Chapter Thirty: Breaking the Bow as a Vow

  The two of them walked for a while, getting deeper into the dense forest. The sky above was gradually darkening, with the remaining sunlight casting a bloody glow on the grass and mist. The atmosphere was eerily desolate. As the sky grew darker, the footprints on the ground became increasingly indistinct. Liang Xiao lit a torch and walked along the narrow mountain path. Thinking about Ah Xue's uncertain fate, his heart felt like it was weighed down by a massive boulder, making it hard for him to breathe. If not for Shi Fu Tong watching him, he would have liked to kneel down by the roadside and burst into tears.

  Shi Futong stumbled forward, suddenly tripping and bumping into Liang Xiao's body. He hastily said: "Good brother, is there no road ahead...?" Before he could finish speaking, Liang Xiao covered his mouth and nose with one hand, and then extinguished the torch with the other. Shi Futong was just feeling puzzled when he heard footsteps coming from a distance, stopping several meters away. A voice with a southern accent said: "Huang Laowu, I clearly saw the light of the fire just now, how did it disappear?" Huang Laowu replied: "I also saw it, damn it, could it be a ghost lighting the lamp?" The first person spat and said: "How ominous! What ghost lighting the lamp? If we really call out a ghost in this desolate mountain wilderness, I'll see how you deal with it!" Huang Laowu laughed and said: "If it's a beautiful female ghost, I, Huang Laowu, will gladly accept her."

  After a moment of silence, the southerner sighed and said: "Young Master Yun's clever plan to annihilate this grain convoy should not have required much effort. Who would have thought that on his first move, he would encounter such a formidable opponent?" Huang Lao Wu sighed: "I had thought Young Master Yun was unbeatable in martial arts, but unexpectedly, there is such a person among the Tartar's grain convoy. Now thinking back, if Wen Qian Zhang hadn't blocked a sword for me earlier, I, Huang Lao Wu, would have been finished. Old Yang, you say, if every grain convoy has such an expert, what can we do?"

  Old Yang sneered, "Is a master really not worth anything? That guy's background isn't small, both Chu Niang and Yun Gongzi know him." The two of them discussed as they turned back on the road, while Liang Xiao and Shi Futong held their breath and followed quietly behind. The mountain path was rugged, with misty fog seeping in everywhere. After walking several dozen steps, Huang Lao Wu said again, "Although many brothers were killed or injured, it's still worth it in the end. Who would have thought that this time we mistakenly stumbled upon and captured a high-ranking official of the Tartars? I say, what kind of official is that Ali Hai Ya?" Old Yang said, "Who knows the rules of the Tartars? According to Yun Gongzi, aside from Bo Yan, Shi Tian Ze, and A Shu, Ali Hai Ya is the highest-ranking official. Just now we even found a sacred decree from the Tartar Emperor on his person. Yun Gongzi said that capturing this man is more useful than defeating one hundred teams of grain supplies. Now they're probably interrogating him; if we can get him to reveal the Tartars' plan to attack Song, it would be great."

  "Damn it, beating him to death would be satisfying. And that female disguised as a male, must be one of the dog's accomplices. As I see it, she deserves to have her abdomen ripped open and her heart dug out to offer sacrifice to our deceased brother." Liang Xiao heard this and shuddered, his fists clenched tightly, his body trembling with rage.

  Old Yang sighed and said, "It's a pity that Young Master Yun has a soft heart and says that he shouldn't deal with the woman. But all the brothers have grievances in their hearts, and it's inevitable to give her some suffering. When I came out, Shen Er Ye had already hung her in the main hall. His two brothers were killed by that Tartar sword, and three of the Lone Moon Ridge bandits were gone. Shen Er Ye was furious and shouted that he wanted to whip the stinky girl with a big stick to vent his anger. He is the landlord here, and Young Master Yun cannot overpower him. Ha! I saw that the willow branch whip he found was thicker than an arm, and it's very fierce when dipped in water. I don't know if that woman's delicate skin can withstand a few lashes. Haha...I'm afraid she's already been skinned alive and her bones are broken by now, haha..." Huang Lao Wu also felt pleased and burst out laughing loudly.

  Liang Xiao's whole body was tense, his teeth clenched in pain. After walking a few more steps, the lights ahead flickered and someone suddenly shouted: "Huang Lao Wu, Old Yang, is there any movement?" Huang Lao Wu laughed and said: "What nonsense! I said it was a ghost lighting the lamp, but Yang didn't believe me!" The man said: "Something just happened today, the Tartars must be searching everywhere, we should also be careful." Old Yang laughed and said: "No matter how they search, they won't find this place. Besides, this Lonely Moon Ridge is surrounded by cliffs on all sides, only this iron chain at Meteor Gorge can pass through... Ha! This is what's called 'Lonely Moon Ridge, Meteor Gorge, even ghosts and gods are afraid'..." Huang Lao Wu also burst out laughing.

