Chapter Seventeen: Gun Challenges Southeast

  The crowd saw Shi Haiyu take a few steps, swift as the wind, his feet on the fine wooden stick without moving, and they couldn't help but cheer. Chu Xianliu looked at Jiu Ru with a glance, wanting to speak but stopping himself. Jiu Ru stroked his beard and smiled: "You guessed correctly." Chu Xianliu furrowed his brow: "Strange! Old Qiong Su has two successors?" Jiu Ru furrowed his brow: "You say there's another one?" Chu Xianliu nodded: "In terms of martial arts, that one is much more formidable than the one in front of us." As they spoke, the two people on the wooden stick each launched their moves. Shi Haiyu took a step over ten feet long, coming and going like lightning. In comparison, Liang Xiao was much slower. His steps were not quick, but seemed to be changing magic tricks. Clearly looking at him standing in the east, slowly taking three steps, shrinking the distance to inches, crossing over ten feet of distance, reaching the western end.

  Two people, one fast and one slow, circled around ten times or so. Sometimes they were like butterflies dancing, sometimes like swallows soaring. Shi Haiyu was about to get his hands on him several times, but Liang Xiao always managed to slip away at the last moment. As time went on, not only was Shi Haiyu puzzled in his heart, but also everyone else was baffled. Liu Xiangxiang's eyes were wide with surprise and doubt: "How did this little scoundrel's lightness skill become so formidable?" Suddenly, she heard Chu Xianliu sighing beside her: "This Liang kid has mediocre internal strength, but his calculations are extremely precise, rarely seen in the world. Within these 45 steps, it's like he has the upper hand. This Shi little brother only has a lightness skill, and can only follow him, not to mention having to be careful of the wooden stick on the ground, which would render 30% of his lightness skill useless." Jiuyi shook her head and said: "This little turtle is still not ripe, if it were old turtle who came out, even a hundred Liang Xiaos would be caught with just one finger." Chu Xianliu nodded in agreement. Liu Xiangxiang listened to the two of them talking, but became increasingly confused. Suddenly, she saw Liang Xiao encountering a dangerous move and couldn't help but feel anxious in her heart.

  Shi Haiyu had been fighting for a long time without success, and his ears were filled with the sound of people discussing and criticizing him. He felt extremely ashamed and angry: "I, Shi Haiyu, have never met my match in the world of martial arts, but I couldn't catch this young whippersnapper. What face do I have left to stay in the martial arts world?" With that thought, he put all his strength into his feet, stomping the ground with a loud thud, and then sprang up like a big bird, pouncing towards Liang Xiao's head. Liang Xiao quickly turned around and dodged to the left using the "三三步" move. Shi Haiyu's body twisted in mid-air, his right palm chopping out as he shouted: "You little rabbit, get down here!" The wind from his palm was like a mountain, pressing down on Liang Xiao. Everyone was shocked - Shi Haiyu had been fighting for so long without success, and now he wanted to use his unmatched palm strength to force Liang Xiao off the pole.

  The sound had just fallen, and Liang Xiao's feet spun around, his single palm swept up, and it was a move "Heavenly Rotation and Earthly Revolution". The two palms intersected, and Hai Yu's palm strength was brought to one side. He cried out in alarm as the palm wind reached him, making a rustling sound, and a small stick swept down a piece of something.

  Shi Haiyu let out a loud cry, and with a sudden change in momentum, he flipped backwards with a somersault, attempting to land on the thin stick behind him. But Liang Xiao suddenly used his "Three Talents Returning to the Origin" move, both palms striking out at the same time, creating a gust of wind that swept away all the thin sticks beneath Shi Haiyu's feet. Shi Haiyu was shocked and lost his composure, frantically waving his sleeves as he tried to hover in mid-air and find another place to land. But Liang Xiao countered with a left "Three Talents Returning to the Origin" and a right "Three Talents Returning to the Origin", striking out with several palms that snapped all the thin wooden sticks within a radius of several feet beneath Shi Haiyu's feet.

  Shi Haiyu's eyes were about to lose, his palms waving wildly, the palm wind blowing everywhere, and the small wooden sticks on the ground fell down one after another. This move was a trick of "fish die net break", he himself had nowhere to stand, and also made Liang Xiao unable to stand firm. He was in mid-air, while Liang Xiao was standing on the stick, the stick fell, and he must have fallen to the ground first. To say that even if the two fell to the ground together, it would be a draw. Shi Haiyu's palm strength was majestic, and for a time, all the small sticks on the field were swept away, Liang Xiao retreated in disorder, trampling the small wooden sticks crackling and breaking one after another, suddenly standing unsteadily, and doing a backflip.

  Liu Yingying's heart sank to the bottom with him, and she silently closed her eyes, unable to bear looking at the result. With her eyes closed, her hearing was still intact, and suddenly she heard a sigh from the crowd, followed by an eerie silence. Liu Yingying didn't hear any cheers, and she felt very strange in her heart. She opened her eyes to take a look, and saw that Shi Haiyu was standing on the ground in a disheveled manner, while Liang Xiao was upside down with his hands supporting the ground, looking very peculiar.

  Shi Haiyu sneered, "Youngster, what kind of posture is this? Humph, this time everyone falls to the ground together, no distinction between winner and loser." But Liang Xiao didn't turn over, smiling, "Elder Shi is wrong!" Shi Haiyu furrowed his brow, "Where am I wrong?" Liang Xiao smiled, "We agreed beforehand, how do we determine loss?" Shi Haiyu replied without thinking, "You being caught by me counts as a loss, whoever's two feet touch the ground also..." He got to this point and was speechless, staring at Liang Xiao with wide eyes. Liang Xiao smiled, "Not wrong, two feet touching the ground count as a loss, what about two hands?" He flipped over and stood up, smiling slyly at Shi Haiyu. The crowd heard these words and scolded Liang Xiao for being cunning.

