After careful consideration, Meng Qi said solemnly, “I will challenge the disciples of the Wang Clan who have opened their spiritual apertures, but what about you? Shan Xiumei has no record of evil deeds or misconduct—she merely possesses an ’emanation body.’ Even if I kill her, others will only think I have fallen into the demonic path by harming an innocent young lady. No one will believe that I am truly eliminating evil to uphold the righteous path.”
He truly feared being deceived by Gu Xiaosang—after all, they were adversaries, not allies. Yet, this matter urgently needed resolution. While aligning with a powerful clan or the Six Bureaus would grant him easy acceptance—given his inheritance of the Thunder God’s legacy and his potential as a future Human Rankings expert—thus deterring that mediocre Exterior-level opponent, doing so would unmistakably reveal his Thunder God lineage to the Su Nu Sect. This would inevitably draw relentless pursuit from one of the Nine Heretical Sects. Moreover, with the resonance between the Overlord’s Blade and the Thunder God’s heir, he would be condemned to a life of perpetual seclusion.
Of course, if the “Thunder Blade Mad Monk” killed Shan Xiumei, it would have a similar effect, and he would also become a Left Path practitioner.
Gu Xiaosang chuckled softly, “Husband, you’re as suspicious as an old man. Since it’s merely an ’emanation body,’ there must be something unique about it. Once Shan Xiumei dies, her essence will transform into a beam of light and return to her true body. Any Exteriors expert with reasonable perception will sense the unique aura of the Xuan Nu Sect. Besides, you only need to challenge her and create an opportunity. I, this wicked girl, will naturally handle the actual killing, so the Su Nu Sect won’t suspect you, since everyone knows I’ve already killed the Seven Celestial Maidens.”
“As for normally,” she curtsied gracefully, “I’m, of course, your obedient little maid, Zi.” She bowed with elegance, “Master, any further instructions for little Zi?”
Her ethereal and unfathomable aura completely vanished, and aside from her exquisite beauty and poetic grace, she appeared like an ordinary young lady. At first glance, Meng Qi almost failed to recognize her as Gu Xiaosang.
Meng Qi frowned slightly, “Aren’t you afraid someone will recognize you?”
“My aura has changed, my true inheritance hidden, and with a bit of makeup, no one will recognize me,” Gu Xiaosang smiled, “few who have truly interacted with me are still alive anyway.”
What a perfect actor… she’s a psychopath’s forte, Meng Qi inwardly grumbled.
Gu Xiaosang stepped out of the room, rustling about doing something, and after a while, she returned lightly, her face lightly made up, concealing her peerless beauty, appearing only as a pretty and delicate young girl. She bowed gracefully, “Master, how do you like little Zi’s appearance?”
Indeed, makeup is the best disguise for women… Meng Qi’s mouth slightly agape, eyes wide with shock. If Gu Xiaosang changed her plain white dress and furry cloak, she would perfectly embody a beautiful maid!
“Alright, don’t expose your identity when you act,” Meng Qi reminded her, this would implicate the master…
Once Shan Xiumei was slain, her manifested form would revert to its true nature, and all the experts present would turn their attacks on the demonic beings of the Su Nu Sect. Even if he joined the assault, no one would suspect him—instead, they would see it as him eradicating evil to uphold the righteous path.
Gu Xiaosang pouted like a lively maid, “Master, you don’t trust little Zi? With my strength, killing her emanation body won’t expose my identity at all!”
…Miss, if you keep acting like this, you might split another personality… Meng Qi thought. Although he considered himself quite skilled in acting, compared to Gu Xiaosang’s natural performance, there was still a huge gap.
“Master, prepare yourself today and build up your momentum. Little Zi will come for you tomorrow to test the heroes of Ye Du with your blade,” Gu Xiaosang said with sparkling eyes, smiling sweetly, her fragrance wafting.
On the way back in the carriage, Meng Qi remained silent, deeply contemplating the entire matter.
He would never believe that Gu Xiaosang acted purely to help him; she must have other motives. If he didn’t prepare accordingly, he would surely be tricked.
The carriage stopped at the alley entrance, dropped Meng Qi off, and drove into the bustling crowd ahead.
