71: Chapter 71 Mysterious Map

So, his previous frenzied killing and dodging were all for this!

Seeing the iron plate in hand, a trace of satisfaction finally flashed in the eyes of the Thousand-Faced Thief.

He seemed to believe the situation was settled and he could escape at any time by relying on his movement technique.

He was too careless.

It was precisely at the moment he bent down to search the body, when his mind was most relaxed.

Gao Feng spotted this one-in-ten-thousand chance, created by countless coincidences and calculations!

Amidst the chaos, in a corner no one noticed, he seemed to trip over a stone, "accidentally" fell to the ground, and then "fainted."

He lay there among the pile of corpses, feigning death, while his cold gaze, piercing through the gaps in the crowd like the most patient leopard, locked onto his target!

Now!

Gao Feng moved! He did not stand up, as that would make noise and alert the target.

He hugged the ground, not making even a whisper of sound, like a venomous snake slithering through the grass, rapidly and silently approaching the figure with its back to him!

What he held in his hand was the very soft sword he had seized from Ghost Thirteen, the one quenched in deadly poison!

He was using the lethal technique from the Green Clothes Tower's Shadow Assassination Art—the "Earth Dragon's Sting"!

When the Thousand-Faced Thief tucked the iron plate into his bosom, his face full of triumph, the very moment he prepared to leave, he finally sensed a trace of deadly danger coming from behind, from the ground!

He turned his head in horror, but it was already too late.

"Puchi!"

The cold blade, from an angle he could never have imagined—hugging the ground—pierced with absolute precision from bottom to top, penetrating his defensive Qi and stabbing through his heart!

The triumph on his face froze instantly. He lowered his head with difficulty, looking at the tip of the sword protruding from his chest, stained with black blood, his eyes filled with disbelief and endless confusion.

Even in death, he could not understand. Why would someone here know the elusive assassination techniques of the Green Clothes Tower!

Having succeeded with one strike, Gao Feng didn't even have time to withdraw the soft sword before immediately reaching out to search his bosom.

He fished out a few things: a Secret Manual that felt thin and light, slightly damaged from the recent battle, with four elegant characters written on the cover—"Phantom Steps Without a Trace."

And, a tattered map made of unknown animal hide!

On the map were drawn some ancient characters and strange symbols he could not understand at all.

Just as he succeeded, he heard the anxious and shocked shouts of Yan Beigui, Su Meiniang, and the others from not far away, as the dust and smoke cleared.

"The Thousand-Faced Thief has fallen!" "Who did this?!"

Gao Feng backhanded the poisonous soft sword out of the Thousand-Faced Thief's heart. Without even looking at the slowly falling corpse, he immediately raised his three-pointed, double-edged blade and began to hack frantically at the Thousand-Faced Thief's still-warm body!

The blade light was chaotic and without pattern. Every slash looked like it used full strength, yet it cleverly avoided vital bones, leaving only gruesome and terrifying wounds on the flesh, forging the scene into one of an extremely brutal close-quarters struggle.

After finishing all this, he gritted his teeth, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes. He reversed the blade and slashed fiercely at his own left arm, chest, and thigh!

Blood spurted out instantly, the wounds deep enough to see bone. The intense pain made him grunt, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

But he was very measured in his actions; every wound perfectly avoided major arteries and tendons. It looked shocking, but in reality, it did not cause fundamental damage.

Finally, he threw the poisonous soft sword far into a pile of rubble nearby, then, enduring the excruciating pain, threw his body heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

He held his breath, slowed his heartbeat, and the whole person fell into a deathly silence, as if he had truly died from exhaustion.

The entire process, from the assassination to forging the scene, and then to self-harm, was done in one go, taking only a short dozen breaths. It demonstrated his terrifying battlefield adaptability and absolute control over his own body as a top special forces king.

Only after doing all this did he "slowly" wake up as the chaotic footsteps approached from afar. A faint, painful, and struggling groan came from his throat, and then he struggled to let out a "weak" cry: "The... the thief... has been slain..."

When Su Meiniang arrived at the scene in a hurry with the high-ranking members of the Merchant Guild and a pale, disheveled Yan Beigui, what they saw was a scene of carnage they would never forget.

The Thousand-Faced Thief, that major threat who had left them helpless, caused the loss of dozens of elites, and made the entire branch lose face, was now a cold, unrecognizable corpse, lying in a pool of blood with eyes wide open in death.

And the newly arrived Guest Elder Gao Feng lay slumped to the side, covered in blood, his chest rising and falling weakly, his three-pointed, double-edged blade stuck in the ground beside him, supporting him so he wouldn't collapse completely.

His wounds were deep enough to see bone, blood staining the ground beneath him, and he seemed to be on the verge of "mortal injury," breathing his last.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

Everyone's face showed an expression of shock that could not be added to!

