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

Regardless, Shi Feiyang still sent Zhao Qingyi to the palace and promised to date her, and Zhao Qingyi left satisfied.

Shi Feiyang jumped off the back of the Vermilion Bird and wandered around, looking at everything.

Because he would eventually acquire this land and move into the imperial palace in Bianliang.

As dusk settled over the willows along the Bian River, ten thousand lanterns were already lit on the eaves. Shi Feiyang walked with his hands behind his back, from Zhou Bridge to Zhuque Gate. The long street stretched like a starry sky, with red lanterns hanging where wine flags fluttered, and green gauze lanterns hanging from the bamboo eaves of teahouses. Even the vendors selling water and rice had small sheep horn lanterns hanging from their poles. The light shone through the thin shells, rippling warm yellow circles on the bluestone slabs, like crushed moonlight.

He remarked that although the Song Dynasty valued literature over military prowess, its capital was still quite prosperous and populous. At the sugar painting stall, an old man wielded a copper spoon across the bluestone slabs, and wherever the amber-colored sugar threads fell, they instantly transformed into a dragon with distinct scales and claws, its tail tip still adorned with a drop of sugar. A gentle breeze blew, causing it to tremble and fall onto a child's outstretched fingertip. The sweet aroma, mingled with the smoky scent of roasted chestnuts, wafted over, clinging to the crescent moon on the willow branches.

The painted boat was moored on the bank of the Bian River. Inside the cabin, the glass lamps reflected the paper-cut decorations on the windows, and the characters "福" (fortune) and "喜" (happiness) shimmered like broken gold in the water.

A young girl in a lotus-colored shirt sat by the railing, her fingertips twirling the tassels of a hanging lantern. The red velvet on the tassels was covered with night dew and shimmered with a warm light in the lamplight, making her even more charming than the hairpins inside the cabin.

The tavern signboard swayed in the wind, the four characters "Li Bai's Legacy" half-lit and half-dark by the lamplight. The bartender, dressed in a black short jacket, carried a tin pot and moved about. The stream of wine that sprayed from the pot fell into the rough porcelain bowl, and the splashed wine droplets danced under the lamplight, like shattered jade falling onto a plate.

The scholar at the next table was singing "Partridge Sky" while clapping his hands. The tune was softened by the noise of the night market, but in the last note of "Where will I be when I wake up from my drunken stupor tonight," two jasmine blossoms fell from the flower girl's hand, rolling on the bluestone slab and getting a little sweet from the sugar painting.

The most delightful spot was at the street corner, where a stall selling combs had a blue gauze lantern hanging from it. The light shone through the gauze, casting the carved lotus flowers on the combs onto the pink wall, creating a hazy, indistinct effect that complemented the words "Drunken Spring" on the signboard of the rouge shop across the street.

A minor official in a green robe led a maid in blue past. The maid's fingertips had barely touched an ivory comb when he patted her hand and chuckled. His laughter, falling into the lamplight, startled the iron horse-shaped ornaments hanging under the eaves, its clanging mingling with the distant sound of a pipa from a painted boat, spreading far into the twilight. As the moon rose high in the sky, the lamplight thinned, leaving only the ripples of the Bian River shimmering with its last rays, as if someone had blended all the stars in the river into the everyday life of the world.

As the Mid-Autumn Moon hung high above the spire of Xiangguo Temple in Bianliang, Shi Feiyang was already sitting in Su Shi's study, drinking wine with key figures from both the New and Old Parties around a stove. Zhao Qingyi's imperial carriage stopped at the alley entrance. She had changed into a moon-white palace dress and was looking at the figures inside through the paper window. The sugar dragon in her hand had been replaced with osmanthus cake.

"Mr. Xiang's reform of the 'Green Sprouts Law' is truly a lifesaver for the people!" Wang Anshi exclaimed with emotion. His beard was stained with wine, and his book "Explanation of Characters" was covered with annotations. However, he frowned and stared intently at the book, saying sadly, "This 'Baojia Law' touches on the interests of the Imperial Guards. Its difficulty is probably greater than the bloody battle of Yongle City."

Shi Feiyang tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, the rhythm following the coded "Sacred Flame Token" of the Sun Moon Sect. He whispered his plan: "Tomorrow morning at court, order Zhang Zao to bring a secret letter from the Dali Duan family, claiming that Western Xia is colluding with Liao and attempting to take advantage of the turmoil caused by the new laws to invade the south." Ostensibly helping Song, but actually to weaken Liao and Xia. He suddenly looked out the window, where Zhao Qingyi's figure was particularly clear in the moonlight, and teased, "Have the Imperial Guards the princess brought managed to guard Xuande Gate?"

