The Eagle Shooting Heroes: From Golden-Knife Prince Consort to Emperor Guangwu of the Great Zhou Dyn

Guo Liqing looked puzzled, but remained silent.

Jueming added, "These江湖人 (jianghu people) are not benevolent; it would be best for you to stay away from them!"

"Did they threaten you with force?" Guo Liqing discovered that Jueming and the others did not know martial arts and was worried that they had been coerced.

Jueming shook his head and said, "No. It's just that we live in chaotic times, so if they want to stay, let them stay!"

"The master is indeed insightful!" Guo Liqing immediately stopped going forward and turned back.

He didn't care who was inside; after tonight, everyone would go their separate ways, and it wouldn't have any impact.

"Master, is there a copy of the Diamond Sutra in the temple? I would like to borrow it to read."

"Of course, I'll have someone deliver it to you later."

Thank you!

Guo Liqing was about to take Nashita back to their room when, just as they reached the front hall, a young monk ran over and said, "Abbot, several Taoist priests from Zhongnan Mountain have come to ask for lodging!"

Jueming looked puzzled. What was going on today?

Jueming said to the young monk, "Take the two benefactors back to their room."

Upon hearing that he was from Zhongnan Mountain, Guo Liqing became curious and said, "Master, I have some acquaintances with the Taoist priests of Zhongnan Mountain. I'll go with you and see if we can run into old friends?"

"Oh? You know someone from Zhongnan Mountain? Let's go take a look together!"

It was only a few steps from the front hall, so Jueming had no reason to refuse.

Outside the gate of Caotang Temple stood seven or eight Taoist priests dressed in robes, with a Taoist nun leading them.

"Master Jueming!"

As soon as Jueming came out, the leading Taoist nun stepped forward to pay her respects. Clearly, the two were old acquaintances.

"Master Sun!"

Master Sun? A woman! Could she be Sun Bu'er, the only female among the Seven Immortals of Quanzhen?

Guo Liqing looked at the Taoist nun who resembled Sun Bu'er. She appeared to be around fifty years old, with a slender figure and a calm demeanor.

She must have been a beauty when she was young, but unfortunately she's aged now.

However, behind this old Taoist nun were two young and beautiful Taoist nuns, which was quite a sight to behold.

The two young Taoist nuns were about eighteen or nineteen years old.

She was fair-skinned, beautiful, and gentle, resembling a lady from a wealthy family.

The other Taoist nun was even more beautiful, and she exuded an aura of unapproachability.

However, she was somewhat thin, and a few wisps of hair fluttered in front of her forehead, giving her a somewhat world-weary appearance.

Guo Liqing looked into the nun's eyes, and his heart skipped a beat.

Those were extremely beautiful eyes, their gazes sparkling with both the heroic spirit of a wandering swordsman and a touch of melancholy.

Guo Liqing exclaimed, "When did the Quanzhen Sect produce such a beauty?"

It wasn't mentioned in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes"!

Guo Liqing was observing two beautiful Taoist nuns when he was suddenly drawn to the conversation between Jueming and the old Taoist priest beside him.

"Master Sun, why did you bring so many disciples down the mountain? Has something happened?"

Master Sun sighed and said, "My senior brother, Master Changchun Qiu Chuji, recently went to see Genghis Khan of Mongolia! Now, Mongolia is about to destroy the Jin Dynasty. The Jin people heard that our Quanzhen Sect has been in contact with Mongolia, so they accused us of colluding with the enemy and betraying our country! Now, the Jin army is searching for and massacring Taoists everywhere. The reason I brought my disciples down the mountain this time is to support Lingxi Temple!"

"Is this really true!" Jueming exclaimed in shock.

"The Jurchens have occupied our Great Song Dynasty, but our Quanzhen Sect are subjects of the Great Song and have never been loyal to the Jurchens. To accuse us of treason is utter nonsense! Our sect leader has already discussed with other sects of Taoism, and from this day forward, we will devote all our efforts to resisting the Jurchens!"

