Chapter 1: The An Lushan Rebellion

  Since the founding of the country by Taizu Li Yuan, the Tang Dynasty has gone through the reigns of Emperor Taizong of Tang Li Shimin, Emperor Gaozong of Tang Li Zhi, and Empress Wu Zetian of Zhou, until the three sons of Emperor Ruizong of Tang Li Dan, Li Longji ascended to the throne, worked hard to govern, eliminated old evils, and after the Zhenguan period, the Tang Dynasty entered the prosperous era of Kaiyuan.

  Prosperous Tang Dynasty, people from all directions come to pay homage.

  At this time, Li Tang had a group of loyal and patriotic generals in the Tianyi Government, while Jianghu had several major sects, each with its own leader.

  Qingyuan Wanhua Valley, Yangzhou Qixiaofang, Luoyang Shaolin Temple, Xihu Cangjian Mountain Villa, Huashan Chunyang Palace, Miaojiang Wudu Sect, Shuzhong Tang Family Fortress, each major sect has its own scenery, after several battles they finally let go of past grievances, the wrongly accused were cleared, from then on they had mutual visits, and the Western Regions Ming Cult rose again, the Central Plains Beggars' Gang also re-emerged after a long silence, the Jianghu world was once again filled with wind and clouds.

  When water is full, it overflows; when the moon is full, it wanes.

  Under the prosperous Tang Dynasty, undercurrents surged and intensified. In the 14th year of Tianbao, An Lushan rose up with "Worrying about the country's crisis, following the secret edict to attack Yang Guozhong", leading tens of thousands of soldiers towards Luoyang.

  The Tang Dynasty had been at peace for a long time, the people did not know war, and the army was not well-trained. As a result, they suffered defeat after defeat. An Lushan's rebel army rose up in arms and in just 35 days marched from Fan Yang to capture the Eastern Capital of Luoyang.

  From then on, the world was in chaos.

  An Lushan had already won a great victory when he attacked Chenliu, with over 10,000 soldiers and generals surrendering. However, upon hearing that An Qingzong was killed, An Lushan flew into a rage and slaughtered tens of thousands of people as a blood sacrifice, and the residents within the city walls of Chenliu were also subjected to a bloody massacre.

  As this news was sent back to Mount Hua's Pure Yang Palace by the messenger, a young girl with pigtails suddenly went black in front of her eyes and fainted on the spot.

  Yu Rui looked at the hastily returning disciple and let out a long sigh.

  "Yiming, did you know that Yao Guang is actually a native of Chenliu, and his father is also in the military?"

  The young Taoist's face turned red and then white, looking worriedly at the little girl in Yu Rui's arms.

  "Sister disciple..."

  Yu Rui picked up the little girl and slightly furrowed his brow.

  "Worrying will harm your body, grieving will harm your spirit, I just wish she could wake up soon."

  Against the expectations of both, the comatose girl suddenly came to in this short period of time, struggling to get out of Yu Rui's arms, using her small hands to tightly grasp Yu Rui's arm, with tears shining in her eyes.

  "Master... father... he is... isn't it... no..."

  The young messenger saw with his own eyes the devastating news he brought to this little girl, and now seeing her hesitate and ask questions, he couldn't bear it, turned around and left.

  Yu Rui learned the outcome of that issue from the youth movement, she did not evade the girl's gaze full of hope and sorrow, quietly looking back, nodding gently.

  "The war has begun, and all the soldiers of Chenliu have been annihilated."

  The last glimmer of hope in the little girl's eyes finally went out, and tears streamed down her face as she choked back a sob: "Who... who... WHO KILLED MY FATHER?!"

  An Lushan

  Everyone in the Tang Dynasty is thinking of this name.

  This name ended the long-standing peaceful and prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty, opening up a period of war and turmoil.

  Innumerable people suffered family separation and death in this war, and the green hills and rivers were stained with the color of blood and fire.

  The Tian Ce Fu issued an edict to suppress the Wolf Tooth Army, and internal disputes arose within each major gate. Some advocated for self-preservation and protecting their own sect, while others advocated for participating in the rebellion and throwing themselves into war. Two voices clashed within one door, and two actions emerged: some closed their doors and refused to come out, while others put down their pens and took up arms.

  Chunyang Palace, although built by Lü Chunyang as a Taoist temple, has close ties with Li Tang. In these chaotic times, it is impossible for them to remain completely unresponsive. Although the head of the palace ordered everyone to continue their usual routine and focus on their spiritual practice, secretly they dispatched disciples outside to help the people in need. If some had not yet returned to the mountain temple, there was no need for them to return; they were free to act as they saw fit.

  No one would have thought that this battle would last so long.

  In the first year of Qianyuan, in September, Tang Emperor Li Hen ordered Guo Ziyi, Lu Hui, Li Kuang, Xu Shuji, Li Siye, Ji Guangchen, Cui Guangyuan and others, seven Jiedushi and Pinglu army commander Dong Qin to lead about 200,000 infantry and cavalry northward to attack An Qingxu. He also ordered Li Guangbi and Wang Sili, two Jiedushi, to lead their troops to assist in the attack, with eunuch Yu Chaoen as the supervisor of military affairs, overseeing the actions of various armies.

