The Return of the Condor Heroes: Starting with a Suicide Note and Conquering All Realms

Guo Jing's slap was extremely powerful. The crisp crack echoed through the ruins in the dead of night, abruptly halting Ouyang Feng's rage.

The old poison master's already chaotic mind was completely thrown into disarray by this sudden turn of events. He glanced at Guo Fu, who was lying on the ground groaning with her face covered, then at Guo Jing, who was standing there panting, and finally his gaze settled on Yang Guo beside him.

"Not dead... my son isn't dead." Ouyang Feng murmured in a leaky voice, and the dark Toad Style internal energy on his body began to fluctuate violently, on the verge of collapse.

"Who wants to kill my son...?"

Ouyang Feng clutched his head with both hands, tearing at his already disheveled hair in agony.

Unable to process such complex information due to his madness, he let out a mournful howl, and like a giant black bat, he rose from the ground, smashed through the remaining half of the courtyard wall, and stumbled into the night mist deep within Peach Blossom Island.

Guo Jing was about to gather his strength and give chase when Huang Rong grabbed his wrist.

"Don't pursue a cornered enemy. He's gone mad, and the island's defensive formations will trap him."

Huang Rong's voice was extremely cold, without any emotional fluctuation.

Her gaze didn't linger on the fleeing Ouyang Feng at all, but instead passed over the mess of broken bricks and tiles on the ground, like two sharp blades tempered with ice water, fixed firmly on Lin Yuan under the shadow of the tree.

The study collapsed.

But what's hidden in the secret compartment is the true lifeblood of Peach Blossom Island.

Huang Rong pushed Guo Jing aside, stepping on the broken tiles as she walked towards Lin Yuan. The emerald green dog-beating stick in her hand pointed diagonally at the ground, its tip scraping against the bluestone with a teeth-grinding sound. A murderous intent condensed into frost in the air.

Lin Yuan leaned against the rough peach tree trunk, his body suddenly hunched over, and he burst into a heart-wrenching cough.

He coughed violently, as if trying to cough up his lungs. He spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with dark red blood onto the grass. He gasped for breath, his trembling fingers slowly reaching into his robes.

Huang Rong stopped three steps away, raising her Dog-Beating Stick slightly. If Lin Yuan were to pull out any hidden weapon, Peach Blossom Island's Falling Flower Divine Sword Palm would instantly shatter his skull.

What Lin Yuan pulled out was not a hidden weapon, but a tattered scroll of sheepskin stained with dust and a little blood.

He held the parchment scroll high above his head with both hands, his head bowed deeply, his voice hoarse and filled with extreme fear: "Madam Guo... just now, my godfather went mad, and the wall of the study cracked. This parchment fell out from a hidden compartment in the brickwork and hit me on the head."

Huang Rong's pupils suddenly contracted.

"I can't read." Lin Yuan's body trembled like a leaf, his words rapid and timid. "But this sheepskin looks to be of excellent quality. I was afraid it would be destroyed by the collapsing rubble, so I desperately stuffed it into my clothes to protect it... Now, I'm returning it to you in its original condition."

Huang Rong's face was ashen. She didn't reply, but moved forward like a ghost, snatching the tattered sheepskin scroll with her left hand and her right hand forming a claw, three cold fingers gripping Lin Yuan's wrist like iron pincers.

The internal force of Peach Blossom Island surged ruthlessly into Lin Yuan's meridians through his fingertips!

Lin Yuan lowered his head, clenching his back teeth tightly, letting Huang Rong's internal energy flow deep into his body.

Deep within his dantian, the dark red "Monarch Flame" had been compressed to its limit, like a lifeless, stubborn rock, revealing not a trace of its aura. The meridians, widened by the dragon blood, now perfectly displayed a withered and empty state, as if corroded by the Softening Tendon Powder.

Huang Rong's internal energy circulated throughout Lin Yuan's body for a long time, but gained nothing.

It was completely empty. This was just a broken shell of a body that couldn't even condense true energy.

Huang Rong slowly withdrew her finger, the coldness in her eyes beginning to melt away, replaced by a subtle sense of relief.

She quickly reviewed the events in her mind: from Ouyang Feng bursting through the roof to Lin Yuan leading Yang Guo to escape through the window, only a few breaths had passed. This sheepskin scroll contained her deduced formations and internal energy principles based on the *Nine Yin Manual*, extremely complex and obscure. Let alone an illiterate sick person, even masters like the Seven Masters of Quanzhen might not be able to memorize even a tenth or a twelfth of it after three days and three nights.

Moreover, this kid's meridians are indeed ruined.

Huang Rong tucked the tattered sheepskin scroll into her sleeve and looked down at Lin Yuan, saying, "You're quite clever. This thing is very important to Peach Blossom Island. You've done a good job protecting it, so I won't blame you for what happened before."

The murderous intent completely dissipated. In Huang Rong's eyes, Lin Yuan had returned to being an ant that could be manipulated at will and could not cause any trouble.

Lin Yuan let out a long sigh of relief, collapsing against the tree roots, and repeatedly expressed his gratitude. His lowered eyelids concealed the cold, mocking glint deep in his pupils.

