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

Chapter Twelve: Obtaining the Innate Skill and Blood Pill (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

In the winter of the fourth year of the Qingli era, the first snow fell.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, with goose-feather-like snowflakes fluttering down from the leaden-gray sky, enveloping the entire mountain in a white snow curtain.

Gu Guanqi held Jiang Baili in his arms while circulating his internal energy to recover his strength. After a while, when he calmed down, he gently patted Jiang Baili's shoulder and whispered, "Little Fish, it's time to go."

"Mmm." Jiang Baili responded and slowly straightened up from Gu Guanqi's embrace.

Snowflakes fell on Jiang Baili's hair and shoulders, but her bright eyes were even purer than the falling snow, remaining as calm as ever.

Only when she looked at Gu Guanqi did her expression soften. Then she walked to Gu Guanqi's side, slowly reached out, and took Gu Guanqi's hand.

"Zhu Jing said that if she holds her brother's hand, her brother won't lose Xiaoyuer," Jiang Baili said.

"Did Zhu Jing teach you that much?" Gu Guanqi asked with a light laugh.

"Yes." Jiang Baili nodded, looking serious. "Zhu Jing taught me all of this. She taught me so much."

Gu Guanqi smiled slightly and let her lead him. The two walked down the hillside, one in front of the other, stepping on the snow.

After walking for about an hour, the two turned a corner and the view suddenly opened up before them.

On the mountain road ahead, a group of people were coming down the other side of the hillside against the wind and snow. Leading the way were more than twenty yamen runners dressed in official robes, holding weapons.

At the head of the procession, two familiar figures rode side by side on horseback, one in red and the other in green, standing out conspicuously against the snow.

It was Fire Phoenix and Zhu Jing.

Fire Phoenix was the first to see Gu Guanqi and Jiang Baili emerging from the mountain valley.

She was stunned.

"What's wrong?" Zhu Jing walked forward in confusion, followed the gaze of the fire phoenix, and was immediately stunned, then overjoyed.

"Master Gu! Miss Jiang!" Zhu Jing shouted as she ran over, looking the two of them up and down, her eyes filled with surprise and joy. "You...you're still alive! That's wonderful!"

The Fire Phoenix also came over, beaming with delight, and said, "Truly, good fortune smiles upon those who are blessed!"

Gu Guanqi nodded and said, "I was lucky to survive."

Zhu Jing quickly asked, "Master Gu, there was so much water in that cave, and the mine was so complex, how did you manage to get out?"

Gu Guanqi said, "Little Fish is very good at underwater swimming. It carried me upstream and out of the lake."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jing exclaimed, "Miss Jiang, you are truly amazing!"

Jiang Baili looked at Zhu Jing and said, "Zhu Jing, you are the most amazing."

"Huh?" Zhu Jing was taken aback, and asked in confusion, "What's so great about me?"

"You are the most amazing in my heart," Jiang Baili said.

Zhu Jing was completely confused, but she also knew that Jiang Baili's temperament was different from most people, so she didn't delve into it further.

at this time,

A lean, middle-aged man in official robes approached, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked, "Is this Master Gu?"

Zhu Jing introduced to Gu Guanqi: "Master Gu, this is Magistrate Wang of Chang County. After we brought the hostages down the mountain last night, we went to the county government office, and Magistrate Wang rushed over to investigate overnight."

Gu Guanqi returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Magistrate Wang."

Magistrate Wang cupped his hands and said, "Such a heinous large-scale kidnapping case has occurred in Chang County. If it weren't for Hero Gu risking his life to help, who knows how serious the consequences would have been. I thank Hero Gu very much!"

After saying this, Magistrate Wang bowed deeply to Gu Guanqi.

Gu Guanqi supported Magistrate Wang's arm and said, "Magistrate Wang, you're too kind."

Then, Gu Guanqi asked, "What happened to the kidnapped victim?"

Zhu Jing said, "They are all temporarily housed at the county government office. Magistrate Wang will verify their identities and arrange for someone to contact their relatives to come and pick them up."

Gu Guanqi nodded slightly.

At this moment, Fire Phoenix asked, "Young Master Gu, when you chased after that masked man last night, did you see his true face?"

Gu Guanqi nodded and said, "I saw it, but I don't recognize it."

Fire Phoenix's eyes lit up, and she said, "It doesn't matter if I don't recognize him. The county government has professional painters who can draw a portrait of him based on your description."

"Yes, yes, yes," Magistrate Wang said, "Master Gu, please come to the county office!"

……

The group hurried back to the county town and went straight to the county government office.

Magistrate Wang invited everyone into the back hall, and then immediately summoned several painters.

Based on Gu Guanqi's description, the painters began to paint and discussed the matter continuously.

