Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 254 Cattle and Sheep Beyond the Great Wall
Worried that Xiao Yuanshan would misunderstand, Duan Yu pulled Abi to his side without thinking. He then realized that he had grabbed Abi's hand and quickly let go, blushing with embarrassment. He and Abi looked at each other, like a pair of red lanterns reflecting each other.

Azi laughed and said, "Uncle Xiao, now that I'm not dressed as a little monk, can you still recognize me?"

Previously at the temple, the four girls disguised themselves as young monks and went to the Sutra Pavilion when they encountered Xiao Yuanshan setting fire. They were captured by Shaolin monks and later rescued by Xiao Feng and Duan Yu. The four girls did not remove their makeup until the Xiao family father and son left.

But Xiao Yuanshan's eyesight and hearing were incredibly sharp. After a moment's thought, he smiled and said, "You are Azi, aren't you?"

Ah Zi exclaimed happily, "Yes, yes, that's me! I'm your son's second brother's senior sister and confidante! This blockhead is my junior brother's concubine, and this silly girl is my junior brother's foot-washing maid!"

Mu Wanqing rolled her eyes at her, clasped her hands in greeting, and said, "This humble woman, Mu Wanqing, greets Uncle. Uncle, I am Jiang Mingzhe's wife!"

Before Azi could retort, Zhong Ling, who had already followed suit, clasped his hands and said, "Uncle, I am Zhong Ling, I..."

Mu Wanqing pouted and said, "She really is a foot-washing maid."

Zhong Ling was furious and pointed at Wang Yuyan, saying, "I'll only wash one foot at most; the other one will be washed by Fatty."

Wang Yuyan retorted angrily, "They bully you, so you bully me? Do you think I'm easy to bully? Uncle, I am Wang Yuyan, I'm not a foot-washer, I am also Brother Mingzhe's, well, confidante."

After saying this, her cheeks turned bright red, and she turned her head away without saying a word, thinking to herself: Since I am the daughter of Prince Duan, then he is my brother's sworn brother. It is perfectly reasonable for me to call him Brother Mingzhe.

Jiang Mingzhe sighed, “Uncle, these are Wanqing, Yuyan, Azhu, Azi, and Zhongling. They are all daughters of Prince Duan, the Prince of Zhennan of Dali, and also the sisters of my third brother, Duan Yu.”

Zhong Ling raised an eyebrow, wanting to say that she wasn't, but then she remembered the loving look in Duan Zhengchun's eyes when he looked at her, and her heart suddenly pounded: My dear father, is his surname Zhong or Duan? Oh dear, it's all my mother's fault!
Xiao Yuanshan was stunned for a moment, wondering why none of his daughters had the surname Duan. Could it be that they were all children born to other men?
He couldn't help but feel a secret admiration, and then said politely, "I've been hiding in Shaolin Temple for years, so I know very little about what's happening in the martial world, but I've often heard of Prince Duan's reputation for benevolence and chivalry. These past few days, Feng'er told me that his third brother is Prince Duan's heir. I'm so happy for him. I never imagined that Prince Duan not only has such a righteous and chivalrous son, but also so many beautiful daughters..."

He glanced at Xiao Feng as he spoke, a hint of mockery in his smile: "It's just a pity that my Feng'er is unlucky. So many good girls, yet not one of them is destined to be with him?"

Azi immediately said, "No, no, no, your Feng'er is very lucky. There is someone here who is destined to be with him!"

As he spoke, he grabbed A'Zhu and pushed her in front of him: "This is the one destined for us, A'Zhu! Uncle, look how beautiful and smart she is. You should have your son marry her. From now on, I'll call Brother Xiao Feng my brother-in-law."

A'Zhu was extremely embarrassed. Although she was also unruly, she was, after all, a beautiful young woman who was still unmarried. How could she not be shy and unrestrained in front of the elders?

She quickly waved her hands and said, "No, no, no, Uncle, don't listen to her nonsense. My sister is just good at making trouble. I... I'm just Brother Xiao's good friend. I came here especially to..."

