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

Chapter 466. A Snowy Night's Secret Plot to Restore the Tang Dynasty - Frosty Blade's Mysterious Light Illuminates the Heart and Soul
Snowflakes fell like goose feathers over Weizhou City. Shi Feiyang, dressed in a worn blue robe, leaned against a vermilion pillar of the Weiwang Terrace, watching Li Cunxu's black horse trample the three-foot-long snow. This Prince of Jin truly only had three personal guards with him; the lion-patterned cloak on his outer robe was covered in frost, but it couldn't conceal the cold glint of the sword at his waist.

"Master Shi is indeed in high spirits," Li Cunxu said, dismounting and bowing with his hands clasped. His gaze swept over the Beggars' Sect disciples hidden in the corridor, and he added jokingly, "On the eve of your marriage, you have the leisure to discuss heroes over wine at Weiwang Terrace."

"Haha!" Shi Feiyang laughed loudly as he greeted him, his glassy eyes gleaming in the snow. He said, "Does the Prince of Jin know that this wine of mine," he said, lifting the bronze wine pot with a half-branch of snow plum engraved on its body, "is brewed with the taxes of the people of the six prefectures of Weibo—that old scoundrel Yang Shihou has been drinking it for ten years, and today I, Shi, am offering it to the Buddha."

The two sat down by the brazier. Suddenly, Shi Feiyang pushed over a brocade box and said, "This is my son, Danqing." The three-year-old child ran out from behind the screen, with a Kunlun snow plum hairpin in his hair. Shi Feiyang then solemnly said, "I have come today to recognize my godfather and seek a backer."

Li Cunxu accepted the box with emotion, but upon seeing Ling Shuangyue's jade pendant at the bottom, he asked in astonishment, "Master Shi, what is the meaning of this?"

"Prince Jin harbors lofty ambitions to restore the Tang Dynasty," Shi Feiyang said solemnly, his skin as clear as ice under the influence of his Mingyu Gong. He added humbly, "I have sent my wife and children to accompany you into the Jin Palace, firstly to demonstrate my sincerity in cooperating, and secondly..."

He pointed to the Silver Spear Team of Beggars' Sect disciples training outside the window and joked, "Wei Bo's soldiers only recognize Xue Mei, not the flag."

Li Cunxu was so moved that tears streamed down his face, and he nodded vigorously.

Shi Feiyang handed him another book. Li Cunxu took it and saw that it was Shi Feiyang's handwritten "Ten Strategies for Restoring the Tang Dynasty." The candlelight on the table cast a deep shadow between his brows, and he said in shock, "Master Shi, are you suggesting that I declare myself emperor right now? My current territory is only three prefectures in Hedong..."

Shi Feiyang leaned against the dragon pillar, tapping the coiled dragon on the pillar with the handle of his Xuan Shuang Blade, and analyzed, "Li Yuan rose up in Jinyang at the end of the Sui Dynasty." He suddenly chuckled and teased, "Back then, when I was on the city wall of Bianliang, I saw the cinnabar mark under His Majesty's dragon robe—that was the reincarnation mark of Emperor Taizong."

Li Cunxu was deeply shaken. He had long wanted to become emperor, but he lacked an excuse! Now, Shi Feiyang had provided him with just that! He abruptly looked up, his hand on his sword hilt, feigning ignorance, and asked, "How did you know, Master Shi…?"

"I, Shi, not only know His Majesty's background," Shi Feiyang unfolded the fragments of the Kunlun Mirror, then pretended to analyze, the mirror reflecting the dragon birthmark on Li Cunxu's chest. He then added mysteriously, "I also know that Zhu Youzhen sent Zhao Yan to put 'Heart-Corroding Powder' in your wine." He conjured an ice spike from his fingertips, freezing the remaining wine in Li Cunxu's cup blood red, and then sowed discord, saying, "The Zhao-Zhang clique sells official positions, and the Weibo mutiny is just the prelude; what they really want is..."

"They're using my head as a sacrifice to the Eye of the Abyss!" Li Cunxu slammed his fist on the table and stood up angrily. Suddenly, he saw Shi Danqing running out from behind the hall, holding Ling Shuangyue by the waist. The child's eyes even had the same glassy color as Shi Feiyang's.

