Chapter 34: Three Heroes and Four Beauties

  Luk Siu-fung's attempt at elopement ends in failure, and Yip Koon-yuk pursues them for a thousand miles.

  Rumors in Jianghu are always exaggerated and distorted as they spread, from the initial disrespect of Lü Xiaofeng towards the mistress of Bái Yún City to his alleged affair with a friend's wife, and finally to his teasing of the master of Bái Yún City which led to him being pursued and killed. Who knows how many people have exercised their ingenuity and imagination to add oil to the fire? Each person can recount the causes and consequences in vivid detail, as if they had witnessed it themselves. The way they speak with such conviction makes Lü Xiaofeng feel extremely ashamed whenever he occasionally hears these rumors.

  Lu Xiaofeng was initially worried that the old cunning master of the Ghostly Manor wouldn't believe he was "genuinely fleeing for his life", but now he himself believed he was truly running for his life. At this rate, if he didn't quickly escape into the Ghostly Manor, it's hard to guarantee that the enraged White Cloud Castle Master wouldn't suddenly appear and end him with a single sword strike.

  Lu Xiaofeng and Ye Guicheng one escaped, the other chased, both were skilled in lightness kung fu, in the blink of an eye they had gone far away, just a few days later, already thousands of miles apart.

  Yao Guang was supposed to set out on the 16th day of the Lunar New Year to pursue and kill Lu Xiao Feng. For her, the new year didn't officially end until after the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Therefore, she waited until the 16th day before setting sail for Zhongyuan. This time, Yao Guang was no longer traveling for pleasure, but to "pursue and kill" Lu Xiao Feng over a thousand miles. The elegant attire suitable for a young lady from a good family was naturally not appropriate anymore.

  Yao Guang this time out, tied up long hair, hair bun on top of the clear lotus flower crown, wearing pure Yang Palace style blue and white Taoist robe, back carrying a long sword, holding scripture, around the body aura subtly echoed with the mountains and seas, as if heaven and earth between should have such a Taoist, like jade polished, inner light introverted, warm and clear, but also contains a hint of thunderbolt sharpness hidden and not emitted.

  Such a figure, no one would associate Yao Guang with the delicate and weak Jiu Ting, the young lady of the boudoir. At first glance, one is unconsciously drawn in by that carefree air, but upon closer inspection, one is forced to look away, intimidated by the restrained aura of power.

  Such a character and the phrase "thousand miles of pursuit" placed together are more suitable than placing everyone's weak and delicate woman with "thousand miles of pursuit", at least people's first impression will not be too focused on romance.

  Yao Guang arrived at the agreed location with Lu Xiao Feng but didn't see his shadow, she couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. Fortunately, since she was temporarily acting as the master of White Cloud City, inquiring about news wasn't something she needed to do herself.

  In fact, many people in the White Cloud City had long known about that strange rumor circulating in Jianghu, and were just waiting for Yao Guang to ask about it herself.

  Yao Guang asked out the answer and also learned about the various versions of the changing message, she couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth.

  What should I say?

  She thought she had imagined all possible forms of rumors, but the reality far exceeded her imagination.

  The young man in green clothes who had been driving the boat and carriage all along bowed his head and asked: "Seventh Young Lady, what do you plan to do?"

  Yao Guang sighed helplessly.

  "Lu Xiaofeng was just looking for an excuse to enter the Ghost Mansion, not really wanting to die. Now that Ye Guancheng is already after him, if I were to chase after him again, he might actually make it into the Ghost Mansion without arousing suspicion."

  The young man in blue clothes was silent for a moment and nodded silently.

  Lu Xiaofeng's martial arts skills are excellent, his brain is good, and his luck is also good, so he can survive until now. However, even so, it's not easy to survive under the pursuit of the number one swordsman in the world. Nowadays, the Jianghu regards "Baiyun Sword Immortal" as the first in swordsmanship, Ye Guancheng and Ximen Blowsnow are only slightly inferior, Lu Xiaofeng was lucky to escape from Ye Guancheng's hands, if he were to add the Baiyun Sword Immortal who is even better than Ye Guancheng... Even the most daring gambler would not bet on Lu Xiaofeng being able to retreat unscathed.

