The True Gu Master

Jiang Yiming was just about to collect the leopard's corpse when shouts suddenly came from the mountain path beside him!

"There's something happening over there!"

"Who's there? Don't move!"

After the clamor, several beams of light shone over, so bright that Jiang Yiming couldn't open his eyes.

He hurriedly shielded his eyes with his hand. Peering through his fingers, he finally made out the people approaching—they were police officers in uniform!

As soon as they ran over, they began questioning him.

"What's your name? What are you doing on the mountain this late?"

"My name is Jiang Yiming..." Jiang Yiming's mind raced, and an idea struck him. "I was just passing by at the foot of the mountain when I suddenly ran into a leopard. It chased me up here."

The policeman holding a flashlight immediately brightened at the word "leopard."

Only then did everyone notice the leopard lying on the ground.

The youngest policeman shone his flashlight over it carefully and said excitedly, "That's it! We finally found it. Now we can go back and get a good night's sleep."

At that, the other two policemen gathered around as well.

After checking it, the middle-aged policeman in charge ordered, "Take it down the mountain."

"Sure!" The two young policemen tucked their flashlights under their arms and hoisted the leopard between them, one at each end.

The lead policeman turned back to Jiang Yiming. "Did you kill this leopard?"

Jiang Yiming didn't know how to answer.

Another policeman, tall and thin, said with a smile, "Don't be afraid. This leopard escaped from the zoo. Luckily, it didn't hurt anyone. You killed it in self-defense, so you won't be held responsible!"

Only then did Jiang Yiming nod. "I suppose you could say I killed it."

"Come on! Head down the mountain with us. We can talk on the way." The lead policeman told Jiang Yiming to follow.

On the way down, the youngest policeman never stopped talking. "Jiang Yiming, we really have you to thank this time. This leopard was as crafty as they come. After it escaped two days ago, we took turns trying to catch it, but we never managed to."

"That's right! If you hadn't killed it, we wouldn't have been able to sleep for fear it would go around hurting people," the policeman behind them said with a chuckle.

"By the way, you look like you're only in your teens and haven't even grown into your strength yet. How did you kill this leopard?" the young policeman asked, puzzled. "I'm twenty-five, in the prime of my youth and strength, and even I wouldn't be confident I could kill it barehanded."

Jiang Yiming thought for a moment, then explained, "Maybe it had been locked up in the zoo for so long that it wasn't very agile. I didn't do anything but keep running. While it was chasing me, it ran into a tree and killed itself."

"That's it?" The young policeman clearly didn't believe him.

There were no surveillance cameras on the mountain, though, so even if they knew Jiang Yiming was talking nonsense, there was nothing they could do.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, they spotted a police car parked there from a long way off.

A male reporter saw the lights and immediately jumped out of the police car with a camera on his shoulder.

"Little brother, you caught it already?"

The reporter greeted them while snapping pictures. His camera flash went off more than a dozen times in an instant.

Jiang Yiming hadn't expected this. He hurriedly turned around, but the reporter still got a picture of his back.

Luckily, he had only gotten his back. Jiang Yiming didn't want to expose himself.

"Bro, letting you tag along was already an exception. Can you keep a low profile?" The young policeman gave a helpless, wry smile.

The reporter was unfazed. "Well, who told me to have a policeman for a little brother?" He chuckled. "If the story I write makes the headlines tomorrow, I'll treat everyone to a meal. Come on, tell me how you caught the leopard."

"Bro, we didn't catch it. He did." The young policeman pointed at Jiang Yiming.

The reporter keenly sniffed out the scent of a headline and said excitedly, "That's even better!"

With that, he took more pictures and said with a smile, "Young man, you're only in your teens, right? That makes it an even better story! I'll put you on the front page and give you your moment in the spotlight."

"Hey, don't block the camera! Move your hand. Can't you let me get a picture of your face?" In the end, though, he didn't get a single picture showing Jiang Yiming's face.

Little did he know that Jiang Yiming simply didn't want to show his face.