Zhao Qingyi pushed open the door and entered. The aroma of osmanthus cake mingled with the smell of wine in the study. She said excitedly, "Father has ordered the suspension of the functions of the Imperial City Guard and I will take over the Imperial Guard." She placed a plate of pastries in front of Shi Feiyang and said seriously, "These were made according to the recipe you provided, with the addition of Uyghur jujubes."

Shi Feiyang picked up a piece of osmanthus cake. As he tasted it, he couldn't help but recall the snowy night at Blackwood Cliff. Börte had baked jujube cake for him by the campfire just like that. His eyes welled up with tears, but he simply swallowed the cake and said to Wang Anshi, "Tomorrow's court assembly will surely be a fierce contest. All of you must be wary of the spies that the Xia Kingdom has planted in the court."

As night deepened, Su Shi's study remained brightly lit, filled with the sounds of debate and laughter between the New Party and the Old Party, seemingly forgetting the boundaries of factional strife. When Shi Feiyang emerged from the study, Zhao Qingyi was leaning against the old locust tree at the alley entrance, moonlight filtering through the leaves and bathing her in a silvery glow. Seeing Shi Feiyang approach, she said tenderly, "Xiang Tiange," suddenly gripping his hand tightly, her palm unusually warm, and asked sincerely, "After the new laws are implemented, would you be willing to stay in Bianliang?"

Shi Feiyang gazed in the direction of the Blackwood Cliff in the distance, where the Five Elemental Pearls should be shimmering in the moonlight at this moment.

So he said tactfully, "I am just a man of the martial world," and gently withdrew his hand, the chilling aura of Mingyu Gong flowing in his palm, and said, "The lofty imperial court is not a place for me to linger." After saying that, he used the peerless lightness skill "Leaving No Trace for a Thousand Miles," and his figure suddenly turned into a black shadow and disappeared into the moonlight, leaving only a whisper echoing in the wind: "Tell Zhao Xu to protect the Central Plains well, and not to let the blood of Yongle City be shed in vain."

Zhao Qingyi stared in the direction he had disappeared, and angrily scattered the remaining osmanthus cakes under the old locust tree.

But thinking about his appointment the next night, he calmed down and excitedly returned to the palace.

……

The Rainbow Bridge in Bianliang City gleamed with a damp light. Shi Feiyang's black boots trod across the sugar stains on the bluestone slabs, and the hem of his dark robe swept across the copper spoon of the old man selling sugar paintings. The golden-red syrup he kicked up condensed into tiny dragon shapes in the air—frozen by the cold energy of his Mingyu Gong technique. When it landed in Zhao Qingyi's outstretched palm, it was still slightly warm.

Zhao Qingyi said meaningfully, "Xiang Tiange, your sugar painting is much more skillful than the imperial kitchen's." Ding Songjian leaned against the bridge railing, the red silk tassel wrapped around it soaked with rainwater, dancing like flames in the wind. She licked the sugar crumbs from her fingertips, her phoenix eyes curving into crescents, and smiled charmingly, "Yesterday I asked the imperial chef to imitate it, and he actually drew the dragon as a loach."

Shi Feiyang tapped lightly on the scales of the sugar dragon with his fingertips, the rhythm being the Beggars' Sect's "message signal".

Under the bridge, Li Tieniu's bamboo cane was pressing against the lower back of a Western Xia envoy. The copper bell at the tip of the bamboo was heavy with the envoy's blood—it was a secret letter that had just been intercepted from the Liao embassy, ​​and the wax seal still bore the wolf head seal of the Western Xia royal family.

He turned around, his black hair brushing against Zhao Qingyi's cheek, carrying the coolness of the canal's moisture, and teased, "The princess's imperial chef probably hasn't seen a real dragon." The old man selling sugar paintings had just finished pouring out a sugar snake when Shi Feiyang's "Transferring Flowers and Jade" skill spun in the air and landed steadily on Zhao Qingyi's sword sheath. He then said jokingly, "This snake looks like the 'Blood River Whip' of Western Xia."

Zhao Qingyi suddenly pressed her fingertips against his wrist pulse, where the unique chilling energy of Mingyu Gong was pulsating: "Are you thinking about Xixia again?"

Her fingernails dug into his flesh, but were gently entangled by the icy silk in his palm. She then questioned him, "Yesterday, the Imperial City Guard said that the Western Xia envoy secretly met with Liao warriors at the post station. Are you going to kill someone again?"

A muffled groan came from the other side of the bridge; Li Tieniu's bamboo staff had severed the tendons in the envoy's foot.

Looking into Zhao Qingyi's tearful eyes, Shi Feiyang suddenly recalled how, in the morning mist of Blackwood Cliff, Börte had also held his hand in the same way, saying, "The road of the martial world is treacherous; don't always carry everything on your shoulders." So, he replied irrelevantly, "Princess, it's time to return to your residence." He pulled his hand away from her grasp, the sugar dragon gradually melting in his palm, and added tactfully, "It's late; the palace gates are about to be locked."