  Acting should be just right, if it's overdone, it will only arouse suspicion.

  Yao Guang sank into thought for a moment, then suddenly said: "I want to go to Xianyang."

  The man in the green robe was taken aback, but adhering to his usual good style of not speaking too much, he didn't ask for a reason and directly passed down the order. The horse carriage was prepared, and they set off straight for Xianyang.

  A single spark at A'fang Palace, and it was reduced to smoldering ashes.

  Although Yao Guang had known that the former capital of Qin, Xianyang, was no longer as prosperous as it was in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty when she was still alive, she suddenly felt a desire to revisit it.

  In the past, Qin Wang Ying Zheng revered her as Emperor's Teacher, gave her unparalleled honor and bestowed upon her the rivers and mountains of ten thousand miles...

  She says she doesn't want fame, wealth and power, but it's impossible for her to be completely unmoved by such intentions.

  She had always admired Qin Shi Huang and was willing to be his sword, willing to risk her life to enter the treacherous waters of Sang Hai. The final assassination came suddenly, but it was still within her expectations. She just didn't expect that the Yin-Yang family would be so eager - the last one who made the killing move was a person from the Yin-Yang family, not a Confucian. She understood this in her heart, but even if she hadn't fallen into this world by mistake, she would still tell Ying Zheng and the people of the world that the killer at that time came from the Confucian family.

  Because the murderer at that time must be a Confucian. Only in this way can the Confucians who have been entrenched in Sang Hai for many years be uprooted.

  Yao Guang believed that the great Qin Shi Huang would not miss such an opportunity, but behind this belief, wasn't it the bloody sacrifice of Confucianism? Consolidating imperial rule meant the decline of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and even a strategist as famous as Sun Tzu couldn't save his own school.

  The prosperity of Qin was founded on countless withered bones, and the transformation of the times was accompanied by all kinds of suffering.

  She was delighted for Qin, but also mourned those scattered schools of thought, just as she had wept for the now-defunct Chunyang Palace.

  This joy and pain, melancholy and nostalgia, she had no one to share with.

  Due to such an extraordinary experience, she didn't have the ability to look down on the world yet and couldn't afford to take the risk of being viewed as a freak by the people in the world to reveal this secret.

  From Jiangnan to Xianyang, the journey is not short. Even with a fast horse and whip, this period of time is enough for changes to occur in the jianghu.

  For example, Luk Siu-fung had been pursued by Yip Koo-yeung to the point of desperation, and some people even claimed to have seen his corpse.

  For example, Wanmei Mountain Villa no longer had the mistress of the villa, and Madame Ximen turned back into Sun Niangzi, carrying a long sword to return to Emei.

  The previous rumor was that Baiyun City had secretly sent someone to the Central Plains, hidden among countless true and false Jianghu secrets; The latter rumor, for Yaoguang, may not be considered a rumor anymore, because she saw the "Sun Girl" fake mech master.

  Xianyang Palace site, Yao Guang quiet thinking nostalgia, distant thought of the day's ambition and spirit, the day filled with cloud scriptures pavilion bamboo volumes, the day rising from the ground majestic palace, those scenes vividly in sight, with today's appearance formed a sharp contrast, she vaguely saw nine palace, palace people quietly coming and going, saw one after another command from the deep palace transmitted out, to all parts of the country, saw the shadow of the past bowed over the case.

  Time... is too short...

  She was in the Qin Dynasty for too short a time, and there were still too few things she could do for that emperor. If the speculation of the day was not wrong, she would be able to return to the Qin Dynasty again someday, back to the seven countries standing together...