  Hai Yu glared at Liang Xiao, his face alternating between green and red. Suddenly, he let out a "hiss" and turned away, brushing off his sleeves as if he were a wisp of smoke drifting through the forest. Liang Xiao let out a long sigh of relief, thinking to himself: "This guy wins or loses with no fuss."

  Chu Xianliu smiled faintly and said loudly, "Old monk, I'm leaving too. Tomorrow at noon, I'll be waiting for you at the 'Drunken Return Tower' with a feast set up." Jiuru couldn't help but swallow his saliva and smile, saying, "No good gathering is as good as this one, no good banquet is as good as this one, do you think you can buy off the monk with wine and meat?" Chu Xianliu said coldly, "Don't say more, I won't wait past noon." He turned around and left, Chu Gong hurriedly asked, "Third Uncle, where are you going?" Chu Xianliu didn't respond, he flew southward like a startled dragon.

  Jiuru looked at the two little ones with a glance, smiled and said: "Let's go." He pushed the giant bell and rolled towards the north. The two great masters, one in the south and one in the north, laughed loudly as they soared into the sky, just like two large Peng birds flying together.

  Two people walked out of the woods and onto the official road. Liu Yingying took out a copper whistle and blew it several times. Before long, a horse neighed, and Hongzhi trotted out of the grass, limping. Liu Yingying hugged its neck and laughed, but then saw that its hind leg was injured by an arrow. She felt a pang in her heart and said with a choked voice, "Hongzhi, it's my fault for putting you through this suffering." Liang Xiao chimed in, "That's right, if you hadn't been drinking, the horse wouldn't have gotten hurt." Liu Yingying was annoyed: "Fine, I didn't bother you, but you still had to provoke me." She glared at Liang Xiao and said, "This is my horse, what business do you have with it?"

  Liang Xiao was about to retort, but Jiu Ru laughed and said: "Forget it, what's the point of arguing over these trivial matters? Little one, little girl, let's part ways here." Liu Yingying was startled and called out: "Monk, are you leaving?" Jiu Ru replied: "Yes, this big bell belongs to Hanshan Temple. If I don't return it, Master Hongwu will swallow me whole!"

  Liu Yingying said with a sigh, "What's the big deal about stealing a bell? It's just one mouthful. Monk, if you leave now, those guys will come to bother me again. Why don't we travel together and have some fun drinking and eating meat along the way? You can also teach me some kung fu skills, so I won't be afraid of that old lecher next time." Jiu Ru smiled and said, "You're thinking too much. If you want to learn kung fu, it's easy - just shave your head and become a nun, and the monk will teach you. Otherwise, forget about it." Liu Yingying was reluctant to part with him and had wanted to find an excuse to keep him for a few more days, but upon hearing this, she hesitated greatly.

  Jiuruo smiled and said, "The monk knows you won't agree. You have a beautiful face and a loving husband, if you become a nun, wouldn't it be very dull?" Liu Yanyan's face turned red with shame, and she scolded, "Stinky monk, shut up! Be careful or I'll hit you with my ear scraper." Jiuruo chuckled and said, "A woman's face is like the sky in February, just now you wanted to drink wine and eat meat with me, but now you're denying it. Little one, after the monk leaves, you must be extra careful, don't say anything wrong or you'll lose your head." Liang Xiao listened in confusion, thinking, "I'm so close to Yanyan, why would she want my head?" Liu Yanyan was furious and stamped her foot, scolding, "Dead bald donkey, get out of here quickly!" Jiuruo laughed loudly, clapped the bronze bell, and a huge bell rang out, stirring up swirling smoke and dust, like a divine dragon rolling away into the distance.

  The willow's lingering anger had not yet dissipated, and it was as if the ninth could see the distant departure. Thinking of this monk's dragon-like appearance, where the head is seen but not the tail, this one farewell might not necessarily lead to another meeting. Unconsciously, her eyes reddened, and two streams of tears rolled down.

  Liang Xiao knew her state of mind, sighed, patted her shoulder, and was about to comfort her with a few words when Liu Yanyan suddenly stretched out her hand and pushed him away fiercely, shouting: "Get out!" Her push was so strong that Liang Xiao retreated three steps. Liu Yanyan jumped onto the horseback, whipped the horse and left, the horse's hooves were incredibly fast, and in a flash, she disappeared at the end of the road.

  Liu Yingying rode her horse in a frenzy for about two miles, then turned back to look around, but didn't see Liang Xiao hurrying after her. She felt bitter and worried that Zhu Er's injury might worsen, so she had no choice but to stop and sit on a large stone by the road, staring blankly ahead. Suddenly, she thought: "I left that little scoundrel behind all alone; if Chu doesn't give up and finds him again, won't it be disastrous?" She almost urged her horse to hurry back, but couldn't put aside her pride. Gnashing her teeth, she thought, "He bullied people so much, he deserved to die." Her heart cursed him, yet as she gazed down the road, tears flowed silently from her eyes.

  In a daze, she suddenly saw Liang Xiao walking towards her with a lackluster expression. When he saw her, his pace quickened and he hurried over, laughing: "Yingying, I thought I wouldn't see you!" When Liu Yingying saw him, her heart was filled with mixed emotions, and when she heard him call out "Yingying", her face turned cold, but her heart softened a great deal. She said coldly: "I thought you weren't coming." Liang Xiao laughed: "A cosmetics box has four legs, I only have two, of course I couldn't outrun it." Liu Yingying angrily retorted: "You didn't even run!" Liang Xiao furrowed his brow and scratched his head, saying: "I thought you were ignoring me."

  Liu Yingying heard him say this, and her heart was filled with grievances. She leaned on the stone and began to cry. Liang Xiao was usually clever and resourceful, but today he didn't know why his mind wasn't as clear as before. Seeing her crying, he became flustered and said: "Don't cry, don't cry! What's wrong with me? You hit me, I won't fight back."

