Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Frankness

Upon hearing Liu Qingqing's words,

Gu Guanqi gave an awkward smile, politely took half a step back, and cupped his hands, saying, "Miss Liu, please don't joke around. Please leave; I need to rest."

Liu Qingqing pouted, stood up from the bed, and stepped barefoot onto the cold floor. Her skirt draped down, covering her fair ankles. She put on her shoes and slowly walked towards the door, her steps light and her waist swaying gracefully.

However, she suddenly stopped when she reached the door.

With a soft "bang," the door was slammed shut behind her.

The moonlight was shut out through the door, plunging the room into darkness. Only a few streaks of silver light peeked in through the window, vaguely outlining the silhouettes of the two figures.

Liu Qingqing turned around, leaning against the door, tilting her head to look at Gu Guanqi. A slight smile played on her lips, a hint of girlish coquettishness mixed with an inexplicable resentment: "Why is Young Master so oblivious to romance?"

Gu Guanqi's heart skipped a beat.

A thought flashed through his mind—could the Liu family be trying to set a trap? Would this Miss Liu suddenly yell "molestation!" and a bunch of people burst in?

Just as Gu Guanqi was lost in thought, Liu Qingqing suddenly raised her hand and gently untied the thin ribbon at the waist of her nightgown.

The ribbon slipped off, and the front of the nightgown suddenly opened, revealing a large expanse of fair skin underneath.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating her and highlighting her exquisite curves. She wasn't wearing any undergarments; beneath her nightgown lay her young and voluptuous body.

She took a step forward, her nightgown slipping off her shoulders and piling up at her feet like a blooming white lotus.

Gu Guanqi quickly looked away and said in a deep voice, "Miss Liu, don't be impulsive. We can talk first. Even if it's a blind date, we still need to go through the formalities, right?"

"Then let's go on a blind date now!" Liu Qingqing's voice was soft and sweet, with a slightly languid nasal tone. "We have plenty of time to talk this out in this long night..."

As she spoke, she walked towards Gu Guanqi, her bare feet making almost no sound on the blue brick floor. Moonlight shone from behind her, casting a hazy and alluring glow on her graceful figure.

Gu Guanqi stopped trying to avoid it.

He let Liu Qingqing walk towards him.

Just as Liu Qingqing stood within inches of him, raising her arm to wrap around his neck—

Gu Guanqi suddenly struck out with a palm.

The palm strike was fierce, aimed straight at Liu Qingqing's chest.

Liu Qingqing's pupils suddenly contracted, and the coquettishness and shyness on her face vanished in an instant, replaced by a cold killing intent.

Her reaction was astonishingly fast. With her bare feet lightly touching the blue bricks, she flew backward like a falling leaf, barely avoiding the sharpness of Gu Guanqi's palm strike.

However, just as she leaned back, her lips parted slightly, and her tongue flicked out—

A blade as thin as a hair shot out from her mouth, as fast as lightning, aimed straight for Gu Guanqi's throat.

The blade was as thin as a cicada's wing, almost invisible in the moonlight. The sound of it cutting through the air was also masked by the rustling of her clothes as she retreated. It was silent, yet extremely deadly.

Gu Guanqi remained expressionless, raised his hand, and then flicked his finger, which precisely struck the side of the blade.

"bite--"

With a very soft and delicate crack, the blade was struck by the steel ball and flew back so fast that its afterimage was not even visible.

"puff--"

The blade slashed Liu Qingqing's throat.

A thin line of blood appeared on her neck, and then blood gushed out like a fountain, drawing a crimson arc in the moonlight.

Liu Qingqing's body stiffened abruptly, and she staggered a couple of times. She raised her hand to cover her neck, and a large amount of blood seeped out from between her fingers, flowing down her wrist and dripping onto the blue brick floor, spreading a small patch of dark red.

"How...did you find out...?"

Gu Guanqi gave a cold laugh and offered no further explanation.

When the woman first came in, Gu Guanqi subconsciously thought that the Liu family wanted to curry favor with him. This kind of tactic is very common. If a small family wants to get on the big ship of a young grandmaster, it is naturally the easiest way to do so is to send a beautiful woman.

but,

Later, the methods this woman used to seduce him made him feel something was off; she seemed too worldly.

Later, he deliberately suggested a blind date to test the waters further. Sure enough, the woman had no intention of going on a blind date at all. You should know that even when Nangong Yin and Huo Fenghuang, those two demonesses from the Heavenly Demon Sect, approached him, they still had the intention of winning him over, thus triggering the blind date event.