Zhao Qingyi was very generous and tolerant, and perhaps she loved Shi Feiyang very much. Despite being politely rejected by Shi Feiyang several times, she still chose to forgive him. She put the sugar dragon into his mouth, and the sweet taste spread across his tongue.

Suddenly, her Ding Song sword was drawn, its light drawing a silver arc in the setting sun, severing three poisoned arrows shot from the bridge arch—these were accomplices of the Western Xia envoy, the fletchings of the wolf-tooth arrows still stained with Liao wolf fur.

She said coquettishly, "Xiang Tiange!" The sword blade pressed against his Adam's apple, and a sugar dreg on the corner of her lips looked like a tiny cinnabar dot. She pouted and said, "If you leave me again, I'll feed all your sugar paintings to the dogs." With that, she stomped her foot and stormed off.

Despite their bickering, cursing, and anger, they still arranged to meet the next day. Most importantly, Zhao Qingyi admired Shi Feiyang's patriotism and his constant efforts to weaken the military power of the Xia and Liao states.

The sound of the bell from Xiangguo Temple echoed in the twilight. Shi Feiyang, dressed in a dark robe, blended into the crowd of people offering incense. His black hair was tied up with an ordinary wooden hairpin, creating a strange contrast with the jade silkworm pendant on his wrist.

In front of the incense burner in the main hall, Zhao Qingyi was tiptoeing to insert incense. The hem of her pale yellow palace dress swept across his boots, and the incense ash she kicked up landed on his robe, where it was condensed into tiny ice crystals by the chilling aura of Mingyu Gong.

Zhao Qingyi chuckled and asked, "Xiang Tiange, do you know that this Vairocana Buddha was sculpted by Emperor Taizong himself?"

Her fingertip touched the glass eyes of the Buddha statue, where their shadows were reflected, and she said sincerely, "Father said that sincerity brings results. If you make a wish to it, it might come true."

Shi Feiyang's gaze swept over the shadows behind the Buddha statue, where three assassins from the Western Xia First-Class Hall were hiding. The wolf-headed badges at their waists were faintly visible under their robes. The secret message from Li Tieniu said that they would use "Bone-Rotting Poison" to assassinate Wang Anshi, who had come to the temple to pray for blessings, at midnight tonight.

So, Shi Feiyang shook his head and said, "The princess's wish is probably unrelated to Buddhism." He suddenly chuckled, his black hair falling in front of his eyes to cover his glassy eyes, and said with a grin, "She probably wants Father to lock this 'outsider' of the martial world in the Heavenly Prison."

Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song sword suddenly drew its sheath, the sword wind swirling with incense ash as it rushed towards the back of the Buddha statue. The screams of the three assassins were swallowed by the sound of the bell. Her phoenix eyes shone with an astonishing light, a bloodstained wolf-head plaque dangling from the tip of her sword. She said fiercely, "My wish as a princess is to stop some people from always treating me as a burden." She suddenly leaned closer, incense ash clinging to his nose, and teased, "See, I can help you kill too."

Amidst the sound of the wooden fish in the side hall, Shi Feiyang used the silver threads of his Heavenly Silkworm Technique to entangle the throat of the last assassin. The moment the silver threads entered his body, the assassin's internal organs were crushed, and black blood gushed from his seven orifices, accumulating into small pools of blood on the futon.

He then said with a grin, "Does the princess know that the 'Bone-Rotting Poison' of Yipintang is lethal upon contact with blood?"

As he ran his fingertips across the bloodstains on Zhao Qingyi's sword sheath, the chilling aura of Mingyu Gong froze the poisoned blood into ice crystals. He then teased, "If you show off again next time, I'll have the Beggars' Clan brothers tie you up and take you back to the palace."

Zhao Qingyi pulled out a brocade pouch from her sleeve, inside which was half a bloodstained wolf-head plaque. She said solemnly, "This is evidence for Father Emperor, proving that Western Xia colluded with Liao." Her fingertips brushed against the wooden hairpin that held his hair in place, and she suddenly pulled it out. She used her own phoenix hairpin to tie Shi Feiyang's hair up, and then said playfully, "That's more like it. Even a Jianghu person should have a decent hairpin."

At dusk, the golden light of the phoenix hairpin and the blue light of the ice silkworm jade intertwined in Shi Feiyang's hair. The distant sound of the bell shattered the clouds, casting long shadows of the two people, like an unfinished ink painting—a painting containing the coldness of the martial world, the warmth of the palace, and an indescribable entanglement.

……

The eaves of the Imperial City Guard gleamed coldly in the moonlight. Shi Feiyang, his "Hidden Body and Name" technique darting along the wall, blended seamlessly into the shadows in his dark robe. He had just stolen a secret letter from the Western Xia envoy's bedroom; the wolf head seal on the wax seal gleamed a deep blue in the moonlight. But as he scaled the high wall, he bumped into something soft—Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song sword was pressed against his chest, its silver scales shimmering like fish scales in the moonlight.