So Li Cunxu suppressed his anger and tentatively asked, "Master Shi, you have sent your wife and children to my command as hostages, placing them in a dangerous place. Aren't you afraid that I will turn against you?" Shi Feiyang suddenly drew his sword, the Xuan Shuang blade held against his neck, and said sincerely, "If Your Majesty feels that my sincerity is not enough, my head is ready to serve as the flagpole of the Jin army at any time."

When he looked up, his glassy eyes reflected the candlelight, and he said, "But please look at the snow in Weibo, Your Majesty—" He pointed out the window, where Beggar Clan disciples were using snow to build the map of the Tang Dynasty. Shi Feiyang then said with emotion, "What the people of the world want is not the conflict between Liang and Jin, but the fragrance of wheat in the Zhenguan era."

Li Cunxu was so moved that tears streamed down his face again.

That night, Li Cunxu was so moved by Shi Feiyang that he cried three times.

He led "Li Danqing," Ling Shuangyue, and several of Ling Shuangyue's personal maids out of the city and returned to Jinyang with his troops. The Beggar Clan elders He Quan and Li Xing were both worried for Ling Shuangyue and her son, and Zhu Huiran was also moved by Ling Shuangyue's bravery and fearlessness.

Shi Feiyang then took Zhu Huiran back to Tokyo, and Zhu Youzhen dismissed him from all his posts.

Three days later in Bianliang, before Zhu Youzhen's imperial desk, Zhao Yan tapped the edict dividing Weibo with his jade thumb ring, offering a suggestion: "Your Majesty, with Yang Shihou dead, Weibo is leaderless, and should be divided and ruled." He glanced at Shi Feiyang out of the corner of his eye, and then said venomously, "But Lord Guo, who killed three hundred Silver Spear Guards in Weibo, is probably too powerful and threatens the emperor."

Shi Feiyang suddenly coughed, and a secret letter from Yang Shihou slid out of his sleeve. The wolf head totem was visible in the candlelight. He said coldly, "Does Lord Zhao know," he deliberately showed his crooked front teeth, "that the bloodstain on this secret letter is the Eye of the Abyss of the Heavenly Wolf Guard?" Zhu Youzhen stood up abruptly, the imperial edict clattering to the ground. He said in a trembling voice, "Guo Bin, are you saying that Yang Shihou was colluding with the Heavenly Wolf Guard?"

“Your Majesty is wise,” Shi Feiyang said respectfully, “30% of the taxes from the six prefectures of Weibo went into the pockets of the Tianlang Guard.”

When he looked up, his glassy eyes reflected the emperor's image, and he surprisingly agreed with Zhu Youzhen and Zhao Yan's plan, saying, "If we don't divide the towns, I'm afraid even His Majesty's dragon robe will have to be made of snow plum paper."

Zhu Youzhen and Zhao Yan were immediately dumbfounded.
Taking the opportunity, Shi Feiyang bid farewell and returned to the "Guo Mansion," where he saw the secret report delivered by He Quan: "Li Cunxu's Hedong Army has crossed the Yellow River."

He suddenly chuckled, his fingertips carving snow plum blossoms on the table, and said to Zhu Huiran, "That old bastard Zhao Yan probably doesn't know that the Silver Spear Guards of Wei Bo have lotus flowers of the Beggars' Sect embroidered on the soles of their boots."

Zhu Youzhen issued an edict to divide the six prefectures of Weibo into two towns, Weibo and Zhaode, in order to weaken the power of the regional military governors, which resulted in the Weibo mutiny.

The rebels imprisoned the newly appointed military governor and defected to the Jin state. Li Cunxu seized the opportunity to occupy Weizhou, annexed Weibo Town, and then captured Dezhou and Chanzhou.

Zhu Youzhen then remembered that Guo Bin had initially disagreed with dividing Weibo, but later agreed to it, possibly because Guo Bin had been stripped of all his military power and was afraid that Zhu Youzhen would take action against him.

