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

Chapter 40: The White Snake Immortal

"Well……"

Gu Guanqi was slightly taken aback.

I just felt that the ending of this story was a bit scary and also a bit too realistic.

An Yi whispered, "Were you shocked? I was stunned for a long time when I first heard about it."

Gu Guanqi said, "This story seems to deliberately smear Tang Yu, but surely Tang Batian wouldn't be so sensitive and overreact?"

An Yi said, "Not only that, but also because Tang Batian is the child of the legendary White Snake Fairy and Tang Yu. From childhood to adulthood, he was constantly asked if he was a snake baby and whether he could molt. This is why he was so angry about the snake fairy. Therefore, he especially hates snakes and likes to eat snake meat wherever he goes."

Gu Guanqi suddenly realized,

In that case, he could understand why Tang Batian was so sensitive; it was all due to his childhood torment.

Gu Guanqi then asked, "So, is this matter true or false?"

An Yi looked at Gu Guanqi with some suspicion, and said in confusion, "Junior brother, such nonsense is definitely false. There are many folk tales about ghosts, monsters, and gods, but to us martial artists, they are just some strange martial arts techniques or illusions. There are no gods or demons in this world!"

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly, but did not agree.

He himself has so many inexplicable things about him, so it's really hard to believe that he still firmly believes in materialism.

"Junior brother..."

Seeing Gu Guanqi's reaction, An Yi immediately understood that Gu Guanqi believed in ghosts and gods.

For a moment, she felt quite taken aback.

From the moment she met Gu Guanqi, Gu Guanqi shone brightly in her eyes.

She had always felt somewhat inferior in front of Gu Guanqi.

Although she was the young master of Medicine King Valley, and was considered by most people to be at the top of the martial arts world, even so, when she faced Gu Guanqi, she still felt as if he was right in front of her, yet as if he were standing on a cloud. Even when she looked up, she could only see a little bit of his back.

It is so distant, so illusory, so unattainable.

But now,

She suddenly realized that this person, who seemed so perfect in her eyes as if he didn't exist in the human world, would actually be interested in such nonsense that ordinary people in the martial arts world wouldn't believe, and even believe in gods and ghosts.

"He... he actually has this side to him?"

An Yi suddenly felt that the very illusory Gu Guanqi seemed to have become more substantial at this moment, and that he was not so far away after all.

this moment,

She suddenly realized that Gu Guanqi, the sword immortal who seemed so unattainable and high above her, was actually only a 21-year-old young man, several years younger than her, and hadn't even spent a tenth or a twelfth of her time traveling the martial world.

"Is he afraid of ghosts?"

An image suddenly flashed into An Yi's mind: a desolate mountain temple, a dark and windy night, with ghosts howling and wolves howling, and Gu Guanqi hiding in her arms.

"How about next time we're traveling, we specifically find a dilapidated temple in the mountains to spend the night in?"

Thinking about this,

She couldn't help but smile, her cheeks beginning to flush slightly.

Gu Guanqi: "??"

He didn't know why An Yi suddenly started laughing.

"Senior Sister An?"

Gu Guanqi called out softly and waved his hand in front of An Yi's eyes.

"Um?"

An Yi snapped out of her daze and quickly dismissed the strange thoughts in her mind, saying, "Junior brother, you must believe that there are no ghosts or gods in this world. If you encounter them, they are just some unorthodox practices you've never seen before."

"Um."

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly, then picked up the teapot and poured tea.

An Yi tilted her head slightly to look at Gu Guanqi, and as she looked at him, she couldn't help but smile again.

Gu Guanqi asked疑惑地问道, "Senior sister, would you like some?"

An Yi shook her head slightly, still smiling as she looked at Gu Guanqi, and said, "Junior brother, you're really interesting!"

Gu Guanqi asked in confusion, "Was my tea-pouring gesture really that comical?"

An Yi smiled.

Gu Guanqi: "..."

