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

Chapter 94 Fire Phoenix

The next day, Gu Guanqi, Jiang Baili, and Zhu Jing ate breakfast early and then quickly rode away from Huangshan Village.

The two-day trip went very smoothly. After leaving Luoxia County, we arrived at a place called Fang County.

However, the weather didn't cooperate.

At noon that day, as the group was traveling through a remote mountain forest, the sky suddenly darkened, a fierce wind howled, blowing the withered grass by the roadside askew and stirring up dust.

Immediately afterwards, large raindrops began to pelt down.

The rain came very quickly; in just a few breaths, it had formed into a continuous stream, pouring down in a torrent.

Caught off guard, the three were instantly soaked.

"Master Gu, Miss Jiang, I remember there's a mountain god temple up ahead! Let's go there to take shelter from the rain!"

Zhu Jing wiped the rain off her face and pointed to a mountain hollow ahead, shouting loudly.

"Miss Zhu, lead the way!" Gu Guanqi said.

The three of them quickly spurred their horses and hurried there.

Sure enough, when they reached the mountain valley, they saw a mountain god temple. Upon arriving at the temple, the three of them quickly dismounted and tied their horses to a tree.

He then quickly walked toward the temple gate.

The mountain god temple is small and has been in disrepair for many years. The blue bricks in the corners of the walls have peeled off, and many of the roof tiles are missing.

As soon as they arrived at the temple gate, they saw a woman in red standing at the entrance, holding a long whip, with an unfriendly expression.

She was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, tall and slender, with delicate features and a pair of captivating eyes.

Behind her, two children nestled under the mountain god statue.

A boy, about five or six years old, with a chubby face, buried his face in the arms of a girl who looked about twelve or thirteen years old, his body trembling slightly.

The little girl was wearing a dirty light blue dress, and she looked nervous with red eyes.

Both children hid behind and dared not make a sound.

Zhu Jing stepped forward, cupped her hands in greeting to the woman in red, and said, "Young lady, we were passing through this area when we were caught in a sudden downpour. We would like to take shelter in the temple. Would you be so kind as to do us this favor?"

The woman in red glanced at the three of them, her tone cold: "This temple is unclaimed land, you are welcome to come if you want. But I advise you to find shelter from the rain elsewhere to avoid getting into trouble."

Zhu Jing was slightly taken aback and turned to look at Gu Guanqi.

Gu Guanqi frowned.

A beautiful woman who is clearly a martial arts expert, with two terrified children, looks like a huge problem.

He wasn't one to cause trouble, and besides, he had important matters to attend to and no interest in meddling in other people's business. So he shook his head slightly, signaling Zhu Jing to find another place.

Zhu Jing understood and was about to take her leave when suddenly, a voice came from inside the temple: "Sister Zhu Jing? Is that you?"

Zhu Jing was startled and looked in the direction of the sound. She saw the little girl in the temple staring at her with wide eyes, tears welling up in her eyes, and a look of surprise on her face.

Zhu Jing examined the little girl carefully for a moment, then asked in confusion, "You are—?"

The little girl stood up, took the little boy's hand, and walked to the door. She said, "Sister Zhu Jing! It's me, Qian Susu. My father is Qian Chong, the leader of the Five Tigers Sect. You visited my home last February."

Zhu Jing suddenly realized and said, "It's you, Su Su! You've grown so much in the past year or so. I didn't recognize you at first. What are you doing here?"

Qian Susu's eyes instantly reddened, and she choked out, "Sister, the Five Tigers Sect—the Five Tigers Sect is gone!"

Zhu Jing was stunned and didn't quite react.

The Five Tigers Sect is a major sect in Tiannan County. Although it cannot compare with the Tingshan Sect, it is still very famous. Its sect leader, Qian Chong, is also a renowned figure in the martial arts world, and the sect has hundreds of true disciples.

"How could it be gone?" Zhu Jing asked in confusion.

Qian Susu said, "Yesterday at noon, a group of people suddenly came and tried to capture my brother and me. Now most of the people in the sect have been taken by Father to Wenjian Mountain to participate in the martial arts tournament. There are only a dozen or so senior brothers and sisters left in the sect."

Mother led her senior brothers and sisters to resist—but those people were too skilled in martial arts, and Mother and the others were no match for them. All the senior brothers and sisters were killed. In the end, Mother pushed us into the secret passage and let us escape—”

At this point, Qian Susu was already sobbing uncontrollably and could no longer utter a single word. When the little boy saw his sister crying, he also started to cry.

