Chapter 53: Human Life is Precious

  The elite cavalry killed until the red sun was setting in the west before returning. This battle was won by luck, and the elite troops suffered heavy casualties, with more than half of their men and generals dead or wounded. Although they were triumphant, everyone had no joy on their faces. Feng Lian followed the remaining tribesmen to welcome them back, forcing a smile, but finally couldn't bear it anymore, and rushed into Tie Zhu's arms, wailing loudly.

  Ou Lian ordered the burial of the tribe's remains. The tribesmen dug out shallow trenches in the shape of swords in the valley, laid out the bodies of their tribesmen in the shape of swords, with small swords made of grass leaves attached to their foreheads, and buried them facing the direction of Kunlun Mountain. Liang Xiao was puzzled and asked: "What is the meaning of this funeral?" Feng Lian said: "The Jing Jue tribe regards the sword as a god, and after death, they also yearn to be with the divine sword." Liang Xiao suddenly remembered that the tents and armor of the Jing Jue people were all engraved with sword-shaped marks, and he couldn't help but ask: "But why do the Jing Jue people use knives instead of swords?" Feng Lian said: "The sword is a sacred object, and there is only one, but Grandfather said that there is no one in the Jing Jue tribe who can wield it."

  Li Shao originally wanted to ask where the divine sword was, but suddenly saw an old man carrying a suit of armor and walking up, trembling with voice: "Xikunlun, this suit of armor was personally forged by me and given to my son Agu. As long as the iron armor covers, even the sharpest spear cannot pierce through... But... The Mongols shot him in the eyes..." At this point, the old man's tears flowed freely, pushing the armor into Li Shao's arms, saying: "I'll give it to you, may the sword god bless you with peace." Li Shao had no choice but to accept it, and others came one after another to present him with horses, knives, and spears, all of which were the belongings of the deceased. Li Shao could only take them one by one and place them beside him, forming a pile. Just as he was feeling desolate, he suddenly heard the sound of a child's soft crying in the distance. Turning his head to look, he saw a little girl standing alone on the mountain slope, opening her mouth to cry towards the wind. Feng Lian fell into tears and said: "Her father died in battle, and her mother was also shot by an arrow."

  Liang Xiao was silent for a moment, then climbed up the mountain slope to pick a flower for her to wear. However, the grass and trees were withered and he couldn't find a single intact wildflower. He had no choice but to pluck a blade of grass and casually weave a small horse out of it to give to the girl. The little girl was stunned, then rushed into his arms and sobbed bitterly. Liang Xiao's heart felt like it was being cut by a knife as he gazed up at the starry sky, thinking: "Why do people always end up killing each other? Is there really no way to eliminate war in this vast world?" He couldn't find an answer, and his heart grew more painful.

  Ou Lianyi and Tie Zhe had made up their minds, so they gathered everyone together and said: "We defeated the leopard, but Hai will not be willing to give up. He has 100,000 iron cavalry, we are powerless against them, our only option is to head to Jian Gu tomorrow." Everyone dispersed to pack up, the next day they bid farewell to their relatives' graves, drove sheep and cattle, and headed northwest. Liang Xiao and Tie Zhe led the army in retreat, Tie Zhe was silent and spoke little, Liang Xiao had a lot on his mind, the two of them walked together without speaking, the atmosphere along the way was very depressing.

  After traveling for more than 20 days, and passing through countless mountains and valleys, on this day, they suddenly saw a white tower in the distance that pierced the clouds. The crowd, regardless of age, cheered in unison: "Sword Tower! Sword Tower!" Ouren gazed at the white tower from afar and sighed: "A hundred years have passed, I never thought we'd be back."

  After turning over the mountain pass, I saw a large iron chain bridge suspended on a cliff of thousands of feet. To the north of the bridge was a gorge with a river rushing out and falling down as a waterfall at the cliff.

  Everyone dismounted and walked their horses, the iron chains were still sturdy as ever, with rust spots all over them. People and horses walked on it, without even a slight swaying motion, which showed the great craftsmanship of the bridge builder back then. After passing through the gorge, a huge valley unfolded before our eyes, with four sides of green peaks and cliffs, high and low, unevenly arranged, waterfalls flying down, gathering into a lake in the heart of the valley. Liang Xiao gazed at it, his spirit soaring: "The saying 'thousands of peaks competing for beauty, ten thousand gorges vying for flow' is only fitting when used to describe this place."

  Jing Ze and the others set up their tents on the grassy lake shore. Having arrived at a safe place, everyone was extremely happy, and that night they held a grand celebration. Men, women, old and young all gathered under the White Tower, lit bonfires, sang and danced. Liang Xiao couldn't resist being pulled away by Feng Lian to drink wine. Just as various musical instruments were playing in unison, the scene suddenly fell silent. Liang Xiao glanced sideways to see Tie Zhuo stepping out of the crowd with a serious expression on his face. The crowd was stunned, then erupted into cheers. Feng Lian grasped Liang Xiao's arm, exclaiming happily: "Father is going to sing! He hasn't sung since Mother passed away!"

  Tie Zhe stood in the center of the field, his tall figure set off against the white tower. He looked up at the starry sky and began to sing, his voice like an eagle soaring through the air, rising and falling, shaking people's souls. Liang Xiao couldn't help but praise: "What a great voice!"

  The song sung by Tie Zhe was majestic and high-spirited, full of solemnity and reverence, as if praising someone. The faces of the refined people were stern, and many of them hummed along in a low voice. What Tie Zhe sang was an ancient melody, with lyrics that were so intricate that Liang Xiao didn't understand most of it, but when he heard Tie Zhe sing the two words "Kunlun", his voice rose high and soared into the sky. Everyone's eyes turned to Liang Xiao in unison. Liang Xiao was momentarily stunned, then saw Tie Zhe slightly bowing towards him, slowly retreating into the crowd. The refined people cheered in unison, and the musical instruments sounded again, with a lively and elegant melody that moved people. Feng Lian suddenly stood up and stepped into the arena, amidst applause and laughter from the crowd.

  The wind was gentle and smiling, her slender waist twisted to the rhythm of the dance, she spun around, her feet barely touching the ground, as if flying, swirling, and fluttering. The crowd cheered in unison, mesmerized by the performance. Liang Xiao watched with pleasure, thinking: "This must be the 'Hu Xuan Dance' my mother told me about, its reputation is well-deserved." But as he thought of his mother, his interest suddenly waned, and he let out a sigh, finishing off the wine in his cup. Just as he was about to leave, Feng Lian danced over, her eyes shining with moisture, and grasped his sleeve. Liang Xiao was taken aback, and the room fell silent, everyone staring at the two of them with strange expressions. Feng Lian's face was flushed, her chest rising and falling slightly, she bit her lip and whispered: "What are you standing there for? Dance with me!"

  Liang Xiao was about to decline, but seeing her gaze so sharp and not daring to disobey her intention, he had no choice but to follow her out. The crowd responded with scattered applause, which immediately died down. Liang Xiao felt that the atmosphere was unusual, stopped in his tracks, and suddenly saw Jie Su's steel teeth clenched as he stood up abruptly. Feng Lian gritted her teeth and urged Liang Xiao: "Hurry up."

  Liang Xiao had already sensed something was off, and as he hesitated, he suddenly heard Jie Su shout: "Hold on!" He walked up with two horse knives in hand, threw one at Liang Xiao's feet, and declared loudly: "West Kunlun, I challenge you to a duel!" The crowd erupted into chaos.

  It turned out that the Jingjue tribe had a custom of choosing husbands, where women would invite men to dance together, and if the man agreed, they could meet in secret after one dance and become husband and wife. Liang Xiao guessed a little and frowned slightly. Just then, Feng Lian angrily said: "Jie Su, Hua Ban Bao is known as the first brave warrior under Mount Kunlun, can you beat him?" Jie Su gritted his teeth and smiled miserably: "Without you, I would rather die under his sword."

  Everyone in the arena held their breath, dead silence, only the wind on the lake made a humming sound. Ouren Yi also stood up unknowingly, but Jiesu, as a warrior, was determined to fight, and warriors' challenges could not be blocked. Ouren Yi had no choice but to reveal his anxious expression. Everyone knew that Liang Xiao was invincible in battle, and although Jiesu's knife skills were strong, they were still far behind. Feng Lian saw Jiesu being so stubborn, and her lotus feet tapped impatiently, she was so angry that tears flowed out of her eyes.

  Liang Xiao was silent for a moment, then bent down to pick up the horse knife. At this time, everyone's heart was lifted to their throat, Feng Lian's delicate eyebrows trembled slightly, wanting to speak but stopping herself. Jie Su tightly grasped the horse knife, her tiger eyes slightly reddened, staring straight at Liang Xiao. Liang Xiao gazed at the horse knife, suddenly sighing: "You're amazing for fighting for your loved one, no need to compare, I admit defeat." As soon as these words came out, everyone was stunned, Feng Lian's slender body stiffened for a moment, her gaze dispersing in all directions. Liang Xiao threw the horse knife into the ground with a whoosh, then turned and left gracefully.

  Away from the crowd, Liang Xiao climbed up a mountain peak, gazing into the distance. Under the night sky, the mountains cast long shadows, and his mood was as turbulent as the mountain terrain. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him, but Liang Xiao didn't turn around, instead saying with a bitter smile: "Ouren Yi's tribe leader, you're here too?"

  Ou Lianyi smiled and tossed him a wineskin. The two of them drank together for a moment, then Ou Lianyi suddenly burst into song. His voice was loud and clear, and it was the same tune that Tie Zhu had sung before. When Ou Lianyi finished singing, he laughed and said: "Xi Kunlun, do you know what this song is?" Liang Xiao shook his head and said: "I don't understand."

  Ou Lian smiled and said: "In Chinese, it is: The grass and trees are green, distant friends come, the mountain flowers bloom with a smile, and the bright moon opens its arms; The spring light passes before one's eyes, only for an instant, our friendship can be passed down for ten thousand generations; The white clouds drift by, only for a moment, our friendship is eternal like the ages; The grass and trees are green, distant noble guests arrive, with hearts as pure as gold and jade, resonating with sound, beautiful people smile, young men open their hearts, who are these friends? Listen to me tell you, the Western Regions are majestic, how grand is Mount Kunlun! This speech in Chinese is elegant and refined, with a pleasant tone that makes one sigh three times.

  Liang Xiao smiled wryly and sighed, "Did the clan leader guess it already?" Ouren Yipai clapped her hands and laughed, "You're a Han person, right?" Liang Xiao shook his head, "Not exactly." Ouren Yipai furrowed her brow, "Still not guessing correctly?" Liang Xiao took a sip of wine and sighed, "Whether I'm Mongolian or Han, what's the difference? As long as you treat me like a friend, that's enough."