At this moment,

A middle-aged man with graying temples walked in through the door. He looked to be around fifty years old. He had a calm and gentle demeanor, with smooth eyebrows and clear, warm eyes that were not sharp at all. His gaze was peaceful and kind, as if it contained the warmth of a spring breeze.

Hua Jinhuan and Tang Batian followed behind him.

The person who could make Tang Batian walk obediently behind him was obviously Tang Yu, the master of the Mechanical Gate and one of the grandmasters of Yunzhou.

As soon as he entered, he walked straight toward An Yi and Gu Guanqi.

Hua Jinhuan and Tang Batian entered the room behind, but instead of going over, they randomly found a table to sit down.

Seeing An Yi's rather intimate behavior towards Gu Guanqi, Hua Jinhuan pursed his lips, unfolded his folding fan, and said lightly, "Fourth Young Master, am I any less attractive than that Gu Guanqi?"

Tang Batian glanced at Gu Guanqi, then at Hua Jinhuan, pondered for a moment, and said, "Brother Hua, first of all, I admit that you are indeed dashing, young, and wealthy—a rare gem among men. But, we don't need to use our least significant strength to challenge someone else's greatest strength, do we?"

Hua Jinhuan's lips twitched, and she said, "You mean I'm not as good-looking as him?"

Tang Batian spread his hands and said, "Isn't it obvious? There aren't many men who can make me admit to being more handsome than me, but that one is definitely one."

"Don't I count?" Hua Jinhuan asked.

"Do you count?" Tang Batian retorted.

"You're not a true brother!" Hua Jinhuan said.

Tang Batian said, "I'm just trying to give you a friendly reminder, so you don't hit a brick wall. Show me your strengths, don't try to compete with Gu Guanqi in looks, martial arts, or age..."

Speaking of which,

Tang Batian frowned, gritted his teeth, and cursed, "Damn it, how come he gets all the good things!"

Hua Jinhuan: "..."

"It's infuriating!" Tang Batian grumbled. "Brother Hua, it seems you only have one advantage: you're rich. Women, who can resist the temptation of the finest cosmetics, pearl necklaces, and Shu brocade clothing?"

Hua Jinhuan stroked his chin and said, "What you said makes sense, but it won't work on An Yi."

Tang Batian asked in confusion, "Why?"

"The moment I saw her, I knew she wasn't the kind of vulgar woman," Hua Jinhuan said.

Tang Batian curled his lip and said, "I get what you mean. You just see her because she's good-looking, yet dressed so plainly, and she's indifferent to you. She's different from any other woman you've ever met, so you just find her novelty!"

Hua Jinhuan waved his hand and said, "You don't understand. It's not what you think at all. This kind of woman only has one person and one heart."

Tang Batian rolled his eyes and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Just don't ask me for help. I get inexplicably scared when I see An Yi, so I don't dare to get involved with you."

Hua Jinhuan confidently replied, "I have my own way!"

……

the other side,

An Yi stood up and bowed to Tang Yu, saying, "Greetings, Sect Leader Tang."

"Nephew An!" Tang Yu smiled and nodded, then cupped his hands in a respectful greeting to Gu Guanqi, saying, "Great Hero Gu, I've long admired you!"

Gu Guanqi returned the greeting and said, "Sect Leader Tang, I've long admired you."

Tang Yu smiled slightly and asked An Yi, "Is Senior Mu still in good health?"

An Yi said, "Thank you for your concern, Sect Leader Tang. The Grand Elder is in good health."

"Where is Valley Master Su?" Tang Yu asked. "Has he developed any new pills recently?"

"Master has been busy dealing with some business matters lately and hasn't refined pills for a long time," An Yi said.

Tang Yu chuckled, "It's been almost a year since I last saw Valley Master Su. She'll be attending the martial arts tournament soon, won't she?"

An Yi nodded and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, she will definitely go."

"Then remember to remind her to bring the tea leaves she personally roasted," Tang Yu said with a light laugh.

