Chapter Nineteenth: Stealing Heaven and Replacing Day

  Yun Shu saw him fall, his body sank, just about to drop, suddenly heard the sound of whizzing arrows, more than a dozen sharp winds attacked from behind. He was shocked, let go of Liang Xiao, turned back and swept away several feathered arrows, in the chaos, he dodged too late, and an arrow hit his thigh.

  Yun Shu let out a pained cry, and with a loud roar, he swept his gaze to the side. Liang Xiao was bound by ropes on the ground, desperately rolling about. Enduring the pain of his arrow wound, Yun Shu flipped over and landed on the ground, only wanting to grab hold of Liang Xiao. But just as his feet touched the ground, a strong gust of wind rose up again from behind him. Turning his head to look, he saw a massive club sweeping towards him like lightning. "Ghostly Wails and Divine Cries Three-Linked Ring": first was the rope noose, second was the sharp arrow, third was the giant club. This club was specially designed for Liang Xiao's full-body restraint, coming with an exceptionally swift and fierce momentum. Yun Shu could only use his old skills to defend himself, but he felt a shock in his chest, saw stars dancing before his eyes, and tumbled through the air, doing a backward somersault, "Splash!" He fell into the river water.

  Liang Xiao narrowly escaped, using his sword to cut through the ropes. Seeing Liu Yingying approaching, he shouted: "Yingying, raise the sail!" He turned around and rowed, urging the boat to move forward.

  The boat borrowed the wind's momentum, made two turns, and flew down the river. Yun Shu was hit by a giant club, his chest tight, he drank several mouthfuls of water, but couldn't catch his breath, and couldn't help but shout: "Feng Mian... Feng Mian..." The little boy heard the sound, hastily rowed the boat to meet him, and pulled him onto the boat. Yun Shu looked out at the big boat in the distance, his heart filled with shock and anger, and quickly ordered the boatman to chase after it. But just as the boatman was about to adjust the rudder, he suddenly heard a "crack" sound, and the small boat snapped in two, the three people on board tumbling about like dumplings being dropped into a pot, one after another falling into the water.

  Yun Shu's eyes were quick, and with one hand he grasped the half of the boat's body, while with the other he seized the little boy. He examined the broken end of the boat, but it was very neat, as if cut off by a sharp blade. Yun Shu suddenly realized that Liang Xiao had used a trick to make him fall into the water, and then swam under the small boat, using his sword to cut the board so that it seemed to be broken but still intact. His calculation was accurate, and the Xuan Yuan sword was very sharp, so the gap he cut could hold two people. As soon as Yun Shu got on the boat, the little boat couldn't bear the weight, and immediately broke in half.

  The boatman was skilled in the water, and he swam towards the riverbank by himself. Clouds were embracing a section of the cabin board, and with the wind, it sank and floated. In his heart, he had no choice but to regret: "If I had known this earlier, I would have brought my sword and killed them all with one stroke." As he thought about this, the figure of Liu Yingying flashed through his mind again, and his spirit was slightly bewildered. "She is a woman, how could I lay hands on her? After I kill those two villains, I will reason with her and make her see the error of her ways, and understand my bitter intentions."

  Liang Xiao steered the boat and rowed, traveling a distance before docking on the north bank of the river. He said to the other two, "That sour Ding won't give up easily. The water route is too slow; it's better for us to take the land route." Yan Renbai smiled and said, "Once we reach the north bank, I'll go alone to the north to avoid implicating you two." Liu Yingying glanced at him coldly and said, "You're all talk, can you hold on after losing so much blood?"

  Yan Renbai's wound burst open again, bleeding profusely, his lips pale. After hearing this, he waved his hand and smiled: "Yan Mou is as strong as a cow or horse, this little injury won't kill me." He supported himself to walk two steps, but his footsteps were light and unsteady. Liang Xiao furrowed his brow and said: "We have nothing better to do, let's send you to the north." Liu Yanyan giggled and said: "Little lecher, this is called... rescuing someone must be thorough..." Liang Xiao didn't wait for her to finish speaking, interrupting with a smile: "Killing someone must see blood."

  Yan Renbai's face showed a hint of gratitude, and he sighed: "You two are not related to me, yet you've saved my life multiple times. This kindness, I, Yan Mou, can hardly repay even if I were to be a cow or a horse." Liu Yuying scolded: "Stop spouting nonsense!" Yan Renbai was taken aback, then burst out laughing: "Miss is right, I'm full of nonsense, deserving of death!"

  Three people abandoned the boat and went ashore, heading north for a few miles. Suddenly, they heard several crows crying "wa wa" as they flew into the dusk sky, and the sound of horseshoes echoed from the official road in the distance. Liang Xiao was startled and was about to draw his sword. Yan Renbai pressed down on his hand and said in a low voice, "The enemy is strong and we are weak, let's avoid their edge for now." Liang Xiao also thought it made sense, so the three of them led the horses and hid by the side of the road. Before long, a group of horsemen came galloping, each rider wearing golden armor and a purple sable hat, looking like tigers and riding like dragons, with fierce spirits and whistling winds.

  Liang Xiao and Liu Yingying crouched behind a thicket, holding hands and watching with bated breath. Suddenly, Yan Renbai let out a long laugh and shouted in Mongolian, "Nasu!" The leading knight's body shook, and he turned to look back, while the others simultaneously stopped their horses, their movements extremely uniform. Yan Renbai emerged from the woods, laughing and saying, "What, don't you recognize me?"

  The knights were overjoyed, falling off their horses and kneeling on the ground. Nasu loudly said in Mongolian: "General, we finally found you." Yan Renbai smiled slightly, wanting to go forward to help him up, but as he bowed his head, he couldn't bear the severe pain, so he had to say with his hands tied: "You all get up." Nasu and the others got up, seeing that he was covered in blood, hesitated and said: "General, your...your injuries?" Yan Renbai smiled and said: "Just a minor injury. How did you all find me again?"

  He saw his complexion was pale and dispirited, and thought to himself that he had followed him on southern and northern expeditions, but had never seen him so exhausted. For a moment, he felt deeply self-reproachful, hesitated for a while, then said: "We had agreed earlier to meet General in Zhenzhou, but unexpectedly the great general did not arrive, my brothers were anxious in their hearts, and divided into several groups of horses to search along the river. Fortunately, thanks to the blessing of heaven, we met the general."

