In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 491 The Nine Swords of Dugu

Half an hour later, as the true qi in Mei Jiangxue's body was completely transformed into true essence, Mei Jiangxue's internal energy realm was also considered to have completely entered the stage of condensing qi into essence.

Opening her eyes and sensing the surging true energy within her body, Mei Jiangxue couldn't help but show a hint of joy on her face.

Thinking back on her performance, Mei Jiangxue's joy vanished, and she glanced timidly at Gu Shaoan before lowering her head and saying, "Jiangxue is incompetent and has disgraced Senior Brother!"

Hearing Mei Jiangxue's words, Gu Shaoan smiled gently and patted Mei Jiangxue's head, saying, "It's alright! The reason I brought you out this time was to guide you on your martial arts and cultivation. There's plenty of time in the future, no need to rush."

The gentle voice and tender demeanor eased the weight that had been hanging over Mei Jiangxue's heart, filling her with warmth.

"Senior brother is still as gentle as ever."

After a thought flashed through her mind, Mei Jiangxue noticed Linghu Chong's pained expression out of the corner of her eye and asked, "Senior brother, since this person is with Tian Boguang, he must not be a good person either. What should we do?"

In response to Mei Jiangxue's question, Gu Shaoan said calmly, "This person is Linghu Chong, a disciple of the Huashan Qi Sect. Strictly speaking, he is not the kind of person who commits all kinds of evil like Tian Boguang."

"Linghu Chong?"

Mei Jiangxue blinked, then suddenly realized, "I remember Senior Sister Yan'er mentioned this person, saying that he was arrogant and not very bright."

Finally, Mei Jiangxue looked at Linghu Chong with a hint of disgust in her eyes and said, "The Huashan Qi Sect is a prestigious and righteous sect. How could it produce a disciple who sits and drinks with a womanizer?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoan smiled and said, "You said it yourself, you're not very bright, so what's so strange about doing some stupid things?"

Mei Jiangxue asked, "Then who is this person?"

Gu Shaoan stepped forward and stood in front of Linghu Chong, looking down at him from his superior position.

Because of the angle, Linghu Chong looked up and immediately saw Gu Shaoan's face.

Linghu Chong's eyes widened: "It was you!"

Immediately after regaining his senses, Linghu Chong gritted his teeth and said, "We are both from reputable sects, and I have no grudge against you. How could you use such a vicious method to cripple my martial arts? Is this the way your Emei Sect operates?"

Hearing Linghu Chong's words, Gu Shaoan chuckled, his laughter full of contempt: "A prestigious sect? If I remember correctly, you have already been expelled from your sect by Sect Leader Yue? I wonder which sect you belong to now?"

Upon hearing this, Linghu Chong's face stiffened.

But the next second, Linghu Chong's face turned ashen and he said, "How dare you bring this up? I grew up in Huashan. My master and mistress treated me like their own son. If you hadn't talked nonsense in front of my master, given the reputation of the Emei Sect and your current strength, would my master have expelled me from the Huashan Qi Sect?"

Hearing Linghu Chong's words, Gu Shaoan couldn't help but shake his head and sigh softly.

"You still think that you were expelled from the Huashan Qi Sect by Sect Leader Yue because of me? You are truly hopelessly stupid."

Upon hearing Gu Shaoan's words, Linghu Chong felt a flush rise to his pale face, sensing the deep disdain in them.

He then forced himself to endure the discomfort in his body, grabbed his longsword, and struggled to get up.

After taking a few deep breaths, Linghu Chong suddenly stepped forward and shouted, "Final Strike!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Linghu Chong's long sword shot out through the air.

Despite his dantian being destroyed and his internal energy dissipating like sand, Linghu Chong's sword thrust was delivered without the slightest hesitation.

The sword light flashed across the sky, transforming into a silver streak of light. Its speed was almost as fast as the sword technique that Tian Boguang had used at full strength earlier.

From Gu Shaoan's perspective, he could immediately see that Linghu Chong's sword tip trembled, subtly containing nine different follow-up moves, some jabbing, some thrusting, some slicing, like an invisible sword net covering several vital points in front of Gu Shaoan.

However, facing this seemingly swift and unparalleled sword strike, Gu Shaoan neither dodged nor evaded. He simply raised his right hand slowly, joined two fingers together as if in a sword gesture, and extended it forward unhurriedly.

The next instant, the tip of the aggressively approaching longsword was firmly held between his fingers, like a lone boat caught between two mountains, unable to advance even an inch no matter how Linghu Chong urged it forward.

Gu Shaoan's lips curled into a handsome smile as he spoke softly, "The Nine Swords of Dugu."

Upon hearing Gu Shaoan's words, Linghu Chong's face showed a look of astonishment, as if he had not expected that Gu Shaoan would recognize the sword technique he was using at a glance.

But the next moment, before he could react, Gu Shaoan's fingertips trembled slightly, and an unparalleled force was transmitted through the sword.

