Ruan Ziya smiled and said, "Master Gu, now that we are about to part ways, please bestow the antidote upon me."
Gu Qingyun coughed and said, "That pill was not poison. Please forgive me for deceiving you."
Li Feiqing was taken aback, and said in a low voice with resentment, "What, it's not poison? Why...why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Gu Qingyun smiled at her, thinking to herself: If I don't even manage to fool you, I'm afraid I'll slip up and won't be able to fool those two foxes.
Murong Wuhen laughed and said, "This pill has a strange taste, and since Master Gu carries it with him, I thought it was a rare poison concocted by Physician Hua. I didn't expect to be deceived by you. I am ashamed."
Gu Qingyun smiled without speaking, thinking to herself: The pills that Li Ran prepared to calm the mind and eliminate desires really taste very strange, otherwise how could they have fooled a master of poison like Murong Wuhen?
As Murong Wuhen and Ruan Ziya led the Xuan Yi Sect members away, Li Feiqing felt a pang of sadness and sighed softly. However, she saw that the people from Feihua Manor and Yingshan Sect had already surrounded her, asking the two about their experiences in the Snow Valley over the past half month.
It turned out that an earthquake had triggered an avalanche that day, sealing off the snow valley. Helpless, Yi Feng returned to Qian Family Village with the antidote. Everyone assumed that Gu and Li had perished in the snow valley. After discussion, the leaders of various sects unanimously elected Yi Feng as the leader of the martial arts alliance to lead the heroes against the evil cult.
Taking advantage of the disappearance of Murong Wuhen and Ruan Ziya, and the leaderless chaos of the Demonic Sect, Yi Feng launched several surprise attacks, eliminating several branches of the Demonic Sect and earning the admiration of the heroes.
Today, the righteous faction received news that the Demonic Sect was secretly negotiating at Wuling Mountain. Yi Feng immediately made arrangements, first cutting off the Demonic Sect's reinforcements, and then summoning heroes to rush over. If Murong Wuhen and Ruan Ziya had not suddenly appeared, they would probably have wiped out the Demonic Sect's elite forces in one fell swoop.
When everyone talked about it, they all said it was a pity. Yi Feng, however, smiled and said, "Now that Junior Sister and Master Gu have returned safely, our trip can be considered worthwhile."
Li Feiqing asked with some concern, "Senior Brother, three months from now, you will have a decisive battle with Murong Wuhen. Are you confident of winning?"
Yi Feng smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, although Murong Wuhen's martial arts are strange and he is full of tricks, your senior brother is not afraid of him. He only hopes that this time he can get rid of this major threat and avenge Master!"
Li Feiqing thought to herself: Senior Brother is still unaware that someone else poisoned Master. I must find an opportunity to tell him this, otherwise, how difficult it will be for Second Senior Sister when he duels with Murong Wuhen.
As she was secretly worrying, she heard Yi Feng say to Gu Qingyun, "Master Gu, in three months, heroes from all factions will come to Shadow Mountain to watch the battle. Why don't you and your junior sister come back to Shadow Mountain with me this time..."
He glanced at Li Feiqing and said with a smile, "Your junior sister was kidnapped last time, which hindered your marriage. Now it's not appropriate to delay any longer. Let's take this opportunity to hold the wedding in Yingshan. What do you think?"
Gu Qingyun looked at Li Feiqing and saw that she was blushing and hanging her head in silence, but a sweet smile appeared on her lips. Gu Qingyun smiled and said, "Alright, then I'll have to trouble Sect Leader Yi."
Shen Luo chuckled from the side, "Now we call him Headmaster Yi, but in a while we'll have to change it and call him Senior Brother along with my junior sister."
Hua Liran rolled her eyes at him and snorted, "Actually, you just want my master to start calling you Third Senior Brother, right?"
Shen Luo coughed and immediately fell silent.
Ruan Ziya and Murong Wuhen walked slowly side by side. Suddenly, Ruan Ziya chuckled and asked with a smile, "What are you laughing at?"
Ruan Ziya laughed and said, "I laugh at you for having a belly full of tricks, yet you pretend to be magnanimous, saying that you don't want to compete with Gu Qingyun while he is still recovering from his serious injuries, but in reality you are just stalling for time."