  Yan Renbai thought of the dangers along the way, as if he were in a different world. He sighed and said: "Nazuo, how many soldiers do you have?" Nazuo replied: "There are 300 people in total, divided into six groups, searching along the river. Each group has 50 people, and they can be summoned with a signal." Yan Renbai clapped his hands and laughed: "Good! With these 300 people, we can conquer the world. Quickly gather the soldiers and return to the capital!" The crowd of soldiers responded loudly, dividing into three groups to summon their companions.

  Yan Renbai gazed at the three riders disappearing into the distance, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders. He turned to Liang and Liu and said, "That was close! If not for these two sacrificing themselves to save me, even if you had 30 million troops, you wouldn't have found me!" After speaking, he burst out laughing, his face radiating joy. The surrounding guards were overjoyed, and they all bowed to the two men in gratitude.

  Liu Yingying saw a large group of Yuan people, and her heart was not happy. She secretly pulled at Liang Xiao's clothes and whispered: "Little scoundrel, he has companions now, we don't need to send him off. You tell him, everyone will disperse after a round of applause." Liang Xiao nodded, just about to speak, when Yan Renbai had already heard Liu Yingying's words. He waved his hand and smiled: "Young brother, I have something to say, I don't know if it should be said or not."

  Liang Xiao smiled and said, "If you have something to say, just say it, no need to be polite." Yan Renbai smiled and said, "Little brother, do you remember what I told you last night?" Liang Xiao nodded and said, "I remember, you said that the Great Song will perish within ten years!" Yan Renbai smiled and said, "Now it seems that maybe it won't take ten years. I'll make sure to let you catch the foolish emperor and treacherous officials and give them a good beating." He was pleased with himself and smiled again, saying, "Little brother, to be honest, Yan Renbai is just my alias. My real name is Baiyan, and I am from the Eight Bala Department of Mongolia. This time I came south to investigate the military array of the Great Song, observe the geography of Jiangnan, and plan a strategy for conquering the southern regions."

  Bayan was a high-ranking minister of the Yuan dynasty, following Emperor Kublai Khan to conquer other kingdoms, with great military achievements. Kublai Khan originally intended for him to lead the army to conquer the Song Dynasty, but unexpectedly, his son Toghon also strongly requested to take command of the southern expedition. To let the ministers submit, Kublai Khan ordered the two men to each draft a plan for the southern campaign in March and choose the better one as the commander-in-chief. The two men competed for the commander's seal, each leading their own troops to secretly enter the Song territory to gather intelligence on the Song government and military situation. Originally, both sides were doing their own thing, but unexpectedly, they met at "Drunken Not Returning Building". Toghon was a ruthless person who would stop at nothing, intentionally revealing Bayan's whereabouts, leading to the pursuit and killing by the heroes of the Southern Dynasty, almost costing him his life.

  Bo Yan said his true name, and his heart felt relieved of a heavy burden. Suddenly, he saw Liang Xiao staring at him with a strange expression, thinking that he was angry with himself for hiding his name and deceiving him. He smiled bitterly and said: "Younger brother, I didn't intentionally hide it from you. It's just that people's hearts are hard to measure, and the world is full of dangers. At first, I didn't know your true intentions, so I didn't dare tell you the truth. Later, when I understood the two of your intentions, I was ashamed and embarrassed, and didn't dare speak up. Younger brother, the southern expedition is imminent, and the country is in urgent need of talented people. Why don't you come with me to the capital to seek fame and fortune?" He smiled slightly at this point, "I heard that your mother is also a Mongolian, why not bring her along too."

  Liang Xiao's face was pale, his eyes sharp, and he stared at Bai Yan for a long time before exhaling slowly and saying: "You also know my mom." Bai Yan was taken aback and asked in surprise: "I do?" Liang Xiao said: "Yes, her name is Xiao Yulian."

  Bo Yan's chest felt like it had been punched, his eyes wide with incredulity. Liang Xiao's face changed suddenly, and the light in his hand flashed as he pointed his sword at Bo Yan, shouting: "You're my mother's master, aren't you?" The surrounding guards were shocked and angry, drawing their bows and aiming at Liang Xiao. Liu Xiang'er stepped forward, standing beside Liang Xiao and blocking the incoming arrows for him.

  Bo Yan gazed at Liang Xiao, his expression changing several times, and sighed: "That's right." Liang Xiao's eyes were red with anger, gritting his teeth: "Is Shuo Qian really your master?" Bo Yan sighed again: "That's right." Liang Xiao suppressed his anger, staring at Bo Yan: "Fine, tell me where he is!" Bo Yan shook his head: "It's been six years since I last saw my master." Liang Xiao angrily said: "Who are you trying to deceive?" The sword tip was about to strike, pressing against Bo Yan's throat. The guards were about to shoot arrows, but Bo Yan waved his hand and said in a low voice: "No one is allowed to shoot, if I die, do not avenge me, take my body back to Dadu." Nasui hastily said: "General, your precious life..."

  Bo Yan's eyes gleamed with intensity as he said sternly, "This is a military order!" Nasu was momentarily speechless and put down his bow and arrow. As the leader of the personal guards, others could only follow suit. Bo Yan continued slowly, "Why would I deceive you? My master has an eccentric personality; I am enthusiastic about achievements and do not fit his temperament. In the twenty years since I left his tutelage, he has only visited me twice. The first time was to teach me the 'Great Reversal Heart' palm, and the second time was six years ago when he came to ask for my help in finding my master's sister. Since then, we have not met again. As for whether he found his sister or not, I do not know."

  Liang Xiao looked at him with a serious expression, not like he was lying. After hearing the last part, his heart felt a pang of pain and his eyes reddened as he said in a hoarse voice: "He...he killed my dad and took away my mom!" Bai Yan's body trembled and he exclaimed: "Really?" Liang Xiao's eyes welled up with tears. Liu Xiang'er listened clearly, reached out to hold his hand, and felt extremely sorrowful: "I thought I was the only one who suffered, but this little scoundrel is also so miserable!" Her eyes were filled with tears as she gazed at him, her heart full of pity.

  Bo Yan sighed inwardly: "Master's move, somewhat lacking in consideration." When he learned the inside story of the battle at Hezhou from Xiao Leng's mouth that year, he was greatly surprised and had mixed feelings. Later, he also heard that he had made a great achievement and then disappeared without a trace, which made him even more respectful. As for himself, even if he tried his best, he couldn't compare to that. It would have been better if Shifu's sister had followed him, it wouldn't be in vain this life. That's why Xiao Qian let him find Xiao Yu Ling, Bo Yan pretended to agree and didn't put his heart into it, secretly hoping the two could live out their days in seclusion, never to be found by Master again.

