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

Chapter 488. Protecting the Princess with Iron Horses and Fierce Warriors; Jade Bones and Icy Skin Bound by Deep Affection.
On the stone-paved road of West Street, blood and ice mingled into a dark red paste.

Qu Cheng's sacred torch was set ablaze at the alley entrance, and the lotus pattern on his priest's robe was soaked in the blood of the Western Xia soldiers, yet it became even more vivid and lifelike.

When he unleashed his "Burning Heaven Palm," flames spread along the leather armor of the Western Xia soldiers. Amidst screams, three scouts transformed into burning figures, crashing into the nearby tavern counter. The shattering of wine jars and the cracking of bones intertwined to create a symphony of hell.

"Elder Qu! There are heavily armored soldiers from the Western Xia in the North Alley!" The Beggar Clan disciples' shouts were drowned out by the sound of the soldiers' iron boots.

Fifty Western Xia soldiers, clad in black iron armor and wielding long halberds, their barbs entangled the intestines of civilians, advanced like a wall through the alley. Green bamboo staffs struck the armor, leaving only faint white marks. Suddenly, Shi Feiyang's figure appeared on the rooftop of the alley, his dark robe blending seamlessly with the shadows cast by the tiles.

His Heavenly Silkworm Technique's silver threads shot down like a torrential rain, piercing the eye sockets of the heavily armored soldiers—the instant the silver threads entered their bodies, the internal organs of fifty soldiers were simultaneously shredded, and black blood gushed out from the gaps in their armor, accumulating into steaming pools of blood on the ground.

"Xiang Tiange! How dare you steal my credit!" Zhao Qingyi scolded playfully. Her Ding Song sword pierced through the alley, the tip grazing Shi Feiyang's ear and slaying the Western Xia archer who had launched the sneak attack.

An arrow struck her shoulder in her silver-scaled armor, the arrowhead embedded in the scales, yet she still smiled and thrust her sword straight at Mo Cang E Pang's back, snarling fiercely, "This ghost general's head is mine!"

Suddenly, Mo Cang E Pang's three-pointed double-edged sword slashed back, the wind from the blade carrying the ferocity of the Blood River Whip, deflecting Zhao Qingyi's sword momentum.

His hair came undone, revealing a tattoo on his head—the ancestral witch totem that Nakasin had personally tattooed, gleaming eerily green in the setting sun. He sneered, "A little brat like you dares to come here to die? Back in Chanzhou, when your father saw my Western Xia's Iron Falcons, didn't he beg for peace like a dog?"

Shi Feiyang leaped down, unleashing the "Flying Dragon in the Sky" move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, striking from above. The force of his palm, carrying roof tiles, hurtled towards Meizang Epang's face. He landed on his feet, reached out and grabbed Zhao Qingyi's wrist, using a skillful "transferring flowers and jade" technique to pull her towards a tavern on the side of the alley, teasingly saying, "The princess's sword isn't sharp enough to shatter the blood river's malevolent energy."

His fingertips brushed against the arrow on her shoulder, and as he circulated his inner energy, the arrowhead withdrew on its own, and a thin layer of ice formed at the wound. He then said with a grin, "After I slay this evil spirit, I'll discuss the rewards with you."

The taverns on West Street had become a scene of carnage. The corpses of the Western Xia cavalrymen were piled up on the counter, and Mo Cang E Pang's three-pointed double-edged sword was stuck in the wine vat, stirring the blood-mixed wine and creating eerie bubbles.

His left arm was struck by Shi Feiyang's "Riding the Six Dragons" palm strike, and a blood swelled up where the bone was broken. Yet, he still laughed wildly, gripped his knife, and slashed at Shi Feiyang, shouting angrily, "Shi Feiyang! You think I won't recognize you just because you've changed your face? What Xiang Tiange? Hmph! Coward, coward!"

He suddenly ripped open his shirt, revealing a scar on his chest, and roared, "This is the mark you left on me with the Frost Blade back then! Today, I'll use your heart to fill it!" Shi Feiyang's black hair fluttered wildly in his true energy, his Bright Jade Skill circulated at high speed, and a three-foot-long icy mist rose around him, colliding with the flames of the tavern and sending steam billowing into the sky. Immediately afterward, Shi Feiyang questioned, "Meicang E'pang, do you know what's written on the last page of the 'Blood River Secret Manual'?"

His Heavenly Silkworm Skill was activated silently. The silver threads in his palms flowed along the wine and wrapped around Mei Cang E Pang's ankle. He said coldly, "Didn't Nakasin tell you that martial arts refined with living souls will eventually backfire on you?"

Suddenly, the crisp sound of clashing weapons rang out from the steam. Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song Sword had somehow circled behind Mo Zang E Pang, its tip pressed against the Ancestral Witch Totem on his back. Her silver-scaled soft armor was soaked with blood, and stray hairs clung to her sweat-dampened cheeks, yet her laughter was brighter than the Sacred Flame Token. She teased, "Xiang Tiange, to whom should the head of this evil spirit belong?"

