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

Marrying two stunning beauties, Yaoyue and Lianxing, Shi Feiyang's life became even happier, and his days were like a poem or a painting.

However, under the powerful control of Yaoyue, Shi Feiyang never left Yihua Palace again. Truly, there are gains and losses, and losses and gains!
Soon after, with the consent of Yaoyue and Lianxing, Shi Feiyang sent people to bring over beauties such as Qiu Shuhui, Huo Chenxi, Chu Hongxiao, Li Yanling, Yang Jinghao, Bai Jieru, and Zidie. He and his nine wives had a total of eighty-one sons and sixteen daughters.

Gradually, the eighty-one sons married the beautiful women of Yihua Palace and had three hundred and sixty more sons. Although Yaoyue and Lianxing cultivated the Mingyu Gong and remained young forever, they looked like eighteen even at the age of one hundred.

However, they did not consume "Xu Fu's elixir of immortality" and thus failed to achieve eternal life, ultimately departing this world gracefully.

Having consumed large quantities of "Xu Fu's Elixir," Shi Feiyang, who was immortal and eternally youthful, still appeared as a handsome eighteen-year-old, and no one knew his actual age. However, looking at his more than three thousand great-grandchildren, he felt both excited and troubled.

Before he knew it, his son and grandson had both passed away, while Shi Feiyang remained as handsome as an eighteen-year-old. However, he no longer felt excitement; instead of just being depressed, he was in extreme pain. He realized that seemingly limitless longevity was actually so painful.

Shi Feiyang then relinquished the position of Palace Master to his great-grandson and left Yihua Palace.

Having not left the Yihua Palace for over a hundred years, he truly has no idea how the outside world has changed! Forget about the position of Palace Master of Yihua Palace; even if he were offered the throne, he wouldn't take it. He just wants to see how wonderful the outside world is!
As the snow and ice of the Northwest Yihua Palace receded into the distance, Shi Feiyang, waving his emerald green bamboo stick, headed south to Sichuan.

Miasma filled the air along the plank road, when suddenly the sound of metal clanging could be heard from the mountain valley.

Shi Feiyang parted the vines and saw a beautiful young girl, her family, and her guards being attacked by more than ten black-clad experts—the "Disaster Relief Gang" bronze badges on their waists gleamed with an eerie light.

The scarred, burly man at the head of the group had his sword pressed against the throat of the middle-aged scholar; he was none other than Yang Xuanzhen, the registrar of Shu Prefecture.

With a flash of blood, Yang Xuanzhen fell to the ground, his blood splattering as he died.

Shi Feiyang, who hadn't stepped out to right wrongs for over a hundred years, suddenly felt an urge to do so and angrily cursed, "Robbing someone's father in broad daylight? This business is even more unscrupulous than when I was selling fake jade pendants in Yangzhou a hundred years ago!"

He gripped the bamboo stick and unleashed a move from the Dog-Beating Stick Technique called "Stick to the Mangy Dog." Instantly, his green bamboo stick shot out like a venomous snake, precisely striking the assassin's wrist. The steel knife clattered to the ground, startling everyone who turned their heads in unison.

The scarred man was none other than Liu Qi, the leader of the Disaster Relief Gang. Seeing that Shi Feiyang was young, with a youthful face and handsome, elegant appearance, he didn't take him seriously. He grinned maliciously and unleashed his "Yin Wind Palm," his palms radiating a bluish-purple poisonous aura, instantly withering the bushes in their wake. In his mind, he could kill Shi Feiyang with a single blow.

Unexpectedly, the result was completely different from what Liu Qi had anticipated.

Shi Feiyang activated the Bright Jade Skill, his glassy skin glowing with blue light, like an ice sculpture shrouded in cold mist. He used the "Shifting Flowers and Jade" divine skill, his figure moving like a ghost, causing Liu Qi's palm wind to change direction and strike the rocks behind him.

With a deafening roar, rubble rained down like a storm, smashing dozens of bandits until their brains splattered, while the rest fled in terror.

Unexpectedly, the flying pebbles startled Yang Yu, the daughter of Yang Xuanzhen, and her horse. The woman cried out and, along with the frightened horse, plunged off the cliff. "Oh my little darling!" Shi Feiyang exclaimed, his toes barely touching the ground as he hurriedly used his unparalleled lightness skill, "Leaving No Trace for a Thousand Miles," to give chase.

Such a beauty cannot be allowed to die such a tragic death.

In mid-air, Shi Feiyang reached out and grabbed Yang Yu's wrist, but due to the excessive force of his downward fall, both he and Yang Yu plummeted. At the critical moment, Shi Feiyang extended his green bamboo stick and hooked it onto an ancient vine, the arc of which startled the wild monkeys on the cliff edge, causing them to squeak and scream.

Yang Yu was still in shock, her chest heaving violently, and the gold hairpin in her hair swaying crookedly, which added to her pitiful charm.