  The two of them laughed halfway, and suddenly stopped abruptly. The person opposite felt strange, just about to open his mouth, when he saw the two of them softly fall to both sides, a black shadow floated out. That person hadn't even uttered a "you" before Liang Xiao had grabbed his neck, his five fingers using force, that person's neck snapped, and he fell down softly.

  Liang Xiao's hands were swift and merciless, killing three people in an instant. Shi Futong saw that he had succeeded and rushed out, but suddenly felt the ground beneath him give way, and his body plummeted downwards. Before he could even cry out, Liang Xiao reached out with lightning speed and pulled him back up. Shi Futong looked down shakily and saw that below was a deep chasm, and couldn't help but let out a soft cry of "Ah ma!" When he looked again, he saw that beside him was an iron chain bridge about 20-30 feet long, with eight iron chains in total - one on each side as railings, six below, and not a single plank above.

  Liang Xiao said coldly, "Shi Futong, are you going to go through with it?" Shi Futong was hesitant, but in his heart he calculated: "This kid's martial arts skills are formidable, and he might not lose. My terminal illness could flare up at any moment, so following him will give me an extra thread of hope." Having made up his mind, he sighed and said, "Alright, my life is now in your hands, I'll die with you!"

  Liang Xiao couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. Seeing Shi Futong step onto the bridge, he said, "Wait a minute." Shi Futong asked, "What's wrong?" Liang Xiao said, "Take a closer look at your feet." Shi Futong glanced down under the faint starlight and saw that every few feet on the iron chain, there was a bell hanging from it. One foot was frozen in mid-air, not daring to come down. Liang Xiao continued, "There must be someone guarding the other side. Once we step onto the bridge, the bells will ring, and they'll definitely ask questions. If our answers aren't satisfactory, they'll cut off the iron chain, and we'll end up as a pair of meat patties."

  Shi Futong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said in a trembling voice, "Good brother, fortunately your eyes are sharp." Liang Xiao hesitated for a moment before saying, "You resemble Huang Laowu in build, put on his clothes!" Shi Futong was taken aback, "You want me to disguise myself?" Liang Xiao nodded, "You're not stupid." He then changed into Old Yang's clothes.

  Shi Futong hesitated for a moment and also changed his clothes. Liang Xiao hid the three corpses well, pulled Shi Futong onto the iron chain, and as soon as he stepped on it, the bell rang loudly, but there was no response from the cliff.

  Shi Futong walked for a while, and there was no movement ahead. He was just blaming Liang Xiao's miscalculation when he suddenly heard someone shouting from the front: "Who?" Shi Futong's whole body shook, secretly cursing his opponent's cunning. The two were in the middle of the iron chain bridge, and they didn't respond quickly enough. The other side cut off the iron chain, and the two couldn't advance or retreat, and would inevitably fall into the deep valley.

  Liang Xiao imitated Yang Hu's tone, saying in a low voice: "Huang Lao Wu has diarrhea, he just went to the toilet twice, I'll help him back to rest." Shi Fu Tong was also clever and immediately hummed twice. These days he had been pretending to be ill every morning and evening, these two hums were casual, but they sounded very natural, making it impossible for people to detect any flaws.

  Across the bridge, a flash of firelight illuminated a lean man standing at the head of the bridge, flanked by nearly ten others, with bows drawn and aimed at two people. Liang Xiao pretended to adjust his sleeve, lowering his head and eyes, making it impossible for the man to see his face clearly. Shi Futong, on the other hand, was curled up into a ball, as if he was in too much pain to stand up. The lean man saw that the two were dressed correctly, waved his hand to withdraw the bows and arrows, and cursed with a laugh: "Huang Laowu, you turtle grandson, have you eaten too much dog meat?" As he spoke, Liang Xiao supported Shi Futong and took several steps closer to the bridgehead. But then the lean man laughed again: "Huang Laowu, I'm good at massage, let me give you a rubdown, guaranteed to make your turtle grandson's fart sound like thunder, and have him shitting for a thousand miles..." Just as he was about to step forward, under the firelight, he suddenly saw Liang Xiao's face clearly, and his expression changed drastically. He was just about to issue orders when Liang Xiao swiftly drew his sword, and the man fell to the ground. The others didn't have time to shout before Liang Xiao released Shi Futong, rushed past the bridgehead, stabbed down the first two men, turned around, swung his sword, and three torches went out, plunging the bridgehead into darkness. Shi Futong only heard the sound of people falling to the ground, and in an instant, he felt a tight grip on his arm, which made him extremely frightened. He then heard Liang Xiao say: "Come over."

  Shi Futong let out a sigh of relief as he walked over the bridge, and Liang Xiao lit up a torch. Shi Futong looked down and couldn't help but take in a breath of cold air. The ground was littered with corpses, all of whom had been injured in the throat, no wonder nobody could make a sound.

