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

Chapter 427. The Deceptive Banquet in the Golden Palace: A Cleverly Unraveled Poisonous Scheme that Shocks Jiangdu

The glazed tiles of the Jiangdu palace glowed blood-red in the twilight. At the end of Zhuque Avenue, the "Drunken Immortal Pavilion" was brightly lit, with twelve gilded dragon flags fluttering in the wind. Shi Feiyang waved a folding fan painted with "The Greatest Talent Under Heaven," deliberately making the copper bells on his black boots jingle. The tattered scroll of "The Return of All Poisons" in the deerskin pouch at his waist rustled softly with each step.

"Young Master Li, please wait!" Yuwen Chengdu blocked his path with his sword, the blade reflecting the playful smile on Shi Feiyang's lips. The carved wooden door swung open with a bang, and the music that filled the room abruptly stopped. Emperor Yang of Sui leaned against a sandalwood couch, the "Night-Shining Wine" in the gilded wine vessel glowing with an eerie emerald green.

Yuwen Huaji swung his ivory tablet, the wind from his silk official robes causing the poetry papers on the table to rustle: "Your Majesty, I have heard that Young Master Li is a man of great talent. At today's banquet, why not compose a poem on the theme of 'The Prosperity of the Sui Dynasty'?"

Shi Feiyang suddenly sneezed dramatically, his folding fan flashing as he covered half his face. "Lord Yuwen, are you testing me? You should have said so earlier!" He circled the arena to the beat of the drums, then suddenly grabbed a wine jug and took a large gulp. "I've got it! The Sui Dynasty's empire stretches for thousands of miles, His Majesty's fame resounds throughout the land. Prime Minister Yuwen's heart is as hard as iron, but it's not as fragrant as this wine jug!"

The deathly silence was instantly shattered by a suppressed cough. Emperor Yang of Sui clapped his hands and laughed, spilling a few drops of poison from his gilded wine vessel, corroding black holes in the Persian carpet. Yuwen Huaji's face twitched, and a hidden clasp in his sleeve quietly opened. Suddenly, the sound of shattering tiles came from the second floor where the three hundred axemen were hiding. Shi Feiyang suddenly clutched his chest, staggering two steps: "Oh dear! Could this wine have been laced with something...?"

Before he could finish speaking, black blood suddenly oozed from his seven orifices, and he collapsed to the ground.

Yang Jinghao turned pale and rushed over, but Shi Feiyang secretly squeezed her palm.

Yuwen Huaji rose with a sinister grin, pointing his ivory tablet at the "corpse": "Those who spread heresies and mislead the masses shall be executed!" In an instant, Shi Feiyang suddenly leaped up like a carp, a crystal-clear jade pot appearing in his hand: "Lord Yuwen, don't be in such a hurry to collect the corpse!"

He shook the jade pot, and the antidote inside transformed into a stream of light, precisely landing in Yuwen Huaji's wine cup. "This antidote for the 'Seven-Day Soul-Severing Powder' is something I learned on the spot from 'The Return of All Poisons.' Good things should naturally be shared with you, sir!"

Yuwen Huaji's expression changed drastically. He swept his sleeve, knocking over the wine cup, and the bone-piercing nails hidden in his sleeve came raining down like a storm.

Shi Feiyang let out a strange cry and used the Illusionary Demon Step to weave between the tables and chairs, his bamboo stick creating countless green shadows.

With a single move, "Stealing the Staff from the Mastiff's Mouth," he deflected three streaks of cold light with his bamboo staff, and the Heavenly Silkworm Silk, like a silver dragon emerging from the sea, instantly entangled five charging axemen. Those caught in the net screamed and flew backward, black blood spurting from their seven orifices congealing into grotesque, ghostly faces in mid-air.

Immediately afterward, Shi Feiyang unleashed another move, "Pushing the Dog Up to the Sky!" Shi Feiyang swept his bamboo stick horizontally, and icicles burst forth with the shadow of the stick, freezing the three people in front of him into blood-red ice sculptures. The assassins lying in ambush on the second floor formed the "Eight Trigrams Soul-Locking Formation," and the chilling blade energy unleashed by their longswords even cracked the beams and pillars.

Suddenly, Shi Feiyang pulled out a bamboo tube and threw it into the air—it was the "Drunken Immortal Powder" made by the Yihua Palace. The powder turned into colorful smoke when heated, causing the assassins to choke and shed tears.

"You old scoundrel Yuwen, take this!" Shi Feiyang swung his dog-beating stick, unleashing a move called "Drowning Dog Beating," causing the entire restaurant to tremble violently, with blue bricks shooting out like cannonballs. Then, the silkworm silk that Shi Feiyang spat out from his left palm transformed into thousands of fine needles, while his right hand used the bamboo stick to execute "Sichuan Dog Barking at the Sun," the needle tips piercing the vital points of the killer.

