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

Yang Guo threw a piece of dry firewood into the fire, and the flames shot up high with a "whoosh".

He patted the gray wood shavings off his palm and looked up at Lu Wushuang and Cheng Ying.

"Let me say something."

"We can't afford to stay in this wretched mountain valley any longer."

"We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning and head back to Xiangyang!"

Lu Wushuang was using a willow-leaf dagger to pick the dirt out of her fingernails when she heard this, and her hand paused.

"Back to Xiangyang? Leaving already?"

"I thought you were going to live in this remote mountain village forever!"

"I almost threw up from eating this boiled worm meat, and my clothes smelled sour from the fumes."

"If you think it smells bad, go soak in the pond a few more times."

Yang Guo laughed and cursed a couple of times, then pointed to the half-eaten Bodhi Snake King in the corner of the cave.

"Wushuang, go and remove all the good meat from that worm, cut it into thin strips, and roast it over a fire until it's thoroughly dry."

"To get out of the mountains, we still have to walk dozens of miles on bad roads. If we don't bring enough dry food, we'll all starve halfway there."

Cheng Ying sat to one side, poking at the embers with a twig.

"I'll know the way down the mountain so we don't get lost in the woods."

Yang Guo reached out and patted her thin shoulder.

"Butler Cheng is a sensible person."

"Go find a smooth, large stone slab, pick up a piece of charcoal, and draw a clear road out of the mountains for me, so we don't end up in a dead end."

Upon hearing this, the two women got up and went to do their respective tasks.

Yang Guo bent down, picked up the heavy black iron sword weighing seventy or eighty pounds, hoisted it onto his broad shoulders, and strode out of the cave.

A cold wind was blowing swiftly through the woods outside.

There's an old poisoner named Shen Buyan tied to a tree over there.

After a whole day, wild boars and wolves roamed the forest. The old man, having lost his martial arts skills, was definitely a good target to hang there.

The mountain path was completely blocked by thick wild vines.

Yang Guo used his large iron sword like a mountain-splitting axe, slashing to the left and smashing to the right, breaking all the vines blocking his way by the roots.

After walking for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they finally found their way to the big, thick tree where the person had been tied up.

Yang Guo took a few steps closer, saw the commotion under the tree, and couldn't help but shake his head.

Shen Buyan tilted his head and leaned against the rough tree bark.

His right leg, from the thigh down, was completely rotten.

The trousers were torn to shreds, and the flesh had been gnawed clean by wild beasts in the mountains, leaving only white, blood-streaked bone fragments exposed to attract flies.

On the ground was a large pool of dark red blood and mud.

Hearing the sound of the heavy sword dragging on the ground, the old man forced himself to open his eyelids a crack.

His face was covered in mud, and when he opened his mouth, which had only a few teeth left, he was exhaling more than inhaling.

"You surnamed Yang...you're a living beast..."

Blood and froth were gushing from Shen Buyan's throat.

"You'll suffer a terrible death if you feed this old man to wild dogs!"

Yang Guo slammed his large iron sword into the ground, sending up a chunk of mud that flew right into Shen Buyan's face.

"Stop talking nonsense, this is called karma."

"So many Taoist priests of the Quanzhen Sect died at your hands. It's already too good for you to just let your old bones rot here."

Yang Guo squatted down in front of Shen Buyan.

"To be precise, what kind of huge pit did the Golden Wheel Monk dig in Black Wind Valley? Who led the ambush?"

Shen Buyan was panting heavily, a hideous grin spreading across his face, which was covered in rotten flesh.

"I... I'm not going to make it."

"You...you give me a quick death, and I'll tell you the travel permit."

Yang Guo touched his chin.

This is a bit difficult.

The old man was clearly trying to bargain, hoping to live for another half an hour.

Black Wind Valley has a very complicated terrain, and Guo Jing, with his stubborn mind, will definitely go in and get stabbed.

If you forcefully interrogate him, this old poisoner will fabricate a few nonsense statements, and if you believe them and go to Xiangyang to give blind orders, you'll fall into the trap set by the Mongols and won't be able to get out.

In the desolate wilderness, one should not believe the nonsense of a dying man.

If remnants of the Mongol camp were to sneak over and rescue him, it would be another huge problem.

"Old man, you can't utter a single truth."

Yang Guo straightened up and switched the large iron sword to his right hand.

"I'm too lazy to argue with you. Go to the underworld and negotiate with King Yama yourself."

Shen Buyan's eyes suddenly bulged out, but before he could even shout, Yang Guo had already gripped the sword hilt with both hands and swung his thick arms in a wide arc.

The heavy iron sword, imbued with brute force, descended from the sky!

A muffled "splat".

Shen Buyan's head, along with half of his shoulder, was smashed into a bloody pulp by the black iron heavy sword and embedded deeply in the muddy pit under the tree.

Yang Guo wiped the blood off the back of his sword on the wild grass, shouldered the heavy sword, and returned the way he came.

……

at night.

Outside the cave, the mountain wind howled, while inside, the charcoal fire burned bright red.

The three of them sat around the fire, eating their last roasted meat.

