Step by Step Ascend to Immortality

Chapter 12: Yu Changkong

Using her keen intuition, Gu Yinghua sensed that Liu Suiyun's request would lead to trouble. She frowned slightly and hesitated. "You mean..."

"Miss Gu!" Liu Suiyun's voice was laced with reluctance. "I think we should first return to Lin Family Village to make sure my brothers are settled."

"No way!" Gu Yinghua's voice was sharp, her disapproval immediate. She couldn't believe Liu Suiyun would suggest something so reckless. The journey back to Lin Family Village would take at least a day each way, and with the Pang family hot on their trail, heading back was practically suicide. "We need to reach Yuanzhou as quickly as possible. Once we're there, we'll be safe. Why would you want to return and walk right into a trap? Are you afraid of Pang Tianshan?"

"There's no one in this world who hates the Pang family more than I do!" Liu Suiyun's voice trembled with barely controlled rage. "Even Xu Zhaori can't compare to the hatred I carry. But I need to go back, not to save my own skin, but to save the lives of my brothers. These men are my childhood friends, comrades from my village..."

His voice grew heavy with emotion as he recalled the memories with his friends. "To you, Miss Gu, they might just be hired hands, but to me, they're like family. The only reason they agreed to escort you across Luoxing Mountain is because I asked them to. I owe it to them—they're my closest friends."

"Absolutely not!" Gu Yinghua's voice held a tinge of regret, though she didn't waver. "I used my last Fragrant Pill to save you. You have to help me..."

"I will get you to Yuanzhou, even if it costs me my life!" Liu Suiyun's fist clenched as he made his vow. "I know each of these men personally. It's a four-day journey to Yuanzhou, and with the current situation, none of them will make it. Take Liu Xing, for example. I've known him since I was five. We grew up together. He was the first to help me rebuild my house when I returned home in ruins..."

Gu Yinghua let out a soft sigh as she listened to Liu Suiyun recount his memories with Liu Xing. But she knew that those days were gone forever. Liu Xing was already dead, killed in today's ambush by the Pang family and the Tianyi Gang. Liu Suiyun didn't yet know that his friend had already fallen silently.

"I even helped him plant an acre of peach trees," Liu Suiyun continued, his voice filled with a deep sorrow. "We planned to sell the peaches in town once they ripened this year. He could finally marry..."

Gu Yinghua interrupted with a gentle question, "Did you two ever argue? Have disagreements?"

"Of course we did. We've had our fair share of arguments, but I never had the heart to apologize to him," Liu Suiyun's voice grew quieter as he confessed his regrets. "I was so eager to make a name for myself in the world that I ended up having a huge fight with him. I said things I shouldn't have, and I've regretted it ever since. I've always wanted to apologize, but I never got the chance."

"You don't need to apologize. He wouldn't have held it against you." Gu Yinghua's voice trembled slightly in the dim light. "Slap!" Liu Suiyun's cheek stung as Gu Yinghua slapped him. "This is the last time. Don't ever make decisions on my behalf again!"

For the first time, Gu Yinghua's proud voice cracked with emotion. "We're going back to Lin Family Village tomorrow."

"Thank you, Miss Gu." Liu Suiyun didn't know how to express his gratitude. The Fragrant Pill's effects had dulled the sting of her slap, but it was her decision that filled him with relief. His brothers, still in the early stages of cultivation, wouldn't survive the journey under the combined forces of the Pang family and the Tianyi Gang. Even if they were to return to Lin Family Village, it would have to be with him leading the way. "You... you're a good person!"

Gu Yinghua's response was cold and stiff. "I don't like anyone making decisions for me. The world should revolve around me, Gu Yinghua. This is the last time. Don't expect it to be this simple next time."

The sun rose again.

Liu Suiyun's decision sparked a range of reactions among the group. The young men from Lin Family Village were relieved, as they had expected Liu Suiyun wouldn't abandon them. They had grown up knowing him as a loyal and righteous man, and they believed he would lead them home.

