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

Yang Guo increased the force of his foot.

The sole of the leather boot crushed hard onto Bai Yulang's shattered finger bones.

Bai Yulang was in so much pain that his whole body was convulsing, cold sweat was streaming down his forehead, and his body was curled up in a ball in the mud.

Yang Guo looked down at him and spoke in a cold voice:

"What would the Thousand-Handed Butcher need the inner core for?"

"Tell me the truth, or I'll cripple your other hand too."

Bai Yulang trembled with pain and quickly confessed:

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"My master secluded himself to practice the incomplete Toad Skill manual, but accidentally his internal energy went astray, triggering the extreme cold poison of the Western Region Ice Toad."

"Now that the cold has invaded his eight extraordinary meridians, he can't even get out of bed."

"I have to bathe in fresh human blood every day just to barely stay alive."

"Only the pure yang fire poison contained in this snake king's inner core can dispel the cold in his body."

"Since you are the patriarch's adopted son, please be kind enough to bestow your inner core upon me."

"Once my master pulls through this ordeal, everyone at White Camel Manor will treat you as an honored guest!"

Bai Yulang revealed all his cards in a very fast-paced manner.

Yang Guo's mind worked quickly, and he instantly connected these clues.

White Camel Manor wielded immense power in the Western Regions, boasting numerous disciples and controlling a large portion of the region's trade routes.

As the Mongol army marched south, many kingdoms in the Western Regions surrendered, but White Camel Manor remained steadfast in its refusal to submit.

It turned out that it wasn't that the Thousand-Handed Butcher was particularly courageous, but rather that he was so tormented by the cold poison that he had no energy left to negotiate with the Mongols.

If Thousand-Handed Butcher swallows his anger, White Camel Manor will be leaderless, and internal chaos will surely ensue as people vie for the position of manor lord.

At that time, the Mongols would not even need to send troops; they could directly take over this enormous force.

As the eldest disciple, Shen Buyan stole the secret medicine and went to join the Mongolian national teacher, clearly intending to use someone else to do his dirty work.

He wanted to cut off the Thousand-Handed Butcher's path to survival so that he could use the Mongol army to return and secure his position as the manor lord.

Yang Guo nudged Bai Yulang's shoulder with his toe and continued to ask:

"Is Shen Buyan searching for the inner core also to cure the Thousand-Handed Butcher's illness?"

Bai Yulang shook his head repeatedly and hurriedly denied it:

"no!"

"Shen Buyan has pledged allegiance to the Golden Wheel Monk!"

"The Golden Wheel Monk plans to set up a massive poison array outside Xiangyang City to deal with Guo Jing. Shen Buyan is looking for the inner elixir to serve as a catalyst for this poison array!"

"With the inner core, the power of the poison array will double. A hundred kinds of rare poisons from the Western Regions will be fused together; even a master of the Innate Realm cannot withstand it for more than half an incense stick's time!"

Guo Jing.

Upon hearing this name, Yang Guo released his foot from Bai Yulang's hand.

He stood still, his fingers rhythmically tapping the hilt of the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword.

If Guo Jing dies outside the city, Huang Rong will become a widow.

With his current abilities, it's only a matter of time before he gets his hands on Huang Rong completely.

Guo Jing's martial arts skills were too high and his prestige too great; his presence was a huge obstacle to my control of the Xiangyang intelligence network.

Letting him die at the hands of the Mongols would be an incredibly profitable deal.

but……

Yang Guo's mind conjured up the image of Huang Rong, dressed in a light blue dress, exuding unparalleled beauty.

Huang Rong had very deep feelings for Guo Jing. If Guo Jing were to die in battle, she would never live on alone. She would definitely die with him or defend Xiangyang until she died in battle.

If it really comes to that, I won't even be able to catch a glimpse of Huang Rong.

Furthermore, Guo Jing was an upright and honest person who acted with integrity.

It would be too pathetic for such a person to die in a vicious, poisonous formation.

If the Mongols were to capture Xiangyang, all the business networks that the Quanzhen School had just established in Guanzhong would be destroyed, and the foundation of the Quanzhen School would also be shaken.

He wants to be the most powerful in the world and establish a kingdom within his religion. What he needs is a stable territory, not a wasteland.

Guo Jing's life is something I must decide myself; I absolutely cannot let it fall into the hands of outsiders.

"Where did they set up the poison array? And when?" Yang Guo asked.

Bai Yulang swallowed hard and replied, "The date is set for the fifth day of next month. On that day, Guo Jing will leave the city with a small entourage to inspect the defenses. I don't know the exact location, but I've said it's a strategically important valley."

The fifth day of next month.

Today is the end of the month, and there are less than ten days left.

Yang Guo turned his head to look at Cheng Ying, who was leaning against the stone wall: "Steward Cheng, where outside Xiangyang City is the terrain suitable for setting up a poison array?"

Cheng Ying's breathing had not yet calmed down.

The pure yang energy that Yang Guo had forcibly injected into her body was still circulating in her meridians, bringing waves of tingling sensations wherever it went.

Her legs were weak and she could only support herself by leaning against the stone wall.

The Fallen Petals True Qi of Peach Blossom Island was suppressed so tightly that she didn't even have the strength to lift her hand.

