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

Inside the west wing.

Lu Wushuang placed the package on the table.

She untied the outer layer of oilcloth, revealing three thick account books inside.

Yang Guo sat on the round stool, reached out and picked up the top book to start reading.

The sound of pages turning echoed in the room.

"My lord, Sun Laosan has revealed all the details. There are seventy-two secret agents in Xiangyang City, and from now on they will all obey the orders of the Quanzhen Sect."

Lu Wushuang stood to the side, her hands on her waist, her voice very low.

"The embezzlement of military pay by Lü Wende is also in these three booklets."

Yang Guo flipped through a few pages, his fingertips tracing the densely packed, tiny characters on the paper.

The accounts were kept in great detail, with each item—income, expenditure, person in charge, and time—recorded clearly.

Sun Laosan was able to make a living illegally in Xiangyang City for more than ten years without getting caught, which shows he was quite capable.

He closed the ledger and put it back on the table.

"You did a great job."

Lu Wushuang lowered her head, her lips twitched, and she suppressed a smile.

"These three books are the foundation of our foothold in Xiangyang City. From now on, you will be in charge of them personally. No one else may ask for them except me."

Yang Guo leaned back in his chair, speaking casually.

"Even if Chief Huang asks, you have to keep your mouth shut."

Lu Wushuang readily agreed: "Wushuang understands. Even if a knife is held to Wushuang's throat, I will never hand over this ledger."

Yang Guo glanced at her.

Lu Wushuang's eyes were very bright, and she stood up straight as she spoke.

Compared to the girl with hunched shoulders and a limp when she was in Zhongnan Mountain, she was like a completely different person.

Yang Guo stood up and reached out to pinch her slender waist.

Lu Wushuang swayed slightly, let out a soft cry, and her cheeks instantly turned red.

"Go change into some smart, practical clothes, grab your scalpel, and go to the east courtyard to call your cousin out."

"My lord, where are we going?"

"Leave the city."

Yang Guo walked to the basin and washed his hands.

"Go to the deep mountains in the southwest to find snakes, a kind of venomous snake that is golden all over and has fleshy horns on its head, called the Bosqu snake."

"This snake consumes rare herbs year-round, and its gallbladder contains extremely potent medicinal properties that can strengthen muscles and bones and widen meridians. My internal energy has reached a bottleneck, and I need this to help me break through it."

Lu Wushuang made a note of it and turned to leave.

"etc."

Yang Guo shook the water off his hands.

"You don't need to worry about your cousin; I'll go get her myself. Pack your things and wait for me at the back door."

Lu Wushuang responded and stepped out the door.

Yang Guo dried his hands, slowly walked through the corridor, and turned into the east courtyard.

The courtyard was very quiet.

Several clumps of green bamboo were planted in the corner of the wall, and the bamboo leaves rustled as the autumn wind passed.

He walked to Cheng Ying's door, but without knocking, he pushed it open with his palm, and the latch was not fastened.

The door slid open silently.

Cheng Ying sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a plain white dress, her legs pressed tightly together.

With both hands resting on his knees, the veins on the backs of his hands bulging slightly, his whole body taut like a fully drawn bow.

She didn't sleep a wink last night.

The yang energy imprint planted in my body was very unruly, wandering around along the Shaoyin meridian after nightfall.

She tried three different breathing techniques from Peach Blossom Island to suppress it, but after only half an hour, the mark came back to life in the latter half of the night, clashing back and forth between her lower abdomen and dantian, making her feel restless and agitated.

Hearing the door open, Cheng Ying looked up abruptly.

Upon seeing who it was, her expression changed.

"Don't you know the rules? Get out!"

His voice was strained, yet lacked confidence.

Yang Guo slammed the door shut behind him, the door slamming against the frame with a dull thud.

"I can go into whichever room in the entire Marshal's Mansion I want. Uncle Guo didn't stop me, so why are you telling me about rules?"

He walked over step by step.

Cheng Ying tried to stand up and back away, but she only managed to support herself halfway with three-tenths of her strength. Her thighs felt like they were filled with lead, and her knees buckled, so she sat back down on the edge of the bed.

She slammed her bottom on the hard board, and the pain made her gasp.

Yang Guo walked up to her, reached out and pinched her chin, forcing her to lift her face.

"Let go!"