Amidst the flying blood and flesh, Shi Feiyang suddenly caught a glimpse of a cold light flashing from Emperor Yang of Sui's sleeve—it was the long-lost "Peacock Feather"!
"Your Majesty, beware of hidden weapons!" Shi Feiyang shouted, his figure flashing like a ghost. A silver net woven from silkworm silk, emanating from his left palm, barely blocked the poisoned needle. However, Yuwen Huaji seized the opportunity to pull out a pitch-black medicine bottle; the green powder poured out ignited upon landing, instantly engulfing the entire restaurant in flames. Shi Feiyang grabbed Yang Jinghao's waist, leaped up using his bamboo stick, and executed a move called "Puppy Playing with a Ball" in mid-air, using the momentum to leap onto the roof and float away. He flew three miles away before finally setting down the still-shaken Yang Jinghao.

The bluestone slabs of Jiangdu West Market were stained blood red by the setting sun. Shi Feiyang, with half a candied hawthorn in his mouth and a parrot perched on his shoulder, strolled slowly toward the city gate, hand in hand with Yang Jinghao.

Suddenly, a deafening sound of horses' hooves came from behind. The street vendors were so frightened that they dropped their carrying poles. Yuwen Chengdu rode the Snow-Treading Black Steed, charging towards them like a dark cloud pressing down on the city. The gilded halberd in his hand was as big as a millstone, gleaming eerily in the twilight, with undried bloodstains still on its blade.

"Li Er! Prepare to die!" Yuwen Chengdu roared, his voice like thunder, shaking the paper windows of the shops along the street.

The gilded halberd swept across with immense force, splitting the locust trees along the street in two, with splinters of wood mixed with a few remaining locust blossoms.

Shi Feiyang grabbed Yang Jinghao and tossed her into the air, nearly falling flat on his face. The parrot in his arms flapped its wings and flew to his head, yelling in his voice, "My god! This big iron fork can be used to make pancakes!"

As Shi Feiyang feigned a disheveled jump away, he pulled a small bronze mirror from his deerskin bag and shone it at Yuwen Chengdu: "General Yuwen, your dark circles are darker than the bottom of a pot. Did you stay up all night counting stars last night?"

Enraged, Yuwen Chengdu wielded his gilded halberd with ferocious force, unleashing the deadly move "Hammer Smashes the Nine Provinces," nine halberd shadows pressing down like dark clouds. Shi Feiyang cried out, using his "Phantom Demon Step," his body weaving through the halberd shadows like an eel, while simultaneously grabbing a sesame seed cake from a street stall and stuffing it into his mouth: "Help! Someone's hitting people with a frying pan!"

Suddenly, the silkworm silk shot out from his palm, weaving into a shimmering silver net in the air.

"Silver Threads Bind Souls!" Shi Feiyang shouted, and the silkworm threads that came out of his left palm precisely wrapped around the crescent blade of the gilded halberd.

Yuwen Chengdu felt his arm suddenly sink, and the weapon, weighing hundreds of kilograms, uncontrollably veered to the side and crashed into a tofu shop on the street with a "boom," instantly turning the entire shop into ruins. Snow-white tofu pudding mixed with mud was splattered everywhere.

"General, what skill! With this halberd, even the tofu pudding in Jiangdu City will go up in price!" Shi Feiyang stood on the rooftop, waving his bamboo stick, deliberately singing in a Yangzhou folk song, "General Yuwen is strong, one halberd smashes out tofu pudding, the east neighbor cries and the west neighbor curses, better to go home and hold your baby—" Yuwen Chengdu was so angry that he was fuming, spurring his horse to gallop wildly, his gilded halberd unleashing a "mad dragon's tail sweep," the tail of the halberd sweeping across, tiles flying everywhere. Shi Feiyang, however, was unhurried, took out a firecracker from his deerskin bag, lit it with a tinderbox, and threw it accurately at the horse's belly.

Startled, the snow-covered black horse suddenly reared up, throwing Yuwen Chengdu to the ground.

"General, are you going to perform a 'flipping hawk'? I'll give you a perfect score!" Shi Feiyang shouted as he performed the "Dog-Beating Stick Technique" of "Pushing the Dog Up to the Sky," using the bamboo stick to strike the shaft of the gilded halberd and leaping three zhang high.

In mid-air, he suddenly pulled out a water bag full of ink and splashed it all over Yuwen Chengdu's face: "Here's a 'Dyeing the Universe with Ink' for you, so you won't be completely black!"

Yuwen Chengdu, covered in ink, looked like Zhong Kui pulled out of a dye vat. He roared in anger, remounted his horse, and wielded his gilded halberd with impenetrable force. He even unleashed the long-lost "Thousand Shadows of Halberds Kill" technique of the Yuwen family, with countless halberd shadows surrounding Shi Feiyang.