  Two men quickly climbed the mountain, and in between, there were three more checkpoints, all of which were instantly subdued by Liang Xiao. After walking for half a mile, the lights ahead became brighter, and a tall wooden house appeared before them. Before they even got close, they heard the sound of whipping and a woman's mournful cries. Liang Xiao recognized that it was Ah Xue, his heart bleeding, turned around and handed the bow and arrow to Shi Fu, saying: "You wait outside and respond, when I shout 'release', you shoot! Remember to run while shooting, don't stay in one place."

  Shi Futong's legs had already turned soft, and upon hearing this, he couldn't help but lower his head and slip into the nearby woods. Liang Xiao patted the hilt of his sword, took a deep breath, and entered the main house.

  The room was brightly lit, with a group of men standing or sitting in a circle. Suddenly, Liang Xiao entered from inside, but no one paid attention to him. On the floor in the hall, there were charcoal and whips, Ari Haiya was tied to the pillar by the door, his body covered in whip marks and burns, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, his jaw dislocated, only his eyes still showing a hint of stubbornness. Ah Xue had her hands bound, hanging from the hall with her hair loose and scattered, her clothes torn and tattered, she had long since fainted.

  The burly, short man holding the whip picked up a bucket of cold water and was about to splash her awake before continuing to beat her. Yun Shu frowned and shouted, "Shen Li, haven't you beaten her enough? She's just a woman, what's the point even if you kill her?" Shen Li angrily retorted, "What nonsense! My two brothers were ruined by her accomplices. Hmph, beating her is being lenient on her. Even if I flayed her alive, it would be hard to quell the hatred in my heart!" The crowd hated Liang Xiao deeply and shouted in unison: "Right, disembowel her and dig out her heart to offer to our younger brother!" "Flay her instead, let's roast and eat her to vent our anger!" These people were all rough men from the jianghu, both chivalrous and villainous, who had often committed murder and mutilation. They felt that regardless of gender, evil people should be treated this way.

  Yun Shu sprang up, furious: "How can this be...!" Jing Fei raised his hand to hold him back and said in a low voice: "This woman is a accomplice of the tiger, her death is not worth lamenting. Yun Shu, you don't need to say anything more, if you can't bear to watch, you can go back to your room to rest." Yun Shu hastily said: "Brother, killing someone is just a matter of nodding one's head..." Jing Fei glared at him and said: "Shut up!" Yun Shu knew that he was trying to win people over by being biased towards Shen Li, so he could only hold his breath for two gasps and sat down gloomily. Chu Wan whispered beside him: "Young Master Yun, if you want to kill her or dismember her, I wouldn't dare watch either. Would you send me back to rest?" Yun Shu was taken aback, suddenly seeing that Chu Wan's cheeks were flushed with a hint of shyness, his heart skipped a beat and he hastily turned his head away.

  Chu Wan's heart was thinking of Yun Shu, and when she parted with Liang Xiao that year, she didn't return to the manor, but went straight to the Divine Eagle Gate. Coincidentally, Yun Shu was about to come to the North, and she followed him with a thread of infatuation, not knowing that Yun Shu already had Liu Yingying in his heart, and although he knew her deep feelings, he pretended not to know.

  Fang Lan's injuries had not yet healed, and he was leaning on a tiger skin chair. At this time, he heard clearly and laughed: "Shu'er, you can send Chu Niang back to her room to rest. These stinky things are better left unseen." Yun Shu felt great regret in his heart: "If I had known it would be like this, I might as well have stabbed the woman to death with one sword, sparing her more suffering!" He thought for a moment and let out a long sigh, shaking his head: "I was the one who caught her, so I ask you gentlemen to take pity on her weak and delicate nature, and give her a quick end."

  "Good! I, Shen Lao Er, have always admired Yun Gongzi's character and martial arts. Today, I'll listen to you and give her a quick death. Bring me the knife!" He took a single-edged sword from Luo's hand and danced with it in the wind, just about to make his move, when suddenly a gleam of light flashed in mid-air, and Shen Li felt a searing pain as he was stabbed through the shoulder blade and pinned to the ground, letting out a mournful cry. The crowd gasped in shock, and when they looked again, they saw that the gleaming object was a shining sword. Looking back along the path it had taken, they saw Liang Xiao's face set like iron, his fists clenched tightly, as he strode towards them with heavy steps.

  He arrived abruptly, and everyone was shocked. Yun Shu was the first to come back to his senses, drew his sword and stood up. Liang Xiao didn't look at him straight in the eye, but stared directly at Ah Xue, his eyes bloodshot, his expression somewhat manic.

  A group of heroes suddenly woke up, roaring and shouting. Liang Xiao's footsteps were like flying, instantly approaching the crowd, a tall and strong man with disheveled hair jumped out, loudly shouting: "Good thief, you dare to come again?" With a swing of his left arm, he swept towards Liang Xiao. This person was surnamed Dong, named Liang, from Jiangxi Province, who had learned a set of iron arm skills from a strange person since childhood, nicknamed "Iron Three Feet Sweeping Thousands of Armies". As it was said that his arms were three feet long, as hard as fine steel, when he went to battle, his double arms waved, able to cut off people's swords and knives, and break people's tendons and bones. At this time, he intentionally showed his power, this sweep was both fast and ruthless, shocking the crowd.

