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

The following morning, the morning mist over Zhongnan Mountain had not yet dissipated, and the mountain haze still swirled among the peaks.

October is over, and the mountain wind has become quite cold, feeling like a thin blade cutting your face.

The roof tiles of Chongyang Palace are covered with frost, and when the morning sun shines on them, they shimmer with light, like scattered silver.

The ancient pines along the road were covered with thick frost, their needles pure white, shimmering in the cold light of the morning sun.

A thin layer of frost had formed on the stone steps under the eaves, making a soft rustling sound as you stepped on them.

Li Zhichang arrived earlier than usual, about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Instead of going straight to his quiet room to prepare for his studies as usual, he stood under the porch of the east courtyard, gazing silently at the old locust tree in the courtyard.

The trees were covered with yellow leaves, their sparse branches leaning outwards, pointing towards the hazy sky, resembling a light ink landscape painting.

He had already heard about the incident that occurred in the front yard yesterday last night.

At that time, he was copying Buddhist scriptures under the lamp when he heard the news. His pen suddenly stopped, and a trace of ink quietly stained the paper.

The disciple who came to report recounted the whole story in vivid detail.

The story details how Uncle Zhao stopped Yang Guo in public and defeated him in three moves, and how Yang Guo humiliatingly bowed his head in defeat.

After hearing this, Li Zhichang simply replied, "I know."

He then dismissed the disciple and continued copying his scriptures with his head bowed, though deep down he could not hide his inner turmoil.

He had been Zhao Zhijing's fellow student for over ten years and knew his senior's thoughts and temperament very well.

Zhao Zhijing is a narrow-minded and vindictive man.

After being publicly rejected by Yang Guo to become his disciple that day, he must have felt resentful all along.

These past few days, the cold treatment and exclusion have all failed to achieve their intended effect.

It was only natural for him to personally take the lead in "testing" the students.

Li Zhichang had not expected that Zhao Zhijing would be so impatient, unwilling to wait even a moment longer.

But what he was more concerned about was Yang Guo's condition.

Although the young man was calm and quiet, he had only been a disciple of Quanzhen Sect for a short time.

If Zhao Zhijing intends to use excessive force, he will likely suffer a lot.

He stood under the porch, gazing at the courtyard gradually brightening in the morning mist, and sighed softly to himself.

Just as I was pondering this, a figure walked leisurely down the corridor in the distance, his back ramrod straight.

It was Yang Guo.

Li Zhichang narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully observing the boy who was slowly approaching.

The morning light slanted down, casting Yang Guo's long, slender shadow.

He walked as he always had, neither deliberately slowing down to conceal himself nor deliberately raising his head to feign composure.

It was as if the entanglement of yesterday had never happened.

As Yang Guo approached, Li Zhichang's gaze subtly swept over him:

His clothes were neat, his expression was peaceful, and there was no sign of pain or dejection between his brows, nor were there any signs of bandages on his body.

Li Zhichang finally felt relieved.

"Disciple Yang Guo greets Senior Uncle Li."

Yang Guo bowed respectfully, his voice steady.

Li Zhichang nodded slightly, asked no further questions, turned and walked into the quiet room, saying calmly:

"Come in, today we will continue with the 'General Principles of Life' chapter."

Yang Guo responded in a low voice and followed closely behind into the house.

The fragrance of sandalwood wafted through the quiet room, dispersing into wisps of smoke in the morning light.

Li Zhichang sat upright on the prayer mat, opened the scriptures, and began to teach today's lessons, as carefully and meticulously as ever, with clear and logical explanations.

Yang Guo sat upright opposite him, listening intently. He would nod in understanding at times, and bow to ask for guidance at others. His manners were polite, and his expression remained focused.

Everything seemed to be the same as before.

But Li Zhichang knew in his heart that everything was no longer the same as before.

The news of yesterday's "examination" spread throughout all the courtyards of Chongyang Palace overnight.

On his way to the East Courtyard early in the morning, Li Zhichang happened to meet Yin Zhiping.

The two brushed past each other in the corridor.

Yin Zhiping stopped and looked at him, hesitating several times before finally asking in a low voice:

"Junior Brother Li, is that child... alright?"