Zhao Qingyi blinked her beautiful phoenix eyes, pouted her lips, and scolded, "Xiang Tiange, you really are stealing."

Her phoenix eyes shone brightly in the night, her knuckles gripping the sword hilt until they turned white, and she said sincerely, "Is this secret letter to Wang Anshi? I'll help you deliver it; Father's imperial guards won't stop me."

Shi Feiyang's Heavenly Silkworm Technique suddenly wrapped its silver threads around her wrist, but stopped when it touched the skin beneath her soft nails—there was a faint scar there, left by a stray arrow from Yongle City, which now glowed pink in the moonlight, like a small flower.

“The princess should be sleeping in her palace for her beauty sleep,” he said in a low voice, carrying the chill of Mingyu Gong, and then added jokingly, “This isn’t like being on the walls of the Imperial City Guard, getting some fresh air.” The sound of the Imperial Guards patrolling came from afar. Zhao Qingyi suddenly pulled him into the shadows of the corner tower. The scabbard of the Ding Song sword pressed against his waist, and her breath brushed against his neck, carrying a faint scent of perfume.

“Xiang Tiange,” her voice was as soft as cotton as she speculated, “I know what you’re investigating. Back then, when Father Emperor beheaded the Tang Dynasty’s envoy, you harbored resentment, didn’t you?” Shi Feiyang’s black robe fluttered in the night wind. He looked at the dragon flag on the palace wall in the distance and suddenly remembered the Sacred Fire Hall of Blackwood Cliff. Qu Feiyan had once said, “Hatred is like a dull knife; it cuts others and cuts yourself.”

“Princess, you’re overthinking it,” he said, shaking his head. He gently pushed her away, slipped the secret letter into her soft armor, and said sincerely, “Give this to Wang Anshi and tell him that ‘Xiang Tiange’ owes him a favor.”

Zhao Qingyi grabbed the hem of his robe, the tip of her phoenix hairpin tearing through his robe to reveal the ice silk wrapped inside—it was woven from Börte's hair, gleaming faintly silver in the moonlight.

"What is this?" Her voice suddenly trembled, then she said with a pang of sorrow, "It's that Uyghur woman's thing, isn't it?" A chill suddenly rose from Shi Feiyang's palm, and the vortex of Mingyu Gong deflected her Ding Song Sword circle, the blade grazing his ribs. He said sternly, "Princess, don't ask what you shouldn't ask." His voice was as cold as ice. As he turned, he used the mysterious lightness skill of "leaving after the deed is done," swiftly disappearing into the night, leaving only a whisper echoing in the corner tower, "The secret letter has been delivered. From now on, we are even."

Zhao Qingyi clutched the blood-stained secret letter, gazing in the direction he had disappeared, her phoenix hairpin clenching painfully in her palm.

In the shadow of the corner tower, she suddenly laughed, laughing until tears streamed down her face—it turned out that the coldness of the martial world was more torturous than the rules of the imperial city, but she just liked this torturous coldness, liked the warmth hidden in this coldness that was unwilling to be spoken.

It's like this every day; we argue every night, then make plans to meet again the next day.

On this day, the Imperial Street of Bianliang shimmered in the morning dew. Shi Feiyang's snow-white steed trod on the ground covered with crabapple petals, the hem of his dark robe damp with dew, as he rode alongside Zhao Qingyi's silver-saddled horse.

Her phoenix banner fluttered behind her, and the armor of the Imperial Guards gleamed in the morning light, yet no one dared to approach this strange couple: one a wandering swordsman, the other a princess; the sound of their horses trampling fallen petals concealed an indescribable harmony.

"Xiang Tiange, today is the Lantern Festival. Will you come with me to see the lanterns?" Zhao Qingyi made another request to Shi Feiyang. Her Ding Song sword hung in front of the saddle, the red silk on the tassel intertwined with his black hair. Then, she said mysteriously, "There are 30% more lanterns on the Imperial Street than last year, and there are also glass lanterns from the Western Regions. It is said that they can see people's thoughts."

Shi Feiyang's fingertips traced the mane of his black horse, where shards of ice from the Helan Mountains still clung. He gazed at the distant Zhou Bridge, where the Beggars' Sect's bamboo darts flashed beneath the archway—Li Tieniu was delivering a message: the Western Xia envoy had been silenced, and the Liao Kingdom's secret reply was hidden inside the stone lion on the bridge. Shi Feiyang shook his head and said, "The princess's lantern should be seen by the princes and nobles." His voice was harsh, like unheated black iron.