Suddenly, Mo Cang E Pang's three-pointed double-edged sword slashed backward, the wind from the blade carrying the poisonous mist of the Blood River Whip, forcing Zhao Qingyi to retreat repeatedly.

He seized the opportunity to turn around, his blade striking like a raging torrent crashing against the shore. But just as it touched Shi Feiyang's clothes, it was deflected by the "Shifting Flowers and Jade" divine skill, and the blade struck the beams and pillars of the tavern heavily, causing the entire building to suddenly tilt to the west.

Shi Feiyang snorted coldly, waved his hands, and unleashed the move "Dragon Battle in the Wilds!" The fierce palm wind combined with the tilting roof beam, and Mo Cang E Pang's armor instantly shattered. The blood mist he spat out condensed into blood beads in the icy fog.

His Heavenly Silkworm Technique tightened its silver threads simultaneously, and Mo Cang E Pang's body suddenly swelled. The muffled sound of his internal organs being crushed, mixed with the sound of tiles falling, was particularly clear in the dust and smoke of the collapsing tavern. "Where is the head of the Ghost Head General?" Zhao Qingyi asked in astonishment. Her Ding Song Sword removed the beam pressing down on her, and the gems on her silver-scaled soft armor glittered in the dust.

She saw Shi Feiyang wiping the bloodstains on his black robe with his hair bun, which was covered in black hair. His head had been frozen into an ice block by Ming Yugong, and his open eyes were still frozen with terror.

"To serve as a drinking vessel for the Beggars' Sect brothers," Shi Feiyang joked, flicking a drop of blood from his fingertip onto Zhao Qingyi's sword scabbard, where it condensed into a small ice lotus. He added jokingly, "If the princess likes it, I'll give it to you as an ornament." He suddenly turned around, raised his palm, and the chilling aura of the Mingyu Gong extinguished the fire on the ruins of the tavern. He then added jokingly, "Elder Qu is still fighting in the North Street alley. If you're late, you might not even be able to steal any horse manure from the Western Xia cavalry."

Zhao Qingyi chuckled sweetly, gripped her sword, and chased after Shi Feiyang.

The bluestone slabs of North Street were soaked in blood, and when you stepped on them, they made a "crunching" sound, like the crunching of bones.

Qu Cheng's Sacred Flame Token had been broken in two. He used the broken token to support his body. The lotus pattern on his robe was trampled by the iron hooves of the Western Xia cavalry, but he still pressed down on the soldier's throat until the soldier's carotid artery stopped beating.

"Elder Qu! We're here!" Li Tieniu rushed over, shouting from afar. His bamboo staff formed a large circular array, protecting the remaining dozen or so members of the Sun Moon Cult. Drops of blood from the bamboo staff fell to the ground, merging with the frozen river of blood to form a small stream that flowed towards the drainage ditch at the street corner—a ditch already piled high with the remains of Western Xia soldiers, the clogged blood tinged with a dark red in the twilight.

Shi Feiyang arrived and unleashed the "Sudden Attack" move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, striking the shield formation at the alley entrance. The ice particles carried by his palm wind pierced through the gaps in the shields, instantly freezing the eyeballs of thirty Xixia soldiers, who screamed as they fell out of the shield formation.

He then used the "Transferring Flowers and Jade" divine skill to cause the spears of the shield formation to pierce each other. With the muffled sound of iron spears entering bodies, Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song sword moved like a silver snake, the tip of the sword severing the tendons of several soldiers, causing them to slip on the blood ice and crash right into the Green Bamboo Staff Formation of the Beggar Clan disciples.

"Xiang Tiange! You deliberately made me take the arrow for you!" Zhao Qingyi said indignantly. Another arrow had struck her shoulder, this time coated with the Western Xia's "Bone-Corroding Poison," and the skin around the wound had turned blackish-purple. She smiled and thrust her sword at the last remaining cavalryman, her sword strike even more ferocious than before. She then scolded, "My imperial guards are outside the city. If you don't cure me, I'll have them tie you up and take you back to Bianliang!"

Shi Feiyang pressed his fingertips against her shoulder, the chilling energy of Mingyu Gong coursing through her meridians, drawing the dark purple poisonous blood to his fingertips, where it condensed into a tiny poison bead. He then teased, "The princess's archery skills are far inferior to those of the Imperial City Guard's archers." With that, he flicked the poison bead at a spider in the corner, instantly freezing it into ice shards. He added jokingly, "Next time you try to charge like them, remember to wear iron armor, not this fancy but useless soft armor."

