Chapter 48: Same Circle, Same Deficiency

  Liang Xiao suddenly felt a gust of wind behind him, and with a swift motion, he grabbed the wrist of the approaching person. However, he immediately realized that the person had no martial arts skills, so he quickly released his grip. Turning around to look, he saw a man with a black beard reaching down to his chest, and a gaunt face. He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "Lord Guo?" Hua Xiao Xue and Hua Sheng also stopped in their tracks when they saw him talking to someone.

  It was none other than Guo Shoujing who had arrived. Without waiting for Liang Xiao to say much, he grabbed him and laughed, saying: "Wang old brother, you and I have a deep affinity, after parting ways for many years, we meet again in this place." While speaking, he pulled Liang Xiao backwards. Liang Xiao was puzzled when Guo Shoujing called him "Wang old brother".

  Guo Shoujing's face was smiling, but his eyes were shifting around. He came to the back of a horse carriage and looked around before saying in a low voice: "Lord Liang, you're too bold! Most of the guards in this city are your old subordinates from the southern expedition, eight or nine out of ten recognize you. Isn't entering the city rashly like jumping into a trap?" Liang Xiao's expression changed slightly, and he sighed: "Forget it, I'll enter the city!" Guo Shoujing grasped his hand tightly and smiled: "When I heard that Lord Liang had passed away, I was so angry that I wanted to die in your place. But it turned out to be a rumor. Today we meet again, how can I let you go?" Liang Xiao smiled bitterly: "Lord Guo, you're confusing me. If you don't let me go, do you want to take me to see the officials?" Guo Shoujing's expression turned serious: "What kind of person do you think I am? You sit in my carriage, and I'll send you into the city. Even if you want to leave, you have to stay at my mansion for a few days." Liang Xiao said: "I'm a criminal, I'm afraid I'll implicate you." Guo Shoujing waved his hand: "You and I are friends who discuss learning, we're not like others. If Lord Liang continues to decline, that's just looking down on me."

  Liang Xiao felt a warmth in his heart and no longer declined. Guo Shoujing turned around and called for the horse carriage, he originally brought his family out for a trip, so he ordered his wife and concubine to share a ride, vacating one of the carriages. Liang Xiao held Zhao Bing and sat with Hua Xiao Shuang, Guo Shoujing also let the house servant take down Hua Sheng's luggage and led over a donkey for him to ride on.

  The horse carriage passed through the city gate, moving smoothly without any obstacles. Hua Xiao Shuang whispered: "Xiao Gege, who is this friend of yours?" Liang Xiao told her about Guo Shou Jing's background. Hua Xiao Shuang suddenly said: "It's him!" Liang Xiao was surprised and asked: "You know him?" Hua Xiao Shuang replied: "I heard Nainai mention that Mr. Guo is a disciple of Liu Bingzhong from the Purple Gold Mountain sect. Liu Bingzhong is well-versed in water conservancy and astronomy, with skills that can change the course of heaven and earth. Nainai said that although his learning is not bad, unfortunately, he assisted the Mongolian emperor, which was a betrayal of his principles, so everyone looks down on him."

  Liang Xiao was silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "Xiao Feng, Mr. Guo also worked hard for the Mongolians, would you look down on him?" Hua Xiao Feng was taken aback. Liang Xiao continued: "Mr. Guo managed rivers and bridges, revised calendars, and did his best to serve the people of the world. If he can do so, what difference does it make whether he is a Mongolian or a Han Chinese?" Hua Xiao Feng thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "I understand now, this is called 'not ashamed of serving a humble lord, not refusing a lowly official position; advancing without hiding one's virtues, necessarily following the Tao'!"

  Li Xue frowned and asked, "What does this mean?" Hua Xiao-xuan said, "This is Mencius praising Liu Xiahui, saying that he did not consider serving a cruel ruler shameful, nor did he decline due to the lowliness of his official position. When in office, he must have done his best, but never compromised his integrity." Li Xue sighed and said, "Not compromising one's integrity is bound to result in losses." Hua Xiao-xuan said, "Yes, that's why Mencius also said that Liu Xiahui 'was abandoned without resentment, and was impoverished without anxiety', he was discarded yet did not resent, and was in a difficult situation yet did not worry." Li Xue nodded silently.

  Upon arrival at the Guo residence, that night, Guo Shoujing hosted a banquet in his honor. After dinner, he arranged for a separate room for Xiao Shuang and Hua Sheng to rest, and personally led Liang Xiao to the study, where he had a servant brew tea, and they reminisced about old times. For a moment, the tea was boiling, Guo Shoujing dismissed the servant and said: "Liang sir, since you led the army back from the southern expedition, the Emperor was enraged, and for three days did not attend court. Bai Yan also nearly got into trouble, fortunately, thanks to the efforts of all the ministers, he managed to escape punishment."

  Liang Xiao held his tea and didn't speak, while Guo Shoujing sighed and said: "However, your generals Tuhuha and Li Ting are quite formidable. In the battle with Lin, they defeated the Western kings, recovered Genghis Khan's military tent, captured M?ngke's son Xiriji, and then conquered the Eastern kings, achieving great victories and shaking the imperial court..." Liang Xiao put down his tea cup and said: "Guo sir, let's not mention these things." Guo Shoujing understood his intention and sighed: "Alright, let's not discuss state affairs." He stood up and handed over a stack of documents: "Liang sir, do you still remember what I said in Yangzhou? These documents contain astronomical data collected by officials from all over the country, but without your divine calculations, they cannot be verified!"

  Li Xiang flipped through the volume, asking casually: "Has the name of the calendar been decided?" Guo Shoujing said: "The emperor has spoken: 'Within the sea, unity is granted at the right time', so it's called 'Shou Shi Li'." Li Xiang sighed and said: "It sounds good, but what about 'heavenly timing'? Without mountains of corpses and seas of blood, where would he get his unified world?" Guo Shoujing smiled silently. Li Xiang didn't want to say more either, so he spread out the paper and calculated with a brush under the lamp, while Guo Shoujing worked out calculations on the side. The two of them calculated until the second watch before they rested.

  From then on, Liang Xiao hid in the Guo Mansion and did not come out. He devoted himself to revising the calendar, and Guo Shoujing set aside a small pavilion for him to live in and arranged for his confidants to serve him. For many years, Guo Shoujing had been studying water and observing the stars, indulging in academic pursuits, and usually loved to discuss astronomy and geography, calculate numbers, but unfortunately had few like-minded friends. When Liang Xiao arrived, he was overjoyed, hosting astronomical measurements during the day, and as soon as the time came, he would hurry back to the mansion to make instruments with Liang Xiao and calculate the calendar method. The two men shared similar interests and spoke in harmony, and when they reached a critical point in their conversation, they couldn't bear to part ways for even a moment. Guo Shoujing had a bed set up in the pavilion and slept next to Liang Xiao at night to continue their conversations. As a result, his wives and concubines were left alone in their empty rooms, inevitably with some complaints.

  Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and Huaxiao Shuang had nothing to do. During the day, she helped Liang Xiao calculate the calendar, and at night, she read "Shennong's Classic" under the lamp. In the past, it was rare to have such leisure time amidst the hustle and bustle, but now that she had settled down, she carefully read the book and gained a lot of insight. That evening, after finishing reading all four volumes of "Shennong's Classic", she closed the book and pondered: "Mother-in-law is right, the way of medicine is like martial arts, it can be used to save people or harm them, whether it's medicine or poison depends on the doctor's intentions." She gazed at the candle flame, thinking about the widespread epidemics in the world and how her idle life went against the conscience of a doctor. She thought for half the night before finally going to sleep.

  The next day, after finishing breakfast, Hua Xiao Shuang said: "Xiao Gege, I've also been idle for half a month. Today's weather is great, I want to go out and set up a stall to see patients." Liang Xiao said: "I'll accompany you." Hua Xiao Shuang smiled: "That won't do, calculating the calendar is a great matter that will benefit future generations. If I delay you, I would be a sinner for all eternity. I asked the aunties in the mansion, and they said there's a merit gate opposite the Guo Mansion entrance, where fortune tellers and fruit sellers do business. I'll go there, with Hua Sheng accompanying me, so you can rest assured." Liang Xiao was revising the calendar, calculating to a critical point and couldn't bear to put it down, then heard that it was just nearby and agreed.

  Hua Sheng had received the message, and carefully put away the needle, medicine, table, and stool. He stood in the courtyard wearing a straight-sewn monk's robe, waiting. Zhao Huan wore a green shirt and small hat, disguised as a young kitchen boy, and with a smile, pulled on Hua Sheng's sleeve, saying they had been cooped up in the mansion for too long and wanted to go out onto the streets to get some fresh air. Liang Xiao reminded them: "Don't go far, I'll come to meet you at noon. If anything goes wrong, Hua Sheng, you come tell me first. Huan, don't be naughty and run around wildly, and especially don't mention your name to anyone..." The two of them thought he was being too fussy, and with smiles, hastily agreed, but their legs had already slipped out the door.

  As soon as they went out, they saw a gate with the four large characters "Gong Gao Yue Mu" engraved on it. The three of them set up a stall under the gate and inserted a white cloth flag with the words "Hanging Pot to Save the World". After waiting for half a day without seeing anyone coming, Hua Xiao Xian's face was tender and she didn't dare to imitate Liang Xiao Qiang by pulling in patients. She could only sit there stupidly. Hua Sheng had asked her for several copper coins to buy fruit for Zhao Bing to eat. They left the remaining date pits on the ground and used them as marbles, playing back and forth, and were quite happy.

  After a while, the sound of wailing came from afar, like the blowing of conch shells. Then, people surged onto the streets like a tidal wave. Suddenly, the sound of horseshoes echoed, and dozens of tall horses galloped in like the wind. The riders wore red robes with golden belts and had their hair tied up; they waved long whips and shouted loudly. The crowd parted to either side, instantly filling both sides of the street and leaving a wide path two zhang wide down the middle.

  Hua Xiaoxiang was swept away by the surging crowd and lost all sense of direction. The stall was overturned by a group of ruffians, and it took some effort to gather everything together again. Looking around in all directions, she couldn't see Hua Sheng and Zhao Kuang anywhere. She was shocked and called out their names, but her voice was drowned out by the cacophony of sounds. With great difficulty, she pushed her way to the front row, where she saw hundreds of lamas in yellow robes and black boots approaching from the west. The first hundred or so were arranged in two rows, with feathered arrows crossed over their shoulders, precious bottles shining brightly, golden swords gleaming, and silver wheels spinning constantly. Amidst the crowd, a white elephant emerged, adorned with gold and silver, its tusks gleaming brightly. On its back was a large, pure-gold sedan chair, with pearl curtains hanging down on all sides, partially concealing a yellow-robed lama sitting cross-legged inside. Hundreds of lamas were chanting scriptures, their hands constantly turning the cylindrical prayer wheels.

  Until the lama had gone, Hua Xiao Shuang did not see the two of them again. Just as she was getting anxious, a shout erupted from the crowd like a wave surging forward, and Hua Xiao Shuang was swept along by the tide of people, passing through the long street to arrive at the intersection, where she saw a huge square, with tens of thousands of people surrounding a lotus platform. The platform was three zhang high, adorned all over with brocade, and below it, an area of several dozen zhang was covered with Persian carpets, on which stood thousands of people, including monks and laypeople, mixed in with over a hundred nuns.

  A white elephant made its way through the crowd and arrived at the front of the stage, stretching out its long trunk to rest on the platform. A lama in yellow robes emerged from behind a curtain, stepped onto the elephant's trunk, and climbed up onto the high platform. The sound of tens of thousands of people shouting "Heshang" rose up, with voices calling out one after another, like a mighty wave crashing against the shore. Hua Xiaoxiao suddenly realized that "Heshang" was the lama's name, and as she looked at him intently, he pressed his palms together and the crowd fell silent. Heshang sat down cross-legged, his hands forming a lotus flower mudra, and declared in a loud voice, "Today is the Buddha's birthday." To her surprise, he spoke in Mandarin Chinese, with a rich and smooth tone that moved her deeply. Hua Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat as she thought to herself, "I had forgotten, today is April 8th, the anniversary of Sakyamuni's birth." Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Huasheng and the others, and she didn't have the mindset to listen to the sermon. She turned her head to look around, but in the sea of people, there was no sign of the two of them.