  As he pondered, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his throat. He looked up to see Liang Xiao's gaze cold and stern, and couldn't help but shake his head, saying: "Don't mention that I don't know where Master is, even if I did, as master and disciple, we have our own rules, and I won't betray Master's trust. Liang Xiao, this life of mine was saved by you, so take it back if you want to."

  Liang Xiao's eyebrows twitched, and she said angrily: "Good, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being a disciple of Xiao Qianxue. He killed my father, so I'll kill his disciple and make him taste the bitterness." Bo Yan raised an eyebrow and smiled wryly: "This is not convincing." Seeing Liang Xiao's confused expression, he said: "I am a disciple of Xiao Qianxue, isn't Xiao Yufeng also a disciple of Xiao Qianxue?" Liang Xiao said: "That's different!" Bo Yan said: "How is it different? She and I both learned from the same master, in the same way. When she was young, she was lonely and had no one to rely on, so Master took her in and raised her himself. It would be more accurate to say that she regards Master as a father rather than just a master." Liang Xiao opened her mouth to curse, but the words stuck in her throat. She felt suffocated and coldly laughed: "Fine, I'll use you as a hostage to lure out Xiao Qianxue and send him to his death." Bo Yan smiled faintly and said: "You might as well just kill me!"

  Liang Xiao's eyes flashed with anger, staring at Bai Yan for a long time, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion. After thinking for a moment, he asked again: "If I were to take revenge on Xian Qian, would you help him?" Bai Yan replied: "If it's a fair fight, neither of us will intervene. But if our master loses and falls, I'll make an appointment with you to fight again and avenge him." Liang Xiao glared at him, his face alternating between red and white. With a sudden movement, he sheathed his sword and turned around, saying: "You're injured today, killing you wouldn't be a feat. When your injuries heal, we'll settle the score then."

  Bo Yan saw him put away his sword, and was inwardly surprised. The more Liang Xiao acted like this, the more he liked it. He smiled slightly and said loudly, "Wait!" Liang Xiao heard the voice and turned around. Bo Yan took off a white jade ring from his finger and handed it to him, saying, "If you have something in the future, come find me with this." Liang Xiao coldly said, "I won't look for you even if I have something." Bo Yan smiled and said, "That's not necessarily true. I won't tell you where our master is. A son being filial to his mother is a great virtue. I know where Yu Feng is, telling you wouldn't go against heaven or human nature." Liang Xiao looked at Bo Yan, half-believing and half-doubting, but eventually took the ring and put it in his pocket, without saying a word, and left with Liu Xiangxiang towards the east.

  Bo Yan gazed at the two figures in the distance, thinking to himself: "This matter is complicated and confusing. When I see Master again, I must find a way to resolve it. However, how to bring it up is a problem that puzzles me." Despite his exceptional intelligence, he couldn't think of a suitable approach, so he could only sigh, turn around, mount his horse, and lead his troops northward.

  Liang Xiao walked for a while, sat down on a large stone by the road, took out the white jade ring, made a gesture to throw it away, but hesitated when he was about to release his hand. He repeated this several times, finally put the ring back in his pocket, covered his head with both hands, and shook his shoulders tremulously.

  Liu Yingying looked at him for a while, frowned and said: "If you don't kill Yan Renbai now, you'll regret it later. Hmph, I knew you'd cry, aren't you ashamed?" Liang Xiao thought that crying in front of her was somewhat embarrassing, so he wiped his face, feeling depressed in his heart.

  Liu Yingyin sighed and sat down. Liang Xiao leaned against him, feeling warmth in both body and mind. In the world, apart from this girl, there was truly no one else to rely on. Thinking about it, her eyes became slightly red around the rims.

  Liu Yingying felt a pang in her heart, took out her handkerchief to wipe away his tears. Liang Xiao grasped her wrist and sighed: "Yingying, my heart is so confused." Liu Yingying said: "I understand everything." Liang Xiao shook his head: "You don't understand. Bo Yan values loyalty and won't betray Xiang Qian Yue; my mom is the same way. If I want to kill Xiang Qian Yue, she definitely won't allow it." Liu Yingying thought for a moment, then said: "You go see your mom, bring me along too. I'll say some soothing words to coax her away, and you can take advantage of the opportunity to go kill Xiang Qian Yue, how about that?"

  Liang Xiao clapped his hands and said, "This 'borrowing a tiger's might to leave the mountain' is indeed clever." As soon as he spoke, he felt it wasn't quite right. "No, my mom knows I'm calling her a tiger, she'll definitely slap me on the ear. Hmm, it should be called 'beheading first and reporting later'. But I don't know where Xiao Qian is, how can I kill him?"

  Liu Yingying smiled and said, "What's difficult about that? He is one of the top masters in the world, he must care about his reputation. When your martial arts skills are accomplished, just spread the word throughout the world and invite him to a duel, I'm sure he won't refuse." Liang Xiao thought for a moment and nodded, "You're right."

  Liu Yanyan gave him a white eye, propped up her cheek, and thought for a moment before suddenly saying: "Little color ghost, let's go to Leigong Fortress first and steal the pure yang iron box. If we can open the iron box and cultivate the martial arts inside, Xiao Qian will definitely not be able to beat you!" But Liang Xiao was thinking: "That iron box might be able to cure Xiaoshuang's illness, even if it's not for myself, I must get my hands on it."

  All the way west, Liu Yingying knew about Liang Xiao's life experience and felt more pity and love for him. The two had a youthful temperament, occasionally quarreling, and Liu Yingying would often lose her temper. Once she thought of Liang Xiao's pitiful life, she realized she was too harsh on him, so apologizing wouldn't work. In other places, she couldn't help but be gentle and affectionate, speaking softly and warmly to him, treating him even better. As the two continued on their journey, their feelings for each other deepened, gradually becoming inseparable.

  After a few days, the vermilion legs healed, and the two of them rode together on a precious horse, just like a divine couple. On this day, as they approached Jiangling, the two arrived at a market town, where in the crowd, they saw a sign for apricot yellow wine from afar. The two entered an inn, and Liu Yanyan handed the reins to the servant, saying: "Take it to the stable, but don't tie it up. The fodder should be five pecks of oats, half a dou of glutinous rice, one he of licorice, and two sheng of millet wine - whatever you do, don't get it wrong!"

  The shop assistant muttered to himself, "What's going on? A beast eats more delicately than a human?" He thought to himself, "If I turn my back, she won't notice." Yilian saw through his thoughts and laughed, saying, "Don't blame me for not warning you. If it doesn't eat to its satisfaction and kicks you, that's none of my business." The shop assistant heard her words and seeing the horse's spirited appearance, he hesitated and went away with mixed feelings.