Suddenly, Shi Feiyang pulled a kite from his robes, the spool wrapped with silkworm silk: "General, let's do a 'high-flying acrobatic act'!" The silkworm silk coiled around the gilded halberd like a serpent, and with a sudden burst of strength, Shi Feiyang pulled Yuwen Chengdu and his horse into the air. Amidst the gasps of the crowd, Shi Feiyang didn't forget to shout to the stunned onlookers: "Ladies and gentlemen, watch closely! This is a free acrobatic performance! Those with money, please donate; those without... throw two steamed buns at me!"

Just as Yuwen Chengdu was struggling in the air, Shi Feiyang used the "Drowning Dog Beating" technique, slamming his bamboo stick heavily onto the ground. The resulting shockwave knocked Yuwen Chengdu and his black horse, Ta Xue Wu Zhui, to the ground.

With the dust settled, Yuwen Chengdu lay beside the latrine, covered in soot, his gilded halberd nowhere to be found.

Shi Feiyang swaggered over, pulled a wooden sign that read "Confession" from his deerskin bag, and hung it around Yuwen Chengdu's neck: "General, you're too kind. I won this 'man vs. beast' battle! Next time, let's see who can eat more Jiangdu fried rice!"

Having said that, he hummed a little tune, took his parrot, and held Yang Jinghao's hand, slowly disappearing into the sunset, leaving only Yuwen Chengdu's roar echoing for a long time in Jiangdu City.

The setting sun was like blood. Shi Feiyang looked at Yang Jinghao, who was still in shock, in his arms: "Your Highness, this 'Tavern Horror Story' is more exciting than any storybook, isn't it? Next time that old scoundrel Yuwen invites us to dinner, we'd better bring a takeout box and pack up all his schemes and tricks to take with us!" The shouts of pursuers came from afar. He took the beauty's hand and disappeared into the streets and alleys of Jiangdu, stepping into the sunset.

As dusk turned the bluestone streets of Jiangdu into a honey color, Shi Feiyang held Yang Jinghao's hand, his fingertips gently caressing the calluses on her palm. Suddenly, they stopped under the gilded signboard of "Binjiang Inn".

The copper bells on the eaves jingled, and the candlelight reflected in his eyes was brighter than the stars in the sky: "Wife, I've heard that this place's crab roe soup dumplings are so delicious they'll make your eyebrows fall off, why don't we..." Before Yang Jinghao could answer, he had already half-pulled and half-embraced her as she stepped over the high threshold.

The octagonal palace lanterns hanging from the carved wooden beams elongated their shadows. Shi Feiyang deliberately breathed hot air into her ear: "The shopkeeper charged me ten taels of silver and specially reserved a small pavilion overlooking the river—saying that I could see the fullest moon from there."

He blinked and used a bamboo stick to lift a stray hair from her ear. "But in my eyes, even the fullest moon can't compare to my wife's smile."

The carved window of the private room on the second floor was half-open, and the river breeze, carrying the scent of the evening tide, drifted in, stirring the small red clay stove on the table. Shi Feiyang personally poured her a cup of peach blossom wine, the ripples reflecting her flushed cheeks: "This wine is called 'Intoxication of Longing,' and it's said that those who drink it..."

He suddenly leaned in, his nose almost touching hers, saying, "I want to be with my beloved forever." Just as Yang Jinghao was about to reach for the crab roe soup dumplings, Shi Feiyang gently tapped her hand away with a bamboo stick: "Don't move!"

He carefully poked a hole in the thin skin of the soup dumpling, and only picked it up after the steam had dissipated. "What if my bride gets burned? Come on, ah—" Seeing her take a bite, with soup dripping onto the corner of her lips, he inexplicably wiped it away with his fingertip, then put his finger in his mouth, smiling with his eyes crinkling: "Indeed, it tastes best when it's touched by my wife's flavor."

After a few rounds of drinks, Yang Jinghao's cheeks flushed a rosy hue with a slight intoxication.

Shi Feiyang suddenly put his arm around her waist and, amidst the shopkeeper's ambiguous smile, stepped onto the wooden stairs. The wooden door of the small attic creaked softly, and moonlight poured in through the carved window lattices, covering the red silk quilt embroidered with twin lotus flowers.

"So you've been wanting to..." Yang Jinghao's reproachful words were cut off by his warm lips. The silkworm silk had somehow transformed into silver threads, weaving the image of "eternal union" in the air. "From the day I snatched you away in the court," Shi Feiyang gently pressed her onto the bed, his fingertips tracing the corners of her reddened eyes, "I've wanted to hide you in this gentle haven."

Yang Jinghao, both embarrassed and angry, punched him, but he grabbed her wrist and pressed it against the pillow. The sound of the river outside the window was faint. He lowered his head and kissed away the starlight in her eyes: "Don't be angry. Look, the river and the moon are our matchmakers, and heaven and earth are our witnesses—" The silkworm silk that flowed from his palm transformed into thousands of streams of light, outlining their silhouettes embracing on the curtains. "In this life, I, Li Er, belong to Yang Jinghao in life and to Yang Jinghao in death."

