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

Chapter 169 Heading to the Capital, Turbulent Times in the Small Town

"You've seen it before?" Gu Guanqi asked in surprise.

Zhao Tianfang nodded and said, "I'm not bragging, I really have seen it. However, this Qilin is not as magical as in folk legends. It's just a strange beast that can breathe fire. But its appearance is the same as in the legends. It is shaped like a deer, has antlers on its head, scales all over its body, and a tail like a cow's tail."

Gu Guanqi asked, "Where did you see it?"

"The Imperial Palace," Zhao Tianfang said, "I was only seven or eight years old at that time. Emperor Wuxuan was on the throne then, who was my father."

That year, he was poisoned by an extremely cold and strange poison. He tried countless miraculous medicines but his condition did not improve. Someone thought of the legendary mythical beast Qilin. So, the then Director of the Imperial Observatory led many sorcerers of the Imperial Observatory and spent three years finally tracking down a Qilin, capturing it and bringing it back to the capital to present to Emperor Wuxuan.

I was still living in the palace at that time. Not only did I see that qilin with my own eyes, but after it was killed, I also picked up a scale and played with it for a long time until I lost it later when I established my own government.

Gu Guanqi quickly asked, "What special effects do the Qilin have?"

Zhao Tianfang thought for a moment and said, "It doesn't seem to have any special effects. The only difference is that the blood of the Qilin is different from the blood of ordinary livestock. It is golden in color and extremely hot. As for the scales, they are not like the rumors that any piece can be used to forge divine weapons. In reality, they are just hard, similar to steel."

At that time, the Imperial Medical Academy mainly took two things: one was the blood of the Qilin, which was used to refine a golden elixir to cure my father's poisoning; the other was the Qilin horn, which my father took away, and I don't know what he did with it after that.

But it's true that the Qilin can breathe fire. When that Qilin was brought into the palace, it went berserk once and spewed out a huge flame, but it was easily suppressed by the expert Da Bing.

Gu Guanqi frowned and said, "So, the Qilin isn't that strong." As he spoke, he took out the Qilin Tear and said, "But I can definitely feel that it contains extremely powerful energy. Although I don't know how strong it will be when it erupts, it can at least easily kill a Grandmaster."

Zhao Tianfang said, "It's not that the Qilin wasn't strong. The Qilin in the palace at that time was a juvenile Qilin that hadn't reached adulthood. Also, it was facing an attack from dozens of the world's top experts, so it's normal that it was defeated."

Furthermore, the Qilin Tears were crafted by Gongshu Yu, a master craftsman three hundred years ago, and the energy of the Qilin blood would certainly have been enhanced by him using special methods. Moreover, it is rumored that the Qilin essence blood he obtained came from an adult Qilin, which is definitely not comparable to the one in the palace back then.

Even a young Qilin required the entire Imperial Observatory to be mobilized, including several Grandmasters. The Director of the Imperial Observatory at the time was a Grandmaster at the same level as you are now, which also shows that the Qilin is actually very powerful.

However, it doesn't quite reach the level of flying to the heavens or diving into the earth as described in folk tales.

Gu Guanqi thought for a moment and said, "That's true." He looked at the Qilin Tear and said, "However, this thing is quite good. The Pig King really went to great lengths to deliver this treasure; his feelings are truly sincere!"

With that, Gu Guanqi put away the Qilin Tears.

Then he asked, "Since the Qilin exists, do the other legendary mythical beasts also exist?"

Zhao Tianfang said, "I'm not sure if they all exist, but I did see many records of strange beasts in the palace documents. However, those records were very different from folk legends; they weren't nearly as magical as they seemed. They were just strange beasts with special abilities!"

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly and said, "I must go and see it if I have the chance."

After saying that, he turned and went out to deal with the poison array set up in the courtyard.

Fortunately, he had dealt with those Heavenly Principle Sect experts beforehand, so the poison array did not operate on a large scale. Afterwards, he covered it with Heavenly Silkworm Silk, which absorbed most of the poison. In addition, he knew the key to the array, so dealing with it was not troublesome.