  Yun Shu saw Dong Liang suddenly make a move, and thought it was not good. Before he could stop him, Liang Xiao's right hand rose, and the two men's arms were entwined together. Suddenly, there was a cracking sound, like wood breaking. Dong Liang's left arm bent upwards, his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose scrunched up into a ball. However, he was very proud, his arm broken but he gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound. His right arm swung out again, wanting to strike, when suddenly he felt Liang Xiao's internal energy surge forth like a tide, instantly making his limbs want to scatter. A mouthful of fresh blood surged up into his throat. Yun Shu had originally wanted to step forward, but seeing his companion being controlled, he hesitated for a moment. Suddenly, he heard Liang Xiao shout loudly: "Killing innocent civilians, what kind of hero is that?" With a burst of internal energy, Dong Liang's knees went soft, and he collapsed to the ground like mud.

  Liang Xiao shook off Dong Liang and continued forward, rendering "Iron Three Feet Sweeping a Thousand Armies" useless. The group of heroes was shocked into silence. Suddenly, two strange cries were heard, one knife and one spear, attacking Liang Xiao from both sides. Liang Xiao didn't dodge or evade, waiting until the knife and spear attacked, his hands suddenly crossed. The group of heroes didn't see clearly what technique he used, but they heard two miserable cries, the spear wielder was stabbed in the abdomen by the knife wielder, while the knife wielder chopped at the spear wielder's shoulder, blood splashing everywhere, a shocking sight to behold.

  Liang Xiao's hands parted, his left hand pulling out a long spear and his right hand drawing a knife. The one wielding the spear was "Gun Challenging Southeast" Dragon Entering the Sea's famous disciple, surnamed Hong, named Zhao, who had quite a bit of his master's flair. Although his shoulder was heavily injured, he still clutched the spear handle tightly. Everyone saw this and shouted in unison, charging towards Liang Xiao with their blades. Liang Xiao raised an eyebrow and let out a loud roar: "Blocking the way and launching a sneak attack, what kind of hero is that?" His right arm exerted force, pulling Hong Zhao along with his spear into the air, sweeping him towards the group of heroes. The group of heroes were afraid of being hit by their own weapons and retreated in disorder.

  Liang Xiao forced the group of heroes to retreat, when suddenly he heard a long whistle and saw Yun Shu rushing towards him. His eyes widened in surprise as Yun Shu shouted: "You bully women, do you consider yourself a hero?" Yun Shu had been whipping Ah Xue earlier and was already feeling uneasy, now his mind was further disturbed and he lost his usual composure. Just then, Liang Xiao flung Hong Zhao at him. Yun Shu saw the ferocity of the attack and hastily drew his sword to block it. After a brief pause, Liang Xiao's right hand flashed out with a steel knife, cutting through the rope binding Ah Xue's wrist, causing her to fall from the roof beam.

  The crowd surged forward at the sound of his voice. Liang Xiao let out a loud shout, like thunder on a clear day, stunning the heroes and causing their ears to ring. He raised his palms, and with a burst of energy, two people were sent flying, spitting blood as they soared through the air. The crowd reached out to catch them, but felt as if a mountain was collapsing, and in an instant, they were tumbling about. Liang Xiao's figure flashed, and he rushed to Ah Xue's side, catching her with his left hand, while his right hand reached forward, and with a "ding" sound, pulled out the sword from Shen Li's shoulder.

  From the hall door to where Ah Xue was tied up, it's about ten zhang away, with over twenty people in between. But Liang Xiao rushed over like a thunderbolt, and rescued her from the encirclement. The gangsters were all shamed into anger, and they all charged forward together.

  Liang Xiao let out a long whistle, and suddenly charged into the crowd again. His temperament had changed greatly, his sword was extremely ruthless and unparalleled, miserable cries rose and fell, the charging heroes died one after another. Yun Shu urgently wanted to move forward, but the hall was small and crowded with people, the group of heroes had become Liang Xiao's shield. Yun Shu couldn't display her skills, angrily shouting: "Disperse, all of you disperse!"

  The crowd dispersed in all directions, and Liang Xiao took advantage of the opportunity to carry Ah Xue out of the door. Yun Shu chased after them first, but unexpectedly Liang Xiao's "Ten Directions Step" was activated, and with a turn of his body, he dodged Yun Shu and suddenly rushed back into the hall, colliding with the group of heroes who were rushing out. This time it was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, killing and wounding many, and charging straight to Ali Haiya's front, "clanging", breaking all the iron chains on his body.

  Everyone did not expect him to feign an attack on the east and strike in the west, diverting Cloud's attention, his true intention was to point directly at Ali Haigya, for a moment everyone felt shocked. Cloud however was not surprised but delighted, thinking: "You're taking two people with you, can you escape?"

