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

Chapter 426. Vermilion Bird Burns Clouds, Startling the Turbid World; Jade Cudgel Shatters Shadows, Battle in the Deep Palace.
As dusk turned the Yangtze River into flowing crimson gold, Shi Feiyang, with Yang Jinghao in his arms, walked out of the secret room and arrived at the entrance of a cave on the back of the mountain. Gazing at the rolling Yangtze River flowing eastward, both of them felt a sense of liberation!
Shi Feiyang stood for a while, then squatted down on the moss-covered reef, poking at the muddy shore with a bright green bamboo stick: "Your Highness, did your father's southern tour take over the entire Jiangdu waterway? Are we waiting for a boat here, or are we going to wait until our hair grows longer than the beard of the Dragon King of the East Sea?"

Yang Jinghao glared at him, her delicate hand lightly stroking the bloodstains on her skirt, when she suddenly felt the rocks beneath her feet tremble. Shi Feiyang suddenly leaped up, the deerskin bag popping open with a "snap," and a crimson phantom soared into the sky. In an instant, the world changed color, the river surface surged and boiled, and a firebird ten zhang long burst out of the bag.

However, when Zhuque, Shi Feiyang's good brother who had accompanied him for nearly a thousand years, spread his wings, his tail feathers trailed thousands of crimson-gold flames, burning half the sky like a purgatory, and the Yangtze River was steamed up into a hundred-foot-high white mist.

"This little guy's been holding back for ages!" Shi Feiyang laughed, put his arm around Yang Jinghao's waist, and leaped onto the Vermilion Bird's back. The divine bird's long cry echoed through the mountains on both banks. Wherever its wingtips swept, wooden boats instantly turned to ashes. The people on the shore knelt down one after another, some throwing offerings into the river, crying out, "The God of Fire has descended!"

Yang Jinghao gripped Shi Feiyang's sleeve tightly, feeling the scorching wind rushing towards her, when she saw him pull out a small bronze mirror: "Princess, look! Our look is guaranteed to make the headlines of the Jiangdu gossip tabloids!"

In the twilight, the glazed tiles of the Jiangdu Palace shimmered with a halo of broken gold. The nine-tiered palace was nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with pearls formed from the tears of mermaids from the East Sea hanging between the flying eaves and brackets. Walking through the winding corridor carved from white marble, the dragon patterns on each balustrade seemed to exhale a strange fragrance like clouds and mist.

Yang Jinghao gently touched Shi Feiyang's sleeve with her slender hand. Her wide, green gauze sleeve swept across the gilded Boshan incense burner, stirring up wisps of fragrant incense smoke that swirled upwards. "Be careful, these jade steps are a bit chilly." Shi Feiyang suddenly stopped, taking out a pair of cloth socks embroidered with crooked tiger heads from his deerskin bag. "I knew Her Highness was of noble birth, so I specially ordered them from an embroidery shop in Yangzhou—although the shopkeeper said they were for three-year-olds."

Yang Jinghao's ears turned red, and she was about to scold him when she suddenly heard the chime bells ringing from the main hall in front of her. Thirty-six golden-armored warriors stood in rows on the steps, casting a chilling aura even in the candlelight. Emperor Yang of Sui, sitting on his jade-inlaid golden dragon throne, stroked his dragon beard, his eagle eyes flashing like lightning as he struck Shi Feiyang's face.

Now, everyone regards Shi Feiyang as Li Shimin.

Seeing that "Li Shimin" had come alone, Yuwen Huaji wanted to kill him. Moreover, he also wanted his son, Yuwen Chengdu, to marry Yang Jinghao, so he couldn't stand Yang Jinghao's kindness towards "Li Shimin" at this moment! Therefore, he took a half-step forward, his ivory tablet striking the ground with a clear, resonant sound: "Your Majesty! Li Shimin of Taiyuan has secretly hoarded 100,000 shi of grain and forged 5,000 sets of heavy armor made of black iron. Clearly..."

"Lord Yuwen, are you presenting the storyteller's tale to His Majesty as a secret report?" Shi Feiyang unfolded his folding fan, the ink on the five large characters "The Number One Handsome Man Under Heaven" still wet. He deliberately leaned close to Yuwen Huaji and shook it. "Look at the ribs of my fan, they'd break in a gust of wind; and look at my arm, I'd tremble even lifting a wine jug, how could I have the strength to rebel?" As he spoke, he tore open his shirt, revealing "muscles" painted with soot from the bottom of a pot. "This tattoo was even taught to me personally by Her Highness the Princess!"

Amidst the uproar in the hall, Yang Jinghao's cheeks burned bright red, when she suddenly heard a chilling laugh coming from the dragon throne.