More than two hours have passed.

With the efforts of several painters, a portrait that looked about 70% like Gu Guanqi was finally created.

Gu Guanqi was somewhat moved.

The painters in this county government office are far inferior to those in the Six Doors (a government agency).

Previously, when investigating the murderer in Tianping County, a painter from the Six Doors was able to quickly draw a portrait that was nine-tenths similar to the real person, based solely on the waiter's vague memory and description.

Subsequently,

Gu Guanqi then pointed out several other inaccuracies.

Another half hour passed, and finally a portrait that barely reached nine-tenths of its original quality was drawn.

Zhu Jing, Huo Fenghuang, and others gathered around.

On the Xuan paper is the face of a middle-aged man, thin with high cheekbones, thick eyebrows with upturned ends, deep-set eyes, thin lips, and a few strands of gray beard under his chin.

When Zhu Jing saw the portrait, her expression darkened slightly, and she said, "I know this person."

Both Huo Fenghuang and Magistrate Wang looked at Zhu Jing.

Zhu Jing slowly said, "This person is Pang Renfeng, the Grand Elder of the Sword Inquiry Sect. He comes from Miao territory in Yunzhou and is skilled in Gu techniques."

Fire Phoenix's pupils contracted slightly, then she let out a cold laugh: "The Sword Inquiry Sect, it really is them!"

Zhu Jing turned to look at the Fire Phoenix and said, "You've long suspected the Sword Inquiry Sect?"

Fire Phoenix curled her lips and said, "It would be strange if I didn't doubt the Sword Inquiry Sect. My master wanted to establish a sect in Qingzhou, which was permitted by the imperial court. However, in order to avoid conflict with the local martial arts forces in Qingzhou, he specially asked the Sword Inquiry Sect, the leading martial arts sect in Qingzhou, to pass on a message and hold a martial arts conference to discuss it."

My original intention was to form an alliance with the martial arts world of Qingzhou, but it turned out that my master wanted to unify the martial arts world, and some people were even using the banner of the Guanyin Sect to do perverse things. I definitely suspect that the Wenjian Sect is behind this!

Zhu Jing asked suspiciously, "Your master really didn't want to become the leader of the martial arts world?"

"Are you crazy?" Fire Phoenix said. "Do you really think we don't know our own limitations? It's already a miracle that our Guanyin Sect was even established, let alone becoming the leader of the martial arts world. Isn't that just wishful thinking?"

Zhu Jing asked, puzzled, "Why would the Sword Sect do this?"

"Isn't that simple?" Fire Phoenix said, "The Sword Inquiry Sect wants to emulate the Cangzhou Martial Alliance. Back then, because the Blood Blade Sect expanded so rapidly, various martial arts factions in Cangzhou had to form an alliance to fight against the Blood Blade Sect."

Now that our Guanyin Sect has been established, isn't that just giving the Wenjian Sect a good opportunity to unify Qingzhou? As long as we turn the Guanyin Sect into a demonic sect like the Blood Blade Sect back then, where anyone who doesn't submit will be slaughtered and exterminated, then the Qingzhou Martial Alliance will be born naturally.

In Qingzhou, who else besides the Wenjian Sect is qualified to be the leader of the martial arts alliance? First, we should incite the hatred of all the sects towards our Guanyin Sect, then the Wenjian Sect should reappear as the savior, first rescuing the kidnapped families of the various sects and doing them a great favor, and then becoming the leader of the martial arts alliance to lead all the sects in attacking our Guanyin Sect.

Finally, having done favors for the various martial arts masters and for the entire martial arts world, who can dissolve this martial arts alliance? On the basis of righteousness, the Sword Inquiry Sect can now legitimately intervene in the internal affairs of various sects. Is the unification of the Qingzhou martial arts world still far off?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jing's face turned ashen. She slammed her hand on the table and roared, "Despicable and shameless! A wolf in sheep's clothing!"

As she spoke, she looked at the fire phoenix and couldn't help but add, "Of course, your Guanyin sect isn't any better."

Upon hearing this, Fire Phoenix was not annoyed. She chuckled and said, "Miss Zhu, you can't speak carelessly. Our Guanyin Sect is loyal to the Great Khan and the imperial court. We have rendered meritorious service to the country! Moreover, no matter what, our Guanyin Sect is indeed wronged in this matter."

Zhu Jing rolled her eyes and said, "But there's still one thing I don't understand."

"What is it?" Fire Phoenix asked.

Zhu Jing said, "Isn't the Sword-Asking Sect afraid of being confronted by the Guanyin Sect for doing these things?"

Fire Phoenix chuckled, "My dear Lady Zhu, you've framed me, are you afraid of a confrontation? Besides, you talk about a standoff, how can our Guanyin Sect confront us? At the martial arts conference, will we say that we didn't kidnap anyone and that we didn't want to establish a martial arts alliance?"