Just as he finished dealing with the poison array, Cao Yu rushed in and bowed, saying, "Alliance Leader Gu, the interrogation is complete. Yang Yuan was bewitched by the Pig King of the Heavenly Principle Sect and attempted to overthrow you so that he could take the opportunity to shed his puppet status and truly become a powerful regional official."

Zhao Tianfang scoffed, "Wishful thinking! Does he think the Heavenly Principle Church is some kind of benevolent entity that he could allow to take power?"

Cao Yu said, "There is always a difference. With Alliance Leader Gu's unparalleled power, Yang Yuan's status is not much different from before under the rule of the Hanyue Sect. However, the Tianli Sect is a demonic sect and cannot be openly operated. If they want to control Hongzhou, they will largely have to rely on Yang Yuan. In this way, neither side can be replaced, and the power he can obtain will be much greater."

Zhao Tianfang thought for a moment and said, "That makes sense. I suppose the reason why the Heavenly Principles Sect didn't come to find Magistrate Cao is because of this. If they cooperate with you, with your foundation in Hongzhou, it won't be long before you can completely counter them and make their Heavenly Principles Sect's influence in Hongzhou become your vassal."

Cao Yu quickly replied, "Alliance Leader Gu possesses unparalleled talent and extraordinary abilities; this humble official would never dare to harbor such thoughts!"

Gu Guanqi waved his hand and said, "You don't need to be so cautious. I hate trouble. As long as you work for me diligently, you will still be the second-in-command of Hongzhou government. You will have all the power and status you deserve."

As he spoke, Gu Guanqi patted Cao Yu on the shoulder and said, "Prefect Cao, I hope you won't disappoint me."

Cao Yu was overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Alliance Leader Gu, rest assured, from this day forward, I, Cao Yu, will be your most loyal follower. I will follow your orders wherever you point. If I harbor even the slightest disloyalty, may I be struck by lightning and die without a burial place!"

Gu Guanqi said, "Prefect Cao is a smart man, and his choice must be extremely wise. I believe that under the governance of Prefect Cao and Prince Zhao, Hongzhou will surely prosper!"

Cao Yu hurriedly replied, "This humble official will certainly live up to the Alliance Leader's high expectations, and will be willing to sacrifice everything, even his life!"

"Okay." Gu Guanqi nodded slightly.

Cao Yu continued, "Alliance Leader, Governor Yang Yuan was just attacked and killed by the Heavenly Principle Sect bandits. The reason was that he had secretly collected evidence of corruption and bribery by officials from the prefectural government to various counties in Hongzhou, which led to his assassination by those corrupt officials."

However, although Governor Yang was murdered, the evidence he left behind has been preserved. Alliance Leader, shall we examine the evidence now?

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly.

Cao Yu was indeed very experienced in officialdom. This set of excuses could cover up the cause of Yang Yuan's death on the surface, while also providing a reasonable excuse to clean up the officialdom in Hongzhou and get rid of those people from the original Hanyue Sect faction.

Immediately, Cao Yu invited Gu Guanqi and Zhao Tianfang to a large courtyard.

As soon as Gu Guanqi sat down in the hall, Cao Yu immediately presented him with a thick folded book.

Gu Guanqi opened it and saw that it was a list that detailed the factional backgrounds of officials from the prefectural government to the counties and prefectures in Hongzhou. It also included a large list of other capable but frustrated officials.

The authenticity of this list is not in question, because before coming to Hongzhou City, the Rong Prince's Mansion also submitted a list, which specifically noted which officials belonged to the Hanyue Sect faction and who were available.

However, it is far less detailed than Cao Yu's list.

Gu Guanqi looked at Cao Yu with some curiosity and said, "Prefect Cao, this list doesn't seem like something that could be compiled in a short time, does it?"

Cao Yu hurriedly said, "To be honest, ever since Alliance Leader Gu defeated the Hanyue Sect at Futu Mountain, I have been unable to eat or sleep properly, constantly thinking about how to demonstrate my value in exchange for a chance to survive."

Therefore, this list was prepared well in advance. I swear to God, I have absolutely no personal bias whatsoever; many of the disgruntled officials I recommended have grievances against me.