He now somewhat regrets neglecting Guo Wu. However, he still favors his brother-in-law Zhao Yan and Consort Zhang's brothers Zhang Handing, Zhang Hanjie, Zhang Hanlun, and Zhang Hanrong, appointing them to close official positions, involving them in court deliberations, and even having them serve as military supervisors for each military expedition.

Although veteran officials Jing Xiang and Li Zhen held high positions, their advice was often ignored. Li Zhen simply feigned illness and refused to appear in court, refusing to concern himself with politics. Zhao Zhang and others, all lacking in virtue and talent, controlled the government, sold official positions, and sowed discord among the generals and ministers, causing disunity within the court and further chaos in the administration.

Taking advantage of the situation, Zhao Zhang and others slandered Zhu Huiran, accusing Guo Bin of orchestrating the coup in Weibo. They suggested that while Guo Bin was in Weibo supervising the battle, they should arrest Zhu Huiran, and that Princess Zhenning would eventually join Guo Bin in betraying the Liang dynasty.

Zhu Youzhen thought about it and agreed, so he ordered the imperial guards to arrest Zhu Huiran and throw him into the imperial prison.

The Beggars' Sect disciples had infiltrated various departments of the imperial court and the army, possessing excellent intelligence. A carrier pigeon quickly reached Weibo. Upon receiving the secret report, Shi Feiyang immediately abandoned Weibo and used his unparalleled "Thousand Miles Without Leaving a Trace" lightness skill to return and rescue the people.

In the prison of Bianliang City, Zhu Huiran watched Shi Feiyang sneak in through the ventilation shaft, the bloodstains on his plain white prison clothes stinging his eyes.

She choked back tears and said, "Guo Lang, I am Zhu Wen's daughter, and in the end, I am in your way of restoring the Tang Dynasty..."

Shi Feiyang suddenly sealed her speech acupoint, and the chill of Mingyu Gong entered through his fingertips. He said tenderly, "Ran'er, do you remember?" He took out the snow plum hairpin and said affectionately, "When Zhu Yougui murdered the late emperor and you cried like a little tearful baby, I swore that I would never let you shed another tear."

After saying this, he carried Zhu Huiran on his back, followed the ventilation shaft, left the prison, and went to join Li Cunxu.

In Jinyang Palace, Li Cunxu, who had already proclaimed himself emperor, wore a dragon robe with twelve imperial symbols and looked down at Shi Feiyang and his family below the steps.

Ling Shuangyue held Li Danqing in her arms, the snow plum hairpin in the child's hand echoing the fragments of the Kunlun Mirror on the dragon table.

"Minister Shi," Li Cunxu said, raising the Imperial Seal of the State, "I hereby appoint you as the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces of the Realm. Do you have any further requests?"

Shi Feiyang bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, please pardon Zhu Huiran's crime." He looked at the clamoring officials in the hall and said loudly, "The Suxin Sword in her hand once killed three hundred Tianlang Guards for the Tang Dynasty."

Looking at the determination in his eyes, Zhu Huiran suddenly realized that this man who had deceived her in the illusion was now gambling with his reputation and military power, just to clear her name.

She cleverly cried out angrily, "Guo Bin, if you try to fool me with your self-inflicted injury again, I will pour all your Daughter's Red wine into the Jin River!"

A low chuckle rippled through the hall. Li Cunxu laughed too, and said heartily, "Very well, I pardon Zhu Huiran for all his crimes. Since Minister Shi does not want military power, I will not force him. Starting today, I will personally teach my adopted son both literature and martial arts." He suddenly stood up and lifted Li Danqing onto the dragon throne.

Shi Feiyang suddenly looked up at the fine snow falling outside the palace, hardening his heart: "Your Majesty, do you know that what I want to do most is to take my wife and children to Kunlun to see the snow plum blossoms—" He looked at Li Cunxu's stunned expression, and solemnly said: "When there are no more displaced children in this world."

Li Cunxu nodded and said, "Granted!"

From then on, Shi Feiyang, along with Ling Shuangyue, Zhu Huiran, and eight concubines, lived a leisurely and carefree life at home. However, this was all an illusion.

The Beggars' Sect disciples had long since infiltrated various departments of the imperial court and the army. Every day, someone would secretly report to Shi Feiyang how Li Danqing was living in the palace.

