Chapter 6, The Beauty

Zhou Zishu was momentarily rendered speechless.

Zhou Zishu remained speechless.

A ghostly smile emerged on the pale yellow face

As soon as the confrontation began, she realized how formidable this formation was. She had originally been somewhat confident in her own skills, believing that any one of the fourteen opponents could potentially be no match for her. However, the relentless pressure from all sides felt as if countless hands and feet were reaching out from every direction, overwhelming her like a raging tide. She found herself involuntarily retreating while fighting, and the formation closed in on her, forcing her into a corner with no way to escape.

One side opened their mouth to point out: "Not good, not good, girl, you lack method."

The last sentence was simply shocking, leaving Zhou Zishu nearly breathless, as he cast a glance at Gu Xiang, who remained unfazed and composed, with a deeply troubled expression.

Gu Xiang only felt a flash before her eyes, as a figure darted past. The man who had just been sitting at the incense table suddenly floated down like a wisp of willow fluff, landing at the temple entrance. A black-clad man, caught off guard, immediately turned to shoulder-barge him, but with a "crack," his entire shoulder was dislocated. Zhou Zishu seized his neck, using only his fingers to brutally twist it, breaking it cleanly, and then picked up the knife that had fallen to the side with his toes.

In a fit of anger, Gu Xiang stabbed a masked man through the chest, but the dagger got stuck in his ribcage and could not be pulled back.

With a swift motion, a stone was flicked out, striking a man at the Huan Tiao acupoint. The man lost his balance and immediately fell forward, landing right at Gu Xiang's feet. Instinctively, Gu Xiang lifted her foot, and a flash of light glimmered from her embroidered shoe, revealing a short dagger that pierced the man's throat. One could hear Zhou Zishu calmly remark: "The lower body is the foundation; without roots in action, without support in movement, how can one avoid failure?"

Then, without seeing how he exerted his strength, he lightly scolded and pushed with his hand, and that stone Buddha statue was unexpectedly pushed away by his single palm's force. Zhou Zishu murmured, "May the Buddha be compassionate and save the disciple once."

Wen Kexing stared intently at his face, looking for a long time, then seemingly giving up, he leaned his head back: "But I can't see any flaws. How much skill does it take to perform these little tricks of the jianghu without revealing any weaknesses? I fear they haven't even been born yet. It's impossible, impossible..."

Wen Kexing said expressionlessly: "Have you ever undergone facial disguise?"

The people present, however, did not utter a word; they quickly exchanged glances with one another and then disregarded Zhang Chengling, gradually forming a circle that surrounded Gu Xiang and Zhou Zishu.

Wen Kexing spoke softly and gently: "Although that person is a butcher, just those pair of eyes, shimmering with a watery luster and full of charm, can earn him the title of a beauty. Heroes do not concern themselves with their origins, so what of a butcher? What do you understand? Children do not know the difference between beauty and ugliness."

Zhou Zishu had just exhausted the internal energy that he had not had the chance to recover, and for a moment, his hands and feet felt somewhat numb. He decided not to push himself any further and calmly sat down at the incense table.

Gu Xiang gazed at him with a deeply resentful look in her small eyes

Zhou Zishu felt a tightness in his heart, but he responded nonchalantly on the surface, asking, "What?"

The remaining individuals are no longer promising; Gu Xiang's killing intent has arisen, and she recklessly engages in a chaotic battle.

After more than an hour had passed, he finally opened his eyes, only to see Wen Kexing leaning against the wall, one leg curled up, tilting his head to examine him. Unable to restrain himself, he said: "Is there something on my face that has caused this esteemed Brother Wen to study me for such a long time?"

After a considerable amount of time, Gu Xiang finally reacted and, unable to restrain herself amidst her busy schedule, turned around and scolded, "Zhou Xu, what are you doing?"

