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

Shi Feiyang untied the bound Beggar Clan disciples and tried to find out from them whether Mei Qile's father was dead or not.

They said no, they had already escaped from the Black Wind Cult's headquarters dungeon.

Shi Feiyang took out some money and food from a mysterious, unseen deerskin pouch at his waist and gave it to the Beggar Clan disciples, urging them to leave the Black Wind Sect headquarters quickly. After the disciples left, Shi Feiyang took out a jade pendant from his robes. It was a plum blossom-shaped jade pendant that Mei Qile had given him before her departure, still warm from the girl's body. The pendant spun in the morning light, reflecting the shadows of the ice sculptures in the square—among those distorted faces, some even resembled his descendants who had fought for power in the past.

Shi Feiyang suddenly gripped the jade pendant tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. His moon-white brocade robe fluttered in the morning breeze as he swept away towards Luoyang.

The flames of the Black Wind Cult's headquarters burned fiercely behind him, turning half the sky crimson.

This evil sect's lair, which had plagued the Central Plains for decades, was finally reduced to ashes by his sword energy.

Shi Feiyang used his unparalleled lightness skill, "Leaving No Trace for a Thousand Miles," and returned to Luoyang in the blink of an eye. It was late at night, and not wanting to disturb Mei Qile, he used his divine skill, "Sound Transmission for a Thousand Miles," to tell her that he had destroyed the Black Wind Sect and that he had also discovered that her father was still alive.

Then, Shi Feiyang flew to the most luxurious "Tianyuan Inn" in the city, booked a superior room, and had a good night's sleep.

The next morning, Mei Qile arrived at Zuixianlou to wait for Shi Feiyang's arrival.

The stairs of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion suddenly groaned under the weight, and twelve disciples of the Heavenly Eagle Sect simultaneously drew their steel swords. The crisp sound of the sheaths striking the railing startled the pigeons under the eaves. The tall, thin man at the head was none other than Yin Wushou, the vice sect leader of the Heavenly Eagle Sect. His "Eagle Claw" fingernails gleamed bluish-black in the candlelight, clearly coated with deadly poison. Upon seeing Mei Qile, he roared, "Mei Qile, prepare to die!"

Mei Qile's plum blossom needles were already clenched in her palms. Suddenly, the gold thread on the hem of her skirt unfurled, and thirty-six silver needles rained down on Yin Wufu's face. Immediately afterward, she unleashed the "Falling Petals Palm," the palm wind whipping up the wine pot on the table and smashing it towards the disciple on her left. Her movements carried the agility of a woman from Jiangnan, yet were three times more ruthless than the "Falling Petals Divine Sword Palm" of Peach Blossom Island—this was a unique skill that her father, Mei Jinghong, had improved upon by combining parts of the Beggars' Sect's Dog-Beating Staff Technique.

"A mere trick!" Yin Wushou sneered, drawing his steel sword and drawing an arc to deflect all the silver needles, though the needle tips shattered the blade, creating fine nicks. Suddenly, a disciple behind him threw out a fishing net, its mesh laced with hemp rope soaked in sleeping potion, which descended upon Mei Qile—this was the Heavenly Eagle Sect's "Heavenly Net Formation," which had once claimed the lives of many martial arts masters.

Shi Feiyang arrived quietly, and upon seeing the situation, he used his "Transferring Flowers and Jade" skill, his sleeves drawing a silver arc in the air.

Just as the fishing net was about to touch Mei Qile's hair bun, it suddenly turned towards Yin Wushou himself, and the hemp rope instantly wrapped around his throat. The disciples were unable to stop in time and actually strangled the deputy sect leader until his eyes rolled back.

Mei Qile seized the opportunity to pierce the wrists of three disciples with her silver needles. The moment the silver needles pierced the "Yangxi" acupoint, Shi Feiyang's Mingyu Gong's cold energy had already invaded along the needle tail. The arms of the three disciples suddenly froze, the steel knife fell to the ground with a "clang", and their wrist bones shattered inch by inch.

The floorboards of Zuixianlou were shattered by Shi Feiyang's "Hundred Victories Knife Technique" "Mountain Splitting" strike. Shi Feiyang's palm wind stirred up a sky full of wood chips, which, mixed with the plum blossom petals scattered by Mei Qile, wove a red and white barrier in the candlelight.

Immediately afterwards, he deliberately created an opening, allowing the two disciples' steel knives to approach Mei Qile's waist. However, he used the "Heavenly Silkworm Skill" silver threads to wrap around the knife chains before the blades reached her body. With a gentle pull, the two knives pierced into the disciples' own abdomens in the opposite direction. Blood sprayed onto Mei Qile's pleated skirt and actually condensed into red beads along the patterns of the gold threads, just like cherries from Luoyang.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yin Wushou rolled away and escaped.

