Chapter 27: A Lone Feather in Mid-air

  Xiu Gu's iron windmill had a clever mechanism hidden inside, which could be triggered by a spring to move back and forth. He pretended to lose control of the windmill, luring Liao into its return path. At this moment, Zuo Yuan took advantage of the situation to launch a surprise attack, attracting Liao's attention. The iron windmill spun back like the wind, catching Liao off guard, who was about to suffer a great loss.

  Liang Xiao shouted out, the iron wind wheel had already flown over. Ling Er's reaction was quick, she ducked her head, but it was still a step too late, avoiding her neck, the back of her head would inevitably be cut. The two old men took advantage of her confusion and launched a surprise attack. Ling Er was caught off guard from both front and back, falling into a desperate situation.

  Just then, with a "ding" sound, without any warning, the windmill seemed to be supported by something and suddenly sprang up, sweeping over her head.

  Shu Gu's killer move missed, and he let out a soft "hmm". With a flick of his wrist, the windmill returned to its handle, but before he could launch another attack, he felt a numbness in his armpit and half his body stiffened. Only one left, Yuan, was left standing, feeling bewildered in his heart. He leapt backward, wildly swinging his jade flute to protect himself from harm.

  He didn't fight back, stunned for a moment, lowered his flute and turned around to rush into the pine forest with a bitter smile: "You finally came?"

  Zuo Yuan saw her dazed and took advantage of the opportunity, swinging his jade flute to strike at her back. Liang Xiao saw it from a distance and threw a ball of ice and snow at Zuo Yuan's calf. As the snowball flew out, a green shadow flashed through the air with a "hiss" sound, moving twice as fast as the snowball.

  Zuo Yuan's jade flute flew out, and his lower back suddenly went numb. The jade flute slipped from his grasp and flew far away. Liang Xiao's snowball happened to arrive just in time, packed with internal energy. Zuo Yuan took this hit, and his shinbone felt like it was about to break. He stumbled and cursed loudly: "You treacherous scoundrel, hiding your head and secretly attacking me? If you have the guts, come at me openly... Ahh..." He couldn't support himself and fell backwards onto the ground.

  The sudden change behind her, Liang Xiao seemed to be unaware of the situation, staring blankly at the pine forest with a hint of bitterness between his eyebrows. After a moment of silence, he said: "You've come, just...come down!" Liang Xiao took a closer look and saw that on the top of Zuo Yuan's head, there was a green needle from the pine tree. He took a deep breath, the pine forest was ten zhang away, the pine needles were light and thin, not only did they pierce through the wind and snow, but also injured Zuo Yuan, such a master. Such divine power, truly a heavenly being.

  In the midst of the forest's silence, a faint sigh echoed out, and snowflakes fell from the branches above. Along with them, a figure floated down. As soon as Liang Xiao saw the person, he cried out in surprise: "Ah, it's you!" The two old men on the ground also exclaimed in unison: "Ah, it's you!" Their voices were filled with inexplicable fear.

  A man in a worn-out Confucian robe with long, black whiskers appeared. He was the scholar who had been dueling with Liang Xiao every day. As soon as Liang Xiao spoke up, he stepped forward and shouted, "Daozhang, Ah Xue, Ya'er, hurry up and leave! I'll hold him off for a while." Ya'er looked confused, but Ah Xue said foolishly, "Brother, he doesn't seem like a bad person?"

  Liang Xiao saw that things were critical, and the two of them stood there stupidly. His heart grew more anxious by the second. He glanced over again to see Liao Qing standing still, staring blankly at the Confucian scholar. He couldn't help but urge: "Liao Qing, why aren't you leaving?" Liao Qing didn't respond, instead sighing towards the Confucian scholar and saying: "You... how did you end up here again?"

  The Confucian scholar smiled wryly, his eyebrows twitching as he sighed: "That day at the Opponent's Pavilion, I saw that young man use the Reclusive Sword and knew then. Alas, after twenty-four years of searching, I finally found your trail... but what's the point? Even if I find you, you'll still leave me behind..."

  Zuo Yuan cursed: "Shameless old man!" Xiugou also cursed: "You're so shameless you're dead!"

  Her expression was calm and serene, but her voice trembled as she muttered: "So you won't come to see me?" Before she could finish speaking, two lines of clear tears slid down from the corners of her eyes.

  A Confucian scholar's foot moved slightly, his arm raised as if to wipe away her tears, but ultimately he dropped his hand and said: "Yes. You didn't know I was here, so you wouldn't leave. This way, I can watch over you from afar. When I saw you teach that young man the 'Gui Cang Sword', I went out of my way to guide him, letting him learn quickly and well. The better and faster he learned, the happier you became. Alas, just seeing your smiling face makes me indescribably happy."

  Zuo Yuan scolded again: "A dog man and woman are just a dog man and woman!" Xiugou retorted: "Disrespecting the elderly, bringing shame to future generations!" Zuo Yuan said: "That's right, if Hua Qingyuan heard this, wouldn't he crawl into a crack in the ground?"

  Liang Xiaoqi said: "Zuo Laoer, what's going on with Guan Da Shu?" Zuo Yuan grunted and remained silent, his face sinking.

  He listened again, sighed and said in a low voice: "You're still sneaking around like this, are you the same Gong Yangyu who was invincible back then?" Liang Xiao only felt that the name Gong Yangyu sounded familiar, and after thinking about it for a moment, he remembered that his parents had mentioned this name at the Hundred Feet Alliance.

  Gong Yangyu let out a sigh, gazing up at the sky thick with clouds, and smiled wretchedly: "Lin Huixin has fallen in love, will Gong Yangyu still be the Gong Yangyu of old? Ha! Fallen in love, fallen in love, all grudges and affections have been resolved?" Suddenly he threw his head back and laughed loudly, causing the snow on the treetops to fall rustling down.

  With a burst of laughter, he stared at the two people above him and said coldly: "You two, are you from the Huā Wú Qiān sect?"

  Zuo Yuan angrily said: "What's the matter? What's not?" Gong Yang Yu silently looked at the two of them, nodded, and with a wave of his hand, "hiss" twice, between his fingers appeared two pine needles.

  As soon as the needle was gone, the two of them were able to move again and jumped up together. They exchanged a glance and turned around to leave. Gong Yangyu suddenly looked up at the sky with both eyes and coldly said: "Do you think this is a vegetable market? You can come and go as you please?"

  Xiu Gu Nu said: "Gong Yang Yu, what do you want to do?" Gong Yang Yu coldly said: "You all have eyes but no pearls, daring to be unreasonable with Hui Xin. Humph! Either each of you kowtows ten times to her; or else, leaving behind two fingers is also acceptable."

  Two old men looked as pale as death, and Zuoyuan shouted: "Gongyang Yu, you must not bully people too much!" Gongyang Yu didn't even look at him, saying lightly: "I'm bullying you, what can you do? If you still have a bit of courage and don't want to be blind, go ahead and kill yourself!"

  Zuo Yuan's hands trembled, his face turned pale and he stuttered, unable to speak. Gong Yangyu sneered: "Zuo La'Er, your greedy and timid nature will never change until you die. In my opinion, it's better for you to just kowtow!"

  Zuo Yuan stared blankly at the sky, suddenly let out a sigh, and his knees softened as if he was about to kneel down. Leng Qing was shocked and just wanted to stop him when Xiu Gu suddenly stretched out his hand and supported Zuo Yuan, saying sternly: "Gong Yangyu! Are you only good at bullying the weak? Our martial arts skills are inferior to yours, so it's our fault for being insulted by you. Humph, when you encounter a real master, aren't you just going to flee with your tail between your legs?"

  Gong Yangyu looked at him, not angry but smiling, and said: "Xiu Laosi, what do you mean by this?" Xiu Gu calmed down and said loudly: "Two days ago, we met Xiao Qianjue in Funiu Mountain!"

