Peeking

In the dense forest, a few figures flickered, revealing several graceful silhouettes.

Leading the way was Xiao Qing, whose secrets had been completely exposed by Fang Yuan. However, at this moment, the woman was wearing a lake-green silk dress, a long sword hanging from her waist, looking even more beautiful than that day. Unfortunately, her sharp voice completely ruined the aesthetic.

Around her were several young men and women. Among them, a woman in a goose-yellow palace dress was very familiar to Fang Yuan.

Not only familiar, but they were childhood sweethearts, and they had even been engaged!

"Senior Sister Yue!"

Miss Qing pulled on Lin Leyue's sleeve and stomped her feet, saying, "It's him... he's the big villain who robbed me, you must avenge me!"

"How dare you rob our Junior Sister Qing!"

Lin Leyue looked at Fang Yuan and was stunned. Several surrounding martial artists couldn't help themselves and drew their swords, stepping forward to surround Fang Yuan, their eyes seeming to spew fire.

This was naturally because Miss Qing had already sought them out. However, after searching Qinghe Commandery and Tianya Hai Ge from top to bottom, they couldn't find the little martial god Wu Ming, so they were naturally full of anger.

"Wait!"

Just then, Lin Leyue waved her hand to stop them. She stepped forward a few more paces, her eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty, "You are... Brother Fang?"

"Heh heh..."

Fang Yuan touched his nose, "It's really rare that you still remember me!"

He also couldn't help but feel surprised. The little yellow-haired girl from his memory had now undergone a complete transformation, possessing the demeanor of a senior sister.

"Wait a moment!"

Xiao Qing looked at Lin Leyue, then at Fang Yuan, completely bewildered, "Wasn't his surname Wu? How did it become Fang?"

"Xiao Qing!"

Lin Leyue rested her hand on her forehead and asked a little sheepishly, "Are you sure it's him?!"

"That's right, I'd recognize him even if he turned to ash! Huh? Could it be that Senior Sister, you know him?"

Xiao Qing's heart immediately began to pound.

After all, when she first started tracking him, it was somewhat against the rules of the martial world and highly frowned upon.

"Fang Yuan? Fang Yuan! I remember now, isn't this the person Junior Sister Lin was engaged to before?"

A young male disciple beside them, likely one of the many who secretly admired Lin Leyue, shivered all over. He looked at Fang Yuan as if his gaze could cut like a knife.

"So it's him!"

In an instant, Fang Yuan felt the hostility from the surrounding males increase severalfold. Their gazes were sharp, almost setting him ablaze.

Damn it, is this a father's revenge or a wife-snatching hatred? Is it that serious?

He felt utterly speechless.

In reality, Lin Leyue was outstanding in appearance within the Gui Ling Sect, possessed extraordinary talent, and coupled with her gentle personality and esteemed status, she was showered with affection. Seeing the man who was nominally her fiancé arrive, it was natural for them to be hostile.

If the news were to get out, the male disciples of the entire Gui Ling Sect would swarm over, almost enough to form an enhanced company!

"Ahahaha!"

Fang Yuan felt a bit awkward seeing Xiao Qing, but he wasn't like that with Lin Leyue.

After all, he had watched this yellow-haired girl grow up. Moreover, if they were to truly compare, he hadn't wronged her in any way, so he felt no shame. "So it's Sister Yue. It seems you're doing well in the Gui Ling Sect, which is truly a joyous occasion!"

"I apologize for what happened before!"

Lin Leyue's pretty face flushed slightly as she curtsied.

Seeing the man from her engagement again, she wasn't sure how she felt.

But after this outing, she understood one thing: the world was vast, and she didn't want to confine herself to one place.

"Sister Xiao Qing, this Brother Fang is my friend. It was just a joke before. Let's both let it go and not pursue it further, alright?"

Lin Leyue said, holding Xiao Qing's hand.

After all, for Sihai Pavilion to treat guests like this would be a major scandal, and exposing it would inevitably damage their image. Moreover, their relationship with the Gui Ling Sect couldn't be brought into the open. Even though everyone in the city knew that Sihai Pavilion was an outer force of the Gui Ling Sect, it was still not acceptable to directly dispatch Gui Ling Sect martial artists for surveillance.

"Deal!"

Xiao Qing felt like tears were about to stream down her face. All her private savings had gone down the drain, and her heart ached. She said, "But that... you have to return the hairpin to me! It... it was a birthday gift from my father!"

In reality, she had made this up, but among all the jewelry, that piece was the most expensive.

"Oh, sorry, sorry!"

Fang Yuan chuckled and directly took out the hairpin. "I offended you before, please don't take it to heart, Miss Qing!"

"That's more like it!"

Xiao Qing's eyes lit up. Like a greedy person, she snatched back the hairpin, and then felt a pang of regret: If I had known this young man was so easy to talk to, why didn't I ask for the jade bracelet as well... sob sob...

Thinking of this, her heart bled again.

"Alright, alright!"

Lin Leyue couldn't help but chuckle and whispered a few words next to Xiao Qing.

"Really?!"

Xiao Qing's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously like a pecking chick, "Okay, okay!"

She turned her head and said to Fang Yuan, "Consider all the misunderstandings between us settled. Brother Fang, you can come and 'rob' me again anytime. Anyway, someone will compensate me double... Mmph!"

