Reborn Song Qingshu: Besieging Bright Peak at the Start

Chapter 73 Complex Relationships

Suddenly, a chill ran through Granny Jinhua, and the hairs on her body stood on end.

Her expression changed drastically, and she no longer cared about Zhou Zhiruo.

He suddenly stopped, and without thinking, he flicked his sleeve, and with a hiss, a golden flower flew out of his hand and struck the rain behind him.

With a crisp "ding," the golden flower collided head-on with the incoming object.

The object that came was a small pebble, which was shot towards her with powerful internal force. When Jin Hua hit it, she only managed to deflect the pebble slightly, but its momentum did not diminish at all, and it continued to head straight for Granny Jin Hua.

"What impressive internal strength!"

Granny Jin Hua's heart skipped a beat, and she swung her golden staff swiftly, the head of the staff slamming heavily onto the stones.

With a "crack," the pebble shattered, sending fragments flying.

Her body trembled as she was secretly astonished by the depth of the newcomer's skill. Suddenly, she heard another whooshing sound as a figure in the darkness swiftly approached while she was deflecting the stone with her staff.

The man arrived incredibly fast. As soon as he settled down, without saying a word, he pushed out with his right palm, unleashing a powerful and unparalleled palm force that pressed down like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down.

This palm strike was extremely powerful and heavy!

Granny Jin Hua dared not be negligent. She took a deep breath, channeled all her inner strength into her right palm, and struck out.

With a muffled "bang," an invisible wave of energy suddenly spread out.

The shockwave seemed to slice through the surrounding rain as if cut by a sharp blade, and the water in the courtyard was swept away by the force, instantly splashing up several feet high.

Granny Jin Hua felt a heat in her palm, followed by an overwhelming force that slammed into her. Her chest heaved, and she involuntarily staggered back seven or eight steps before she could regain her footing.

She looked up and saw a young man standing still, as immovable as a deep pool or a towering mountain, not retreating even half a step.

"Brother Ah Niu!"

A cry of surprise and joy rang out, and Zhu'er trembled, her eyes instantly reddening.

She never expected to see Brother Aniu in this desolate courtyard during the heavy rain.

She moved her feet and was about to rush forward.

"Ah Li, come here!"

With a low shout from Granny Jinhua, Zhu'er stiffened, her joy vanished, replaced by a hint of fear. She finally retreated hesitantly to Granny Jinhua's side, secretly glancing at Brother Aniu.

The Emei disciples in the courtyard were also startled.

They never expected that there was someone hiding in the shadows, let alone that it was Zhang Wuji, the leader of the Ming Cult.

He didn't show up early or late, but just happened to appear when Granny Jin Hua was about to make a move against Zhou Zhiruo.

Considering the rumors Ding Minjun had spread earlier, everyone's gaze towards Zhou Zhiruo suddenly became meaningful.

Zhou Zhiruo naturally noticed the gazes of her fellow disciples, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

Just now, Granny Jin Hua's palm strike hit her face, and she felt a sudden tightness in her chest. Zhang Wuji suddenly appeared to save her, which surprised and delighted her. This was the second time he had saved her from danger.

But after the initial surprise came a period of difficulty.

His public appearance confirms Ding Minjun's words.

This made it even more difficult for her to be in front of her fellow disciples.

Amidst this chaos, two more figures drifted in through the rain.

Everyone was surprised again. There was another expert?

They thought to themselves that this deserted courtyard was quite lively today, but when they saw the faces of the people who came, their expressions were even more varied.

The man in the lead had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. Even in the heavy rain, he walked with composure. He was none other than Song Qingshu from the Wudang Sect.

The woman beside him was radiant; who else could she be but Zhao Min?

The disciples of Emei looked at each other, their eyes filled with even more strangeness.

If it weren't for Ding Minjun's earlier words, they wouldn't have thought much of it.

But as soon as Ding Minjun finished explaining the relationship between the three, the two of them rushed over one after the other to protect Junior Sister Zhou. Could it be that Junior Sister Zhou really was two-timing?

But what's with Zhao Min next to Young Master Song?

People sometimes love to make connections, and the Emei disciples present all started brainstorming.

This connection led her to notice Zhu'er beside Granny Jin Hua.

Ever since Zhang Wuji appeared, this ugly woman's eyes have never left him; she's practically drooling.

What's going on between the two of them?

It is known that Zhang Wuji is in love with Zhou Shimei, who came here for Song Qingshu. Song Qingshu seems to have stayed in Dadu for Zhao Min. Zhao Min and Song Qingshu spend the night together. An ugly girl named A Li is also in love with Zhang Wuji.

hiss~

The relationship is so complicated!

For a moment, all the Emei disciples felt as if the CPU in their brains was about to dry out and start smoking.

Zhou Zhiruo felt extremely uncomfortable at that moment.

She felt awkward, worried that Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji might have overheard Ding Minjun's nonsense, and also felt powerless to explain herself.

When Ding Minjun saw Zhang Wuji and Song Qingshu appear one after another, she felt that her words had hit the mark, and she became even more smug. She sneered and said loudly, "Fellow disciples, you have all seen it, haven't you? When have I, Ding Minjun, ever said a single lie?"

On the surface, Zhou Zhiruo appears pure and innocent, but behind the scenes she's juggling two men, playing both sides. With such character, how can she be worthy of being the leader of our Emei Sect? I think—”

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly felt a blur before her eyes, followed by a tightening around her neck as a hand gripped her throat tightly.

Ding Minjun was instantly speechless, the rest of her words stuck in her throat, only making a strange "ho" sound, unable to utter a single sentence.

It was Granny Jin Hua who made the move.