Zhao Qingyi's phoenix eyes suddenly drew closer, her nose almost touching Shi Feiyang's black hair. She smelled the faint scent of ice silkworms in his hair—it was the incense that Qu Feiyan had concocted for him years ago, mixed with the chill of Mingyu Gong, which was even more intoxicating than the fragrance of flowers in the Imperial Garden of Bianliang.

"Xiang Tiange," she said in a low voice, with the pride and tenderness unique to a princess, "if you are willing to stay in Bianliang, I will ask my father to appoint you as a general, and we will fight against Western Xia together, okay?"

Cheers erupted from the alleyway as the last few Western Xia cavalrymen were shredded into mincemeat by the green bamboo staff.

Shi Feiyang's dark robe fluttered in the evening wind. Looking at Zhao Qingyi's tearful eyes, he suddenly remembered the snowy night at Blackwood Cliff, when Börte had looked at him in the same way and said, "No matter how vast the Uyghur grasslands are, they cannot contain the hearts of two people."

Shi Feiyang then said with a grin, "Does the princess know that the hearts of people in the martial world are like the ruins of Suide City?" His fingertips brushed against the stray hairs at her temples, and as his true energy circulated, he condensed the bloodstains on her soft armor into ice shards, and politely refused, "It may look broken, but it has already found its home."

He turned and used the wondrous technique of "leaving without a trace" to sweep away the blood-red ice on the ground with his black robes, leaving behind a series of ice lotus-like footprints. His voice came from afar: "Tell the Imperial Guards that the granaries on West Street belong to them, and the weapons on North Street belong to the Beggars' Sect."

Zhao Qingyi's tears streamed down her face, and she couldn't move her legs. She was heartbroken.

As dusk settled over Suide City, the ruins turned amber. Shi Feiyang stood atop the city wall, gazing in the direction in which the Western Xia cavalry had fled in disarray.

Two wisps of energy condensed in his palms. His left palm radiated the fierce golden light of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, while his right palm emitted the chilling blue light of the Bright Jade Skill. The two wisps of energy swirled in his palms, eventually merging into a faint white mist, like the chaos at the beginning of time.

"Master, the count is complete. In this battle, we killed 5,324 Western Xia cavalrymen, and the captured lances are enough to equip our nine and a half battalions." Li Tieniu, carrying the head of Mei Cang E Pang on his bamboo cane, stood behind Shi Feiyang and reported the spoils to him. He then whispered mysteriously, "Elder Qu said that the Song soldiers' messenger has gone to Bianliang to report the victory, and they are probably going to ask you for credit."

Zhao Qingyi's phoenix banner fluttered on the official road below the city, and her imperial guards were carrying grain from the granary, their silver-scaled soft armor gleaming in the setting sun.

She suddenly looked up at the city tower, the tip of the Ding Song sword pointing at Shi Feiyang's figure, as if to say, "I'll be waiting for you in Bianliang."

Shi Feiyang's black hair fluttered in the evening breeze. His gaze passed over the ruins of Suide City and looked towards the Helan Mountains in the west—where the royal court of Western Xia was hidden, where the lost territory of the Tang Dynasty was hidden, and where the direction of the Sacred Fire Hall of Black Cliff was also hidden.

Qu Feiyan's voice seemed to echo in the wind: "No matter how far the road of life is, as long as there is a home, there is a place to return to."

Shi Feiyang's eyes welled up with tears, and he choked out, "Li Tieniu," he suddenly turned around, the white mist from his palm merging into the cracks in the city wall, and reminded them, "Let the brothers head south, there's still the Western Xia supply camp in Qinzhou City."

His dark robe swept across the blood-red ice at the top of the battlements, the ice crystals turning into mist in his palm. He said meaningfully, "Tell Elder Qu that the fire of the Sacred Flame Token should be burned in Guanzhong."

The setting sun, like blood, illuminated the broken walls and ruins of Suide City.

Shi Feiyang's dark robe fluttered in the wind. He gazed into the distance for a while, then turned around to find a place to rest.

The following day, on the broken walls of Suide City, morning dew slid down Zhao Qingyi's silver-scaled soft armor, making a soft pattering sound on the bluestone slabs.

Shi Feiyang had changed his dark blue robe. The newly tailored robe had half an ice lotus embroidered on the hem—it was made last night by an embroiderer in the city. The stitches were crooked, but they shone with a warm light in the morning.

Zhao Qingyi walked to Shi Feiyang's side and whispered, "Xiang Tiange, this is the 'Soul-Stabilizing Pearl' bestowed by the Emperor. It can cure the bone-corroding poison of Xixia." She held a bright pearl the size of a pigeon's egg between her fingers, the pearl's light illuminating the red marks at the corners of her eyes. She then threatened, "If you don't accept it, it means you think my things are too shabby." Her Ding Song sword leaned against a broken pillar, the red silk wrapped around its tassel was the same piece of blood-stained silk from Mei Zang E Pang's hair bun.

