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

Chapter 492. Lotus Lanterns Illuminate the Dream of Mountains and Rivers; Chivalrous Spirit Entangled in Romantic Love.
The morning light filtered through Shi Feiyang's black hair, casting dappled shadows on Zhao Qingyi's pomegranate-red dress, like scattered gold dust falling on their clasped hands, warm as a candle flame that would never go out.

The distant Drum Tower echoed with the sound of morning bells, and the first rays of sunlight shone on the surface of Jinming Pond, casting long shadows of the flickering lamps. Shi Feiyang knew that countless storms lay ahead; the wolves of Western Xia, the tigers of Liao, and the snakes of Dali all lurked in the shadows, waiting for him.

But as long as he had that pomegranate red hue and those phoenix eyes that shone like stars, he feared nothing. With a soft tinkling sound as the Xuan Shuang Blade returned to its sheath, Zhao Qingyi also sheathed his Ding Song Sword. The red silk tassel on the sword was entangled with his ice silkworm silk, and could no longer be untied.

They walked out of the waterside pavilion side by side, the flickering lamps in the pond still swaying gently, as if blessing them. After escorting Zhao Qingyi back to the vicinity of the palace, Shi Feiyang left amidst Zhao Qingyi's reluctant gaze.

……

Just as the first beat of the gong at Hai hour (9-11 PM) sounded, the bells of Daxiangguo Temple suddenly fell silent. Shi Feiyang's lake-blue silk robe was stained with blood, and the ice silk of the Xuanshuang Blade was wrapped around the heads of five blood-stained monks, which were impaled on the stone lions at the temple gate.

Li Tieniu stuck his green bamboo cane into the incense burner in the main hall, and the sound of the copper bell on the cane startled the night herons under the eaves.

He reported, "Master, the Liao warriors of the Vermilion Bird Gate have been dealt with." Jingxuan's whisk was still dripping with blood as he whispered, "But the boy and girl are hidden in the underground palace of the imperial mausoleum, and the entrance is behind the 'Wordless Stele'."

Shi Feiyang's fingertips pressed against the blank stele, the jade pendant fitting perfectly into the groove. The moment the underground palace door slowly opened, a putrid stench assaulted the senses, and the faint sound of a child crying could be heard from below the three hundred stone steps.

Shi Feiyang suddenly felt a little worried and asked Li Tieniu in a low voice, "Where is Zhao Qingyi?" Inadvertently, he saw the hem of a pomegranate red ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) flash past behind the monument. He said angrily, "The princess shouldn't come to a place like this." In reality, he was very worried about her safety.

Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song sword held the corpse of a Western Xia assassin, the bloodstains on her skirt gleaming red in the moonlight. She said tenderly, "Your affairs are my affairs." Suddenly, her phoenix hairpin pointed to the depths of the stone steps, reminding her, "There's movement there."

On the altar deep within the underground palace, thirty-six boys and girls were chained together, with unlit incense sticks stuck in their chests. Warriors from the Dali Duan clan were performing rituals around the altar, and the leading Duan monk held a human head in his palm—it was Jingxuan's junior brother, the last spy of the Emei sect in Bianjing.

The monk surnamed Duan cursed, "Shi Feiyang, you've ruined our plans!" His "One-Finger Divine Skill" suddenly pointed at Shi Feiyang's brow, the wind from his finger carrying camellia poison. He then roared, "Lord Duan said that as long as we kill you, we can exchange you for Princess Zhao's marriage to Dali!"

Shi Feiyang snorted coldly and unleashed "Emperor's Heavenly Thunder," instantly condensing the water vapor in the underground palace into ice thunder that exploded in the center of the altar.

The instant the ice lightning collided with the camellia poison, the body of the monk surnamed Duan suddenly swelled up, then quickly shrank to the size of a monkey. At the same time, Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song sword was drawn, its red tassel wrapping around the throat of the last warrior, drawing a crimson arc in the candlelight.

Shi Feiyang led the boy and girl out of the underground palace, and the sky over Bianliang was already turning white.

Most of the lotus lanterns in Jinming Pond had gone out, leaving only a few flickering lights swaying on the water like dying eyes. Zhao Qingyi's pomegranate-red ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) was draped over his arm, the bloodstains on it having congealed into a dark red, contrasting sharply with the bloodstains on his lake-blue silk shirt.

Zhao Qingyi suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "This jade pendant," her fingertips brushing against the Emei token, yet she cleverly praised, "Miss Ling is a good person." Then, she tiptoed and lightly bit the silver ring on Shi Feiyang's earlobe, adding threateningly, "But if I see you two side by side again, Song Jian won't recognize you." Her ever-changing tone left Shi Feiyang utterly bewildered unless he was a "millennial old devil."