Shi Feiyang chuckled coldly and didn't pursue him.

Mei Qile's palm strike clashed with his sword energy, producing a crisp ringing sound. He then teased, "Young Master Shi's skills have improved considerably. However, this ruthless approach is quite unlike how he saved me back then."

Her fingertips brushed against Shi Feiyang's sleeve, where the brocade lining was stained with a bit of crimson, the blood that had gotten on her when she blocked the hidden weapon for him.

Shi Feiyang unleashed his "Shocking Calamity" divine skill, his icy gaze suddenly sweeping towards the stairwell, instantly freezing the five disciples who were about to rush up, ice shards seeping from their seven orifices simultaneously. His voice was colder than the wind from his palm strikes: "To be merciful to the wicked is to be cruel to the good." With a double palm strike, he unleashed the "Slaying the Mortal World" technique of the Hundred Victories Blade Technique, cleaving the last Heavenly Eagle Sect disciple in two at the waist. His body crashed into a street stall as it fell, attracting the sound of Mongol soldiers' hooves.

Mei Qile suddenly grabbed his sleeve, wrapped a golden thread around his wrist, and said with concern, "Hurry! The Mongol soldiers are coming!" A dried plum petal fell from her hair; it was the residue of the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill left by Shi Feiyang earlier.

Shi Feiyang reached out and embraced Mei Qile, then used his "Thousand Miles Without Leaving a Trace" light-footed skill to step over the roof of Zuixianlou. Mei Qile's pleated skirt and Shi Feiyang's cloud brocade robe intertwined under the moonlight, like two shooting stars falling into the alleys of Luoyang.

The torches of the Mongol soldiers flickered behind them, and their wolf-like howls crashed against the alley walls, startling thousands of households into shutting their windows tightly—this ancient capital of the Tang Dynasty had now become a pasture for the Mongol soldiers' horses.

……

Mei Qile led Shi Feiyang into the abandoned garden in the south of the city. Behind the artificial hill was a hidden door with a bronze plum blossom knocker.

She pressed her fingertips three times on the petals, and the hidden door creaked open.

Mei Qile's oil lamp suddenly flickered, the flame dancing into two sparks in her eyes. She said sadly, "The Tianying Sect has surrendered to the Mongols, and they demand that I hand over the roster of the Plum Blossom Gang." She took out a roll of parchment from her bosom, on which a map of Luoyang's defenses was outlined in cinnabar. She choked up again and said, "My father has been kidnapped by them, and they demand that I exchange him for the roster in three days."

Shi Feiyang gently waved his palm, unleashing the "Mountain Splitting" technique from the "Hundred Victories Knife Method." The palm wind echoed through the secret passage, and the knife energy struck the stone wall. A fragmented stone tablet was revealed in the dust that fell, with the four characters "Zhenguan Era" engraved on it.

He said with keen insight, "What the Mongols really want is not the roster, but this secret passage." Pointing to the course of the Luo River on the mural, he added incisively, "Through here, one can directly reach the granaries of Luoyang. Their goal is to cut off the Song Dynasty's grain supply."

Mei Xile suddenly stuffed the parchment into his arms, and the gold thread wrapped around his fingers.

She said with emotion, "Young Master Shi, I know you are extraordinary." Her eyelashes cast shadows under the oil lamp, like plum blossoms about to bloom in a secret passage. She then pleaded, "Please save my father. The entire Plum Blossom Gang will be eternally grateful."

Shi Feiyang took out the Xuanjia armor from the mysterious deerskin bag at his waist and put it on. The dragon patterns in the ice patterns were lifelike under the firelight.

Then, he took out a long sword from the deerskin bag. The gems on the scabbard shone even brighter than the Seven Star Sword under the reflection of the stone wall of the secret passage—this was the "Six Steeds of Zhaoling" sword of Emperor Taizong of Tang, which had once killed the Turkic Khan.

Shi Feiyang tapped the stone wall lightly with his sword sheath, producing a metallic sound, and said in a deep voice, "Three days later, take the empty register to Beiman Mountain. I will go to rescue your father." Mingyu Gong's true energy flowed between his palms, condensing into an ice plum blossom, and he said tenderly, "Take this. Crush it in a moment of crisis, and I will appear." When Mei Qile took the ice plum blossom, she felt a bone-chilling coldness on her fingertips, but it was more reassuring than the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill.

She suddenly tiptoed and inserted the plum blossom hairpin from her hair into Shi Feiyang's sword sheath, saying affectionately, "This is my mother's keepsake; it can ward off all poisons." Her cheeks flushed crimson in the firelight, and she said shyly, "If you can return safely, I..."