Li Zhichang nodded slightly.

Yin Zhiping said nothing more and turned to leave.

But Li Zhichang could see a hint of worry in his eyes.

It was both a concern for Yang Guo's safety and a worry about Zhao Zhijing's misbehavior.

Yin Zhiping has always prioritized the overall interests of the sect.

Zhao Zhijing's public intervention has broken the previous boundaries and tacit understanding.

This put the chief disciple of Master Qiu in a difficult position, caught between his fellow disciples.

Meanwhile, in the other courtyard, a private conversation was taking place.

Ma Yu rushed to Wang Chuyi's courtyard early in the morning.

He did not ask his disciples to announce his arrival, but instead pushed open the door and entered.

Wang Chuyi was seen sitting by the window, holding a black chess piece between his fingers, lost in thought as he stared at a corner of the chessboard, contemplating the unfinished game.

"Junior brother has quite the refined taste."

Ma Yu sat down opposite him, his tone flat, revealing no trace of joy or anger.

Wang Chuyi didn't raise his head; he gently placed a black piece on the chessboard with his fingertips, making a crisp sound.

"Senior brother, you've come because of yesterday's events?"

Ma Yu did not argue, but remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking:

"Zhao Zhijing is your eldest disciple, so I shouldn't have said so much."

"But yesterday, in front of all the disciples, he attacked a child who had only been a disciple for a little over a month."

"If this matter were to spread, how would the world view my Quanzhen lineage?"

Wang Chuyi then looked up at Ma Yu.

He did not answer immediately, but gently pushed the chess set aside and took a sip of the tea on the table.

I put down my teacup and gazed at the old persimmon tree outside the window. A few withered persimmons still hung on the branches, swaying gently in the breeze.

"Do you think I can find peace of mind?"

Wang Chuyi's voice was low, concealing a hint of weariness.

"Zhao Zhijing is my disciple. How can I, as his teacher, save face after he has committed such an outrageous act?"

Ma Yu remained silent, simply watching him quietly.

Wang Chuyi remained silent for a moment, then slowly spoke:

"But if I were to rebuke him in public, wouldn't that be tantamount to announcing to the world that my king, Wang Chuyi, has failed in his duties as a teacher?"

"I can't afford to lose face like this, besides..."

He paused briefly.

"Besides, Yang Guo might not be someone to be trifled with either."

"I heard that after he surrendered in a sorry state yesterday, he didn't suffer any injuries whatsoever."

Ma Yu frowned slightly and said softly:

"Junior brother means..."

"I didn't mean anything by it. Senior brother, you can take it as me trying to exonerate Zhijing or defend myself, whatever."

Wang Chuyi waved his hand, his voice slow and deliberate.

"But I feel that this matter is not as superficial as it appears on the surface."

"Although Zhijing acted recklessly, the child was able to withstand two and a half blows from Zhijing's palm and was unharmed afterwards."

"Such cultivation level is not something an ordinary disciple who has only been practicing for a month or so should possess."

Ma Yu pondered for a long while, then slowly nodded:

"What my junior brother said makes sense."

"But this child was personally entrusted to us by Jing'er to go up the mountain. If something goes wrong at Chongyang Palace, we really won't be able to explain it to Jing'er."

"That's why I didn't stop Zhao Zhijing."

Wang Chuyi picked up a chess piece again and slowly rubbed and turned it between his fingers.

"Let that child suffer some trials, as long as he doesn't die, let Zhijing discipline him."

"If that child truly has some ability, he will be able to endure this ordeal."

"If he can't hold on, we can only say that he has a shallow fate and is not suitable to stay under the Quanzhen Sect. We should just send him back to Guo Jing."

After hearing this, Ma Yu said no more.

He rose and moved, then stopped abruptly at the door. Without turning back, he uttered a single, understated word:

"Junior brother, we both know that with Zhao Zhijing's temperament, he's bound to cause big trouble sooner or later."

After saying this, Ma Yu pushed open the door and left.

Wang Chuyi sat quietly by the window, the chess piece between his fingers suspended in mid-air, not falling for a long time.