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

Granny Sun watched as Little Dragon Girl hurriedly left.

His gaze lingered on Yang Guo in the depths of the dark passageway, his expression shifting constantly.

Strange things have really been happening all day!

She had watched Xiaolongnu grow up since she was a child, and knew that Xiaolongnu's heart was as clear as water, untouched by the world. She had cultivated the mind-clearing and desire-free cultivation method of the Ancient Tomb for more than ten years, and had long since achieved a state where nothing could entangle her heart. The joys and sorrows of the world could hardly move her in the slightest. Today, her sudden loss of composure was truly unprecedented.

Could it be that Miss Long has some special feelings for young Yang...?

Having lived a long and fulfilling life, Granny Sun had a keen understanding of the fickle nature of human relationships. With a slight shift in her mind, she had already guessed some of the clues.

She glanced at Yang Guo, a look of mixed joy and sorrow flashing in her eyes. She shook her head and stopped thinking about it. She also turned and followed him into the dark tomb passage, leaning on her wooden cane.

Outside the mountain gate, a gentle evening breeze was blowing as dusk settled in.

Wang Qingyuan stood quietly on the stone steps, clearly seeing the subtle changes that had taken place in front of the tomb gate. Although she was a young lady who had lived in seclusion for a long time, she was not an ignorant and naive woman.

Just now, the white-clad fairy stood calmly, and when she asked questions at the door, her expression was also calm and undisturbed, like cold jade under the moon.

But as soon as she opened her mouth to ask the young master's name, she turned and left, in such a hasty and distant manner.

She vaguely understood some of the implications.

A faint sense of melancholy and loss quietly rose in her heart, but on the surface she adhered to the etiquette of a noble family, showing no sign of losing her composure, and refraining from uttering a single word of gossip.

Yang Guo withdrew his gaze from the passageway and returned it to the girl in front of him, speaking politely:

"I appreciate Miss Wang's kind intentions. It is getting late and the mountain road is difficult to travel. You should return home soon and be careful on your journey."

Wang Qingyuan sensed the implied intention to see him off in his words. Although she was reluctant to part with him, she knew that everyone had their own path to take and it was inappropriate to disturb him any further.

She took a half step back, gave a graceful bow, and spoke in a clear, gentle voice:

"Thank you for your concern, young master. I will take my leave now and will not disturb your peaceful cultivation any longer. If you have the time to visit the city in the future, I hope you will visit the Prince's residence. The Prince's family will certainly welcome you with open arms and do our best to be your hosts."

After speaking, she raised her eyes and gazed deeply at Yang Guo.

As if wanting to etch that handsome and refined face firmly into his heart, he then turned around gently and raised his hand to signal his servants to set off.

As dusk settled in, the group slowly made their way down the mountain path.

Yang Guo stood alone at the entrance of the ancient tomb, the empty mountains were silent, and the evening wind was whistling.

He lowered his eyes to look at the heavy sandalwood box in his hand. The wooden box was warm and delicate to the touch, but what lingered in his heart was the cold and aloof figure of Xiaolongnu leaving in haste.

He felt a sense of helplessness in his heart, and also felt a bit of absurdity.

Needless to say, the Wang family's daughter's admiration was evident in her eyes and words, which he could clearly see.

But he never expected that Xiaolongnu, who had always been indifferent to love and devoted herself to cultivating the Ancient Tomb Heart Sutra, would harbor resentment and secretly worry about this.

The Ancient Tomb Sect's mental cultivation method severs the seven emotions and eliminates the six desires. Little Dragon Girl has been cultivating according to this method since childhood. Her heart is as calm as an ancient well. She has never had any romantic feelings.

This subtle jealousy and utter disarray is something I've never seen before in my life; it's completely unlike her usual aloof personality.

He gently shook his head, suppressing these distracting thoughts for the time being, and turned to step back into the tomb.

The heavy stone door slowly closed, the dull rumble of the rotating shaft echoing through the empty mountains, completely isolating it from the twilight and evening breeze, keeping all worldly affairs and human disturbances outside.

Inside the ancient tomb, a deep and deathly silence returned.

Yang Guo slowly returned to the Cold Jade Stone Chamber, casually placing the sandalwood brocade box in his hand on the stone platform, without rushing to open it to see what was inside.

His daytime cultivation was interrupted by an incident, and then this unexpected turn of events occurred in the evening. At this moment, his mind was in turmoil, and he had no mood to practice his skills.

He leaned against the stone bench, staring blankly at the cold jade bed.

Two images kept flashing through my mind, lingering endlessly.

First, Wang Qingyuan's lingering gaze, filled with tender reluctance, was full of sincerity and affection as she departed. Second, Xiaolongnu's hurried and aloof figure as she turned and left was silent, yet it concealed a myriad of emotions.

In a daze, Guo Fu's proud and bright face from Peach Blossom Island in the past quietly appeared.

I never imagined I would have such a happy trouble one day.

After a moment of stunned silence, Yang Guo raised his hand and rubbed his cheeks vigorously to dispel all the chaotic thoughts in his mind. He got up, walked back to the cold jade bed, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

In this chaotic world, romantic entanglements are fleeting; only self-cultivation is the foundation for survival.

With his mind made up, he stopped dwelling on the subtle entanglement between the two women and focused his attention on his own arduous cultivation.

.....

In another quiet room of the ancient tomb.

The candlelight flickered dimly, casting a pale yellow glow on that aloof figure, but offering no warmth whatsoever.

Xiaolongnu sat alone by the stone table, her slender hands holding the white jade hairpin that Yang Guo had given her during the day. The jade hairpin was translucent and warm, and the lotus pattern carved on the hairpin head was elegant and lively.

