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

Xiangyang City, the garrison commander's residence.

Lu Wende sat in the large armchair in the study, holding two thin sheets of paper in his hand.

This is a briefing on the Quanzhen Sect that took Guanzhong's informants three months to send out.

He turned the letter over and read it for the third time.

The Quanzhen Sect has a new leader.

The new leader, Yang Guo, is in his early twenties.

They purged internal traitors, reorganized the three major factions, and even fought a tough battle against Mongol spies.

What concerned Lü Wende the most was the last line of text.

The Quanzhen Sect established an intelligence network in the Tongguan area. Wang Jian, the garrison commander of Tongguan, sent two boxes of gold as an apology and also gave them a travel permit.

Lü Wende knew Wang Jian all too well.

He was a seasoned veteran who wouldn't act until he saw a clear opportunity, and he held military power, usually looking down on everyone.

This young man named Yang Guo is no ordinary person; he can make Wang Jian bow his head and pay money.

Lu Wende put the letter down, his thumb unconsciously rubbing the lacquered surface of the chair armrest.

He had been operating in Xiangyang for many years, and what he feared most was not the Mongol invasion, but the sudden emergence of a force he couldn't understand around him.

Guo Jing's command of military power and his reputation in the martial arts world already made him uneasy at night.

Now that the leader of the Quanzhen Sect has moved into the commander's mansion, if these two uncles and nephews really work together, how stable can Lü Wende stand in Xiangyang?

The study door was pushed open, and Vice General Zhao Fan walked in.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?"

Lü Wende threw the letter on the desk.

"You've heard that Master Guo is hosting a banquet at the Marshal's Mansion tonight to welcome his sworn nephew, haven't you?"

Zhao Fan nodded in response.

"I've heard that the new leader of the Quanzhen Sect has arrived in Xiangyang and is staying at the Marshal's Mansion."

Lu Wende tapped the table in a very low voice.

"The Quanzhen Sect has been making a lot of moves in the past six months."

"They've overreached themselves; they even dare to mess with military personnel."

"Xiangyang is a powder keg right now. The Mongols are watching it from the outside, and all sorts of江湖人士 (jianghu figures) are mixed together inside."

"Guo Jing usually likes to use those roughnecks from the martial arts world, and now he's brought his nephew, who's the sect leader, here. I have to find out more about this kid."

Zhao Fan asked, "Does Your Excellency mean to test him at the banquet tonight?"

Lu Wende leaned back; he didn't intend to show himself.

If you do this too obviously, you'll offend Guo Jing; if you do it too secretly, you won't be able to figure out what's going on.

We need to find someone who's neither too good nor too bad, someone who can test that kid's abilities without causing a complete falling out.

"We shouldn't try it; let the people below do it."

"Find a few skilled martial arts heroes, and during the banquet, test their inner strength while they are toasting each other."

"If he doesn't have any real skills and is just a pretty boy who got ahead by relying on his elders, then we don't need to take him seriously."

"If he really has the ability, we need to be careful and prevent him from joining forces with Guo Jing to take over everything in Xiangyang."

Zhao Fan cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Understood, I will make the arrangements immediately."

As Lü Wende watched Zhao Fan's retreating figure, he gently tapped his fingers twice on the armrest.

He suddenly thought of something else.

After Wang Jian, that old fox, lost the gold, he was supposedly given a travel permit.

A travel permit is more valuable than gold.

With it, members of the Quanzhen School could travel freely along the Tongguan-Xiangyang line.

This line also happened to be Lu Wende's grain supply route.

He picked up the teacup and took a sip. The tea had gone cold, and the bitterness spread across the back of his tongue.

……

Huang Rong changed into soft-soled shoes and left the main courtyard through the side gate.

The maidservants in the corridor were about to bow when they saw her come out, but she stopped them with a look.

Huang Rong walked quickly, turning two corners along the corridor, and headed straight for the east courtyard.

Her mind raced.

Guo Jing returned to the manor half a day earlier than Huang Rong had expected.

If it were just a welcome banquet, it would be easy to handle.

Guo Jing was very courteous, and Yang Guo was good at pretending to be well-behaved. As long as nothing went wrong during the meal, the guests and hosts would have a good time and everything would be fine.

But Guo Jing brought up the old agreement between Guo Jing and Yang Yang.

To outsiders, these four words are just a distant memory.

But for Guo Jing, it was the friendship between their fathers, Yang Tiexin's last wish, and the guilt that had weighed on his shoulders for many years after Yang Kang's death.

Huang Rong knew Guo Jing's personality all too well.

His promise not to mention it tonight doesn't mean he's given up on the idea.

Even at the banquet, he would still look at Yang Guo.

