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

Inside the council chamber.

Yang Guo looked at the blueprints on the wall. Lu Wushuang closed the door and walked over.

"The Mongols are investigating our background; this is troublesome," Lu Wushuang said in a low voice.

Yang Guo tucked the name card from the table into his sleeve. "The government wants to use the Mongols as pawns to extort money from us. This little scheme can't be kept secret."

He turned to look at Lu Wushuang. "Go to the kitchen and find Wang Tieniu. Tell him to bring a team to work through the night. I need the first batch of finished bracelets by tomorrow morning."

Lu Wushuang nodded, turned around and ran out.

Yang Guo walked out of the council hall and along the corridor toward the courtyard of the Economic Department.

The courtyard was quiet. Li Mochou sat at the desk by the window, holding a calligraphy brush in her hand, writing and drawing on the paper.

Yang Guo pushed the door open and went in, then locked it behind him.

He walked behind the desk, stood behind Li Mochou, and looked over her shoulder, his gaze landing on the paper.

The list above shows the purchase prices of various medicinal herbs, as well as the budgets for each purchase.

Li Mochou didn't turn around. "Have you seen enough? There's only so much money in the account, I'll split it into eight pieces before spending it."

Yang Guo didn't answer, but placed his hands directly on her shoulders.

Li Mochou's body stiffened, her shoulders arching upwards as she tried to break free.

Yang Guo pressed his palm down forcefully, releasing the red and black innate energy from his palm.

The vital energy flowed into her meridians through the major acupoints on her shoulders.

Li Mochou gritted her teeth, her once straight back slumped.

She leaned back in her chair, her breathing becoming heavy.

Yang Guo bent down, his cheek close to her ear.

"You've worked hard these past few days. The Quanzhen Sect is such a mess, it really wouldn't be able to function without you."

Li Mochou turned her head away, avoiding his hot breath. "Stop trying to sweet-talk me. Let's get down to business."

"How many bracelets have you made?"

Yang Guo's hands moved down her shoulders, touching her extremely thin waist through the fabric of her Taoist robe.

Li Mochou reached out and grabbed his wrist. "Behave yourself."

Yang Guo grabbed her wrist with his other hand and placed his fingertips on her pulse point.

An even stronger surge of true energy poured in.

Li Mochou let out a muffled groan.

Her acupoints were sealed by Ouyang Feng, and in the past few days, Yang Guo had forcibly flushed them with his true energy, making her meridians extremely sensitive.

This vital energy circulated throughout the body, bringing with it an unbearable sensation of soreness, numbness, and heat.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and a blush rose to her cheeks.

"I'll bring a few strings down the mountain tomorrow." Yang Guo put his other arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "We're going to meet that Magistrate Zhao. You pick out the twelve best strings and put them in a box."

Li Mochou leaned against him, panting and cursing, "It would be better if you died at the foot of the mountain."

"If I die, you'll be a widow." Yang Guo pressed his palm against her Mingmen acupoint and rubbed it a couple of times. "Then, who will help you clear your meridians?"

Li Mochou bit her lip until it bled, and then stopped speaking.

She closed her eyes and guided the flow of internal energy within her body.

Seeing that she was focused on practicing her skills, Yang Guo did not disturb her further.

He withdrew his hand, kissed her on the cheek, and turned to leave.

Nighttime, in the guest room in the backyard.

Little Dragon Girl, dressed in a moon-white nightgown, sat on the edge of the bed. Her long hair flowed down her back. Several completed defense blueprints lay on the table.

Yang Guo pushed the door open and went in, then closed the doors and windows behind him.

"Tomorrow I'll go down the mountain to the Huxian County government office." Yang Guo sat down at the table and poured himself a glass of water.

Little Dragon Girl looked up at him. "Do you want me to come along?"

"No need," Yang Guo said, putting down his water cup.

"You stay here to guard the house. Those people down the mountain are not worthy of your attention. I'll take Lu Wushuang with me. You check the mechanisms in the back mountain again. The Mongols could come at any time."

Little Dragon Girl stood up, walked to the cabinet, opened the cabinet door, and took out a black Taoist robe.

"What is this?" Yang Guo asked.

