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

Shi Mang interrupted the three of them in a deep voice as they argued:

"Alright, stop chatting."

"Don't forget why we came all this way in this freezing cold."

After a brief pause, he added seriously:

"Also, we're not stealing, we're borrowing, understand? Temporarily!"

Liu Erxi and Hu Xizhu exchanged a glance but neither of them said anything.

Only Chen Cunding thought about it seriously, and then nodded:

"Understood, brother, we're borrowing."

Shi Mang continued:

"Rumor has it that the ancient tomb contains all the martial arts techniques in the world; how could a single sect possibly master them all?"

"The four of us brothers each borrowed a book, which can be considered as preserving the martial arts tradition for our fellow martial arts practitioners."

"We'll return to express our gratitude once we've mastered our skills."

He spoke with such conviction, as if this logic were self-evident.

Liu Erxi's lips twitched, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he swallowed it back.

Hu Xizu chuckled, took another swig of wine, and muttered under his breath:

"Borrow...that's a nice word."

The four stopped chatting and began to walk faster.

The mountain wind grew stronger, causing the roadside bushes to sway and the withered branches and leaves to swirl and dance in the wind.

The entire Zhongnan Mountain was shrouded in a somber atmosphere, as if a storm was brewing.

And a mile away from them, on the edge of a pine forest, among the gnarled branches of old pines.

Yang Guo withdrew his gaze and turned his head slightly.

Across layers of mountain shadows and vast pine forests, one can gaze into the depths of Chongyang Palace.

We'll wait for any movement from there tonight.

......

Outside the wall of Yin Zhiping's residence.

Lu Qingdu huddled under the old locust tree, wrapped in his increasingly dirty, tattered cotton-padded coat.

He curled up into a ball, like an abandoned rag bundle.

His mind was becoming somewhat clouded, and only one thought kept replaying in his head:

Either Yin Zhiping goes out tonight, or I'll freeze to death under this tree tomorrow.

He had lost count of how many nights he had spent lurking there.

At first he kept track of the days, but later even the alternation of day and night became blurry.

Zhao Zhijing's face grew uglier day by day.

The words, "If you gain nothing more, you don't need to come see me again," kept echoing in his ears.

It was like a sharp sword hanging over his head, making it hard for him to breathe.

Just as he was about to fall into a deep sleep.

A very soft creaking sound suddenly startled him awake.

Lu Qingdu shuddered and forced himself to stay alert.

Through the gaps in the gnarled branches of the old locust tree, one could see the wooden door to Yin Zhiping's bedroom slowly opening a crack.

A slender figure flashed out; it was Yin Zhiping!

His attire and demeanor were exactly the same as last time.

With a few leaps and bounds, it disappeared into the deep darkness of the night behind the mountain.

Lu Qingdu's heart pounded wildly, and the fatigue from days of lying low vanished in an instant.

He struggled to get up from the frozen ground, his legs so stiff they were almost unresponsive, and he staggered several steps before regaining his footing.

Without even rubbing his frozen hands and feet, he turned and ran wildly toward Zhao Zhijing's residence.

The night wind rushed into my throat, causing an unbearable stinging pain.

But he paid no heed, his mind preoccupied with only one thought:

We finally caught them!

Lu Qingdu stumbled and pushed open Zhao Zhijing's courtyard gate.

Zhao Zhijing stood quietly in the courtyard, wearing an outer robe, gazing at the pitch-black night sky, looking preoccupied.

Hearing the noise, Zhao Zhijing frowned and turned to look.

Lu Qingdu came running in, his face pale and panting heavily.

He looked as if he had been pulled out of an ice hole.

His whole body was enveloped in a biting cold, and his lips were frozen purple.

But those eyes burned with a light that was almost manic.

A glint flashed in Zhao Zhijing's eyes, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up, as if his suspicions had been confirmed.

"Master, he...he went out."

Lu Qingdu, one hand on his knee, gasped for breath, while the other pointed towards the back mountain.

"Uncle-Master Yin... went to the back mountain!"

Zhao Zhijing did not take immediate action upon hearing this.

He stared at Lu Qingdu, his gaze sharp and piercing.

"Did you see clearly?"

"This disciple saw it clearly!"

Lu Qingdu said urgently.

"Dark brown shorts, not wearing a Taoist robe, exactly the same outfit as last time!"

"He had barely climbed over the wall when his disciple rushed in to report, without a moment's delay!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhijing's mouth almost stretched to the back of his ears, and he could no longer contain his overwhelming joy that he had suppressed for many days.

Tonight, there is no star or moon, just as he had imagined:

Yin Zhiping finally couldn't hold back any longer.

He had been waiting anxiously for this news for days, so long that he couldn't eat or drink and couldn't sleep at night.

They initially thought the other party had sensed something and decided to stay hidden, and were considering whether to find another way.

Unexpectedly, he finally got what he was waiting for.

"Good! Good! Good!"

His tone betrayed an barely concealed excitement.

"You did very well this time. Go back to your room and rest. I will take care of the rest."

Zhao Zhijing threw off the outer robe he was wearing.

He revealed a sharp, dark-colored outfit he had already changed into underneath, with a long sword hanging at his waist.

Lu Qingdu was somewhat surprised to see his master looking like he had been preparing for a long time.

Zhao Zhijing's usually gloomy eyes were now filled with excitement, like a hungry wolf smelling the blood of its prey.