Gu Guanqi believed that Cao Yu had no ulterior motives, because the list was so detailed that it even recorded the relationships among Cao Yu's subordinates.

The list of recommended individuals overlaps significantly with those recommended by the Prince Rong's Mansion.

"good!"

Gu Guanqi carefully put away the folded book and looked at Zhao Tianfang, saying, "Your Highness, please give me another list of recommended candidates. Then, you should cooperate with Magistrate Cao to summon all the county-level officials to the prefectural capital so I can meet with them. I will then make a final decision on the candidates."

Zhao Tianfang understood that Gu Guanqi was asking him to consider promoting some people from their Rong Prince's Mansion as a way of reciprocating their timely support.

However, Zhao Tianfang also understood that while the Rong Prince's Mansion could take the opportunity to rise in power, everything had its limits. They absolutely could not interfere in key positions that they should not interfere in. The candidates for those positions that could affect the operation of the Hongzhou government must be people who did not originally belong to any faction. Only such people would be included in Gu Guanqi's faction.

Gu Guanqi accepted Cao Yu's letter in front of him, which could be considered a veiled reminder.

"I understand." Zhao Tianfang cupped his hands and said, "I will definitely select truly talented people for Alliance Leader Gu, and I will never allow anyone who is just filling in to be selected."

Gu Guanqi said, "I trust Your Highness to handle things."

Yang Yuan's death did not have much impact on Gu Guanqi, because Cao Yu's submission could completely replace Yang Yuan, and even far exceed Yang Yuan's role.

Yang Yuan was originally a puppet, always outside the operation of the Hongzhou government, but in name, he was the governor of Hongzhou.

Cao Yu and Zhao Tianfang still submitted a memorial to the imperial court in the name of the Hongzhou government, awaiting the court's appointment of a new governor.

However, even though the court understood that the governor of Hongzhou was only a symbolic figure in Hongzhou, he was still a powerful regional official, and it was not easy to decide on a candidate. Therefore, Cao Yu temporarily took over as governor of Hongzhou.

Meanwhile, the Hongzhou government, like the martial arts world, also underwent a major upheaval from top to bottom, which was even more turbulent than the martial arts world.

-

In the martial arts world, although many martial arts sects were forced to relocate with the arrival of the martial arts alliance in Qingyun and Erzhou, the people involved remained largely the same. However, the situation was different for the government; a massive purge began from top to bottom.

Several prefects have been arrested and imprisoned, but the prefectural government cannot directly appoint officials at the prefectural level, so there are many vacant positions for the time being.

During this period, Gu Guanqi met with talents selected from all over Hongzhou and successfully recruited a large number of people, forming his own official faction. Although many people's official positions were only temporary and still needed to be appointed by the imperial court, the Hongzhou government was basically stabilized.

And just like that, time flew by, and winter arrived.

For the past few months, Hongzhou has been in turmoil. In the martial arts world, there have been constant frictions and upheavals, while the government has reached a point of extreme anxiety and paranoia.

However, it was precisely because of Gu Guanqi's clear attitude that he successfully brought about a new atmosphere in Hongzhou, and the order of the martial arts world and the government was restored.

This top-down crackdown continued until the end of the year before finally stopping.

However, to Gu Guanqi's surprise, the appointments for the new governor of Hongzhou and officials in various regions were delayed.

Heavy snow fell again in Hongzhou City on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.

Since the first snowfall in mid-December, Hongzhou had not seen any more snow, and everyone thought it would never snow again. But unexpectedly, it started snowing again today.

Gu Guanqi had just returned from Danyang County.

After things were basically settled with the Hongzhou government, he went to Danyang County because of Jiang Baili, Lin Yourong, An Yi,

Han Youniang and Zhao Lingyuan were there. In the middle of the trip, he also took some time to visit the Hongzhou Martial Arts Alliance, which was originally the location of the Hanyue Sect, and spent a few days with Fang Cunxin.

After spending the New Year in Danyang County, An Yi and Han Youniang returned to Yunzhou on the third day of the Lunar New Year, while Jiang Baili and Lin Yourong stayed only one day longer before setting off back to Qingzhou on the fourth day.