Suddenly, the sound of Mongol soldiers' boots came from outside the secret passage. It was Yin Wushou leading his men to search this place. Shi Feiyang pulled Mei Qile into his arms and used his "Hidden Body and Name" lightness skill to float Mei Qile deeper into the secret passage. The plum blossom hairpin on his sword sheath collided with the stone wall, making a crisp sound.

On the mass graves of Beiman Mountain, crows cawed on withered branches.

Mei Qile stood on the earthen slope, holding the blank roster. Her pleated skirt fluttered in the wind. Behind her were three hundred Mongol soldiers and disciples of the Tianying Sect. Yin Wushou, the leader, was holding a steel knife to Mei Jinghong's throat. His "Eagle Claw Kung Fu" fingernails had dug into the old woman's neck.

"Little girl, how dare you play tricks!" Yin Wushou cursed angrily, his steel knife penetrating another half inch, blood dripping down Mei Jinghong's clothes and onto the ground. He then threatened, "If you don't reveal the entrance to the secret passage, I'll rip out his heart!"

Mei Qile's plum blossom needles suddenly shot towards Yin Wushou's wrist, but he blocked them with the back of his knife.

The Mongol soldiers raised their bows and arrows simultaneously, the arrowheads gleaming coldly in the sunlight, ready to turn her into a pincushion—but Shi Feiyang unleashed his "Emperor's Heavenly Thunder" divine skill, turning ice into lightning, which struck the enemy, blasting the Mongol soldiers into ice shards scattered on the ground.

He roared again, "Shi Feiyang is here!" The black armor gleamed coldly in the thunder and rain. The Zhaoling Six Steeds Sword cut through the rain curtain and unleashed the "Slaying Reincarnation" technique of the Hundred Victories Blade Technique. The sharp blade energy cleaved twenty Tianying Sect disciples into ice shards.

He then lightly swung his sword, unleashing the "Transferring Flowers and Jade" divine skill. His left palm and right sword drew an arc in the air, guiding Yin Wushou's steel blade toward his own abdomen. As the blade pierced his body, blood sprayed onto the stone tablet in the mass grave, staining the four characters "Former Official of the Great Tang Dynasty" red.

Mei Jinghong broke free of his restraints and unleashed the "Falling Petals Palm" at the Mongol centurion. The plum blossom petals in the palm strike carried the scent of gunpowder—he had concealed explosives within the petals. Shi Feiyang immediately swung his sword, unleashing the "Demon-Slaying Cloud" technique from the Hundred Victories Saber Style. The powerful saber energy surged forth, engulfing all the Mongol soldiers in the explosion's flames. Screams mingled with thunder, shaking even the lonely graves of Beiman Mountain.

As Mei Qile turned, she bumped into Shi Feiyang's arms. The ice patterns on his black armor melted in her palm, mingling with the rainwater to form a stream that flowed into the soil of the mass grave—the bloodline of the Tang Dynasty, finally merging with this land. Her fingertips lightly traced the dragon patterns on his armor, and suddenly, she seemed to understand something, exclaiming in astonishment, "Young Master Shi, you..."

Shi Feiyang's six swords from Zhaoling were plunged into the ground, the red silk tassels of the swords intertwined with her gold thread. He took out the Imperial Seal of the State from a mysterious deerskin pouch hidden from mortals at his waist. The jade gleamed with a blood-red luster in the thunderstorm. He said sadly, "I am the last emperor of the Tang Dynasty... This world is no longer mine."

Mei Qile gently comforted her, "So what if the country is destroyed? The girls of my Plum Blossom Gang only recognize heroes, not emperors."

In the distance came the bugle call of the Song Kingdom's reinforcements, which was the "One-Finger Divine Skill" signal from the Dali Duan family.

Shi Feiyang's black armor gradually faded, transforming back into his brocade robe, only now adorned with a plum blossom print on the hem. He watched as Mei Qile helped his father onto his warhorse and said, "When Luoyang falls, take the roster to Xiangyang to find Guo Jing."

Mei Qile asked in shock, "You're not coming with us? You said you would."

Shi Feiyang said calmly, "I still have unfinished business." He then used his "Deeds Done and Departure" lightness skill to rise into the air amidst the rain. The Six Steeds of Zhaoling Sword drew a golden light in the thunder and rain, and he left behind a sentence: "Tell Hero Guo that I have protected the granary in Luoyang for him."

As his figure disappeared into the clouds and mist of Beiman Mountain, Mei Qile suddenly noticed that the plum blossom hairpin on the sword sheath was glowing. The character "Tang" engraved on the hairpin head contained a piece of Xiaolongnu's jade bee needle—which Shi Feiyang had secretly placed in the hairpin when he saved her.