Emperor Yang of Sui tapped the dragon pattern on the armrest with his fingertips: "My son has been away for several months, and he has learned to cover for outsiders?"

"Father, your judgment is wise!" Yang Jinghao suddenly knelt down, the pearl tassels in her hair swaying and shimmering. "When I was wandering the world, it was Young Master Li who shielded me from twelve poisoned arrows with his own flesh and blood, risking his life to protect me in the Xuanbing Cave. As for your ulterior motives..."

She looked up at Shi Feiyang, her gaze filled with a tenderness she herself was unaware of. "If there are any unfaithful people in this world, your son is willing to gouge out his eyes to prove his innocence!" Shi Feiyang paused slightly with his folding fan, noticing her trembling fingertips hidden beneath her wide sleeves. Suddenly, he knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty! Her Highness the Princess cares deeply for the common people. Seeing that I have learned a few rudimentary skills, she insisted on dragging me here to perform acrobatics for Your Majesty—look!"

As he spoke, he pulled out a wooden puppet that could somersault from his deerskin bag. "This is made of thousand-year-old ebony wood from the Yihua Palace. It won't break even if you drop it!"

A smile flashed in Emperor Yang of Sui's eyes, but it instantly vanished into gloom.

As the court bell rang to signal the end of the day, Yuwen Huaji's cold snort, mixed with Shi Feiyang's off-key Jiangnan folk tune, echoed eerily against the palace walls covered with silk gauze.

As Yang Jinghao watched his deliberately unsteady gait, she suddenly felt a tightness around her waist—Shi Feiyang had tied a jade pendant with a crooked smiling face engraved on her skirt belt without her noticing.

A strange, sweet fragrance wafted through the twilight of the Jiangdu Palace. Shi Feiyang, humming an off-key rendition of "Lotus Picking Song," suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The faint scent, like a venomous snake's tongue, burrowed into his nostrils, causing his pupils to shrink—it was the long-lost "Drunken Life, Dreamlike Death Incense" of the Yihua Palace! This fragrance was colorless and odorless, yet it could paralyze the entire body's meridians with a single breath, and only those who had cultivated to the ninth level of the Mingyu Gong could resist it.

"Princess, don't move." Shi Feiyang grabbed Yang Jinghao's wrist with his other hand, his fingertips already forming a layer of silk as thin as a cicada's wing.

Suddenly, a faint creaking sound came from the beams overhead, and three hundred and sixty dark figures hung down like geckos, their poisoned short blades glowing with eerie blue flames. They were the "Netherworld Death Warriors" raised by Yuwen Shu.

"Well done!" Shi Feiyang tapped the ground with his bamboo stick, and a green shadow appeared like a startled swan. "Stealing the Staff from the Mastiff's Mouth!" The bamboo stick transformed into a green light and thrust towards the throats of the three men. At the same time, the Heavenly Silkworm Silk burst forth, weaving a silver net three zhang square in the air.

The assassins caught in the net let out inhuman screams, their inner force surging like a burst dam, the black blood spurting from their seven orifices congealing into grotesque faces in the air. Suddenly, the twelve assassins formed the "Big Dipper Moon Devouring Formation," their longswords unleashing a chilling aura that sliced ​​the floor tiles into a spiderweb pattern. Shi Feiyang let out a strange cry, his folding fan unfurling with a "whoosh," the five large characters "The Number One Handsome Man Under Heaven" fluttering in the wind.

He unleashed his "luring the dogs into the stronghold" move! He lightly touched the ground with his bamboo stick, his inner force transforming into an invisible energy that sucked up the person at the center of the formation and flung him into his companion's arms. Immediately following, he struck the dog's back diagonally; wherever the stick swept across, icicles rained down like a storm, instantly freezing the three into blood-red ice sculptures, their struggling expressions frozen in place.

Before the stench of blood had even dissipated, the hidden door in the northwest corner suddenly burst open. Dozens of giant pythons, their bodies covered in purplish-black venomous thorns, surged forward, their forked tongues flicking. Wherever they passed, the floor tiles hissed and crackled, corroding deep holes that revealed the bone.

Excitement flashed in Shi Feiyang's eyes, and his body suddenly surged with icy blue true energy. He swung his bamboo staff, creating countless afterimages. He unleashed another move, "Beating a Dog in the Water!" The staff slammed heavily into the ground, causing the entire palace to tremble violently. Blue bricks shot out like cannonballs, smashing the giant pythons in the front row into a bloody mess.

Then, with his left hand, he transformed the silkworm silk into thousands of fine needles, and with his right hand, he unleashed the "Sichuan Dog Barking at the Sun" technique with a bamboo stick! The moment the needle tip pierced the python's body, Shi Feiyang suddenly roared, and his inner force surged like a raging tide.

