Wuxia: Become the 100-Victory Sword King at the Beginning

Inside the main hall of Yihua Palace, the flickering candlelight was reflected in the cold jade floor tiles.

The Palace Mistress of Yaoyue ran her fingertips along the carvings on the gilded chair, the frost between her brows seeming even colder than the snow and ice outside the palace.

Palace Mistress Lianxing lowered her eyes and stroked the jade flute. The ice patterns on the flute trembled with her fingertips, emitting a soft hum.

“As long as Jiang Feng is not eliminated, I will feel like I have a fishbone stuck in my throat.” Yaoyue suddenly spoke, her voice so cold it could freeze the air. “Shi Feiyang has been having a lot of dealings with Jiang Feng lately. If he causes trouble…” Before she could finish her sentence, her killing intent had already solidified into a tangible form.

Lianxing paused slightly on her jade flute, then said softly, "Sister, although Shi Feiyang's actions are absurd, he has a deep affection for the Yihua Palace..."

"What about Yihua Palace?" Yaoyue sneered, her wide sleeves flashing as the candlelight dimmed abruptly. "He's nothing but a rogue who infiltrated the palace! What I want is Jiang Feng's life, and his proud head! If anyone dares to stop me..."

A faint blue aura emanated from her palm, instantly freezing the teacup in front of her. "Gods will be slain, Buddhas will be slain!" Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall, and a maid rushed in, her face filled with panic: "Palace Master! The Thunderfire Camp has broken into the Yihua Palace, and the leader is none other than He Qiulian!"

Yaoyue and Lianxing exchanged a glance, a calculating glint in their eyes. A chilling smile curled at the corner of Yaoyue's lips: "Perfect timing." She turned and ordered, "Summon Shi Feiyang to see me."

A moment later, Shi Feiyang swaggered into the hall, chewing on a sugar cake he'd somehow acquired: "The Palace Master summoned me to invite me to a grand feast? I've been eyeing the rock sugar braised pork knuckle from the kitchen for ages!"

With a cold expression, Yaoyue slammed a bloodstained secret letter onto the stone table: "The Thunderfire Battalion has trespassed into my Yihua Palace. You must immediately lure them into the Peach Blossom Formation and ascertain their purpose. If you fail to do this..."

An icicle flashed at her fingertips. "You should know the consequences."

Shi Feiyang picked up the secret letter, glanced at it, and suddenly exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Oh dear! He Qiulian is so ill-mannered, coming to visit without even announcing in advance! But don't worry, I guarantee I'll treat them like Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls), cooking them into submission in the peach blossom array!" After saying that, he winked at Lianxing, "Master Lianxing, if I do a good job, could you reward me with two jars of peach blossom wine?"

Lianxing chuckled at his teasing, but Yaoyue waved impatiently, "Hurry up and go!" Shi Feiyang left the main hall leisurely, but his smile vanished the moment he stepped out. He gazed at the peach blossom array that was faintly visible in the night, a sly glint in his eyes.

The timing of the Thunderfire Battalion's attack is too coincidental; there must be something more to it.

Within the peach blossom array, the screams of the men in black echoed one after another. Shi Feiyang, wielding the Xuan Shuang Blade, moved like a ghost among the strange rocks and peach trees. He used the "Shifting Flowers and Receiving Jade" technique to deflect all the hidden weapons shot by the men in black, and then used the "Sword Intent Ruins" technique from the "Nine Heavens Sword Canon" to conjure thousands of sword energies, leaving blood splattering wherever they passed.

"He Qiulian! What kind of hero hides his head and shows his tail!" Shi Feiyang leaped onto a peach tree and shouted loudly. Before he finished speaking, a red shadow struck like lightning. He Qiulian's soft whip, with a sharp whistling sound, went straight for his throat.

Shi Feiyang let out a strange cry and used the profound lightness skill of "Concealing One's Body and Name" to barely dodge the attack. He swung his sword backhand, and the Nine Heavens Sword Intent flowing on the sword collided with the soft whip, bursting out dazzling sparks.

"Sister Qiulian, let's talk this out!" he shouted as he dodged. "You've brought so many people to Yihua Palace in the middle of the night, are you here to deliver midnight snacks to the Palace Master?"

