Chapter 21：Abandoned Pawn

After bidding farewell to Mu Xuyang, Ao Qing rushed to Gu Zhenfeng's residence. As soon as he entered the courtyard, Nie Yifan, who was pruning branches by the flower bed, waved at him, motioning for him to come over.

Not knowing what had happened, Ao Qing didn't hesitate and walked over quickly. When he reached Nie Yifan, before he could say anything, Nie Yifan spoke directly, "Senior Ao, I haven't come to see you and Junior Brother Mu for over a month because Elder Gu's temperament has completely changed during this time. He gets angry easily, so I didn't dare to provoke him. Please forgive me."

"Oh, so that's what happened." Ao Qing smiled and then asked, "Do you know why Elder Gu's temperament has changed so much?"

"I heard that the demon lord of Guiyin Mountain recently sent out countless small demons to roam the world and collect intelligence on the ten major schools of Immortal Dao. The high-level members of the ten major schools of Immortal Dao feel that the matter of eradicating the demon lord of Guiyin Mountain cannot be delayed any longer. After some discussion, they finally decided to join forces to form a team to enter Guiyin Mountain to sweep through it and investigate the truth about the demon lord of Guiyin Mountain."

"Is the demon lord of Guiyin Mountain very powerful?"

"I heard that even the small demons alone are enough to contend with people at the level of human realm with magical powers. The nine demon lords are even more powerful, and they can create earth-shattering phenomena with a wave of their hand. They are very formidable."

"It seems that this has little to do with Elder Gu."

"How could it have nothing to do with him?" Nie Yifan said, looking around like a thief. Seeing that there was no one else in the courtyard, he touched his mouth and whispered in Ao Qing's ear, "The first batch of personnel to be sent into Guiyin Mountain for sweeping has already been decided, and the names of our Thunderhawk Hall's Elder Gu and Deputy Hall Master are among them."

"How can the high-level members of Qingxuanmen do this? It's obvious that they're sending them to their deaths!"

"In areas where demon-sweeping activities are frequent, there will always be casualties. The high-level members of Qingxuanmen are using them as cannon fodder, at the cost of their lives, to investigate the truth about Guiyin Mountain!"

"Our Elder Gu is honest and straightforward, and he treats us fairly. As for the Deputy Hall Master, he is even more kind-hearted. There are too many poor people who have received his help to count. If Elder Gu and the Deputy Hall Master leave, our days as low-status disciples in Thunderhawk Hall will be even more difficult than before."

"We can only take it one step at a time. If we really can't continue, we'll resign and leave Thunderhawk Hall. I don't believe that in such a vast world, there is no place for us."

"The outside world is even more cruel and dangerous. Unless it's absolutely necessary, it's better not to give up the big tree of Qingxuanmen, which provides us with shelter and shade."

"I know this, thank you, Senior Ao, for reminding me."

"Well, you go ahead, I'll go find Elder Gu to get the Ling Valley seeds for Junior Mu."

"Junior Mu hasn't planted his Ling Valley yet?"

"He has planted it, long ago. I lent him some Ling Valley seeds, but now I need some more. Junior Mu told me to come and get his share back."

"Oh, I see. Well, you go ahead then."

"Okay." Ao nodded and waved to Nie Yifan before hurrying to Elder Gu's study to handle the matter.

In the study, Ao Qing greeted Gu Zhenfeng respectfully and said, "Greetings, Elder Gu. I have come to collect the Ling Valley seeds. Here is my identity token."

After Ao Qing handed over his token, Gu Zhenfeng responded casually, "Hmm, wait a moment." He continued working until half an hour later, when he calmly got up and left the study. He went to the storage room and returned with some Ling Valley seeds, which he handed directly to Ao Qing. He said, "This may be the last time you will collect items from me. I won't deduct your contribution points this time. Put away your token. Oh, by the way, when you leave, if you see Mu Xuyang, tell him not to leave the area controlled by the Thunder Eagle Hall easily."

"Okay, thank you." Ao Qing accepted the Ling Valley seeds and his token, thanked Gu Zhenfeng, and left the study without lingering.

Outside the door, Nie Yifan asked, "How was it? Did Elder Gu give you a hard time?"

"No, Elder Gu was actually quite kind to me. He gave me a lot of Ling Valley seeds and didn't deduct my contribution points."

"Actually, Elder Gu has been pretty good to me too, but I'm just too useless to be of any help to him." Nie Yifan sighed.

"Perhaps one day, our fate will be like theirs, and we will be abandoned as outcasts."

"In this world, strength is everything. Only when we become strong enough can we avoid being manipulated by others and earn their respect."

"Yes, only by becoming strong can we ensure that we are not at the mercy of others. Right now, the only path we have is to work hard."

"Well, let's stop here for today. We can get together another day to study martial arts."

"Okay, you go ahead, I'll leave now." Ao Qing said goodbye to Nie Yifan, hurried back to his residence, put away the Ling Valley seeds, and practiced hammer techniques and Eagle Claw Kung Fu in his yard until it was dark. Only then did he leave for Mu Xuyang's residence.

Mu Xuyang, who was in the middle of practicing, saw Ao Qing arrive late at night and guessed that something had happened. He quickly asked, "Senior Ao, did something happen? Why did you come to me so late?"

"I was afraid that someone would secretly monitor you during the day and overhear the message that Elder Gu asked me to pass on to you, which could be harmful to you."

"What did Elder Gu ask you to tell me?"

"Elder Gu asked me to tell you not to leave the area controlled by the Thunder Eagle Hall easily, or else your life will be in danger."

"Did he say who wants to harm me?"

"He didn't say." Ao Qing shook his head.

"Could it be that besides Lin Dong from the Thunder Eagle Hall, there are other people who want to harm me? No, I have to go to Elder Gu and ask him some questions." After listening to Ao Qing's words, Mu Xuyang remained silent for a while before speaking, "Thank you for telling me so much, Senior Ao. If there's nothing else, I'll send you back now. It's not convenient to travel in the dark."

"It's okay, I'll go back by myself. No need to accompany me. We'll meet again another day." Ao Qing didn't know Mu Xuyang's true thoughts and thought he wanted to practice for a while and rest well, so he didn't stay long. He bid farewell to Mu Xuyang and left in a hurry.

As soon as Ao Qing left, Mu Xuyang opened his spirit bag and put the old yellow dog inside. Then, he left his residence with the dog at night and headed straight to Gu Zhenfeng's residence.