Mountains and rivers are waiting for you to return

Chapter 10 Madam Xuanwu
Although this move had no power and was inconspicuous, and no one even noticed it, it caught the attention of the swordsmen on the field.

He gritted his teeth, stared at the place where the melon seeds had hit, and kicked back several times, each time hitting the axe hard.

The knuckles of Zhou Yuliang's hands holding the axe handle were in pain from the shock and he had no strength left. The axe head just fell to the ground and the opponent's broken sword was aimed at his chest.

The scene changed drastically in an instant.

The swordsman put away his sword, exhaled, and bowed, "Thank you for letting me."

The audience finally reacted and then burst into deafening applause.

Pei Nai, however, felt that Zhou Yuliang was far inferior to his father, and that Tao Jiang Tianfu no longer had the strength of Liu Jiang.

She looked away and found that people at the next table were looking at her and whispering, with some surprise in their eyes.

Pei Nai was also a little puzzled. She felt that she had thrown the melon seeds in a very concealed way and would not be discovered by ordinary people at the next table.

"That's amazing! You really got it right!" The little beauty behind him turned around again, with an admiring look on her face. She stretched out her hand and shook hands with him: "Let me introduce myself. My name is Wang Yixi. What's your name?"

Pei Nai was stunned, and after taking a closer look, he found that she indeed had the temperament of Princess Guangping, so it was definitely her.

Wang Yixi, Princess Chenzhao bestowed by the late emperor himself, is the youngest daughter of Prince Guangping. Prince Guangping has eight sons but only this one daughter, so he cherishes her very much.

The gift for her full month was chosen by Pei Nai herself. The princess handed the child to Pei Nai to hold, letting her satisfy her desire to hold the child in her hands.

Yixi was still young and wrinkled at that time, but who would have thought that she would grow up to be so beautiful.

"Tang Mingzhi." Pei Nai also reached out and shook hands.

Wang Yixi thought for a moment, "Are you Ju Liancheng's cousin?"

Pei Nai nodded, thinking that since this was the capital city, it was not surprising that the children of the noble families were connected with each other.

"Does Zhou Yuliang have any grudge against you?" Wang Yixi asked again.

Pei Nai's heart fluttered, and he spoke cautiously: "Did you see it? That melon seed."

Wang Yixi made a helpless expression and pointed downwards.

Pei Nai turned his head and looked down.

Zhou Yuliang had picked up the melon seed at some point and was looking up at her.

Pei Nai, feeling guilty, gently pulled the bamboo curtain on his side and hid himself behind it, his ears turning a little red.

She laughed dryly and replied to Wang Yixi: "His elders have some old grudges with my family."

Pei Nai made up a reason that was pretty close to the truth. She couldn't say that she had fought with Zhou Yuliang's father, so she did it to protect the young emperor.

Wang Yixi didn't care about other people's opinions and just sighed, "The story of the Zhou family is also very sad. His father Zhou Mingfang was a chivalrous hero all his life, but in the end, for some reason, he got involved in the fight for the throne. He thought he was loyal, but he chose the wrong path, and ended up being cursed for the rest of his life. The current emperor almost died under his axe, but he died, and the Zhou family has had a hard time these years."

Pei Nai became curious, so he started by asking about the Zhou family's affairs and everything that had happened in the martial arts world in recent years.

The two of them gradually started chatting and felt that they got along well. Their necks felt sore from turning their heads to chat, so Wang Yixi invited her to sit at the same table.

The programs below were not affected in any way.

Pei Nai glanced at him from time to time, fearing that Zhou Yuliang would come up to settle the score with her.

They chatted more and more excitedly, and finally talked about whatever came to their mind. Pei Nai felt that there was a kind of cheerfulness and open-mindedness constantly coming out of Yi Xi's words, which was very much to her liking.

The two people were chatting enthusiastically and time passed by quickly.

Unexpectedly, Madam Xuanwu, who was supposed to be the finale, was about to go on stage. Everyone stopped talking and looked towards the stage.

Pei Naike did not forget the purpose of her coming here.

Amid the cheers of the crowd, more than a dozen drum beats suddenly rang out at the same time.

dong dong.

dong dong.

The drum beats were in unison, powerful and earth-shaking, creating a soul-stirring momentum.

