Chapter Seven: The Heavenly Mechanism Has a Month

  The change was sudden, and the Hua family was shocked. Huo Zhenren flew up and stabbed at Hua Qingyuans face with his sword. Hua Muyun hastily stepped forward to block the attack. At this time, ADan and Harris used Hua Qingyuans spiritual elixir, and their strength slightly recovered, so they jumped forward and separated her from Hua Qingyuan.

  Huò Zhēnrén drew out his hand, a sword whizzing through the air, forcing Huā Qīngyuān to retreat repeatedly. Two attendants came forward to assist, but were struck by Huò Zhēnréns swift swords in their waists and legs. Seeing the two in danger, Huā Qīngyuān endured the intense pain and launched two more swords, his movements unorthodox yet still managing to hold off Huò Zhēnrén. The two attendants also knew they were at a critical juncture, struggling to get up, stumbling and limping as they desperately guarded him.

  After exchanging a few moves, Hua Qingyuan felt as if there were dozens of small knives twisting in her chest, and her whole body was weak. She didnt dare to fall down. Just as she was struggling, she heard Liang Xiao laugh and say: "Hua Qingyuan, arent you going to surrender yet?" Hua Qingyuan glanced over and saw Liang Xiao holding his daughter and walking towards the young man in luxurious clothes. Hua Xiaoxiaos whole body was stiff, as if her acupoints had been sealed. Hua Qingyuan cried out in surprise: "Liang Xiao, what are you doing?" As soon as she lost focus, Huo Zhenren almost pierced her heart with his sword.

  Liang Xiao laughed and said, "Whats the big deal? You big fool, Ive caught your daughter, arent you going to surrender?" As soon as he spoke, not only were the Hua family members shocked and enraged, but also the three accomplices slowed down their movements, each of them distracted and looking over. The Fourth Prince was already feeling suspicious, but Liang Xiao just chuckled and said in Mongolian, "Im a Mongol too!" The Fourth Prince heard him speak fluently and was taken aback again: "Your Mongolian is quite good! Youre a Mongol, so why are you working with the Han people?"

  Liang Xiao pouted and said, "I was caught by that Qin guy, he beats me every day, its so painful!" The Fourth Prince asked in confusion, "Okay, Ill ask you, which Mongolian tribe are you from?" Liang Xiao replied readily, "Im from the Borjigin tribe." As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone was shocked. Borjigin is a surname of the imperial family, only Genghis Khans golden family is qualified to use it. Liang Xiao saw that the Fourth Prince had a strange expression and his heart skipped a beat. The Fourth Prince stared at him for a while, then suddenly laughed and said, "Little guy, are you really from the Borjigin tribe?" Liang Xiao nodded and said, "My mom said shes from the Borjigin tribe, so I am too."

  Xiaos words are not false. The Mongolian surname is based on the tribal name, and the genealogy is calculated from it. Xiao Yulings father, Nali Wangzi, was a legitimate grandson of Genghis Khan. During the time of ?gedei Khan, Mongolia launched the "Long Son Expedition", ordering all eldest sons of the Mongol tribe to go on a western expedition. Nali followed Batu Khan, passing through Hungary and sweeping across Europe, but he disobeyed Batu, who harbored resentment in his heart. Later, Nali followed the descendants of ?gedei Khans rebellion, was captured by Batu and M?ngke, and killed, his wives all became slaves.

  Xiao Yuleng was the daughter of a humble family. Her mother was a Hu woman from Western Regions, kidnapped by her father. After getting drunk, her father beat her mother to death with a whip. When Xiao Yulengs father died, she was still young and suffered many humiliations. Later, she became an apprentice under the surname Xiao and changed her name to Xiao Yuleng. She had an intense dislike for her father and never mentioned past events, except to a few very close people, no one knew her true origin.

  The fourth prince was skeptical, thinking: "This child is so young, its unlikely that he would lie. Even if hes not from my department, there must be a great connection. Now that the Song and Yuan are at war, the Hu and Han cannot coexist. Qin Baifu must have hated my clan, I dont know where he kidnapped this child from. Hmph, my son is the only one who can unify the world, how could I let these Song people bully him?" As he thought, his expression softened, and a hint of a smile appeared on his lips.

  Liang Xiao pointed to Hua Qingyuan and then to Hua Xiaoxue, saying: "This is his daughter! Shes also the niece of that woman. As long as you use her to coerce them, will they dare not listen to you?" The Fourth Prince saw Hua Xiaoxue with a frightened face, crying non-stop, and had even more doubts dispelled in his mind: "Even if the little girl is playing tricks, the tears in her eyes arent fake."

  Hua Mu Rongs face was flushed with anger, and she cursed loudly as she charged at him with her long sword. She thought that even if she couldnt save her niece, she would kill Liang Xiao to vent her anger. The Fourth Prince saw that although Hua Mu Rong was angry, she still looked lovely, and he thought: "This white-clothed girl is strong-willed, Ill force her, and she will definitely resist to the death. Why not use this little girl to coerce her, make her fear me, and let me play with her as I please?" He took Hua Xiao Feng from Liang Xiaos hands and felt that she was stiff and powerless, then smiled at Liang Xiao: "Youre young, but you have vision. Alright, follow me well, and Ill ensure you enjoy good fortune."

  "Is there any goats milk tea to drink? Is there a pony to ride?" The Fourth Prince was taken aback, and laughed loudly: "There is, there is! And there are also roasted lamb to eat! Persian horse riding too!" Liang Xiao was overjoyed, clapping his hands and laughing loudly. The Fourth Prince saw his innocence revealed, and couldnt help but laugh awkwardly. He turned around and shouted loudly: "All of you, stop!" His three subordinates responded and retreated. The Fourth Prince smiled slyly at Hua Mulan and said: "Your niece is in my hands now, arent you going to surrender?"

  Huā Mùróngs anger was uncontrollable, and she wanted to severely scold Liáng Xiāo. But when she saw Huā Xiǎo Shuāng, her heart ached again. The Fourth Prince saw that her mind was wavering and felt extremely pleased. He shook his head and smiled at Huā Qīngyuān, saying: "Your martial arts skills are not bad. If youre willing to serve me, Ill let bygones be bygones regarding the slap earlier, considering its for a beauty like you."

  Hua Qingyuan snorted, his eyes flashing with anger. The fourth prince smiled and said: "I am the fourth son of the Great Yuan Emperor, Tuo Huan. This time I came south to investigate the situation and obtained a map, but it was intercepted by someone surnamed Qin. You must get it back for me. Moreover, I want your sister to be my concubine. As a prince, I wont humiliate her!" Hua Qingyuan stared at him for a moment, his eyebrows rising, and said loudly: "Hua is just a commoner, but he also knows about propriety, shame, loyalty, and patriotism!"

  Tuo Huan smiled slightly and said, "Youve been poisoned by Huo Zhenrens Yinming Poison Fire, and the life and death of my daughter are in my hands. If you dont listen to me..." Hua Qingyuan didnt wait for him to finish, saying in a low voice, "If I die, then so be it, no need to say more." He glanced at Hua Xiaoxiao, his eyebrows furrowed in pain, and said hoarsely, "Xiaoxiao, Daddy owes you an apology. You were born with a serious illness because of me, and now youve fallen into the hands of bandits... Daddy... Daddy..." His eyes were already brimming with tears at this point. Hua Xiaoxiao was even more tearful, her body swaying as if she was about to faint. Hua Muyun gritted his teeth, "Clang" threw away his sword, and said loudly, "Tuo Huan, Ill go with you, just... just let them go." Hua Qingyuan exclaimed in surprise, "Ah Rong, what are you talking nonsense?"

  Hua Mu-yong smiled wistfully and remained silent. Du Huans eyes swept across her face, and he burst out laughing: "The Han people say it well - those who know the times are heroes. This beauty not only looks stunning but is also a hero in her own right! Ha ha, Ah Tan, why dont you invite the beauty over for me?" Ah Tan responded with a sound, but was afraid of being tricked and looked at Hua Mu-yong hesitantly. Hua Mu-yong closed her eyes, and two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks.

  Tuo Huan saw Ah Tan hesitating and angrily said, "What? Usually you boast and brag, now you dont even dare to do this small thing...?" Before he finished speaking, his waist suddenly felt numb, followed by a chill on the back of his neck, with a sword placed against his throat. Suddenly, he heard Liang Xiao laughing behind him, and then his hand loosened, and Hua Xiao Shuang was pulled back by him. He heard Liang Xiao laugh and say, "Xiao Shuang, you pretended so well that you really fooled them." Then he heard Hua Xiao Shuang sobbing and saying, "Brother Xiao... Im not pretending, I... seeing Fathers serious injury, my heart aches, and I couldnt help but want to cry." Liang Xiao impatiently said, "Alright, alright, stop chattering."

  He didnt expect to be deceived by two little ghosts with shallow tricks, and he was about to burst his chest in anger. He couldnt help but curse loudly: "Dead puppy, stinky cow dung..." He came from a Mongolian noble family and didnt learn many Chinese curses, so he would repeat these few phrases over and over again. The three subordinates saw Tuo Huan being captured and were all stunned. The Huashan people were overjoyed, and Hua Mulan burst into tears of joy, saying: "Liang Xiao, I...I..." She wanted to say that she had wrongly accused him, but she was too excited, her throat was blocked, and she couldnt help but cry again, only this time it was tears of joy.

  Hua Qingyuan burst out laughing and said, "Good, good..." After a loud cry, he fell to the ground. Hua Murong hastily supported him, while Hua Xiaoxue was even more anxious, calling out "Dad" as she rushed forward. Liang Xiao hastily grabbed her back and stretched out his hand towards Huo Zhenren: "Take it!" Huo Zhenren pretended not to understand: "Take what?"

  Liang Xiao didnt say much, and with a swift motion, he dragged Tuo Huan down, imitating the style of Hua Qingyuan. With a burst of energy, he gave him a solid slap on the ear. Tuo Huan lost two teeth, his mouth filled with fresh blood, and his voice was muffled as he struggled to curse.

  Liang Xiao raised his head and said, "Bring it over!" Huo Zhenren was stunned for a moment. Liang Xiaos hand rose and fell, and Tuo Huan received another slap on the ear. He was both shocked and angry, and shouted like a slaughtered pig: "Huo Zhenren, are you deaf?" Liang Xiao waved his hand to hit him again, but Huo Zhenren hastily said, "Here! Here!" and took out a brocade pouch, throwing it over and shouting, "The white one is for external application, the black one is for internal use!" Liang Xiao felt inside the pouch and found two jade bottles. He took out one of them, pointing the bottle mouth at Tuo Huan: "I dont trust you, you ox nose, Ill give him two pills to try first."

  Hu Zhenrens face changed, and he hastily said: "No way! This is a prescription for using poison to attack poison." Liang Xiao sneered: "Then give me the Yin Ming Poison Fire and Ill burn him before curing him!" Hu Zhenren said: "How can that be?" Liang Xiao was ruthless, his sword flashed, and Tuo Huan let out a blood-curdling scream as his little finger was chopped off, with fresh blood flowing freely. Liang Xiao seemed to smile but not quite, saying: "Next time itll be an entire hand." Hu Zhenren feared he would do what he said, so hastily agreed: "Alright alright, Ill give it!" and forced himself to toss over another pouch.

  Liang Xiao took the leather pouch, which was made of raw cowhide on the outside and lined with sheeps wool, and inside were embedded many small silver balls. He asked, "How do you use it?" Huo Zhenren hesitated for a moment, seeing Liang Xiao make a gesture to chop him, hurriedly explained. Liang Xiao smiled, stuffed it into his bosom, and said with a smile, "Such a fun thing, how can it be wasted on this stupid pig." Tuo Huan retorted back, got slapped again, had to shut up, but in his heart he was relieved that he hadnt been burned by fire.