Observe whether Yang Guo is reliable in his dealings with people, whether he speaks properly, and whether he shows any affection for Guo Fu.

If Guo Fu were to show even a little more of a girlish shyness, Guo Jing would have already decided to consider the marriage.

As for Yang Guo...

Huang Rong felt a tightness in her chest whenever she thought of that scoundrel.

That person is best at going with the flow.

If he discovers that Guo Jing intends to matchmake, he may not really want to marry Guo Fu, but he will definitely use this opportunity to put her in a dilemma.

His mouth can turn black into white and make absurd things seem perfectly reasonable.

What's even more infuriating is that every time he messes things up, he can look at her with an innocent expression, as if he didn't do anything.

That ridiculous piece of clothing from last night is still at the bottom of the trunk.

When Guo Jing mentioned the old agreement today, Huang Rong realized that if this thread wasn't cut off quickly, it would eventually get tangled up around her.

She needed to nip Guo Jing's idea in the bud first.

This idea cannot be blocked by Lu Wushuang.

Lu Wushuang had a hard life and a pitiful background. She followed Yang Guo all the way to Xiangyang, but in the eyes of others, she was just a personal maid.

Even if Yang Guo protected her, Guo Jing would only think it was a young man's flirtatious behavior, and would just offer a few words of advice and let it go.

The Old Testament cannot be stopped.

We need to find someone with a significant status, a clean background, and someone Guo Jing can't bring himself to say anything harsh to.

Cheng Ying.

Huang Yaoshi's last disciple, the rightful successor of Peach Blossom Island, and by seniority, she is her junior sister.

If she appeared as Yang Guo's fiancée, even if Guo Jing valued their old agreement, he couldn't publicly undermine Peach Blossom Island.

Moreover, Cheng Ying is currently in the east courtyard.

However, this piece may not be willing to be placed on the board.

Huang Rong slowed her pace slightly.

She knew in her heart that what she was doing was not fair to Cheng Ying.

Last night, the girl came to her crying and begging, seeing her as her last resort.

What she's doing now, to put it bluntly, is using Cheng Ying's situation as leverage to buy herself some breathing room.

But she had no other choice.

Last night, Cheng Ying came to the main courtyard to beg her, crying and saying that Yang Guo had planted the Qiankun Technique mark in her body. When she practiced her skills, she was restrained by it, and when her energy was disrupted, her limbs lost their strength.

Born on Peach Blossom Island, she had a strong sense of self-respect. She had been suppressed by Yang Guo all the way, which made her resentful.

It would be quite difficult to get a girl like that to admit at a banquet that she is Yang Guo's fiancée.

But Huang Rong also understood that Cheng Ying was not without weaknesses.

The yang energy imprint left by the Qiankun Technique is not an ordinary acupoint technique.

If it's just a matter of acupoints being restricted, you can slowly break through them using the Peach Blossom Island mental techniques and eventually find a way out.

However, the mark is entangled between the Shaoyin and Jueyin meridians, relying on the Yin energy in the host's body as its root. Once activated by Yang Guo, it will affect the circulation of Qi and blood.

Forcibly removing it can damage the meridians at best, and cause internal energy backlash at worst.

Cheng Ying herself understood these things, which is why she came to ask her for help.

Huang Rong can give her hope.

Even if this hope is not yet 100% certain.

The east courtyard is not far away; you can reach it by passing through two moon gates.

An old locust tree in the courtyard casts a slanting shadow, and several pots of orchids are placed beside the stone steps, their leaves neatly trimmed.

Cheng Ying had only been living there for a day, yet the area in front of the house already carried a touch of the refined elegance of a disciple of Peach Blossom Island.

The door was ajar.

Huang Rong raised her hand and pushed him away.

The books were spread out on the table, and the tea had long since gone cold.

Cheng Ying sat on a low stool by the window, holding a book in her hands, the pages of which remained untouched for a long time.

Hearing the door open, she looked up and then stood up.

Today she wore a light green, narrow-sleeved long dress, with that jade pendant hanging from her waist.

Her black hair was held up with only a wooden hairpin, which made her look less aloof than when she was dressed as a man, and more weary after illness.

"Senior sister."

Cheng Ying called out softly.

Huang Rong went inside and closed the door.

"Please sit down."

Cheng Ying didn't sit down. Instead, she clasped her hands in front of her and asked, "Regarding what happened last night, does Senior Sister have a solution?"

She didn't beat around the bush.

Huang Rong was not surprised.

This junior sister looks gentle, but she's tough at heart.

If I hadn't been driven to the brink last night, I would never have come to beg her.

Huang Rong sat down at the table, her fingertips touching the teacup; the tea had gone cold.