"Girl, do you want to play on the high swing with me?" Shi Feiyang grinned and teased. His fair skin reflected the sunlight and was even more dazzling than the pearls in Yang Yu's hair. He continued teasingly, "But if your old man sees us like this, he'll probably have to bring an eight-person sedan chair to marry me!"

It’s really hard to pick up any pot!
Yang Yu was filled with shame and anger. Just as he was about to retort, he suddenly remembered the tragic death of his father, and his eyes instantly reddened. He said sadly, "Thank you for saving my life, young hero. I... my name is Yang Yu. My great-grandfather was Yang Wang, a high-ranking official and Minister of Personnel during the Sui Dynasty. He was killed by Li Shimin in the early Tang Dynasty. My father, Yang Xuanzhen, served as the Registrar of Shu Prefecture. My uncle, Yang Xuanjiao, is currently the Chief Administrator of Henan Prefecture. I spent my childhood in Shu Prefecture... My father took me out for a spring outing, but unexpectedly..."

She choked up and couldn't continue, her tears falling onto Shi Feiyang's hand, burning his heart.

Shi Feiyang then realized that he had inadvertently touched on Yang Yu's sad memory. He immediately put away his playful smile, picked up a clean piece of clothing with a bamboo stick and handed it to her, comforting her, "Sister, don't cry, don't cry. If your tears fall on my skin, they'll probably bloom into flowers."

He suddenly slapped his forehead, looking as if he had just realized something, and said in a serious tone, "Hey, I've got it! Isn't your uncle in Luoyang? I may not be good at much else, but I'm quite adept at escorting beautiful ladies! Just hire me as a free bodyguard, food and lodging included! What do you say?"

Before the words were finished, a sinister laugh echoed from the cliff top. Liu Qi, leading his remaining men, arrived, a chain-wielding meteor hammer in hand, and roared, "You brat, you ruined my plans! You'll pay with your life!" Shi Feiyang shielded Yang Yu behind him and whispered, "Don't panic, little sister. I'll have White Tiger protect you, and Vermilion Bird will bring you up later. Now, I'll fly up and wipe out those bandits, avenging your father!"

As he spoke, Shi Feiyang's expression suddenly turned cold. When he reached into the deerskin bag, a wisp of golden light appeared.

In an instant, the cliff wind howled like a ghost's wail, and a white tiger the size of a millstone stepped out of the air! Its fur shimmered with a moonlit silver-white, and the royal markings on its forehead glowed with a ghostly blue. When its four paws landed, they actually created ice crystals in the void.

Almost simultaneously, crimson flames shot into the sky, and the Vermilion Bird spread its wings and swept over everyone's heads. Its three-zhang-long tail feathers trailed the momentum of a wildfire, and the sparks dripping from the tips of its feathers burned the withered grass on the cliff to ashes.

Yang Yu was so frightened that her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground.

The Vermilion Bird's piercing cry made her eardrums ache, and the White Tiger's icy breath instantly frosted her skirt.

Gazing at the intelligent light emanating from the eyes of the two divine beasts, she felt as if she had fallen into a nightmare. Her back, soaked with cold sweat, pressed against the icy cliff wall. Her cherry lips parted slightly, but she could not utter a single word. Only the whites of her eyes rolled incessantly. In her daze, she seemed to see hellish demons appear in the world.

Shi Feiyang instructed Zhuque and Baihu to protect Yang Yu, then used his unparalleled "Thousand Miles Without Leaving a Trace" lightness skill to fly to the top of the cliff. He then wielded his emerald bamboo staff, turning it into a blue light, and roared, "You dog thieves, robbing and murdering! You've come at the perfect time! I've been looking for you dog thieves to avenge Miss Yang!"

Liu Qi fell silent, his meteor hammer crashing down with the force of wind and thunder. Shi Feiyang, however, neither dodged nor evaded, instead circulating his Mingyu Gong, his entire body's icy blue true energy forming a vortex of suction. Liu Qi's iron chain was drawn to the bamboo stick like a magnet. Shi Feiyang flipped his wrist, using "Luring the Dog into the Stronghold" to redirect the force towards Liu Qi.

Liu Qi immediately lost his footing and staggered forward, crashing into Shi Feiyang's series of bat techniques using the "Puppy Playing with a Ball" move.

Shi Feiyang's bamboo stick moved like a nimble snake, striking Liu Qi's vital points all over his body, causing Liu Qi to howl in pain. This punishment was cruel enough; it didn't kill Liu Qi, but it made him feel unbearably painful and itchy all over.

"Do you know what it means to try to steal a chicken but lose the rice instead?" Shi Feiyang teased as he hit him, then pulled out an oil paper package from his pocket containing half a flattened osmanthus cake. "Here, have a sweet treat to calm your temper!"

Standing on the back of the Vermilion Bird, with the White Tiger beside her, Yang Yu soared into the sky. Seeing Shi Feiyang still thinking about snacks amidst the bloodshed, she couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, her tears wetting her sleeves.