  Suddenly, a loud voice laughed in the crowd: "How strange! How could the sun become the son of Buddha?" The crowd was silent for a moment, then burst into laughter. Heshang Bao's eyebrows slightly raised, and he said, "Today is the birthday of the Buddha." That person continued, "Now Buddha has become the son of the sun! Two mouths are just two pieces of skin, whatever you say is reasonable." Heshang Bao's eyes widened, and he shouted loudly: "Which demon dare to come out!" The sound was like a thunderclap on a calm day, echoing endlessly in the vast square. The crowd fell silent again, without a sound.

  At this time, a voice suddenly said: "Mom!" The throat was tender but extremely clear. Hua Xiaoxue heard that it was Zhao Bing, and her heart was overjoyed. She jumped up and stepped on the heads of the crowd, looking around, and a small figure rushed out of the crowd, rushing down to hug a nun. This was extremely sudden, and the guards forgot to stop them. The nun was also frightened and helpless, spreading her hands apart. Hua Xiaoxue recognized that the child was indeed Zhao Bing, and she was greatly shocked. She stepped on the heads of the crowd all the way and rushed over.

  The nun stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly grasped Zhao Bing's face and trembled with voice: "Are you Bing'er?" Zhao Bing wept uncontrollably, only nodding his head. The nun asked again: "You... are you still alive?" This nun was actually Zhao Bing's birth mother, Empress Quan. After Lin'an surrendered, the Song royal family was taken north. Kublai Khan ordered that Empress Xie, Empress Quan, and Emperor Zhao Xian be tonsured as monks and nuns to eliminate future troubles. Hundreds of palace maids were also tonsured at the same time. Today, on Sakyamuni's birthday, Master Basiba lectured in public, and Empress Quan was ordered to attend. Unexpectedly, she met her young son again. She had previously heard that Zhao Bing was thrown into the sea by Lu Xiufu during the battle of Yaishan, which broke her heart. Now, suddenly reunited, she was overjoyed and surprised, embracing him tightly as tears streamed down her face.

  After Zhao Bing escaped from Lin'an, he met his relatives for the first time and cried. He wiped away his tears and said: "Mother, Bing'er didn't die, Bing'er misses you..." As he looked up, he saw Empress Dowager Xie and his older brother Zhao Xian, and exclaimed in delight: "Grandmother, big brother!" However, the two of them looked at him as if they had seen a snake or scorpion, their faces turned pale, and they took a step back. Empress Dowager Xie shouted sternly: "What kind of wild child is this? Get out of here quickly!" Zhao Xian stretched out his hand to separate Full Moon from Zhao Bing, but Full Moon hastily said: "He's Bing'er..." Empress Dowager Xie angrily retorted: "He's not Bing'er! Bing'er is already dead!" At that moment, the Mongolian nobles were in an uproar. Basiba also turned around to see what was happening.

  Zhao Xian suddenly became furious, grabbed Zhao Bian and gave him a hard shove. Zhao Bian fell to the ground and began to wail loudly. The Empress Dowager wanted to step forward but was held back by Empress Xiao. Two guards rushed forward and grabbed Zhao Bian's arms. Everyone in the Song court looked on in dismay, but no one dared to intervene. Suddenly, a figure flashed into view, and Hua Xiaoxiao and Hua Sheng rushed over from either side. The four guards raised their spears, but Hua Sheng used his hands to deflect them, causing the guards to cry out in pain and stumble backward. Hua Sheng rushed forward and threw himself at Zhao Bian's feet. Two guards tried to stop him, but he kicked them into a heap with two swift kicks.

  Hua Sheng pulled up Zhao Kuai and grumbled, "You're really naughty, Liang Xiao will know about it and scold me for sure." Zhao Kuai was heartbroken and didn't respond to him, only crying loudly. Hua Sheng saw over a dozen Yuan soldiers rushing towards them with malicious intent, so he quickly pushed Zhao Kuai into Hua Xiao Xiang's arms and snatched a long spear to block the enemy's swords and guns. With his divine strength, all the Yuan soldiers were defeated, their knives and guns clattering to the ground.

  Hua Xiao Shuang picked up Zhao Bing and rushed towards the crowd, suddenly feeling a strong gust of wind blowing hot waves. Hua Xiao Shuang waved her palm to block it, only to feel her ears ringing and eyes blurring, as if her heart was about to jump out. When she looked again, an old lama stood in front of her, tall and thin, with wrinkles all over his face, grey eyebrows and sunken eyes that shot cold electricity towards her. Hua Xiao Shuang felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze, and opened up her "Wind Sleeve Cloud Palm", taking a step forward.

  The lama saw her palm technique was exquisite and slightly revealed a surprised expression, his kasaya moved without wind and puffed up high. Hua Xiao Shuang only felt the hot wind rushing towards her face, her skin feeling like it was being scorched by fire, and immediately sprang up, slapping her palm towards the lama's shoulder. The old lama saw that she blocked his one move, and became even more surprised, but didn't know that Hua Xiao Shuang was born with a nine-yin body, and when encountering pure yin inner strength would inevitably be harmed. Pure yang gongfu on her body was like sparks splashing water, naturally dissipating.

  The old lama beckoned him to come over, his withered hand shot out like lightning and grasped Flower Xiaoshuang's wrist. Flower Xiaoshuang only felt that the claw was scorching hot, as if it were a red-hot tongs, and in her desperation, she used the Nine Yin Palm, sending a stream of yin energy over. The old lama raised an eyebrow, thinking: "The Han girl's internal strength is quite strange, if I hadn't practiced the 'Great Perfection Heart' to 90%, I would have been injured by her." He let out a loud hum, using his inner energy to dispel the "Nine Yin Poison", and at the same time, he increased his grip on Flower Xiaoshuang's wrist, causing her to cry out in pain.

  Hua Sheng turned around and saw that he had been surrounded by a group of guards, with a long spear in his hand pointing at the old lama's wrist. Suddenly, flowers bloomed before his eyes, and a big fat lama appeared in front of him, with a smiling face, effortlessly catching the iron spear in his hand. With just one rub, the steel spear shaft was shortened by a section, and fine iron filings fell from his fingers. Hua Sheng was shocked, using all his strength to send the spear flying, but the fat lama's hands moved like the wind, and in the blink of an eye, he had rubbed the spear into his right hand. Hua Sheng had no choice but to let go and jump back. The fat lama chuckled and rubbed the iron spear again, rubbing out two handfuls of iron sand that scattered in mid-air. He muttered something under his breath, and the thin lama suddenly swung his palm, making a strange whooshing sound. All the iron sand melted instantly, turning into thousands of dark red sparks that shot towards Hua Sheng like stars.

  The peanut saw that it wasn't right, so he made a "one merge body" move, transforming his fist into a palm slap towards the fire star. Unexpectedly, Fat Lama launched a sneak attack and slapped another palm, and the fire star already contained Thin Lama's internal energy, which was wrapped in Fat Lama's yin-yang palm force, no different from two Lamas joining forces for one strike, like a strong arrow piercing through "Great Vajra Divine Power".

  The peanuts were shocked and scattered, just about to surrender, when suddenly a great force came from the side, thousands of sparks seemed to hit an invisible wall and fell into the Persian carpet, rising in wisps of blue smoke.

  The little monk suddenly looked up and saw a tall, white-browed and white-bearded monk standing in the distance, holding an ebony staff. The old monk heard the shout and turned around, his white eyebrows furrowing before he even spoke. Hua Sheng pounced on him like a tiger and wrapped his arms around the monk's legs, crying with a twisted mouth: "Master, where have you been? Don't you want me anymore?" Jiuru was furious: "Let go, what kind of behavior is this?" Hua Sheng said: "If I let go, you'll run away again." Jiuru's eyes rolled around and he smiled: "Good disciple, release your hands. I promise on my honor as a monk that I won't run away this time." Hua Sheng said: "You promised before, but then you brought nine cauldrons to trick me!" Jiuru didn't expect the little monk to be so clever after not seeing him for months, and he was shocked and angry. He tried to kick Hua Sheng away, but the little monk held on tightly, as if glued to his leg. The surrounding crowd first looked on in surprise, then burst out laughing. Just as the guards were about to step forward to capture Hua Sheng, they heard the fat lama say in Mongolian: "Don't move recklessly." His identity was too important, and the guards immediately stopped in their tracks.

  Jiuru suddenly reached out and grabbed Huasheng's chest, causing Huasheng to feel a surge of heat and immediately release his hands. Jiuru tossed him aside and struck the wooden stick once, laughing loudly: "Lion Heart, Dragon Tooth, do Tibetans always talk nonsense?" The thin lama spoke seriously: "I never talk nonsense!" Jiuru laughed: "Wonderful! You never talk nonsense, you just keep it all bottled up inside." Everyone around them burst out laughing, while the other lamas looked angry. The fat lama spoke coldly: "Jiuru monk, don't insult people." Jiuru laughed: "Alright then, what did we agree on for tomorrow?" The fat lama sneered coldly: "Tomorrow morning." Jiuru said: "We agreed to meet tomorrow, so why are you bullying my disciple today?" The fat lama was taken aback, furrowed his brow and asked: "He's your disciple?" He snorted coldly and waved his hand: "Fine, leave now. We'll settle this tomorrow." Jiuru laughed: "Great! I'll take the women and children with me too!" The thin lama said: "No way, they have suspicious identities, they can't leave."

  Jiuruo burst out laughing, his voice like a loud bell, and the black wooden stick shot out to stab at the thin lama's brow. The thin lama knew it was trouble, so he lowered his head and quickly retreated. Jiuruo's stick stabbed into mid-air, suddenly changing direction, sweeping towards the fat lama. The fat lama couldn't resist, and with a series of clangs, he fell back several feet. Seeing him turn to attack his companion, the thin lama's heart slightly calmed down, but didn't guard against Jiuruo's move being incomplete, and with a whooshing sound, he counterattacked again. The thin lama's heart was furious: "Do you think I'm afraid?" He used all his strength to grab the head of Jiuruo's stick.

  At this moment, a figure suddenly sprang up from the crowd, resembling a large bird landing behind the thin lama. With a swift and elegant motion, he struck the lama's back with his palm. The lama's heart skipped a beat as he turned around to counterattack, but the man had only made a feint. His hand slipped out sideways and grasped the wrist of the person holding Hua Xiao Xue. The thin lama felt a surge of powerful inner energy shoot up through his arm, causing his hand to loosen its grip instantly. With a flick of his large sleeve, the man gently swept Hua Xiao Xue away from him.

  The thin lama was both shocked and enraged, just about to exert his strength to break free, when he suddenly felt a slight suffocation in his chest, and was pinned down by Jiuru's staff. The fat lama rushed to his aid but was too late, and could only watch as the two men subdued the thin lama together. Then, they saw that the newcomer wore a green robe and had on a green-faced, fang-toothed Shura mask. He let out a loud shout: "Jiuru monk, are you hiding helpers to ambush and harm people?" The guards rushed forward with a whoosh, but before they could act, they heard Basiba speak in a leisurely tone: "Today is the Buddha's birthday, it's not suitable for big movements. Let them go." Jiuru smiled and said: "The Great Living Buddha's words must be counted." He withdrew his staff, and the green-robed guest also released the thin lama's wrist.

  The thin lama's face turned iron-gray, and he took two steps back before suddenly shouting "You also come at me!" His palms whirled around, unleashing a surge of scorching heat. The guest in the green robe didn't dodge or evade, instead swinging his palm to draw a semicircle. The two men's palm forces collided, and the thin lama felt his opponent's force like raging waves piling up, one wave higher than the last, causing him to stumble backward two steps. The guest in the green robe merely swayed once before standing firmly in place.

