Chapter 134: The Flesh-Eating Gu and the Martial Arts Tournament for Marriage
"I won't let you off next time!"
The red-clad girl ultimately couldn't withstand the pressure. She burst into tears as she ran away, making the onlookers feel like they were the real villains.
Li Xiaoyao, unconvinced, muttered, "Wait, she was the one hitting people! Why is she the one crying?"
At this moment, the rescued man and woman stepped forward to thank them and explained the situation. They were servants of the Lin Family Manor who had eloped, but their escape was thwarted when the young lady of the Lin family caught them and beat them.
That young lady in red was none other than Lin Yueru, the daughter of the Lin family.
"Even if they eloped, that doesn't mean she can just beat people! Couldn't she have just talked things through properly?"
Li Xiaoyao was indignant.
Growing up in a small town, he didn't understand the reality of indentured servants. Strictly speaking, they weren't even considered full-fledged people—they were property of the household. If Lin Yueru had chosen to kill them instead of just beating them, the authorities would have at most imposed a fine.
"Thank you, young heroes, for coming to our aid. Yin Hua and I must leave now. You have offended the young lady of the Lin family—best not enter Suzhou City."
With that, the eloping couple vanished in an instant.
Xu Changqing looked concerned. "The Lin Family Manor is a prominent force in the martial world. We might have just invited trouble upon ourselves."
Li Xiaoyao lowered his head, feeling guilty. "Brother Xu, I've caused you trouble."
Xu Changqing shook his head with a smile. "What are you saying, Brother Li? We acted together, so the responsibility is shared. Besides…"
"As disciples of Shu Mountain, it is only natural for us to draw our swords in the face of injustice."
Li Xiaoyao nodded rapidly like a pecking chick.
Zhao Ling'er asked worriedly, "Daoist brothers, should we still enter Suzhou City?"
Xu Changqing turned to Chu Yang. "Junior brother, what do you think?"
Chu Yang strode toward Suzhou City with a carefree laugh. "What? Is Lin Manor's master some untouchable figure? I'm going to touch him today!"
"Letting his daughter run wild, assaulting people—someone's got to do something! If Lin Tiannan fails as a father and dares to seek trouble with us, we'll deal with him. What's there to be afraid of?"
Hearing his bold words, the three of them were fired up and quickly followed him.
Xu Changqing smiled. "If the Lin Manor's master truly disregards his status as an elder, my junior brother and I can always join forces against him—no disgrace to Shu Mountain."
Chu Yang waved a hand dismissively. "If the sky falls, the tallest person holds it up. You're the tallest, senior brother. You handle it, and we'll cheer you on from the side!"
Xu Changqing: "…"
Once inside the city, Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er were instantly mesmerized by the bustling streets.
Suzhou City was one of the most prosperous places in the Central Plains. Whether it was food or entertainment, it rivaled, if not surpassed, the capital itself.
The two of them, wide-eyed with wonder, resembled country folk stepping into a grand estate for the first time.
Xu Changqing was more composed, though his eyes constantly flickered around, betraying his curiosity.
"As it's getting late, we should find a place to rest."
It seemed Xu Changqing had done his research beforehand. The inn he chose wasn't particularly famous but was tastefully decorated, with much of its structure built from bamboo, reminiscent of Shu Mountain's style.
Clearly, he had prepared well for this journey into the secular world.
After dinner, Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er wanted to explore the streets. With Xu Changqing's approval, they vanished in a flash.
Watching them run off happily, Xu Changqing couldn't help but remark, "At the end of the day, they're still just children."
Chu Yang sighed. "Placing the fate of a nation on Ling'er, a young girl… it's really unfair."
Xu Changqing, who rarely discussed politics, unexpectedly nodded in agreement, his face suddenly taking on a grandfatherly look.
Chu Yang's thoughts screamed: Senior brother! Don't do this! You're starting to look more and more like her grandpa! Damn it!
After chatting for a while, Xu Changqing retired to his room, while Chu Yang stayed behind to wait for the two to return.
