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

Hong Lingbo's gaze drifted to Li Mochou, who was still lost in thought, and she remained silent for a long while.

Finally, she shook her head and said softly:

"I came here to find my master, but now... seeing her like this, I don't know where to go..."

Upon hearing this, Granny Sun sighed softly, looking at the young girl with a face full of pity:

"If you don't mind the loneliness of this ancient tomb, you can stay here for now, so you'll have a place to settle down."

Hong Lingbo's heart skipped a beat, her eyes filled with a mixture of trepidation and gratitude.

She looked up at Granny Sun, her voice weak:

"Can...can I really stay?"

Grandma Sun, with her extensive experience, saw through the little girl's concerns at a glance.

She nodded gently, her face showing kindness:

"Of course, you are Mo Chou's disciple, so you are naturally considered to be under the Ancient Tomb Sect."

"Besides, your master is currently mentally confused, so you can help take care of your mother-in-law. Staying here would be the best of both worlds."

After hearing this, Hong Lingbo raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said gratefully:

"Lingbo thanks Grandma for taking me in..."

Grandma Sun raised her hand and stroked her hair, smiling:

"Good child, why are you being so polite with your mother-in-law?"

Hong Lingbo suppressed a sob in her throat and looked again at Li Mochou, who was dazed and confused in the corner.

She secretly imagined what it would be like to live in the ancient tomb for a long time, spending every day with it.

Just as he was pondering this, the stone door of the stone chamber moved, and Yang Guo stepped into the room.

He had just returned to the Cold Jade Stone Chamber and sat quietly for a while when he suddenly remembered something he had overlooked and hadn't asked about before, so he came here specifically to ask about it.

Upon catching sight of Yang Guo inside the stone chamber, Li Mochou's emotions, which had been calmed down by Granny Sun's gentle words, surged up again, and she instinctively shrank back into the corner.

Fortunately, Grandma Sun had anticipated her reaction and quickly rushed to her side.

He reached out and covered her eyes, blocking out Yang Guo's appearance to prevent her from being startled and losing her composure.

Yang Guo ignored the commotion and focused his gaze directly on Hong Lingbo, who had been bandaged up.

When Hong Lingbo saw that he was staring straight at her, her slightly calmed emotions immediately became uneasy, and she rolled her eyes, not daring to meet his gaze.

Yang Guo looked at her quietly and said in a calm voice:

"Your name is Hong Lingbo, right?"

Hong Lingbo was taken aback upon hearing this, and subconsciously nodded, feeling surprised and puzzled.

She hadn't even had a chance to introduce herself, so how did this person know her name? A bellyful of questions filled her heart, but she dared not ask them rashly.

Seeing that she nodded in agreement, Yang Guo took the opportunity to ask:

"I was in such a rush earlier that I forgot to ask you, where is your junior sister when you went up the mountain to find your master?"

Upon hearing this question, Hong Lingbo looked somewhat bewildered and gently shook her head:

"I...I don't have a junior sister."

"Don't you have a junior sister?"

Yang Guo frowned slightly, thinking that she had not understood his meaning, and was about to ask her in more detail.

But then Hong Lingbo continued speaking:

"I... I'm the only disciple my master has ever accepted. He hasn't taken on anyone else all these years, so where would a junior sister come from?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Guo was momentarily lost in thought.

He remembered that in the original story, Li Mochou clearly had two disciples.

One is Hong Lingbo in front of me, and the other is Lu Wushuang.

Moreover, more than a year ago, he clearly witnessed Li Mochou abducting Lu Wushuang in the dense forest outside Jiaxing City. This matter is still vivid in his mind, and he could not possibly have misremembered it.

But why would Hong Lingbo say that Li Mochou only has one disciple?

Could it be that Lu Wushuang had already been poisoned by Li Mochou and died a violent death?

A thousand thoughts raced through Yang Guo's mind, and he asked again:

"When you were with your master, did you ever see a girl surnamed Lu? It was about a year ago."