Shi Feiyang's fingertips brushed across the pearl, and the true energy of Mingyu Gong quietly flowed, causing the blood vessels inside the pearl to condense into a small fire lotus.

He politely declined, saying, "I appreciate the princess's kindness." He suddenly tossed the pearl back, the wind from his dark sleeves carrying the pearl's gleam, which landed squarely on Zhao Qingyi's sword sheath. He then coldly added, "The Beggars' Clan brothers know some rudimentary medical skills; there's no need for the princess to trouble herself."

Li Tieniu's bamboo staff signaled a signal on the distant official road, and two hundred Beggars' Sect disciples, carrying the captured lances, lined up. The copper bells on the bamboo tips intertwined with the whistles of the Sun Moon Sect's sacred fire token, like a morning hymn in the martial world.

Zhao Qingyi's eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her pretty face like two small rivers. She wanted to cry, shout, and be angry, but she held back in the end.

Li Tieniu reported, "Master, the scouts in Qinzhou City report that the Western Xia supply camp is encamped along the Wei River, and the commander is Mozang Qiyu, the younger brother of Mozang Epang." He suddenly noticed that Zhao Qingyi's phoenix eyes were wide open with tears in them, and quickly added, "If the princess's imperial guards want to accompany us, our Beggars' Sect is willing to give up the left wing."

Zhao Qingyi's silver boots ground a half-inch deep dent into the blood ice, and the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl rolled twice on the scabbard, making a crisp sound. She angrily cursed, "Who wants to travel with you beggars?"

She suddenly mounted her horse, the phoenix banner fluttering in the morning breeze. Turning to the side, she said, "My imperial guards must return to Bianliang to report. But you—" She raised her sleeve to wipe the tears from her pretty face, and the tip of her sword in her right hand suddenly pointed at Shi Feiyang's black hair. She glared at him and said angrily, "If you dare to leave without saying goodbye, I will have my father issue an edict to arrest you, 'Xiang Tiange'!"

Shi Feiyang laughed heartily, leaped onto his horse, and his dark robe swept across the ice lotus mark on the ground, leaving only a faint afterimage. "Tell Zhao Xu," his voice echoed in the wind, colder than Ming Yugong's chill, and domineeringly said, "Keep his imperial guards in check, and don't let the Western Xia cavalry probe the secrets of Bianliang."

Before he finished speaking, he had already set off on his horse, leaving Zhao Qingyi behind, clutching the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl, stamping her feet in anger beneath the ruins.

After a moment of anger, Zhao Qingyi spurred her horse and chased after Shi Feiyang.

……

In late spring, the reeds along the Wei River turn green, and Shi Feiyang's black steed, Ta Xue Wu Zhui, treads across the shallows, the water droplets kicked up by its hooves sparkling like diamonds in the sunlight.

He wore a coarse linen coat over his dark blue robe, disguising himself as a peddler driving a cart. Hidden in the cart were the Beggars' Gang's bamboo darts—those that Li Tieniu had robbed from the Western Xia supply camp the previous night, with the darts still stained with the blood of the Beggars' Gang member Mei Zang.

"Peddler, do you know which way to the inn in Qinzhou City?" Zhao Qingyi's voice came from the reeds. She had changed into a lake-blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and replaced her pearl hairpins with wooden hairpins. She was carrying a bunch of freshly picked wild strawberries in her hand, and the juice dripped from her fingertips onto the hem of her skirt, like splashes of a small red flower.

Shi Feiyang's whip cracked in mid-air, and the neighing of his horse, Wuzhui, startled the water birds in the reeds.

He said jokingly, "Miss, you've taken the wrong road," without turning his head. The cuffs of his hempen robe concealed the ice silkworm pattern on his wrist. He then said seriously, "The Western Xia camp is three miles ahead, and the inn is three miles behind." Zhao Qingyi, however, lifted her skirt and stepped across the puddle. The sweet scent of wild strawberries mingled with the water vapor. Suddenly, she leaped onto Shi Feiyang's steed, hugging him from behind. The tip of her wooden hairpin pressed against his back. She said jokingly, "Xiang Tiange, do you think I won't recognize you just because you changed your clothes?" Her cheek pressed against his hempen robe, she could clearly feel the slight tremor as he circulated his Mingyu Gong. She teased, "Last night you infiltrated the Western Xia camp, killed Meizang Qiyu, and stole their gunpowder. Do you think I didn't know?"

Shi Feiyang's Heavenly Silkworm Technique's silver threads quietly gathered in his palm, but stopped when they touched the wild strawberries in her hair. Those were the most common berries on the Uyghur grasslands, which Börte loved to roast and eat by the campfire. The aroma of the charred peels was seven parts similar to the sweet fragrance in Zhao Qingyi's hair at this moment.