She lowered her eyes and head, her fingertips tracing the lotus pattern on the hairpin again and again, while her heart was churning with unprecedented turmoil.

The scene in front of the tomb entrance kept replaying in my mind.

The young woman in brocade stood in the twilight, bowing respectfully to Yang Guo and earnestly presenting him with gifts, calling him "Young Master" repeatedly. The tender admiration in her eyes was truly touching.

Once, twice...

It's vivid in my mind, and I can't shake it off.

Strange...

That's strange...

She felt a strange and bewildered feeling.

Since she began practicing the Ancient Tomb Technique, she has never known what it means to feel bored, worried, or bitter.

But today, upon hearing the young girl call him "Young Master" repeatedly and seeing her sincere devotion to him, a dull and suffocating feeling inexplicably arose in his heart, a heavy and oppressive feeling that made it hard for him to breathe.

This feeling was both unfamiliar and unsettling to him, without any apparent reason or way to resolve it.

She tried to silently recite the Ancient Tomb Sect's Mind-Cleansing Mantra, but as soon as she began to recite the words, her heart began to pound like a surging tide, one wave after another, and no matter how she tried to suppress it, she could not calm it down.

After several unsuccessful attempts, she simply gave up.

Since one's emotions are difficult to calm, forcibly suppressing them is futile.

In her clear eyes, it seemed as if a decision had been quietly made, one that no one knew about.

Her delicately furrowed brows, which had been tightly knit, gradually relaxed.

She carefully placed the white jade hairpin back into the wooden box, gently rose, her white robes fluttering, and slowly stepped out of the quiet room.

The deep, winding passageway was deathly silent and dark, except for her light, slow steps, her footsteps landing silently, like a speck of dust under the moon.

As they walked to the door of the Cold Jade Stone Chamber, a few dim candlelight shone through the half-open door, casting a thin shadow in the dark passageway.

She stood quietly at the edge of the light and shadow, paused for a moment, and then raised her hand to gently push open the stone door.

Inside the stone chamber, Yang Guo had already heard very light footsteps outside the door.

He was slightly surprised and pondered to himself:

In the dead of night, she suddenly came; could it be that she was still bothered by what happened outside the door earlier?

Was the Wang family's daughter really that provoking her? Was she angry and wanted to question her, or was she furious and wanted to kick her out?

After a thousand thoughts raced through his mind, he looked up at the doorway, waiting for her to speak, unsure of what to say.

However, Xiaolongnu avoided eye contact with him, as if she had not seen the thoughts and speculations in his eyes.

She lightly lifted her lotus-like steps, stepped over the stone threshold, and went straight to the cold jade bed. She held the exquisite wooden box in both hands and handed it to Yang Guo.

Her usually cool and aloof voice was unusually gentle and tender tonight, completely unlike her usual indifferent and distant tone.

This jade hairpin... I can't wear it myself.

Her long eyelashes drooped gently, concealing the subtle emotions in her eyes. The candlelight cast a soft shadow on her flawless face. Her voice lowered further, carrying a gentle whisper:

"Could you... help me put it on?"

Yang Guo was stunned for a moment, all his speculations were in vain.

Just now, his mind went through countless possibilities, imagining reproach, estrangement, questioning, or being driven away...

This was the only one I hadn't thought of.

She came alone in the dead of night, just to have him help her tie a jade hairpin.

He looked down at the wooden box in her hand, then looked up at her downcast eyes.

She didn't meet his gaze; instead, she lowered her eyes and stared quietly at the wooden box in her hand, as if waiting for an answer.

Looking back on his earlier confusion and suspicion, Yang Guo realized that he had been worrying unnecessarily and was being too worldly.

All the distracting thoughts in his mind dissipated, and a gentle smile unconsciously appeared on his lips. Without saying a word, he reached out and took the wooden box, taking out the warm and translucent white jade hairpin.

Turn your head around, and I'll help you tie it up.

As instructed, Xiaolongnu slowly turned around, sat upright on the edge of the cold jade bed, with her back to him.

Her back was straight and her posture elegant, but there was a slight, barely perceptible stiffness about her, hiding a hint of shyness and awkwardness in her first experience with love.

Yang Guo gently gathered her cascading black hair with his fingertips, his movements slow and steady, carefully inserting the white jade hairpin into her hair bun. The placement was just right, elegant and matching her refined and otherworldly appearance.

After quickly getting ready, he said softly, "All done."

Xiaolongnu raised her hand and touched the jade hairpin in her hair. Her fingertips brushed against the warm and smooth jade, and all the stagnation in her heart just now completely disappeared, leaving only a feeling of complete comfort and mental clarity.

She slowly turned around and looked up at Yang Guo.

This time, a gentle light quietly rippled in her clear, watery eyes, faint yet incredibly real.

The candlelight cast flickering shadows on the wall, where two figures clung to each other, inseparable.

The stone chamber was silent, with only the soft, long breaths of the two of them echoing quietly.

After a long silence, it was finally Xiaolongnu who broke the silence first, her voice as soft as silk, so gentle as if afraid of disturbing the peace of the room:

Why has your once black hair all turned white?

Yang Guo was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

He glanced down at the snow-white hair hanging over his shoulders, then smiled:

"This is due to practicing a special cultivation technique."

Little Dragon Girl blinked gently, a rare hint of childlike pure curiosity surfacing in her eyes:

"Such a strange technique exists in this world, capable of changing a person's hair color?"

Yang Guo, seeing her usually aloof and indifferent demeanor, suddenly showed curiosity.

The smile at the corners of his mouth deepened even more:

"Want to learn? I'll teach you!"