  Gong Yang Wudan said: "The real master you're talking about is Xiao Lao Guai?" Xiugou said: "That's right, he saw us and immediately asked where you were. I said I didn't know. He was in a hurry, riding on the Black Tiger, and left in the blink of an eye!"

  The old ram frowned and said, "What does Xiao Lao Guai want from me?" Xiugou sneered, "He says your male disciple has seduced his female disciple. He can't swallow this tone, he must find you to settle the account!"

  Gong Yangyu lowered his head, thought for a moment, and smiled slightly: "In those days, he came to me with this matter, hurting Yun Wancheng. I was busy finding Hui Xin and had no time to settle accounts with him. He didn't see the good in it and instead kept pressing step by step. Fine, I'll teach him a lesson, let's see who will slink away!"

  "Have you forgotten your promise from back then?"

  Gong Yangyu looked at her and smiled wryly: "Of course, I haven't forgotten. Back then, when I was evenly matched with Xiao Lao Guai, neither of us could move, except for you standing by. With just a raise of your hand, you could have killed him, but instead, you showed mercy and saved me, pulling him to safety as well, and even persuaded us to put aside our differences and make peace. Xiao Lao Guai has always been one to hold grudges, though he wouldn't admit it out loud. For over twenty years, he's been in hiding, never again clashing with me. Hmph, since he didn't come looking for me, I won't go looking for him either. Now that he's come knocking on my door, can I just turn tail and run?"

  He furrowed his brow and said, "Do you have a chance of winning?" Gong Yangyu shook his head and said, "I've fought him over a hundred times in my life. Before I created the Three Talents Returning to the Origin Palm, it was hard to tell who was better. After I mastered it, I won and he lost. That one time, Old Xiao ran away faster than a rabbit. Later, he mastered the 'Heavenly Object Blade' and came to the Tianji Palace, injuring Hua Wuxiang. I had no choice but to use the 'Taiyi Splitting Light Sword' to force him back, but that was two against one, so it still counts as my loss. After that, I mastered the Returning to Storage Sword and fought him again, over ten times, and neither of us could win. Now, after more than twenty years, I also want to know, which is stronger, the old freak or the old poor acid?"

  He hesitated for a moment, then shouted loudly: "Zuo Lao Er, Xiu Lao Si, didn't you two say that I would flee with my tail between my legs when I saw Xiao Lao Guai? Alright, the two of you go down the mountain and pass on the message to Xiao Lao Guai, tell him I'm waiting for him here, we'll have a showdown!"

  Zuo Yuan and Xiugou's hearts were disheartened, their heroic spirit completely gone. They silently looked at each other for a moment. Suddenly, Zuo Yuan asked: "Lin Huixin, do you have any enemies in this area?"

  He was taken aback for a moment, shook his head and said: "I live in seclusion on the mountain, I have no disputes with the world." Zuo Yuan Dao said: "Then why did someone send me a message saying you were living on Mount Hua?"

  Ling Qing furrowed her brow, unable to understand. Liang Xiao suddenly said: "I know who sent the message!" Ling Qing asked in surprise: "Who?" Liang Xiao sighed: "It must be Ming Gui. He betrayed Tianji Palace, and these two old men are chasing after him. He met Daozhang at the foot of the mountain and deliberately leaked the news. Daozhang had a feud with Hua Wuyan, so these two old men couldn't catch Ming Gui, they took Daozhang instead!"

  Zuo Yuan and Xiugou suddenly realized that they had fallen into Minggui's trap, and they became even more despondent. Gongyang Yu looked at the two of them with great impatience, waved his hand and shouted: "What are you two dawdling about? Don't hurry up and get out of here?" The last two words were spoken with true force, and the sound carried for ten miles, echoing endlessly, as if the entire Mount Hua was shouting: "Get out...get out...get out..."

  Two cranes were seized by his divine power, supporting each other and running wildly side by side, and in the blink of an eye they disappeared without a trace.

  He stared blankly at Gong Yangyu, until the two cranes left, and then he let out a soft sigh. Suddenly, he said: "Ya'er, let's go too!" Gong Yangyu's body shook violently as he turned to look back at Qing. But what he saw was Ya'er leading the white donkey, following behind Qing.

  "Ah, good! Hui Xin, the final battle is approaching, and you won't even collect my corpse for me?" Leng Qing sighed: "You're determined to fight with Xiao Qian, what can I do? Who can escape death in this world? Even Zhuang Zhou mourned his wife and still played the zither, as a Xuanmen Daoist, what attachments do I have left?"

  Gong Yang's face turned pale, and he shouted: "Zhuang Zhou is heartless and unrighteous, a complete scoundrel!" Leng Qing interjected: "Then I'll be a scoundrel too."

  The old man was stunned, let out a loud cry, and fell to the ground, pounding his fists like a child and wailing loudly. The crowd saw this great master acting in such a way, initially shocked, then found it amusing, but after hearing him for a while, they suddenly felt pity. After a moment of silence, he sighed and said: "You know I won't change my mind, what's the use of crying?"

  "Alright, what can change your mind?" he said loudly. "I may not be able to pluck the sun, moon and stars from the sky, but as long as it's within my power, I'll do it even if it means going through boiling water and walking through fire! Hui Xin, with just one word from you, I'll put everything down and elope with you to the ends of the earth! Compared to you, what's victory or defeat in martial arts, what's fame in Jianghu? All that is nothing but dog fart!"

  Liang Xiao's blood boiled with excitement, thinking: "These words are truly heroic! Alas, why must you be so stubborn, Long Daochang?" Looking again at Ya'er and A Xue staring fixedly at Gong Yangyu, he thought, "Their hearts must also think the same as mine!"

  Her eyes gazed into the distance, her expression as calm as ever, but suddenly there were tears in her eyes. She said softly: "Ah Yu, you have a wife and children, you should be living happily. I'm just an ordinary woman, compared to Hua Wenyin, I'm inferior in beauty, martial arts, and talent! Moreover... she has given birth to your children! Even if you can't stand Hua Wenyin, how can you bear not to see your own children?"

  She gave a mournful smile, turned around to help up Gong Yangyu, and gently wiped away the tears on his face. In a soft voice, she said: "Gong Yangyu, go back to Tianji Palace! Lin Huixin is dead, and only true love remains. All grudges and resentments have been resolved. You already know, why must you come again to torment me?"

  Liang Xiao was stunned, thinking: "Gong Yangyu is Huada's father, Xiaoshuang's grandfather, and Huawu's husband. Alas, I'm really stupid, earlier when I mentioned the incident of Xiao Qian's chaos in the Tianji Palace, I should have guessed it. No wonder, Gong Yangyu is a married man with children, a good person who values relationships, naturally doesn't want to separate families and couples." Thinking of this unsolvable dilemma, he felt sorry for the two of them.

  He stared blankly for a moment, then burst out laughing: "You're calling me Ah Yu again? Ha! You're calling me Ah Yu again? Haha!" He laughed as he spoke. After laughing for a while, he suddenly turned melancholic and said, "What you said is right, the flower has no equal in beauty or talent, with not a single flaw. But do you know? She takes pleasure in playing with people's hearts, wanting to tie me down forever, never letting me take a step away. I'm a free-spirited person, if there was no Lin Huixin in this world, I'd rather sleep drunk in the wilderness and gaze at the floating clouds. You say live a carefree life? Alas, since Qingyuan's birth, I've never lived a carefree day..." He spoke to this point, his eyes gazing eastward, as if he had become stupid and dull.

