Chapter 16

"Joke!" Luo Fan did not expect that Huo Du would be so shameless, not only wanting them to leave him alone for ten years but also trying to make a move on his wife. He immediately gathered his energy and shouted, "I advise you not to step into the Central Plains again, or if I encounter you, I will surely not show mercy!"

Seeing that the young man in white spoke with a full and steady voice, not at all like someone who had been poisoned, Huo Du was even more shocked. He thought to himself that he must have his master eliminate this young man as soon as possible, or he would become a major threat!

At this moment, Ma Yu and the other seven stood up, but the old Taoist lying on the ground remained motionless. Guo Jing and Luo Fan rushed over to take a look and found it was Guangningzi Hao Datong. They then realized that although Ma Yu and the others had suffered from the fire, they had remained seated to protect their fellow disciples.

Hao Datong's face was as pale as gold paper, his breathing faint, and his eyes tightly closed, clearly indicating he was severely injured. Guo Jing untied his Taoist robe and was startled to see a handprint on his chest, fingers spread wide, deep purple, and embedded in the flesh. He thought it must be the Great Handprint technique from Tibet. Although the palm had no poison, its power was deeper than that of Lingzhi Shangren in the past. Checking Hao Datong's pulse, he was relieved to find it still strong and steady, knowing that with his orthodox cultivation and deep inner strength, his life should be safe.

At this moment, the fire in the back courtyard was getting closer. Qiu Chuji lifted Hao Datong and said, "Let's go out!" Guo Jing replied, "I need to check on the child I brought, to make sure he hasn't been hurt by the fire." Earlier, he had been so eager to save people and thought that Yang Guo was clever and in the Quanzhen Temple, so he didn't bring him along. But now, with the fire raging, Guo Jing began to feel some worry.

Qiu Chuji and the others were fully focused on fighting the enemy and didn't know about this. Hearing Guo Jing's question, they all asked, "Whose child? Where is he?"

"Kee!"

Before Guo Jing could answer, a clear cry of a bird was heard, and a small figure jumped down from a large bird with some wounds, smiling and saying, "I'm here." It was Yang Guo.

Guo Jing was delighted and asked, "How did you ride a large bird?" Yang Guo laughed, "You and those stinky Taoists..."

Guo Jing shouted, "Nonsense! Come and pay respects to the ancestors."

Yang Guo stuck out his tongue and then bowed to Ma Yu, Qiu Chuji, and Wang Chuyi. When he came to Yin Zhiping, seeing that he was young, he turned to Guo Jing and asked, "Is this one not an ancestor? I think I don't need to bow." Guo Jing said, "This is Master Yin, bow quickly." Yang Guo was very unwilling but had to bow. Guo Jing then said, "This is Uncle Luo, bow quickly." Seeing it was Luo Fan, Yang Guo thought this person wasn't too bad, so he bowed. When Guo Jing saw him stand up and not bow to the other three middle-aged Taoists, he shouted, "Guo'er, how can you be so disrespectful?" Yang Guo smiled, "Uncle Guo, I think this large bird was injured while saving me. Let's save it first."

"Stupid bird!" Luo Fan recognized the divine bird and immediately understood. The divine bird flew much faster than Luo Fan, so it had been sent to the mountain early to provide support. Seeing it injured, he quickly took out some golden wound medicine from his pocket and sprinkled it on its wounds. The divine bird "gugu" called a few times, as if protesting against being called a "stupid bird."

Seeing the bird's remarkable appearance, Guo Jing was greatly impressed and wanted to check its injuries, so he didn't force Yang Guo to continue bowing.

"Luo brother, is this bird yours? I thank you for its help!" Guo Jing, seeing Luo Fan's close relationship with the bird, mistakenly thought it was his pet and hurriedly thanked him.

Luo Fan, seeing Guo Jing's misunderstanding, shook his head and smiled, "Brother Guo, this bird is my close friend, not a pet. If you want to thank, thank it."

Guo Jing was surprised to hear this, as he had never heard of someone befriending a bird, but he still bowed and said, "Brother Bird, I thank you!"

"Goo~" The divine bird seemed to understand and nodded repeatedly, raising its head and chest, looking very proud.

Guo Jing was startled and praised, "This bird is so intelligent!" He then glared at Yang Guo, "Guo'er, come and thank it!"

Yang Guo, who was quite close to the bird, quickly came over with a smile, "Brother Bird, I, Yang Guo, thank you for saving me!"

Guo Jing shouted, "How can you be so disrespectful? This is your Uncle Luo's close friend, call him Master!"

Yang Guo's smile turned into a bitter face, "Oh," he said dejectedly, "Thank you, Master Bird."

The divine bird seemed to like this boy very much, let out a clear cry, and gently patted Yang Guo's head with its wings, like an elder, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

After the laughter subsided, Ma Yu asked, "Jing'er, is this your son? He seems to have inherited his mother's cleverness." Guo Jing replied, "No, this is my adopted brother Yang Kang's posthumous son."

Qiu Chuji, hearing Yang Kang's name, was startled and carefully examined Yang Guo, indeed seeing a resemblance to Yang Kang. Yang Kang was his only lay disciple, but he was unfaithful, greedy for wealth, and recognized his enemy as his father. Whenever Qiu Chuji thought of this, he felt guilty for not teaching him well, leading him astray. Now, hearing that Yang Kang had a descendant, he felt both sad and happy and asked for details.