  Liang Xiao put Ali Haiya's lower jaw back in place, picked up Shen Li's fallen single knife and handed it to him, saying: "Can you still fight?" Ali Haiya, although in a predicament, was undaunted and proudly said: "How can I not?!" Liang Xiao said: "Good, you go east, I'll go west." Ali Haiya's martial arts were not bad, but he had encountered Yun Shu, an expert of the highest level, and was unable to display his skills. Now, he danced with his single knife and charged westward. Liang Xiao, however, headed east.

  Everyone had heard Liang Xiao speak and didn't dare to approach him, so they went to surround Ali Haiya. After three moves, he was forced into a desperate situation, but since he hadn't revealed the truth about the Yuan army, Liang Xiao only wanted to capture him alive and didn't use his killing move, which allowed Ali Haiya to struggle for a few more moves. Unexpectedly, Liang Xiao pretended to retreat, suddenly turned around, and sprinted westward again, launching a sneak attack on the group of heroes from behind. The group of heroes suffered several casualties and, in their panic, turned around to deal with Liang Xiao, allowing Ali Haiya to escape. At this time, Yun Shu arrived, and Liang Xiao fled eastward again, causing the group of heroes to turn around once more to chase after Ali Haiya. However, Liang Xiao managed to shake off Yun Shu and launched another sneak attack from behind.

  At one point, the situation in the hall became very strange. The heroes captured Ali Haiya, Liang Xiao launched a sneak attack on the heroes, and Yun Shu desperately pursued Liang Xiao, with a momentum of a mantis catching a cicada, and a yellow sparrow behind. However, Yun Shu couldn't break through Liang Xiao's "Ten Directions Step", so the heroes were at a disadvantage, being attacked by Liang Xiao one after another, killing them until they lay dead all over the ground.

  Repeating again and again, Yun Shu lost Liang Xiao, chasing Ali Haiya, wanting to subdue this person, breaking Liang Xiao's sinister plan. Liang Xiao saw the situation, his long sword quickly came out, stabbing him in the back of the heart. Jing Fei took advantage of the momentum from behind Liang Xiao and pounced out, raising his iron claw to slash down. Liang Xiao heard the wind sound, let go of Yun Shu, turned around with his sword, and in an instant, the sword light flashed, covering Jing Fei's entire body. Jing Fei did not expect him to change his move in a hurry, still so fierce, for a moment he was caught off guard, and in the chaos, he let his abdomen be vulnerable, but his thigh was stabbed by a sword, shouting loudly, stumbling backward.

  Liang Xiao rushed forward, intending to kill Jing Fei. Yun Shu heard Jing Fei's miserable cry and couldn't help but turn around to save his senior brother. As he moved, Liang Xiao also moved, charging towards the group of heroes, killing them until they were scattered all over the place. Ali Haiya had already fallen into a precarious situation, but at this moment, he was reborn, panting heavily, and fled out of the great hall like flying.

  Jingyun saw that Jing Fei's leg was covered in blood, and the miserable cries rose again. For a moment, no one knew what to do. Jing Fei gritted his teeth and shouted: "Don't worry about me, killing the enemy is urgent!"

  Yun Shu had no choice but to draw his sword and chase after Liang Xiao. Liang Xiao ran wildly in all directions, panting and exhausted, unable to muster up the strength, knowing that seeking revenge today was too forced, so he could only follow Ali Haiya out of the door.

  The heroes shouted loudly and chased after them, with both sides running and chasing each other until they reached the front of the mountain path. Liang Xiao turned his head to glance back, and Yun Shu rushed past everyone, getting closer and closer, and immediately shouted "Release". At the critical moment, Shi Fu Tong did not dare to retreat, and shot several arrows from the forest, the mountain path was dark and gloomy, and some of the heroes from the south were suddenly hit by arrows and cried out in pain. Shi Fu Tong succeeded, and with a mix of surprise and joy, he followed Liang Xiao's arrangement, running and shooting at the same time, and in the blink of an eye, he shot and injured several more people.

  The heroes only felt the arrows coming from all sides, unaware of how many people were hiding in the forest. They cried out: "There's an ambush in the woods!" Yun Shu was also shocked and hesitant, slowing down his pace. Unexpectedly, Shi Futong saw that the other side had more people, got scared and ran away with his pants wet, shouting from the other end of the woods: "It's not going to work! It's not going to work!"

  His cry, Liang Xiao's stratagem also failed, and the heroes rushed up again. Liang Xiao put down Ah Xue and said to Shi Fu: "Give me the bow and arrow, you carry her and leave first." Shi Fu heard this, hastily handed over the bow and arrow, turned around and carried Ah Xue on his back, and fled wildly with Ali Haiya. Liang Xiao jumped into the forest, drew his bow and shot arrows, several southern heroes fell to the ground, wailing loudly.

  Liang Xiao drew his bow left and right, shooting arrows in rapid succession, posing a great threat in the darkness. The group of heroes clashed several times, but were all shot back. Before long, Liang Xiao's two quivers of arrows were empty, he estimated that the three men had gone far away, jumped out and ran away immediately.