The two children were wailing and crying, which made everyone who saw them feel sympathy and pity.

At this moment, the woman in red spoke up: "The Five Tigers Sect members have all been killed. I happened to be passing by and saw the brother and sister being chased, so I rescued them, but those people are still chasing them. That's why I told you to go somewhere else earlier."

At this moment, Qian Susu sobbed a few times, forcing herself to stop crying. She slowly raised her head, wiped away her tears, and said, "It was—my brother and I—after we ran out of the secret passage, those bad guys chased after us. Luckily, Sister Phoenix passed by, otherwise, we would have been captured."

Zhu Jing bowed to the woman in red and said, "I am Zhu Jing from the Tingshan Sect. May I ask who you are?"

The woman in red put away her whip, cupped her hands, and said, "Cangzhou Martial Arts Alliance, Fire Phoenix."

Zhu Jing was slightly startled.

The Cangzhou Martial Arts Alliance is a very special force in the martial arts world. Although it is not one of the eight major martial arts sects in the Qian Kingdom, its reputation is no less than that of the eight major sects, and may even be greater.

In terms of power, the Cangzhou Martial Arts Alliance is even greater than the Eight Great Sects. After all, it is the only force among the thirteen states of Qian Kingdom that has nominally unified the martial arts world of a state.

The Cangzhou Martial Arts Alliance dates back more than a decade. At that time, the Blood Blade Sect, one of the six major sects of the demonic path, wreaked havoc in Cangzhou and seized territory. No one in the Cangzhou martial arts world could stop them, many sects were slaughtered, and the entire Cangzhou martial arts world was in grave danger.

At this critical moment, Qin Yizhi, a great hero from Cangzhou, emerged out of nowhere, formed the Martial Arts Alliance, and led the righteous martial arts community of Cangzhou to fight against the Blood Blade Sect. In the end, they successfully defeated the Blood Blade Sect and preserved the righteous martial arts community of Cangzhou.

Afterwards, all the martial arts factions in Cangzhou admired Qin Yizhi's character and abilities and were unwilling to dissolve the martial arts alliance. They continued to worship Qin Yizhi as the alliance leader and make him the leader of the Cangzhou martial arts world.

"You're actually a female knight-errant from the Cangzhou Martial Arts Alliance! My apologies!" Zhu Jing said, cupping her hands in greeting.

Fire Phoenix cupped his hands and said, "Recently, several gangs of bandits from Cangzhou have suddenly headed towards Qingzhou. I was ordered by the Alliance Leader to come to Qingzhou to investigate. I came here hoping to ask the local martial arts sects for help in tracing their movements, but I didn't expect to find that the Five Tigers Sect had been wiped out."

After saying that, Fire Phoenix suddenly realized that Zhu Jing and the others were still standing at the door. The rain was getting heavy, and the eaves were no longer providing much shelter. So she immediately said, "Please come in first!"

"Thank you." Zhu Jing bowed in thanks.

Then, Gu Guanqi and the other two went into the house.

Zhu Jing asked Fire Phoenix, "Fire Heroine, do you know the identities of those who attacked the Five Tigers Sect last night?"

Fire Phoenix shook her head and said, "I don't know. Those people were all skilled in martial arts. I was also protecting these two children at the time, so I didn't have the extra energy to arrest them. Naturally, I couldn't force them to reveal their identities."

Zhu Jing and Gu Guanqi exchanged a glance.

Both of them were basically certain that the group of people were members of the Guanyin Cult, with the same purpose as the bandits who had tried to kidnap Lady Qi a couple of days ago.

Zhu Jing spoke again, "Fire Maiden, you—"

Just then, Zhu Jing suddenly stopped and turned her head to look outside the door.

Not only her, but Gu Guanqi, Jiang Baili, and Huo Fenghuang also looked towards the door at almost the same moment.

In the heavy rain, someone was approaching.

And there are quite a few people.

Fire Phoenix's face instantly darkened. She stood up, took down her long whip, and said, "They really have caught up with us."

Zhu Jing's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately stood up, gripping the hilt of her sword, saying, "Fire Maiden, let's go together—"

"No need." Fire Phoenix's gaze swept over Gu Guanqi and Jiang Baili, and she said, "Those people are all vicious thugs. You—never mind, you two get ready. If I can't beat them in a moment, you take the two children and run. Don't worry about me; I can get away on my own!"

Zhu Jing was slightly taken aback. She looked at Gu Guanqi and Jiang Baili and suddenly realized that this Fire Phoenix was probably like her a few days ago, subconsciously assuming that Gu Guanqi and Jiang Baili had mediocre martial arts skills or even didn't know martial arts.