The giant python writhed in agony, its massive body exploding in mid-air, its dark green venomous blood raining down like a storm.

Countless jagged holes suddenly appeared in the palace walls, and wisps of poisonous gas twisted into eerie shapes in the candlelight.

As the last assassin swung his sword, Shi Feiyang's lips curled into a mocking smile.

The silkworm silk that emerged from the palm of his left hand darted into the other person's sleeve like a nimble snake, following the meridians and striking straight at the heart.

"Silver Threads Bind Souls!" As he tightened his palm, the assassin screamed and flew backward, crashing into the coiled dragon pillar. His brains mixed with blood bloomed into eerie flowers on the golden dragon scales.

Shi Feiyang shook the brain matter off the bamboo stick, turned to look behind the screen, and saw Yang Jinghao's face was as pale as paper, staring intently at the limbs scattered on the ground.

"Your Highness, my 'Eliminating Evil in the Deep Palace' act is far more exciting than the grand drama at the Jiangdu Theater, isn't it?" He smiled and winked, only to see her eyes roll back and she collapse limply. Shi Feiyang hurriedly rushed forward to catch her, his hands finding her icy cold. He couldn't help but mutter, "I should have used silkworm silk to pose the corpse more attractively..." A faint fragrance emanated from the hair of the beauty in his arms, mingling with the stench of blood, causing his heart to skip a beat for no apparent reason.

He quickly took out various pills from the mysterious deerskin pouch at his waist to rescue Yang Jinghao. Countless guards and palace maids rushed over and carried Yang Jinghao away. Some guards also invited Shi Feiyang to a side hall for a meal and rest.

Shi Feiyang shook his head, waved his hand, summoned the Vermilion Bird, and rode it away from the palace.

Immediately, countless palace maids and guards were dumbfounded, standing there like statues.

The night was as dark as ink, seeping into the walls of the Jiangdu Palace. Yang Jinghao sat alone in her bedchamber, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the crooked, smiling jade pendant on her skirt. In the flickering candlelight, the image of Shi Feiyang joking around lingered in her mind.

Suddenly she heard a strange noise outside the window. She looked up and saw a dark figure hanging upside down on the window frame. Shi Feiyang was holding onto the eaves with one hand, winking at her, and holding an oil paper package in his arms.

"Your Highness, are you thinking of me because you can't sleep at night?" Shi Feiyang lightly flipped into the room, shook out the oil paper package, revealing several golden and crispy sesame cakes. "I specially climbed over the wall to buy these outside the palace. They are the best sesame cakes in Jiangdu City. They taste even better when eaten by moonlight!"

Yang Jinghao turned her face away, trying to appear calm: "Who wants to eat your sesame cakes? What is the punishment for trespassing into the princess's palace in the middle of the night?" Despite her words, she couldn't help but move closer, and the aroma wafted over her.

Shi Feiyang grinned and broke off a piece of sesame seed cake, holding it to her lips: "If Your Highness speaks, I will bring you this delicious food even if it means going through fire and water. I admit my guilt!" Yang Jinghao's cheeks flushed, and she opened her mouth to bite into the sesame seed cake. Unexpectedly, Shi Feiyang's hand trembled, and crumbs fell onto her clothes.

He hurriedly reached out to brush her away, but touched her warm skin. Both of them froze, and the atmosphere instantly became awkward.

Shi Feiyang coughed twice, scratched his head and said, "This sesame seed cake is too disobedient. It dared to run onto the princess. I'll teach it a lesson for you!" As he spoke, he stuffed the remaining sesame seed cake into his mouth in a few bites, which made Yang Jinghao burst out laughing.

In the following days, Shi Feiyang tried various ways to make her happy.

In the Imperial Garden, he manipulated the flower petals with silkworm silk to spell out the words "Yang Jinghao is the most beautiful" in the air; in the court, whenever someone made things difficult for Yang Jinghao, he would jump out and use his silver tongue to leave the other party speechless.

As Yang Jing watched his busy figure, a warmth gradually filled her heart, and without realizing it, her gaze always followed him.

However, a crisis was brewing. Yuwen Huaji, knowing that the two were growing closer, devised a treacherous plan.

One day, Yang Jinghao received a secret letter saying that "Li Shimin" was in danger and was being attacked by assassins in a dilapidated temple on the outskirts of the city.

She was extremely anxious and, without thinking twice, grabbed her sword and rushed out of the city.

