Chapter 41

Chapter 40: The Girl in Black

Song Qingshu turned his head and looked back. He had been traveling day and night and finally arrived at the foot of Mount Hua.

"Wind Qingyang probably won’t pass on the Nine Swords of Dugu to me. I might as well look for the Golden Snake Secret Manual on Mount Hua first. Xia Xueyi, the Golden Snake Hero, is someone I admire greatly, much more than Yuan Chengzhi," Song Qingshu muttered to himself.

However, Mount Hua was vast, and finding the Golden Snake Cave would be no easy task. Song Qingshu racked his brain to recall the original plot of the book but couldn’t remember where the Golden Snake Cave was located.

"Yuan Chengzhi learned his skills on the East Peak of Mount Hua. The Golden Snake Cave was discovered by his pet gorilla nearby. If nothing goes wrong, the Golden Snake Cave should be near the East Peak," Song Qingshu paced back and forth, organizing his thoughts. "However, during the sword and qi dispute of the Huashan Sect, the qi faction was led by Yue Buqun on Jade Maiden Peak, while many sword experts gathered on the East Peak, forming their own sect, also called the Huashan Sect, with the current leader being the Divine Sword Immortal Mu Renqing. The East Peak is the territory of the Huashan Sword Sect, with many experts. The Golden Snake Hero must have been cautious back then, so this cave can’t be too close to the East Peak..."

In the following days, Song Qingshu used the East Peak as a center and began searching from ten miles away, paying special attention to the steep cliffs. With his current profound internal skills and the Wudang Cloud Ladder technique, which excelled in vertical movement, Song Qingshu leaped between the cliffs. Although it was dangerous, it wasn’t too risky.

"Ha ha ha, I finally found it~~~~~~~~~~" A few days later, an exaggerated and unrestrained laugh echoed through the mountains. Song Qingshu looked at the secret cave before him, stroked his chin, and said with a rather smug expression, "The binary search method that the software engineer from my company mentioned is quite efficient. But it’s still my innate talent that helped me remember it even though he just mentioned it casually back then."

However, when he entered the cave and saw the tomb that had long been buried, with a stone tablet inscribed, "Tomb of the Golden Snake Hero Xia Xueyi, erected by Yuan Chengzhi and Xia Qingqing," he couldn’t laugh anymore.

He had come too late. Song Qingshu sat on the ground in dejection, with no interest in searching around. After all, the Golden Snake Hero had left a fake secret manual filled with poison. Now that Yuan Chengzhi had clearly taken the real one, there was no point in searching.

"Whatever is meant to be will be, and what is not meant to be will not be." Song Qingshu glanced at the tomb of the Golden Snake Hero with a lingering look, sighed deeply, and came to the cave entrance. He gathered his energy and leaped up, finally stopping on a large tree at the edge of the cliff, lying on a thick branch, his hands behind his head, staring at the blue sky and white clouds, lost in thought.

"What a fool I’ve been," Song Qingshu said to himself with a self-deprecating smile. "These treasures and secret techniques were destined for the original protagonist. I was foolish to try to compete with the main character... Reality is too cruel, and life is so hard..."

At this moment, Song Qingshu realized that the idea of plundering all the martial treasures in the world was unrealistic. Fate, though intangible, can be disbelieved, but one cannot overestimate oneself and challenge it.

"I hope I won’t end up as a villain destined to highlight the protagonist." Song Qingshu felt a deep sense of powerlessness and even a hint of confusion about the future.

"Yun Zhonghe, I’d rather jump off the cliff than let you succeed." Suddenly, an angry female voice came from below the tree. Even though it was filled with anger and panic, it was still clear and melodious.

Song Qingshu looked down curiously and saw a slender, graceful girl in black, retreating step by step towards the cliff. The wind at the cliff’s edge blew her long hair, making her look very beautiful.

On the opposite side stood a lean middle-aged man in green, holding a silver crane claw in one hand and stroking the small mustache at the corners of his mouth, smiling at the girl. "Mu Wanqing, would you leave your beloved Duan Lang?" Seeing a change in Mu Wanqing’s eyes, Yun Zhonghe continued, "Oh, I almost forgot, your beloved has become your brother..."

"You!" Stung by Yun Zhonghe’s words, Mu Wanqing, in a fit of rage, drew her sword and attacked.

Yun Zhonghe, his scheme successful, smiled smugly and swung his silver claw to meet her. Song Qingshu watched from the sidelines, seeing that Mu Wanqing’s sword skills were quite solid, but she was still no match for Yun Zhonghe. Moreover, Yun Zhonghe’s moves were despicable, targeting her private areas, making Mu Wanqing both angry and fearful, thus putting her at a disadvantage.

Finally, Song Qingshu got a good look at her face. She was exquisitely beautiful, like a crescent moon in a clear sky, a snow-covered flower tree. Especially her small, delicate chin, paired with her thin, clever lips, made her incomparably graceful and delicate. "Is Duan Yu a fool? Mu Wanqing’s beauty is no less than that of Wang Yuyan!" This was Song Qingshu’s first reaction upon seeing her.