She clutched the hairpin tightly in her hand, her pleated skirt billowing in the wind like a blooming plum blossom, as she sped off towards Xiangyang.

The moonlight on the Luo River was shattered in the ripples, like silver foil scattered all over the river.

Shi Feiyang's fingertips hovered above the Divine Dragon Pagoda, the chill of the dragon-patterned ring seeping through his skin, even more bone-chilling than the coldness of the Mingyu Skill.

Shi Feiyang walked alone on the ruins of the Zichen Palace for a while, then raised his left hand and glanced at the ring on his middle finger. Instantly, a golden light shone before his eyes. The moment he stepped into the stream of light, the sound of the Luo River in his ears vanished abruptly, replaced by the soft ringing of bronze bells on the nine-tiered jade steps—the sound of which was clearer and more melodious than the chimes of the Daming Palace in Chang'an, each note capable of dispelling the accumulated chill of the Mingyu Sect.

The lark exclaimed with delight, "Master! You're finally back!" A water-sleeved figure emerged from the mist, a crimson gold chain wrapped around her fingertips, the end of which was attached to a jade birdcage. Upon seeing Shi Feiyang, the lovebird inside suddenly fluttered its wings, its song carrying the melody of the "Rainbow Feather Dress Dance." As she threw herself into Shi Feiyang's arms, the pearl hairpin at her temple struck his black armor, shattering into stardust before coalescing again.

Biyan'er's pipa leaned against the coral table, dewdrops clinging to the strings rolling into a jade plate, the splashing water transforming into a shower of peach blossoms. She approached, holding a glass cup, in which floated an everlasting peach blossom in the amber wine.

With tears welling up in her eyes, she said, "Master, would you like to try it? This is brewed using Kunlun snow water, according to the method you taught me back then, and it has been aged for 360 years."

As soon as Shi Feiyang's fingertips touched the rim of the cup, the wine suddenly rippled, reflecting Zhang Qingleng's face—her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, and her eyes were like autumn waters rippling across the surface, bearing a striking resemblance to Guo Fu.

The lark followed his gaze and suddenly tapped the birdcage with its golden chain, tentatively asking, "Master, are you thinking about that Miss Guo in the mortal realm again?" Her voice held a hint of bitterness, yet couldn't hide her concern, as she softly said, "Actually, this servant noticed it long ago; her features do resemble the Sunflower Saintess." Biyan'er's pipa suddenly produced a harmonic, shattering the image in the wine, and she said tenderly, "Master, this servant has kept the 'Beauty-Preserving Pearl' that the Saintess gave you all these years." She took out a mutton-fat jade box from her sleeve, and the moment the lid opened, the entire pagoda was filled with the fragrance of osmanthus—a fragrance shared with the osmanthus trees of the Moon Palace, causing Shi Feiyang's Mingyu Gong true energy to blush faintly upon encountering it.

The three embraced on the mist-shrouded jade steps. The lark's golden chain wrapped around Shi Feiyang's wrist, and Biyan'er's pipa strings coiled around his waist. Their three auras intertwined, forming a cocoon. Shi Feiyang could clearly feel their spiritual power, which had not dissipated for a thousand years—the lark's true energy carried the crispness of the first snow in Chang'an, Biyan'er's inner strength was enveloped in the fragrance of peonies in Luoyang, and his own Mingyu Gong was like the cold jade of Zhongnan Mountain.

When the three elements are combined, the energy is even more harmonious and unimpeded than that of "transferring flowers and jade".

"The Holy Maiden...is she really the Fairy Chang'e?" Shi Feiyang's voice echoed in the empty tower, crashing against the dome inlaid with luminous pearls and shattering into starlight. He recalled his youth at Snow Eagle Fortress, when the Sunflower Saintess arrived bathed in moonlight, dressed in white, her fingertips wielding the "Guanghan Qinghui" finger technique, which bore a striking resemblance to the sword move Guo Fu had unintentionally used.

The lark used its golden chain to write the character "moon" on his palm and asked in return, "Master, do you know that when you were injured by the Black Wind Demon, it was the Holy Maiden who stole the Queen Mother of the West's elixir of immortality to save you?" Her tears fell on the golden chain and turned into pearls. She said sadly, "She violated the heavenly rules and was imprisoned in the Moon Palace. She can only glimpse the human world through the gaps in the cassia tree on the fifteenth of each month."

Biyan suddenly turned the pipa over, revealing a yellowed silk painting inside. In the painting, a woman was holding a hoe and picking herbs under a cassia tree, with the Guanghan Palace mark clearly visible on her clothes.

She said sadly, "This was left behind by the saintess before she left. She said that if the master could see this painting one day, he would know that she had never gone far."