If he remembered correctly, the Flesh-Eating Gu was found by Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er here in Suzhou City.
Sure enough, after a while, laughter came from outside.
Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er entered the inn, playfully teasing each other, only to see Chu Yang sitting there with a knowing smile.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Li Xiaoyao asked, "Brother Chu, you're still up? Were you waiting for us?"
Chu Yang nodded. "It's your first time traveling so far. I just wanted to be cautious."
Both Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er were touched.
Zhao Ling'er's eyes twinkled as she pulled out a small object from her pouch and handed it to Chu Yang. "Daoist Chu, we found a Flesh-Eating Gu. Do you want to take a look?"
Chu Yang took it and feigned curiosity. "What's a Flesh-Eating Gu?"
Excited to share her knowledge, Zhao Ling'er eagerly explained, going into great detail.
As it was getting late, Chu Yang had to cut her off. "Can I borrow it for the night? I'd like to study it."
Without hesitation, Zhao Ling'er said, "If you want it, Daoist Chu, I'll give it to you."
Chu Yang shook his head with a smile. "I'm just curious. I'll return it to you tomorrow."
"Alright then," she agreed readily, and Li Xiaoyao didn't object either. To them, Chu Yang's kindness had already far exceeded what any material item could repay.
Back in his room, Chu Yang entered his Soul Palace and shared the Flesh-Eating Gu with his other selves.
Magic Chu Yang immediately extracted and preserved the Gu's bloodline factor.
Xianxia Chu Yang curiously asked, "Can we replicate it?"
Magic Chu Yang scrutinized the Gu before answering uncertainly, "Replication techniques for magical creatures are mostly perfected, but demons and Gu worms… haven't been tested yet. I'm not sure if they share common traits."
Cross-species replication was an entirely different field, so he didn't dare make guarantees.
This technology had been developed by Naruto Chu Yang while creating the Ten-Tails, using Six Paths Sage Mode and Yin-Yang Release combined with bloodline factors to generate complete beings.
Success rates varied depending on the subject.
Xianxia Chu Yang only wanted to try for insurance. If it failed, he could always search for Gu cultivation techniques in Nanzhao later.
As for the one in his hand, it was better left to Li Xiaoyao. There was no need to completely consume resources that could regenerate—he could still get a share when the Red Ghost King and Skeleton General were devoured.
The next morning, as the four of them had breakfast, the streets of Suzhou City were livelier than ever.
"Martial Arts Tournament for Marriage!"
"The Lin Manor's master, Lin Tiannan, has set up a tournament to find a husband for his daughter!"
Hearing Lin Family's young lady, Li Xiaoyao instantly thought of the red-clad girl.
"That shrew is hosting a marriage tournament? What kind of man would have a death wish?"
Just as he scoffed, his mouth was stuffed with a bun, and he started choking. Zhao Ling'er quickly handed him porridge, and it took him a while to recover.
Xu Changqing advised, "Brother Li, though Miss Lin was in the wrong yesterday, we weren't entirely blameless either."
Seeing Xu Changqing's gentle demeanor, Li Xiaoyao wisely kept his complaints to himself.
At that moment, a polite voice interrupted.
"Heroes, if you trust me, I can look after the young lady."
A scholar approached, bowing slightly. "It is an honor to meet such righteous people. My name is Liu Jinyuan, the newly appointed top scholar of the imperial exams."
Li Xiaoyao instinctively disliked him. "Who are you? And why should we trust you?"
"It's understandable if you don't want to trust me," Liu Jinyuan replied with a smile, unfazed. "I am Liu Jinyuan, the newly appointed top scholar of the imperial examination. Lin Tian'nan, the master of Lin Fortress, is my uncle. Everyone in Suzhou knows me. If you don't believe me, feel free to ask around."
Hearing that he was a top scholar, Li Xiaoyao's confidence wavered. He muttered under his breath, "So what if you can read? You're just a bookworm."
Chu Yang stood up with a smile. "No need to ask. I saw the grand homecoming celebration for Young Master Liu yesterday, so I have no doubt about your identity."
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