Yang Guo: I defied death and reached the heavens in The Return of the Condor Heroes

Huang Rong gazed at his expression, her voice growing softer:

"Quanzhen is the orthodox school of martial arts in the world. Although Master Chongyang has passed away, his senior uncles Ma Yu and Qiu Chuji are still alive."

"You and I had a deep connection with Quanzhen back then, and Uncle Qiu was an old acquaintance of the Yang family."

"Sending Guo'er to Zhongnan Mountain would allow him to learn orthodox Taoist martial arts and receive meticulous guidance from many elders. Wouldn't that be a better future than you and I being confined to this Peach Blossom Island, living in idleness all day long?"

Guo Jing frowned deeply, his expression remaining unchanged for a long time. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, his voice tinged with hesitation:

"But Zhongnan Mountain and Peach Blossom Island are thousands of miles apart, and the journey is long."

"The Quanzhen Sect has strict rules, and Guo'er is still young. How can he travel alone? What if he suffers mistreatment in Quanzhen? I absolutely cannot agree to this."

"Brother Jing".

Huang Rong looked at Guo Jing, who was determined not to agree, sighed softly, and continued to gently persuade him:

"Won't he suffer any injustice on Peach Blossom Island?"

"As you can see, Da Wu and Xiao Wu don't get along with him, and Master still harbors resentment towards him."

"If they can fight on the beach today, they might start fighting again on the training ground tomorrow."

"If things are like this when we're both here, what if we go out one day and leave these children on the island? Who will take responsibility if something happens to them?"

Guo Jing frowned, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the edge of the bed.

He recalled the tense expressions of Da Wu and Xiao Wu during dinner, and also thought of Xiao Wu's slightly drooping left shoulder.

He had previously gone to check on him, and although his shoulder was red and swollen, it had not injured his bones or tendons, which showed that Yang Guo had shown mercy with that palm strike.

He had always trusted Yang Guo's character and was unwilling to send him away thousands of miles away because of a quarrel between teenagers.

He then spoke in a deep voice:

"The truth is now clear. It was not Guo'er's fault; it was just a friendly sparring match between young people."

"Guo'er is kind-hearted and even deliberately held back against Xiao Wu."

"Master is only holding a grudge against him because of something that happened with Brother Kang in the past. As elders, how can we send this child away thousands of miles away because of this little grudge?"

Hearing that Guo Jing was adamant about not agreeing, Huang Rong's worries deepened, so she decided to stop holding back and poured out all her concerns:

"Brother Jing, this matter is far more complicated than you think."

"Over the past year, I have only taught my son to read and write, and have never taught him any martial arts. But today I realize that he already possesses martial arts skills and has a profound foundation."

"Have you ever considered how deep this child's cunning is? We can't even tell where his skills come from."

Do you still remember Jiaxing City?

"Ouyang Feng was once insane and didn't recognize himself, yet he spent a long time with Yang Guo without ever harming him. This is quite strange."

"Even if my speculation has wronged you, you must not forget that Yang Kang died at Wang Tieqiang Temple because he accidentally touched the soft armor on my body and was poisoned."

"We cannot shirk our responsibility for the cause of his biological father's death."

"Even though Yang Guo is kind and gentle now, how will he view us when he grows older and learns about the past?"

"He is, after all, Yang Kang's flesh and blood. The hatred for killing one's father is irreconcilable. If we keep him by our side for a long time, it would be no different from raising a tiger at our side."

"If, given time, the disaster truly unfolds as expected, then it's fine for us to be helpless and at their mercy, since the enmity was sown by the two of us."

"Keffel is utterly innocent, naive, and unaware of the wickedness of the world. How can we allow her to be placed in such a dangerous situation?"

After listening quietly to Huang Rong's heavy confession, Guo Jing remained silent for a long time.

He had not expected that Huang Rong's thoughts were so complex and profound, and for a moment he felt a thousand thoughts tangled and confused.

However, he always knew that Huang Rong was meticulous and would never make unfounded speculations or rash judgments, and he also heard her words at the end of her sentence expressing concern for her daughter's safety.

After a long pause, he finally spoke in a muffled voice:

"Is there really no way to have the best of both worlds?"

"We were entrusted with raising a child, and after finally finding him, we are about to send him away thousands of miles away."

"I am truly uneasy. How can I face the ancestors of the Guo and Yang families in the future?"

Seeing that Guo Jing's mind was already wavering, Huang Rong gently persuaded him:

"Brother Jing, sending him to Zhongnan Mountain is not because we are abandoning him."