Zhao Qingyi suddenly reined in her horse, the tip of her Ding Song sword picking up a begonia petal and gently pressing it to his lips. She huffed, "But all I want to do is look at you." Her phoenix eyes were very close to his, she could see herself reflected in his pupils, and she said sadly, "In Suide City, you shielded me from arrows; in Helan Mountain, you protected me; at Xiangguo Temple, you tied my hair—were all of these just lies?" Suddenly, the stone lions on the Zhou Bridge made a strange noise, and three Liao warriors thrust their short swords from their mouths, aiming straight for Zhao Qingyi's throat.

Shi Feiyang hurriedly unleashed a move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, "Flying Dragon in the Sky," a powerful palm strike carrying begonia petals as it slashed at the warrior. Immediately afterward, he used his palms to perform "Shifting Flowers and Jade" to deflect the short sword. The blade grazed Zhao Qingyi's temple, and the severed hair strands became entangled with the petals, landing on her silver saddle.

Shi Feiyang said helplessly, "Did the princess see that?" His dark robe fluttered in the morning light, the silver threads of his Heavenly Silkworm Technique having already shattered the heart of the last warrior. He sighed, "This is the way of the martial world; one moment is flowers, the next is blood." He dismounted, picked up the secret letter from the stone lion's belly, and said with a surprisingly resolute tone, "From now on, don't follow me anymore. I can't bear to see your lanterns."

Zhao Qingyi's silver-saddled horse suddenly reared up, her Ding Song sword pointing at Shi Feiyang's back. Her voice, though choked with sobs, was exceptionally loud: "Xiang Tiange! No one can stop me, Zhao Qingyi, from doing what I'm about to do!" Her phoenix hairpin was suddenly thrown, grazing his ear and embedding itself in the railing of the Zhou Bridge. She cried angrily, "I have no use for this hairpin anymore, I'll give it to you!"

Shi Feiyang paused, but didn't turn back. His dark robe disappeared at the end of the bridge, leaving only the phoenix hairpin, gleaming golden in the morning light, contrasting with the fallen crabapple petals, like a star fallen into the dust—a cold star, yet shining with unwavering determination, just like that princess of noble birth, who insisted on crashing into the winds of the martial world, crashing until her head was broken and bleeding, but refusing to turn back.

In the morning mist of the Imperial Street, Zhao Qingyi looked in the direction of the phoenix hairpin and suddenly smiled.

……

As dusk fell, thousands of lights illuminated the night market of Bianliang. Shi Feiyang, dressed in a dark robe, blended into the crowd. His black hair was ruffled by the wind at the alley entrance, revealing faint ice silkworm patterns behind his ears—the protective mark that Qu Feiyan had branded for him with the Sacred Flame Token, which now shimmered with a pale blue light under the lanterns.

“Xiang Tiange, look at that glass lamp, doesn’t it look like an icicle from Helan Mountain?” Zhao Qingyi’s voice came from behind the sugar painting stall. She had changed into a lotus-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and her pearl hairpins had been replaced with wooden hairpins. In her hand, she held two strings of sugar paintings, the “Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Auspiciousness” that he had taught her to paint. The sugar threads trembled slightly in the evening breeze, and the sweet fragrance mixed with the scent of cosmetics wafted over, making his throat tighten.

Shi Feiyang received the dragon-shaped sugar painting from his fingertips. The chilling aura of Mingyu Gong subtly circulated, freezing the sugar threads that were about to melt. He saw Zhao Qingyi's fingertips, stained with sugar, secretly wiping it onto his dark robe, like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank.

He teased, "Isn't the princess afraid of being seen by the Imperial Guards?" His voice carried a laugh he himself was unaware of. He raised his hand to wipe away the sugar residue from the corner of her lips, the warmth of her skin touching his fingertips creating a strange contrast with his icy demeanor.

Suddenly, the sound of shattering porcelain echoed from the end of the alley. The assassin from Xixia Yipintang, disguised as a merchant, shattered a blue-and-white porcelain bowl, releasing poison powder like a mist. Shi Feiyang's "Shifting Flowers and Jade" divine skill activated abruptly, causing the poison powder to swerve in mid-air and attack the assassin in the opposite direction. Taking advantage of the moment, he grabbed Zhao Qingyi's waist and used his "Hidden Body and Name" lightness skill to carry her up to the second floor of the tavern. The lanterns swept away by his palm ignited in the poison powder, illuminating their figures as if in a painting.

Zhao Qingyi said with a mix of joy and sweetness, "You're protecting me again." Her cheek pressed against his robe, she could hear his heartbeat as he circulated his Mingyu Gong, more steady than the drumbeats of Bianliang. Suddenly, she tiptoed and lightly bit his chin, saying coquettishly, "Xiang Tiange, if you keep being stubborn, I'll tell everyone in Bianliang that you stole the princess's sugar painting."