Zhou Zishu flicked a stone, striking a man directly at the shoulder well acupoint. The man was lunging forward when he suddenly felt this impact, leaving him with half of his body numb and unable to move. He fell to the ground, propelled by his own momentum. Gu Xiang then heard this unfortunate beggar half-truthfully sigh, "This is bad, this is bad. The formation has already broken, yet they still rush in recklessly, truly neglecting the front while caring only for the rear."

Gu Xiang's eyes lit up as she exclaimed: "Master!"

Gu Xiang sighed, "The shimmering water and the graceful glance? Isn't it just a yawn with tears not wiped away? Moreover, there are those broad noses, wide mouths, and big ears..."

Gu Xiang exclaimed in surprise, and Zhou Zishu raised his hand to block, unexpectedly using his bare hands and flesh to collide with the descending blade, forcefully deflecting the downward strike.

Zhou Zishu did not respond, his gaze sharpened, and suddenly he leaped into the air, stepping onto the incense table. Surprisingly, the old incense table, which had accumulated a layer of dust, did not budge at all; he was already using it to propel himself into the air again. Immediately, three others jumped up with him, their blades flashing as they sealed off all his escape routes. However, Zhou Zishu unexpectedly retreated instead of advancing, his body moving like a swimming fish, weaving through flowers and around trees, and in the blink of an eye, he had turned to the side of the Buddha statue.

Zhou Zishu said slowly: "Gu Meizi, as a frail beggar, I have never encountered such a situation, and I am quite frightened. I need your protection"

The masked individuals clearly felt that the two of them, with their hidden intentions and affectionate glances, were somewhat out of place. It was unclear who whistled first, but the leader took the initiative to attack, followed by the others, forming a subtle net-like formation that effectively trapped the two within.

Zhou Zishu, however, did not appear as imposing as she had imagined. His legs were still weak, and after landing, he had not yet come to a halt. Once he stopped after killing someone, he found it somewhat difficult to stand. Not wanting Gu Xiang to notice, he took a few steps back, appearing graceful, but in reality, he was just awkwardly seeking a way to support himself.

Wen Kexing, however, paid no attention and muttered to himself: "Strange... truly strange, I cannot see that you have changed your appearance. If you say you haven't done anything, well..."

Wen Kexing nodded slightly and said to himself: "I have never seen anyone make a mistake; you must have undergone disguise."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiang immediately executed a remarkably agile lotus step, causing the masked assailant, who charged at her with great force, to miss. In a reflexive attempt to change his attack, he inadvertently exposed a gap in his side, which Gu Xiang skillfully exploited, effortlessly dispatching two more opponents.

Gu Xiang then straightened her expression, letting out a curious "Eh". Her curiosity piqued, she no longer pretended to be weak, disregarding Zhou Zishu, and reached for her small dagger, advancing forward.

Gu Xiang was secretly alarmed, having retreated to stand beside Zhou Zishu, their backs leaning against each other. Zhou Zishu's gaze darkened as he stared at them without blinking, and he whispered to Gu Xiang: "I have indeed overstepped my bounds"

Having said that, he swaggered into the dilapidated temple. Gu Xiang had already hastily kicked a few corpses aside and laid down some straw to create a clean spot for him to sit. Then this gentleman, Wen Kexing, glanced at Zhou Zishu again, as if it were not enough, and specifically explained, "I did not do it on purpose"

Zhou Zishu then coughed once and said: "Thank you, this esteemed..."

Gu Xiang hurriedly asked, "What should we do?"

"Wen, Wen Kexing," said the gray-clad man, and then a hint of confusion seemed to appear on his face as his gaze fell upon Zhou Zishu's neck and hands, the look of confusion seemingly deepening.

The stone Buddha's weight was unknown, and a fierce wind rushed towards them, startling Gu Xiang, who quickly bent down to evade it. She felt the wind brush past her scalp. The three assailants targeting Zhou Zishu were in mid-air, and they did not expect such swift movements. With no way to leverage their strength or evade, they could only exert all their effort to block. However, how could they possibly withstand it? They were knocked away by the Buddha statue, creating a sudden breach in the tightly formed array.

Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out from behind and steadied him. Zhou Zishu was startled, not knowing when this person had approached. His hair stood on end, but fortunately, the person merely supported him without any further actions.

Gu Xiang smiled and said, "This is interesting"

On the ground, the corpses were soon scattered in disarray. A few remaining individuals, sensing that the situation was dire, exchanged glances and began to retreat. Zhou Zishu frowned, thinking that these people were quite troublesome. Although he had agreed to escort the young man to the Zhao family in Taihu, he was unwilling to deal with these pursuers along the way. If they managed to escape, it was likely that there would be more to contend with on the road.

Gu Xiang is an exceptionally intelligent person. She bent down to evade a knife strike, then executed a side kick that struck the opponent's knee. As the person stumbled forward, Gu Xiang seized the opportunity to grip his acupoint, disarming him of the long knife, and delivered a palm strike to his Baihui acupoint, sending him to meet the King of Hell

Zhou Zishu said: "I have never seen it, but I have heard of a formation composed of fourteen people, called the Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies Formation. It is ever-living and endless, and when coordinated properly, the slightest flaw of each individual can be perfectly compensated by others, seamless as if made by heaven..."

He reached out and rubbed his chin, expressing his confusion as he said: "In all these years, I have never misjudged anyone. At a glance, I can see the butterfly bone on your back, which clearly indicates that you should be a beauty"

Wen Kexing stated decisively: "Axiang, your eyesight is poor"

Gu Xiang was agile in form, yet not suited for prolonged combat. Having lost her weapon this time, she became somewhat flustered, retreating three steps while trying to defend herself. Zhou Zishu took a moment to catch his breath, not in a hurry to strike, but instead watching them with a smile. He picked up a handful of small stones, playing with them in his hand, and then suddenly flicked one out, hitting squarely on the forehead of a masked man who was planning to launch a sneak attack.

At this moment, he is staring at Zhou Zishu, his gaze seemingly trying to penetrate beneath Zhou Zishu's skin, utterly brazen and disrespectful

The man in gray looked for a long time, yet he did not know what he was looking at. After a while, he finally shifted his gaze, nodded slightly, and said: "No need."

Zhou Zishu finally let out a sigh of relief, and after standing still, he turned around. The person who had helped him was none other than the gray-clad man from the tavern. Upon closer inspection, he appeared to be only around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, with features that could be described as handsome. However, his gaze, which was fixed and penetrating, made others feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Zhou Zishu understood where Gu Xiang's unpleasant demeanor came from, and he simply sat down to rest on one side

Gu Xiang felt as if she had not even had time to react when the masked men rushing towards the door all turned into corpses. She couldn't help but blink, surprised in her heart—she had initially thought that this person, based on his manner of speaking and behavior, was from one of those boastful large sects. Unexpectedly, his method of silencing them was so swift and ruthless, leaving her uncertain about what kind of person he truly was.

Although he did not know what this person was looking at, Zhou Zishu remained calm. He was well aware of his own skills; if they were easily discernible, he would have met his end a decade ago. Thus, he calmly said: "Oh, thank you, Brother Wen"

Gu Xiang sighed and said: "The years have not been kind, not a single good deed in three hundred years, and now I find myself in a heap of trouble at the first attempt. Brother Zhou, as a frail woman, I have never encountered such a grand spectacle, and I am quite frightened. I need your protection"

It seems that these individuals plot against others, exterminating entire families and leaving no survivors, yet they still wish to act in a covert manner; they are certainly not good people

The movement was swift; with a mere lift of her hand, an arrow shot out from her sleeve in the blink of an eye. The person opposite her was the first to bear the brunt, struck squarely in the face. The masked man did not even have time to utter a sound before he fell backward.

Gu Xiang felt somewhat overwhelmed, a slight sheen of sweat appearing on her forehead, and she asked, "What kind of situation is this...?"

Zhou Zishu had already sluggishly crawled up and went to check on the situation of the young man Zhang Chengling

Gu Xiang said with a chill, "Master, last time you pointed to the back of a pig butcher and concluded that it was a beauty"