  At that moment, Gong Yangyu said: "That year, Hua Wuxiang fought with Xiao Lao and was seriously injured. Hua Wuying blamed me for being hypocritical and provoking Xiao Qianxue. I left the Tianji Palace in anger. Later, I missed Qingyuan and Murong, so I went to see the child. But Hua Wuying wanted me to admit my mistake before letting me see them. Humph, the fault was not mine, of course, I wouldn't admit it. Even so, I still remembered her and the child. Unexpectedly, Hua Wuying actually plotted to kill you, at the banks of the Huai River, when she stabbed you with that sword, I saw it clearly...

  Gong Yangyu smiled wryly: "Before that sword, I had always restrained my heart and regarded you as a bosom friend. After that sword, I finally understood who my true love was. That one sword from Hua Wenyin did not kill Lin Huixin, but it killed the old Gong Yangyu. Now I am just a vagabond, without country, family, relatives, or laws to follow. Bah, what nonsense about being a poor Confucian scholar? From now on, call me 'The Six Nothings Recluse'!"

  Liang Xiao saw his sorrowful expression and thought: "Hua Wenyue is not a good person, but she has raised her children alone, it's also somewhat pitiful." After a moment of silence, he sighed: "No matter what you say, as women, I know that Hua Gongzhu has never forgotten you. She tried to kill me with a sword because of jealousy and hatred. For twenty years, I have remembered the look in her eyes when you injured her. Alas! I will never forget that look for my entire life!"

  Gong Yangyu stared at her for a while, then sighed and said: "Forget it, there's no point in saying more. Huixin, if you don't follow me today, I'll stand here. Whether you leave or stay, I won't move an inch. If Xiao Qianjie comes, let him strike me dead with one palm!"

  Ling's face turned red with anger, and she shouted: "You... you scoundrel!" Gong Yangyu remained silent, standing in the snow with his eyes closed, letting the fierce wind howl around him, carrying snowflakes that fell on his body. Ling also got angry and said: "You stand, I'll stand too. You've been searching for me for 24 years, I'll keep you company for a few days and nights." Her hands hung down, and she closed her eyes as well.

  Yu'er and Ah Xue saw this situation, helpless. Liang Xiao frowned and said: "Let's find some wooden sticks and thatch to build a hut for them, and light a fire." Just as they were about to take action, their knees suddenly went weak, and they knelt down on the ground. Looking down, they saw a green pine needle stuck in the jumping ring hole. They only heard Gong Yangyu say coldly: "You little brat, don't interfere with other people's business. Hmph, Huixin has been controlled by me, you two help her into the house!"

  Liang Xiao knew that her martial arts skills were far inferior, and resisting would be futile. She reluctantly pulled out the silver needle and walked to Qing's front. Indeed, she saw the "Shenque" acupoint on Qing's chest exposed, and was secretly shocked: "Even a Taoist priest like Qing can't escape the pain of being pierced by a needle?" Suddenly, Qing opened her eyes and said: "Liang Xiao, don't move me." Liang Xiao sighed: "Taoist Priest, please forgive me." Ignoring Qing's scolding, she ordered Ya'er and Ah Xue to carry her back to the Taoist temple.

  Liang Xiao hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and said: "Master Gongyang, I've been to the Tianji Palace." Master Gongyang closed his eyes, expressionless. Liang Xiao continued: "I saw Hua Wuyan, she has the art of preserving her youth, as if she'll never age; I also met Hua Qingyuan and Hua Dashi." At this point, Master Gongyang's eyebrows slightly raised.

  "He's a careless person, always dragging things out; as for Hua Mu Rong, she's too casual and sloppy, sigh... I'm afraid she'll never get married in her lifetime." He said with a slight smile, "Hua Da Shu's wife is also very good, they have a daughter named Xiao Shuang, who is a very good girl..." His words paused, and he finally held back from mentioning Hua Xiao Shuang's illness.

  Gong Yangyu's face was wooden, and Liang Xiao let out a soft sigh as he turned to leave. Suddenly, Gong Yangyu spoke up, "Thanks for telling me." Liang Xiao replied, "No need to thank me, you pointed out my sword technique, I just returned the favor, it's only right." Gong Yangyu grunted, then suddenly asked, "You're surnamed Liang and named Xiao?" Liang Xiao replied, "Yes!" Gong Yangyu pondered for a moment before saying, "Your moves are from the Calculus school, but your foundation in martial arts comes from the Black Water school. Hmm, not bad, you take your father's surname as your own, and your mother's surname as your name... Your dad is Liang Wenjing, and your mom is Xiao Yulian, right?" Liang Xiao's whole body shook, he turned around and exclaimed, "H-how did you know?!"

  Gong Yangyu let out a cold hum and said, "Didn't that foolish kid Liang Wanjing mention my name?" He seemed somewhat disappointed and asked again, "Is the foolish kid doing well?" Liang Xiao's eyes welled up with tears as he trembled and said, "H-he's already gone!" Gong Yangyu's eyes snapped open wide, his voice stern as he asked, "You're saying he's dead?" His foot moved forward, almost taking a step out, but then he thought of the promise and forcibly restrained himself. Seeing this, Liang Xiao knew that it had something to do with his father, so he hid nothing and told Gong Yangyu about the circumstances of Liang Wanjing's death.

  Gong Yangyu listened to Liang Xiao finish speaking, and was stunned for a while. He looked up at the sky and sighed with a bitter smile: "The heavens do not know of human affairs, rain and snow fall in sorrowful autumn." Liang Xiao did not understand his meaning, Gong Yangyu finished reciting, his interest dwindled, closed his eyes and sighed: "You can go!"

  Liang Xiao had to return to the Taoist temple, as soon as he entered, Ah Xue pulled him and said: "Brother, Qing Daozhang is angry." Dumb child also stared at him with eager eyes. Liang Xiao walked into the wing room, saw Qing staring at himself, and said: "Even if Gong Yang's martial arts are high, in such weather, he will still freeze to death. Wait for him to weaken, I'll take action to subdue him."

  Ying shook her head and said: "How can a poor Confucian scholar like him be so easy to deal with? You've unsealed my acupoints, hmm, I won't compete with him in internal energy anymore. As a Taoist priestess, I shouldn't have been bothered by worldly thoughts." Liang Xiao thought that given her usual gentle nature, she wouldn't go back on her word, and so he unsealed her acupoints as promised.

  Ling Xue got up and said, "Liang Xiao, I have a favor to ask." Liang Xiao replied, "Daozhang, don't be polite." Ling Xue sighed, "It's all because I was disturbed by him and couldn't wake up early. He did this just to see that I couldn't forget my feelings. The only way to deal with him is to respond with indifference to his passion. If I put on an air of indifference and leave, he will be left to admire himself, which would be very dull. Alas, now he has trapped himself, it's a great opportunity. I'll slip away from the back door of the Taoist temple with Mute, under the cover of wind and snow. You wait until you think I've gone far enough, then let Ah Xue tell him. Hmm, remember, let Ah Xue speak, don't interrupt."

  Li Xiang said, "Why?" Leng Qing smiled bitterly and said, "He has a violent temper. Once he gets angry, he will inevitably take it out on others. Ah Xue is a weak woman, even if he's furious, he won't bully her. If it were you, the two of you would be like fire and gasoline, only getting more intense if you started fighting, and in the end, you'd be the one to suffer." Li Xiang listened with admiration, thinking, "I always thought that Daozhang was a pedantic and worldly person, but he's actually so sharp at analyzing things. She used to be called Lin Huixin, indeed she has a wise and gentle heart. But this way, Gong Yang is somewhat pitiful."

  By the time of Shen You, the wind and snow grew more violent. The north wind howled, and the small snowflakes turned into big goose feather-like snow, fluttering and falling continuously. By the next morning, the ice and snow on the cliff had piled up to over two feet thick. Gong Yang's fur was covered with frost and snow, making him look like a snowman. He stood still, his vital energy retracted, his breathing almost imperceptible. At first glance, there was no sign of life.