At this moment, Shi Feiyang's Hundred Victories Saber Technique, "Slaying the Mortal World," was ready to be unleashed. His palm strike, carrying an overwhelming force, cleaved out the remaining bandits, sending them flying. Liu Qi fell seven zhang away, his arms broken, and he screamed in agony, but he endured the pain, got up, and fled.

Shi Feiyang, brandishing his blood-dripping bamboo stick, approached Yang Yu and teased, "Let's go, Miss Yang. Our journey here will probably be even more exciting than Qin Qiong fighting Guan Yu!" He suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice, "But let's make it clear first, when we get to Luoyang, you have to teach me the Rainbow Feather Dance—I guarantee I'll dance ten times better than those江湖汉子 (jianghu men, martial arts heroes)!" Yang Yu was amused by him and giggled, her face streaked with tears, looking incredibly charming and alluring.

As dusk draped the mountains of Sichuan in a dark veil, Shi Feiyang, his tattered straw hat askew, blew lightly into his palm, and the Vermilion Bird and White Tiger transformed into streaks of light, disappearing into the deerskin pouch at his waist. He patted the bulging pouch and muttered a few words to it: "You two immortals, rest for now. When we encounter something tough, we'll ask you to come out and gnaw on the bones!"

Yang Yu was immediately dumbfounded, stunned, as if she had encountered a deity.

After saying this, Shi Feiyang shook his emerald green bamboo stick, found two startled horses in the grass, suddenly knelt on one knee, hoisted the bamboo stick onto his shoulder, and said with a swaying head, "Miss Yang, please take a seat. My 'Feiyang' horse is three times more stable than an eight-bearer sedan chair!"

She treated Yang Yu even better than Yang Xuanzhen did!

Yang Yu's cheeks flushed slightly, but she found Shi Feiyang quite interesting. She also thought he was a god, so she completely trusted him. She stepped onto Shi Feiyang's shoulder, climbed onto the warhorse, and gently pulled the reins. She saw that Shi Feiyang had already flipped over and mounted another horse, with half a candied hawthorn stick sticking out of his waist.

Shi Feiyang used a bamboo stick to pick up a wildflower from the roadside and tucked it behind her ear like a precious treasure, teasingly saying, "Look, this flower matches a beauty, even tigers in the mountains would give it a wide berth! But seriously, if a tiger really came, I'd use this bamboo stick to give it a middle part!"

"Hehe!" Yang Yu smiled brightly, and the two rode off. Having lived in the Yihua Palace for over a hundred years, the bustling streets and lively scenes along the way were all novel sights for Shi Feiyang. He looked around aimlessly, talking non-stop.

As he passed by a small tavern in town, he peered out the window at the waiter cutting meat, his mouth watering. He turned to Yang Yu and said, "This knife skill is no good. If it were me, I could slice this meat so thin it would be translucent in three moves of 'Slicing Through the Mortal World'!"

Yang Yu shook her head and scolded playfully, "You shouldn't have come down to the mortal realm, you're too naughty! Hey, were you like this in the celestial realm too? Did the Jade Emperor banish you to the mortal world?" She was very curious about Shi Feiyang!
Shi Feiyang didn't answer and continued leading his horse forward. When he saw a juggler swallowing fire, he squeezed in and pulled out a bamboo stick to perform "sticking at flames." As a result, he singed half of his eyebrow, but still insisted, "This is called artistic sacrifice!"

Seeing the worry on Yang Yu's brow, he immediately straightened his expression, tapped the saddle with a bamboo stick, and hummed a little tune he had made up: "How strange, how strange, the great hero Shi protects the flower in Sichuan, not afraid of high mountains and long roads, only afraid that the beauty will not be happy!"

Yang Yu's worries vanished instantly, replaced by a radiant smile.

When the two rode their horses to Tiger Gorge, the mountain path was only wide enough for one rider to pass at a time.

Shi Feiyang dismounted and used his bamboo stick to poke around like a nimble snake, making the pebbles clang as he did so.

He suddenly lay down on the ground and began to study the footprints with great seriousness. After a while, he shook his head and said, "Miss Yang, a fox has been on this road! But don't be afraid, I'll show you a 'fox borrowing the tiger's power' trick—"

Before she could finish speaking, Yang Yu was already laughing so hard she couldn't stand up straight.

Seeing this, Shi Feiyang immediately adopted the air of a chivalrous hero and teased, "Your shoes embroidered with twin lotus blossoms are so precious they could be exchanged for ten jars of Daughter's Red wine! Let me scout the way for you first, so they don't get dirty from this mountain mud and spoil your enjoyment!"

Suddenly, birds in the woods took flight in fright. Shi Feiyang's expression changed drastically. He held his bamboo stick in front of Yang Yu, but still managed to wink and remind her, "Business is here! The Disaster Relief Gang's noses are sharper than wolves on the plains. Perfect timing to test my newly created 'Thirty-Six Strategies for Beating Dogs'!"