They had already lost their resolve. The Tianyi Gang held significant power not just in Lin County but across much of Yunzhong County. Even the most influential figures in the region dared not cross them. Though Gu Yinghua had offered a good price, no amount of money was worth risking their lives for. The fee was only for escorting her across Luoxing Mountain, not for facing the Tianyi Gang, let alone the far more terrifying Pang family. They had already lost two comrades—this mission was bleeding them dry.

The young men's faces brightened with hope, but Huo Qianshu, wielding his massive meteor hammer, charged at Liu Suiyun in fury. "You want to get us all killed?"

"Returning to Lin Family Village is the safest option!" Under the sunlight, Liu Suiyun's demeanor was refined, almost elegant. Thanks to the Fragrant Pill Gu Yinghua had given him, his old wounds had healed, and he was stronger than ever. Even Gu Yinghua couldn't help but notice how dashing he looked now. "Ma Qianjun would never expect me to turn back and head to Lin Family Village!"

"But that's two days' time—two days!" Huo Qianshu was pragmatic. "That's more than enough for the Pang family to gather reinforcements!"

"No matter how many enemies there are," Liu Suiyun's voice was firm, "I've already pledged my life to Miss Gu. I, Liu Suiyun, always repay my debts, whether they're debts of gratitude, money, love, or life. I will get Miss Gu to Yuanzhou safely, you can count on that."

Huo Qianshu's eyes widened in disbelief. "Do you even know who Miss Gu is? A hundred of you wouldn't be worth her life. I refuse to agree to this plan!"

"Uncle Huo, don't worry." Gu Yinghua's voice was resolute. "I've made my decision. We're going back to Lin Family Village."

"Miss!" Huo Qianshu's voice was filled with desperation. "You're leading us to our deaths."

"If anything goes wrong, I'll take full responsibility!" Gu Yinghua had already boarded the palanquin. "Uncle Huo, I'm asking you to make this extra trip."

With Gu Yinghua's firm decision, the small group set off on the road back to Lin Family Village. They didn't even bring Liu Xing's body or the other young man's. After a hasty burial, they marked the site and moved on.

Liu Suiyun, grieving the loss of two friends, had no time to dwell on the past. He held back his tears, knowing that one of his best friends had already left him forever. His responsibilities were heavy—he couldn't afford to lose another member of the group. He still had to get Gu Yinghua and Huo Qianshu safely to Yuanzhou, so he sharpened his senses, watching for any potential threats.

It had been two long years.

Liu Suiyun had never felt so alive. Two years of pain and torment had forged him into something even stronger than he had been at his peak. Just as Huo Qianshu and Gu Yinghua suspected, Liu Suiyun had been far more than just a martial artist during his prime.

He itched for a fight, eager to unleash the anger and frustration that had built up over the years.

But strangely enough, it seemed his intuition was correct. Despite the Pang family and the Tianyi Gang spreading their net wide across Yunzhong County, sending hundreds of men after them, they never expected Liu Suiyun to double back to Lin Family Village. For most of the day, they traveled without incident, encountering only a few beasts and monsters. With Liu Suiyun and Huo Qianshu's leadership, they managed to fend off the threats without too much trouble.

The group quickened their pace, especially as they neared Lin Family Village. The tense and somber atmosphere lifted, and the young men even began to whisper among themselves, discussing Gu Yinghua and Liu Suiyun. Huo Qianshu announced, "Once we cross that ridge, we'll be at Lin Family Village. We can part ways there."

Liu Suiyun's gaze remained fixed on the palanquin carrying Gu Yinghua. He and Huo Qianshu would have to carry it the rest of the way, but suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he shouted, "Who's there? Come out!"

Huo Qianshu immediately tightened his grip on his meteor hammer, and the young men from Lin Family Village drew their weapons. "Who is it?"

From the nearby woods, six or seven armed men emerged. "Liu Suiyun, you've got some nerve coming back here. Did you think the Tianyi Gang would just let you off?"

The leader, a man in his early forties with long hair and a blue robe, wielded a large sword

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