If it weren't for the desire to spend the New Year with Gu Guanqi, they would have left Hongzhou long ago.

After the women left, Gu Guanqi only stayed for one day to spend time with Zhao Lingyuan alone. On the morning of the fifth day, he left Danyang County and headed to Hongzhou City.

He had barely arrived at the government office when Zhao Tianfang rushed over, bowing as soon as he entered and saying, "Alliance Leader Gu, a letter has arrived from the capital. The Ministry of Personnel is stubbornly refusing to release the appointment documents. The Empress Dowager has urged them several times, but the Ministry of Personnel always finds various excuses to delay!"

Gu Guanqi frowned and asked, "Who's interfering?"

Zhao Tianfang said, "Left Prime Minister Zhang Jiexi."

"That makes sense," Gu Guanqi said. "It would be strange if he didn't come up with some difficult questions."

Zhao Tianfang said, "The Empress Dowager said in her secret letter that General Yan Kunlun has returned to the capital and joined forces with Zhang Jiexi. The two of them seem to be planning to take action against Wei Tanjin. The Empress Dowager and the Eastern Depot are now in a difficult situation and are very powerless."

Gu Guanqi said in a deep voice, "Is Zhang Jiexi planning to attack me?"

Zhao Tianfang nodded and said, "I suspect that's his purpose. He wants to wait until he gets rid of Wei Tanjin and sidelines the Empress Dowager before sending troops to garrison Hongzhou."

By then, the governor of Hongzhou, the military commander, and the prefects of various regions had not yet been appointed. He directly sent a group of people to reap the benefits, and with the support of a large army, we really had no way to deal with it. At that time, we had no legitimate reason to fight, and unless we rebelled, we could not gather an army to confront him.

At that time, Alliance Leader, you would have no choice but to abandon Hongzhou and return to Qingyun. Otherwise, with Zhang Jiexi, his army, and even General Yan Kunlun, the situation would likely be very critical!

Gu Guanqi pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "By the way, Your Highness, you said before that the Empress Dowager wanted Princess Chengyang to help me with my cultivation, is that true?"

"Huh?" Zhao Tianfang didn't react for a moment, and said, "Yes, that's true. Um—Alliance Leader, you're not planning to go to the capital at this time, are you?"

Gu Guanqi said, "I don't like to sit and wait for my death. Since I know Zhang Jiexi is going to deal with me, why don't I just go find him directly?"

Zhao Tianfang hesitated and said, "But in the capital now, Zhang Jiexi is very powerful, and the Empress Dowager and the Eastern Depot are being suppressed very tightly. It would be too dangerous for you to go. You should know that Zhang Jiexi is the tenth Martial Saint on the God Ranking, and General Yan Kunlun is also the twenty-fourth Supreme Master on the Heaven Ranking."

Gu Guanqi chuckled and said, "That's why I asked Princess Chengyang if it's true that she helped me with my cultivation."

Zhao Tianfang asked, "Alliance Leader, is your 'Path of Amorousness' true?"

Gu Guanqi nodded.

Zhao Tianfang said, "The Empress Dowager did indeed say that she was willing to let Princess Chengyang help you with your cultivation. If you go to the capital, the Empress Dowager will definitely be able to arrange for you to meet with Princess Chengyang as soon as possible."

"That's fine," Gu Guanqi said. "It would be even better if we could arrange for more people."

"This—" Zhao Tianfang asked, "What are your requirements?"

"The higher the martial arts skill, the better, or the more famous she is," Gu Guanqi said. "Because I am a martial artist, I admire those with high martial arts skills, so women with profound martial arts skills are more likely to move my heart. As for fame—"

"I understand, I understand," Zhao Tianfang said with a knowing look in his eyes. "A woman with fame is definitely different. Even if she is not particularly beautiful, her reputation alone is enough to make people take notice."

Gu Guanqi smiled slightly but offered no explanation.

He couldn't explain it either, since the system's star rating was based on martial arts skills, influence, family background, and appearance, with martial arts skills and influence being the most important.

If we explain it in terms of attraction, Zhao Tianfang's theory is actually quite sound.

