The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Gu Fanghua's body went limp, and she collapsed onto Fen Laoshan, utterly exhausted.

Fen Laoshan quickly sat up and helped him into his arms, asking with concern, "Junior brother! What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

Gu Fanghua gently stroked Fen Laoshan's cheek, looking at him with relief, and said softly, "No... and I know that Senior Brother never intended to hurt me. But before that, I'm curious... how did you untie the ropes?"

Pink Mountain averted his gaze, and said with some guilt, "It was... Junior Brother Qin, he gave it to us..."

Gu Fanghua gently stopped him and said, "Senior brother, don't blame yourself. I expected them to turn against me now." As she spoke, she slowly sat up and looked at Fen Laoshan.

Fen Laoshan asked with great doubt, "Why would they rebel against you? Weren't they already captivated by your beauty..." He stopped mid-sentence, feeling extremely awkward, and didn't dare to continue.

Seeing that he suddenly became embarrassed, Gu Fanghua smiled at him with a teasing tone and sighed, "Alas, senior brother, you don't know, after I dressed up like this, I started toying with their feelings: making them sincerely refine pills and cultivate qi for me, etc. In short, I did a lot of bad things, but didn't give them any corresponding reward. I think they have been harboring resentment for a long time, which is why they acted today."

Old Man Fen fell into deep thought. "Judging from this, the man in black was probably sent by my junior brother as well. Although he tricked us into giving him the fish eye, he didn't actually kill us..."

"Senior brother? Senior brother?" Gu Fanghua called softly, her voice and tone no different from those of a young girl in the prime of her youth.

Fen Laoshan snapped out of his daze, "Hmm, what's wrong? What's wrong?"

Gu Fanghua chuckled and said, "I really don't understand why those stupid guys don't come up and rebel against me themselves? Instead, they send me, their adorable senior brother, up here. Hehe, do they think I wouldn't lay a hand on my senior brother?"

"They were right."

Fen Laoshan suddenly said seriously, "First: Never lay a hand on a fellow disciple. Second: Under no circumstances should you lay a hand on a woman. This is an oath everyone took when they joined the sect, and it is the ironclad rule of our sect."

"Really? When you first entered the sect? But I was just a baby then. I made the vow in your arms, Senior Brother. Do you think I could remember that?" Gu Fanghua said with a smile.

Old Man Fen sighed and said softly, "I don't blame you, but the other junior brothers have all kept our sect's principles in mind. For them to ask me, their senior brother who has long been expelled, to take action is naturally not considered a violation of the sect rules..."

"Oh? I've committed so many evil deeds, and they've tolerated me until now, just because they can't attack their own fellow disciples? Hmph, I don't believe it," Gu Fanghua said coldly.

Old Man Fen laughed again, "Or perhaps, in their hearts they already... regard you as a woman. They already crave women intensely, and coupled with our sect's second ironclad rule, so they..."

"Hehehe, senior brother, if they still consider me, this villain, a woman, then by now... they should hate women to the core..."

Gu Fanghua touched her face again and said proudly, "Especially a beautiful woman like me!"

On the Yellow Crane Tower Square: Lu Xiaosan was fast asleep, hanging from a frame, while a group of Yellow Crane Sect disciples surrounded him, glaring at him menacingly.

The disciples muttered in hushed tones:

"This is what Brother Fen's new sworn brother is like? Brother Fen would be better off sworn in with me! I'm so angry! I wish I could...!!"

"Sigh, while my senior brother went in to fight that wicked woman to the death, this thieving monk is sound asleep here. Senior brother... must have mistaken him for someone else."

"Yes, all the beautiful women in this world are probably as despicable as that woman surnamed Gu. If even Senior Brother Fen has changed and is not as good as he used to be... then what should we do?"

"It's alright, it's alright. Even if we lose Senior Brother Pink, we still have Senior Brother Weird, hehehehe." The pervert laughed.

“That’s right, that makes sense…” Some disciples also expressed their agreement.

"It's bad, Senior Brother Qin! Someone outside is here with the Three Venerable Palace's token!" a disciple suddenly shouted as he ran over.

Lu Xiaosan and the man surnamed Qin opened their eyes at the same time. The man surnamed Qin said, "Three Venerable Palace? Hmph, what's the use of coming now? Quickly tell that person that our sect leader has already..."

"It's too late. My fellow disciples dare not make a move; that person has already entered."

Lu Xiaosan quickly turned his head away and, sure enough, saw the most familiar figure: holding herbs, wearing a brown robe and hood. It was indeed Wen Ying.

Wen Ying immediately spotted Lu Xiaosan and exclaimed excitedly, "Brother Lu, what are you doing up so high up? Are you playing some new game?"

She pushed through the crowd to Lu Xiaosan's side, her joyful expression instantly freezing. "Brother Lu, who hung you up?"

