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

"Young man, it seems you really don't want to live anymore!"

Qi Kun snorted coldly, holding the ghost-headed saber horizontally in front of him, the copper rings on the blade jingling.

Xu Han's iron spear pointed diagonally at the ground, its tip gleaming coldly in the sunlight; Zhou Tong had already untied his nine-section whip and held it in his hand, the whip moving slowly on the ground like a snake.

Three directions, three weapons, three completely different approaches.

Gu Guanqi stood in the alley, his left hand behind his back, his right hand holding a knife with the tip pointing to the ground. His robes were still stained with blood from when he helped Shen Qingqiu up, but his expression was calm.

"Let's do it."

Qi Kun let out a low shout and took the initiative to attack.

Two other men followed closely behind, attacking with guns and whips.

Gu Guanqi did not retreat.

He suddenly leaned to the left, as if about to crash into the tip of Xu Han's spear. A hint of joy flashed in Xu Han's eyes, and he thrust the spear forward with increased force.

Just as the spear tip was about to reach him, Gu Guanqi suddenly pushed off with his feet, his body spinning like a top, turning half a circle close to the spear.

As he spun around, he thrust out his short knife, the tip of which aimed at Qi Kun's descending blade.

This strike was executed with exceptional skill, employing the technique of using the opponent's force against them. The tip of the blade touched the side of the ghost-head saber, dissipating most of the force of the blow, while the blade grazed his shoulder as it cleaved down, sending sparks flying across the ground.

At the same time, the nine-section whip had already swept down to the back of the knee.

Gu Guanqi neither dodged nor avoided the iron whip. He paused, then leaped three feet into the air, avoiding it.

He twisted his body in mid-air, his short knife stabbing diagonally downwards, the tip of the blade aimed at Zhou Tong's wrist holding the whip.

The angle of the slash was tricky; if Zhou Tong didn't loosen his grip, his wrist would be pierced. He had no choice but to release the iron whip and take two steps back. The iron whip clattered to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Gu Guanqi shifted his feet and shot out like an arrow, launching an attack.

The short sword drew an arc in the air, its tip pointing directly at Xu Han.

Xu Han was startled and thrust out his iron spear swiftly, the tip aimed at Gu Guanqi's chest. This thrust was both fast and ruthless, his trump card.

Gu Guanqi neither dodged nor evaded, but instead slid his short knife diagonally, the blade sliding along the shaft of the spear. Using the force of the spear, he deflected the spearhead. The iron spear grazed his shoulder, its tip piercing a deep hole in the wall behind him.

This is the secret of the Dugu Nine Swords' spear-breaking technique.

At the same time, Gu Guanqi had already closed in on Xu Han, within inches of him.

The short knife slashed upwards, its blade cutting across Xu Han's throat.

Blood splattered.

Xu Han's eyes widened, and the iron spear in his hand clattered to the ground. He raised his hand to cover his neck, and bright red blood gushed from between his fingers. He made muffled hoarse sounds as his body went limp and collapsed.

"Old Xu!"

Qi Kun roared and swung his ghost-head saber in a wide arc, bringing it down with all his internal force. The blade whistled through the air and moved with the force of a thunderbolt.

Gu Guanqi retreated quickly, the blade slicing down close to his nose, carving a deep trench in the ground.

Qi Kun missed with his first strike, but followed up with a second, each strike a rapid, relentless barrage like a storm. This is the essence of the Eight Blades of Breaking the Edge—each strike faster and more ruthless than the last, until the opponent is slain.

However, the essence of the Dugu Nine Swords lies in anticipating the enemy's moves. Before Qi Kun's second strike could even land, Gu Guanqi had already anticipated the attack from the slight movement of Qi Kun's shoulder and the twist of his wrist.

As the second slash came down, Gu Guanqi suddenly lunged forward, slipping through the gap between the blades, his short sword flashing like a snake emerging from its hole, aimed straight at Qi Kun's chest.

Qi Kun was shocked and hurriedly withdrew his sword to defend himself, but it was too late.

The knife tip pierced his chest.

Qi Kun froze, staring down at the short knife piercing his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but only coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood before collapsing limply to the ground.

"Good lad, you've got some skills!"

Zhou Tong was greatly shaken.

In fact, by this point, he had already considered retreating, but he was not good at light footwork. In his current situation, if he turned around and ran away, he would be killed instead. Moreover, there was Shen Qingqiu who was recuperating and would definitely take the opportunity to strike.

At this moment, he had no choice but to fight to the death.

Immediately, the nine-section whip drew a fierce arc in the air, lashing towards Gu Guanqi's head with full of rage.

This whip strike used all his life's skill, and the whip emitted a sharp whistling sound in the air, like the howling of ghosts and wolves.

Gu Guanqi drew his short sword, turned his body, and barely dodged the whip. The iron whip struck the ground, shattering the bluestone slab and sending fragments flying.

With a flick of his wrist, Zhou Tong sent the nine-section whip flying, wrapping around Gu Guanqi's neck.