A day and a night later, Shi Feiyang carried Yang Jing to sit up, took a bath and changed clothes, then went downstairs to eat. Both were hungry, so they ordered a table full of food and drinks, stuffing themselves until their stomachs were round. Then, Shi Feiyang took Yang Jing's hand and went out for a stroll, enjoying the everyday life of the city. The lanterns of the Jiangdu night market fell like stars, turning the bluestone pavement a warm gold.

Shi Feiyang held Yang Jinghao's soft hand, his fingertips caressing the calluses on her palms from martial arts practice, and suddenly stopped in front of the silk shop.

Before she could react, he had already torn off a piece of moon-white brocade and wrapped it around her shoulders: "How can my bride wear this old dress from the war? This color makes you even more translucent than the ice lotus in the palace."

Yang Jinghao was still in a daze when he dragged her into the rouge shop. Shi Feiyang, however, was already waving various lipsticks in front of her, while the parrot perched on his shoulder and mimicked, "Beautiful! Beautiful!" "Want to try this 'Red Plum Blossom in Snow'?"

He suddenly leaned in, his warm breath brushing against her ear, and used a bamboo stick to pick up some lip rouge and lightly touch her lips. "Only this is worthy of the bride I snatched in the court." Then he carried Yang Jinghao back to the "Binjiang Inn".

The inn's carved wooden door creaked softly, and Shi Feiyang suddenly swept Yang Jinghao up in his arms. She gasped and clung to his neck, the pearls on her phoenix crown clinking softly. "Careful!" Before she could finish speaking, she was gently placed on a soft couch embroidered with twin lotus blossoms.

Shi Feiyang knelt on one knee, took off her pearl-embroidered shoes, and his fingertips inadvertently brushed against her ankle, making her feel hot all over: "Your Highness's feet are more delicate than jade flutes, so you mustn't tire them out."

The candlelight suddenly flickered, and Yang Jinghao realized that he had placed red plum blossoms all over the corner of the room without her noticing.

The petals were still covered with dew, shimmering faintly in the candlelight. “Knowing you like the plum blossoms in the palace,” Shi Feiyang took out a white jade bottle from his deerskin bag, “I specially stored the nectar in Tianshan cold jade.”

He lifted her hand and lightly touched her wrist with honey dew. "From now on, I will do your hair and makeup every morning."

As the gauze curtains slowly lowered, Yang Jinghao caught a glimpse of the red silk wrapped around his bamboo pole. Besides the words "Jinghao," a newly carved, crooked twin lotus flower adorned it. "This was carved with Yuwen Chengdu's gilded halberd," Shi Feiyang said with a smile, taking her hand and pressing it against the bamboo pole. "From now on, it will not only be used to fight enemies, but also to peel fruit and light lanterns for my wife." As the water clock ticked, Shi Feiyang suddenly rolled over and pulled her into his arms.

The silkworm silk he spat out from his palm had somehow transformed into silver threads, weaving the four characters "Eternal Union" in the air.

"Don't move," he said, brushing his nose against her flushed cheek. "I want to etch Your Highness's image into my heart forever."

Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the affection in his eyes that shone brighter than the stars, and the sweet smile that Yang Jinghao couldn't hide on her lips.

Three days later, a light rain was falling. Shi Feiyang took Yang Jinghou's hand and walked out of the inn to go shopping. He felt that lying in bed with Yang Jinghou all day was quite tiring, and he needed to come out and relax.

At that moment, he was biting into half a piece of osmanthus cake, tapping the peddler's gong with his bamboo stick, startling the sugar figurines in his basket into a clattering motion. He glanced at the palace guards stationed every three steps along the street corner, the dragon patterns on their black armor gleaming coldly in the rain. Suddenly, he used his bamboo stick to lift Yang Jinghao's chin: "Your Highness, your father has turned Jiangdu upside down searching for a son-in-law! This mobilization is absolutely intensified, as if he's afraid of missing any corner!"

Yang Jinghao blushed and slapped his hand away, her pearl earring swaying slightly with the movement. "It must be that scoundrel Yuwen Chengdu who slandered you to Father, saying that you..." "Saying I abducted a princess?" Shi Feiyang suddenly pulled out a small bronze mirror and shone it on the guards. His face, deliberately squeezed into a bun shape, was reflected in the mirror. "Looking like this, I'm more pleasing than the koi in the Imperial Garden. I'm definitely the 'face of the group.' How could I be mistaken for a bad guy? Absolutely brilliant!"

Before the words were finished, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar.

With lightning speed, Shi Feiyang pulled Yang Jinghao into the silk shop. Just as the shopkeeper was about to greet them, he pulled out a silver ingot and slammed it on the counter: "Give me ten bolts of the most vibrant red silk! This young master wants to make a dress for my wife that will outshine the moon, making her the most beautiful girl in Jiangdu!"

Once the guards' footsteps had faded into the distance, he suddenly lifted the curtain and used a bamboo stick to splash water from the rain: "Let's go! Take my little phoenix back to its nest, or my father-in-law will get really angry!"