A sinister laugh echoed from the narrow valley, and Liu Qi appeared with more than twenty experts. His meteor hammer was wrapped with a poisoned iron chain, and the people behind him either wielded ghost-head sabers or judge's pens. Shi Feiyang suddenly pulled a bronze mirror from his deerskin bag, tidied his hair, and said self-deprecatingly, "After the fight, don't ruin my handsome appearance."

Yang Yu was amused and smiled brightly again. She was no longer afraid and felt that following Shi Feiyang was not only safe and secure, but also very interesting. This life was simply like a poem or a painting, full of boundless joy.

Liu Qi's three bone-piercing nails pierced through the air. Shi Feiyang activated his Mingyu Gong, and his glassy skin shimmered with icy blue patterns. He used a bamboo stick to pick up leaves from the roadside and unleashed the "Transferring Flowers and Jade" divine skill! He sent the hidden weapon flying towards another bandit, instantly pinning him to the stone wall.

Immediately afterwards, Shi Feiyang wielded his bamboo stick, which flashed with a bluish light, and unleashed a move called "Stick to Pick Up a Mangy Dog," aiming straight for the enemy's wrist. He chuckled coldly a few times, muttering, "Let you taste the 'fly swatter' of the Yihua Palace!"

Liu Qi was so angry that he was practically fuming. With a loud shout, his meteor hammer transformed into a silver snake, dancing wildly and cutting down all the grass and trees in its path.

Suddenly, Shi Feiyang pulled out a whistle and blew it loudly, imitating a dog's bark. Taking advantage of the opponent's momentary lapse in attention, he unleashed a move called "Puppy Playing with a Ball"! The brilliant dog-beating stick technique attacked like a whirlwind, leaving the opponent defenseless.

"Try my 'Twelve Forms of Yin Wind'!" Liu Qi roared in anger, striking out with both palms, where the wind from his palms condensed into frost.

Shi Feiyang neither dodged nor evaded, but suddenly pulled out a hand warmer from his deerskin bag and said jokingly, "It's so cold, this is perfect for warming your hands! Hey, what kung fu do you know? Show me everything! I haven't been in the martial world for over a hundred years, and I'd love to see what you've got!" As he said this, his left hand struck out "Slaying the Mortal World" from the "Hundred Victories Saber Technique"! The palm wind carried the force of an overwhelming wave, and the saber light was like a cold moon in the sky, instantly cleaving through the opponent's attack.

In the heat of battle, three assassins launched a surprise attack on Yang Yu from the flank.

A cold glint flashed in Shi Feiyang's eyes. He used his "Thousand Miles Without Leaving a Trace" lightness skill to teleport to the scene instantly. He used his bamboo stick to strike the three men's Tanzhong acupoints, and didn't forget to tease them, "Gentlemen, do you feel comfortable with these acupoints?"

Unexpectedly, Liu Qi seized the opportunity to throw out his meteor hammer, and the iron chain wrapped around his ankle like a serpent.

Shi Feiyang suddenly pulled out a kite and shouted, "You scoundrels from the Disaster Relief Gang, look! Your hidden weapons aren't as fancy as mine!" Taking advantage of the opponent's distraction, he activated the Mingyu Gong to the "Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotions: Ice Soul Cold Prison" level, and his body was filled with cold air. He flicked his finger at the iron chain, and ice shards immediately formed.

Immediately afterwards, Shi Feiyang unleashed a move called "Beating a Dog While It's Drowning"! His staff technique was as swift as a storm, and the bamboo stick struck Liu Qi's chest heavily.

Liu Qi's sternum broke instantly, and he fell three feet. The remnants of the Disaster Relief Gang were so frightened that they didn't care whether Liu Qi lived or died. They grabbed Liu Qi and fled.

Shi Feiyang didn't pursue the matter; he was eager to amuse Yang Yu.

Now, Shi Feiyang has figured out something else: men not only need longevity, but also fresh love to keep them going. Otherwise, life is meaningless!
The setting sun, like blood, dyed Tiger Hill a magnificent cinnabar color.

Shi Feiyang leaned against the mottled rock wall, casually wiping his face with the back of his blood-stained hand. Suddenly, he staggered forward, his green bamboo staff clattering to the ground. He uttered with difficulty, "Miss Yang... I'm afraid I'm going to meet the King of Hell this time..."

He spoke in a barely audible voice, but his fingers secretly plucked a wildflower from his waist. Yang Yu's heart, which had been pounding in her chest, leaped into her throat. Her embroidered shoes crunched through the fallen leaves as she rushed to him, crying out in anguish, "Young Master Shi! You…"

Before she could finish speaking, her eyes, which were always mischievous and smiling, suddenly lit up. Shi Feiyang pulled out wildflowers from behind him as if by magic, and tucked them crookedly behind her ear, teasingly saying, "My only wish before I died was to taste the sweetest osmanthus cake in Luoyang, preferably... fed by Miss Yang herself."