When they arrived at the dilapidated temple, they saw Shi Feiyang surrounded by dozens of men in black, with several wounds on his body (in reality, Shi Feiyang deliberately feigned weakness to lure Yang Jinghao there).

"I knew the princess would come to save me!" Shi Feiyang exclaimed, his eyes flashing with joy at her arrival, but he pretended to be weak.

Yang Jinghao felt heartbroken and charged into the battle with her sword.

Seeing this, Shi Feiyang no longer concealed his strength. Crystal light flowed in his palm, and the silkworm silk emerged like a silver dragon from the sea. Combined with the Dog-Beating Stick Technique, he "sticked up the mangy dog" and "striked the two mastiffs horizontally," making the man in black cry out for his parents.

The two fought back to back, their teamwork becoming increasingly seamless. Yang Jinghao occasionally turned to look at Shi Feiyang and saw that even though he was in danger, he still couldn't help but wink at her. She felt both annoyed and amused.

Once the crisis was over, Shi Feiyang suddenly grabbed Yang Jinghao's hand and said earnestly, "Your Highness, I don't have any great skills, I'm just good at talking and fighting. But there's one thing I must say—this world may be vast, but I only want to protect you!"

Yang Jinghao's cheeks flushed red, and she tried to pull her hand away, but he held it even tighter.

The moonlight shone on the two of them, and the surrounding air seemed to become sweeter.

After a long silence, she said softly, "Smooth talker, who needs your protection..."

Before she could finish speaking, she had already rested her head on his shoulder. Shi Feiyang was overjoyed and pulled her tightly into his arms.

The night in Yihua Palace was steeped in frost that had never melted for a thousand years. The Palace Mistress of Yaoyue Palace leaned alone against the white jade railing by the "Cliff of Broken Hearts". Her wide sleeves brushed against the ice crystals that had condensed on the railing, and the thin layer of frost was shaken off in a flurry.

She gazed at the waning moon in the sky when the jade pendant at her waist suddenly emitted a faint hum – this was a warning from the "Mingyu Gong," which she had mastered to the highest level, as her turbulent emotions stirred her internal energy.

"Thinking about him again?" Palace Master Lianxing quietly approached, stepping on the broken jade pieces scattered on the ground, holding in her hands half of a broken wooden plaque left by Shi Feiyang, on which the words "Number One Master Under Heaven" were crookedly carved.

Yaoyue suddenly turned around, the cinnabar mole at the corner of her eye seemed to drip blood in the moonlight, and said coldly, "He's just an ignorant brat, how could I..." Her words stopped abruptly, because she saw that her sister's eyes were red and her fingertips were repeatedly rubbing the crack in the wooden plaque.

The night wind lifted Lianxing's plain white skirt. Gazing at the vast sea of ​​clouds beyond the palace walls, she whispered, "That day, he secretly practiced the 'Heavenly Silkworm Technique' and was punished by you. He knelt by the 'Pool of Heartbreak,' yet he still made faces at me..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yaoyue had already turned and left, her black robe sweeping across the stone steps, startling a flock of crows. But no one saw that her hand, hidden in her sleeve, was tightly clutching a faded sachet—it was something Shi Feiyang had hastily sewn from scraps of practice cloth, crookedly embroidered with the words "The First Beauty of Yihua Palace."

As the third watchman's clapper sounded, Palace Mistress Yaoyue suddenly appeared at the "Soul Chasing Division." Twelve black-clad guards knelt in unison, their leader presenting a secret report: "Reporting to Palace Mistress, Young Master Shi has arrived in Jiangdu and is with the Sui Dynasty princess..."

"Shut up!" Yaoyue shattered the stone lamp beside her with a palm strike, the flying shards creating spiderweb-like cracks on the ground.

But as she unfolded the secret report, trembling, the moonlight illuminated a tenderness she had never shown before in her eyes. Her lips unconsciously curved into a smile, which quickly hardened, and she murmured, "Daring to provoke the royal family... what a reckless and ignorant creature."

Palace Mistress Lianxing stared blankly at the old clothes left behind by Shi Feiyang in the Lianhua Pavilion. The lingering herbal scent on the fabric had long since faded, yet she stubbornly buried her face in it, murmuring softly, "The wind and rain are fierce outside. You've only reached the fifth level of your 'Mingyu Skill.' What will you do if you get injured..."

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she hurriedly took out her treasured "Nine-Turn Jade Dew Pill" and carefully placed it into a brocade box. "When I find you, I will definitely watch you take it." In the distance, the booming sound of the Palace Mistress of Yaoyue performing the "Bright Jade Skill" came, making the window frames vibrate.

Lianxing gazed at the dark night sky, tears silently sliding down her cheeks: "The harsher you are with your words, the more you care... Aren't we also trapped in this Yihua Palace, trapped in our longing for you?"