  The thin lama spat out a mouthful of turbid air from his chest, and his heart was shocked. He glared at him and shouted: "Who are you? Leave your name behind." The guest in the green robe did not make a sound, waved his sleeve, and took Flower Xiaoxue away directly. Jiuru was about to turn around and leave when he suddenly heard Basiba say: "Tomorrow at noon, we will be waiting for the Buddha's carriage at the Great Heavenly King Temple." Jiuru laughed and took Flower Sheng through the crowd, walking quickly out of a distance, seeing that the guest in the green robe and Xiaoxue were walking side by side. He smiled and said: "Liang Xiao, stop!" The guest in the green robe turned around and bowed, saying: "Master Jiuru, thank you very much today." Jiuru said: "Who are you trying to deceive with this thing?" He stretched out his hand to grab the mask on his face, Liang Xiao slightly curved his middle finger towards his small arm acupoints, and said in his mouth: "Master, don't joke around. I wear this thing, there is a hard-to-say bitter reason." In just a few words, the two men went back and forth, exchanging seven or eight moves, Jiuru couldn't grab his mask, and Liang Xiao also couldn't get out of his five fingers.

  After listening to him, Jiuru stopped and smiled: "So you're saying that because you betrayed the Yuan camp?" Liang Xiaoqi said: "Master also knows?" Jiuru rolled his eyes and sneered: "I've seen Chu Xianliu, I've heard him say it. If not, the monk will have to beat your butt." Liang Xiao was silent. Jiuru waved his hand: "Put this matter aside, let's find a place with wine and meat first." Huasheng laughed: "Good, good!" Jiuru glared at him and said: "You're good for nothing!" Liang Xiao said: "Why don't we go to Governor Guo's mansion?" Jiuru said: "What kind of governor or official's mansion would a monk like me go to? I have my own place to go." Liang Xiao knew he was proud and self-righteous, so he had no choice but to follow.

  Here is the translation:

  Jiuru asked, "Xiao Gege, why did you come here without bringing your calendar?" Liang Xiao's face was slightly red with anger, and he coldly said, "What calendar? You've made such a big mess, if it weren't for Master Jiuru, I don't know how you'd get out of this." Hua Xiaoxue smiled and touched the mask on his face, saying, "Where did this mask come from? It's really scary." Liang Xiao casually said, "I picked it up on the street!" Hua Xiaoxue laughed and said, "If I had known earlier, you could have gotten one for me too." Liang Xiao gave her a white eye and said, "You're a girl, what do you need this ugly mask for? Only Guanyin Bodhisattva looks good wearing it. Next time we meet, I'll buy one for you." Hua Xiaoxue heard his words and knew that he was no longer angry, so she smiled faintly and didn't say anything more.

  The crowd followed Jiuru, winding their way into a small alley, at the end of which stood an old and dilapidated temple. The statue inside had been reduced to nothing but a pile of mud. An elderly man sat in front of the door, with his hair tied back in a Daoist knot and wearing Buddhist robes. His white hair was sparse, and his face was etched with wrinkles. When the crowd arrived, he was leaning against the doorframe, dozing off.

  Jiuru stretched out his stick and knocked awake the old man, laughing: "Old Zhu Yu, guests have arrived!" Old Zhu Yu opened his cloudy eyes but didn't say a word, smiled at everyone with a toothless grin, revealing only a few teeth, then leaned on his cane and slowly walked towards the outside of the alley. Everyone saw that he had a Taoist hairstyle, wore monk's robes, but had a secular surname, which made them feel curious and out of place, watching him go far before turning into a small courtyard behind the temple. In the center of the courtyard stood a large elm tree, its branches stretching up like a canopy, with wing-rooms on either side.

  Jiuruo smiled and said, "Sit down, sit down, no need to be polite." Liang Xiao took off his mask and asked, "Master, are you staying here?" Jiuruo replied, "That's right." Hua Xiaoxue couldn't help but say, "Master, that Mr. Zhu is really... really quite strange!" Jiuruo smiled and said, "What's strange about him? He was originally a Taoist priest, and Zhu Yu was his secular surname. Later, when the Eight Thoughts Temple and the Quanzhen School had a magical duel in front of the emperor, the Quanzhen School lost miserably. From the head of the temple to the tea servers, everyone was shaved bald. Sixteen out of ten Taoist temples were converted into Lama temples. This place was also originally a Taoist temple, but the Taoist priests were afraid and scattered. Zhu Yu was too old to run away, so he had to wear a monk's robe and become a Buddhist monk. Unexpectedly, just a few days after becoming a monk, some rascals from the city tried to take advantage of his weakness and occupy the temple. Fortunately, they were stopped by the monks, but Zhu Yu was too weak and ill, and there were no more incense offerings in the temple. The monks let him return to secular life and rented out the temple property to make a little money to get by."

  Huā Xiǎo Shuāng said, "Master, isn't this an insult to the gods and Buddhas?" Jiǔ Rú gave her a glance and coldly smiled without speaking. Liáng Xiāo knew that this monk looked down on secular laws and couldn't be reasoned with in a normal way, so he said, "Xiǎo Shuāng, Zhu Yú is old and weak, if we don't take care of him like this, won't he starve to death? The Buddhist teachings are about saving the world, but if you can't save one person, how can you save many?" Jiǔ Rú clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "Good words! 'If you can't save one person, how can you save many?' This hits right at the monk's heart!" Liáng Xiāo smiled and asked, "Master, do you know those lamas?" Jiǔ Rú laughed and said, "The monk's fists are familiar with several of them."

  Li Xiang was about to ask more questions, but saw Zhu Yu Lao carrying a large bamboo basket in. The person hadn't arrived yet, but the smell of wine and meat wafted over, making Li Xiang's mouth water profusely. He jumped up and tore off a chicken leg to eat. Jiu Ru was preempted by him and couldn't help but scold: "No respect for elders or young, how can this be!" With a swing of his staff, he hit Li Xiang, who wasn't paying attention, on the buttocks, and then tripped him into a somersault. But Li Xiang's mouth was wolfing down food without stopping, not even pausing for a moment. By the time he flipped over and got up, there was only one shiny chicken bone left in his hand. He hadn't satisfied his hunger yet, so he licked the chicken bone all over, his round eyes staring at the bamboo basket as it spun around.

  Liang Xiao Zan said, "Little monk's ability to take a beating and eat meat is something he has practiced since childhood, I admire him." Jiuru hummed, Zhu Yu Lao laughed loudly, put the wine, meat and fruit on the table, leaned on his cane, and went back to sleep at the door.

  After eating and drinking for a while, Liang Xiao asked the question again. Jiuru smiled and said: "There's nothing good to say. When I was in Shandong, I met some lamas who robbed ordinary women and came to participate in what is called 'Huan Xi Chan'..." Hua Xiaoxue asked strangely: "What is 'Huan Xi Chan'?" Jiuru said: "You're a girl, it's better if you don't know about this kind of thing." Hua Xiaoxue saw his expression and vaguely understood that it was related to shame. Her face turned bright red, and she didn't dare ask again.

  Jiuruo glanced at her and suddenly smiled: "Strange, Gong Yangyu is so arrogant and playful, how did he have a twisted and reserved little granddaughter?" Hua Xiaoxue stared back: "You...how do you know he's my grandfather?" Jiuruo said: "Isn't it simple? You just used the 'Wind Sleeve Cloud Palm' of the Hua family against Longyashangren, Gong Yangyu is an in-law of the Hua family. Looking at your age, if you're not Gong Yangyu's granddaughter, would you be his daughter? If so, Gong Yangyu would be a old turtle giving birth to a red pearl, it's too shocking..." Liang Xiao listened to the old monk's words and quickly changed the subject: "Jiuruo Dashi, in that case, that thin lama is indeed Longyashangren. His palm strength has some doorways."

  Jiuruo smiled and said, "That guy's 'Dà Yuán Mǎn Xīn Suǐ' has seven parts of fire, and his 'Chú Miè Shén Zhǎng' is not weak either. As for being fierce, his junior brother Shi Xin Fa Wang's 'Cí Bēi Guǎng Dù Fó Mǔ Shén Gōng' uses softness to overcome hardness, and is even more powerful." Liang Xiao said, "Is Shi Xin that fat lama? Have you fought with him before?" Jiuruo smiled and said, "I just mentioned it, the group of lamas I met in Shandong were their disciples. Originally, they were harmonious and dual-cultivated, but it also requires mutual consent. That group of stinky lamas used the name of cultivation to commit adultery, and were extremely hateful. The monk couldn't bear to look at them, so he set fire to that temple, abolished their martial arts, stripped off their clothes, and hung them on the city gate of Taizhou for a night..."

  Liang Xiao applauded and said, "Good for you, this matter will surely be cleared up." Hua Xiao Xue looked at the two of them and thought to herself, "Hua Sheng is a straightforward and honest person, but his master is just as reckless as Brother Xiao. People say that birds of a feather flock together, but sometimes it's not true. Alas, it's really strange, with so many honest people in the world, why do I alone like Brother Xiao?" Thinking about her daughter's family affairs, she couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

  Jiuru and Liang Xiao finished a cup of wine, saying: "To say it, this matter is also ordinary. But Longya and Shixing thought they had lost their greatest face, coming from afar to Shandong to find the monk's bad luck. However, at that time, the monk was being pestered by a great enemy, fleeing east and west, not having a moment of peace. He really had no time to fight with them, so he showed off his skills, hoping they would know their limits and retreat. The two saw it and also knew they couldn't handle the monk, so they said that in the secret sect there was still a high-ranking expert who surpassed the two of them, wanting me to meet at the Great Heavenly King Temple tomorrow at noon. The monk was being chased by that enemy, having no time to say more, but not willing to show weakness, he agreed to come. But it wasn't until the beginning of this month that the monk got rid of that enemy and arrived in the capital, coincidentally running into you all."

  Liang Xiao's expression changed as he said, "In today's world, who can force a master to become like this?" Jiuru smiled and said, "It's not right to say that. There are people outside of people, and there is heaven beyond the sky. Moreover, that guy is strong in entanglement and unclearness, but the monk is not good at prolonged battles. If they continue to fight hard, it will inevitably end in mutual defeat. So it's better to slip away quietly."

  Liang Xiao saw that he wasn't speaking, and it wouldn't be good to ask further. After a short while, when the wine had gone around three times, Liang Xiao saw Zhao Huan looking gloomy and not having touched his food, so she asked: "Huan'er, are you unhappy?" Zhao Huan's eyes reddened, and he said softly: "Mom became a nun, and Nai Nai and Gege don't recognize me anymore!" Liang Xiao thought of how his miserable life was related to her own, feeling guilty in her heart, she could only stroke his head and let out a long sigh.

  Zhao Bing suddenly pulled at his sleeve and said, "Uncle, if I could see Mother again, that would be great. I have a lot to say to her." Liang Xiao said, "What's difficult about that? I'll take you to see her." Zhao Bing was overjoyed and asked, "Really?" Liang Xiao smiled and said, "When have I ever lied to you?" Zhao Bing's face lit up with joy and he jumped up. Jiu Ru raised an eyebrow and suddenly asked, "Liang Xiao, do you know where the remnants of the Song Dynasty royal family live?" Liang Xiao smiled and said, "If Master knows, please enlighten me." Jiu Ru stroked his beard and said, "The monk was making plans for tomorrow's affairs and had gone to the Great Heavenly King Temple to scope out the place. Who would have thought that he accidentally stumbled into the Wuse An, where the Song Dynasty imperial concubines were imprisoned?"

