Chapter 29

In the early morning, as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the window and fell on the bed, Gu Yang suddenly opened his eyes and looked out the window, his brows furrowed. "Could it be that the Liu family has caught up? How could they have come so quickly?"

It was the fourth day since they left Tianshui City. Last night, they stayed in a small town, lodging at a local household.

After leaving the Lianshan Mountains, they were surrounded by people everywhere, village after village, no longer needing to endure the elements as they had before.

Just now, he heard the sound of hooves entering the town, which made him alert.

According to the many simulations he had run, the Liu family wouldn't know that Su Qingzhi was in Ping County until a year later, and they would send people then.

As for the swordsman sent by the Lin family, he wasn't supposed to appear until tomorrow.

Gu Yang wasn't too superstitious about the results of the life simulations, after all, they were just simulations, not divinations.

Even if it were a divination, the mindset before and after the divination would be completely different. Changes in mindset would lead to different choices in many things, thus creating a butterfly effect.

He took the machete and walked out, only to see Su Qingzhi sitting on the ground practicing her skills. She had just finished her practice, exhaling a stream of white vapor from her chest.

"Ninth Rank?"

Gu Yang's gaze sharpened. This was the characteristic of the *Xuan Yuan Gong* reaching the Ninth Rank.

In just a few days, she had already reached the rank.

Wasn't this too exaggerated?

It was simply against reason.

Normally, no matter how talented one was, it would still require a process of accumulation to reach the rank. True Qi wouldn't just appear out of nowhere. Even for those from powerful families, who were assisted by various medicinal baths and pills from a young age, it would take one or two years to reach the rank when they first started practicing.

As for ordinary people without such resources, the process would be even longer.

Su Qingzhi was right under his watch, so it was impossible for her to secretly take any pills.

"Could it be because of the Yin Qi in her body?"

With his deep martial cultivation, Gu Yang quickly had a guess.

His Chiyang True Qi and the Xuan Yin Qi in her body, one being the ultimate Yang and the other the ultimate Yin, had a mysterious reaction. The fusion not only brought him great benefits but also even greater benefits to her.

"Her True Qi must all come from the Xuan Yin Qi in her body. After reacting with my Chiyang True Qi, it was absorbed and refined by her. That's why she could reach the rank in such a short time."

Gu Yang felt this was close to the truth.

"The Liu family must have valued her for this special constitution."

Su Qingzhi's eyes showed a hint of joy. When she opened her eyes and saw Gu Yang, she quickly got up.

"I'll go check it out. You stay in the house."

Gu Yang said and left the house.

...

Gu Yang went to find Zhang Xiaohai and asked him to go out and gather information.

Soon, Zhang Xiaohai returned, saying it was a young master from the Zheng family who was out for a leisurely trip.

It turned out to be the Zheng family.

Gu Yang had dealt with the Zheng family several times in his simulations.

In Xiang County, the Zheng family was the leading family, with a status similar to the Liu family in Ba County, both deeply rooted local powers.

Such prominent families always had a Third Rank martial artist as their guardian.

However, an ordinary young master wouldn't have too many powerful experts around him.

With Gu Yang's current strength, he no longer needed to fear such level of young masters from prominent families. If they were blind, a lesson would be in order. As long as he didn't kill or severely injure them, the Zheng family would likely not send experts to seek revenge.

After breakfast, Gu Yang and his group packed up and continued their journey.

At noon, when they stopped to rest, they unexpectedly encountered the Zheng family's group. They had also hired a carriage, followed by seven or eight riders.

However, neither side had any intention of greeting each other. The Zheng family's group passed by and soon disappeared.

After lunch, they continued their journey.

In the evening, they stayed overnight in another small town along the way, still using silver to secure lodging at a local household.

Coincidentally, the Zheng family also stayed in this town.

It seemed they were on the same route.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Gu Yang and his group set out first.

Not far from the town, Gu Yang, who was in the carriage, suddenly felt a sense of foreboding and opened his eyes.

At the same time, the carriage stopped, and the driver's voice came from outside, "Young Master, there's someone standing in the middle of the road, blocking the way."

Gu Yang lifted the curtain and saw a gray-clothed man standing not far ahead, wearing a bamboo hat and holding a sword, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

He's here!

Su Qingzhi also saw the swordsman outside and felt a tightening in her heart.

"I'll be right back."

Gu Yang said, lifted the curtain, and got out of the carriage, walking towards the swordsman.

...

Not far behind, in the Zheng family's carriage, sat a disheveled old man, holding a roasted chicken and eating with his mouth full of oil.

Across from the old man, a young man was smiling, "Senior, does this roasted chicken meet your taste?"

The old man, still eating, said contentedly, "Mm, it's the same taste as over a decade ago."

"Senior, could you give me some guidance?"

The old man stopped and said, "I never promised to teach you anything."

"Yes, yes, yes, all of this is what I willingly do for Senior. If Senior wants to eat anything else, just let me know."

The young man, clearly from a prominent family, showed no temper in front of the old man.

His name was Zheng Anyu, the legitimate son of the Zheng family. A year ago, he had accidentally received a piece of advice from the old man, which helped him break through his bottleneck. Despite extensive investigations, he couldn't find out the old man's background, but he knew he was a remarkable person and tried to get closer to him.

However, the old man was indifferent and unresponsive.

Zheng Anyu was a persistent person, treating the old man like his own father.

After a year, he finally became familiar with the old man. A few days ago, the old man said he missed the taste of some local delicacies, so Zheng Anyu personally accompanied him to these remote towns to find the food the old man mentioned.

This was already the seventh place they had visited.

At this moment, the carriage suddenly stopped.

Zheng Anyu asked, "What happened?"

The driver outside answered, "The road ahead is blocked."

He opened the window and saw a carriage being blocked by a swordsman, and said, "Senior, there's some excitement to watch."

The old man glanced and chuckled, "It's better not to watch this excitement."

Zheng Anyu felt a chill and knew the old man wouldn't say something without reason. He asked, "Senior, do you know that person?"

"I've seen him once before, seems to be called something like Zhou Qing."

"Zhou Qing?"

Zheng Anyu felt the name was familiar and suddenly his face changed slightly, "The Zhou Qing from the Lin family?"

Zhou Qing, on the surface, was a lone swordsman, at the Fifth Rank, who had always been active in Xiang County. In reality, he was a secret agent of the Lin family. His Wind and Thunder Sword Technique was rarely matched, and five years ago, he had killed a Fifth Rank martial artist, thus gaining fame.

Could he be here for me?

Zheng Anyu's first thought was this, and he felt uneasy.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, the old man beside him let out a surprised exclamation, his eyes fixed on the man who had just gotten out of the carriage ahead.