Yan Beigui's complexion turned from blue to white, and finally settled into a liver color that was ugly to the extreme!

He stared fixedly at Gao Feng and the Thousand-Faced Thief's corpse, his eyes filled with jealousy, anger, and a trace of fear he didn't even want to admit to himself.

A strong enemy that he couldn't handle even with so many people and the "Thunderbolt Talisman" life-saving trump card given by his sect, was actually counter-killed in a mutual destruction manner by this "bumpkin" from some mountain ditch that he had looked down upon from the beginning to the end?

This was simply a resounding slap, carrying the force of a thunderbolt, fiercely striking his self-righteous face! Burning with pain!

"Master Gao Feng!!"

Su Meiniang was the first to react from the shock, and a brilliant radiance, unprecedented, instantly burst forth from her eyes!

It was a complex light mixed with ecstasy, appreciation, relief, and lingering fear!

She even forgot her status as a branch leader, lifted her skirt, rushed forward, and in the astonished gazes of everyone, personally knelt on one knee to carefully lift the blood-covered Gao Feng from the ground and pull him into her embrace.

Her charming peach blossom eyes were filled with undisguised concern and appreciation.

"Master Gao Feng! You... how are you?! Hold on!"

Her voice even trembled with excitement.

"Quick! Quickly summon the best physician of our Merchant Guild! Get me that century-old wild ginseng from the warehouse! Use the best golden trauma medicine! At all costs, we must save Master Gao Feng!"

She turned back and ordered the stunned crowd behind her sternly.

In this battle, Gao Feng became famous throughout the entire Four Seas Merchant Guild Hanyang City branch in the most shocking, brutal, and indisputable way!

Everyone knew that a peerless powerhouse had come to the branch, someone who usually didn't show off, but could fight for his life at critical moments and possessed unfathomable strength!

For the next few days, Gao Feng enjoyed treatment fit for an emperor. Su Meiniang arranged for him to stay in the quietest back courtyard of her mansion and personally took care of him.

She pushed aside all business, bringing him tea and medicine every day, asking after his well-being, and even personally wiping his body and changing his dressings.

The tender affection in her flowing gaze, the intentional and unintentional physical contact, the soft and fragrant beauty in his arms, her orchid-like breath in his ear—it was hard for any normal man to resist.

And she was also extremely generous, fulfilling her promise.

On the third day after Gao Feng's "injuries improved," she dismissed her attendants and personally brought two precious Secret Manuals to his bedside.

One was the core Cultivation Technique of the Wind and Thunder Sword Sect—the "Wind Thunder Guide."

Su Meiniang not only gave Gao Feng the previously promised first three layers of the Mind-Cultivation Technique, completely copied, but also added the cultivation method for the fourth layer, showing great sincerity.

The other was the complete "Flood Dragon Overturning Sea Saber Technique" Secret Manual.

"Master Gao Feng, I have heard that the saber technique you possess seems to be missing the most crucial final move, 'Dragon Fighting in the Wild.' If it could be completed, it would truly leap into a Tier 4 martial art, and its power would be incomparable."

She handed the Secret Manual to Gao Feng, her words hinting at something, "It is a pity, however, that this final move is a secret that is not to be passed on by my Su family. My late husband once said that it must not be taught to anyone who is not of the Su family."

Gao Feng understood clearly that there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world; the tenderness and generous gifts of these past few days were merely the prelude.

Sure enough, seven days later, at the victory banquet held for Gao Feng, Su Meiniang finally revealed her true intentions.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere of the banquet reached its peak.

Su Meiniang, using the excuse of being slightly tipsy, waved her hand to dismiss all servants and guests, leaving only the two of them in the large banquet hall.

On her pretty face, flushed from drinking, her pair of peach blossom eyes flowed with watery light, looking at Gao Feng in a daze.

"Master Gao Feng, for a hero such as yourself to be relegated to the position of a mere Guest Elder is truly too unjust."

She breathed out like an orchid, her voice carrying a hint of tipsy huskiness, full of deadly temptation.

"I am but a widow. Although the family business left by my late husband is not small, it ultimately lacks a man who can stand tall to support it. Internally, there are Elders coveting it, and externally, there are strong enemies surrounding it. I... am truly exhausted."

As she spoke, a trace of pitiful mist rose in her eyes.

"If you do not mind, Master, and are willing to... marry into my Su family."

She finally revealed her ultimate goal, "Then I, and this entire Hanyang City branch, will become your strongest backing. Not to mention a mere Tier 4 saber technique, even the entire follow-up Cultivation Technique of the 'Wind Thunder Guide,' or even me using all my connections to recommend you to join the inner sect of the Wind and Thunder Sword Sect as an official Disciple—that is not impossible."