  Ou Lunyi smiled and said, "Listening to you, I was being overly sentimental." After a pause, he sighed, "Xi Kunlun, why didn't you engage in battle with Jie Su? Retreating without a fight is a great shame." Liang Xiao said casually, "A man has things he will do and things he won't do." Ou Lunyi sighed, "That's true, but it's a pity for Feng Lian that child. I can see she truly loves you." Liang Xiao waved his hand and said, "I have someone in my heart, I don't want to mislead her." Both of them were straightforward people, and with just a few words, they understood each other's intentions. Ou Lunyi let out a long sigh and didn't say anything more.

  Two men stood facing the mountain wind, silently drinking a toast. Suddenly, Ouren Yi said: "Xikunlun, I've thought it through, I want to forge a sword for you." Liang Xiao was taken aback, remembering what Feng Lian had said, and hastily replied: "I dare not accept?" Ouren Yi smiled: "You are worthy of it, compared to Gong Yang Wu, you are even more deserving." Liang Xiao asked in surprise: "Does the clan leader know Mr. Gong Yang?" Ouren Yi sighed: "You indeed have some connection with him. Alas, thinking about it, among the top-notch people in Central Plains, there are only a few exceptional ones like you. I've spent half my life forging six swords, one sword at a time, and now only one 'Qing Xuan' remains, which is in Gong Yang Wu's hands."

  Liang Xiao exclaimed: "Forging a sword, breaking a sword, aren't you...?" Oulengyi didn't wait for him to finish, interrupting with a smile: "The two characters 'Ouleng' in ancient language mean 'Divine Dragon', I used to travel the Central Plains, admiring the wise predecessor Ou Yezi, and presumptuously called myself Ou Longzi." Liang Xiao respectfully rose: "I've long heard of you, Senior Ou's sword-forging technique is unmatched and unparalleled." Oulongzi smiled: "Don't be modest with me, I consider myself second, and probably no one dares to claim first. It's just that in these twenty years, I haven't forged a single sword, perhaps my skills have become rusty." Liang Xiao said: "Why is this? Could it be that the 'Qingxuan' sword has reached the pinnacle and can't be surpassed?"

  Ou Longzi shook his head and said, "Each sword has its master. If there is no master, even if a divine sword is forged, it will be in vain. A sword is an object with a spirit, people forge swords, but the sword also chooses people. Without the aura of a sword, how can I control the divine sword of my clan?" He looked at Liang Xiao and smiled slightly, "I can see that you have a strong sword aura on your body." Liang Xiao felt uneasy under his gaze.

  Suddenly, Ou Longzi burst out laughing and jumped up, saying, "Unexpectedly, haha, in my later years, I, Ou Longzi, can still meet someone who is worthy of wielding the 'Heavenly Punishment Sword'!" Liang Xiao was surprised and asked, "Heavenly Punishment Sword?" Ou Longzi said, "Yes, Heavenly Punishment, to punish on behalf of Heaven. There are countless evil people in the world, and it's impossible to kill them all. The sword must be tempered with the blood of evil people to sacrifice my divine sword."

  Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat, but Ou Longzi continued: "Starting tomorrow, Tie Zhe and I will be forging swords in the Sword Tower. However, the Jing Jue clan considers swords to be divine, so when a new sword is born, an old one must be destroyed. You need to use this 'Tian Fa' to sever Gong Yangyu's 'Qing Xuan'." Liang Xiao shook his head: "I beg of you, senior, to reconsider, I fear that my abilities are not yet up to par!" Ou Longzi smiled: "My eyes can see not only swords but also people. If I say you're capable, then it's settled." He found the sword master and felt an inexplicable joy in his heart, suddenly bursting into loud laughter as he strode down the mountain.

  Liang Xiao gazed at the back of Ou Longzi, lost in thought for a long time, and felt a chill in his heart: "I am guilty of heinous crimes, how can I be worthy of executing divine punishment? The sword was forged only for slaughter, and Ou said that my sword energy is intense, could it be referring to the fact that I have committed countless killings and have bloodstained hands?" In an instant, he felt a bitter and indescribable sorrow in his heart, and an inexplicable disgust towards himself arose, wishing he could throw himself off the cliff and end everything. However, when he looked up at the bright moon hanging high in the sky, its gentle light illuminated him. He gazed at the moon for a moment, and suddenly all his dark thoughts disappeared. He walked down the mountain, leaving Sword Valley behind, and headed westward with an uncertain destination.

  After walking for more than 20 days towards the direction of sunset, the grass became increasingly sparse. Merchants rode camels and spoke in a dialect that sounded like "hui hui". It was not until Liang Xiao asked the traveling merchants that he realized they were already in the territory of the Ilkhanate. The Ilkhanate was founded by Hulagu's brother Abaqa Khan after destroying the Khwarezmid Empire, and its vast territory stretched from Nepal in the east to Damascus in the west.

  Liang Xiao had been traveling for several months and finally arrived in Malaga, where it was pouring rain. The rain was as thick as cow hair, falling heavily, and the streets were empty of pedestrians. Liang Xiao's clothes were soaked through, his feet splashing in the mud and water, when suddenly he looked up to see a high tower standing far away, its rounded top reaching into the sky, faintly visible in the rain.

  Liang Xiao knocked on the tower door and announced his name. The gatekeeper saw that he was shabbily dressed and looked suspicious, muttering to himself before shutting the large door. After a while, Liang Xiao felt impatient and suddenly heard footsteps, the large door creaked open and Lan Ya rushed out wearing a silk dress, her eyes filled with surprise when she saw Liang Xiao. Liang Xiao wanted to smile but his heart was blocked and he couldn't smile. They stared at each other for a long time, Lan Ya's face turned red, walked into the rain, and said in a hoarse voice: "You just arrived?" Liang Xiao heard the reproach in her tone and was taken aback, then suddenly heard Lan Ya burst out crying: "The teacher is gone, he's already dead."

  Thunder boomed in the sky, dark clouds rolled, and heavy rain poured down. Liang Xiao gazed at Lan Ya, his passion also fading away with the torrential rain, drop by drop.

  Lanya cried weakly, slowly lifted her head, and suddenly saw Liang Xiao's pale face. She touched his hand, which was as cold as ice, and felt a sudden panic in her heart. She wiped away her tears and asked: "You... what's wrong with you?" Liang Xiao shook his head, and the sky seemed to spin around him. His eyes turned black and he fainted.

  He didn't know how long he had slept, but when he woke up from his dream, he felt as if he was in a hot oven, his whole body feeling unbearable, his eyes swollen and unable to open. Occasionally, he would feel a cool sensation on his body, and the sound of people's voices whispering something about "ice" near his ears.

  Liang Xiao struggled for a moment and came to his senses, having circulated two large cycles of qi. He suddenly broke out in sweat, but after a short while, his body gradually cooled down. Suddenly, he felt someone pressing on his chest, and when he opened his eyes, he saw a beautiful girl with golden hair like a waterfall, one hand pressed against his chest, smiling at him. Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but be shocked when he glanced down and saw that he was lying naked on an embroidered couch. Liang Xiao hastily covered himself and sat up. The girl, seeing him suddenly sit up, also let out a startled cry, then happily exclaimed: "You're finally awake!"

  "What's going on?" Liang Xiao asked, looking embarrassed. The girl smiled and said: "You've fallen ill, your whole body is hotter than fire, luckily Lady Lan Ya got some ice from Da Han and applied it to you, which made you feel a bit better." Liang Xiao seemed to have realized something, thinking that in the past few days, he had been relying on his inner strength, sleeping in the sand and snow, not taking care of his body. But this extreme weather was beyond human endurance, and with his heart feeling depressed, evil energy had taken advantage of his weakness and invaded his body.

  After a moment of contemplation, Liang Xiao asked, "Where's Lanyah?" The girl smiled and said, "Lanyah has been guarding you for three days and three nights, she's extremely exhausted. I'll take over for a while." She suddenly gave a sly smile, "Or should I go wake her up?" Liang Xiao hastily said, "How can I let her see me in this state?" The girl smiled, "What's the big deal? We've been seeing you like this every day for three days!"

  Liang Xiao's face was slightly flushed, and he asked in a low voice: "Miss, I'm all sweaty, is there a place to take a bath?" The girl smiled: "Yes, the bathroom is downstairs." Liang Xiao said: "You give me some clothes, and I'll go wash up." The girl smiled: "Your clothes are dirty and smelly, they've been thrown away long ago." Liang Xiao had no choice but to say: "Then bring a few men's clothes to temporarily replace mine." The girl smiled: "This is a women's residence, where would we have men's clothes?"

  Liang Xiao had just recovered from a serious illness, and his mind was still muddled. He could only wrap a rug around his lower body in embarrassment. The young girl led the way, giggling and chatting as they walked. Many people poked their heads out of the corridors on both sides. The Maghara Observatory was where the wise men of the Yelang Khanate gathered, and those who came to watch were all famous scholars. When they saw Liang Xiao, they couldn't help but smile. Someone laughed and said: "Anjil, you little devil is playing tricks on people again!"

  Liang Xiao only then realized he had been teased by the young girl, and his face flushed with shame and anger. He wanted to crawl into the ground. He was in a difficult situation, so he could only walk into the bathroom under the gaze of the crowd. An Qi turned back and smiled: "Do you want me to serve you for bathing?" Liang Xiao's face sank and said: "No need, Miss please go ahead." The girl giggled and left.

  Liang Xiao washed up hastily, and felt a bit more energized. Before long, an attendant brought over some clothes, which Liang Xiao put on. As soon as he exited the bathroom, he saw a blonde girl waiting by the door, smiling and saying: "Lady Lan Ya is waiting for you in her room!" Liang Xiao suppressed his anger and coldly said: "Please lead the way, miss." The girl tilted her head to look at him, smiled and said: "Lady Lan Ya was right, you're a good person. I teased you like this, but you didn't get angry." With that, Liang Xiao had no choice but to drop his anger.

  Two people, one in front of the other, entered a hall with Persian carpets covering the floor and tables full of fruit and meat. Lanya sat quietly alone, her clothes simple and clean, her skin white and delicate, her eyebrows like a new moon, her eyes shining brightly. Seeing Liang Xiao's rosy complexion, she guessed he had recovered and couldn't help but smile: "My maid Angel is from France, I've spoiled her so much that she loves to tease people, if she has offended you, please don't mind."