  Liu Yingying was still crying, and while crying, she said: "Master doesn't want me, those bastards are framing me again, saying I stole their box. You little rascal not only don't help me but also join them in bullying me. Are you satisfied if I die?... If I die, there will be no more troubles." Liang Xiao listened to her crying pitifully and didn't feel heartbroken at all. One sentence burst out of his mouth: "If you want to die, I'll die with you."

  Liu Yingying's body trembled, a sweet feeling rising in her chest. She hummed softly and said, "If you want to die, go by yourself, who will die with you?" Liang Xiao smiled and said, "If you don't cry, I can die once or twice." Liu Yingying said, "Pfft, how many times can a person die?"

  Liang Xiao Dao said, "I can, when I was young and mischievous, my dad often beat me. When he hit me hard, I would roll my eyes and pretend to be dead. My dad saw that and stopped beating me. So, in a way, I've died many times." Liu Yingying couldn't help but burst out laughing, laughed for a moment, then thought: "This won't do, this little scamp is a mischievous monkey, if I don't give him a warning today, he'll never be controlled in the future." Suddenly, she put on a stern face and remained silent.

  Liang Xiao said those words, thinking of his late father, and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. Liu Yingying heard him not speaking for a long time, and instead became anxious, coldly saying: "What's the use of you saying these things? Others still wronged me." Liang Xiao furrowed his brow, loudly saying: "I don't believe you stole the iron box, and neither does Old Master. What business is it of others? If you want to engage in a battle of wits or strength, I'll accompany you all the way."

  Liu Yingying said, "Are you very capable?" She lowered her head and smiled secretly, then raised her head and said, "Little rascal, I want to make three rules with you." Liang Xiao saw that her eyes were slightly red, and there were tear marks on her snow-white face. He couldn't help but feel pity for her and sighed, "Don't mention three chapters, even thirty chapters I'll follow you." Liu Yingying said sternly, "I'm not joking. If you follow these three rules, that's it. If you don't want to follow them, we might as well part ways now and avoid seeing each other in the future." Liang Xiao thought that if he didn't see her again, he would be miserable, so he said, "Okay, you say it, I'll all follow you."

  Liu Yingying said: "Firstly, from now on, unless I agree, you are not allowed to touch me; if your left hand touches mine, chop off your left hand, and if your right hand touches mine, chop off your right hand." Liang Xiao thought to himself: "If I accidentally touch her, wouldn't that be terribly unjust?" After thinking for a moment, he bitterly smiled and said: "Alright."

  Liu Yingying stared at him intently, seeing that he agreed, she secretly let out a sigh of relief and continued: "Secondly, from now on, you are not allowed to set foot in the brothel again. If your left foot enters, chop off your left foot; if your right foot enters, chop off your right foot." Liang Xiao was shocked and asked: "Why?" Liu Yingying spat out: "Pfft, do you still have the face to ask?"

  Liang Xiao said, "I'm going in, aren't I supposed to sing a song?" Liu Yingying angrily said, "That's not allowed either." Liang Xiao despondently said, "Fine, I won't go then." Liu Yingying heard his agreement and secretly rejoiced, suppressing her smile she said, "Thirdly, from now on, you are never allowed to tear women's clothes again. Otherwise, I'll kill her first, then kill you, and finally myself." She raised an eyebrow, seeing Liang Xiao staring at her, speechless. Liu Yingying pretended to be angry, "Will you agree or not? If you don't agree, I'm leaving right now." Before she finished speaking, her eyes were already red.

  Liang Xiao listened to her three conditions, each one more ruthless than the last. He was very puzzled in his heart, but couldn't bear to part with her, so he simply said: "I agree."

  Liu Yingying was satisfied with his response, and her anger turned to joy. She stretched out her hand to pull Liang Xiao, who hastily withdrew it. Liu Yingying laughed and said, "Big fool, I'm pulling you, that doesn't count as going back on my word." Liang Xiao said, "What are you talking about? Are you going to the brothel? Are you going to tear men's clothes?" Liu Yingying's face changed with anger, saying, "How could I do such a thing?" Liang Xiao tried to appease her, saying, "Fine, fine, everything is up to you. Whatever you do, I won't mind."

  Liu Yingying said seriously: "Liang Xiao, you follow my three rules, and I won't do anything to wrong you." Liang Xiao heard her tone, seeming to regard himself as a very special person, his heart felt sweet like honey, and he smiled: "Me too." The two looked at each other and smiled, both feeling warm in their hearts.

  Liang Xiao sat down and said, "Yingying, where are you going again?" Liu Yingying hesitated and said, "Old Man Chu falsely accused me of stealing that stupid iron box, humph, I'll really steal it then." Liang Xiao clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "It's only right that you do so."

  Liu Yingying smiled and followed with a frown, saying: "My willow hat is lost in the wine building." Liang Xiao said: "What's so good about that bamboo hat? I'm suffocating without seeing you." Liu Yingying couldn't help but laugh: "Little rascal, do you love looking at me?" Liang Xiao's face turned red for no reason, and he nodded silently.

  Liu Yingying's heart was filled with sweetness, and she smiled: "Okay, as long as you're by my side, I won't wear a bamboo hat, let you take a good look." Liang Xiao smiled: "Yes, you're born to be so beautiful, everyone should take a look." As he spoke, he took hold of the reins. "I'll lead the horse." Liu Yingying heard his praise of her beauty and felt joyful, walking alongside with a smile.

  The two of them walked along the quiet small road for a whole day, and when night began to fall, they heard the sound of water. Climbing up a hill, under the moonlight, the river flowed far away. Liang Xiao said: "We've arrived at the Yangtze River!" Liu Yingying said: "Leigongbao is on the north bank of the river, we'll spend the night here and take an early boat to cross the river tomorrow." Liang Xiao agreed immediately. Liu Yingying listened carefully with a smile and said: "Liang Xiao, there's a spring over there." Liang Xiao also listened and indeed heard the sound of water, and couldn't help but laugh: "Your ears are even more sensitive than a rabbit's!" Liu Yingying gave him a white eye and said: "I'm the rabbit, you're just the green grass." Liang Xiao laughed and said: "No, I'm the mangy dog, specializing in biting rabbits." Liu Yingying smiled ambiguously, her beautiful eyes shining with amusement: "Oh yeah? Try biting me then?"