The mountain wind swept past the two of them, lifting Yang Yu's loose hair. She truly believed that Shi Feiyang had suffered some serious injury, and was immediately filled with anger, anxiety, and sadness, feeling as if the sky was about to fall.

In an instant, her eyes reddened. She held a silk handkerchief soaked in water in her slender hand and gently wiped the bloodstains and dust from Shi Feiyang's face. She scolded him, "If you hadn't always been so stubborn, how could you have ended up covered in wounds?" When her fingertips touched his smooth, glassy skin, her heart skipped a beat.

Shi Feiyang suddenly grasped that slender hand in return. As his Mingyu Gong flowed, his skin glowed with a soft halo in the setting sun, like glass dyed by the evening glow. He said resolutely, "Miss Yang, do you know? Even if the Shu Road is as treacherous as mountains of knives and seas of fire, even if the heavens and earth are against me, as long as I can protect you, I, Shi Feiyang, will not flinch even if I turn the entire Shu Road upside down!"

These words struck Yang Yu's heart like a heavy hammer. She remembered the despair of her father's tragic death, the figure of Shi Feiyang always shielding her, and the fear he had dispelled with his jokes. Her tears flowed uncontrollably, like pearls from a broken string. She threw herself into his arms, which carried a faint scent of blood and the chill of Ming Yugong, her voice choked with sobs: "Shi Lang..."

As dusk deepened, the cries of returning birds echoed through the valley. Shi Feiyang gently embraced the trembling body in his arms, his smooth skin spontaneously circulating his internal energy to continuously warm her.

He gazed at the last rays of the setting sun on the horizon, a gentle smile playing on his lips—with a beautiful woman by his side, even the most difficult journey in this world is worthwhile.

A little later, Shi Feiyang carried Yang Yu onto the horse, and the two rode together on one horse, continuing their journey to Luoyang. This time, Yang Yu no longer refused to ride with him; instead, she felt his embrace was warm and comforting.

As evening fell, they arrived in Qin territory, entered a small town, and came to the "Huiwei Inn," where they booked two superior rooms to rest.

After dinner, as dusk settled over the carved windows of the inn, Shi Feiyang used a green bamboo stick to adjust the wick of the oil lamp, the flame popping open with a "whoosh," startling the swallows on the beams into flight. Yang Yu sat by the window, holding her pipa, her fingertips brushing the strings.

Shi Feiyang suddenly jumped up from the stool, grinning, and said, "This tune! It's just like the steps my neighbor, Aunt Wang, uses when she's performing her shamanistic rituals!"

Yang Yu burst out laughing, her delicate hand gently twirling the bamboo stick. She said seriously, "This is the prelude to the 'Rainbow Feather Dance,' has Young Hero Shi heard of it?" Before she finished speaking, the bamboo stick was already spinning in Shi Feiyang's hand, emitting a circle of green light. He teased, "I've heard of it! It's just fairies dancing! But in my opinion, if you incorporate the 'Puppy Playing with a Ball' move from the Dog-Beating Stick Technique..."

As he spoke, he took a step in the shape of an "eight," tapping the ground with his bamboo stick in the rhythm of a pipa, but accidentally kicked over the copper basin.

"Oh dear!" Yang Yu exclaimed in surprise and hurriedly got up to help him.

The moment their fingertips touched, Shi Feiyang suddenly widened his eyes and said mysteriously, "Miss Yang's hands are hotter than the warm jade of the Yihua Palace! Could it be that you have been struck by that old bastard Liu Qi's insidious palm strike?" With that, he tried to pull off her sleeve, which frightened Yang Yu so much that she retreated repeatedly, the gold hairpins at her temples jingling as they swayed.

"Stop being so glib!" She sat down, blushing, and scolded him playfully, but the music she played on the strings went out of tune. "If you really want to integrate martial arts into music and dance... you could try drawing a diagram of my Dog-Beating Staff Technique." Shi Feiyang was truly innovative, and said seriously, then immediately leaned forward, his nose almost touching her hair, and praised himself, "My brain works really well, look, what a great idea I came up with! Like this—" He drew a crooked circle on the muddy ground with his bamboo staff, and then said seriously, "This is 'Shaking Head and Wagging Tail,' it needs a spinning motion!"

In the dead of night, Yang Yu was awakened by the sound of bamboo sticks cutting through the air outside the window. Pushing open the window, he saw Shi Feiyang standing on one foot on a treetop, the moonlight casting his shadow on the bluestone slab, gesturing to the "Rainbow Skirt and Stick Shadow Picture" that he had drawn during the day.

Sometimes he imitated the peacock's spreading tail feathers dance, sometimes he struck a pose like a vicious dog pouncing on its prey. When he accidentally broke a tree branch, he used his unparalleled lightness skill of "leaving no trace for a thousand miles" to land steadily on the wall. He even winked at her and said with a grin, "Hey girl, did you see that? This is called 'Dancing low on the willows, moon in the heart of the tower'!"

Yang Yu was so happy that she kept laughing, even rubbing her stomach.