  Her heart was filled with emotions, she gazed at him from afar for a long time, but ultimately steeled herself and turned around to see that the back door was already open. She said to Liang Xiao: "The wind and snow are very heavy, enough to cover up any sounds, if we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave at all! Liang Xiao, I'm counting on you!" Liang Xiao bowed his hands and said: "Master, have a safe journey." She nodded and took two steps forward, but couldn't help turning back to take one last look. In an instant, tears welled up in her eyes, and fearing being seen by others, she hastily turned around and walked out of the temple. The white donkey had its hooves wrapped in cotton cloth, making no sound as it walked on the snowy ground. Two people and a donkey were seen braving the endless wind and snow, crossing over the dark mountain ridge, disappearing into the thick darkness of night.

  Liang Xiao watched as the two figures disappeared into the distance, his heart filled with a sense of melancholy. Suddenly, Ah Xue spoke up in a soft voice, "If it were me, I wouldn't have left." Liang Xiao sighed and said, "It's hard to fulfill both emotions and righteousness. However, your good intentions seem to be going too far." Ah Xue lowered her head and said, "Since I can remember, no one has ever treated me this well. If someone treats me this well, even if it goes against the norms of society, I would still want to be with them." Liang Xiao smiled and said, "You have a good temperament and are beautiful, why worry that you won't find a good man who likes you?" Ah Xue glanced at him, thinking to herself, "Even if there were a good man, I wouldn't care about it." She then asked again, "Brother, you're Gong Yang, what would you do?" Liang Xiao hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "I don't know."

  A Xue sighed, and the two sat in silence. As the sky turned white, A Xue finally spoke: "Brother, since we've parted ways for a long time, I'll go tell Mr. Gong Yang, okay?"

  Liang Xiao looked out at the wind and snow outside the house, nodded and said: "They must have gone down the mountain. To be on the safe side, let's wait a little longer..."

  The words were not yet finished, and the sound of a flute came faintly through the wind and snow, twisting and turning, mournful and piercing. Although it was going against the wind, it seemed like a small boat in a stormy sea, floating up and down in the wild wind, never being engulfed.

  The sound entered his ears, and Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat for no reason. After thinking for a moment, he looked around the Taoist temple and found that there was only one thing that could be used as a weapon - a three-foot-long iron poker for burning fire. He picked it up in his hand, walked out of the temple, and gazed into the distance. The wind and snow filled the sky, and the first light of dawn had just appeared. Gong Yangyu stood in front of the Taoist temple, with nearly half of his body buried, his face and limbs frozen in ice and snow, looking like a pile of accumulated snow, making it impossible to see his original appearance.

  A Xue looked on in shock, her voice trembling as she said: "Brother, he...he won't freeze to death, will he?" Liang Xiao also felt uneasy, and initially wanted to go forward, but then remembered Qing's warning, so he retreated to the side and said: "A Xue, you go call him!"

  A Xue nodded and walked to the front of the snowman, just about to speak when a dark light flashed before her eyes, and a black giant tiger suddenly jumped out of the snowy wind, its four paws firmly on the ground, its two eyes emitting a faint green glow.

  A Xue let out a sharp cry, looked up and saw a black-clad man sitting on the tiger's back, his face pale, with three strands of black whiskers fluttering in the wind. Her heart racing, she stammered: "Y-you are who?" The man grunted, not even looking at her straight.

  Liang Xiao's face changed color as he watched, and he hastily called out: "A Xue, come back..." As soon as the words left his mouth, the black-clothed man didn't lift a hand or move a foot, but had already jumped down from the tiger's back. With a flick of his wrist, he grasped A Xue's shoulder. A Xue's shoulder bone almost cracked, and she cried out in pain. The black-clothed man's eyes looked up at the sky, his voice like muffled thunder: "Where is Gong Yangyu?"

  A Xue was not good at telling lies, and she gritted her teeth to say: "He... he's right in front of you, can't you see?" The black-clad man turned his head to look, but all he saw was a pile of accumulated snow. He paused for a moment, his eight-shaped eyebrows sinking downwards as he angrily shouted: "You little girl, how dare you trick me?!" His sleeve fluttered, and the Black Tiger let out a mighty roar towards the sky, its voice echoing far and wide, causing the mountains to rumble and the valleys to respond, with all the beasts cowering in fear.

  A Xue listened to the tiger's roar, frightened and her knees went weak, staring at the black tiger's big mouth, a dizziness in front of her eyes. Suddenly, she heard Liang Xiao say coldly: "Xiao Qian Yue, you bully little girls, have your face been eaten by dogs?"

  Xiao Qian glanced at him coldly and said, "Fine, I'll give her to you." He lifted Ah Xue above his head and threw her out with a "whoosh". Ah Xue felt the wind rushing past her ears, the scenery in front of her flashing by in an instant. For a moment, she was unable to control her body and let out a sharp cry: "Brother!"

  Xiao Xin knew that Xiao Qian was going to test his strength, so he inserted the iron rod and held it up with both hands. But as soon as Ah Xue entered his arms, a powerful force came crashing down on him, causing him to stumble backward three steps in a row. With a loud shout, just as he was about to regain his footing, he suddenly felt a suffocating sensation in his chest and fell to the ground with a thud. Xiao Qian sneered coldly: "That's all you can take? Hmph, get out of my sight!"

  Liang Xiao clenched his teeth, put down Ah Xue, and said in a low voice: "Ah Xue, go back to the room. No matter what happens, don't come out. Otherwise, from now on, I won't care about you." Ah Xue had never seen him so stern, her heart racing, she nodded slightly and walked back into the room, leaning against the door to watch.

  Xiao Liang raised the iron rod and said loudly, "Xiao Qianjue, where is my mother?" Xiao Qianjue's eyebrows rose, and he looked at him with a piercing gaze. In the blink of an eye, six years had passed, and Xiao Liang's appearance had changed, but there was still a faint shadow of his former self. Xiao Qianjue could see the image of his beloved disciple from his eyebrows and eyes, and his heart sank slightly: "This kid is still alive?" He should have killed Liang Wanjun, and Xiao Liang was young and miserable, it was difficult for him to survive, but unexpectedly this kid was still alive. Xiao Qianjue was decisive in his actions, always uprooting the weeds, and in an instant, a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

  Liang Xiao also knew that today was a day of bad luck, so he took out the yin-yang ball and put it in his mouth. Thinking of his father's death, hot blood rushed to his head, and with a wave of the burning staff in his hand, "Repeating Sword Path" appeared at his command. This sword move was mostly defensive and slightly offensive, defending tightly and attacking sharply, and on that day he had used this move to defeat Gong Yangyu's Plum Blossom, which was currently his strongest martial art.

  Xiao Qian's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he blinked. The burning stick flew through the air, rushing towards him. He let out a cold laugh, his right hand extended from his sleeve, and with just one flick, five thin fingers appeared at the front end of the iron rod.

  "Hum", the iron rod bent, Xiang Xiao's tiger mouth burst open, and blood flowed like a fountain. He had no choice but to drop the fire poker, "Three Talents Returning to the Origin Palm" was launched, and he swiftly circled around Xiang Qian, suddenly slapping his palms together, striking his back.

  Xiao Qian didn't turn back, the iron rod swung backwards and sealed, "Dang", Liang Xiao's palms slapped the middle of the iron rod, the fire rod bent and broke with a "Pa" sound, a huge force was transmitted through the iron rod. Liang Xiao flew out more than 6 feet away, heavily smashing onto the ground, his throat felt sweet, a mouthful of fresh blood surged to his lips.

  A Xue was both shocked and frightened, remembering Liang Xiao's instructions, she didn't dare to come out for the time being, and called out from a distance: "Brother!"

  Xiao Qian didn't pursue, staring at Liang Xiao and saying: "Little bastard, your kung fu wasn't taught by your dead father, where is the old poor scholar?"