  Liuxiao saw her jade-like face and flower-like appearance, with cheeks that seemed to be blown by the wind, a small mouth that was moist and full, just like a tender red water lily. Thinking of the intoxicating taste inside the giant clock, he suddenly felt his throat dry, wanting to hold her in his arms and love her gently. But then he thought of their agreement and felt extremely disappointed. He turned around and said: "What a coincidence, I'm also thirsty!"

  Liu Yingying saw that his eyes were strange, and her heart was racing wildly. When she saw him turn his head away, she was slightly annoyed: "You cowardly fool, if I really let you hug me and kiss me, would I blame you? Besides, I didn't allow you to move your hands, but moving your mouth doesn't count as a breach of contract..." Thinking of this, her body felt hot, her heart racing wildly, and sweat beads formed on her forehead. She couldn't help but scold herself: "Silly girl, what's wrong with you?" For a moment, she was too shy to move, taking a deep breath before following Liang Xiao's side.

  They walked side by side, passing a gentle hill, and came to the front of a mountain cliff. A fine spring flowed from the top of the cliff, pouring into a deep pool, with trees surrounding it, half hiding and half revealing it. The pool water turned into a stream, flowing into that big river again. Liu Xian took out dry rations and shared them with Liang Xiao by the spring water, saying: "I've been sweating profusely for several days, I want to take a bath and change clothes, you go to the riverside, don't sneak a peek." She got up on her own, rummaging through her bundle for clothes.

  Liang Xiao saw her slender figure, snow-white nape of the neck like frozen fat, every move was charming and captivating. He quickly closed his eyes, but the scene in the copper bell reappeared, making him feel dry-mouthed and his heart racing. Liu Yingying didn't hear any movement and scolded: "You still haven't left?"

  Liang Xiao could only suppress his urge, walking to the riverbank and sitting down, with thoughts swirling in his mind, taking a long time to calm down. Wanting to sneak back for a peek, but bound by his oath, he endured the bitter sweetness of this moment, something that outsiders couldn't possibly understand.

  Before long, footsteps sounded, and Liang Xiao turned his head to take a look. Liu Xiangxian walked over slowly, wearing new clothes the color of tender willows. A cluster of dark green silk hairpins sparkled like stars on her round shoulders, making her skin look like jade. When Liu Xiangxian saw him staring at her, her eyes seemed to hook onto his, and she couldn't help but scold: "Little pervert, what bad things are you thinking about again?" Liang Xiao blurted out: "I'm thinking of you." Liu Xiangxian's cheeks were like they were stained with rouge as she cursed: "Who has any bad business with you?" As she scolded, she sat down next to him. The fragrance of the girl's bath was still faintly noticeable, and Liang Xiao felt his blood boiling and his heart racing, making it hard for him to control himself.

  Liu Yingying sat for a while, then suddenly said: "Little rascal, you didn't sneak a peek, did you?" Liang Xiao grumbled: "I didn't!" Liu Yingying secretly scolded: "Little fool, not even half a bit of courage." Thinking about it, her cheeks grew hot again, and she spat out a mouthful, but didn't know whether she was spitting at Liang Xiao or venting at herself. After sitting in silence for a while, Liu Yingying smiled again: "Little rascal, since there's no one around, I'll sing a song for you to hear, okay?" Liang Xiao happily said: "Great!"

  Liu Yingying saw his urgent appearance, smiled and sang towards the surging river: "The green grass is always there, walking for thousands of years without getting tired. The waves of the sea are as big as the sky, and no matter how many generations drink from it, they can't get enough. The white clouds in the sky are all sheep, and the hills on the ground are all cows; an arrow shoots down the sun and puts it on the bed to save lamp oil."

  This tune is quite rustic, but after her silvery throat sang it, it was incredibly beautiful and pleasant to hear. Liang Xiao had never heard such a good singing voice before, and he indulged in the melody for a long time, asking: "Who wrote this song? Isn't it afraid of blowing up the cowhide?"

  Liu Yingying smiled slightly and said, "This song is called 'Big Talk Song', it's sung by poor herders at the foot of Tian Shan. They hope for lush pastures as vast as the sky, and a lake that's bigger than the sea, never drying up, so they can herd forever without suffering from migration. Most herders work for others, they don't have their own cattle or sheep, so when they see white clouds they think of sheep, when they see hills they think of cows. At night, in the dark and cold tent, they wish they could shoot down the sun with an arrow and bring it into the tent to warm up and light up." Liu Yingying's smile suddenly disappeared, and she let out a soft sigh.

  Liang Xiao thought of the poor shepherd's miserable situation and couldn't laugh for a moment. Seeing Liu Yingying unhappy, he said: "Yingying, your singing is really good, can you sing another one?" Liu Yingying coldly said: "I'm not a girl in a brothel, why should I be the only one to sing, you should also sing." Liang Xiao was embarrassed and said: "But I don't know how to sing." Liu Yingying smiled and said: "Then what can you do?" Liang Xiao thought for a moment and said: "I can count the stars." Liu Yingying gave him a white eye and said: "Is this also a skill? The stars are all hanging in the sky, only fools can't count!"

  Liang Xiao smiled and said, "I count differently from others." He pointed to the sky: "Look, those four stars connected look like what?" Liu Yanyan followed his pointing hand and said, "Like a stone mill." Liang Xiao pointed again: "What about the three above?" Liu Yanyan said, "Like a pestle." Liang Xiao smiled: "And what about the four stars on the side?" Liu Yanyan's eyes lit up, clapped her hands and laughed: "This one looks like a person! So it's not someone pounding rice with a pestle?" Liang Xiao said, "Not pounding rice, but pounding medicine. These stars have a general name, called 'Immortal Pestling Medicine'." After that, he pointed to the various stars one by one and said: "Those eight stars connected are called Arc and Arrow, like an arrow on the string; that one is called Heavenly Boat, this is Heavenly Turtle, that is Xuan Yuan, that is Jade Well, that is Heavenly Sword, that is River Drum. Hmm, what about that one? It's the cow herded by Cowherd, Weaving Girl is that brightest star, and the two small stars beside her are her two children, with dimmer light..."