  Liang Xiao furrowed his brow and glanced sideways, where a blonde girl poked her head out from outside the door, stuck out her tongue, and quickly withdrew. The two people inside exchanged a look for a while with very strange expressions, and Lan Ya suddenly couldn't hold back, bursting into laughter. Liang Xiao thought to himself that he was usually known for being clever and mischievous, often playing tricks on others, but today he had been outdone by a foreign little girl, and the absurdity of it all made him laugh uncontrollably. In recent years, he had rarely laughed heartily, and this one laugh dispelled more than half of his pent-up frustration. Catching the scent of roasted meat, he suddenly felt ravenous, picked up a small silver curved knife, cut open the charred sheep's leg, and devoured it voraciously.

  Lanya looked at him eating greedily, with an inexplicable sourness in her eyes, and leaned forward slightly, saying softly: "Are you leaving?" Liang Xiao nodded. Lanya sighed: "Why are you treating yourself so harshly? Hmm, Ah Xue, why didn't she come?" Liang Xiao's hand holding the curved knife paused, and he said hoarsely: "She passed away!" Lanya's beautiful eyes widened, her slender hands clenched tightly on the hem of her robe, the hall was silent as death, only Angel's laughter drifted away like a wisp of smoke.

  Lanya suddenly came to, staring at Liang Xiao and hesitantly asked: "Your face?" Liang Xiao replied calmly: "It was cut by the Avenging Family." Lanya felt a pang in her heart and didn't dare ask more, sighing: "No matter what, you're here now, that's great! Teacher left behind a question before he passed away, if you're interested, feel free to solve it."

  Liang Xiao was confident in his mathematical skills, thinking that except for Nasr al-Din Tusi, there was no one else who could rival him. However, he had arrived too late, and the great scholar had already passed away. His disappointment was palpable. Upon hearing this, he stood up and asked, "What's the question?" Lan Ya looked at his eager expression and couldn't help but smile, saying, "You still have a fiery personality, come with me." At that time, the sky was darkening, and the atmosphere in the Tower of Heaven was gloomy. Lan Ya lit a bean-sized lantern and led Liang Xiao up the spiral staircase, entering a spacious circular hall. She ignited the wall lamps, illuminating the room as bright as day. Against one wall stood a massive balance scale, as tall as a person, with a large stone placed on its left side, causing it to tilt. The balance scale was an instrument used by Muslim alchemists, but such a gigantic one was rarely seen. Behind the balance scale were two stone doors that closed tightly, with an inscription etched into them. Lan Ya pointed at the inscription and said, "That's the question!"

  Liang Xiao whispered: "On the left side of the scale, there is a large stone with life marks engraved on it. Do not move it; in the room, select one from the weights and place it on the right tray, making sure both sides are balanced." Liang Xiao had thought that Nasreddin was a wise man of his generation, and the question he asked would be a clever math problem, but unexpectedly, it was this kind of question. For a moment, he stared blankly at the stone wall.

  Lanya said solemnly, "Liango, this is a lock-and-key problem. If you can balance the heavens, the stone gate behind will open." Liango asked, "What's the point of opening the stone gate?" Lanya countered, "Why did you come to Malaga in the first place?" Liango sighed, "I wanted to challenge the Western sage, but Nasreddin is no longer among the living." Lanya bowed her head for a moment, her eyebrows and eyes slightly reddening as she sighed, "In that case, you must solve this problem. However, if you choose the wrong weight once, you will lose."

  Liang Xiao saw her eyes flashing, speaking strangely, and was greatly surprised in his heart: "Nasreddin has died, who can still ask about teaching?" After hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward, and on the other side of the large stone, the marks were still new, with a line of words carved on it: "My life". In the corner of the wall, various weights were placed, with over a hundred pieces of different sizes, and no two materials were alike. Besides gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin, there were all sorts of alloys, wood, and ceramics. Each large stone was carved with a palindrome, either "country", "ethnicity", "wealth", or "victory".

  Liang Xiao was so absorbed that he suddenly heard Lan Ya say, "Look!" Liang Xiao turned his head to take a glance, and in her palm appeared a glass hourglass. Lan Ya flipped the hourglass over, smiled slightly, and said, "From now on, we start timing. If you can't come up with an answer by the time the sand runs out, it counts as your loss."

  Liang Xiao's mind was quick and agile, and when it came to calculations, he could solve them with ease. However, Nala Sidor didn't ask him a math problem, but instead left him with this bizarre and nonsensical question. Liang Xiao felt slightly annoyed, but seeing the sand grains falling rapidly, he didn't dare to slow down. He cleared his mind and thought: "The inscription on the weight is probably a soul-trapping array, and the key lies in its quantity. But there are so many weights with different materials, how can I measure their quantities within this short period of time?" Suddenly, he realized the difficulty of the problem, and cold sweat began to seep from his forehead. Liang Xiao was a stubborn person who wouldn't easily admit defeat unless he had no other choice. So, he squatted down and repeatedly picked up and examined the weights, trying to figure out their quantities.

  Time slipped away like sand in an hourglass, and more than half of it was gone. Liang Xiao was deep in thought, unable to find a solution, his mind was troubled, he threw down the white stone weight in his hand and stood up, hugging his arms and thinking deeply, but felt that even if he searched until the sand ran out, he would still be unable to find enough weights. In this battle of wits, he feared he had lost. He thought again and again, sighed, turned around to look at Lan Ya, was about to admit defeat, when suddenly she opened her beautiful eyes wide, slightly parted her red lips, her expression seemed both expectant and melancholic. Just as Liang Xiao was about to speak, a thought flashed through his mind, he shook all over, fixed his gaze on Lan Ya. Lan Ya saw him staring at her with an intense gaze, felt a sudden chill in her heart, involuntarily took a step back, suddenly, Liang Xiao walked forward, and Lan Ya's body was lightly wrapped in his arms.

  Lanya cried out: "What are you doing?" She wanted to struggle, but after colliding with the man's chest, she felt her limbs go soft and weak, and the hourglass in her hand fell to the ground, shattering into countless pieces. Liang Xiao picked up Lanya and strode to the front of the scale, placing her on the tray. The scale tipped over, balancing evenly, and with a "click", the stone door creaked open in front of them.

  Liang Xiao gazed at the door, sighed and said: "So that's how it is!" Lanyao was amazed and asked: "Liang Xiao, how did you guess? The teacher said you would never guess?" Liang Xiao smiled wryly and sighed: "If it were two years ago, I wouldn't have guessed. But just now, when I was selecting the weights, there were many characters engraved on them, but one thing was missing - life." Lanyao said: "That's already been carved into the stone."

  Liang Xiao shook his head and said, "In the Central Plains, there is a saying that 'life is precious'. A country can perish, wealth can disappear, even a great king will become a withered skeleton in the tomb. Only when people multiply and flourish will they never be exhausted." He paused, lost in thought, "Only life can match life, and here, except for me, only you...". Lan Ya nodded repeatedly. Liang Xiao sighed lightly and said in a hoarse voice, "Perhaps what our respected teacher wanted to say is that if people understand the preciousness of life, cherish each other, then this world will eliminate hatred and never have war."

  Lanya gazed at him with a hint of distraction, then suddenly sighed and said: "Liang Xiao, you win!" She straightened up, pointing to the stone gate. "That is Anra's eternal treasure trove, where the wisdom of the sages is gathered." Liang Xiao looked intently in that direction, seeing row upon row of bookshelves behind the gate, and the scent of sheepskin scrolls wafting out.

  Lanya gazed at the door, saying with reverence: "Teacher once said that only those who respect life are worthy of learning from them. Liang Xiao, you've solved the lock and key problem, why don't you go in and take a look? Challenge the ancient sages and answer their difficult questions." Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat as he smiled wryly: "Lanya, our teacher was not only exceptional in his learning but also had a broad mind. I'm afraid I've been narrow-minded all my life, and now it's too late to regret it." Lanya sighed: "This is also what he realized before his death, unfortunately, it came a bit too late." Liang Xiao let out a low sigh, staring at the dark door, momentarily stunned.

  Liang Xiao settled down in Magala. He studied the works of ancient philosophers and suddenly understood both Eastern and Western learning. Lanya was delighted to see Liang Xiao, her heart's desire fulfilled, she took care of him morning and evening, unable to bear parting with him. Sometimes at night, Liang Xiao would climb to the top of the tower, gaze at the stars in the sky, then look towards the East, gazing for a whole night until the morning star rose, before returning with dew on his clothes. Lanya was puzzled in her heart but didn't dare ask questions.

  In the Tower of Heaven, time passed quickly, and three years went by in a flash. On this day, at dawn, Lanya brought breakfast as usual, pushed open the stone gate, and was surprised to find that there was no one inside, only neatly arranged books. Far away on the stone wall, several lines of Chinese characters were carved: "Time is fleeting, and I am slow-witted. I have exhausted my ancestors' wisdom, but still feel unfulfilled. I will leave for the Western Regions in search of enlightenment. Every morning and evening, I receive your care, but I am at a loss as to how to repay you. Human life is like the morning dew, and we must part ways. I bid you farewell with tears, and hope you will take care of yourself. Liang Xiao bows three times, not knowing what to say."

  The handwriting was indeed Liang Xiao's, Lanya stared blankly for a while, her hand relaxed, and the porcelain plate shattered into powder on the ground along with that heart.

  Liuxiao Road heads south, traveling for a month or so, and sees the vast ocean. On an island facing him, a lighthouse stands tall into the clouds, having been through many battles, it is in disrepair. He stands by the sea, facing the wind, gazing at the tower with a sigh of emotion, feeling the rise and fall of life's ups and downs are hard to know.

  The lighthouse is in ruins and cannot be looked at closely. Liang Xiao crossed the Red Sea and ventured deep into the Gobi Desert a few days later, where he saw many stone pagodas standing between the sand dunes, with bleak winds howling around them and sandstorms hitting people. Liang Xiao picked up a piece of sandstone, took out his knife and carved it into a human figure, which turned out to be a woman with a round face and thin eyebrows. He stared blankly at the stone statue, placing it in front of the pagoda, letting the wind blow the sand and slowly bury it.

  After staying in Egypt for several months, Liang Xiao set sail and passed by the island of Rhodes, where two fleets from unknown countries were engaged in a fierce battle. The sea surface here was different from that of the Central Plains, calm and windless, with over a thousand warships rowing up and down, like giant centipedes crawling on the purple mirror-like surface. The merchant ships had to anchor on the island for several days to avoid the gunfire, and only set sail again after the battle subsided.

  The next evening, Liang Xiao finally arrived at the outskirts of Athens. He climbed up a small hill to gaze out at the Acropolis, but saw only ruins, with broken marble columns scattered about like fallen giants on the desolate slope. The sun was setting like a fireball in the west, and the shepherd boys below were humming as they drove home their cattle; a wandering minstrel strummed his lyre and sang as he walked, his voice echoing through the air. Liang Xiao listened for a long time, until the music faded away, when a wave of melancholy washed over him, and he let out a long sigh, shaking his blue robe as he headed further west.