The fact that this woman showed no interest in blind dates suggests that the other party either simply wanted to sleep with him or had ulterior motives.

Although Gu Guanqi considered herself to be good-looking, she was not a human aphrodisiac, and not so good as to make a young lady from a prominent family lose control of herself.

At this time,

Liu Qingqing's eyes quickly became unfocused, and her body went limp as she fell backward, collapsing onto the cold ground without a sound.

Fresh blood slowly flowed from beneath her, gleaming with a dark red sheen.

Gu Guanqi didn't even glance at her. He quickly walked forward, squatted down, and pried open her mouth.

Sure enough, there was a black pill the size of a grain of rice hidden in his mouth, the kind of deadly poison commonly used by the assassins of the Four Extremes Hall.

However, I didn't have time to bite it open.

Gu Guanqi released his grip and stood up.

"It's the Four Extremes Palace again!"

His heart sank, and he suddenly realized something.

"Oh no, Senior Sister An!"

Immediately, he rushed to the door, opened it, and leaped out, arriving at An Yi's room in just a few bounds.

Gu Guanqi kicked open the door and rushed in, shouting, "Senior Sister An, something's wrong with the Liu family..."

Before he could finish speaking, he froze on the spot.

The room was filled with mist and the fragrance of flowers.

An Yi was lying in the bathtub, the warm water reaching her lower abdomen, and her breasts were faintly visible amidst the swirling steam.

Two maids were on either side of her, wiping her shoulders and back with handkerchiefs.

"ah--"

An Yi screamed and instantly shrank into the water, covering her chest with her hands, her cheeks turning bright red.

However, at that very moment,

The two maids' once docile and obedient eyes suddenly turned cold and sharp, like the spitting tongues of venomous snakes. Their fingers, which had been gently wiping with a handkerchief, suddenly bent, their five fingers like hooks, carrying a sharp gust of wind, and went straight for An Yi's throat.

One on the left, one on the right, working in perfect harmony, as fast as lightning.

However, An Yi reacted quickly.

Without even thinking, her body reacted instinctively. Her hands shot out, her fingers like iron clamps, precisely gripping Xiao Cui and Xiao Lan's wrists.

"Clang—"

The cracking sound of bones breaking exploded in the mist.

Xiao Cui and Xiao Lan's wrists snapped instantly, but they gritted their teeth and remained silent, while their other hands reached out to grab An Yi's throat.

An Yi snorted coldly, and her internal energy suddenly erupted.

"boom--"

A surge of powerful energy erupted from her body, instantly shattering the bathtub. Wood chips flew everywhere, and hot water splashed in all directions, like a miniature tsunami. The steam was swept away by the shockwave, revealing a scene of utter chaos.

Xiao Cui and Xiao Lan were thrown backward by the tremendous force, spitting out blood as they crashed heavily to the ground.

At that instant, Gu Guanqi raised his hand and flicked his fingers in quick succession.

Two bursts of energy shot out from his fingertips, silent and swift as shooting stars.

"Pfft, pfft—"

With precise finger strikes, the fingers pierced between Xiao Cui and Xiao Lan's eyebrows. The two women stiffened abruptly, their eyes quickly glazed over, and then fell silent.

Fresh blood slowly flowed from the holes in their foreheads, spreading a small patch of dark red on the blue brick floor.

The room fell silent instantly.

Hot water flowed from the broken bathtub, forming small streams on the ground, and the rising steam gradually dissipated.

An Yi stood amidst the splinters of wood and water stains, completely soaked. Her hair clung to her cheeks and shoulders, and water droplets trickled down her collarbone, tracing patterns on her fair skin.

She was completely naked.

The candlelight in the room shone on her, illuminating her clearly, and her entire body was reflected in Gu Guanqi's eyes.

Gu Guanqi's gaze lingered on her for a moment.

Eyes facing each other.

"Don't look!"

An Yi's cheeks were so red they looked like they were about to bleed, the redness spreading from her ears all the way down her neck, and even her chest was flushed a light pink. She quickly covered her chest.

Gu Guanqi snapped out of his daze, turned around abruptly, walked to the side door, and closed it behind him.

But at that very moment—

"Whoosh whoosh-"

A dense, sharp, piercing sound came from outside the door.

Countless arrows rained down like a storm, covering the sky and turning the entire door and windows into sieves. Wood chips flew everywhere, and the arrows embedded themselves in the walls, making a dense "thud" sound.