"Alright." An Yi nodded slightly and said, "I will definitely pass on the message."

Tang Yu smiled slightly, then poured tea for Gu Guanqi and An Yi, saying, "I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence to meet you here. Hmm, did you come with your junior sister An, Master Gu?"

"Yes," An Yi said, "Junior Brother Gu has an elder who is being treated for injuries in our Medicine King Valley. He had nothing to do, so he accompanied me. We were just about to go to the Mechanical Gate to celebrate your birthday."

Tang Yu quickly replied, "It is my greatest honor!" He then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Gu Guanqi, saying, "I should personally greet you, Hero Gu, but I am currently preoccupied with other matters and do not know how long I will remain here. Please forgive any shortcomings in my hospitality!"

"You're too kind, Sect Leader Tang," Gu Guanqi said.

An Yi asked, "Sect Leader Tang, what exactly is going on?"

Tang Yu shook her head slightly and said, "Pan Lin has already told you what happened. That's the gist of it. However, there's something in the letter that invited me here that Pan Lin didn't tell you."

An Yi quickly said, "Sect Leader Tang, if it's inconvenient to talk about it, then don't tell us."

Tang Yu shook his head and said, "There's nothing inconvenient about it. They want me to use our Mechanical Gate's most precious treasure, the Void-Severing Shuttle, to ransom them."

An Yi was slightly startled.

She knew that the Broken Void Shuttle was one of the ten great hidden weapons of the Mechanical Gate, and it could be ranked among the top three in terms of rarity. Because of its special material, it was as rare and hard to come by as the Thousand Manifestations Umbrella, the number one hidden weapon of the Mechanical Gate, and there was no way to make a second one.

"So, what are your plans?" An Yi asked.

"I've brought the Duanxu Shuttle," Tang Yu said. "The people who were kidnapped came to celebrate my birthday; I can't just stand by and watch them die."

An Yi nodded slightly and asked, "What were the identities of those who were kidnapped?"

Tang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "To be honest, they are all personal disciples of the leaders of various sects who have stood with my Mechanism Sect through thick and thin."

An Yi instantly understood,

Besides the chivalrous spirit of the martial arts world, Tang Yu also had no choice but to come.

Now, at this crucial moment in his election for the leader of the martial arts alliance, Tang Yu cannot afford to disappoint the affiliated forces of the Mechanical Gate. Moreover, the kidnapping occurred precisely on their way to celebrate his birthday; if he were to choose not to rescue them out of concern for the precious treasure, it could be exploited by those with ulterior motives, severely damaging his reputation.

Furthermore, since they are all fellow martial artists, it would be unreasonable for the Mechanical Gate not to come up with a set of rules if something happened on their territory.

An Yi asked, "When will they be redeemed? And where exactly?"

Tang Yu shook his head and said, "They didn't explain anything. They just told me to come to Snake Mountain Town and said they would come to pick it up when I arrived."

An Yi asked疑惑地问道, "Why the Broken Void Shuttle? Isn't the Thousand Manifestation Umbrella the most powerful hidden weapon of the Mechanism Gate?"

Tang Yu waved his hand and said, "This is actually a misunderstanding in the martial arts world. The hidden weapons of the Mechanical Gate actually have different functions, and their effects vary depending on the occasion and the user."

The reason it's mistakenly believed that the Thousand-Mechanism Umbrella is the strongest is simply because, in my hands, it demonstrated the best effect of any hidden weapon or mechanism in recent decades.

"I see." An Yi nodded, then asked, "So, Sect Leader Tang, what are your plans now?"

Tang Yu shook his head and said, "I don't have any good ideas right now. The main problem is that I'm in a passive position and being led by the nose by the other party. I don't know how they will take the Broken Void Shuttle."

But no matter what, we can't just hand over the item easily. Otherwise, those unorthodox methods will follow suit, and our secret weapons won't be enough to ransom people. However, for now, we can only react as we see!