He exuded a dangerous, impatient, and chilling aura.

Without further delay, Zhao Zhijing leaped over the courtyard wall and sped off towards the back mountain.

A mountain breeze rushed towards him, making his clothes flutter loudly. He moved swiftly like an arrow released from a bow, plunging headlong into the deep forest.

As he ran, he sneered inwardly:

Yin Zhiping, you've been pretending to be a virtuous gentleman in the Quanzhen Sect for so many years.

Tonight, I will tear off your sanctimonious facade and see what kind of filthy thoughts are hidden inside.

Zhao Zhijing followed the trail left by Yin Zhiping silently all the way.

He didn't follow too closely. Yin Zhiping's martial arts skills were similar to his own, and his senses were sharp. He would be noticed if he wasn't careful.

However, they cannot be too far apart. Tonight there is no moon, and the deep mountains and dense forests are pitch black. If they are just one step apart, they will lose their tracks.

He remained steadily forty feet away.

They relied on the subtle sounds of the other person breaking dead branches and parting weeds, and the faint scent lingering in the night wind to determine their direction.

His steps were lighter than usual, always landing with his toes touching the ground first, then slowly lowering his heels, each step muffled by the breeze through the pines.

Twenty years of arduous training in the Quanzhen School have now been transformed into the ability to move stealthily and conceal oneself.

His breathing was extremely low, and his chest barely rose or fell.

He was like a lurking venomous snake, silently approaching his prey.

However, Zhao Zhijing was completely unaware of this.

In the deeper darkness behind him, a shadow, lighter and more concealed than his, was slowly and steadily tracking his figure.

That shadow was none other than Yang Guo.

The moment Yin Zhiping appeared on the path at the edge of the pine forest, Yang Guo had already locked onto him.

But Yang Guo did not set off immediately. He quietly watched the slender figure pass through the pine forest and disappear into the depths of the dense forest leading to the back mountain.

Because he knew that Yin Zhiping was not the only prey tonight, and Zhao Zhijing would surely follow.

Sure enough, about half a cup of tea's time had passed.

Zhao Zhijing appeared on the same path as expected.

After he had completely disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

Yang Guo silently slid down from the pine branch.

He followed Zhao Zhijing at a distance, deliberately keeping a distance of eighty zhang.

At such a distance, Zhao Zhijing had no way of noticing.

He relied on his five senses, honed by the Reverse Life Technique, to steadily keep track of the movements of the two people in front of him.

In the deep darkness of the night, three figures moved in succession, weaving a hidden chain.

Yin Zhiping, who was at the front, was preoccupied with his own thoughts and completely unaware that someone was watching him from behind.

Zhao Zhijing, who was in the middle, believed that he had the upper hand and was in a sure thing, but he did not know that he was also prey in the eyes of others.

Only Yang Guo, who was left at the back, remained hidden in the shadows, observing the whole situation and taking in everything.

Although Yin Zhiping, who was at the forefront, walked lightly, he could not hide his eagerness.

He would occasionally pause to listen, but only briefly, before hurrying on his way again.

His mind was completely absorbed in what he was thinking, and he was oblivious to the danger that was approaching him step by step.

Zhao Zhijing, hiding in the shadows, saw everything clearly, and his sneer inwardly grew even stronger.

He was now certain that Yin Zhiping's nighttime journey was to secretly visit the ancient tomb to see the woman in white in the painting.

The thought of personally uncovering the biggest scandal of the Quanzhen Sect was terrifying.

His blood began to boil involuntarily.

The image of Yin Zhiping kneeling before Qiu Chuji, fearfully begging for forgiveness, seemed to appear before my eyes.

Then he could take the opportunity to replace him and sit in the position of the head of the third generation of disciples.

This greed and ambition stirred his mind, and his steps quickened involuntarily.

A night breeze then blew by, which made him suddenly more awake.

He suddenly stopped, listened to the sounds behind him—the wind, the rustling of the pines—everything seemed normal, so he relaxed and continued on his way.

Little did he know, in the very instant he paused...

Yang Guo, who was eighty feet away, also froze, his figure disappearing into the dense shade of an old pine tree.

Even their breathing was concealed to blend with the sound of the wind, revealing not the slightest flaw.

When Zhao Zhijing took another step, Yang Guo slowly emerged from the shadows, still following steadily at a distance.

Yang Guo noticed that Zhao Zhijing's pace quickened at a certain moment.

He guessed that Zhao Zhijing was probably too excited and couldn't contain himself.

He shook his head inwardly. Zhao Zhijing was cunning but lacked self-control.

The closer you get to success, the easier it is to expose your weaknesses.

Such a person will ultimately find it difficult to achieve great things.

However, he didn't care whether Zhao Zhijing could achieve great things.

What he cared about was whether this internal power struggle between Zhao Zhijing and Yin Zhiping could create enough chaos and opportunities for him.

This gave him the opportunity to get close to the dusty stone door of the ancient tomb.

He seizes any opportunity, no matter how small.

Three figures moved through the night, passing through pine forests and crossing mountain streams.

After rounding a rocky slope, we gradually approached the area where the ancient tomb was located.

The further you go, the more lush the forest becomes, and the cold in the mountains grows ever deeper.

The chirping of insects had all fallen silent, replaced by a profound stillness.

It was as if all things in the world were holding their breath, waiting for a storm to arrive.