  "Are the two temples adjacent to each other?" Liang Xiao asked. Jiuru replied, "They are only about a hundred steps apart. Although Wuse An is not large in size, it is adjacent to the Imperial Guard's camp, with thousands of soldiers guarding it, making it difficult to approach. At that time, if the monks were slightly careless, they would be discovered." He paused and continued, "Although this is the case, if the timing is right, there may still be an opportunity. Tomorrow's meeting, Basiba has invited the monks to fight, to show fairness, and does not want the government to intervene. An edict will be issued tomorrow morning to withdraw the Imperial Guard from the vicinity of the Great Heavenly King Temple. As a result, Wuse An's defenses will inevitably weaken, and you can take advantage of the opportunity to sneak in. However, according to what the monks have seen, it is still best to be cautious. The Song family members are not united in their hearts, some people only think of self-preservation and may not care about ancestral or fraternal relationships. With your skills, Liang Xiao, you don't need to fear him, but this young girl is delicate and pampered, and cannot withstand any turmoil."

  Liang Xiao thought for a moment, then turned to Hua Xiao Shuang and said: "I don't know if there's anything in the 'Shennong Classic' that can knock out hundreds of people at once?" Hua Xiao Shuang thought for a moment, then replied: "There is no formula that can knock out thousands of people, but there is a 'Divine Reversal' formula. If used with the wind, it can knock out over ten people at once." Liang Xiao smiled and said: "That's enough, even if we have to use it several times." Jiuru smiled and said: "This method doesn't harm anyone's life, it's a wonderful thing. The monks on both sides are going to the Great Heavenly King Temple to cause trouble, let's accompany you along the way." Liang Xiao was overjoyed, pulled up Zhao Bing and bowed: "Thank you, Master, for your help. We will definitely succeed."

  The plan was set, and Jiu Ru would take the peanuts to one side to test their skills. Liang Xiao and Hua Xiao Shuang went to prepare the medicine, making several doses of "Divine Reversal". This "Divine Reversal" was not only a medicine, but also had a corresponding device called "Dragon Spitting Water", which was thin and long like a pipe, hidden in the elbow, and when used, it only needed to pull the trigger to shoot out the medicine pills, turning into colorless smoke. Liang Xiao made two sets of "Dragon Spitting Water", one for himself and the other given to Hua Xiao Shuang for self-defense.

  As they approached the colorless hut, they found it heavily guarded. Liang Xiao released a "divine reversal" that knocked out several guards, and then everyone climbed over the wall and passed through two moon gates, only to see countless huts in front of them, most of which were pitch black and without light. Liang Xiao noticed that Hua Xiao Shuang's palms were sweating, and asked in a low voice, "Are you afraid?" Hua Xiao Shuang smiled and said, "With you here, I'm not afraid." The two exchanged a smile, their hands gripping each other tighter, when suddenly Jiuru laughed and said, "The monk is guarding here, otherwise you two would be flirting with each other, and corrupting my disciple for nothing."

  The two people's faces were burning, and Hua Xiao Shuang said in a low voice: "Xiao Gege, there are so many houses, how do we know where the person is?" Liang Xiao said: "Let Zhao Bing call out to know." Hua Xiao Shuang anxiously said: "It won't work, it will provoke the officials and soldiers." Liang Xiao smiled and said: "You're also too timid, I have 'Shen Xian Dao', what's there to fear?" Hua Xiao Shuang said: "It's still better to be cautious, let's ask someone." Liang Xiao knew she was being careful and didn't want to cause trouble, so he smiled and looked up, seeing a lone lamp shining brightly in the darkness. He carried Zhao Bing to the front of the house and saw a woman's shadow projected onto the yellow window paper.

  A maiden waves goodbye as the zither is being played, the melody flows back and forth in a low, mournful tone. The maiden responds to the strings with a sigh: "The peach blossoms of Taoye are not like they used to be, their old color is gone. I still remember the spring breeze and rain, the jade towers and golden pavilions. The name of Lan Xiangfei was renowned in the imperial palace, her beauty was praised by the emperor himself. But then came a sudden drumbeat from the heavens, and all that glory ceased to exist. The dragon and tiger dispersed, the wind and clouds dissipated. A thousand years of sorrow, who can speak of it? Facing the mountains and rivers, my tears overflow, my heart is filled with blood. In the post station at night, I am startled by the dust and dreams, in the imperial carriage at dawn, I am oppressed by the mountain passes and the moon. I ask Chang'e, will you accompany me, to share in my joys and sorrows... The song is about to rise again, but is suppressed, as if trying to hold back the pain in her heart. Occasionally, the melody breaks off, and a thread of melancholy still lingers on.

  Liang Xiao listened to the end of the tune, moved by the emotions it evoked, and for a moment forgot that he had burst in. Suddenly, he noticed Zhao Huan's body trembling, and his voice shaking as he asked: "Qiong-gu, is that you?" A low cry echoed from inside the house, and the two doors creaked open to reveal a Taoist nun with a white face and elegant features, her cheeks still wet with tears.

  Zhao Bing jumped down from Liang Xiao's back, delightedly saying: "Qing Hui, is it really you?" The woman's body swayed, she stretched out her hand to hold onto the door frame, and trembled as she said: "Your Highness..." It turned out that this woman was surnamed Wang and named Qing Hui, originally a palace maid of Southern Song, clever and wise beyond others. Zhao Bing had learned literature and recognized characters from her when he was young. This time, after going through tribulations and reuniting, the two were overwhelmed with emotions, embracing each other in one place, unable to hold back tears like rain.

  Zhao Bing cried for a while, then remembered the purpose of his trip and asked: "Qing Hui, where is my mother?" Wang Qing Hui wiped away her tears and forced a smile: "The Empress Dowager is thinking of you, I'll take you to see her." Her gaze shifted to Liang Xiao, who saw her puzzled expression and sighed: "Bing Er, you go with her!" Zhao Bing hastily asked: "Aren't you coming?" Liang Xiao shook his head: "I'll wait for you here." Zhao Bing had no choice but to follow Wang Qing Hui as she pulled him towards the east. Before long, a wing of the house on the eastern side lit up.

  Liang Xiao gazed at the lanterns, a pang in his chest: "Huang'er has found her mother, but where is mine? I...I've been muddled for so long, yet I don't even know where she is." He leaned against the artificial hill, staring blankly at the starry sky. Hua Xiao Xue saw him looking dejected and grasped his hand, saying: "Xiao Gege, are you thinking of something unhappy?" Liang Xiao slightly shook his head, Hua Xiao Xue nestled into his arms, sighing: "Xiao Gege, I can tell from your eyes that you're not happy!"

  Liang Xiao smiled wryly and was about to speak when he suddenly heard a strange laugh from afar. A strong, hoarse voice said, "Old bald donkey, don't try to escape, I've seen you." Liang Xiao was startled: "How did this weirdo get here?" He immediately shouted loudly, "Shi Daozhu?" The man grunted and said, "Who's calling me an old thing?" Liang Xiao listened to his tone and seemed to be much clearer-headed. He laughed and said, "Shi Daozhu, you don't even remember the little friend who accompanied you while you were ill?" Shi Tianfeng fell silent for a moment before bursting into loud laughter: "I remember now! The little brat who fought with me? Great, I'll deal with the old bald donkey first and then catch up with you."

  Liang Xiao was even more surprised that he remembered her. Shi Tianfeng's voice rose, and the nearby houses lit up one by one, but then Shi Tianfeng said: "I saw it, come out...hmm, how did the old bald donkey become a little bald donkey? You think I wouldn't recognize you just because you shaved your beard? This bald head, I can see it clearly!" His voice was mixed with whooshing sounds, like palm winds blowing, and suddenly Hua Sheng let out a painful cry of "Ah yo!", followed by Jiu Ru shouting: "Old turtle, don't get too presumptuous!"

  Shi Tianfeng laughed and said, "How strange! Two bald donkeys have come out! Haha, old bald donkey, this little bald donkey is your grandson, no wonder they're both bald." Jiuru retorted, "He's your father." Shi Tianfeng was shocked and asked, "He's my father? You're his grandfather..." He suddenly realized what was happening and angrily shouted, "Good bald donkey, are you cursing me as a gray grandson?" The two mouths exchanged insults, the sound of fists and palms colliding incessantly.

  "Master, I'm here to help you!" Peanut shouted. Jiuru retorted, "This has nothing to do with you, get out of the way..." Before he could finish speaking, a loud crash was heard and a fake mountain collapsed. Suddenly, Shitian's fierce voice echoed through the air as two figures shot up several meters high from afar, one on the left and one on the right, landing on the rooftop and engaging in a fierce battle. Their speed and agility were truly unimaginable.

  Liang Xiao suddenly realized: "The arch-nemesis of Master Jiuru is actually the Island Master, no wonder, this old man can indeed be called 'entangled and unclear'." Seeing that many people were walking out of the house, he launched several "Divine Reversals", and those who walked out did not even have time to look back before they fell unconscious.

  Li Xue knew she couldn't stay for long, so she rushed to the front of Empress Quan's quarters and called out in a low voice, "Heng'er, if you don't leave now, you won't be able to leave at all!" The room was silent for a moment, but then Empress Quan quietly gave some instructions. However, Zhao Heng only sobbed and cried, and after a short while, Wang Qingxue led him out of the door. Zhao Heng's face was covered in tears as he choked back sobs, saying, "Uncle, Mother won't leave. She says that if she leaves, it will implicate others...she told me to go far, far away and never come back!" The more he spoke, the more heartbroken he became, and he couldn't help but burst into loud wails.

  Liang Xiao sighed inwardly, and Wang Qingxu clasped her hands together, suddenly bowing and saying: "The Han dynasty's fate has changed, the heavens and earth have reversed, the Song dynasty only has this bit of bloodline left, I hope you will be a strong and just hero, and protect it well." Liang Xiao said: "I don't dare to be a great hero, as for Zhao Kun's safety, you can rest assured. Hmm, Wang Qiang, are you willing to go with me?" Zhao Kun heard this and pulled on Wang Qingxu's sleeve, saying: "Qingxu, come with me!" Wang Qingxu furrowed her brow and smiled bitterly, clasping her hands together and sighing: "Ask the heavenly maiden, whether I am willing to follow my heart, to be complete or incomplete." Zhao Kun stared blankly, not understanding. Liang Xiao was silent for a moment, then sighed: "Everyone has their own aspirations, Miss is determined to follow her former master, to share in his glory and shame, it's truly admirable. But the road ahead is fraught with difficulties, I hope you will take care of yourself." He bowed and turned around, picking up Zhao Kun and rushing out with Hua Xiaoshuang.

  Within ten steps, flames shot up to the sky outside the hut, and a loud noise erupted. Liang Xiao's heart was filled with anxiety, but suddenly he saw Hua Sheng frantically running around in front of him, rubbing his hands together in distress. He handed Zhao Bing to Hua Sheng and said, "I'll go take a look." As he climbed up onto the roof, he saw hundreds of Yuan soldiers blocking the door, holding weapons and staring at one spot on the rooftop, where two dark shadows were fighting fiercely. It turned out that a group of imperial guards had rushed over upon hearing the noise, but their attention was captured by Jiu Ru and Shi Tianfeng.

  Two great masters fought to the critical point, each using their lifelong ultimate skills. Shì Tiān Fēng was like a flowing light shadow, and in the blink of an eye, it was unknown how many punches and kicks had been exchanged. Jiǔ Rú inserted the black wooden rod by his side, his fists rotating with his body, going straight forward without any hesitation. Even so, Shì Tiān Fēng's momentum, like a whirlwind, couldn't gain even the slightest advantage.

  Originally, Shì Tiān Fēng had been chasing Hé Tuóluó but couldn't catch up, and had been wandering around the Shandong province for over a month. One day, he coincidentally met Jiǔ Rú and his monk. He had been defeated by Jiǔ Rú four times and had been holding a grudge for many years, so this time he came east just to find him and get revenge. He didn't remember anything else, but Jiǔ Rú's martial arts skills and appearance were unforgettable. After thirty years of not seeing each other, both people had made progress, Shì Tiān Fēng's original learning was miscellaneous and impure, but in his later years he enlightened to "no method no form", achieving the right result; Jiǔ Rú dedicated himself to cultivating "Mahavairocana Buddha's power", the efforts of several decades were not trivial. They fought for over 500 rounds, Jiǔ Rú couldn't endure the prolonged battle, and ran away, but Shì Tiān Fēng persisted in chasing him relentlessly.