She mentally went over what she was going to say next.

Don't speak too hastily, nor make promises you can't keep.

Cheng Ying is smart; if she senses that Cheng Ying has ulterior motives, she will probably turn on her on the spot.

"I have come for this very reason."

Cheng Ying leaned forward slightly.

Those eyes held both expectation and wariness.

She studied on Peach Blossom Island for many years and knew that there are no free lunches in the world.

But every time the wisp of yang energy within her body flared up, she clearly felt that she was gradually losing control of her body.

This feeling is even worse than having a sword held to your neck.

With a sword at your neck, at least you can choose not to bow your head.

Huang Rong did not rush to give an answer.

Her gaze fell on the jade pendant at Cheng Ying's waist, a keepsake she had given away years ago.

After years of wandering, Cheng Ying still carried it with her.

This sentiment cannot be ignored.

But right now, she can't worry about too much.

"Has the mark flared up in the last two days?"

Cheng Ying's face flushed red, and she immediately lowered her head.

The room was quiet for a moment.

She then said, "It happened once this morning."

How does it manifest?

"My blood and qi surged upwards, my meridians felt hot, and I couldn't muster any strength in my legs. I used the Peach Blossom Island mental cultivation method to suppress it for half an hour before I could barely stabilize myself."

As she said this, Cheng Ying's fingernails dug into her palm.

She didn't want to think about that feeling in detail.

When the meridians feel hot, the body becomes uncontrollable, and the scene of that night in the dilapidated temple will appear in the mind.

She hated that she remembered it so clearly.

After hearing this, Huang Rong frowned slightly.

She guessed right.

The Qiankun Jue is a profound technique for harmonizing Yin and Yang, regulating breathing, and healing injuries.

If the two agree to cultivate together, they can complement each other's internal energy and heal old injuries.

But that scoundrel Yang Guo took a different approach, hiding a wisp of innate yang energy in another person's body and nourishing it through the circulation of meridians, which turned into a technique of control.

Cheng Ying's internal energy flows through the Shaoyang and Jueyin meridians, and her true qi is pure and clear, making her extremely vulnerable to external intrusion.

If this wisp of yang energy lingers for too long, it will inevitably cause obstacles when practicing in the future.

This matter cannot be delayed.

Huang Rong raised her eyes: "If I told you there's a way to alleviate, or even remove, this mark, would you be willing to let me arrange it?"

Cheng Ying looked up, her eyes shining: "Senior sister, please speak."

Huang Rong did not agree immediately, but said, "Listen to what I have to say before you decide."

She got up and walked to the window.

Outside the courtyard, locust leaves rustled softly in the wind, and in the distance, the kitchen was already cooking, with the wine and meat for the dinner banquet being delivered to the front hall one after another.

Time is running out.

"Brother Jing has returned to the manor."

Cheng Ying was taken aback: "Master Guo is back?"

"Yes, he rushed back from the main camp, saying he wanted to host a welcome-back dinner for Yang Guo."

Huang Rong turned around and looked at Cheng Ying.

He also brought up an old story.

Cheng Ying did not respond.

She didn't know why Huang Rong suddenly brought up Guo Jing, but her intuition told her that what was about to happen was probably related to her.

Huang Rong said, "Back then, the Guo and Yang families made an agreement that if their descendants were a man and a woman, they would become husband and wife. Brother Jing brought it up today, wanting to betroth Fu'er to Yang Guo."

Cheng Ying tightened her grip slightly.

This reaction did not escape Huang Rong's notice.

It wasn't joy, nor was it simply disgust.

It's more like someone who wanted to escape, only to find that the door to the outside was locked from the other side.

Cheng Ying's mind raced.

Guo Jing wanted to marry his daughter to Yang Guo.

If this marriage goes through, Yang Guo will become Guo Jing's son-in-law and a member of the Marshal's Mansion.

At that time, no one will be able to make decisions for her regarding this mark within her body.

Who would dare to undermine Guo Jing's son-in-law?

Who would offend the top defender of Xiangyang for the sake of a junior sister from Peach Blossom Island?

She suddenly understood why Huang Rong had come to find her.

Huang Rong continued, "I stopped him for the time being. But Brother Jing only promised not to mention it tonight; he didn't give up."

Cheng Ying lowered her voice: "If Miss Guo marries him, what does it have to do with me?"

"Is it really none of your business?"

Huang Rong's words left Cheng Ying speechless.

Huang Rong walked back to the table and sat down, her tone softening, yet each word was spoken clearly.

"You bear his mark within you. He's currently in the mansion, and you can suppress it for half an hour on your own. But if he's far away, or deliberately doesn't help you, how long can you hold out?"