Shi Feiyang's ears burned. As he pushed her away, the tail of the dragon-shaped sugar painting broke off in her palm. He watched the figures of Beggar Clan disciples and assassins fighting at the alley entrance. Li Tieniu's green bamboo staff was poking the throat of an assassin, the sound of the copper bell on the staff startling the night herons under the eaves. Shi Feiyang said with concern, "Princess, it's time to return to your residence." After saying that, he gently separated Zhao Qingyi, and as he turned around, he took off his black outer robe and draped it over her shoulders—it still retained the chilling aura of his Mingyu Kung Fu, which could protect her from the poison powder.

Zhao Qingyi shook her head, took Shi Feiyang's hand, and walked towards a painted boat on the Bian River. The boat swayed in the plum rain, Shi Feiyang's Xuan Shuang Blade leaned against the cabin wall, and the ice silk of the scabbard was wrapped around the tassel of Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song sword.

She picked up a wolf-hair brush and wrote on the rice paper. The rain-dampened window paper revealed a hazy lamplight, blurring the characters "江湖" (jianghu, meaning "rivers and lakes") into faint ink blots. Then, she teased, "Look, the character '湖' (hu, meaning "lake") is missing the three water radicals." Her fingertips grazed the paper, and water droplets condensed into small clumps in her palm. She then scolded, "Just like you, always hiding your thoughts, unwilling to reveal even a little bit."

Her pretty face flushed red as she shoved the pen into Shi Feiyang's hand and said coquettishly, "Write your name, Xiang Tiange, and I want to frame it and hang it in my bedroom." Shi Feiyang's pen hovered over the paper, hesitant to write.

Outside the cabin, the sounds of a secret conversation between a Western Xia envoy and a Liao warrior could be heard. Their ship was moored next to the pleasure boat, and they were discussing how to take advantage of the turmoil caused by the new laws to launch a surprise attack on Linzhou City of the Song Dynasty. Shi Feiyang immediately activated his Heavenly Silkworm Skill, a crystalline light flowing through his palm. The powerful internal energy formed Heavenly Silkworm Silver Threads that traveled along the gaps in the ship's planks, silently wrapping around the anchor chain of the adjacent ship.

Zhao Qingyi, however, was completely absorbed in love and urged him tenderly, "Write it." Her fingertips pressed against the back of Shi Feiyang's hand, the warmth of his palm seeping through his thin shirt. She then asked meaningfully, "Could 'Xiang Tiange' also be a fake?" Her phoenix eyes shone brightly in the lamplight, and she couldn't help but ask, "Who exactly are you? Are you Shi Feiyang, or someone else?"

Suddenly, a loud crash of a snapping anchor chain came from next door. Shi Feiyang threw down his brush and abruptly unleashed a move from the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, "Sudden Attack," striking the cabin wall. The wooden planks of the pleasure boat opened up as if alive, revealing the terrified face of the secret envoy next door.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he unleashed another move, "Shocking the Hundred Miles," the palm wind carrying rain that sent the envoy flying. At the same time, Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song sword was drawn, the red silk tassel of the sword wrapping around the neck of the last Liao warrior, drawing a bright red arc in the rain.

Zhao Qingyi said angrily, "Can you tell me now?"

The sword tip pressed against his chest, raindrops dripping from her hair, leaving dark stains on his robe. She saw Shi Feiyang's Adam's apple bob, and saw the heat in his eyes that even Ming Yugong couldn't freeze.

Shi Feiyang's fingertips gripped the blade, gently pushing away her Ding Song sword. He gazed at the rain curtain outside the window and suddenly recalled the snowy night at Blackwood Cliff, when Börte had also pressed him with the same question, "Which is more important, the Tang Dynasty or the Jianghu?" At that time, he answered, "Both are important," but now he could not answer—because the person before him was slowly walking into his frozen heart.

Zhao Qingyi snorted coldly, turned around and left, tears streaming down her face.

It's heartbreaking to fall in love with someone but not even know their real name.

But at this moment, Shi Feiyang really couldn't answer the question, "Which is more important, the country or the beauty?"

His life's goal was to unify the world. He had planned for this for a long time, fighting bloody battles for a century. Was he really going to destroy this century-old dream for Zhao Qingyi? But if he lost Zhao Qingyi, what use was the world? It was difficult! His heart ached!

He stood there on the riverbank for a long time, still in a daze.

At this moment, Li Tieniu quietly came over to report: "Chief, His Majesty has passed away, and the young prince Shi Qihan has ascended the throne. Elder Qu of the Sun Moon Sect is leading his followers to keep a close watch on the Imperial Guard's movements in Luoyang. Would you like to return to Luoyang?"

The rain on the Bian River wove a green veil in the twilight, and Shi Feiyang's dark robe was soaked through, clinging to his body and outlining his lean and strong figure.