She gently stroked the wooden plaque, silently vowing in her heart: "Even if I have to travel to the ends of the earth, I will definitely find you and bring you back."

Outside the palace walls, storms are brewing in the martial world; inside the palace walls, two hearts gradually sink into longing.

Every day, the Palace Mistress of Yaoyue would stand for a long time in the courtyard where Shi Feiyang had once lived, appearing cold and aloof on the surface, but secretly she would triple the number of guards searching for him; the Palace Mistress of Lianxing would copy the "Lianhua Baojian" day and night, turning her longing for him into densely packed small characters, hoping to tell him about it on the day of their reunion.

The glazed tiles of the Jiangdu Imperial Palace shimmered under the scorching sun, the nine-tiered palace towered majestically, and the copper bells hanging from the eaves swayed in the wind, making a soft tinkling sound, but they could not conceal the oppressive atmosphere inside the palace.

Before the white marble steps, Shi Feiyang waved a folding fan emblazoned with "The Most Handsome Man Under Heaven," deliberately staggering as he walked, the jade pendant at his waist clinking against his bamboo staff. Yang Jinghao, dressed in a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), appeared calm, but unconsciously gripped her cuffs tightly; she knew a storm was brewing.

Emperor Yang of Sui was hosting a banquet for his officials. Amidst the clinking of glasses, Yuwen Huaji and his son exchanged a glance, a sinister glint in their eyes. Yuwen Shu raised his cup and stood up, proclaiming loudly, "Your Majesty, I have heard that Young Master Li possesses unparalleled martial arts skills. Why not let us broaden our horizons at today's banquet?"

Shi Feiyang slumped in his chair, gnawing on a leg of lamb, his face smeared with grease: "Lord Yuwen, do you want to see me perform some acrobatics? You should have said so earlier!"

He suddenly grabbed a silk handkerchief from a palace maid beside him and blindfolded himself. "Watch closely!" he said, then grabbed three chopsticks from the table and threw them with a "whoosh." Several cries of pain rang out as the three chopsticks, without missing a beat, pierced the nostrils of two guards of the Yuwen family and the hair of a favored minister.

Immediately, the entire audience erupted in uproar, but Emperor Yang of Sui raised an eyebrow with interest: "Is this your martial arts?"

Shi Feiyang chuckled and pulled off the silk scarf, taking out a small wooden puppet from the deerskin bag. It was made of the dark wood of the Yihua Palace: "Your Majesty, this is true skill!" With a flick of his wrists, the silkworm silk that emerged from his palms wrapped around the puppet like spider silk, and the puppet began to dance a unique Jiangnan dance.

Immediately afterward, Shi Feiyang imitated Yuwen Huaji's high-pitched voice, saying, "Your Majesty is wise! Your subject is willing to go through fire and water for Your Majesty!" The hall burst into laughter, and Yuwen Huaji's face turned ashen. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, shouting, "Outrageous! This is a grave disrespect to His Majesty!"

Shi Feiyang suddenly made the puppet kneel down, and said tearfully, "Lord Yuwen, spare me! I know I was wrong! But last night at Zuixianlou, you were embracing a courtesan and said, 'When His Majesty passes away, this world will be mine.' I didn't say those words carelessly!"

The entire room fell silent upon hearing this. Yuwen Huaji trembled violently, pointing at Shi Feiyang: "Li Er, you...you're spouting nonsense!"

Shi Feiyang blinked, then suddenly tore a strip of cloth from the puppet. On it, a few lines of text were written in crooked handwriting: "On the night of the fifteenth of August, in a private room of Zuixianlou, Yuwen Huaji held a secret meeting with a Turkic envoy..."

He shook his head and said, "It's a pity that I can't read and don't know what it says. Lord Yuwen, would you like to read it to me?"

Emperor Yang of Sui's eyes instantly turned icy cold. Yuwen Huaji knelt down with a thud, his forehead hitting the floor with a loud thud: "Your Majesty, please see the truth! This is slander!"

Shi Feiyang then pulled out a small megaphone and shouted towards the outside of the hall: "Someone! Write down everything Lord Yuwen said and post it all over Jiangdu City tomorrow. Say that this is 'Lord Yuwen's Voice Broadcast'!"

Yang Jinghao sat to the side, both anxious and laughing, covering her mouth and stamping her feet.

Finally, amidst Emperor Yang of Sui's cold snort, Yuwen Huaji was dragged away, looking disheveled.

Shi Feiyang casually sat back down, grabbed his wine cup, and said, "Your Majesty, was my performance alright? How about a reward of some silver? I've been thinking of buying a talking parrot lately, and teaching it to beg for mercy like Lord Yuwen!"