She was already in a panic after seeing Song Qingshu clearly. She had experienced Song Qingshu's prowess firsthand, and the young man she had just fought was no match for her either.

If we don't find a way to escape, we might really be doomed here.

She originally intended to capture Zhou Zhiruo as a hostage, but Zhou Zhiruo was protected by Zhang Wuji's gaze and was far away. How could she succeed in such a hurry?

Ding Minjun was only a few feet away from her, making her the most convenient person to work with.

A clanging sound filled the courtyard as the Emei disciples drew their longswords, the tips pointing directly at Granny Jin Hua.

Although everyone disliked Ding Minjun's sharp tongue, they were still fellow disciples, and even though she was being held captive, she still had to maintain a proper demeanor.

Granny Jin Hua gave a sinister smile, her voice tinged with coldness: "If you don't want this girl to die, then obediently make way for this old woman."

Otherwise, the old woman would tighten her fingers even slightly, and she would immediately finish the act.

She said that she was applying a little more pressure, and Ding Minjun's face turned purple from being pinched. Her previous arrogance vanished, and she looked at her fellow disciples with fear in her eyes, her gaze filled with pleading.

Jingxuan gripped the sword hilt, her expression icy.

She thought to herself: It would be good if Ding Minjun was strangled to death by Granny Jinhua, then she would have one less competitor.

But polite words still had to be said, so she immediately shouted sternly, "Granny Jin Hua, if you harm my Emei disciples, the Emei Sect will fight you to the death!"

Zhang Wuji frowned, stepped forward, and said loudly, "Grandma, please release her first, and we can talk things over slowly."

He was kind-hearted, and although he disliked Ding Minjun for spreading rumors, he couldn't bear to watch her die a violent death.

Song Qingshu stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent, seemingly unconcerned about everything before him.

He didn't care at all whether Ding Minjun lived or died; he wanted to see how the situation would develop.

Just as tensions were about to rise, Zhou Zhiruo suddenly stepped forward from the crowd.

Her expression was calm, and her voice was clear and cold: "Grandma, if you want a hostage, I will take your place. Please release Senior Sister Ding."

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

Zhang Wuji was taken aback and exclaimed, "Miss Zhou, no! You absolutely mustn't put yourself in such danger!"

The disciples of Emei were all stunned and looked at each other. No one expected that Zhou Zhiruo would say such a thing.

After Ding Minjun humiliated her like that, anyone else would have wanted her dead at the hands of Granny Jin Hua, let alone become her hostage.

Granny Jin Hua was also somewhat surprised. She chuckled and said, "This little girl has quite a bit of backbone. This woman just insulted you in every way and went against you at every turn. Instead of holding a grudge, you're going to suffer for her."

"In all my years, I've rarely seen such a foolish child like you."

Zhou Zhiruo smiled faintly: "As the head of the Emei Sect, I have failed my master's dying wish to protect my disciples."

How can I stand idly by when my fellow disciples are in trouble?

"Release Senior Sister Ding, and I'll go with you."

Upon hearing this, the Emei disciples in the courtyard couldn't help but show expressions of shame.

Previously, they had been instigated by Ding Minjun to say that the new sect leader was weak-willed and of bad character, and was not worthy of leading Emei.

But seeing her disregard past grievances and risk her life to save them, they knew they could never match her magnanimity and sense of responsibility. Imagine if one of them were in danger, who wouldn't want a sect leader who would sacrifice herself to save them?

Immediately, many people showed respect in their eyes, and some whispered, "Sect Leader!"

His tone was full of genuine concern.

Hearing the call, Zhou Zhiruo felt a slight sense of relief.

She knew that she hadn't made a mistake in this move.

At least, among her fellow disciples, someone finally acknowledged her as the sect leader.

But deep down, she was far from being as calm as she appeared.

How could she not hate Ding Minjun for stirring up trouble and disrupting her plans?

She could have contacted Song Qingshu privately, but now that Ding Minjun has exposed it in public, if she takes another step forward, wouldn't that confirm her stigma?

In the blink of an eye, countless thoughts had crossed her mind.

She recalled Granny Jin Hua's earlier words, saying that she had found an old friend who could lend her a precious sword that could rival the Heaven-Slaying Sword.

Under heaven, what other treasured sword, besides the Dragon-Slaying Saber, could have such a reputation?

Could it be that Granny Golden Flower has already found Xie Xun, the Golden Lion King?

If we could take this opportunity to join Granny Jin Hua and her group to find out the whereabouts of the Dragon-Slaying Saber, that would also be an option.

She bet that Zhang Wuji would never stand idly by and watch her be in danger, and would definitely follow her secretly.

It is highly likely that Zhang Wuji also heard what Granny Jin Hua said, and for the sake of his adoptive father Xie Xun, he would never let go of this clue.

This journey is indeed dangerous, and the slightest carelessness could cost you your life. But in this world, there is no such thing as a perfect outcome.

She took a deep breath, suppressed the chaotic thoughts in her mind, and walked towards Granny Jin Hua.

A hint of approval flashed in Granny Jin Hua's eyes as she said, "Very well, since you are willing to help, this old woman will grant your request."

As Zhou Zhiruo approached, she loosened her grip and shoved Ding Minjun forward abruptly.

Ding Minjun's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, clutching her throat and gasping for breath, unable to utter a single word.

In that instant, Granny Jin Hua acted with lightning speed. With a swift movement, she grabbed Zhou Zhiruo by the back of her neck and then flicked her right index finger repeatedly, striking several acupoints on her shoulder and waist with a series of sharp, hissing sounds.

Zhou Zhiruo felt a numbness all over her body, and the strength in her dantian instantly dissipated, leaving her completely unable to move.

The hostage exchange has been completed.