Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 211 Father’s love is like a mountain
The two fought with lightning speed, almost transforming into a ball of blue light and a ball of black mist under the moonlight, exchanging more than ninety blows in an instant.

By the hundredth round, Xiao Yuanshan blocked and deflected Jiang Mingzhe's punch with both arms, but instead of retaliating, he took advantage of the momentum to leap backward.

He chuckled and said, "Well done, lad! I didn't expect you to know Shaolin martial arts! Hehe, my 'Shanyong Meng' fist technique is pure and fierce, without any lingering flavor. It is not as good as the Great Vajra Pestle. I can't beat you with this technique, but if I use a more advanced technique, I'm afraid I won't be able to control my strength. You are on good terms with my son, and I really want to seriously injure you, but I don't want to. How about we call it a draw?"

Since Jiang Mingzhe mastered the Great Vajra Pestle, this was the first time he had fought someone for such a long time. As the fight progressed, he felt countless wonderful ideas springing up in his mind. He could wield his fists and exert force at will, and he felt a sense of exhilaration.

Hearing Lao Xiao's words, Jiang Mingzhe was secretly unconvinced. He thought to himself, "You said that the 'Good and Courageous Fist' is not as good as the 'Great Vajra Pestle,' but you fought me so fiercely. Doesn't that mean I am weaker than you? I still have the 'Northern Darkness Divine Skill' and the 'Hanging Cloud Sword Technique' that I haven't used yet. Even if you, Lao Xiao, are highly skilled in martial arts, you can't possibly know my skill foundation like Li Qiushui does. Does that mean I must lose to you?"

However, he had a tactful nature and was not a fiercely competitive martial arts fanatic. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "Uncle, I am also moved by your words. You are a senior in martial arts. If it weren't for Brother Xiao's face, would you have agreed to a draw with a junior like me? This is what is meant by a father's love being as strong as a mountain."

“Father’s love is like a mountain…” Xiao Yuanshan murmured to himself. Even his heart, hardened by decades of hatred, couldn’t help but soften. He sighed, “Among young people, few can see through people’s hearts like you. Sigh, for the sake of your words, I’ll spare the Qiao couple.”

After saying this, he walked to the door and stared at the elderly couple inside, who were trembling like leaves. He said, "Thirty years ago, I was traveling with my beloved wife and son when we were ambushed by a group of Song Dynasty experts. My wife died tragically, and I was heartbroken. I jumped off a cliff with my wife and son, but when I jumped off the cliff, I found that my child was still alive. So I threw him up, and that old dog Xuanci took him back to Shaolin and gave him to you to raise. You only thought that he would be looked down upon as a Khitan, but did you not think that we Khitans would look down on you Song people?"

Qiao Sanhuai and his wife were unaware of these matters. They stared blankly at Xiao Yuanshan, their eyes revealing a hint of sympathy.

Old Xiao, oblivious to the situation, became agitated: "You only adopted my son because of that old dog Xuanci. If you had known he was a Khitan's child, you might have abandoned him to feed the dogs long ago. So I don't owe you any favors. Since my nephew has pleaded with me today, I'll give him face and avoid killing you and upsetting my son. But you'll remember this..."

He pointed a finger at the old couple and said, "It was you Song people who killed my wife and my son's mother for no reason, causing us to be separated for thirty years! You are not allowed to call yourselves my son's parents anymore. My son only had one mother, who died outside Yanmen Pass, and only one father, who is his father, Xiao Yuanshan!"

A dim oil lamp was lit in the room, its flickering light illuminating Xiao Yuanshan, who was gesticulating wildly and shouting. His shadow was cast on the wall, making him look like a demon from another world. The old couple no longer had the courage to speak; they could only tremble and weep.

After Xiao Yuanshan finished speaking at length and expressed his feelings, he looked at the two old men again. Their clothes were worn out, their faces were aged, and their faces were covered with snot and tears. They were really pitiful, and he couldn't help but feel a little pity for them.