  Jiuruo's lightness skill was quite good, but compared to Shitian Feng, he was slightly inferior. The two of them chased and fled from each other, starting from Shandong and going all the way to Henan, then from Henan straight down to Jiangbei, and finally from Jiangbei all the way north. Jiuruo used every trick in the book, including hiding in toilets and using cunning schemes, but he couldn't shake off Shitian Feng no matter what. Even if he managed to escape for the first two days, on the third day, Shitian Feng would always find him.

  Two people, one fleeing and the other chasing, soon arrived at the banks of the Yellow River. Jiuruo was desperate and hugged a huge rock, jumping into the river with a splash. This move caught Shitianfeng off guard, and he was in high spirits, unwilling to give up yet. He also jumped into the river, diving for a while. The water of the Yellow River was murky and impossible to see through, so he had to return to the shore. Shitianfeng loudly scolded and cursed, trying to provoke Jiuruo to come ashore, but after cursing for three hours, there was still no sign of Jiuruo. Shitianfeng thought that the old monk had drowned in the river and was furious. However, while he was guarding the riverbank, Jiuruo hugged a large rock, held his breath, and walked along the riverbed for an hour before emerging from a hidden spot downstream and rushing to meet up with Daidu.

  Shi Tianfeng practiced his skills and lost his memory, his mind was confused, but he had a slight upper hand in the intense battle with Jiu Ru. After decades of yearning, he chased him to the banks of the Yellow River, and his amnesia had improved significantly after 77-88 days. He sat quietly for a day, recalling many past events, including Liang Xiao's affairs. However, because the outcome was still undecided, his mental illness was difficult to fully recover from. For a while, he wandered along the river, asking people about Jiu Ru's news whenever he met someone. Fortunately, he learned of Jiu Ru's whereabouts from a fisherman and found out that Jiu Ru was not dead. Shi Tianfeng was overjoyed and searched for him day and night in the capital city, finally discovering his trail and rushing to the Wuse An. Jiu Ru hastily hid, but Hua Sheng was caught by Shi Tianfeng before he could dodge. Jiu Ru had no choice but to fight back.

  The two men fought more and more urgently, Shi Tianfeng was impatient, stretched out his hands and feet, twisted his waist and turned his back, and sharp winds shot out from all over his body, like a hedgehog, rolling towards Jiuru. This is the island's ultimate skill "Xianhui Gong". Jiuru had been fighting with him for a long time and knew its danger, so he also used the "Mahavairocana Buddha Power", one punch and one kick, containing the power of all directions. These two great divine powers both originated from Buddhism, and both attained the wonder of non-duality. At this moment, they met their match, tumbling and rolling, fighting all the way to a very high rooftop.

  The soldiers on the ground, having watched for a long time, suddenly woke up and shouted: "Both of them are spies, shoot them down with arrows!" The crowd of soldiers heard this and took down their bows and arrows, aiming at the two and shooting. Shi Tianfeng was in the midst of an intense fight when he was suddenly interrupted, his anger flaring up, and he let out a strange cry, abandoning Jiu Ru as he charged into the crowd, striking left and right, knocking down several people with a swift turn of his body. The soldiers saw him as a ghostly figure, shocking them into loud shouts and cries, raising their knives to pounce on him. Jiu Ru secretly rejoiced, laughing loudly: "Old turtle, you can slowly show off your skills, the monk won't accompany you anymore." After finishing speaking, he jumped down from the rooftop and quickly ran away.

  Shi Tianfeng suddenly grabbed a guard and shouted, "Old bald thief, catch!" He threw the man at Jiu Ru like a shooting star. Jiu Ru knew that if he didn't catch him, the guard would surely crack his skull open. Although he was arrogant, he had a hidden Buddhist nature and couldn't bear to see someone die, so he caught the soldier with one hand and gently placed him aside. Shi Tianfeng laughed loudly and said, "You caught it perfectly, come on again!" His hands rose and fell rapidly, grabbing the guards around him and throwing them out continuously. Jiu Ru was busy catching and releasing, his feet moving wildly as he couldn't help but curse, "Old turtle, you're fighting with a monk, don't take it out on others!"

  "Good!" Shi Tianfeng exclaimed, and with a flick of his wrist, he sent the two soldiers flying towards Jiu Ru. Just as Jiu Ru caught them, a figure flashed before him, and Shi Tianfeng appeared in front of him, his palms fluttering like autumn leaves blowing towards Jiu Ru's chest. Jiu Ru grasped at the air with both hands, leaving his chest exposed. If he had used the two soldiers in his hands to block Shi Tianfeng's palm strike, he might have been able to deflect it. But the old monk was a man of honor and would not sacrifice others to save himself. With a silent cry of "So be it!", he steeled himself and took the full force of Shi Tianfeng's double palms head-on.

  Shi Tianfeng's two palms contained his entire body's strength, with the power to shatter clouds and break rocks. With a loud "Hong Hong Hong", he retreated several feet away. Jiuru glared at him with round eyes, sneering: "Old turtle, you hit well!" Blood gushed from his mouth like a spring, instantly dyeing his white beard under his chin red.

  Shi Tianfeng was caught off guard and laughed, saying: "Old bald donkey can't even handle things? Don't escape, take another palm from me!" He leaped over a zhang, flying towards him. Jiu Ru secretly smiled bitterly to himself: "The old monk has been dominating the world for a lifetime, yet he's going to die at the hands of a stinky lunatic." Just as he was about to put down the two people in his hands and make a desperate last attack, he suddenly saw a black shadow flashing before his eyes. Liang Xiao rushed forward, his feet slightly spinning, his right palm chopping horizontally towards Shi Tianfeng's wrist, while his left hand formed a sword-like shape with his fingers, stabbing at his forehead. Shi Tianfeng's arm circled around, changing his palm into a claw that snapped towards Liang Xiao's vital points, his head advancing instead of retreating, colliding with Liang Xiao's wrist, and his legs kicked out in rapid succession, like a stormy rain kicking him in the lower abdomen. These three moves were executed simultaneously, their subtlety reaching an extreme degree, causing Liang Xiao to hastily dodge, but his left hand's two fingers retracted too slowly, only feeling Shi Tianfeng's "Yintang" shooting out a thread of sharp wind that stabbed at his fingertips, leaving them numb and sore. His heart skipped a beat: "Good fellow, is this the Wuxiang Divine Needle?"

  Shi Tianfeng's three moves were dodged by Liang Xiao, who instead of getting angry, smiled and said: "Good skill!" He pushed Jiuru to one side and launched a flurry of punches and palms at Liang Xiao. Liang Xiao used the "Bihai Jingtao Palm" to hastily exchange two moves, but felt that Shi Tianfeng's techniques were exquisite and difficult to defend against. Worried that if things continued like this, there would be no end to the fight, he glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw the Imperial Guards closing in, their formation tightening. Jiuru was leaning against a wall corner, looking dispirited.

  Liang Xiao's heart tightened, just as Shi Tianfeng's palm strike came, he hooked his hand to deflect it, and with a virtual slap of his right palm, Shi Tianfeng was about to counterattack when suddenly a pink small pellet shot towards him. He didn't know what the object was, so he swept it aside with his hand. The pellet made a hissing sound as it turned into a cloud of smoke, Shi Tianfeng inhaled some of it and immediately felt dizzy and disoriented, almost unable to stand upright.

  Liang Xiao reluctantly used the "Immortal Reversal" technique, and with the antidote in his mouth, he fearlessly approached the poisonous nature of Shi Tianfeng. As soon as he saw Shi Tianfeng's footwork becoming light and agile, he leapt up and pressed his fingers on Shi Tianfeng's "Xuanzhong" acupoint. Just as his finger strength was about to take effect, he suddenly felt that Shi Tianfeng's chest muscles were as slippery as oil, causing his finger strength to be deflected to one side. Liang Xiao saw that Shi Tianfeng had such endurance and was shocked in admiration. He was just about to change his move when he heard Shi Tianfeng let out a strange cry, and with a sudden movement, he dodged and weaved, leapt over a house, and disappeared from sight in an instant.

  Liang Xiao did not expect that he was still able to escape after being hit by the "Divine Reversal". He couldn't help but admire his own abilities. Suddenly, he heard footsteps and turned around to see hundreds of imperial guards with their bows drawn, their arrowheads glinting in the light. He turned around and swung his sleeve, shooting out the remaining "Divine Reversal" arrows, which transformed into swirling clouds of smoke. The sound of arrows whizzing through the air grew louder as they shot towards him. Liang Xiao waved his hand to sweep away the hail of arrows and retreated to stand in front of Jiu Ru. The soldiers advanced forward, trying to capture him alive, but unexpectedly charged headfirst into the medicinal fog of the "Divine Reversal", causing over 50 people to fall to the ground with a loud thud. The remaining imperial guards retreated in disarray, becoming a chaotic mess.

  Liang Xiao took advantage of the chaos to help Jiu Ru up and retreated into the colorless hut, shouting: "Hua Sheng! Xiao Shuang!" Jiu Ru coughed lightly and pointed to a distant place: "Look over there!" Liang Xiao turned his head to look, Hua Sheng was lying straight on the fake mountain, and Hua Xiao Shuang and Zhao Bing were nowhere to be seen. Liang Xiao's heart sank, and cold sweat seeped out of his forehead. Jiu Ru patted him on the shoulder and sighed: "Don't panic, Little Monk is still alive!" Liang Xiao looked carefully and saw that Hua Sheng's back was rising and falling, still with a glimmer of life. He immediately transmitted the "Whale Breath" into his back, circulated it through one cycle, and opened up the sealed acupoints.

  "Ah yo!" shouted Hua Sheng, jumping up. "Xiao Shuang! Xiao Shuang!" But seeing Liang Xiao's gloomy face, his heart tightened and he burst into tears. Jiu Ru sighed, "This place is not suitable for us to stay long. Hua Sheng, carry me back to Zhu Yu Lao's place." Hua Sheng saw the bloodstains on his body and exclaimed, "Master, you're also injured!" Jiu Ru scolded, "What do you mean 'also injured'? It's just a little blood!" Hua Sheng looked worried and carried him on his back. Liang Xiao suppressed the turmoil in her heart, gritted her teeth, and led them through the Wuse An, jumping over the wall. The nuns and female monks inside stared at them with wide eyes but didn't dare to stop them.

  Three people avoided the forbidden army and returned to Zhu Yu's residence. Zhu Yu saw the three people in a sorry state and was shocked, hastily arranging for hot soup. Jiuru waved his hand and said: "No need to boil water, quickly bring ten kilograms of wine." Zhu Yu was stunned. Liang Xiao frowned and said: "The master has injuries on his body, how can he drink wine?" Jiuru smiled and said: "You don't know, this thing called wine, not only can dispel boredom and fatigue, but also can promote blood circulation, unblock meridians, for monks it is the best tonic. Monks drinking a little wine will gain a little more energy, if they drink to the full, ha, no matter what internal or external injuries, all are nothing." Liang Xiao had lost Hua Xiaosheng and Zhao Bing, his heart was heavy as lead, he knew that this old man's theory was biased, but he had no heart to argue with him.

  Zhu Yu Lao brought a wine jug, and Jiu Ru took a big sip, smacked his lips, and beckoned to Hua Sheng, saying: "Tell me in detail about how you were beaten down." Hua Sheng shook his head and said: "I don't know what happened either, my back hurt and I fell to the ground." Jiu Ru exclaimed and asked: "Didn't you see your opponent?" Hua Sheng shook his head repeatedly. Liang Xiao couldn't help but scold loudly: "Fool, you didn't even see your opponent, great, what else can you do besides eating?" Hua Sheng felt both afraid and guilty in his heart, suddenly covering his face and wailing in pain. Liang Xiao regretted his words after a moment, and seeing Hua Sheng cry, his expression turned gloomy, and he fell silent.