This was her beauty trap: using beauty as bait, power as a cage, and a bright future as a lock, aiming to completely bind Gao Feng, this untamable wild horse, to her war chariot.

However, the person she was facing was Gao Feng, whose heart was like steel.

After hearing her heartfelt "confession," a playful smile appeared on Gao Feng's face.

He slowly picked up the wine glass in front of him and drained it in one gulp.

Then, amidst Su Meiniang's astonished gaze, which was mixed with anticipation and nervousness, he suddenly stood up and walked, step by step, right in front of her.

A domineering aura, full of aggression and feeling almost tangible, instantly enveloped the entire room!

For the first time, Su Meiniang felt nervousness and unease from the bottom of her heart. She discovered that under his gaze, which was as sharp as a falcon's, she didn't even have the strength to move a finger.

"Helmsman."

Gao Feng looked down at her, a wicked arc curling at the corner of his mouth, "You seem to have misunderstood one thing."

"All along, it has always been me picking women, not women picking me."

Before his voice had even faded, right in front of Su Meiniang, he flicked his hand, and a gust of wind swept past, latching the room's door tightly from the inside!

"You... what are you doing?!"

For the first time, Su Meiniang's voice carried a hint of genuine panic.

Gao Feng did not answer. He simply extended his powerful arms and, like picking up a kitten, easily scooped up this beautiful Helmsman who could summon wind and rain in Hanyang City and was known for her deep schemes!

Then, amidst her cry of surprise, he strode towards the soft, embroidered bed covered with a quilt featuring mandarin ducks.

That night, the lamp in the room did not slowly extinguish until dawn.

...

The next morning, when the first ray of sunlight shone through the lattice window into the messy room, Su Meiniang lay on the bed, her whole body sore and weak, her eyes filled with extreme complexity.

She looked at the back of the man who was already fully dressed and was slowly and methodically wiping that menacing-looking three-pointed, double-edged blade with a piece of snow-white silk, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

There was shame and anger, unwillingness, and confusion, but more than that, it was a strange feeling of being completely conquered that she herself couldn't quite articulate.

She had never imagined that her beauty and schemes, which she prided herself on, would be so completely and ruthlessly crushed by a man in such a domineering and unreasonable way.

At this moment, Gao Feng turned around. He looked at the woman on the bed, whose charming eyes were like silk and full of allure, his tone flat but filled with an irresistible sense of control.

"Marrying into your family is impossible. You also cannot be my legal wife."

He paused, watching Su Meiniang's eyes instantly dim, and then slowly continued: "However, if you behave yourself and perform well, I might consider letting you be a concubine in the future. From now on, you will remain the Helmsman of this Hanyang City branch, but you must listen to me."

Su Meiniang bit her lip tightly, her pearly teeth almost drawing blood from those delicate, vibrant red lips.

In those soul-stirring peach blossom eyes, a monstrous mix of shame and anger, deep-seated unwillingness, and a hint of trembling and bewilderment—which she herself could not understand—after being crushed by absolute power, were intertwined.

She remained silent for a long, long time, her chest heaving violently.

In the end, that overflowing anger and unwillingness did not turn into a sigh of resignation, but instead condensed into a cold, icy resolve like the river water in deep winter.

She looked at this domineering and powerful man before her, who was like a Devil King, and looked at his gaze that controlled everything. A certain place in her heart had completely collapsed, but another place had tenaciously given birth to new barriers.

She knew that this time, she had truly fallen. In the face of pure strength and male aggression, all her schemes and tactics appeared so pale and powerless. But...

Make her a concubine?

She suddenly laughed. The laughter was light but carried a hint of self-deprecation and cold sharpness.

"Heh... Be your concubine?"

Su Meiniang slowly sat up from the messy bed, letting the brocade quilt slide off, revealing large areas of snow-white, delicate skin and the ambiguous marks left from last night.

She just sat there, naked and without fear, meeting Gao Feng's gaze, and said word by word:

"You are underestimating me, Su Meiniang. I, Su Meiniang, am a chess player in life and a chess player in death. Even if I lose, I will never become someone else's chess piece, let alone... a mere concubine."

Her eyes regained that coldness and pride of someone in a superior position.

Gao Feng didn't say anything more and left Su Meiniang's room directly.

There was not the slightest ripple in his heart; Su Meiniang's reaction did not exceed his expectations.

A woman capable of supporting such a large family business would lose her value if she were so easily and completely conquered.

The current situation was, instead, more interesting.

For him, women had always been just embellishments in life and aids on the road to progress.

And now, this chess piece, Su Meiniang, was clearly sharper and harder to control than he had expected.