Subsequently,

Tang Yu and An Yi exchanged a few more words, and soon after, the restaurant's kitchen finally started serving dishes.

After the meal was finished,

It was already close to evening.

Tang Yu and Pan Lin then arranged a place for everyone to rest.

There were over a hundred people in total, and the two restaurants weren't big enough to accommodate them all, so they had to spend more money to arrange for them to stay in the surrounding residential houses.

but,

Gu Guanqi and An Yi are still staying at the restaurant with the high-ranking members of each faction.

After all, the environment of a restaurant is definitely much more comfortable than that of a private residence.

……

As night fell, all was quiet.

Snake Mountain Town was shrouded in deep darkness.

The distant mountain silhouettes, bathed in moonlight, resembled dark shadows, layer upon layer, stretching as far as the eye could see.

However, most people in both restaurants were not asleep, and even those who were asleep were sleeping very lightly and were very vigilant.

Because everyone knows,

The fact that the person who secretly kidnapped Tang Yu dared to openly invite him here and not restrict him from bringing others along shows that they are not an ordinary person and their strength should not be underestimated; otherwise, they would not dare to treat him so lightly.

"ah--"

Suddenly, a panicked scream pierced the night sky.

"Snakes! Lots of snakes!"

The voice was hysterical, clearly indicating that the person was terrified.

Immediately afterwards, more and more exclamations rang out from all directions.

"Snakes! Snakes everywhere!"

"Get up! Get up!"

"My God, how come there are so many snakes!"

Exclamations, footsteps, and the sounds of doors and windows being smashed open mingled together in the night, growing increasingly noisy and dense, like a pot of boiling water surging in from all directions.

The entire town of Snake Mountain seemed to be suddenly awakened by something at that moment, plunging into chaos.

Inside the restaurant, the high-ranking members of various factions, who hadn't slept much to begin with, rushed out. Some opened the windows to look out, while others shouted questions. All sorts of voices mingled together, creating a noisy and chaotic scene.

Gu Guanqi also got out of bed, walked quickly to the window, and pushed it open.

The night wind rushed in through the window, carrying a strong, fishy smell.

Then, he witnessed a scene that sent chills down his spine—

The streets were teeming with snakes.

On the bluestone pavement, snakes surged like a tide. On the rooftops, between the tiles, snakes meandered and slithered. Some coiled on the ridge, while others hung down from the eaves, their bodies swaying gently in the air.

On the wall, snakes crawled along the cracks in the bricks, some even reaching the window frame, flicking their tongues and hissing.

On the trees by the roadside, the branches were bent by snakes, and snakes were wrapped around the branches, swaying gently in the night breeze.

Even the lanterns of the restaurant across the street were entwined with several thin snakes, casting the lantern light in a dim and flickering manner.

Gu Guanqi roughly estimated that there were at least a thousand.

Tang Yu and the leaders of various factions walked to the entrance of the restaurant. When they saw this scene, they all got goosebumps.

"What... what's going on?"

"How can there be so many snakes!"

"There are a lot of venomous snakes, everyone be careful not to get bitten!"

"Torchlight! Light more torches, to keep the snakes away!"

Immediately,

Many people went to fetch torches, oil lamps, candles, or similar items to light up the street intersection.

I don't know if it was because of the firelight,

The snakes all stopped.

however,

In the very next moment,

"Hiss..." "Hiss..."

All the snakes made a sound in unison.

The sound was terrifyingly dense, as if thousands of snakes were simultaneously flicking their tongues, converging into an overwhelming wave of sound, like hundreds of saws cutting at the same time, extremely piercing, drilling straight into people's brains.

The sounds grew more frequent and urgent, as if they were tearing one's mind apart.

Many people were already frightened by the scene, and now they were even more terrified by the sound.

At this moment, Tang Yu, standing at the entrance of the restaurant, focused his gaze, his inner energy surged within his dantian, and with full force, his voice boomed like a bell in the night sky:

"I wonder which esteemed person is here? I, Tang Yu, have already come as invited. Why hide yourself? Please show yourself!"

