Chapter 271: The Two-No Principle

"How did you know about this place?" An Shigeng couldn't help but ask the question that had been lingering in his mind.

After all, the underground space of the An Mansion was extremely hidden, difficult for ordinary people to discover. Even if they did, it would be difficult to enter without alerting anyone, unless someone was very familiar with the An Mansion.

And the person who could betray him, An Shigeng's mind quickly flashed through a figure, the answer he least wanted to hear.

Seeing An Shigeng's expression, Ye Xiu understood his thoughts and smiled slightly. "Ji Yaohua told me. She told me specifically so that I could find you and kill you." Ye Xiu said seriously, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, to make someone hate you so much, An Shigeng, you're such a failure."

Even though An Shigeng had been mentally prepared, he couldn't help but feel dazed after hearing Ye Xiu's words, even showing signs of collapse.

An Shigeng boasted that he loved Ji Yaohua deeply, and he even considered her the most important person in his life. But it happened that it was Ji Yaohua who betrayed him -

in fact, An Shigeng could also sense before that Ji Yaohua did not seem to have any good feelings for him.

But he just liked Ji Yaohua, so he once delusionally wanted to impress Ji Yaohua with his sincerity and make Ji Yaohua fall in love with him from the bottom of her heart, so An Shigeng indulged Ji Yaohua's freedom.

Even though Ji Yaohua took the poison and her life was controlled by An Shigeng, An Shigeng still let Ji Yaohua go out to do things, and even though Ji Yaohua would only come to him on her own initiative when she wanted to get the antidote, An Shigeng did not care much. In his opinion, as long as there was enough time, Ji Yaohua would be moved by him sooner or later.

But what he heard now was that Ji Yaohua betrayed him, and it was a complete betrayal.

This was almost no less than Ji Yaohua stabbing him in the back.

I just don't know what the difference is between this effect and Ji Yaohua really stabbing him in the back with a knife.

In the original novel, Ji Yaohua stabbed An Shigeng in the back. Unable to accept the fate of his beloved woman, An Shigeng chose to self-destruct, attempting suicide. However, he was rescued by his father, An Yunshan, who forcibly used a Ganoderma lucidum to prolong his life. Ultimately, he became a semi-vegetative state, his body largely absorbed into the Ganoderma lucidum, resembling a hideous monster.

Ye Xiu watched An Shigeng, anticipating his reaction.

Upon learning that Ji Yaohua had betrayed him, An Shigeng's face flushed and sank, his blood surging to the point of nearly vomiting blood.

Then, with a roar, An Shigeng unleashed his full force of the Western Regions Fire and Ice Technique, completely ignoring his own concerns. He completely ignored the toll his body would take, even as his meridians were damaged by the constant switching between intense fire and freezing ice in such a short period of time.

What An Shigeng wanted most now was to kill Ye Xiu and then find Ji Yaohua. He wanted to find her and demand the truth: whether she had truly betrayed him, why she was so hostile to him, and so on.

Without hesitation, he unleashed his full might, one hand icy and the other blazing, and charged at Ye Xiu: "Ice and Flame Palm!"

"What a gimmick!" Ye Xiu shook his head.

This Western Region Ice and Fire Technique might hold some promise for Grandmasters, especially those who had never encountered it before. Facing a practitioner of this technique for the first time, their lack of understanding might lead them to panic and give the user an opportunity to exploit their weakness.

But to Ye Xiu, An Shigeng's tactics were merely amusement, a joke.

Initially, Ye Xiu refrained from annihilating An Shigeng outright, wanting to see the magic of this technique.

After several rounds of fighting with An Shigeng, Ye Xiu had come to believe that his Western Region Ice and Fire Technique was just that, and no longer held much interest. So, facing An Shigeng charging at him with all his might, Ye Xiu unleashed his Tai Chi Fist once again—

both the ice and the flames were suppressed and restrained by the Tai Chi's power. Then, the powerful force pierced through the ice and flames, striking An Shigeng's body directly.

Bang—

An Shigeng was sent flying backwards, but he wasn't done yet. Instead, he mobilized his inner Qi, forcing a further burst of Qi that was already threatening to destroy his meridians.

With a puff,

An Shigeng spat out a mouthful of blood, half icy blue, half burning. Then, An Shigeng unleashed an even greater force, a force that bordered on Grandmaster-level combat.

An Shigeng transformed into a stream of ice-blue flame, charging towards Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu, however, slowly drew circles with his hands. A black and white Tai Chi diagram swirled around him. Before the icy blue flames could even touch him, they enveloped him, swirling and flinging him away.

Bang—

the icy blue flames vanished, and An Shigeng was sent flying backwards again, slamming into the wall.

An Shigeng felt as if he were tethered to the wall. For several seconds, he slid down and collapsed to the ground. His meridians were completely ruptured, and even his bones were broken by at least 70 percent.

An Shigeng was now a complete and utterly useless person, completely devoid of martial arts skills and even the ability to move. A complete and utter waste.

