[Unexpectedly, after joining the Quanzhen Sect, you discovered that those wretched Taoists only knew how to bully others, dumping all the work on you. Every day, you went hungry and faced endless chores.
Thus, you decided to flee the Quanzhen Sect. However, while escaping at night, you accidentally fell into the pool and ended up stumbling into this place.
After hearing your tragic tale, Granny Sun was moved with compassion and pleaded with Little Dragon Maiden to let you stay in the Ancient Tomb to avoid being caught and beaten to death by those wretched Taoists.
At first, Little Dragon Maiden wanted to refuse. But to her surprise, you directly revealed the secret engravings in the hidden chamber, claiming that it must have been the spirit of Ancestor Lin Chaoying guiding you there.
The innocent Little Dragon Maiden believed your words and ultimately agreed to let you stay in the Ancient Tomb—on the condition that you join the Ancient Tomb Sect.
Since you were around the same age as Little Dragon Maiden, she didn't take you as her disciple. Instead, she accepted you as her junior brother on behalf of her master, making you the youngest disciple alongside her and Li Mochou.
After becoming a disciple of the Ancient Tomb Sect, you gained the right to cultivate on the Cold Jade Bed, increasing your internal energy growth rate by roughly tenfold.]
[Year 1: After over a year of arduous cultivation, bolstered by the Nine Yin Manual, Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, and the Cold Jade Bed, your internal energy and martial arts progressed by leaps and bounds. You could now be considered a second-rate expert in the martial world.
Just as you were practicing the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra with Little Dragon Maiden on the Cold Jade Bed as usual, Granny Sun suddenly returned from outside with a handsome youth—Yang Guo, who had fled the Quanzhen Sect.
Learning that Yang Guo's plight was similar to yours, Little Dragon Maiden—who had already devoted herself to you and regained normal human emotions—was also moved with compassion. She ultimately agreed to Granny Sun's request and took the disheveled Yang Guo into the Ancient Tomb Sect.
Since Yang Guo had heard from Granny Sun that you, too, had escaped into the Ancient Tomb after suffering under the Quanzhen Taoists' bullying, he felt a kinship with you and chose to become your disciple, joining the Ancient Tomb Sect.
You knew that while Yang Guo was mischievous and playful, his nature wasn't bad.
Thus, after accepting him as your disciple, you didn't hold back, teaching him both the Nine Yin Manual and the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.
With Yang Guo's arrival, your daily practice of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra increased significantly. You now spent at least four hours cultivating with Little Dragon Maiden and another four hours with Yang Guo.
Under your careful guidance, Yang Guo experienced unprecedented care and was moved to tears, gradually coming to regard you as a father figure.
Before becoming your disciple, Yang Guo had two other masters—Huang Rong and Zhao Zhijing. Unfortunately, neither treated him well, leaving him with no sense of master-disciple bond.
Not long after Yang Guo joined the Ancient Tomb Sect, Li Mochou also came knocking, seeking to seize the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. However, she was defeated by the combined swordplay of you and Little Dragon Maiden.
Knowing that Li Mochou was a vengeful woman, you prepared to kill her to eliminate future trouble, but Little Dragon Maiden stopped you.
Originally, Little Dragon Maiden's emotionless nature wouldn't have cared about Li Mochou's fate. But after becoming "your shape," she gradually developed normal human emotions and couldn't bear to kill her childhood senior sister.
Out of respect for Little Dragon Maiden, you had no choice but to let Li Mochou go.
After leaving the Ancient Tomb, Li Mochou didn't give up. Though she couldn't defeat your combined swordplay, she could target your disciple, Yang Guo.
When Li Mochou had massacred the Lu family, she had once met Yang Guo and knew he was a restless soul who wouldn't stay cooped up in the Ancient Tomb forever.
After lying in wait outside the tomb for over half a month, Li Mochou finally caught Yang Guo accompanying Granny Sun on a supply run. She ambushed them, knocked Granny Sun unconscious, and kidnapped the still-weak Yang Guo.
By the time Granny Sun woke up, Li Mochou had already taken Yang Guo far from Mount Zhongnan. Granny Sun hurried back to the Ancient Tomb to report the incident to you and Little Dragon Maiden.
Having trained in the tomb for over a year, you were already itching to leave. Seizing this opportunity under the pretext of rescuing Yang Guo, you took Little Dragon Maiden with you and left the Ancient Tomb.
You knew Li Mochou had kidnapped Yang Guo to extract the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra from him, so you weren't overly worried about his safety.
Moreover, Yang Guo was a clever little rascal. Who knew who would end up worse off after Li Mochou took him?
Under the guise of searching for Li Mochou and Yang Guo, you traveled with Little Dragon Maiden, eventually arriving at Xiangyang City.]
[Year 2: After over two months of searching, you finally found the valley where Dugu Qiubai had once lived in seclusion.
You gained the Divine Eagle's approval and settled in the valley with Little Dragon Maiden, consuming several Pusiqu Snake gallbladders daily to aid your cultivation.
Since Little Dragon Maiden was naturally a homebody, she loved the secluded life in the Divine Eagle Valley. Every day, she practiced the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra and dual swordplay with you for several hours.
You stayed in the valley for over half a year, only leaving after the Pusiqu Snake gallbladders ceased to benefit you.]
[Year 3: At Little Dragon Maiden's insistence, you returned to the Ancient Tomb on Mount Zhongnan after leaving the Divine Eagle Valley, reuniting with Granny Sun after over a year apart.
Though Granny Sun told you Yang Guo still hadn't returned to the tomb, you weren't in a hurry to leave. Instead, you stayed in the tomb for a while.
After all, "East or west, home is best." After traveling with you for over a year, Little Dragon Maiden couldn't help but miss home.
Under the cover of night, you sneaked into the Quanzhen Sect, knocked out Zhen Zhibing while he was meditating, removed his two "bells," and planted them in Zhao Zhijing's bedroom, framing him for the deed.
With Zhen Zhibing—a potential threat—dealt with, your mind cleared, and your comprehension of the Nine Yin Manual and Jade Maiden Heart Sutra deepened.
After staying in the tomb with Little Dragon Maiden for over a month, you used the excuse of searching for Yang Guo to take her traveling again.
During your journeys, you encountered many instances of banditry and injustice. You and Little Dragon Maiden couldn't stand idly by, drawing your swords to punish evildoers. Gradually, you earned the title of "The Condor Heroes."
Influenced by you, Little Dragon Maiden grew accustomed to this life of upholding justice and no longer spoke of returning to the tomb at every turn.]
(End of Chapter)