  Two people sat down in a quiet place, the willow was whispering and ordering dishes, and also ordered a pot of burning wine. He glanced at Liang Xiao, seeing that he was silent, and secretly laughed in his heart: "You know your place, dare to stop me from drinking again, hum, don't blame me for scolding you."

  The wine jug was placed on the table, and Liu Yingying was about to pour a drink when Liang Xiao grabbed it first and said with a smile: "I'll keep you company!" Liu Yingying was taken aback, but she quickly realized that he couldn't openly stop her, so she cleverly poured some of the wine away to avoid getting drunk. She loved lively gatherings and thought to herself, "You're just showing off, kid, this is exactly what I want." So she raised her cup and said: "Alright, whoever doesn't finish their drink is a coward!" Liang Xiao was taken aback, but he couldn't back down now, so he reluctantly drank the whole cup. The two of them took turns drinking, finishing off the entire jug of wine. Liu Yingying was still smiling and looked perfectly fine, while Liang Xiao's face was bright red and he felt dizzy. Liu Yingying called for another jug and thought to herself: "You're always trying to stop me from drinking, but now you've fallen into my trap! Let's see how you get out of this!" She had a great capacity for wine and was quick-witted, so she teased and intimidated Liang Xiao into drinking several more cups. He gradually started to feel unsteady.

  Liu Yingying's heart was secretly laughing, thinking of getting him drunk, when suddenly the sound of horseshoes echoed, and with a sideways glance, two people walked in shoulder to shoulder. Before the shop assistant could welcome them, the couple slipped away, only to retreat again. Liu Yingying's eyes were bright and clear, seeing that the newcomers were Lei Zheng and his wife, and immediately understanding why they had retreated, she turned her beautiful eyes and pretended to scold: "Little rascal, how come the old monk hasn't returned yet? It's really killing people!"

  Liang Xiao was drunk and dizzy, and before he could respond to the words, he felt a pain in his foot, which had been stepped on by Liu Yingying. Knowing that there must be a reason for this, he replied casually: "Ah...he'll be back soon." Liu Yingying hummed in response, then asked: "Is the iron box really at Lei Gong Fortress?" As she spoke, she listened intently, but didn't hear any sound of horse hooves, and knew that the two hadn't gone far.

  Liang Xiao replied, "Didn't you hear what Chu Xianliu said? Lei Xingkong used a fake iron box to deceive him, the real one is still in Leigong Fortress." As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on Liu Yanyan, seeing her smile slightly, indicating that she was pleased and knew he hadn't spoken incorrectly. Liu Yanyan blinked and said, "He deceived him, what does it have to do with Guan Lao? Why did he go to Leigong Fortress to steal the box?"

  Liang Xiao Yue listened more and more strangely, the words had reached this point, and he couldn't help but continue, forcing himself to say: "He and Chu Xian Liu have a deep relationship, so...so they stole the real box with all their heart to give their friend an outlet..." Before he could finish speaking, suddenly the sound of horseshoes was heard outside the door. Liu Yingying quickly stood up, threw a small silver ingot on the table, and shouted: "Waiter, prepare the horse!" The waiter led out the red horse and sent Liang and Liu out the door. Liang Xiao couldn't help but ask: "Yingying, what did you mean by what you just said?"

  Liu Yingying smiled and explained the reason, Liang Xiao suddenly understood, and laughed: "Good plan!"

  Liu Yingying smiled and said, "What's good? Tell me!" Liang Xiao said, "The pure yang iron box is something that Lei Xingkong attaches great importance to, it must be hidden secretly. Lei Zhen thinks that Jiu Ru has stolen the box, he will definitely return to the fortress to report. Lei Xingkong will inevitably go to check on the iron box. In this way..." He smiled slightly and stopped talking. Liu Yingying clapped her hands and laughed, saying, "That's right! I want Lei Xingkong to be our guide!"

  The two of them were walking to the outskirts of the town when they suddenly heard the sound of horseshoes coming from afar. Liu Yingying hastily said, "Quickly hide!" The two of them had just dodged to the side of the road when they saw Chu Yu with a furious expression, urging his horse to gallop over.

  Liu Yingying let out a sigh of relief as she saw her leave. Liang Xiao said, "Yingying, do you know who that was?" Liu Yingying smiled and said, "She's from the Chu family. I heard her natal home was deceived, so it's natural for her to be angry. In my opinion, she's going back to her natal home to report the news!" Liang Xiao said, "You can't say that. She's the daughter-in-law of the Lei family, isn't she afraid of offending her in-laws?" Liu Yingying coldly smiled and said, "Master always says, 'Husband and wife are birds in the same forest, when disaster strikes they fly separately.' It's not impossible for them to turn against each other over the iron box." They walked five or six steps with the horse, when suddenly Liang Xiao called out "Yingying". The young girl turned her head back, only to see Liang Xiao clenching his fists tightly, his face flushed red as he said, "No matter what difficulties we may have, I won't separate from you."

  Liu Yingying was taken aback, her nose sour and eyes hot, she lowered her head and scolded in a soft voice: "You little rascal, all you know is to say cheap words that make people sad." Liang Xiao hurriedly said: "What I said wasn't cheap words." Liu Yingying hummed softly and said: "If it's not cheap words, then come and lead my horse for me." Liang Xiao chuckled and snatched the reins, walking ahead. Liu Yingying gazed at his back, her eyes hot with unshed tears, but in her heart, it was as if honey was flowing, sweet and delightful, feeling extremely happy.

  Two people walked for a while, jumped onto the horseback, and the horse's legs were long and strong, running lightly and freely. Soon they saw Lei Zhen, who was galloping with his head down, not noticing what was behind him, and the two followed far behind. Liu Yingying was in high spirits, pointing at things and chatting happily, while Liang Xiao glanced at her with a smile, also feeling extremely comfortable. Not long after, they saw a massive fortress built on a mountain, surrounded by fields, covering an area of thousands of hectares, with arrow towers like forests, and many guards coming and going.

  Liu Yingying smiled and said, "The surname Lei has found a good place with good feng shui!" Suddenly, Lei Zhen rode his horse hastily towards the gate of the fortress. The guards on the wall had already seen him and gathered at the front of the fortress to welcome him. They said, "Little demon, hurry up and go around to the back." Liang Xiao clapped his hands and said, "What a clever tactic of creating a diversion!"