To calm her down, Shi Feiyang nodded. At that moment, Li Tieniu's bamboo staff emerged from the shadows, the copper bell at its tip ringing rapidly. He panted, "Chief, Elder Qu's men are at Shili Slope outside the city," he whispered, then added, "The Prime Minister of Xixia, Liang Huili, has personally brought the elites of 'Yipintang,' saying they want to 'talk' with you."

Shi Feiyang nodded, turning to look at the pearl hairpin at Zhao Qingyi's temple. He suddenly remembered what Ling Shuanghua had once said: "The journey through the world is long, and the person who can accompany you to see the lanterns is the one you should cherish the most." His lake-blue silk robe fluttered in the wind, revealing the jade pendant and ice silkworm jade at his waist, which shimmered with different lights in the morning light.

He gently parted from Zhao Qingyi, waved to her, then leaped onto his horse and headed straight for Shili Slope outside Bianliang City.

At this moment, the morning mist had not yet dissipated when it was stirred up by a strong smell of blood.

Liang Huili, the prime minister of the Western Xia Kingdom, had his black cloak billowing atop the slope. Behind him stood twelve elite members of the "First-Rank Hall," each wielding a weapon with a ghostly blue hue—a mark of being coated with "Bone-Corroding Poison." Liang Huili's gaze was fixed on Shi Feiyang below the slope like that of a hawk, as he toyed with a skull in his hand. The bullet wound on the skull was clearly the mark left by "Emperor's Heavenly Thunder."

“Young Master Shi is even more handsome than rumored,” he said in Mandarin with a heavy Tangut accent. He twirled the skull in his palm and added jokingly, “It’s just a pity that this face will soon rot into mud.”

Shi Feiyang's lake-blue silk robe fluttered in the morning breeze, his Xuan Shuang Blade slung diagonally behind him, the ice silk on the scabbard wrapped with the red silk that Zhao Qingyi had just tied. He laughed loudly, "Haha, Prime Minister Liang," his black hair gleaming in the sunlight, the silver earring on his left ear dazzling, and then he said sarcastically, "The score with Wild Wolf Valley hasn't been settled yet, and you've brought this bunch of good-for-nothings to my doorstep, saving me a lot of trouble."

Standing to Liang Huili's left was an old man in a white robe, holding a two-foot-long bone flute—he was the leader of the Western Xia "Blood River Sect," who was said to be able to control corpse-eating insects with the sound of his flute. To his right was a red-faced man carrying a pair of purple-gold hammers, the wolf heads on the hammers dripping saliva-like venom from their mouths; he was Yelü Hong, the deputy commander of the Liao Kingdom's Pishi Army.

Liang Huili flew into a rage and said, "Shi Feiyang, you destroyed my secret camp and killed my nephew!" She slammed the skull on the ground, the cracking sound of the skull shattering startling a flock of crows. She then said coldly, "Today I will let you taste the pain of 'Ten Thousand Gu Devouring the Heart'!"

Shi Feiyang sneered, "I've never been afraid of anyone, hmph!" His "Shocking Calamity" divine skill was suddenly activated, his cold eyes sweeping over the twelve elite warriors. The two warriors in the front row suddenly froze, instantly turning into ice blocks, which shattered in the morning breeze into ice shards scattered on the ground, mixed with fragments of skulls, raising a cloud of dust. He said disdainfully, "Hmph! That's all the tricks you have? Not even enough to fill my teeth."

The white-robed old man's bone flute suddenly sounded, its mournful sound like countless steel needles piercing the eardrums.

Suddenly, a "click" sound came from the mass grave behind the slope, and more than a dozen corpses crawled out of the graves, their rotting fingers stretching forward and their eye sockets flashing green light—it was the "Blood River Sect's" corpse gu technique.

Shi Feiyang said disdainfully, "A mere trick." His right palm glowed with a sky-blue icy light, drawing an arc in the morning mist. His left palm swung, performing the "Transferring Flowers and Jade" divine skill. With a flick of his wrist, the corpse at the front turned and pounced on Yelü Hong. Its rotting claws tore open Yelü Hong's brocade robe, revealing a dense array of scars underneath—the wounds inflicted by Shi Feiyang's "Heavenly Silkworm Skill" years ago.

Yelü Hong's purple-gold hammer came crashing down with a whooshing sound, the hammer wind carrying the Liao Kingdom's "bone-chilling cold," but it was deflected the moment it touched the Xuan Shuang Blade, enraging him so much that he roared repeatedly: "Shi Feiyang, prepare to die!"