A faint white mark remained where Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song sword had just struck—a mark formed by the chilling energy of the Mingyu Gong, now slightly warming with each beat of his heart. Li Tieniu tapped his bamboo cane lightly on the corridor behind him, the copper bell at its tip heavy from the rain. He stared at Shi Feiyang's stiff back; this was the first time he had seen this "Singing to the Heavens" gentleman so distraught, even the phoenix hairpin wrapped around the hilt of his Xuan Shuang blade trembling in the rain like a falling leaf.

Shi Feiyang's fingertips traced the icy silk of the Xuan Shuang Blade, where Zhao Qingyi's warmth still lingered. As she turned to leave, the sound of her tears hitting the bluestone slab was more piercing than the poisoned arrows of the Western Xia First-Class Hall.

He suddenly remembered that on the back of the Vermilion Bird in Helan Mountain, she laughed and said, "You are better at coaxing people than the immortals in the storybooks." At that time, her eyes were as bright as the snow on Kunlun Mountain, but now they were faded by the rain of the Bian River.

"News from Luoyang..." Li Tieniu reminded Shi Feiyang again, his voice extremely low, as he carved the word "urgent" on the corridor pillar with his bamboo cane. "The old emperor passed away at midnight last night. The third prince, Shi Chengye, colluded with the maternal relatives and has already set up an ambush at Xuanwu Gate. The fifth prince, Shi Chengyou, led the imperial guards to surround the Ministry of Personnel, saying that he wanted to 'purge the court of corrupt officials'."

Shi Feiyang's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and raindrops dripped down his black hair, spreading dark stains on his dark robe.

He recalled Shi Hongyun clinging to his clothes as a child, saying in a childish voice, "Grandpa Emperor, when I grow up I want to be like you, protecting every inch of the Tang Dynasty's land." At that time, the child's hands were soft, and the fire lotus pattern on his palm was clear and lovely.

In the blink of an eye, Shi Hongyun had become an old man and passed away. Shi Feiyang felt a sharp pain in his heart. Coming back to his senses, he asked in a low voice, "Where is Elder Qu?" His voice was as cold as the ice of the Bian River, and his black hair was frosty in the rain.

Li Tieniu reported in a low voice, "Elder Qu is guarding the steps of Luoyang Palace with the Sacred Flame Token," his green bamboo cane suddenly tightened, and he said sadly, "But the Fifth Prince bribed the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards, and last night he planted three hundred assassins in the Eastern Palace. The new emperor... His Highness Shi Qihan is only twelve years old, and I'm afraid he's..."

"Prepare the horses." Shi Feiyang shouted in a low voice, and the Xuan Shuang Blade was suddenly drawn. The blade's energy cleaved through the rain curtain under the eaves and shattered the icicles on the corners of the eaves into fragments.

His Mingyu Gong suddenly activated, his skin becoming as transparent as jade under ice in the rain, his black hair moving without wind, and he said fiercely, "Tell the brothers in Luoyang that I will see all the princes in the Zichen Palace in half an hour."

Just as Li Tieniu was about to turn around, he saw Shi Feiyang take out a Vermilion Bird and a White Tiger from a mysterious deerskin bag hidden from ordinary people at his waist. The tip of the White Tiger's tail still had some sugar residue on it—that was what Zhao Qingyi had fed it at the night market.

Li Tieniu exclaimed in surprise, "These two..."

Shi Feiyang said with concern, "You and your brothers accompany Baihu back to Luoyang on the Vermilion Bird. It'll be quick!"

Having said that, he leaped onto his horse, creating a gust of wind. His dark robes swept across the surface of the Bian River, and in the ripples, the lingering shadow of Zhao Qingyi's departing skirt was still reflected. In the rain, the sound of the black steed's hooves faded into the distance. Li Tieniu stared in the direction where Shi Feiyang had disappeared, and suddenly noticed a palm print on the pillar—it was the mark of the "Hidden Dragon, Do Not Use" move from the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms." The palm strike penetrated deep into the wood, yet deep within it was carved a tiny "Qing" character, swollen from the rain, like a secret that could not be hidden.

The official road in Luoyang reeked of blood at midnight. Ice had formed on the mane of Shi Feiyang's Snow-Treading Black Steed, and the scabbard of his Xuanshuang Blade struck the horse's belly with a dull thud, echoing the sounds of fighting coming from the woods beside the road.

"Master, ahead are the Third Prince's 'Black Wind Cavalry'!" Li Tieniu led his disciples to jump off the back of the Vermilion Bird and cried out in alarm. He used his green bamboo staff to deflect a hidden arrow, the barb on the arrowhead entangled in the armor plates of the Song soldiers—the Third Prince Shi Chengye had actually colluded with the Cangzhou soldiers of the Song Kingdom, presumably by promising to cede Ruzhou.

