Firework was bewildered. She pointed to Zu An and asked, “Can’t you just send him?”
Given Zu An’s skills and wits, there was no better candidate than him.
Huang Rong was taken aback. “Polu’s skills are still lacking.”
Guo Polu’s aptitude was at the same level as his father[1], and he was nowhere as focused as his father. His martial arts were subpar at best.
“He’s not weak by any means. He might have even surpassed the two of you,” Firework replied candidly.
“Oh?” Guo Jing was overjoyed to hear that. He thrust his palm to attack Zu An, hoping to test the latter’s martial arts.
Zu An sensed the incoming attack and instinctively thrust his palm in retaliation.
Huang Rong was horrified. Big brother Jing, you shouldn’t use so much inner energy just because Xiang’er made a passing remark! How can Polu withstand that attack?
Her eyes soon bulged in shock. The two men had exchanged over a dozen blows by now, but Guo Polu was standing his ground against Guo Jing. From time to time, Guo Polu would make an ingenious maneuver that astonished even Huang Rong.
Guo Jing burst into laughter. “Polu has grown at a rapid pace. He’s almost on par with me now.”
Firework smiled. Zu An obviously held back earlier.
Huang Rong frowned. She stared intently at Zu An. “Polu, how did your martial arts advance so much within this short span of time?”
Zu An was stunned. He had revealed too much earlier because he was worried Huang Rong would send someone other than him.
Huang Rong was an intelligent and skeptical person. She knew that the real Guo Polu would have never achieved such a level of mastery in his martial arts in his lifetime, let alone within this short span. It would be disastrous if she realized that he wasn’t the real Guo Polu.
Just then, Firework interjected, “He just dual-cultivated with Tingxue not long ago.”
Tingxue, who was nonchalantly watching the spectacle from the sidelines, was stunned.
Zu An was speechless.
Firework shot the two of them a glance. It’d be disastrous if Guo Jing and Huang Rong learned that she'd dual cultivated with Zu An.
Zu An could only awkwardly nod in acknowledgment.
Tingxue was speechless. So this is how it feels to be angry. Her inability to explain the situation only further stoked her frustration.
Huang Rong’s skepticism gave way to delight. “Ah, so it’s Tingxue’s credit. Polu is really too much...”
She grabbed Tingxue’s hand and began trading pleasantries once more.
To think that my son would bring not just the Xuan Metal Sword, the Gentleman Sword, and the Maiden Sword back, but also a daughter-in-law as well! I’m surprised an oaf like him knows how to win a woman’s fancy.
She hadn't shown anything earlier, but she'd initially felt a tinge of dislike toward Tingxue upon seeing that she resembled Xiaolongnu. Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu had left her with many traumas back then. But now, she was growing more and more fond of Tingxue.
The Ancient Tomb Sect’s martial arts are indeed unorthodox. To think that the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra was a dual cultivation skill. No wonder Xiaolongnu, despite being Guo’er’s master, insisted on marrying him.
Tingxue’s face turned bright red. She didn’t know what to do.
Huang Yaoshi, who had just arrived, was also overjoyed to hear the news. “Yang Guo’s daughter? Wonderful!”
He was more fond of Yang Guo than his slow-witted son-in-law.
Zu An couldn’t help noticing that the legendary grandmaster’s hair had turned white, and his vitality had greatly declined. His days were numbered. The lifespan of a mortal is short indeed.
The room buzzed for a while before they returned to the main topic at hand. “Rong’er and Jing’er were thinking of hiding the manuals in the weapons, but my experiments show that it’s not feasible—the manuals won’t be able to withstand the heat of the forging. I think it’s better to hide the manuals elsewhere and leave clues about their locations in the weapons.”
Huang Rong smiled. “Father, you’re more thoughtful. With the Mongols’ influence spreading all over the Central Plains, there’s nowhere safe to hide the manuals here. No matter how I look at it, it’s safer to hide the manuals across the sea, where the Mongols can’t reach it.”
“The Peach Blossom Island is located in the middle of the sea. It is tough for outsiders to find it, and the island is protected by formations constructed according to the principles of Qi Men Dun Jia[2]. Even if someone chances upon the island, they'll be trapped by the formations.”