Cheng Ying twisted her neck and struggled.

Yang Guo did not let go. He exhaled a wisp of Nine Yin True Qi from his palm, which transformed into an extremely thin thread that burrowed into the Lesser Yin Meridian along the skin of her chin.

The pent-up heat in the meridians, suppressed all night, was stirred up by this thread and immediately turned upside down.

The heat surged from his lower abdomen to his chest, and then from his chest to his limbs and bones.

Cheng Ying felt all her strength drained away; her fingers went limp, and she fell forward uncontrollably.

Yang Guo put one arm around her waist and lifted her up to press her against his chest.

"Change into your outdoor clothes, take your jade flute, and come with me out of the city."

Cheng Ying turned her face away, biting her lip and remaining silent.

"It's okay if you don't want to go."

Yang Guo's palm moved down her back.

"Then I'll strip you out of that white dress right now and carry you to the front hall. Master Guo and Chief Huang are probably having tea there right now. Let them have a good look at what Huang Yaoshi's last disciple looks like in my arms."

The color drained from Cheng Ying's face instantly.

"...I'll go."

Her voice was very soft.

"Hurry up and change, I'll wait for you outside the hospital, don't dawdle."

Yang Guo let go of her hand, turned around and went out.

Half an hour later.

The back gate of the Marshal's Mansion.

Yang Guo stood at the bottom of the steps, leading a black horse.

Lu Wushuang and Cheng Ying came out of the door one after the other, each leading a horse.

Lu Wushuang was dressed in a light blue outfit with a cinched waist, and a willow-leaf scimitar was slung across her left hip.

Cheng Ying changed into a light green long gown, put on a bamboo hat, and let a white veil hang down to completely cover her face.

She walked with very small steps, and when she mounted the horse, her toes slipped on the stirrups, and she almost fell off.

Just as the three were about to set off, footsteps came from the alley entrance.

Huang Rong was carrying a food box and was walking towards the back door.

She was wearing a light green dress and her hair was neatly tied up, looking like she had just come out of the kitchen.

Upon seeing the three people and three horses, she paused in her tracks.

"Guo'er, are you going out?"

Yang Guo stepped forward and bowed respectfully, showing the courtesy due to a junior.

"Chief Huang, I injured several meridians while practicing martial arts and need a medicinal herb that can only be found in the mountains to treat it. The pharmacies in the city don't have it in stock."

"I plan to try my luck in the mountains to the southwest, and bring Wushuang and Miss Cheng with me to help out."

Huang Rong's gaze shifted from him to Cheng Ying behind the bamboo hat, and then back again.

Both of them knew perfectly well how perfunctory that excuse was.

But in front of Lu Wushuang and Cheng Ying, no one would dare to break the unspoken agreement.

"Things outside the city have been rather unsettled these past few days. Mongol cavalry have been appearing from time to time, so you should go and return as soon as possible."

Huang Rong spoke in a casual tone.

"If we really run into trouble, we'll fire a signal arrow. The Beggars' Sect has a sentry ten miles south of the city; they can get back to us within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Yang Guo mounted his horse.

"Thank you for your concern, Chief Huang."

The three horses passed through the alley, left the territory of the Marshal's Mansion, and headed straight for the South Gate along the long street.

After leaving the city, the scenery along the official road quickly became desolate.

The autumn fields have been harvested, and the bare furrows stretch all the way to the foot of the distant mountains.

Occasionally, a few oxcarts would come from the opposite direction. The farmers driving the carts would see the three fast horses from afar and quickly move their carts to the side of the road to make way.

Yang Guo rode at the very front, without stopping.

After running for more than 30 miles, the terrain suddenly rose.

The official road ended at a narrow pass between two mountains, beyond which lay a continuous range of mountains, with shrubs and thorns blocking all possible paths.

Yang Guo reined in his horse, landed on his back, and tied the reins to a sandalwood tree about the size of a bowl by the roadside.

"From here in Ma Liu, we'll walk into the mountains."

Lu Wushuang and Cheng Ying also dismounted.

Yang Guo turned around and looked at Cheng Ying.

"You have studied the Qimen Dunjia of Peach Blossom Island, and you are also proficient in Feng Shui."

This is not a question.

Cheng Ying looked at him through the white veil, didn't say anything, and nodded.

