A man stands before the heavens, his sword emerges from the Emei Mountains.

"Between mountains and water, the Hengshan School and the Emei School are quite similar."

Yang An and Tang Zhihu had visited Hengshan. The three met at an inn, hired a boat to cross the river, and prepared to go to a horse stable to retrieve horses to return to Emei. While enjoying the scenery, the two often heard tourists mention the Five Heroes of Hengshan.

"Junior brother, did you hear something?" Chen Yu asked.

Tang Zhihu laughed and said, "Since then, everyone has said that the Fifth Elder of the Hengshan Sect is obsessed with musical instruments and acrobatics and does not care about fame or fortune."

Yang An said, "The greatest hermit lives in the city; this is not necessarily a bad way to manage things in chaotic times."

"That makes sense." Chen Yu nodded with a smile.

"If you are so devoted to music, what skills or techniques do you possess?" Tang Zhihu asked.

"The disciples of Peach Blossom Island are also very talented," Yang An said, giving an example.

Chen Yu suddenly wondered what was happening on Peach Blossom Island. Were there any disciples living in seclusion?

"What you say makes sense, senior brother. My knowledge is indeed limited. Hmm!" Tang Zhihu suddenly said, "That person has quite the bearing."

The sky was high and the clouds were light, the river was wide and open, and Tang Zhihu pointed to a light boat more than ten feet away.

Chen Yu couldn't see Wei Yixiao from his perspective. Looking around, he could only see a white-clad figure from behind, yet this figure gave off a sense of harmony with heaven and earth, of profound depth and towering grandeur.

Chen Yu said to Yang An, "When we first started practicing, my junior brother said that the highest level of standing meditation is the unity of heaven, earth, and man. This person's sitting posture is ordinary, but he gives people this feeling."

"That's right, he's probably a reclusive master."

Chen Yu suddenly saw the man in white turn around.

"How could this person hear us clearly from such a distance?" Chen Yu asked in surprise.

……

As the three were talking, Yang Zuoshi on the light boat followed Wei Yixiao's gaze and turned around to look.

"Does the Bat King know him?"

"That kid actually survived falling off the cliff; it's fate that he's destined to be eaten by the old bat," Wei Yixiao muttered to himself. "He's a disciple of the Emei Sect."

Left Envoy Yang was slightly taken aback, then turned to look at Chen Yu, Yang An, and Tang Zhihu.

Yang An was composed, but his face showed signs of hardship.

Chen Yu and Tang Zhihu were both good-looking, with chiseled faces and distinct features. Chen Yu, in particular, had an elegant air about him, as if he were a man of learning and culture.

The two were young and full of vigor, but Yang Zuoshi felt a little displeased.

When he heard Wei Yixiao say that Chen Yu was prey delivered to his mouth, he smiled slightly and said, "The Bat King's cold poison has not been cured. I will capture those two lads for you."

In the past, Wei Yixiao would never have accepted the other party's affections, but thinking of the scene where Chen Yu died with him in Guanluo, he thought that the kid was cunning and might be plotting against Yang Xiao.

Yang Xiao stood up, and in the sight of Chen Yu, Tang Zhihu, and Yang An, Wei Yixiao in blue suddenly appeared.

"Wei Yixiao of the Demonic Sect!" Tang Zhihu leaped up and grabbed the bow and arrow.

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat.

With Wei Yixiao as a reference, could the handsome man in white be Yang Xiao, the Left Envoy of the Brightness Sect?

In the instant Chen Yu flipped to his feet, he grasped the "veiled criticism" in his hand.

If you get too close to someone like Yang Xiao, you won't even have a chance to grab a hidden weapon.

The autumn waters blend seamlessly with the vast sky, while the setting sun and a lone wild goose fly together.

Yang Xiao, carrying two wine jars in his left and right hands, flew up into the air.

With swift movements, like a white-clad duck, he traversed a distance of over four zhang (approximately 13 meters) and casually tossed the empty jar into the water, where it splashed up like a green lotus flower on the river's surface.

Yang Xiao's body sank, and with a light touch of his toes, the altar sank and he rose up, like a feather soaring into the air, flying away once more.

Tang Zhihu flicked his left elbow, and a powerful bow appeared in front of him in a circle. He stood at the bow of the boat, pulled back the bowstring sharply, the bowstring taut and released with a loud bang, the air ripples exploded, and the arrow flew like a shooting star straight at Yang Xiao.

In the blink of an eye, the second and third arrows struck Yang Xiao's upper and lower body respectively.

"Left Envoy Yang, be careful." Wei Yixiao stood tall, arms crossed, a sinister smile on his face.

Yang Xiao let out a long roar and flicked his fingers.

A wisp of sharp finger wind struck the long arrow in the middle with perfect accuracy. With a thud, the long arrow fell off course and into the water. Immediately afterward, his right sleeve swirled like a tornado, shattering the long arrow that was attacking the upper lane. Yang Xiao flicked his finger again, and the arrowhead whistled towards Tang Zhihu.

In a flash, Yang Xiao kicked away the long arrow that was falling down the path, and his body sank into the water.

He dropped the wine jar into the river with his left hand, tapped the jar with his toe, and flew like a great bird toward the small boat where Chen Yu and the others were.

Wei Yixiao watched from the sidelines, secretly surprised. "That bastard Yang Xiao has been secretly practicing his skills on Zuowang Peak, and his abilities have improved a lot."

