Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Guo'er, calm down.

Time passes unnoticed in the mountains; the passing of winter leaves one unaware of the years.

Life on the back mountain was simple, but also carefree. No one cared what time you got up, and no one watched whether you were reciting Taoist scriptures.

Yang Guo sat cross-legged on the bluestone in front of the thatched shed, his eyes slightly closed.

With each breath, a warm current rose from his dantian, traveled up his spine, past his coccyx, through his pelvic floor muscles, and straight to his occipital bone. Although the internal energy cultivation method of the Quanzhen Sect was slow to develop, like an old ox pulling a broken cart, after a month of practice, the balanced and peaceful energy had actually suppressed the restless Toad Stance within him.

The two streams of true energy did not fight each other in the meridians; instead, they rotated in circles like a millstone.

call--

Yang Guo exhaled a breath of stale air, opened his eyes, and felt that his hearing and vision were sharp. He could even see a ladybug on a blade of grass ten feet away clearly.

According to the martial arts world, his current skills would at least qualify him as a second-rate fighter. If he were to run into that fat pig Lu Qingdu again, he wouldn't even need to resort to underhanded tricks; he could easily defeat him head-on.

However, no matter how well one practices kung fu, there's nowhere to vent the fire in one's heart.

Yang Guo turned his head and looked at the Tomb of the Living Dead not far away.

"The Nine Yin Manual, which Wang Chongyang carved, is inside."

Yang Guo casually plucked a blade of grass and put it in his mouth, his mind racing with calculations.

According to his memories from his previous life, although the martial arts of the Ancient Tomb Sect were ethereal and otherworldly, the only thing that could truly elevate him to the ranks of top masters in a short time was the "Nine Yin Manual" engraved at the bottom of the stone coffin lid. Once he obtained the manual, mastered the divine skill, and then descended the mountain to swallow snake gall and retrieve the Dugu Nine Swords, he could achieve his goal.

They should be able to fight the Five Greats.

Peach Blossom Island... Sister Rong...

The thought of that name ignited a burning passion in Yang Guo's heart...

But the problem now is that the two stone doors with the broken dragon stone still in place are still an insurmountable barrier for him.

Since that fleeting glimpse that night, that fairy-like woman seemed to have vanished into thin air, never to be seen again.

"You're really good at enduring things."

Yang Guo casually plucked a blade of grass and put it in his mouth, pondering to himself.

This ancient tomb was unearthed inside a mountain, perpetually shrouded in darkness, cold and damp. A normal person would get moldy after three days inside, yet this Little Dragon Girl managed to live there for so many years.

Strange and unusual thoughts began to pop into his mind.

Humans need food to survive. Even if a fairy goddess looks otherworldly, she's still a mortal and needs to eat, drink, and relieve herself, right? Did they build an outhouse in this ancient tomb?

If it's been repaired, how will the waste be discharged? If it's not, will people use a chamber pot?

The thought that the aloof, ethereal woman in white would have to untie her skirt and squat on the chamber pot like an ordinary mortal... Yang Guo felt no disrespect, but instead felt a surge of heat in his lower abdomen and a dryness in his throat.

The higher he was, the more he wanted to drag her into the mortal world.

"What are you thinking? You're so pathetic."

Yang Guo patted his face, temporarily banishing those erotic images from his mind.

Forcing your way in is out of the question. That Dragon-Slaying Stone is said to weigh over ten thousand catties, and once it's lowered, no one but a Great Luo Golden Immortal could get in. Moreover, it's riddled with traps and mechanisms inside; if you really tried to break in, you'd probably be turned into a hedgehog before you even saw anyone.

We still need to start with that old woman.

Just then, a series of rustling footsteps came from a path on the side of the ancient tomb.

Yang Guo's ears twitched, and he immediately jumped down from the bluestone, abandoning his nonchalant demeanor. He grabbed a broken hoe and pretended to dig in the soil next to the thatched shed.

In this martial arts world, acting skills are sometimes more important than martial arts prowess.

A moment later, Granny Sun came out carrying a bamboo basket.

Although the old woman was old, she was still quite agile. She went straight to a cultivated vegetable garden not far from the thatched shed, put down her basket, and began to pull weeds.