Beneath the palace walls, Yang Jinghao gazed at the vermilion gate, her eyes suddenly reddening: "Are you really not coming with me to see Father Emperor?"

Shi Feiyang chuckled and gently pinched her nose. "Your father's gaze is more terrifying than the Ice Soul Silver Needles of the Yihua Palace. Once he's calmed down, I'll come back with an eight-bearer sedan chair to pick you up. I'll make sure everything is perfectly arranged then. Remember to miss me, miss me so much you can't eat or sleep, a truly obsessive level of missing me!"

Watching Yang Jinghao enter the palace gates, glancing back every few steps, Shi Feiyang hummed a tune, shaking his empty wine gourd. The rain grew heavier, but he deliberately walked towards the crowded Zhuque Avenue. In a teahouse along the street, a storyteller was pounding his gavel: "Do you all know? That Second Young Master Li is a master of martial arts, single-handedly fighting the Five Tiger Generals of Wagang..."

"Stop!" Shi Feiyang suddenly leaped onto the tea table, banging his bamboo stick against it. "Storyteller, how could Young Master Li be so imposing? He was clearly bribed by me—" He suddenly lowered his voice, "with half a sesame seed cake. This move is simply 'You're a show-off!'"

Amidst the laughter of the room, he caught a glimpse of a pair of eyes fixed on him from a corner. The man wore a gray cloth robe, but a long sword gleamed coldly at his waist. Shi Feiyang jumped off the tea table and deliberately bumped into the man's shoulder: "Brother, could I borrow a light?" Before the man could react, he had already pulled out a tinderbox and lit the paper kite in his hand. The kite, with the words "Old man Yang Guang, come and catch me!" scrawled crookedly on it, swayed in the rain and flew towards the palace. The gray-robed man's expression changed drastically, and he drew his long sword, but only managed to cleave the raindrops—Shi Feiyang had already used his Illusionary Demon Step to disappear into the crowd, leaving behind the words, "Gotcha, gotcha."

As night fell, Shi Feiyang squatted on the roof of the City God Temple, gazing at the torches that lit up the city like fireflies. He pulled out a fragment of the "Ten Thousand Poisons Return to Their Origin" from his pocket, his fingertips tracing the yellowed pages: "The real Li Er? Could it be that he was kidnapped by some mountain queen to be her husband? This plot is more outrageous than any novel!"

Just then, the tile suddenly made a faint cracking sound.

"Who?" He swept his bamboo stick horizontally, and the silkworm silk shot out like a silver dragon.

A sharp metallic clang echoed in the darkness as three bone-piercing nails grazed past his ear.

Shi Feiyang yelled, "What kind of hero ambushes like this! If you're so capable, come on, let's compete in solving riddles! Come on, let's hurt each other!" Before he finished speaking, more than ten assassins in black suddenly descended from the roof, their curved knives gleaming with a ghostly blue light.

"Perfect timing!" He used a move called "Stealing the Staff from the Mastiff's Mouth" to knock away two curved knives with his bamboo stick. "Try my 'Eighteen Styles of Jiangdu Fried Rice,' I guarantee you'll enjoy it to the fullest!" The silkworm silk he spat out from his left palm wove into a large net in the air, and the assassins who touched the net screamed in agony, spitting out black blood from their seven orifices.

Just as he was getting into the swing of things, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in white flashing past the street corner—it was Yang Jinghao!

Shi Feiyang was extremely anxious, and he wielded the bamboo stick with incredible speed and precision.

He unleashed a flurry of attacks, including "Poke the Dog's Buttocks!" and "Beating the Dog While It's Drowning!" With each change of technique, the assassins fell to the ground. Just as he was about to pursue Yang Jinghao, a dark figure blocked his path. The newcomer, wielding a gilded halberd, was none other than Yuwen Chengdu!
"Li Er! You have committed all sorts of evil deeds and deserve to be executed. Today is your death day!" Yuwen Chengdu's roar shook the roof tiles, causing them to fall down in a flurry.

Shi Feiyang suddenly pulled out a suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) and started playing funeral music at him: "General, are you here for a funeral? Too bad I'm tough. Even the King of Hell would have to give me two jars of wine. That's how arrogant I am, what can you do about it!"

Speaking strange words that no one could understand, he moved with incredible speed and a dreamlike agility, dodging Yuwen Chengdu's fatal blow.

Yuwen Chengdu was furious, his gilded halberd slamming down with immense force. Shi Feiyang unleashed his "Nine Transformations of Illusionary Demon," his figure weaving through the halberd's shadow like a ghost. Suddenly, he pulled a leather bag full of chili powder from his deerskin pouch and scattered it in the wind: "Here's a 'Fairy Scattering Flowers' for you! Isn't the special effect amazing?!" Yuwen Chengdu burst into tears, and the gilded halberd crashed to the ground with a loud bang.