His hammering technique incorporated elements of the Western Xia's "Mountain-Breaking Axe" style, likely due to extensive exchanges with Liang Huili, resulting in a somewhat incongruous style.

Shi Feiyang leaped into the air and attacked from above, unleashing the "Flying Dragon in the Sky" move from the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms" with both palms. The fierce palm wind collided with the hammer shadow, causing Yelü Hong to retreat repeatedly, his tiger's mouth splitting open.

Immediately afterwards, Shi Feiyang seized the opportunity to unleash a move called "Double Dragons Taking Water," splitting his palm force into two streams. One stream shattered the white-robed old man's bone flute, while the other blasted the oncoming corpse into pieces. The rotting flesh splattered onto Liang Huili's black cloak, burning small holes in it—the residual power of "Emperor's Heavenly Thunder."

Liang Huili's face turned ashen. Suddenly, he pulled out a small golden box from his pocket. The moment he opened it, countless tiny golden insects flew out and formed the Chinese character for "death" in the air. "This is the 'Golden Silkworm Gu'," he sneered. "As long as you get even a little bit of it, you'll be gnawed to the bone from the inside out."

Shi Feiyang rapidly circulated his Mingyu Gong to the "Supreme Forgetfulness: Ice Soul Cold Prison" realm, his skin becoming as transparent as ice, and a vortex of true energy forming around him with a suction force. The golden silkworm gu were instantly condensed into ice crystals by the cold energy as they approached, falling to the ground with a "crackling" sound, reduced to useless fragments. He sneered, "Is this all the skill you've got? You dare to show off your amateur skills in front of me? Get lost!"

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from down the slope. Zhao Qingyi's phoenix carriage stopped not far away. She lifted the curtain and her gaze fell on Shi Feiyang. When she saw the bloodstains on his lake-blue silk robe, she couldn't help but frown.

When she saw the Emei jade pendant at Shi Feiyang's waist, her eyes changed again, and a subtle, almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.

She gave a sharp rebuke: "Li Tieniu," then turned to Li Tieniu beside her and asked, "How do you think Miss Ling's martial arts compare to Shi Feiyang's?"

Li Tieniu paused for a moment, scratched his head, and said, "Miss Ling's Nine Yang Skill is very powerful, but the gang leader's martial arts are even more unfathomable. However, their martial arts complement each other somewhat. Last time at the Earth God Temple, when they joined forces to deal with the Tibetan monk, it was quite a spectacle." Zhao Qingyi immediately turned purple with anger.

Her fingertips tapped lightly on the carriage curtain, her gaze returning to Shi Feiyang, a complex look in her eyes. "Complementary?" she murmured softly, "I hope they don't have too many opportunities to complement each other."

At that moment, Shi Feiyang's left palm flashed with a cold light, the blade cleaving a gash in Liang Huili's black cloak. Liang Huili screamed and turned to flee, and the remaining elites of "First-Class Hall" scattered in disarray. Shi Feiyang did not give chase. He sheathed his sword, turned to look at Zhao Qingyi's phoenix carriage, a smile on his face, and said, "Qingyi, I'm alright."

Zhao Qingyi pushed open the car door, got out, and nodded with a gentle smile on her face, saying, "I knew you would be alright."

She walked to Shi Feiyang's side, brushing the dust off his clothes, but her gaze inadvertently swept over the jade pendant at his waist before quickly looking away, coldly saying, "Let's go back to Bianliang." Shi Feiyang nodded, and walked side by side with Zhao Qingyi toward the imperial carriage. The sunlight shone on them, making them look incredibly harmonious, but a subtle emotion in Zhao Qingyi's heart was like a seed quietly sprouting.

……

As Liang Huili's fleeing figure disappeared into the twilight, the stench of blood from Shili Slope had not yet dissipated. He led his remaining troops to hide at an abandoned ferry crossing on the banks of the Yellow River. Blood still flowed from the holes in his black cloak, marks left by Shi Feiyang's "Emperor's Thunderous Fury."

An elderly man in white robes came over and reported, "Prime Minister, more than half of the elites of 'First-Class Hall' have been lost." His bone flute was broken in two, and he was holding a black pottery urn in his hands, from which came a rustling sound.

He then said with a beaming smile, "But the 'Mother-Child Gu' technique has been successfully developed. As long as the mother Gu comes into contact with Shi Feiyang's blood, the child Gu can take root in his body."

Liang Huili's fingernails dug deeply into her palms, and drops of blood dripped onto the black pottery urn, causing an even more violent commotion inside.