Back home, Meng Qi sat on the stone bench beneath the plum blossom tree, replaying every word Gu Xiaosang had said regarding this matter.
Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes, repeating her words, “‘This is the fundamental technique of the Xuan Nu Sect, a secret nearly unknown to the outside world. If not for my fortunate encounter with some ancient texts and a previous battle with her, I probably couldn’t have uncovered the truth…”
“Nearly unknown to the outside world, fortunate encounter with some ancient texts…”
“Fortunate encounter with some ancient texts, and a previous battle with her…”
“This indicates she obtained the ancient texts before battling the Xuan Nu disciple.”
“And the secret of the Xuan Nu disciple is even unknown to the Wang Clan of Zhou County, one of the Fourteen Great Clans. It seems even the Luo Sect is unaware. Gu Xiaosang must have understood it solely through the ancient texts she acquired.”
“What kind of texts are these, and where did she get them?”
Meng Qi carefully analyzed this seemingly ordinary sentence, adding his previous doubts:
“She must have obtained ancient texts about the Xuan Nu disciple beforehand, understanding the secret of her ’emanation body,’ so there’s no question of negligence.”
“She was in the Three Mountains and Four Rivers but didn’t take the strange stone from beyond the sky, cutting off the clue, instead chasing down the Xuan Nu disciple afterward, claiming to eliminate future threats for me.”
“She said she sent people to seize the strange stone from beyond the sky to give to me.”
Suddenly, a flash of insight lit up Meng Qi’s mind, and he stood up abruptly:
“Wicked girl, your real target must be the Xuan Nu disciple!”
“Taking that strange stone from the heavens was indeed meant for me. Perhaps one reason was that the Nine Heavens Ruins require the heir of the Thunder God, but another likely reason was to use my Thunder Mark to activate the inheritance, triggering a reaction from the Overlord’s Blade and drawing the Xuan Nu disciple down the mountain!”
“That’s why you didn’t take the strange stone, allowing the Su Nu Sect to retrieve it. That’s also why you later went all out, displaying your might, eliminating the Seven Celestial Maidens in one battle, unfortunately, the Xuan Nu disciple’s emanation body still escaped.”
“The ancient texts you obtained likely reveal more than just the secret of the Xuan Nu ’emanation body’—there must be another secret about her that interests you!”
“What is it that you want from the Xuan Nu disciple?”
It seemed as if Gu Xiaosang stood before him, and Meng Qi inwardly questioned her, his thoughts clear and sharp, having for the first time grasped this wicked girl’s weakness!
Meng Qi paced with his hands behind his back, musing, “In this matter, our main goals align, but I must still prepare for the final ‘divergence.'”
“Although she never truly betrays me, at worst she merely watches from the sidelines and then uses that to draw me into her scheme, but her intentions are despicable. I should stir up some trouble and make it hard for her to succeed easily…”
Having made his decision, Meng Qi began to devise countermeasures. However, since He Mu had just competed today, there would inevitably be people coming to investigate the hidden mastermind behind the scenes. Qi Zhengyan certainly couldn’t come over, leaving him with no one to discuss and assist.
As dusk approached, Meng Qi suddenly heard a knock at the door—knock, knock, knock.
Opening the courtyard gate, Meng Qi saw an ordinary middle-aged man, who looked like a laborer wandering from street to street.
“Esteemed sir,” the middle-aged man said with a smile, “I came to watch the martial arts competition and got lost nearby. I’m terribly thirsty and would like to ask for a cup of water.”
Meng Qi, always ready to help, pointed at the well, “Help yourself, but be careful—the water is cold from the winter chill.”
“No problem, no problem,” the middle-aged man drew a bucket of water, scooped a ladleful, and drank it. Then, smiling, he said, “May I ask for your honorable surname, sir? I’m very grateful.”
“My surname is Su,” Meng Qi replied casually.
The middle-aged man chuckled, “My surname is Cheng. I’m from the Yong’an Ward in the southern part of Ye Du. I specially came today to watch the martial arts competition. By the way, is that the Qingfeng Martial Arts Academy over there?”
“Yes,” Meng Qi smirked slightly, pointing at the clearly visible plaque.