Even though she was intelligent enough, after receiving a bunch of nonsensical help from Azi, she was now completely confused, her mouth churning like garlic, coming and going endlessly.

Azi said mischievously, "I came here specifically to accompany him to the Liao Kingdom to herd cattle and sheep."

Azhu quickly replied, "Yes!"

Xiao Feng's eyes widened instantly, while Xiao Yuanshan's eyes were practically closed from laughing.

Azhu immediately realized her slip of the tongue and became even more flustered: "Ah, no, no, no, that's not right..."

Seeing that A'Zhu was beautiful, innocent and lovely, with a bright and intelligent look in her eyes, Xiao Yuanshan was also happy for his son.

He immediately came to her rescue, saying, "Alright, alright, I understand. Miss Azhu is a good friend of my Feng'er, and she came here specifically to visit him."

A Zhu was about to agree, but then she suddenly realized that this was not right either. They had only been separated at Shaolin Temple for a few days, and she had rushed over to visit him. How could that be appropriate?

She simply pursed her lips, turned her back, took out a thin oilcloth packet from her bosom, held it in her hands and handed it to Xiao Yuanshan, saying in a low voice, "I wanted to give this to Brother Xiao when we were at the temple, but there were too many people and things to do, so it wasn't convenient to present it. Now I'm bringing it to Brother Xiao on a special occasion."

Xiao Yuanshan laughed loudly, "Good boy, Feng'er is right here. Do you want me to pass it on to him? Feng'er, Miss A'Zhu has given you her heartfelt gift, why don't you accept it!"

When Xiao Feng turned thirty, he had received countless gifts from his brothers and friends, but no young woman had ever given him anything. Even with his carefree and bold nature, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

He forced himself to reach out and take it, then pressed his finger against it. It seemed to be a booklet inside. He asked in surprise, "Is this a book? Although I can read a few characters, I don't usually like to read."

Xiao Yuanshan blinked, already realizing that the package contained the secret manual that A'Zhu had stolen from the Bodhi Temple.

Previously at Shaolin Temple, A'Zhu had mentioned that it was not among the Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts, but its power was superior to the Seventy-Two Arts. Xiao Yuanshan was puzzled as to why Bodhi Courtyard also had a secret manual. Just as he was about to ask in detail, Xuan Ci led his men forward to fight desperately, thus changing the subject.

What he didn't expect was that the precious secret manual that A'Zhu had risked so much to steal was actually a gift for his son.

He found Ah Zhu increasingly pleasing to the eye, but when he saw his handsome son earnestly saying he didn't like reading, he suddenly got angry, glared at him and said, "Nonsense! I clearly remember you loving to read when you were a kid!"

When Xiao Feng parted from his parents, he was still an infant. Xiao Yuanshan said with certainty that he loved reading when he was a child. Jiang Mingzhe couldn't help but laugh and chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes, Uncle is right. I also remember that my eldest brother loved reading when he was a child, and his favorite book was the one A'Zhu gave him. Hahahaha!"

Duan Yu was greatly surprised and asked in astonishment, "Could it be that Miss A'Zhu is capable of foresight? How did she know the books that my elder brother liked to read when he was a child?"

Xiao Feng sighed and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Abi: "Miss Abi, you will inevitably have to worry about me a lot in the future. As your elder brother, I thank you in advance."

Abi's face turned even redder. She thought to herself, "I thought only someone as mischievous as Azi would play matchmaker. I never expected that someone as heroic as Brother Xiao would do such a thing."

At this moment, Azi said with a smile, "Why don't you open this thing my sister gave you and take a look?"

Xiao Feng was about to open the door when he heard this, but then he changed his mind and stopped, calling over a waiter: "Please arrange a private room for us and a new table of food and wine."

The waiter readily agreed and immediately arranged a private room, leading everyone inside to their seats. He then went out to arrange the food and drinks. After Xiao Feng sat down, he opened the package and glanced at it, a strange expression on his face. He sighed, "Master Xuanku taught me martial arts back then, but he never taught me Sanskrit."

Azhu asked in surprise, "Sanskrit?"

