With a sword drawn, he laughs proudly, his martial prowess dominating the heavens!

Chapter 33 The Qu Family Grandfather and Grandson

As he spoke, Qu Yang put down the wine bag and casually placed his right hand on the zither.

As the three fingers slightly tucked in, the four people around instinctively took a half-step back, their expressions filled with apprehension.

The four of them exchanged glances silently, but all subconsciously looked at the little girl beside Qu Yang.

Qu Yang could not possibly hide their thoughts from him. His previously calm expression instantly turned icy, and he said coldly, "For the sake of the Holy Maiden, leave now and you might live. Don't force me to take action!"

Before he could finish speaking, a hum resounded from the strings, deep and resonant like a drum, long and drawn out like a bell.

Qu Feiyan was unharmed, as were the people from Weixin Escort Agency not far away. However, Li Che's dantian stirred slightly, as if he wanted to resonate with the sound of the strings. But his internal strength was already quite advanced, and he controlled it with a slight breath.

Qu Yang seemed to sense something, his gaze swept through the gaps in the crowd, but he looked away after just one glance.

Looking at the four people in the pavilion, the one facing north trembled slightly as if he was about to vomit, but he managed to suppress it.

The golden staffs in the hands of the two one-eyed dragons trembled three times before they were steady.

On the contrary, the scholar who had his back turned to the south regained his balance with just one stomp of his foot.

Qu Yang glanced at him with some surprise. His skill of using internal energy to strike a stringed instrument seemed insignificant, but it was actually the essence of his lifelong learning.

The internal force penetrates the fingers, vibrating with the strings. Those with weaker internal strength are unaffected, but those with a foundation, whose internal energy in the dantian is drawn by the sound of the zither, rarely can withstand even half a piece of music.

This string technique is remarkably similar to the Buddhist lion's roar.

Judging from the performance of the four, Ji Wushi, who was the least noticeable, actually had a relatively higher level of internal strength.

Qu Feiyan, who was holding her grandfather's hand, was unaffected. She was wearing a light yellow embroidered dress, and two dimples were set in her delicate little face.

Those bright eyes looked left and right, but there was not a trace of panic.

"puff--!"

The little girl suddenly burst into laughter, as if she had just thought of something. "Grandpa, when we went to Fengling Ferry the other day, do you remember how that woman on the boat comforted the baby in her arms?"

Qu Yang didn't say anything upon hearing this, but the corners of his mouth curled up.

"She said a toad has four legs, two eyes, and one mouth. Feifei said she was wrong, because toads don't have legs when they're young. But then again, it turns out the eyes are wrong too."

"Hahaha, you little rascal." Qu Yang shook his head and laughed.

The one-eyed old woman was the first to react, "You brat! You..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qu Feiyan, not to be outdone, added, "My grandfather has already spared your lives, so you'd better hurry up and leave. If you don't leave soon, you might become 'eyeless and only mouths'."

My grandfather said he would go to see Sister Saintess, so of course he will. Otherwise, with your methods, you would probably still be wandering around the Yellow River right now.

"Even I, this brat, understand this simple principle, but you old geezers don't?"

The two one-eyed men were filled with rage, their faces turning red with anger at the little girl's two words.

Ji Wushi hurriedly waved his hand to stop the two, then stepped forward and cupped his hands to Qu Yang, saying, "Elder Qu, we were just following orders, and we have offended you. Please don't take offense."

You are a respected elder, so naturally you would not deceive me with your words.

Your subordinates will go and report back first. Farewell!

Ji Wushi gave a signal with his eyes, and after a slight hesitation, the two one-eyed men glared hatefully at Qu Feiyan before leaving the stone pavilion together.

The four men showed no intention of entering the city; instead, they headed towards the location of the Weixin Escort Agency.

The members of the escort agency sat on the ground to rest, except for Li Che, who stood at the front, holding his sword and facing the stone pavilion.

"Get out of my way! You little beast, do you want to die?!"

"Zzzzt—!"

The sword can be drawn and sheathed in an instant!

The one-eyed old woman who was cursing felt a blur before her eyes as a white ribbon swept past her head, followed by a chill on the top of her head.