  Time flies like an arrow, and seven years have passed in the blink of an eye.

  The scorching sun hung in the sky, the endless desert stretched out before them like a sea of sand. The air was filled with heat waves that seemed like invisible flames. The wind blew strong and weak, picking up strands of fine silk and slapping them against the face of a rugged-looking man with dark hair. He led a camel, taking deep strides, his feet sinking into the sand as he walked. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, gazing out at the endless dunes, lost in thought. Behind him, a young boy with blonde hair and a pale complexion also came to a halt, opening a leather flask and taking big gulps of wine.

  A dark-haired Han boy couldn't help but turn his head and shout: "Lubei Ah, drink less! We're trapped! Do you know? Trapped!" The young man wiped his mouth and muttered: "I'll just have this one more drink, and then I won't drink anymore!" He casually tossed the wine pouch onto the camel's back, but unexpectedly it didn't steady itself, and with a "pa-da" sound, it fell to the ground. The red wine inside poured out in an instant, seeping into the sand.

  The brown-haired man's eyes blazed with fury as he bellowed, "You damned little devil!" Lu Bei Ah's face turned white and he turned to flee. The brown-haired man cursed loudly, drew a curved knife, and took off in pursuit, shouting, "You think you can escape, you little devil?" The sandy ground was soft, making every step a struggle for both of them. Suddenly, Lu Bei Ah's foot sank into the sand and he tumbled to the ground. The brown-haired man pounced on him, grasping him tightly, with the gleaming blade pressed against his pale neck. Lu Bei Ah struggled and pleaded, "Let me go, let me go..."

  The brown-haired man stabbed the knife into his buttocks twice and cursed, "I'll kill you, one less mouth to fight for water." Lu Bei'er was in pain, but seeing that although his tone was fierce, the anger in his eyes had already faded, so he smiled and said, "If you kill me, there will be no one to talk to you and relieve your boredom. Being killed by a knife is quick, being bored to death is what's really hard." The brown-haired man grunted, put away his knife, and coldly said, "You fool, if you make another mistake, I'll...". He waved his hand, revealing a threatening air. Lu Bei'er stuck out his tongue and laughed, saying, "You can't bear to cut off my head."

  The brown-haired man sneered, "Can't you be castrated without cutting off your head, you little dog?" Lu Bei's face turned red with rage, and he spat. The brown-haired man glanced at him and laughed, saying, "In that case, Sophia will have to live a life of widowhood!" As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Bei's lower body, making Lu Bei feel uneasy, and he shouted, "Bastard! Shut up!"

  The brown-haired man let out a strange laugh, suddenly pointed to the distance and said: "Lubei Ah, look!" Lubei Ah was still angry, and angrily said: "What's there to see?" He took a peek, and in the rolling sand dunes, a black dot appeared and disappeared, flying swiftly towards them. Lubei Ah exclaimed: "That is..." Before he could finish his sentence, the brown-haired man pressed down on his head and whispered: "It's a desert bandit!"

  The dark shadow grew larger, a man's figure faintly discernible. Luobei A's heart thudded wildly as he hoarsely said: "Only one came, what are you afraid of?" The brown-haired man angrily said: "Don't waste words." Luobei A held his breath and crouched behind the camel, staring intently at the approaching figure.

  That man approached step by step, but it was a gray-robed Han with a silver fox fur trim on his shoulders, bowing his head and bending his waist, stepping on a strange device that resembled a sled, with a connecting rod in the middle, wrapped in iron skin outside, and two long thin iron pipes on both sides were held by the man's hands, and when he pulled it back, the iron skin rotated with a rattling sound, bringing the iron sled to shoot out more than ten feet. The two had never seen such a strange creature before, and for a moment their hearts beat wildly, and their palms sweated profusely.

  The man's hands grasped the iron pipe, rising and falling suddenly, his clothes and hair fluttering in the wind, like flowing sand drifting by. Before long, he arrived before the camel and stood up straight. Lu Bei'er fixed his eyes to take a closer look, the newcomer had slender eyebrows and phoenix-like eyes, his gaze darted about with spirit, his double cheeks were thickly bearded like ink, below which was hidden a faint scar.

  Lubei A was stunned, and suddenly felt a swift movement beside him. The brown-haired man swung his curved knife, slashing at the gray-clad man's face. The gray-clad man seemed to have not expected someone to be hiding behind the camel, and let out a sound of surprise, slightly turning his body. The brown-haired man slashed again, but missed, and hastily turned around, only to see the gray-clad man pick up Lubei A's dropped wine pouch, sniff it, and then drink the remaining wine from it with a gurgling sound.

  The brown-haired man was shocked, and with a knife in hand, he pounced forward. Suddenly, a curved knife appeared out of nowhere, clashing against his blade with a loud "ding". The brown-haired man's anger flared up, and he scolded, "Lubei Ah, have you gone stupid again?" Lubei Ah's face turned red as he shook his head, saying, "I don't think he looks like a desert thief!" The brown-haired man angrily retorted, "What do you know?" As the two continued to argue, the gray-robed man simply continued drinking, causing the brown-haired man to feel increasingly suspicious. Slowly, the curved knife lowered.

  The man in grey swallowed the contents of the flask and threw it away, laughing. "Is there any more?" The brown-haired man said, "No." The man in grey turned to him with a smile. "From your accent, you are from Genoa?" He had initially spoken in Arabic, but now switched to Latin.

  The dark-haired Han man was taken aback, and blurted out: "That's right, we are Genoese merchants going to China for business. On the way, we encountered thieves and our companions were all scattered. Okay, there is no wine here, you can leave quickly." Lubei suddenly interrupted: "Tapolo, you're lying, we still have three bags of wine, enough for two days..."

  Taburo didn't expect him to expose his own lies, and for a moment he was so angry that he wanted to punch him hard. At this time, being trapped in the desert, water was more precious than gold, and it wouldn't be surprising if someone's life was lost over a drop of water. The gray-clothed man had come from who-knows-where, and if he had any evil intentions, it would be very bad. Taburo cursed and scolded while tightly gripping the hilt of his knife, sneaking glances at the gray-clothed man's movements.

  The man in gray smiled slightly and said, "Are you Tapolo? I'll trade water for wine, will you agree?" Tapolo saw that his clothes were flat and his iron shovel was empty, with no place to hide water, and coldly said, "Where would there be water in this desert? You're cheating!" The man in gray said, "Didn't Saint Moses also find water in the Sinai Desert? Would God abandon His servant?" Tapolo's expression turned solemn and he said, "You also believe in my Lord?" For a moment, his heart felt a sense of closeness.

  The man in grey laughed, looked at the sun, then glanced at the shadow under his feet, counted on his fingers, and suddenly bent down to dig a deep pit. He reached into his sleeve and took out a bundle of incense sticks, rubbed his middle fingers together, and a red glow flashed, with light smoke rising. The man in grey inserted the incense sticks into the pit, removed the fox-fur cloak to cover the mouth of the pit, not letting the smoke escape.

  The two of them found his behavior strange and were both curious. Taporo, who had seen and heard much, was filled with doubts in his heart: "This person's behavior is so strange, could he be a heretic from somewhere? Are these strange movements some kind of ritual before he kills someone?" The more he thought about it, the more shocked he became, and cold sweat seeped out onto his back.

  As he hesitated, a thin white smoke rose from the sand dunes in the distance. The man in grey laughed and said, "I've got it." He picked up his leather bag and hurried over to where the smoke was rising, his two hands digging into the sand like small shovels. Before long, he stopped digging and put the bag down, as if drawing water. Soon after, he walked back, handed the bag to Lubéi'ā, and laughed, saying, "Just soak it for a bit and you can drink."

  Lubei felt the weight of the water skin in his hand, and with a slight shake, he heard the sound of gurgling water. He couldn't help but exclaim: "It's water! It's water!" Tapolo snatched the waterskin from him, took a sniff, and was hit with the smell of dampness. His eyes widened as he shouted: "You... you're a magician?!" The man in gray shook his head and laughed: "This isn't magic, just a little trick us Chinese people know. There's more water over there, don't worry about me poisoning it, go get it!"

  Taburo was moved by his words and felt a burning sensation on his cheek. Lubaya, being young and impulsive, didn't say another word, grabbed a few empty leather bags and rushed to the front of the pit. He saw that inside the pit there was a pool of muddy water mixed with sand constantly seeping out, he scooped up some, and from the bottom of the pit more came out, seemingly never-ending. Lubaya filled his leather bags with joy and turned back. Taburo took over the water bag and drank two mouthfuls, only then did he deeply believe, taking a bag of wine from the camel and handing it to the man in gray: "Businessmen keep their promises, let's exchange water for wine." The man in gray smiled, took it and drank.

  Lubei was impressed, thumbs up and said: "Sir, you can find water, great. But... can you take us out of the desert?" The man in gray smiled but didn't speak, just drank wine. After a while, when the wine was finished, he slowly said, "It's not hard to get out, what will you give me as thanks?"

  Taburo smiled and said, "You bring us out of the desert, I'll give you 30% of the goods!" The man in gray clothes said lightly, "What do I want your goods for? You give me wine to drink, I'll guide you on the road." Taburo didn't expect it to be so cheap and was afraid that the other party would regret it, so he quickly said, "It's a deal."

  The man in gray didn't say much, untied his wine pouch and walked while drinking. The two men yelled at the camels to follow behind them, their feet sometimes shallow and sometimes deep, making the sand crunch with a rustling sound. The man in gray had extremely large strides, but his footsteps were silent, he occasionally pinched his fingers and looked up at the sky, after walking for half an hour, the weather turned from hot to cold, the strong wind was sharp as a knife, mixed with sand dust, and mournful like a whistle. The night sky was clear and cloudless, just like a huge black crystal, the moon was embedded in it, round and bright, reflecting the sandy sea with a faint blue light, like a deep and profound dream.

  Lubei's hand grasped the camel's halter, taking one step at a time, as he watched the man in gray take three steps and then drink from his wine bag. Before long, the bag was empty. Lubei couldn't help but ask: "Sir, are you a traveler from the East?" The man in gray nodded. Lubei smiled and said: "Your capacity for wine is impressive! This wine is brewed by the Boda people, it's not authentic, the red wine from my hometown is much better." The man in gray smiled and replied: "I've been to Genoa, their wine is good, and the veal is also quite fresh. However, the taste of drinking in the desert can't be compared to anywhere else!" Lubei slapped his forehead and suddenly realized: "Yes, eating black bread when hungry is more enjoyable than eating veal when full. Drinking in the desert is indeed much more enjoyable than usual." He was so focused on talking that he tripped over his own feet and fell headfirst into the sand. When he looked up, a skull with its teeth bared and empty eye sockets stared back at him. The young man felt a chill run down his spine, and after being frightened, he became angry, kicking the skeleton far away. After releasing his anger, he clapped his hands and cursed: "Let you trip me."