  Liang Xiao threw the pouch to Hua Muyang: "If Ox Nose dares to give me the silver pellet, then the antidote must be real." Hua Muyang glared at him and said: "Youre just too cunning." But in her heart, she secretly praised his meticulous thinking. She immediately opened Hua Qingyuans collar, only to see a black patch on his chest, swollen to an alarming degree. She carefully applied the medicine externally and internally, and after a while, the wound gradually turned red and tender. Hua Qingyuan slowly came to, but looked very weak. Harris shouted at Liang Xiao: "You little thief, youve given him the antidote, yet you still wont let go of the Fourth Prince!"

  Liang Xiao laughed and said, "Do you think Im this stupid pig? My mom says, Dont spare anyone when you have the upper hand. If I dont kill this stupid pig, it would be a waste of your efforts." Then she turned to the Hua family members and said, "Youre injured, leave first!" Hua Muyong hastily said, "Ill stay behind to accompany you!" Liang Xiao gave her a cold glance: "No need for you to worry about me. Who was it that just scolded me as a little beast? Hmm... I remember very clearly." Hua Muyongs face turned red, and she softly hummed, "So what if I scolded you? Im not afraid of you."

  Hua Qingyuan struggled to stand up, his voice hoarse as he said: "Liang Xiao, I dont care about anything else, but youre still young, you absolutely cannot kill people! Even if the person in your hands deserves to die, it cant be you who kills him! If you dont agree, I wont leave!" His tone was weak, but his gaze was resolute. Liang Xiao muttered: "I wont kill anyone, thats all." Hua Qingyuan nodded and said: "Alright then, thanks to you today, well meet again someday!"

  Liang Xiaos eyes suddenly became moist, and he said in a low voice: "Later... there will be another chance." He secretly raised his head, only to see Hua Xiao Shuang holding hands with Hua Mu Yong, looking back at him step by step until they got on the carriage, still peeking out from behind the curtain.

  The horse carriage went far away. Atan couldnt help but shout loudly: "Dont you dare release the person?" Liang Xiaos eyes rolled, seeing that the four peoples horses were stopped by the side of the road, he grabbed De Huans hair and dragged him all the way to the front of the horse. The crowd was confused, suddenly they saw Liang Xiao swing his sword and cut off the leg tendons of three fine horses. Three people suddenly realized that Liang Xiao was afraid that they would ride their horses to chase after the carriage, so he intentionally stayed behind and disabled the horses, and couldnt help but secretly scold him for being cunning.

  Huozhenrens eyes scanned the long sword in Liang Xiaos hand, his expression suddenly changed, and he shouted: "Young man, where did this sword come from?" Liang Xiao smiled: "I picked it up!" Huozhenrens eyes rolled over: "Where did you pick it up?" Liang Xiao sneered: "None of your business!" Huozhenren angrily said: "This Xuanyuan is the treasure of my sect! I ordered my four senior disciples to go south on a mission, and lent them this Xuanyuan sword. Who knew they never returned...". As he spoke, his eyes glared at Liang Xiao, spewing out toxic flames.

  He glanced at the hilt of his sword and saw that it indeed had two curved, mysterious characters inlaid with gold thread. He had seen them before but couldnt recognize the ancient seal script. When Huo Zhenren mentioned it, he barely recognized one of the characters as "yuan". He thought to himself: "Hes in cahoots with those evil thugs. Humph! I wont tell him the truth." He had been entangled with this group of villains for a long time, and calculating the time, Hu Qingyuan and his party were already far away. He pulled his horse and dragged Tuo Huan out for over 20 feet. Originally intending to kill him with one sword before leaving, but thinking of Hu Qingyuans words, he couldnt bring himself to do it. He secretly resented himself for being unable to take revenge, and viciously kicked Tuo Huan once, then suddenly threw him to the ground, picked up his dog, jumped onto his horseback, and whipped his sword to fiercely strike the horses rump. The proud horse felt pain and galloped wildly.

  Liang Xiao rushed out for a few hundred feet, and vaguely heard the sound of movement. He turned his head to look back, and couldnt help but be shocked. Atan and Huo Zhenren were about 10 feet behind, chasing after him. Huo Zhenren was eager to retrieve the treasure sword, so he ran with extra effort. In the blink of an eye, the distance between the two sides was less than 30 feet. Atan let out a loud roar, and the Golden Vajra flew out of his hand, using the "shoot the horse first" tactic, striking Liang Xiaos mount.

  Liang Xiao cursed under his breath, squeezed his legs together, leaned forward and drew his sword, using it to deflect the metal ring. He felt a sharp pain in his wrist and his entire arm went numb. The metal ring was blocked by him, but its momentum carried it sideways, grazing against the horses leg. The horse let out a pained whinny, reared up on its hind legs, and Liang Xiao almost fell off. Just as he was about to regain his balance, Huo Zhenren rushed forward with huge strides, his sword flashing in the sunlight, stabbing towards the horses leg.

  Liang Xiao raised his left hand, and several points of silver light shot towards Huo Zhenren. Just as Huo Zhenren was about to wave his sleeve, he suddenly remembered something and hastily flew back, raising his sword to deflect the attack. The silver lights transformed into a green flame, which was actually the Yin-Yang Poison Fire. At this moment, A Tan flew over, formed a hand seal, stretched out both arms, and struck towards Liang Xiao. Liang Xiao felt an overwhelming force bearing down on him, his chest constricted, and he was about to vomit. He quickly turned around and scattered all the Yin-Yang Poison Fire in his hand.

  ADans mind was dull, he didnt think of the origin of the silver pellet. He relied on his divine skill to protect his body, except for his eyes being vulnerable, his whole body was impervious to swords and guns. Seeing the silver pellet hit him, he didnt dodge or evade, letting it hit him. In an instant, a mournful cry rang out, ADans whole body burst into chaotic green flames, and he fell to the ground, rolling around in agony.

  Huoren heard the miserable cry, slightly surprised, but he remembered the precious sword and didnt care about his companion. He chased after the horse with all his might. When he caught up to the horses rear, he grabbed its tail and pulled it back with force. Liang Xiao cut off the horses tail with his sword, but Huorens sword was swift as lightning and had already stabbed into the horses leg. The proud horse let out a miserable whinny and fell to the ground. Liang Xiao fell off the horse and saw Huoren approaching. He immediately turned around and swung his sword at him. Huoren parried with his own sword, but their swords clashed, and Liang Xiaos sword was no match for Huorens. It broke into two pieces. Huoren took advantage of this to throw away his broken sword and waited for Liang Xiao to lower his head in avoidance before making a move towards him. Just as he was about to grab Liang Xiaos wrist, he suddenly felt something was off and turned around to scoop up a purple gold hairpin. He hastily abandoned Liang Xiao and turned to face the other direction, only to see Hua Mulan jumping down from her horseback and flying towards him with her sword. Huoren was forced to retreat repeatedly by her series of swift swords. Liang Xiao took advantage of this opportunity to escape and cried out in joy, "Good!" He adjusted his sword and went forward to assist.

  Huā Zhēn rén and Huā Mù Róngs martial arts skills were evenly matched, and since they were unarmed, they were at a disadvantage from the start. After exchanging three or four moves in haste, they knew it would be difficult to gain the upper hand today. Suddenly, he jumped back, picked up ā Tán with one hand, glared hatefully at the two of them, and swiftly departed along the winding road.

  Hua Mu Rong saw Huo Zhen Ren leaving in the distance, sheathed his sword and coldly said: "Cant win a fight, so you run away with your tail between your legs? How pathetic!" Liang Xiao composed himself and asked: "What did you come back for?" Hua Mu Rong glanced at him with a cold smile and said: "I came to see you show off your heroism!" Liang Xiao thought of his previous miserable state, the word hero was no longer mentionable, but he could be considered a wretched beast. His face turned bright red as he remained silent in embarrassment. Hua Mu Rong secretly laughed and pulled him onto the horse, saying: "Brother and Xiao Shuang are worried about you, come with me so they can see your shameful behavior and feel at ease." Liang Xiaos eyes welled up with tears as he lowered his head in silence. Hua Mu Rong found it strange that he was being unusually obedient.

  In an instant, the two horse carriages stopped by the side of the road. Before they even approached, Hua Xiao Xue had already seen them from within the forest and laughed as she rushed out. With both hands wrapped around her aunts neck, her eyes were fixed on Liang Shao, joyfully calling out: "Shao Gege." Liang Shao heard her affectionate call, his face reddening as he lowered his head to respond with a simple "en". But then Hua Xiao Xue continued: "I thought Id never see you again!" Liang Shaos tone turned cold: "Good, are you cursing me to death?" Hua Xiao Xue was taken aback. Hua Mu Rong glared at Liang Shao and said: "Xiao Xue, dont mind him, this kid is a white-eyed wolf."

  Three people entered the forest, and Hua Qingyuan was sitting cross-legged to treat his wound. He saw Liang Xiao unharmed and couldnt help but smile. Liang Xiao hesitated for a moment and asked: "You... that wound... does it still hurt?" Hua Qingyuan smiled and said: "Luckily you got the antidote, now its fine." Liang Xiao thought to himself: "If it werent for sending me away, you wouldnt have gone out of the city that time, and you wouldnt have encountered those bad people! Ill risk my life to help you get the antidote." He thought this in his heart but didnt say it out loud. Instead, he said: "Uncle Hua, your swordsmanship just now was so fierce, those big villains didnt even have time to react!" Having gone through thick and thin together with Hua Qingyuan, Liang Xiao felt a sense of closeness and naturally called him "Uncle".

  Hua Mu-yong smiled slightly and sighed, "This Taizhen Splitting Light Sword is too good to be used against those scoundrels, its a waste of great material!" Liang Xiaos eyes lit up again, and he asked, "Can you win against Xiao Qian-jue?" Hua Qing-yuan and Hua Mu-yong exchanged a glance, and smiled wryly, "Ive never seen Xiao Qian-jues martial arts. However, back then, there was indeed someone who used this sword technique to fight him once..." Liang Xiao was both shocked and delighted, and couldnt help but ask, "Did he win?" Hua Qing-yuan nodded, but his face didnt have a hint of a smile.

  Liang Xiao was overjoyed, excitedly rubbing his hands together. But Hua Qingyuan said: "Dont be happy yet, this sword technique suppressed Xie Qianxues Black Water Demon Skill, but it didnt kill him." He sighed again, "Moreover, the same skill used by different people has different realms. Back then, when I gambled with Xie Qianxue, two great masters whose martial arts skills were ten times better than mine only won one move ahead of him."

  Liang Xiao thought for a moment, then suddenly asked: "Uncle Hua, can you teach me this sword technique?" Before Hua Qingyuan could respond, Hua Muyun cut in and said: "No way." Liang Xiaos face changed, he bit his lip, turned around and walked away. Hua Qingyuan hastily pulled him back, but due to his injuries not being fully healed, his strength was weak, and he almost fell over after being yanked by Liang Xiao, who had no choice but to stop in his tracks. Hua Qingyuan glared at his sister and said: "Liang Xiao, dont be impatient. Whether or not we can teach you is not up to us." Liang Xiao was taken aback, and Hua Qingyuan continued: "If you really want to learn, I can help plead your case..." Hua Muyun said: "Thats still not possible. Even if Mother allows it, this technique requires two people to use together; whats the point of him learning it alone?" Hua Qingyuan furrowed his brow and said: "Youre right."

  Liang Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Im not afraid, as long as youre willing to teach me. In the future, when I have a wife, we can practice together..." Hua Mu Rong slapped him on the face, saying "Arent you ashamed?" Liang Xiaos neck turned bright red as he hastily replied, "Why should I be ashamed? My parents practiced martial arts together too!"

  "Li Shao, where are your parents?" Li Shao remained silent. Hua Qingyuan guessed that he had a hidden agenda and didnt force him to answer, saying: "Its okay if you dont want to say, Ill ask you something else. Are you willing to go home with us?" Li Shao looked up and said: "As long as youre willing to teach me swordsmanship, Im happy to go wherever." Hua Muyun warned him: "Learning martial arts is not easy, its going to be tough." Li Shao puffed out his chest: "Im not afraid of hardship." Hua Xiaoyan was overjoyed when she heard that he agreed to stay.