"Mother-Child Gu?" He suddenly grinned maliciously, revealing his yellowed teeth, and roared, "Not enough! I want the whole of Bianliang to know the consequences of offending Western Xia!" He pointed to the granary on the other side of the ferry, where the Song Dynasty's military rations were stored, and shouted, "Go, mix 'Bone-Rotting Powder' into the grain, and then spread the word that Shi Feiyang is colluding with Western Xia to cut off the Song army's supplies."

Yelü Hong's golden hammer struck the rocks at the ferry crossing, sparking as he exclaimed, "The Prime Minister is brilliant! The New Party will surely seize the opportunity to make a scene, and even if Shi Feiyang had three heads and six arms, he couldn't clear his name of colluding with the enemy!"

He suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "I also captured a young nun from the Emei Sect. It's said she's a fellow disciple of Ling Shuanghua..."

Liang Huili's eyes lit up, like the eyes of a hungry wolf in the dark.

He said coldly, "Hang her at the south gate of Bianliang." He licked the blood from the corner of his lips and added sinisterly, "Tell Shi Feiyang that if he doesn't surrender within three days, we'll feed the 'Mother-Child Gu' with this little nun's heart's blood."

……

The peonies in Princess Bianliang's residence were in full bloom, but Zhao Qingyi used a silver hairpin to knock a newly opened Yao Huang peony to the ground. She looked at her reflection in the bronze mirror; the pearl hairpin at her temple was a trophy that Shi Feiyang had stolen from the Western Xia warriors, but at this moment it felt glaringly conspicuous.

“Princess,” a maid called out, bringing in a brocade box containing a white jade hairpin with the outline of Mount Emei carved on the tip. She then reported, “This was sent by Miss Ling to thank you for your help at Jinming Pond last time.”

Zhao Qingyi's silver hairpin fell onto the dressing table with a "crack" and broke in two.

"She certainly knows how to behave," Zhao Qingyi sneered, her fingers gripping the white jade hairpin. The coolness of the hairpin seeped through her fingers, somewhat similar to the chilling aura of Shi Feiyang's Mingyu Gong. She then said angrily, "Tell her that I don't need her thanks. Tell her to keep her own people in check and stop causing trouble for Shi Feiyang." Just as the maid was about to leave, Li Tieniu suddenly climbed in through the window, his bamboo cane covered in mud, the copper bell at the end ringing rapidly.

He reported, "Princess, something terrible has happened! There's an Emei nun hanging from the South Gate drawbridge, saying... saying that Liang Huili is trying to force my gang leader to show himself!"

Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song sword was instantly drawn, its red tassel fluttering in the wind.

She asked urgently, "Where is Shi Feiyang?" Her phoenix eyes were bloodshot, and she asked angrily, "Is he going to rescue that little nun?"

Li Tieniu lowered his head even further and stammered, "The gang leader is gone. He said... he said that innocent people shouldn't suffer for him."

Zhao Qingyi's sword tip suddenly pointed at the bronze mirror, and the mirror cracked with a "crack," reflecting her distorted face.

Overcome with jealousy, she roared in a fit of rage, "What a fine 'we can't let innocent people suffer'!" Her voice trembled with tears, yet her laughter was colder than anyone else's. She then angrily questioned, "And what about me? What am I to him?"

Li Tieniu dared not utter a sound and quickly fled.

……

The drawbridge at the south gate of Bianliang was long since rotten. The young nun from Emei was bound to the bridge railing with thick hemp ropes, her white robe soaked in blood, and blood was still trickling from the corner of her mouth, clearly indicating that she had suffered considerable torture. The Yellow River below the bridge churned with turbid waves, like countless gaping, blood-red mouths.

Shi Feiyang's Xuan Shuang Blade was stuck in the wooden plank of the suspension bridge, the blade's ice silk wrapped around a hemp rope, the other end of which was tied to the little nun's waist. His lake-blue silk robe fluttered in the wind, his black hair gleamed in the sunlight, and the silver earring on his left ear dazzled the onlookers—this sight caused some of the onlookers to whisper among themselves, "Is this pretty boy really Shi Feiyang? He looks more like an opera singer."

Standing atop the granary on the opposite bank, Liang Huili said ominously, "Shi Feiyang, you really came!" He toyed with a black pottery urn in his hand, its mouth pointing towards the suspension bridge, and threatened, "If you know what's good for you, cripple your martial arts and hand over the Xuan Shuang Blade, otherwise this little nun will only be fish food!"

Shi Feiyang snorted coldly: "You? Humph!" His "Shocking Calamity" was suddenly activated, and his gaze swept over the haystacks around the granary.