Lu Wushuang chewed on a hard piece of dried snake meat, muttering, "Husband, are we really going to get involved in Black Wind Valley?"

"The Golden Wheel Monk and his gang are ruthless, and so are Darba and Huodu. None of them are easy to deal with."

Yang Guo threw two dry branches into the fire.

"What's there to be afraid of!"

"If the sky falls, that tall hero Guo will hold it up. He'll be the one carrying the knife in front, and we'll be the ones looking for loopholes and reaping the benefits behind him."

Cheng Ying sat further away, her face glowing red in the firelight.

"Chief Huang is very shrewd. If Master Guo really makes a mistake, she will definitely investigate the matter thoroughly."

"If we go back to join the fun, she'll be very shrewd. Once she sees through our secrets, we probably won't be able to stay in Xiangyang."

Yang Guo grinned and burst into laughter, his chest pounding.

"So what if you see through me!"

"Her little schemes are all about plotting against the Mongol army; she's even hoping I'll settle things for her!"

"You two stick close to me and don't worry about anything. With my big sword paving the way, I guarantee you'll live the high life in Xiangyang!"

……

midnight.

The fire was almost burned out, leaving only a few flickering red stars.

Yang Guo was fast asleep when he suddenly felt a heat rising on one side of his body, and his right leg felt incredibly heavy, making it impossible for him to turn over.

He suddenly opened his eyes and looked down in the dim light.

Cheng Ying was nestled against his left side, her head resting firmly on his strong chest muscles.

She was half asleep, her hands still unconsciously clutching Yang Guo's clothes.

Those two full, soft mounds of flesh, through the thin Taoist robe, pressed firmly against his ribs with each steady breath, rising and falling slightly.

The right side, however, is even more outrageous.

Lu Wushuang's inner garment was loose and baggy, and her snow-white, round thighs were draped across her body like vines, tightly wrapped around Yang Guo's right thigh.

Her cheek was pressed against Yang Guo's lower back, and glistening drool hung from the corner of her mouth.

Yang Guo felt a sudden, intense heat rise in his lower abdomen.

It was cold in the cave at night, and these two women were using it as a giant stove to keep warm!

He reached down with his left hand and slipped it inside the seam of Cheng Ying's clothes at her waist.

Her warm skin felt wonderful to the touch, and I gave her smooth lower back a firm squeeze.

Cheng Ying winced in pain, let out a soft groan, and groggily opened her eyes.

Their gazes met Yang Guo's roguish face, which seemed to be taking advantage of everyone.

Her mind cleared instantly, and she realized that most of her body was hanging in his arms, her full breasts were deformed by the pressure, and the man's big hands were still playing around under her clothes!

Cheng Ying's face burned hot. She hurriedly pushed him away and scrambled back to the edge of the stone wall.

"You...you! Where are you putting your hands?!"

Cheng Ying stammered as she cursed, frantically pulling up the collar of her Taoist robe.

Yang Guo wasn't in a hurry. He turned over and faced to the right.

He raised his large hand and slapped Lu Wushuang's bare thighs with a crisp sound.

"Butler Cheng, this is not being reasonable."

"You crawled into my clothes in the middle of the night, and I kindly shared half of my warmth with you, and now you're turning around and blaming me?"

Lu Wushuang was jolted awake by the slap, rubbing her eyelids and yawning.

"What's all the noise so early in the morning?"

She looked down and saw that most of her body was wrapped around Yang Guo. Instead of backing away, she squeezed her legs even tighter and pressed her body into his burning embrace.

"My dear husband, you feel so warm."

"It was freezing cold in the second half of the night, and I could only sleep soundly by snuggling up to you."

"Why are you touching my leg? If you want to do something, you can wait until we get back to the inn and onto the big bed."

Cheng Ying, who was listening nearby, was so ashamed and indignant that she spat out a curse.

"Shameless slut! Get dressed right now!"

"I've packed all the dried meat and water bags, and I've memorized the route out of the mountain. Time to get going!"

……

The three men tied the bundle tightly and carried it on their backs.

Yang Guo, carrying a large iron sword in one hand, was the first to walk out of the cave.

The thick fog of early morning had not yet completely dissipated.

A large, dark bird stood by the pool.

The giant eagle, more than half a person's height, was blocking the intersection, its large wings drooping listlessly, its yellowish eyes staring intently at Yang Guo.

Yang Guo switched the large iron sword to his left hand, walked over, and slapped the Divine Condor's rough, hard feathers.

"Alright, you idiot, stop looking so mournful like your father just died."

"I'm not going to be reincarnated."

Yang Guo took out the last half of raw snake meat from the bag and threw it directly into the mouth of the Divine Condor.

"Let's part ways here. You can practice your legs and feet by this pool."

"Once I've sorted out that mess in Xiangyang, I'll get dozens of pounds of top-quality liquor, slaughter two big black pigs, and bring back a whole cartload of meat to challenge you to a drinking contest!"

"Let's drink to our hearts' content!"

The divine eagle swallowed the snake meat whole, stretched its neck, and let out two hoarse cries towards the sky.

It flapped its broad wings, hopped onto a tall, large blue stone, stood there, and no longer tried to stop it.

That's considered seeing the guests off.