Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

No one heard him muttering to himself.

Everyone tacitly agreed to keep quiet about what happened in Penglai.

They weren't fools. Although they didn't know why the prestigious Penglai would make things difficult for a woman, they knew that if they reported it, the gang would pretend not to know.

First, you don't want to offend Penglai openly; second, you have no evidence, so what if Penglai turns around and accuses you of slander?

What? You're using their senior brother's corpse as evidence?

You scoundrel! You dare to assassinate our senior brother and then frame us? Your crime is unforgivable! Such a demon deserves to be killed by everyone in the martial world!

As for Zhong Fei and the others' testimonies, can the words of a few unknown nobodys be taken seriously?

Even if we bring in the stern-faced judge Shan Zheng to uphold justice, what then?

He's from Tai'an, a powerful family in Shandong. He wouldn't offend Penglai without solid evidence.

There is no absolute fairness in the martial arts world; it is a world of the strong, and also a world where human relationships and social interactions are intertwined.

"Your martial arts are truly excellent. You single-handedly beat them to a pulp. I should have had Master Zhong hire you yesterday. Here, take this!"

Miss Lan was not a member of the martial arts world, so she had no concerns like Zhong Fei and the others. She took out a brocade handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to Gao Yuan.

He then gestured towards the bloodstains on his body.

Gao Yuan nodded his thanks and wiped away all the bloodstains on his body.

The handkerchief had a faint, feminine fragrance, but now it was stained with the smell of blood. He gave Miss Lan an apologetic smile, feeling embarrassed.

The woman glared at Lan Ling'er for her disrespectful attitude towards her savior.

Miss Lan naturally dared not act presumptuously in front of Madam He, so she could only stick her tongue out at Gao Yuan in secret, and then quietly retreat behind the woman to continue to secretly observe him.

Madam He approached the young man.

Gao Yuan saved her life, and no amount of words could ever repay him.

"She is innocent by nature, young hero, please don't take offense at Ling'er's rudeness. We are deeply grateful for your rescue, and our families will always remember your kindness. If you don't mind, please come to Guanxian as our guest to express our gratitude!"

Her words were extremely sincere, but she had her own ulterior motives.

Judging from the boy's predicament yesterday, it didn't seem fake. Although I don't know his background, his martial arts skills are genuine and cannot be faked.

Especially since he is still young.

Given time, his future is limitless.

Although these families are not involved in the affairs of the martial world, they are large and powerful, and they are afraid of being targeted. Why should a martial artist ask why he would want to destroy a family?

Ordinary martial arts guards are like fish to be slaughtered in the eyes of their major sects; otherwise, how could such a dangerous situation have occurred?

Therefore, in addition to repaying her debt of gratitude, she also intended to befriend someone of high standing.

Gao Yuan clasped his hands in return: "Madam, there's no need for that. Just call me 'young man.' It sounds awkward to call me 'young hero.' You have shown me kindness by giving me clothes and food. I was just a passerby, and it was you who told me to stop."

"This good fortune was naturally created by the lady, proving that good deeds are rewarded."

"As for going to Guanxian..."

After a moment's thought, Gao Yuan said, "I appreciate your kindness, Madam, and I will visit you when the time is right."

Everyone was naturally disappointed by Gao Yuan's rejection.

"Penglai has lost many disciples here. Given the white-robed man's identity, they will not let this go easily. Madam, you would be best to change your travel route from land to water to avoid them."

"We can contact the Qingcheng Sect. They are mortal enemies of Penglai, and Madam is from a prominent family in Guanxian. Qingcheng will not stand idly by. As long as we return to Guanxian, Penglai will be powerless to interfere, and we will be safe."

Since they've already taken charge, they naturally want to see things through to the end. Although Gao Yuan isn't traveling with them, he's thought things through thoroughly.

Following the woman might not be a good thing for him.

He killed the senior disciple of the Penglai Sect and ruined Du Lingzi's plans. He couldn't believe the other side wouldn't retaliate.

Faced with the encirclement and suppression by Penglai, he himself was not confident that he could escape. A group of people would be too conspicuous, and it would be easier to survive if they were scattered.

By the way, he can't go to Bozhou either. His face has been completely seen, and with the spies in Penglai, they only need to ask around in Tangshan to find out where he is.

孽 孽!

Looks like we'll have to take a long trip.

"That makes sense."

The woman pondered Gao Yuan's words for a moment, then glanced at Zhong Fei again.

Zhong Fei nodded slightly. He and Gao Yuan shared the same idea: traveling by water was indeed the more appropriate option.

Heyi is just a small gang and cannot afford to offend Penglai. It remains to be seen whether their leader will agree to continue negotiating this business deal after they finish reporting it.