Hidden behind the haystacks were a dozen or so Western Xia warriors, each holding a torch. The outline of oil cans was vaguely visible beneath the haystacks—Liang Huili intended to set fire to the drawbridge while he was rescuing people, burning him and the young nun to death on the banks of the Yellow River. Shi Feiyang scoffed, "Prime Minister Liang, your schemes are still so clumsy." Suddenly, he chuckled, his black hair falling down to cover half his face, revealing a cunning glint in his eyes. He mocked again, "You think this little trick can stump me?"

As he spoke, he suddenly unleashed the mysterious lightness skill of "Concealing One's Body and Name," and his dark figure swept across the suspension bridge like a ghost.

He activated his Heavenly Silkworm Technique mid-air, a shimmering light flowing through his palm. The powerful internal energy, forming the Heavenly Silkworm Silver Threads, surged and bound the wrists of the torchbearer warriors. The instant the threads tightened, the warriors' torches flew backward towards the haystack, and the oil cans exploded with a deafening roar, flames shooting skyward, causing the Western Xia warriors to scream in agony. Just then, Liang Huili suddenly hurled her black earthenware urn at the little nun, from which countless tiny golden insects flew—the "Mother-Child Gu"!
Shi Feiyang's Xuan Shuang Blade was instantly drawn, and the blade energy cleaved out an ice wall, blocking all the "Mother and Child Gu" outside the wall. The ice wall froze instantly upon encountering the Gu, and the golden insects were frozen into ice particles.

Liang Huili roared in despair, "Impossible! Impossible!" His eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost, and he wailed, "My 'Mother-Child Gu' is invincible, how could this be..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shi Feiyang unleashed the "Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms" technique, specifically the "Regretful Dragon" move. The powerful palm wind, carrying the Yellow River water, formed a water dragon that blew Liang Huili off the top of the granary, sending him crashing heavily onto the Yellow River beach, splashing mud all over him.

Shi Feiyang mocked, "Prime Minister Liang, if you dare to cause trouble in Bianliang again, it won't be as simple as just getting covered in mud."

The crowd watching from afar erupted in cheers: "Great skill! Great young man!"

Shi Feiyang had just returned to the princess's residence after rescuing the young nun when he was blocked by Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song sword. The red silk tassel of the sword was almost touching his face, carrying a faint fragrance of cosmetics, yet exuding a bone-chilling coldness.

She said angrily, "Shi Feiyang, you're really something. You're willing to risk your life for the Emei Sect." Her phoenix eyes were filled with tears, but she held them back and asked in a sobbing voice, "What's so good about Ling Shuanghua that makes you so willing to risk your life for her sect?"

Shi Feiyang's Xuan Shuang Blade was stuck in the ground, the icy light of the blade reflecting on his face. His handsome features were tinged with weariness. He said in a deep voice, "Qingyi, it's not what you think." He tried to explain, but then said frankly, "That little nun is innocent. I can't just stand by and watch her die."

Zhao Qingyi, consumed by jealousy, retorted, "Innocent?" She pushed her sword forward again, almost piercing his skin, and then asked sadly, "What about me? Am I destined to be neglected in your heart? Do you know how worried I was when I heard you were going to the South Gate?"

Shi Feiyang suddenly gripped the sword, the ice silkworm silk in his palm wrapping around the red silk tassel of the sword. He said tenderly, "Qingyi," his voice was as soft as cotton, but he said firmly, "I know you are worried about me, but there are some things I must do."

His fingertips gently brushed her temples, and he said affectionately, "In my heart, you will always be the most important."

Zhao Qingyi's sword suddenly dropped, and tears finally fell, landing on the back of his hand, burning his heart with pain.

She turned her head away again, sobbing, "You're lying." Her voice was choked with tears as she continued, "If you cared about me, you wouldn't always be thinking about Ling Shuanghua, and you wouldn't always be running around for her sect."

Shi Feiyang pulled her into his arms, his dark robe enveloping her body, and said affectionately, "I promise you, I will never let you worry again."

However, he knew in his heart that this promise was easier said than done. Liang Huili would never give up easily, and there would be more conspiracies and schemes in the future; while Zhao Qingyi's concern for Ling Shuanghua was like a thorn stuck in their hearts, making their emotional path destined to be full of thorns.

Looking at Zhao Qingyi weeping in his arms, and recalling Ling Shuanghua's clear eyes, Shi Feiyang felt a heavy weight in his heart. How should he choose between this path of martial arts and the bonds of love?

……

The tattered armor and broken scales of the Yellow River ferry were still churning in the turbid waves, but Liang Huili's black cloak had been replaced by the dark battle robes of the Liao Kingdom's Pi Shi army.

