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

Changluo Town is 30 li away from the foot of Zhongnan Mountain.

Yang Guo walked ahead at a leisurely pace. Lu Wushuang followed behind, dragging her left leg and walking with some difficulty.

Less than half a mile from the mountain gate, Yang Guo stopped and looked back.

Lu Wushuang's forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Her left leg problem was manageable on flat ground, but it became very difficult on downhill mountain paths. However, she gritted her teeth and kept up with Yang Guo's pace without uttering a sound.

Yang Guo didn't say anything. He walked back, turned his back to Lu Wushuang, and squatted down.

"Come up."

Lu Wushuang was stunned.

"What did you say?"

"I'll carry you. There's still a long way to go on this mountain road. If you keep going like this, it'll be dark by the time we reach town. I don't have that much time to waste with you." Yang Guo said without turning his head.

Lu Wushuang blushed and took two steps back.

"Who wants you to carry me! It's not like I can't walk. Don't underestimate me."

Yang Guo remained squatting in place without moving.

"You can walk, but by the time you get to town, your good leg will be useless. If both your legs are lame, how will you serve me tea and water? I'm worried about myself."

That's both a jerk's statement and a truth.

Lu Wushuang stood there, clenching her fists, her eyes fixed on Yang Guo's broad back. Her lips moved, the words of curse swirling in her throat, but she ultimately didn't utter them.

She remembered what Huang Rong had told her before she left: "He may be a bit of a joker, but he's a responsible person at heart."

Lu Wushuang closed her eyes.

She stepped forward, placed her hands on Yang Guo's shoulders, and leaned down.

Yang Guo supported her knees with both hands and stood up. Lu Wushuang was very light, weighing less than 100 pounds, and Yang Guo had abundant internal energy, so carrying her felt like he wasn't carrying anything at all.

"Hold on tight, don't let go." Yang Guo took a step forward.

Lu Wushuang's face was pressed against Yang Guo's back. She could feel the muscles in his back contracting and relaxing with each step, and even through his clothes, she could feel the heat emanating from them.

She turned her face to the side, preventing her cheek from touching his body directly.

Yang Guo's mouth started moving non-stop.

"How much do you weigh? You're as light as a chick. You eat a lot on the mountain, so where did all your weight go?"

Lu Wushuang pinched his back.

"Shut up."

"Ouch, be gentle, don't pinch my waist, it tickles." Yang Guo grinned. "If you want to pinch, pinch higher, pinch my shoulders, they're fleshy."

Lu Wushuang stopped pinching him. Her hand rested obediently on Yang Guo's shoulder, her fingers unconsciously digging into the edge of his collar.

The trees on both sides of the mountain road receded into the distance, and the wind blew up from the valley, carrying the scent of wildflowers.

Yang Guo carried Lu Wushuang on his back, walking quickly and steadily. His steps were almost imperceptible, and his toes would slide far away as soon as they touched the stones, making his walking even more stable than usual.

This is the foundation of the Golden Goose Kung Fu. True Qi flows into the legs, and the unevenness of the ground is automatically adjusted by the soles of the feet.

Lu Wushuang gradually relaxed, and she tightened her arms around him.

No one spoke again.

It was already afternoon when we arrived in Changle Town.

The town is small, with a main street running from east to west, lined with all kinds of shops selling cloth, groceries, meat, and farm tools. People come and go, and shouts rise and fall on the street.

Yang Guo put Lu Wushuang down.

After regaining her footing, Lu Wushuang quickly took a step back, distancing herself from Yang Guo. She lowered her head, not daring to look at the passersby around her.

A young Taoist priest carrying a lame girl into town was indeed an eye-catching sight.

Yang Guo didn't care about other people's opinions at all. He glanced around and walked straight toward the largest cloth shop at the east end of the street.

"Come on, keep up."

Lu Wushuang quickly followed.

The shopkeeper was a plump old man in his fifties. When he saw a young man wearing a Quanzhen Taoist robe walk in with a girl, he quickly went to greet him.

"Master, what would you like to order?" the shopkeeper asked with a smile, rubbing his hands together.

"Take her measurements and make three outfits for her," Yang Guo said, pointing to Lu Wushuang. "One spring outfit, one autumn outfit, and one winter outfit. Use the best fabrics, and as for the colors..."

Yang Guo turned his head and looked Lu Wushuang up and down, his gaze sweeping from her face to her neck, from her neck to her waist, and from her waist to her legs.