Shi Feiyang's "Shocking Calamity" was suddenly activated. His gaze swept over the Black Wind Riders in the forest, and more than ten cavalrymen, along with their horses, suddenly froze, instantly frozen into ice blocks by the chilling aura of Mingyu Gong. When they fell to the ground, they shattered into ice shards, blood mixed with bone fragments spreading across the snow like a grotesque ink painting. He said sadly, "Shi Chengye's 'Mountain-Splitting Axe' is quite good." His Xuan Shuang Blade cleaved through the oncoming iron chain, and he sighed again, "When I taught him this move, I never saw that he had the guts to murder his nephew and seize the throne."

His voice grew colder, his black hair gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and the snowflakes stirred up by his palm strike still contained the brain matter of the Black Wind Cavalry commander.

Li Tieniu's bamboo staffs formed a "dog-beating formation," encircling the escaped cavalry in the center. The copper bells at the tips of the bamboo staffs rang rapidly, intertwining with the sacred fire whistles of the Sun Moon Cult followers. At this moment, a Beggar Clan disciple ran to report: "Elder Qu has sent word that the Fifth Prince has set up a 'Hongmen Banquet' on the imperial steps, saying he wants to invite His Majesty to 'discuss state affairs,' and he has planted explosives under the imperial desk!"

Suddenly, Shi Feiyang used his "Transferring Flowers and Jade" skill to deflect the flying axe thrown by the Third Prince. The axe blade struck the old locust tree by the roadside, severing the trunk in half. The cut revealed a dense array of arrows. Behind this tree was an ambush set up by the Fifth Prince, Shi Chengyou. Twenty archers were hidden behind the tree trunk and were now being hacked to pieces by the flying axe.

Shi Feiyang cursed, "Two pieces of trash!" He raised his palm, and the silver threads of his Heavenly Silkworm Technique shot out like a torrential rain, binding the throats of the last three Black Wind Riders. The moment the silver threads entered their bodies, the cavalrymen's internal organs were crushed. He then angrily cursed, "After studying the 'Hundred Victories Blade Technique' for ten years, all you've learned is to kill each other." As he dismounted, his black robes swept across the blood-stained ice on the ground, and his black hair was reflected on the ice, bearing a striking resemblance to the moonlight when Ling Shuangyue died in battle at Xuanwu Gate.

The land he and his soldiers, the Sun Moon Sect, and the Beggars' Sect disciples had been protecting did not fall to the enemy's iron hooves, but instead fell repeatedly at the hands of their own loved ones. It turns out, defending a land is even harder than conquering one!

Suddenly, he felt a strong urge to venture into the martial world with Zhao Qingyi and experience the joys and sorrows of life.

This country has almost exhausted all his efforts.

……

The Vermilion Bird Gate of Luoyang Palace gleamed with a blood-red light in the morning glow.

The corpses of the Third Prince's Black Wind Riders piled up on the door hinges, while the bodies of the Fifth Prince's archers hung on the palace walls like a string of tattered scarecrows. Shi Feiyang's Xuan Shuang Blade was pressed against the throat of the gatekeeper, whose armor was still stained with the blood of the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace guards.

"Tell me, where is His Majesty?" The captain's teeth chattered, blood gushing from the corner of his mouth as he stammered, "In...in the Zichen Palace...the Fifth Prince said...that he should...offer a sacrifice to the flag..."

Shi Feiyang suddenly struck out with both palms, the force of his "Wild Goose Approaching the Land" palm strike sending the captain flying. He crashed into the copper rings of the palace gate with a muffled thud, startling a flock of crows. He gazed at the column of smoke deep within the palace walls, towards the direction of the Imperial Ancestral Temple where the spirit tablet of the Empress Dowager Ling Shuangyue was kept. In the firelight, the star map of the "Blood River Burning Heaven Array" was faintly visible—Shi Chengyou had actually learned the evil magic of the Western Xia and intended to use the young emperor's heart's blood to activate the array.

The golden bricks of the Zichen Palace slid through the pool of blood. Shi Qihan's dragon robe was torn in half, and his small body huddled behind the dragon throne, clutching a half-piece of Ice Silkworm Jade tightly in his hand—a keepsake left by Shi Feiyang to his grandfather Shi Hongyun, which was now glowing with blue light, freezing the approaching imperial guards into ice blocks.

"Shi Qihan, if you know what's good for you, come out yourself!" The Fifth Prince, Shi Chengyou, roared. His golden helmet was splattered with brains, and his "Mountain-Breaking Saber" cleaved the dragon's horn off the armrest of the dragon throne. He cursed again, "You little brat, do you even deserve to sit on this dragon throne?" Behind him, the commander of the Imperial Guards held up a tiger-headed plaque, the wolf totem on his armor gleaming menacingly in the firelight—they had colluded with the Liao Kingdom's Pi Shi Army. (End of Chapter)