"Princess, aren't you afraid of being spotted by the Western Xia scouts while you're following me?" His voice was harsh, like a block of ice that hadn't been warmed. Suddenly, the sound of bowstrings came from the reeds, and thirty Western Xia scouts' wolf-tooth arrows pierced through the green veil, heading straight for Zhao Qingyi's back.

Shi Feiyang swung his palms, unleashing the "Flower Transference and Jade Receiving" divine skill, causing the arrow to curve in mid-air and shoot back into the scout's throat. He took the opportunity to dismount and pin Zhao Qingyi down in the reeds, binding her lips with the ice silk of his palm—to prevent her from screaming and attracting more scouts.

Zhao Qingyi blinked her phoenix eyes in his palm, then suddenly gently bit the strand with her teeth, her tongue tracing across his fingertips, carrying the sweetness of wild strawberries.

Shi Feiyang's ears suddenly burned, and his Mingyu Gong's true energy almost went astray, so he quickly withdrew his hand.

Her saliva was already on the silk threads, glistening in the sunlight.

Zhao Qingyi teased, "Xiang Tiange, your ears are red." Her fingertips traced his earlobe, like plucking a string, and she teased, "So you can be shy too?" She suddenly pulled out a brocade pouch from her dress, inside which was a dried wild strawberry, and said seriously, "I picked this in Suide City, and I always carry it with me."

The shouts of Western Xia soldiers echoed in the distance. Shi Feiyang pulled her into the depths of the reeds, the silver threads in his palms entangled the two pursuing riders, his knuckles turning white from the force. He then admonished her, "Does the princess know that the Jianghu is not the imperial garden of Bianliang?" His black hair brushed against her cheek, carrying a cool mist, and he said calmly, "Next time you follow me, no one will shield you from arrows."

"Hehe!" Zhao Qingyi laughed even harder, stuffing a dried wild strawberry into his mouth. The sweet and astringent taste spread on his tongue, and she said in a coquettish voice, "You will." Her eyes shone like stars in the Wei River, and she teased, "If you didn't want to protect me, you wouldn't have cured me of the poison in Suide City, and you wouldn't have covered my mouth in the reed marshes."

Shi Feiyang laughed heartily, then put his arm around Zhao Qingyi and leaped onto his horse. The two rode together on one horse and headed straight for Qinzhou City.

In the inn's pavilion in Qinzhou City, the light from the oil lamp shone through the paper windows, casting a checkered shadow on Shi Feiyang's dark robe.

He was counting the gunpowder he had seized from the Western Xia camp. The Mingyu Gong technique in his palm condensed the damp powder into ice crystals. Amidst the crackling sound, Zhao Qingyi's wooden hairpin suddenly reached in through the window crack and lifted the sash of his hempen robe.

"Xiang Tiange, this princess has brought some fine Xifeng wine," her voice tinged with the smell of alcohol, stronger than wild strawberries, and she added teasingly, "Why don't we share a drink tonight and talk about the origins of your 'Xiang Tiange' name?"

She poked a hole in the window paper, revealing her hand holding the wine pot, her knuckles white from the force. Shi Feiyang's Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, "Hidden Dragon, Do Not Use," slammed onto the table, and the gunpowder barrel suddenly rose into the air, hitting the roof beam but not exploding—he had sealed the fuse with his inner energy.

He said in a deep voice, "If the princess continues to act recklessly," his voice squeezed out from between his teeth, colder than the Xuan Shuang Blade, and sternly said, "I will use the Heavenly Silkworm Technique to tie you up and take you to see Zhao Xu." Zhao Qingyi was not afraid, but instead pushed open the window and entered. She poured the Xifeng wine from the wine pot onto his gunpowder pile, and the flames "whooshed" up, only to be instantly frozen out by his Mingyu Technique.

Immediately afterward, Zhao Qingyi said defiantly, "You wouldn't dare," her nose almost touching his chin, the smell of alcohol on his black hair. She added dismissively, "If you wanted to tie me up, you would have done it in the secret passage of Bianliang, and you would have done it in the ruins of Suide. Why wait until now?" Suddenly, Shi Feiyang's palm strike slashed at the pillar beside her. Amidst the flying wood chips, Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song sword was already drawn, its tip pressed against his throat.

Their shadows intertwined on the wall, like a distorted painting—his black hair tangled with her wooden hairpin, his dark robe intertwined with her lake-blue skirt, only the cold light of the Ding Song sword drew a chilling line under the oil lamp.

“Xiang Tiange,” Zhao Qingyi’s tears suddenly fell onto the sword, splashing up tiny water droplets, and she choked out, “Who exactly are you? Your martial arts have the shadow of Shi Feiyang, and your eyes have his icy edge, but why won’t you admit it?”

Her sword tip trembled slightly, and her pretty face flushed as she said, "Is it because you have someone else in your heart?"