Even if the gang agrees, they simply can't stop Penglai from making a comeback.

The best course of action now is to contact the Qingcheng Sect in the name of various schools. Once they get involved, things will be much simpler.

After everyone was settled, Gao Yuan sat on the ground, reflecting on his experience of exchanging blows with the man in white robes.

The man in white robes was highly experienced in using martial arts techniques. He turned the tide twice against Xiang Xiong's siege and Gao Yuan's sneak attack, demonstrating that his changes of tactics were accurate, ruthless, and steady, surpassing even Gao Yuan's abilities.

However, the changes that Bei Ming brought him excited him even more.

In less than a year, he has utterly defeated the disciples of Penglai. Even if the sudden sneak attack was dishonorable, how long has he been practicing martial arts?

Gao Yuan sat cross-legged, palms facing each other, and slowly lowered his eyes, gently closing them.

I calmed my mind with the coolness of the jade pendant.

"The Qi flows through the Cloud Gate and returns to the Purple Palace; the strength transforms into green smoke and enters the Void Valley. Let its strength and gentleness change countless times, all is given to the Northern Darkness to draw it into the abyss..."

He silently recited the incantation, imagining the meridians as streams and the acupoints as springs, and then concentrated his mind to allow the external internal energy gathered in the acupoints of his body to slowly converge towards his dantian.

This is the chapter on the Qi Returning of the Northern Darkness Meridians.

The surging blood and qi were gradually suppressed, and the absorbed internal energy was continuously refined during circulation, eventually returning to the dantian.

After an incense stick's time, Gao Yuan awoke from his meditation.

After Xiang Xiong and his men had cleaned up the surrounding area, he felt a little itchy as he looked at the white-robed man's body being carried away from the burial site.

If there weren't so many people around, he really wanted to loot the corpse to see if there was anything good!

But then he caught a glimpse of the disappointed expressions on Xiang Xiong's and the others' faces. People from the Dark Penglai were out on a mission, and no one would be foolish enough to carry important things like secret manuals on their person.

Once he felt at peace, he fell into a deep sleep.

At midnight, the battle ended, and everyone was exhausted, so they could only make do for the night.

Zhong Fei drank the water offered by the bear, his mind heavy with worries.

"Brother, how are your legs?"

"Brother Xiang, there's no need to worry. I'm fine now."

Zhong Fei leaned on his simple bamboo cane and took two steps to show that he was alright. He sighed and said, "I used to think that my martial arts skills were decent. Although I wasn't outstanding, I was still somewhat well-known in Jizhou."

"But in the eyes of truly reputable and righteous families, we are utterly vulnerable."

"Brother Xiang, you care too much about saving face. When we get back, you'll have to kneel down and give me back the mental techniques of the Derivative Sword Technique. Master Taiyin is someone you... sigh."

Seemingly involving Xiong's privacy, Zhong Fei sighed deeply when he saw Xiong bowing his head in silence.

"Understood, brother."

He knew his older brother was thinking of him.

The image of Gao Yuan, the white-robed man, and the other two exchanging blows flashed through his mind again, their energy scattering and swords flying everywhere. He couldn't help but feel dejected.

"Young Master Gao, you are so young yet you possess such martial arts skills. Your talent in martial arts is truly rare. My more than ten years of hard training have been for naught."

The fact that even a few inner disciples from Penglai are so difficult to deal with proves that the prestigious sects are indeed worthy of their reputation. Their power surpasses that of the formidable Shaolin and Beggars' Sect, and they have countless highly skilled disciples.

People like them, who are rootless and without roots, have no right to compare themselves to them.

Zhong Fei couldn't help but comfort him: "Your martial arts talent is not inferior, it's just that you don't have a famous teacher to guide you, nor do you have any superb martial arts skills. Don't be discouraged."

"As long as you obtain the derivative sword techniques and energy cultivation methods, you might just be able to create a new world for yourself."

"As for Young Master Gao..."

He suddenly became serious:

"Don't compare yourself to him; you are fundamentally different..."

"My brother has been traveling the martial arts world for many years. I have only heard of two people who have such outstanding martial arts skills at such a young age. One is the young hero surnamed Qiao from the Beggar Clan, and the other is the young man from the Murong family in Jiangnan."

"Young Master Gao must be a disciple of some great master. Otherwise, no matter how talented he is, it would be in vain without the guidance of a famous teacher. He would never have such martial arts skills."

"Qiao and Mu are both quite young. Although Young Hero Gao is not as good as them now, it's only a matter of time before he makes a great name for himself in the martial arts world. We should try our best to befriend them."

……