Then the frequency of the drum beating became faster and faster, tugging at people's hearts, the drum sounded boom boom boom.

It came to an abrupt end with one final heavy knock. At the same time, countless red ribbons fell from the ceiling above the stage, one end connected to the ceiling, the other end hanging down. Each red ribbon was floating in the air at some distance.

Pei Nai finally understood why a clerk was walking back and forth in the corridor and opening some windows.

The window was opened for ventilation, so that the red ribbon could sway gently in the wind. In the center of the stage, a woman in red slowly descended from the sky holding a zither.

Three thick red ropes were tied firmly around the woman, allowing her to move freely in the air while also holding her back to protect her safety.

This is Madam Xuan Wu, the current owner of Mingyue Tower, and also the person who is now accompanying Lord Duan Ding as people say.

It seems like it is standing in the air, and its waist is not even as thin as a hand.

The hem of the red dress danced and swayed along with the red silks floating in the air, with a slight arc and a distance not too far from each piece of red silk.

It allows the audience to see her and the piano while also creating a sense of haziness.

When the others were leaning forward, trying to see Madam Xuanwu's face more clearly, there was a "boom" and something exploded in Pei Nai's brain like a line of fireworks. Sparks flew in an instant and she was stunned.

So, Madam Xuanwu actually looks 80% similar to when she was Pei Nai.

For a moment, she even thought it was herself in the hazy bronze mirror.

Could it be that just like her soul possessed someone else, someone else also possessed her?
No, that was definitely not her.

There is still a gap, a big gap. Completely contrary to her who has practiced martial arts for many years, Madam Xuanwu has a small frame and body shape. It is obvious that it cannot be her.

Gu Jinheng gave all the love she had never received to another woman who could replace her after her death.

Her heart sank and she was filled with disappointment. Before she could calm down, she suddenly felt a headache.

There are all kinds of sounds in my ears, it's extremely noisy.

Everything went white before my eyes, and intermittent images appeared.

Once again, she saw the entire army drop their weapons three times in a row, shaking the heavens and the earth.

Amid the rumbling of the earth, a uniform order was heard, "All the Pei family troops, obey the general's order!"

Then the scene changed and she saw a bright moon.

Her head started to hurt as if it was exploding from within. She covered her head in pain and heard a familiar voice, "Did he ever say that he likes you?"

Then she remembered her answer and murmured, "Never."

The voices in my head are becoming more and more chaotic and I can't tell where they are coming from.

She clearly couldn't remember anything, but she clearly heard those voices. Someone whispered, "Don't trust Gu Jinheng too much!"

Another person shouted on the vast plain: "Don't forget, you are fighting for your country!"

The last cry was a heart-wrenching cry, but it was her name that was read: "Pei Nai!!"

　【Liu Nianxuan/Character Story Card】（1/2）

　　Liu Nianxuan was only eight years old when she was sold to a brothel.

　　Her parents sold her to a local brothel owner because her brother was about to get married and the family was short of money.

　　She lost her virginity when she was fourteen. The customer was an ugly man with a fat head and big ears, and his actions were very rough. She could hardly recall it. It was her nightmare. Every time she thought about it, she would feel nauseous and sad, and even lose the courage to live.

　　Because of her good looks and her talent for music, she was sold to Fengqi Tower in the capital.

　　Until one day, an official was surprised by her appearance and paid a large sum of money to redeem her.

　　The official had her dressed up and presented her to the famous Duke Duan Ding.

　　She then realized that she looked similar to Madam Yingwu.

　　When she appeared before Duke Duan Ding and looked into his eyes, she had never imagined that such a noble and powerful man would suddenly lose color and reveal a pitiful and helpless expression.

　　But after he saw her clearly, disappointment overwhelmed everything again, and his expression became cold, as if the changes just now were all their illusions.

　　When the banquet was over, Duke Duan Ding dismissed everyone and stood at a distance from her without touching her. He only asked, "Is there anything you want to do?"

　　She knelt down and answered, "I only know music and dancing, and I am not good at anything else, but I will obey your orders."

　　The master sat on the main seat, looking down at her, "You look a lot like my wife. I don't want you to go back to your old profession, but if you like acting, I can arrange another way for you to make a living."

　　"Master, aren't you going to accept me as your daughter?" Liu Nianxuan raised her body and asked cautiously.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)