He turned to Jiang Mingzhe and said, "Kid, leave them some money. Damn it, even though Xuanci is a hypocrite, they still raised my child."

Jiang Mingzhe's eyes widened, thinking to himself, "Is Old Xiao crazy? He actually wants me to pay for it?"

He couldn't help but sigh and said, "I don't have any money either. How about this?"

Slowly, he removed a hairpin from his hair bun and handed it to Xiao Yuanshan. His hair was not short to begin with, but since coming to this world, he had not cut it. In addition, with his vigorous internal energy cultivation, he now had a full head of beautiful hair, which he styled into a bun like men in the Song Dynasty.

Today, Wang Yuyan ransacked Murong Bo's jewelry store, and she didn't forget Jiang Mingzhe. She specially took out a hairpin as a gift, and Jiang Mingzhe put it on his head.

Xiao Yuanshan took a look and saw that the hairpin was half gold and half silver, with the two colors intertwined, and seven bean-sized gemstones were inlaid on it, displaying all seven colors.

He was a nobleman back then, so his knowledge was naturally quite good. He said, "This hairpin is quite nice. Although the gemstone is small, its color and texture are excellent, and the craftsmanship is also outstanding. It is worth several hundred taels of silver."

With that, he waved his hand and, with a "poof," stuck the needle into Qiao Sanhuai's hair bun.

Jiang Mingzhe was startled, but after realizing that the needle had indeed been inserted into his hair and had not pierced his brain, he breathed a sigh of relief.

After finishing their business, Xiao Yuanshan grabbed Jiang Mingzhe's arm and started walking. As they passed a small tree, he casually broke off a branch and handed it to him: "Here, take this and put it in your hair! Kid, remember this: a real man should never be like those soft-hearted women from the Song Dynasty who put on makeup and dressed up in fancy clothes. You should drink wine in big gulps and eat meat in big chunks. That's what a real man does!"

Now that the world has been at peace for a long time, the atmosphere of luxury has gradually become strong. Men with a little wealth become very particular. For example, many people will boil millet, let it cool and ferment it, use the clear part to wash their hair and the thick part to apply to their face in order to make their skin smooth. Some people also use flower petals to extract juice for skin care, and apply perfumed balms and powders. These are all commonplace. Even the poorest man will pick a flower and wear it in his hair.

Jiang Mingzhe thought that Xiao Yuanshan was just acting out of paternal love and using him as a scapegoat since he couldn't find his own son. He didn't argue with him and nodded, saying, "Okay, okay, I understand." He then used a branch to re-arrange his hair into a bun.

He followed Xiao Yuanshan toward Shaolin Temple, when he suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Uncle, my elder brother is coming to Shaolin Temple. He was just worried about being deceived and wanted to ask the abbot for clarification. When he left, he asked the Beggars' Sect's Transmission Elder to temporarily act as the sect leader..."

He recounted the subsequent events in detail, speculating that Yipintang had turned the tide and replaced its leader with Elder Xu, the Supreme Elder who was at odds with Xiao Feng. He then issued a call to arms, saying that Xiao Feng intended to massacre Shaolin Temple and rallied heroes to attack him.

Xiao Yuanshan frowned upon hearing this, but didn't seem to care: "The Xixia dogs are always looking for trouble. But what they did was a lucky accident. What do you mean by asking for an explanation? My son has been taught to be cowardly by the Song people. My family has a blood feud with Shaolin Temple. My son and I will join forces to wipe them out!"

He sneered again, "Do you know why I came to kill that Qiao guy today? It's because I overheard some monks discussing tonight that no one has seen my son's whereabouts, so he must have sneaked in. Therefore, they are planning to arrange a team of monks to ambush the Qiao guy's area tomorrow. If my son comes to see them, we can take them down in one fell swoop!"

After saying that, he looked at Jiang Mingzhe and laughed, "So you've come at just the right time. Didn't they want to take my son? I'll give them a warning first!"

(End of this chapter)