  Liang Xiao's face turned pale, and with a "gulp", he swallowed the fresh blood back down. It seemed like there was a bead rolling around in the blood, and carelessly, he ended up swallowing the yin-yang orb along with it. He didn't care about his own life, and wasn't concerned about it either. As soon as Xiao Qian mentioned his deceased father, all the blood in his body rushed to his head.

  A Xue saw that he was unharmed, and was originally delighted. Suddenly, she saw him make a swift move, and pounce on Xiao Qian again. Her heart suddenly hung in suspense: "The black-clothed old man's kung fu is even more terrifying than ghosts and gods. Brother can't win, why does he still want to fight?"

  Xiao Qian's eyes locked onto Liang Xiao, his fists and feet advancing in a flurry of motion. A fierce glint flashed across his face as he sneered, "Want to die? I'll send you on your way, go see your old man!" His left hand swung out, seemingly aiming for the right, but suddenly veered off to the left mid-motion. Liang Xiao dodged too slowly, and his right wrist was caught in a tight grip. He struggled with all his might, but Xiao Qian's hand was like steel, only tightening its hold. Liang Xiao's eyes widened in shock and anger: "What kind of dark kung fu is this? Clearly aiming for the right, yet landing on the left!" In the blink of an eye, Xiao Qian's right palm descended like lightning, and a faint cry of alarm from Ah Xue echoed past his ear.

  His palm changed direction halfway, and Xiao Qianxue's hand slapped to the right. A sudden, muffled sound like thunder, he sidestepped one step, and the approaching person also retreated a step. Xiao Qianxue laughed loudly: "Old beggar, you're really sneaky, pretending to be Snowman to deceive who?"

  Gong Yangyu's body was covered in ice and snow, silent and motionless, as he struck out with another palm. Xiao Qianxue didn't try to block it head-on, instead turning around and swinging Liang Xiaojie into the air towards Gong Yangyu. Gong Yangyu flipped his wrist, changing from a push to a grab, and swiftly caught Liang Xiaojie's left wrist. A flash of blue light appeared in his sleeve, as he drew out an extremely thin soft sword, which danced in the air, striking towards Xiao Qianxue's chest and vital points.

  This sword move is extremely wonderful. Xiao Qian's right hand swung out, his five fingers stretched and bent in an unpredictable manner, and for a moment, it was unclear how many different techniques he had changed into. The clanging sound continued unabated as Gong Yangyu's divine and mysterious sword moves were all neutralized by him with empty hands.

  "Has the old monster's 'Tianwu Blade' become even more refined? Humph, you've made progress, but I haven't?" Just as he was about to raise his sword and strike again, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, emanating from Liang Xiao's wrist and invading his palm in an instant.

  Gong Yangyu was shocked: "Xiao Lao Guai is so poisonous, he wants to borrow this child's internal energy to fight me!" As soon as the thought arose, Xiao Qianxue's palm came like a shadow and lightning, sweeping over. Gong Yangyu flipped his body, swinging his sword with his right hand to meet the enemy, while his left hand released "Hao Ran Zheng Qi", pouring into Liang Xiao's body and resisting Xiao Qianxue's "Tai Yin Zhen Qi". He knew that if he didn't do so, the vitality in Liang Xiao's body would be devoured by "Tai Yin Zhen Qi". In those years on Xiangyang Road, Liang Wanjing was precisely poisoned by this extremely yin and toxic true energy.

  Gong Yangyu only taught three people martial arts in his life, and the one he liked the most was Liang Wanjing. Liang Wanjing had never paid homage to a master, and Gong Yangyu was also proud of himself. Since the other party did not pay homage, he was unwilling to speak out and enlighten him. Moreover, he had been chasing after love with all his heart and unintentionally left far away. Later, when he learned that Liang Wanjing had turned the tide, repelled the Mongolian army, and retired after achieving success, everything he did was in line with Gong Yangyu's intentions. He was overjoyed and wanted to pass on all his skills to Liang Wanjing, but unfortunately, they were separated by vast distances and never found each other again.

  Who would have thought that today's bad news arrived, and Liang Wenjing passed away. Gong Yangyu was heartbroken and couldn't turn his mind around, feeling hopeless and cold. He even had thoughts of ending his life lightly. When Xiao Qianjue came, he didn't move at all, planning to let him do as he pleased. It wasn't until Liang Xiao and Xiao Qianjue took action that the young master refused to yield, making Xiao Qianjue want to kill him. Gong Yangyu reluctantly broke his oath and took action after Liang Wenjing's death, but unexpectedly, Xiao Qianjue used such a desperate move as soon as he made a move, putting him in a difficult situation.

  The two people's internal strength was originally evenly matched, but Xiao Qianxue borrowed the power of objects to transmit his energy, and the farther it was transmitted, the weaker the force became. Gong Yangyu launched a sudden attack from close range, with the momentum of "Hao Ran Zheng Qi" like a shocking wave, forcing Taiyin's true qi to approach Liang Xiao's "Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian". However, by this point, "Hao Ran Zheng Qi" had also become exhausted, and Xiao Qianxue immediately countered with a fierce attack. Gong Yangyu retreated slightly and defended at the "Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian", waiting for Xiao Qianxue's offensive to weaken before launching a surprise counterattack, splitting off a stream of true qi that bypassed Liang Xiao's belt meridian, rising diagonally along the "Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian", and then attacking Xiao Qianxue through the "Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian".

  Xiao Qian Jue hastily stabilized his internal energy and countered through the "Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian". Gong Yang Yu felt his opponent's internal energy double, leaving no time for a separate attack, and could only defend with all his might. Xiao Qian Jue took advantage of the opportunity to split out his internal energy, following Liang Xiao's "Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian" to launch an attack, and then snuck up through the "Hand Taiyang Small Intestine Meridian". This move was already anticipated by Gong Yang Yu, who immediately countered with a defensive stance, and then hastily urged his internal energy to force out the "Taiyin True Qi" from the "Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian". For a moment, the two men used Liang Xiao's body as their battlefield, with their two internal energies clashing like two armies, advancing and retreating in an endless cycle of attack and defense.

  Two people, one hand internal force, the other hand did not idle, "Gui Cang Jian" against "Tian Wu Ren", finger sword intersecting, ringing endlessly. When the two dodged, both hands pulled Liang Xiao, spinning him like a windmill, but all used clever force, without exerting brute strength. Gong Yang Yu feared using too much force, hurting Liang Xiao; Xiao Qian Yue didn't care about Liang Xiao's life or death, only being self-conceited, thinking that damaging his tendons and bones would make him inferior, as long as he didn't destroy his body, it was a good skill. If not for this, Liang Xiao lost the ability to resist, either of them could have torn him in half with a burst of force.

  Liang Xiao became a tool for the two great masters to exert their strength, and the aftertaste was really indescribable. The two true energies seemed like a pair of mad dragons, entering and exiting his body. Liang Xiao's body suddenly felt cold and hot, light and heavy, experiencing all sorts of flavors such as numbness, itchiness, pain, and smoothness. At its most intense, the hundred pulses in his body felt like snakes and ants crawling, and also like steel knives scraping. Liang Xiao wished he could just die once and for all, but his wrist pulse was being controlled, leaving him powerless to do anything. He fainted several times, only to wake up again after struggling through the ordeal.

  A Xue leaned against the door, looking shocked and amazed. The martial arts skills of the two people on the scene far exceeded her imagination. Gong Yangyu's internal force had been circulating for a long time, and his body was covered in ice and snow that turned into water vapor, with white air rising like he was hiding in the clouds and mist. Liang Xiao's appearance was very strange, with half of his body looking like fire and half looking like dark ice. The two colors intertwined, making A Xue look stunned, worried and feeling eerie at the same time.