"Master Qiu is Yang Kang's mentor and is also Yang Guo's grandmaster. In terms of seniority, he is closer to you and me."

"In the past, Yang Kang went astray, betrayed his master and ancestors. Now, he has sent Yang Guo to join the Quanzhen School, which can be considered as settling a past debt for his father."

"With Yang Kang's example as a warning, I believe that Uncle Qiu will definitely teach Guo'er with strict care and discipline."

"Moreover, Master Chongyang used Taoism to guide martial arts and virtue to establish himself in the world. Letting Yang Guo learn the orthodox martial arts of Taoism is the most appropriate method at present."

In her last few sentences, she softened her voice slightly, her earnestness evident in her words.

Guo Jing looked up at her. The candlelight fell on Huang Rong's face, her expression gentle yet resolute, showing no sign of anything amiss.

He pondered the matter repeatedly in his mind.

Huang Rong's points were all reasonable—Quanzhen was the orthodox school of martial arts in the world, and Qiu Chuji had a deep connection with the Yang family.

Back then, Kangdi felt ashamed before his master, so he sent his son to Zhongnan Mountain, where he could not only learn authentic martial arts but also make amends for his father's past mistakes.

It is indeed a win-win solution.

But he always had a vague feeling that something was wrong, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

After a long silence, Guo Jing slowly spoke:

"I want to ask Yang Guo's wishes in person first thing tomorrow morning."

"If he is willing to go, I will send him to Zhongnan Mountain to study under a master."

"If he refuses, Rong'er, let's put this matter aside from now on and never mention it again, okay?"

Huang Rong saw that his mind was made up.

Knowing that further words would be futile, he could only nod slightly.

She released Guo Jing's hand, tucked the quilt around him, and blew out the oil lamp on the table.

In the darkness of night, she lay awake for a long time, gazing at the few lanterns swaying gently in the wind under the eaves outside the window.

Moonlight filters through the intertwined peach branches, casting dappled shadows that sway gently on the window paper.

She pondered to herself what other foolproof plan she should devise if Yang Guo refused to travel to Zhongnan Mountain.

The next morning, after everyone had breakfast.

Guo Jing then summoned Yang Guo into his study.

Huang Rong was also inside, sitting by the window, holding a cup of tea in her hands, her expression calm and composed.

Guo Jing didn't mince words and told Yang Guo everything that they had discussed the previous night.

It is said that the Quanzhen Sect is the orthodox school of martial arts in the world, and Master Qiu Chuji has a long-standing friendship with the Yang family.

If Yang Guo is willing to travel to Zhongnan Mountain, he can become a disciple of the Quanzhen School and learn orthodox Taoist martial arts.

I also recalled that when I was young, I received careful guidance from Master Ma Yu, from which I benefited greatly.

Finally, he gently promised that if Yang Guo was willing to go, he would personally escort him on his journey.

Yang Guo remained silent for a moment.

I unintentionally showed off my skills yesterday, and today I suddenly encountered this unexpected turn of events.

He already understood that yesterday's commotion had had a profound psychological impact on Huang Rong.

He secretly sorted through Guo Jing's words and the original story in his mind.

In the original novel, Yang Guo traveled to Zhongnan Mountain and became a disciple of Zhao Zhijing.

Zhao Zhijing was narrow-minded. Because he was Yang Kang's son, he harbored prejudice against him and made things difficult for him in every way, thus creating enmity between them.

This is all because Yang Guo in the original novel was sensitive and arrogant, and had no martial arts skills, so he could only be manipulated by others.

But now that he is a mature and composed adult, he would never easily make enemies.

Furthermore, he possesses the Reverse Life Technique, so if Zhao Zhijing continues to deliberately make things difficult for him as in the original story, he may not be his match.

He had already clearly planned it out in his mind:

Staying on Peach Blossom Island, even though one can cultivate in secret here, is ultimately a form of dependence on others.

If Huang Rong were to be constantly on guard and obstruct him in every way, it would inevitably affect the progress of his reverse cultivation, and it would no longer be an ideal place for quiet and arduous cultivation.

It would be better to accept the offer and go to Quanzhen, away from this place where people are constantly suspicious and wary of you.

He then recalled the Tomb of the Living Dead behind Zhongnan Mountain, where a bed of cold jade was placed.

One can use the cold air to temper one's cultivation day and night; a year of cultivation in bed is equivalent to ten years of ordinary hard training.

The effects of his cultivation far exceeded those of ordinary cultivation by ten times, which was an immense opportunity for him, given his arduous practice of reversing the three stages of rebirth.