Shi Feiyang's fingertips traced the woman's eyebrows and eyes in the painting, and he suddenly recalled Guo Fu's angry expression—that vivid fury was exactly the same as the saintess's charming demeanor as she gathered herbs, her cheek brushed by laurel leaves. He put the silk painting into the mysterious deerskin pouch at his waist, and the pagoda suddenly trembled, the luminous pearls on the dome lighting up one after another, like stars rising in the east and setting in the west on earth.

“Look, Master,” the lark pointed to the rising sun that had suddenly appeared outside the window, and reminded her, “The time inside the tower has started to run again.” Her golden chain pointed to the bronze water clock on the table, where water was dripping at a speed visible to the naked eye. She sighed, “A year here is but a blink of an eye in the mortal world.”

After passing through nine jade steps, you will reach the Jade Pool, which stretches for ten miles. The coral trees by the pool bloom with blood-red flowers, and when the petals fall, they transform into koi carp, swimming in the blue waves to form the words "Long Live the Emperor".

A lark was standing in front of a stove made of white jade, with a three-legged crow wrapped in gold thread on the hem of its skirt. The bird was holding a phoenix feather in its beak and was fanning the steamer.

"Master, would you like to try my 'Flowing Clouds Pastry'?" She picked up a piece of mille-feuille pastry with her silver chopsticks, the flaky crust fluttering down, condensing into shimmering clouds in the air. When Shi Feiyang took a bite, his tongue first tasted the sweet and sour flavor of Chang'an pomegranate, then transformed into the refreshing taste of Lingnan lychee, and finally, he even tasted the mellow richness of Zhongnan Mountain wild chestnut. Bi Yan'er's pipa had now transformed into a zither table, on which were placed seventy-two celadon bowls, each containing a different soup.

She scooped up a spoonful of jade-colored soup, and the lotus seeds floating on the surface suddenly bloomed, transforming into white lotus blossoms. With heartfelt sincerity, she said, "This is 'lotus seed soup,' stewed with Kunlun snow lotus seeds and water from the Milky Way. It can detoxify any toxins in your body."

As soon as Shi Feiyang's spoon touched the rim of the bowl, the soup rippled, reflecting the scene of Xueyingbao in Liaodong—hundreds of workers were sweating profusely in the mine, and their tools were engraved with the reign title of the Wanli era.

Biyan followed his gaze, then suddenly tapped the rim of her bowl with a silver spoon and explained in a low voice, "These people were righteous men who volunteered to mine with their master back then. I used 'Soul-Stabilizing Incense' to protect their lives, allowing them to continue their livelihood in the tower." The lark's golden chain suddenly pointed to the silver mountain at the end of Yaochi. On the mountain peaks made of silver ingots, there grew a thousand-year-old ginseng, with molten silver flowing from its drooping tendrils.

She said tenderly, "Master, you see, the silver ore they mined has all developed a spirit under the nourishment of the spiritual energy inside the tower."

Her gold chain coiled up a silver ingot, and the workers' names suddenly appeared on it. She explained, "Each name was carved by their own hands back then, saying they were waiting for their master to return so they could mint coins for the new dynasty together."

Shi Feiyang walked to the entrance of the mine and heard the clanging of hammers mixed with the workers' chants.

He recognized the old craftsman leading the group as Wang Laotie, the same Wang Laotie who had forged the Xuanjia armor for him years ago, though now the white hair at his temples had turned jet black.

Upon seeing Shi Feiyang, the man suddenly dropped his hammer, knelt down, and exclaimed excitedly, "Master! You've finally returned! Our mountains of gold and silver are enough to mint ten coins for the Ming Dynasty!"

As Shi Feiyang helped him up, his palm suddenly touched a hard object—a copper plaque hidden in Wang Laotie's clothes, with the character "忠" (loyalty) engraved on it.

The old craftsman scratched his head sheepishly and said, "This was bestowed by our master back then, who said that seeing the plaque was like seeing the man himself. Even if we stay inside the tower for a thousand years, we will never forget the spirit of the Ming Dynasty!"

Suddenly, the surface of the Jade Pool shimmered with golden light. The lark pointed at the water and laughed, "Master, look, only a blink of an eye has passed in the mortal world."

Shi Feiyang looked down and saw that the moonlight on the Luo River was still broken in the ripples, and the water splashes he had made when he stepped into the pagoda were still hanging in mid-air.

The door to the library was made of meteorite iron mixed with gold. The twenty-eight constellation gems inlaid on the door suddenly lit up when Shi Feiyang approached, forming a huge star map.

The lark's golden chain touched the star map, and the Big Dipper suddenly transformed into seven golden rays, shooting into seven bronze cauldrons—instantly, flames of different colors rose up inside the cauldrons, refining the books on the shelves.