Outside Jinyang Palace, Beggars' Sect members paraded with snow plum lanterns to celebrate Li Cunxu's ascension to the throne.

Despite being a hostage, the exceptionally intelligent Li Danqing thrived in the palace.

In the Guo Mansion west of Jinyang City, two revolving lanterns hung outside the vermilion gate, their shadows reflecting snow-plum blossom patterns that swirled in the twilight. Shi Feiyang leaned against the jade couch, watching his eight concubines practice swordsmanship in the courtyard. The swords sliced ​​through the falling plum blossoms, yet not a trace of killing intent emanated from them.

Ling Shuangyue crumpled the secret letter into a snowball, the icy chill from her fingertips instantly freezing the paper. She said sadly, "Danqing was punished by kneeling for three hours today, and blood seeped from the bluestone slabs of the Imperial Garden." As a mother, she naturally felt sorry for her son Li Danqing, who was being held hostage by Li Cunxu.

Shi Feiyang picked up the luminous cup, the wine reflecting the surging ferocity in his eyes, but it was concealed by a smile at the corner of his mouth. He calmly said, "Tell the brothers in the palace to send some snow lotus paste from the Western Regions to Danqing, saying it's a new dessert from the Imperial Kitchen."

He suddenly threw the wine cup at the pillar, and the Xuan Shuang Blade appeared out of thin air, catching the falling cup in mid-air. He then said jokingly, "This Li Cunxu has three more points of patience than Zhu Wen."

At this moment, Zhu Huiran's Suxin Sword lifted the hanging beaded curtain, the pearls on the tassel of the sword clinking softly. She whispered, "Does Guo Lang know that Zhao Yan's remnants are recruiting soldiers in Chanzhou?" She slammed the secret report on the table, the wolf head totem on the paper glowing red from the heat, and said indignantly, "Li Cunxu is ostensibly making you idle, but in reality he wants to use the Heavenly Wolf Guard's blade..."

"Using someone else's knife to kill someone?" Shi Feiyang suddenly laughed loudly, splashing wine on the ground. The wine seeped into the patterns of the blue bricks, revealing the lotus mark of the Beggars' Sect. He chuckled and said, "He forgot about my family's 'Transplanting Flowers and Jade,' which is most skilled at turning other people's knives into one's own sword."

The third watch of the night had just ended when the clapper sounded, and the side hall of Jinyang Palace still had a dim lamp lit.

Four-year-old Li Danqing knelt on the bluestone slab, her little hands cracked and bleeding from frostbite, yet she still used a twig to draw snow plum blossoms in the snow.

His personal maid quietly slipped him half a sesame cake and whispered, "Young master, this was sent by your father."

Li Danqing suddenly looked up, his glassy eyes shining in the moonlight with the same light as Shi Feiyang's. He said in a low voice, "Does Aunt know that I deliberately knocked over Prince Jin's inkstone yesterday?" He held up a cake, with a lotus-shaped note hidden in the filling, and explained, "Father said that I should make Uncle Li believe that I am a naughty child."

Li Cunxu stood in the shadows of the corner of the palace, watching the child feed the crumbs of biscuits to the crows under the eaves. Suddenly, he smiled at the chief eunuch beside him and said, "This child's eyes are just like Shi Feiyang's." He took the secret report, which read, "The Guo family is indulging in revelry every night, with no unusual activity observed." However, he pinched the words "unusual activity" with his fingertips, leaving marks, and said viciously, "Punish him for another three hours without any charcoal."

Half a month later, the red plum blossoms in the Guo residence were in full bloom.

When Shi Feiyang received the imperial edict, he was playing chess with Ling Shuangyue. The "Chanzhou" position on the chessboard had already been marked with rouge. The eunuch delivering the edict's shrill voice pierced the courtyard: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Guo Bin shall lead five hundred Imperial Guards to guard Chanzhou. So be it."

When Shi Feiyang received the imperial decree, he deliberately staggered, the hem of his blue robe sweeping across the chessboard. The trajectory of the rolling black pieces was precisely the Beggars' Sect's defense map in Chanzhou. He looked trembling with fear and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great favor." When he looked up, his eyes were slightly red, as if he was drunk. He joked, "But I'm afraid my eight concubines will be left alone in their empty chambers."