He Qiulian sneered, "You glib-tongued brat, prepare to die!"

Suddenly, the soft whip in her hand trembled, splitting into nine sections, each gleaming with a deadly, poisonous light. Upon seeing this, Shi Feiyang's eyes flashed with seriousness. He activated his Bright Jade Skill, his skin glowing with a crystalline sheen, and the suction force of the vortex in his palm intensified dramatically. Immediately afterward, Shi Feiyang's palms danced, unleashing the "Shifting Flowers and Jade: Thousand Transformations!" He Qiulian's attack strangely shifted towards her subordinates.

The men in black were caught off guard and were instantly killed or wounded. He Qiulian was both shocked and furious. Taking advantage of Shi Feiyang's weakened state, she wrapped her soft whip around his wrist like a serpent. "You little bastard, prepare to die!" Just as He Qiulian was about to exert her strength, Shi Feiyang suddenly grinned and pulled out a handful of glutinous rice from his pocket, scattering it into the air.

The glutinous rice turned into golden light in the air, colliding with the soft whip and producing a piercing roar. He Qiulian was forced to retreat, and Shi Feiyang seized the opportunity to unleash "Sword Qi Calamity." The sword energy that erupted from the Xuan Shuang Blade was like a raging dragon emerging from the sea, tearing her clothes in several places.

He Qiulian was so angry that she gritted her teeth, but she was no match for Shi Feiyang, so she had no choice but to run away.

"Until we meet again, Sister Qiulian!" Shi Feiyang laughed and turned around, chasing after her outside the Yihua Palace.

He keenly observed that He Qiulian, during her retreat, was intentionally or unintentionally fleeing towards Nangong Wan's direction.

As night deepened, the high walls of Nangongwan cast eerie shadows under the moonlight.

Shi Feiyang scaled the courtyard wall like a cat and arrived at Nangong Xiaodie's embroidery tower with practiced ease.

He picked up a pebble and gently tapped on the window.

The window quietly opened, and Nangong Xiaodie's pretty face peeked out. When she saw him, she was both surprised and delighted: "Young Master Shi, what brings you here?"

Shi Feiyang climbed in through the window and casually pulled a paper package from his pocket: "These are osmanthus sugar cakes I brought for you, but..."

He leaned closer to Nangong Xiaodie and lowered his voice, "What I want to know now is, what exactly are Lei Huo Camp and your Nangong family up to?" Nangong Xiaodie's expression changed slightly, and she hesitated to speak.

Seeing this, Shi Feiyang suddenly grasped her hand: "Miss Xiaodie, don't worry, with me here, I will definitely not let you suffer any injustice." His palm was warm and his eyes were sincere. Nangong Xiaodie felt her heart soften. Just as she was about to speak, she heard footsteps coming from afar.

"Someone's coming!" Nangong Xiaodie hurriedly pushed him away. "You'd better get out of here!"

Shi Feiyang blinked and quickly kissed her cheek: "Don't be afraid, I'll come find you after I find out the truth!"

Having said that, he used his unparalleled "Thousand Miles Without Leaving a Trace" lightness skill and disappeared into the night like a night owl.

Meanwhile, Nangong Wan had another pair of eyes, which were staring menacingly in the direction he had left—Nangong Yuchuan clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, his eyes filled with jealousy and murderous intent.

Inside the main hall of Yihua Palace, Yaoyue gazed at the firelight in the direction of the Peach Blossom Array, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.

What she wanted was for Shi Feiyang to be distracted so that she could carry out her plan smoothly.

As for the Thunderfire Camp, they were merely pawns in her game.

In July, the setting sun was blazing, and the lingering heat of the sun made it hard for both people and horses to breathe. But Jiang Feng kept urging the horses on with his whip, and the carriage sped along, crushing the roadside weeds, just like the waists of the girls who had once been captivated by Jiang Feng.

Suddenly, a rooster crowed, tearing apart the oppressive silence between heaven and earth.

But at dusk, on the old road, where did the rooster's crow come from?!
Jiang Feng's expression changed. His sharp gaze swept over the brim of the tattered hat pressed against his brow and saw a large rooster standing motionless on the trunk of a withered willow tree by the roadside, as if nailed there. Its magnificent comb and colorful feathers shimmered with dazzling golden light in the setting sun.