"Does the martial arts world of Qingzhou believe in my Guanyin Sect or the Wenjian Sect? The people of Qingzhou will only think we changed our tune because our plan failed. Not only will no one believe us, they'll probably laugh at our Guanyin Sect!"

"this……"

Zhu Jing thought for a moment and said, "It seems that's really the case!"

"However," Zhu Jing added, "now, the Sword Inquiry Sect's wolfish ambitions have been exposed... I'll immediately send Qian Susu and her brother to see Sect Leader Qian, and also tell my master about what happened here, so he can make a decision!"

Fire Phoenix also said, "I'll go back and tell my master too. With her fiery temper, she definitely won't tolerate this. There'll be a good show to watch then. My master is terrifying when she gets angry."

Magistrate Wang, who was standing nearby, also said, "Gentlemen, I will report this matter to the prefectural government. At that time, the Six Doors will intervene in the investigation and will definitely get to the bottom of it. You must trust the government and the imperial court!"

The Fire Phoenix chuckled, "I hope the Six Doors can clear the name of my Guanyin Sect!"

Subsequently,

Under Magistrate Wang's arrangement, the group had a meal at the county government office before leaving and returning to the inn.

Fire Phoenix and Zhu Jing quickly packed their luggage and then bid farewell to Gu Guanqi.

Gu Guanqi escorted Huo Fenghuang, Zhu Jing, and the Qian Susu siblings to the entrance of the inn.

"Master Gu," Zhu Jing said, cupping her hands in greeting, "See you at the martial arts tournament!"

Gu Guanqi smiled slightly and said, "I'll just sit here and wait for news for now, and see what the various factions and the Guanyin Sect are planning to do!"

Of course, there is another main reason, which is that Jiang Baili's internal energy was overused yesterday, resulting in a serious imbalance of yin and yang. Last night, he only suppressed the cold energy that was spreading out. He needs to regulate Jiang Baili's internal energy problem first.

"Farewell!" Zhu Jing said, bowing slightly.

"Farewell," Fire Phoenix said, bowing slightly, then suddenly called out, "Young Master Gu."

Gu Guanqi asked in confusion, "Hmm?"

The phoenix hesitated for a moment, then said, "I wish you and Miss Jiang a long and happy life together!"

Just then, a familiar electronic mechanical voice rang in Gu Guanqi's mind—

[Blind date event concluded]

[Reward: Max level of "Innate Skill" - Already issued]

Do you want to claim the reward?

……

Gu Guanqi has not yet claimed it.

Because internal energy cultivation is different from martial arts cultivation, there is a problem of integrating true qi, which takes a certain amount of time.

……

He quickly regained his composure, smiled slightly, and bowed to the fire phoenix, saying, "Thank you!"

Zhu Jing, standing to the side, looked at Huo Fenghuang in astonishment and said, "How could you say such a thing? Haven't you been thinking about competing with Miss Jiang for Master Gu these past few days?"

Fire Phoenix curled her lip and said, "It's normal for me to have a little bit of a crush on a man like Master Gu, right? After all, they're not even married yet."

Zhu Jing asked suspiciously, "So what's wrong with you now?"

Fire Phoenix waved her hand and said, "Only those of the same level have a chance to compete. But last night, when Jiang Baili bravely rushed into the mine to save Hero Gu, anyone who compared themselves to her would have lost, okay? I'd have to be crazy to keep humiliating myself!"

Zhu Jing chuckled and said, "That's true."

immediately,

The two bowed to Gu Guanqi again and then left together.

Gu Guanqi then turned and entered the inn, going straight to his room upstairs.

Jiang Baili was cultivating inside the house.

She must maintain a high level of training to replenish her imbalanced Yang energy as soon as possible and maintain the Yin-Yang balance in order to eradicate the Yin-Cold energy in her body.

Otherwise, Gu Guanqi's treatment would only be a temporary fix.

but,

That was before.

Now that he has acquired the Innate Skill, Gu Guanqi is confident that he can cure Jiang Baili's problem with his true qi in a short time.

Jiang Baili's problem with her true energy is actually not complicated. As long as her extreme yin true energy can be suppressed and her extreme yang true energy can be quickly restored to its normal trajectory, it can be resolved.

However, the original Zixia True Qi was not of sufficient quality to suppress Jiang Baili's extreme Yin True Qi. It could only guide it, giving the extreme Yang True Qi as little space as possible, which is why it was so slow.

"Little Fish!" Gu Guanqi called out.

"Brother." Jiang Baili opened her eyes.

Gu Guanqi said, "I have had a sudden realization and need to go into seclusion to break through it. Don't let anyone disturb me."