  Everyone laughed and chatted for a while, then Liang Xiao asked again: "Uncle Hua, is there really no one who can beat Xiao Qian in a one-on-one fight?" Hua Mucun smiled and shook his head, saying: "Not necessarily." Liang Xiao was surprised: "What do you mean?" Hua Mucun raised four fingers and said: "As far as I know, there are four people who are not inferior to him." She saw Liang Xiaos focused expression and smiled: "However, they are not as easy-going as Qin Gege and your brother. Even if you meet them, they wont take you, this mischievous monkey, as their apprentice."

  "Come on, come on, whats the big deal?" Liang Xiao urged impatiently. Hua Murong smiled and said, "The first one is a great master from overseas, he is proficient in all martial arts..." Liang Xiao was amazed and interrupted, "Proficient in all martial arts? Then can he use the Taiyi Splitting Light Sword?" Hua Murong frowned, "No, he cant." Liang Xiao said, "If he cant, then whats the point of saying hes proficient in all martial arts?" Hua Murong knew she had misspoken and angrily retorted, "You little scamp is just trying to be clever. When I say hes proficient in all martial arts, it means he knows a lot of martial arts, just like when people say youre extremely mischievous, does that mean theres no one more mischievous than you?" Liang Xiao had caught the barb in her words but didnt know how to refute her, because whether he responded or not, he would be admitting to being extremely mischievous. He pouted and felt stifled for a moment.

  Hua Mu Rong took the upper hand, secretly pleased with himself, and continued: "The second person is a monk..." Liang Xiaos mind stirred, Hua Mu Rong looked at his expression, nodded and smiled: "Thats right, its the wild monk who played chess with Qin Ge. As for his Buddhist name, Im not clear about it either." Liang Xiao asked curiously: "Why is he called a wild monk? Whats so special about him?" Hua Mu Rong said: "Hes called a wild monk because he doesnt stay in big temples or small ones, his behavior is strange and unpredictable, and he doesnt follow the Buddhist rules. As for his skills, its just that he has great physical strength."

  Liang Xiao said: "Is great strength also a skill?" Hua Mu Rong said: "Dont look down on physical strength. As the saying goes, one force can defeat ten skills, if your every punch and kick has the power of 10,000 jin, who in the world can be your match?" Liang Xiao was stunned, unable to respond, and asked again: "What about the third one?"

  Hua Mu Rong frowned, his face filled with disdain. "As for the third person," he snorted, "this mans swordsmanship is good, but his character is not upright. He specializes in seducing respectable women, so its better not to mention him." Liang Xiao asked, "What does seduce respectable women mean?" Hua Mu Rong gave him a cold glance and said, "This is an extremely shameful and despicable act. From now on, you must not only not speak of it, but also not do it. Otherwise, I will look down on you, and everyone in the world will look down on you."

  Liang Xiao scratched his head and thought hard, but still didnt understand. He raised his eyes to see Hua Mu Rong leaning on her hand, staring at the sky, and asked: "You said four people, who is the other one?" Hua Mu Rong let out a long sigh, with a hint of sadness in her eyes, and bitterly smiled: "The fourth person... I know, but cant say his name." Liang Xiao pouted: "Not saying? Fine! Who cares? Wait till I master the Tai Yi Splitting Light Sword, Ill defeat them all!" Hua Mu Rong remained silent, still gazing into the distance.

  They were stunned for half a day, and Hu Qingyuans injuries improved slightly. The group set off again the next day and arrived at Yunhe, where they found an inn to stay in. Hu Qingyuan took several doses of tonic medicine to nurse her energy back to health. Liang Xiao was bored out of his mind and played with the dog and monkey along with Xiao Shuang. Hu Xiaoshuang named the monkey Jinlinger, which made Liang Xiao annoyed: "My dog is called Bai Chier, youre calling it Jinlinger, arent you just messing with me?" Hu Xiaoshuang said: "Whats wrong with that? Bai Chier and Jinlinger make a perfect pair." Jinlinger remembered the previous grudge and ignored Liang Xiao. When Liang Xiao teased him, he just bared his teeth. Liang Xiao was furious and wanted to scold him, but Hu Xiaoshuang held him tightly and wouldnt let him take action. Liang Xiao was afraid of triggering her illness, so he could only stand with his hands on his hips, glaring at the monkey in anger.

  After resting for several nights, the crowd set off again. Stopping and walking, they passed more than ten days, entering the Kuangcang Mountains, where they saw peaks stretching continuously, spanning east and west, with a gentle and winding mountain landscape, like the soft language of Wu.

  A group of people walked along the mountain path, leading their horses. After about half an hour, a row of green-tiled mud walls appeared vaguely in the clouds and fog, with several levels of terraced fields beside them, very neat and tidy. Several farmers were bent over, tilling the soil. Suddenly someone looked up and saw them, calling out, and the farmers all straightened up, put down their tools, and smiled as they came forward to greet them. The leader, a man with dark skin and bright eyes, bowed his hands and smiled at Hua Qingyuan, saying: "Yang Lu has seen the young master!"

  Hua Qingyuan reached out to support him, smiling: "Director Yang, no need for courtesy, is everything all right in the palace?" Yang Lu smiled: "Everythings fine!" He looked at Hua Qingyuan again and said, "Young Master seems a bit off-color?" Hua Qingyuan smiled: "I caught a slight cold a few days ago, but its nothing now." He handed the reins to the farmers and said, "Well head into the mountains now." Yang Lu nodded and gave a signal. A farmer released a white pigeon, which flapped its wings and flew towards the mountain.

  Liang Xiao pulled at Hua Xiao Xues sleeve and asked, "What is this?" Hua Xiao Xue replied, "Im sending a message to my grandmother!" Liang Xiao responded with an "oh" before suddenly seeing two farmers pull out several dull-looking yellow beasts from the farmhouse. They resembled cows but werent cows, and resembled horses but werent horses. The beasts approached with a "da-da-da" sound. Liang Xiaos expression changed abruptly as he quickly hid behind Hua Xiao Xue, trembling and asking in a shaky voice, "What kind of monster is this?"

  Everyone burst out laughing, and Hua Mu-yong said: "Little ghost head, you also have times when youre afraid?" Hua Qing-yuan also held back her laughter and said: "Xiaoer, have you heard the story of Zhuge Kongming?" Liang Xiao poked his head out, sneaked a peek at the wooden beast, and nodded: "Ive heard Dad talk about it." Hua Qing-yuan said: "This is indeed Zhuge Kongmings wooden oxen and flowing horses used to transport grain on the Shu Road! Its suitable for traveling mountain roads." Liang Xiao was shocked and said: "Really? There are wooden oxen and flowing horses?" Hua Qing-yuan nodded and said: "The road ahead is steep and treacherous, we use it to carry people and goods, its very convenient." Liang Xiao plucked up the courage, stretched out his hand to touch it, and felt that it was hard and rough, indeed a wooden beast coated with yellow lacquer. His little face turned red as he felt embarrassed. But being a child, he soon forgot about his shyness and became extremely interested in the wooden beast, hugging it and asking questions. Hua Qing-yuan answered one by one, and before long, Liang Xiao learned how to control it. He rode on the wooden beast, looking left and right, feeling very proud of himself.

  Four people rode on wooden oxen and flowed horses, entering the depths of the mountains along the rugged mountain road. After a while, the road became increasingly steep and winding, following the ups and downs of the mountain. Sometimes they were beside sheer cliffs, sometimes overlooking deep valleys, sometimes shuttling through the forest, and sometimes moving stealthily in the deep valley. The wooden beast moved quickly and steadily, and Liang Xiao couldnt help but praise it repeatedly.

  Crossing a valley, they saw two peaks in the distance, with a winding stream between them. Hua Xiaoyu asked Liang Shao: "Shao Gege, what do these two mountain peaks look like?" Liang Shao replied: "Like fingers." Hua Mochou sneered: "Tsk, everyone has ten fingers, but you only have two?" Liang Shao was very unhappy and said: "Is it not good to bend eight? You say they dont look like fingers, what do they look like?" Hua Mochou sneered: "Youre a rough and simple-minded person, you even eat with your hands, of course you can only think of fingers!"

  Liang Xiao tilted his head and looked closely, hesitating: "Could it be... like chopsticks?" Hua Murong smiled: "Thats right. These two mountain peaks are called Shizhu Peak." Liang Xiao asked strangely: "Why isnt it called Stone Chopstick, but instead Stone Pig?" Hua Murong glanced at him with disdain in her eyes. Liang Xiao knew he had said something wrong, but didnt know where the mistake was, and felt stifled. Just then, Hua Xiaoxue said: "Brother Xiao, this zhu character doesnt mean pig, but rather chopsticks." She stopped the wooden cow and horse, and asked Liang Xiao to stretch out his palm, writing a "zhu" character on it stroke by stroke. Liang Xiao looked at it with envy: "Why does she know, while I dont even have a clue?"

  Hua Xiao Shuang finished writing, turned her head, gazed at the twin peaks and said softly: "However, the name of Shi Zhan Peak is too plain and not very pleasant to hear." Liang Xiao secretly thought that she was right, glanced at Hua Mu Yong with a slanted gaze, and said loudly: "Yes, it should be called Er Zhi Peak instead!" Hua Xiao Shuang shook her head: "Er Zhi Peak isnt good either. In my opinion, calling it Fu Qi Peak would be more fitting. The tall one in the south is Father, the short one in the north is Mother, standing shoulder to shoulder like this, never parting ways." Hua Qing Yuans body trembled, staring blankly at Xiao Shuang, a hint of alarm flashing in his eyes.

  Hua Murong smiled and said, "Foolish child, youre being silly again? Why is it not suitable to call it Husband and Wife Peaks?" Hua Xiaoxue looked puzzled and shook her head. Hua Murong continued, "Look, theres a stream between the two peaks. Because of this creek, the two peaks are always gazing at each other in longing, yet they can never be together. Do you want Mom and Dad to stare at each other for the rest of their lives without ever being together?" Hua Xiaoxues face turned red as she stole a glance at her father, only to see Hua Qingyuan staring fixedly at the two green peaks, his face growing even paler.

  "If we must make a comparison, it would be more fitting to compare us to the Lovers Peak. Since ancient times, there have been many star-crossed lovers who were unable to be together. As the poem goes: The Cowherd Star is distant and bright, The Weaving Maiden Star shines with a gentle light. Her slender fingers move deftly, as she works at her loom all day. But though they are close, they cannot form a union, and their tears fall like rain. The Milky Way is clear and shallow, but how far apart are they? Separated by just one river, yet unable to speak to each other. These two mountain peaks are like the Cowherd and Weaving Maiden, separated by just one river, and thus unable to meet for eternity."

  The legend of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden has been passed down for thousands of years. Every night, those two cold stars by the Milky Way have brought forth countless sighs and moved the hearts of many young women. Hua Xiaoshuang recited that last line of ancient poetry several times, and somehow tears began to fall. When Hua Muyong saw her crying, he suddenly became flustered, embracing her in his arms and speaking softly: "Xiaoshuang, its just a joke, why take it seriously?"

  Liang Xiao didnt quite understand the meaning of the poem, but he had heard the story of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden from his father. Seeing Hua Xiaoxues tears, he felt indignant and coldly said: "The Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden are useless, they just stare at each other like a pair of foolish birds. If it were me, I would fill the Heavenly River with mud and walk across." Hua Mucun said: "Youre the big fool! The Heavenly River is boundless, do you know how deep and wide its waters are? Youre just bragging shamelessly." Liang Xiao sneered: "Good, the Heavenly River is boundless. On the seventh day of the seventh month, when the Cowherd and the Weaving Maiden meet on the Magpie Bridge, how many magpies will it take to build the bridge? If birds can build a bridge, why cant humans fill up the Heavenly River? Are we inferior to birds?" His words were laced with sarcasm, and Hua Mucuns face turned pale with anger. Liang Xiaos argument was tight, and she couldnt find any reason to refute him, so she could only pout in anger. The three of them were discussing on the side, while Hua Qingyuans expression changed from light to dark, but he didnt say a word.