But this did not prevent him from indirectly grasping most of the resources of the Four Seas Merchant Guild's Hanyang City branch by controlling Su Meiniang's body.

A subtle and dangerous balance formed between them—she was the Helmsman, and he was the "master" behind the Helmsman.

He returned to his room, closed the door, and immediately sank his consciousness into the spirit spring space.

He examined this world that belonged to him with great anticipation, but the expected expansion and upgrade did not appear.

Gao Feng frowned; it seemed that only a woman's first time could cause the spirit spring space to change.

He didn't think too much about it and laid out everything he had obtained this time in front of him.

First, there was the Wind Thunder Guide.

Su Meiniang had already handed him the first four layers of the Mind-Cultivation Technique, which was enough to support him as he Cultivate to the Middle Stage of the fourth rank.

This was already an unexpected joy. As for the subsequent Cultivation Technique, he knew it would be an important bargaining chip for future benefit exchanges with Su Meiniang.

Second, there was the Flood Dragon Overturning Sea Saber Technique.

In last night's fierce confrontation that involved both conquest and a transaction, Su Meiniang ultimately told him the mental formula for the final, untransmitted move of the Su family, "Dragon Battles in the Wild," as an exchange.

With this, the Complete Manual was in hand. This domineering battle formation saber technique leapt to become a true fourth-rank martial art, greatly improving his actual combat power.

Third, there was the Shadow Assassination Art.

This top-tier fourth-rank assassination art, combined with "Ghost Thirteen's" token and the Green Clothes, would be his best trump card for traveling in Jianghu and hiding his identity.

Fourth, there was the Phantom Steps Without a Trace, also a fourth-rank movement technique, which greatly compensated for his deficiencies in footwork.

And the final, and most important, harvest was that mysterious animal skin map obtained from the Thousand-Faced Thief's bosom!

Gao Feng carefully soaked that tattered map in the spirit spring, and a magical scene occurred!

The map, which was originally tattered and had blurry handwriting, actually slowly emitted a soft white light under the nourishment of the dense Spiritual Qi!

On the map, those ancient characters and strange symbols that were originally unreadable also became clear!

A three-dimensional, glowing map of mountain and river veins slowly emerged in his mind!

What was depicted on the map was, shockingly, an ancient ruin hidden deep within the Gui Jian Chou Mountain Range!

And the entrance to the ruins was right near the "Hundred Ghost Cave" that he had never touched!

In an instant, all the clues connected in his mind!

Gao Feng suddenly realized that the Green Clothes Tower assassin "Ghost Thirteen" and this mysterious "Thousand-Faced Thief" had been meticulously planning. One was lurking in the small Qinghe County, and the other was risking their life to provoke the Four Seas Merchant Guild. Their real goal was not some Gang territory, nor was it the merchant guild's wealth!

It was this mysterious map!

And that so-called "iron token" was likely one of the keys to opening the ruins!

And he, by some twist of fate, had intercepted the prize, becoming the final and only winner in this big game of chess!

A wave of uncontrollable excitement and ecstasy welled up in his heart!

He suppressed the excitement in his heart and quickly made a decision.

At present, although his Cultivation Technique was only fourth-rank, he already had a clear goal for obtaining a greater Opportunity.

Continuing to stay in Hanyang City no longer had much meaning.

He went to find Su Meiniang again. At this moment, she was already fully dressed, having restored her usual noble and cold Helmsman appearance, but the fatigue and allure that had not yet completely faded from the corners of her eyes and brows signaled last night's madness.

Gao Feng got straight to the point and asked her for a long leave, using the excuse that "in the battle with the Thousand-Faced Thief, my Origin was damaged, and I need to return to my hometown to search for an ancestral miracle medicine to quietly recuperate."

Su Meiniang looked at him deeply, her eyes complex. She did not pursue the matter, nor did she ask him to stay.

She knew that this man was like a fully-fledged eagle, and the small pond that was Hanyang City could simply not hold him.

Moreover, his leaving might actually be a good thing.

"You may go." She nodded, her tone calm. "Whatever manpower, gold, silver, or medicinal materials you need, just go to the accounting office and withdraw them. Only one thing..."

She paused, her peach blossom eyes staring intently at Gao Feng: "Don't die out there. I hope you can come back. I still need your blade here to suppress those old fellows who harbor evil intentions for me."

"Rest assured." A confident arc curled at the corner of Gao Feng's mouth, "When I return, I will give you a surprise."

He didn't say what the surprise was, but Su Meiniang read a sense of ambition in his eyes that made her heart palpitate.

She said no more and immediately arranged everything for him, even using her own authority to allocate a batch of precious medicinal materials that were hard to find for thousands of gold on the market, along with a large amount of gold and silver, for his "recuperation."