Seeing An Shigeng like this, Ye Xiu imagined that An Shigeng, who chose to self-destruct in the original novel, would have been in a similar state.

"Kill! Kill me!"

An Shigeng shouted with effort.

However, Ye Xiu, observing An Shigeng like this, had no intention of attacking him. He even considered sparing An Shigeng's life.

After all, An Shigeng's father, An Yunshan, hadn't appeared yet.

He didn't know An Yunshan's exact strength, whether he was a Grandmaster of the Vajra Realm, the Profound Finger Realm, or the Celestial Realm.

If he was a Grandmaster of the Vajra Realm, or even a Grandmaster of the Profound Finger Realm, it would be nothing to Ye Xiu.

Especially since the monthly bonus from his diary arrived yesterday, Ye Xiu's internal cultivation had increased by another year, and his level had broken through to the fifth level of Grandmaster of the Profound Finger Realm.

Ye Xiu no longer feared any opponent below the Celestial Realm. He even felt that even a Grandmaster of the Celestial Realm might be able to challenge him.

Unsure whether An Yunshan was a Celestial Realm Grandmaster, Ye Xiu preferred to be cautious.

Well, he meant not killing An Shigeng for now. Then, with the help of Ji Yaohua's abilities, he could maintain the An Mansion as it was, as if nothing had happened. He didn't want An Yunshan to learn about the An Mansion or what had happened to his son, An Shigeng, too soon.

If Ye Xiu could buy himself even a few more months, he was confident he could become a Celestial Grandmaster, truly unrivaled beneath the heavens.

When An Yunshan returned, he would smack him to death.

Besides this, Ye Xiu also didn't know where An Shigeng had kept the antidote to the poison that Ji Yaohua and the others had been poisoned with.

If An Shigeng were alive, she could get answers from him, which would probably make Ji Yaohua happier.

After all, quite a few female detectives had been forced to join the Six Gates by An Shigeng's poison. Ji Yaohua considered them all good sisters, and she didn't want them to die without the antidote.

Therefore, for the time being, An Shigeng needed to be kept alive.

After Ye Xiu defeated An Shigeng, Guo Jing, who was in the cell, had released almost everyone from the prison.

Some of them were yelling and trying to escape, while others, more cautious, quietly hid behind, hoping to protect them from any danger.

However, when they rushed out, they found An Shigeng lying at Ye Xiu's feet.

They were naturally familiar with An Shigeng, having interrogated them after their capture. Of course, he hadn't gained any useful information, and An Shigeng had even considered eliminating them.

Therefore, these people had a deep impression of An Shigeng. Seeing him crumpled to the ground like a dead dog, they were surprised and horrified, yet also felt a sense of relief.

Some of them were even impulsive, wanting to bite An Shigeng to death, but Ye Xiu stopped them. After all, An Shigeng was of some use to Ye Xiu, and he naturally wouldn't let him die there.

After stopping these people from killing An Shigeng, Ye Xiu ordered them to keep the events of the An Mansion secret after they left.

"What do you mean by secret? Since the people in the An Mansion dared to do such a thing, they must be punished. I will let everyone in the world know the true face of the An family."

"Yes, yes, yes, I will let everyone in the martial arts world know that the An family is not a good thing!"

These people shouted, not only wanting to kill An Shigeng, but also wanting to leak the news about him and the An family after they left.

"An Shigeng's father, An Yunshan, is a great master," Ye Xiu bluntly said.

Instantly, the scene fell silent.

They looked at each other, a hint of fear flickering in their eyes. Grandmaster, for most of them who hadn't even reached Grandmaster status, seemed too far away.

"Even An Yunshan's father might be a Grandmaster at the Celestial Realm. If he learns of your situation, do you think he'll let you go? So after we leave here, you must flee as far as possible and absolutely not leak any information about this place. It's best to pretend nothing happened. That way, An Yunshan won't be alerted." Ye Xiu threatened

them. Of course, the threat Ye Xiu used was An Yunshan's identity.

So, they began to promise not to reveal anything about this place, and only then did they begin to leave.

Bang—

while the others left, Guo Jing knelt before Ye Xiu.

"Thank you for saving my life. Guo Jing would like to know your name so that I can repay you." With that, Guo Jing kowtowed to Ye Xiu.

Guo Jing kowtowed with genuine sincerity, truly and forcefully, even though his head was already red and swollen from the impact.

Seeing Guo Jing kneeling on the ground and kowtowing to him, Ye Xiu felt even more uncomfortable.

"That's enough. My name is Ye Xiu. If you need any help in the future, you can come to me—" Ye Xiu said this subconsciously, but before he could finish his words, he realized that he didn't have a permanent face, identity, or address.

"My benefactor, Guo Jing will remember this. I will definitely repay you well, absolutely!" Guo Jing said with unprecedented seriousness.

"Well, go!" Ye Xiu nodded, letting Guo Jing leave.