Murong Wuhen laughed and said, "No matter how many tricks I have up my sleeve, they can't be hidden from you. Now that you are helping me cultivate the Qianhan Technique, my skill will improve by leaps and bounds in less than three months. Then, together with you, we will turn the righteous sects upside down. That will be truly interesting."
Ruan Ziya sighed, "That's Yingshan." She turned her head and saw that the others were still some distance away from them. She leaned close to Murong Wuhen's ear and whispered, "You're not allowed to hurt my senior brother, or I won't help you."
Murong Wuhen glanced at her sideways and said, "You won't let me hurt him? Could it be that you still have feelings for him...?"
Seeing Ruan Ziya turn and glare at him, he immediately changed his words, saying, "But what if he hurts me? Wouldn't you feel bad?"
Ruan Ziya spat in a low voice, "What are you pretending to be pitiful for? Back then, your skills had greatly improved, how could he be your match? Senior Brother has been kind to me, we must never let him down again."
Murong Wuhen felt relieved when she heard her say "we," realizing that she considered Yi Feng an outsider. She lazily smiled and said, "Fine, I'll let this kid off this time. After all, I stole his sweetheart."
Ruan Ziya glared at him and said, "When you fight him to a draw, then propose a truce between our sect and the righteous path. Senior Brother is kind-hearted and will surely agree."
Murong Wuhen pondered for a moment and said, "A truce?"
Ruan Ziya said softly, "That's right. Don't forget that the person who holds the ancient formula must be an extremely powerful figure. During the truce with the righteous faction, we must find out his identity and avenge Mozhu and my father. After that... whether you want to return to Wuyai Island to live in seclusion or continue to fight against the righteous faction, I will naturally go with you."
Seeing that her voice was almost inaudible by the end and that a hint of shyness appeared in her eyes, Murong Wuhen teased in a low voice, "How about together? Like last night?"
As the two chatted and laughed, they were completely unaware of the two people behind them, who kept their eyes fixed on them.
Elder Zhai's face showed a hint of worry when he saw Ruan Ziya and Murong Wuhen being so intimate. Qu Yan maintained a faint smile, but secretly clenched his fists.
Several days later, Gu Qingyun and her party arrived at Yingshan.
Since returning from the snow valley, Mu Linlang has been quite cold towards Li Feiqing. Li Feiqing tried to talk to her several times, but she was always politely turned away.
Li Feiqing knew that the eldest disciple of the Qian family manor had abandoned his wife and chased after Ruan Ziya with her amidst the chaos of the hall, causing Mu Linlang to misunderstand her. However, she couldn't explain the reason to her, which greatly troubled her. Fortunately, her wedding was approaching, and she was preoccupied with wedding preparations every day, leaving her no time to think about it. In addition, she was naturally open-minded, so she didn't take the matter to heart.
That day, Li Feiqing was staring blankly at the wedding dress design that Gu Qingyun had sent when she suddenly heard a soft knock on the door. Turning around, she saw Mu Linlang standing outside with a smile on her face. She was both surprised and delighted and hurriedly said, "Senior Sister, what brings you here? Come in and sit down."
Mu Linlang held a tray with a bowl of stewed white fungus and bird's nest on it. She smiled at her and said, "Your senior brother has the kitchen stew these tonics for me every day. I can't eat all of them, so I brought them over for you. You're getting married soon, so you should eat some to nourish your skin and look even more beautiful on your wedding day."
Li Feiqing was overjoyed and asked cautiously, "Senior sister, you...you're not angry with me anymore?"
Mu Linlang said in a low voice, "Your senior brother has already explained to me that I misunderstood you... I don't know what's wrong with me. Since I became pregnant, my temper has become more and more eccentric, and I always tend to be suspicious. Junior sister, you don't blame me, do you?"
Li Feiqing hurriedly shook her head, and Mu Linlang pointed to the bowl of white fungus and bird's nest stew and said with a smile, "Eat it while it's hot."
She watched with a smile as Li Feiqing ate the bird's nest, and then said, "You've been so busy preparing for the wedding these days, it must have been exhausting. It's a pity I'm pregnant and can't help you."
Li Feiqing suddenly remembered and pulled her aside, pleading, "By the way, senior sister, please help me choose a wedding dress. All those patterns are making my head spin."
