In order to survive, she forced herself to have a happy ending with the yandere villain.

The banquet ended in the evening.

Gu Chaomu then went with Zhou Xinyue to the courtyard where Zhou Jiang lived and asked to take the secret manual.

Zhou Jiang sat in the room with the door open, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

Gu Chaomu, sitting opposite him, understood and respectfully poured him a cup of tea in advance.

"Senior Zhou, please have some tea."

"Ah."

Zhou Jiang looked at his niece across from him, surprised that this young man was so special to him.

She actually went so far as to ask me for the secret manual of lightness skill for him?

His signature skill is the 'lightness skill manual'.

It was also because of this that I achieved a ranking of 23rd in the martial arts world; it allows me to escape, dodge, and launch surprise attacks.

Therefore, he was able to obtain a ranking of twenty-third so easily because he was in the martial arts world.

He was admired by many.

Wherever he went, everyone treated him with utmost respect.

This young punk in front of me actually wanted my secret manual right from the start.

How does this work?

Although I really like this young man, he is, after all, an outsider.

I don't know what kind of person he is, or whether he can be relied upon. He certainly won't agree to this right away.

Zhou Xinyue also seemed a little anxious and began to speak up for Gu Chaomu:

“Uncle, Xinyue knows this manual is extremely important to you. But it's equally important to Brother Gu. Could you perhaps give him a portion of the manual so he can try it out first?”

“I understand what Xinyue means, but your uncle can’t just hand over this manual without a reason…”

Gu Chaomu, knowing what the other person was worried about, quickly assured them:

"Senior Zhou, rest assured. I will not betray you. If you give this secret manual to me, then I will hereby become your disciple and serve you with lifelong respect."

"Yes, Uncle, look. Brother Gu has already made up his mind, so you should agree to it."

Seeing his niece so anxious, Zhou Jiang was even more anxious than the person involved.

I knew Xinyue must be really into this young man.

"Hey!"

He sighed softly and said to Gu Chaomu:

"Although I value you highly, that secret manual isn't something you can just get whenever you want."

"This junior humbly requests guidance from Senior Zhou."

"If you want to obtain this manual, firstly, you must become my disciple. Secondly, you must go to the training ground the day after tomorrow and spar with a master. If you win the match, you will definitely get this manual."

Gu Chaomu and Zhou Xinyue exchanged a look upon hearing Zhou Jiang's request, both overjoyed.

Gu Chaomu quickly expressed her gratitude:

"Thank you, Senior Zhou."

"Don't thank me so quickly, I have one last request..."

"What is it?"

"That means... you will become my niece Zhou Xinyue's fiancé."

"!!!"

Both of them were stunned when they heard this.

"fiancé?"

“That’s right, I can’t give my secret manual to an outsider. If you don’t agree, then this manual won’t belong to you.”

Zhou Xinyue's face flushed red instantly. She looked at Gu Chaomu beside her in shock, and didn't seem very happy.

She panicked for a moment.

I could only sense that the man wasn't very happy.

Perhaps it's because I don't really like myself.

Her eyes slowly reddened, and she hurriedly spoke to Zhou Jiang in a hoarse voice:

"Uncle, please don't pressure Brother Gu. Brother Gu and I aren't in that kind of relationship..."

Zhou Jiang ignored Zhou Xinyue's words and stared blankly at Gu Chaomu in front of him.

Let me remind him again:

"That depends on your choice. Do you want to obtain this manual smoothly, or do you choose to steal it from me?"

"... "

"Uncle!"

Zhou Xinyue hadn't expected things to turn out this way, and both sides looked rather grim.

Gu Chaomu slowly regained his composure and looked at Zhou Xinyue beside him.

At this moment, her eyes were slightly red, as if tears were about to fall, making her look pitiful and heartbreaking.

The man frowned, his thin lips parted slightly and then closed again.

These three things weren't necessarily bad for him.

Gu Chaomu already had feelings for Zhou Xinyue and didn't dislike being with her, but he couldn't let Qiao Wanwan know about this.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to control the martial arts alliance leader's opinion of him.

He stood up from the chair, flung his skirt aside, and knelt down in front of Zhou Jiang.

He clasped his hands together and earnestly replied to Zhou Jiang's words.

"Master, please accept my bow."

Zhou Xinyue's tears faltered as she looked at Gu Chaomu, who had suddenly knelt down, and for a moment she didn't understand what he meant.

"Ha ha ha ha."

But Zhou Jiang on the other side burst into laughter.

He helped Gu Chaomu, who was kneeling before him, up with one hand, and reminded him:

"You've accomplished the first task. The second depends on the situation the day after tomorrow. The third thing…"

Zhou Jiang glanced at his stunned niece and said with a smile:

"Then I will arrange for you young people to become engaged. Once your name appears in the martial arts world, we will then plan to get married."

"Yes, thank you, Master. Please, Master and Xinyue, keep our agreement. I don't want anyone to doubt my abilities."

"Hahaha, okay, of course that's fine."

Zhou Xinyue, who was still recovering, listened to her uncles' happy laughter.

An answer slowly emerged in my mind.

Brother Gu, are you really willing to marry me?!

Her large eyes instantly welled up with a moist, shimmering light.

The girl's soft little hand was also touched by a warm, large hand.

Zhou Xinyue then turned her gaze to the affectionate man's face and gave him a faint smile.

...

The moonlight was perfect, and a girl appeared in the courtyard of the men's guest room.

"It's perfect that no one's around!"

Qiao Wanwan, carrying a simple package, found Xie Ze's room.

Looking at the window with candlelight, I walked straight in that direction.

In the dimly lit room, a faint candlelight was on.

The desk, in particular, was decorated with two candles.

The reflection shows the man's long, slender, fair fingers, tightly gripping the brush as he writes.

Following the distinct knuckles of the fingers upwards, the candlelight cast shadows from the thick, long eyelashes onto the high, straight bridge of the nose.

Her thin lips were as red as if they had been coated with lip rouge, completely different from the person I had seen that morning. Paired with her pale skin, she looked like a sculpture.

A black shadow flashed across the desk, revealing a bodyguard—Xie Yi.

His respectful report:

"Young Master, Miss Qiao is walking this way."

The man paused, his handsome features gazing towards the doorway, his thin lips parting slightly:

"Okay, you can go now. Don't come near the room unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Yes, Master."

Xie Yi vanished in a flash.

Xie Ze then resumed his hand, which had been paused, and the words 'Qiao Wanwan' appeared on the paper in large characters. His brushstrokes were bold and powerful, yet as sharp as a sword.

Qiao Wanwan arrived at Xie Ze's room smoothly and just raised her hand to knock.

A man's magnetic voice then came from inside.

"Since you're here, just come in."

"what?"

Qiao Wanwan couldn't help but sigh:

She hadn't even knocked on the door yet, how did the other person know she was there so quickly?

Could the villains have X-ray vision?

How could he see through the doors and windows and spot her arrival early?

Since he knew she was there, Qiao Wanwan didn't knock and just pushed the door open.

There was a "crunch".

The room inside was brightly lit by candlelight.

She watched Xie Ze sit at his desk writing, then stepped inside with the package in her arms, closing the door behind her.

This trip was to give Xie Ze a secret weapon, so of course she had to keep it a secret from Chun Xia.

Xie Ze looked at the woman's embroidered shoes on the floor in front of him.

He then covered the calligraphy scroll with several names written on it with a piece of white paper.

He slightly raised his eyes, looking at the woman standing before him, and asked with a look of curiosity:

"Miss Qiao, what brings you here?"