"Okay," Jiang Baili said. "Brother, you can focus on your breakthrough. I'll always stay by your side."

Gu Guanqi smiled slightly and said, "After I break through this time, I can quickly cure your problem with true qi, and you will no longer have to suffer from the cold."

Jiang Baili frowned slightly.

"If my coldness is cured, won't I lose my excuse to sleep in my brother's arms? That doesn't seem right!"

next moment,

Her brows relaxed again.

"No, that's not true. Couples can have sexual intercourse, but I can't because of my internal energy problem. So, if I cure my internal energy problem, wouldn't I be able to..."

"Yes, that's a good thing!"

At this time,

Gu Guanqi had just sat down on the bed, preparing to summon the system to receive the Innate Skill, when he suddenly heard another system notification:

[Blind date event concluded]

[Reward: Golden Scale Spirit Eel Blood Pill, already issued]

Do you want to claim the reward?

……

Gu Guanqi was slightly taken aback.

He couldn't help but look at Jiang Baili, who was lost in thought.

"What's Little Fish thinking? Why did the blind date suddenly end?"

Gu Guanqi glanced at Jiang Baili, and without thinking much, immediately summoned the system and received the Innate Skill.

In an instant,

A system notification sounded:

[Please select whether to allow compatibility and repair?]

"Yes."

Please select your primary cultivation method.

"Innate Skill"

[The training will soon be integrated and combined, with the Innate Skill as the primary focus. Existing internal energy will be entirely transformed into Innate True Qi, but the operating routes and true qi characteristics of the Purple Cloud Divine Skill and Embracing Yuan Force will be retained.]

……

In that instant, a profound and mysterious Taoist philosophy surged into his mind like a sudden enlightenment.

The various essences of the Innate Skill, which draw upon the primordial energy of heaven and earth to temper oneself, allowing true energy to circulate endlessly and inexhaustibly, transforming the acquired into the innate, and achieving the state of unity between heaven and man, unfolded in his mind like an inverted galaxy.

At the same time, the Purple Cloud True Qi within his body seemed to sense this higher-level power and began to circulate on its own. The Purple Qi and the Innate Qi converged, merged, and refined in his dantian, like rivers flowing into the sea, or all streams converging into one.

A warm and mellow power surged from the depths of his dantian, like the rising sun from the sea, enveloping, purifying, and sublimating the Purple Cloud True Qi layer by layer.

That newly generated true qi was warm, mellow, and inexhaustible, far surpassing the quality of the previous Zixia true qi, and it also retained some of the defensive and counter-attacking characteristics of the Zixia true qi.

Within the dantian, true qi surged like the tides, wave after wave, endlessly.

Once all the true energy has been transformed into innate true energy,

Gu Guanqi summoned the system once again and silently said "Claim".

A translucent, blood-red pill, about the size of a little finger, appeared in his hand.

It was the Golden Scale Spirit Eel Blood Pill.

After taking this pill, one can increase one's internal energy by twenty years, gain the strength of a thousand jin, and obtain a body that is immune to all poisons.

Gu Guanqi did not hesitate.

Swallow immediately.

The moment the blood pill entered the mouth, it transformed into a warm and powerful pure medicinal force, flowing down the throat and seeping into the meridians.

In an instant, his dantian trembled violently, and the three max-level internal skills—Innate Skill, Purple Cloud Divine Skill, and Embracing Yuan Strength—operated spontaneously, like a surging river, drawing the vast medicinal power to cleanse his limbs, bones, and meridians.

The medicinal power circulated throughout the body, and the meridians were slowly widened and tempered. A thick and long internal force arose out of thin air, flowing into the dantian and condensing into pure martial arts power. It blended seamlessly with the original internal force without any stagnation or abruptness.

At the same time, the medicinal power penetrated into the skin, flesh, muscles, and bones, and the entire body's structure was transformed under the baptism of the power of creation, and its strength began to increase.

Immediately afterwards, a faint, refreshing aura enveloped his body, all the impurities in his body were expelled, and his blood vessels and bones were reshaped by the spiritual medicine, beginning to forge a body that was immune to all poisons.

……

It was already past midnight.

in the room,

Jiang Baili was sitting at the table, flipping through a book, with an oil lamp lit. Noticing that Gu Guanqi's true energy had changed again, she turned her head slightly.

"It seems that my brother has really been able to solve my internal energy problem this time. I need to hurry up and learn the way of husband and wife getting along."

She muttered to herself, then looked at the books on the table.

"Zhu Jing is such a kind person, she even gave me a book."

Just then, Gu Guanqi's true energy stirred slightly, causing the book to flip and close. On the cover were several large characters—

"The Joys of the Boudoir".