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

She raised her head and looked again at the boy standing in the same spot.

For the first time, an emotion he had never experienced surfaced in her cool, clear eyes.

It wasn't anger, nor frustration, but a strange sense of bewilderment that left her completely at a loss for words.

She had never met anyone like him before.

They trespassed into her ancient tomb, occupied her jade bed, and broke her white silk robe, all while acting as if it were perfectly normal.

Yang Guo had already tossed aside the half-torn silk in his hand, letting it drift to the ground, and said in a calm tone:

"There's no need to get so angry. I just want to stay in this ancient tomb for a while. If it's really not possible, I can pay you rent."

For the first time, a hint of confusion appeared on Xiaolongnu's face.

"Rent? What's that?"

She frowned, as if listening to some cryptic text.

Why do you insist on staying in the ancient tomb?

Upon hearing this, Yang Guo smiled faintly, feeling a sense of helplessness and a soft sigh at Xiaolongnu's naiveté.

He looked into those clear yet cool eyes and explained gently:

"Rent is the payment I make for borrowing your things. You can have whatever you want—gold, silver, medicine, martial arts manuals—anything I have, we can discuss."

"As for why I insist on staying in the ancient tomb..."

He glanced at the jade bed beside him, his tone frank.

"I only need to borrow this jade bed to cultivate; I have no other requests."

Xiaolongnu frowned even more, seemingly not understanding the logic in his words, and still spoke in a cold tone:

"I don't need your rent. Outsiders are never allowed to enter the ancient tomb."

Yang Guo helplessly touched the stray hairs on his forehead and chuckled softly:

"Don't be so stingy. This ancient tomb is so dark and gloomy. If it weren't for this bed, I wouldn't have come even if you invited me."

"Don't worry, I won't borrow it for too long, at least four or five years, at most eight or nine years, and then I will leave on my own."

Little Dragon Girl gazed at him with a sleepy expression.

She could hear every single word Yang Guo said clearly, but when they were put together, she couldn't understand them.

In her world, this ancient tomb has been the place where she grew up since childhood; it used to belong to her master, and now it belongs to her.

No one ever mentioned words like "rent," "compensation," or "staying for a few years" to her.

Even though her senior sister Li Mochou was always eyeing the "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra" in the tomb, it was clearly a case of forcibly taking it by force, which made it particularly easy for her to understand.

Although this person and his senior sister both sought items from the tomb, their words and actions were completely different.

She stood frozen in place, unsure how to respond, and remained silent for a long time.

Her master had only taught her to fight off any outsiders who barged in, but this person... it seemed impossible to fight them off; and impossible to drive them away, leaving her truly helpless.

Seeing her silent expression, Yang Guo knew she was momentarily confused, so he added gently:

"Don't worry, all I want when I enter the ancient tomb is this cold jade bed. I promise I won't touch anything else. I'll only stay in this stone chamber and won't wander around your tomb. I promise I won't disturb you."

Xiaolongnu did not respond to his words, but stared at his face, seemingly trying to digest them.

After a moment, she didn't say anything more or make any more moves. She turned around and walked towards the door, her white clothes fluttering, and quickly disappeared into the dark passageway.

Yang Guo watched the receding figure and breathed a sigh of relief.

She didn't say "go out" again, nor did she make another move, which in itself was a kind of helpless acquiescence.

This girl, who had lived for over a decade, had never encountered such an unconventional intruder before, and for the moment hadn't figured out how to deal with him.

He stopped thinking about it, turned around and sat cross-legged on the cold jade bed again, closed his eyes, and continued to practice his internal energy.

The chill returned, tearing apart and reconstructing his rebirth.

Yang Guo focused his mind, free from any distractions. He would cultivate diligently day and night on this cold jade bed, and the day he achieved great success in reversing his rebirth would be the day he truly stepped out of the Ancient Tomb and roamed the world freely.

……

At this moment, the rain continued to pour down on the rocky hill behind the mountain.

Wang Chuyi and Hao Datong hurried through the pine forest, followed by several disciples carrying lanterns on night patrol.