  In October, the armies of Guo, Lu, Ji, and Cui crossed the Yellow River one after another and joined forces with Li Siye's army to attack Wei Prefecture. They used archers and crossbowmen in an ambush and defeated An Qingxu's personal army of 70,000 soldiers, capturing Wei Prefecture. Taking advantage of the momentum, they pursued and attacked, defeating the An army at Xiangshangang west of Handan, killing over 30,000 soldiers in total. An Qingxu retreated back to Handan, which was then surrounded by the Tang army. In desperation, he sent someone to ask for help from Shi Siming, promising to yield the throne to him.

  At this time, there were several disciples of the Pure Yang Sect hiding in Ye City, waiting for an opportunity to act. Among them, the oldest was Zhao Baiying, a 28-year-old disciple of Li Wangsheng, while the youngest was Yao Guang, a 14-year-old disciple of Yu Rui, whose sword skills were already on par with others in the sect. With her persistent request to join the battle, Yu Rui finally agreed to let her follow her senior brothers and sisters into action.

  After much effort, several people finally entered Ye City and heard that An Qingxu had suffered a great defeat. After discussing for a long time, they decided on an action plan.

  From then on, small groups of patrolling soldiers in An Qingxu's unit would occasionally go missing. At first, the garrison thought it was the work of the Tang army and became even more vigilant. Later, seeing that the Tang army had surrounded the city but did not attack, and scouts did not see any action from the Tang army, An Qingxu gradually turned his attention to within the city.

  On New Year's Eve of Qianyuan 2 (759), An Qingxu was attacked by assassins, but due to the strict guard, several assassins were unable to succeed and instead fell into the army's encirclement.

  A fierce battle raged through the night in the castle, with hundreds dead or injured. Several assassins, seeing no hope of escape, fought to their last breath, taking their own lives one after another.

  At the moment he raised his sword, Yao Guang saw his own eyes on the bright and clear Jade Clear Light Sword.

  No regrets, no resentment, but with some disappointment.

  The war is not yet over, the world is not yet at peace. This sword has not yet beheaded the traitors, and I can only hold regret for the rest of my life. If there is a next life, I will definitely learn the ultimate sword technique, sweep away the impurities and injustices in the world, and bring peace to this world once again.

  Snow-bright long sword brings up splashing fresh blood, hot blood sprinkles on the ground before, that handle cuts gold and jade long sword first breaks into three sections, falls to the ground, makes a few "dang" sounds, as if tolling the funeral bell for this short life of Yao Guang.

  Pure Yang Palace's Sword Sect disciple Yao Guang has passed away at the age of 14.

  Darkness.

  Endless darkness.

  Yao Guang thought, this might be the Yellow Spring Road.

  Walking from here, will you arrive at the next world?

  Yao Guang wiped away the tears on her face and proceeded in silence, her right hand habitually wanting to grasp a sword but grasping only air. It was then that she remembered she had used her last bit of strength to shatter the Yu Qing longsword so as not to let the valuable instrument fall into enemy hands.

  From the age of six when she first grasped a sword, to now eight years later, Yao Guang had grown accustomed to the feeling of holding a long sword. Suddenly losing that familiar sensation left her with an empty feeling, causing her to suddenly come to a realization...

  I'm already dead.

  If she continues down this road, she will no longer be Yao Guang.

  It is unpredictable what I will become in the next life.

  Yao Guang clenched his right fist again and again, tears gushing out once more.

  If...

  Still alive...

  How wonderful...

  The long road also has an end, Yao Guang doesn't know how long she walked, finally seeing a glimmer of light. She slowed down her pace, letting herself cry until tears streamed down her face, then wiped away the tears and stepped closer to the exit one step at a time.

  This is... Yao Guang's end.

  Yao Guang closed her eyes and stepped out of the long corridor with one foot.

  In a daze, a severe dizzy and piercing pain intertwined, Yao Guang was almost in so much pain that she fainted.

  "Miss, wake up... Miss... wake up!"

  Yao Guang slowly opened her eyes, and the dazzling sunlight pierced into her eyes. In an instant, Yao Guang's eyes, which had adapted to the darkness, were momentarily blinded by the light, and everything was a blur. She could only see flashes of silver and blue colors crossing in front of her eyes.

  "It's great that you've finally woken up...... Little girl, how did you get hurt so badly? Don't fall asleep again, you must stay awake, otherwise you might not wake up again!"

  Yao Guang exerted great effort to understand this sentence, and after being stunned for a while, she finally spoke up, "I...haven't died......have I?"

  When she spoke, the blood and gas in her throat spread out, making her mouth full of a sweet and fishy smell, and her voice was hoarse, as if she hadn't drunk water for a long time.

  "That voice replied with surprise: 'Of course not, you're still alive. Luckily...you met us...Little girl, I'm Yuki-onna, what's your name? How did you end up here?'"

  Yao Guang thought dazedly that among the people from several major sects who came to participate in the war, there didn't seem to be anyone called "Snow Girl".

  "I... am... Yao Guang... May I ask which sect's master is En Gong?"

  Yao Guang struggled to hold on, wanting to hear the answer, but her body was extremely weak, and the pain and fatigue made it increasingly difficult for her to stay awake. Before she could get an answer, she couldn't hold on anymore and fell into a deep sleep.

  Saved Yao Guang's woman, he looked at the girl in his arms with difficulty.

  "What to do... like this child... still rescue back."