"New clothes." Little Dragon Girl walked over with a Taoist robe. "Li Zhiqing delivered these today. The assessment continues tonight, so you'll wear these."

Yang Guo rubbed his lower back and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Teacher Long, it's a holiday today, but my back hasn't recovered yet. I have important business to attend to tomorrow, so I need to save my energy."

Little Dragon Girl threw her Taoist robe on the bed and walked up to him, looking down at him.

"Have you spent all five hundred taels of silver?"

"I haven't spent it all; I'm saving it." Yang Guo took a step back.

"Would you like a little more?"

Little Dragon Girl stretched out her finger and poked his chest.

"I'll add another five hundred taels."

Yang Guo's eyes lit up, but he still held his back. "Money is a good thing, but I'm afraid I won't live to spend it."

Little Dragon Girl withdrew her hand, turned around, and sat back on the edge of the bed. "Fine, then come back early tomorrow. Come back and continue the exam. If you run away, you'll get fined."

Yang Guo nodded repeatedly, hugged her and kissed her, then took the opportunity to slip out of the room.

The next morning.

Yang Guo, accompanied by Lu Wushuang and two other Quanzhen Sect disciples, rode down the mountain.

Upon arriving at the Huxian County government office, Liu Cunhou was already waiting at the bottom of the steps.

He greeted the horse with a broad smile and went to take it from the rider.

"Master Yang, the magistrate has been waiting for you in the back hall for quite some time."

Yang Guo dismounted and tossed the reins to Liu Cunhou.

Lu Wushuang followed behind Yang Guo, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. Two disciples remained outside to watch the horses.

The three of them crossed the front yard and arrived at the back hall.

A large mahogany table was placed in the center of the back room.

Zhao Yuanlang, dressed in a blue official robe, sat in a grand chair holding a teacup.

He was a fat man with a fleshy face and droopy eyes.

Four bailiffs with knives stood on either side of the hall, their hands on the hilts, glaring menacingly.

Yang Guo stepped across the threshold without bowing.

He walked straight to a chair on the left and sat down.

Lu Wushuang stood half a step behind him.

Zhao Yuanlang put down his teacup and his face fell.

"Master Yang, you have quite the airs. You can't even offer me a proper greeting?"

Yang Guo leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.

"The Quanzhen School are people outside the secular world; they do not worship government officials."

Zhao Yuanlang sneered, "Fine, then I'll be frank. When will the five hundred shi of grain be delivered? I have a Mongol mission pressing me, and I don't have the patience to wait."

Yang Guo looked at Zhao Yuanlang and said, "Not a single grain of food."

Zhao Yuanlang slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacups to jump up and spill tea all over the floor.

"You dare disobey orders!" Zhao Yuanlang stood up, pointing at Yang Guo. "The Quanzhen Sect makes a living in Huxian County. With a single word from me, I can shut down your temple! Guards!"

Four constables drew their swords and took two steps forward, the gleaming blades pointing at Yang Guo.

Lu Wushuang drew her willow-leaf scimitar and stood protectively in front of Yang Guo.

The blade reflected the sunlight outside, exuding a chilling aura.

Yang Guo didn't move. He raised his right hand, joined his index and middle fingers together, and gathered the internal energy of the One-Finger Divine Skill at his fingertips.

He stood five steps away and pointed at the two-inch-thick mahogany table in front of Zhao Yuanlang.

"puff."

With a muffled thud, the mahogany tabletop was pierced through, leaving a transparent hole. Wood chips flew everywhere, hitting Zhao Yuanlang's official robes.

The constables stopped in their tracks, staring at the hole, their hands trembling as they gripped their knives.

If this were to hit a person, it would immediately create a bloody hole.

Zhao Yuanlang slumped back into the armchair, large beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

He was a civil official and had never seen such internal martial arts techniques involving striking pressure points from a distance.

Yang Guo withdrew his hand and patted his sleeves.

"Magistrate Zhao, fighting and killing are pointless. If you send men up the mountain, I guarantee none of them will come back. The Quanzhen Sect's hundreds of longswords aren't for cutting vegetables."

Zhao Yuanlang swallowed hard, his voice trembling.

"What...what do you intend to do? Assassinating a high-ranking official is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!"

Yang Guo stood up, walked to the table, took out a wooden box from his pocket, and placed it on the table.