Gu Guanqi ducked to avoid it, then swung his short sword backhand, the blade striking the whip and sending sparks flying.

The nine-section whip combines strength and flexibility. When the blade strikes it, most of the force is dissipated by the whip's suppleness. Taking advantage of the situation, Zhou Tong flicks his wrist, and the iron whip, like a snake raising its head with barbs at the tip, lashes towards Gu Guanqi's face.

Gu Guanqi tilted his head back to avoid the blow, his feet never stopping as he circled around Zhou Tong. The instant Zhou Tong swung his iron whip, he lunged forward.

The short knife slashed upwards, its blade tearing through Zhou Tong's robes, slicing through his flesh, and gliding across his chest.

The cut wasn't deep, but it severed his heart meridian perfectly.

Zhou Tong froze, the iron whip slipping from his hand and crashing to the ground with a clatter. He looked down at the wound on his chest, at the thin line of blood, his eyes filled with resentment.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but his body had already fallen forward uncontrollably.

With a bang, dust flew up.

The alleyway returned to silence.

Shen Qingqiu leaned against the wall and saw this scene, her heart clenching suddenly. She subconsciously tried to get up, which aggravated her wound, and a sharp pain shot through her waist, almost making her cry out.

She gritted her teeth, staring intently at the figure in blue robes in the arena, her eyes filled with shock!

She could clearly sense that Gu Guanqi hadn't really fought many battles, and his attacks lacked any real killing power. Even so, when the three of them joined forces to attack, they only had two or three chances to strike before being killed.

Just how skilled is his swordsmanship?

Three corpses lay scattered on the bluestone pavement, blood slowly flowing and pooling in small puddles in the low-lying areas. Sunlight slanted down from above the alley, making the bloodstains appear a dark reddish sheen.

Shen Qingqiu leaned against the wall, holding a knife in her hand, the tip of which was planted on the ground to support her body.

She watched Gu Guanqi's retreating figure and whispered, "Gu Guanqi, how are you?"

"It's alright!"

Gu Guanqi bent down and wiped the blood off Qi Kun's robe with his short knife, then turned and walked back.

Seeing that Gu Guanqi's expression was normal, Shen Qingqiu breathed a long sigh of relief, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally at ease.

"Your knife is really nice, where did you buy it?" Gu Guanqi said.

Shen Qingqiu took the knife, his fingers touching the lingering warmth on the hilt, and a strange, indescribable emotion welled up inside him.

"I can't buy it. This knife was made by a master craftsman and is made of special materials. I had to go to great lengths to exchange it for merits from within the Six Doors." At this point, Shen Qingqiu smiled slightly and said, "Your martial arts skills... the quality of your weapon is no longer important."

Upon hearing this, Gu Guanqi said, "I'm mainly feeling a bit emotional. After using your knife, I realized that my sword is just a lump of iron."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingqiu was intrigued. She glanced at the knife in her hand, then changed the subject and asked, "Just how high is your martial arts skill?"

Gu Guanqi shook his head slightly and said, "That's hard to say. I've only been in two fights, and I don't know what level my skill would be considered in the martial arts world. However, as for my swordsmanship, as I just told you—grass, trees, bamboo, and stones can all be used as swords. That's the level."

Shen Qingqiu was stunned.

Grass, trees, bamboo, and rocks can all be used to make swords.

Gu Guanqi had mentioned it once earlier in the alley.

But she didn't pay attention to it at the time.

Now, upon closer examination of this statement, I suddenly realize that its level of understanding is truly quite high.

She seemed to understand why a twenty-year-old young man with martial arts skills would not show off his abilities; it wasn't that he was deliberately hiding them, but rather that he didn't want to display them.

His level of understanding is so high!

……

"Let's go."

At this moment, Gu Guanqi had already adjusted his internal energy and immediately helped Shen Qingqiu up, saying, "Your injury is quite serious, we need to find a place to treat it quickly."

When Gu Guanqi helped Shen Qingqiu up, she realized that she had almost no strength left. She had been holding on by sheer willpower, but now that strength was gone, her body felt completely drained, and she was so weak that she ended up leaning directly into Gu Guanqi's arms.

Her cheeks flushed instantly, a wave of shame washing over her. She tried to struggle, but her body was too weak. This struggle...

Instead, it was as if she was rubbing against Gu Guanqi's chest.

What made her even more panicked was that she seemed to have no strength left to walk, and in the next instant, she couldn't even lift the knife in her hand and it fell to the ground.

For a moment, she felt flustered and didn't know how to start the conversation.

At this moment, Gu Guanqi asked, "Commander Shen, are you completely unable to walk? Should I carry you?"

Shen Qingqiu looked up and saw Gu Guanqi's clear eyes, then said somewhat shyly, "Well... thank you!"

Gu Guanqi immediately picked up the two knives, then bent down slightly and picked up Shen Qingqiu in his arms.

Shen Qingqiu immediately turned his head away, not daring to look at Gu Guanqi.