Yang Guo: I'm invincible in the opening battle against Aunt Guo!

In a flash, countless thoughts raced through her mind.

Ultimately, we decided to be patient for now and plan for the long term.

She, Li Mochou, earned the fearsome reputation of "Red Serpent Fairy" in the martial arts world.

It relies not only on ruthlessness, but also on cunning in assessing the situation.

"Very well...very well!" Li Mo laughed angrily. "Young Master Yang rescued the beauty, showing great loyalty and righteousness! Junior Sister, you've certainly found a good backer!"

Her gaze swept over Xiaolongnu like a venomous snake, then glared fiercely at Yang Guo, before finally settling on the somewhat bewildered Lu Wushuang and Hong Lingbo.

"Wushuang! Lingbo! Let's go!" Her voice was cold and firm, leaving no room for argument.

Lu Wushuang bit her lip, looked at her master, and then couldn't help but look at Yang Guo, her eyes filled with reluctance and worry.

Yang Guo nodded slightly to her, giving her a reassuring look.

Hong Lingbo visibly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied, "Yes, Master."

He stepped forward to help Lu Wushuang, who was moving a little slower due to her leg injury.

Li Mochou took one last deep look at the entrance to the ancient tomb, then glanced at Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu standing side by side, as if she wanted to etch this scene into her heart.

She stopped talking nonsense, snorted coldly, and turned away with a flick of her sleeve.

Hong Lingbo, supporting Lu Wushuang, hurriedly bowed in the direction of Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu, and then quickly followed.

Lu Wushuang kept turning back every few steps until her figure was obscured by the trees.

The valley returned to silence.

Xiaolongnu breathed a soft sigh of relief, her tense shoulders relaxing slightly.

She straightened her slightly disheveled white sleeves and her gaze fell on the young man in the blue robe beside her.

A complex emotion flashed deep within his cool eyes, but it quickly returned to a calm and profound stillness.

"Thank you for saving me," she said, her voice still flat, but less cold and unapproachable than before.

"Miss Long, you're too kind. It was nothing at all," Yang Guo said with a smile, his tone natural.

Xiaolongnu said no more and turned to walk towards the open stone crevice at the entrance of the ancient tomb.

Yang Guo naturally followed.

"You..." Xiaolongnu stopped in front of the crevice, turned around to look at him, her brows furrowed slightly, "The Ancient Tomb does not accept men."

Yang Guo blinked, his face displaying just the right amount of helplessness and a hint of teasing:

"Miss Long, if I hadn't saved you just now, would my 'first kiss' have disappeared so inexplicably? That was a treasure I've kept for many years."

His eyes, however, were clear and open, staring directly at Xiaolongnu.

"You!" Two faint blushes instantly appeared on Xiaolongnu's cold face, spreading all the way to her ears.

She clearly hadn't expected Yang Guo to bring this up so bluntly, especially in such a shameless tone.

She subconsciously touched her lips again, where a faint, unfamiliar warmth still lingered, causing her to feel slightly unsettled.

"Mine...mine's gone too!"

She was unusually agitated; her voice, though still cold, carried a hint of embarrassment and annoyance.

"I let you... I let you take advantage of me, and you're still... playing the victim?"

She spoke the last two words very softly, almost as if they were held in her mouth; it was less a rebuke and more a powerless rebuttal.

After saying that, she herself seemed to realize that what she said was unlike her usual self.

She immediately turned her face away, leaving Yang Guo with only a slightly flushed yet exquisite profile.

Yang Guo looked at her unusually girlish expression and chuckled inwardly, knowing that the ice seal had cracked.

He knew when to stop, and his tone became sincere: "Alright, let's call it even then. But Miss Long, I am indeed very curious about the ancient tomb, especially since I've heard that it may contain martial arts manuals left behind by senior masters."

He offered a bait, his eyes sincere, "I have no intention of taking it by force, I only wish to borrow it for reference, which may be of great benefit to the treatment of the leg injury of that Miss Lu just now."

Miss Long witnessed what happened just now. Her master... well, he has a rather bad temper. Since I promised her, I must do my best.

Please, Miss Long, grant me the privilege of going inside to take refuge for a while, and perhaps... look for some clues?

I promise I will not disturb a single blade of grass or tree in the ancient tomb, nor will I disturb the young lady's peaceful cultivation.

His reasons were sound and his attitude was upright. He also brought up the points of "curing the sick and saving lives" and "Li Mochou's threat," making it difficult for Xiaolongnu to refuse decisively.

Besides, he did save me just now, although the way he did it was...embarrassing.

Xiaolongnu remained silent for a moment.

The ancient tomb has strict rules, but this person... seems to be truly different.

He possessed extraordinary martial arts skills, yet he did not bully the weak.

His words were sometimes flippant, but his eyes were crystal clear.

He saved himself, but only made one not unreasonable request.

Moreover, he said that the ancient tomb contained hidden martial arts techniques...

Before his death, the master seemed to have vaguely mentioned that there might be other secrets hidden deep within the ancient tomb...

"Stay close, don't wander off, and don't touch anything."

She finally uttered a cold remark, turned around, and disappeared into the crevice.

This can be considered tacit approval.

Yang Guo smiled slightly and immediately followed.

……

P.S.: I'm already inside, but the previous text is undergoing major revisions!