Emperor Yang of Sui looked at him, both amused and annoyed, and waved his sleeve, saying, "Fine! I'll let you off the hook for your nonsense today!"

Shi Feiyang immediately bowed and said with a grin, "Thank you, Your Majesty! However, I have another request. Could you please arrange a front-row seat for me at the next banquet? It's not satisfying to watch Lord Yuwen make a fool of himself if I sit too far away!"

These words drew another round of laughter from the hall, while in the shadows, the murderous intent in the eyes of Yuwen father and son, who had escaped death, grew even stronger…

Inside the imperial kitchen of the Jiangdu Palace, steam rose and the aroma filled the air.

Shi Feiyang leaned casually against the doorframe, staring at the imperial chefs who were busy as bees, twirling a carved silver spoon he had smuggled from the imperial kitchen. He had just taken a bite of the osmanthus cake he had secretly hidden in his sleeve when he heard a heart-wrenching scream.

"Oh no! The premium bear paw His Majesty is going to eat tonight is gone!" The head chef, Fatty Wang, shouted, making dust fall from the rafters.

The imperial chefs immediately fell into chaos, blaming each other and shoving each other, knocking over several baskets of ingredients.

Shi Feiyang's eyes lit up, and he perked up. He stuffed the last bite of osmanthus cake into his mouth, shook his head, and said, "Oh ho, there's a 'Bear Big Disappearance Case' happening in the palace? Looks like I, the 'Number One Detective of the Jianghu,' am going to make a comeback!"

Seeing Shi Feiyang's nonchalant attitude, Fatty Wang stamped his feet in frustration: "Li Er, what time is it? You're still joking! If we can't find this bear paw, we'll all lose our heads!"

Shi Feiyang patted Wang Pangzi's round belly and laughed, "Uncle Fatty, your belly is so round, you didn't hide a bear paw inside, did you?" The eunuchs around him were trying not to laugh so hard that their faces turned red, and Wang Pangzi was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.

Shi Feiyang's eyes darted around, and he suddenly picked up a carrot from the ground, held it under his nose and smelled it with great seriousness, shaking his head and saying, "Hmm... this carrot has been tainted with a mysterious aura, it must be inextricably linked to the case of the missing bear paw!"

He paced back and forth in the imperial kitchen, a carrot in hand, occasionally tapping the water vat and poking the woodpile with a bamboo stick, muttering to himself, "Clues, clues, where are you hiding?" As he searched, he caught sight of a young eunuch in a corner, his eyes darting around furtively. Shi Feiyang's eyes lit up instantly. He rushed over and grabbed the young eunuch's shoulder: "Young man, you look strange. Do you perhaps know something?"

The young eunuch turned pale with fright and stammered, "I...I don't know anything!" Shi Feiyang suddenly pulled a dark object from his deerskin bag and held it up to the young eunuch's eyes: "Look what this is."

The young eunuch looked closely and almost burst into tears; it was clearly a burnt rag.

"This is the key evidence that this brilliant detective found!" Shi Feiyang said seriously. "According to my speculation, someone used this rag to cover the bear paw's eyes, and then..." He paused deliberately, and everyone around craned their necks, "and then the bear paw ran away by itself! Because it can't see the road, it must still be wandering around this palace!"

Everyone was stunned. Fatty Wang was so angry he almost fainted: "What nonsense are you spouting!" Shi Feiyang, however, remained calm and suddenly pointed to the skylight of the imperial kitchen: "Look everyone! There's a suspicious dark figure!"

Everyone looked up in unison, and Shi Feiyang took the opportunity to slip behind the food shelf. By the time everyone reacted, they heard a rustling sound, and Shi Feiyang emerged with a head full of vegetable leaves and a package in his arms.

"Found it!" He triumphantly opened the package, but everyone stared at it closely. It wasn't a bear paw at all, but a pile of mangled steamed buns. Shi Feiyang clicked his tongue: "Oh dear, looks like it's the work of a rat spirit! But no worries, I still have one last trick up my sleeve!"

He pulled a small bottle from his deerskin bag and said mysteriously, "This is 'rat-attracting incense' brought from the Yihua Palace. As long as..."

Before he could finish speaking, the door to the imperial kitchen was suddenly kicked open, and several guards dragged in a man covered in dirt. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Old Zhou, the kitchen handyman, who was carrying the missing bear paw in his arms!
It turned out that Old Zhou wanted to steal the bear paw to exchange for money. He hid it in a tree hole in the Imperial Garden, but was discovered by the patrolling guards.

