The chivalrous spirit is fickle

"Originally, I was just begging to buy a favor for Baijie Sect."

Chapter 62 Persuasion

"We never thought of harming Su Rui. We just thought that Baijie Sect was very powerful. If we sold him out at a critical moment, our Chimen would be able to live more comfortably."

The beautiful woman's voice was trembling and her forehead was covered with cold sweat. Under the terrifying pressure from Shi Gu, he didn't dare to tell any lies.

Shi Gu raised his eyebrows, pinched the beautiful woman's chin, and spoke softly.

"So, you just stood by and watched this tragedy, then asked the people behind it for some benefits, and then you can just pretend that you didn't see anything?"

Hearing this, and seeing Shi Gu being so aggressive, the beautiful woman couldn't help but smile sadly and said dejectedly.

"Yes, we in Akamon are not clean."

"But we just want to survive. This world is too big, and there are so many masters we can't afford to offend."

"At the same time, this world is too small to even accommodate a small sect like us."

"In order to survive, we can only ignore our consciences, stand aside and chat happily with people who you think should be chopped into pieces, and seek a little protection."

"But...if Su Rui is qualified to live, then we should be qualified too."

Upon hearing this, Shi Gu released the beautiful woman's jaw. The beautiful woman immediately felt relieved, slumped in the chair, gasping for breath.

The scene suddenly fell silent. Shi Gu sat in the chair without saying a word, just quietly looking at the mottled courtyard wall in the distance. Only the heavy breathing of the beautiful woman could be heard.

As the morning light passed, the mottled courtyard wall became more damp under the mist, and its color became darker than usual. The shade of the tree fell on the mottled wall, casting a long shadow.

After a moment, Shi Gu did not look back, still looking at the shadow on the wall, and whispered to the beautiful woman beside him.

"Are those father and son Zhou Xuan and his son?"

The beautiful woman responded softly while panting.

"Yes, after Zhou Xuan took the dragon bone, he gave it to his son, Zhou Ming."

Hearing this, Shi Gu's eyes flashed with surprise and he asked.

"Didn't he keep that piece of dragon bone for himself? Didn't you say that Zhou Xuan was already a master in the middle stage of the ninth-grade martial arts realm? I thought he could achieve such success only with that piece of dragon bone."

The beautiful woman let out a long breath, finally calmed down, and spoke in a low voice.

"Zhou Xuan is a remarkable character. I know you may not like to hear me say this, but he is indeed a character."

"His cultivation level was not high before, only because his cultivation method was too poor. After he entered the Hundred Tribulations Sect and obtained Su Rui's cultivation method, his cultivation level improved by leaps and bounds."

"But his son's aptitude was somewhat inferior, so he gave the dragon bone to his son."

Hearing this, Shi Gu didn't care. He gently pressed his knuckles with his right hand and said nonchalantly.

"The thing that is most in demand in this world is genius. When you see more of them, you won't think of him as a big shot anymore."

"By the way, from what you said, Zhou Xuan seems to love his son very much, right?"

Shi Gu's tone was calm, as if he was chatting casually, but when the beautiful woman heard his words, her body instantly tensed up. He didn't want to answer this question, but thinking of Shi Gu's previous terrifying pressure, he could only lower his head and speak.

"Yes……"

"For Zhou Xuan, his son is almost his lifeblood. If anyone dares to touch Zhou Ming, Zhou Xuan will retaliate wildly."

Shi Gu suddenly smiled, finally turned around, looked at the beautiful woman with an uneasy expression, and asked softly.

"I remember you just mentioned that Zhou Xuan is in the life and death retreat."

"If someone killed his son Zhou Ming at this time, and then made a wine glass with Zhou Ming's head and gave it to Zhou Xuan."

"Do you think he can ever reach the late ninth rank realm in this lifetime?"

The beautiful woman felt horrified when she heard this. She looked at Shi Gu's smiling face and couldn't say a word.

If this really happened, Zhou Xuan, who was currently in the life and death retreat, would probably go insane. Not to mention entering the late ninth level, not going crazy would be the best outcome.

Thinking of this, the beautiful woman looked at Shi Gu with a little more fear, but Shi Gu asked him with a smile.

"You know where Zhou Ming is now, right?"