Ling Shuangyue suddenly drew her sword, and the Suxin Sword and the Bingpo Sword clashed in mid-air, the sparks igniting the secret letter on the table.

The snow on the walls of Chanzhou was soaked in blood and turned dark brown.

As Shi Feiyang watched the Tianlang Guard's battering ram crash into the city gate, the Xuan Shuang Blade shimmering with an icy blue light in his palm, he roared, "Brothers, you don't need to fight! Use your bows and arrows to defend the city and let these bastards taste the power of my martial arts!"

He let out a clear whistle, leaping into the air and unleashing the "Viewing the Vast Ocean" technique from the Hundred Victories Saber Style with both palms. The wind from his palms swept across, instantly turning the front-line wolf guards into a bloody mist. The leader of the Heavenly Wolf Guard, wearing a bronze wolf mask, swung his wolf-tooth club with the force of wind and thunder, sneering, "Shi Feiyang, do you think Li Cunxu will believe you?" His "Bone-Eating Claws" tore through the air, the venom dripping from between his fingers etching deep pits into the city bricks. He coldly laughed, "The secret letter from Jinyang Palace has already been changed!"

"Hahahaha!" Shi Feiyang suddenly burst into laughter, his Mingyu Gong activated to the "Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotions: Ice Soul Cold Prison," his skin becoming as transparent as ice. He said coldly, "Do you think I don't know that Li Cunxu deliberately made us fight?"

His palm strike suddenly shifted, the "Slaying the Mortal World" move of the Hundred Victories Blade Technique slashing towards the Imperial Guard commander behind him, whose chest was blatantly adorned with a wolf's head tattoo. Shi Feiyang then exclaimed angrily, "The Heavenly Wolf Guards who have been hiding within the Imperial Guard all these years should be wiped out!"

Three days later, the morning court session at Jinyang Palace was filled with the stench of blood. Li Cunxu watched as Shi Feiyang carried the head of the Tianlang Guard leader into the hall, and suddenly laughed, "My dear minister, you have worked hard! The battle of Chanzhou has truly enhanced the prestige of our Great Tang!"

He pushed the imperial edict in front of Shi Feiyang and said, "I hereby appoint you as the Grand Marshal of the Army and you may take Danqing back to your residence for a family reunion."

Shi Feiyang took the iron certificate, the cold air at his fingertips causing the gold foil to tremble slightly. He said, "Does Your Majesty know that the snow plum blossoms in Chanzhou are in full bloom?" He suddenly unfurled a scroll, which depicted Li Danqing being punished by kneeling in the palace. However, the brushstrokes concealed the secret language of the Beggars' Sect. He then said sarcastically, "My son said that although the charcoal fire in the palace is warm, it is not as good as half a lamp at home."

Li Cunxu's face instantly turned ashen, but Shi Feiyang threw the iron certificate back onto the table and said coldly, "I only wish to take my wife and children to Kunlun to see the real snow plum blossoms." As he turned around, he looked up at the sky and said, "This world ultimately belongs to the people." After saying that, he walked home.

That night, under the red plum tree at the Guo residence, Zhu Huiran held Danqing in his arms while Ling Shuangyue listened to him recount amusing anecdotes from the palace. Shi Feiyang gazed in the direction of Jinyang Palace and suddenly laughed, "Li Cunxu thought he had won the game, but little did he know that from the very beginning, this game was not in his own hands."

His fingertips traced the cheeks of his wife and children, his glassy eyes reflecting the swirling snowflakes, and he confidently declared, "Next year's snow plum blossoms should bloom in Chang'an." The next morning, he set off for Chanzhou with Ling Shuangyue, Zhu Huiran, Li Danqing, and eight concubines.

Half a month later, on the city walls of Chanzhou. Shi Feiyang watched as Zhu Youzhen's Longxiang Army surged forward like a tide, their silver spears gleaming with the eerie blue of corpse poison in the sunlight. He turned to Zhu Huiran and smiled, "Princess, do you still remember the 'Snow Plum Triple Recitation' I taught you at Chenqiao Post Station?"