  The twin peaks drew near, and to my surprise, there were people on the summit. On the northern peak, an ancient pine tree stood tall, its branches stretching out like a canopy. Two white-bearded old men sat under the tree, playing chess with a tranquil air. Beside them, a young boy with a topknot was brewing tea by the stove, and a wisp of white steam rose from the copper kettle into the sky. The southern peak, on the other hand, had sheer cliffs on all sides, leaving no foothold, but at the edge of the precipice sat an old man in gray robes, fishing with a rod. His line sank over a hundred feet into the deep pool below the peak. Liang Xiao was amazed and thought to himself, "How can he fish from such a great height?" Before he could finish his thought, there was a sudden splash of water, and a green carp leapt out of the pool, flipping its body in mid-air, flying dozens of feet high before landing in the old mans hands.

  An old man playing chess smiled and said, "Congratulations, congratulations, Old Three, youve been waiting for half a day, finally making your move!" The strong wind between the two peaks was fierce, but the old mans words passed through hundreds of feet, entering the ears of the crowd one word at a time. The fishing old man sneered and said, "Hmph! Old Four, you still have the face to speak, youve startled away my fish several times with your loud shouting." Another chess-playing old man said, "Youre not even good at it yourself, yet you come to blame others." Old Three snorted coldly and said, "Left Second, when it comes to fishing, except for Old Big, who can compare to me?" His words were full of self-importance. Left Second smiled and said, "Boasting loudly, lets have a competition and see who wins." Old Three sneered and said, "Good, if I lose, Ill dive into the water and become a turtle."

  Upon arriving at the bottom of Peak Stream, everyone abandoned their wooden oxen and horses. However, Liang Xiao had not had enough and still hugged his wooden horse tightly. Hua Xiao Xue stepped forward and called out to Tong Lao San, "Zhu Gong Gong." She also called out to Dui Yi Lao, "Yuan Gong Gong, Gu Gong Gong." Unexpectedly, the three men seemed to have not heard her. Liang Xiao scoffed, "Do these three old men think they are immortals? Humph! Whats so special about them?" Hua Qing Yuan chuckled and said, "Liang Xiao, you misunderstood. The wind is strong here, and Xiao Xue has insufficient internal energy, so her words cant reach them." He then pressed his hand against his waist and laughed loudly, saying, "Three Crane Elders, are you all well?" His voice was loud and clear, like the roar of a tiger or the howl of a dragon. Liang Xiao thought to himself, "Uncle Hua is really formidable; Im afraid even my father cant match up to him."

  Three old men heard the sound and glanced over, but still didnt get up. Only Lao San said coldly: "You just arrived? Slow legs!" Qing Yuan smiled and said: "Lao San is right, next time Ill definitely hurry!" Liang Xiao felt angry and thought: "The old man is so fierce, why is Uncle Hua still being polite to them?"

  Tong Lao San turned his head, looked at Hua Xiao Shuang and threw the carp in his hand, saying: "Shuanger, Ill give it to you!" The fish hadnt stopped moving yet, shaking its head and tail, flying towards the girl. Hua Xiao Shuang was startled, not knowing whether to dodge or catch it. Liang Xiao saw this from the side, rushed up a step, used his "Circle Character Seal" in his hand, flipped his hands over once, and scooped the foot-long fish into his arms, turned around and handed it to Xiao Shuang.

  Hua Xiao Shuang picked it up and ran to the edge of the pond, putting it into the water. The fish at first seemed to be dying, struggling a couple of times, but suddenly came back to life, darting quickly into the depths of the pond. Liang Xiao said in surprise: "Xiao Shuang, why did you let it go?" Hua Xiao Shuang saw that the fish was swimming happily and felt joyful in her heart, laughing as she said: "Fish will die if they leave the water." Liang Xiao coldly smiled and said: "You speak nicely, but dont you eat fish?" Hua Xiao Shuang hesitated for a moment before saying: "I do eat it...but...but..." Her face turned red as she continued: "I found it pitiful..." Liang Xiao coldly thought to himself: "Dad is a softie and his daughter is also a softie."

  Tong Lao San said, "Qing Yuan! Who is this child?" Hua Qing Yuan replied, "Hes the kid Qin brought to Linan, named Liang Xiao." Tong Lao San asked, "Did you teach him his martial arts?" Hua Qing Yuan shook his head and said, "No." Tong Lao San snorted coldly, "The Like-Willow Whirling Demon Hand of Xiao Qian Yue, Im afraid you cant even teach that." Liang Xiao thought to himself in surprise, "This old mans eyes are really sharp, I only showed half a move and he already figured it out?"

  Hua Qingyuan was also startled, and just as he was about to turn around to ask Liang Xiao, Old Man Tóng tossed the fishing hook upwards, hooking it onto a rock. He then leapt downwards, resembling a large grey crane, hugging the cliff wall as he fell. In an instant, the fishing line was pulled taut in mid-air. Old Man Tóng discarded his fishing rod and flipped over, landing on the edge of the pool with a splash. His body swayed momentarily before he arrived in front of Liang Xiao, whereupon he grasped out with his fingers. This grasp was subtle yet wondrous, and Liang Xiaos chest tightened as he was suddenly seized. Unaware, he angrily exclaimed: "You stinky old man, what are you grabbing me for?"

  Tong Lao San was stunned by the insult "stinky old man" and changed color, saying: "You little brat, are you a disciple of Xiao Qian Jue?" Liang Xiao also became furious and shouted: "Who is that old turtles disciple!" He puffed out his cheeks and spat out a mouthful of saliva, which Tong Lao San hastily dodged. Hua Qing Yuan was shocked and wanted to step forward to mediate, but hesitated and instead gave a signal to her sister with her eyes. However, Hua Mu Yong was still resentful about being overshadowed by Liang Xiao earlier and hoped he would suffer some humiliation to vent her own anger, so she remained silent and waited for the little brat to make a fool of himself.

  The two men glared at each other for a while, and Tong Lao Sans expression gradually relaxed. He let go of Liang Xiao and frowned, saying: "Little guy, why did you call me Old Wang Ba?" Liang Xiao said: "He originally is!" Tong Lao San felt even more surprised and thought to himself that if Liang Xiao was a junior of Xiang Qian Jue, it wouldnt make sense for him to insult him like this. He couldnt help but feel suspicious.

  Just as he was distracted, Liang Xiao took advantage of the opportunity and bit down on his hand. Tong Lao San was shocked and quickly used his internal energy to shake off Liang Xiao, causing Liang Xiaos teeth to ache. With great difficulty, Tong Lao San managed to pry open Liang Xiaos mouth, but not before a row of bloody marks appeared on the back of his hand.

  Tong Lao San was both startled and enraged, shouting: "You little scoundrel, have you gone mad?" Liang Xiao said with hatred: "If you say Im Xiang Qian Jues disciple again, Ill bite off your hand!" Tong Lao San raised an eyebrow in anger, saying: "Youre not his disciple, so how do you know his martial arts?"

  Liang Xiao glared at him and said: "None of your business!" Tong Lao Sans face sank, and he shouted: "If you dont explain clearly, you wont be able to pass through Shi Zhaofeng Peak!" Liang Xiao exerted all his strength to head-butt Tong Lao San, but the latter was as solid as cast iron. After several attempts, Liang Xiaos head spun, and he almost fell over.

  Suddenly, a voice from afar laughed and said: "Tong Zhù, your old face is thick-skinned, using force to deal with a little kid, arent you ashamed?" The crowd turned their eyes to look, and Xiù Lǎo Sì had also come down from the mountain peak at some unknown time. Only one person, Zuǒ Lǎo èr, sat on the mountaintop, gazing intently at the chessboard in front of him, as if everything below the peak was none of his concern.

  Tong Lao San was ridiculed by him, and he became angry: "Xiu Gu, you talk less nonsense, if you have the ability, come ask him?" Xiu Gu smiled and walked to Liang Xiaos side, saying warmly: "Little kid, tell Grandpa, who is Shao Qian for you?" He had a kind face and a warm smile. Liang Xiao saw that he was standing up for himself and ridiculing Tong Zhu, already having an inexplicable good feeling, and after being asked like this, his heart felt warm, and he blurted out: "Hes my arch-nemesis!" Xiu Gu frowned and smiled again: "Little kids cant lie." While saying that, he took out a few pieces of ginger candy from his sleeve. "You be good and tell the truth, Grandpa will give you candy to eat." Liang Xiao told the truth but was considered a liar, feeling both wronged and angry, and suddenly slapped his hand out. Xiu Gu didnt expect this, and the ginger candies in his hand were all knocked out.

  Tong Zhu laughed and said, "Xiu Lao Si, whats the use of pretending to be a good person? Its still the same old thing, like a nephew hitting a lantern." Xiu Gus face turned red and white, extremely embarrassed.

  The Left Old Second, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly said: "You two old guys have lived for half your lives and still havent made any progress. Hmph, this kid wont tell the truth, so lets get rid of him." Huā Qīng Yuān was shocked and quickly interjected: "Left Old, wait, I had an agreement with this child to bring him into the valley." Tóng Zhù and Xiū Gǔ exchanged a glance, both frowning. Left Old Second sneered: "Youre a young master of the palace, you naturally dont put us old folks in your eyes. You say how it is, thats how it is. I, Zuǒ Yuán, am just talking nonsense."

  Hua Qingyuans forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he hastily said: "Old Master Zuo, youre being too serious, Qingyuan would never have such intentions." Liang Xiao saw that Hua was in a difficult situation and suddenly became arrogant, raising his head to say: "Uncle Hua, dont bother being polite to these old men. If they wont let me pass, Ill just leave." As he spoke, he turned around to leave, but Tong Zhus hands were like steel claws, making it impossible for him to struggle free. Tong Zhu gave a faint cold smile: "If you dont tell the truth, then dont think about leaving."

  Hua Qingyuan was at a loss, and just then Hua Xiaoxue stepped forward, grabbed Tong Zhus sleeve and said: "Tong Gonggong, you... can you let go of Xiao Gege?" Tong Zhu was taken aback: "Xiao Gege?" He looked at Liang Xiao for a moment, understood the situation, shook his head and said: "This wont do..." Before he could finish speaking, Hua Xiaoxues eyes welled up with tears. Although Tong Zhu didnt want to lose face in front of Hua Qingyuan, he couldnt help but feel affectionate towards this little girl. Seeing her cry, he pushed Liang Xiao away and stroked her face, repeatedly saying: "Good Xiaoxue, dont cry, dont cry, look... Gonggong is letting him go now, isnt that right?" Hua Xiaoxue burst into tears and then smiled, seeing Liang Xiao wanting to run, she quickly grabbed hold of him and said: "Xiao Gege, arent you still going to learn swordsmanship?" Liang Xiao was taken aback, thinking to himself: "Yes, I am here to learn skills. If I can master the sword technique and defeat Liang Qianjue, whats a little humiliation?" Thinking this, his feet seemed rooted to the spot.

  Hua Xiao Shuang smiled and pulled Liang Xiao past Tong Zhong, who was shocked: "Strange! How could this little rascal be the disciple of Xiao Qian Yue?" Seeing Liang Xiaos arrogant attitude, he deliberately looked at him sideways, his anger rising. Hua Qing Yuan saw the situation and let out a sigh of relief, bowing to Tong Zhong: "Tong lao must have made a mistake, how could he be Xiao Qian Yues disciple..." Tong Zhong rolled his eyes and sneered: "Where did I go wrong? When I was fighting with Xiao lao guai, you were still running around naked!" Hua Qing Yuans ears turned bright red as he stuttered: "Th-that is..."

  "Fine, youve protected him, I wont bother with it anymore. Hmph! At his young age, he cant stir up much trouble anyway." With a flick of his sleeve, he descended to the foot of the peak, grasped the fishing rod in one hand and turned the handle on top with the other. He pushed off from the stone wall with his left foot and suddenly soared over a dozen feet high, then turned the handle again and rose several more feet. In this manner, he rapidly ascended to the summit, where Tong Zhāng stood with his hands on his hips, gazing out towards the east with a long sigh.

