Meng Qi’s forehead throbbed with veins, and he desperately wanted to give the demoness before him a good beating. He kept reminding himself not to sink to the level of a mentally unstable person—after all, Senior Brother Qi was still in her clutches!
He finally calmed his emotions and decided not to dwell on the child issue, asking solemnly, “Miss Xiao Sang, where is Senior Brother Qi? Why is he in danger?”
Gu Xiaosang’s face was filled with grievance, her eyes brimming with tears, and her lips pouting as she said, “Husband, you addressed me so formally. Don’t you usually call me ‘darling wife’?”
This isn’t the point! No, besides being schizophrenic, you also have delusions! Meng Qi felt utterly helpless all over.
Just as he was about to ask again, Gu Xiao Sang suddenly changed her expression, tilting her head to look at him playfully and cutely: “It’s inconvenient to talk right now. Let’s find another opportunity to meet again in the next few days. There are things I say that you won’t believe, but if your Senior Brother Qi speaks, you won’t doubt it.”
As she spoke, she looked a bit melancholy again.
What does she mean by “your Senior Brother Qi”… Meng Qi twitched his lips, deciding to ignore Gu Xiao Sang’s incredibly skillful acting.
Gu Xiao Sang seemed to have mastered the art of “changing faces.” Her expression suddenly became serious as she walked up to Meng Qi and whispered, “In the next few days, you’d better go out less, and don’t stay here. Go to Xingyun Manor as soon as possible.”
After speaking, she brushed past Meng Qi and directly pushed the door to leave, leaving behind a faint and lasting fragrance.
Meng Qi was stunned, turning back to look for her, but she was already gone.
Only now did he realize that he still couldn’t accurately judge Gu Xiao Sang’s strength. She seemed normal, every move like an ordinary nine-orifice expert, lacking the natural rhythm and heavenly principles felt in the movements of someone like Wang Siyuan. Yet precisely because of this, she was all the more thrilling.
When she had eight orifices, he had not yet opened his. Since then, although he had encountered many adventures, she had not been idle either—Tian Ting’s chain missions, hunting down the Xuan Nu lineage, the Nine Heavens ruins—she had gained no less than he had. With her talent, resources, and hard work, if he had reached the eight-orifice stage, how could she still be at the level of an ordinary nine-orifice expert? Could she have already achieved communion with heaven, union with heaven, or even broken through to half-step?
Therefore, the more Gu Xiao Sang appeared to be at the normal nine-orifice level, the more unsettling she became. Had she already reached the point of suppressing the feeling of union with heaven?
His consciousness spread out, his mental world outlining every detail nearby, but he could not find the slightest trace of Gu Xiao Sang.
Just then, her tinkling laughter sounded in Meng Qi’s ears: “Husband, I’m very happy you’re dressed like this, so I’ve decided not to hold it against you for saying one thing while thinking another.”
This voice lingered, startling Meng Qi. She hadn’t gone far, yet he couldn’t sense her at all!
Then he understood the meaning behind her words, looked at his black outfit, slightly twitched his face, and muttered, “You’re overthinking…”
This heroic and masculine outfit was indeed “designed” for him by Gu Xiao Sang.
Putting his feelings aside, Meng Qi recalled Gu Xiao Sang’s previous warning: “Senior Brother Qi is in danger… she told me to go out less and move to Xingyun Manor as soon as possible… could there be danger for me too?”
“Could this be the witch’s conspiracy?”
“Hmm, anyway, I was going to Xingyun Manor. There’s no difference between going early or late. I don’t see any conspiracy here…”
Meng Qi would not dismiss words simply because of the speaker. He would not subjectively assume that everything Gu Xiao Sang said was a lie and thus not worth believing. Instead, he would carefully analyze, judge truth from falsehood, and weigh pros and cons.
After a brief consideration, Meng Qi packed his belongings, took Tian Zhi Shang with him, left some silver, and directly left the inn, heading toward Yue Lake.
Although named “Manor,” Xingyun Manor was not outside the city but located near Yue Lake and Yan Yu Mountain, in the northwest corner of Ying City. When Ying City was built, unlike other cities, it included Yue Lake and Yan Yu Mountain within its walls, making it extremely vast. Based on the information from the Six Gates, Meng Qi speculated that this might be related to the city’s protective formation, harnessing the natural beauty of the land.
…
Xingyun Manor was built by the mountains and beside the water, with a grand entrance, quite different from the usual Jiangdong gardens, which were more delicate.
Regardless of the late hour, Meng Qi pulled the door knocker and knocked heavily on the gate.
Soon, a small side door creaked open, and an old man dressed in deep blue servant’s clothes peered out: “Young master, what urgent matter brings you to visit Xingyun Manor at night?”
Seeing Meng Qi’s distinguished demeanor, he did not dare to scold but politely asked.
“My name is Su Meng; I’ve been invited here.” Meng Qi took out the invitation.
The old man took it, his face breaking into a smile: “So it’s young master Su! I’ll report to the young master immediately.”
He invited Meng Qi to sit in the gatehouse while he quickly went inside to report. Not long after, he returned with a beaming smile: “Young master Su, the young master just finished his cultivation and invites you to the ‘Sword Qi Rushing to the Heavens’ hall.”