"This is the Scripture Pavilion, protected by the 'Zhou Tian Xing Dou Formation' as instructed by the master back then." Bi Yan'er's pipa strings suddenly lengthened, rolling down the highest level of the "Nine Yin Manual," and she added, "Look, even Huang Shang Zhenren's handwriting is well preserved."

Shi Feiyang opened the "General Principles" chapter of the True Scripture, his fingertips tracing the words "The Way of Heaven is to take from those who have more and give to those who have less," and suddenly recalled what Guo Jing said on the city wall of Xiangyang: "The greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people."

He tried to practice the "Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian" by circulating the Ming Yu Gong. When his true qi circulated, thousands of light spots suddenly descended from the dome of the Sutra Repository and merged into his meridians. That was the spiritual energy accumulated in the tower for thousands of years, which was a hundred times more effective than the Cold Jade Bed.

“Master, try this.” The lark tossed out a crystal ball, inside which appeared a nine-square grid pattern, with a tiny figure practicing leg techniques in each square. Her golden chain pointed to the “Qian” position, and the tiny figure suddenly unleashed a 360-degree spinning kick, the resulting airflow shooting out of the crystal ball and causing Shi Feiyang’s clothes to flutter wildly. She explained, “This is the Nine Palaces Divine Speed ​​Leg technique derived from the Tai Xuan Jing, three times faster than mortal moves.”

Following the guidance of the crystal ball, Shi Feiyang first practiced the front kick, his foot sweeping across the bronze cauldron and splitting the flames inside in two; then he practiced the back kick, his heel striking the beast ring on the meteorite iron gate, causing the twenty-eight constellation gems to flash simultaneously.

Bi Yan'er's pipa played a rapid rhythm, each note corresponding to a different leg technique. When she played the highest note, Shi Feiyang had already taken to the air and unleashed seven flying kicks in succession, his foot shadows intertwining to form a golden lotus flower.

"It's time to practice 'Ten Thousand Blades Piercing the Clouds'," Bi Yan'er reminded him, taking out a piece of Ice Soul from her sleeve, which transformed into a long sword in Shi Feiyang's palm.

As Shi Feiyang raised his palm, the temperature in the Scripture Pavilion plummeted, and ice crystals suddenly formed on the surrounding bronze cauldrons. These crystals extended upwards with his palm strike, transforming into a thousand-foot-long ice pillar that shot straight to the dome. The instant the ice pillar pierced through the top of the tower, countless meteors fell into it, only to be frozen into dazzling sword tassels.

The lark suddenly pointed out the window and exclaimed, "Master, look at the mortal world!"

Shi Feiyang followed her gaze and saw an ice bridge suddenly rise from the ripples of the Luo River, its shadow appearing and disappearing in the moonlight—that was the afterimage left in the mortal world by his "Ten Thousand Blades Piercing the Clouds" true energy piercing through the pagoda. At this moment, only two seconds had passed in the mortal world.

In the deepest secret chamber lies the sword manual of "Sword Twenty-Three". When Shi Feiyang pushed open the stone door, the entire scripture pavilion suddenly froze – the fluttering pages hung in mid-air, the dripping candle wax clung to the candlesticks, and even the lark's breath stopped for a moment.

Only the sword manual on the table was slowly turning, each page radiating the chaotic energy of the primordial chaos at the beginning of creation.

"This is the 'Six Annihilation Sword Twenty-Three,' which can freeze time and space." Bi Yan'er's voice seemed to come from a distant time and space, and she pointed out, "When Master circulates the Bright Jade Technique to its limit, he will be able to see the true meaning in the sword manual."

Shi Feiyang did as instructed. When his true energy resonated with the sword manual, a void suddenly appeared before him—no time, no space, only countless flowing points of light. He raised his hand and swung his sword, and the points of light suddenly condensed into lines, forming a huge character "灭" (annihilation).

The instant the words were written, the static state of the scripture pavilion was abruptly lifted, and everything returned to its original state at a hundred times the speed. The pages of the book flipped to the last page with a rustling sound, on which were written in cinnabar: "The cycle of six realms of reincarnation, only I am immortal."

When Shi Feiyang walked out of the secret room, the lark was feeding the lovebirds, and a colorful butterfly was perched on Biyan'er's pipa strings.

He glanced at the bronze water clock and realized that he had spent half a year inside the tower—while the moonlight over the Luo River had only moved three inches.

The ninth-floor Cloud-Viewing Platform is carved from a single piece of Hetian jade, offering a panoramic view of the vast landscape below. Shi Feiyang gazed towards Xiangyang City, where beacon fires were burning. Guo Jing's Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms unleashed a powerful force like a yellow dragon soaring into the sky, while Guo Fu's Green Edge Sword streaked across the chaotic battlefield with a dazzling white light.