The next morning, Shi Feiyang, with dark circles under his eyes, proudly presented a wooden box and said very seriously, "Sister, please look!" Inside the box lay a bamboo flute with the four crooked characters "Feiyang Yuying" engraved on its body.

Then, Shi Feiyang mysteriously said, "Last night, following your pipa tune, I figured out a set of moves for 'flute and stick playing together'!" As he spoke, he began to play, but the flute music went completely off-key, startling the chickens and dogs in the inn into jumping up and down.

"Haha!" Yang Yu burst into laughter again.

"Looks like I still need to practice more! But..." Shi Feiyang said self-deprecatingly, then suddenly sat up straight, his glassy eyes sparkling in the morning light, and said playfully, "When we get to Luoyang, you teach me the complete version of the Rainbow Feather Dance, and I'll teach you how to use the pipa to activate Gu worms—guaranteed to be ten times more powerful than the insidious palm techniques of the Disaster Relief Gang!"

As Yang Yu watched him gesturing wildly, she suddenly recalled the scene from yesterday when he taught her how to play "puppy play with a ball".

At that moment, he stood behind her, adjusting her grip on the stick with his hands, his warm breath brushing against her ear, and whispered, "Turn your wrist a little more... Yes! Just like that, as lightly as plucking a string."

Yang Yu now thinks back and it seems that the warmth of his palm still lingers on her fingertips.

"Young Master Shi..." she began softly, but was interrupted by the waiter who suddenly burst in: "Sir! Someone has delivered this!" On the tray was a piece of crystal-clear warm jade, with a lifelike sunflower carved on it.

Shi Feiyang's expression changed drastically. He grabbed Nuanyu tightly, and a faint fluctuation of internal energy emanated from where he touched it. "This is... the token of the Sunflower Saintess!" he muttered to himself. Suddenly, he grabbed Yang Yu's hand and said inexplicably, "Quick, let's go! Someone's watching you!"

As the two rushed out of the inn, Shi Feiyang shoved the bamboo flute into her hand, grinning, "If you encounter danger, play this! My flute may be off-key, but it'll be enough to scare away vicious dogs!" With that, he scooped Yang Yu up, mounted his horse, and galloped off towards Luoyang. As they rode at full speed, Yang Yu looked at the bamboo flute in her hand and suddenly noticed a red string tied to the end—the very same string he had used to bandage her wounds the day before.

She looked up at Shi Feiyang's back, which appeared particularly upright in the morning mist. Something seemed to be swaying at his waist, and with the horse's speed, who knows how many hilarious treasures were hidden there.

"Young Master Shi!" she called out, "When we get to Luoyang, I'll treat you to the sweetest osmanthus cake and teach you the real Rainbow Feather Dance!"

Shi Feiyang turned around and smiled. The morning light shone on his glass-like skin, more radiant than the sunrise. He said cheerfully, "Alright! But it's a deal. If I master my 'Flute and Stick Harmony,' you have to be my dance partner!"

The sound of horses' hooves shattered the morning mist, and two figures disappeared at the end of the mountain path.

Summer rain, sharp as a knife, soaked the bluestone of the Shu Road until it gleamed with a bloody sheen.

Shi Feiyang and Yang Yu rode their horses across the border between Sichuan and Shaanxi and entered Qin territory. He leaped off his horse, brandishing his emerald green bamboo stick, and suddenly used the tip of the stick to lift the brim of Yang Yu's umbrella, subtly implying, "Miss Yang, this oil-paper umbrella of yours may not be able to withstand the 'Eighteen Arrows of Yin Wind' from the Disaster Relief Gang!"

Before he could finish speaking, a strange noise suddenly arose in the forest, and seven poisoned crossbow bolts pierced through the rain and headed straight for Yang Yu's face.

"Perfect timing! I need a fierce battle to perk me up!" Shi Feiyang shouted, his bamboo stick spinning into a streak of blue light. He used a move from the "Pick" technique, "Pick the Mangy Dog with the Stick," to deflect all the incoming arrows into the air.

However, this was only the prelude. As a sharp whistle rang out, more than thirty assassins in black suddenly leaped out of the bamboo forest. The leader held a chain hammer, with nine skulls hanging from the chain—the mysterious "Nine Netherworld Envoys" of the Disaster Relief Gang.

The Nine Nether Envoy grinned maliciously and threatened, "Little girl, if you come with us obediently, you might still have a whole corpse!" The chain hammer smashed against the bluestone, sending sparks flying.

Suddenly, Shi Feiyang pulled a rattle drum from his deerskin bag and shook it at the assassins, grinning as he said, "Come on, let's play 'cops and robbers'! The loser has to take off his pants and run three laps around the mountain!"

Yang Yu was anxious, angry, and ashamed, but then he saw that the bamboo stick had already used the "leading" technique to "lead the dogs into the village," diverting the enemy's attack towards the steep mountain wall.

In the heat of battle, eerie music drifted from the depths of the mountain stream.

