A Shocking Dream

"Sister, you are being too polite. You and I belong to the same faction, so why should we say 'worry too much'? If the Su Nu sect is in trouble, how can our Gui Yuan sect stand idly by? Besides, our great-grandmaster has been in seclusion for many days, and it is still unknown when he will come out. Although you are a martial arts master, you don't understand the intrigues in the martial arts world. If you act rashly, you might harm the beautiful women of the Su Nu sect. Wouldn't that be a pity? How about this, I will reluctantly stay here for a few more days. If anyone in the martial arts world offends me, I can also do my part to help the Su Nu sect." Gu Liangze smiled, but there was a glimmer of cunning in his eyes. It was obvious that he was planning something bad again.

"Don't even think about it. My sect never keeps men captive. We both know your intentions. Let's fight. If you lose, get down the mountain quickly. I don't have time for nonsense." Du Yingmeng didn't want to engage in verbal battles. She had received word that several groups were indeed making inroads down below, attempting to enter the mountain. If they weren't stopped, they would soon discover the entrance to Qiuluo Mountain.

"Hey!" Gu Liangze waved his hands hastily, taking two quick steps back. His expression, slightly flustered, indicated he wasn't ready to fight. He spoke slowly, "Senior Sister, a gentleman should speak, not fight. Fighting won't solve problems. There's been a lot of people gathering at the foot of the mountain lately. Don't you want to know why?" Gu Liangze's brow furrowed, a thoughtful expression on his face. As he walked, he heard a constant stream of rumors about Qiuluo Mountain, words that filled him with confusion. He'd assumed they'd discovered the entrance, but when he reached the foot of the mountain, he unexpectedly ran into acquaintances from other martial arts sects. Fortunately, his quick reflexes and quick escape kept him from being seen.

"Could it be you who caused this? My sect has been isolated for years, aloof from the turmoil of the martial arts world. If you hadn't repeatedly disturbed us, how could anyone have discovered this? If this is truly your fault, I will not forgive you." Du Yingmeng glared at him, her palms suddenly channeling her internal energy. Instantly, a powerful force surged through her palms. A sharp sword flew out from behind her like lightning. Du Yingmeng quickly reached out, firmly grasped the hilt, and without hesitation, stabbed Gu Liangze.

"No way! Again!" Seeing the sharp sword coming at him like a meteor, Gu Liangze's heart tightened. He didn't want to fight, but he quickly channeled his inner strength and flashed like a ghost. The sharp sword barely grazed the edge of his clothes, sending up a sharp gust of wind. As he dodged, Gu Liangze said, "Senior Sister, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say anything you want. What good would it do me to gather them together? Right now, Senior Sister, you should deploy more personnel to guard the main entrances to the mountain."

"Do I need you to teach me?" Du Yingmeng's eyes were icy as she thrust her sword once again at Gu Liangze. Her movements were swift and fierce, the force of her sword coming down like a violent storm. Not to be outdone, Gu Liangze nimbly dodged Du Yingmeng's attacks while searching for opportunities to counterattack. The two exchanged several blows, each one carrying a deadly threat. Du Yingmeng's sword spun like a serpent, sometimes stabbing straight, sometimes sweeping horizontally, making it impossible to defend against it. Gu Liangze, with his agility and profound internal strength, parried Du Yingmeng's attacks time and again. Their figures intersected in the air, the clash of swords echoing with a resounding clang. Du Yingmeng thought to herself that although she had deployed additional personnel to guard the mountain entrance, it wouldn't be a long-term solution if she couldn't find a solution. She should first understand the situation, not engage in a fight with Gu Liangze.

"Master's martial arts have improved a lot." Yuanyuan couldn't help but say as she watched Du Yingmeng's moves.

"Are all the swordsmanship of your Su Nu sect so deadly?" Qin Ruoyu pondered as he watched Du Yingmeng's swordsmanship. Anyone else would have been killed by her sword long ago. But Gu Liangze was quite skilled, narrowly dodging every move.

Du Yingmeng gathered her palm power and slashed at Gu Liangze. Gu Liangze was unable to dodge and was struck on the shoulder. The pain made him retreat several steps. When had her martial arts skills improved so rapidly? Within ten moves, he was at a disadvantage. Could she have secretly practiced some mental skills? No wonder her personality was different. Thinking of this, Gu Liangze formed a plan.

Du Yingmeng put away his sword, looked around at everyone, and said, "Recently, for some reason, many groups of people from my Su Nu sect have gathered at the foot of the mountain. They are in the open, and we are in the dark. I will pass the order on. If any disciples find anything unusual in the mountain, please inform me immediately. We in the Su Nu sect are not afraid of trouble, but we will never cause it either."