Mu Linlang smiled and said, "Okay." Just as she was about to go over to look at the drawings with Li Feiqing, her legs suddenly gave way and she almost fell. Li Feiqing quickly reached out to support her and asked in surprise, "Senior Sister, what's wrong?"
Mu Linlang looked dazed, pressed her forehead, and whispered, "I felt a little dizzy just now, probably because I was tired."
Li Feiqing didn't dare let her look at the drawings again, so she helped her sit down at the table to rest. After a while, Li Feiqing said, "Senior Sister..."
Mu Linlang was startled. With a flick of her sleeve, the empty bowl on the table was knocked to the ground and shattered into pieces. She said in a trembling voice, "What?"
Li Feiqing was even more worried and asked, "Are you alright?"
Mu Linlang looked absent-minded and gently shook her head.
Suddenly, they heard a light knock on the door. When they looked up, they saw Yi Feng standing in front of the door, smiling at them.
Li Feiqing hurriedly said, "Senior Brother, you've come at the right time. Senior Sister isn't feeling well, please come and take a look."
Yi Feng hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong?"
Mu Linlang's face was pale as she said, "It's nothing, it's just been like this lately, I just haven't seen you, Junior Sister."
Yi Feng comforted Li Feiqing, "Don't worry, your senior sister has been suffering from severe morning sickness lately, and that's why she scared you earlier."
He looked down and saw the broken pieces on the ground. He was slightly taken aback. Li Feiqing quickly said, "It was broken by accident. I'll pick it up. Senior Brother, you should go back and rest with Senior Sister."
Yi Feng nodded and then helped Mu Linlang walk away slowly.
Author's Note: I had a bad cold and couldn't speak at all. Then, some shrewish landlord said to me, "Your hands aren't useless, are they?"
So I'm back to my miserable writing routine, 55
Suspicion arose
Li Feiqing cleaned up the broken pieces on the floor, but when she turned around, she saw Gu Qingyun standing behind her with a smile. She couldn't help but scold, "When did you come in? You startled me."
Gu Qingyun smiled and asked, "Have you chosen a design?"
Li Feiqing complained, "That scoundrel Zhang Datou made the cloth shop draw so many patterns, it's making my head spin. When I see him later, I'll definitely not let him off the hook!"
Gu Qingyun coughed and hurriedly said, "I just sent him to Fuliu Valley. I'm afraid I won't be able to see him for the next couple of days." In her heart, she silently calculated that when Zhang Datou returned, she would have to make him keep his mouth shut and not reveal who was instigated by this matter.
Li Feiqing was indeed swayed by his evasive words and asked excitedly, "Are we going to invite Ye Hongyun to our wedding?"
That day, she returned from Snow Valley, while Ye Hongyun had already returned to Fuliu Valley to recuperate. The two had not met since. Li Feiqing was very worried about her and muttered to herself, "I wonder how her injuries are."
Gu Qingyun said, "Li Ran said it's nothing serious. Since she's here, I'll have Li Ran prepare some more ointment for her." He smiled and added, "I heard that Zhang Datou jumped out as soon as he heard that she was going to Fuliu Valley to deliver a letter to Miss Ye. I've never seen him so enthusiastic before."
Li Feiqing's eyes widened, and she stammered, "You, you don't mean to say that Zhang Datou has feelings for Ye Hongyun..."
Gu Qingyun said, "Ever since he was poisoned by Ye Hongyun and suffered from unbearable itching all over his body for three days and three nights, he has been quite concerned about her affairs. How come you didn't notice?"
Li Feiqing suddenly realized, "So Zhang Datou likes to be abused. No wonder the more I beat him up, the more he wanted to stay with me."
Gu Qingyun smiled and said, "But no one knows what Miss Ye's true feelings are... During the martial arts tournament, I saw that Situ Qing was always by her side. When Miss Ye returned to Fuliu Valley, he took the initiative to escort her all the way. He must have feelings for her."
Li Feiqing turned her head to look at him for a moment, then suddenly sighed, "You usually seem so indifferent. I thought you didn't care about other people's affairs, but it turns out that nothing can be hidden from you."
Gu Qingyun coughed and said, "This is a habit I've had since I was a child. I'll tell you the reason why after we get married."
