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

The atmosphere inside Chongyang Palace was oppressive.

Qiu Chuji stared at Zhao Zhijing, then looked at the pile of rubble on the ground, and finally his gaze fell on Yin Zhiping, who was standing silently to the side.

"Zhiping," Qiu Chuji called out in a deep voice.

Yin Zhiping trembled, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully: "Disciple is here."

"Go to the back mountain and bring Yang Guo back." Qiu Chuji's tone was unreadable.

Yin Zhiping lowered his head, but his heart was in turmoil.

He didn't hear a thing about Zhao Zhijing saying that "Yang Guo broke the boundary marker" or that he "stole demonic magic".

Only one thought remained in his mind: "Yang Guo was carried into the Ancient Tomb by that demoness!"

They carried it inside.

How did you carry him? Was he held horizontally? Or on his back?

A person as pure and virtuous as Miss Long would never even glance at an ordinary man, so why would she hug that brat Yang Guo?

A surge of acidic fluid rushed to his throat, burning him and making him feel flustered.

"Disciple...accepts the order." Yin Zhiping replied expressionlessly.

……

On the path leading to the back mountain, Yin Zhiping moved with incredible speed.

But the further he walked, the more confused he became.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible." Yin Zhiping comforted himself as he hurried on his way. "What charm does that kid Yang Guo have? And what kind of person is Miss Long? She's a celestial being, how could she possibly fall for that little rascal?"

"It must be that scoundrel Zhao Zhijing who fabricated these filthy words to frame Yang Guo!"

Thinking of this, Yin Zhiping felt a little better.

He then recalled what Yang Guo had told him a few days earlier.

"If Sister Long wants you to stay, there's nothing we can do about it."

"Miss Long has agreed to let me stay."

These words went through Yin Zhiping's mind, and he automatically filtered them into the following: Miss Long had feelings for him, Yin Zhiping, but she couldn't say it openly because of the Quanzhen Sect's reputation, so she used Yang Guo to convey her feelings.

"Yes! That must be it!"

Yin Zhiping paused, a sickly flush appearing on his face.

"Although Yang Guo is a mischievous fellow, he has been very dedicated to bringing me and Miss Long together. Maybe he deliberately caused trouble to create an opportunity for me to meet Miss Long."

With this thought, most of the gloom in Yin Zhiping's heart dissipated.

He straightened his Taoist robe and adjusted his Taoist crown, trying his best to look elegant.

Before long, the ancient tomb came into view.

In the past, Yin Zhiping would have acted like a thief, hiding in the woods and peeking from afar, or waiting for Xiaolongnu to come out before daring to approach her.

But things are different now.

He felt that his relationship with Miss Long had taken a qualitative leap.

"Miss Long, this humble Taoist has come to see you."

Yin Zhiping walked to the stone gate, straightened his back, and raised his hand to pat the stone gate a few times.

After knocking on the door, Yin Zhiping took a half step back, wearing what he considered his most charming smile, and waited quietly.

Not long after.

"Clatter, clatter—"

With a click, the stone door slid open to both sides.

A chilling aura swept over me.

Immediately afterwards, Little Dragon Girl appeared at the door in a white dress as pure as snow. She still had that aloof and cold demeanor, like an iceberg snow lotus, untouched by worldly dust.

Yin Zhiping felt his breath catch in his throat and his heart suddenly race.

No matter how many times he sees it, this face always captivates him.

"Miss Long!" Yin Zhiping couldn't hide his joy. "This humble Taoist greets you."

Little Dragon Girl frowned as she looked at the Taoist priest at the door.

"Master Yin?" Little Dragon Girl asked calmly, "What brings you here?"

Yin Zhiping's smile froze for a moment.

This attitude... it's not quite the same as what Yang Guo said.

Didn't Yang Guo say that Miss Long had long harbored feelings for him, but was too shy to express them?

"Oh... well..." Yin Zhiping was, after all, one of the best among the third-generation disciples of the Quanzhen Sect, and his mind worked quickly. He immediately found a way to save face, "This humble Taoist has come to see my unworthy disciple Yang Guo."

As he spoke, he glanced into the ancient tomb and leaned forward slightly, making a gesture as if he wanted to go in and sit down.

"Miss Long, it's windy here, is it alright...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiaolongnu remained motionless, blocking the doorway like a stake, showing no intention of moving aside.

"Yang Guo is inside," Xiaolongnu said calmly. "You wait here."

After saying that, she turned to walk inside.

Yin Zhiping felt bitter.

This script is wrong!

Shouldn't he have invited me in for a cup of tea, and then the two of us could have a heart-to-heart talk under the dim candlelight?

Just as Xiaolongnu turned around, the stone door did not completely close.

Undeterred, Yin Zhiping peered intently into the ancient tomb through the crack.

Upon seeing this, Yin Zhiping froze instantly.

At the end of the tomb passage, a bed of cold jade could be vaguely seen.

Beside the bed stood a shirtless boy.

It was Yang Guo.

Yang Guo was facing away from the door, holding a Taoist robe in his hand and putting it on.

He was still slightly damp, and there were several faint red marks on his back, as if he had been pressed.

Yin Zhiping felt like his brain wasn't working properly.

Disheveled!

Naked!

A lone man and a lone woman!

Inside this ancient tomb!

Moreover, judging from Yang Guo's languid appearance, it was clearly... clearly the state he was in after doing something!

"This...this...this..."

Yin Zhiping pointed inside, his fingers trembling violently, his lips quivering, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"Impossible... Absolutely impossible..."

Yin Zhiping screamed wildly in his heart.

Miss Long is a fairy descended to earth, how could she possibly be with that little beast Yang Guo...?

Even though Yang Guo was his disciple, and even though Yang Guo was only nineteen years old, the scene was still incredibly impactful.

"What are you looking at?"

A cold voice interrupted Yin Zhiping's thoughts.

Little Dragon Girl appeared before him without his noticing.

Yin Zhiping shuddered and quickly looked away.

"N-nothing... I didn't see anything..." Yin Zhiping stammered, "This humble Taoist... this humble Taoist just..."

He dared not ask.

He was afraid that asking this question would expose the truth.

"It must be practicing martial arts! Yes! It must be practicing martial arts!"

Yin Zhiping frantically tried to brainwash himself.

"Zhao Zhijing said Yang Guo practiced demonic magic, which must be the martial arts from the Ancient Tomb. This kind of skill might require taking off one's clothes to practice!"

"That red mark on his back must have been left by Miss Long when she passed on her skills!"

"Yin Zhiping, how could you harbor such filthy thoughts about Miss Long? You are utterly unworthy of being a cultivator!"

After a fierce internal struggle, Yin Zhiping finally suppressed that terrible thought.

But the bitterness in my heart just wouldn't go away.