The Girl in Black

Song Qingshu had traveled day and night without rest, and at last arrived at the foot of Mount Hua.

"Feng Qingyang probably won't pass the Nine Swords of Dugu on to me. I should look for the Golden Snake Secret Manual here on Mount Hua first. The Golden Snake Lord Xia Xueyi was someone I greatly admired—far more likable than that Yuan Chengzhi," Song Qingshu muttered to himself.

But Mount Hua was enormous. How could it be easy to find a hidden Golden Snake cave? Song Qingshu racked his brains, trying to recall the original story, yet he still could not remember where the hidden cave was located.

"Yuan Chengzhi studied martial arts on Chaoyang Peak. His pet ape discovered that hidden Golden Snake cave nearby. Unless something changed, it should be somewhere near Chaoyang Peak." Song Qingshu paced back and forth as he sorted through his thoughts. "But during Mount Hua Sect's conflict between the Sword Sect and Qi Sect, the Qi Sect, based on Jade Maiden Peak and led by Yue Buqun, emerged victorious. Many Sword Sect experts then gathered at Chaoyang Peak and established their own branch, also calling themselves Mount Hua Sect. It is now led by the Divine Sword Immortal Ape, Mu Renqing. Chaoyang Peak is Sword Sect territory and full of experts. The Golden Snake Lord must have been wary of that back then, so the cave could not have been too close to Chaoyang Peak..."

Over the following days, Song Qingshu used Chaoyang Peak as his center, beginning his search beyond a radius of ten li and expanding outward. He paid particular attention to sheer cliff faces. His Internal Energy was now profound, and Wudang's Cloud Ascending Steps excelled at leaping up and down. Song Qingshu bounded back and forth across the mountain walls. It was perilous, but not truly dangerous for him.

"Wahaha! I finally found it~~~~~~~~~~" Several days later, exaggerated, unrestrained laughter echoed through the mountains. Song Qingshu looked at the hidden cave before him, stroked his chin, and wore a smug expression. "That binary search method the software engineer at my old company told me about was pretty efficient after all. Still, I'm a natural genius. He only mentioned it in passing, yet I actually remembered it."

But when he crawled into the cave and saw the already-buried grave, along with a stone stele reading, "Tomb of the Golden Snake Lord Xia Xueyi, erected jointly by Yuan Chengzhi and Xia Qingqing," he could no longer laugh.

I came too late again. Song Qingshu slumped to the ground, no longer even in the mood to search around. The Golden Snake Lord had left behind a fake manual laced with deadly poison. Since Yuan Chengzhi had clearly taken the real manual already, what the hell was there left to look for?

"What is meant to be will be; what is not meant to be cannot be forced." Song Qingshu turned back and gave the Golden Snake Lord's grave one last reluctant look. With a long sigh, he reached the cave entrance, gathered his breath, and leaped upward. At last, he landed in a large tree at the edge of the cliff, stretched out along a thick branch with his hands behind his head, and stared blankly at the blue sky and drifting clouds.

"I was so stupid, so naive," Song Qingshu said with a self-mocking smile. "These priceless treasures and secret arts were meant by fate for the original protagonists. Yet I actually dreamed of competing with them for their destiny... Reality is too cruel. Life is too damn hard..."

Song Qingshu now understood that his plan to loot every martial arts manual under heaven was unrealistic. Fate might be intangible, and one could choose not to believe in it, but one should not overestimate oneself enough to challenge it.

"I just hope I'm not destined to be some villain whose only purpose is to make the protagonist look good." Song Qingshu felt a deep sense of powerlessness, even a trace of confusion about the future.

"Yun Zhonghe, even if I jump off this cliff, I won't let you have your way!" Suddenly, an angry female voice rang out beneath the tree. Though filled with rage and panic, it was indescribably crisp and pleasant.

Curiously, Song Qingshu looked down. He saw a slender, graceful girl in black retreating step by step toward the cliff. The wind at the precipice whipped her beautiful hair through the air, making for a striking sight.

Opposite her stood a gaunt middle-aged man in green, holding a pair of Rusted Silver Crane Claws. One hand stroked the thin mustache at the corners of his mouth as he gazed at the girl with a smile. "Mu Wanqing, can you really bear to leave your Duan behind?" Seeing the change in Mu Wanqing's gaze, Yun Zhonghe continued, "Ah, I nearly forgot. Your beloved became your brother..."

"You!" Yun Zhonghe had struck directly at her pain. Enraged, Mu Wanqing drew her sword and attacked.

His scheme had succeeded. A smug smile curled Yun Zhonghe's lips as he swung his silver claws to meet her. Song Qingshu watched as though enjoying a show. Mu Wanqing's swordsmanship had some foundation, but she was still no match for Yun Zhonghe. Worse, Yun Zhonghe's moves were lewd, every strike targeting the girl's most private areas. Mu Wanqing was furious and humiliated, leaving her restrained at every turn.

Song Qingshu finally saw her face clearly. It was exquisitely beautiful, like a crescent moon haloed in mist, like snow piled upon flowering branches. Her small, delicate chin and nimble cherry lips made her beauty impossible to describe. Was Duan Yu an idiot? Mu Wanqing was not the slightest bit inferior to Wang Yuyan! That was Song Qingshu's first reaction upon seeing her face.

Thinking of how his bad luck had begun the moment he arrived at Boundless Jade Cave, Song Qingshu gritted his teeth at the thought of Duan Yu. A mischievous smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Then I'll tease your wife to vent my resentment!

Yun Zhonghe was growing more and more excited. Mu Wanqing was about to fall into his hands, and then he could do whatever he wanted with her... He had never touched such a beautiful woman in his life. At once, desire burned hot within him.

"Who's making all this noise here? You woke Gou Dan'er from his sleep." The voice from the tree startled both of them. They looked up to see a ragged farm boy with disheveled hair sitting on a branch, stretching lazily. His bleary-eyed appearance made it obvious that he had just been awakened.

"You little brat, get lost. Don't ruin my fun," Yun Zhonghe snarled. Song Qingshu had spent these past days sleeping in the open and eating whatever he could find, leaving his clothes filthy and disordered. The weather had recently grown warmer, and accustomed to air conditioning in his previous life, Song Qingshu could not stand the heat. He had unconsciously rolled up his trouser legs, making him look exactly like a young country boy who gathered firewood.

Song Qingshu played dumb, stared at Yun Zhonghe twice, then clicked his tongue in amazement. "So you're Cousin Jin Yong."

"Who is Jin Yong?" Yun Zhonghe was utterly baffled. He had not noticed anyone else nearby at all, so for the moment, he could not gauge the strange boy's background.

Naturally, he did not know that Yun Zhonghe was the pen name of Jin Yong's cousin, Xu Zhimo. Thinking of Xu Zhimo's heartless conduct in his previous life, Song Qingshu silently praised him. Old Master Jin really knew how to roast someone!

"Why are you wearing a veil in broad daylight? How strange." Mu Wanqing looked curiously at Song Qingshu's attire.

"My mother said I was too ugly, so she covered my face ever since I was little. She also said that whichever woman first lifted my veil and saw my face, I would have to marry... Oh, no, I would have to take her as my wife." Song Qingshu gave Mu Wanqing a foolish grin as he circled around her, looking her over.

"So he's an idiot." Yun Zhonghe secretly let out a breath of relief.

Song Qingshu's stare made Mu Wanqing's skin crawl. She snapped irritably, "What are you staring at?"

"Big sister, big sister, you're so pretty. How about you lift my veil? Then I'll take you as my wife," Song Qingshu said in a simple, guileless voice.