Chapter 19

Half an hour later, Zhang Xiaohai had dealt with the twelve bodies and finally searched through the luggage on the horses, finding over a thousand taels of silver.

Truly worthy of being the son of a noble family, he brought over a thousand taels of silver on a single trip.

Gu Yang naturally accepted it with a smile, took out a thousand taels, and recharged it into the system. Then, he took all the horses and weapons and walked in the opposite direction of Ba County.

Liu Nu was a direct descendant of the Liu family. If he was killed, the Liu family would certainly not remain passive.

Ba County was the Liu family's territory, so the farther away they were, the better.

Whether it was horses or weapons, they were all in high demand.

The horses Liu Nu and his men rode were all fine steeds, and selling them for a few hundred taels each would be no problem. There were twelve horses in total, worth at least several thousand taels.

Although weapons couldn't fetch such high prices, even a small amount was still something.

Su Qingzhi and the young maid Zhixing each rode a horse, while Zhang Xiaohai, who couldn't ride, led the remaining nine horses and followed behind.

The mountain path was rugged, and the horses moved slowly, one step deep and one step shallow.

At first, Gu Yang was worried that the horses' hooves would get stuck in a pit on such a mountain path and be crippled. However, he saw that the horses' hooves seemed to have eyes, always avoiding the pits and moving smoothly on the mountain path.

He marveled at this.

Later, he realized that this was a world of martial arts, and it made sense that the breeds of horses would be different from those on Earth.

At noon, Gu Yang and his group found a clearing to rest and eat.

There was still plenty of dry rations left on the horses from the Liu family, so they didn't have to worry about running out of food.

Gu Yang sat on a rock, opened the system, and started a new simulation.

["At the age of twenty-two, you left Liu Village, saved Su Qingzhi in Wang Family Gully, and made a deal with her to escort her to Ping County."]

["The next day, the Liu family caught up with you. You killed them all, took the spoils, and left Lian Mountain."]

["Ten days later, you arrived in Tianshui City. After selling the spoils, you continued on your journey."]

["Half a month later, you encountered people sent by the Liu family outside Xiang City. You and Zhang Xiaohai were killed on the spot. Died at the age of twenty-two."]

After reading it, Gu Yang's eyes narrowed. This simulation was unexpectedly short.

In other words, in less than a month, he would be caught by the Liu family's experts and killed.

"How could the Liu family come so quickly?"

Gu Yang frowned. He had been prepared for the Liu family to seek revenge for Liu Nu.

However, they were deep in the mountains, and Liu Nu and his men were all dead and buried. It would take the Liu family some time to confirm his death.

Suddenly, he heard a horse neighing nearby and turned to see the brand on the horse's buttock, immediately understanding.

He cursed himself for being foolish.

These horses all had the Liu family's brand, and anyone who saw them would know where they came from.

It must have been the people who bought the horses who informed the Liu family.

After realizing this, Gu Yang understood that they couldn't take these horses to Tianshui City.

The thought of losing several thousand taels pained him.

[The simulation has ended. You can retain one of the following.]

[1. Martial arts realm at the age of twenty-two.]

[2. Martial arts experience at the age of twenty-two.]

[3. Life wisdom at the age of twenty-two.]

This time, Gu Yang chose the second option.

He wanted to know the strength of the assassins sent by the Liu family.

Immediately, a battle experience surfaced in his mind. The battle was extremely short; he only lasted until the third move before being killed with a single sword strike.

"At least Fifth Rank!"

Gu Yang could only determine that the opponent's strength far exceeded Sixth Rank, at least Fifth Rank, and possibly even Fourth Rank.

His expression became serious.

Now, he had spent all his money and couldn't perform another simulation. The Liu family's pursuers could catch up at any time, which made him feel very insecure.

It seemed he needed to find some money.

Thinking of this, Gu Yang suddenly waved to Zhang Xiaohai and said, "Do you know the Liu family?"

Zhang Xiaohai shook his head.

"Do you know the Zheng family?"

Zhang Xiaohai nodded. The Zheng family was the largest noble family in Xiang County, almost like a local emperor.

"The Liu family is even more powerful. The person I killed earlier was the son of the Liu family's patriarch. The Liu family will not let this go. Once they discover their son is dead, they will send experts to intercept and kill us."

Gu Yang explained the terrifying nature of the Liu family and said, "This has nothing to do with you. I can give you some money to go home, buy some land, and live a peaceful life."

Zhang Xiaohai panicked and knelt down, "Sir, please don't send me away."

Gu Yang looked at him and said, "The Liu family has many experts, and many of them are stronger than me. When the Liu family comes, I won't be able to protect you."

"I'm not afraid. Yesterday, you saved my life. From that moment on, my life belongs to you."

"Have you thought it through?"

Zhang Xiaohai bowed his head heavily and said, "I only ask that you let me stay by your side."

"Alright, get up."

Gu Yang said no more. In the future, he would see how he performed.

"I will now teach you a set of incantations. Listen carefully." He then turned to the young maid Zhixing and waved her over, "Come and listen with him."

Zhixing had heard their conversation and knew he was going to teach them. She quickly shook her hands, "No, no, no, that's not possible."

"It's not a profound technique. Learning it will help you protect your young mistress in the future."

Gu Yang began reciting the incantations.

He taught them the first level of the *Xuan Yuan Gong*, a very good introductory technique, balanced and orthodox.

He didn't control his volume, so not only Zhang Xiaohai and Zhixing could hear, but Su Qingzhi could also hear clearly.

Zhang Xiaohai listened very attentively, and Zhixing, moved by his words, carefully memorized the incantations.

Su Qingzhi had not spoken a word since the incident in the morning. She didn't want to listen to the incantations, but the more she tried not to, the more the sound drilled into her ears.

The incantations flowed through her mind, and without realizing it, she subconsciously followed them. A real qi sensation formed in her body, moving freely without any obstruction.

When Gu Yang finished reciting the incantations, she had already completed one cycle, opened a key point, and a strand of true qi appeared in her dantian.

"This is—"

When Su Qingzhi realized what had happened, she was still in disbelief.