  They rode their horses around the back of the Wubao Mountain, where the forest was dense and the cicadas were chirping. Occasionally, birds could be heard singing. Liu Yingying jumped off her horse, took down a bag from the saddle, and pulled out a pair of shiny steel claws connected by a thin steel rope. Liang Xiaoqi asked, "What's this?" Liu Yingying smiled and said, "This is called the Heaven Escaping Claw." With a flick of the rope, the steel claw seemed to have grown eyes, shooting through the arrow wall with a "whoosh" sound, firmly hooking onto the bricks. Just as she was about to climb up, Liang Xiaoqi grasped the thin rope and said, "I'll go first."

  He climbed up the wall, without seeing anyone. Liu Yingying followed suit and retrieved the "Tianxu Claw", just as she was about to jump down from the wall, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching. With no time to turn around, if they were caught by someone, it would surely raise an alarm. In a moment of urgency, Liu Yingying's wrist tightened, being firmly grasped by Liang Xiao, and then followed him in a swift leap, floating down outside the fortress. Just as Liu Yingying was about to complain, she suddenly saw Liang Xiao hook his right hand onto the wall head, and couldn't help but realize what he was doing, following suit accordingly.

  Two people like a pair of geckos, closely attached to the outer wall, listening intently as footsteps approached, three people came, with heavy and steady steps, seemingly skilled. Liu Yanyan secretly called out in alarm, the wall was narrow, it would be impossible to take down all three at once, if they cried out, their previous efforts would be wasted.

  Three people on the wall didn't notice anything unusual, and a hoarse voice laughed: "How come Young Master Zhen looks so gloomy? Like he's been struck by lightning." Another person laughed in response: "Why shouldn't he be gloomy? Star Brother went out with two legs and came back with one leg. If it were you, wouldn't you be happy?" The hoarse voice laughed: "Being his dad isn't bad either! Chu Erniang is delicate and beautiful, still charming, if I got her in my arms, I'd definitely enjoy it." The crowd snickered for a while, and a shrill voice laughed: "That little beast Lei Xing will get what's coming to him, haha, just wait and see how he'll make trouble in the future!" The hoarse voice said: "Liu Jiao'er, your words are not right, that matter with the leg, it won't cut off the root of Young Master Zhen!" The other two people snickered strangely.

  These servants of the Lai family were so arrogant and disrespectful, it was clear that they had no regard for their master. But these three men were stuck at the wall, muttering to themselves, and it was not easy to get into the fort. Just as they were feeling tired and numb, a low, ominous voice suddenly spoke up: "You three rabbits, are you enjoying yourselves by cursing so loudly?" Suddenly there was a rapid succession of sounds, like the thud of a stick hitting the ground, quick and urgent.

  The wall was quiet for a moment, then someone trembled and said: "Star... Young Master Star... I... Ah yo..." A long, mournful cry was heard. Only to hear Lei Xing say calmly: "Chang Niu, I'll cut off one of your right legs, that's a small punishment." Before the words fell, another mournful cry was heard, and Lei Xing sneered: "Liu Jiao'er, how does it feel? Hehe, I heard that your wife is not bad-looking, tonight I will go to visit her and let you see if I can create evil or not?"

  The wall head fell silent for a moment, and the rough voice indignantly said: "Xing Geer, killing someone is just a matter of beheading, but you're saying something behind everyone's back, why do you have to hurt people like this?" Lei Xing hummed and said: "Zhu Da Cheng, you said you want to cut off my roots, right?" The man was taken aback for a moment, then shouted loudly: "So what if I did?!" Lei Xing smiled and said: "Good." As soon as the words fell, there was a loud "ding" sound, and a single-edged knife flew over Liang Xiao's head, straight out of the fort.

  The wall head wind sound hummed, Lei Xing suddenly laughed and said: "Zhu Dacheng, I'd like to see who cuts off whose roots." As he spoke, he shouted, "On!"

  Liang Xiao's blood boiled as he heard this, and without hesitation, he leapt onto the wall. Lei Xing's crutch was just about to strike Zhu Da Cheng's groin when he saw a person suddenly appear out of thin air, causing him great shock. He quickly changed his move, and with a "whoosh", his crutch spun around and stabbed towards Liang Xiao. Liang Xiao let out a low cry as he reached out to grab the head of the crutch, his body as agile as a willow branch in the wind, spinning around in mid-air along with the crutch for half a circle. Lei Xing was greatly shocked, and before he could even drop his crutch, Liang Xiao landed a kick on his face. Lei Xing's face was covered in blood, but he didn't make a sound as he fainted to the ground.

  Liu Yanyan saw Liang Xiao appear, and could only climb up the wall. The guard stared at the two of them in a daze. Liang Xiao saw that two people were sitting on the ground, while another person was bleeding from the mouth, and thought it must be Zhu Dacheng, couldn't help but laugh: "You still don't call the police?" Zhu Dacheng scratched his head and frowned, feeling hesitant, when one of the people on the ground spoke up with a pale face: "Call the police? I'm willing to die for the Lei family, this is what happens. Humph, let our enemies come to our doorstep, just let them be." Zhu Dacheng kicked Lei Xing in anger and shouted: "Liu Yanyan you're right, what should we do with him?" Liu Yanyan didn't say a word, grabbed the single knife, and with a "plop" sound stabbed it into Lei Xing's heart.

  Liang Xiao was too late to stop him, and his expression changed slightly. Liu Yuer's face was full of resentment as he said coldly, "Since we've come this far, let's just rebel." This one sentence cut off their retreat, and the other two nodded in unison, their faces heavy with solemnity. Zhu Dacheng turned around and asked them in a low voice, "Are you going to kill someone or set fire?" Liang Xiao saw that these three people were extremely enthusiastic when they heard the words "kill" and "set fire", and he couldn't help but think: "These few people aren't any good either."

  Liu Yingying's eyes rolled around, and she smiled: "Where is Lei Xingkong?" Zhu Dacheng was delighted: "You two want to kill him?" Before Liang Xiao could respond, Liu Yingying chimed in: "That's right!" Zhu Dacheng clapped his hands and said: "Great! You take care of the inside, we'll set fire on the outside." He turned to the others and said: "Everyone, get your family members ready, let's make a run for it during the chaos!" The three of them worked together to throw Lei Xing's body into the forest behind the fort. Zhu Dacheng pointed to a distant location and said: "That red-tiled building is where Lei Xingkong holds his meetings." He paused, then continued: "I'll take you down there."