  The man in grey clothes gazed at him coldly, thinking to himself: "After all, you're just a child, unaware of the hardships of the world. If it weren't for me, I'm afraid you'd be accompanying these bones at such a young age. People say that everyone is struggling for profit, but how many people know about the bitterness and hardship of doing business? How many merchants' bones are buried in this desert?"

  He thought of the past, his expression dim, and sighed: "In youth, one doesn't know the taste of sorrow, loves to climb high. Loves to climb high, forcing oneself to speak of sorrow in new words. Now that I've experienced all the tastes of sorrow, I'd rather not speak of it. Xin Qiji's poetry is good, but the man himself is stubborn, isn't getting drunk and forgetting one's troubles a more pleasant thing?"

  Lubei was puzzled and asked, "Sir, what are you saying?" The man in gray said lightly, "Just chatting. Ah, Lubei, you're still young, why did you leave your hometown to become a merchant?" Lubei's face turned red, and he stammered, "I... I can marry Sophia if I make some money! Her family is very rich, and I'm not good enough for her." The man in gray frowned and said, "Traveling thousands of miles, facing many dangers, wouldn't it be safer to do business at home?" Lubei said, "It's hard to make a lot of money at home. If I bring goods from the Central Plains back to my hometown and sell them for a high price, that would be enough to marry Sophia." The man in gray thought to himself that this trip would take months or even years, and by then, the girl would have grown up and might not wait for this young man to return. He didn't dare say it out loud, so he just sighed and continued on his way.

  They walked for half the night, and as the sky gradually lightened, they saw a few sparse blades of grass growing out of the sand grains. The two merchants knew they had left the desert and couldn't help but feel overjoyed. Taporo suddenly knelt down and laughed loudly towards the sky, his hands drawing a cross on his chest. Lubega was so happy that he started doing flips and shouting weirdly.

  The man in grey smiled but didn't speak, watching the two happy people leave. He said: "From here heading northeast, it should be a place with lush water and grass. As they say, 'gatherings and separations are unpredictable', let's part ways here." Just as he was about to leave, Tapolo rushed forward and called out: "Sir, you saved our lives, how can we repay you?" He bent his right knee to pay respects, but the man in grey waved his sleeve and Tapolo felt an invisible giant hand holding him up, unable to kneel down.

  The man in gray repeatedly showed miracles, making people see the strange as normal. However, Taporo still felt uneasy: "Is this person really good at magic? Is he a servant of God or a devil of heresy?" Just as he was feeling anxious, he suddenly heard the man in gray laugh and say: "As I said, you give me wine, I'll guide the way. One favor for one favor, it's fair to the utmost, we don't owe each other anything, why be overly polite?" Taporo knew that three bags of red wine were just a small gift, being able to get out of the desert was a matter of life and death, so what's the point of talking about fairness? But seeing the other person's carefree attitude, he didn't want to use conventional courtesy, so he simply thanked him and stood up.

  Lubei A's youthful heart was pure, and after spending an evening with the man in gray, he felt a sense of closeness to him due to his noble demeanor. As they were about to part ways, Lubei A's eyes welled up with tears, and he lowered his head in silence. The man in gray noticed this and thought that this young boy was someone who valued relationships and loyalty, just like people of their kind. He smiled faintly, patted Lubei A on the shoulder, and was about to turn around when suddenly a wolf's howl echoed from afar. Turning his head, he saw a yellow wolf emerging from the distant hills, its eyes gleaming with an eerie light under the pale moonlight. Lubei A froze, took two steps back, and let out a shrill cry.

  The man in gray furrowed his brow, and suddenly saw Tapolo's face turn white as paper, his mouth agape, staring fixedly at the yellow wolf, as if he had turned into a stone statue. The man in gray was astonished, picked up a small stone, intending to shoot it out, when he saw the yellow wolf turn around and run away with a puff of smoke. Tapolo's body went soft and fell to the ground, his teeth chattering: "It's coming... the devil is coming..." Lubega also fell to the ground, shaking all over.

  The Grey Robe said, "What devil?" Taboreth said dejectedly, "It's the demon that killed our companions. We set out from Salmah with over 300 people, but on the way we encountered wolves..." The Grey Robe said, "So many people, still afraid of a few beasts?"

  Tablo shook his head and said, "There are too many of them, wolves howling from all directions, I don't know how many thousands or tens of thousands there are. The ferocious wolves rushed up in groups, eating whatever they saw, people, horses, camels... I managed to shake them off by bringing Lubba into the desert, but Lubba's uncle is nowhere to be found..." He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said with difficulty, "I didn't expect them to still come." Lubba jumped up, gritting his teeth and saying, "Let's fight it out with them!"

  The man in gray thought for a moment, smiled and said: "Just now it was just one wolf, why be so afraid?" Tapolo repeatedly said: "It's hard to say, the wolf may not be just one, but an explorer." The man in gray said: "Wolves are not human, where do they come from with so many rules?" Tapolo frowned and lowered his voice: "You don't know, I heard that the leader of the wolf pack is a human being." The man in gray raised an eyebrow: "Is there such a thing? Humans and wolves are different, how can they coexist?" Tapolo said: "I heard that person sold his soul to the devil and gained the ability to control the wolf pack, specializing in robbing merchants and killing people." The man in gray shook his head: "Rumors may not be credible. Let's travel together for a while and take care of each other." The two men followed him out of the desert, convinced that: "This person has an unusual background but is very capable, with him by our side we can avoid danger."

  Three people walked for a while, and the grass gradually became lush. At noon, suddenly, a group of horses and men appeared in front of them. Tapolo clearly saw the approaching people, his face filled with joy, and he shouted loudly: "Fred, Fred!" Lubaya also had a surprised and delighted expression, waving his hand and saying: "Uncle, uncle." A horseman rushed over like the wind, the rider's beard was fiery red, his waist was thick and his back was broad, and there were three scarlet claw marks on his forehead. He jumped off the horse, his big hairy hands hugged Lubaya tightly, tears streaming from his eyes as he exclaimed: "I thought you were dead, I thought you were dead..." The uncle and nephew, who had been separated by disaster, reunited and wept bitterly.

  After crying for a while, they told each other their stories. Fred said dejectedly: "I was brought out by Old Man Amo, but most of the goods were lost." Tapolo comforted him: "It's okay that the goods are lost, people can't come back to life after they die." Fred nodded in agreement. At this time, a group of horses came over, and Fred pointed at an old man: "This is Old Man Amo, a Turk. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be alive." Tapolo looked over and saw that the old man was wearing a flower-patterned headscarf, had a ruddy complexion, white whiskers like snow, was short in stature but very spirited. Looking around, there were only about ten people left. Thinking back to when they set out, there were hundreds of companions and thousands of camels, which made him feel even more sorrowful.

  After a moment of sadness, Tapolo plucked up his courage and introduced the man in gray to the others. Everyone was amazed when they heard that this person had dug out water in the desert. Amo stared at the man in gray for a while, then interrupted: "Mountain and swamp communicate with each other, and taking water from the sand is a secret method of Han people's Taoist priests. Where did you learn it?" He spoke in Chinese, his voice very loud and clear. The man in gray flashed a glance, smiled and said: "It's just luck, not every place can dig out water."

  Amo listened to him avoiding the truth and asked displeased: "So dare to ask your name?" The man in gray clothes smiled: "A humble name, not worth mentioning." Amo sized him up for a moment, frowning tightly.

  Everyone chatted for a while and realized that although they had lost their goods, the important treasures were all carried on them and had not been lost. They immediately discussed going to Central Earth, selling the treasures together, and turning over the money in a few years. After accumulating enough capital, they would buy a large amount of goods again and transport them back to the Western Regions. Fred said with excitement, heavily patting Tapolo's shoulder: "Brother, you're right! Losing goods is no big deal. A capable merchant can turn one gold coin into a million." Everyone burst out laughing, and the atmosphere became lively.

  Tablo smiled and said, "I have a cousin named Marco Polo who is doing business in the Middle-earth. He knows many high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants. We can't go wrong if we rely on him." Everyone was overjoyed and cheered, but Amo snorted coldly and said, "You're rejoicing too early. This is still the territory of the Sky Wolf. Let's first make sure we can keep our lives before talking about doing business."

  The words were like a bucket of ice water that chilled the hot blood of the merchants, and they stared at each other in silence. The man in gray suddenly asked, "Who is Tian Lang Zi?" Amo's face sank, and he didn't answer, mounting his camel and leaving, with the others following silently. Tapolo turned his head to whisper to the man in gray, "Tian Lang Zi is the Wolf Tamer, a name that everyone is wary of." The man in gray nodded, thinking to himself, "'Tian Lang Zi' is a Han Chinese title, could it be that this fierce person comes from the Central Plains?" He thought about it but couldn't figure out who this person was.

  As the crowd journeyed on, they encountered more and more companions who had escaped from Langya. By dusk, the merchant group had grown to fifty people. As night fell, everyone sat around a bonfire, recounting their earlier encounters with sorrowful faces. Many had lost loved ones, and grief overcame them as they burst into loud wails.

  Suddenly, a long and mournful howl came from afar, the moonlight seemed to dim for a moment. The scene was dead silent, Taporo covered his eyes with his hand and looked into the distance, a black dog-like shadow flashed and disappeared in the distance. Looking at the crowd again, everyone's face was pale and bloodless, except for the gray-clothed man who seemed to have not heard anything, smiling and drinking wine. Just as I was surprised, I suddenly heard Fred whispering in my ear: "Taporo, we can't escape, it's still following us..."

  Taburo turned his head, and saw Fred's big beard shaking constantly, with despair in his eyes. Fred swallowed hard and said: "Taburo, if I die, please take care of Lubear, he is young and not very clever..." Taburo nodded and said: "If I die, you also send a message to my cousin for me." The two men looked at each other, their big hands tightly clasped together, but felt the palms were wet with sweat.

  The man in gray suddenly said, "What is the origin of this Tianlangzi?" When everyone heard this name, their faces turned pale with fear. Amo coughed lightly and poked at the bonfire with a stick to make it brighter before slowly saying, "Some people say it's a wolf, some people say it's a human, and others say it's half-wolf and half-human." The man in gray said, "Since there are so many different opinions, this monster must have been wreaking havoc for a long time."