There seemed to be a kind of vicious, eerie light in the rooster's eyes.

Jiang Feng's face grew even paler, and he suddenly reined in the carriage. He and Hua Yuenü had been killed by Ji Guan, Hei Mian Jun, and others, leaving only a pair of twins alive.

Yaoyue and Lianxing adopted one of the babies, leaving the other baby by the roadside.

……

The summer in Nangong Wan was sweetly tinged with the scent of water lilies. Nangong Xiaodie leaned against the carved railing, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the peach blossom note left by Shi Feiyang yesterday. The ink, still wet, spread faint watermarks on the rice paper, just like the unyielding tenderness in her eyes.

Suddenly, the sound of clothes rustling in the wind came from the end of the corridor. Looking up, they saw Shi Feiyang scaling the wall and entering. His Xuan Shuang Blade was still unsheathed, but a hibiscus flower glistening with dew was tucked into his hair. "Little Butterfly!" Shi Feiyang waved the oil paper package in his hand, revealing two rows of white teeth. "I specially went out of my way to buy osmanthus sugar cakes, ten times sweeter than the ice cubes from Yihua Palace!" Before he finished speaking, a chilling palm wind suddenly attacked from behind.

Nangong Yuchuan appeared like a ghost, his fingertips covered in purplish-black scales gleaming with a sinister light, and his "Yin Sha Claw" aimed straight for Shi Feiyang's back.

Nangong Xiaodie cried out and rushed forward, only to see Shi Feiyang spin around and swing his sword, the "Sword Qi Tribulation" of the "Nine Heavens Sword Canon" transforming into a golden sword curtain.

The moment the sword energy collided with the claw wind, Nangong Yuchuan's fingernails shattered inch by inch, and black blood splattered onto the bluestone slab with a sizzling sound.

"Raising claws isn't easy, is it?" Shi Feiyang shook off the blood droplets on the tip of his sword, took out a ceramic bottle and shook it. "I'll give you a bottle of nail-protecting oil—scorpion juice mixed with rotten leaves from the Corpse Forest. I guarantee you'll scratch people even more vigorously next time!" His grinning appearance provoked Nangong Yuchuan to shout and attack again.

Nangong Xiaodie was frantic with worry. She grabbed her soft whip to help, but then she saw Shi Feiyang leap onto the roof, his clothes fluttering as he scattered petals everywhere. It turned out that he had secretly unleashed "Sword Intent Ruins," turning thousands of peach blossoms into sharp blades, forcing Nangong Yuchuan to retreat repeatedly.

In the midst of the fierce battle, Shi Feiyang suddenly winked at her: "Xiao Die, catch!" The sugar cake in his hand flew through the air, and Nangong Xiao Die subconsciously reached out, but the cake was shattered into dust by the Yin Sha Claw Force when it touched her palm.

"How dare you!" Nangong Xiaodie's eyes were red, and her soft whip wrapped around Nangong Yuchuan's wrist like a serpent. The "Nine Forms of Dragon Soaring" that she had practiced since childhood was originally designed to restrain evil martial arts, but now, in order to protect her beloved, her moves suddenly burst forth with unprecedented ferocity.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shi Feiyang unleashed "Sword Domain Annihilation," and the golden halo drawn by the Xuan Shuang Blade enveloped the two of them, with sword energy and whip shadows intertwining to form a dazzling net of light.

When Nangong Yuchuan retreated in a disheveled state, Nangong Xiaodie had already collapsed to the ground.

Shi Feiyang rushed over and tore off a piece of his shirt to bandage her bleeding palm: "Silly girl, who told you to take that head-on?" His warm fingertips touched her cold skin. "Next time, hide behind me. This stinking skin of mine can take a beating much better than a sugar cake."

Nangong Xiaodie raised her tearful eyes and suddenly buried her face in his shoulder: "I don't want you to get hurt... If anything happens to you, I will use this whip to shatter every single brick of Nangong Wan."

Her voice trembled, and the scent of jasmine mixed with the smell of blood in her hair sent a shiver down Shi Feiyang's spine.

