The Prodigal Disciple of Mount Hua: Seizing All Opportunities

That night, at Fangjia Tingyuxuan.

The hustle and bustle of the banquet had subsided, and the building and its interiors returned to their usual tranquility.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong were treated as honored guests by Fang Hongxiu and were accommodated in the best guest courtyard to rest. Yang Guo also left with them.

The young man was extremely excited because he had made a great contribution by piercing through Qi Wuyai's escape boat and had also received Chen Qianyang's secret praise. He held this Brother Chen in the highest esteem.

Although he tried his best to appear mature, he could not hide the nature of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy. If it weren't for Guo Jing's intervention, he probably would have kept Chen Qianyang talking all night.

Chen Qianyang, on the other hand, was invited to Tingyuxuan alone.

Fang Hongxiu remained calm, as if the fierce battle during the day was nothing out of the ordinary for her.

The woman in black, who always wore a veil, stood quietly by the window, the moonlight flowing over her clothes, making her exceptionally elegant.

"Young Master Chen," the woman in black spoke first, her voice clear and melodious, "Only after witnessing it at sea did I realize how stunning the Dugu Nine Swords truly were. The brilliance of that single sword strike was truly unforgettable."

Her deliberately slowed tone brushed against my heart like a feather.

Chen Qianyang looked up and saw a soft veil draped over him, through which a pair of bright eyes were gazing at him.

"You flatter me, young lady." He bowed respectfully, his gaze unwavering. "To my shame, if it weren't for your timely rescue that day, I would have been dead long ago. This life-saving grace..."

He paused deliberately, his voice lowering slightly, "Qianyang will always keep this in mind."

The woman chuckled softly, her lotus-like steps faltering. "Since you remember this kindness, young master..." She suddenly moved closer. "If I were to ask for your help, would you be willing to grant it?"

Her voice was very low, tinged with a hint of probing, "I certainly won't let you go to all that trouble for nothing."

Chen Qianyang found it amusing, but on the surface he feigned a flirtatious expression: "Please speak freely, young lady, as long as it doesn't violate the code of chivalry..."

"Why does the young master always have to talk about chivalry? Must things in this world be divided so clearly?"

His tone carried a hint of reproach.

"For example, aren't you curious about what kind of face lies behind this veil, young master?"

This was almost flirting.

Chen Qianyang was curious to see what this woman was up to.

"Yingying," Fang Hongxiu's voice brooked no argument, "Stop with your act."

The woman called Yingying gracefully stepped back, but as she turned, her fingertips lightly brushed against the back of Chen Qianyang's hand, leaving a tingling sensation.

She slightly turned her head towards Chen Qianyang: "Aunt is right. However... Young Master Chen, we have a long future ahead of us."

Even after that beautiful figure disappeared outside the door, the lingering fragrance she left behind still filled the air.

Chen Qianyang unconsciously stroked the back of his hand that she had just touched, his heart filled with ripples of emotion.

Only the two of them remained sitting opposite each other inside.

Chen Qianyang understood immediately; this woman was indeed Ren Yingying. Since she had something to ask for, it was most likely related to the trapped Ren Woxing.

This also seems like an opportunity.

"I advise you, no matter what that girl said just now, don't get involved in this mess." Fang Hongxiu seemed to see through his thoughts.

"That girl is...?"

"No need to play dumb in front of me," Fang Hongxiu said calmly. "With your current strength, provoking the Sun Moon Cult is surely asking for trouble."

"I have learned a great deal."

"You're a smart man, but you're too confident. Remember, never underestimate anyone." Fang Hongxiu reached out and touched his wrist, her voice suddenly turning somber. "In this world, smart people often die faster."

Chen Qianyang nodded silently.

On his trip to Mingzhou, he was confident in his wisdom and martial arts skills, but when facing figures like Fang Hongxiu and Huang Rong, he found it difficult to gain the upper hand.

If the two hadn't happened to be on his side, the outcome would have been unpredictable.

"Since the previous agreement has been made, you will repay me with your life if you help me clean house." Fang Hongxiu turned and went into the inner room, taking out a small purple-gold box.

The box contained neatly arranged gold needles as fine as cow hair, which gleamed faintly under the lamp.

"Take off your shirt and sit cross-legged."

Chen Qianyang did as instructed, revealing his muscular upper body.

The candlelight outlined his firm muscles and also revealed the faint bluish-black color of the veins in his left arm.

Fang Hongxiu, holding the golden needles, said solemnly, "What I am using is the orthodox medical technique of 'Golden Needle Crossing the Calamity.' This poison has penetrated deep into the meridians; the pain of removing it will be like a thousand ants gnawing at your bones. Can you endure it?"

"I am not even afraid of death, so why should I fear mere pain?" Chen Qianyang closed his eyes and concentrated.

"it is good."

Fang Hongxiu said no more and her fingers flew across the keyboard.

With a few soft "swoosh, swoosh, swoosh" sounds, the golden needles moved as fast as lightning, piercing dozens of major acupoints around his body, including the "Divine Treasury," "Spiritual Ruins," and "Sea of ​​Qi."

Chen Qianyang felt a warm internal force coming from the needle tip, which merged with the warm current emanating from the [Two Elements Mystic Pendant] he kept close to his body, instantly protecting his heart meridian.

"Hold fast to the original essence and guide the poison back to the sea!"

Fang Hongxiu pointed her fingers like knives, focusing her attack on his dantian!

He then took out a jade bottle from the medicine box, poured out a drop of emerald green liquid, and flicked it into his mouth.

The moment the medicine dissipated was like ice falling into boiling oil!

Chen Qianyang shuddered violently, feeling as if an invisible hand had seized the cold toxins deep within the meridians of his left arm, forcibly pulling them from his limbs and bones and drawing them towards his dantian.

It was an indescribable, excruciating pain, as if his bone marrow had been frozen and then torn apart. He clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, but he didn't utter a sound.

Fang Hongxiu nodded to herself: This boy's willpower is truly rare.

"puff--"

After an incense stick had burned, Chen Qianyang suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood.

The blood splattered on the ground and instantly froze into frost.

"Alright." Fang Hongxiu put away the golden needles, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead, and her face paled slightly.

Chen Qianyang circulated his internal energy and felt completely exhausted, yet an unprecedented sense of ease flowed through his body.

The chilling poison that had been threatening his life for so long finally vanished without a trace.

He slowly straightened his clothes and stood up, bowing deeply to Fang Hongxiu: "Senior, I will never forget your life-saving grace!"

"No need to thank me." Fang Hongxiu waved her hand, her brows furrowed with exhaustion. "I saved you, firstly to repay the favor you did me today; secondly..."

She paused, a complex and unfathomable emotion flashing across her eyes, "It's also to repay your grandmaster's kindness."

She stared blankly at the bamboo forest outside the window for a long time before taking out an antique jade hairpin.

The hairpin's body is dull in color, clearly not made of precious jade, and the camellia carved on the head of the hairpin is already blurred and difficult to discern.

"If you see him again when you go back..." She handed the jade hairpin to Chen Qianyang, her voice suddenly softening, "tell him that what happened back then was all part of my scheme. He made the right choice, and I... never blame him."

The moonlight streamed through the window sill, casting a soft glow on her weathered profile.

The jade hairpin lay quietly in Chen Qianyang's palm, as if carrying a story buried by time.

Under the moonlight outside the window, Ren Yingying, wearing a veil, stood quietly, seemingly lost in thought, her face devoid of any allure.