The beautiful woman remained silent, her face becoming increasingly uglier. She indeed knew where Zhou Ming was. It could be said that the reason she came to find Shi Gu today was precisely because of Zhou Ming.

Last night, Elder Ma and his group from Baijie Sect were all killed by Shigu. Zhou Ming waited all night but did not see them. Realizing something was wrong, he rushed directly to Chimen.

Under Zhou Xuan's doting, Zhou Ming had long been accustomed to being arrogant and domineering, and he looked down on the entire Chimen. He arrogantly ordered the beautiful woman to investigate the matter.

The beautiful woman also guessed that this matter was related to Shi Gu. After all, in the entire Lin'an City, Shi Gu was the only one who could do this.

So, the beautiful woman took the opportunity of the blood bone incident to go to Shi Gu to inquire about the matter. He wanted to ask something indirectly, but he didn't expect that under the strange pressure, he said things that he shouldn't have said.

"Brother Shi..."

The beautiful woman was confused, not knowing how to persuade him, and Shi Gu also raised his hand to stop him from speaking.

Shi Gu narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at the hesitant beautiful woman, and said softly,

"You should also understand that it is useless to compromise with evil people, otherwise you wouldn't risk your life to become a demon."

"Now that you are protecting Zhou Ming, will the father and son remember your kindness? Will they not target you Chimen in the future?"

"Instead of doing that, why not follow my approach and stop Zhou Xuan from reaching the late ninth rank? The lower his cultivation level, the safer you, Chimen, will be."

The beautiful woman was suddenly speechless, with a hint of desire in her eyes, but she still couldn't make up her mind. She hesitated and hesitated to move forward.

Seeing this, Shi Gu shook his head and chuckled, saying lightly.

"If Zhou Xuan succeeds in entering the late ninth rank, you, Chimen, will be in real danger of extinction."

"Think about what will happen to the children in your sect if they fall into Zhou Xuan's hands."

The beautiful woman was still uneasy, and spoke helplessly and desolately.

"We, the Chimen...are just a small sect. We can't afford to gamble, and we can't afford to lose."

Hearing this, Shi Gu frowned, but then relaxed and said lightly.

"Is it enough to just live in this world?"

The beautiful woman was startled when she heard this, and turned to look at Shi Gu in confusion. Shi Gu pointed to the big tree beside the courtyard wall and spoke slowly.

"Do you know how many bugs there are in that tree? That is a world of its own, with countless bugs living in it."

"Some insects lie in the tree trunks, wriggling constantly. Their lifespans vary."

"Those insects that live long will always hide under the bark of the tree and will not suffer from any disease or disaster."

"And those with a shorter lifespan will break through the bark and leap to the ground, where they will be caught by birds and eaten by ants."

"But... one day, if the tree dies, those long-lived insects will have no choice but to drill through the trunk."

"When they break through the tree trunk, they see the world outside the trunk for the first time, the sun and the moon, and the green grass on the ground."

"What do you think they would be thinking at that time?"

The beautiful woman was in a trance and speechless for a moment after hearing this, while Shi Gu looked at him, smiled gently, and spoke softly.

“They will think…”

"Why on earth have I been hiding under that dark and deep tree bark all these years?"

Chapter 63: Recruiting a Disciple (I)

"If people just live, wouldn't it be too boring?"

Shi Gu rubbed his fingers gently and lowered his head slightly, as if he remembered something, with a complicated expression.

Upon hearing this, the beautiful woman stared blankly at the tree in the distance. The sound of wind passed by her ears, shaking the trunk. A slightly dry leaf quietly fell and landed on the soil.

Too boring...?

The beautiful woman remained silent, but her eyes were a little dazed. It seemed that she had been busy all her life, running around for the entire Chimen, and she dared not stop for a day.

The rule of Akamon is to make more friends and fewer enemies. In order to do this, he must be cautious enough and look ahead and behind.

He faked his emotions, smiled at people he hated, and turned a blind eye to people he could have saved.

When traveling in the world, one must always be careful, that's what his master told him.

But why...Akamon, who should have been making friends with many people, has been struggling to survive?

What exactly are those so-called good connections?