  Jiuruo took another sip of wine and smiled, "Liang Xiao, don't worry, I've already guessed who that person is." Liang Xiao's eyes lit up. Jiuruo chuckled and said, "Looking at the whole world, there are only a few people who can subdue Huasheng without him knowing. Let me count them on my fingers..." He started counting on his fingers, "Besides you and me, there's old Laoqingsuan Gong Yangyu, old monster Xiao Qianjue, old turtle Shi Tianfeng, and old lecher Chu Xianliu... Hmm, and also that stinky snake He Daluo. Shi Tianfeng has a technique to split his body, the first three guys have too much prestige and won't secretly attack people... Hmm, it should be only that stinky snake He Daluo..." Liang Xiao shook his head, "It's not him." Jiuruo asked curiously, "What do you mean?"

  Liang Xiao told the story of Hei Dou Luo being stranded on a deserted island. Jiuru laughed and said, "Hei Chou She's fall was quite satisfying." Then he furrowed his brow, "It seems that the monk left out one person." Liang Xiao asked, "Is there anyone else in the world who is a great master?" Jiuru replied, "The Great Yuan Emperor's teacher, Basiba, is known as the number one master of Tibetan Buddhism. However, the monk has not measured his abilities. This man was intelligent and talented from a young age and was a rare figure in Tibetan Buddhism. At the age of 16, his Buddhist martial arts skills were unmatched in Tibet. Later, he had two battles with the Quanzhen Sect of Taoism, forcing them to lower their heads in defeat... If he has this kind of ability, it wouldn't be surprising, but this person's identity is noble and he shouldn't personally take action..." Liang Xiao's mind was a mess, and he nodded reluctantly.

  Jiuru was about to drink the wine in one gulp, his face flushed with red light, and a white misty air enveloped his head. He suddenly beckoned to Huasheng: "Good apprentice, come here." Huasheng wiped away tears and said gruffly: "What's up?" Jiuru asked: "Huasheng, are you my good apprentice?" Huasheng nodded. Jiuru said: "The sky is about to brighten, and the fourth watch has arrived. The master has drunk wine and needs a short rest, so I won't be able to go to the Great Heavenly King Temple. You're my good apprentice, so take my place and meet those esoteric masters, lest someone say that old monk Jiuru speaks but doesn't act."

  Hua Sheng was startled, he had always been afraid of fighting with others, and when he thought of the fat and thin lamas, he felt even more timid. He shook his head and said: "I'm not going to fight, I won't go." Jiuru was furious: "Are you still my apprentice?" Hua Sheng replied: "Yes!" Jiuru asked again: "Then are you going or not?" Hua Sheng replied: "Not going." Jiuru listened to his straightforward answer, slightly furrowed her brow, and after a moment's thought, sharply shouted: "Fine, if you won't go, then the monk won't acknowledge you as an apprentice either!"

  Huasheng's eyes widened in shock, his face alternated between red and white, and tears welled up in his eyes. Jiuru hardened her heart, closed her eyes, and ignored him. Huasheng stood there for a while, then turned around and walked out the door in a daze. He had lost someone he cared about, been scolded by Liang Xiao, and was already feeling unbearable sadness; now, being forced into a desperate situation by his master, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with grief, and he squatted down in a corner of the alley, sobbing uncontrollably.

  Suddenly aware of someone approaching, Huahua's eyes were blurry with tears. She looked up to see Liang Xiao silently staring at her, and then choked out: "Liang Xiao, I'm sorry." Liang Xiao sighed: "I'm the one who should be sorry, I shouldn't have scolded you earlier." He reached out his hand to help her up.

  Huasheng felt a bit better after hearing him, turned around and walked away with his head down. Liang Xiao called out: "Where are you going?" Huasheng said: "I'm going to the Great King Temple." Liang Xiao said: "The Great Heavenly King Temple, humph, you can't even remember the name, what's the point of going?" Huasheng was embarrassed and said: "Right, right, the Great Heavenly King Temple." He silently recited it several times in his heart to firmly remember.

  Liang Xiao fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "Hua Sheng, tell me, are we brothers?" Hua Sheng replied: "Yes!" Liang Xiao continued: "Then do you remember when we made our oath on the sea ship to share hardships and joys together?" Hua Sheng had long forgotten his vow in Java, but with Liang Xiao's reminder, he vaguely recalled it.

  Liang Xiao fell silent for a moment, then sighed and said: "Since we're in this together through thick and thin, why should I go to the Great Heavenly King Temple without my brother?" He gazed up at the bright moon in the sky and coldly said, "Besides, I also want to see what's so special about Emperor Shi Ba."

  Huasheng said: "Ke Xiaofeng..." Liang Xiao waved his hand and said: "That person is coming for me, it's only a matter of time before he shows up. Hmph, Xiaofeng has a grudge against me, I'm afraid the world won't be at peace." As he spoke, his eyes revealed a thick murderous aura, Huasheng felt a chill run down his spine and hastily lowered his eyelids.

  Liang Xiao put on the Ashura mask and said solemnly, "Hua Sheng, remember this: we are brothers for a day, and brothers for life. No matter what happens, I will never abandon you." Hua Sheng's heart was burning with excitement as he shouted loudly, "Right! Brothers for a day, brothers for life!" The two men looked at each other, all misunderstandings cleared up, and burst out laughing together, walking towards the Great Heavenly King Temple under the starry night sky.

  A ten-mile-long street, desolate and silent, with white dew like frost, and clear light pouring down to the ground. The song of the soldiers on the city wall is loud and resonant, rushing up to the sky. When the two people arrived outside the temple, it was already midnight, but inside the temple, the precious candles were shining brightly, as bright as daytime. However, in front of the temple, there was no one around.

  The temple gate was closed, with two thousand-catty stone lions lying horizontally in front of the gate. Liang Xiao frowned and shouted: "Ba Siba, Jiu Ru's disciple Huasheng Zun has come to fulfill his master's appointment at the appointed hour, but your gate is tightly locked and the stone lions are blocking the way. Is this also a part of the Eastern etiquette?"

  In the temple, there was a brief moment of silence, and then a voice slowly said: "No, dare to ask if the sky has a gate? Does the earth have a gate?" The tone was gentle but with a hidden sternness.

  Liang Xiao discerned that it was Ba Si Ba and coldly said, "Joke, the world is vast, where is the gate?" Ba Si Ba said, "Not so, if one's heart is unobstructed, the ten directions of the mundane world will all open up convenient doors."

  Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat: "Not good, today the Buddhist door is competing, not only to fight for divine power, but also to compare Buddhist law. I just want to be quick-witted, first lose a round." He furrowed his brow and said to Hua Sheng, "Monk, they're testing you!" Hua Sheng tilted his head in thought, sniffled, walked to the front of the gate, pushed both hands against a stone lion, shouted "Go!", and that stone lion was toppled by his "Great Vajra Power", rolling out three feet. Hua Sheng hugged another stone lion, shouted again "Rise!", and with a thousand catty stone lion on his shoulders, he exerted himself to strike, the temple gate shattered instantly.

  The peanuts carried the lion and entered, looking up at the temple's front square, a flagpole was erected, under which were densely packed lamas. The peanut chuckled and said: "Go!" The stone lion heavily threw down, with a loud noise, the earth shook.

  The monks were all stunned to see him bursting in. Longya shouted, "You stinky monk, how dare you break the door?" Huasheng had Liang Xiao by his side and with increased courage, he rolled his eyes and smiled, "What door? I didn't see any!" He used to steal meat from Jiuru's kitchen, and when Jiuru asked him, "Stinky disciple, did you eat the meat?" Huasheng immediately denied it, saying, "What meat? I didn't see any!" This always made Jiuru furious. Today, Longya asked him a similar question, and Huasheng heard something familiar, so he answered smoothly, but with a slight modification, replacing the word "meat" with "door".

  Longya saw that he was sluggish and became even more angry, scolding: "Nonsense, the main gate is right there, are you blind?" Before his words had fallen, suddenly a sighing sound came from the side hall, "Longya, if he's blind in the eyes, then you're blind in the heart." Longya was startled and joined his palms together, saying: "The Emperor's teachings are correct, Longya has been foolish." He lowered his eyebrows and bowed his head, not daring to speak again.

  The lion's heart saw that things were not going well, and he stood up with his palm on his chest. He floated out of the lineup and smiled slyly: "Little monk, why didn't your master come?" Huasheng was taken aback, just about to answer truthfully, when suddenly he heard Liang Xiao's long laughter: "The Ninth Master is a great Buddhist monk in this world, with Buddhist law reaching the heavens. How could he be on the same level as you people? Even sending a disciple would be considered an honor for you." Huasheng listened to his voice coming from inside the temple and was puzzled in his heart. He looked up and saw Liang Xiao wearing a Shura mask, sitting cross-legged on the flying eaves of the Mahavira Hall, facing the morning light. The west wind blew, making his long hair dance wildly.

  Longya and Shixiong's minds were captivated by the peanuts, and Liang Xiao somehow managed to climb onto the rooftop without knowing anything. Longya's expression changed several times, and he shouted loudly: "Where is the Demon-Subduing Nine Sections?" The nine red-robed lamas responded in unison, each with a similar build and height, holding identical golden demon-subduing mallets. Longya pointed at Liang Xiao: "Get him down!"

  Nine people responded in unison, leaping onto the rooftop and surrounding Liang Xiao in the center. The Great Hero Treasure Hall was over two zhang off the ground, yet the nine men wielded hundred-jin weapons and sprang upwards with incredible lightness of body, eliciting a chorus of cheers from the lamas.

  Liang Xiao pressed his hand on his waist and smiled: "Long Ya, do you think you're powerful just because there are many people?" Long Ya gave a slight cold smile and said loudly: "Fake-faced man, don't be arrogant. Listen to this!" He clapped his hands, and suddenly a child's crying sound came from the side hall, but it stopped abruptly after one cry.

  The cry was short, but Liang Xiao heard that it was Zhao Bing. His head was hot and he felt his blood rushing up, shouting: "Ba Si Ba, you are the emperor's teacher, how can you do such a shameful thing?" Ba Si Ba said calmly: "Don't talk nonsense, I'm right here, if you have the ability, come over."

  Liang Xiao did not expect his plan to be so detailed, Hua Xiao Xue did not make a sound, presumably also in the temple, for a moment, he was slightly confused, and shouted: "Good, I'll come over." Just about to rush towards the side hall, Long Ya coldly smiled and said: "Fake-faced man, if you want to see that kid, first get past the Demon-suppressing Gang." He sneered again, saying: "However, when we fight, they can attack you, but you are not allowed to counterattack. If even a single finger touches their body, I'm afraid that little kid will be in trouble."

  Liang Xiao listened to his tone and thought that Ba Si Ba had caught Zhao Bing but didn't take credit with Hu Bi Lie, it was clear that he still didn't know Bing's identity. Amidst the doubt, a black-faced lama from the Demon Subduing Sect spoke in a low voice: "Masked man, this match is unfair, if you're afraid, you can admit defeat." Liang Xiao coldly said: "Who wants to admit defeat?" The black-faced lama's expression changed and he shouted: "Good, please receive my attack!" The Vajra Pestle stirred up a fierce gust of wind and swept out horizontally.

  Liango Shuo stepped back, another lama rushed forward, the iron pestle in his hand floated and pointed to his back heart, Liango Shuo's figure suddenly shortened, and the shadow disappeared. With a loud noise, the two Vajra pestles collided, splashing out dazzling sparks.

  The other lamas saw this and shouted in unison, as seven golden lights swept over without distinction. Liang Xiao opened the "Ten Directions Step", turning east and spinning west, leaping high and crouching low. The nine Vajra pestles followed his movements, getting faster and faster. When it reached its fastest point, only a faint cyan shadow was seen emerging from the nine golden lights, like a flying snake, wandering among the electric lights in the sky. Suddenly, a loud crash was heard, as one of the lamas swung his pestle and hit the air, piercing through the roof and leaving a hole behind. After two more exchanges, another lama lost control and struck a beam, breaking it off.

  Lion Heart saw that Liang Xiao was trapped, turned around and smiled: "Young Master has come a long way, Lion Heart specially arranged a 'Sixteen Heavenly Demon Dance' to help Young Master dispel his boredom."