Shi Feiyang paused for a moment, then resumed his playful grin, holding up the small bottle in his hand: "See, I told you my 'rat-attracting incense' worked! Didn't it lure out the 'big rat' that stole the bear paw?"

Wang Pangzi and the imperial chefs were both amused and exasperated, while Shi Feiyang swaggered out of the imperial kitchen, humming a tuneless off-key: "Case solved! Case solved! I'll have to treat myself to a chicken leg tonight..."

On a summer night in Jiangdu, a sweltering breeze carrying the scent of lotus blossoms swept over the palace walls. Shi Feiyang, waving a folding fan covered with crooked poems, suddenly stopped at the corner of the winding corridor.

Moonlight streamed through the carved window lattice, casting spiderweb-like shadows on the bluestone slabs. His pupils constricted sharply—the edges of those shadows gleamed with the unique, ethereal blue of the "Ice Soul Silver Needle," a secret weapon of the Yihua Palace.

"Your Highness, do you think it's flies or mosquitoes that came tonight?" Shi Feiyang asked without turning his head, pulling Yang Jinghao, who was about to speak, behind him.

Before the words were even finished, thirty-six dark figures burst forth from between the eaves and beams, their poisoned scimitars flashing with chilling light—these were none other than Yuwen Shu's newly recruited "Night Owl Assassins." Yang Jinghao drew her longsword and shouted, "Protect the Emperor!" But then Shi Feiyang suddenly pulled out a small bronze mirror and shone it wildly in the moonlight: "You all need to wash your night clothes; they smell like swill from the imperial kitchen!"

In the blinding light, the assassins raised their hands to shield themselves. Taking advantage of the moment, he unleashed "Stealing the Staff from the Mastiff's Mouth," his emerald bamboo staff flashing like a serpent, instantly deflecting three curved blades. Silkworm silk gushed from his palm, weaving a three-zhang square silver net in the air—the move "Silver Thread Binding Soul" was unleashed! With a strange howl, he swung his wrist, and the assassins caught in the net let out inhuman screams. Their inner force surged like a burst dam, and black blood spurted from their seven orifices, congealing into grotesque faces in the air. Yang Jinghao saw it all clearly; with each move, he deliberately shielded her in the blind spot of his fan-shaped attack.

Suddenly, twelve people formed the "Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends Formation," and the fierce blade energy they unleashed cleaved the palace lanterns under the corridor into pieces.

Shi Feiyang unfolded his folding fan with a "whoosh," and the five large characters "The Most Handsome Man Under Heaven" on the fan fluttered loudly. With a move called "Leading the Dogs into the Village!" he tapped the ground with his bamboo stick, and an invisible force, like a vortex, sucked up the person at the center of the formation and threw him heavily into his companion's arms.

Immediately afterwards, he unleashed a move called "Slanting Strike on the Dog's Back"! Wherever the staff swept, ice shards rained down, instantly freezing the three of them into blood-red ice sculptures.

In the heat of battle, a cold glint suddenly shot out from a blind spot.

Shi Feiyang's pupils contracted sharply. Without thinking, he turned and shielded Yang Jinghao in his arms.

The poisoned dagger plunged deep into his back, the excruciating pain causing him to groan, but he still forced a smile and said, "Your Highness, your 'tattoo' skills are truly frightening. If you tattooed a peach blossom, I could probably become a billboard in a brothel!"

Warm blood trickled down his black robe, dripping onto Yang Jinghao's trembling hand.

She stared at Shi Feiyang's pale face, pale from blood loss, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears: "You...you idiot!"

The longsword danced with impenetrable precision, but Shi Feiyang, wielding a green bamboo staff, swung it backhand with a "Drowning Dog Beating" technique, the staff slamming into the ground with immense force, sending bricks flying. In his left hand, silkworm silk transformed into countless fine needles, followed by the "Shu Dog Barking at the Sun" move, piercing the throat of the last assassin.

As the last corpse fell, Shi Feiyang could no longer support himself and slumped against a pillar. Yang Jinghao frantically tore off a piece of her skirt, but her jade-like fingers suddenly stopped when they touched the wound—the area around the dagger wound had turned an eerie purplish-black.

“It’s the ‘Netherworld Bone-Corroding Poison’…” her voice trembled, “We must immediately circulate our internal energy to expel the poison!”

"Don't waste your energy." Shi Feiyang forced a weak smile and took out a wax pill from the deerskin bag. "I was prepared for this trick of that old scoundrel Yuwen. The 'Nine-Turn Jade Dew Pill' of Yihua Palace can cure all diseases!" As he spoke, he put the pill into his mouth, but when she wasn't paying attention, he secretly wiped away the black blood that had spilled from the corner of his lips.