Guo Jing briefly explained Yang Guo's background and said he was bringing him to join the Quanzhen Sect. Qiu Chuji asked, "Jing'er, your martial arts are already far superior to ours. Why don't you teach him yourself?" Guo Jing shook his head and sighed, "Guo'er is mischievous, and I am too lenient. I fear I cannot teach him well."

Qiu Chuji sighed, "Your uncle Yang Tiexin was a hero. How can he have no descendants? Yang Kang's fate was a mistake, and I share some responsibility. Rest assured, I will do my best to raise this child." Guo Jing was delighted and bowed in gratitude.

"Uncle Guo, what if I become Uncle Luo's disciple?" Yang Guo, who had no good feelings towards the Quanzhen Taoists but felt good about Luo Fan, and also got along well with the divine bird, suggested. He was immediately scolded by Guo Jing, "How can you be so disrespectful?"

Luo Fan, hearing this, was taken aback, thinking, "What the hell, this isn't how the story goes." But there was no script to follow, as Luo Fan had already changed the plot. Otherwise, this little Yang Guo would still be fighting with Lu Qingdu.

Wang Chuyi stroked his beard and said, "Luo Fan's swordsmanship has a different lineage. We need to ask Luo Fan's opinion." He then turned to Luo Fan, "Luo Fan, what do you think?"

Guo Jing thought to himself, "No wonder I've never seen such high-level swordsmanship in Quanzhen. It must have been taught by a high-level master. This person has good character and high swordsmanship. If he can teach Guo'er, it would be excellent."

Everyone's eyes were on Luo Fan, who felt immense pressure. Looking at the somewhat hopeful Yang Guo, he thought, "I've already taken away Yang Guo's opportunities. If I don't take him, with his personality, he will offend everyone in Quanzhen and have nowhere to go. Fine, I'll take him." With a sense of sympathy, he bowed to Wang Chuyi and said, "This child is smart and will be a good disciple. I will take him."

Qiu Chuji, recalling his past mistakes in teaching Yang Kang, who was pampered in the royal palace, leading to his downfall, thought, "Strict teachers produce excellent students, and strict discipline produces filial children. This time, I must strictly discipline Guo'er to prevent him from following his father's path." He then called Yang Guo over and sternly instructed him to be hardworking and obedient, not to be lazy or negligent.

Luo Fan, knowing that Huo Du and his group were heading to the ancient tomb, was worried about Xiaolongnü's safety. Seeing that the matter was settled, he stepped forward and said, "Master, I see that group heading to the ancient tomb. I will go ahead to help."

Wang Chuyi, understanding his urgency, replied, "Go ahead."

Luo Fan bowed and mounted the divine bird, heading towards the ancient tomb. Although the divine bird was heavy and could not carry an adult up the mountain, it could glide down. With a clear cry, Luo Fan soon found a large group of people already at the front of his small wooden house.

"How many people are there?" Luo Fan, seeing hundreds of people, was startled and thought, "There were so many in the original story? How did Xiaolongnü defend herself?" He only remembered that the original story was a close call, but the details were not clear. How could a weak woman like Xiaolongnü defend against hundreds of people and still be safe? He regretted not reading the original story thoroughly. The people below had already noticed him, and he was in a difficult position.

"Can't do anything about it." The divine bird could only glide, and it had already landed in front of the people. Luo Fan thought that the Quanzhen Sect would send reinforcements soon, so he would hold them off for a while. Otherwise, Xiaolongnü would have to face these two or three hundred people and would not be able to handle it.

Seeing the newcomer was Luo Fan, Huo Du was wary but, seeing that he was only one person with a bird, and his side had many people, he felt more confident. He opened his fan and stepped forward, shouting, "What brings you here?"

Luo Fan's expression was cold as he looked at Huo Du and said, "This road is blocked!"

Huo Du lightly waved his fan and walked forward, coldly saying, "You want to block us?"

"Yes!"

"You are too arrogant!" Huo Du laughed coldly, "Do you think you can stop us with just one person against hundreds?"

Luo Fan looked back towards the ancient tomb, thinking of the gentle figure. How could she withstand hundreds of people?

"Fine, I'll take this on!" Luo Fan's eyes were resolute as he looked at Huo Du, "What if I block you? What if I don't? I only know that this road is blocked. If you force your way through, I will kill one by one, two by two!" It was dusk, and Luo Fan stood with his sword on the ground, facing the three hundred evil forces. The red sunset made him and the divine bird look like two blood-stained statues.

"Hahaha!" Huo Du laughed loudly, "This is the funniest joke I've heard. If that's the case, I will have to see your skills!" His words were full of killing intent. He had already wanted to kill Luo Fan in Chongyang Palace and would not miss this opportunity.

"Kill!" Behind Huo Du, hundreds of evil forces shouted and charged at Luo Fan!

"Brother Bird, I'm afraid I've involved you. I'm sorry." Luo Fan looked at the divine bird, feeling guilty.

"Kee!" The divine bird's cry was fierce, as if challenging the enemies. It looked majestic, as if telling Luo Fan, "This many people? I, the divine bird, am not afraid!" — It had fought countless battles with Dugu Qiubai, and this level of battle was nothing to it.

Seeing the divine bird's spirit, Luo Fan felt a surge of courage. He pointed his sword forward and laughed loudly, "Come! Even if there are a thousand armies, what can they do to me?!" As he said the last word, his killing intent was intense!