  "Good!" Huasheng replied casually. Lionheart was secretly surprised: "The little monk is not moved by the name 'Sixteen Heavenly Demon Dance'?" After a brief pause, he clapped his hands and the crowd parted to reveal twenty-seven stunning girls. Eleven of them wore narrow shirts, Tang hats, and held various musical instruments, while the others had cloud-like hairstyles, tooth-shaped crowns, cloud-shoulders, sashes, and wore crimson silk that trailed on the ground, holding bronze bells with a flirtatious smile. Huasheng had never seen such an array in his life, feeling dizzy and bewildered for a moment.

  A group of girls stood in a row, and the first one, a goose-egg-faced young girl, stepped forward with a smile: "Hello, little master!" Huasheng's face turned red and his heart skipped a beat as he replied awkwardly: "I... I'm fine." The girl thought to herself: "Is Lionheart getting more timid with age? Humph, it takes sixteen days of effort to deal with an inexperienced kid?" She smiled faintly and said: "Little master, that's not right. I asked how you're doing, but you didn't ask me back?" Huasheng was taken aback, then quickly nodded: "I'm fine, you're fine, everyone's fine."

  The crowd of girls looked at him with silly expressions, and the goose-egg-faced girl smiled: "Little Master, you say I'm good, what's good about me?" Huasheng glanced at her and said in a low voice: "You look good." The crowd of girls all thought it was funny. A round-faced girl pretended to be angry: "Little Master is too biased, Elder Sister Lianyue is good-looking, but we're not good-looking?"

  The peanuts didn't understand the mood, their faces turned purple, and they sweated profusely, repeatedly saying: "They're all good-looking, they're all good-looking." A woman with delicate eyebrows and big eyes smiled and said: "Now this is more like it. Little Shifu, you should also evaluate, who's more good-looking?" Huasheng was taken aback, glancing at one and then another, but felt that each was uniquely beautiful, making it hard to distinguish between them, and his mind became confused. Lianyu watched clearly, suddenly smiling with joy, shaking the copper bell in her hand, except for Longya and Shixin, all the lamas retreated, closed their eyes, and sat cross-legged, and suddenly the large square became quiet.

  The peanuts are feeling strange, eleven female musicians started playing a tune, the sound of the flute is lingering, the sound of the strings is mesmerizing, the cymbals are ringing leisurely, making people have all sorts of thoughts. The lotus flower-like face with rosy cheeks and a smile walked in circles, singing: "Sixteen heavenly demon girls, spreading out colorful silk." The song was so charming that it lured people's hearts. A round-faced girl smiled lightly and continued: "A thousand flowers weaving brocade curtains, a hundred treasures posting divine clothes." Before the sound faded away, a girl with delicate eyebrows and big eyes also sang: "The snow returns but can't settle, the clouds move but won't return."

  The crowd of women formed a flower-picking shape, and suddenly they chorused in unison: "Dance with a twisting heart, each one wants to fly empty." Accompanied by the singing voice, the crowd of women raised and fell their arms, turned over their lotus palms, and changed their hand gestures in many ways, as if born out of thousands of hands and feet. The delicate lotus feet twisted and turned, like a bird spreading its wings, full of flying spirit. Hua Sheng had never seen such a wonderful dance before, and could only watch with flying eyebrows and dancing colors, joy overflowing in his heart.

  Lotus saw his eyes were dim, knew he had entered the maze, felt complacent in her heart and smiled slightly. Suddenly, a loud shout came from the crowd, a lama jumped up, his eyes bulging, dancing with his hands and feet, rushed forward several steps, suddenly turned around and fell to the ground foaming at the mouth. Huasheng was startled by this commotion, woke up with a start, scratched his head and said: "Ah, I almost got confused?"

  "The Sixteen Days of Devil Dance" song and dance can produce extremely powerful magic, and if one's willpower is slightly weaker, they will become disoriented. In the lama group, except for a few top-notch individuals, everyone else had to close their eyes and concentrate with secret methods to resist. However, there were also those who didn't know better and opened their eyes to sneak a peek, only to be immediately entranced by the music and dance, becoming dizzy and fainting. Huasheng had been practicing Zen Buddhism's "Great Vajra Power" since childhood, his meditation skills were extremely deep, although he was momentarily bewildered, as soon as he heard the lama's roar, he immediately woke up. The women saw that in an instant, his eyes cleared again, and they couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts, their underestimation of him disappeared, and their movements became even more seductive, either with a hint of anger or a clever smile, their dance poses were enchanting, like the shape-shifting of heavenly demons. Huasheng watched, his mind reeling, and his heart once again fell into confusion, when suddenly he heard a low shout in his ear: "Huasheng, close your eyes!"

  This sound was like thunder, and Huasheng heard that it was Liang Xiao scolding him, so he hastily closed his eyes. Who would have thought that although his eyes were closed, the soft music still entered his ears, and various heavenly demons' wonderful postures were still swirling in his mind with the music. It's strange that Liang Xiao was in the arena, and in his hurry, he only told Xiaoheshang to close his eyes but didn't tell him to cover his ears. Huasheng thought: "Covering my ears would be even better?" But then he thought again, "Liang Xiao only said to close his eyes, not to cover his ears, if I don't listen, I'll definitely get scolded."

  He listened for a while, and the more he heard, the more his heart itched. He couldn't help but glance over with narrowed eyes. As soon as he took a look, he saw that the women's eyes were shining with an unusual light, their bodies as soft as if they had no bones, twisting and turning like snakes, transforming into many strange and unimaginable postures that he had never seen before.

  Hua Sheng felt a surge of hot blood rushing through his body, and a joyful expression gradually appeared on his face. He danced with abandon, following the women's lead as they twirled and leaped into dance. Although he had practiced martial arts since childhood and was agile and supple, this dance lacked the lightness of Zhao Feiyan's style, but in the way he swayed his waist and swung his sleeves, there was a hint of Yang Yuhuan's softness.

  Liang Xiao saw Hua Sheng fall into the joyful dance, and he couldn't help but let out a long whistle. His movements became faster and faster. The Nine-Sectioned Magic Formation saw him about to break through, and they all roared in anger, using their Vajra Pestles even more fiercely, smashing everything into pieces, with tiles flying everywhere. Suddenly, Liang Xiao's foot stomped on the beam, and he leapt up into the air, shouting: "Everyone get down!" As soon as his voice came out, there was a loud cracking sound, and the Great Hero Treasure Hall suddenly collapsed.

  The sudden change left the nine lamas with nowhere to stand, their hands and feet dancing amidst the falling debris. It turned out that the Vajra pestle weighed over 100 catties, making it difficult to control, and the faster the Nine-Sectioned Magic was cast, the harder it was to stop its momentum. Therefore, Liang Xiao intentionally accelerated his movements, luring them into a chaotic dance of pestles, smashing the roof with countless holes, before suddenly launching a fierce attack, stomping his foot and shattering the main beam.

  He made a move and soared high like a big bird, floating and drawing three arcs, one bigger than the other. Before the third arc was finished, he was already six zhang high in the air. His sleeves suddenly shook, and his momentum was like a light cotton ball, drifting down vertically. Longya and Shixin rushed up together, blocking him from reaching out to rescue Huasheng.

  Liang Xiao's eyes watched as Huasheng's eyebrows and eyes laughed, the more she danced the faster, knowing that if this continued the consequences would be unimaginable. He assessed the current situation, Longya and Shixin were already difficult to deal with, and there was also Basi Ba staring from the side, even if he managed to win by luck, he feared that Huasheng's mind had already become disordered. In an instant, his heart turned over several ideas, suddenly his large sleeve swept around, and he stood with his hands behind his back.

  Long牙 and Lionheart saw him without any intention of taking action, both thinking: "Does this person not care about the life or death of his companions?" Suddenly, they saw Liang Xiao snap his fingers and make a soft humming sound, which gradually grew louder and more resonant, piercing through the clouds. The rhythm was strange and rough, unlike anything anyone had ever heard before. After listening for a moment, everyone's heart felt invigorated. Those eleven music girls were disrupted by this whistling sound, their notes and rhythms becoming completely disordered.

  Liang Xiao's sleeves fluttered out, the whistling sound was dense and continuous like water, becoming more and more prolonged. Suddenly it sank low, then rose majestically, sometimes twisting and turning like a line, sometimes shrill and piercing like a spear. Often at impossible places, it soared high and fell low, producing strange and wondrous changes. The melody also became stranger and stranger, neither palatial nor mercantile, not summoning nor fluttering, everywhere violating the common principles of music.

  "The Sixteen Heavenly Demon Dance" is a musical dance, dancing to the rhythm of the music, and the melody is its foundation. This set of "Heavenly Demon Melody" uses spiritual power to enthrall the enemy, the higher the opponent's mental strength, the stronger the dancer's spiritual power. These dancers have been practicing this melody since childhood, not only are they well-versed in music theory but also possess inner strength, and with the accompaniment of musical instruments, their power is even greater. This time, when facing Huasheng, they did not use their full strength at first, but were stirred up by that strange whistling sound, and they all brought out their ultimate skills, using all their might to resist the whistling sound. However, "The Sixteen Heavenly Demon Melody" is still a human sound after being refined thousands of times, while the whistling sound from Liang Xiao's mouth comes from the great whale in the ocean, it is the heavenly music that the whale tribe has comprehended through billions of years, and compared to it, human music naturally falls short.

  At this moment, the female musicians were getting tired, sweating profusely, their silk shirts drenched and clinging to their bodies. The other dancers stopped dancing, shaking their bells in unison, but even with 27 people working together, they still couldn't withstand Liang Xiao's strange whistling. Amidst the frantic music, the whistling suddenly soared like a hawk into the clouds, producing a high-pitched sound as thin as steel wire. In an instant, the strings of the pipa and huqin snapped one after another. The whistling continued to hover at an extremely high pitch, playing a delicate melody, rising even higher, until the dragon flute and other instruments cracked with a loud popping sound.

  "The Sixteen Days of Devil Dance" purely relied on spiritual power to subdue the enemy, and once defeated, it would immediately counterattack its master. The female riders were struggling to get down from the tiger's back, and could only barely hold on to the sorrowful zither and precarious pillar. They no longer had any spare energy to deal with Huasheng. Huasheng's Zen heart was deep and profound, and as soon as he broke free from his restraints, he suddenly became clear-headed and alert. He took a glance at the scene before him, and his heart was greatly astonished.

  The heavenly demoness was caught up in the whistling sound, her body moving involuntarily as she began to dance. Sometimes she spun around like a top, sometimes she rolled all over the ground, and sometimes she curled up into a ball, twisting her waist and rubbing her buttocks, looking utterly ridiculous. What "heavenly demon" was this? The more Huasheng looked at her, the more he couldn't help but burst out laughing, his mouth wide open in hilarity. This laughter of his was like a spring breeze melting snow, causing the last vestiges of spiritual energy to disappear from the bodies of the women, their faces turning deathly pale, blood oozing from the corners of their mouths as they collapsed to the ground, limp and lifeless.

  Hua Sheng was greatly surprised, rushed to Lian Hua's front and wanted to help her up, suddenly felt a scorching palm wind sweeping across his face, his eyes and nose were hot and sour, he turned around and punched out. The fists and palms intersected, Long Ya retreated half a step, only feeling that his internal organs were stagnant and his breath was not smooth. Hua Sheng took the opportunity to support Tian Mo Nu, the crowd of women did not expect him to be so kind-hearted, for a moment they were both surprised and ashamed.

  Long牙 was busy changing the air and had no time to stop, watching with his eyes wide open as Huasheng helped up the girls. His heart was shocked and angry: "This little monk took a palm from me and can be so calm?" Liang Xiao's big sleeve swept again, and the whistling sound stopped. He said in a long voice: "Ba Siba, do you have any other tricks?" As he spoke, he walked towards the side hall.