The vegetable patch wasn't big; it contained some bok choy and radishes, which were growing quite well.

Yang Guo didn't rush over. Instead, he waited until Granny Sun had worked for a while and was so tired that she straightened up and rubbed her back before exclaiming in surprise, as if he had just noticed, "Oh dear, Granny! Why are you doing this hard work yourself?"

Grandma Sun glanced back at him and snorted irritably, "If I don't do it, who will? Do you expect a free lunch?"

"No way!"

Yang Guo threw down the hoe, darted over, and grinned as he snatched the shovel from Granny Sun's hand. "How can I let you do such strenuous work? If you get hurt, wouldn't the fairy sister be heartbroken? Come on, let me do it."

"Go away, stop causing trouble."

Granny Sun verbally shooed him away, but her hands barely moved, letting Yang Guo take the shovel. "You little Taoist priest, always so eager to help for no reason. You must have ulterior motives. Tell me, what are you eyeing now?"

"What my mother-in-law said was so hurtful."

As Yang Guo skillfully loosened the soil, he feigned a wronged expression, saying, "I just feel sorry for Grandma. I have no relatives in the Quanzhen Sect. Although my master is good to me, he is a man and he is rough around the edges. Unlike Grandma, who looks so kind."

"Kindness?" Granny Sun scoffed, but the wrinkles on her face smoothed out a bit. "When I was killing people, you weren't even born yet."

"That was before." Yang Guo quickly cleared the weeds from the field. "Now, Grandma is the kindest old goddess in these mountains."

Looking at the diligent young man, Grandma Sun's defenses relaxed again.

The ancient tomb was too deserted.

The girl was aloof and rarely spoke more than three words a day. She was getting on in years and enjoyed being around people, having someone to chat with. Over the past month, although Yang Guo was glib and smooth-talking, he had certainly helped her relieve a lot of boredom.

"You're so thoughtful." Granny Sun sat down on a rock nearby, took a wild fruit from her basket and tossed it over. "Wipe it off and eat it to quench your thirst."

Yang Guo caught the fruit, casually wiped it on his clothes, and took a bite: "Sweet! Sweeter than the tribute fruit offered to the founder of the Quanzhen Sect!"

He chatted with Grandma Sun while he worked.

She talked about how the fat Taoist priest from the Quanzhen School fell, what fun things were sold at the market down the mountain, and then about the operas she heard in Jiangnan when she was a child.

Yang Guo's mouth is so sharp it could deceive anyone to death. He can make the dead seem alive, and turn mundane trifles into dramatic events.

Grandma Sun listened with great interest, and every now and then she would grin from ear to ear, revealing a few missing teeth.

"Grandma," Yang Guo asked casually, seeing that the time was right, "this ancient tomb is dark all year round and so damp. Can Fairy Sister's body handle it? I read in a book that women are yin in nature and are most afraid of cold and dampness."

Granny Sun sighed, her smile fading slightly. "Who can argue with that? The young lady grew up in the tomb and practiced her skills on a bed of cold jade, so her body is naturally a bit colder than ordinary people. But that's a rule passed down from our ancestral master, and it can't be changed."

"A jade bed?" Yang Guo feigned ignorance. "What kind of treasure is that? You can practice martial arts while sleeping?"

"Don't be so talkative," Granny Sun glared at him. "Don't ask questions you shouldn't."

Yang Guo immediately shut up, chuckled, and changed the subject: "I was just worrying unnecessarily. By the way, Grandma, next time I go down the mountain, shall I bring you some brown sugar ginger tea? That's the best for warding off the cold."

"Alright, stop joking." Grandma Sun bent down, picked the two largest radishes, and threw them into the basket.

"Come and pick it up yourself when you're done."

Yang Guo was overjoyed: "Alright! Granny, you can rest now, I'll take this whole piece of land!"

The two of them worked while the other watched, chatting casually.

The sun was rising higher.

After Yang Guo finished turning over the last piece of land, he was about to go and ask for the two radishes when he discovered that Granny Sun had already placed the radishes on the ground, but she had also disappeared.