Regardless of gender, fame gives a different impression and makes it easier to attract attention.

"Then, Alliance Leader, what are your plans?" Zhao Tianfang said, "I'll arrange for a personal guard to escort you—"

"No," Gu Guanqi waved his hand and said, "If I bring an army, wouldn't that be blatantly telling Zhang Jiexi my whereabouts? Besides, with my martial arts skills, if something really happens, it'll be hard to say who's escorting whom!"

Zhao Tianfang chuckled awkwardly and said, "That's true. With your martial arts skills, if you go to the capital alone and deliberately hide, Zhang Jiexi probably won't even know you've arrived."

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly and said, "Just give me a token."

Immediately, Zhao Tianfang took out a jade pendant from his pocket and handed it to Gu Guanqi, saying, "This was given to me by the Empress Dowager when I last went to the capital. It can be used as a token."

Gu Guanqi took the jade pendant and put it in his pocket, saying, "Alright, there's nothing for me to do in Hongzhou for the time being anyway, so I might as well set off today. Go and prepare a map and a good horse for me!"

"it is good."

The year-end is over, and the weather should be getting warmer.

However, the further north you go, the later spring arrives.

Gu Guanqi set off from Hongzhou City and headed north towards the capital. He first passed through Qizhou before entering Tianzhou.

Along the way, the weather showed no signs of spring; on the contrary, it grew increasingly cold, with snow covering everything.

At noon that day, Gu Guanqi led his horse into a small town.

Snowflakes fell heavily, pouring down from the leaden sky and enveloping the entire town in a white, silent blanket. Every household had its doors and windows tightly shut, and the long street was deserted and deathly still.

Gu Guanqi led his horse slowly along the snow-covered flagstone path. His white clothes looked somewhat thin in the wind and snow, and the horse's hoofprints stretched into a faint line on the snow.

After walking about a hundred steps, he looked up and saw a two-story wooden building standing in the middle of the street ahead. A faded plaque hung above the door, and he could barely make out the four characters "Yuelai Inn".

The inn's door was half-open, and noisy voices and laughter came from inside, a stark contrast to the town's silence.

Gu Guanqi tied his horse to the hitching post in front of the door and then stepped over the threshold.

The inn wasn't large, but the lobby was packed with people. Seven or eight rough wooden tables were already full, and many more were standing in the corners. There were at least thirty or forty people in total, each with a sword or knife at their waist, clearly martial arts practitioners, and it was vaguely discernible that they were all in groups of three or five.

The moment Gu Guanqi stepped across the threshold, dozens of eyes fell on him.

A woman immediately whispered, "What a handsome young man!"

"I never expected to see such a handsome young man in this remote and impoverished place!"

One man scoffed, "You can't eat your face. Swords don't discriminate in the martial world."

Gu Guanqi remained calm, seemingly oblivious to the stares and whispers around him, and walked straight to the counter.

Behind the counter stood a shopkeeper dressed in a gray cotton robe, trembling with fear, clearly feeling extremely threatened by the pressure from the crowd of martial arts enthusiasts.

Seeing Gu Guanqi approach, the innkeeper quickly put on a smile and asked, "Young master, are you here for a stay or a meal? If it's for a meal, you might have to wait a while. There are many guests today, the kitchen is overwhelmed, and there aren't enough tables!"

"Eat," Gu Guanqi said calmly, "just cook a bowl of noodles."

The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together and said with a forced smile, "Then it might take a while."

"It's okay, I'm not busy, I can wait," Gu Guanqi said.

The shopkeeper readily agreed, then glanced at the lobby and added somewhat embarrassedly, "But—I'll have to ask you to find a place to stand for a while, young master."

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly, turned around and glanced around the lobby, preparing to find a suitable place to stand.

Just then, a clear voice came from the table by the window: "Hey, handsome little brother, if you don't mind, why don't you squeeze in with me?"

Gu Guanqi looked in the direction of the sound. There were four people sitting at the table by the window, two men and two women, all carrying weapons.