He pulled Li Feiqing close, hugged her, kissed her, and whispered, "I have something to discuss with Li Ran now, I'll come to see you again tonight."
When Li Feiqing heard him mention "evening," she felt her face flush and her heart race. Just as she was about to raise an objection, Gu Qingyun smiled at her and hurriedly turned and left.
The next morning, Li Feiqing peeked out of her room furtively. Seeing that no one was around, she was secretly pleased. Just as she was about to turn around and tell Gu Qingyun to leave quickly, she suddenly heard someone call out, "Junior Sister."
Li Feiqing panicked. Seeing that it was Shen Luo walking towards them, she quickly closed the door behind her and said with a blushing face, "Third Senior Brother, did you look for me?"
Shen Luo hummed in agreement, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Junior Sister, why did Senior Brother abandon Fourth Junior Sister and follow you back then at Qian Family Manor?"
Li Feiqing was taken aback, her face flushed, and she said in a muffled voice, "Third Senior Brother, what do you mean by asking that?"
Shen Luo hesitated and said, "You used to be very close to Senior Brother..."
Li Feiqing retorted angrily, "That's all in the past! My relationship with my senior brother is completely innocent now, so why are you doubting me too!"
Seeing that she was angry, Shen Luo quickly said, "That's not what I meant, Junior Sister. I... I was worried that Senior Brother still had feelings for you."
Li Feiqing was stunned for a moment. Shen Luo said in a low voice, "Last night I passed by here and saw Senior Brother standing outside, staring blankly at your door. Did he... come looking for you? Junior Sister, you got engaged to Gu Qingyun because of a misunderstanding. Senior Brother must have been very upset. But Fourth Junior Sister is so devoted to him and is now pregnant. If he... then he would be too sorry for Fourth Junior Sister."
Li Feiqing coughed and said, "Third Senior Brother, you're overthinking it. Actually..."
Before she could finish speaking, the door behind her suddenly opened, and Gu Qingyun asked from behind, "Xiaoqing, where did I put my outer robe?"
When Shen Luo saw Gu Qingyun appear, he was stunned for a moment. Then his handsome face turned slightly red, and he coughed repeatedly, saying, "Ah, I misunderstood... Well, I have something to do, so I'll take my leave first, Junior Sister." Then he left as fast as he could.
Li Feiqing was extremely embarrassed and turned around to complain in a low voice, "Why did you come out? Now that my third senior brother knows you stayed at my place last night, I'm so ashamed!"
Gu Qingyun lowered her eyes to the ground and slowly said, "Don't tell me you want him to misunderstand that you were with Yi Feng last night?"
Li Feiqing was taken aback. Seeing that Gu Qingyun's expression was strange, but her gaze avoided her and instead looked at the corner of the wall and the ground, she couldn't help but say anxiously, "You don't suspect that Senior Brother has something going on with me, do you? You know he likes Second Senior Sister... This house is Second Senior Sister's former residence. Senior Brother came here last night because he missed Second Senior Sister, so how could it be for me..."
Seeing her face flushed with anxiety, Gu Qingyun smiled slightly, pulled her into his arms, and whispered, "I know."
Li Feiqing was relieved and nestled in his arms, sighing softly. She said, "Second Senior Sister is now on a different path from us, the righteous and the evil. Senior Brother must be suffering greatly. I hope he can let go of this matter as soon as possible and stop torturing himself."
※※※※
Hundreds of miles away, inside the temporary headquarters of the Xuan Yi Sect.
Murong Wuhen sat up from inside the tent, glanced back at Ruan Ziya whose face was flushed, and said with a wicked smile, "Well, now you know how good my kung fu is, and you admit defeat?"
Ruan Ziya blushed and spat, "Vulgar." But she felt weak and powerless all over, and the voice she made was low and seductive. She quickly stopped talking. Seeing that Murong Wuhen had put on his clothes, with a few drops of blood on the front of his shirt, she remembered that when he took off her undergarments last night, he suddenly had a nosebleed and looked very eager. She couldn't help but bite her lip and chuckle.
Murong Wuhen laughed and said, "You dare to laugh at me? I'll come back and teach you a lesson after I've finished dealing with the affairs of the sect."