He stood on the watchtower of Shuozhou City, watching the Tibetan Blood Knife Monk pile thirty-six skulls into an altar, the bullet marks on the tops of the skulls clearly charred marks left by the "Emperor's Heavenly Thunder".

The old man in white robes flew over and landed beside Liang Huili, whispering, "Prime Minister Liang, General Yelü Hong's three thousand iron cavalry have already set up camp outside the city."

His bone flute had been replaced with a new one, and the flute hole was still wrapped with undried human sinew. He also reported: "The Blood Knife Dharma King said that as long as we get Shi Feiyang's head, Tibet is willing to help Western Xia reclaim the Hexi Corridor."

Liang Huili's fingertips traced the bronze cauldron on the altar. The "bone-dissolving elixir" simmering inside shimmered with a ghostly green hue, reflecting his distorted face.

"A head?" he suddenly sneered, revealing half a broken tooth—the one that had been knocked out by Shi Feiyang's "Hidden Dragon" palm strike last time. He added viciously, "I want him to suffer the 'Ten Thousand Gu Devouring the Heart' punishment while he's still alive. I want the princess of the Great Song Dynasty to watch with her own eyes how the man she loves turns into a puddle of pus."

The sound of chains dragging on the ground came from below the city gate. Twelve Dali warriors escorted a disheveled woman past. Her collarbone was pierced by iron hooks, and the skin exposed under her plain white robe was covered with whip marks. She was none other than Ling Shuanghua's martial aunt—Master Jingxuan of the Emei Sect.

Liang Huili said in a sinister tone, "Lock her in the 'Dragon Locking Tower'," her voice colder than the bone-melting syrup in the cauldron, and shamelessly added, "Tell Shi Feiyang that if he doesn't come back with the Xuan Shuang Blade to exchange for her within three days, we'll use her bones to make a second batch of syrup."

……

Shi Feiyang's Xuan Shuang Blade hung from the beam of the princess's residence, the ice silk of the blade wrapped with the fire lotus tassel newly embroidered by Zhao Qingyi.

He was practicing calligraphy with the secret letter sent by Li Tieniu. The words "Liao Kingdom", "Tubo" and "Dali" on the paper were covered in ink, and the ink dripped down the edge of the table onto Zhao Qingyi's phoenix shoes, spreading out into small ink flowers.

Zhao Qingyi quietly entered, but suddenly scolded, "Pondering your lousy schemes again?" Her Ding Song sword suddenly pried open his Xuan paper, the red silk tassel of the sword wrapping around his wrist, and she said with dissatisfaction, "Li Tieniu said you went to the Emei Villa last night. Is Miss Ling's injury any better?"

Shi Feiyang's pen stopped on the two characters "Western Xia", and the ink droplet on the paper condensed into a black blob.

He frankly said, "Her Nine Yang Skill has already forced out the residual poison." Suddenly, he grasped Zhao Qingyi's hand, the ice silk in his palm gently brushing against her fingertips, and said tenderly, "Qingyi, I said I wouldn't let you worry anymore."

A coded signal from the Beggars' Sect disciples came from outside the window: three short and one long signal—it was an urgent military alert.

Li Tieniu's bamboo cane stretched in from under the corridor, a bloodstained fragment of a monk's robe embroidered with the nine-petaled lotus of the Emei Sect hanging from its tip. He reported, "Chief, news has come from Shuozhou that Abbess Jingxuan has been kidnapped, and Liang Huili has set an ambush at the Locked Dragon Pagoda." Shi Feiyang's gaze swept over the ink blots on the paper; the characters seemed to come alive, transforming into Liang Huili's grinning face, the skull of the Blood Saber Monk, and the camellia darts of the Dali warriors.

His long hair cascaded like an inky waterfall in the candlelight as he sneered, "Perfect, I'd also like to meet this multinational coalition."

Zhao Qingyi pressed her Ding Song sword against his chest, the coolness of the sword tip seeping through his lake-blue silk robe. She said sharply, "You promised me you wouldn't act impulsively again." Her phoenix eyes were filled with tears, but she bit her lip tightly to prevent them from falling. She said angrily, "The Locked Dragon Tower is a trap set by the Liao Kingdom. Going there will only be suicide!" Shi Feiyang's fingertips gently brushed aside the blade, and the silver threads of the Heavenly Silkworm Technique circled around her wrist, leaving a faint red mark.

He said with difficulty, "If I don't go, it will be Master Jingxuan who dies." His voice was as soft as candle tears as he pleaded, "Qingyi, believe me, this time, I will bring them back with me." Zhao Qingyi turned her head away and stepped aside to make way for him.

