Taking the Gain and Playing Innocent

"Alright, I'll take care of this. You all should set off quickly and not waste any time. The Wumu's Testament is of great importance and we can't let the Jin people and that Old Poison get it."

Hong Qigong's face showed a rare hint of anxiety.

"Don't worry, Seventh Master. I've already told you, Wanyan Honglie will take Ouyang Feng to Lin'an Imperial City to search for the Wumu's Testament. But the Wumu's Testament isn't there, so they'll have to return empty-handed."

"So where exactly are you going? Don't let Wanyan Honglie discover anything. It's better to turn around and go as quickly as possible."

Hong Qigong urged him on.

"The Wumu's Testament is in the Iron Palm Gang of western Hunan. Even their leader doesn't know this. If we secretly go there and retrieve it, there will be no problems."

Ji Boying said confidently.

This reminded Hong Qigong of something.

"That Iron Palm Gang is no ordinary gang. Their previous leader was Shangguan Jiannan, who was also a great hero. It's just a pity that the imperial court was weak and full of corrupt officials, which broke their hearts. They could only lead a group of brothers to start the Iron Palm Gang."

Hong Qigong recounted tales of the martial arts world.

"The position of gang leader has been passed to the current gang leader, Qiu Qianren. This man has mastered all the martial arts and made a name for himself as the Iron Palm Water Strider Master. He was invited to participate in the Mount Hua Sword Conference, but he did not attend due to some reason. You must be extra careful of him on your journey. The Iron Palm technique sounds unremarkable, and its power is not as strong as the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, but its exquisite and agile nature surpasses that of the Eighteen Subduing Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. It is not easy to deal with."

Guo Jing and Huang Rong nodded solemnly in agreement.

Seventh Master glanced at Ji Boying again, still hesitant.

"Although his martial arts skills are high, his reputation is not as good as that of the previous gang leader Shangguan Jiannan. Hearing is believing, and we don't know what kind of person he is. After all, this gang is a descendant of a famous general who fought against the Jin dynasty. I wonder if he can become our help."

Ji Boying waved his hand.

"Things have changed, and people have different ambitions. In the blink of an eye, decades have passed. The generation from back then has either died or grown old. How can we guarantee that the remaining people will be willing to endure hardship and still have a heart full of passion?"

"There's no time to lose, so let's part ways here. We'll meet again at the Mount Zhongnan after this is done."

Hong Qigong nodded.

"Then what about Lin'an?"

Guo Jing suddenly spoke.

"Ouyang Feng and Wanyan Honglie are heading south like this, surrounded by thousands of venomous snakes. Who knows how many people they'll harm along the way? Once they break into the capital, won't the emperor be in danger too?"

Ji Boying did not speak.

Clearly, he didn't care much about sacrifices that didn't happen in front of him.

Hong Qigong said, "Don't worry about the poisonous snakes. I will find a famous doctor to prepare snake medicine and have the Beggar Gang' Sect disciples distribute it along the way to treat the people. As for that little emperor who can't even lift two golden bowls, who cares about him? It doesn't matter whether he lives or dies."

Guo Jing stopped speaking.

Hong Qigong gave a few more instructions and then watched Ji Boying and the others leave.

Going upstream along the Yuan River, between Luxi and Chenxi, there is a high mountain shaped like five fingers pointing to the sky, which locals call Monkey Claw Mountain, but it is actually Iron Palm Mountain.

Firstly, not only is the mountain terrain treacherous, but the Iron Palm Gang Clan is also very powerful, with its disciples all possessing unique skills and being ruthless, so most of the local people dare not approach it.

Ji Boying, Huang Rong, and Guo Jing practiced their martial arts as they traveled.

Ji Boying also began to slowly teach the two the martial arts moves from the second half of the Nine Yin Manual.

However, they were on their way.

Most of the time, they just sit on horseback in a daze and can't practice martial arts.

In this way, I actually have more free time.

"Brother Jing, what's wrong?"

Huang Rong was both puzzled and worried.

Although Guo Jing usually appeared dull, simple-minded, and taciturn, Huang Rong keenly noticed that her beloved Jing-gege had been preoccupied lately.

I don't know if it was because I was careless and didn't pay attention to it before.

Perhaps it was because when Guo Jing was with Hong Qigong, he was diligently practicing martial arts under Hong Qigong and Ji Boying, keeping his worries buried deep inside, and thus his heavy heart was never revealed.

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing."

Guo Jing, sitting on his horse, quickly shook his head.

Anyone could see that he was lying.

For Huang Rong, the fact that her simple-minded and silly brother Jing lied to her was definitely a big deal.

It's just that I don't know what's on Jing-gege's mind, so I can't help but worry. Sitting on the horse, he pouted and his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, showing his deep concern.

Seeing that the Yuan River was blocking their way, the three of them finally found a place.

Ji Boying looked at the two silent people, smiled and sent Huang Rong away, telling her to find an inn.

Huang Rong hesitated for a moment, then turned back several times as she left, understanding that Brother Ji was probably going to comfort Brother Jing.

"Guo Jing, you seem to have something on your mind."

Ji Boying used a declarative tone directly.

Guo Jing looked up and glanced at Brother Ji, the man who had shown him such immense kindness that even ten lives would not be enough to repay him.

After carefully considering his tone, he said, "I just still don't understand why Brother Ji insists on making me the emperor. It's just too far-fetched for me to imagine."

The two dismounted and sat on a blue stone by the water, watching the river flow eastward.

"So, Guo Jing, do you think being an emperor is a sweet job or a bitter one?"

Guo Jing scratched his head, unable to answer for a moment.

He spoke after a long while.

"If we only consider whether it's comfortable or not, being a good emperor is a tough job, while being a bad emperor is a sweet job."

Ji Boying nodded.

"So you're unhappy that I forced you to do this arduous task?"

"Not at all, Brother Ji, what are you saying?"

Guo Jing waved his hands, looking quite flustered.

"Although... although being an emperor isn't easy, it's a tough job, but it's still being an emperor. Brother Ji is showing me respect and care..."

Ji Boying shook his head.

"When an emperor is the Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler, although it is tiring, there are always people who are happy to do it. With the power of life and death in one person's hand, who in the world would not be overthrown by him?"

"But I know these things are not very appealing to you, Guo Jing, so you don't need to regard them as something precious."

"If the power and influence of a high-ranking official lose their appeal, then the identity of the emperor will be nothing but a shackle for you, Guo Jing."

"But I have done a great favor for the Guo and Yang families, taught you martial arts, helped you find a master, and gone to great lengths to plan for you. You could never repay such a great debt of gratitude even with ten lives. So I'm forcing you to wear this shackle as a way of repaying that debt. I'm making you swallow this bitter pill and endure this pain. Are you willing or not?"

Guo Jing sighed.

"If this is truly a shackle, a bitter pill, then I'll swallow it. But if I say it like this, wouldn't it make me seem like I'm getting a good deal while pretending to be innocent?"