  Liang Xiao randomly pointed at the starry sky, and Liu Yingying followed his finger, gazing intently, laughing: "It's really strange, in the past when I looked at the sky, stars were just stars, didn't notice so many cow and horse figures." Liang Xiao said: "These are all thought up by ancient people." Liu Yingying glanced at him, thinking: "This little scoundrel doesn't boast or take credit, it's quite rare." Turning her gaze away, the moon shone on the cold river, its light like a ribbon, the clear sky stretching for miles, the starlight shining brightly. Liu Yingying felt that this scene and joy were unprecedented, and unknowingly grasped Liang Xiao's hand. Liang Xiao was however entranced by the celestial bodies, and for a moment didn't notice.

  Two people walked hand in hand, gazing up at the night sky, talking about the affairs of the stars, chatting until the moon was low in the west. Only then did they feel tired. They went to the edge of the pool and lit a fire, covering themselves with the woolen blankets carried by Liu Yingying, and fell asleep with their feet together.

  Liang Xiao was woken up by a cry in the middle of the night, and when he turned to look, Liu Yiyang's eyes were closed, her hands grasping at nothing, as if trying to catch something. She cried out, "Master, Master..." Suddenly she covered her chest with her hand, her face contorted in pain, crying out, "Uncle Master... stop hitting me..." Her voice was different from before, sharp and childish, like a little girl's voice, sounding very eerie.

  Liang Xiao couldn't help but shake her awake, saying "Yingying..." Liu Yingying was shaken awake, but felt a chill all over her body, her heart racing as if it was going to burst out of her chest. Remembering the scene in her dream, she couldn't help but feel sorrow and threw herself into Liang Xiao's arms, crying: "Master is dead... Don't want Yingying anymore..." Liang Xiao held her in his arms, speaking softly: "Don't cry, it was just a dream."

  Liu Yingyue shook her head repeatedly, choking back tears and saying: "It's not a dream, Master really is dead, buried in the ground, never to be seen again." Liang Xiao was shocked, thinking that Liu Yingyue was carefree and cheerful, but unexpectedly had such a tragic thing in her heart. In an instant, he thought of the scene where he personally buried his father, and his chest hurt, tears streaming out, fearing it would make the girl even more sorrowful, so he could only hold back his grief and advise: "Can't you still see him in your dreams?"

  Liu Yingying pushed him away fiercely and scolded, "Dreams are just dreams! Can you eat the cakes drawn in a picture? Can you pick the flowers reflected in a mirror?" As she spoke, she began to cry again. Liang Xiao thought to himself, "Why don't I understand? Don't I often dream of Dad and Mom?" He changed his mind and forced a smile, saying, "How can you say that cakes drawn in pictures can't be eaten? You drew them on paper, and I'll swallow the paper whole." Liu Yingying was both crying and laughing, and said angrily, "I drew it on the ground, will you eat mud?"

  Liang Xiao Dao said, "You draw, and I'll eat." Liu Yingying looked at his serious expression and knew he was using a trick to make her happy. She couldn't help but sigh and say in a low voice, "All nonsense."

  She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly said: "Little color devil, what did I say in my dream?" Liang Xiao told the truth. Liu Yueying sighed and said: "This time I came to Zhongyuan, originally wanted to find Shifu's sister." Liang Xiao asked: "To rely on her?" Liu Yueying shook her head and said: "No, I want to ask her for justice. Ask her why she wants to harm my master." Liang Xiao was shocked, Liu Yueying said in a low voice: "I don't understand, that day, Shifu's sister became a different person, not like her at all..." Liang Xiao couldn't help but ask: "What did she become?"

  She gazed into the distance, her voice low and measured: "At that time, I was just five years old. My aunt returned from outside the mountain, her face pale and haggard, seemingly very tired. She usually doted on me, every time she came back to Tian Shan, she would bring me many fun and delicious things, holding me and playing with me everywhere. But that time, I rushed up to call her, but she didn't smile, didn't hug me, and didn't speak..." She trailed off, her head bowed in silence.

  Liang Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps she encountered something sad!" Liu Yingying sighed, "Yes, I also guessed so. But Master didn't tell me the reason until her death, only saying it was a big shameful thing that would bring shame to our school." She sighed again, "At that time, I saw my master's brother being cold and icy towards me, and I felt very sad in my heart. After dinner, I went to sleep feeling depressed, but before I fell asleep, I heard the sound of arguing coming from the hall. I was curious, so I walked over and hid by the door to eavesdrop. But then I heard Master say: 'This is too much, it's against heaven's will.' Master's brother said: 'What about one corpse and three lives?' Master was furious, panting with rage, saying: 'Fine, from now on, you are no longer a disciple of our school!' Master's brother coldly laughed and said: 'No need to expel me, just give me the two secret manuals, "Zhuāng Luó Zhǐ Fǎ" and "Bì Yáng Shǒu", and I'll leave immediately.' Master said: 'I won't pass it on to you, you'd only use it to harm people. And when you leave, your martial arts skills will stay behind.' Master's brother sneered, saying: 'Sister, you're so ruthless.'" Liang Xiao asked, "Did they fight?"

  "Right," said Liu Yingying, "I peeked through the door gap and saw my master and aunt's figures fluttering about, each using their 'Snowflake Divine Palm' technique. They were fighting extremely fast. At that time, I was still confused and thought they were just practicing palm techniques like usual. After a while, Master used her 'Darting Needle Finger' technique and struck twice. Aunt couldn't withstand it, let out a laugh, and flew towards me. With just one palm strike, she shattered the door and grabbed me in her hand." Liang Xiao shouted: "This guy is so vicious!" Liu Yingying raised an eyebrow and scolded: "What are you yelling about? Even if she's vicious, it's not your place to curse her."