Shi Feiyang dodged past, using his unparalleled "Thousand Miles Without Leaving a Trace" lightness skill to drift away.

Before long, he arrived at the herb garden of "Xue Li Bie Yuan" in the south of the city.

At this moment, Ling Shuanghua was using the Nine Yang Skill to activate the "Nine-Turn Rejuvenating Grass". The dew on the grass leaves condensed into white mist in her palm and flowed into her left shoulder along her meridians - where the wound from the Western Xia short arrow still remained.

When Shi Feiyang's lake-blue silk shirt appeared outside the bamboo fence, her Emei thorn suddenly fell onto the hoe, making a crisp sound.

Ling Shuanghua exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master Shi!" Her ears flushed red, and she quickly covered her wound with her sleeve. Her plain white robe shimmered in the morning light, making her even more elegant than the epiphyllum in the courtyard.

Shi Feiyang said in a low voice, "Abbess Jingxuan's matter," Xuan Shuangren leaned against the fence, the fire lotus tassel on the scabbard trembling slightly. He paused, then mustered his courage and said, "I will handle it." He took out a porcelain bottle from his bosom, which contained "Holy Fire Ointment," a specialty of Blackwood Cliff, and said with concern, "This medicine can remove scars."

The moment Ling Shuanghua's fingertips touched the porcelain bottle, she was startled by the chill emanating from his palm and withdrew her hand. Their gazes met in the morning mist.

She suddenly remembered that day at the Earth God Temple, when his "Emperor's Thunder" exploded, his profile reflected in the icy light overlapped with the snowy shadow of Mount Emei.

Ling Shuanghua said gratefully, "Thank you." She lowered her head, tucked the porcelain bottle into her sleeve, her knuckles turning white as she clenched it, and then revealed the truth: "What Liang Huili wants is the Nine Yang Skill manual of my Emei Sect. Young Master Shi need not..."

"What I want to save has never been any manual of merit." Shi Feiyang's voice interrupted her. As he turned around in his lake-blue silk robe, the ice silk of the Xuan Shuang Blade caught on the corner of her monk's robe. He then said firmly, "Three days later, at dawn, the Beggar Clan will ambush you at 'Waiting-for-Husband Cliff' outside Shuozhou City. You will lead your disciples to meet them from the western mountain path." The sound of Zhao Qingyi's phoenix hairpin falling to the ground came from outside the fence. Her pomegranate-red dress flashed in the bamboo shadows, and the cold light of the Ding Song Sword pierced through the morning mist, splitting the air between the two of them in two.

"Shi Feiyang," her voice trembled with tears, yet sharper than a sword, as she angrily questioned, "Is this your promise to me?" She then stormed off. Shi Feiyang helplessly turned and chased after Zhao Qingyi.

The two ran one after the other for a while, then each lightly touched the ground with their toes and leaped into the air, soaring away. Most of the peonies in the princess's residence were broken by the strong wind. Zhao Qingyi landed on her feet and planted the Ding Song sword on the stone table, the red silk tassel of the sword wrapped with a fragment of Ling Shuanghua's robe.

Smelling the medicinal scent lingering on Shi Feiyang's lake-blue silk shirt, she suddenly swept the sacred fire ointment from the table to the ground. The shattering sound startled the swallows under the eaves. With a strong smell of jealousy, she said, "Is her scar more important than my heart?"

Her phoenix eyes were bloodshot, and tears fell onto the sword, splashing up tiny droplets. She scolded, "You knew Liang Huili had set a trap, yet you still led the Beggars' Sect disciples to their deaths, just to earn a thank you from the Emei Sect?"

Shi Feiyang's Xuan Shuang Blade suddenly drew its sheath, the blade's energy cleaving through the branches of the pomegranate tree in the courtyard. Red blossoms from the broken branches fell softly onto her dress, like specks of blood. He patiently pleaded, "Qingyi, Abbess Jingxuan is innocent. I can't let her..."

Zhao Qingyi interrupted him, then retorted, "And what about me?" She reached for her sword, drew it, and pressed the tip against his throat, tears mingling with anger burning in her eyes. After a slight pause, she asked angrily, "In your heart, am I forever less important than your 'righteousness of the martial world'? Less important than Ling Shuanghua's aloofness and pride?"

Shi Feiyang hurriedly used his "Transferring Flowers and Jade" skill to deflect the sword's momentum. At the same time, he grasped her wrist, and the chilling aura of the Mingyu skill froze her tears into ice crystals. He said emotionally, "Before, in the snow at Blackwood Cliff, I promised Qu Feiyan that I would never be someone who would stand by and watch someone die."