Lu Xiaosan kept making muffled noises and kept turning her head towards the door, signaling her to leave quickly.

But Wen Ying didn't understand. She simply turned around and faced the crowd with her all-too-familiar smile, "Everyone... could you please release Brother Lu first? We can sort things out slowly later, can't we?"

The bloodstains on Wen Ying's face had healed, and her beautiful face once again revealed her warm smile, captivating everyone present...

“Wa ...

"Be careful, don't be fooled by her face. Have you forgotten how that guy surnamed Gu treated us?"

"Yes."

"Exactly! This pretty girl is probably just like that guy surnamed Gu, all looks and no substance!"

"Yes, yes!"

The crowd's expressions changed instantly, and they all cast venomous glances at the two of them.

Lu Xiaosan was both anxious and angry, and started screaming and writhing.

Wen Ying, standing to the side, saw them revealing their murderous intent towards Lu Xiaosan and was so anxious that tears almost welled up in her eyes. "What exactly do you want from me before you'll let Brother Lu go?"

"As long as he returns Pink Senior Brother and Strange Senior Brother to us, and lets them kill that witch, we will release this bald monk."

"Yes! That's right!" the disciples shouted in unison!

"Enough!" Junior Brother Qin interrupted, then pointed at Wen Ying and demanded, "You! Were you sent by the Three Venerable Palace?"

Wen Ying rolled her eyes thoughtfully, then shook her head and said, "I guess... it doesn't count..."

"No? Then how do you have the token of the Three Palaces?"

“This…this is me…”

"Enough!" Junior Brother Qin interrupted again. "I don't care who gave you the token. Just tell that person that during the years when my Yellow Crane Sect was controlled by the witch and committed all sorts of evil deeds, the Three Venerable Palaces never sent anyone to help us."

"Just when we were about to succeed, the Three Venerable Palaces came to interfere. Hmph, with your heartless and ruthless ways, do you really expect the Yellow Crane Sect to submit to you again?"

Wen Ying was completely confused and tilted her head, asking, "What...what are you talking about? Brother Lu...what's his relationship with that vixen?"

“Hmph, witch!” Junior Brother Qin turned to Yellow Crane Tower again, “The witch is… Ah!!!” Junior Brother Qin was suddenly stunned and speechless.

It was all because he saw Fen Laoshan and Gu Fanghua nestled together on the viewing platform of the Yellow Crane Tower, admiring the distant view…

The junior disciples were heartbroken, their eyes filled with tears as they murmured, "Senior Brother Fen, how...how could you do this to us..."

Junior Brother Qin, with nowhere to vent his anger, wiped away his tears and said hatefully, "Fine, it was Senior Brother Fen who was heartless first, don't blame us for being ungrateful!" After saying that, he turned around and glared fiercely at Lu Xiaosan.

Qin Shidi was filled with grief and indignation. He pulled out a dagger from his pocket and roared as he was about to stab Lu Xiaosan.

Wen Ying quickly spread her arms to block Lu Xiaosan and accused him, "Why did you suddenly hurt someone for no reason?"

"Brother Qin, kill this bald monk!" the crowd shouted.

Wen Ying bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes, but still said firmly, "If you want to kill him, kill me first!"

The disciples below were stunned by what they saw. "This...is this something a pretty girl would do?"

"Could it be? There really are women in this world who are loyal and devoted to love!"

"I don't believe it. If God gave them such beauty, wouldn't it be a waste of God's favor if they didn't use it to deceive people's feelings?"

The people below were talking intensely, and Lu Xiaosan was extremely anxious.

He used all his strength but could only make the wooden frame sway back and forth. He felt so powerless and insignificant, and a sense of resentment and frustration instantly overwhelmed him.

Junior Brother Qin, his eyes red with rage, had long since overwhelmed his reason. He cursed at Wen Ying, "Stop pretending! You three from the Three Venerable Palace are just like him, heartless and ruthless beasts. Today, you will all die here!"

Wen Ying was so frightened that she closed her eyes tightly and tears streamed down her face, but she still stood in front of Lu Xiaosan without moving an inch.

"If you dare touch her, I'll kill you! I'll tear you to pieces and feed you to the dogs!!!" Lu Xiao glared at his junior brother Qin, cursing inwardly.

Just as the dagger was about to pierce Wen Ying's chest, a green object suddenly struck from a distance, knocking the dagger out of Qin Shidi's hand.

The disciples were astonished by what they saw: "This girl actually... didn't dodge! Could there really be such a wonderful girl in this world!"

Only Junior Brother Qin shouted into the air, "Who are you? Why are you blocking my way?"

After a moment, a deep, somber voice came from afar: "I don't care if you kill that bald monk, but you can't kill the nobleman of my Three Venerable Palace..." The speaker was devoid of any emotion, which sent a chill down one's spine.

But Lu Xiaosan recognized the voice all too well. His eyes widened. "What? It could be him?"