Zhu Huiran, her plain white battle robe embroidered with gold-threaded snow plum blossoms, drew her Suxin Sword, which stirred up icy mist as she spoke with a resounding voice: "Rest assured, Guo Lang, I will not let your newly made banner be stained with blood today." Suddenly, she lunged forward, her swordplay abruptly changing to the evil technique of the Heavenly Wolf Guard, and angrily cursed: "That old bastard Zhao Yan, does he think he can activate the Eye of the Abyss by using my Zhu family bloodline?"

Shi Feiyang laughed loudly, unleashing his Hundred Victories Saber Technique. The palm wind of "Viewing the Vast Ocean" swept across, shattering the silver spear in front of him into dust. He then laughed loudly, "Does the princess know that I had Ling Shuangyue put the stamen of Kunlun Snow Plum in Zhao Yan's ginseng soup long ago?" He looked at the pain flashing in Zhu Huiran's eyes and said seriously, "that thing is specifically used to counter the evil skills of the Heavenly Wolf Guard."

Beneath the walls of Chanzhou, Li Cunxu's cavalry charged out from the flank, their hooves crushing snowflakes that crystallized on Shi Feiyang's smooth skin.

Suddenly, Shi Feiyang saw Zhao Yan raise Zhu Youzhen's command flag, and the flag was painted with a wolf's head made of powdered skull of Zhu Huiran's elder brother. He hurriedly said, "Ran'er, close your eyes!" Immediately afterward, Shi Feiyang used the peerless lightness skill "Thousand Miles Without Stopping" and slashed out the "Slaying Reincarnation" of the Hundred Victories Blade Technique in mid-air! The palm wind was like a blade slashing towards the enemy's command flag, but at the moment of contact, the move changed to "Shifting Flowers and Jade", diverting the evil power of the flag towards Zhao Yan.

The old thief screamed and fell to the ground, the wolf head totem on his chest frozen into fragments by the icy chill.

After the war, Shi Feiyang was ordered to lead his troops to Youzhou, while Li Danqing was handed over to the imperial guards to be taken back to Jinyang and brought back to Li Cunxu's side.

On the road, the Xuan Shuang Blade swayed gently beside the saddle, the newly engraved character "Tang" on its blade resonating with the fragments of the Kunlun Mirror. That night, a folk song echoed through Chanzhou City: "When the snow plum blossoms, the sword is drawn; chivalrous spirit and loyal heart illuminate history."

However, Shi Feiyang was painfully drifting further and further away from his son, Li Danqing.

We set up camp along the way.

The snow outside Youzhou City was very low, and in Shi Feiyang's central command tent, the candlelight flickered in the cold wind.

Ling Shuangyue's Ice Soul Sword was stuck diagonally on the map on the table. On the snow plum letter wrapped with the sword tassel, Awang's handwriting had been frozen into icicles: "Five thousand Khitan vanguards slaughtered Shilipu, west of the city, last night."

Shi Feiyang stroked the "Tang" character engraved on the Xuan Shuang Blade. The blade reflected his glassy eyes, but blood was surging in the depths of his eyes.

He asked in a deep voice, "Where are the former members of the Silver Spear Loyalty Army?"

“At the hay storage yard in Nanwengcheng,” Zhu Huiran answered for Ling Shuangyue, placing the Suxin Sword on her lap, her fingertips tracing the gold-threaded snow plum blossoms on the scabbard, and said sadly, “It’s just that the Khitans mixed croton seeds into the grain, and most of the brothers are vomiting and having diarrhea.”

She suddenly gripped the sword hilt tightly, her knuckles turning white, and said with tears streaming down her face, "Zhao Yan's remnants are mixed in with the Khitan army. Last night, they used my brother Zhu Youwen's skull as a ritual object to perform a sacrifice to the 'Blood Wolf Formation'."

The sound of horses' hooves came from outside the tent. He Quan lifted the curtain and entered, the snow on his cloak falling in a flurry, revealing deep, bone-revealing claw marks on his shoulder. He exclaimed in horror, "Hero Shi, the Khitan's 'Bone-Eating Army' is here! The shaman leading them wears a bronze wolf mask and can summon earth fire!" Shi Feiyang suddenly stood up, the Xuan Shuang Blade spinning half an arc of light in his palm. The chill caused the candlelight in the tent to instantly freeze into ice flowers. He said grimly, "Have the Beggars' Sect disciples move the oil barrels to the city wall and tell the brothers—tonight's snow should be melted with the blood of the Khitans."