The speaker was a woman dressed in black, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. She had an oval face, slightly upturned eyebrows, and a pair of eyes that held a touch of heroism. When she smiled, the corners of her mouth turned up high, giving her a rather straightforward and unrestrained air. Her companions also looked up and sized up Gu Guanqi, their gazes filled with curiosity and scrutiny.

Gu Guanqi cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kindness, heroine. However, it is inappropriate for men and women to sit together. I will just find a place to stand."

The woman in black wasn't annoyed by this; instead, she smiled even more broadly, resting her chin on her hand, her tone tinged with regret: "That's such a pity! I was hoping to get closer to this handsome young man!"

A young woman dressed in dark green, close-fitting clothes, nudged her gently and whispered, "Third Senior Sister, please be more reserved!"

The woman in black chuckled and said nothing more, but her gaze still followed Gu Guanqi's figure with great interest.

Gu Guanqi took two steps toward the door and found an open space to stand.

Just then, footsteps suddenly came from the backyard gate.

The inn fell silent as everyone turned to look.

Then a woman dressed in a fur coat slowly walked out. She had a captivating figure, an outstanding temperament, and beautiful features; every movement she made exuded a seductive charm. She said softly, "Gentlemen, my master has spoken; he only needs ten people!"

As soon as the woman in the fur coat finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a murmur of discussion. The martial arts figures who had been holding their wine bowls and eating melon seeds put down what they were doing, exchanging glances, and the atmosphere became subtle and oppressive.

A swordsman dressed in blue spoke first: "Miss Feng, we have so many people here today, but only ten spots. I'm afraid it will be difficult to arrange them?"

Ah Feng stood at the top of the stairs, smiled slightly, and said, "My lord, we are about to cross the Cangmang Mountain and face the fierce bandits of the Thirteen Fortresses of Cangmang. More people are useless. Only true masters can get through. My master said that we will only choose ten; any more would only be a burden."

She paused, her gaze slowly sweeping across everyone's faces: "However, even if none of you are selected today, my master will not let you come here for nothing—each of you will be given one hundred taels of silver as travel expenses."

Another commotion erupted in the lobby.

The swordsman in blue said, "Who comes here for a hundred taels of travel expenses? In that case, I, Murong Qing, will take a seat. Anyone have any objections?"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly drew his sword.

That sword strike was incredibly fast; the sword light flashed by, and the sword was already back in its sheath.

Before anyone could even see how he drew his sword, eight soft "clangs" rang out simultaneously, and the eight rough porcelain teacups on the table split in the middle almost at the same moment, the breaks as clean as if they had been cut with a knife.

Tea seeped out from the cracks, forming several thin streams on the table.

The lobby was deathly silent.

Those who had been whispering just moments before fell silent, their gazes falling on the eight cracked teacups before returning to Murong Qing's face, their eyes now showing a hint of apprehension.

Murong Qing sat down again, picked up the wine bowl, and remained calm.

Immediately, a fat monk with a round, bald head and a wielding iron staff grinned and said, "Hero Murong is right. Everyone is here for Master Hua's ten thousand taels of silver. So I, this fleshy monk, also want a place."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sneer came from the corner. A short, stocky man with a face full of scars crossed his arms, his tone full of sarcasm: "I have nothing to say if Master Murong occupies a seat, but if you, the Flesh Monk, can take one, then I, Fang Danian, must have one too!"

The meat-eating monk, upon hearing this, was not angered. He simply slammed his iron staff heavily on the ground, making a dull thud. He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Fang Danian, if you're not satisfied, just come and give me a hand!"

"Afraid of you?"

Fang Danian slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and grabbed the thick-backed broadsword that was as wide as a door panel next to the table.

The atmosphere instantly became extremely tense.

Seeing this, Ah Feng quickly stepped forward and said, "Gentlemen, please calm down and don't damage the shopkeeper's property. It's not easy for the shopkeeper to run a small business. If you want to spar, you might as well go outside. There's more space, and you won't feel restricted."

Upon hearing this, the meat-loving monk immediately laughed, put away his staff, and turned to walk towards the door, saying as he went, "Miss Feng is beautiful and kind-hearted, so this meat-loving monk will listen to you! Outside it is fine, Fang Danian, don't back down at the last minute!"