He awkwardly patted her back, then noticed that half a petal of the hibiscus flower in her hair had been cut off by the sword energy. As if possessed, he plucked his own flower and pinned it to her hair: "The flower is beautiful, but you are even more beautiful. From now on, my sword will only be used to protect you."

As dusk deepened, Nangong Xiaodie clutched his blood-stained sleeve, refusing to let go, like a wounded fawn: "Tomorrow... will you come again tomorrow?"

Shi Feiyang chuckled and flicked her forehead, the Xuan Shuang Blade reflecting a gentle arc in the setting sun: "Wait till I steal your brother's account book and use it as candy wrappers to wrap the sweetest osmanthus cake for you." The evening breeze swept across the lotus pond, stirring up ripples.

Watching Shi Feiyang's departing figure, Nangong Xiaodie touched the burning spot on her chest, where he had hidden half a piece of broken jade—Nangong Yuchuan's accessory that had been severed by Xuan Shuang Blade during the fierce battle.

She pressed the jade against her cheek, murmuring words only she could hear: "No matter how dangerous this world is, I will be your sharpest sheath."

In the height of summer, the lotus flowers in the lotus pond at Nangong Wan were in full bloom. Nangong Xiaodie, holding a round fan, had been lingering by the pond for three whole hours.

She would occasionally tiptoe and peer in the direction Shi Feiyang often came from, her eyes filled with anticipation and anxiety.

The jasmine in her hair had long since withered, but she was completely unaware.

"Why aren't they here yet..." she murmured softly, her voice filled with endless disappointment.

Unconsciously, the fan in his hand tapped against his palm, leaving faint red marks.

Suddenly, she heard familiar footsteps in the distance. She looked up sharply, her eyes instantly lighting up with a brilliant light.

Shi Feiyang walked over with his hands behind his back, a roguish smile on his lips.

Before he could even speak, Nangong Xiaodie had already thrown herself into his arms like a swallow returning to its nest, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist as if afraid he would suddenly disappear: "You've finally come, I've been waiting for you for so, so long..."

Shi Feiyang chuckled and ruffled her hair: "Little glutton, craving sweet cakes again?"

"No, that's not it..." Nangong Xiaodie raised her head, her eyes reddening. "I... I was just worried about you. The martial world has been quite turbulent these past few days, and I was afraid you would encounter danger..." As she spoke, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Shi Feiyang panicked a little and awkwardly reached out to wipe away her tears: "Don't cry, don't cry. I'm so powerful, who can hurt me?"

“But…” Nangong Xiaodie choked up, “I just can’t help worrying… You don’t know, I haven’t been able to eat or sleep these past few days, and you’re all I can think about…” She buried her face in his chest.

Shi Feiyang's heart stirred, and he looked down at the person in his arms. Her hair exuded a faint fragrance, and her body trembled slightly; she truly looked pitiful. He sighed softly and hugged her even tighter: "Silly girl, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I? I won't let you worry anymore."

"Really?" Nangong Xiaodie looked up, her eyes full of hope. "Then promise me that no matter what happens, you'll tell me immediately. Although my martial arts are not as good as yours, I still want to help you, even if it's just bandaging your wounds or making you some medicine..."

She paused, then whispered, "I'd do anything to be by your side..." As she spoke, she pulled a delicate brocade pouch from her bosom. "I made this myself. Inside are talismans for exorcising evil spirits and medicine for wounds. Take it with you, in case..."

Shi Feiyang took the brocade pouch; it felt soft to the touch and carried her fragrance. Looking into her expectant yet apprehensive eyes, a warm feeling welled up inside him.

He smiled and kissed her forehead: "Okay, my little butterfly, from now on you'll protect me, okay?"

Nangong Xiaodie's cheeks flushed, but she nodded firmly: "Okay! I will always protect you. If anyone dares to hurt you, I will fight them to the death!" She clenched her fists tightly, looking both cute and heartbreaking.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the two of them, casting long shadows.

Nangong Xiaodie leaned on Shi Feiyang's shoulder, listening to his strong heartbeat, and felt that this moment was eternity. Even if there were mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, she was willing, just to walk side by side with him. (End of Chapter)