She "happened" to be sitting below Xiao Feng, and when she peeked out, she saw a thin, yellowed booklet with a few strange, crooked characters on the cover.

Azhu's expression changed, and she exclaimed, "Oh no!"

I reached out and flipped through the book, and sure enough, it was filled with this strange script, written crookedly and messily all over the pages.

He was immediately greatly disappointed and exclaimed, "The Yi Jin Jing of Shaolin Temple is actually written in Sanskrit!"

Xiao Yuanshan asked in surprise, "The Yi Jin Jing? Is this the book?"

Azi jumped up, ran over and glanced at it, then said with a smile, "Back then, when you succeeded, you wouldn't even let me see it. If you had let me see it, I would have given you an idea: to go to Bianliang and find a merchant or monk from India to translate it into our language before giving it to someone. Wouldn't that be better?"

A'Zhu said sadly, "If I had looked at it, it would have seemed like I was coveting the superior martial arts of Shaolin Temple, so I deliberately didn't look at it, just so I could give Brother Xiao a proper gift."

Touched, Xiao Feng said softly, "You risked entering the temple just to steal this book and give it to me?"

A'Zhu nodded and said in a low voice, "In the apricot grove, I saw how sad you were and I couldn't bear it. After thinking about it carefully, it was all the abbot of Shaolin's fault. If I were him, since I have wronged your family, I should be open and honest and let you know your identity. Whether you seek revenge or return to Liao, it is up to you to choose."

He added, “I also think that if I really had a prejudice against the Liao, then since I made you a Song citizen, I shouldn’t have left you with any future troubles. You should trust those you employ and not employ those you don’t trust. Whether it’s him or Chief Wang of the Beggars’ Sect, they’ve been observing you for over twenty years. If they don’t trust you, shouldn’t they trust their own judgment? Yet they left themselves some loopholes, giving those with ulterior motives something to use against you.”

Although her voice was low, her words were firm and resolute, clearly showing that she genuinely felt indignant on Xiao Feng's behalf.

Xiao Feng was even more moved upon hearing this, and Xiao Yuanshan nodded repeatedly, exclaiming, "Well said! Although A'Zhu is a woman, her heart is more open than that of many men. That old bald monk Xuanci is not even as good as a little girl. He is so petty and despicable that he is disgusting."

He then laughed and said, "I understand. This good girl, A'Zhu, was angry that Abbot Xuanci treated my son unfairly, so she decided to steal the temple's secret manual and give it to Feng'er to vent her anger, is that right?"

Azhu nodded and said, "Uncle guessed right! That's exactly what I thought. I remember when I was little, I heard the master and young master chatting and they said that although the 72 Shaolin skills were powerful, the real secret to suppressing fate was the Yi Jin Jing, which was handwritten by Bodhidharma. However, this scripture is too profound and can only be mastered by an extraordinary genius. Moreover, it is not kept in the scripture pavilion. I don't know if it has been lost or if it is hidden somewhere else."

"After that night in Xingzilin, while I was still furious with Shaolin, I remembered what I had heard back then. I thought to myself, since this manual was handwritten by Bodhidharma, Shaolin must treasure it. If it's not kept in the Sutra Repository, it's probably in the Bodhi Courtyard, which specializes in the study of advanced martial arts! I thought Brother Xiao's talent for martial arts was extremely high. If the Shaolin monks couldn't learn it, how could Brother Xiao not learn it? So I decided to steal this ultimate skill so that Brother Xiao could learn it and take revenge on the monks!"

As Azhu said this, a sly and triumphant look appeared in her eyes: "Hehe, I didn't expect to guess right, it really was in the Bodhi Temple! But I didn't expect that you brothers would actually take down the Shaolin Temple in one fell swoop!"

Xiao Yuanshan had previously spoken with Azhu, Abi, and Murong Fu, and knew that they were all maids of the Murong family. Therefore, he naturally knew that the master she was referring to was Murong Bo.

He couldn't help but sigh, "That old bastard Murong Bo is truly learned and knowledgeable. Fortunately, he's not as smart as you and didn't figure out where this secret manual is. Otherwise, if he had obtained this divine skill, I might not have been able to avenge my blood feud."