Taking advantage of Yuwen Chengdu's disheveled state, Shi Feiyang performed a somersault and leaped onto the city wall.

In the darkness of Jiangdu, he gazed in the direction of the palace and muttered to himself, "Li Er, Li Er, whether you're a man or a ghost, we'll meet sooner or later—when that happens, I'll make you treat me to ten meals of crab roe soup dumplings. I have to get this 'freebie'!"

The rain was still falling, and Shi Feiyang's figure gradually disappeared into the vast night.

Meanwhile, inside the palace, Emperor Yang of Sui, seeing the paper kite covered in provocative words, smashed his jade cup to pieces in anger.

Yang Jinghao leaned against the window, gazing at Jiangdu through the rain, her hand tightly clutching the red string left behind by Shi Feiyang. In a dark corner of Jiangdu, a man in gray sneered at a secret letter in his hand, which read in bold: "Li Er has appeared!"

The night sky above the Jiangdu Imperial Palace was ablaze with the glow of torches, and the crouching beasts on the glazed tiles seemed to bar their fangs and claws in the firelight.

Shi Feiyang, with half a piece of osmanthus cake in his mouth, leaned against the vermilion pillar of Chengtian Gate, tapping the copper door knocker with a bamboo stick, as if he were keeping time for the King of Hell.

Suddenly, he heard the distinctive sound of a cow horn from Wagangzhai coming from the northwest corner. His eyes widened, and he spat out crumbs of pastry like bullets: "My goodness! That old bastard Shan Xiongxin brought more people than there are ants in Jiangdu City. Could it be that he brought all the pots and pans from Wagangzhai's canteen?"

Before the words were finished, thirty-six dark figures hung upside down from the eaves like spiders—the infamous "Thirteen Bloodthirty Eagles," feared throughout the martial world. The bald, burly man at the head brandished a three-pointed, double-edged sword; the clanging of the blade's hilts made the palace lanterns in the corridor seem to dance a breakdancing dance. "Li Er! The Shan family's two lives have come to collect their debt—"

"Stop! Hold on!" Shi Feiyang jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, pulled out a bronze mirror bigger than his face, and frantically waved it in the moonlight. "Hey bald guy, your forehead is so reflective it could be used as a searchlight! Tell me! Did you secretly smear three pounds of lard on your head?"

Before he could finish speaking, the bamboo stick flew out with a "whoosh," and he used the move "Stealing the Staff from the Mastiff's Mouth." The three-pointed, double-edged knife seemed to have been bewitched, and with a "clang," it was stuck into the white marble railing three zhang away. The blade was still trembling there, as if it were having a seizure.

The silkworm silk spun out from his palm and wove into a shimmering silver net in the air.

"Silver Threads Bind Souls!" Shi Feiyang yelled and pulled, and the Eagle Claw Sect expert who touched the net screamed in agony. Black blood spurted from his seven orifices drew a crooked, grotesque face in the air, looking just like a flattened octopus.

Yang Jinghao flew over, wielding her longsword. The sword flowers were more beautiful than fireworks, and the sword energy shattered the incoming hidden weapons into fragments.

Suddenly, Shi Feiyang pulled a tattered kite from his deerskin bag and winked at her, "Your Highness, quickly give me a little flame of love!" The moment the tinderbox lit the kite string, countless kites filled with chili powder shot out into the sky, looking like a group of crazy chili pepper spirits.

"See that? This is called 'Golden Farts All Over the City'! It's even more potent than the spiciest hotpot in Jiangdu City!" Shi Feiyang used his Illusionary Demon Step to dash around in the smoke, his bamboo stick specifically targeting the enemies' tickles with vicious jabs. The burly men who were hit laughed so hard they rolled on the ground, swinging their steel knives wildly. They even ripped open their own brothers' pants at the crotch.

Just as things were getting lively, Chengtian Gate was smashed open with a loud crash. Shan Xiongxin, holding a Zaoyang spear, was followed by a large group of Wagang elites, looking as menacing as if they were going to demolish the palace and build a pigsty.

The tip of his spear flicked up a palace lantern, sparks crackling as they landed on Shi Feiyang's shoulder: "Li traitor! Today I will take your dog's head and avenge my father and brothers—"

"Wait, wait! Brother Shan, calm down first!" Shi Feiyang pulled out an abacus as if by magic, clicking away loudly. "Do the math, with so many people, how many pairs of straw sandals have you worn out? Or I can show you a way to make a fortune—" He suddenly pointed to Emperor Yang of Sui's bedroom, winking and saying, "The chamber pots in that room are all made of pure gold and inlaid with jade. If you steal them, I guarantee you can open three casinos and five brothels in Wagang Village, and even the money for your wife's rouge will be taken care of!"

Enraged, Shan Xiongxin unleashed his Zaoyang spear, which whistled through the air as it came crashing down.

Shi Feiyang unleashed his "Drowning Dog Beating" technique, slamming his bamboo stick heavily into the ground. The entire city gate shook violently, and blue bricks flew around like cannonballs.