Amidst the wind and rain, the lantern's glow flickered and shattered in the rain, illuminating only a few steps of the muddy mountain path beneath our feet.

The hems of their Taoist robes were already soaked with mud and water, the wet and cold fabric clinging to their legs, feeling as heavy as lead, but they showed no sign of slowing down.

The disciple on night patrol rushed in to report.

It was said that an elderly woman claiming to be from the Ancient Tomb Sect came to deliver a message outside the mountain gate, saying that something had happened in front of the Ancient Tomb Sect gate on the back mountain, and that two Quanzhen disciples, one dead and one injured, were lying in the rain unattended.

Upon hearing the report, both men were shocked. They got up from their beds that very night, without even putting on their Taoist robes properly, and rushed over without stopping.

When the group finally reached the rocky hill after trudging through the mud, the sight before them made Wang Chuyi stop abruptly, his heart feeling as if it had been struck hard by a boulder.

In the rain, a figure in a dark robe lay face down in the mud, a slight indentation in his back, the mark of a palm strike.

He had seen that figure and that face for over a decade and would never mistake them.

"Zhijing..."

Wang Chuyi's voice trembled, and his fingers shook uncontrollably.

He walked over quickly, squatted down, and carefully turned the person over.

Rainwater washed over Zhao Zhijing's face. His eyes were wide open, his face was pale, a trace of blood foam hung from the corner of his mouth, and his face was frozen with the shock and resentment of dying.

It seems he died too suddenly, without even a chance to close his eyes.

Wang Chuyi reached out and touched his neck. Where his fingertips touched, the skin was cold and stiff, and the pulse had long since stopped.

His body trembled slightly, and his fingers remained on Zhao Zhijing's cold cheek for a long time.

Rainwater slid down his temples and cheeks, mixing with the warm liquid overflowing from the corners of his eyes, trickling into his collar.

Hao Datong stood behind him without saying a word.

His right arm injury had not yet healed, and now, with the rain soaking it, the pain made him break out in a cold sweat. But he knew even better that Wang Chuyi needed some quiet space.

Although Zhao Zhijing was narrow-minded and acted in a shady manner, he was still Wang Chuyi's eldest disciple, whom he had personally taught for more than ten years, and they were like father and son.

To suddenly die violently on the mountain behind one's own home is something no one could bear.

After a long while, Wang Chuyi slowly withdrew his hand, wiped his face hard with his sleeve, and said in a hoarse voice:

"Investigate...find out who did it!"

Hao Datong nodded heavily, then his gaze fell on another figure lying in the mud, and his expression changed again:

"Senior Brother Wang, there's more over here..."

Wang Chuyi suddenly looked up and followed Hao Datong's gaze.

Yin Zhiping lay on his back in the muddy water, his face as pale as paper, his robes soaked with blood, which mixed with the rainwater to form a large patch of pale red.

His eyes were closed, and his breath was so faint that it was almost imperceptible. If it weren't for the very slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have been indistinguishable from a dead man.

"Zhiping!"

Wang Chuyi's heart tightened. He put down the corpse in his arms, bent down to check the man's breath. Although it was faint, the man was still alive.

He hurriedly lifted Yin Zhiping's robe, and after just one glance, his expression turned extremely ugly.

The blade slashed diagonally upwards from between the legs, the wound so deep that bone was visible, and the area was a bloody mess.

Although the person didn't die from that blow, he was completely crippled.

Let alone cultivation, it's hard to say whether they'll be able to walk like ordinary people in the future; it's a complete loss of humanity.

Wang Chuyi gasped, his hands trembling slightly.

Yin Zhiping is the disciple most valued by Senior Brother Qiu, a role model among the third generation of Quanzhen disciples, and the person most likely to succeed as the sect leader in the future.

Now that he's ended up like this, I wonder how angry Senior Brother Qiu would be if he knew.

"Such ruthless methods..."

Hao Datong leaned over for a look and couldn't help but gasp.

"What deep-seated hatred could drive someone to such a vicious act?"