Xiao Qing quickly covered her mouth, realizing she had spoken out of turn.

"I never expected this girl to be a miser and a penny-pincher..."

But everyone immediately understood, looking at Xiao Qing with speechless expressions.

"Brother Fang, are you here about Song Zhong? I recall you don't know martial arts..."

Lin Leyue smiled softly, subtly changing the subject.

"Oh, I've learned a bit recently. Just came to the county town to see the excitement!"

Fang Yuan said nonchalantly.

"Song Zhong is brutal and highly skilled in martial arts. Even though he was injured, his ferocity remains. Please be careful!"

Lin Leyue, unaware of Fang Yuan's true capabilities, added with a soft plea.

"Oh!"

Fang Yuan nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Just then, a young martial artist beside them couldn't hold back and blocked his path. "Did you not hear what Junior Sister Lin said? This is no place for you to linger. Don't think you can run rampant just because you've learned a few parlor tricks. You should leave as soon as possible!"

Even though the group of young disciples had no hope of winning Lin Leyue's affection, they feared that this meeting between Fang Yuan and her might spark something, given their closeness. Thus, they were united in their desire to eliminate Fang Yuan, their biggest rival, first.

"Hey, Senior Brother Zhao is mistaken!"

A disciple with a face full of freckles sneered and stepped forward. "Since Young Master Fang could bully our Junior Sister Xiao Qing earlier, he must have some impressive skills. I, though untalented, wish to challenge him. I hope Young Master Fang will go easy on me!"

"Wait! How can you leave me out?"

"Me! Me!"

As soon as this was said, it was like a stone stirring up a thousand waves. Several male disciples' eyes lit up.

This was an excellent opportunity to prove themselves!

"Xiao Qing... tell me honestly, what level have you cultivated your Master's Qing Luo Gong to?"

Seeing this, Lin Leyue pulled Xiao Qing aside and whispered in her ear.

"Fifth level!"

Xiao Qing stuck out her little tongue.

"Hiss..."

Lin Leyue gasped. This was not for Xiao Qing's sake, but for Fang Yuan's.

Xiao Qing was a bit eccentric. Being a woman with powerful backing, none of the male disciples in their sect dared to truly fight her. Therefore, they were largely unaware of her progress in martial arts.

But Fang Yuan had only been practicing martial arts for a few days? And he could defeat a fifth-level expert?

Lin Leyue gazed at Fang Yuan, feeling this "Secluded Valley brother" was somewhat mysterious for the first time. The words she had intended to say to stop him now caught in her throat.

"This..."

Fang Yuan surveyed the crowd. Most of them were at the fourth or fifth level. In terms of fundamental quality, they couldn't compare to him, who had progressed by consuming spiritual items.

Is this... the effect of Spirit Yuan?

He suddenly had an epiphany. Spirit Yuan was mental will! If one's mental will surpassed ordinary people, they could deduce the opponent's martial arts level through meticulous observation and even conceal their own, provided the difference wasn't too great.

Just like now, after his intentional adjustments, none of these sect martial artists could sense that he was a skilled practitioner who had broken through the fifth level. Instead, they had all inadvertently exposed their own strengths and weaknesses to him.

As for Lin Leyue, I can't quite figure her out. There's a trace of pure radiance within her, which is no small matter!

He inwardly grew wary, but outwardly feigned hesitation. "This... it's probably not a good idea! I'm a country bumpkin and don't know how to hold back. What if I injure you?"

"What?"

Upon hearing this, the disciples were enraged. The freckled youth shouted even louder, "If I get beaten to death by you, it'll be my own bad luck. No one will blame you. Everyone here will be a witness!"

"Come on!"

Under the watchful eyes of Lin Leyue and a few junior sisters, he eagerly jumped into the arena, fearing someone else would get the chance first. "My name is Sun Tieshu, and I've come to seek guidance!"

Idiot!

Fang Yuan inwardly rolled his eyes.

If these people had attacked him all at once, even he would have been overwhelmed.

But these young masters wanted to fight him one by one. Were they looking for a beating?

His Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt's proficiency had been increasing slowly, and he needed practical combat experience.

However, just as Fang Yuan was about to step onto the stage, his entire body's hair stood on end!

It felt just like when he was four or five years old, walking alone in the mountains, and being stared down by an old wolf!

Is someone ambushing me?

He retreated a few steps subtly and looked at Lin Leyue, his heart suddenly struck by lightning.

"It's Song Zhong!"

"I didn't expect him to be so defiant, still counterattacking against the odds while being besieged and hunted!"

"Lin Leyue is the Sect Master's direct disciple, the sect leader's disciple, her identity is extremely important, absolutely a prime bodyguard!"

"But didn't the outside rumors say this person was already seriously injured? Could the rumors be wrong?"

As his thoughts raced, Fang Yuan moved even further away from Lin Leyue.

This was the center of trouble; the further away, the better.

"You kid are trying to run?"

Unfortunately, Sun Tieshu saw Fang Yuan trying to escape and immediately became displeased: "You were pretending earlier, are you going to be a coward now?"

"Ah... your little brother is powerless and how could he possibly be a match for all of you? That would be a joke, a real joke! Farewell, farewell!"

Fang Yuan said meaningless words while retreating to the edge.

Just then, a sudden change occurred in the arena!