  Two strands of inner force were chasing each other inside Liang Xiao's body, sparing no effort. When they reached the "Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian", Gong Yangyu suddenly felt Liang Xiao's inner force surge violently, and his heart skipped a beat as he hastily urged his own inner force to resist. At the same time, Liang Xiao also sensed Gong Yangyu's increased inner force, and his heart was greatly shocked and enraged: "This old poor scholar is accustomed to launching a sneak attack, could it be that he has left a trick up his sleeve for me?"

  The two had already tested each other's strengths and weaknesses, originally confident in their own abilities. But who would have thought that the opponent's internal energy would suddenly increase? The two were caught off guard, and subconsciously increased their internal energy. You gain an inch, I gain an inch, for a moment neither yielding, internal energies alternately rising.

  Once they focused on their inner strength, the two men's movements slowed down. At first, there was still a distinction between offense and defense, but gradually, as they fought on, their movements became slower and slower, until finally, both of them came to a standstill. Each of them was puzzled in his heart, thinking that the other's inner strength far surpassed his own, and that if he were to let go and launch an attack, he would certainly be defeated without a doubt. Yet, for some unknown reason, neither of them made a move, maintaining the stalemate before their eyes.

  Liang Xiao swallowed the "Yin Yang Ball", and the inner strength of the two great masters was transmitted to the "Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian". Unintentionally, they infused their energy into the ball. The "Yin Yang Ball" was insufficient when it entered, but excessive when it exited. Both felt that the other's inner strength had increased, and in their urgency, they forced out all their inner strength. For a moment, two unparalleled inner strengths entwined and repeated within the "Yin Yang Ball", emanating from within the ball and dispersing towards Liang Xiao's surrounding meridians. However, if not for the balance of the two inner strengths forming an equilibrium within the Yin Yang Ball, as soon as one side gained the upper hand, Liang Xiao's meridians would shatter, and his soul would return to the west.

  After a brief stalemate, Gong Yangyu suddenly felt a slight tremor in the place where his internal energy was entwined with Xiao Qianxue's, as if something had silently shattered. Xiao Qianxue's internal energy also weakened along with it. Gong Yangyu took a deep breath and panted, saying: "Xiao old monster, this child is after all your disciple's descendant. After going through this ordeal, he has already become a useless person. Never mind, I admit defeat! You and I will simultaneously release our hands, and spare his life!"

  Xiao Qian also felt that Gong Yangyu's internal strength had weakened, and he was very puzzled: "The old poor acid's internal strength is obviously higher than mine, why did he let go and not fight?" He looked down and saw that Liang Xiao's face was twisted, his skin cracked in many places, and his clothes were stained with blood. The old monster's heart was as hard as iron, but at this moment it also softened slightly: "In any case, he is also the son of Yu Feng!"

  Liang Xiao's martial arts skills were completely useless, and there was no chance of revenge. Xiao Qian hesitated for a moment, then coldly said: "You're just talking nonsense, I want to win clearly and unmistakably. What do you mean by 'you lost'? This smell is unbearable."

  He said one sentence, and the two of them simultaneously released their inner energy. Gong Yangyu also dispersed his energy, waiting for Xiao Qianxue to finish speaking. The two of them let go at the same time. Liang Xiao fell to the ground with a thud, closed his eyes tightly, looking like a dead man. Ah Xue couldn't bear it anymore, rushed out of the room, hugged him and sobbed in pain. But when she checked his mouth and nose, he still had breath, so she felt slightly relieved, wiped away her tears and loudly called out to Liang Xiao, but he remained motionless with his eyes closed, not making a sound.

  The outside was in an uproar, and Liang Xiao had become like this again. However, except for Ah Xue, the entire Xuanyin Temple was quiet. Gong Yangyu felt that something was off and his heart was in turmoil. Suddenly, he heard Xiang Qianjue shout: "Old beggar, I'll give Lin Huixin face and let you have three points over the years. Hmph, you're good, inciting your disciples, hurting my big disciple Xiao Leng, and seducing my female disciple Xiao Yulian. I've been searching for you for six years, today either Xiang Qianjue will be lying on Mount Hua or Gong Yangyu will be expelled from the sect!"

  He said this, and suddenly saw Gong Yangyu's mind was elsewhere, staring at the entrance of the Taoist temple. He couldn't help but get angry, waved his sleeve, and a gust of wind like a knife swept over. Gong Yangyu dodged and counterattacked with one sword, then turned to Ah Xue and shouted: "Where is Little Dao Girl? Why hasn't she come out?" Ah Xue was taken aback, blurting out: "You're asking me? She...she went down the mountain with Qing Daozhang!"

  Gong Yangyu was shocked and shouted, "Hunzi, why didn't you say so earlier?" He became flustered to the extreme, his sword technique revealing openings. He took a slap from Xiao Qianjie's palm on his shoulder, almost falling to the ground. He hastily drew two sword flowers, forcing Xiao Qianjie back, then suddenly turned around and sheathed his treasured sword, fleeing down the mountain at full speed.

  Xiao Qian's superior skills gave him the upper hand, and seeing his opponent flee without a fight, he glared with wide eyes and shouted: "Can't win so you run?!" He chased after him closely, their movements swift as the wind, rising and falling in unison, until they vanished from sight. Black Tiger saw its master leave and let out a loud roar, chasing after them.

  Ah Xue held Liang Xiao in her arms, but felt that his body was sometimes cold and sometimes hot, cold as ice, hot as embers. Her heart was both shocked and afraid, she carried him back to the hut, put him on the bed, rubbed her hands and paced back and forth, completely at a loss.

  Liang Xiao was in a daze, sometimes dreaming of holding embers and entering a raging furnace, sometimes dreaming of embracing ice and snow and placing himself in an icy pool. Sometimes fire dragons flew through the air, and sometimes ice toads emerged from the sea. Various illusions came and went. Suddenly, he let out a loud cry and forcibly opened his eyes. Ah Xue turned her head and saw him, exclaiming with surprise: "Brother, you're awake?" Liang Xiao's breathing was rapid, his mouth making incoherent sounds, his eyes darting back and forth.

  Ah Xue rushed over, shaking him and saying: "Brother, speak!" Liang Xiao's body was in turmoil as the yin and yang energies clashed within him. His eyes were open but he couldn't see anything, his mouth was open but he couldn't speak, his ears could hear nothing, all he felt was the true energy inside him churning like the heavens and earth had turned upside down, yet there wasn't a single method to control it.

  A Xue saw that he was acting strangely, and she was shocked, frightened, and reached out to touch his face, with tears in her eyes saying: "Brother, speak!"

  Liang Xiao lost all sense of touch and didn't feel anyone caressing him; his hearing was also gone, and he couldn't hear Ah Xue speaking. The loud noise was like thunder, pounding against his eardrums again and again.

  In the chaos, he raised his hand and pushed Ashan's shoulder. The push was so powerful that Ashan fell more than ten feet away, heavily hitting the wall and immediately becoming unable to get up. He stared blankly as he jumped up, regardless of anything, and bumped his head against the wall.

  The wall of the Taoist temple was made of mud and not very strong, after he bumped into it, a human-shaped hole appeared. Liang Xiao's face was covered in blood, and he stumbled and staggered onto the snowy ground.

  Ah Xue struggled for a long time, spat out a mouthful of blood, and crawled out of the hole, only to see Liang Xiao curled up with his four limbs, lying on the snow. She couldn't get up, using her hands and feet, crawling nearby, but didn't dare to get close, shouting from afar: "Brother, what's wrong with you......" while crying. Liang Xiao was oblivious, his head still facing down, deeply buried in the snowdrift, letting the snowflakes fall on him. In a short moment, he was completely buried under the snow.

  As soon as Ah Xue's hand touched his skin, she felt a numbness at her fingertips, as if she had been electrocuted. She withdrew her hand in surprise, unable to understand what was happening.

