Chapter 82

In the mountain villa outside the Pingjun City, in a courtyard, Chu Xiyue, draped in a white cloak, stood under a wutong tree, gazing at the distant mountains, her brows deeply furrowed.

Her treasured sword, which she never parted with, was not in her hand.

After a long while, a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes, and she murmured, "Auntie, how can I counter that strike?"

Behind her, a woman in a black cloak stood, having appeared there at some point.

The woman said indifferently, "This, you must find the answer yourself."

As she spoke, she vanished from the spot.

Immediately after, a whistling sound broke the air, and a person landed in the courtyard, standing not far away, and said with a bow, "Miss Chu, I come uninvited, please forgive me."

"It's you?"

Chu Xiyue's gaze sharpened, and she instinctively reached for her sword, only to find it missing.

She then remembered that she had not brought her sword with her today.

The person who had arrived was none other than Gu Yang, who had inflicted a severe wound on her with a single strike a few days ago.

These past few days, she had been recuperating and thinking about how to counter that strike.

She had yet to find a solution.

Now, this man suddenly appeared before her, and she naturally showed hostility, "What do you want?"

Gu Yang said, "I came this time to ask Miss Chu for a favor."

"A favor?"

Chu Xiyue was taken aback; she never expected him to say such a thing.

A few days ago, he had struck her down without any reason, leaving a deep grudge. Now, he had come to ask for her help.

She asked instinctively, "What kind of favor?"

Gu Yang said, "I have a few friends who have been captured by Liu Zhe of the Liu family. I am alone and weak, so I want to ask for your help."

He had ultimately decided to seek Chu Xiyue's help.

With his current strength, he did not need to fear Liu Zhe, a Second Rank expert. However, he did not want to complicate matters. Since in the simulation, seeking help from Chu Xiyue and Wu Xingyun had successfully saved Su Qingzhi and the others, he decided to follow the simulation.

Otherwise, going alone, he did not know what variables might arise.

He had suffered from such mistakes more than once and planned to learn from them this time.

After all, the safety of Su Qingzhi and the others was paramount.

...

Chu Xiyue felt a strange sensation.

If it were her defeated opponent who came to ask for help, she would have ignored him.

But this man, who had just given her her first defeat, coming to seek her help was a form of recognition.

She immediately agreed, "Alright!"

"How could I miss such an opportunity?"

At that moment, a clear voice came from the doorway, and it was Wu Xingyun. He had come to find Chu Xiyue and had overheard their conversation, so he stepped forward voluntarily.

As for whether helping Gu Yang would offend Liu Zhe, neither of them cared.

The current generation of prodigies had always been above the Qilong List. Both of them were proud and arrogant, and they had never fully respected those prodigies.

This was a good opportunity to gauge Liu Zhe's strength.

...

Gu Yang did not expect these two to agree so easily. He had prepared many arguments, but they were completely unnecessary.

These two were indeed too straightforward, no wonder in the simulation, he had become friends with them and traveled together.

They were indeed worth befriending.

Next, Gu Yang led the two of them on their way.

...

On the other side, the Liu family's group.

A figure darted over and boarded Liu Zhe's carriage.

Liu Zhe immediately sensed it and said, "Third Uncle, why have you come?"

The person who arrived was the third most important figure in the Liu family, Liu Cheng, a Second Rank expert. In terms of strength, he was even above the head of the Liu family, serving as the family's martial force.

Liu Cheng had a terrifying scar on his forehead, with a part of his left forehead caved in, making him look like a demon, extremely frightening.

His voice was hoarse and unpleasant, "Second Brother is worried about you, so he sent me to support you."

Liu Zhe knew that his third uncle never liked to talk much and was concise. He understood that his second uncle must have heard about Gu Yang's single strike defeating three Second Rank experts and was concerned, so he sent his third uncle over.

He smiled and said, "Thank you, Third Uncle. However, Gu Yang is not a threat. He is only a Third Rank cultivator. Although I don't know how he managed to deliver that shocking strike, he must have paid a great price. He might even have affected his foundation and won't recover for at least a year or two."

To unleash power far beyond one's own strength, one must pay a corresponding price.

In the Donghai Sect, there were similar techniques.

Liu Cheng nodded and said no more.

At that moment, a sudden change occurred outside.

Swoosh... several whistling sounds were followed by the sound of bodies hitting the ground.

"Who is it?"

Liu Zhe's face changed, and he instantly broke through the carriage roof, flying out. He saw that all his guards had fallen off the horses, clearly dead.

He stared intently at the three people beside the carriage behind, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Although he had never seen these three people before, just by looking at the woman's extraordinary beauty, he could guess her identity.

In today's Jiangzhou, only Chu Xiyue had such a presence.

The man beside her, dressed in black, was also of exceptional bearing, likely Wu Xingyun, who always accompanied Chu Xiyue.

As for the last man...

Liu Zhe spat out a name, "Gu Yang?"

The man said, "They say the Liu family's prodigy is extremely intelligent. Today, I see that the reputation is well-deserved."

Liu Zhe's heart sank slightly; he never expected these three to team up.

Gu Yang alone was not a concern, and even with Wu Xingyun, he was not afraid.

But Chu Xiyue was the future head of the Chu family, one of the nine great surnames in the world.

Wasn't it said that Gu Yang had injured these two?

Why were they now traveling together?

Liu Zhe, though surprised, remained calm and looked at Chu Xiyue, saying, "You must be Miss Chu, right? I have never offended you. May I ask what your intentions are?"

Chu Xiyue said indifferently, "I have long wanted to witness the sword skills of a prodigy like you. My injuries have not fully healed, but seeing you and Brother Gu in battle today will fulfill my wish."

Liu Zhe understood; as long as he fought Gu Yang fairly, she would not intervene.

He looked at Gu Yang and smiled slightly, saying, "Brother Gu truly has a wide circle of friends. You have a close relationship with Xu Fairy of the Sword Palace and can also befriend Miss Chu. However, there is one thing I don't understand. What is your relationship with Su Qingzhi? Why are you standing up for her?"

PS: This is to make up for yesterday's chapter.