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

The sun was setting in the west, and twilight was falling.

A sky full of crimson clouds covered the summit of Zhongnan Mountain, gilding the continuous peaks within a radius of several miles with a layer of crimson gold.

Inside the Tomb of the Living Dead, the lingering atmosphere of the earlier birthday banquet had dissipated, and a deep silence returned to the surroundings.

Only in a corner of the kitchen can one still retain a trace of the warmth of human life.

At this moment, the fire in the stove was burning brightly, and wisps of smoke rose slowly.

Grandma Sun was bending slightly over as she picked up a large, rough pottery pot from in front of the stove.

The rice porridge simmering in the pot bubbled and churned, releasing a rich, fragrant aroma of grains.

Hong Lingbo stood to the side, inhaling the aroma, and couldn't help but swallow.

These past two days she has been searching for her master with all her heart, and has been traveling around all day. She hasn't had a proper meal in a long time, and her stomach is completely empty.

Grandma Sun noticed her tired and hungry appearance and said gently:

"You must be starving after traveling so much these past two days. Let me get you a bowl to fill your stomach for now."

After saying that, she picked up a rice spoon, scooped out a full bowl of rice porridge, and handed it to Hong Lingbo.

Then he turned around and went to tidy up the food box next to him. His eyes swept over the box and he saw that something seemed to be missing.

Without turning her head, she gave the order:

"Girl, bring that dish of pickled vegetables over to Grandma first."

"Okay, Grandma."

Hong Lingbo responded softly.

Her arm injury had not yet healed, so her movements were inevitably a bit stiff and slow.

But he didn't complain at all; on the contrary, he was exceptionally diligent, always taking the initiative to lend a hand with anything he could do.

Grandma Sun nodded in approval as she watched her skillful and efficient movements.

Although this girl was taken in and raised by Li Mochou, she was down-to-earth, hardworking, and never arrogant or discouraged.

She was far superior to her master, who was filled with hostility.

After Hong Lingbo handed the pickled vegetables to Grandma Sun, Grandma Sun arranged all the side dishes properly.

She picked up the food box and walked towards the door of the stone chamber.

"Girl, you eat first, no need to wait for your mother-in-law, she'll be right back."

Hong Lingbo knew that she must be going to deliver dinner to Xiaolongnu or Yang Guo.

So she nodded obediently, lowered her head, held the porcelain bowl, and quietly picked at the food in it.

......

Deep within the Tomb of the Living Dead.

Inside the Cold Jade Stone Chamber.

Yang Guo remained seated cross-legged on the cold jade bed, just like a wax figure, his posture still and unmoving.

At this moment, he was concentrating his energy, trying to make up for all the time he had wasted during the day.

Not long after, he slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

He realized that his progress was now several minutes slower than usual.

I realize that I was too eager for quick results and focused too much on the progress of my cultivation, which made me hold back by my own obsession.

He simply stopped forcing himself to circulate his energy and instead calmed his mind, carefully reciting the cultivation techniques for "nature" in the "Song of the Great Dao of Complete Perfection".

As the restlessness in his heart gradually subsided, he suddenly realized:

The essence of spiritual practice lies in following the natural course of things. Since we have already delayed today, there is still a long time to come, so why rush for this short while?

With a sudden realization, Yang Guo felt all the pent-up emotions in his chest dissipate, and his body and mind felt much lighter.

......

About fifteen minutes later, steady footsteps approached from the passageway.

Grandma Sun carried a food box, pushed open the stone door, and stepped into the room.

Seeing that Yang Guo wasn't closing his eyes to circulate his internal energy, she raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled with a hint of amusement:

"Strange things have been happening one after another today. Even you, this tireless workaholic, have let your guard down."

Yang Guo rolled off the jade bed and landed on the ground, smiling faintly:

"Mother-in-law is joking. I just realized that spiritual practice requires a balance of work and rest. Blindly practicing hard may not be the best approach."

The old woman placed the food box on the stone table, sat down on a stone bench beside it, looked up at him, and slowly sighed:

"Yes, that's more like it. Cultivation is a gradual process. Look at how you practiced day and night like an ascetic. If you don't know when to stop, you might go astray and suffer a qi deviation..."

Yang Guo felt a warmth in his heart as he listened to her gentle words of comfort, and was about to start a conversation with her.

Suddenly, from inside the passageway outside the stone gate, came another urgent sound of a copper bell!

jingle!

jingle!

Yang Guo was surprised to hear the sound, which was being heard for the second time today.

