"And who might you be?"
This brief question struck Gu Shuheng's ears like thunder from a clear sky, especially when he saw the sword.
Is thisā¦ Is he going to kill me?
HUMMM!
At that thought alone, the young master of the Biluo Sword Valley felt a deathly chill wash over him. His throat bobbed several times, but he couldn't utter a single word.
SHING!
As the sword flashed, Gu Shuheng felt a sudden coldness on his spine, and a dazzling light exploded before his eyes.
It became the only color in his vision.
Sheathing the Ancestral Sword, Chen Yang turned around with one hand clasped behind his back. Beside the great river, a strong wind roared like a drum, whipping his clothes about with a sharp rustle. His bearing was peerless.
BOOM!
Though he immediately clapped his hands to his neck, Gu Shuheng still staggered several steps as blood spurted wildly. Then, he pitched forward onto the ground, his body convulsing before his breathing ceased.
"Thisā¦"
The driver, who had witnessed the entire scene, collapsed in a heap. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that his young master would be killed.
Howā¦ how am I going to explain this later?
"You have such a heavy murderous aura," Gu Zhiqing commented coolly from inside the business van. "Aren't you afraid of retaliation for so recklessly killing someone from the Biluo Sword Valley?"
She wasn't made of iron and stone, after all, so a trace of emotion stirred in her heart.
"I've already killed more than one person from the Biluo Sword Valley," Chen Yang said lightly. "Besides, you're about to launch a war of extermination against the Red Lotus Valley. Is there any point in you saying this, Miss Zhiqing?"
"I'm not from the Biluo Sword Valley," Gu Zhiqing responded, saying nothing more.
Chen Yang stood before the van's window and asked with interest, "If I may be so bold, is Miss Zhiqing also heading to the Red Lotus Valley?"
"Yes!"
Her single word was resounding and forceful.
Even knowing that once she went up the mountain, she would again be on the opposite side of Chen Yang, she still answered truthfully.
"I'm just going to repay a debt of gratitude."
For some reason, the ice queen, a woman of few words, added another sentence.
However, there was no response.
Gu Zhiqing turned her head to look out the window. Where had Chen Yang gone? A quick search revealed that the man was already walking up the mountain trail.
"Humph!"
Watching Chen Yang's retreating back, Gu Zhiqing wrinkled her nose and snorted in dissatisfaction as anger flared in her heart.
That man is infuriating.
In fact, she had been preparing herself for a fight with Chen Yang, but thenā¦
He just turned and left?
Does he look down on me? Or pity me?
"Miss, we should have killed him back at the Qingyuan River," Gu Xiulan complained from beside her. "Now look, he's made you furious."
Though she spoke these words, her heart was filled with venom. She had already sent news of Gu Shuheng's death to the person at the Red Lotus Valley's entranceāGu Shuheng's father.
Trash. You had a path to heaven but refused to take it, insisting on barging through the gates of hell when there were none. Fine, I'll grant your wish!
After staring at Chen Yang's back for a long moment, Gu Zhiqing finally looked away and ordered the driver indifferently, "Just do a simple clean-up. When we get up there, just tell them what happened."
"Yes, Miss!"
The driver nodded eagerly, a wave of gratitude washing over him. This way, the responsibility wouldn't fall on him. Otherwise, if his superiors investigated, he would undoubtedly be killed.
"Drive."
ćOn the mountain path.ć
Shen Shaotian's eyes roamed over Chen Yang, and finally, he couldn't hold back any longer. "I've got to ask, little brother-in-law, why do I get the feeling that you and that woman, Gu Zhiqing, share a bond of mutual appreciation?"
Chen Yang was silent.
A bond of mutual appreciation?
"Don't blame your brother-in-law for being nosy, but this situation is dangerous. Feelings could intensify unexpectedly! Gu Zhiqing is indeed a rare beauty, but you have a wife, and your child is about to be born."
"I'm warning you, if you dare do anything to wrong Xiaoqiu, I'll be the first one who won't let you off the hook," Shen Shaotian declared, his words firm and powerful.
He had visited Chen Yang's home before, met Qin Qiu, and even given them a massive red envelope with three million.
Chen Yang remained silent.
"Not talking, are you?" Shen Shaotian seemed to get fired up, his eyes wide. "I'll be watching. Don't blame me for being heartless later."
"You should worry about yourself first." Chen Yang hadn't wanted to engage, but he couldn't help but add, "My cousin isn't that easy to win over."
"Of course..." Shen Shaotian started to reply automatically but quickly caught on. "Kid, what are you trying to say? That I haven't won Liu Qingmei over yet? Who do you think you're looking down on?"
"I didn't say that. You said it, not me," Chen Yang said with a shrug.
Shen Shaotian was speechless.
This damn kidā¦ Did he just trick me?
Chen Yang had no time to waste on such foolishness. As for Gu Zhiqing, he simply felt she was a woman of principle, clearly different from the others in the Biluo Sword Valley. Last time on the banks of the Qingyuan River, she hadn't sided with Tu Cunshan against him. For that reason alone, Chen Yang would not make an enemy of her unless absolutely necessary.
Then, Chen Yang changed the subject. "Tell me, what's the Southern Dipper Academy's stance on this move against the Red Lotus Valley?"
***
At the mountaintop, the air was cold. A white mist permeated the woodlands, where frost hung thick upon the trees of the Zhanye Forest. Red Lotus Valley, situated at the peak, was shrouded in a dense, oppressive atmosphere that felt far, far colder than the mountain air itself.
Liu Qingmei had already received confirmed news. Besides the Biluo Sword Valley, the Southern Dipper Academy had also sent people and was preparing to intervene.
Biluo Sword Valley alone was enough to make Red Lotus Valley gasp for breath. If another major power were to join themā¦
The mere thought of it made Liu Qingmei, sitting in the council hall, feel utterly drained.
"If you ask me, there's only one path before us now." A middle-aged woman tapped the table, her narrow eyes sweeping over Liu Qingmei before she snorted coldly. "Since Biluo Sword Valley's goal is clear, our only option is to marry Qingmei off."
"This will resolve the crisis with Biluo Sword Valley, and the Southern Dipper Academy won't dare to act rashly anymore."
As soon as she finished speaking, half of the people in the council hall nodded in agreement.
"As a member of the Red Lotus Valley, she must always be prepared to sacrifice for it. It's not a matter of whether she likes it or not!"
The middle-aged woman, whose name was Liu Xuejun, puffed out her chest and proclaimed shamelessly, "Sacrifice you, one person, to save everyone in the Red Lotus Valley! I'm sure you'd be willing to do that, right?"
"If you remain so stubborn and refuse to see reason, it just goes to show we've spent all these years raising an ingrate who enjoys all the benefits but refuses to make any sacrifice when it counts."
Liu Qingmei's aunt had laid out all the arguments, both coaxing and cruel. To agree was only right and proper. To refuse would be to prove herself an ungrateful wretch, useless in a time of crisis.
Liu Qingmei clenched her teeth in anger.