  Liang Xiao found it interesting and thought: "Although the old man is hateful, his method of climbing mountains is fun!" Just as he was thinking about this, a dragon boat came sailing between the two peaks. The dragon boat sailed downstream, with a strange appearance, both the bow and stern were dragon heads, with open mouths and angry eyes, looking very fierce.

  A man of about forty years old, with a clear and extraordinary appearance, pressed the two horns of the dragon head with both hands, but did not manipulate the oars. The boat seemed to come alive, with six iron paddles on either side moving in unison. Hua Qingyuan saw the dragon boat approaching the shore and bowed his hand, laughing: "Ye Zhong brother! How dare you trouble yourself?" The man smiled: "Young Master Hua is joking." Hua Mochou hugged Xiao Feng onto the boat, and Liang Xiao followed, intentionally using force to jump on board, causing the dragon boat to shake violently. Ye Zhong lost his smile and said: "You little thing, do you want to capsize the boat?" Hua Mochou glared at Liang Xiao and said: "He loves to stir up trouble for no reason." Then he smiled at Ye Zhong and asked: "Brother Ye, how is your wife?"

  "Good! Good!" Ye Zong laughed. "The young master is indeed concerned." As he saw everyone boarding the ship, he turned around and pulled the dragon tail at the back of the ship dozens of times before suddenly releasing it. The six iron oars on the ships body flew up together, propelling the dragon boat upstream, only with the rear end now becoming the bow. Liang Xiao looked on in shock, leaning forward to peer down. Hua Mu Rong shouted: "What are you doing? Dont fall off!" Liang Xiao said: "This is strange, why isnt anyone rowing below?"

  Hua Mu Rong smiled slightly and said, "You dont know. This is called the Thousand Mile Ship, it was created by Zu Chongzhi, a great mathematician of ancient times. Except for starting and steering, which require human power, at other times, it relies on water power to propel it." Liang Xiao asked, "Who is Zu Chongzhi? Is his martial arts very good? Hmm... what is mathematics? Is it a powerful martial art?" Hua Mu Rong laughed so hard she couldnt straighten her waist. She had been teased by Liang Xiao earlier and was still resentful, but now she finally got to retaliate. Just as she was about to mock him, Hua Qing Yuan smiled and said, "Although mathematics is not a martial art, it has its own wonders. Zu Chongzhi was the master of mathematics during the Five Dynasties period, he invented the method of cutting circles, calculated pi, and based on the movements of the sun and moon, created the Daming calendar. This unmanned Thousand Mile Ship is also his invention." Liang Xiao suddenly clapped his hands and said, "I understand! Hes just like Zhuge Kongming, extremely intelligent!" Hua Qing Yuan smiled and said, "Thats right!"

  As they spoke, the Thousand Mile Ship sailed through the Twin Peaks of Lovers Grief and entered a secluded valley among mountains. The riverbed grew steeper and the stream more turbulent. Suddenly, the sound of rushing water filled the air, and as they rounded a bend, six waterfalls came into view ahead, with flying jade and splashing crystal, like six crystal curtains hanging from the cliffs on either side. Below the falls, white waves churned and foamed, thundering like drums, sending even boulders tumbling and leaping in the air. The swifter the current, the faster the iron oars moved, propelling the Thousand Mile Ship upstream against the torrent.

  Through the waterfall, the thousand-mile boat follows the winding stream and enters a narrow valley. The cliffs on both sides of the valley are slightly concave inward, like a fan shell, and become narrower as you go further up. The color of the cliff is peculiar, with a bright and glossy light like jade, just in time for a strip of dusk to slant into the gorge, shining on the wall, reflecting repeatedly, and for a while, the valley is filled with golden light and colorful splendor, making peoples eyes dazzled.

  In "Cai Bei Gorge" they walked for half an hour, and Liang Xiao sat impatiently, asking: "Uncle Hua, how much further?" Just as Hua Qingyuan was about to answer, he suddenly saw the Thousand Mile Boat sail out of the gorge entrance, and the front opened up brightly. The creek water gathered in the mountains into a lake, with green peaks standing on the lakeside, surrounded by clouds and mist, dozens of white cranes calling out clearly, flying back and forth in the twilight. Hua Qingyuan stood up and pointed far away: "Xiaoer look, that is Qi Yue Valley, Tian Ji Palace."

  Ye Zong grasped the dragons horn and suddenly sang in a loud voice: "Water meets the west sky mist, flowers are in bloom, clouds fly and cranes dance, it is an immortal family. The evening mountain is like a wine mountain, people are drunk, hush, one crazy song moves the late clouds." The heroic and elegant singing voice lingered for a long time among the mountains.

  The bridges gaze went far and wide, where it met the shore, three flying waterfalls seemed to fall from the sky, three giant wheels wrapped in dragon-shaped coils slowly rotated in front of the waterfall, driving thousands of thin copper arms, sometimes hidden and sometimes visible in the water, like countless dragons. Liang Xiao stared with his eyes fixed and mouth agape, and exclaimed: "What is that?"

  "Thats Tian Xuan, Tian Xun and Tian Ji. These three giant wheels have been rotating in front of Qiu Yue Valley for 300 years." Liang Xiaoqi said: "What are they used for?" Hua Qingyuan smiled slightly: "Its a long story! Youll understand later."

  The lake is calm and peaceful, with a thousand-mile-long boat slowing down as it passes through the three gorges. Ahead, two cliffs rise to the sky, standing opposite each other in a majestic manner. On the cliff walls, two lines of characters are carved in a divine and skillful way, like the work of ghosts or gods. The right side reads: "Across the vast emptiness, there is nothing that can be relied upon except for me." The left side reads: "Throughout all eternity, the River Chart and the Luo Book have no basis to rely on, everything is empty." These two lines of characters are powerful and unparalleled, with each character several meters tall. The final stroke of the last character extends straight into the water, creating an atmosphere that is truly astonishing.

  The ship anchored in front of a vast expanse of rocky beach, and the crowd disembarked. Ahead lay a desolate mountain valley, surrounded by towering peaks that touched the clouds, with only the valley floor still accessible for walking. The entire valley floor was covered in flat rocks, scattered boulders, and towering pines, all jumbled together in disarray. Large stones resembled small mountains, while smaller ones weighed no less than ten thousand catties. Amidst the rocks and pines stood countless stone statues of people, some as tall as several men, intricately carved with minute details, their massive bodies aside, their facial expressions - joy, anger, sorrow, delight - were indistinguishable from those of ordinary humans. Some sat, others stood, some crouched or ran, some furrowed their brows in deep thought, while others gazed up at the sky and laughed heartily; some strummed zithers and sang, while others wielded brushes to play the se; truly a thousand postures, each with its own unique charm. At a glance, it seemed endless.

  Liang Xiao saw something strange and didnt react, but he couldnt help taking a deep breath and exclaimed: "What is this again?" Hua Qingyuan solemnly said: "This is the image of 800 sages. Carved from ancient times to the present, the historical records of 800 saints, philosophers, famous generals, and strange people..." He pointed to a stone statue with a majestic crown and a broad belt, with an air of overlooking the world, and said, "That is Emperor Huangdi." He also pointed to an old man with a high forehead, wide face, deep-set eyes, and holding a medicinal hoe, saying, "That is Emperor Shennong." Then he pointed to an old man with long eyebrows, big ears, a long beard that reached his abdomen, riding a green cow, saying, "This is Laozi Li Er who wrote the 5,000-character true words of Taoism." He then pointed to an old man in Confucian robes, holding his hands together in greeting, and said, "That is Confucius Wenxian." Liang Xiao listened while looking around, suddenly feeling that those stone statues were not standing still, but seemed to be slowly moving. Although it was hard to notice, they were like the stars in the sky, constantly rotating at all times. As Hua Qingyuan spoke, the statue of Emperor Huangdi had already been blocked by a stone mountain. Liang Xiao suddenly let out an exclamation.

  "Ah, youve figured it out?" Hua Mu Rong asked with a smile. "If you can guess the reason, thats quite an accomplishment." Liang Xiao bit her lip and thought for a moment before suddenly clapping her hands and laughing. "I know!" she exclaimed. Hua Mu Rong smiled and said, "Oh? Tell me about it." Liang Xiao pointed to the three giant wheels behind her and said, "Its just like the Thousand Mile Ship! The water power drives the giant wheels, which in turn drive the copper arms, and then...and then the copper arms somehow push the stone statue!" Hua Mu Rong looked surprised and nodded with a smile. "Good job! I didnt think you had that much cleverness in you. This time, the blind cat caught the dead mouse." Hua Xiao Ling chimed in with a laugh, "Brother Liang is originally very intelligent!" As she spoke, her cheeks flushed slightly red.

  Liang Xiao was delighted when people flattered him, and he smiled at Hua Xiao Xue before asking, "But how did the copper arm move the stone statue?" Hua Qing Yuan looked up at the sky and said, "Well talk about that later. Lets enter the palace first!" He then told Liang Xiao, "Follow my footsteps closely."

  Liang Xiaoqi said, "Why?" Hua Murong said, "Dont ask so many questions, you wont understand even if I tell you." As she spoke, she pulled him with one hand and held onto Xiaoshuang with the other, following behind Hua Qingyuan. They saw Hua Qingyuan walking straight at times and slanting at others, darting back and forth between the stone statues and rocks. After about a hundred steps, Liang Xiaoqi suddenly had an idea: "Why do I have to follow him? If he wont tell me the reason, cant I figure it out myself?" He took advantage of Hua Murongs carelessness and suddenly broke free from her grasp, taking a step to the left. Hua Murong failed to hold onto him and involuntarily let out a cry of surprise.

  Liang Xiao Sheng feared being chased, so he ran wildly. After running over a hundred steps, just as he was about to turn his head back, his foot suddenly felt empty beneath him. He looked down and found himself standing at the edge of an incredibly deep chasm, which shocked him greatly. As he tried to pull his foot back, his body seemed to float up into the air again. The wind whistled past his ears, and white clouds flew by before his eyes. Looking down, he saw a range of mountains stretching out below him, with rivers flowing across them like ribbons. He felt as though he was falling from the sky like a shooting star, with icy winds piercing through his body. Just as the chill began to set in, he suddenly found himself standing in the midst of wind and snow. The landscape stretched out endlessly before him, with only snowflakes dancing and the wind sighing softly.

  Liang Xiaos blood ran cold as ice, his hair stood on end as he sprinted forward, resisting the chill. He didnt know how far he had run when the ground suddenly shook again, emitting a deafening rumble like thunder. In an instant, the earth split open and a massive flame burst out, hundreds of feet high. Liang Xiaos entire body was scorching hot, sweat pouring down like rain, but his mouth was parched and dry, unable to utter a sound. This sudden shift from cold to hot drove him nearly mad. Suddenly, he saw figures moving in the distance and rushed towards them, only to see a couple strolling side by side, laughing and chatting amidst the flames. Liang Xiao recognized them clearly, shocked and overjoyed, calling out: "Dad! Mom!" But Wen Jingyu and Yu Feng ignored him, too engrossed in their conversation. Liang Xiao wept and wailed, desperately chasing after them, yet unable to get close.

  They chased for a while, and the two suddenly stopped. Liang Xiao was overjoyed and grabbed Wen Jings clothes, bursting into loud sobs. After crying out twice, he lifted his head to look, but in the daze, all he saw was that the person he had grabbed wore black robes like lacquer, with a face as white as paper - if it wasnt Xiao Qian, who could it be? Liang Xiaos heart and strength were exhausted from the sudden joy and shock, and he let out a loud cry before nearly fainting. Suddenly, he felt a tight grip on his back, and someone pulled him backwards. The illusions in front of his eyes all disappeared, leaving only the stone statue standing silently.

  Liang Xiao seemed to have fought with someone for thousands of moves, and suddenly sat down, panting like a cow. Looking back, he only saw Hua Xiaoxues face filled with concern, looking at him, and there was no one else around, so he couldnt help but ask: "Are you the only one?" Before Hua Xiaoxue could speak, she suddenly saw Sima Qian slowly moving westward on her left side, while Ban Gu moved southward. Her heart skipped a beat as she pulled Liang Xiao and said: "Hurry up, hurry up." Liang Xiao was still wondering when he heard the sound of golden armor and iron horses by his ear, and his eyes became dizzy, only to see mountains of corpses and seas of blood, palaces collapsing, and in an instant, it turned into a piece of scorched earth.