Huang Rong's calculations were flawless, but she miscalculated a variable that transcended dimensions. The analytical abilities of the Dragon Blood talent didn't require rote memorization. That diagram had already become data, firmly etched into Lin Yuan's mind.

"mother!"

A sharp wail shattered the brief silence. Guo Fu, clutching her swollen cheek, scrambled to her feet. Pointing at Yang Guo, her voice shrill and piercing, she cried, "Father hit me! He hit me for this little beggar! I'm going to kill him! Throw him into the sea to feed the turtles!"

The Wu brothers hid behind Guo Fu, trembling with fear, not daring to utter a single word.

Guo Jing's anger, which he had just suppressed, surged again, and he raised his hand to strike again.

Just then, Yang Guo suddenly broke free from Lin Yuan's grasp. He didn't run away or retaliate, but instead rushed to Guo Jing in three strides, slamming his knees heavily onto the hard bluestone slab with a "thump".

"Uncle Guo! Please stop hitting Guo Shimei!"

Yang Guo tilted his head back, his eyes red-rimmed, tears welling up, but he bit his lip hard to keep them from falling. His restrained and stubborn appearance sent shivers down one's spine.

"It's all my fault! I'm just a lowly person, I shouldn't have been able to stay in a paradise like Peach Blossom Island." Yang Guo's voice was thick with nasal tone, every word was filled with tears. "My sister was just trying to play a joke on me. It was my own fault for being useless and not being a good swimmer. I almost drowned and even caused my adoptive father to go crazy and destroy my aunt's study."

Guo Jing's hand, which was raised in mid-air, froze.

"Uncle Guo, I will repay your immense kindness even in my next life, as your ox or horse!" Yang Guo kowtowed deeply, his forehead hitting the stone slab, drawing blood. "We brothers will leave now. We'll go back to Jiaxing to beg for food. We will never stay on the island and upset my sister, nor will we cause you any trouble!"

These words were like a rusty, soft knife, stabbing directly into Guo Jing's heart along his weak spot, and even twisting it violently twice.

Guo Fu was just joking? A wire mesh over one's head, sinking in the high tide—was that a joke?!

Guo Jing looked at Yang Guo kneeling on the ground, his head bleeding from kowtowing, and the image of Yang Kang, who had died tragically in the Iron Spear Temple, flashed through his mind. He hadn't been able to help his brother back then, and now, right before his eyes, his brother's only child was being forced to go back to begging by his own daughter!

Guilt overwhelmed him like a tsunami, instantly engulfing the renowned Northern Hero.

"Guo'er! Get up quickly!" Guo Jing, his eyes filled with tears, pulled Yang Guo up from the ground and held him tightly in his arms. "It's all my fault for letting your father down. It's all my fault for not taking good care of you!"

Huang Rong stood to the side, her face ashen. She understood the veiled intention in Yang Guo's words, the wolf cub's sinister scheme. But she couldn't refute him. Guo Fu's foolishness had completely disregarded the principles of Peach Blossom Island. If she were to try to persuade him to stay, Guo Jing would only see her as hypocritical; if she went along with it and sent him away, Guo Jing would live with self-reproach for the rest of his life.

Guo Jing released Yang Guo, took a deep breath, and his gaze became more resolute than ever before. He turned to look at Huang Rong, his tone revealing an unwavering determination.

"Rong'er, Peach Blossom Island is indeed not suitable for Guo'er and Brother Lin. They will only suffer if they stay here."

Guo Jing turned around, placed his hands heavily on Yang Guo's shoulders, and said firmly, "Guo'er, Brother Lin! You must not go back to being homeless. I, Guo Jing, will protect you even if it costs me my life!"

He paused, his gaze fixed on the north.

"I will personally escort you to Zhongnan Mountain! The Quanzhen School is the orthodox school of Taoism in the world, a place of pure cultivation for the immortals, best suited for tempering one's character. I will send you there to become disciples and learn the arts, and I will surely guide you to success!"

Quanzhen Sect.

Upon hearing these three words, Yang Guo was stunned. He turned to look at Lin Yuan under the shadow of the tree, a questioning glint in his eyes.

Lin Yuan remained in that weak state, only nodding very slowly and almost imperceptibly.

It became.

This life-or-death series of events finally yielded its most fruitful result. Not only did they obtain the incomplete Nine Yin Manual, but they also legitimately used Guo Jing's help to escape the deadlock on Peach Blossom Island and head straight for Zhongnan Mountain.

"It's all up to Master Guo's arrangements." Lin Yuan lowered his eyes, his voice weak.

The night wind blew across the ruins, stirring up scraps of paper scattered all over the ground.

Guo Jing carried the weakened Lin Yuan on his back, took Yang Guo's hand, and strode towards the guest rooms. Huang Rong stood there, watching the three figures depart, her knuckles white as she gripped the Dog-Beating Stick. She vaguely sensed something was amiss, but couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

Lying on Guo Jing's broad back, Lin Yuan slowly closed his eyes.

Zhongnan Mountain, home to the Quanzhen School of Taoism. There, one finds the Quanzhen Grand Formation, the Innate Skill, and the Tomb of the Living Dead.

A chilling smile curved Lin Yuan's lips. This game of chess had only just begun.