  Liu Yingying smiled and said, "Thank you." Zhu Dacheng led the two down from the wall, and the other guards thought they were guests in the fortress, so they didn't pay attention. The three of them moved to the back of a house, where Zhu Dacheng whispered, "You two, I'll be on watch at the top of the wall again, don't reveal your tracks." After speaking, he turned and left. Liang Xiao looked at his back, furrowed her brow, and said, "Yingying, will this person betray us?" Liu Yingying smiled and said, "He's hoping we'll make a big commotion, so he can take advantage of the chaos to steal some valuables and escape. Don't worry, they killed Lei Xing, and their hearts are guilty, they won't dare to reveal our secret before they escape." She was bold and fearless, speaking as she walked, and Liang Xiao had no choice but to follow her.

  The corridors inside the mansion were deep and quiet, much colder than the outer walls. A hundred steps in a row, without seeing anyone. The alleys turned three steps at a time, four steps at a time, the red-tiled courtyard seemed very close, but after walking hundreds of steps, it was even farther away from the courtyard. Liu Yingying knew something was wrong and frowned, getting angry. Liang Xiao looked around, counted on his fingers, and beckoned: "Follow me." Liu Yingying saw him walk as if flying, secretly amazed, and followed closely behind. Only to see Liang Xiao dodge east and west, in just a few dozen steps, he reached the northwest corner of the red-tiled courtyard.

  Liu Yingying asked, "Little scoundrel, have you been here before?" Liang Xiao's face turned red with embarrassment as he said, "This is a Bagua formation. I didn't notice it at first and only realized it when I took a wrong turn." Liu Yingying asked, "I wouldn't have thought you knew about this?" Liang Xiao smiled slightly but remained silent. Liu Yingying thought for a moment before releasing her Tiantian Claw, leaping onto the wall. Liang Xiao followed closely behind, gazing down to see three servants guarding the entrance below. One was dozing off with his head lowered, while the other two were whispering to each other.

  Two people crawled forward, cat-like, over the eaves and tiles. When they reached the vicinity of the hall, they suddenly heard someone cough and say, "Strange, how did the iron box leak?" The two recognized the voice as Lei Xingkong's and couldn't help but feel a thrill in their hearts. They only heard Lei Zhenguo say, "This matter is tricky, Second Madam must have informed Chu Lao Da." Lei Xingkong coldly laughed and said, "I've said it before, this woman is a jinx, sooner or later she'll cause trouble." Lei Zhenguo hesitated, saying, "Father, if Jiu Ru monk really came to steal the box, then..." Lei Xingkong said, "What's there to worry about? The box is hidden safely, humph, even if the old monk has divine abilities, he won't be able to find it." Liang Xiao heard him being so self-assured and secretly found it amusing.

  The room was quiet for a moment, then Lei Zhen sighed and said: "This is a big deal, let's take a look at the iron box." Lei Xingkong said: "What are you looking at? It's still being kept safe!" Liu Yanyan was so angry that her teeth itched, she really wanted to jump down, grab this old man, and slap him twice, forcing him to reveal where the box was hidden. Suddenly, she heard Lei Zhen sigh again: "Dad, come to think of it, I've grown up so big, but I've never seen the box!"

  Lei Xingkong sneered, "What's the hurry? After I'm a hundred years old, won't it still be in your hands?" Lei Zhen said, "I'm not being nosy, but with one more person looking at it, maybe we can open the box." Lei Xingkong coldly said, "What nonsense are you talking about? This iron box is cleverly constructed, and I've played with it for many years without finding a single clue. With your little bit of wisdom, humph, talking about opening the box isn't just a fool's dream?" Lei Zhen hastily said, "Dad, I..." Lei Xingkong impatiently said, "Alright, you're tired from traveling, go rest!"

  Before long, Lei Chen came out of the inner hall, walked out of the second gate, suddenly turned around and hid behind a pillar in the courtyard, staring intently at the hall. Liu and Liang saw this from a high place and were extremely surprised. Liu Yanyan moved away a tile, peeked through the gap, and saw Lei Xingkong pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, his footsteps disordered, seemingly unable to calm down. After a long while, he quickly walked out of the gate and rushed southward.

  Before he went far, Lei Zhen flashed out from behind the courtyard pillar and followed his father from a distance. Liu Yingying pulled at Liang Xiao's sleeve, and the two of them followed Lei Zhen as well. The three groups of people chased after each other in a long line, running for a while until they heard the sound of rushing water. A spring flowed out from behind the mountain, flowing through the stone canal that wound its way through the valley. The water in the canal was clear and visible to the bottom, with moss growing on the stones. On top of the canal stood an arched bridge, with fake mountains rising up at either end, their greenery a delightful sight.

  Lei Xingkong stepped onto the arched bridge, looked around, and bent down to stretch his hand under the bridge. The other three thought: "The iron box is hidden at the bottom of the bridge? Who would have thought of that?" As they were guessing, a cracking sound was heard, and a slit opened in the fake mountain at the head of the bridge, just big enough for one person to enter. Lei Xingkong flashed inside, and the stone slit immediately closed.

  The three of them suddenly realized that the mechanism under the bridge was just a trigger, and the iron box must be inside the fake mountain. This hidden box was very bold, who would have thought that the treasure was hidden in the fake mountain right in front of them, and the opening mechanism was actually hidden at the bottom of the bridge.

  Not long after, the fake mountain opened again, and Lei Xukong walked out with a smile on his face. Lei Zhen took advantage of his entry to avoid the original path and hid in the woods. Lei Xukong did not expect that his son would dare to follow him, so he left along the original path. Lei Zhen waited until he was far away before emerging from the woods. Liang Xiao wanted to jump down, but Liu Yanyan pulled him back and whispered: "There may be a deadly trap inside the fake mountain, let him go first, if he succeeds, we'll take it over."

  Lei Zhen rolled up his sleeves, felt around at the bottom of the water for a while, and had a joyful expression. A loud noise sounded, and the fake mountain revealed a stone seam. Lei Zhen drilled into it and closed the stone gate behind him. The two people on the roof stared at the stone gate, their hearts tightly strung, waiting for Lei Zhen to come out so they could kill him off guard.

  After a while, the fake mountain cave opened, and Lei Zhen walked out in a daze. He thought for a moment, then quickly headed back the way he came. Liu Yingying saw that he didn't seem to have obtained the iron box and found it strange. After Lei Zhen had walked far away, she and Liang Xiao jumped down from the rooftop, rushed to the bridge edge, stretched out her hand into the water and felt around, grabbing an iron ring. With a surge of strength, she pulled, and the fake mountain split open with a loud noise. The two slipped inside the door, only to find that it was a stone room, extremely gloomy and damp.