  Her left arm tightened again, and the illusion disappeared. Hua Xiao Shuangs soul was still unsettled as she said: "Luckily, I almost fell into it too." She pulled Liang Xiao to move east and west, taking a dozen steps before sitting down at the foot of a small hill, saying: "This is the Tai Shi Jing array eye, we can stay here for a short while."

  Liang Xiao couldnt help but ask, "Whats going on?" Hua Xiaoxue looked at him and said in a hushed tone, "Were trapped in the Two Instruments Fantasy Dust Array!" Liang Xiao glanced around at the formation, recalling the stories his father used to tell him. Suddenly, he realized, "These stone statues are like the Eight Trigrams Formation?" Hua Xiaoxue nodded, "Not just these stone statues, everything here, from the grass to the trees, is planted with great knowledge. Did you feel a sudden chill and then heat earlier? Thats because weve fallen into the Yin-Yang Realm centered around Zou Yan."

  Liang Xiao rubbed his head and said, "Xiao Feng, how did you also get in?" Hua Xiao Feng said, "I saw you falling in, I wanted to pull you back, but who knew that accidentally, I also fell in with you." She picked up a sharp stone and drew many strange symbols on the ground, writing and erasing them. Liang Xiao was surprised and asked, "Xiao Feng, what are you doing?" Hua Xiao Feng said, "Im deducing the formation method." Liang Xiao was even more surprised and asked, "You also understand these things?" Hua Xiao Feng smiled sweetly and said, "I usually stay at home, besides reading books, I have nothing else to do. These formations are all related to the knowledge in the books."

  Liang Xiao thought for a moment, then asked: "Xiao Xue, why do I see so many strange and bizarre things?" Hua Xiao Xue furrowed her brow slightly: "I also heard it from my grandmother, dont know if its true or false. Its said that this Two Instruments Fantasy Dust Array is called Fantasy Dust, which can change with peoples hearts and fantasize about the red dust of all things. If you get trapped deep in the array, what you think in your heart will appear in the array. The more restless a persons mind is, the easier it is to produce illusions, experiencing confusion, shock, joy, sorrow, happiness, and sadness, until they go crazy." Liang Xiao thought for a moment before saying: "Why does Tianji Palace hide in such a secluded place and set up this kind of array?"

  Hua Xiao Shuang said, "I heard from Dad that we came during the Tang Dynasty." She spoke as she wrote, and surprisingly, her handwriting was smooth and effortless. Liang Xiao watched in amazement, listening to her say, "At that time, many bad people were fighting all over the world, and it lasted for over a hundred years. They killed people and set fires everywhere, burning books, not only killing many people but also destroying the knowledge left behind by our ancestors." She imagined the tragic situation at that time, feeling sorrowful in her heart, with a hint of redness around her eyes, and asked Liang Xiao, "Xiao Gege, I just dont understand why those bad people did such things?"

  Liang Xiao originally asked her, but she turned the question back on him. He hesitated for a moment before saying: "I think that at first there were many people like you who were very good and didnt fight or argue with each other. Then suddenly someone like me appeared, a bad person who bullied you, took your food and clothes, and forced you to steal from others in order to survive. Others did the same, and soon everyone was bad. Later on, the bad people discovered that two bad people were stronger than one, so they formed gangs and started beating each other up. The number of people fighting grew and grew, until they began to wage war, killing each other, setting fires, and stealing things..." He trailed off here, unable to think of any more evil deeds.

  Hua Xiao Shuang thought for a moment, shook her head and said: "Youre wrong." Liang Xiao Dao asked: "Whats wrong?" Hua Xiao Shuang lowered her head, calculated a few strokes, and whispered: "I wouldnt rob or kill people." Liang Xiao Dao sneered: "If you dont rob others, youll only starve to death, freeze to death, or be killed by others!"

  "Id rather die than do that." She pulled on Liang Xiaos hand and said seriously, "Xiao Gege isnt a bad person either."

  Li Shao sneered: "Ill be the bad guy! Being a good person just gets you bullied, Ive always only bullied others." Hua Xiao Xue wrinkled her delicate eyebrows, suddenly shook Li Shaos hand, and softly begged: "Shao Gege, I dont want you to be a bad person! Dont be a bad person, okay?" Li Shao was annoyed by her words, but had no choice, so he said: "Then wont I also freeze to death or starve to death?" Hua Xiao Xue said: "We can die together, I would never have the heart to do bad things."

  Liang Xiao was stunned and didnt speak. Hua Xiao Xue saw that he wasnt talking, so she said: "Alright, lets not talk about this for now. Anyway, Brother Xiao will never be a bad person." Liang Xiaos face turned hot, and he didnt know how to refute her. He only heard Hua Xiao Xue continue: "Lets continue talking about our origins. At that time when the world was in great chaos, our ancestors from the Tianji Palace were very knowledgeable people. They saw how chaotic the world was and decided to collect all the classics and hide them in a place." Liang Xiao interrupted: "And they hid them in the Tianji Palace?"

  Hua Xiao Shuang smiled and said, "At that time, there was no Tianji Palace yet. There was only Qiu Yue Valley, where the valley was filled with bare rocks. That ancestor not only had good knowledge but also had excellent martial arts skills. He led his family generals to collect various books, antiques, and paintings while fighting against evil people. They eventually moved everything to Qiu Yue Valley. However, until that ancestor passed away, this matter was still unfinished, and his son continued to work on it. At that time, the world was divided into more than a dozen countries, and the wars between evil people became increasingly fierce. To preserve books from the war fires, many of our people died." She spoke to this point, her eyes were red-rimmed, "Until finally, that ancestor... was also killed by evil people..." As she said this, tears burst forth, and Liang Xiao patted her shoulder. Hua Xiao Shuang could no longer hold back, and she buried her face in his lap, crying loudly. Liang Xiao pressed on her shoulders, not knowing how to comfort her.

  After crying for a while, Hua Xiao Shuang lifted her head, wiped away her tears and said with embarrassment: "Ive been prone to crying since I was young. When I hear something like this, I just want to cry. Xiao Gege, dont laugh at me." Liang Xiao thought: "This is really laughable." He started laughing dryly, but only managed two laughs before he couldnt laugh anymore for some reason.

  Hua Xiao Shuang continued: "By the time of our third generation ancestor, he was an extremely intelligent person. On the one hand, he continued to collect books, and on the other hand, he delved into the knowledge contained within them, learning many useful things. In order to make the books safer, he designed this array, drew out a blueprint, and worked together with the descendants of our familys ancestors to build it. To save labor, he also created wooden oxen and horses, as well as a thousand-mile ship, which were used to transport wood and stone blocks. However, this stone array was too large, and by the time his sons generation came along, it still hadnt been completed. It wasnt until three hundred years ago that the Heavenly Machine Three Wheels were finally finished, and another hundred years passed before the Heavenly Machine Palace was established." Hua Xiao Shuang spoke with excitement, a shallow dimple appearing on her face as she lowered her head to calculate something, then laughed and said, "Alright, Brother Xiao, Ive figured it out!"

  She jumped up and pulled Liang Xiao to the left for seven steps, then to the right for eight steps, circling around ten stone statues before stopping. She calculated again on the ground and said, "This is the Mysterious Easy Realm with Fuxi as the axis, its an array within an array, a very critical place. Brother Xiao, hold my hand tightly!" Liang Xiao had suffered enough hardships and heard her words, holding her small hand tightly. The two walked shoulder to shoulder around a three-person-hugged ancient pine tree, taking only two steps when a gentle breeze blew in their faces. Hua Xiaoshuang was shocked and said, "Not good, this is the Xun eye, I miscalculated." She pulled Liang Xiao to the left for three steps, suddenly seeing the statues of King Wen and Confucius close together. She stomped her foot and exclaimed, "Bad! This has all changed!" Her voice was already trembling with tears. These stone statues were constantly moving, taking a wrong step would change the entire array, unless they recalculated based on the current statues, or else they would sink deeper.

  As the sun set, Hua Xiao Shuang covered her face and wept: "Its all my fault... if I hadnt been so reckless, we wouldnt be trapped here..." Liang Xiao hastily consoled her: "Dont worry, Uncle Hua will come find us." But in his heart, he thought: "Actually, its my fault. If I hadnt wandered off randomly, you wouldnt have followed me in either." Feeling guilty, he tried to comfort her, and eventually Hua Xiao Shuang wiped away her tears and shook her head: "This stone array is dozens of miles wide, with strange changes... I really dont know where we are now. Even if it were Grandma, she wouldnt dare to venture randomly without knowing my location."

  The two of them sat in silence for a while, when suddenly the wind started to pick up, and Hua Xiao Shuangs body began to shiver violently, coughing non-stop. Liang Xiao couldnt help but ask: "Are you cold?" Hua Xiao Shuang grunted, her teeth chattering. Liang Xiao thought to himself: "The wind is quite strong, but it shouldnt be this cold." He stretched out his arm and wrapped it around her, but felt that Xiao Shuangs body was getting colder by the minute. His heart skipped a beat as he checked her breathing again, only to find that she wasnt exhaling at all. Alarmed, he asked: "Whats wrong with you?" Hua Xiao Shuang managed to stammer out a few words from between her teeth: "In my... bosom... theres... medicine." Liang Xiao suddenly remembered the incident at Tian Jis residence and hastily reached into her bosom, feeling for a jade bottle. He poured out one pill, which had a light golden color, just like the one before. He gave it to her to take, and Hua Xiao Shuang caught her breath, took the medicine bottle from him, and swallowed another pill.

  Liang Xiaoqi asked, "Whats this medicine called?" Hua Xiaoxue replied weakly, "This is the Golden Wind Jade Dew Pill that Grandfather Wu gave me." Liang Xiao furrowed his brow and said, "Xiaoxue, are you sick? You really scared me just now." Xiaoxue smiled and said, "Its nothing, Ive been taking this pill ever since I got it, and as soon as I take the medicine, Ill be fine." Liang Xiao was still a bit worried and wanted to ask more questions, but suddenly heard a distant flute sound that was barely audible, yet piercingly clear. A thought flashed in his mind, and he exclaimed, "Youre so busy calculating this and that, youve got me all confused too! Even if we cant figure it out clearly, cant we just shout loudly?" Xiaoxue was taken aback and said, "Yes, Im really stupid. If we just shout loudly, Father and Aunt will definitely hear us sooner or later."

  Liang Xiao stood up, letting out a long whistle. He was young and weak, but he had been whistling for a long time, and the flute player also vaguely heard it, the sound of the flute was loud and exciting, full of joy. Before long, only the sound of breaking through the air was heard, and a figure emerged with a jade flute in his mouth, walking towards him with a carefree expression. He had a jade-like face, a tall and slender body, and long white hair fluttering behind him - it was none other than the White-Robed Old Man, Zuo Yuan, from Mount Mengguan. Hua Xiaoxue called out in delight: "Grandpa Yuan!" Zuo Yuan heard her weak voice and frowned, saying: "Youre ill again?" Xiaoxue nodded. Zuo Yuan hesitated for a moment before suddenly picking up Xiaoxue and turning to leave without even giving Liang Xiao a glance. Liang Xiao hastily followed close behind, but Zuo Yuans movements were extremely fast, and in just a few steps, he had vanished from sight, leaving Liang Xiao stunned and wondering: "Is this old man intentionally trying to shake me off?" He felt bitter in his heart, but didnt dare to wander around randomly, standing alone in the same spot. After a while, still not seeing anyone come, he couldnt help but think: "Could it be that Uncle Hua and the others have forgotten about me? That old man in white clothes must hate me, intentionally leaving me here to starve to death - even if I dont starve to death, Ill suffocate!" Thinking this, he couldnt bear it anymore and squatted on the ground, bursting into loud sobs.