Fang Danian snorted coldly, picked up his broadsword, and followed him out.

Immediately afterwards, the martial arts practitioners in the hall stood up one after another, some carrying knives and others swords, and rushed out of the door in twos and threes.

In just a moment, the lobby was empty.

Only Gu Guanqi remained standing by the window, motionless.

At this moment, Ah Feng's gaze fell on Gu Guanqi, her eyes lit up, and she walked lightly to stand in front of Gu Guanqi.

"May I ask your honorable surname, sir?" she asked softly.

"My surname is Gu," Gu Guanqi said.

"The surname Gu is quite unusual." A strange light flashed in Ah Feng's eyes, then she smiled slightly and asked:

Why doesn't Young Master Gu go out?

"I just came to eat a bowl of noodles," Gu Guanqi said calmly. "Their fight is none of my business."

Ah Feng was slightly taken aback, then asked, "Young Master Gu, aren't you here because of my master's bounty?"

Gu Guanqi waved his hand and said, "Don't tell me I hate trouble. I'm just passing by and I'm not interested in your business."

Ah Feng said, "But I am very interested in you, young master. You are handsome and skilled in martial arts. It would be a great blessing in my life to be able to travel with you."

Gu Guanqi said, "You've never seen me fight, how do you know I'm skilled in martial arts?"

Ah Feng said, "Young master, you attract so much attention and still dare to travel the world alone. If your martial arts skills are not high, you would have been taken advantage of long ago. It is very dangerous for good-looking people to travel the world if their martial arts skills are not high, regardless of gender."

Gu Guanqi said, "Just take it as a compliment from the young lady."

Ah Feng chuckled and said, "My master is seriously ill and urgently needs to return to Tianhu County for treatment. A reward of ten thousand taels of silver is offered for a skilled escort across the Cangmang Mountains. Once we've crossed that stretch of road, ten thousand taels of silver will be given. Ten thousand taels of silver, are you not interested, young master?"

Gu Guanqi asked in surprise, "Ten people, ten thousand taels each, that's one hundred thousand taels of silver. Is your master that rich?"

"It seems that you really are just passing by," Ah Feng said with a smile, covering her mouth. "Who in the world doesn't know that the Hua family of Tianhu is richer than a country? A mere 100,000 taels is nothing to them."

"Impressive," Gu Guanqi exclaimed, then added, "but I'm not interested in money."

Ah Feng smiled as she looked at Gu Guanqi, gently tossing her hair, and said, "So you're interested in beautiful women?"

Gu Guanqi shook his head slightly.

Ah Feng smiled and said, "I was being presumptuous. With your unparalleled beauty, how could you lack beauties? So, are you interested in martial arts manuals or rare treasures?"

Gu Guanqi said, "Miss, don't waste your time on me. I'll have a bowl of noodles and leave soon."

"Alas," Ah Feng sighed, "It's such a pity. Then I won't bother you any longer, young master."

After saying that, Ah Feng bowed to Gu Guanqi, then gave him a deep look before walking to the door.

At this moment, a man from Jianggan chuckled and said, "Miss Feng, we have to fight tooth and nail for a single spot, how come that person here can be begged by you three or five times? Does she look down on our martial arts?"

Ah Feng quickly replied, "Of course not," she said, looking at the man with a light laugh, "If even a crippled hero can possess the captivating beauty of that young master Gu, then I must humbly beg you to accompany me!"

"Hahaha----"

"Old Ma, don't humiliate yourself with that kind of appearance!"

'

,

Immediately, a burst of laughter erupted outside the door.

The man looked embarrassed.

Ah Feng quickly said, "Please don't be angry, great hero. Ah Feng is just an ordinary person. Just as you men like beautiful women, we women also like handsome men. My master gave me that little privilege, so naturally I hope to use it to get to know a handsome man."

The man said sullenly, "It's all my parents' fault for not giving me such good looks. Otherwise, I would have been willing to be rich even if it meant having a fortune!"

"You wish," Ah Feng chuckled, and said, "Well then, everyone, please!"

>