  Yao Guang quietly tightened her grip on the scripture, straightened her back, and coincidentally lightly touched the hard scabbard. The long sword in the scabbard seemed to understand her intention and slightly trembled. She couldn't help but smile.

  Heaven's will is thus; it has its own timing.

  Just as Yao Guang was about to leave, a surprised and uncertain voice came from behind him.

  "Qingxu... Dao Zhang?" -> "Empty and tranquil... Dao is long?"

  Yao Guang turned around and looked at the woman in a white dress opposite her for a moment, hesitating: "Sun... Miss?"

  The woman opposite had not dressed up as a lady, but had changed into the common female knight attire of the rivers and lakes, wearing a long sword at her waist. Although she looked haggard, her expression no longer showed that kind of sorrow, but instead revealed a kind of resilience like bamboo.

  This subtle change in temperament was the reason for Yao Guang's hesitation. She had a hasty meeting with Sun Xiuzhen, and what left the deepest impression on her was the other's sorrowful and desperate expression. As for her appearance, she didn't have much of an impression, only feeling that there was something familiar about the space between her eyebrows and eyes. After careful consideration, it seemed that among those who had met her and addressed her in this way, there was only one person - Mrs. Xi from Wàn Méi Shānzhuāng. However, at this moment, Sun Xiuzhen wasn't dressed as a woman, so Yao Guang hesitated for a moment before using the appellation "Miss Sun".

  This is Sun Xiuzhi.

  Sun Xiuzhi still had some doubts, and because the person's back looked a bit like Qingxu Daozhang whom she had seen once in Baiyun City, she was so surprised that she blurted out, although she felt it wasn't right, but it was too late to take it back. When the other party responded, after letting out a sigh of relief, she felt even more at a loss for words.

  Sun Xiuzhi left the Wanmei Mountain Villa this time, not to travel or have fun, but to take a break-up letter and cut off all ties with Ximen Chuiyun. As Yao Guang said, a swordsman who has walked the ruthless sword path cannot turn back, even if Sun Xiuzhi stayed in the villa, she would only be an empty name of the villa's mistress, wasting years, and would also cause resentment due to love. After much hesitation and anxiety, Sun Xiuzhi was indecisive until Lu Xiaofeng sought help from Ximen Chuiyun but was rejected, she finally realized that there was no one in this world who could make Ximen Chuiyun turn back, she was no longer the person he loved most, just someone he used to love.

  Sun Xiuzhi packed her luggage, re-fastened her long sword, and quietly left the Wanmei Mountain Villa. She transformed back from "West Gate Madame" to Sun Xiuzhi, but she felt a bit lost, unsure of where to go. As she wandered aimlessly, she happened to arrive in Xianyang.

  "...the Qingxu Dao is long, why would it be in Xianyang?"

  "Let's take a look at the ancient capital of Qin." Yao Guang smiled slightly, "Miss Sun, are you going back to Emei?"

  Yao Guang thought that since the other party was willing to leave Wanmei Mountain Villa, they would definitely return to their sect and beg for forgiveness, even if it meant kneeling at the mountain gate, and make amends with all their might.

  Sun Xiuzhi was stunned by the question, and after a long time, she cried and laughed: "Yes... back to Emei... I can still... go back to Emei..."

  Yao Guang was left somewhat perplexed by Sun Xiuqing's behavior, but the other suddenly turned her back, seemingly sobbing heavily for a few moments, and when she turned back around, her face had become resolute.

  "Thank you, Master Dao, for your guidance." Sun Xiuzhen clasped her fists in respect and bowed, gazing deeply at Yao Guang before turning to leave.

  The author has something to say: Although Sun Xiuzhi marrying the killer of her master and brother is indeed very inappropriate, based on the fact that she is also a woman, I think in this situation, Sun Xiuzhi's widowhood is too miserable. Leaving Wanmei Mountain Villa and returning to her former life as a Jianghu heroine might be better for her.

  This chapter is Chapter 34. If you think this chapter is good, please don't forget to recommend it to your friends on QQ group and Weibo!