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

Yang Guo sat on the edge of the coffin, panting heavily, but his eyes were fixed on the woman in white in front of him.

Hurrah.

It turns out that the ethereal, otherworldly fairy sister actually has such mischievous thoughts.

She locked him in a coffin and listened to his dying struggles inside, pounding on the coffin lid with deafening force, while she listened from outside.

This is no fairy, she's clearly a wicked little demoness.

If it were the hot-tempered Yang Guo of the past, he would have jumped up and cursed long ago. Even if he couldn't win, it would be good to vent his anger verbally.

But now...

Yang Guo's eyes darted around, and he managed to suppress his anger.

People have to bow their heads under the roof.

Moreover, he had only memorized the superficial parts of the "Nine Yin Manual" on the back of the stone coffin lid, namely the "Tendon Changing and Bone Strengthening Chapter" and the "Fetal Breathing Technique." The remaining half was the key part, containing internal energy cultivation methods, lightness and agility techniques, healing techniques, and even moves that could counter the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. He hadn't had time to memorize any of these yet.

If we turn against them now and get kicked out, wouldn't that be a huge loss?

Furthermore...

Yang Guo secretly glanced at Xiaolongnu's stunning profile; she was indeed very beautiful.

No wonder his cheap master was so distracted, his soul was completely bewitched. Yang Guo felt he would be letting down his master for the stolen pills if he didn't do something for Yin Zhiping.

Since you like playing, then I'll play with you to the very end.

Thinking of this, Yang Guo's anger instantly vanished, replaced by a pitiful expression.

He clutched his chest, swayed, and almost fell off the edge of the coffin.

"Ouch... I can't take it anymore..."

Yang Guo groaned weakly, "That ordeal just now used up all my strength. Miss, if you had opened it any later, I would have really become a dead ghost in this coffin. And I would haunt you as a ghost."

When Xiaolongnu saw his shameless appearance, the smile in her eyes vanished instantly, and she returned to her usual cold demeanor.

"They were buried when they died."

She turned around, her voice cold and clear, "Since you're still breathing, crawl out yourself. This is forbidden territory; don't come here again."

After saying that, without caring whether Yang Guo was truly exhausted, he walked straight out.

Granny Sun, watching from the side, wiped away her tears and quickly stepped forward to help Yang Guo up, saying, "Child, slow down, slow down. That's just how the girl is; she's not a bad person at heart. Didn't she still release you?"

With the help of Granny Sun, Yang Guo limply climbed out of the stone coffin, but inwardly he was sneering.

Not a bad person?

You almost suffocated me, and you call that not a bad person?

In other words, I was lucky enough to master the Fetal Breathing Technique.

"Grandma, I don't blame the young lady," Yang Guo said magnanimously. "It was my own incompetence that led me to trespass into forbidden territory. The young lady is right to reprimand me."

Grandma Sun was even more moved when she heard this. What a good child! He suffered such a great injustice but didn't hold a grudge.

……

In the days that followed, the atmosphere in the ancient tomb became somewhat subtle.

Xiaolongnu seemed to feel somewhat guilty about the prank she played that day. Although she still maintained that aloof expression, her attitude towards Yang Guo was noticeably more tolerant than before.

At least, when Yang Guo occasionally stayed in that stone chamber a little longer, or when he made a lot of noise while practicing his skills, she would just frown and not mention kicking him out again.

That afternoon, Yang Guo finished practicing the Yi Jin Duan Gu Manual and felt completely refreshed.

The medicinal power of the Nine-Turn Life-Sustaining Pill has been largely neutralized, and now his body is full of true qi, and his meridians are much stronger than before.

With nothing to do, he wandered around the ancient tomb.

He paused for a moment as he passed the stone chamber where Xiaolongnu often stayed.

There sat Little Dragon Girl, engrossed in reading a book.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the ceiling, shining on her and giving her a golden glow.

Its appearance was so peaceful and beautiful, like a painting.

Yang Guo was curious.