Lu Wushuang felt uncomfortable under his gaze and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What are you looking at!"

Yang Guo withdrew his gaze and said to the shopkeeper, "The spring clothes should be made of pale yellow silk, the autumn clothes of moon white, and the winter clothes of dark red. Her skin is fair, and these colors suit her well."

The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly, secretly praising the Taoist priest for his sharp eye.

"Alright, alright. As for silk, our shop has top-quality Suzhou and Hangzhou fabrics, three taels of silver per bolt. Three sets of clothes will cost about ten taels just for the fabric, plus labor costs..."

"No need to calculate. Once it's done, take it to the entrance of the Quanzhen Sect and tell the steward my name, Yang Guo, to settle the bill." Yang Guo waved his hand.

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up. The leader of the Quanzhen Sect? That's a big customer.

"Rest assured, Master, I guarantee I'll use the finest materials and the most exquisite patterns!"

Lu Wushuang stood to the side, her mouth agape.

Ten taels of silver for three sets of clothes? After wandering the martial world for so many years, the most valuable possession she had was that willow-leaf scimitar, which cost ten taels of silver and was enough for her to eat and drink for more than half a year.

"Yang... Sect Leader, you don't need such fine fabric. Ordinary cotton will do. I don't care what I wear." Lu Wushuang tugged at Yang Guo's sleeve and lowered her voice.

Calling someone "master" in front of strangers is somewhat shameful.

"It doesn't matter what you wear, it looks different to me." Yang Guo brushed her hand away. "I, Yang Guo, can't be laughed at when I go out. Just consider it as me making me look good."

Lu Wushuang's lips moved, but she didn't know how to respond.

The shopkeeper came over with a soft measuring tape to take her measurements. When he measured her bust, Lu Wushuang blushed and shrank back.

Yang Guo leaned against the counter and muttered, "There aren't many good ones to measure."

The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to reach Lu Wushuang's ears.

Lu Wushuang clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

She vowed to herself that once she returned to the mountain, she would find a chance to spit in Yang Guo's tea.

After taking the measurements, Yang Guo took Lu Wushuang to the jewelry shop next door.

The shop was filled with all kinds of hairpins, bracelets, and earrings. Lu Wushuang had never been to a place like this before. Her gaze swept over the shiny items before quickly looking away.

Yang Guo bent down in front of the counter and spent a long time choosing.

"This wooden hairpin is nice, made of sandalwood. It's much nicer than that broken tree branch on your head." Yang Guo picked up a sandalwood hairpin carved with orchids.

"The thing on my head is made of boxwood, not a tree branch," Lu Wushuang retorted softly.

"Boxwood is still wood, let's get a better one." Yang Guo handed the sandalwood hairpin to the shopkeeper. "Wrap it up, and take two silver hairpins to look at as well."

The shopkeeper took out two finely crafted silver hairpins from the bottom drawer, one engraved with plum blossoms and the other with bamboo leaves.

Yang Guo picked up the plum blossom branch, turned around, and walked to Lu Wushuang.

"Lower your head."

Lu Wushuang was stunned for a moment.

Why are you bowing your head?

"Try it and see if it looks good." Yang Guo raised his hand and pulled out the old boxwood hairpin from Lu Wushuang's hair.

Lu Wushuang's long hair fell down, her dark hair draped over her shoulders, making her face appear even whiter.

Yang Guo inserted the silver hairpin into her hair bun.

His fingers brushed past her ear, the tips of his fingers feeling warm.

Lu Wushuang's ears immediately burned. She stood there motionless, even holding her breath.

Yang Guo took a step back and tilted his head to look.

"That's good, this plum blossom one suits you. The bamboo leaf one is too plain and can't balance out your fierce face."

Lu Wushuang glared at him, but she didn't take off the hairpin.

The shopkeeper, watching from the side, clearly saw that the young Taoist priest was generous and attentive to the girl, making a good deal.

"Master, you have a good eye. These two silver hairpins cost a total of one tael and two mace of silver, and the sandalwood hairpin costs five hundred cash."

"Let's settle it all together, I'll take it all." Yang Guo took out a small ingot of silver from his pocket and threw it on the counter.

After leaving the jewelry shop, Yang Guo turned into the rouge shop next door.

Lu Wushuang stood at the door and refused to go in.

"I don't use those things."