The middle-aged man pretended to suddenly understand, “So this is the Qingfeng Martial Arts Academy! Today, their disciple He Mu was truly remarkable. With only the cultivation of qi to his name, he nearly defeated a disciple from the Chiyang Martial Arts Academy who had already opened his eye aperture, leaving the opponent flustered and on the verge of defeat. His swordsmanship is truly exceptional!”
Upon hearing He Mu’s name, Meng Qi raised his eyebrows and examined the middle-aged man carefully. He appeared simple but shrewd, with clear signs of long-term martial arts training on his fingers and wrists.
Is he someone sent by a clan sect to investigate, or is he from the Six Bureaus? Meng Qi had a rough idea of the man’s identity. He nodded in agreement, “Yes, I also went to watch at Chiyang Martial Arts Academy.”
The middle-aged man chuckled, “For someone He Mu’s age to use swordsmanship to fluster an expert who has opened his spiritual aperture, he must either have had a great fortune or be an extraordinary genius. But I heard he wasn’t particularly outstanding before, only recently showing his potential.”
They chatted a bit more, and Meng Qi deduced from various clues that the man was a secret agent from the Six Bureaus. However, he did not expose him, instead playfully engaging in conversation, waiting for the man to ask about the mysterious expert behind He Mu.
“By the way, Mr. Su, you’ve lived here for quite some time, haven’t you? Did you previously consider He Mu a swordsmanship prodigy?” After circling around the topic, the middle-aged man asked again.
He also knows quite a bit about me, so he must be an agent from the Six Bureaus… Meng Qi smiled, “He Mu diligently studies and often asks me about words and phrases, but aside from that, there’s nothing particularly special about him.”
The middle-aged man clapped his hands, “That’s what I thought!”
He winked, adopting the manner of idle gossip, “Mr. Su, have you ever seen anyone guiding He Mu? He must have had a great fortune!”
Meng Qi was about to fabricate an image of an ethereal hermit when a sudden idea struck him, and he chuckled, “Of course I have.”
“Really? Who?” The middle-aged man became instantly excited.
Meng Qi smiled and pointed at himself, “Me! It was me!”
The middle-aged man’s expression instantly turned blank and vacant, as if the person before him were a madman. He forced a smile and said, “Mr. Su, please don’t joke around.”
Who would admit to such a thing themselves!
“It really was me; I am the master!” Meng Qi said solemnly.
No expert has ever described themselves like this… The middle-aged man sighed, covering his face, increasingly feeling that he had encountered an incomprehensible madman.
“You’re from the Six Fan Sect, aren’t you?” Meng Qi ceased his jesting, his voice shifting to a composed and steady tone. With his hands clasped behind his back, he instantly radiated the demeanor of a master.
The middle-aged man’s face changed drastically, “Mr. Su, what are you saying?”
“I escaped from a wicked girl’s pursuit and have been staying here for half a year, but fate would not have it, and I eventually must face her. Therefore, I passed on a few techniques to He Mu to ensure the swordsmanship continues, and I ask you to convey this to the Six Bureaus as evidence,” Meng Qi believed that Gu Xiaosang could never have guessed that an agent from the Six Bureaus would come knocking at this critical moment.
His tone was solemn and heroic, imbued with the sorrow of parting, like the chilling wind blowing over the Yi River.
The middle-aged man’s expression turned serious, “May I know the honorable name of the gentleman?”
“Zhen Ding, once a disciple of Shaolin, now goes by the secular name Su Meng.” Meng Qi gazed steadily and solemnly at the overcast sky.
Zhen Ding, the former Shaolin disciple? These six words were truly thunderous among those below the Exteriors level. The middle-aged man exclaimed in shock, “The Thunder Blade Mad Monk?”
Meng Qi sighed, “Go back now. Don’t look for me tonight. I must find a quiet place to cultivate my blade heart. Tomorrow, I will test the heroes of Ye Du with my blade.”
The middle-aged man was extremely puzzled, unable to grasp the connection between these two statements. However, Meng Qi’s attitude of seeing him off was firm, so he reluctantly left the courtyard, closing the gate behind him.
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