The ancient tomb traps set up in the back mountain were triggered twice in one day!

No wonder Granny Sun said strange things were happening all day! Her words truly came true!

Upon hearing the bell ring, Granny Sun's expression changed drastically.

She gripped the wooden cane tightly and abruptly stood up, cursing in a deep voice:

"It's definitely those damned Taoist priests again! We agreed to stop here, but they're like ghosts that won't leave us alone!"

Before the cursing had even subsided, she didn't even bother to greet Yang Guo before turning around and quickly stepping out of the stone gate.

Upon seeing this, Yang Guo forgot all about eating and quickly followed after them, heading towards the main entrance of the ancient tomb together.

......

Outside the stone gate of the ancient tomb.

The sky was already dark and gloomy.

As dusk swallowed the last glimpse of the distant mountains, the shadows in the forest deepened, adding to the solitude.

A maid dressed in a plain cloth dress looked helplessly at the thick, gloomy stone wall in front of her.

She mustered her courage and tapped on the stone surface again and again. Seeing that the stone wall did not react, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She turned and ran quickly back to the side of a bright young girl, lowering her voice to say:

"Miss, there's not even a crack in this stone wall to be seen. Is that young master really living in seclusion here? I think that Taoist priest is just talking nonsense."

Wang Qingyuan listened to her personal maid's ramblings, her almond-shaped eyes staring blankly at the moss-covered ancient tomb walls.

The chilly night wind rustled her clothes, causing her to shiver involuntarily and instinctively tighten the snow-white mink cloak she was wearing.

She hugged the sandalwood brocade box in her arms even tighter, her tone tinged with hesitation:

"It should be...right? Since that Quanzhen disciple dared to come and report the news and claim the reward, he must be reliable..."

"Miss, but I just don't find it reliable at all. Who knows, maybe that person is a fake Taoist priest trying to scam the reward money, taking advantage of your easygoing nature..."

After the maidservant beside him said this, Wang Qingyuan's original certainty began to waver.

Looking around, the ancient tomb built of huge stones in front of me was indeed lifeless.

To anyone who looks at it, it resembles a tomb that has been sealed for many years, with no trace of a living dwelling.

But that elegant, white-haired figure was already deeply imprinted in her heart, making her unwilling to return empty-handed.

Wang Qingyuan steadied herself slightly, and her tone became more resolute again:

"That shouldn't be the case. That young master must live here. It seems we haven't found the mechanism to announce our arrival yet, and he doesn't know we've come to visit."

"Cui'er, go back to that stone wall and search carefully to see if there is a mechanism for issuing a visit."

Upon hearing this, Cui'er reluctantly agreed and had no choice but to steel herself and walk towards the gloomy, heavy stone wall once again.

Right at this moment!

Rolling...

Rolling...

Rolling.........

The dull, sluggish sound of the stone door hinges turning echoed, and the stone wall, which had been seamless, began to move slowly.

Upon seeing this, Wang Qingyuan was overjoyed and quickly took several steps forward.

But when the stone door of the ancient tomb slowly opened, all that was revealed inside was an endless darkness as thick as ink.

It was like a giant beast opening its deep, dark mouth, revealing nothing inside.

Seeing the scene inside the door, Wang Qingyuan dared not proceed rashly any further.

The servants outside the door craned their necks to look inside, but all they could see was darkness; they couldn't see anything at all.

Looking at the bottomless darkness before her, Cui'er felt a chill run down her spine and trembled uncontrollably.

She quickly moved closer to Wang Qingyuan and whispered tremblingly:

"Miss...this...this place is completely empty, there's nothing here..."

Before she could finish speaking...

A white shadow emerged silently from the darkness, standing quietly in the crack of the door.

When Cui'er suddenly saw Xiaolongnu appear like a ghost, her heart skipped a beat.

She instinctively gasped, hurriedly closed her eyes, and staggered backward to avoid the danger.

Wang Qingyuan was suddenly pulled by her, and her body trembled. She instinctively closed her eyes, not daring to look ahead.

The guards following behind him all tensed up, their fingers gripping the hilts of their swords tightening instantly, ready to defend themselves.

But when they calmed down and saw the figure standing at the stone gate, they were all stunned and their throats choked slightly.

The Little Dragon Girl stood quietly between the cracks in the stone gate, her white dress standing out conspicuously in the dim light.

His cold gaze swept over everyone outside the door.

When she saw the girl carrying the brocade box, her gaze sharpened slightly, and then her clear voice reached everyone's ears:

"Who are you? What brings you to the entrance of this ancient tomb?"