Yang Xiao was enraged, and his leaping figure created a piercing, sizzling sound in the air, like a red-hot iron being thrown into ice water.

"Clang..."

Yang An wielded his heavy sword and smashed away the arrowhead that Yang Xiao had deflected, but felt a sharp pain in his wrist, as if his tiger's mouth was about to burst open.

"Let's go, use water escape!" Tang Zhihu was about to jump into the river when he suddenly heard Chen Yu say, "Sword formation!"

Yang An answered without hesitation.

Tang Zhihu listened to his advice and followed it.

Two sword lights suddenly shone brightly, flying like streaks of light towards Yang Xiao who was breaking through the air. The sword tips emitted a cold glint, and the sword momentum was as swift as lightning.

Yang Xiao's face was mocking, and his white figure blocked the sunlight from Chen Yu's view. He lunged forward to cover the last two zhang, his sleeves rolling up to reach the long swords in Yang An and Tang Zhihu's hands.

Suddenly, Yang Xiao saw Chen Yu pointing something at him, followed by a loud bang, and the air vibrated like a swarm of bees.

The "Innuendo" technique that Chen Yu obtained from Ma Sangu was activated, and fine steel needles formed a fan-shaped silver light that enveloped the area.

Yang Xiao was taken aback. He guided his qi with his mind, and his true qi spread throughout his body. Most of the thirty-six steel needles were unaffected, as if they had encountered a slippery and tough object, and fell to the sides. Then, Yang Xiao's body suddenly slid back several feet, his sleeves fluttering wildly, and he poured the force into his feet, causing them to plummet like stone slabs towards the Xiang River.

"Thump."

Chen Yu saw a white shadow enter the water and swim several feet away like a fish.

"Walk!"

Chen Yu shouted for an oar, and Yang An snatched another oar from the boatman's hand. Tang Zhihu hurriedly grabbed a plank to help paddle.

The ferry sped away towards the north bank of the river like an arrow released from a bow.

The sudden change was truly beyond Wei Yixiao's expectations. He was delighted to see Yang Xiao suffer a setback, and secretly thought to himself that he was lucky he hadn't acted rashly, otherwise he would have become a bat that had fallen into the water.

Wei Yixiao instructed the boatman to steer the boat closer to Yang Xiao.

Several feet apart, the water surface suddenly parted, and Yang Xiao, as if riding the wind, floated down to the bow of the boat, landed cross-legged, and used his internal energy to expel the poison.

Wei Yixiao then realized that Chen Yu had tricked Yang Xiao by feeding him poisoned hidden weapons.

"That kid's dead meat."

Wei Yixiao couldn't help but burst into laughter when he realized that Chen Yu had also provoked Yang Xiao, whom he was dealing with at the same time. Tears welled up in his eyes.

He must be the most unfortunate person in this world!

……

Three figures moved swiftly like rabbits and landed on the riverbank. Chen Yu tossed a piece of silver to the boatman.

"Old man, go upstream, go a little further before coming back, and remember to avoid the light boats."

"Thank you, sir." The old man had been ferrying people on the Xiang River for many years and often saw martial arts practitioners showing off their skills, but he had never seen a person like Yang Xiao. He thanked Chen Yu and hurriedly steered his boat away.

Looking at the light boat in the middle of the river, Yang An finally felt his heart return to its place, and cold sweat soaked his back.

"Junior brother, look at that person?"

"Wei Yixiao addresses Yang Zuoshi as Yang, which should be Yang Xiao, the Left Envoy of the Demonic Sect."

Tang Zhihu said, "I never imagined that your martial arts skills were so superb."

Chen Yu knew some of the details. Yang Xiao cultivated the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth," which could stimulate the body's potential and shift weapons. Otherwise, he would never have been able to avoid the close-range barrage of hidden weapons.

To experience fighting the opponent firsthand is terrifying.

"The longer we stay here, the more things can go wrong. If we get entangled with these two great demons, we'll be trapped with nowhere to go. We should leave this place as soon as possible," Yang An said.

"Indeed, let's go." Chen Yu looked back, and the three of them used their movement techniques to head straight for the horse stable, took the horses, and spurred them away at breakneck speed.

……

As winter approaches, the cold rain feels like a knife.

More boats gathered near the dock, and boatmen and porters drank tea at the tea stalls, cursing the weather for affecting their livelihoods. The faint sound of a temple bell, whose location was unknown, drifted over.

Yang An exhaled a breath of cold air and dismounted.

Chen Yu and his entourage rode swiftly from Hengyang, galloping all the way from late autumn to early winter, and entered the Wujiang River, which borders Sichuan and Guizhou. After crossing the river, they could reach Mount Emei in six or seven days.

Yang Xiao and Wei Yixiao probably won't be able to catch up.

"Senior brother, rest for the night, and we'll cross the river when the weather clears," Tang Zhihu said.

"Okay." Chen Yu readily agreed.

The three found an inn, handed their horses over to the innkeeper, asked for a spacious superior room, and ordered wine and dishes to refresh themselves and fill their stomachs.

The rising clouds resemble surging smoke, and the dense rain falls like scattered silk threads.

It wasn't just Chen Yu and his group whose progress was hindered.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed across the sewage-strewn street, as a curtain of drizzle was lifted by the slanting wind, and several riders slowly made their way to the inn.

The man in the center was upright and imposing, with a golden whip hanging from his waist. He was none other than Master Ji Zhuang of Hanyang.