  Gong Yangyu and Xiao Qianjue were both top-notch experts, either of whom could have made Liang Xiao's meridians burst with just a single use of internal force. Not to mention that they were using their internal forces in tandem, colliding back and forth. Logically speaking, Liang Xiao should have died long ago, but the two men's internal forces happened to be at opposite extremes, one yin and one yang, neutralizing each other and canceling out more than half of their power.

  After the transformation of yin and yang, the two men's internal strength doubled their usual level, like two male goats butting heads with two swift arrows shooting out simultaneously. However, these two streams of true energy were too fierce and urgent, and Liang Xiao's meridians could not withstand them. It was as if a beggar who had been poor since childhood suddenly obtained a huge fortune, but did not know what to do with it. At first, he was dizzy and confused, letting the energy run wild, and by the time he came to his senses, the two streams of true energy had already surged through his limbs and body, and could no longer be controlled.

  The air in Liang Xiao's body was so vigorous that it was frightening, and also chaotic to the point of being terrifying. For a moment, all six senses were closed, and his mind was confused, only one step away from going crazy.

  He was confused and crashed into the earthen wall, also hurting his nose, breathing was obstructed, and his mind cleared up. Liang Xiao suddenly understood that he wanted to harm him, stuck his head in the snow, and forcibly held his breath. Although the mouth and nose were blocked, it was difficult to bear, but breathing is the foundation of internal skills, once the breathing is lost, the yin and yang energies will be weak.

  At this point, he would either suffocate to death or die from bursting blood vessels, and there was really no third way out. After another 70-80 breaths, Liang Xiao buried his head in the snow, already on his last gasp. Just as life and death were intersecting, his whole body shook, a strange sensation surged up to his mind, his body expanded outward, all 36,000 pores on his body opened simultaneously, the feeling of suffocation suddenly disappeared, his dantian rose and fell, and a bright light burst forth before his eyes.

  A Xue was crying on the ground when she suddenly saw Liang Xiao's body covered in snowflakes, as if he had been blown open by an invisible force. She couldn't help but cry out "Ah!" Liang Xiao only felt his energy flowing like a river, smooth and unobstructed. Hearing A Xue's cry, he lifted his head and called out "It's okay now!" But just after calling out, he felt his energy and blood surging wildly again, and his heart cried out in alarm. He pressed both hands to the ground and plunged his head back into the snow once more.

  A Xue was overjoyed when he heard him say "it's all right", and just as he was about to call out, Liang Xiao suddenly burrowed into the snow again. A Xue was curious and asked: "Brother, what's in the snow?"

  Liang Xiao was crying and laughing at the same time, but he couldn't answer. He had just held his breath strongly, and the air in his body couldn't be released. At the critical moment of life and death, it burst open the pores all over his body, forming the "Turtle Breath" state that Lianqi practitioners yearned for, where one didn't breathe through the nostrils but instead exhaled and inhaled through the pores. Those who reached this state were usually gradual and progressive, so there was no aftereffect. Liang Xiao had stumbled upon it by mistake, so as soon as he used his mouth and nose again, the true energy inside him went their separate ways once more.

  Liang Xiao didn't know the reason, so he simply buried his head in the snow. Ah Xue sat there dazed, looked for a while, and thought: "If a person holds their breath for such a long time, can they still be alive? Could it be... could he already be dead?" Thinking of this, her heart was filled with fear, she gently pushed him twice. Liang Xiao's mind was preoccupied with thinking about the strange thing that just happened, and didn't have time to react, Ah Xue felt even more convinced, hugged Liang Xiao tightly, and burst into tears.

  Xue's heart was filled with wonder: "Why is this foolish girl crying?" Ah Xue cried for a long time, then thought: "I've known my brother for so long, I can't let him die in the snow." She wiped away her tears and was about to pick up Liang Xiao when she suddenly felt his soft muscles. Her heart secretly wondered, "Why is his body so soft and warm? People who have died should be cold and stiff... Ah, it's because he just stopped breathing, his body hasn't cooled down yet..." This thought made her even more regretful, and she cried out in anguish: "I'm so stupid! If only I had pulled you out earlier, you wouldn't have died..." At this point, she was so overcome with grief that she wished she could die together with Liang Xiao.

  Liang Xiao was both angry and amused, thinking: "Stupid girl, she actually cursed me to death." Ah Xue cried for half a day, then stood up and wanted to move his body. Liang Xiao thought: "How can this be, stupid girl really wants to bury me?" Suddenly, he felt Ah Xue let go of him again, sobbing and saying: "I buried my brother, I'll never see him again, I have to find something on his body to keep as a memento." As she spoke, she became sad again and started crying. Liang Xiao's heart warmed up: "Ah Xue treats me too well, today I escaped danger, I must treat her well."

  Ah Xue cried for a while, then reached into Liang Xiao's arms and pulled out some things, rummaging through them. The gold, silver, and jewels were all from Han Ningzi's treasure trove, but they didn't have any special value to her, so she felt disappointed. After searching for a while, she found a red copper ink box, opened it, and saw that it contained a package wrapped in oil paper. She thought to herself, "What is this?" As she unfolded the package, she saw a plain letter with many words written on it.

  "Ah Xue was born clumsy, without a single digit of ability. When reading books, she would always read aloud, and so she recited the words one by one: "The Purple Mansion's Original Scripture": In the beginning of the universe, heaven and earth were non-existent, nothingness gave birth to existence, and from this emerged chaos. Chaos opened up, and yin and yang came into being. Thus, heaven has sun and moon, earth has reality and emptiness, humans are divided into male and female, and animals into male and female. Yin and yang alternate, never stopping, resulting in the four seasons having cold and heat, and the sun and moon having eclipses. The sage created the Zhou Yi, where extreme yang gives birth to yin, Laozi and Zhuangzi wrote the Dao De Jing, where extreme yin reveals yang. When yin and yang are harmonized, they form qi, which is the fundamental substance of chaos and the root source of morality. I have cultivated for half my life, and written the Twelve Chapters of the Purple Mansion, leaving it as a gift to those who are destined..."

  A Xue sighed and said, "Alas, it's so strange and weird, I don't even know what it's saying. This paper is fragile and can't be kept as a memento..." Before she finished speaking, the snow suddenly splashed, and Liang Xiao suddenly jumped up, scaring A Xue into a loud shriek. Liang Xiao shouted loudly: "Continue reading!" As soon as he spoke, his breath became disordered again, and he had to dive headfirst into the snow.

  A Xue was both shocked and delighted, calling out: "Brother, you...you're still alive?" Liang Xiao couldn't speak, only waving his hands and feet. A Xue stared blankly for a moment before exclaiming in joy: "Brother, you really are alive!" Knowing that Liang Xiao was still among the living, she couldn't help but wave her hands wildly, laughing uncontrollably. After laughing for a while, she said: "Brother, don't you get dizzy from always burying your head in the snow?" Liang Xiao gestured with his hands, indicating to her not to waste words and to continue reading quickly. Having heard that previous passage, he vaguely guessed that the Purple Mansion Primordial Scripture was a secret manual for cultivating energy, perhaps it could tame the uncooperative true energy within his body.

  "Ashu continued to recite: 'The chapter of entering concentration. The Taoist is unaware of the heavens and the earth, his body is in a pot without anyone recognizing him, an old tree's roots penetrate into the muddy soil, its sparse branches stretch out horizontally without leaving any shadow, the eyes observe the nose, the nose observes the heart, the heart has a mysterious pearl that produces light, the mysterious pearl moves grain by grain to the mud pellet, turning and operating the wheel of life to measure the refined soul...' As soon as he finished speaking, Liang Xiao jumped up and sat in the lotus position with his legs crossed, his hands clasped together under his neck, his eyes slightly closed, his mind focused inwardly, his breath flowing through the mud pellet hole on top of his head, turning and operating the wheel of life at the back of his neck. Ashu saw that he was no longer burying his head in the snow, knew it must be related to what she had recited, felt a surge of joy in her heart, and continued to recite, finishing the first chapter 'Entering Concentration', then reciting the second chapter 'Washing the Heart'."