  After crying for a while, Liang Xiaos mood improved slightly. He wiped away his tears and was about to get up when he suddenly saw someones shadow flickering on the ground. He couldnt help but be startled and shouted, "Who?" However, the person didnt move at all. Liang Xiao looked up and burst out laughing. It turned out that the moonlight was shining between two peaks, casting a glow over the stone statue, leaving behind irregular shadows on the ground. Liang Xiao looked at the statue again, then at the shadow: "This stone statue is also unknown who carved it, just like the real thing."

  The stone statue kept rotating, and the moonlight projection also rotated non-stop like a lantern. Liang Xiao was extremely bored and squatted down to watch, only to see one shadow holding a book volume, sideways raising its arm, as if reciting poetry, not long after, it moved away; The second shadow came in front of him again, with both hands in front and back, as if walking; Following the third shadow came before his eyes, but it was waving its hand and lifting its foot, with five fingers slanting. Liang Xiao watched until here, and suddenly had an epiphany, the three shadows flashed in his mind, and in an instant, they were connected together.

  Liang Xiao jumped up, "Ah yo" exclaimed: "Isnt this a martial art move?" Thinking of this, he looked at the other stone statues and suddenly realized that every statues movements, from lifting their hands to raising their feet, all contained extremely subtle boxing principles. When connected together, they formed a complete martial art. Liang Xiao pondered over several moves, feeling that they were incredibly mysterious and powerful, and his heart was filled with boundless surprise for the time being.

  It turned out that this eight hundred stone statue was a huge mystery left by the predecessors, standing here for years and months, until today, someone finally figured out the secret. Two hundred years ago, Tianji Palace went through countless tribulations and finally passed down to the seventh generation, producing a martial arts prodigy named Hua Liushui. This person became the number one master of Tianji Palace at the age of seventeen and by thirty, he was unmatched in the Jianghu. It was also during his generation that Tianji Palaces martial arts finally formed its own school. In terms of martial arts alone, this person can be said to be the greatest master of Tianji Palace in the past five hundred years.

  The Tiān Jī Gōng is responsible for protecting the classics in a chaotic world. For the people in the palace, martial arts are indispensable, but collecting classics and building the "Two Instruments Fantasy Dust Array" are the most important things. By the time Huā Liú Shuǐ was 30 years old, opening up mountains and rivers, creating wheels and planting trees had all been completed, and according to the blueprints, it was time to connect the mechanisms and set up the mobile stone pillars.

  The flower flows with water, and his martial arts skills are divine. However, none of the disciples in the palace can inherit his mantle. He doesnt say it out loud, but hes deeply disappointed. Looking at the stone pillars, a strange idea suddenly occurs to him - he decides to carve eight hundred saints and sages into the pillars, and engrave his most powerful martial arts skills onto the statues. He just wants to see if anyone in the future can decipher the subtleties within. If they can unravel it, their comprehension should be no less than his own; perhaps theyll even be able to cultivate their own martial arts skills.

  At this point, the eight hundred stone statues had exhausted the old masters lifelong efforts. When it was completed, Hua Liu Shi was already old and frail, and in the following decades, no one could see the secret of the statue. The old man was disappointed but he was a proud person, since no one could figure it out, he wouldnt give away the answer either, so he took the secret to his grave, only saying before his death: "Its easy to set up a puzzle, but hard to solve it, if there is someone in future generations who can see through my true intention, even if they dont have extraordinary talent, they will have extraordinary luck."

  The descendants listened, but they were perplexed and thought it was just his dying ramblings, so they didnt take it to heart. Indeed, these eight hundred stone statues, when viewed individually, are not particularly unusual; only by connecting the postures of several statues can they become a martial art. Moreover, because the statues move with the "Two Instruments Phantom Dust Array", most people focused their minds on studying the array and calculating the positions of the statues, without thinking about the martial art. Thus, for hundreds of years, not one person discovered the secret of the stone statues.

  Liang Xiao originally didnt understand array techniques, and these days he had been thinking of nothing but martial arts to avenge himself. However, after obtaining the Moon Shadow opportunity, he understood the crux of the matter, and with one thing understood, everything else became clear. Following this principle, all the stone statues in front of him seemed to turn into extraordinary martial arts moves, and he couldnt help but feel exhilarated, throwing all his worries away. As a result of the continuous rotation of the "Two Instruments Phantom Dust Array", the eight hundred stone statues flowed past him like running water, as if they were a living treasure trove of martial arts, allowing him to comprehend them one by one.

  Thus, he practiced his skills, and before he knew it, the sun was already high in the sky on the second day. Liang Xiao focused solely on his martial arts, without any distractions, although he couldnt leave the array, nor was he confused by the stone array. Feeling hungry, he used the move "Huanguan Huahou", assuming the posture of Laozi riding a green cow, with one hand holding his chest and the other supporting the ground, sitting for a moment; then with the momentum of "Guangchengzi Daotian Danlu", stretching his waist and kicking his legs; afterwards, he stretched out both arms in succession, performing "Motai Jianti" and "Luban Tuoliang"; then crouching forward, transforming into "Liezi Yishan", with his tongue rolled back, unable to speak, this was the "Hanfei Jieti"; finally, imitating "Mengkes Courage", he stood tall with his chest out and abdomen in, head held high, exuding an aura of fearlessness. This segment of "Daxian Xinjing" is similar to the Taoist "Baduanjin", but its brilliance surpasses it.

  Liang Xiao repeated the exercise several times, and only felt his cheeks producing saliva, his limbs full of energy, and his true qi flowing through his meridians like a bright pearl. His feeling of hunger also seemed to have disappeared. During the practice, he suddenly heard footsteps, turned his head to look, and saw Zuo Yuan walking over with a smile. Seeing Liang Xiao turn around, he was slightly startled: "He can actually hear my footsteps?" He thought again, "Im being paranoid, its just a coincidence." Unbeknownst to him, Liang Xiao was currently cultivating his heart method, which had reached the realm of Tongxuan, where he could sense even the slightest movement within a radius of one zhang.

  Liang Xiao saw it was him, reined in his momentum, and looked at him coldly. Zuo Yuan had thought he would be overjoyed to the point of tears, and would not hesitate to beg for himself a little, but unexpectedly Liang Xiao was so cold, which was beyond his expectations. He was taken aback, furrowed his brow and said: "Little guy, do you want me to take you out?" Liang Xiao hated that he had thrown him into the stone array last night, pouted and said: "I dont want to go out!"

  Zuo Yuan didnt stop, and thought to himself: "Taking advantage of the fact that theres no one around, Ill force this little brat to reveal his connection with Xiao Qian." Suddenly, he stretched out his hand to grab Liang Xiaos shoulder. Liang Xiao heard the wind sound and used the move "Qin Shi Huangs Whip", sweeping his arm horizontally in a reverse motion. In an instant, his fingertips were only half an inch away from Zuo Yuans waist. Zuo Yuan saw this swift and fierce move, which was beyond his comprehension, and was shocked. He swung his jade flute diagonally to strike Liang Xiaos arm, while his right claw continued to grab at his shoulder. Liang Xiao stumbled like a drunkard, taking two steps back, but managed to escape from Zuo Yuans claws. His arm changed from swinging to chopping. This move "Chi Jing Jian She" was inspired by the legend of Han Gaozu Liu Bang cutting off the white snake while drunk. It seemed as if his footwork was floating, but in reality, it concealed a deadly intent.

  Zuo Yuan saw how formidable he was, and Yu Di welcomed the wind with a shake, pointing at his pulse gate. Liang Xiaos eyes widened, and he let out a loud roar, his voice like riding a war horse, leaping up, his palms dancing in front of him, his toes kicking sideways, it was a move called "Wu Wang Hui Ge". Zuo Yuan saw that he had put on a small face, pretending to be angry, which was quite comical, but the way he swung his hands and feet was extremely precise, and he couldnt help but feel secretly amazed: "Xiao Qians martial arts are known for their cunning and strangeness, how can there be such a powerful and straightforward move?" He became more and more confused as they fought. Liang Xiao shouted and scolded, using the moves "Shennong Hui Chu", "Xuanyuan Deng Yue", "Yao Zhi Tianxia", "Yu Wang Kai Shan", "Shun Wu Gan Qi", "Shang Tang Qiu Yu", "Tui Bi San She", "Wen Ding Zhongyuan", eight moves in a row, all of which were techniques from the "Emperors Realm". They were indeed both hard and soft, advancing and retreating unpredictably, with a momentum that encompassed heaven and earth, and an aura that swallowed up the six harmonies.

  Zuo Yuan was confident in his own identity and didnt want to fight seriously with a child, so he hadnt used his inner strength. But after eight moves, he still couldnt catch Liang Xiao, that little brat was getting more and more courageous, and his strange moves were endless. His heart was getting anxious, one hand opened up Liang Xiaos "Taizong Ding Tang", the other hand put the jade flute back in his waist, and made a move with "Panyu Palm". The double palms rose like goose feathers, and fell like Mount Tai. Liang Xiao took two moves and retreated ten steps, being forced to a huge stone below. He hastily used the move "Sun Quan Kills Tiger", reversing the momentum. But his strength was insufficient, and before he could even make a move, he was pushed back by the opponents palm. Zuo Yuan sneered, his right palm swung up, lightly floating down towards Liang Xiaos headtop. At this time, someone suddenly called out: "Old Zuo, spare him!" Zuo Yuan frowned, withdrew his palm and retreated. Liang Xiao opened his eyes to look, only to see Hua Qingyuan standing in the distance, and happily said: "Uncle Hua, why did you come so late? You let me get beaten up by someone!" Hua Qingyuan glanced at Zuo Yuan, shook his head and said: "This array is vast and boundless, you were running around recklessly, it wasnt easy to find you!" Liang Xiao pouted, pointing at Zuo Yuan: "He clearly found me last night, but deliberately didnt take me out." Zuo Yuans teeth ached, his face smiled: "Nonsense, last night Xiaoxiao fell ill, I was in a hurry to take her out of the array, so I forgot about you." In his heart, he thought: "Its all because of this little brats troubles, of course, Ill make him suffer a bit."

  Liang Xiao Dao said, "Then why didnt you come to rescue me later? You clearly intentionally harmed me." Zuo Yuan calmly said, "This stone array is constantly changing at all times. After I exit the array and search for you again, I have to start from scratch." He paused and said, "Besides, just now I used the flute sound to search for you several times, why didnt you respond with a single sound?" Hua Qing Yuan nodded in agreement.

  Liang Xiao thought to himself, "It seems they were indeed looking for me. I must have been too engrossed in watching the stone statue and didnt hear them." He thought this with a hint of embarrassment, but still felt dissatisfied with the old man. He pulled on Hua Qingyuans sleeve and said, "Uncle Hua, Ill only follow you." Hua Qingyuan saw his petty behavior and couldnt help but laugh silently.

  Three people walked side by side for a while, and suddenly Zuo Yuan said: "Little girl, what skill did you use just now?" Liang Xiao listened and realized that Zuo Yuan didnt know the secret of the stone statue. He thought to himself: "This old man is not a good person, I wont tell him." He puckered up his small mouth and pretended he hadnt heard. Zuo Yuan was left with nothing to say, his face turned black, and he thought that Liang Xiaos martial arts skills were similar to his own familys, although the internal strength was insufficient, the power was not to be underestimated.

  Three people walked seven or eight miles in the stone array, still without seeing the end. Liang Xiao secretly marveled: "This array is so big that its frightening, if we get lost, its really not easy to find our way back." Thinking of the bitter experience before, he was truly left with a lingering fear, holding onto Hua Qingyuans sleeve, and no longer daring to take another step.

  As they walked halfway, Zuo Yuan suddenly fell silent and headed northeast without a word. Liang Xiao felt relieved when he saw that Zuo was gone and began to ask Hua Qingyuan about the secrets of the stone array in a cheerful tone. However, the "Two Instruments Dust Array" had condensed the hearts blood of seven generations of the Hua family, and its principles were too subtle for Hua Qingyuan to explain clearly at that moment. He was also afraid of making mistakes, so he said they would discuss it later. Liang Xiao felt a bit annoyed in his heart, originally wanting to tell Hua Qingyuan the secrets of the stone statues, but then thought: "No need to rush, wait until I master them all and surprise him." Thinking this, a smile appeared on his face. Hua Qingyuan saw him smiling for no reason and felt curious, but he was calm and broad-minded, so he just smiled back without asking further questions.