A tangled mess of silver hair fell to the ground in the wind, the tightly bound indigo ribbon at the top still fastened.

"Plop—!"

The four of them stood there, each swallowing hard, while Ji Wushi's right foot, which he was about to lift, was still touching the ground.

Li Che glanced at the group of people and then looked at Qu Feiyan in the pavilion. He chuckled and said, "Little sister, would you like to see a toad with no eyes and no mouth?"

"Words can be dangerous; I think these toads, with their mouths, won't live long!"

"Great! Great! We lost our mouths but saved our lives. Big brother is such a kind person!" the little girl exclaimed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands.

"Young...Young hero, please calm your anger, this old woman..."

Li Che's cold gaze swept over the group. Since Ji Wushi was here, the one holding the golden staff must be one of the Two Wonders of Tongbai. The other person's name was unknown.

"roll!"

The four men felt as if they had been granted a pardon upon hearing this. In just a moment, their backs were soaked with cold sweat. Qu Yang still cared about his relationship with the Holy Maiden, but this young man was probably really capable of killing.

I only regret that I didn't check the almanac before going out today. When did such a young master appear in the martial arts world, and we even ran into him?

"etc!"

The four of them turned around hastily, but upon hearing this, they trembled and stopped in their tracks.

"Take away this dirty stuff, it's disgusting!"

The people from the Weixin Escort Agency behind him were once again shocked by Young Master Li's divine swordsmanship. They whispered among themselves and watched with amusement as the four foolish fools fled in panic.

Li Che had already stepped into the stone pavilion.

Their eyes met. Li Che sized up Qu Yang, who in turn scrutinized him. Qu Feiyan seemed to have noticed something was amiss as well. She stopped smiling and quietly leaned against her grandfather, her small hand already hidden in her sleeve, clutching a short sword.

"Why do young people get so angry?"

"You should be glad it's almost noon, otherwise it wouldn't just be your hair that fell to the ground!"

Should I call you Demon Qu? Old Man Qu? Or Senior Qu?

Qu Yang paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "That move, the Thirteen Forms of Hundred Transformations and Thousand Illusions of Clouds and Mist, was truly exquisite. Are you, young hero, a new disciple of Brother Liu, or a distinguished student of Master Mo?"

"My dear brother? Playing the qin and xiao together is an elegant pursuit. Uncle Liu regards you as a kindred spirit. Ask yourself honestly, do you truly have no requests of Uncle Liu?"

As he spoke, Li Che lowered his gaze slightly and clearly noticed that the fingers resting on the strings trembled for a moment, and the old face that had been smiling froze at the same time.

For a moment, Li Che became even more certain of his deduction.

Since learning that the Holy Maiden had sent people to find Qu Yang, he had pondered the matter several times along the way and felt that something was amiss.

Why did Ren Woxing, who was imprisoned for twelve years, only start planning to rescue people now?

It took twelve years to find out where he was being held?

In contrast, Li Che believed that Dongfang Bubai was "bewitched" by Yang Lianting, which led to an imbalance of power within the Demonic Sect. Someone wanted to "change the dynasty" and regain power, which is why they went to great lengths to rescue Ren Woxing from his predicament.

If we follow this logic, who is the biggest beneficiary?

Working backwards in this way, it is perhaps not a coincidence that Qu Yang and Liu Zhengfeng became acquainted and became close friends.

Li Che raised his eyes and stared at Qu Yang across the table, thinking to himself, "The Guangling San that Xiang Wentian took to Plum Manor was from his hands, so he is most likely someone who knows about it."

"Hey, why are you talking about my grandpa like that? I thought you were a good person, but it turns out..."

"A good person?" Li Che chuckled upon hearing this, then turned to Qu Feiyan and said, "Those four people must have thought I was no good person, but the brothers from the escort agency thought I was a good person, and Uncle Liu thought your grandfather was a good person."

He then turned to look at Qu Yang, "So, Elder Qu, do you think Uncle Liu is a good person?"

"He speaks in roundabout ways, but Grandpa Liu is definitely a good person."

"No, no." Qu Yang, who had been pondering, suddenly turned his head and smiled at his granddaughter, saying, "Go and stay with your friends from the escort agency over there for a while. I have something to say to the young hero."

......