The sound of Beggar Clan disciples coughing came from downstairs. Li Tieniu paused at the top of the stairs with his green bamboo staff, and then tactfully retreated.

Shi Feiyang gripped the sword blade with his fingertips, and the chill of Mingyu Gong spread along the blade, freezing her tears into ice crystals. He still gently rejected her ambiguous feelings, advising, "Princess, you should return to Bianliang. Your father is still waiting for your report of victory, and your imperial guards are still camped outside Qinzhou City."

Zhao Qingyi suddenly sheathed her sword, drank the Xifeng wine in the wine pot in one gulp, and the wine dripped down her chin like a small red snake.

Then, she said willfully, "This princess will not," smashing the empty wine jug on the ground, shards flying around his gunpowder pile. She shamelessly insisted, "Wherever you go, I'll go. If you want to go to Helan Mountain, I'll take the Imperial Guards with me; if you want to go back to Blackwood Cliff, I'll change into the beggars' clothes and beg for food with you!" Helpless, Shi Feiyang could only put his arm around her, leap onto his horse, and continue towards Xia Kingdom.

Even in the height of summer, the snow on Helan Mountain had not melted. Shi Feiyang, dressed in a dark robe, draped Zhao Qingyi as she moved among the icicles. Her Ding Song sword was dulled, and her lake-blue skirt was torn by ice shards, yet she still clung tightly to his clothes, her nails digging into his flesh.

Shi Feiyang embraced her, leaped off his horse, and released her slender waist as soon as his feet touched the ground. He pointed to a dilapidated temple and said, "The ancestral temple of Western Xia is just ahead. The head of Mezang Epang is hanging on the temple gate. Are you sure you want to go?"

His fingertips traced Zhao Qingyi's frostbitten, purple cheeks. The true energy of his Mingyu Gong froze her frostbite, and he teased, "Once you go in, you'll no longer be a princess of the Song Dynasty." Zhao Qingyi, however, planted a kiss with icy shards on his cheek, like a stubborn little animal, and said coquettishly, "From the first moment I saw you at the Rainbow Bridge in Bianliang, I was no longer a princess of the Song Dynasty." Her wooden hairpin had long been lost in the reeds, and her hair clung messily to his dark robe. She said affectionately, "I am Zhao Qingyi, the woman who wanted to see the snow on Helan Mountain with you."

The bronze doors of the Western Xia Ancestral Temple creaked in the wind, and the human bones wrapped around the door knockers made a harsh rubbing sound.

Shi Feiyang used the "Dragon Fights in the Wild" move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms to break open the door lock. In the ice particles brought up by the palm wind, the head of Mei Cang E Pang was facing the ancestral witch totem inside the temple, its eyes wide open, as if cursing the intruder.

On the stone walls inside the temple, the Blood River Array diagram drawn by Nakasin was engraved, the imprints of the Five Elemental Pearls gleaming with a ghostly blue in the torchlight. Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song Sword suddenly pointed to the "Greedy Wolf" position on the array diagram, where Uyghur script was inscribed.

Shi Feiyang murmured, "Blood River Formation, Fire Lotus Breaks, Ice Soul Appears, Peace Reigns Over the World." Suddenly, two balls of energy rose from his palms. The golden light of the Dragon Subduing Palm on his left hand and the bright blue light of the Jade Palm on his right hand collided in the center of the formation. The stone wall slowly cracked open, revealing the secret chamber inside—the place where Nakasin hid the fragments of the Five Elemental Pearls. Now it was empty, with only half a piece of Ice Silkworm Jade remaining on the stone platform, which fit perfectly with the other half at his waist.

“It’s the Empress Dowager’s Ice Silkworm Jade!” Shi Feiyang’s fingertips traced the engravings on the jade piece, which were Ling Shuangyue’s own handwriting.

Zhao Qingyi, being exceptionally clever, suddenly seemed to understand something and exclaimed, "So, back then, Shi Feiyang didn't destroy the Five Elemental Pearls; he hid the fragments here!" She suddenly turned around, her phoenix eyes shining like two stars, and demanded sharply, "Xiang Tiange, you are Shi Feiyang, aren't you? This half of the jade is the proof!" Shi Feiyang put the two halves of the Ice Silkworm Jade together and put them into the mysterious deerskin pouch at his waist, invisible to mortals, and said in a low voice, "Qingyi, there are some things you shouldn't know."

At this moment, shouts from the Western Xia soldiers echoed outside the temple. Liang Yimai's son, Liang Yongneng, had led his Iron Falcon cavalry to surround Helan Mountain, and the clanging of their maces sent icicles tumbling down. Shi Feiyang drew his Xuan Shuang Blade, the ice silk on its scabbard binding Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song Sword. He pushed her towards the secret door of the chamber, saying with concern, "Go this way. Li Tieniu is waiting for you outside the mountain; he will escort you back to Bianliang."