  Liang Xiao didn't know why she was angry, and felt very wronged in her heart. Liu Yanyan scolded this sentence, then supported her cheek, staring at the dark place with a daze, and her eyes showed a faint sadness. After a long time, she said: "Master Shu grabbed me and laughed, saying: 'Master Sister, where is your needle? Why don't you use it?' Master was afraid of hurting me, so he could only say: 'Let go of her, there's something to talk about.' Master Shu smiled and said: 'Good, you take out the secret book first.' Master looked at me with a hesitant expression, but finally took out two yellowed small books. Master Shu took them over and laughed, saying: 'Master Sister, sorry!' Suddenly he made a palm, hitting Master's chest, and said with a smile: 'You dodged, this palm would have fallen on Yanyan.' Master was about to dodge, but when he heard these words, he could only not dodge or avoid, and took the palm. He retreated several steps, his body shaking. Master Shu smiled again: 'Good master-disciple relationship, unfortunately too stupid. As the saying goes: a wicked person will do whatever it takes, and one must eradicate the root of the problem.' After that, he hit two more palms on Master's body. Master was afraid of implicating me, so he...he took three palms in a row without fighting back..." When she said this, Liu Yanyan cried again.

  "Then what happened?" Liang Xiao couldn't help but ask. Liu Yuying wiped away her tears and said with a bitter smile, "I was young at the time and didn't understand anything. I saw my master smiling and thought they were just playing around. It wasn't until I saw blood flowing from Master's mouth that I became scared and cried out, 'Master, stop hitting! Don't hit Master anymore!' When Master heard my cry, his body trembled slightly, he looked at me for a moment, then let out a long sigh, put me down, and left. He never came back to Tian Shan again. Master suffered three heavy blows and was seriously injured. From then on, he never recovered and last year the injury relapsed, and he fell ill and didn't get up..." At this point, tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes.

  Liang Xiao let out a sigh, gently embracing her, and only felt a lingering fear in his heart: "That bad guy still has some conscience, he stopped as soon as he heard the oriole's cry." At this time, the sky was gradually lighting up, and Liu Yingying had cried herself to sleep, leaning on his shoulder. Just then, the ground shook, followed by the sound of hooves, Liang Xiao got up to take a look, and more than ten riders were galloping towards them. Liu Yingying also woke up at the sound, angrily saying: "Those bastards have caught up?" She pulled Liang Xiao, extinguished the bonfire, and hid behind a rock.

  The cavalry approached the riverbank, taking advantage of the dawn mist. The leader was none other than the blue-robed man from "Drunken Not Returning Tower". He was tall and robust, with a five-foot longbow slung over his shoulder, leading his men to the river's edge where they came to a halt. Someone called out in Mongolian: "General, there are no boats to cross the river."

  The man in blue robes gazed out at the river, raised an eyebrow and said in a low voice in Mongolian: "Go up the mountain slope, form a battle array with your backs to the water." The Han men responded loudly, galloping their horses up a gentle hill, dismounting and dividing into two teams. One team knelt down, bending their bows, aiming at the road they came from, while the other team stood behind them, drawing their bows. The man in blue robes also jumped off his horse, drew his bow and stood still, letting the river wind blow up his clothes, his body not moving an inch, like a dark boulder.

  Liang Xiao listened to him speaking, as if chasing after someone. Before he could even finish his thought, the sound of horseshoes echoed from the road ahead, and dozens of riders came galloping over, their clothes a mix of colors, all dressed in Song Dynasty attire. Seeing that this group of men had been blocked by the river, they all shouted loudly and rushed down to the foot of the hill like a gust of wind. The man in blue saw clearly and shouted, "Release arrows!" The bowstrings suddenly vibrated, and a row of arrows shot out towards the approaching riders. A mournful cry arose, several warhorses were hit by arrows, their front legs buckled, and their owners were thrown off. The first group of big men on the hill took up their bows and put arrows on the strings, while the second group stepped forward, and sharp arrows flew out quickly. This time they shot at people, and only a few mournful cries could be heard, the fallen riders dodging too late, and instantly there were casualties.

  Two rows of Han soldiers advanced and retreated in a strict manner, shooting horses and people, with few misses. After three rounds of arrow shooting, more than 20 Song Dynasty cavalrymen were killed or injured. Someone shouted: "The bandits' bows and arrows are fierce, let's temporarily avoid their edge." The cavalrymen picked up their dead and wounded comrades and retreated rapidly to the rear, losing a few more men in the process.

  The Song people retreated to a distance of one arrow, stabilized their formation, and discussed for a while. Some people held shields in front, others held knives and guns, and followed on foot. The big Han on the slope was blocked by the shields, and they put down their bows and arrows, pulling out their waist knives. Suddenly, the blue-robed Han drew his five-foot large bow, let out a loud shout, and shot an arrow. This arrow was twice as thick as ordinary feathered arrows, and its speed was also twice as fast. With a "whooshing" sound, it hit someone's calf. The person screamed in pain, and the shield in their hand slightly deviated. The blue-robed Han's second arrow followed closely, piercing through the brain with a "zipping" sound. Both sides of people and horses let out a shout at this display of power.

  The man in blue robes drew his bowstring again, and another arrow shot towards the throat of a sturdy man. The man raised his shield to block it, but couldn't withstand the immense force of the arrow, and let out a dull hum as he fell back several steps. As arrows flashed before his eyes, two more arrived, and with quick reflexes, he swung out his steel knife with his left hand, "Clang!" The steel knife snapped in two, the arrowhead broke off with a loud crack, but the arrow shaft didn't lose any momentum, and pierced straight into his throat.

  The man in blue robe shot two people dead with his strong bow and heavy arrows, causing many Song soldiers to lose their courage. At this moment, a long whistle was heard, and a person rushed out of the crowd, holding a shield in his left hand and a spear in his right hand, rushing towards Bao Chuan. The man in blue robe shot three arrows in succession, but the man with the spear and shield deflected each arrow one by one, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at the foot of the hill. The big men on the hill shouted together and rushed down with their knives.