Guo Jing hesitated, but still followed the others.

Guo Jing didn't notice that Ye Xiu couldn't help but glance at him a few more times as he left.

Ye Xiu wondered if, after losing Huang Rong, he would have another chance to drink the blood of the precious snake raised by Liang Ziweng and increase his internal strength. He didn't know if Guo Jing could still become a disciple of Hong Qigong, learn the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, or even the Nine Yin Scriptures without Huang Rong's assistance.

Since he wasn't sure, Ye Xiu decided to teach Guo Jing a martial art to make up for his loss.

If it were any other novel protagonist, Ye Xiu wouldn't have thought much of it if he'd stolen someone's opportunity and woman.

Just like his senior brother Linghu Chong, or even the protagonists of the Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty, Ye Xiu wouldn't deliberately try to make amends.

But this Guo Jing was different.

He was a true hero.

He truly lived up to the saying that a hero should serve his country and his people.

Ye Xiu himself couldn't be a hero like Guo Jing, who dedicated himself to his country and his people.

But Ye Xiu admired people like Guo Jing. Or, as it were, many people who aren't honest wish everyone else were.

So, Ye Xiu didn't want Guo Jing to be unable to become a hero who served his country and his people.

Upon returning, Ye Xiu planned to memorize the Dragon Elephant Prajna Sutra and secretly give it to Guo Jing.

Guo Jing's heart is straightforward, more like a pure child's heart. He finds it difficult to master difficult and profound martial arts.

However, the Dragon Elephant Prajnaparamita Art is a martial art that even a dull person can learn, though those with a weak mind will learn more slowly.

However, in someone like Guo Jing, with his pure heart and immense perseverance, the Dragon Elephant Prajnaparamita Art could potentially create miracles. Perhaps, with it, Guo Jing could even become a Grandmaster. It

's a shame Ye Xiu didn't have the secret manual ready, otherwise he would have stuffed it into Guo Jing's arms.

After Guo Jing and the others quietly left the An residence, Ruyan and Ji Yaohua, who had been guarding outside, could not resist entering.

They didn't enter with Ye Xiu, but they also remained outside.

Should anything stir, they could react flexibly and be prepared for anything.

So after seeing Guo Jing and the others leave, and even seeming to ride away their own steeds when they left, Ruyan and Ji Yaohua really couldn't hold back.

If there hadn't been any major accidents in the An Mansion, and if An Shigeng hadn't been in any trouble, Ruyan and Ji Yaohua would have just been as polite as before and flattered An Shigeng. After all, Ruyan and Ji Yaohua would come to the An Mansion every once in a while.

And if An Shigeng was dealt with by Ye Xiu, that would naturally be even better, as the two of them could help Ye Xiu clean up the mess.

So, soon the two of them came to the underground space of the An Mansion, met Ye Xiu, and also met An Shigeng, who looked like a dead dog.

When An Shigeng saw Ruyan and Ji Yaohua appear, his eyes lit up as usual.

After all, as a bootlicker, it was impossible for An Shigeng to not have any reaction after seeing Ji Yaohua.

But when An Shigeng saw Ruyan and Ji Yaohua arrive, glanced at him, and then knelt before Ye Xiu, his eyes changed. An Shigeng

's eyes grew furious, then utterly despaired. Ye Xiu

hadn't lied to him; Ji Yaohua had truly betrayed him. An Shigeng had completely lost all hope in living, not even the thought of revenge. He simply wanted to die, to leave this false world where Ji Yaohua didn't love him. Indeed, An Shigeng felt that

this world was fake, because he loved Ji Yaohua, but she didn't love him, and so he felt it wasn't real.

"I've destroyed An Shigeng. From now on, I'll leave it to you. Ji Yaohua, don't you want to get the antidote from him? You can use any method you want. And I don't want his father, An Yunshan, to know about the An family's demise so soon," Ye Xiu said to Ruyan and Ji Yaohua.

Ji Yaohua was stunned for a moment, but Ruyan next to her began to take on the responsibility: "Master, leave An Shigeng to me. I guarantee that I can get the antidote for the poison in my junior sister's body from him, and I can also interrogate him to find out the contact information between him and his father, An Yunshan."

"Well, I'll leave it to you then." Ye Xiu nodded and handed the job to Ruyan.

Ruyan winked at Ji Yaohua, then turned around and left with An Shigeng, who was like a dead dog, leaving only Ye Xiu and Ji Yaohua.

Ji Yaohua's cheeks flushed slightly, but she had already made up her mind and did not hesitate. She twisted her slender waist and walked directly to Ye Xiu, then leaned close to him...

"Hmm?"

"Master, please have mercy on me..."

Although Ye Xiu did not know why Ji Yaohua took the initiative to throw herself into his arms, facing Ji Yaohua's initiative, Ye Xiu would not refuse.

Well, Ye Xiu adhered to the principle of two no's: no initiative, no refusal - as for responsibilities, Ye Xiu would still take responsibility.