  The willow door creaked shut, a faint light seeping in through the small hole at the top. In the northeast corner stood an iron cabinet five feet high, sunk into the ground, with six massive locks hanging from it, each one thick and rusted. Liang Xiao Yun strained to turn it, but couldn't budge it. Liu Yingying laughed and said: "Get out of the way, little demon, don't get in the way."

  Liang Xiao retreated behind her, the room was narrow, and the two of them stood with their chests and backs against each other. Liang Xiao only felt that Liu Yanyan's slender body was like fire, and his whole body was hot. Fortunately, the wall was cool, and he tried his best to store the cool air on his back, looking around, Liu Yanyan held two thin steel wires, inserted into the keyhole and fiddled with them for a while, "click", opened a large lock. Liang Xiao secretly admired: "Yanyan is called a female thief, she really has the skills of a professional thief."

  Six giant locks, all made by the master craftsman Lei Xingkong, had complex and unique keyholes. Although Liu Yingying's skills were exceptional, she was still panting slightly after opening four of them, her forehead beaded with sweat. She wiped it away and leaned against Liang Shao's shoulder to rest.

  Liang Shao, feeling her warm body next to his, couldn't help but feel a flutter in his chest. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "Yingying..." Liu Yingying's heart skipped a beat, and she murmured a soft "Hmm" without responding.

  Liang Shao called out again, "Yingying..." Her heart was racing, as if being teased by a thousand threads, feeling both itchy and numb. She couldn't quite put the sensation into words. With a light pout, she said, "If you have something to say, just say it. What's with all the calling?"

  Liang Shao's emotions got the better of him, and he didn't know how to respond. Summoning his courage, he gently kissed her earlobe. Liu Yingying's heart was in disarray, unsure whether she should scold him or not.

  Just as they were both lost in their thoughts, a loud creaking sound echoed through the air as the stone door suddenly swung open, and sunlight poured in, illuminating the two of them. They were startled, and soon heard footsteps approaching, growing louder with each passing moment.

  Liang Xiao pulled Liu Yuying's hand, just about to force their way out, when suddenly a loud roar was heard. Lei Xingkong shouted angrily, "Lei Zhen!" His footsteps stopped, and Lei Zhen said with difficulty, "You... how did you come here?" The two people inside secretly cursed, as one of them was already hard to deal with, and now the father and son had arrived together, which was extremely bad. Just then, Lei Xingkong angrily asked, "What are you doing with that mountain axe? Are you chopping firewood or cutting grass?"

  Lei Zhen had previously been unable to open the iron cabinet, so he brought an axe and planned to force it open. Unexpectedly, Lei Xing went out and came back, blocking him head-on.

  Lei Xing's face turned pale as he gasped for air, and suddenly said: "I'm asking you, are you doing this for the sake of that woman with the surname Chu?"

  Liu Yingying took advantage of the two men's conversation to start fiddling with the fifth lock. Liang Xiao was startled and hastily made a hand gesture, signaling her to stop, but Liu Yingying pretended not to see him and continued to focus on opening the lock. Just then, Lei Zhen hesitated for a moment before sighing and saying, "Dad, Second Madam is very angry about this matter." Lei Hangkong's voice trembled with rage as he retorted, "Is she angry? I'm not angry? Humph, just because you have a daughter-in-law, do you want to abandon your ancestors?"

  Lei Zhen was silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "This time I cut off Xing Er's leg, and Er Niang is already old and frail. If we don't return the iron box to the Chu family, she might never forgive me." Lei Xing Kong snorted and said, "There are many women in this world, why bother with just her? It's better if she doesn't forgive you, divorce that woman and be done with it!" Lei Zhen hastily replied, "No, no matter how many women there are in the world, I only love Er Niang." Lei Xing Kong said, "You're a useless thing! When you married that woman, I wasn't pleased. I only reluctantly agreed because Chu Xian Liu intervened and helped mediate. You know why I don't want to pass on the iron box to you? Hmph, if I did, it would probably end up in her hands. Alas, I calculated everything, but didn't expect to have a useless son like you!"

  "Bang", it seemed like someone had fallen to their knees, and Lei Zhen's voice trembled: "Dad, you can beat me or kill me, just take action, but asking me to separate from Erniang is absolutely impossible." Liang Xiao heard these words and felt a warmth in his heart: "This Lei fellow looks rough on the outside, but he's actually very sentimental." As he thought this, he felt a bit of goodwill towards him. Suddenly, he heard a light "click" sound, and the fifth lock was opened by Liu Yuying.

  Lei Xingkong exclaimed, "What sound?" Lei Zhen said, "It must be a crawling insect passing by." Lei Xingkong said, "Nonsense, what crawling insect? It's obviously the stone blocks on the fake mountain being blown down by the wind."

  Liu Yingying and Liang Xiao were nervous, after a while, Lei Xingkong sighed: "Zhen Er, get up, let's have a father-son talk, everything can be discussed." Lei Zhen was emotionally excited, trembling with his voice, and asked: "Father, the matter has been exposed, how to end it?" Lei Xingkong coldly smiled: "If there is a fake iron box, why can't there be a second one?" Lei Zhen suddenly realized, but worried again: "Now time is pressing, how can we make another one in time?" Lei Xingkong said: "I expected this today, when I made the fake iron box, I cast three of them, and let that Chu guy not tell true from false..." Before he finished speaking, suddenly heard Lei Zhen shouting: "Dad... what are you doing?" Lei Xingkong coldly smiled and said: "I'm afraid you can't withstand Chu Erniang's instigation, humph, this box needs to be moved to another place."

  Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and Liu Yiyang was thinking about how to open the sixth giant lock. After hearing this, her slender body trembled. Lei Zhen said: "Dad, since that iron box can't be opened anyway, why must our two families, the Leis and Chus, bear a grudge over this useless thing? Even if we gave it to the Chu family, I'm sure they wouldn't have the ability to open the box." Lei Xingkong sternly said: "Shut up, you're talking nonsense. Fine, since that's how it is, I'll kill you..." Just as his words fell, another soft shout was heard: "Wait!" Liang and Liu heard that it was Chu Yu's voice, and their hearts were greatly delighted: "She came just in time!"

  Lei Xing's voice was cold and detached as he said, "I didn't expect you to fall for the bait. Humph, Chu Lao Da, you're here too?"