With a sharp "clang," the tip of Linghu Chong's longsword was snapped off by Gu Shaoan's two fingers.

Before Linghu Chong could react, Gu Shaoan flicked his wrist, and the severed sword tip transformed into a cold glint, flying back at an even faster speed than it had come.

Linghu Chong only felt a flash of cold light before his eyes, and the tip of the sword had already pierced through the center of his brow, exiting from the back of his head, bringing with it a spray of blood. Finally, with a "thud," it deeply embedded itself in the wall behind him, leaving only a small hole, with cracks spreading around it like a spider web.

Linghu Chong froze, the astonishment in his eyes still lingering, before his body fell straight backward, crashing heavily to the ground and falling silent.

Gu Shaoan slowly withdrew his hand.

Gu Shaoan had little interest in dealing with someone like Linghu Chong.

But that doesn't mean Gu Shaoan would tolerate Linghu Chong acting recklessly in front of him.

Considering the reputation of the Huashan Qi Sect behind Linghu Chong on the previous two occasions, and with other people present, Gu Shaoan did not want to take action, lest he be accused of bullying the weak.

But now, Linghu Chong, who is already a disowned disciple of the Huashan Qi Sect, is not only hanging out with Tian Boguang, but also dares to take the initiative to attack. Gu Shaoan doesn't mind sending Linghu Chong on his way.

After dealing with Linghu Chong, Gu Shaoan turned around and looked at the counter next to him.

It's past mealtime now, and there weren't many guests on the first floor to begin with. Plus, with Tian Boguang and Mei Jiangxue's fight earlier, the few remaining tables of guests have all run away.

Although the waiter and the shopkeeper didn't run away, they both huddled behind the counter.

After glancing at the two corpses on the ground and pondering for a moment, Gu Shaoan flicked his right sleeve, and a golden streak flashed through the air.

The next second, the shopkeeper and the waiter looked over and found that there were three lifelike gold leaves on the counter.

"This was not intended to affect the manager's business. Consider this compensation for the damage to your restaurant's property and the impact on your business."

Upon learning that the three gold leaves were actually for him, the shopkeeper's eyes lit up.

While saying things like, "Young master, you're too kind. Please make yourself at home," he chuckled and stuffed a few gold leaves from the counter into his pocket. These gold leaves were quite valuable to Gu Shaoan, almost worth fifty taels of silver.

Even if the owner simply buys new sets of the damaged tables and chairs on the first floor and makes up for the food expenses of the customers who ran away, he can still make a considerable profit.

As long as you can make money, it's a business.

The method is not important to the shopkeeper.

Moreover, which restaurant owner hasn't encountered a martial arts battle like today?
What they feared was not the fight between martial artists, but the possibility of innocent bystanders being caught in the crossfire, and the fact that the instigator would simply walk away after the fight was over.

At this moment, Gu Shaoan continued, "In addition, the man who died earlier was named Tian Boguang, nicknamed Wanli Duxing. He was also a notorious womanizer. Local governments and martial arts forces are working together to capture him. Shopkeeper, you can take his body to the martial arts forces stationed in the city later and receive a considerable reward."

When you're out and about, there are some things you should be aware of.

If no outsiders were present, Gu Shaoan would have simply disposed of Tian Boguang's body with the corpse-dissolving liquid.

With outsiders present, it's bound to draw criticism for the young leader of the Emei Sect to carry something like corpse-dissolving water with him.

It would be better to let the shopkeeper handle the disposal of the corpse. Gu Shaoan wouldn't have to worry about the body, and the shopkeeper wouldn't have to work for nothing. It would kill two birds with one stone.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's eyes flashed with a shrewd light, and he replied with a smile, "Thank you very much, hero."

Seeing that the shopkeeper did not refuse, Gu Shaoan pointed to Linghu Chong's corpse on the ground and said, "As for the person who colluded with this flower thief, he was a former disciple of the Huashan Qi Sect. I will trouble the shopkeeper to help deal with him later."

The shopkeeper glanced at Linghu Chong's corpse and nodded, saying, "Easy, easy."

"Thank you for your trouble!" Gu Shaoan nodded slightly and then withdrew his gaze, leaving with Mei Jiangxue.

Walking down the street, recalling the conversation between Linghu Chong and Gu Shaoan, Mei Jiangxue asked, "Senior Brother, why did Headmaster Yue of the Huashan Qi Sect expel Linghu Chong from the Huashan Qi Sect?"

Gu Shaoan said calmly, "Because for the Huashan Qi Sect, having someone like Linghu Chong stay is more of a curse than a blessing."

Immediately, Gu Shaoan recounted the two previous encounters he had with Linghu Chong.

When Mei Jiangxue learned that Linghu Chong was not only outspoken but also had his martial arts crippled by Gu Shaoan after Long Xiaoyun poisoned him, and even took the initiative to blame Gu Shaoan, she was stunned.