“Thus, we’re planning to hide the Nine Yin Sutra and the Book of Wumu on the Peach Blossom Island, and we’ll leave the map and the solutions to the formations in the Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber.”
Zu An was amazed. Guo Jing and Huang Rong had put a great deal of effort into this plan.
Huang Rong then turned to Tingxue and continued, “Someone has to supervise the Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber Plan to ensure the weapons do not fall into the wrong hands. There’s no one more suited for that role than the Ancient Tomb Sect. Your sect steers clear of the secular world, making it hard for the Mongols to find you. On top of that, your sect members are highly skilled and cold in nature.
“We currently aren’t able to find Guo’er and Miss Long, but your presence works as well. You can consult them about this when you return. I’m sure the righteous Guo’er and Miss Long will not turn away from this responsibility.”
Having Tingxue as her future daughter-in-law only made her more confident of her plan.
Tingxue had no choice but to accept the request.
Huang Yaoshi said, “Xiang’er, you’ll head to E’mei Mountain to find the Thunderbolt Bombs. Polu, you’ll sneak into the Ming Cult and steal the Sacred Fire Token. Miss Tingxue, you can accompany my disciple, Cheng Ying, to the Peach Blossom Island to familiarize yourself with the route to the Peach Blossom Island and the formations there. This serves as an additional layer of insurance.
“The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber Plan spans a century; there’s bound to be hiccups along the way. They could go missing or fall into the wrong hands. So, if you find someone suitable in the meantime, you can guide them straight to the Peach Blossom Island without bothering with the Heavenly Sword or the Dragon Slaying Saber.”
Zu An nodded in agreement. Huang Rong and the others had considered so many different possibilities that it seemed nigh-impossible for the plan to fail.
Tingxue frowned. She instinctively looked at Zu An. It was only after seeing the latter nod that she finally gave her consent.
Huang Rong’s smile widened.
Huang Yaoshi proceeded to brief Firework about E’mei Mountain’s mystical man, while Huang Rong briefed Zu An about the Ming Cult.
Zu An was familiar with the Ming Cult a hundred years from now, but he he knew nothing about this era’s Ming Cult[r]The Ming Cult only appears in ‘Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber’, which is set a hundred years from ‘Return of the Condor Heroes’[/ref].
He learned from Huang Rong that the Ming Cult’s current leader had the surname of ‘Shi’, and that it was only active in the Western Regions. Their limited activity in the Central Plains meant that little was known about them. Only the Beggar Sect, who had a past conflict with them, had more information.
The Ming Cult originated from the Persian religion of Manichaeism. Many considered them to be an unorthodox cult, but it would be unwise to judge their morality solely from that. It was rumored that they had a formidable martial art known as the Great Cosmic Shift.
Zu An jotted down all the Ming Cult’s experts that Huang Rong mentioned in his mind. At the same time, he wondered if the Ming Cult had already made contact with its main Persian sect, given that Old Man Shanzhong had come to the Central Plains.
It was getting late, so the group retired to their rooms for the time being. They would set off tomorrow morning.
Much to Zu An and Tingxue’s bewilderment, they were assigned the same bedroom.
Xiangyang was severely lacking in resources from many years of war. To lead by example, the Guo Clan had dismantled their mansion’s pillars to repair the city walls, so there were already fewer rooms than before. The simultaneous arrival of Huang Yaoshi, Cheng Ying, and the others only worsened the shortage.
Huang Rong, taking into consideration that Zu And and Tingxue had already dual cultivated, chose to assign them the same room. This would have been considered rude in the past, but etiquette was a luxury when their country’s downfall was imminent.
In fact, she thought it would be ideal if they could speed things up and leave some descendants for the Guo Clan.
This put Zu An and Tingxue in a tight spot. They stared at the only bed in the room, at a loss for words.
1. Guo Jing, despite being one of the strongest experts in the world, is known to be slow-witted and untalented. Huang Rong helped him a lot by convincing top martial artists to teach him. ☜
2. Qi Men Dun Jia is a divination book, but in the context of Return of the Condor Heroes, it is a set of principles that allows you to construct elaborate labyrinths that can confuse, trap, and even injure others. ☜