Chapter 52

Gu Yang walked over and helped Xu Ruomei to her feet.

"No need for your help."

After getting up, Xu Ruomei tried to shake off his hand but couldn't muster the strength.

She didn't want to owe this man any more favors.

Gu Yang said irritably, "Do you think I want to bother with you? If it weren't for your Sword Palace's overbearing actions, I wouldn't care about your life or death. If you want to die, don't drag me down with you."

If he left her here and she died, the Sword Palace would trace it back to him in no time.

Xue E would keep it from the Lin family because they wanted to吞并 the Fang family. But she wouldn't cover for him against the Sword Palace.

At that moment, footsteps were heard outside.

"Be quiet."

Gu Yang grabbed Xu Ruomei's arm, leaped over the wall, and disappeared into the night.

As soon as he left, the person who arrived found Lin Ge lying in a pool of blood, and the entire Lin residence fell into chaos.

...

Gu Yang brought Xu Ruomei home and let her down in the courtyard. As soon as he let go, she stumbled and almost fell.

No!

Gu Yang looked closely and saw that her face had no color, and her body temperature was dropping, making her weaker.

He pulled up the sleeve of her wrist and saw the silver bracelet tightly adhering to her skin, glowing eerily in the moonlight.

He touched it with his finger and felt his internal energy being pulled and absorbed into the bracelet.

Gu Yang said in surprise, "What is this thing?"

"Locking Essence Bracelet... specifically used to seal... the true essence of high-ranking martial artists..." Xu Ruomei said, panting.

A tool used against high-ranking martial artists, no wonder she couldn't handle it; she was only a fourth-rank martial artist.

Moreover, it seemed to be not only absorbing her true energy but also her life force.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be this weak.

A martial artist's physique is extremely robust, far surpassing that of ordinary people.

Gu Yang said in a deep voice, "We need to remove it as soon as possible. I don't think you can hold on much longer."

"Lin Zisheng... should have... the key..."

You must be joking, Lin Zisheng is a second-rank martial artist; he's not someone I can provoke.

He asked, "What about your sword slave?"

"He's... tied up by Lin Zisheng."

"Then, how about I take you back to the Sword Palace? Your master should know how to remove this Locking Essence Bracelet."

"No."

Xu Ruomei's voice was weak, but her attitude was firm, "The Sword Palace... has its rules. Those who haven't reached third rank... cannot return to the mountain!"

"What kind of ridiculous rule is that? Is it more important than your life? If you keep this up, you'll die."

"Don't insult the Sword Palace."

Xu Ruomei's gaze became extremely serious.

Alright, a brainwashed disciple.

Gu Yang didn't bother to argue and simply threw her into the room where Ling Ling used to live.

"Sure enough, 150,000 taels isn't easy to earn. I knew I'd run into trouble."

This is really a hot potato, and I can't let her die here.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Yang decided to visit the Qingxuan Sect. Perhaps she would know how to remove the Locking Essence Bracelet.

...

"Locking Essence Bracelet?"

Daoist Jingyu didn't expect Gu Yang to come to her in the middle of the night to ask about this. She said, "This is an ancient treasure that can seal the true essence of even a first-rank martial artist, making it impossible to break free."

"There are only a few Locking Essence Bracelets in the world. To remove it, there are two methods: one is to use the key. The other is for a Divine Realm expert to use their own power to burst it, which will naturally unlock it."

"What? A fourth-rank martial artist being sealed by a Locking Essence Bracelet? That's dangerous. The only way is to find someone to help, actively infuse true energy into the person to share the suction force of the Locking Essence Bracelet."

After hearing this, Gu Yang immediately took his leave, "Thank you, Daoist."

...

The round trip took Gu Yang less than an hour. When he returned, he found Xu Ruomei in even worse condition.

He suddenly thought of a problem. If he hadn't saved her today, according to yesterday's simulation, she wouldn't have been in mortal danger.

After all, she was still alive and well, coming to seek revenge on him half a year later.

"Could it be that by saving her, I've actually harmed her?"

Gu Yang couldn't help but ponder this question.

His actions, however, were swift. He placed his hand on the Locking Essence Bracelet and immediately felt the terrifying suction force, which quickly drained most of his true energy.

He released his hand, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to meditate to recover his depleted true energy.

...

The long night finally passed.

Gu Yang opened his eyes and saw that Xu Ruomei had woken up. Her complexion looked much better, no longer as pale as before, and he felt relieved.

It seemed she wouldn't die for now.

Xu Ruomei looked at him with a complex expression, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.

"You can stay here for now. Leave when your sword slave finds you."

Xu Ruomei corrected him, "He's my uncle."

"Don't forget, you owe me twice now. Repaying me is simple—just give me money." Gu Yang emphasized again.

PS: The word count is a bit short, mainly because it's too late. I'll make up for the missing words in the next chapter.