"Is Master going back?" the lark asked reluctantly. Her golden chain wrapped around his finger, and suddenly a lovebird flew out of the jade birdcage at the end of the chain, soaring into the void outside the Cloud Gazing Platform. She then reminded him, "It will keep an eye on the mortal world for you. If there is any danger, it will come back to report."

Bi Yan'er put the jar of peach blossom wine into a brocade pouch and said affectionately, "This wine can cure all poisons, and when it comes into contact with water, it can turn into a cloud formation." She wrote the character "moon" on Shi Feiyang's palm with her fingertip and gave him a warm reminder: "If you raise your cup to the moon at midnight on the fifteenth, you may be able to speak with the Holy Maiden."

Shi Feiyang's dragon-patterned ring suddenly became hot. In the water mirror on the Wangyun Terrace, Mei Qile was leading the Plum Blossom Gang disciples to reinforce Xiangyang. Her golden thread drew a plum blossom-shaped barrier in the chaos of the army. At the center of the barrier, the Ice Plum Token that Shi Feiyang had given her earlier was fluttering.

"The time has come," Shi Feiyang said with emotion, tying the brocade pouch to his waist, and the black armor automatically covered his entire body.

He glanced one last time at the koi swimming in the Jade Pool, at the still sword manual in the Sutra Pavilion, and at the craftsmen in the mine who were still humming "The Qin King's Battle Song." Suddenly, he remembered the inscription left by the Sunflower Saintess on the silk painting: "Where the heart leads, one should go in simple shoes."

The lark and Biyan'er simultaneously transformed into two streams of light, merging into his dragon-patterned ring. The moment Shi Feiyang stepped out of the golden light, he heard a soft ringing of a copper bell behind him, a whisper hidden in the sound: "Master, remember to come back and visit often."

The moonlight on the Luo River was still shattered in the ripples, and the water droplets splashed by Shi Feiyang fell just as they landed, scattering the reflection of Guo Fu on the water's surface.

He touched the brocade pouch at his waist, where peach blossom wine was emitting a faint fragrance, and on the inside of the dragon-patterned ring, a small peach blossom had newly appeared—a mark that Biyan'er had carved with the pipa strings in her final moments.

……

The inn at Sishui Pass was drafty, and Mei Qile kept the ice plum left by Shi Feiyang close to her body. She could feel its piercing sweetness even through the silk handkerchief.

The oil lamp in the corner illuminated the register on her lap. The edges of the parchment were worn smooth from her constant rubbing, and the vermilion dots on it had blurred into peach blossom shapes—she always liked to dab her fingertips with saliva to wipe them, as if that would allow her to absorb his scent. "Young Master, we should set off." The attendant A-Zhu's voice revealed a hint of weariness, and she reminded him, "If we don't leave soon, the Mongol patrol will be here."

Mei Qile suddenly buried his face in the roster, which still carried the scent of Shi Feiyang's ink, left behind by him last night when he annotated the defenses in the secret passage.

Her nose lightly touched the four characters "Luoyang Granary," and she couldn't help but giggle, like a little fox who had stolen candy. She said to Azhu, "Look at his writing style. The horizontal strokes are all sharp, but he added an extra curve next to the character 'plum'."

Ah Zhu shook her head helplessly. Along the way, the young gang leader always stared at the roster with a dazed smile. Sometimes she would suddenly put her ear close to the paper, claiming she wanted to listen to Young Master Shi's heartbeat; sometimes she would poke small holes between the words with an embroidery needle, saying she wanted to embroider a love knot for Young Master Shi; this morning she even bowed three times in the direction of the Luo River, praying to the Bodhisattva to let Young Master Shi dream of her.

“His ‘Shocking Calamity’ can freeze a person’s blood,” Mei Qile suddenly used a silver hairpin to carve the character “stone” on the table, counting each time she carved, and then said in a daze, “but it can’t freeze my heart.”

The silver hairpin slipped unexpectedly, and she hurriedly caught it, but the plum blossom hairpin in her hair fell to the ground and rolled to the entrance of the inn—where a girl in a pale yellow dress stood, the red tassel on her Qingfeng sword gently brushing against the threshold.

Guo Fu used the tip of her sword to pick up the plum blossom hairpin. The arrogance between her brows was sharper than the curved swords of the Mongol soldiers. She questioned, "This belongs to Shi Laoyao. How did it end up with you?" The two martial artists behind her, Da Wu and Xiao Wu, had their hands on their sword hilts, clearly regarding Mei Qile as an enemy.