His long hair fell across her face, cool as frost, and he said tenderly, "But I also promised you I would come back alive." He suddenly lowered his head and gently bit her earlobe, which was red from the cold, like a tamed wolf.

Then he promised, "Three days later, you will be waiting at the east gate of Shuozhou with the Imperial Guards." His fingertips brushed her lips, feeding her ice crystals, and he said fiercely, "I'll give you Liang Huili's head as a drinking vessel."

In the twilight, the Locked Dragon Pagoda of Shuozhou City resembled a bone stuck in the ground. A ring of "Bone-Dissolving Powder" was buried around its base; anyone who approached would turn into a pool of pus. Liang Huili stood atop the pagoda, watching Shi Feiyang's lake-blue silk robe appear at the Waiting-for-Husband Cliff. Suddenly, she smiled at the Blood Saber Monk beside her and said, "The fish has taken the bait." The Blood Saber Monk's skull-shaped prayer beads spun rapidly, each bead concealing a poisonous centipede.

He said viciously, "Once Shi Feiyang enters the tower, I will activate the 'Blood River Formation' so that he and that Emei nun will never be reincarnated."

The Dali warriors' "One-Finger Divine Skill" was already poised on both sides of the tower gate, while Yelü Hong's Purple Gold Hammer made the tower bricks creak. Neither of them noticed that on the cliff behind the tower, Ling Shuanghua's Emei Thorns were cutting through the vines, beneath which lay three hundred catties of gunpowder buried by the Beggar Clan disciples.

Shi Feiyang's Xuan Shuang Blade carved an ice wall in front of the tower, blocking the poisonous gas of "Bone-Melting Powder," and roared, "Liang Huili, is this all your 'multinational coalition' can do?" His black hair fluttered in the wind, and the silver earring on his left ear made the Blood Blade Monk dizzy. He then mocked, "You even invited the bald monk from Tibet. Are you afraid you won't die a horrible death?"

Liang Huili's bone flute suddenly sounded, and the twelve Xixia warriors' "Blood River Whips" lashed out at the ice wall simultaneously. Shi Feiyang wielded his left palm and right sword, using the sword as a palm, and unleashed the "Dragon Fighting in the Wild" move from the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms." The wind from the sword, the wind from the palm, and the shadow of the whip collided, shaking even the Locking Dragon Tower.

Immediately afterwards, he seized the opportunity to unleash a "sudden attack," his palm strike and blade energy piercing through the tower window and breaking the iron chains on Abbess Jingxuan's body.

Just then, Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song Sword suddenly shot from the east gate, its red tassel wrapped around a fire arrow, landing precisely on the gunpowder fuse at the base of the tower. She declared resolutely, "Shi Feiyang, I said I would help you!" Her voice mingled with the shouts of the Imperial Guards, her pomegranate-red dress blazing like a flame in the firelight. Simultaneously, Ling Shuanghua's Emei Daggers were unleashed; the nine-petaled lotus darts shot towards the Blood Saber Monk's prayer beads, the "poison-dispelling powder" at the dart's tip instantly killing the poisonous centipede.

Then, she cried out, "Liang Huili, your death is near!" White energy rose from her palms, intertwining with Shi Feiyang's Mingyu Gong at the top of the tower, forming a ball of ice and fire. As the explosion of the Dragon-Locking Tower echoed through the valley, Shi Feiyang was carrying Abbess Jingxuan as they leaped out of the tower. The ice silkworm threads of the Xuan Shuang Blade were wrapped around Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song Sword tassel. Behind them, in the flames, Liang Huili's screams were buried by the rubble.

When he looked down, he saw Zhao Qingyi's phoenix eyes wide open, but when she touched the palm wind that had touched Ling Shuanghua's, she suddenly blushed.

Shi Feiyang teased, "What are you looking at?" Sparks flew from his long hair as he grinned like a fox who had stolen a chicken. He added jokingly, "Why aren't you leaving? Do you want to stay and become a sacrifice for the Blood Saber Monk?"

Zhao Qingyi's Ding Song Sword suddenly turned, the red silk tassel of the sword gently tugging at Ling Shuanghua's robe, and she said threateningly, "If you dare to steal my people again, Ding Song Sword will not show any mercy to Emei."

Ling Shuanghua's ears flushed red, and her Emei dagger drew an arc in the air as a response. The three figures disappeared into the twilight. On the ruins of the Dragon Locking Tower, the last embers illuminated half a charred porcelain bottle of Sacred Fire Ointment, like an unburnt heart.

(End of this chapter)