  The lion-hearted monk suddenly appeared in front of him, chuckling and saying: "With your skills, defeating the nine demons is nothing. Just now, I was just testing your abilities by borrowing a topic, but you think it's easy to see the emperor?" Liang Xiao coldly smiled and said: "I don't believe in evil." He was about to take a step forward when he suddenly saw the lamas taking out their prayer wheels from their waists, shaking them casually, making a buzzing sound. In an instant, over a hundred prayer wheels flew out of their handles, like a swarm of bees flying out of a nest, rushing towards him. Liang Xiao was about to retreat when the prayer wheels suddenly turned back and clicked back into their handles. This release and retrieval, although performed by over a hundred lamas at the same time, was as uniform as one, without any collision. The lion-hearted monk looked at Liang Xiao with a hint of a smile on his lips, subtly mocking him.

  Liang Xiao's eyes scanned the crowd like lightning, and he suddenly shouted loudly. His body shot up, and more than a dozen flying dharma wheels flew out, making a loud humming noise. The strong wind blew his long hair upright. Liang Xiao tapped one foot on the ground, and with both palms facing outward, his body spun rapidly like a windmill, unleashing the "Whirlpool Power" from his "Surging Waves of the Azure Sea Palm".

  "Whirlpool Power" is one of the "Six Great Wonders of the Emerald Sea's Surging Wave Palm". It combines with the swirling nature of water flow, and once an opponent is swept into its vortex, they will inevitably be lifted off the ground, their body spinning along with it. Only when their strength is slightly weaker will they stop, but not before they are left gasping for air like a mouthful of white foam. When Zhang Wuji was caught in this strange palm power, not only did he not crash into the pillars, but instead spun around him like a multitude of stars orbiting the moon.

  The lamas were shocked and pale, and they hastily threw out the Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, but as soon as they entered the "whirlpool", they were all swept away by Liang Xiao's palm force. In an instant, there were more than sixty large and small cylinders around Liang Xiao, and at a glance, it seemed like a hurricane was sweeping through the crowd. The lamas were stunned and fled in all directions. Liang Xiao was furious and shouted loudly: "Go back!" A crashing sound echoed, and the Tibetan Buddhist scriptures flew out of the whirlpool and suddenly swept towards the crowd, causing the lamas to bleed and cry out in pain.

  The lion-hearted one saw the divine majesty, his eyes blazed with anger, and he shouted loudly: "Lotus-born Buddha." The dragon-toothed one's large sleeves fluttered as he responded to the call, plunging into the crowd, and shouting back: "Heavenly demon subdued." The lamas received the order and dispersed in all directions, forming a nine-petaled lotus shape, which was the esoteric Buddhist ultimate technique, the "Lotus Subduing Demon Array". It is said that this array was created by the founder of Esoteric Buddhism, "Padmasambhava", who subdued demons and dragons with its mighty power.

  Liang Xiao swept his eyes and smiled, saying: "Do you want to fight with the formation method?" He rushed into the formation, both palms came out together, and a team of lamas was beaten to pieces. Longya and Shixin were shocked by this scene, Liang Xiao's attack was exactly at the "Lianhua Fumo Formation" "Lianrui".

  The Lotus Flower Formation, nine petals and one pistil, all changes of the nine petals are driven by the "pistil", which is deeply hidden among the flowers. At first glance, it seems insignificant. Ordinary people can hardly imagine that this small group of people is the key to the formation, often being misled by false appearances, launching a strong attack on the fake commander, Lion Heart and Dragon Tooth, thus being attacked from both sides, until death without realizing it. Unfortunately, today I encountered Liang Xiao, "Lotus Flower Formation" originated from Tianzhu, although different from the Central Plains formation, but secretly conforms to the Tianzhu numerology, Liang Xiao had been pointed out by Lan Ya, and is well-versed in Tianzhu arithmetic, so he knew it at a glance.

  Lotus Bud was attacked, and the formation of the array was chaotic. Dragon Tooth couldn't hold back, rushed out in a flash, and launched a "Devastating God Palm" at Liang Xiao's back. Liang Xiao countered with his palm, and the two exchanged several moves. Liang Xiao always had the upper hand over Lotus Bud, and even when Dragon Tooth used all his strength, he couldn't push him back. Instead, he was controlled by Liang Xiao's "Master-Slave" technique, which activated one of the nine arrays of the Lotus Petal Formation, striking the other eight arrays.

  The lion's heart was in a great hurry, and he knew that if he let Liang Xiao occupy the "Lotus Platform", command the nine petals, and arrange the "Lotus Flower Demon-Subduing Array", they would inevitably collide with each other and collapse without a fight. For the time being, he couldn't care about his identity, and in a few steps, he rushed up to join forces with Long Ya to attack Liang Xiao together, trying to force him out of the "Lotus Platform". The two of them were evenly matched in their Buddhist debates, but their martial arts skills were also equally high. Liang Xiao was at a disadvantage as one against two, and immediately became clumsy.

  They fought for two more rounds, and suddenly Liang Xiao slapped a palm towards Long Ya's face, and Long Ya swung his palm to meet it. As soon as the two palms met, a suction force emerged from Liang Xiao's palm, causing Long Ya to lose control and be sucked in. This suction force was one of the six great strange powers, "Trap Empty Force", which took advantage of the principle that weak water can submerge all things. Long Ya secretly cried out in alarm, just as he was about to use his internal energy to struggle free, Liang Xiao had already used "Whirlpool Power", swinging his right arm and pulling Long Ya's horse into a floating state, causing him to crash towards Shi Xin. Shi Xin was greatly startled, and dodged to the right to let Long Ya pass, then swung his palm to slap Liang Xiao's left chest. Liang Xiao smiled slightly and swung out his left palm, sucking in Shi Xin's hand once again. Long Ya and Shi Xin were not surprised, but instead delighted, both of them thinking: "With our combined strength, can't we crush you into a meat pie?"

  Liang Xiao suddenly released two streams of internal energy, which surged forth simultaneously. He silently operated his heart method, releasing the "Yin-Yang Flow" from among the six great extraordinary energies. This energy originated from the principle of the exchange between cold and warm seawater.

  Longyá's "Great Round Full Heart Marrow" absorbed the essence of the fierce sun, being extremely yang and grand; while Shīxīn's "Compassionate Broad Magnanimous Buddha Mother Divine Merit" followed a yin and gentle path. Liang Xiao guided the two great divine merits into his meridians, and in an instant, old yin gave birth to young yang, and old yang gave birth to young yin. The "Great Round Full Heart Marrow" surged towards Shīxīn, while the "Buddha Mother Divine Merit" rushed towards Longyá.

  The two were greatly shocked and hastily operated their internal energy to resist, unaware that as their own internal energy grew stronger, the impact on their companion also became greater. At this time, in order to protect themselves, both of them operated their internal energy to its fullest extent. For a moment, Longyá's skin turned red and emitted rolling hot waves, while Shīxīn's plump face turned pale with a greenish tint, and his body emitted piercing cold air.

  The lamas saw the three men motionless, thinking that Longya and Shixing had already subdued Liang Xiao. One of the lamas wanted to make a name for himself, so he plucked up his courage and stepped forward, throwing a punch at Liang Xiao's back. Liang Xiao took advantage of the enemy's attack to counterattack, expending little energy in the process. At this moment, he still had plenty of strength left. Hearing the wind sound, he turned his foot and used the "Whirlpool Force" again. Longya and Shixing were already exhausted from their internal struggle and couldn't resist anymore. They were instantly swept up and sent flying. The lama dodged too late and was knocked down by Shixing's massive body, flying out several feet before landing on his back with his four limbs in the air.

  Liang Xiao let out a loud roar, summoning his divine might, and wielded the Dragon Tooth and Lion Heart as two peerless blades. He danced with them in a frenzy, one blade scorching hot like fire, the other eerily cold like ice. Wherever they struck, no one could withstand. In an instant, he galloped back and forth, shattering the "Lotus Flower Demon-Subduing Array" into smithereens, rendering it impossible to reform.

  The peanuts were isolated on one side, surrounded by thirty or forty lamas. These lamas were all good hands, and the peanuts were outnumbered and outmatched, retreating while fighting until their backs were against the flagpole. Seeing that the incoming people had ferocious faces, they didn't feel afraid in their hearts, hugging the flagpole and climbing up. Two lamas followed to catch him, but he kicked them down one by one with his feet.

  He was desperate to escape with his life, and he climbed all the way up to a height of over ten zhang in the flagpole. Looking down, the people below seemed tiny, like a group of ants. Only then did he realize that he had climbed too high, and his heart was racing with anxiety.

  Liang Xiao used the Dragon Tooth and Lion Heart as weapons, initially unbeatable, but he alone held off two great masters. As time passed, his true energy gradually became cloudy, and his movements slightly slowed down. The lamas, however, continued to charge forward one after another, still fierce as ever. Liang Xiao knew that this kind of entanglement would only lead to a loss with no gain, so he turned around to look for Hua Sheng's figure but couldn't see it anywhere. He was surprised and looked around for half the day before discovering that Hua Sheng had climbed onto the flagpole, his clothes fluttering in the wind, looking very pleased with himself.

  Liang Xiao was furious, shouting: "Stinky monk, come down quickly, I can't hold on!" Hua Sheng saw the enemy below coming and going like a tide, his heart racing like fifteen buckets of water. Thinking left and right, he suddenly felt an urgent need to urinate, and with a flash of inspiration, he shouted loudly: "Liang Xiao, I'm here to help you!" He opened his pants and sprayed a stream of stinky urine down at the enemy below.

  The lama under the flagpole was yelling at the sky, when suddenly he felt rain falling from above. Someone closed their mouth just in time, but a few drops still fell into it, and they tasted both salty and dirty. They fixed their eyes on something and couldn't help but burst out in anger, shouting loudly. For a moment, they didn't care about anything else and swung the vajra pestle at the flagpole, sweeping it away. The flagpole snapped in two and fell to the north. Huasheng was shocked and lost his color, hugging the flagpole as he slid down, calling out "Liang Xiao, save me..." Liang Xiao had no choice but to withdraw his "Trap of Emptiness". Longya and Shixin were already exhausted, and they rolled aside, panting heavily.

  Liang Xiao swiftly rushed to the flagpole, leapt into the air, and struck the flagpole with his palm. The flagpole's falling momentum slowed slightly, and Hua Sheng took advantage of the opportunity to flip over, his face pale and grey, his heart still racing. He glanced around and saw Liang Xiao standing still with his eyes closed, his palms trembling non-stop. He looked at him in concern and hastily asked: "Liang Xiao, what's wrong?" Liang Xiao replied in a hoarse voice: "I... I don't feel well, you... block it for me." It turned out that he had been struggling fiercely for a long time, exhausting his internal energy, and the flagpole's falling momentum was extremely fierce. He mustered all his strength to block it, but his internal organs were severely shaken. Hua Sheng responded with a stunned expression, and suddenly saw the lamas approaching. Without thinking twice, he bent down, hugged the flagpole, and used his powerful Vajra strength to sweep away seven or eight people with just one swing. By the time he finished swinging in a circle, more than twenty people had fallen to the ground. The lamas let out a shout and dispersed in all directions.

  Hua Sheng's confidence surged, and with a single horizontal sweep of the flagpole, he seemed to have the momentum of a thousand soldiers charging forward. The lamas were shocked and rushed over in droves. Hua Sheng focused on protecting Liang Xiao, his eyes wide open as he wielded the flagpole with all his might, sweeping it horizontally and vertically, flipping it up and down, sending the lamas scattering to the outside of the circle, not a single one able to break through.

  Liang Xiao took a deep breath, and his vital energy returned to normal. He looked at Hua Sheng, who was wielding the flagpole with such great power, and couldn't help but laugh: "Little monk, you're quite skilled." Without delay, he leapt onto the flagpole and shouted: "Hua Sheng, escort me for a while!" Hua Sheng understood his intention, swept the flagpole to clear a path through the crowd, and pointed it towards the side hall's main gate. Liang Xiao let out a long whistle, sprinted along the flagpole in a frenzy, and reached the front end of the pole before leaping into the side hall.