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

Upon hearing Fang Cunxin's words, the woman paused slightly, then covered her mouth and chuckled, "Miss Fang is indeed meticulous; I underestimated you. No wonder the Fat and Thin Taoists fell for your tricks..."

At this time,

Before the woman could finish speaking,

Gu Guanqi slightly raised his hand and used his finger-flicking technique.

He flicked his finger, and a steel ball shot out from his fingertip, silently and as fast as a shooting star.

The woman was still speaking with her mouth slightly open when the steel ball was accurately shot into her mouth, exiting from the back of her head, bringing with it a cloud of blood.

"puff--"

The woman's smile froze on her face, her body stiffened abruptly, her eyes glazed over, and she slumped backward, crashing to the ground with a thud, falling silent.

Almost at the same instant, Fang Cunxin was also moved.

She took a step forward, and her spear shot out like a venomous dragon emerging from its cave, the tip of which carried a sharp gust of wind, heading straight for the face of the villain on her left.

The villain was shocked and hurriedly raised his knife to block.

"when--"

The single-edged sword snapped in two, but the spear tip continued its momentum, smashing the villain's head to pieces, splattering red and white blood all over the ground.

Before the momentum of Fangcun Xinqiang had subsided, the spear swept horizontally, the shaft lashing out at another villain like an iron whip.

The thug tried to retreat, but Fang Cunxin's gun was too fast. The tip of the gun rose from below and pierced his throat with a "thud," and blood gushed from the wound.

The thug's eyes widened, he made muffled hoarse noises, swayed, then collapsed to the ground, twitched twice, and remained motionless.

From the moment Gu Guanqi made his move to the moment the two villains were killed, only two breaths passed.

The forest returned to silence.

Fang Cunxin drew her gun, flicked the blood off the tip, but her gaze did not leave the three corpses. Instead, she scanned the surrounding dense forest with even greater vigilance.

"Brother Gu, something's not right." She lowered her voice. "There are still people in the woods, quite a few."

Gu Guanqi nodded.

He noticed it too.

Although their breathing was soft, it did not escape his ears. There were at least a dozen people lying in ambush in the forest, scattered behind the trees and in the bushes. Their breathing was long and steady, clearly indicating that they were all martial arts experts.

Fang Cunxin held her spear horizontally in front of her, her gaze cold, and said in a low voice, "Judging from what that woman just said, they are from the Heavenly Demon Sect, just like the band of bandits we encountered in Tongan County before, and they came for me."

Gu Guanqi frowned slightly and remained silent. His gaze swept across the dense forest around him, trying to pinpoint the location of those people.

The birdsong in the forest had stopped sometime ago, and the silence was eerily quiet.

Only the sound of the wind rustling through the treetops could be heard, like a whisper, and faintly, figures began to appear in the forest.

……

Meanwhile, deep in the dense forest.

Under a tall pine tree stood a middle-aged man in his fifties.

He wore a dark green brocade robe with a gold ribbon tied around his waist. He had a square face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a short beard. He also had a long whip at his waist. He looked extraordinary.

This man is Yan Jingchen, the leader of the Tian Shu branch of the Heavenly Demon Sect. He is infamous in the martial arts world, but he is always elusive and the authorities have been trying to catch him for many years without success.

However, at this moment, this master of the demonic sect, who struck fear into the hearts of countless righteous people, stood respectfully behind a woman.

The woman was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, tall and slender, dressed in a dark purple outfit, with her long hair tied up high, revealing a cold and beautiful face.

Her features were exquisitely beautiful; her eyebrows resembled distant mountains, her eyes were like autumn water, her nose was high and straight, and her lips were slightly pursed, exuding an aloofness and arrogance that kept people at a distance.

Yan Jingchen bowed slightly and said in a low voice, "Miss Chang, I'm afraid the people we arranged won't be able to defeat Gu Guanqi and Fang Cunxin. Especially Gu Guanqi, who is the second best swordsman in Qingyang County, with divine swordsmanship. His record at Qingfeng Temple in Qingyang County was outstanding..."

The woman called Miss Chang raised her hand, interrupting him.

"I know."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

Yan Jingchen immediately stopped talking, stood with his hands at his sides, and adopted a very humble attitude.

Miss Chang's gaze pierced through the layers of tree shadows and landed on the two figures in the open space in the distance. A meaningful smile appeared on her lips.

"I wasn't in a hurry to take them down. If it were simply a matter of taking down these two, I would have done it myself. Why go through all this trouble and arrange for these people?"

Yan Jingchen was slightly taken aback, then asked, "So, what does Miss Chang mean...?"

Miss Chang withdrew her gaze, turned around, looked at Yan Jingchen, and said in a calm tone: "I need to find a swordsman for the Holy Son."

Yan Jingchen frowned slightly, puzzled: "What does the Holy Son need swordsmen for?"

Miss Chang said, "Some time ago, Saintess Nangong took in a subordinate. That person is only twenty years old, but his martial arts are very high and his swordsmanship is profound. He is highly appreciated by Saintess Nangong. During the sect's competition, he made Saintess Nangong look good, which made our Holy Prince lose face."

It's a pity I'm too old to fight for the Holy Son in that battle, and the few swordsmen under his command who are of suitable age are all incredibly disappointing.

Miss Chang paused, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. "The Holy Son is not happy. He made an appointment with Saintess Nangong to compete again in six months. Therefore, the Holy Son now needs a swordsman who can surpass Saintess Nangong's subordinate in swordsmanship."

As she spoke, her gaze returned to the distance, landing on Gu Guanqi.

"Gu Guanqi is about the same age as that subordinate of Saintess Nangong. According to rumors, his swordsmanship should be better than that subordinate's, so he does meet the requirements!" Miss Chang narrowed her eyes slightly. "However, I need to see if his swordsmanship is really that good. If he is not as good as he claims, it would only offend the Holy Son's eyes, and that would not be good."

Yan Jingchen suddenly realized and quickly cupped his hands, saying, "I see."

Miss Chang said, "As for Fang Cunxin, she's right here anyway, she can't run away, and we can arrest her at any time, so there's no conflict."

"I understand," Yan Jingchen hesitated for a moment, then said, "However, Miss Chang, Gu Guanqi's martial arts are no less than mine. If he is determined to leave, it will be difficult to defeat him. How about we join forces now, severely injure him, and then bring him to the Holy Son?"

Miss Chang chuckled and said, "You won't need to lift a finger, Chief Yan. I'll take care of Gu Guanqi myself. Although my martial arts aren't as unfathomable as the Holy Son's, they're still decent enough. Capturing Gu Guanqi alive is more than enough!"

Yan Jingchen was startled.

He had heard of this Miss Chang's reputation; she was the Holy Son's most beloved sword attendant, and it was rumored that many elders of the headquarters had fallen to her sword.

Originally, Yan Jingchen didn't quite believe these rumors, but now, judging from Miss Chang's demeanor, those rumors must be true; this woman's swordsmanship is probably exceptionally high.