Hong Lingbo's eyes darted around, and after thinking carefully for a long time, she still shook her head:

"I've never seen her, and my master... she rarely talks to me about people outside the martial arts world."

She paused slightly, then suddenly remembered something and added:

"However, a little over a year ago, something big happened. My master came back with a serious injury and was bedridden... It was only after I prepared soup and changed her medicine day and night and took good care of her for more than half a year that she slowly recovered."

Upon hearing this, Yang Guo understood the situation perfectly.

It seems that I, like a butterfly, have quietly flapped my wings and changed the predetermined trajectory of certain events in the original story.

Li Mochou did indeed kidnap Lu Wushuang back then, but something else must have happened afterward. It's unknown who ultimately took Lu Wushuang away, or where she is now.

However, this matter cannot be verified at the moment, and thinking about it too much will only cause more worry.

Yang Guo suppressed his distracting thoughts, gave Hong Lingbo a slight nod, and without saying another word, turned and strode away.

He composed himself, stopped worrying unnecessarily, nodded to Hong Lingbo, and strode away.

......

It was the time of Wei Shi (1-3 PM).

The blazing sun in the sky has slightly lost its midday heat.

The cold wind, carrying with it the lingering warmth, mingled with the chill, sweeping across the layers of palaces.

Inside the Sanqing Hall of Chongyang Palace.

The candles inside the hall had not yet been lit, but wisps of smoke from the incense burner swirled and coiled around the crossbeams, lingering in the air.

Hao Datong stood with his hands at his sides in the center of the main hall.

His lips moved constantly as he recounted everything that had happened that morning.

When he mentioned that a mysterious master with unfathomable martial arts skills had suddenly appeared inside the ancient tomb.

Qiu Chuji, who was sitting in the superior position, suddenly frowned, his face showing surprise and doubt.

His voice was deep and resonant, carrying a hint of caution as he asked:

"Junior Brother Hao, is this true? Besides that woman from the Long clan and Granny Sun, is there also a mysterious expert of unknown origin living inside that ancient tomb?"

Upon hearing this, Hao Datong, recalling the figure from earlier, wore a bitter expression and replied with a cupped hand:

"What I said is absolutely true. Moreover, that person's lightness skill is unparalleled. He came and went like a shadow. I didn't even see his shadow clearly before he had already taken Li Mochou's disciple to a high branch."

Ma Yu gently smoothed his furrowed brows and spoke after a moment's thought:

"I heard my master mention before that this ancient tomb's rule is to accept women but not men, but now there's a strange man hiding inside... this..."

He paused slightly, turned to look at Hao Datong, and pressed for an answer:

"Could that person state their name and background?"

Hao Datong shook his head sadly:

"That person kept his back to us the whole time, never introduced himself, and we didn't even get a glimpse of his face. We really don't know whether this person is a blessing or a curse to our Quanzhen Sect..."

Qiu Chuji and Ma Yu exchanged a glance, both with a heavy look in their eyes.

As Hao Datong said, such a person of unknown origin was able to live in seclusion on Zhongnan Mountain without their knowledge.

It should be known that Zhongnan Mountain was the foundation laid by Patriarch Chongyang and the basis for the establishment of their Quanzhen School.

How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?

Qiu Chuji got up and paced around, then stood quietly in front of the portrait of Patriarch Chongyang, gazing at it for a long time.

The painting depicts Wang Chongyang as having an otherworldly air and profound gaze, as if he were scrutinizing his disciples in later generations, as if piercing through the ages.

Qiu Chuji pondered for a moment, took a deep breath, and gave the order in a deep voice:

"Issue the order that, starting tomorrow, additional disciples must be dispatched to patrol the area around the ancient tomb day and night to ascertain the identity and origin of that white-haired master. Report back to Chongyang Palace immediately upon obtaining even the slightest clue!"

Hao Datong clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, turned and left the Sanqing Hall, his footsteps fading into the empty hall.

Ma Yu watched Hao Datong's departing figure, then turned to look at the portrait of the patriarch hanging on the wall.

He murmured softly, as if talking to himself:

"Sigh... these are truly troublesome times..."