  That man shouted: "Get out of the way!" The gun shook, and one person fell down. He turned around and shouted again, killing another person. The blue-robed man was shocked in his heart. These thirteen subordinates were all excellent fighters who had been through a hundred battles and were selected from among thousands. When they encountered this man, not even one of them could withstand him for a moment. Seeing their leader's mighty power, the Song people were greatly encouraged and rushed towards the hill with cheers. The blue-robed man raised his thick eyebrows, ignoring the gun-wielding expert, and drew his giant bow. Arrows flew like thunder and lightning, all aimed at the Song people behind him.

  The gunman heard the miserable cries of his companions behind him, shocked and furious, eager to rush up the slope and confront the man in blue. But the strong man in front of him was fearless and unyielding, advancing wave after wave. The gunman was extremely anxious, his shooting becoming more fierce, shouting as he killed one person, by the thirteenth shout, a group of strong men had all been knocked down. He rushed up to the shallow hill, turned his head back for a glance, and couldn't help but feel his gallbladder bursting, seeing only corpses scattered all over the ground below, not a single living person left.

  This massacre was as swift as lightning, and Liang and Liu watched from a distance, never expecting such marksmanship. They exchanged a glance, both feeling the palms of their hands were wet with sweat.

  The two men stood facing each other on the slope for a long time, and the one holding the gun let out a long, mournful howl that shook the great river and lingered in the air. As soon as he finished his cry, he shouted fiercely: "You Tartar, you shoot well!" By this time the east had grown light, and the morning glow illuminated his features - a purple face with a long beard, eyebrows flying up to his temples, eyes like two crescent moons, especially revealing a stern and majestic air.

  The man in blue also threw away his bow and arrow, holding a single-edged sword in his hand, coldly saying: "Your spear technique is good! Dare to ask what position you hold in the current Song army?" The man sneered and said: "I don't have the leisure mind to be an official, nor can I bear the leisure air of being an official."

  The man in blue robe frowned and said, "A talent like yours has fallen to drifting in the rivers and lakes, what a pity! What a pity!" The other person sneered, "What's good about being an official? I'm carefree and at ease wandering the world." The man in blue robe smiled slightly and said, "Your spear skills are impressive, if you join our great Yuan dynasty, you can roam the world freely." The other person didn't expect him to dare persuade himself between life and death, and couldn't help but laugh foolishly, saying loudly, "Good Tartar, stop talking nonsense, only one of us can stand on this mountain slope today!" He threw away his shield, inserted his short spear into the ground, took down a gourd, and started drinking wine with a glug-glug sound.

  He raised his head to drink, exposing his flaws, but with an air of confidence that made it impossible for others to attack. The blue-robed man saw the golden spear as long as his shoulder, only because he had just killed someone, and the tip of the spear was still stained with blood. The gun strap was also gold, shining like a dragon scale in the sunlight. The blue-robed man's heart skipped a beat, thinking of someone.

  He finished drinking, thought of his companions all dead, and sorrow welled up within him. He flung down the gourd and said slowly: "A hundred years' new wine, a thousand years' deadly spear!" His voice was heavy with emotion, filled with immense grief and indignation.

  The man in blue robe smiled and said, "A hundred-year-old wine, how can it be newly sealed? Living is like the growth of spring grass, killing is like the fall of autumn leaves. It's all about timing, what's the point of being eternal?" The other person raised his thumb and laughed, saying, "Good barbarian, you have insight. Unfortunately, I don't have much wine left, otherwise I'd offer you a toast." The man in blue robe raised an eyebrow and blurted out, "Dragon certain? Isn't that the one who was shot by the eastern army?"

  "That's right, I am Long Ru Hai." Liang Xiao only felt that the name was familiar, but then Long Ru Hai said: "You barbarian, you only know one side and not the other. A woman can give birth to a son, a husband can raise a daughter, Heaven is clear and empty, yet has the reality of sun and moon; Earth is heavy and muddy, yet has the emptiness of mountains and valleys. All things contradict each other, why can't there be wine that's new every hundred years, or a gun that kills people for eternity?"

  This sudden move was unexpected, and a hint of confusion flashed across the face of the man in blue. In this instant, an opening appeared in his defenses. Long Rushing Into The Sea had been waiting for just this moment, and with a circular motion of his spear, he thrust it forward with great force, shining brightly like a proud sun bursting into the air, directly targeting the throat of the man in blue.

  The man in blue robe slightly retreated, his single knife thrust upwards, the back of the knife collided with the tip of the spear, making a humming sound, and both men retreated three steps. Long entered the sea, sweeping away his frantic expression, glanced at the golden spear in his hand, looked at the man in blue robe, nodded and said: "Good knife skills. Show weakness first, then strike with strength."

  The blue-robed man's hint of confusion was just a disguise, if not for Longhai leaving behind a hidden move, he would have been forced to open his Golden Gun and be defeated by a single sword. The blue-robed man sighed in regret, saying: "You also know military strategy?" Longhai coldly said: "I know a thing or two." Suddenly, he took three steps forward, each step exuding an aura that intimidated others.

  The man in blue robes stared coldly at the gun tip, with his sword held horizontally across his chest, and his feet merged with the ground. In an instant, the dragon entered the sea and let out a strange howl, the golden gun flashed, like a flock of birds flying out of their nest. The man in blue robes waited until the gun was in front of his chest before swinging his sword to block it horizontally. "Hiss", the sword and gun clashed, with light and shadow scattering everywhere, as the two men each showed off their skills, fighting in a frenzy.

  The two men moved extremely fast, and at first, Liang Xiao couldn't see clearly. However, as time passed, he vaguely made out some of the moves. Long Rushi's spear technique seemed to be a dazzling display of flowers, but in reality, his energy was solid and condensed, with a lingering aftereffect that didn't dissipate. The blue-robed man's single knife changes were relatively few, and the knife light was often obscured by the spear shadow, but every time he made a move, there was no excess, always able to break through the opponent's spear technique at a critical moment.