As if he could see through the beautiful woman's thoughts, Shi Gu flicked his fingers lightly and spoke calmly.

"You, Chimen, are too cautious. You may do something to add icing on the cake, but you have never done anything to help those in need."

"With such deliberateness, who can't see your intentions? Who would be willing to remember your kindness?"

"In their eyes, you, Akamon, are just one of the countless people who change with the wind. You're not annoying, but you're not likable either."

"That's why you Chimen have such a hard time living in this world. You didn't really accept those good fortunes."

"You need a big gamble. If you win, you will prosper for a hundred years."

The beautiful woman's eyes flickered, and her hands hidden in her sleeves suddenly clenched and then loosened weakly. After a moment, she fixed her eyes, turned to look at Shi Gu, and asked in a deep voice.

"Let me ask you, Brother Shi, how sure are you about Zhou Xuan?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Gu's brows relaxed, he turned to look at the beautiful woman and spoke softly.

"Once I recover from my injuries, I will be 100% sure."

"If my injury can't be healed, I won't let Zhou Xuan live until I die."

Hearing this, the beautiful woman was startled, then she smiled bitterly and shook her head repeatedly.

"Why does this sound so unconvincing?"

Having said that, the beautiful woman suddenly stood up, turned around and left, with her back to Shi Gu, and spoke in a low voice.

"Come to the White Bird Temple tonight. I will prepare a banquet, and the person you want will be at the banquet."

After saying this, the beautiful woman held up the oil-paper umbrella she was carrying and went back into the fog. Her figure became blurred and disappeared.

Shi Gu looked at the beautiful woman's back without saying anything. He leaned back on the chair, his eyes slightly closed, as if he was resting.

The thick fog in the morning gradually dissipated as the sun rose.

Half an hour later, a slight sound of a door opening fell into Shigu's ears, and soft footsteps sounded, approaching Shigu.

Shi Gu could tell that it was Su Xue's footsteps. Shen Yue always jumped up and down when she walked, like a lively child, and would never be so quiet.

Step, step, step.

The soft footsteps slowly approached and finally stopped three steps away from Shi Gu. At the same time, a gentle cry was also heard.

"Benefactor."

Shi Gu slowly opened his eyes and saw that Su Xue had changed into the blue dress prepared for her last night. She was standing in front of Shi Gu, looking graceful and elegant.

Su Xue's beautiful eyes moved slightly, and her gaze shifted, all falling on Shi Gu. She placed her two snow-white hands in front of her body, and after calling him "benefactor", she did not move again.

Seeing this, Shi Gu frowned slightly and suddenly felt something was wrong.

The look Su Xue gave Shi Gu made Shi Gu feel very familiar. The last person who looked at him like that was a crazy girl who was clamoring to marry him.

Damn it, that crazy girl might still be looking for me in the world, how come there is one more now.

A hero saving a beautiful girl has always been a timeless drama, especially in last night's heavy rain. The sky and the earth were dark, and murderous aura was pressing. Su Xue was like a drowning person, desperate and fragile.

The sudden appearance of Shi Gu was like a life-saving straw to her. A drowning person could only survive by clinging to the grass. How could she calmly look at Shi Gu?

Su Xue was originally a young girl who was just beginning to fall in love. After experiencing such a drastic change, gratitude mixed with other subtle emotions twisted into a red thread and fell on Shi Gu.

Shi Gu met Su Xue's gaze and felt a little at a loss, not knowing how to start. Just when Shi Gu was feeling embarrassed, Shen Yue, who had finally woken up, pushed the door open in a daze.

"Master, the food is gone. I'm so hungry..."

Shen Yue was sleepy and kept rubbing her eyes with her right hand. She walked over in a daze. When she came in front of Shi Gu, this silly girl finally realized Su Xue's existence.

For a moment, Shen Yue and Su Xue looked at each other and froze in place. Su Xue was surprised that there was a young girl here. She was surprised but also a little uneasy.

She didn't know the relationship between Shen Yue and Shi Gu, so she was naturally a little confused.

Shen Yue was a little dazed because of her sleep. Looking at Su Xue in front of her, she couldn't remember who the other person was for a moment.

After a moment, Shen Yue, who finally woke up, had her eyes lit up, pointed at Su Xue and shouted happily.