Zhao Qingyi grabbed his wrist, the light of the ice silkworm jade reflecting in her tearful eyes, and stubbornly said, "I won't leave!"

Her Ding Song sword clashed with the Xuan Shuang blade, producing a clear and melodious sound. She declared resolutely, "Back then, Ling Shuangyue could defend Xuanwu Gate for you. Now, this princess can defend Helan Mountain! If you want to fight, I will fight with you; if you want to die, I will die with you!"

Shi Feiyang couldn't resist her stubbornness and nodded helplessly.

Icicles from Helan Mountain fell in a flurry during the fierce battle. Shi Feiyang's black hair fluttered among the armor of the Iron Falcon. The "Slaying the Mortal World" blade energy of the Xuan Shuang Blade cleaved through Liang Yongneng's mace. Amidst the ice particles stirred up by the palm wind, Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song Sword moved like a silver snake, its tip severing the Achilles tendons of three cavalrymen.

"Shi Feiyang, you old bastard!" Liang Yongneng's Iron Falcon Formation suddenly tightened, the sound of clashing armor causing ice shards and snow to avalanche. He cursed angrily, "You killed my grandfather, you killed my father, you killed my brother, and today I will make you pay for your blood debt!" Black flames suddenly ignited on his spiked club. It was "Netherworld Fire" refined with the blood of the Western Xia royal family, which would turn anyone who touched it to ashes.

Shi Feiyang rapidly activated the Mingyu Gong, unleashing the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. Ice and fire intertwined in his palms, forming white mist. The moment this mist collided with the Netherworld Fire, the entire Helan Mountain trembled. Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song Sword suddenly pierced Liang Yongneng's mount. The warhorse reared up in pain, and Shi Feiyang seized the opportunity to unleash a move called "Regretful Dragon Soaring," his palm strike carrying icy shards and firelight, blasting a bloody hole in Liang Yongneng's chest.

The Iron Falcon cavalry screamed in agony amidst the avalanche, while Shi Feiyang's Xuan Shuang Blade protected Zhao Qingyi as they weaved through the icicles. Her lake-blue skirt was already soaked with blood, yet she still smiled as she thrust her sword at the last cavalryman, the red silk on the sword tassel intertwining with his black hair, drawing a red and white arc in the swirling snow.

Shi Feiyang suddenly reminded her, "Qingyi, hold on tight!" He abruptly used his peerless lightness skill, "Leaving No Trace for a Thousand Miles," and his black robe and skirt tangled together, like a black and white lightning bolt, rushing out of the avalanche's range.

The Western Xia ancestral temple behind him collapsed amidst a roar, burying a century of grievances and blood debts deep within the icicles.

On the official road outside the mountain, Li Tieniu's green bamboo staff and Qu Cheng's Sacred Flame Token had formed a defensive line. When the Beggar Clan disciples and the Sun Moon Sect members saw Shi Feiyang and Zhao Qingyi embracing tightly, they were all dumbfounded.

Zhao Qingyi ignored all of that. She simply hugged Shi Feiyang's waist and buried her face in his black hair, where snowflakes from Helan Mountain still lingered. The coolness of the hair was more comforting than the warm stove in the Imperial Garden of Bianliang.

"Shi Feiyang," her voice trembled with tears, but was more resolute than ever before, and she said with genuine emotion, "You are not allowed to call me 'Xiang Tiange' anymore, you are not allowed to change your clothes anymore, and you are not allowed to hide from me anymore."

Shi Feiyang gazed at the sea of ​​clouds in the distance, where one cloud resembled a dragon and a phoenix intertwined.

He suddenly remembered the Sacred Fire Hall at Blackwood Cliff. Qu Feiyan once said, "No matter how far the road of the martial world is, it can never be farther than two hearts that depend on each other."

As Shi Feiyang spoke, the white breath he exhaled mingled with the lingering snow of Helan Mountain. The word "good" was as light as willow catkins clinging to clothing, yet it struck Zhao Qingyi like a resounding bell, making her heart pound—more intense than when he used "Transferring Flowers and Jade" to guide her swordplay during their first meeting at the Rainbow Bridge in Bianliang, and more scorching than when he forced out the bone-corroding poison for her on the walls of Yongle City.

The moment the Frostblade returned to its sheath, the icy silk on its blade suddenly trembled like a dragon's roar, as if celebrating this belated compromise. As Shi Feiyang turned around, the straps of the deerskin pouch at his waist untied themselves, and two beams of light suddenly shot out from the pouch, rolling out a warm glow about ten feet in diameter on the snow.

"Ah!" Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song Sword clattered to the ground, and she fell backward. She saw that in the red light on her left, a pair of flame-like wings unfolded, and the tail feathers trailed like crimson clouds. It was the Vermilion Bird, the divine bird described in the "Auspicious Omens Picture". The white light on her right was curled into a fluffy snowball, with a tiger-like head and claws sticking out. It also had snow-white wings. It was clearly the legendary White Tiger auspicious beast.