  A burst of pent-up energy was stuck in his chest, unable to be released. He let out a long whistle and chased after him with his sword. He was wary of Liang Shao's cunning and the fact that he had many accomplices who would hinder his movements if they came together. He shouted loudly, "Don't follow me!" The group of heroes were helpless and stopped in their tracks. One person suggested, "The thief is using arrows, why don't we use arrows too?" Everyone thought this was reasonable, so a few people went to fetch bows and arrows while the others followed from a distance.

  In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the Iron Chain Bridge in Meteor Gorge. Liang Xiao stepped onto the iron chain, and Yun Shu happened to arrive just in time. With a sweep of his long sword, one of the iron chains was cut off. Liang Xiao's foot slipped, and he almost fell into the deep valley below. He hastily shifted his body to the side and managed to steady himself with a single leg standing on the chain. Just then, Yun Shu's sword came stabbing over, and Liang Xiao raised his own sword to block it. After three clashing exchanges of swords, Yun Shu fell onto the chain bridge. Liang Xiao swung his sword down in a sweep, and with a "ting" sound, he also cut off the iron chain that Yun Shu was standing on.

  Yun Shu had nowhere to stand, in mid-air, his left hand grasped the railing, and his right hand wielded a sword to stab towards Liang Xiao. Liang Xiao hastily retreated half a step, his long sword hanging down, and the iron chain that Yun Shu was holding onto also broke. Yun Shu had no choice but to flip himself in mid-air, drifting into the space under the bridge, with each leg wrapping around two iron chains, one hand grasping an iron chain, while simultaneously wielding his sword to swiftly slash at Liang Xiao's ankle. The five iron chains beneath Liang Xiao's feet were all hooked by him, and if he cut them off, he would also have nowhere to stand.

  Liang Xiao let out a cold hum, quickly retreating several feet, grasping the remaining handrail and flipping through the air. His long sword swung down, striking five iron chains in succession, severing all of them. Yun Shu could no longer hang onto the bridge, but he had anticipated this move. With his legs secretly gathering strength, at the moment Liang Xiao severed the chains, he sprang into the air like a fish and shot out from under the chain bridge. He reached out and grabbed hold of the only remaining iron chain while simultaneously launching four sword strikes and three kicks, forcing Liang Xiao to be unable to counterattack. Liang Xiao saw that Yun Shu's moves were endless, and although he was extremely unwilling, he secretly applauded.

  The iron chain bridge was left with only one iron chain, and the two men did not dare to cut it off again. They used their feet to hook, hands to pull, palms, fists, swords, and legs to attack each other's vital parts. In the midst of advancing and retreating, rolling and turning, they were like a pair of swallows, stuck on the iron chain, fighting inextricably.

  Ali Haiya and Shi Futong were watching from the other side of the bridge. Ali Haiya was concerned about his reputation and didn't want to escape, while Shi Futong was afraid that Liang Xiao would die from his illness if no one treated him, and he also didn't dare to speak lightly about leaving. The two of them looked at each other, both speechless, but they knew that the lives of the two people on the bridge hung in the balance, and a slight mistake would be fatal. Their hearts were all stuck in their throats. The group of heroes also rushed over with torches, and upon seeing the situation, everyone was shocked. Some people raised their bows and arrows, wanting to shoot, but the two combatants were entangled like lightning, twisted into a ball, and it was impossible to distinguish between them.

  After exchanging over thirty moves, both of them simultaneously employed the "Xun Sword Path". Xun refers to wind, and their swords moved lightly and nimbly, like two fluttering leaves floating around an iron chain, rising and falling in the mountain valley's strong winds. At this point, nothing else mattered except for agility techniques to gain victory, the lighter and more agile one's martial arts were, the more effective they would be; the "Xun Sword Path" was unpredictable and elusive, making it most suitable for this place.

  After a few more moves, Yun Shu's head wasn't feeling right, and he couldn't help but shout: "Where did you secretly learn your swordsmanship and palm techniques?" Liang Xiao hummed and coldly didn't respond.

  A cold wind blew, and Ah Xue slowly woke up. Shen Li was born in a green forest, with a ruthless heart and cruel hands. Although he was defeated by Yun Shu, his temperament remained explosive. Adding to that, he was furious and launched a vicious attack. If not for Ah Xue's rigorous training in internal and external martial arts since childhood, her tendons would have been torn apart, and she would have died already. As soon as she regained consciousness, her body felt like it had been burned by fierce flames, and she couldn't help but let out a string of cries. She looked over from Shi Fu Tong's shoulder and saw two figures fighting on an iron chain. After a moment, she recognized Liang Xiao and suddenly understood that he had rescued her and was now battling a powerful enemy. Overcome with surprise and joy, she also felt worried, using all her strength to call out: "Brother, brother..." She called out twice before becoming dizzy and fainting again.

  Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat: "Damn it, I was so focused on fighting this straight mother that I forgot about Ah Xue's injuries." Xiang Yun Shu swiftly stabbed three swords, forcing him to retreat. Suddenly, he swung his sword down and swept across, making a "ting" sound, the iron chain split into two segments, and both sides let out a cry of surprise. They saw the two men move their hands like lightning, each holding onto the broken end, exchanging a blow in mid-air, and falling towards the valley cliffs like shooting stars. Just as they were about to crash into the wall, they each used one foot to brake, stopping their momentum, using both hands and feet, grabbing onto the iron chain and climbing up the cliff.

  The heroes saw the situation, drew their bows and shot arrows at Liang Xiao. Liang Xiao had to use his hands to deflect the arrows with an iron rope, but he could only use one hand and found it difficult to climb up. Ali Haiya was quick-witted and hastily stretched out his hand to pull up the iron rope, Shi Futong also came to help, and with their assistance, Liang Xiao no longer cared about the situation on the other side, using both hands to swing the iron rope back and forth, avoiding the incoming arrows and increasing his climbing speed. Yun Shu had just reached the top of the cliff, and Liang Xiao was about to reach the top when an arrow shot over, he caught it with his hand, took down the strong bow from his back, loaded the arrow, and without looking carefully, shot it back along the original path. The person did not expect him to counterattack so quickly, and was caught off guard, the arrow entered his left eye and exited from the back of his head, pinning him to the stone wall behind him. The heroes saw this and were all shocked, their bows were still drawn but they did not dare to shoot again.

  Liang Xiao jumped to the top of the cliff, with one hand on his waist, and gazed at the crowd from afar. He shouted loudly: "Why did you rob us? Why did you kill my friend? Why did you whip my sister?" Yun Shu heard this and felt a pang in his heart: "It seems that this vendetta will never be resolved." Not wanting to show weakness, he raised his voice and said: "I am a subject of the Great Song Dynasty. You barbarians have offended our land, and everyone can be killed!" Liang Xiao nodded and asked: "Are you sent by the Great Song?" Yun Shu responded loudly: "What if we are?"

  Li Xue's blood surged upwards, his head felt hot, and he shouted loudly: "Good! I, Li Xue, swear to heaven that if I don't kill all of you and destroy this Great Song Dynasty, then I'll be like this bow!" He snapped the strong bow in two pieces in his hand and tossed it down the cliff. Then, he turned around, hugged A Xue, and left with Shi Fu Tong, taking large strides away.

  The crowd was stunned, and they all scolded Liang Xiao for being reckless. Yun Shu saw him break his bow as a vow, but didn't know why, and felt a chill rise up in his heart. He turned around to look, and Jing Fei was standing behind him, covering the wound on his thigh. Looking at the crowd again, almost no one was injured, and he couldn't help but feel ashamed. He said to Jing Fei, "Brother, they're gone, and the Tartar army will arrive soon. We can't stay in the north for long, let's retreat back to the south as soon as possible and come up with a new plan!" Jing Fei sighed, limping and walking towards the mountain. Yun Shu watched his back, speechless. Chu Wan saw that everyone had already dispersed, took a step forward, and said softly, "Young Master Yun." Yun Shu smiled bitterly, sighed, and turned around to walk towards the mountain with Chu Wan, shoulder to shoulder.

  Liang Xiao walked for a while, examining Ah Xue's injuries. Fortunately, most of them were external wounds and didn't affect her tendons or bones. After Liang Xiao applied some massage techniques, she woke up, closing her eyes and crying out in pain. Liang Xiao felt his heart ache as he pulled her into his arms. Ah Xue realized that Liang Xiao was holding her and trembled as she said, "Brother, Ah Xue is in so much pain..." Liang Xiao's eyes turned red, as if they were about to bleed.

  Ali Haiya sighed, "Liang Xiao, she's badly injured and needs to see a doctor. Alas, those Han people may not have used fire torture, but they beat this girl even more ruthlessly than me." Liang Xiao said resentfully, "They hate me, yet take it out on her." Ali Haiya thought for a moment before saying, "Alright, let's leave the mountain early and summon our troops. We'll make them pay one by one, tearing them to shreds."

  Liang Xiao nodded and stood up. Ali Haiya suddenly grasped his arm, saying in a low voice: "Liang Xiao, if you are willing to follow me, I will ensure that your future is prosperous beyond words." Liang Xiao shook his head, saying: "I only seek revenge for my friends and sister; wealth and honor mean nothing to me." Ali Haiya was taken aback, bitterly smiling as he said: "That's still the same." Shi Futong hastily interjected: "I also wish to follow you, sir..." Ali Haiya coldly snorted: "Earlier, I called for you to rescue me, but you only managed to escape with your life. Originally, you should have been punished according to military law, but considering that you took a risk by coming here, let's just say that your merits and demerits cancel each other out."