"Who said it was for you?" Yang Guo glanced back at her. "I brought it for Sister Rong. You're overthinking it."

Lu Wushuang: "..."

She followed them inside.

Yang Guo picked out a box of top-quality peach blossom powder, a box of lip rouge, and a small bottle of osmanthus hair oil from the rouge shop. After paying, he stuffed everything into Lu Wushou's hands.

"Take these."

"Didn't you say you bought these for Sister Rong?" Lu Wushuang asked, holding the pile of things with a suspicious look on her face.

"I'll buy something else for Sister Rong; these are for you." Yang Guo said without batting an eye. "What kind of talk is it for a girl not to dress up? Going around bare-faced every day is more bland than a clay Buddha in a temple."

Lu Wushuang stared intently at Yang Guo's profile.

This person lies without even blinking.

But she didn't return the items. She hugged the bottles and jars to her chest, lowered her head, and quickly followed Yang Guo.

The emerald green jade pendant on her wrist swayed twice with each step.

As the sun began to set, the two walked to a noodle stall at the end of the town. Yang Guo ordered two bowls of beef noodles, a plate of braised pig's ears, and a pot of yellow wine.

Lu Wushuang sat opposite Yang Guo, and she neatly arranged the things she had bought on the bench next to her: sandalwood hairpins, silver plum blossom hairpins, peach blossom powder, lip rouge, and osmanthus hair oil.

She had never received so many things before.

The noodles were served, and Yang Guo put two large pieces of beef into Lu Wushuang's bowl.

"Eat more beef to nourish your body; your physique is too weak." Yang Guo picked up the bowl and began to slurp down his noodles.

Looking at the overflowing beef in the bowl, Lu Wushuang lowered her head and shoveled a mouthful of noodles into her mouth.

My eyes felt a little hot.

She blinked hard twice to suppress the soreness in her eyes.

She told herself it was a transaction: Huang Rong asked her to take care of Yang Guo, and Yang Guo bought her things; it was an equal exchange, and she didn't owe him anything.

But she knew in her heart that this was not entirely a transaction.

Throughout the entire afternoon, Yang Guo never once urged her to walk faster. He carried her on his back on the mountain path and helped her choose the color of her clothes. When he put the hairpin in her hair, his fingers brushed past her ear.

These details cannot be explained by trading alone.

After finishing their noodles, the two walked out of the noodle stall.

As the setting sun hung over the mountaintops, the town's streets were bathed in an orange-red hue.

Yang Guo walked ahead, hands behind his back, and said:

"Starting tomorrow, come to the Ancestral Master Hall every morning, and I will teach you a new set of kung fu."

Lu Wushuang paused in her steps.

"What kind of kung fu?"

"The kung fu from the Nine Yin Manual!"

Lu Wushuang stood still.

The Nine Yin Manual is a peerless martial arts technique coveted by everyone in the martial arts world. Countless masters have fought and bled for this manual.

Yang Guo casually mentioned that he would teach her?

"Why are you teaching me?" Lu Wushuang asked, her voice slightly strained.

Yang Guo finally turned around.

He looked at Lu Wushuang standing in the sunset. The girl was wearing the silver plum blossom hairpin he had just bought, holding a bunch of rouge and powder in her arms, and her face still had the oil from eating noodles.

Yang Guo smiled.

"You're mine, I can't let you be so helpless that you don't even have the ability to protect yourself."

Lu Wushuang gripped the thing in her arms tightly.

She turned her head and took a deep sniff.

"……oh."

The two walked back.

Yang Guo squatted down again.

"Come up, the road up the mountain is more difficult than the road down."

This time, Lu Wushuang did not refuse. She climbed onto Yang Guo's back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

She buried her face in Yang Guo's shoulder.

Yang Guo felt a small patch of warm dampness on his back, but he didn't say anything.

As dusk settled, Yang Guo carried Lu Wushuang on his back and walked along the mountain path towards Zhongnan Mountain.

Behind them, in the town, a window on the second floor of an inn slowly closed.

A middle-aged man dressed in a tight-fitting outfit stood behind the window. He turned and went into the room. On the table was a piece of parchment with a map of the Quanzhen Sect in Zhongnan Mountain drawn on it.

He picked up his pen and wrote a line of Mongolian script on the edge of the topographic map:

"The new leader of the Quanzhen Sect is young and generous. He is accompanied by a lame woman. Further investigation is needed."