The heavens began with the Divine Condor becoming the disciple of the Old Urchin.

Chapter 13: First Meeting with Yang Guo

Upon hearing Guo Jing's question, Ma Yu, fearing that Qian Jin might not recognize Guo Jing, quickly introduced him:

"Junior Brother Qian, this is Uncle Zhou's sworn brother, Guo Jing."

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin immediately bowed and said:

"Qian Jin has met Guo Jing, the great hero Guo."

Upon seeing this, Guo Jing quickly returned the greeting and said:

"Young Master Qian, there's no need for such formalities. Although your master, the Old Urchin, is my sworn brother, your senior brother is also my mentor. So let's stick to our respective titles, otherwise the seniority system will really get messed up."

"Alright, let's each do our own thing then."

Qian Jin said something, and then briefly recounted how he helped the old rascal resolve his grievances to everyone.

Guo Jing sighed upon hearing this and said:

"I have known my sworn brother for many years, but I never thought of helping him resolve our grievances. I realize that it was really my fault."

Seeing Guo Jing's dejected expression, Ma Yu quickly comforted him:

"Jing'er, over the years you have been guarding Xiangyang and resisting the Mongol army. You have done your best for the country and the people. It is not your fault that you did not have the extra energy to help Uncle Zhou resolve his grievances."

Besides, it's a joyous occasion that Uncle Zhou is now living in seclusion in Hundred Flowers Valley with Ying Gu and Master Yideng. You should be happy for him.

Guo Jing nodded upon hearing this, only then realizing that he had been so busy talking that he had completely forgotten about Yang Guo.

So he quickly said:

"What about the children I brought with me? Who took them in? I hope they won't get hurt in the fire."

Ma Yu was taken aback upon hearing this and said:

"What child?"

"I'm here!"

Before Guo Jing could answer, a figure suddenly jumped down from the roof beam and quickly ran to Guo Jing's side.

Seeing that Yang Guo was unharmed, Guo Jing was relieved and quickly pulled him in front of him, saying:

"Come quickly and pay your respects to the ancestral masters."

Upon hearing this, Yang Guo was extremely displeased.

He had been hiding on the roof beam and could see clearly that these old Taoist priests had no skills whatsoever, let alone being as good as Guo Jing.

Even that young hero Qian is no match for him.

Now they even made him pay homage to the ancestral master.

However, Yang Guo dared not disobey Guo Jing's words, so he walked up to Ma Yu and the others and knelt down to kowtow to them one by one.

When it was Yin Zhiping's turn, Yang Guo immediately stopped, turned to Guo Jing, and said:

"Uncle Guo, this shouldn't be the founding master, right? Can we stop bowing to him?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Jing said:

"This is your Uncle Yin, quickly kowtow."

Yang Guo had no choice but to kneel down reluctantly and then pretend to kowtow.

After kowtowing to Yin Zhiping, it should normally be Qian Jin's turn.

However, Qian Jin looked to be only in his twenties, more than ten years younger than Yin Zhiping, so everyone thought that Yang Guo would try to cheat again.

Unexpectedly, without even asking any questions, he went straight to Qian Jin, knelt down, and proclaimed loudly:

"Young Yang Guo greets Grandmaster. Grandmaster, your martial arts are superb. You chased away those bad guys in just a few moves. Yang Guo kowtows to you."

Yang Guo's voice was loud and clear, and everyone could easily tell that he was deliberately mocking Ma Yu and the others for their lack of ability.

Upon hearing this, Guo Jing glared and shouted:

"Guo'er, how dare you be so rude?"

Hearing Guo Jing's rebuke, Yang Guo didn't care. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh and said:

"Oh dear, I was so busy paying respects to the patriarchs that I forgot to tell you that there's a Taoist priest tied up in a house over there. If you don't go and rescue him soon, he might be burned to death in the fire."

Everyone was startled upon hearing this and quickly asked:

"Which room is it?"

Yang Guo pointed and said:

"It seems like it should be that one! I wonder who tied him up there."

Upon seeing the location Yang Guo pointed to, Yin Zhiping immediately rushed over and soon rescued a fat Taoist priest from the room.

The fat Taoist priest was blackened by the smoke, and tears were streaming down his face, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

However, upon seeing Yang Guo, he was immediately enraged and lunged at him.

Yang Guo was prepared, so how could he let him catch him? He quickly hid behind Guo Jing.

This fat Taoist priest was none other than Lu Qingdu, the Quanzhen Taoist priest whom Qian Jin had encountered when he first transmigrated.

Seeing that Yang Guo had hidden behind Guo Jing, and that he couldn't do anything to him, he couldn't help but start cursing:

"You little bastard, you're going to get your Daoist master killed."

Wang Chuyi, standing behind him, recognized the fat Taoist priest as Zhao Zhijing's disciple, and couldn't help but shout angrily:

"Lu Qingdu, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Lu Qingdu was startled upon hearing this, only then realizing that the sect leader and all the masters were present. He realized that his reckless words were a grave offense.

So he immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying:

"This disciple deserves to die; please punish me, Ancestral Master."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chuyi glanced at Lu Qingdu, then at Yang Guo behind Guo Jing, before speaking in a deep voice:

"Tell me the truth right now!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingdu recounted the events that had just transpired to everyone in detail.

It turns out that Yang Guo had just been captured by Zhao Zhijing and sent up the mountain to be guarded by Lu Qingdu.

However, Yang Guo was quick-witted and soon used a trick to capture Lu Qingdu, tie him up in the room, and gag him with a cloth.

Later, when Chongyang Palace caught fire, he couldn't run away or shout for help. If it weren't for Yin Zhiping's timely rescue, he probably would have been burned to death.

Upon hearing this, everyone finally understood why Lu Qingdu had been so angry with Yang Guo earlier.

However, seeing how Yang Guo, with his thin and small appearance, could actually outmaneuver Lu Qingdu, they couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Jing'er, this is your son, isn't it?"

Upon hearing Ma Yu's words, Guo Jing shook his head and said:

"No, this is the son of my sworn brother Yang Kang."

After saying that, he briefly explained his purpose for coming here: to have Yang Guo become a disciple of the Quanzhen School.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Chuji looked closely at Yang Guo and saw that he indeed resembled Yang Kang in some ways, which saddened him.

Yang Kang coveted wealth and status and recognized a thief as his father. Qiu Chuji always felt that he bore a lot of responsibility for this.

If he had been disciplined more strictly back then, perhaps such a tragic ending could have been avoided.

Thinking of all this, Qiu Chuji couldn't help but sigh and said:

"Jing'er, your martial arts skills are already far superior to ours. Why make him join the Quanzhen Sect? Wouldn't it be better if you taught him yourself?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Jing was about to explain when suddenly a rousing horn sounded from the west, its tone carrying a chilling intent, clearly a challenge.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Chuji immediately became furious and said:

"Damn it, after being chased away by Junior Brother Qian, these bastards actually went to challenge Little Dragon Girl again."

Qian Jin deliberately beat Huo Du up without actually hurting him, so that he would leave and then go find Xiaolongnu.

Then, with an angry expression, he said:

"These villains are so shameless, I'll go and see for myself."