Before dawn, the snow on the walls of Youzhou was already ankle-deep.

Shi Feiyang stood on the crenellations, watching the Khitan cavalry surge across the snowfield like a black tide, the fangs on their wolf-head banners gleaming eerily in the morning light. Suddenly, the shaman at the front raised his bone staff, and fire erupted from beneath the ice, crackling and burning the wooden stairs of the city tower.

The vanguard of the "Bone-Eating Army" scaled the city walls on fire ladders, the venom from their claws dripping onto the bricks and etching countless tiny holes.

Shi Feiyang let out a clear whistle, and his Mingyu Gong was rapidly activated, his skin glowing with a transparent icy light: he unleashed the "Viewing the Vast Ocean" move from the Hundred Victories Blade Technique with both palms! The snow waves brought up by his palm wind crashed into the enemy group like a wall, but were melted into water mist by the shaman's earth fire.

"Guo Lang, be careful!" Zhu Huiran cried out in alarm. The Su Xin Sword in her hand transformed into a snow plum blossom, blocking the Khitan warrior who was attacking from the side. The blade clashed with the claws, sparks flying onto her plain white battle robe, leaving scorch marks.

The warrior suddenly grinned wickedly, spewing out green mist from his mouth, which corroded the Pure Heart Sword, causing it to develop black spots.

Shi Feiyang spun around and blocked her path, his palms flicking and guiding, using the "Shifting Flowers and Jade" divine skill to ignite the shaman's earth fire, which then burned back at the warrior. Suddenly, the warrior's skin split open, and several blood snakes emerged, wrapping around the cloth handle of the Xuan Shuang Blade.

Ling Shuangyue's Ice Soul Sword slashed out from the side, its sword strikes weaving an ice net that kept the red light three feet away. She was struck on the shoulder by a claw, the blood droplet freezing instantly upon hitting the ground, yet she still smiled and said, "Husband, this shaman's evil magic, could it be the Heavenly Wolf Guard's 'Eye of the Abyss'?"

The snow fell even harder at noon, turning the hay storage area of ​​the South Wengcheng into a living hell. Shi Feiyang charged forward, stepping over the corpses of his companions. The edge of his Xuan Shuang Blade was already curled like a saw, but he still used the ferocity of "splitting mountains" to shatter the necks of three Khitan warriors.

The former members of the Silver Spear Loyalty Army followed behind, carrying blood-stained snow plum blossom flags, icicles falling from their spear shafts with each step.

Suddenly, the shaman stood on the haystack and plunged his bone staff into the ground. Black blood seeped from the walls surrounding the barbican, and hundreds of wolf head phantoms appeared, their roars so loud they made one's eardrums ache.

Shi Feiyang suddenly pressed his temples, and the image of the mountain of corpses at Baima Post Station flashed before his eyes—the faces of those wronged souls overlapped with those of his fallen brothers.

"Shi Feiyang! Do you dare look at this Eye of the Abyss?" The shaman tore off the bronze wolf mask, revealing half of his festering face, and sneered, "Zhu Wen's blood and Zhu Yougui's soul are all in this flag!" On the wolf head flag he unfurled, the skull powder of Zhu Huiran's elder brother suddenly came to life, turning into a bloody hand that reached for her heart.

Zhu Huiran's Suxin Sword suddenly slipped from her hand and was dragged towards the flag by the bloody hand. Shi Feiyang leaped to save her, but was grabbed by the legs by two "Bone-Eating Army" warriors. The moment their claws pierced her flesh, the chilling aura of Mingyu Gong spread out, freezing them into ice sculptures.

He retrieved the Pure Heart Sword and threw it back to her, but his back was scorched by the earth fire, and his green robe instantly burst into flames. Shi Feiyang roared in the fire, unleashing the "Slaying the Mortal World" technique from the Hundred Victories Blade Technique with both palms. The palm wind cleaved a bloody path, and the Frost Blade pierced through the shaman's throat.

