over Yang Guo's heart.

With just a little force, one could pierce the boy's heart and end this tragic entanglement.

Li Mochou stared intently at Yang Guo's face.

My hands are shaking.

Kill! Li Mochou! You've killed countless people, do you care about this one?

but……

The image of Yang Guo standing up to protect him just now wouldn't leave his mind.

"What a tragedy... what a tragedy..."

Li Mochou closed her eyes, and two lines of clear tears slid down her cheeks.

She gritted her teeth and suddenly tightened her wrist.

Just as the dagger was about to stab down.

Outside the cave, in the jungle, a pair of eyes were fixed intently on everything happening inside.