  They traveled another three li, and finally exited the array. Liang Xiao looked around and saw that in front of him was a precipice thousands of feet high, embracing a valley tens of miles wide. Several streams converged into a clear brook, which flowed through two small lakes, with trees and flowers growing along their banks, revealing pavilions and flying eaves. Compared to the magnificent scenery outside the valley, the inside seemed somewhat dull, except for a tall platform that rose from the ground by the lake, with many strange objects standing on it in all directions.

  Hua Qingyuan took Liang Xiao to the high platform, laughing and saying: "This is called Lingtai." Pointing to a strange circular ball driven by water power, he said, "This is the Hun Tian Yi, which can calculate the movement of the stars in the sky." He also pointed to an eight-dragon-pearl-jar with eight bronze frogs at the bottom and said, "This is the Di Dong Yi, which can detect mountain collapses, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. The triangular copper frame on its left is the Liang Tian Chi, which can measure the height of mountains. The cylindrical instrument on the right is called the Ding Hai Zhen, which can probe the depth of rivers and seas. If used with the Bo Dong Yi, it can predict water disasters from the flow of water." Hua Qingyuan explained each strange device to Liang Xiao, including many interesting things such as a Persian water clock that rang once every half hour accompanied by small silver people singing and dancing, and a crystal ball filled with mercury - which Hua Qingyuan called "Yin Yang Yi" - which could detect cold and heat.

  This "Ling Tai" gathered the wisdom of countless sages and craftsmen from ancient times to the present. What Liang Xiao saw and heard was beyond his imagination, and he couldnt help but feel admiration in his heart. He jumped onto the bronze carriage that guided Huang Di in breaking through Chi Yous defenses and sat down. Every time the mechanism was triggered, the carriage could move forward several zhang on its own. The right-hand copper man always pointed south with his arm, while the left-hand copper man beat a drum with both hands, making a hollow sound.

  Liang Xiao played a trick, jumped off the car, and with a mischievous heart, he jumped onto the top of a celestial globe that was as tall as a person. The celestial globe had a map of the stars engraved on it, each star corresponding to the stars in the sky. Liang Xiao stepped on the pillar with one foot and tread on the middle of the celestial globe with the other, causing the globe to spin rapidly, and the constellations suddenly lost their positions.

  Hua Qingyuan was caught off guard and was shocked, when suddenly a loud shout was heard, and a figure flew up from the stage below. The newcomer grabbed Liang Xiaos wrist and threw him heavily to the ground, causing his eyes to spin with golden stars. As he struggled to get up and take a look, he saw an old man in yellow robes with white hair, thin cheeks, and a stern expression staring at him angrily. Liang Xiao got up in anger and swung his fist at the old mans chest, but Hua Qingyuan stretched out his hand and blocked his punch, saying respectfully to the old man: "Master Ming, its all my fault! Please dont blame him."

  The old man in yellow robes grunted, not even looking at him, staring at Liang Xiao and saying: "Who are you? How dare you disrupt the Hun Tian instrument! Hmph! If you dont re-align it properly, dont think about going down!" Liang Xiaos back was secretly aching with pain, angrily saying: "I wont re-align it properly!" The old man in yellow robes eyes flashed with a sharp light, stretching out his hand to grab him and lift him high up, sternly shouting: "You wont re-align it properly? Ill throw you off the stage!"

  The Lingtai was about ten zhang high, and with the old man in yellow robes great strength, he could have thrown down ten Liang Xiao. But this young man was born stubborn, and put on a fearless appearance, shouting: "Not going to back down, dare you throw it!" However, Hua Qingyuan knew that the old mans words were not to be taken lightly, and hastily said: "Ming Lao, this child is mischievous, dont bother with him. The matter of the Hun Tian instrument, Ill take care of it myself."

  Liang Xiao shouted: "Uncle Hua, why are you being so humble to the old man?" Hua Qingyuan was at a loss for words, he didnt dare raise his head or lower his hands. He thought to himself: "You child, isnt everything I do for your sake?" The yellow-robed elder glanced at Hua Qingyuan with a slanted gaze and coldly said: "Youre becoming more and more unbecoming, bringing outsiders in and turning the Lingtai into a mess! Humph, as the Palace Master, Tianji Palace will probably be ruined by you!"

  Hua Qingyuans face turned bright red, and he stuttered: "Ming Lao... Ming Lao taught you well." The yellow-robed old man gave him a cold glance, his expression disdainful, and with a flick of his sleeve, he sent Liang Xiao flying. He strode away, his sleeves fluttering behind him. Liang Xiao scrambled to his feet and chased after him, but the yellow figure vanished into the green trees and red flowers like a flash of lightning. Unable to help himself, he stamped his foot and exclaimed: "Uncle Hua, why didnt you stop him? I want to settle accounts with him!" Hua Qingyuan smiled wryly: "This old gentlemans martial arts skills are extremely high; not just you, even I couldnt defeat him."

  Liang Xiao said: "Just now, he grabbed me with that move, although it was a bit fast, but I have a way to break it." As he spoke, he stepped back and swung his fists, his body leaning back, his hands in the shape of a blooming flower, which was a move called "Zhuangzis Butterfly Dream". Following this, he flipped his body over and jumped into the air, transforming into "Chicken and Dog Ascending to Heaven", a move inspired by the anecdote of Liu An, the King of Huainan from the Han Dynasty. In mid-air, Liang Xiao suddenly swung his foot back and kicked, his palms slanting down like cutting waves, which was another move called "Xu Shens Dragon Slaying". Hua Qingyuan watched two moves and felt that the changes were wonderfully strange, indeed able to counter the old mans techniques. The third moves counterattack was even more fierce, and he couldnt help but feel surprised in his heart. Waiting for Liang Xiao to land, he asked: "You know how to break the technique, why cant you resist?"

  Liang Xiao was taken aback, scratching his head and muttering: "This... old man is too fast, my brain cant keep up, and my hands cant even move." Hua Qingyuan smiled and said: "Thats it! As the saying goes, one fast beats three slow, your moves may be fierce, but you dont have enough power; as long as the opponent is faster than you, you wont have a chance to strike back." Liang Xiao asked: "Then how can I get faster?" Hua Qingyuan said: "Only through diligent practice. When you reach a certain level, you will naturally become proficient and be able to control your speed at will."

  Liang Xiao was silent, his heart secretly making a decision: "I must practice my skills well, next time Ill grab the old man and smash his butt into eight pieces." He thought so, but after this ordeal, he lost interest and didnt want to make trouble anymore. He followed Hua Qingyuan down from the Lingtai. Passing through a forest, they saw in front of them green willows surrounding Lianyun Jias residence, with its pink walls winding and twisting, stretching for miles. Passing through a sun gate, fragrant scents filled their nostrils, and before their eyes were purple flowers, amidst which bees and butterflies fluttered about, chasing each other.

  Two people passed through the two corridors, occasionally meeting attendants and maidservants, who all smiled and greeted Hu Qingyuan without distinction. Liang Xiao thought to herself: "Everyone likes Uncle Hua so much, if I had half his good temper, that would be great." The two walked near a moon gate, but saw that the door was engraved with a couplet, Liang Xiao suddenly became interested and read it out loud: "True...vulgar, hmm, what are those words in between?" She looked at the stone pillar on the left and frowned, saying, "Striped...heart, uh, cant this person write?"

  Hua Qingyuan suppressed a smile and said: "Xiaoer, these two lines of wild script are not something that anyone can write. Connected together, they read as True water washes away worldly dust, clear sound cleanses the mundane heart. Hmm, look at those horizontal characters, do you recognize them?" Liang Xiao glanced over and said: "Heart water wood..." He knew he must have recognized it incorrectly, feeling embarrassed, his face flushed bright red.

  Hua Qingyuan sighed, "This is the Nian doing the Qin Xin Shui Xie." Liang Xiao looked carefully at it for a while and felt that these characters were bold and unrestrained, which was quite in line with his own temperament. He then pointed to the inscription under the couplet and read it out loud: "Luo Hun Kuang Sheng Jiu Shu". Hua Qingyuan smiled, "This time youve mostly got it right, but its not Luo Hun, its Luo Gu; and its not Jiu Shu, its Zui Shu." Liang Xiao smiled complacently, "Luo Hun Luo Gu, Jiu Shu Zui Shu arent they all the same?" Hua Qingyuan smiled, and suddenly heard the sound of a guqin coming from inside the door, so he didnt say anything more and led Liang Xiao into the Moon Gate.

  At the end of the Water Pavilion, a purple gold incense burner wafted white smoke, filling the air with the fragrance of dragons saliva. A woman in a dark dress sat cross-legged, her slender hands like snow, playing the jade zither. On the womans left stood Hua Mu Rong, while Hua Xiao Shuang leaned against a beautiful woman in blue clothes. Everyone looked at Liang Xiao and smiled without speaking.

  Liang Xiao saw that the drumming woman was no more than thirty years old, with a face as white as ice and snow, eyes like autumn water, elegant and beautiful in appearance, with an air of elegance and nobility all over her body, making peoples hearts break.

  The sound of the guqin was initially faint and fleeting, like a lotus weeping dew or an orchid with a subtle smile, unintentionally stirring peoples hearts. When Liang Xiao saw Hua Xiaoxue smiling at him, he was about to greet her when the guqin sound suddenly soared, like a thousand-foot cliff, steep and unclimbable, causing Liang Xiaos heart to tremble. The woman in blue, however, furrowed her brow and covered Xiaoxues ears with her hands. As the guqin sound continued to rise higher and higher, Liang Xiaos heartstrings also tightened, and then followed the music as it fell, like plummeting from a thousand-foot peak into a deep valley, causing Liang Xiaos heart to sink, leaving him bewildered.

  The sound of the qin wandered and hovered at a low pitch for a while, then gradually rose. At first it was like rain pattering on a flower forest, but soon the sound of swords and spears emerged, making Liang Xiaos blood rush and his heart beat faster; at this moment, the qin sound relaxed again, changing to a gentle and leisurely tone, like a wife thinking deeply, with an unutterable sorrow and desolation in her words. After lingering for a long time, the music finally came to an end. At this point, everyone discovered that, unknowingly, all six strings of the qin had broken one after another.

  A woman in a long dress stared blankly at the broken strings for a while, thinking to herself: "The sorrow of parting is indeed the sorrow of parting, playing and replaying, but ultimately its just heartbreak." A pang of pain in her chest, she pushed away the jade zither, raised her eyes, and saw that Liang Xiao was already tearfully crying, unable to help but let out a soft sigh, thinking that this young boy, so young, what could he possibly understand?

  Everyone saw Liang Xiao crying with a broken heart, and they were all shocked. Hua Mulan asked: "What are you crying about?" Liang Xiao responded loudly, hastily wiping away tears, and said in a loud voice: "Who cried? I...I have sand in my eyes..."

  Hua Mu Rongs heart was filled with laughter, and she squeezed out a sentence: "You cant cheat people like this, we all saw you cry." Liang Xiao was furious and scolded: "Whats wrong with crying? Im crying for your mothers funeral!" Hua Mu Rong was enraged, raised her fist, but suddenly saw the woman in black clothes slightly waving her hand, so she had to put down her hand and glared at Liang Xiao fiercely.

  The woman in the purple dress gazed at Liang Xiao and smiled, "Is the Shao Ge in Xiao Fengs mouth you?" Liang Xiao glanced at Xiao Feng, nodded, and walked over to her when she beckoned him.

  Liang Xiao saw her friendly expression, walked up to her, and didnt guard against the woman in black whose right hand reached out and pointed at his "Qu Chi" acupoint on his elbow. Liang Xiao didnt have time to think carefully, using the "Chou" character technique from his Like-Intent Illusory Devil Hand, flipping his hand and bending his fingers, he shot it towards the womans pulse gate. Xiang Qian Yue had once used this move to blind Yun Wan Chengs pair of eyes.