"No wonder Senior Sister Yan'er said that Linghu Chong is not very smart. He and his sect members were poisoned, yet he still spoke up for Long Xiaoyun."

"Moreover, my senior brother had already reached the Condensing Yuan Qi Realm at that time, while he hadn't even reached the Returning to the Innate Realm yet. How could he dare to jump out?"

Gu Shaoan chuckled, "So, many times, don't assume everyone is as sensible as you. To paraphrase what Junior Sister Yan'er used to say, 'This world is full of people whose brains are half-filled with porridge and half with shit, and then they keep doing mindless things over and over again.'"

"Linghu Chong is a typical example of this."

"He appears to be full of righteousness, but in reality, he acts on impulse when faced with a situation, without considering right or wrong, or whether the consequences will affect those around him or his sect."

"Just like that time with Long Xiaoyun in the broken temple, if it were any other top-tier expert like the White-haired Three Thousand Feet, Linghu Chong's few words alone would have killed him, Yue Buqun of the Huashan Qi Sect, Ning Zhongze, and the others."

"The same is true now."

Gu Shaoan paused, his gaze fixed on the end of the street in the distance, his voice calm yet clear.

"Yue Buqun's lifelong pursuit was to revitalize the Huashan Qi Sect and restore the glory of the Huashan Sword Tournament."

“Linghu Chong was taken to Mount Hua at a young age. Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze took him in as their personal disciples and treated him like their own son. They not only taught him the martial arts of Mount Hua, but also taught him the principles of being a good person. This kindness is heavier than Mount Tai.”

"As a disciple, if one truly feels gratitude, one should naturally think about how to help Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze rebuild Mount Hua and bring glory to the family."

At this point, Gu Shaoan changed the subject.

"Even if he is expelled from the Huashan Sect later, if he can reflect on his mistakes, act as a chivalrous knight in the martial arts world, punish evil and promote the chivalrous name of the Huashan Qi Sect, it will not be difficult for him to return to the Huashan Qi Sect and win Yue Buqun's forgiveness after a long time."

"But now he is associating with Tian Boguang, a notorious womanizer, without considering what impact it will have on the reputation of the Huashan Qi Sect once his fellow martial artists find out, and what impact it will have on Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze, who taught him."

"People will only say that the disciples of the Huashan Qi Sect are associating with lewd thieves, and that Yue Buqun and his wife failed in their teaching."

"If such a person were in the demonic sect, he could be described as both righteous and evil, but if he were placed in a prestigious sect, he would bring disaster to his own sect sooner or later."

"Today he can drink and call Tian Boguang brothers, but tomorrow he can drag the Huashan Qi Sect into an abyss of no return because of a moment of anger."

After listening to Gu Shaoan's words, Mei Jiangxue suddenly realized and said, "No wonder Sect Leader Yue expelled him from the Huashan Qi Sect. Having such a disciple is indeed a curse rather than a blessing."

Finally, Mei Jiangxue smiled and said, "In comparison, everyone in the world probably envies our sect leader, who has a disciple like my senior brother who thinks of the sect in everything, is considerate in every aspect, and is also outstanding in his own right."

"No wonder Master Zhang tried several times to abduct his senior brother from the sect leader."

Hearing Mei Jiangxue's words, Gu Shaoan raised his hand and lightly patted Mei Jiangxue's head in an annoyed manner.

"You dare to tease your senior brother now."

After the laughter subsided, Gu Shaoan said, "Let's go! Over the next few days, I'll instruct you in martial arts as we head towards the Huashan Qi Sect. Nanshan Prefecture isn't far from the Huashan Qi Sect, and it won't take much time."

Mei Jiangxue asked, "Senior Brother, do you intend to go to the Huashan Qi Sect to settle scores?"

Gu Shaoan shook his head and said, "Yue Buqun has already expelled Linghu Chong from the Huashan Qi Sect, so Linghu Chong's affairs naturally have nothing to do with the Huashan Qi Sect."

"However, today's matter with Linghu Chong can serve as a perfect excuse to go to the Qi Sect of Mount Hua and see the Dugu Nine Swords."

Mei Jiangxue asked in confusion, "Doesn't Linghu Chong also know the Dugu Nine Swords? Why did you go to the Huashan Qi Sect instead of going to such lengths?"

Gu Shaoan shook his head at this: "The strength of martial arts can only be judged by the person using it. With Linghu Chong's state of mind and cultivation, the power of the Dugu Nine Swords would be reduced to a hundred percent in his hands. How could he see the subtlety of the Dugu Nine Swords?"

"Besides, someone like him doesn't deserve to waste too much of my time."

At this point, Gu Shaoan looked towards the direction of the Huashan Qi Sect.

"I wonder what level he has mastered of the Dugu Nine Swords after decades of seclusion and cultivation. I hope it can pique my interest!"

(End of this chapter)