Chapter 35

In the city of Xiangjun, at the Ruyi Tower, a grand banquet was being held, and today’s guest of honor was Lin Zirui, the seventh son of the Lin family.

Amidst the revelry, a servant suddenly approached Lin Zirui, whispered a few words in his ear, and his expression changed slightly.

Suddenly, the once lively guests fell silent, putting down their cups of wine.

Lin Zirui quickly regained his composure, raised a cup of wine, and said, "That’s enough for today. I have some matters to attend to."

After finishing the wine in one gulp, he left the banquet.

Once outside the tavern, his expression turned grim. "Zhou Qing was actually killed by that kid? How is that possible? Senior Wu personally said he was at the Sixth Rank."

Senior Wu came from the Red Mansion in Shendu, the place responsible for the First Rank List, the Hidden Dragon List, and other rankings. For a thousand years, there had never been a mistake.

This time, Senior Wu’s visit to Xiangjun was undoubtedly for the newly promoted Second Rank member of the Zheng family.

His eyes were sharp, and he would never make a mistake.

A guard behind him replied, "According to reports, Zhou Qing was killed by the Duan Yue Saber Technique, struck down in one blow."

"The Heavenly Heart Martial Hall?"

Lin Zirui frowned. "Which member of the Heavenly Heart Martial Hall came to Jiangzhou?"

"There was no intelligence on this matter beforehand."

Lin Zirui said coldly, "The Wind Listening Hall is becoming more and more useless."

"Please calm down, Young Master."

"Where is Gu Yang now?"

"Pingjun City. Young Master, should we send more people?"

Lin Zirui’s eyes darkened. "That’s Second Brother’s territory. He hates it when others meddle in his domain. Consider him lucky."

Although the Lin family was large and powerful, the death of a Fifth Rank like Zhou Qing would inevitably lead to a severe reprimand.

...

Meanwhile, Gu Yang and Ling Ling had already left Pingjun City under the cover of night.

This time, they didn’t take a carriage and carried very little luggage, using their lightness skills to travel, which was much faster.

His destination was the neighboring Yuzhou, where he would exchange the three ten-thousand silver notes. Su Qingzhi had already given him the secret code and seal needed to redeem the notes.

Originally, Gu Yang wanted to go alone, but Ling Ling insisted on following, likely worried that he would run away on his own.

He knew that even if he didn’t let her follow, she would secretly trail him, so he agreed to take her along.

As for Su Qingzhi and her servant, they had already gone to Qingxuan Sect.

And Zhang Xiaohai, Gu Yang gave him some silver to find a place to settle down.

Under the night sky, two figures darted along the road at incredible speed, like lightning.

"Up ahead, there’s an old temple. Let’s rest for a bit."

Suddenly, the man spoke.

These two were Gu Yang and Ling Ling, who had been traveling all night.

Such travel was very draining on one’s true qi, and he had already used up nearly half of his.

Ling Ling, however, was still not out of breath. After stopping, she said somewhat guiltily, "I’ve been traveling with my father since I was young, so I’m a bit faster..."

"Sure, that’s normal."

Gu Yang went along with her, thinking, if she wants to act, I’ll play along.

Over the past ten days, he had observed that this girl was a bit naive, seemingly believing that her poor acting had fooled him.

In short, she lacked common sense and social skills but was extremely knowledgeable about various major forces.

This fit his guess that she came from a powerful background, focused solely on cultivation, and was overly protected, lacking practical experience, which led to her lack of common sense.

Of course, she wasn’t a complete fool; her vigilance was extremely high.

After so many days of close interaction, Gu Yang couldn’t find any opportunity to ambush her.

"Huh?"

As they approached the old temple, Ling Ling suddenly stopped and said vigilantly, "There’s someone inside."

Only then did Gu Yang notice some movement in the nearby old temple, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Her vigilance was indeed much stronger than his.

He whispered, "Let’s go."

He didn’t want to get involved in any trouble that might delay his money collection.

Ling Ling nodded, thinking the same thing.

"Jiao, hand over the treasure map!"

Suddenly, a voice came from the old temple.

Gu Yang’s steps froze, and he turned to say, "Maybe we should go check it out."

Ling Ling nodded.

As a maid, she naturally followed her young master’s orders.

Besides, there were no experts inside, and Gu Yang could handle it alone.

The two quietly approached.

Inside the old temple, six men armed with weapons surrounded a young man covered in blood. He held a knife in his right hand, while his left hand hung limply, clearly injured.

He leaned against the wall, his expression fierce. "Want the treasure map? Come and get it. I just hope one treasure map isn’t enough for all of you to share."

The six men’s expressions changed slightly.

One of them shouted, "Don’t listen to his lies. Kill this kid first, get the treasure map, and then we’ll split the Shadow Thief’s treasure among the six of us."

...

Outside, Gu Yang whispered, "Who is the Shadow Thief? Is the treasure reliable?"

"The Shadow Thief was a mysterious thief over a hundred years ago who committed several shocking heists. He roamed the world for over a decade without being caught. In the end, he stole the ultimate cultivation technique, the 'Nine Heavens Phoenix Dance,' from the Shen family, which finally provoked a Shen family elder at the Divine Realm. He was pursued and killed outside Shendu City."

"During his pursuit, he scattered nine treasure maps, claiming that all his stolen treasures were hidden in these nine places, including the 'Nine Heavens Phoenix Dance.'"

Ultimate cultivation technique!

Gu Yang’s eyes lit up.

In this world, above the First Rank, there was the Divine Realm. These powerful beings were the true rulers of the world.

In previous simulations, his realm was too low to reach that level.

But he knew that only techniques that could cultivate to the Divine Realm could be called ultimate cultivation techniques.

The Shen family Ling Ling mentioned was undoubtedly one of the nine great families, the most powerful clans in the world, each with a Divine Realm elder.

Ling Ling’s voice continued, "For over a hundred years, every time the Shadow Thief’s treasure map appeared, it caused a stir in the martial world. However, most of them were fake. To date, only three treasure maps have been confirmed as genuine."

"As for the other treasure locations, whether they have been secretly excavated by others, no one knows. The authenticity of this treasure map is also uncertain."

Gu Yang looked inside the old temple. The seven people inside were all below the Fifth Rank.

If necessary, there was Ling Ling, a Fourth Rank, who could ensure their safe retreat if they couldn’t win.

This was an opportunity.

As for the authenticity, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to verify.

Suddenly, Ling Ling’s guilty voice came, "This secret communication technique was taught to me by my father, a necessary skill for traveling in the martial world..."

"Sure, that makes sense."

Gu Yang gave her an affirming look.