At that point, the lead policeman couldn't stand watching anymore. He stepped in and stopped him. "If he doesn't want his picture taken, leave him alone!"

He had only made the remark in passing, but the reporter immediately behaved himself. He stopped photographing Jiang Yiming and aimed his camera at the leopard.

"I've got something else to do, so I'll be going!"

Jiang Yiming seized the chance to slip away, and nothing they did could make him stay.

By the time he finally pedaled his bicycle back to his residential complex, it was already past one in the morning.

He took a shower and fell into a deep sleep.

The moon set and the sun rose, and the sky gradually brightened.

While Jiang Yiming was still fast asleep, a news story spread rapidly online and took the top spot in the local headlines.

The headline read: Shocking! Teenage boy captures and kills savage leopard barehanded!

At that moment, in the peach orchard spanning several hundred mu at the foot of the mountain, a girl of seventeen or eighteen walked gracefully alone, treading on the withered yellow peach leaves.

Neither her graceful figure nor her long, snow-white robes could overshadow her breathtaking face.

Most eye-catching of all were the two large earrings swaying on either side of her dewy face.

The earrings gleamed silver and were shaped like orchids. There was only one word for the impression they gave—big!

They were even bigger than her large eyes.

Earrings that large would surely have looked awkward on anyone else, but not on her.

She strolled to the gate of the residence in the center of the orchard.

Before she could knock, the old-fashioned gate opened on its own.

"Miss Yulan, you're here! Please, come in. The master is waiting inside." The one who opened the gate was none other than Old Liu.

When they reached the rear courtyard, Old Liu's master was sitting there with his eyes closed. A stone table beside him was covered with tea implements, and the fragrance of tea wafted through the air.

The girl walked over and sat down across from the old man. She fiddled with the tea implements on the table, and when he said nothing, she spoke first. "Elder Shen, I'm here."

Only then did the old man open his eyes. "Yulan? It's been years, and you've grown into a young lady. I didn't expect you to be the one sent out this time."

"I'm a bona fide First-Grade Gu Master too. Why can't I be sent out?" the girl said.

"I can see your cultivation realm, but," Elder Shen said worriedly, "the Evil Gu Master discovered this time has already reached the second grade in strength."

"So what if they're second grade? There are plenty of Second-Grade Gu Masters in the village, and they've all fallen to me just the same!" Yulan retorted.

"That's because they're afraid of your sister!" Elder Shen showed her no mercy.

"My sister again! Why do you all keep bringing her up in front of me?" Yulan said angrily. "I volunteered for this mission to prove myself and shut up everyone who says I can only rely on my sister!"

"In any case, I'm going to eliminate the Evil Gu Master who appeared in Qiuyang City this time!"

At that point, Old Liu, standing behind them, interjected, "Miss Yulan, you should know that after a Gu Master turns evil and becomes an Evil Gu Master, their temperament becomes violent, and they're extremely difficult to deal with. You may usually be able to defeat Second-Grade Gu Masters, but if you meet a Second-Grade Evil Gu Master, you'll most likely lose."

"If anything happens to you, how will the master answer to your sister?"

The mere mention of her sister made Yulan angry. "I told you not to bring up my sister! Do you know why I was able to take this mission? Because I have this!"

As she spoke, a cloud of white mist emerged above her palm, and a wingless cicada crawled out of it.

"A Mystic-Tier Gu Worm?" Old Liu still shook his head. "Your sister gave you this Mystic-Tier Gu Worm, didn't she? With your cultivation as a First-Grade Gu Master, you can't bring out its full power, and it could easily backfire on you. If anything were to happen to you, your sister's wrath..."

"Enough!" Yulan was truly angry. "Stop bringing up my sister! I only came to see Elder Shen to show my face as the rules require, not to have you make decisions for me!"

With that, Yulan swept her sleeves and left, giving Elder Shen no face whatsoever.

After she had gone, Old Liu said quietly, "Do you need me to follow her?"

Elder Shen shook his head. "I've already made my move. There's no need for you to act."