Shi Feiyang's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no! It's the 'Demon Sound Sect' kept by An Lushan!"

Three masked women emerged from the white mist, their seven-stringed zithers glowing with an eerie green light.

As soon as the music started, the assassins' eyes turned bloodshot, and their moves became even more ferocious.

Shi Feiyang activated the Mingyu Gong, his glassy skin glowing with blue light. He used the "Interlocking Fangs" move from the "Sealing" technique with his bamboo staff to create a shield of energy around his body.

"Stone Lord, watch out!" Yang Yu suddenly exclaimed, her tone becoming affectionate in her haste. The Nine Netherworld Envoy's chain hammer had somehow circled behind Shi Feiyang, its skull-like head snapping at him with gaping maw.

At the critical moment, Shi Feiyang suddenly took out a firecracker, lit it, and stuffed it into the skull's mouth, jokingly saying, "Try my double-bang!" With the explosion, the Nine Nether Envoy was blasted backward, but Shi Feiyang also felt his blood surging.

The music from the Demonic Sound Sect grew increasingly urgent, and a blood-red mist rose between heaven and earth. Shi Feiyang knew that if he continued to linger, defeat was inevitable. Suddenly, he shielded Yang Yu behind him and activated his Bright Jade Skill to the "Supreme Forgetfulness: Ice Soul Cold Prison" level.

Her skin was almost transparent, and a chilling aura spread like a tide, freezing rocks and the assassins' weapons instantly.

"Miss Yang! Watch my new move—'Ice Popsicle Hits the Dog'!" Shi Feiyang shouted, tapping the ground with his bamboo stick, and ice spikes burst forth from the earth. However, this move was "too strenuous," and his vision blurred.

Seeing this, Yang Yu picked up a bamboo stick from the ground and, using what he had learned, barely managed to execute the "Dog-Tossing-to-the-Sky" technique. Although the force was weak and insufficient to injure the enemy, it successfully diverted the attack of an assassin.

"Well done!" Shi Feiyang's spirits lifted, and he praised Yang Yu before unleashing the "Severing Reincarnation" move from the Hundred Victories Blade Technique, his palms slashing out with icy energy. Amidst the crisscrossing blade energy, the Demon Sound Sect's seven-stringed zither shattered inch by inch, and the Nine Nether Envoys were frozen into ice sculptures.

However, the last assassin took Yang Yu hostage, pressed a dagger to her throat, and threatened, "Shi Feiyang, just surrender! Otherwise, you won't even have a chance to collect this little wench's corpse! Humph!"

Shi Feiyang suddenly threw away the bamboo stick, raised his hands, and said obediently, "Don't be impulsive! I'll just use the ancestral Sunflower Manual..."

Before he could finish speaking, the white tiger in the mysterious deerskin pouch at his waist suddenly pounced out and bit off the assassin's wrist.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shi Feiyang used his "No Footprints for a Thousand Miles" technique to pull Yang Yu into his arms.

As the blood rain subsided, Shi Feiyang collapsed to the ground, his once lustrous skin now dull and lifeless.

With tears in her eyes, Yang Yu nestled in his arms, choking back sobs as she said, "Shi Lang, please don't work so hard anymore, or how will I live the rest of my life..."

Before she could finish speaking, he pressed his finger to her lips, kissed her for a while, and then said affectionately, "Silly girl, have you forgotten? My skin is harder than a city wall! But you..."

He suddenly pulled out a candied fruit and stuffed it into her mouth, teasingly saying, "Try it, it's much sweeter than the poison from the Disaster Relief Gang!"

Yang Yu immediately stopped crying and started laughing, gently patting his chest.

Shi Feiyang picked up Yang Yu, leaped onto his horse, and galloped off like the wind towards Luoyang. A few days later, Shi Feiyang sent Yang Yu to the home of his uncle Yang Xuanjiao, who was serving as a local official in Henan Prefecture. From then on, Yang Yu was fostered by his third uncle, Yang Xuanjiao, in Luoyang.

She was naturally beautiful, possessed a certain level of cultural refinement, had a gentle and compliant personality, was proficient in music, skilled in singing and dancing, and adept at playing the pipa. Therefore, Yang Xuanjiao was quite fond of this niece and invited a famous teacher to carefully instruct Yang Yu.

Shi Feiyang naturally didn't want to be far from Yang Yu. Feeling that Luoyang was much more prosperous than before, he took out a few gold bricks from the mysterious deerskin bag at his waist and bought a mansion in the city center to settle down. In this way, he could visit Yang Yu every day.

That morning, before the morning mist had fully dissipated over Luoyang, Shi Feiyang was already crouching at the foot of the wall in the back alley of the Yang residence, a green bamboo stick balancing an oil-paper package on it. Suddenly, he saw an embroidered handkerchief float out from inside the wall. He immediately used his "Hidden Identity" lightness skill to leap up, precisely catching the corner of the handkerchief with his bamboo stick. As he landed, he didn't forget to strike a dashing pose, teasingly muttering, "Is Miss Yang testing my handkerchief-catching skills?"