  After seventy or eighty moves, the figures on the hillside were in disarray. Long Jiaojiao suddenly shouted and the spear shadow disappeared. The golden spear opened up the single knife and rushed straight at the chest of the blue-robed man.

  Victory and defeat will be decided, the blue-robed man did not dodge or evade, suddenly throwing open his single knife. Dragon Enters the Sea's eyes flashed, the golden spear was grasped by his opponent, the blue-robed man let out a loud shout, his right palm shooting out like lightning.

  The dragon's spirit was focused on the golden spear, but unexpectedly, at a critical moment, he abandoned his sword and used his palm. The strength of his palm technique surpassed that of his swordsmanship. In the brief moment, he dodged and weaved, but was still struck by the blue-robed man's consecutive palms on his chest, causing him to retreat six steps and fall to the ground. Even so, the blue-robed man did not avoid the spear's momentum, and the golden spear pierced his left chest, with fresh blood gushing out of his blue shirt.

  The dragon entered the sea and spat out two big mouthfuls of blood. The man in blue also stumbled, pulled out a golden spear, and the wound bled like a spring. He didn't look at his injury, but instead stared at the spear with both eyes, nodded and said: "Good spear, does it have a name?" Long Jinhai took a few short breaths, raised his eyes, and smiled: "It has a name, called Long Jinhai." The man in blue was taken aback, nodded and said: "Good, the spear is like its owner, indeed magnificent."

  Long entered the sea and took a deep breath, gritting his teeth and saying: "Your palm technique is better than your knife technique, why did you give up using your palms and use a knife instead?" The man in blue robes sighed and said with a bitter smile: "You know how to show weakness and then strike with strength, but do you not know 'to appear capable yet show that you are incapable, to use something yet show that it is unused'? Your spear technique has a thousand variations, I only need to abandon my knife and use my palms, one change will be enough."

  These two sentences come from "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, both of which refer to the cunning and deception of war. Dragon Enters the Sea was stunned for a moment, thinking: "Although I don't know this person's identity, he is indeed talented, if he doesn't die today, there will be endless troubles in the future!" He struggled with all his might, but his strength wasn't enough, and he couldn't help but laugh loudly towards the sky, with a hint of desolation in his laughter. After one laugh, he murmured: "Light rain has just stopped, red leaves are drifting away, Dragon Enters the Sea, three strange things have lost their names." His voice gradually weakened, and he fell to the ground dead.

  Long entered the sea as the first of the "Southern Sky Three Wonders", and the other two wonders, Ji Luo Hong and Mo Xi Yu, died early in Xiao Qian's hands. With this death, the "Southern Sky Three Wonders" naturally lost their name.

  The man in blue robe luckily won, but his injuries were not light. At first, he could still endure, but as time went on, the wound was painful and unbearable, the air in his lungs leaked out, and after swaying twice, he finally fell to the ground.

  Liang Xiao was about to get up when he suddenly heard the sound of hooves coming from afar. Before long, four riders galloped up close by. As Liang Xiao caught sight of their faces, he felt a slight shock - it was none other than Tuo Huan and his three attendants. Tuo Huan's face was still pale, and the other three looked wan and haggard, their internal injuries not yet fully healed.

  Four people looked at the corpses all over the ground, their faces shocked and uncertain. Tuo Huan was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled at the man in blue: "General, good skill!" The man in blue coldly stared at him, not saying a word. Tuo Huan saw that he was seriously injured, and slightly smiled: "General coincidentally came to the south with me to spy on military intelligence without prior agreement. It seems that General this time must have a plan, and will surely seize the commander's seal?"

  The blue-robed man's heart was as clear as snow, knowing that he had sold himself out and brought about the pursuit of a Southern Dynasty expert. His current situation was even more perilous than before. After a moment's thought, he gritted his teeth and laughed: "His Majesty has ordered Qian Sui and me to each come up with our own plans to determine who will lead the expedition against the Song Dynasty. Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving - I dare not take things at face value, I must see it for myself before daring to make a plan."

  Tu Huan listened to his calm tone, not like he was seriously injured, and felt suspicious. He looked at him and smiled: "Unfortunately, after today, King Wang is afraid that he will become the marshal. The general's concession, King Wang remembers in his heart. On the day of the southern expedition, he will definitely kill sheep and cook cattle to worship the general under the Yellow Springs." He gave a wink to the three followers, and the three men each drew their blades and dismounted. The blue-robed Han man had strong martial arts skills, and even if they were in normal times, the three of them would not dare say they could win; now that he was seriously injured, any one of them could take his life, but Tu Huan sent out three people just in case.

  Liang Xiao thought to himself, "Tuo Huan is a very bad person, the man in blue is his enemy, maybe he's a good person." He was young and naive, not quite understanding the distinction between good and evil. Having made up his mind, he stood up with a smile and said, "Fourth Prince, does your rib still hurt?" Liu Yueyue saw him stand up and also had to follow suit.

  He turned his head to take a look, and his face changed greatly. He was tricked by Jiuru in Gusu, breaking two ribs, although he received famous medical treatment, but still felt pain at this time, and only came forward with injuries to get rid of the blue-robed man. Harris and the other three were also internally injured and had just suffered from Liang and Liu's bitter heads, defeated generals, not worth mentioning bravery, looking at each other, all with a timid heart.

  Weighing the pros and cons, suppressing his anger, Chong Lüe Hanzi smiled and said: "General, let's part ways here. I only wish that you will have a deep and prosperous destiny and return safely to the capital."

  The man in blue robes remained expressionless, saying lightly: "Qian Shou, farewell, the young general won't see you off!" Tu Huan glared at him with a pale and uncertain face, suddenly turned his horse's head around. The other three also mounted their horses with hatred, four people whipped their horses and galloped away in the direction they came from.