Gu Guanqi quickly retreated, dodging several arrows aimed at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw An Yi bending down to pick up the clothes scattered on the ground when the arrows arrived.

She didn't have time to dodge.

With a light step, Gu Guanqi pounced forward like an arrow released from a bow.

He wrapped one arm around An Yi's waist, pulling her down to the ground, and used his other hand to brace himself against the ground, shielding her completely beneath him.

Arrows flew over their heads, thudding into the wall behind them, with a few being knocked away by Gu Guanqi's sword.

An Yi was pinned down by Gu Guanqi, the two facing each other, so close that their noses almost touched.

She could clearly see Gu Guanqi's eyelashes and feel the warm breath of Gu Guanqi brushing against her cheek.

Gu Guanqi's body was pressed tightly against hers, and through the thin fabric, she could feel the warmth of his chest and his heartbeat.

An Yi's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. The thought of being naked under a man made her so ashamed she wanted to disappear into the ground.

The rain of arrows subsided slightly.

Gu Guanqi lowered his head subconsciously.

An Yi quickly said, "Junior brother, don't...don't look!"

Gu Guanqi immediately turned away, then released An Yi and whispered, "Senior sister, you put on your clothes first, I'll cover you."

Having said that, he quickly stood up.

He stood in front of An Yi, and the Autumn Water Sword was drawn with a clang.

The sword light flashed like a bolt of lightning, piercing a cold arc in the dimly lit room.

A second wave of arrows arrived.

Gu Guanqi's longsword danced in his hand, the sword light weaving into an impenetrable curtain of light in front of him. Arrows collided with the sword's edge, producing a dense series of crisp "clanging" sounds, and were all knocked away, scattering to the ground.

An Yi blushed and quickly put on her clothes while standing behind Gu Guanqi.

She took a deep breath, steadied herself, fastened her belt, then bent down and quickly walked to the bedside. She picked up the sword and bundle from the ground, but paused slightly, saying, "Junior brother, the Bright Moon Pearl has been stolen."

"It's alright!"

Gu Guanqi pointed to the bundle on his back and said, "The Moon Pearl you asked me to carry is still here. As long as this one is here, Zhuque won't be able to obtain the Heavenly Physician's Poison Manual!"

An Yi breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Gu Guanqi said in a deep voice, "Senior sister, be careful!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly pushed off with his feet, and his body soared into the sky.

"boom--"

The roof shattered with a crash, tiles flew everywhere, and splinters of wood scattered. Gu Guanqi's figure, like a moon-white lightning bolt, burst through the roof and stood suspended in mid-air. Moonlight poured down from behind him.

He stared intently.

In the open space of the courtyard, twenty or thirty archers held powerful crossbows, arrows already strung, all pointing towards the roof. They were dressed in black, their faces covered with black veils, revealing only pairs of cold eyes.

Gu Guanqi, positioned high above, swept his sword horizontally.

The sword energy surged, carrying a fierce gust of wind that swept up all the shattered roof tiles. Countless tiles shot out like hidden weapons, covering the sky and engulfing the archers.

The tile shattered in the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound.

The archers had no time to dodge and were struck by the tiles, their screams echoing throughout the room. Some were hit in the face, blood splattering everywhere; some were hit in the chest, groaning and falling to the ground; some had their arms broken, their weapons falling from their hands.

a mess.

The archers were scattered by the sudden counterattack, their bows and crossbows lying on the ground. A few struggled to their feet, trying to reload their arrows.

But at that very moment—

A burly figure suddenly rushed out from the side.

It's Ding Yue.

He gripped the heavy sword with both hands, its blade gleaming with a dark red light, like a burning flame. He swung the sword fiercely, unleashing a surge of sword energy, like a raging tide or a raging fire, sweeping over and crushing the archers.

"boom--"

Wherever the sword energy passed, the air was torn apart with a sharp whistling sound, and a deep furrow was plowed into the bluestone slabs on the ground, with fragments of stone flying everywhere.

The archers, struck by the sword energy, were all hit as if by a heavy blow, spitting out blood as they flew backward and crashed heavily to the ground. Some of them who were closer actually burst into flames, screaming and rolling on the ground.

In a short while, all twenty or thirty archers fell to the ground, some already lifeless, others still groaning in pain.