Upon opening the wooden box, a string of extremely smooth-polished cypress beads lay inside.

The wood grain is clear, and it has a faint, pleasant fragrance.

"I've come today to bestow wealth and honor upon Magistrate Zhao." Yang Guo pushed the wooden box toward Zhao Yuanlang.

Zhao Yuanlang glanced down at the bracelet, not daring to reach out. "What's this?"

"Made from a thousand-year-old cliff cypress from Zhongnan Mountain, it was personally consecrated by the sect leader, who sealed it with Taoist true energy." Yang Guo stared into Zhao Yuanlang's eyes. "Wearing it can prolong life and ward off all diseases. Most importantly, it can restore one's virility."

Zhao Yuanlang's eyes widened when he heard the last four words.

He kept seven or eight concubines in his backyard, and he was already too weak to keep up with them. He tried many folk remedies, but none of them worked.

Yang Guo picked up the bracelet and handed it to Zhao Yuanlang, saying, "Magistrate Zhao, why don't you try it on?"

Zhao Yuanlang hesitated for a moment, then reached out his chubby hand and took the bracelet.

Yang Guo placed his fingers on the edge of the bracelet and activated the Qiankun Technique.

A wisp of pure true energy traveled along the wooden bead and directly entered Zhao Yuanlang's palm.

Zhao Yuanlang felt a warm current flow from his wrist into his arm, quickly spreading throughout his body. His originally tired body became incredibly relaxed, and a long-lost warmth rose in his lower abdomen.

His hand trembled, and he gripped the bracelet tightly. He looked up at Yang Guo, his face filled with horror.

"This...this is a celestial treasure!" Zhao Yuanlang exclaimed excitedly, his words tumbling out incoherently.

Yang Guo withdrew his hand and took two steps back. "The Quanzhen Sect only produces ten strings of these a year. I'll give you one."

Zhao Yuanlang held the bracelet tightly, refusing to let go.

"Please give me any orders, Master Yang."

Yang Guo held up three fingers. "For the other nine strings, you help me find buyers. Each string costs one hundred taels of silver, and we'll split the profits 30/70. You get three, I get seven."

Zhao Yuanlang quickly did some mental calculations.

One hundred taels of silver per string, nine strings would be nine hundred taels.

He can get 270 taels.

More importantly, this bracelet has such miraculous effects that giving it to an official would definitely be a powerful tool for paving the way for advancement.

He stood up, his face beaming, and bowed to Yang Guo.

"Sect Leader Yang's methods are truly divine. I'll take this deal!"

Yang Guo pointed to the courtyard outside, "About the five hundred shi of grain?"

Zhao Yuanlang waved his hands repeatedly, "The Quanzhen Sect is a place of cultivation, how can it produce food? I will find a way to fill the gap myself. As for the Mongols, I will also cover for your sect."

Yang Guo nodded, "Then thank you very much, Magistrate Zhao. If there is any disturbance in Huxian County in the future, especially news about the Mongols, please inform me in time."

"Definitely, definitely," Zhao Yuanlang readily agreed.

Yang Guo turned to look at Lu Wushuang, "Give the rest of the goods to Magistrate Liu."

Lu Wushuang handed a cloth bag to Liu Cunhou, who was standing outside the door. Liu Cunhou took it, held it in his arms, and bowed repeatedly.

Yang Guo did not linger and turned to leave the county government office with Lu Wushuang.

The two rode their horses along the dirt road back to the mountain. In the wheat fields on both sides of the road, several farmers were working.

Lu Wushuang glanced back in the direction of the county government office. "Can your bracelet really restore your former glory?"

Yang Guo tapped her on the forehead. "That's because I just transferred some internal energy to him. Once the energy dissipates, he'll still be a lump of mud. But by the time he realizes it's useless, the money will already be in our pockets."

Lu Wushuang's eyes widened, and she gave a thumbs up. "You're really ruthless. You even dare to lie to officials."

Yang Guo laughed and scolded, "That's called business acumen. Zhao Yuanlang has taken the benefits, which will make it much easier for the Quanzhen Sect to do things in Guanzhong in the future. Moreover, in order to sell the bracelets, he will definitely do his best to promote them for us. This is much more effective than him killing us himself."