She could understand, after all, Gu Guanqi and Jiang Baili did not look like martial arts masters who trained hard in the sweltering summer and freezing winter.

At this moment, the Fire Phoenix had already strode to the door.

The two children huddled in the innermost corner of the temple. Qian Susu hugged her younger brother tightly, her face pale and her lips trembling, but she held back her tears.

Through the rain, a dozen or so people had already arrived outside the temple.

Wearing a straw hat and a raincoat, his face was obscured.

Rainwater trickled down the edges of their straw hats, forming curtains of water in front of them. Their steps were synchronized, yet they made almost no sound as they trudged along the muddy mountain path; only the dense, muffled patter of raindrops hitting their raincoats could be heard.

The leader was a tall man with a straw hat pulled low, revealing only the lower half of his face. He had a short beard, and rain dripped down his chin. Behind him, twelve men spread out in a fan shape, subtly surrounding the temple gate.

The leader stopped, raised his hand, and the twelve people behind him stood still.

He raised his head, revealing a pair of sinister eyes peeking out from the edge of his straw hat. The light swept across the fire phoenix, glancing at the crowd in the temple before finally settling back on the fire phoenix's face.

"Sir, why are you sticking your neck out for two complete strangers?" His voice was deep, mingling with the sound of rain, yet clearly reaching everyone's ears. "Didn't your elders tell you that if you want to live a long life, you must always remember not to meddle in other people's business!"

The Fire Phoenix chuckled and said, "Don't worry, even if you all die, I'll still be alive and well."

The leader sighed, a hint of impatience in his voice: "Are you determined to meddle in this mess?"

Phoenix sighed and said, "Alas, what bad luck. I'm the kind of person who loves to meddle in other people's business."

The leader's eyes suddenly turned cold, and his voice became anything but polite: "Since that's the case, then—kill them all, leave no one alive except those two children."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly swung his hand.

The twelve people behind him moved in unison.

Their raincoats fluttered, their straw hats fell off, revealing fierce faces beneath. Swords gleamed in the rain as the twelve men split into three groups, rushing towards the temple gate from three directions.

With a flick of her long whip, the Phoenix Clan's whip lashed out like a fiery serpent slithering through the rain, its sharp, piercing sound cutting through the air. The whip's tip, whistling through the air, lashed fiercely at the person charging at the front.

The man raised his knife to block.

"Pa!" 6

The whip tip wrapped around the blade, and with a flick of her wrist, Fire Phoenix sent the single-edged sword flying from her hand. It tumbled through the air a few times before falling into the rain. The whip's momentum didn't stop there; it lashed out at the man's chest. He groaned, flew backward, and crashed heavily into the mud, splashing water everywhere.

The phoenix whip retracted, and with a flick of her wrist, the whip traced an arc in the air, sweeping across the three men rushing towards her from the left. The three men simultaneously raised their weapons to parry, the whip clashing with their swords and blades, sparks flying. The impact sent the three men staggering backward, their feet slipping in the mud, nearly causing them to fall.

A great battle erupted in an instant.

Inside the temple, Gu Guanqi and Zhu Jing stood at the entrance watching the battle, while Jiang Baili, uninterested in such matters, remained seated inside.

Fire Phoenix's whip technique was superb, combining strength and gentleness, and she could control it with ease. She could fight against more than ten people alone without being at a disadvantage.

In the blink of an eye, three or four people were injured.

The others surrounded them again. Fire Phoenix swept away the three on the left with her long whip, then turned to deal with the enemy coming from the right. Just then, the leader who had been standing at the back without moving suddenly made a move.

With a flick of his right hand, three streaks of dark light shot out from his sleeve, as fast as meteors, heading straight for the fire phoenix's back.

hidden weapon.

The three streaks of dark light were almost invisible in the rain, and their sound was masked by the rain. By the time the Fire Phoenix noticed them, they were already within arm's reach.

Her pupils suddenly contracted.

The whip had just been swung out and couldn't be retracted in time. Her body was turning to the right, her center of gravity was off, and she had no time to dodge or block.

However, she reacted very quickly, immediately pushing off with her feet and retreating rapidly, but the speed of the hidden weapon was obviously much faster than her lightness skill, and it was about to catch up.

At that very instant, a figure appeared beside her.

The figure appeared without warning, as if it had materialized out of thin air from the rain. Then, a long sword appeared in front of her, its blade gleaming white, raindrops splashing against its surface.