"Amitabha!" Jueming put his hands together in prayer. "Master Sun, please come in! But our small temple doesn't have much to offer."

"Master Jueming, you are too kind! We brought our own provisions and will only rest for one night before leaving."

Master Sun walked ahead and glanced at Guo Liqing. He felt that Guo Liqing looked familiar, but he couldn't remember him for a moment.

Guo Liqing cupped his hands and said, "Junior Guo Jing greets Daoist Sun!"

"You're Guo Jing?" Upon hearing the name, Master Sun finally remembered. "What are you doing here?"

"Junior Brother Guo!"

One of the young Taoist priests stepped out from behind, and Guo Liqing recognized him as Yin Zhiping, whom he had met on the grassland that day.

"Senior Brother Yin!" Guo Liqing stepped forward, warmly grasped Yin Zhiping's hand, and said, "Since we parted on the grassland that day, I have missed you dearly."

Yin Zhiping simply stepped forward to greet him, but he didn't expect Guo Liqing to be so enthusiastic, so he also said, "I also miss you, junior brother, and I look forward to your coming to Zhongnan Mountain for a reunion."

Master Sun looked at the two of them and said, "When did your relationship become so good?"

"Brother Guo... Brother Guo?!"

"Brother Guo!"

Two female voices came in succession, each from a different person, and among the group of Taoist priests, there were only the two Taoist nuns.

Guo Liqing thought to himself: Oh no!

Clearly, the other party knew Guo Jing. But Guo Liqing didn't know them!

Guo Liqing glanced at the two Taoist nuns, then quickly turned to Yin Zhiping and asked in a low voice, "Who are these two?"

Yin Zhiping enthusiastically introduced them: "These two are disciples of Martial Uncle Sun. This is Cheng Yaojia, and this is Mu Nianci!"

Guo Liqing immediately turned his gaze to the beautiful woman with eyes as clear as water; it was Mu Nianci!

Unexpectedly, Mu Nianci was so beautiful!

As a prince of the Jin Kingdom, Yang Kang should have seen all kinds of beauties, but he was still infatuated with Mu Nianci. With her looks and aloof temperament, who could resist her?

"Mu Nianci!" Guo Liqing walked over and said with a smile, "You've changed into a Taoist robe, I didn't recognize you at first."

"Brother Guo, how have you been?"

"I'm fine, how about you? How come you're with the Taoist priests of the Quanzhen Sect?"

According to the timeline, after Yang Kang's death, Mu Nianci seems to have returned to Niujia Village, where she gave birth to Yang Guo and raised him alone.

When Guo Jing went to Niujia Village, he met Yang Guo once, gave him a name, and then left.

When they met again, Yang Guo had become an orphan.

"Brother Guo," Cheng Yaojia said from the side, "My master saw that Junior Sister Mu was all alone and helpless, so he took her in as a disciple. It'll be good for her to have company with us!"

Guo Liqing looked at Cheng Yaojia next to him. She was also a beauty, no less so than Mu Nianci.

However, Cheng Yaojia has a gentle and graceful temperament. She is not as stunning as Mu Nianci at first glance, but you can appreciate her beauty after looking at her for a while.

Guo Liqing felt uneasy and didn't dare to meet Cheng Yaojia's gaze. He thought to himself, "Yin Zhiping just said her name is Cheng Yaojia, but I can't recall such a character in *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*. Besides, is there a plot in *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* where Mu Nianci becomes Sun Bu'er's apprentice?"

Fortunately, Jueming realized it wasn't appropriate for everyone to stand at the door talking, so he said, "Let's all come in and talk!"

So the group entered the temple.

Seeing that Guo Jing only had a woman wearing a black veil by his side and Huang Rong was nowhere to be seen, Mu Nianci asked, "Brother Guo, where is Miss Huang?"