At dusk, the snow on the walls of Youzhou was stained brownish-red with blood.

Shi Feiyang leaned against the broken wall, panting. The Xuan Shuang Blade lay stuck at his feet, the character "Tang" on the blade obscured by blood. The shaman's bone staff was just three zhang away, the wolf-eye gem at its tip still gleaming. Earth fire occasionally spewed from the cracks in the bricks, licking at the corpses scattered on the ground.

Zhu Huiran used the Suxin Sword to support herself as she stood up. The hem of her battle robe was soaked with blood, but she still poured the last half jar of oil onto the haystack and said warily, "Guo Lang, do you still remember the snow at Chenqiao Post Station?"

She suddenly lit a tinderbox and reminded him, "Back then you said that snow plum blossoms bloom most beautifully in the flames."

As the flames surged into the sky, Shi Feiyang suddenly let out a long roar and used his unparalleled "Thousand Miles Without Leaving a Trace" lightness skill to leap across the flames towards Sakos.

When the opponent's bone staff came crashing down, he neither dodged nor avoided it, letting the staff head strike his chest. Using the recoil, he moved closer, his left hand gripping Sakos's "Shanzhong acupoint," and the chilling energy of Mingyu Gong instantly froze him into an ice pillar.

Immediately afterwards, Shi Feiyang unleashed "Breaking the Universe"! His right palm struck out, shattering the ice pillar along with the bone staff, and the fragments of the Kunlun Mirror drew arcs in the air.

The remaining Khitan soldiers, seeing the shaman dead, cried out and tried to flee, but were blocked by Ling Shuangyue's Ice Soul Sword. Her Ice Soul Sword was broken in two, and even with only half of the scabbard, she still managed to kill, with blood splattering everywhere. The blood seeping from the wound on her shoulder left a long red trail on the snow, like a plum blossom in full bloom.

At midnight, the wolf-head flag of Youzhou City was torn down, and the Tang flag embroidered with snow plum blossoms slowly rose on the broken wall.

Shi Feiyang sat on the crenellation, pressing the fragments of the Kunlun Mirror onto the frozen city bricks. In the moonlight reflected from the fragments, Zhu Huiran was bandaging Ling Shuangyue's wounds. Both of their fingers were frozen purple, yet they were still chatting and laughing.

He Quan handed over a gourd of wine, the lotus pattern on it now stained black and red with blood. He said sadly, "Master Shi, we've counted them, and less than 30% of the brothers have survived."

He choked back tears as he continued, "Leader Zhang of the Silver Spear Loyal Army, before he died, was still clutching the Snow Plum Letter..."

Shi Feiyang took a swig of wine, the liquid flowing down his chin and into his chest. Gazing in the direction of Jinyang Palace, the Xuan Shuang Blade trembled slightly in his palm, and drops of blood from its blade fell onto the snow, slowly condensing into the shape of a plum blossom.

“Ran’er,” he suddenly said, his voice hoarse as if sanded, and said sadly, “Tomorrow, have the brothers burn the corpses to ashes and mix them into the snow—” He looked at Zhu Huiran’s stunned expression, then suddenly smiled, but tears welled in his eyes, and he choked out, “That way, next year’s snow plum blossoms will have nourishment.” Ling Shuangyue sheathed the broken blade of the Ice Soul Sword beside her, the snow plum blossom pattern on the scabbard faintly visible in the moonlight, and said sullenly, “Husband, Awang said the main force of the Khitan is in the back mountain, should we pursue them?”

Shi Feiyang shook his head, tucked the Kunlun Mirror fragment into his pocket, stood up, used the Xuan Shuang Blade as a cane, and said warmly, "Let the brothers sleep for three hours." The snow started falling again, landing on Shi Feiyang's fair skin and instantly freezing into ice crystals.

He gazed at the Tang banners fluttering atop Youzhou City and suddenly recalled Li Danqing's favorite folk song—"When the snow plum blossoms, the sword is drawn; chivalrous spirit and loyal heart illuminate history!" But this time, he heard the blood in the song, stronger than wine and colder than ice.

(End of this chapter)