  Shi Futong was extremely disappointed, but didn't dare say more and could only nod in response. Liang Xiao said: "Shi Futong, you're not a good person, but today you helped me, I will definitely repay you in the future. Hmm, let me tell you, you actually don't have any illness, it's just that I did some trickery." Shi Futong was stunned and asked: "I... I don't have an illness? Then... then I won't die?" Liang Xiao didn't say anything more, hugged Ah Xue, and followed Ali Haiya to walk out of the mountain. Shi Futong stood there for a moment, suddenly burst into loud laughter: "I don't have an illness! I don't have an illness!" Once he knew he was healthy, all his unhappiness flew away, he was overjoyed and followed behind the two, clapping and laughing loudly.

  At dawn, the three of them left Funiu Mountain and arrived at the main road below. They had only walked a hundred steps when they heard the sound of horseshoes like thunder, and a team of cavalry came galloping over. Liang Xiao was startled and grasped his sword in hand. But Ari Haiya saw clearly and shouted loudly: "It's our own people!" The cavalry approached, and one person called out loudly: "Ari Haiya, is that you?"

  Ali Haiya heard the voice and exclaimed, "A Shi?" The man was both surprised and delighted, dismounted his horse, and hugged Ali Haiya tightly, saying with joy, "It's really you! Ah, I sent nearly ten thousand soldiers to search for you all night, and finally found you! Hmm, perhaps the news was wrong, you weren't caught by those Song people?" His heart racing, he finished speaking in one breath. Ali Haiya shook his head, smiled bitterly, and said, "I'm ashamed. Indeed, I was captured, but luckily, Liang Xiao, the commander of the tenth battalion, risked his life to rescue me. Alas, I, Ali Haiya, have been at war for half my life, and yesterday was the most perilous day. However, I lost the sacred edict, which is a crime punishable by death."

  "Ah, it's good that you're back," Artai laughed. "The Emperor is wise and wouldn't care about this." He turned his head, not even glancing at Shi Futong, his gaze piercing as he looked at Liang Xiao. "You are Liang Xiao?" Ali Haiya was surprised: "Artai, how did you figure it out so quickly!" Artai smiled slightly: "I'm not an eagle's eye, but I can still tell apart a yellow wolf and a leopard!" He pressed down on Liang Xiao's shoulder, laughing. "Your subordinates are great! Except for the one who was injured and couldn't move, the other four followed the army all night to find you."

  Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat as he said, "I have a partner who is seriously injured." A Shi nodded and shouted loudly, "A La Han, exchange two horses for Ali Haiya and Liang Xiao." A general responded to the call and exchanged the horses. Liang Xiao mounted up, and A Shi ordered A La Han to enter the mountain to hunt down Yun Shu and others, while he himself went with Ali Haiya to the main camp.

  The crowd walked for a while, and Ali Haiya smiled and said: "A Shi, I want to have a private conversation with Suge!" A Shi smiled slightly and said: "You mean Liang Xiao?" Ali Haiya smiled and said: "That's right." A Shi shook his head and said: "No way." Ali Haiya said: "What? Does Suge not give face?" A Shi smiled and said: "What can Suge say? I think Tuer is quite good, let him follow me, but he says, where Liang Xiao is, I am also there!" Ali Haiya was taken aback, shouting: "Good! You want to fight with me for people?" A Shi smiled and said: "Don't be ridiculous, I just want Tuer, he doesn't want to leave Liang Xiao, so I can only take them together!"

  Ali Haiya gave him a slap and scolded, "You're the one who's being unreasonable. If you can have it all at once, why can't I?" Ah Su smiled and said, "I already discussed this with Tuo Tuo Ha." Ali Haiya glanced at Liang Xiao and sighed, "Forget it, I'm no match for you. However, this guy is like a wild horse that's extremely difficult to tame. He needs an owner who's just as fierce to be able to control him. You're more capable than me, so you're more suitable to be his master, but be careful not to get kicked by him."

  Artai's eyes flashed, and he smiled: "I'll let him go to the Qinchao camp." Ali Haishan shook his head: "The Qinchao camp is a group of arrogant people, he is a Han person, can't stay." Artai said: "He is not an ordinary Han person, General Bayan told me yesterday that he has Mongolian blood, more noble than me." Ali Haishan was shocked, knowing that Artai's grandfather was the famous Mongolian general Subutai, hesitantly asked: "More noble than you, could it be..." Artai nodded and continued: "I heard General Bayan say that he has Genghis Khan's bloodline, is a descendant of the Golden Family!" Ali Haishan's expression changed greatly, and he lowered his head in silence.

  As they spoke, the Yuan army's camp was in sight. Liang Xiao reined in his horse and looked up to see a vast expanse of the Han River flowing north and south, with warships and vessels lining the river, their flags fluttering like clouds. Along both banks of the river, white Mongolian tents stretched out endlessly, like a vast ocean. Two ten-zhang-tall cities stood facing each other across the river, their city walls towering above the water. Dark clouds hung low in the sky, pressing down on the city roofs. The sound of drums beating out the dawn watch carried on the morning breeze from within the city, while at the same time, the bugle calls of the Yuan army's camp also rose and fell, the two sounds echoing back and forth across the land.