  In the firelight, Amu's face was pale and uncertain, saying faintly: "It wasn't too long ago, when the Mongols were at their peak, this road was very peaceful. You could walk on it for a year with a golden tray on your head without any trouble. More than ten years ago, the Golden Family had internal conflicts, and the kings were dissatisfied with Kublai Khan's seizure of power by force, so they started fighting. Years of war turned the grasslands into desolate smoke-filled lands, with white bones scattered everywhere, countless families destroyed, people dying of starvation, and those who didn't starve became bandits.

  The man in grey frowned and said, "When did the Heavenly Wolf appear?" Amo replied, "That's right. Because of the frequent wars, thieves and bandits emerged one after another. To say that the Heavenly Wolf was also a thief, but he came and went alone, and his actions were extremely cruel. Other horse bandits, such as the Twelve Beasts of Mount Heaven, are also very formidable."

  A merchant interrupted, "Old Amo, if we move forward, we'll be close to the Heavenly Mountains. Even if we avoid the Heavenly Wolf, how can we deal with those twelve evil birds?" The crowd furrowed their brows, deeply worried. Amo waved his hand and said, "It's too late to say this now, the Heavenly Wolf is behind us, and there's no turning back. Heading towards the Heavenly Mountains still leaves a few chances of survival. The cruelty of the Twelve Birds of Heaven is indeed cruel, but when it comes to ruthlessness and bloodthirstiness, they can't compare to the Heavenly Wolf." The crowd was at an impasse, each one silently holding their breath.

  The man in gray robes asked, "Wolves are cruel and ruthless, how can they coexist with humans?" Amo furrowed his grayish-white eyebrows and stroked his beard, saying: "I've heard some rumors, cough, just hearsay. It's said that the Heavenly Wolf Child was originally a human infant, whose parents died in war, and coincidentally, a mother wolf who had lost her cub found him and raised him as her own. Later, a Han Chinese Taoist priest happened to pass by, and with good intentions, rescued him from the wolf pack and took him back to the village to teach him skills. After several years, the child seemed to have forgotten his experiences in the wolf pack, followed the Taoist priest to practice martial arts, and became skilled at hunting tigers and leopards, rivaling even the best hunters in the area. Alas, it was a tragic fate, when the Heavenly Wolf Child turned eighteen, he unknowingly fell in love with a village girl..." At this point, Amo's eyebrows darkened slightly, and he coughed lightly several times. Although he didn't continue speaking, everyone present could vaguely guess what happened next, and they looked at Amo silently, the atmosphere extremely quiet. Suddenly, a faint, delicate howl rose from afar, lingering on and off, making everyone feel a chill run down their spines, and they all leaned in closer to the bonfire.

  He looked up at the moonless sky and sighed, "It's a pity that tigers and leopards are fierce but can't pick morning roses; the heavenly wolf can catch bears but can't capture girls' hearts. He loved that girl, always sending her game, but she liked the rich young master instead. What's worse, her parents were greedy for the heavenly wolf's skills and never refused his gifts. So the heavenly wolf was always in the dark, happy and unsuspecting. Until that night, he returned from hunting and suddenly found the girl and her lover embracing in the valley. The heavenly wolf was furious and wanted to kill them on the spot, but at the critical moment, his master arrived. The old Taoist intervened, and the heavenly wolf couldn't defeat his master, so he escaped into the deep mountains in a huff. The girl and her lover were exposed, and they exchanged engagement gifts the next day and got married a month later. The man was from a local prestigious family, and on their wedding night, people from all around came to congratulate them, singing and dancing, with firelight filling the sky. Just as everyone was rejoicing, wolf howls echoed from the deep mountains, starting with one or two voices, then gradually growing into a chorus...

  As they spoke, the merchants recalled the night of the robbery and couldn't help but shudder. Amo paused for a moment before continuing: "People were still wondering how it happened when the wolf pack charged from all sides. The drunken hunter was bitten on the wrist before he could even draw his bow, and the men hadn't even pulled out their curved knives before their throats were torn open. In the end, the survivors banded together to put up a desperate resistance. That's when they saw Tianlangzi standing among the wolves, naked and disheveled, with blood-red eyes, letting out wolf-like howls. The wolves, hearing his cries, charged forward with reckless abandon, and one by one, the people fell to the ground, their blood flowing like a small stream. Later, both the bride and groom were captured, and Tianlangzi humiliated the bride in front of the groom before the wild wolves pounced...

  Armo's face turned gloomy as he spoke, and he grabbed his wine pouch, drinking continuously. The room fell silent for a moment before Lubei A couldn't help but ask, "What about... the groom?" Armo glanced at him and replied indifferently, "I heard he's gone mad. It's strange that Tian Lang Zi didn't kill him." Lubei A let out a sigh of relief, saying, "That's good!" The gray-robed man spoke coldly, "What's good about being alive but not living? He thought for a moment before continuing, "In that case, Tian Lang Zi is not only cruel but also calculating! The hatred of having his wife stolen from him would make it impossible for them to coexist under the same sky. Yet he was able to endure for an entire month, preparing carefully before striking at the right moment. This level of patience is beyond human capabilities." Everyone nodded in agreement.

  The man in grey laughed and said, "Whether true or false, Mr. Lao's story is indeed very interesting, making one feel as if they were there in person." A merchant chimed in, "Ah Mo the old father is indeed a famous storyteller." The man in grey laughed and said, "Forgive me, forgive me." Ah Mo calmly said, "Enough nonsense, this place isn't suitable for lingering. If we can hurry up and reach the foot of Tian Shan, we'll have escaped half the danger."

  The man in gray said, "Tianlangzi's martial arts are strong, and he also has the ability to drive away wolves and tigers. He is determined to kill them all, so it doesn't matter where they escape to." A merchant waved his hand and said, "You don't know this, but Tianlangzi was once defeated by the Twelve Beasts of Tianshan and never dared to approach Tianshan again."

  The man in grey robes arrived with great interest, and asked with a smile: "Is this true?" The merchant sighed and said: "This legend has been widely spread, but the absurd and strange parts of it make people dare not believe it deeply." The man in grey robes smiled and said: "It's precisely the absurd and strange parts that are interesting, brother, please speak freely."

  The merchant couldn't help but laugh, took a sip of wine, and let out a long sigh: "I heard that over ten years ago, the Tianlangzi gang clashed with the Twelve Beasts of Tianshan. The two sides fought several times, each suffering losses. One night, the Tianlangzi gang gathered thousands of ferocious wolves and launched a surprise attack on the lair of the Twelve Beasts. Who knew that this time, the leader of the Twelve Beasts had set up an ambush? He single-handedly lured the Tianlangzi gang into the mountain valley. The valley was naturally treacherous, with ice cliffs hanging from both sides, and the terrain was extremely perilous. The leader stood at the top of the mountain, waiting for the wolf pack to enter the valley, then ignited the explosives buried under the ice cliff, causing a massive avalanche that seemed like the sky was falling apart. Tens of thousands of ferocious wolves were buried at the bottom of the valley. The Tianlangzi gang barely escaped with their lives, but were pursued and killed by the Twelve Beasts for thousands of miles. For many years, they had been lying low, not daring to show their faces. Alas, everyone thought he was just a corpse in the wilderness, but now his ghost has reappeared. It seems that heaven is blind and won't collect this evil spirit." He said, overcome with emotion.

  The man in gray robes applauded and praised, "The plan to bury the wolves in snow is extremely bold, only a great hero or a great leader can achieve it. If there's an opportunity, I'd love to meet this great leader." Many people from the Western Extreme heard this legend for the first time, and they couldn't help but imagine the shocking battle that shook heaven and earth, and the heroic spirit of the great leader. Luban said, "Sir, you're right, if we can see the great leader in person, it's worth dying for." He turned to the merchant and asked earnestly, "Have you seen the great leader?"

  The merchant drew a finger across his throat and smiled wryly, "What joke? I've seen him, would this head still be on my neck? The Twelve Beasts are all unscrupulous bandits, the Mongolians have tried to eliminate them several times but couldn't!" Everyone's heart chilled at the same time. Lu Bei Ah sighed, "I thought they were great heroes opposing Tian Lang Zi." Fred slammed his fist on the ground, angrily saying, "This is 'dogs biting dogs, a mouthful of fur', none of them are good people." The crowd thought about the evil wolves behind and the fierce bandits in front, and for a moment, their hearts were filled with worry and they all sighed.

  Everyone was about to set off, when suddenly a string of bells rang out. Just as everyone was feeling surprised, they saw a woman riding swiftly towards them on horseback. The horse's body was fiery red, its mane extremely long, and although it had a saddle, there were no reins. The woman wore a red garment wrapped tightly around her body, her slender figure perfectly proportioned. A thin veil covered her face, probably to shield her from the wind and sand. In the flickering firelight, they could see that behind the girl was slung a five-foot-long box made of black wood with gold trimmings, looking very solemn.

  The red horse galloped incredibly fast, arriving in an instant. It stopped suddenly, standing still like a mountain. The crowd secretly cheered: "What a fine horse!" The woman's eyes shone brightly as she scanned the crowd, then suddenly spoke out loud: "Do you want to cross the Tian Shan?" She spoke in Turkic, her voice crisp and urgent, without losing the straightforwardness of a girl from the great desert. Lu Bei'er quickly replied loudly: "Yes." The red-clad woman said: "There's a pack of wolves ahead, turn back if you value your life!"

  Everyone was shocked in their hearts: "No wonder the wolf pack didn't chase after us, it seems they had set up an ambush ahead of time?" Thinking about it made them break out in cold sweat. Amu pretended to be calm and bowed his head saying: "Thank you for telling me, miss." However, the red-clothed woman did not return the courtesy, she turned her horse around and left, unexpectedly the red horse let out a loud whinny and turned back towards the crowd. The red-clothed woman exclaimed: "A Hulun Er, you're being disobedient again..." Her gaze shifted to the gray-clothed person's body, suddenly her slender body trembled, and she cried out in alarm.

  The red horse approached the man in gray, stretching its neck to sniff his shoulder. The man in gray stroked its mane, smiling wistfully and saying, "Old buddy, it's been a long time." The red horse whinnied softly, rubbing its nose against his face.

  The man in gray robes looked up at the woman in red, sighing: "Feng Lian, are you alright?" The woman in red trembled all over, and her veil had several wet marks on it. Suddenly, she became angry and said: "Not good, not even a bit...". She pulled open her veil, and tears streamed down her delicate cheeks. "In these ten years, I haven't been well at all..." Her body swayed slightly, and suddenly she fell off the horse.

