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

The next morning.

The main hall in the front courtyard of Chongyang Palace.

Two fourth-generation disciples, responsible for going down the mountain to make purchases, hurried into the hall. Both were covered in sweat, and the hems of their Taoist robes were soaked with mud.

The Seven Immortals of Quanzhen and Yang Guo were preparing for their morning meeting.

"Reporting to the Sect Leader and all Grandmasters, something has happened down the mountain." The leading disciple, panting, presented a bloodstained Mongolian scimitar and a broken porcelain bottle with both hands.

Half an hour later, in the main hall of Chongyang Palace.

The atmosphere was tense. Qiu Chuji, Wang Chuyi, and a few others gathered in the center of the hall.

Yin Zhiping's body was placed in a side hall. Although it was swollen from being soaked in rainwater, everyone could still recognize his tattered Taoist robe and the fatal penetrating wound on his chest.

Qiu Chuji stared at the Mongolian scimitar, his white beard trembling slightly. He reached out, his fingertips tracing the inscription on the scimitar before finally striking it heavily against the stone pillar beside him.

"This wretched creature...it really is this wretched creature!" Qiu Chuji's voice was hoarse, and his eyes revealed a desolate and disheartened look.

Yang Guo, who was standing to the side, saw that the time was right and quickly stepped forward, kneeling on one knee. His handsome face was filled with heartache and self-reproach, his eyes were slightly red, and his voice was hoarse as if he had just been crying.

"Grandmaster, please accept my condolences." Yang Guo lowered his head, his voice filled with sorrow. "I thought that Master's escape down the mountain would offer him a way to survive, but I never imagined... that he would actually collude with the Mongols and end up being silenced. I failed in my duty to protect the sect; please punish me, Grandmaster!"

Yang Guo spoke these words with heartfelt sincerity. He kept his head down, and no one saw the cold glint that flashed in his eyes.

He thought to himself: "You little punk, remember to watch your step in your next life. Of all people to mess with, you had to mess with my woman. Now look what you've done, you'll be shining shoes for the King of Hell in the underworld."

Qiu Chuji helped Yang Guo up and sighed heavily: "Guo'er, this is not your fault. It is the old Taoist's fault for failing to teach properly and raising a tiger that will eventually harm you. This wicked boy used this kind of Western Region drug to ambush his fellow disciples in the Sanqing Hall. The bottle is right next to the body now, and the evidence is conclusive. His death at the hands of the Mongols is the will of Heaven to clear his name."

Wang Chuyi chimed in, "Senior brother is absolutely right. This traitor betrayed his friends and colluded with the enemy; he deserves to die. However, if this news gets out, the reputation of our Quanzhen Sect, which has been preserved for centuries..."

"The case ends here." Yang Guo suddenly looked up, his tone resolute. "Yin Zhiping colluded with the Mongols and was killed by his accomplices while fleeing to escape punishment. This is an ironclad case. We must issue a stern condemnation in official documents. Internally, we must thoroughly clean house and not let this one bad apple spoil the whole bunch of our Quanzhen Sect."

Qiu Chuji looked at Yang Guo with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. Although this grand-disciple came from a somewhat shady background, his ruthlessness and decisiveness in crucial moments truly made him a suitable candidate for the position of sect leader.

Half an hour later, in the martial arts hall.

Hundreds of disciples of the Quanzhen Sect were present. In the center of the hall, the corpse wrapped in a straw mat was pulled out.

Yang Guo stood on the high platform, his blue Taoist robe fluttering in the morning breeze. Without wasting words, he directly instructed his disciples to display the evidence before the public.

"Yin Zhiping, betraying the ancestral teachings, colluded with the Mongols, and plotted against his fellow disciples!" Yang Guo's voice echoed throughout every corner. "Last night, he was killed by his Mongol accomplices after a dispute over the spoils at the foot of the mountain. This is a disgrace to Quanzhen, but also a blessing in disguise!"

The disciples below the stage erupted in uproar. Those who usually followed Yin Zhiping were now shrinking back, afraid of being implicated.

Yang Guo's gaze swept across the crowd like lightning, finally landing on Zhao Zhiyuan, who was being held captive by two law enforcement disciples. Zhao Zhiyuan was kneeling on the ground, having been punished by kneeling for three days without food or water. Although it hadn't been three days yet, Yang Guo secretly ordered him to be brought to the square.

His face was deathly pale, but there was still a hint of malice in his eyes as he looked at Yang Guo.

"Zhao Zhiyuan," Yang Guo said slowly, walking to the edge of the platform. "As a third-generation disciple, you have maintained close ties with the traitor Yin Zhiping. Last night, Yin Zhiping defected, and instead of repenting, you spoke rudely and insulted the sect leader's attendant. The Quanzhen Sect cannot tolerate such a reckless scoundrel who cannot distinguish right from wrong."

Yang Guo waved his sleeve, his tone icy: "By order of the sect leader, strip Zhao Zhiyuan of his Taoist robe, abolish his martial arts, expel him from the sect immediately, and never employ him again! Also, Liu Zhitong, Zhou Zhiyuan, and two others who are in cahoots with him, shall also be expelled."