"Ding, ding, ding-a"

Three crisp, clear sounds, almost coming together as one.

The three hidden weapons were gently tapped by the sword and, as if deflected by an invisible hand, flew diagonally out and disappeared into the rain, their whereabouts unknown.

The phoenix stopped and turned its head to see a young face.

It was Gu Guanqi.

The long sword in his hand hung diagonally at his side, raindrops dripping from its tip.

Fire Phoenix stood behind Gu Guanqi, gazing at his profile, seemingly lost in thought.

"There are still experts!"

The leader's expression changed slightly when he saw that his hidden weapon had been broken, and he raised his right hand again.

This time, it wasn't three, but a dense, overwhelming mass.

More than ten hidden weapons flew out of his sleeves at the same time, some shooting straight, some in arcs, some high, some low, all intertwined and heading towards Gu Guanqi.

The hidden weapon shot through the air in an instant.

Fire Phoenix instinctively reached out to parry with her whip. But Gu Guanqi's sword had already shot out, its light as sharp as a bolt of lightning, exploding into a cold arc in the rain. The blade spun in the rain, its tip drawing a delicate arc in the air.

In the next instant, all of the dozen or so hidden weapons were deflected by the longsword, veering off course and falling to the ground.

Then, Gu Guanqi took a step forward, his figure disappearing into the rain like an arrow released from a bow.

When the group of men in straw raincoats saw Gu Guanqi charging towards them, they all raised their weapons to meet him.

The Autumn Water Sword drew a cool, clear arc in the rain.

Where the sword flashed, blood splattered.

With the first sword strike, the weapons of the three men in straw raincoats flew out of their hands.

The second sword struck two more people in the wrist, who screamed and staggered backward.

The third sword strike pierced a man's throat, causing him to collapse into the mud.

After the three sword strikes, most of the twelve men had fallen.

The remaining men's expressions changed drastically, and they turned to flee. But Gu Guanqi's sword was faster than their feet; the sword light flashed a few times in the rain, and the men fell to the ground one after another.

It happened in just a few breaths.

All twelve people collapsed in the mud and water.

The rain was still falling, washing away the bloodstains on the ground and forming pale red streams that flowed down the hillside.

The leader was terrified, his eyes wide with fear. He reached into his sleeve, still trying to grab another hidden weapon.

Gu Guanqi raised his left hand and flicked his finger.

A steel ball shot out from the fingertip, silently and as fast as a shooting star.

With a "thud," the steel ball struck the leader's knee with pinpoint accuracy. The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible even in the rain. The leader screamed, fell to one knee, and collapsed forward, landing in the mud.

Gu Guanqi took a step forward, using the Lingbo Weibu technique. His figure flashed a few times in the rain, and he was already in front of the leader.

He raised his right foot and kicked out.

The leader was thrown up from the mud, arcing through the air before crashing heavily under the eaves of the temple gate, kneeling with his back to the gate.

Gu Guanqi then tapped twice more from a distance, sending out two bursts of finger energy that froze the person in place, rendering them unable to move.

Immediately, Gu Guanqi sheathed his sword and slowly walked back to the temple entrance.

In the pouring rain, the Fire Phoenix looked at that figure with shining eyes.

Just then, Gu Guanqi, who had already reached the eaves, turned around and called out, "Fire Heroine?"

"!"

The fire phoenix seemed to awaken from a dream, quickly responded, and ran over with a smile on its face, saying, "Young master, your swordsmanship is excellent. May I ask your esteemed name?"

"My name is Gu Guanqi," Gu Guanqi said.

"Oh, so it's Young Master Gu! Don't call me Fire Heroine anymore, just call me Phoenix!" Fire Phoenix said.

Upon hearing Huo Fenghuang's words, Zhu Jing's expression changed slightly. She immediately looked at Jiang Baili in the temple, only to find that Jiang Baili was still lost in thought. A feeling of disappointment welled up within her.

At this moment, Gu Guanqi simply nodded slightly, then walked towards the leader, took his pulse, and said, "There are Gu worms again. Are you also acting under Lei Ming's orders?"

A strange light flashed in the leader's eyes.

Gu Guanqi said, "Tell me, where did you kidnap this person and take them?"

The leader remained silent.

Without wasting any words, Gu Guanqi took out several silver needles and threw them out, unleashing his "Thousand Needles and Hundred Holes" technique.

A few breaths later, the leader cried out in agony, "Chang County, Chang County—Lei Ming's orders to me are to kidnap Qian Chong's son and take him to Chang County—Dongyang Mountain—"

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