  "Just then, someone said: 'Lao Gui, you've stolen the beam and replaced it with a pillar, well done!' The speaker was none other than Chu Gong. He had not given up yet and had been tracking down Liu Yingying. Chu Yu hurried back not far away and met his brother, explaining the reason why. Chu Gong became furious and together they rushed to Lei Gong's fortress, chasing after Lei Xingkong. Lei Xingkong just realized that there were two people, pretending to have killed Lei Zhen, forcing Chu Yu to reveal himself."

  Lei Zhen said, "Second sister-in-law, I...I'm really useless!" Chu Yu sighed and said, "Big brother, just now I heard your true words, and I'm very happy. Actually, I shouldn't scold you. Compared to your intentions towards me, what's the Pure Yang Iron Box? Big brother, let's just forget about it and take Xing'er far away..." Lei Hangkong snorted coldly and said, "Chu second sister-in-law, where my family goes is none of your business!" Suddenly, Chu Gong shouted, "Lei surname, less nonsense! Hand over the iron box obediently, I'll plead for mercy on your behalf and spare your life." Lei Hangkong sneered, "No need to use Chu Xianliu's pressure on me. As the saying goes: 'Catch the thief and catch the stolen goods, catch the adulterer and catch both.' What evidence do you have that I forged the iron box?"

  Chu Gong sneered, "I said the box is in the fake mountain, do you dare to let me search?" Liang and Liu's hearts sank when they heard this. Suddenly, Lei Xingkong laughed and said, "Chu Lao Da, this isn't Tianxiang Mountain Villa, are you going to search just because you say so?" Chu Gong coldly replied, "I don't believe it." The sound of clashing metal filled the air, followed by a loud whooshing sound. Chu Gong let out a muffled grunt. Lei Xingkong burst into laughter, "Chu Lao Da, when you caused trouble at Leigong Fortress, you were off by a bit!" The wind howled as fists and feet flew faster.

  "Big brother, I'm here to help you," Chu Yu called out. Suddenly, a "clang" sound was heard, as if a sword had fallen to the ground. Chu Yu exclaimed in surprise: "Big brother, what are you doing..." Lei Zheng's voice was hoarse as he said: "Second sister, my feelings for you are those of love and righteousness, but towards father, they are those of filial piety... Alas, it is difficult to fulfill both." Chu Yu fell silent for a moment before saying in a sorrowful tone: "In the end, we're all the same. Fine, let's see whose swordsmanship is better!" The sound of fists and swords filled the air, blending into one chaotic melody.

  Liu Yingying heard the sound of fighting outside, so she calmed down and used the noise as cover to pry open the sixth iron lock. She pushed hard on the iron cabinet lid, but it didn't budge. Liu Yingying was shocked and angry, and when she felt around with her hand, she found several raised bars on top of the cabinet that formed an irregular octagon. Knowing it must be a mechanism, she tried to turn it left and right, and the octagon seemed to rotate, making Liu Yingying's heart skip a beat. She turned it several times, but the iron cabinet still didn't move.

  Liang Xiao couldn't see anything in the dark, but he could smell the fragrance of Liu Yingying's sweat. He stretched out his hand and touched the iron cabinet, coincidentally touching an octagonal shape. In a low voice, he said: "This is an eight-trigram lock." Liu Yingying asked curiously: "How did you know?" Liang Xiao replied: "I saw it in a book on mechanisms. This is a hidden lock, and the pattern on the lock is a pre-heavenly eight trigrams. As long as the eight trigrams are aligned with the eight directions of east, west, south, and north, the hidden lock can be opened." Liu Yingying exclaimed: "Do you know the positions of the eight trigrams?"

  Liang Xiao Dao said: "It's pitch black here, the sun, moon and stars are all invisible, how can we tell east, west, south and north? Moreover, even if we get the iron box, how do we get out?"

  " Cowardly ghost!" she hummed softly, pulling out a dagger from her sleeve to pry open the hidden lock. Liang Xiao pressed down on her hand and whispered, "This lock is extremely intricate, if we force it open and damage it, we'll never be able to open it again. Let me think for a moment, since Lei Lao Gui set this lock here, there must be a way to determine the direction inside the hidden room." He pondered for a moment, then looked up and saw the small translucent hole in the ceiling. Suddenly enlightened, he smiled and said, "So that's it, Lei Lao Gui is indeed cunning!" Liu Yingying asked curiously, "What's so cunning about it?" Liang Xiao explained, "I initially thought this small hole was just for ventilation, but it actually has another purpose." Liu Yingying scolded, "Speak quickly, don't keep us in suspense!"

  Liang Xiao said, "You know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. When it's in the east, sunlight must pass through a small hole and shine towards the west. If the sun is in the west, sunlight passing through the small hole will naturally shine on the east." This was common sense, and Liu Yingying understood as soon as she heard it. She looked through the small hole and saw a thin beam of light slanting into the room from outside, leaving a spot of light directly in front of the iron cabinet. Liang Xiao continued, "When we came in earlier, it was around 5 am, and the sun was still in the east. The direction this light is pointing to is the west, which corresponds to the Dui trigram in the Pre-Heaven Eight Trigrams."

  In the I Ching, each of the eight trigrams has a direction. Li is in the south, Kan is in the north, Dui is in the west, Zhen is in the east, Qian is in the northwest, Kun is in the southwest, Xun is in the southeast, and Gen is in the northeast. When Liang Shao determined the western position, he found the symbol representing "Dui" on the lock of the eight trigrams, turned to the west, and "Li" turned to the opposite east. The east and west were fixed, and the other six directions were also arranged one by one.

  Liu Yingying looked at it with a puzzled expression: "This little scoundrel understands quite a lot, not all of them are stupid." When Liang Xiao turned the "Qian" hexagram to the southwest, the Pre-Heaven Eight Trigrams returned to their positions, and a chuckling sound came from the iron cabinet. Liang Xiao used force to lift it, and the iron lid opened with a creak. The outer wall of the iron cabinet was about several feet thick, but inside it was very narrow. Liu Yingying reached in and felt an iron box about half a foot square, which felt cold to the touch, but nothing special. She immediately took it out and put it in her silk pouch.

  Suddenly, a muffled hum was heard from Chu Gong, as if he had suffered another loss. Liu Yingying whispered, "Let's sneak out quietly." Liang Xiao nodded slightly, took a deep breath, and was about to make a run for it when suddenly a long laugh echoed through the air above Lei Gong Fortress. A clear voice came from afar: "Where is the master of Lei Fortress? The junior Cloud Shu of Shen Ying Gate seeks an audience!" Liang and Liu were both shocked by this sudden voice.