  The man in grey was indeed Liang Xiao. Feng Lian suddenly saw him, and her emotions were mixed with anger and joy, a hundred thoughts surged up, she couldn't catch her breath and fainted. Liang Xiao rushed forward to support her, and transmitted a stream of true energy into her back. Feng Lian coughed several times in a daze, only feeling the warmth spreading across her back, opened her eyes to see Liang Xiao's worried face, her anger dissipated, replaced by shame, she hastily closed her eyes again, and said in a low voice: "You're being too nosy, won't you let go?"

  Liang Xiao let go of her hand, afraid that she had not yet recovered and was still holding onto him. At this moment, he looked at her carefully, and suddenly it had been ten years since they last saw each other, the young girl had already grown up, her eyebrows and eyes were full of emotions, her red lips trembled lightly, wanting to speak but ultimately choking back tears, she buried her head in his shoulder and burst into tears. Liang Xiao felt guilty in his heart, letting her lean against him and cry bitterly. The surrounding merchants saw that the two were old friends reuniting and did not dare to disturb them.

  Feng Lian cried for a long time, feeling slightly relieved, and then said: "Xi Kunlun, do you know? I've been searching for you for six whole years. There wasn't a single moment when I wasn't afraid that I wouldn't see you again." Liang Xiao was surprised and asked: "You searched for me for six years? Is there something important?" Feng Lian started crying again and said: "Father called me to find you before he died." Liang Xiao was shocked and blurted out: "Mr. Tie Zhe has passed away? Have the Mongolians invaded Jian Gu?"

  Feng Lian shook her head and said, "It has nothing to do with the Mongolians. That day, you left without saying goodbye, everyone was very sad. The next day, Grandfather called Father up, and the two of them cast a sword in the Sword Tower, which took three years to complete. But for some reason, that Heavenly Punishment Sword had been cast for three years but still couldn't take shape. One day, Grandfather told Father that the Heavenly Punishment Sword was too heavily cursed, offending the heavens and the gods, and it needed a human sacrifice to be forged."

  Li Wei changed color and said: "Sacrifice people to the sword? How can that be?" Feng Lian smiled miserably and said: "Yes, Father also said so, and said that if it really had to be done, it would be better to go outside the valley and catch a wicked person to sacrifice to the sword. But Grandfather said that this would only add to the slaughter, the evil energy would become even heavier, and the Tianfa Sword, even if it were to take shape, would still be an instrument of boundless cruelty. He finished speaking... finished speaking..." Feng Lian's small mouth pursed, and she threw herself into Li Wei's arms, wailing loudly: "Grandfather leaped forward, jumped into the sword-forging furnace..." Everyone who heard this turned pale.

  Liang Xiao's heart surged with a huge wave, and after a long time, Feng Lian finally spoke up: "How did your father pass away?" Feng Lian sobbed: "Grandfather died by the sword, and the Heavenly Punishment Sword took shape. Father inherited Grandfather's will to continue forging swords. He was like a madman, not eating or sleeping, day and night hammering at the sword mold for three whole months, until he was worn out and didn't look like himself anymore. I couldn't bear to watch him, so I stayed in the Sword Tower with him." She paused here, silent for a moment before continuing: "That evening, I brought him dinner, and exhausted, dozed off for a bit in the side room. Suddenly, I heard thunder and lightning outside, and it seemed like all the electricity in the sky was gathering towards the Sword Tower." Feng Lian spoke to this point, and for some reason, tears suddenly burst forth, and she wept uncontrollably.

  "Born of thunder and lightning, isn't it the divine sword's emergence that stirred up heaven's wrath?" He patted her shoulder to comfort her, but heard Feng Lian struggle to hold back tears, her voice trembling as she said: "I was confused at the time, only feeling strange, wondering why there was only thunder without rain. Just then, I suddenly heard a loud noise from the sword forging room, which even surpassed the sound of thunder. I ran in to take a look... Father had fallen to the ground, hugging a sword in his arms, with large mouthfuls of fresh blood spraying onto the sword... Xikunlun, the sword... the sword has been forged, but Father didn't make it either, he passed away the next day... Before he died, he instructed me to bring the Tianfa Sword to you, to let you guard the divine sword of the Jingyue tribe." She turned around, picked up the black wooden box, and handed it to Liang Xiao.

  Liang Xiao's thoughts turned a hundred times, and he slowly opened the box lid. Inside, a long sword with a black scabbard was placed, with no hilt or guard, four feet long. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary precious sword. He casually pulled out the sword, only to feel it being stuck, and with a slight effort, strange noises echoed from within the scabbard, making unpleasant sounds. Liang Xiao's eyebrows furrowed, and as the sword came out of its scabbard, he was slightly startled - the sword body was covered in red rust spots, and it was actually a rusty sword.

  The onlookers felt disappointed: "Two lives for a rusty sword, isn't that too cheap?" Feng Lian saw through their thoughts, her beautiful eyes blazing with anger as she swept her gaze past each of them.

  Liang Xiao hesitated for a moment, closed the box, and suddenly put it back on his horse's back. Feng Lian urged: "You won't accept it? Is it because you think it's rusty...?" Her eyebrows and eyes turned red, as if she was about to cry. Liang Xiao shook his head and said: "The sword forged by your grandfather is no ordinary thing, but my virtue is too shallow to match the two words 'Heavenly Punishment'. You keep it first, and when you meet someone worthy of it, give it to him."

  Feng Lian's face turned red with anger, "What kind of talk is this? Western Kunlun, the Heavenly Punishment Sword has rusted, have you also rusted?" Liang Xiao sighed, "You're right, we've all rusted!" Feng Lian gritted her silver teeth and frowned, "Fine, if you don't want to, then I won't ask. I'll just leave." Liang Xiao looked at the fine lines around her eyes, no longer as radiant as before, and thought that she must have suffered greatly from the wind and snow over the past six years. His heart softened, and he stopped her, "Alright, don't be childish. We're about to set off, why don't you come with us?"

  Feng Lian's anger had not dissipated, and she stamped her foot, saying: "I'm not being childish, the Fire Flowing Star was caught by you, I won't ride it anymore." She turned her head away, huffing and puffing. Liang Xiao sighed helplessly, flipped onto the horse, and pulled her into his arms, saying: "Then let's ride together!" Feng Lian struggled slightly, but ultimately couldn't resist the emotions in her heart, and obediently got on the horse, leaning against Liang Xiao's chest. For six years, she had searched for this scoundrel everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found, and she had shed countless tears in secret. Now that she had finally found him, the huge stone weighing on her heart had been lifted, and she felt that the dull sky had suddenly come alive. As they rode on, she couldn't help but feel drowsy and tired, and soon dozed off.

  After a long period of fatigue, he was suddenly awakened by the sound of hooves. Feng Lian rubbed his eyes and looked into the distance, where a group of horses and men were rushing towards them. Before they drew near, someone shouted: "Have you encountered a wolf pack?" Amo replied: "We have!" The people on horseback spread out in a semicircle and surrounded them. The merchants didn't know what to do, when suddenly three riders approached, who were three young men, each handsome and extraordinary, with black knife handles visible under their white silk cloaks.

  A man in black robes said loudly, "Where is the wolf pack?" The merchants were hesitant and didn't make a sound. The man's face sank, about to get angry, when a man in red robes said, "Crow, I think they're just ordinary merchants. If we make things difficult for them, the great leader won't be happy." The man in black robes said displeased, "Phoenix, I'm just asking around. The wolf pack is so mysterious and elusive, I'm afraid that monster really has returned. The great leader also said to investigate thoroughly." Phoenix said, "Investigate if you must, but don't lose your temper and act rashly." Crow said angrily, "Do you think I'm like you?" Another man in green robes, who had been arrogant all along, spoke up, "I think there's no need to ask any more questions. Let's go search elsewhere. If we can get rid of that monster before others do, the great leader will surely be pleased."

  "Vermilion Bird said unhappily, 'Azure Bird, you're being too arrogant!' The Black Crow sneered, 'Perhaps you're being too cautious. In terms of martial arts, the monster may not be a match for us, and besides, we have twenty divine crossbowmen to assist us.'"

  The crowd looked on, and the knight had a four-foot crossbow hanging from his body, with a heavy quiver of arrows slung over his horse. Amo rode out, bowed his head and said: "Are you three the Twelve Birds of Tianshan?" Wuque replied proudly: "What if we are?" The merchants were shocked, and they all gripped their knife handles tightly. Amo smiled apologetically: "The 'Twelve Birds of Tianshan' each have a bird as their emblem, indeed it's true." He paused for a moment, then continued: "Our merchant group encountered a wolf pack, with heavy casualties. Now the evil wolves are lurking everywhere, and we can't move forward or backward. We hope that you three heroes will guide us out of this predicament."

  The Kingfisher said coldly, "We need to track the wolf pack, no time for idle chatter..." The Vermilion Bird interrupted him, saying, "As they are guests, we should escort them to the Wheel Platform." The Crow was displeased and said, "You're meddling again." The Vermilion Bird replied coldly, "Have you forgotten the Great Leader's words?" The Crow's face flushed with anger, and he shouted, "How could I forget? If we must send them off, then so be it..." Before his words had even faded away, a wolf howl pierced the air, long and mournful, making one's heart feel uneasy.

  Three people's faces changed greatly, and they shouted in unison: "Tianlang Xiao Yue." They turned their horses' heads and left without looking back. Zhuque rushed out for a while, then brought seven crossbowmen back and said: "The road ahead is dangerous, I'll send you off for a bit!" The merchants all looked worried, thinking that even if he came to see them off, it wasn't necessarily safe, wanting to refuse but not daring to speak rashly.

  Li Shuo suddenly asked, "May I ask what the Heavenly Wolf's howl is?" Zhu Que glanced at him and replied indifferently, "That's the unique howl of the Heavenly Wolf!" Everyone's face turned pale upon hearing that the Heavenly Wolf was nearby. Feng Lian gazed at Zhu Que with disdain, feeling annoyed in her heart, and coldly said, "The Twelve Beasts of Mount Heaven are also bandits who do all sorts of evil, why would they pretend to be kind and escort merchants?" Zhu Que's face changed, and he loudly said, "Although the Twelve Beasts of Mount Heaven are bandits, we have our own code: first, we don't oppress the common people; second, we don't target ordinary merchants. The Mongolians can't do anything to us, so they're slandering us instead. If you don't want to follow me, then feel free to leave." Li Shuo saw Zhu Que arguing with a red face and couldn't help but feel suspicious in his heart. The other merchants were even more at a loss, but Ah Mo remained calm, urging the horses forward, and everyone reluctantly followed behind.