The silkworm silk he spat out from his left palm transformed into thousands of fine needles, which, combined with Yang Jinghao's "Dragon Soaring to the Nine Heavens" sword technique, were absolutely perfect, weaving a deadly disco net in the firelight.

"Your Highness, let's have a court waltz!" Shi Feiyang grabbed Yang Jinghao's waist, and the two spun around back to back, their bamboo sticks and jade swords dancing in a dazzling display. "Slay the Double Hounds!" "White Rainbow Pierces the Sun!" With these two shouts, blood exploded from the chests of the eight Wagang warriors charging ahead, their entrails and fragments splattering onto the palace walls, resembling an abstract ink painting.

Just as the killing was in full swing, Shi Feiyang suddenly spotted the wine gourd at Shan Xiongxin's waist and his eyes widened: "Good heavens! Isn't this the twenty-year-old aged wine from Xinghua Village? It's even more fragrant than the osmanthus honey from Yihua Palace!" He made a feint with his bamboo stick, "luring the dog into the village," and Shan Xiongxin slipped and staggered forward half a step.

Shi Feiyang hooked the red silk of the wine gourd with his fingertips, his figure like a fish swimming past the sharp edge of Yuwen Chengdu's gilded halberd, the silkworm silk in his palm bursting up and wrapping around the neck of the gourd, pulling it into his arms.

"What a wonderful saying, 'Sharing joy is worse than enjoying it alone'!" He tilted his head back and gulped down the wine, his Adam's apple bobbing as the liquor slid down his jawline, leaving dark stains on his black clothes.

Suddenly, he flicked his wrist, and the gourd fell like a meteor into the Wagang army formation. "Consider this jar of apricot blossom wine a pledge of loyalty! When you arrive in Jiangdu, mention the name 'Second Master Li,' and you can choose any VIP room in the bathhouse!"

The Wagang generals were taken aback at first, then burst into deafening laughter.

As Shan Xiongxin watched the verdant figure weaving through the crowd, he angrily slammed his Zaoyang Spear heavily on the ground: "You brat! Don't run away—" But what responded to him was a kiss thrown from the city wall by Shi Feiyang. He lifted Yang Jinghao by the waist with his bamboo stick, and the two of them spiraled up the battlements like twin lotus blossoms.

Suddenly, a clear and melodious phoenix cry echoed from the horizon. Amidst the crimson glow of the sunset, the Vermilion Bird spread its wings, obscuring the sky, and soared through the air. Its tail feathers swept across the palace, and the strong wind it generated made the bronze bells on the eaves jingle loudly.

The silkworm silk that Shi Feiyang spat out from the palm of his left hand spun and wove into a silver net three zhang square, which precisely caught the swooping divine bird.

"Wife, hold on tight!" He wrapped his arms around Yang Jinghao's slender waist and leaped onto the bird's back using the shockwave from the Vermilion Bird's flapping wings.

On the back of the Vermilion Bird, Shi Feiyang had already prepared a silk tent. The tent was made of thousand-year-old ice silkworm silk and adorned with luminous pearls, emitting a soft glow in the twilight. When he lifted the tent flap, his fingertips inadvertently brushed against Yang Jinghao's blushing earlobe: "It is said that the love words spoken inside will make even the Old Man of the Moon tie three more red threads."

The divine bird soared into the sky, and the clouds churned beneath its feet like cotton wool.

Yang Jinghao leaned against Shi Feiyang's chest, watching the sunset rushing past the window. Suddenly, she reached out and caught a wisp of cloud caught by the air currents. The cloud touched her fingertips and turned into glistening water droplets: "Is this the legendary 'Heavenly Tears'?"

“What’s more precious than Heavenly Tears is here.” Shi Feiyang turned her face towards him, his warm breath brushing against her trembling eyelashes.

Outside the tent, the Vermilion Bird carried them through a rainbow of seven colors, and sunlight filtered through the silk, casting dappled shadows on the two of them.

He suddenly untied the bamboo stick from his waist, and the silkworm silk he spat out from his palm transformed it into the frame of a carved bed. "Even though we're in mid-air, our wedding night still has to be properly decorated."

Yang Jinghao's cheeks burned, but she reached out to touch the old scar on his chest: "That day you shielded me from an arrow, and I was thinking..." Before she could finish speaking, Shi Feiyang's kiss sealed her words. The wind howled outside the tent, but the roar of the Vermilion Bird's wings could not mask their rapid breathing.

The silkworm silk that flowed from Shi Feiyang's palm wove into a continuous "囍" character in the air, shimmering with light as the divine bird flew.

As night fell, the Vermilion Bird had already flown over the Kunlun Snowfield. Shi Feiyang lifted the tent flap, and the sky was filled with stars that poured down like shattered diamonds, even more dazzling than the Jade Palace of the Yihua Palace. He took out a treasured osmanthus cake from his pocket, broke off the sweetest piece, and fed it to Yang Jinghao: "My wife, look, this entire starry sky is celebrating for us."