"The Bosqu snake is a highly spiritual snake. It is selective about where it lives, requiring a dark, damp valley rich in herbs and where spiritual energy gathers."

"Take a look at the layout of this mountain area, and see which direction meets these conditions."

Cheng Ying took off her straw hat.

The afternoon sunlight of autumn shone on her face, revealing the pale complexion left by a lack of sleep the night before.

She tucked her straw hat into the crook of her arm and looked up to survey the surrounding mountains.

Following the nearest ridge southwestward, the gaze skips over two low peaks and lands on a towering mountain rising abruptly in the distance.

The mountain was much taller than the surrounding peaks, with a ridge on each side that curved around it, like two arms enclosing the area behind it.

"The main peak is over there."

Cheng Ying pointed.

"With the mountain ridges embracing it on both sides, the back of the mountain forms a natural gathering place for energy, preventing mountain winds from entering and moisture from dissipating. If the kind of snake you mentioned is really in this mountain, it is most likely hiding on the shady slope north of the main peak."

Yang Guo looked in the direction she was pointing for a few moments.

The main peak is at least fifteen miles away from here, and the entire area in between is primeval forest with intertwined vines and no paths.

"Lead the way."

Cheng Ying put her straw hat back on and walked at the front.

Lu Wushuang followed in the middle, gripping the hilt of his sword, while Yang Guo brought up the rear.

The light in the dense forest was significantly dimmer.

The tree canopy overhead was completely covered, with only a few rays of sunlight leaking through the gaps, illuminating the floating debris of grass and wood in the air.

The ground was covered with half a foot of dead leaves. Stepping on them made little noise, but it was still very difficult to walk.

Cheng Ying used a dry branch to clear away the thorns in front of her and figure out her location.

She walked slowly, and with each step she took, the meridians in her groin were pulled by the yang energy mark.

Yang Guo watched from behind for a while.

"Miss Cheng, at your pace, will you be able to cross that ridge before dark?"

Cheng Ying stopped and glanced back at him.

"There's no ready-made path. If you think it's too slow, go ahead and walk ahead yourself."

Yang Guo rushed over in three steps and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Cheng Ying stiffened and struggled but couldn't break free.

"open!"

"Your legs are too weak to walk, let me help you for a bit."

Yang Guo's hand hovered over her waist.

"That waist is really slim. Does Peach Blossom Island not provide enough food?"

Cheng Ying clenched her back teeth.

Lu Wushuang watched from two steps away, her ears burning with anger, and she squeezed out two words: "Shameless."

"Okay, let's go."

Yang Guo patted her on the shoulder, let go, and took a step forward.

"If we can't find the snake before dark, we'll spend the night in the mountains. Since we won't have a tent or blankets, you two cousins ​​will have to warm my feet."

Lu Wushuang lowered her head and quickened her pace.

Cheng Ying's knuckles turned white as she gripped the branch. She didn't say another word and kept her head down, hurrying on her way.

The three of them crossed two low hills.

The woods grew denser as we walked, and the air became increasingly humid.

Moss and fungi began to appear on the ground, and the stones were covered with a layer of slippery green moss.

The terrain suddenly abruptly ended, with a narrow, long canyon lying across the way.

The valley entrance is narrow, with two opposing walls, and the stone surface is covered with natural holes the size of fists.

Looking into the cave, it was pitch black and you couldn't see anything.

The sound of flowing water came from the bottom of the valley, faint and indistinct, and it was impossible to tell how deep it was.

The humidity is extremely high.

Yang Guo took a breath and could smell the earthy and bitter scent of herbs in the air.

Cheng Ying stood at the edge of the valley and peered down.

"The terrain is funnel-shaped, preventing mountain winds from entering, and dampness accumulates at the bottom of the valley year-round. The water source below is an underground spring that seeps from the rock strata of the main peak."

She paused.

"The conditions here match exactly what you described."

Yang Guo walked to the entrance of the valley and looked down.

The edges of the holes in the stone wall showed faint traces of being repeatedly rubbed by something, making them unnaturally smooth.

Snake hole.

He plucked a thick old vine, pulled it with a bit of force, and found that its roots were firmly embedded in the rock crevice.

"You wait up there."

After saying that, Yang Guo grabbed the thick vine and jumped down.

He moved nimbly, using the rock face for leverage several times, and then landed steadily at the bottom of the valley.