Mei Qile's cheeks instantly turned bright red, like a boiled shrimp. She hurriedly stuffed the roster into her bosom, inadvertently revealing a corner of the "Xiangyang Defense Map." Guo Fu's sword suddenly pointed at her throat, the tassel lightly brushing her cheek, as she shouted, "Are you a Mongol spy?"

Mei Qile protested, "I'm not!" Just as she was about to strike with her plum blossom needle, she suddenly remembered that Shi Feiyang had said Guo Fu was someone he "concerned about," and she abruptly withdrew the silver needle from her fingertips. She said sincerely, "This is what Young Master Shi asked me to bring to Hero Guo." With that, she held the register high, her knuckles white from the effort, and added, "He mentioned... that the granaries in Xiangyang need to be guarded against by the Tibetans."

Guo Fu hesitated to strike with her sword. She stared at the reeds from the Luo River that were stuck in Mei Qile's hair, and suddenly remembered that similar fluff was often wrapped around Shi Feiyang's tattered sleeves.

The girl's eyes were as bright as hidden stars, and when she mentioned the words "Young Master Shi," the curve of her lips was seven-tenths similar to when she scolded Yang Guo—it turns out that liking someone is something that cannot be hidden.

"Hmph," Guo Fu tossed the plum blossom hairpin to her, slammed the sword sheath heavily on the table, and said arrogantly, "You're smart enough to know what's good for you." As she turned around, she deliberately raised her chin and commanded, "My parents are waiting for you at the dilapidated temple up ahead. Hurry up!"

Just as Da Wu and Xiao Wu were about to follow, she kicked them in the butt and said angrily, "You two little tagalongs, stay here and guard!"

Mei Qile picked up the plum blossom hairpin and suddenly noticed a tiny "Le" character engraved on the tip, which Shi Feiyang had secretly carved the night before. She inserted the hairpin into her hair and suddenly called out to Guo Fu's back, "Young Master Shi said that your Qingfeng sword needs a new tassel; red silk is not as durable as Shu brocade!"

Guo Fu paused slightly, her pale yellow skirt swaying gently in the wind, but she did not turn around.

Mei Qile watched her retreating figure and laughed until tears streamed down her face.

The handkerchief Ah Zhu offered had barely touched her cheek when she pushed it away.

Mei Qile smiled sweetly and said, "Don't wipe it, it's sweet."

……

The bugle call of the Mongol soldiers rang out on the walls of Luoyang, and Shi Feiyang was standing on the arrow tower of the granary.

The hoofbeats of thirty thousand iron cavalry shattered the morning mist over the Luo River. The leading centurion held a spiked club with a scarecrow on the tip, dressed in a tattered brocade robe—a replica they had made in the likeness of Shi Feiyang to vent their anger.

"Dragon Armor Hero, come out and face your death if you dare!" The centurion roared as he slammed his fist on the plaque of the granary, then threatened, "If you don't hand over the secret passage, I'll burn Luoyang to the ground!" Shi Feiyang's Zhaoling Six Steeds Sword suddenly came out of its sheath, the red silk tassel of the sword wrapped around the railing of the arrow tower, and the arc it drew in the wind coincided with the trajectory of Mei Xile's golden thread.

His "Hundred Victories Knife Technique" carved a battle formation on the city bricks. As soon as he finished writing the three characters "Plum Blossom Formation" in the ice patterns, a pinkish-white cloud rose outside the south gate—that was the signal left by Mei Qile, that she had safely arrived in Xiangyang.

"Release the arrows!" the centurion roared, gripping his mace and pointing it to the sky. A rain of arrows from the Mongol soldiers blotted out the sun.

Shi Feiyang used his "Transferring Flowers and Jade" skill to weave an ice net in the air, directing all the arrows toward the Mongol soldiers.

A series of heart-wrenching screams rang out, and the Mongol soldiers who hadn't fallen were so frightened that they ran away.

At this moment, the granary gate suddenly opened, and three hundred Plum Blossom Gang disciples rushed out wielding plum blossom darts. Mei Jinghong, the leader, unleashed the "Falling Petals Palm," striking with tremendous force. Shi Feiyang used the "Emperor's Heavenly Thunder" divine skill, turning ice into lightning, which exploded like thunder upon striking the enemy.

Immediately afterward, Shi Feiyang unleashed his "Shocking Calamity" divine skill. His icy gaze swept across the centurion's face, instantly freezing his skull. The blood mist gushing from his chest condensed into droplets, landing on Shi Feiyang's brocade robe. "Young Master Shi!" At this moment, a junior disciple of the Plum Blossom Gang rushed over, holding a blood-soaked letter, shouting, "It's from our young master, sent from Xiangyang!" (End of Chapter)