Yang Jinghao's hands were still trembling as she bandaged Shi Feiyang.

In the flickering candlelight, she suddenly noticed that the shadow cast by the boy's eyelashes was much thinner than she remembered. "Don't force yourself if it hurts," she whispered, but then Shi Feiyang suddenly opened his eyes and grinned mischievously, "Your Highness, are you feeling sorry for me? How about you repay me with your body? I promise..." Before he could finish speaking, he groaned as the pain aggravated his wound, making her burst into laughter through her tears. She secretly pressed the last half of the Jade Dew Pill into his palm with her fingertips.

The Cold Jade Hall of Yihua Palace is shrouded in a thin mist all year round, and the icicles hanging from the eaves reflect the cold moonlight.

Palace Mistress Yaoyue stood by the window in a plain white dress, holding half a mottled bamboo whistle in her hand—it was carved casually by Shi Feiyang before he left, and the crooked mouth of the whistle still bore the teeth marks of the boy's chewing.

Her slender fingers gently stroked the bamboo whistle, a rare hint of tenderness appearing on her jade-like face. But in an instant, a cold glint flashed in her eyes, and with a loud "bang," the stone table beside her turned to dust under the force of her palm.

Jade fragments flew like meteors, but could not drown out Yaoyue's slightly trembling voice: "You brat, no one in this world who dares to escape me, Yaoyue, has ever been born! If you lose even a single hair, I will turn this Jiangdu into a living hell!"

Though her words were harsh, the gentle caress of her fingertips on the bamboo whistle betrayed her deep concern and worry. At the other end of the corridor, Palace Mistress Lianxing leaned against the carved railing, holding the old garment left behind by Shi Feiyang.

The coarse cloth clothes were still covered with mud from Yangzhou, and a crooked peach blossom was embroidered on the hem, the stitches cutely messy.

She buried her face in her clothes, inhaling the faint scent of her breath. Tears silently streamed down her face, leaving dark stains on the peach blossoms: "Chuntao, you always say the outside world is wonderful, but do you know that without you, the Flower Palace, no matter how beautiful, is nothing but a lonely cage..."

Every morning, Yaoyue would come alone to the courtyard where Shi Feiyang used to live. The plum blossoms in the courtyard had long since withered, leaving only bare branches swaying in the cold wind. She stood under the plum tree, gazing at the fallen petals on the ground, her palms unconsciously clenching.

"That brat, how dare he abandon us..." Before she could finish speaking, a muffled thud was heard, and the stone table shattered under her palm.

Amidst the flying stone chips, she gazed at her slightly reddened palms and murmured to herself, "When I find you, I'll make you explain yourself..."

Late at night, Palace Mistress Lianxing curled up on her bed, clutching the old clothes left behind by Shi Feiyang. The cold wind howled outside the window, yet she felt unusually warm. "Chuntao, you said you'd take me to see the magnolia blossoms in Jiangdu, and to eat the sweetest osmanthus cake..."

She murmured softly, her fingers gently tracing the peach blossoms on her clothes, "You must be safe. No matter where you are, your sister will wait for you to come back..." As their longing deepened, the martial arts of both palace masters came to a standstill.

Palace Mistress Yaoyue's Mingyu Kung Fu had already reached its pinnacle, but lately, every time she practiced her skills, she would unconsciously recall Shi Feiyang's mischievous smile. Her mind would become chaotic, and her inner strength would dissipate like a tidal wave. Palace Mistress Lianxing, who was originally kind and gentle, was now even more absent-minded, staring blankly at the items left behind by Shi Feiyang, completely losing her former charm.

One day, while sorting through Shi Feiyang's old belongings, Palace Mistress Lianxing found a notebook he had casually written. On the yellowed pages, in crooked handwriting, were anecdotes from Shi Feiyang's previous secret trips to Jiangdu, and an unfinished sentence: "Next time, I'll bring Sister Lianxing..."

Holding the notebook, tears welled up in her eyes, and she sobbed uncontrollably, "Chuntao, I want to be with you too..."

At this moment, the Palace Mistress of Yaoyue Palace was standing at the highest point of Yihua Palace, gazing at the distant horizon.

The cold wind tossed her long hair, making it drift like clouds in the sky. "You little rascal, no matter where you are, I'll find you..."

She spoke softly, the bamboo whistle burning in her palm, "Then, let's see where you can run to..."

Immediately afterwards, she instructed Qiu Shuhui and Huo Chenxi to pass on a message to Lianxing, instructing Lianxing to stay at Yihua Palace and oversee all its affairs.

Then, she flew away, embarking on a journey to find Shi Feiyang and pursue her love.

(End of this chapter)