"Yes!" The disciples of the Su Nu Sect responded in unison, their voices echoing throughout the training grounds.

"Ouch!" Gu Liangze wailed, and everyone looked over. He was pale, sweating profusely, and looked seriously injured and extremely weak.

"Senior sister's martial arts have improved a lot. I, your junior brother, am willing to admit that I am inferior to you. Now your junior brother is seriously injured and his movements are restricted. If I go down the mountain now, I will inevitably be discovered by them." Gu Liangze said this, and it was obvious that he wanted to stay in Qiuluo Mountain to recuperate.

"Junior brother, it's not that my martial arts have improved, but that you are not proficient in martial arts. You have competed with me many times, and you never saw me holding back. How could I not know how much strength I would use? No thanks." Du Yingmeng turned around and left without even looking at him.

"Senior Sister, you always say that the Su Nu Sect does not keep men, but a few days ago I saw Su Nu Sect disciples taking a fainted man at the foot of the mountain into the mountain. Until today I received news that the man has not come down the mountain. Senior Sister, you hid it well enough." Gu Liangze did see Qin Ruoyu being taken into the mountain. He didn't want to tell this matter, but he couldn't get the mental method for a long time. Every time he went back, he was provoked by the words of the headmaster. If he couldn't get it again, he was afraid that he, the eldest disciple, would be expelled from the mountain gate.

"Big brother, he saw you." Yuanyuan knew as soon as she heard it that the person Gu Liangze was talking about was Qin Ruoyu.

"I came in a hurry that day and didn't look around carefully. What would happen if he found you? Would he implicate you?"

"We never leave men in the mountains. This is the sect's rule. But big brother, you are the one that our uncle-master asked to stay. They dare not do anything to you."

Lin Bingshuang? How did she know I would come? Wasn't she in seclusion?

"Heh." Du Yingmeng chuckled and said, "You see it clearly. He is the person that my uncle wants to bring in. If you don't believe me, go to the back mountain and ask her." Du Yingmeng was about to leave after saying this.

"Sister, you all know that uncle is in seclusion, so don't use her as a pretext to pressure me. You are the head of the sect, how dare they bring people in without your approval? He might be your old lover. Sister, why don't you stay away from the Tibetans? There are so many women in the Su Nu sect. Aren't you afraid that he will have an affair with one of your disciples if you bring him in?" Gu Liangze had a sly smile on his face and spoke frivolously.

Am I that kind of person? Gu Liangze's words made Qin Ruoyu very angry. If it weren't for the inconvenience at this moment, according to his usual temper, he would have beaten Gu Liangze severely.

"Shut your stinking mouth, Gu Liangze. You've interrupted me so many times over the Wu Nian Heart Technique. I've told you many times that the Heart Technique isn't in my possession, but you just don't believe me. He's the one my uncle brought in. The reputation of our Su Nu Sect won't tolerate your nonsense. Kan Kan, show me out." Du Yingmeng glared at him, her tone stern. Seeing Du Yingmeng's order to leave, Kan Kan walked around the corner and gestured to Gu Liangze.

It was Kankan. Qin Ruoyu's heart stirred at the sight of her. Gu Liangze remained motionless, his gaze gazing at Kankan up and down, a flicker of amazement in his eyes as he said with a smile, "What a flawless, pure, and otherworldly young lady. I've never seen such a young lady before; she looks like a fairy from heaven."

"He's teasing my sister. How disgusting!" Yuanyuan said with disgust. Seeing Gu Liangze's blazing gaze on Kankan, Qin Ruoyu became angry and pounded the window with his fist, making a strange noise. Du Yingmeng noticed something was wrong and looked towards the window.

Yuanyuan was startled and hurriedly pulled Qin Ruoyu down to squat, thinking to herself: It's over. They must have been discovered by the master.

"Big brother, what are you doing? If you do this, our master will find out and I'll be finished." Yuanyuan questioned Qin Ruoyu angrily. The last time she was discovered, she was punished to clean up the fallen leaves in the back mountain for a month, which made her exhausted.

"I..." Qin Ruoyu hesitated to speak. He looked at his hands and didn't know what was wrong with him. He couldn't control his behavior.

Wanwan remained calm and composed in the face of Gu Liangze's teasing. She raised her eyes slightly, a cold and composed expression in them, as if Gu Liangze's words had no effect on her at all. Wanwan parted her red lips, her voice calm and forceful, "The Sect Master has issued an order to expel you. Please, everyone." Her demeanor was graceful and composed, unfazed by Gu Liangze's flirtatiousness. But Gu Liangze didn't give up, still gazing at Wanwan with a burning gaze. Wanwan frowned slightly, a flicker of displeasure in her eyes, but quickly regained her composure. She repeated, "Please leave immediately and don't linger here," her tone adding a touch of authority.