He then shook his head and laughed, "In retrospect, this old scoundrel ruined my life, but in the end, he didn't even know who his real father was. He's a pitiful man, hehe, karma is just as it should be, karma is just as it should be."

After saying that, he took the Yi Jin Jing manual, flipped through it, and looked at A'Zhu, saying, "Miss A'Zhu, putting aside everything else, Murong Bo's insight and vision are probably much better than mine. He said that this divine skill surpasses the Seventy-Two Arts, and that is probably true. I think you are also a smart girl. If you practice this divine skill, your future achievements may not be inferior to Tianshan Tonglao. But you gave it to Feng'er without even looking at it. Have you ever thought that Feng'er is, after all, a Khitan!"

Azhu's face suddenly flushed red, and she stood up and said, "Uncle, I now know that you and the Murong family are sworn enemies. My parents were separated when I was young, and I was raised by the Murong family. Will you look down on me because of this?"

Xiao Yuanshan shook his head and said, "A true man should distinguish between gratitude and resentment! The hatred between me and Murong Bo is between the two of us, and it doesn't even involve his son, so why would I take it out on an innocent girl like you?"

Azhu said, "That's right. Uncle doesn't even care that I was once raised by your family's enemy. Why would I care whether Brother Xiao is a Khitan or not?"

Xiao Yuanshan revealed a playful expression, thought for a moment, and asked Xiao Feng, "Feng'er, what do you think of this child?"

Xiao Feng, who had been listening with a stern face, finally smiled and said, "Father, why ask questions you already know the answer to? When I first met Miss A'Zhu, I saw her display great courage, exchanging her gold hairpin for wine to treat my two good-for-nothing sworn brothers. Later, she stood up for me and risked her life to steal the book, showing both courage and wisdom. Besides, didn't you just say—"

He gave a thumbs up and looked at A'Zhu, saying, "Your breadth of mind and insight surpasses Xuan Ci's; your intelligence and wisdom surpass Murong Bo's; your clear sense of gratitude and resentment is comparable to my father's. Although the likes of Tianshan Tonglao are highly skilled in martial arts, in other aspects, you are far inferior to Miss A'Zhu."

Azhu was radiant with joy at his praise, but also shy and embarrassed. She lowered her head and said, "Brother Xiao, you flatter me. I'm just a little girl, how could I be as good as you say?"

Azi immediately said, "Yes, yes, you all flatter me. My sister is just a little girl, not very good at all, but she's very useful at helping you raise cattle, feed horses, roast mutton, and manage the household!"

Xiao Feng had a great liking for A'Zhu before, and when he heard her express her dissatisfaction with Xuan Ci, he realized that she was thinking of him. How could he not know her feelings?

However, he was usually so bold and unrestrained, but at this moment he could not be so carefree. Hearing Azi's words, although his heart was pounding, he said, "No, no, I am a barbarian from another tribe. How could I possibly have such good fortune? Besides, Miss Azhu was born and raised in Jiangnan. She is used to the gentle breeze, warm sunshine, beautiful waters and green mountains. The place where my father and I went was harsh and barren..."

Xiao Yuanshan rolled his eyes and said, "You've been with the Song people for too long, and you think so poorly of my great Liao Kingdom. Although Liao is not as beautiful as the South, it still has magnificent rivers and mountains. How can it be so bitter and barren?"

Azhu couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, "I think Uncle is absolutely right!"

Jiang Mingzhe listened for a long time, and seeing that Xiao Feng was still being coy, he slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "Brother, you've been talking too much nonsense today. As your brother, I can't stand it anymore. Let's drink a few dozen catties of wine first, and then I'll ask you one more question!"

Xiao Feng exclaimed in surprise, "What did you say?"

Jiang Mingzhe ignored him, got up and went out: "Waiter, bring me fifty catties of wine!"

Azi took off her gold bracelet, slammed it on the table, and shouted, "I want the very best wine! I, Azi, will treat!"

(End of this chapter)