Upon hearing Yang Guo's question, Cheng Ying forced herself to concentrate, and a map of the terrain around Xiangyang appeared in her mind.

"Guo Jing's patrol route should be in the west of the city by the fifth day of next month."

Cheng Ying spoke, her voice slightly hoarse.

"The terrain west of the city is mostly plains, except for one place called Black Wind Valley."

"There are cliffs on two sides, with only a narrow path in the middle, and miasma from decaying leaves accumulates year-round. In Qimen Dunjia, this kind of terrain is called the Death Gate."

"As long as a poison array is set up at the valley entrance, the miasma and poisonous smoke will mix, and the toxicity will increase exponentially. The person who sets up the array will definitely choose that place."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Guo walked up to Cheng Ying.

When Cheng Ying saw him approaching, she instinctively tried to back away, but her back was already pressed against the cold stone wall, leaving her with nowhere to retreat.

Yang Guo reached out his right hand, wrapped his arm around her slender waist, and pulled her into his embrace.

Cheng Ying was forced to press herself against Yang Guo, her nostrils filled with the man's hot breath.

In front of Bai Yulang and Lu Wushuang, this extremely intimate posture made Cheng Ying's cheeks flush red.

She bit her lower lip and protested in a low voice, "Brother Yang, let me go, there are still people around."

Yang Guo not only didn't let go, but intensified his actions.

His fingers slipped under the hem of her Taoist robe, caressing the thin inner garment before pressing precisely on her Mingmen acupoint on her lower back, slowly making circles.

The yang energy of the Qiankun Technique seeped into Cheng Ying's fingertips, and she let out a muffled groan. Her body went limp, and she could only support herself with her hands on Yang Guo's chest.

"Butler Cheng knows so much, it's been worth raising you for nothing."

Yang Guo looked down at her flushed ears, his tone full of teasing.

Cheng Ying was filled with shame and indignation, and her eyes welled up with tears.

She prided herself on being exceptionally intelligent and always planning carefully before acting, but now she has become a plaything that this man can manipulate at will.

Unfortunately, his body had already become accustomed to his true energy, and even the instinct to resist was slowly being lost.

Lu Wushuang watched from the side, gritting her teeth.

She stepped forward and poked Yang Guo in the back with the hilt of her sword: "Husband, we haven't finished our business yet, what are you doing hugging your cousin?"

Yang Guo turned around, still with one arm around Cheng Ying's waist, and said to Bai Yulang:

"Do you want to live?"

Bai Yulang scrambled to his knees, kowtowing with his intact right hand: "Please spare my life! I'm willing to serve you like a slave!"

Yang Guo took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket and poured out a Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pill.

This medicine was originally a miraculous healing remedy given to him by Huang Rong, and it had a pleasant, refreshing fragrance.

Yang Guo activated the red and black primordial energy beads in his dantian and forcibly injected the extremely destructive Yang Fire of the Qiankun Technique into the pill.

The originally emerald green surface of the pill instantly developed eerie dark red patterns.

Yang Guo threw the pill in front of Bai Yulang: "Eat it."

Bai Yulang stared at the strange pill, too afraid to reach out.

Yang Guo raised his heavy sword, the tip pointing at his throat: "Eat, or die now."

Bai Yulang had no choice but to grab the pill, stuff it into his mouth, and swallow it.

As soon as the pill entered his stomach, the medicinal power of the outer layer spread out, and then the compressed yang fire erupted directly in his dantian.

"ah--!"

Bai Yulang screamed and rolled on the ground. The poisonous internal energy in his body was completely destroyed by the yang fire, and his internal organs were burning with an agonizing pain.

He gripped the soil tightly with both hands, his fingernails cracked, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

"This is my secret poison."

Yang Guo looked at Bai Yulang, who was rolling on the ground, and said coldly.

"You need to take the antidote every six months. Otherwise, this fire poison will burn through your dantian, causing you to die from intestinal rot."

"The poisons from the Western Regions won't save you. If you don't believe me, you can go back and let the Thousand-Handed Butcher try it."

Bai Yulang was in so much pain that he was covered in sweat and kowtowed repeatedly, crying, "I believe you! I believe you! Master, spare my life!"

Yang Guo withdrew the energy that was suppressing the Yang fire within Bai Yulang's body, and Bai Yulang finally caught his breath and collapsed onto the muddy ground.

"Go back to White Camel Mountain."

Yang Guo gave the instructions.

"Keep an eye on the movements of the Thousand-Handed Butcher. If there is any news about the Mongols, send a message to Fujiulou in Xiangyang City."

"If you dare to play tricks, you won't even be left with a whole corpse."

Bai Yulang scrambled and crawled away from the snake pit.

Lu Wushuang watched him run off into the distance, sheathed her curved sword, moved closer to Yang Guo, and looked up at him, asking, "Husband, are we going to rescue Hero Guo?"

Yang Guo released Cheng Ying's waist and reached out to pinch Lu Wushuang's cheek:

"Let's go back to the cave tonight. I promised to massage your meridians, and I won't go back on my word."

Lu Wushuang blushed and spat, "Who cares about your massage?"