Ding Yue sheathed his sword, the heavy blade striking the ground with a dull thud. He looked up at Gu Guanqi on the roof and asked in a deep voice, "Master Gu, are you alright?"

Gu Guanqi gracefully descended from the rooftop, his robes fluttering in the night wind.

"It's nothing." His gaze swept over the corpses and scattered crossbows on the ground, and he said in a deep voice, "Master Ding, something's wrong with the Liu family!"

Ding Yue quickly asked, "What happened? I was sleeping soundly when I suddenly heard such a loud noise!"

At this moment, An Yi walked out from the broken doorway.

She was already dressed and her face had returned to calm, with only a faint blush remaining at the base of her ears.

Gu Guanqi said, "Something's wrong with the Liu family. Senior Sister An and I have both been targeted for assassination."

Ding Yue immediately retorted angrily, "What do you mean? You all have murder plots, but I don't... Wait, that's not right. Just now before I went to sleep, I asked one of Liu's servants to bring me a pot of tea..."

Before he could finish speaking,

Ding Yue's expression suddenly changed, and he spat out a mouthful of black blood.

Gu Guanqi immediately grabbed Ding Yue's wrist to take his pulse, and then his face darkened as he said, "It's stagnant miasma."

Ding Yue asked, puzzled, "What kind of poison is this?"

An Yi said, "This poison is made from rare herbs. Once it enters the body, it obstructs the flow of vital energy in the dantian. If internal energy is forcibly activated, the poison will travel along the meridians with the true energy, spreading exponentially and ultimately damaging the body's foundation. The antidote is not difficult, but it will take a very long time!"

After saying that, An Yi took out a silver needle and said, "Let me stabilize the poison for you first."

She then began to give Ding Yue acupuncture.

at this time,

A large group of people emerged from all directions; they were none other than the Liu family. All the stewards and servants, including Liu Yanchang and his wife, were carrying various kinds of weapons.

Gu Guanqi looked at those people and said coldly, "Where are the Liu family members?"

Liu Yanchang handed a bundle he was carrying to one of his men, then smiled and said, "An hour before you arrived, all eighty-seven members of the Liu family were tied up and thrown into the cave behind us. They are all still alive. If you can kill all of us, then you can save them."

Gu Guanqi chuckled. He realized there was something wrong with the Liu family, but he had never suspected that the entire Liu family was a fraud.

Gu Guanqi said, "The Four Extremes Palace has made such a big move just to deal with the three of us."

Liu Yanchang said, "I do value you all very much, especially you, Gu Guanqi. I've mobilized almost all the top experts my Southern Palace can muster: seven gold-medal assassins, fifteen silver-medal assassins, thirty-three bronze-medal assassins, and twenty-five archers... Hmm, the archers don't seem to have been very effective!"

Gu Guanqi frowned slightly.

He had made a special effort to learn about the existence of the Four Extremes Palace after he learned of it.

The top assassins of the Four Extremes Hall are all top-tier masters in the martial arts world, some even possessing the strength to fight against grandmasters. The silver-ranked assassins are comparable to first-rate masters, and even the bronze-ranked assassins are considered formidable fighters in the martial arts world.

Most importantly, the assassins of the Four Extremes Hall are all highly skilled and have a wide variety of methods.

Gu Guanqi looked at "Liu Yanchang" and said, "So, you are Suzaku?"

"it's me."

Liu Yanchang smiled slightly and gently rubbed his face.

He wasn't wearing a human skin mask; his wrinkles had disappeared, his skin had become whiter, and his eyes had become more profound.

It was as if he had become a completely different person; his temperament had changed drastically, and it was impossible to recognize him as the same person as the somewhat timid "Liu Yanchang" from before.

At this time,

An Yi had already finished inserting the acupuncture needles into Ding Yue's body. She stood up and said, "The Four Extremes Palace's face-changing technique is unparalleled in the martial arts world. It truly lives up to its reputation."

Zhuque chuckled and said, "If we didn't have some tricks up our sleeves, the Four Extremes Palace would have been destroyed long ago. Young Master An, Hero Gu, give me the Moon Pearls you have, and I'll let you go. How about it?"

Gu Guanqi chuckled and said, "What, are you going to turn down any of the business that your Four Extremes Palace has taken on?"

Zhuque smiled slightly and said, "It seems I can't fool you anymore. Gu Guanqi, someone offered me a reward I couldn't refuse: to kill you and Yan Wangchuan. I went to Qingzhou before, and you were lucky; I couldn't find you, and you've lived so long."