  Feng Lian said, "West Kunlun, do as you please, let's go." Liang Xiao said, "I promised to take care of them, I can't abandon them halfway." Feng Lian nodded towards Zhu Que: "Isn't he escorting us?" Liang Xiao said, "The Twelve Beasts of Tian Shan have a bad reputation, people can't put their minds at ease." Feng Lian gave him a white eye: "You're not being very considerate." Sighed and leaned her body slightly back, leaning into Liang Xiao's arms, softly saying, "But for some reason, I just can't let you go..."

  Liang Xiao was ten times more clever, but couldn't think of a word to respond, so he just kept his mouth shut. They walked in silence for a while, when suddenly another wolf howl came from the front, long and piercing, making people want to vomit. As soon as it stopped, countless wolf howls responded in unison. Zhu Que's face changed slightly, and he whipped his horse to gallop forward. Liang Xiao said to Feng Lian, "Let's go take a look." They rode their horses forward, with Huo Liu Xing's speed being exceptionally fast, and soon they caught up to Zhu Que. Zhu Que exclaimed, "Good horse! I'll give you 100 taels of gold for it!" Feng Lian coldly laughed and said, "Are you dreaming? Not even if you offered 1,000 taels, or 10,000 taels, would we sell!" Zhu Que's face sank, his eyes still fixed greedily on Huo Liu Xing, making Liang Xiao frown slightly.

  After traveling over twenty miles, the ground was increasingly littered with wolf dung. Zhu Que's face grew darker and darker, when suddenly he saw a flash of red light in the tall grass ahead. He took a closer look and his expression changed drastically as he charged forward on horseback. Feng Lian was still looking around, but was covered by Liang Xiao who whispered, "Don't look, just stay on the horse." Turning around to dismount, they rushed forward, only to see Zhu Que crouched over two corpses, gritting his teeth. The clothes on the corpses were those of Wu Ya and Cui Niao. The two had been torn apart by wolves, their bodies mangled beyond recognition, with five or six wolf carcasses scattered around them, one of which still had a broken blade stuck in its back.

  Liang Xiao looked around, turned and rushed out. His movement was swift and elusive, leaving no trace on the grass. Zhu Que was shocked and stood up involuntarily. When he saw Liang Xiao had gone, he chased after him on horseback. Suddenly, a red shadow flashed before his eyes, and Zhu Que blocked the horse's path. Feng Lian pulled the reins in anger and asked, "What are you doing?" Zhu Que's eyes seemed to be about to bleed as he shouted, "Give me the horse!" He suddenly jumped up, flipped his palms in mid-air, and Feng Lian felt a chill wind hit his face. He hastily called out, "A Hu Lun Er..." Huo Liu Xing responded by bending his waist and shooting out diagonally. Zhu Que fell to the ground with a thud, and when he turned around, he saw Huo Liu Xing had already gone far away, like a flying dragon, more than ten zhang away.

  She let out a sigh of relief and said softly, "Good horse, thanks to you again." She had been wandering for seven years without any trouble, mainly due to the speed of Huo Liuxing. At this time, she looked up and saw that the surroundings were empty, with cold winds blowing gently, causing the grass to rustle. Her chest felt suffocated, and she shouted loudly, "Xikunlun, where are you? Xikunlun..." She couldn't continue after the second shout, thinking about how she had just met this person and lost his trail again, her heart was broken, her mind empty, and tears fell down unknowingly. Just as she was about to cry out loud, a long whistle suddenly came from afar, like thunder rolling continuously, opening up the long grass on the vast prairie.

  Feng Lian heard that it was Liang Xiao's whistle, and her heart suddenly jumped wildly. She galloped out for a few hundred feet, and suddenly saw many scattered limbs and broken arrows in the distance. The dead were all divine archers under "Wu Ya". The ground was stained red with blood, and Liang Xiao stood in the long grass, whistling against the wind, causing the sound to echo endlessly across the fields. Feng Lian had not yet approached when she felt dizzy and disoriented, hastily stopping her horse. Suddenly, a wolf howl rose from the northeast, piercing through her eardrums like a sharp awl, it was "Tian Lang Xiao Yue". For a moment, the two whistling sounds competed with each other, one like a huge wave crashing against the shore, the other like a strange snake drilling into the clouds, and they actually started a magical battle in the vast sky. Suddenly, Liang Xiao leapt out and sprinted towards the wolf howl.

  Feng Lian suddenly realized: "The west Kunlun is making a whistling sound, is it challenging the Heavenly Wolf?" Thinking that Liang Xiao was going to fight with that fierce man, she couldn't help but feel invigorated. But just as she turned her mind, Liang Xiao had already gone like a wild goose, leaving no shadow behind. Feng Lian hastily urged her horse to chase after him.

  The wolf's howl came to a halt halfway, and suddenly stopped. Liang Xiao slowed down slightly, his ears perked up slightly. Suddenly, he heard the wolf's howl start again from the southwest, and he was taken aback: "This monster is so fast, it's gone ten miles away in an instant?" He encountered his lifelong rival, and with a surge of energy, he rushed westward again. Unexpectedly, after less than half a stick of incense, there was another halt. Liang Xiao found it strange, but his feet didn't stop. However, within ten miles, the wolf's howl started again from the east, and Liang Xiao was shocked and uncertain. He turned around again and rushed towards the east. Who would have thought that the wolf's howl seemed to be intentionally teasing him, sometimes east, sometimes west, sometimes south, sometimes north? As it rose and fell, it gradually went further away. Liang Xiao stopped in his tracks, standing still, letting the long wind blow from the west, blowing his clothes into a rustling sound.

  Feng Lian rushed over on her horse and slid down, saying urgently: "Xi Kunlun, you ride the Fire Flowing Star to chase after him!" Liang Xiao shook his head and said: "This person's lightness skill is above mine, other skills must also be exceptional. Moreover, there are wolf packs assisting, even if we catch up, it's hard to say who will win." Feng Lian was silent for a moment, then spoke softly: "You're afraid my abilities aren't up to par and will hinder you?" Liang Xiao was guessed correctly by her and smiled without answering. Feng Lian's heart felt stirred, her cheeks flushed red, and she laughed: "No matter what, that you consider me in your heart, I'm very happy."

  Liang Xiao didn't want to say more and sighed, "Forget it, let's go back first." Feng Lian pouted and said, "What's the point of going back? Just thinking about those horse thieves makes me angry." She angrily told Liang Xiao about Zhu Que stealing her horse. Liang Xiao thought for a moment and said, "He didn't steal your horse with malicious intent, but to borrow Huo Liu Xing's speed to chase after Tian Lang Zi." Feng Lian was furious and said, "You're still speaking up for him! Stealing someone's horse without reason is just being a bad person!" Liang Xiao said, "Judging people as good or evil can be biased, and a moment of carelessness can lead to big mistakes..." Seeing Feng Lian's scowling face, he sighed and said, "Fine, you say what you want." Feng Lian smiled slightly and suddenly asked, "Xikunlun, will you promise me something?" Liang Xiao looked at her sideways, and Feng Lian bit her lip, her eyes reddening as she spoke softly, "I want... I want you to promise me that from now on, you won't leave me behind. Just thinking about it scares me, scared that you'll disappear again like last time without a word..." Her voice was filled with grievance, and before she could finish speaking, tears began rolling down her cheeks.

  Liang Xiao didn't want to get involved in danger, so he had been chasing after Tian Lang Zi alone. But unexpectedly, this led her into a precarious situation. Seeing her resentful expression, he felt a pang of guilt and said, "Alright, I agree with you." Feng Lian burst into tears and laughed, jumping up to hug Liang Xiao's neck, happily saying, "I knew you would agree!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Liang Xiao regretted it. Being hugged by her made him even more uncomfortable, so he used the excuse of letting her ride a horse instead of walking, helping her onto the horseback and following alongside on foot.

  One man and one horse galloped side by side on the grassland, with Huo Liu Xing's horse in the lead. Liang Xiao's footsteps were leisurely and didn't fall behind. The wind sympathized with his promise, and he was overjoyed, unable to contain his laughter and conversation. Liang Xiao's heart wasn't focused, and he responded perfunctorily. He had always been proud of his lightness kung fu, but today he lost to Huo Liu Xing, which made him feel a bit down. Thinking back to when he first heard Huo Liu Xing's whistle, he didn't think this person was particularly formidable. Unexpectedly, his lightness kung fu was so remarkable. As he thought about this, his mind suddenly moved, and he exclaimed, "Ah!" The wind sympathized with him strangely: "What's wrong?" Liang Xiao patted his forehead, laughing: "I thought of a strange thing..." As he spoke, his face changed, and he flew out, rushing forward. In front of them, another corpse lay on the grass, wearing red clothes and white hair - it was Zhu Que.

  The corpse was still intact, and Liang Xiao looked at it for a while, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He stood up, and Feng Lian dismounted her horse and walked to his side. Just as she was about to speak, they suddenly heard the sound of horseshoes, and turned to see over 40 riders galloping from the south. The leader was a beautiful woman wearing a white silk dress with seven-colored bird feathers embroidered on it. The colorful-dressed woman jumped off her horse while it was still running and quickly arrived in front of Liang Xiao. As soon as she saw Zhu Que's corpse, her face changed greatly, and she pointed at Liang Xiao's heart with her fingers like a sword.

  Liang Xiao didn't defend against her sudden attack, and with a raised eyebrow, she retreated several feet. The colorful clothes woman's finger wind landed on the ground, and the mud seemed to be pierced by an invisible club, slowly sinking to form a small hole. Feng Lian angrily said: "Why did you hit someone?" But the colorful clothes woman didn't respond to her, her beautiful eyes wide open, staring fixedly at Liang Xiao.

  A woman in green clothes rode a horse to hurry over, shouting loudly: "Sister Cai Feng, what's wrong?" The woman in colored clothes replied hoarsely: "Qing Luan, you... first take a look at Zhu Que!" The woman in green jumped off the horse, touched Zhu Que's skin, and her face turned pale. She tore open his shirt with her hand, and on his back, there were five faint blue finger marks. She couldn't help but cry out: "Tian Lang Gong!"

  Cai Feng's face was ashen and terrifying, like a female ghost, staring at Liang Xiao with hatred: "You killed Zhu Que?" Before Liang Xiao could respond, Feng Lian hastily said: "Don't wrong good people, when we arrived, this stinky horse thief had already died!" The Jing Jue people have been enemies of the Turkic horse thieves for generations, and Feng Lian deeply detested them, so her words were not polite. Cai Feng was furious but smiled instead, waving her slender hand, and the knights dismounted, their crossbows aimed at the two.