His voice echoed in the night sky, causing the roof tiles to tremble slightly and the snakes in the street to stir for a moment.

The night wind howled, and the snakes continued to slither.

A moment later—

A woman's voice rang out from all directions at the same time.

The voice was very soft and gentle, like a night breeze brushing across the water, or like petals falling from a branch, carrying a sense of etherealness and mystery. It came from the sky, from the ground, and from all directions at the same time, as if the speaker was everywhere.

"Tang Yu...did you bring the Broken Void Shuttle?"

The sound echoed in the night sky, vibrating in every inch of air, and penetrated into the ears of everyone present.

Tang Yu's expression remained unchanged as he reached into his robes with his right hand and took out an item.

Under the moonlight, the thing gleamed with a silvery-white luster.

It looks like a hairpin.

The hairpin is entirely silver-white, with intricate patterns carved on the head that shimmer and swirl in the moonlight. Its slender body and needle-like tip give it a simple yet refined appearance, making it seem no different from the hairpins used by ordinary women.

However, everyone present knew that this seemingly exquisite silver hairpin was actually the Duanxu Shuttle, one of the ten hidden weapons of the Mechanical Gate.

Tang Yu raised the Broken Void Shuttle above his head, and the moonlight shone on it, making its silvery-white luster even more cold and clear.

"The Broken Void Shuttle is here." He said in a deep voice, "You should release the person now."

The night breeze seemed to freeze for a moment.

The woman's voice rang out again, this time tinged with resentment: "Tang Yu, do you still remember your promise from back then? To cut a shuttle into a hairpin, to tie my hair up, and to marry me in a grand sedan chair carried by eight men!"

Everyone present was stunned by these words.

Tang Yu's brows furrowed sharply. He said, "I don't know what you're talking about! I have no prior acquaintance with you, so what promise could I possibly have made? If you've come to retrieve the Broken Void Shuttle, please show yourself. Don't try to be mysterious!"

The night wind howled, blowing Tang Yu's robes, making them flutter.

There was silence for a moment.

The woman's voice rang out again, this time with a deeper resentment, carrying a heart-wrenching sorrow: "Indeed, you've skinned me alive and torn my bones, how could you possibly remember our vows of eternal love?"

The voice was faint, like a soliloquy or a question, drifting in the night wind and reaching the ears of everyone present.

Many people present recalled the legend of Tang Yu and the White Snake Fairy.

For a moment, everyone involuntarily turned their gaze to Tang Yu.

Tang Yu's face turned ashen in that instant, and her brows furrowed tightly.

Just then—

A voice rang out from the crowd, filled with barely concealed terror, a trembling finger pointing to a rooftop:

"There...there! Look! It's over there!"

Everyone looked in the direction the man was pointing.

Under the moonlight, a huge white figure appeared on a rooftop facing the street.

It was a snake.

Its entire body is snow-white, and its scales gleam with a lustrous sheen under the moonlight, as if each scale were carved from the finest white jade.

Its body was incredibly thick; its head alone was the size of a washbasin, held high in mid-air. Its amber eyes gleamed with a faint golden light in the night, coldly surveying the crowd below.

Its body stretched from the rooftop all the way behind the ridge, its exact length unknown, looming there and exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

The moonlight shone on it, making the white figure appear ethereal and hazy.

The night breeze seemed to stop at that moment.

The entire street was completely silent; everyone stared blankly up at the enormous white snake on the rooftop.

Then, the enormous snake's mouth slowly opened.

A voice came from the snake's mouth, it was still the woman's voice: "Tang Yu... I'm back."

Tang Yu said in a deep voice, "Stop playing tricks here. I've brought the things. Where is the person you kidnapped?"

The white snake opened its mouth again and said, "Tang Yu, have you really forgotten me? How could you possibly forget me? I am Long Wenluo!"