  The mental method of "Zi Fu Yuan Zong" is fully expressed in poetic sentences. The two chapters "Entering Stillness" and "Washing the Heart" talk about how to sit in meditation, how to eliminate disturbing thoughts, and how to circulate the breath in the meridians and harmonize yin and yang. Although the words are abstruse, Liang Xiao has a high level of enlightenment and a foundation in internal skills, so after careful consideration, he gradually grasped the subtleties within.

  "The path is unknown to heaven and earth, the body is in the pot without being recognized" refers to "observing the shadow in one's heart", the pot is the heart, "the body is in the pot" means thinking of one's own image in one's heart; "two unknowing" and "no recognition" refer to the absence of external objects, forgetting heaven and earth. "The old tree coils its roots into the mud, sparse branches stretch sideways without leaving a shadow." This describes the sitting method, with legs like an old tree coiling its roots, in the lotus position, hands crossed like branches, but must be tightly attached to the lower jaw, cannot leave a shadow on the ground. The rest are similar and cannot be detailed.

  Liang Xiao listened and comprehended, comprehended and practiced. After practicing "Washing Heart Chapter", the true energy in his body was like a string of pearls, flowing through all the meridians and returning to the Dan Tian. Before long, his heart was calm and peaceful, his breathing was long and slow, and the Qi mechanism inside his body was harmonious, with no more knots. Originally, these two chapters were practiced by others for at least seven or eight months, or even ten years or more, but they may not have achieved anything. Liang Xiao unintentionally reached the "Turtle Breath" state, built a high foundation, and naturally found it easy to practice. In just two hours, he had achieved great success.

  "A Xue saw him with his head bowed and eyes cast down, his expression calm and composed. In her heart, she was delighted and said: "Brother, the next volume is 'The Ninth Chapter'. Listen carefully, it says: Nine nines peach blossoms are born in the cave, Eight eights green dragons weigh one jin, Seven sevens white tigers raise twins, The mother of wood and the father of gold have a warm nature, In the twelve palaces, the toad appears, At all times, the earth spirit descends from heaven, Pull out the heavenly root and the earthly marrow, White snow and yellow teeth grow naturally... Liang Xiao opened his eyes wide in surprise and said: "A Xue, what nonsense are you reciting?"

  Ah Xue carefully looked at it and said, "I read it according to what's on top, not a single word is wrong!" Liang Xiao took over the paper note, examined it carefully, and indeed not a single word was different. His eyebrows furrowed unintentionally, and he didn't speak for a long time.

  Ah Xue was curious and asked, "Brother, what do these words mean?" Liang Xiao shook his head and said, "I don't understand any of the poem's sentences." Ah Xue widened her eyes in surprise and said, "If you can't even understand it, who else would?" Liang Xiao smiled wryly and said, "Silly girl, you overestimate me. Since this predecessor wrote it this way, there must be someone who understands it. The first two chapters used many metaphors, which aren't difficult to comprehend after some thought. But from this chapter on, many strange words and phrases appear, I guess they're probably some kind of terminology, like the 'hook, stock, square, and circle' or 'merchant's abacus method' in arithmetic. If you don't understand these terms, there's no way to know what this predecessor really meant." Ah Xue said, "What should we do then?" Her brow furrowed, worried for him.

  Liang Xiao continued to read on, after "Chapter 9", there were nine more chapters: "Mysterious Use, Divine Subtlety, Auspicious Tripod, Lively Attainment, Brilliant Radiance, Embryonic Breathing, Avoiding Grains, Immortal Journey, and Returning to Truth". Each chapter was more abstruse than the last, with even stranger vocabulary. He couldn't help but think: "The predecessors who wrote this must have been lazy, setting up all these bizarre and mysterious puzzles to test people. First, there's the pure yang iron box, then the yin-yang ball, and now it's the purple mansion ancestral temple." He read through it from start to finish again, but didn't find the author's name or any mention of Lü Dongbin, so it seemed that the story about Lü Dongbin casting the box was indeed a misconception.

  Liang Xiao thought for a moment, then sighed and said: "Ah Xue, I don't understand this. This 'Zi Fu Yuan Zong' is really extraordinary. Just the two chapters of 'Entering Samadhi' and 'Washing the Heart' have already dissipated the chaotic true energy in my body. Alas, according to Yu Ling, if one cultivates it to a later stage, they can supposedly expel ghosts and move spirits, becoming an immortal and ascending to heaven. I wonder if that's really true?"

  "A Xue thought: "Fortunately, you didn't understand, brother became an immortal and ascended to heaven, A Xue was left alone in the mortal world, wouldn't it be lonely?" Thinking of this, she secretly rejoiced and smiled at Liang Xiao."

  Liang Xiao saw her smile strangely, and asked: "You silly girl, what are you smiling about? Ah... Ah Xue, are you hurt?" Ah Xue came back to her senses, only then feeling the pain in her shoulder and chest, remembering that she had been slapped by Liang Xiao, which was quite painful. Later, with all the strange occurrences, she had forgotten the pain. She feared Liang Xiao would feel guilty, so she glanced around and said: "No." Liang Xiao gave her a stern look, scolding: "Silly girl, you can't even lie properly, glancing around everywhere, saying there's nothing wrong?" Ah Xue was extremely embarrassed, lowering her head to fiddle with the hem of her clothes.

  Liang Xiao carefully put away the "Zi Fu Yuan Zong" and thought of the Yin Yang ball being swallowed into his belly, fearing that there might be future troubles. However, he focused his mind and looked inward, but did not detect any traces of the sphere. After a long while, he vaguely remembered that when two great masters were fighting, it seemed like something inside him had burst. At this moment, he thought that perhaps the internal strength of the two was too powerful, and the Yin Yang ball could not withstand the pressure, shattering into dust.

  He stood still for a moment, let out a long sigh, and carried Ah Xue into the room to treat her wounds. Ah Xue was extremely exhausted after the ordeal of the past day and night, and before she could even finish treating her injuries, she fell fast asleep. Liang Xiao placed her on the pillow, carefully covered her with the quilt, and thought about their narrow escape from death, feeling secretly grateful. But thinking about his parents' unavenged deaths, he felt ashamed and uncertain.

  He was filled with mixed emotions, his heart still reeling from the turmoil. He looked down and saw Ah Xue sleeping peacefully, her expression endearing and pitiful, making him want to reach out and gently stroke her raven-black hair. For some reason, the image of Hua Xiao Shuang flashed in his mind. Back then, he had fought for the Pure Yang Box solely for her sake, hoping to cure her illness. Now that the Yin-Yang Orb was destroyed, it seemed that wish would remain unfulfilled.

  Liang Xiao was lost in thought for a moment, then refocused and looked again. Ah Xue's mouth corners were slightly raised, her dense eyelashes seemed like a small mirror. It seemed that she had seen something delightful in her dreams, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her eyeballs rotated gently. Liang Xiao's heart was stirred up again, and he recalled the night on the boat, Liu Yingying's sleeping posture was similar to this. The emotions were still there, but everything else was different. In an instant, his chest felt like it had been pierced by thousands of steel needles, and tears flowed down uncontrollably. He thought to himself: "She followed Yun Shu, is she still happy? Does she still smile in her sleep?"

  The wind and snow outside grew more urgent, the fierce wind whipping up snowflakes that pattered against the window frames. A low rumble of thunder rolled in from the north. Liang Xiao was startled awake, let out a long sigh, calmed his mind, sat cross-legged in stillness, and gradually the sound of the wind faded into the distance, leaving only the faint rustle of falling snow.