"Yang Guo, how dare you take revenge for personal reasons!" Zhao Zhiyuan struggled and roared, but his voice was weak and powerless.

"Settling personal scores?" Yang Guo sneered, tossing a ledger from his robes—evidence Huang Rong had gathered for him the previous night. "This is the record of all the extortion and plunder you've committed over the years under Yin Zhiping's name. Do you want me to read it to you, item by item, in front of all our fellow disciples?"

When Zhao Zhiyuan saw the account book, he felt as if his bones had been removed and collapsed to the ground.

Yang Guo ignored these discarded pawns and turned to a disciple in the crowd, a man of honest character and solid martial arts skills: "Zhang Zhiyuan, you are of upright character. Effective immediately, you are promoted to Vice Dean of the Discipline Hall to assist Grandmaster Wang in rectifying the rules. Anyone found engaging in favoritism or abuse of power will be executed!"

Zhang Zhiyuan was greatly surprised, but his face immediately lit up with joy, and he kowtowed heavily: "Disciple obeys!"

This tactic of making an example of someone to scare others was executed flawlessly. The entire Quanzhen Sect was completely silent; those who had previously harbored some ulterior motives now looked at Yang Guo with nothing but awe.

But Yang Guo knew that relying solely on killing and intimidation could only make people fear him, not make them submit to him.

He suppressed the hostility on his face and looked at the Seven Masters of Quanzhen sitting to one side.

"My esteemed masters," Yang Guo bowed to Qiu Chuji and the others, his tone softening and revealing a sincere sincerity, "I pondered deeply in the back mountains last night. Since the founding of the Quanzhen Sect by Patriarch Chongyang, its fame has resounded throughout the world. However, since Patriarch Ma's generation, the martial arts skills of our disciples have declined with each generation. The reason for this is not that you masters are unwilling to teach, but rather that the Patriarch's great cause of resisting the Jin was too arduous, resulting in many unique skills not being systematically passed down."

Qiu Chuji sighed; this was the biggest worry for the Quanzhen School.

Yang Guo's tone turned serious as he dropped a bombshell: "As the sect leader, I cannot bear to see the Quanzhen Sect decline. I have decided to make public the 'Chongyang Swordplay' left behind by Patriarch Chongyang. All Quanzhen disciples who have been in the sect for three years and possess a steadfast will may practice it!"

Upon hearing this, the martial arts hall fell silent for a second before erupting into a deafening roar of cheers.

The Chongyang Sword Technique! That was the ultimate secret technique of the patriarch Chongyang, coveted by countless disciples of three generations yet unable to grasp its essence. Yang Guo's action was tantamount to sharing the future of the Quanzhen Sect with everyone.

Qiu Chuji stood up in shock, his eyelids twitching: "Guo'er, this...this is our sect's secret technique. Isn't it a bit hasty to make it public on such a large scale?"

Yang Guo, his face solemn, once again displayed his superb acting skills: "Grandmaster, rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Grandmaster Chongyang created this sword technique to protect our country. If it is kept hidden away and lost to the world, that would be the greatest disrespect to our Grandmaster. I am willing to do this to restore the prestige of Quanzhen!"

Even Sun Bu'er, who had always disliked Yang Guo, was slightly moved at this moment. Looking at Yang Guo on the stage, she thought to herself that although this child was a bit wicked, his magnanimity did indeed have some of the shadow of the Patriarch Chongyang back then.

"Excellent!" Qiu Chuji slapped his thigh, his eyes burning with enthusiasm. "Guo'er's actions are a great deed. This old Daoist supports you!"

The Seven Masters of Quanzhen all nodded in agreement. At this moment, Yang Guo's position within the Quanzhen Sect was completely secure.

The meeting adjourned.

Surrounded by his disciples, Yang Guo walked out of the martial arts hall. The feeling of being admired by thousands of people greatly satisfied his vanity.

He walked down the steps and saw Lu Wushuang standing under the shade of a tree not far away. She had changed into a clean Taoist robe, and her hair was neatly combed. Although her left leg was still slightly lame, she looked beautiful and charming in the sunlight.

When Lu Wushuang saw Yang Guo approaching, she reluctantly bowed respectfully.

Just as Yang Guo was about to go over and tease her, he saw a moon-white figure flash by in the side corridor.

It's Huang Rong.

Huang Rong stood in the shadows of the corridor, staring intently at him. Her eyes gleamed with an intriguing light.

She first glanced at Yang Guo, then gestured with her chin in the direction of Lu Wushuang.

Yang Guo understood immediately from that look.

Yang Guo felt a chill run down his spine and subconsciously rubbed his aching lower back. Looking at Lu Wushuang's stubborn back and recalling Huang Rong's death order, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Lu Wushuang turned her head and saw Yang Guo staring at her. Her pretty face flushed, but she unusually did not react.

Yang Guo grinned, suppressing his bitterness, and put on a smile as if he were flirting with an innocent woman, before slowly walking over.

"Wushuang, I'm in a good mood today and I'm going to personally teach you a couple of my signature moves. Come on, let's go back inside, close the door, and have a leisurely 'spar'."

Hearing the deliberately drawn-out word "sparring," Lu Wushuang stomped her foot in anger, but still obediently followed behind Yang Guo.