The two divine creatures rolled around in the snow. The tip of the Vermilion Bird's feather brushed against the White Tiger's ear, causing the little beast to howl and scratch at the ball of fire with its claws, only to be burned and curl up into a fur ball.

Shi Feiyang reached out and put his arm around Zhao Qingyi's waist. The warmth of Mingyu Gong flowed through his fingertips into her silver-scaled soft armor, drying the cold sweat that had broken out in fright into moisture. He then introduced them, saying, "These two naughty things, for as many years as I have lived, the Vermilion Bird has guarded my Ice Silkworm Jade for just as many years. As for the White Tiger, it's just like you, wanting to catch and play with everything it sees."

The white tiger suddenly sprang up from the snow, its furry body bumping into Zhao Qingyi's knee and rubbing its head against her hand.

Its fur was even softer than the white fox fur bestowed upon Bianliang by the emperor, and there was even a cinnabar dot hidden behind its ear. The Vermilion Bird spread its wings, which were more than ten feet wide, and gently pecked at Shi Feiyang's dark robe with its beak, as if urging him on. Zhao Qingyi came back to her senses and exclaimed in astonishment, "This...this is a real divine bird?" Her fingertips had just touched the Vermilion Bird's tail feathers when she was startled by the warm flame and withdrew her hand. Her eyes suddenly reddened, and she said excitedly, "The Classic of Mountains and Seas says that whoever sees the Vermilion Bird will rule the world. You...you actually had such a miraculous encounter."

Shi Feiyang suddenly bent down and scooped her up in his arms, lifting the white tiger with his left hand, and flew onto the back of the Vermilion Bird. The divine bird let out a clear cry, its wings flapping to disperse the snow mist, and carried the two people and the beast straight into the sky.

Zhao Qingyi felt the wind whistling past her ears, the snow-capped peaks of Helan Mountain shrinking into white jade chess pieces at her feet, the grasslands of Liao Kingdom like a green carpet spread out, and Shi Feiyang's arms were more secure than the phoenix bed in the imperial palace. The beating of his heart and the sound of the Vermilion Bird's wings were in wonderful harmony, like a melody she had never heard before.

"Look at that cloud, doesn't it look like a sugar dragon from the night market?" Shi Feiyang's voice came through the wind as he pointed to the swirling cloud on the horizon with his right hand. Suddenly, the white tiger leaped onto Zhao Qingyi's shoulder and brushed her cheek with its tail, making her giggle. Tears, however, rolled down onto the Vermilion Bird's wings, instantly turning into white mist from the warmth.

She suddenly buried her face in Shi Feiyang's dark blue robe, where snowflakes from the Helan Mountains still lingered, yet it brought her more peace of mind than the warm stove in the Imperial Garden of Bianliang.

"Shi Feiyang," her voice trembled with tears, yet she laughed more heartily than anyone else, then scolded playfully, "You old monster... you're even better at coaxing people than the immortals in the storybooks." She remembered the phoenix hairpin that held his hair in Xiangguo Temple, and the words "Jianghu" that had spread out on the painted boat. It turned out that all the coldness and estrangement concealed such burning tenderness—more intense than the Dragon Subduing Palm, and more gentle than the Mingyu Skill.

As the Vermilion Bird pierced through the last layer of clouds, the outline of Bianliang City emerged in the morning light. The bluestone slabs of the Zhou Bridge shimmered with water, and the spire of Xiangguo Temple resembled a jade hairpin pointing towards the sky.

Zhao Qingyi grabbed Shi Feiyang's hand and tied the ice silkworm silk in his palm to the tassel of her Ding Song sword. She said tenderly, "When we get to Bianliang, you're not allowed to hide from me anymore." She looked at the light blue ice silkworm pattern behind Shi Feiyang's ear, which shimmered with gold edges in the sunlight, and said threateningly, "Otherwise... otherwise I'll let the white tiger gnaw on your Xuan Shuang Blade."

As Shi Feiyang looked down, he caught sight of the rising sun in her eyes, which reflected the flames of the Vermilion Bird's wings and the cinnabar mole behind the White Tiger's ear.

He suddenly remembered Qu Feiyan's dying words, "The best Jianghu is one where someone accompanies you to see all the mountains and rivers." It turned out that these mountains and rivers did not have to be the vast territory of the Tang Dynasty, but only Zhao Qingyi's smiling yet tearful eyes, and the sword tassel and silk entwined in her palms.

As the cry of the divine bird echoed over Bianliang, Zhao Qingyi suddenly planted a frosty kiss on Shi Feiyang's cheek, like a little animal that had stolen candy. The white tiger yawned on her shoulder, curling its tail into a fluffy ball, as if it had already seen through the couple's thoughts.

(End of this chapter)