He Jiu is quite courteous… Meng Qi nodded slightly and followed the old servant through pavilions and corridors, crossing artificial hills and ponds, arriving at a hall that seemed to be made of black iron.
As soon as he stepped inside, Meng Qi felt a surge of sword qi, as if thousands of swords were hanging here. But upon closer inspection, it was empty, with only steel beams and walls and ordinary tables and chairs.
At the upper seat sat a man in his mid-twenties, tall and broad-shouldered, with eyebrows like swords and eyes like deep pools. His appearance was not particularly outstanding, but sitting there with a faint smile, he exuded a bold and fearless aura, as if nothing in the world could trouble him or intimidate him.
This feeling was mostly “arrogance,” with a small part hidden, now perfectly balanced.
Like Gu Xiao Sang, He Jiu appeared to Meng Qi as an ordinary nine-orifice expert. But if he closed his eyes and ears and silently practiced the “Immovable Lotus” technique, combining it with the subtle realm, he would discover that there was only a mass of sword qi there, constantly surging and exuding a sharp and awe-inspiring aura.
He wore a pale white robe, with a simple bandage around his neck.
“Young Master He, you’re injured?” Meng Qi bowed respectfully, asking in surprise.
He Jiu was the young master of the Donghai Sword Manor. His father, He Ba, temporarily held the position of master, while his grandfather, He Qi, had not concerned himself with worldly matters for many years.
He Jiu laughed heartily, unconcerned: “The Wolf King visited me the day before yesterday and gave me a claw strike. I returned three sword strikes.”
“The Wolf King came so quickly,” Meng Qi remarked, recalling that he had taken a detour to Maoling and narrowly missed encountering the Wolf King.
He Jiu pointed with his hand, inviting Meng Qi to sit as he spoke casually: “He came quickly, but unfortunately, he was still a bit slower than I expected, only causing me minor injuries.”
“He himself received three of my sword strikes and now probably cannot leave Ying City, needing to find a place to rest and recover.”
Simple and straightforward, the feeling of being the top-ranked person on the list naturally emerged.
“I see,” Meng Qi was slightly moved, planning to seize this opportunity to ensure the Wolf King would never leave Jiangdong.
Strike while the iron is hot!
He Jiu did not boast about his achievements, simply describing them before smiling: “Others feel pressured staying at Xingyun Manor, hoping to come on the last day. But you, Kuang Dao, came so openly, which impressed me, living up to your ‘arrogant’ reputation.”
“This way, I can save a lot of money,” Meng Qi looked at He Jiu with a serious expression.
He Jiu’s mouth twitched slightly, his unrestrained and bold demeanor slightly disrupted, then he slapped the table and laughed: “Enough honesty, enough straightforwardness!”
“Originally, I wanted to spar with you, but if we did that early, it would ruin the anticipation for the Xingyun Banquet,” he spoke to himself. “So, please don’t slack off during this time and bring your condition to perfection.”
So there will indeed be challenges at the Xingyun Banquet… Meng Qi thought for a moment and nodded.
After that, He Jiu discussed martial arts with him, exploring changes in techniques and the flow of true energy, with both host and guest feeling that the other lived up to their reputation.
He Jiu arranged for Meng Qi to stay at the “Canyue Building,” close to Yue Lake, where he could see the moon reflected in the pond, creating a dual world above and below.
Meng Qi checked the doors and windows, lay on the bed, and began practicing the first volume of the “Yi Jin Jing.”
As time passed, Meng Qi increasingly felt the extraordinary effects of this supreme martial art. Whether it was his swordsmanship, blade techniques, or the palm techniques he had just started learning, they all felt as if he had practiced them for years, gaining a solid foundation. His true energy, already abundant, had limited improvement before, but now seemed more refined and pure, adding to its power.
Moreover, he gradually gained deeper insights into the opening techniques of Tian Dao, Du Gu, and Bu Si, which also underwent some mysterious changes, developing in a positive direction.
Of course, more importantly, his cultivation became much more efficient.
In a state between emptiness and complexity, like an egg, reaching out to heaven and earth, Meng Qi felt as if he were wrapped in warm water, very comfortable.
After finishing one session of the “Yi Jin Jing,” he sat cross-legged and began circulating the Ba Jiu Xuan Gong.
Who knows how long passed, when suddenly the Ba Jiu Xuan Gong true energy broke through a certain barrier, surging like a great river flowing down in snow.
Boom!
The anterior Yin acupoint was opened again, and the Ba Jiu Xuan Gong also broke through to this level. His body emitted a pale golden glow, his essence and energy flowing endlessly, filled with strength, and even Tian Zhi Shang seemed much lighter.
Calculating his progress, once the Golden Bell Cover opens the ninth orifice and the seventh stage is completed, he could focus solely on the Ba Jiu Xuan Gong.
Huff, with the “Yi Jin Jing,” I broke through much faster than I had anticipated… Meng Qi opened his eyes, his pupils deep and dark, seemingly radiating colorful brilliance, ever-changing.
After spending a day at Xingyun Manor, Wang Zai personally came to escort Meng Qi, as the scheduled martial arts event in Ying City was about to commence.
This time, Meng Qi was not a participant but a “guest” who would judge and guide, the position previously held by elder experts.
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