Yang Yu peeked halfway out from the wall, the newly embroidered begonia flower in her hair trembling with her soft laughter: "The handkerchief I embroidered last night was unfortunately swept away by the wind. I'm sorry to trouble Young Hero Shi to act as the 'handkerchief protector' for once."

With a flick of her fingertips, the embroidered pattern of "A Mastiff Snatching a Staff" on the handkerchief appeared and disappeared. Shi Feiyang leaned forward, suddenly using a bamboo stick to lift a strand of her hair, and said with a grin, "This needlework is three points more exquisite than my staff technique, but..."

He suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Does the young lady know that there is a fatal flaw hidden in the embroidered handkerchief?" Before Yang Yu could react, Shi Feiyang had already pointed the tip of his stick at the eye of the handkerchief, and the thread where his internal force was injected snapped with a "snap".

"Look!" he laughed, shaking his bamboo stick. "If enemy bandits were to seize this place, the girl's 'snatching the stick from the dog' technique wouldn't be effective."

Yang Yu was both angry and ashamed. She grabbed her handkerchief to hit him, but he grabbed her wrist and said, "Don't move, I'll fix it for you." As he spoke, he activated his Mingyu Gong, and his glassy fingertips moved like needles and threads, embroidering a lifelike bamboo stick dog in the blink of an eye.

The South Market was bustling with activity at midday. Shi Feiyang squeezed into the crowd and suddenly his eyes lit up—on a Western Region merchant's stall was a crystal ball that would spin automatically, containing glowing sand that shimmered like a cascading silver river when it swayed.

He took out the jade pendant he had swindled from Liu Qi to pay off the debt, and carrying the crystal ball, he headed straight for the Yang residence. He burst open the garden gate and shouted, "Miss Yang, look!" This startled all the birds roosting in the trees, and he teased, "This thing is a hundred times more wondrous than my firefly lantern!" The crystal ball slowly spun in Yang Yu's palm, making her eyes shine.

Suddenly, Shi Feiyang leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Do you know what's so amazing about this ball?" Before she could answer, he had already wrapped his arm around her waist and started spinning her around. The light from the crystal ball intertwined with their silhouettes. Shi Feiyang chuckled and added, "Spinning like this, it's like we're dancing in a galaxy!"

As dusk falls, a peculiar ensemble always resounds along the banks of the Luo River. Shi Feiyang plays an off-key rendition of "General's Command" on his ocarina, while Yang Yu harmonizes with her pipa, forcefully steering the melody back to the rhythm of "Rainbow Feather Garment."

Suddenly, Shi Feiyang sharply touched the water's surface with his bamboo stick, and the water droplets he stirred up arranged in the shape of the Chinese character "杨" (Yang). Yang Yu smiled, and the sound of her pipa suddenly became more intense, with ripples on the water forming the character "石" (Shi) in correspondence with the character.

"What a harmonious blend!" Shi Feiyang exclaimed in admiration. He then put away his ocarina, suddenly knelt on one knee, picked up a jade hairpin that he had prepared at some unknown time with a bamboo stick, and sincerely said, "Miss Yang, how about we..."

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from afar. Thirty-three assassins in black attacked, their blades gleaming with an eerie, dark blue light.

Shi Feiyang shielded Yang Yu behind him, his glassy skin instantly revealing icy blue patterns. He roared, "Perfect timing! Miss Yang, behold my newly created 'Beating the Dog Under the Flowers and Moon'!" Instantly, the bamboo stick in his hand transformed into countless afterimages. He alternated between the "Pick" and "Entangle" techniques, and the assassin's weapon was shattered into dust by his internal force.

In the midst of the fierce battle, Yang Yu suddenly grabbed the ocarina that Shi Feiyang had dropped and began playing the snake-driving tune he had learned. "Wonderful!" Shi Feiyang laughed loudly, and unleashed the "Breaking Heaven and Earth" move of the Hundred Victories Blade Technique, carrying an icy chill that shattered the thirty-three assassins.

He clapped his hands and exclaimed, "So the girl's flute playing is even better than my staff skills!" The two leaned against the weeping willows by the river, panting. Suddenly, Shi Feiyang took out a piece of osmanthus cake from his deerskin bag and teased, "I said I wanted to eat the cakes the girl fed me, and now..." He opened his mouth and looked at Yang Yu expectantly.

Yang Yu's cheeks flushed red. She broke off a small piece and fed it to him, but he took the opportunity to bite her fingertip: "So sweet, even more so than the thousand-year-old ice of the Yihua Palace." She was both ashamed and annoyed and tried to pull her hand away, but he held it tightly.

Shi Feiyang said earnestly, "Miss Yang, after this storm passes, let's go to Yangzhou to see the magnolia blossoms. I'll find you all sorts of unusual things every day." The Luo River shimmered, reflecting their intertwined figures. (End of Chapter)