What profound martial arts manuals does this Ancient Tomb Sect possess that are so captivating to her? She didn't even notice someone approaching.

He held his breath and quietly moved closer.

With his newly acquired internal strength, his steps were as light as a cat's.

When he got closer, Yang Guo craned his neck and peered at the pages of the book.

The pages of the book were yellowed, with a few rough little figures drawn on them, along with a few lines of crooked writing.

"The scholar was studying diligently late into the night when he suddenly heard a strong wind outside the window. A stunningly beautiful woman pushed open the door and entered, claiming to be a fox spirit from the mountains..."

Yang Guo almost burst out laughing.

What kind of martial arts manual is this?

This is clearly the kind of romantic novel about talented scholars and beautiful women that you can find most often in the markets down the mountain! And it's the kind of cheap, poorly printed, and clichéd stuff you find at street stalls!

Did not expect ah did not expect.

This seemingly ethereal and detached fairy-like woman actually enjoys watching this kind of stuff behind the scenes?

"Is it pretty?"

Yang Guo suddenly spoke up.

Little Dragon Girl was startled, and the book in her hand fell to the table with a "thud".

For the first time, her face was expressionless, but a hint of panic flashed across it, and she even blushed slightly.

She hurriedly closed the book, trying to hide it, but it was clearly too late.

"Why...why do you walk so quietly?"

Little Dragon Girl glared at Yang Guo, her tone tinged with embarrassment and anger.

Yang Guo picked up the book with a grin and flipped through it: "The Tale of the White Fox? Tsk tsk, what kind of ancient calendar is this? Storytellers don't tell this kind of story anymore."

Little Dragon Girl snatched the book away, her face stern, and said, "Grandma brought it back when she went down the mountain to buy groceries. I was just flipping through it."

"Just browsing?"

Yang Guo pointed to the curled edges of the pages, "They're all curled up. It seems this story of a scholar and a fox spirit is quite captivating."

Little Dragon Girl blushed even more.

She grew up in the ancient tomb and, apart from Granny Sun, had very few living people she came into contact with.

No matter how high one's martial arts skills are, one's mind is actually as simple as a blank sheet of paper.

She said she didn't care about the outside world, but deep down she didn't really care either.

Not caring doesn't mean she's not interested; the fundamental reason is that she doesn't understand.

Just like an ordinary person, would he care what the emperor eats or wears every day?

He didn't care, because he simply couldn't imagine it.

"None of your business." Little Dragon Girl snorted coldly. "Go heal your wounds if you have nothing to do, and don't hang around in front of me."

In the past, Yang Guo would have definitely slunk away.

But now that he has caught Little Dragon Girl's weakness, he is not about to let go of this good opportunity to establish his authority.

"There's no rush in practicing martial arts."

Yang Guo plopped down on the stone bench opposite him, crossed his legs, and said with a disdainful look, "Besides, what's the point of reading such old-fashioned stories? They're only good for fooling naive young girls like you."

Little Dragon Girl's eyebrows shot up: "Who are you calling naive and unsophisticated?"

"I'm talking about you."

Yang Guo pointed to the book. "I know the ending of this story without even reading it. It's about a scholar who becomes the top scholar in the imperial examinations, then abandons the fox spirit for his future, and in the end, the fox spirit dies coughing up blood, leaving the scholar with lifelong regret. Right?"

Little Dragon Girl was stunned.

She had just seen the scholar heading to the capital for the imperial examination; she hadn't seen the ending yet.

"Is...is that really true?"

"Of course it's true! All these books written by pedantic scholars follow the same formula." Yang Guo curled his lip. "If you really want to hear a story, you have to listen to someone like us who's been through the ups and downs of the martial world."

Xiaolongnu pursed her lips. Although she didn't want to admit it, her curiosity was still piqued.

Looking at Yang Guo's confident expression, she couldn't help but ask, "Then... what are the people down the mountain looking at?"

Yang Guo chuckled.

Hooked.