Thinking about how he had been plagued by bad luck ever since he entered the Wuliang Jade Cave, Song Qingshu felt a deep resentment towards Duan Yu, and a mischievous smile appeared on his face. "I’ll tease you a bit to vent my anger!"

Yun Zhonghe’s excitement grew as he saw Mu Wanqing about to be captured. At that moment, he could do whatever he wanted... Thinking about how he had never touched such a beautiful woman in his life, his heart raced.

"Who’s making such a racket, disturbing Dog Egg’s sleep?" A voice from the tree startled both of them. Looking up, they saw a ragged, disheveled young peasant sitting on a branch, stretching lazily, with a sleepy look, clearly just woken up.

"Brat, get lost, don’t ruin my fun," Yun Zhonghe growled, his eyes narrowing. Song Qingshu had been living rough for a while, and his clothes were dirty and disheveled. With the weather getting warmer, he had subconsciously rolled up his trouser legs, making him look like a country boy who had been chopping wood.

Song Qingshu stared at Yun Zhonghe with a puzzled look and said in amazement, "So you’re Jin Yong’s cousin."

"Who’s Jin Yong?" Yun Zhonghe was completely confused. He hadn’t noticed anyone else, and he was unsure about the strange young man’s background.

He didn’t know that Yun Zhonghe was the pen name of Xu Zhimo, Jin Yong’s cousin. Thinking of Xu Zhimo’s unfaithful behavior in his past life, Song Qingshu inwardly praised, "Old Jin really knows how to criticize!"

"Why do you wear a veil in broad daylight? It’s so strange," Mu Wanqing looked at Song Qingshu’s attire with curiosity.

"My mother said I was too ugly, so she made me cover my face from a young age. She also said that the first woman to uncover my veil and see my face, I would have to marry... oh no, I mean, I would have to take her as my wife," Song Qingshu smiled foolishly at Mu Wanqing and circled around her, examining her.

"So you’re a fool," Yun Zhonghe breathed a sigh of relief.

Mu Wanqing felt uneasy under his gaze and said irritably, "What are you looking at?"

"Sister, sister, you’re so beautiful. Why don’t you uncover my veil and be my wife?" Song Qingshu said in a simple, honest tone.

Chapter 41: The Third Best in the World

Mu Wanqing was taken aback, feeling a sense of absurdity. This dialogue seemed so familiar. She quickly turned cold and raised her arm, "Get away, or I’ll shoot you with a poisoned arrow!"

"Big sister, you’re so scary! Dog Egg is afraid," Song Qingshu quickly moved to the side, muttering, "You’re so mean, I wouldn’t want you as a wife even if I could."

Although Song Qingshu deliberately lowered his voice, he made sure Mu Wanqing could hear his words, which made her hate him even more. However, thinking of Yun Zhonghe, she quickly regained her composure and prepared to defend herself.

"Mu Wanqing, why don’t you come with me? I’m a very caring brother," Yun Zhonghe said with a lecherous tone.

"Shameless!" Mu Wanqing shot a butterfly sleeve arrow at him. Yun Zhonghe, who was prepared, quickly moved close to her.

Song Qingshu watched in shock. Yun Zhonghe’s martial arts weren’t great, but his lightness skills were top-notch. To catch up with him, Song Qingshu would have to rely on his internal energy and endurance.

Mu Wanqing, seeing him approach, turned pale and quickly raised her sword to defend herself. Yun Zhonghe moved swiftly, pointing at a pressure point on her waist, and Mu Wanqing, already distracted by Duan Yu becoming her brother, fainted from shock and anger.

"What a beautiful woman, even unconscious she’s so pretty," Yun Zhonghe rubbed his hands together, looking at the unconscious beauty on the ground, his mouth watering. "Should I wake her up and have my way with her, or should I have my way with her first and then wake her up?"

"If she wakes up, she’ll make a scene, ruining the mood. But if she stays unconscious, it’s like dealing with a block of wood, lacking some excitement..." Yun Zhonghe was in a dilemma.

"Alas, the reputation of lechers is ruined by scoundrels like you." A voice from the side startled Yun Zhonghe.

Looking up, he saw the foolish young man. Yun Zhonghe’s eyes glinted with malice, "Brat, you were just pretending to be stupid to mock me."

"Prince Duan is the true master of lechery. He steals hearts first, then bodies, and the women are willing. In the end, he still gets a reputation for being charming and handsome. Unlike you, who ruins your reputation and makes everyone despise you," Song Qingshu’s expression of disappointment made Yun Zhonghe speechless.

However, his words stung Yun Zhonghe’s pride, and he angrily said, "Duan Zhengchun is a prince of Dali. With that title, many women are willing to throw themselves at him. Besides, he’s handsome, skilled in martial arts, and rich. How can we, mere outlaws, compare to him?"

"So you just gave up?" Song Qingshu raised an eyebrow, suddenly curious, "In all these years, have you ever harmed a woman as beautiful as Duan Zhengchun’s lovers?"

Yun Zhonghe’s face turned awkward, and he had to admit the truth.