Yang Jinghao leaned on his shoulder, gazing at the vast sea of ​​clouds below, and suddenly chuckled: "If I hadn't met you, I probably would never have dreamed that I would spend a wonderful night with my husband on the back of a divine bird."

Her fingertips twirled Shi Feiyang's hair. "No matter where you are in the future, wherever you are, that place will be my Yihua Palace."

The Vermilion Bird seemed to understand human nature, and at the right moment let out a long cry.

Shi Feiyang held her even tighter and whispered in her ear, "Not just to the ends of the earth, but even to the highest heavens and the deepest hells, I will hold you in the palm of my hand." Before he finished speaking, the night-shining pearls in the tent suddenly lit up, turning the two people embracing into a golden hue, like immortals in a painting.

A few days later, the Vermilion Bird, perhaps tired, flew back to the Jiangdu Palace.

Inside the Golden Palace, the scent of ambergris mixed with sandalwood lingered.

Emperor Yang of Sui leaned back on the Nine Dragon Sandalwood couch, a gilded wine goblet swaying gently, the emerald liquid reflecting the calculating glint in his eyes: "Minister Li, your martial arts are superb and your wisdom unparalleled. I wish to marry Princess Jinghao to you. What do you think?" As soon as he finished speaking, the civil and military officials whispered among themselves, the sound of jade tablets striking each other like the fluttering of cicada wings in autumn.

Shi Feiyang, waving a folding fan covered with crooked poems, suddenly stepped forward, his bamboo stick tapping the ground with a crisp sound, startling the bronze crane in front of the steps into flapping its wings as if about to take flight: "Your Majesty's abacus beads must have been picked from the five-colored stones left over from Nuwa mending the sky!"

He raised an eyebrow at Yang Jinghao below the steps, noticing her flushed cheeks hidden behind a round fan, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. His smile deepened. "However, this delicate flower, the princess, was already reserved by me, pot and all, by the Slender West Lake in Jiangdu! But Your Majesty should think it over—" He suddenly turned around, lifting the beaded curtain hanging from the dragon pillar with his folding fan. "Your son-in-law is an untamed wild horse, an unbridled dragon!"

Yang Jinghao was both ashamed and angry. She stomped her jade feet lightly, her pearl-embroidered shoes shattering the light and shadow on the ground: "Stop talking nonsense!" But although she spoke angrily, her fingertips hidden in her sleeves unconsciously twisted the silk handkerchief. At the edge of the handkerchief, half of an unfinished twin lotus was embroidered.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Yang of Sui clapped his hands and laughed heartily. The pearls on his gilded crown shimmered, illuminating the entire hall: "Excellent! Excellent! I hereby bestow upon you a golden and jade-like marriage; the wedding will take place in three days!" This was because Shi Feiyang's demeanor perfectly matched Yang Guang's pleasure-seeking and unrestrained nature. If Shi Feiyang were serious and proper, Yang Guang would not have liked him.

Three days later, the palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, and the red silk was as bright as the sunset.

Shi Feiyang, dressed in a dark wedding robe, still had that emerald green bamboo stick hanging from his waist, attracting frequent glances from the master of ceremonies. He swaggered over the brazier, when he suddenly felt a tightness in his sleeve. Looking down, he saw Yang Jinghao's jade-like fingers hooking around his cuff, her fingertips slightly cool: "Be careful not to burn yourself." Her soft voice was three times sweeter than the nectar of the Flower Palace.

Inside the bridal chamber, red candles flickered. The moment Shi Feiyang lifted the red veil, the candlelight illuminated Yang Jinghao's face, making it appear as beautiful as a peach blossom. The pearl tassels on her phoenix crown trembled gently, like a galaxy reflected in her eyes. "So Your Highness had been hiding this so well," he suddenly leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against her ear. "That day in the Imperial Garden, who was it that said, 'The world is dangerous, don't wander around'? Now look what's happened, she's lost herself in this dangerous world."

Yang Jinghao turned her face away, but couldn't hide the smile on her lips: "Who wants to compensate you..." Before she could finish speaking, Shi Feiyang had already grasped her hands, the warmth from his palms traveling through her veins to her heart. "Then I'll be punished to guard Her Highness for all eternity," he suddenly pulled a cloth bag from his deerskin bag, inside which was half a piece of dried osmanthus cake, "Look, even a token of love has been prepared."

Yang Jinghao chuckled, but her eyes were slightly red. She reached out and touched the bamboo staff at his waist, her fingertips tracing the crooked characters "Jinghao" carved on it: "That day you shielded me from the poisoned arrows of the Netherworld Sect, and I knew..." Her words were muffled by fireworks that suddenly exploded outside the window. Shi Feiyang took the opportunity to pull her into his arms. The moonlight outside the window was like water, making the two of them look like immortals in a painting.

(End of this chapter)