Chapter 37: Soul Snapped at Qiantang

  Changzhou was breached, and Suzhou and Huzhou surrendered without a fight. The next spring, Toghon attacked and broke through the Dusong Pass, and the Yuan army arrived in Lin'an one after another. The officials of various ranks in Lin'an fled in succession. Emperor Gong of Song and his mother were at a loss, and they sent someone to negotiate for peace, but Bayan rejected it. Soon after, he sent someone to present the imperial seal and surrender.

  Bayan led his army to the foot of Lin'an City, and Empress Dowager Xie brought out the young Emperor Zhao Xian to surrender. The Song officials and ministers wept and mourned, bowing down before Bayan's horse. At this time, a fine rain fell from the sky, shrouding the mountains and fields, and the heavens lost their color. Bayan dismounted and lifted up Zhao Xian, feeling triumphant and overjoyed, and laughed loudly towards the heavens. Over 100,000 soldiers cheered in unison, shaking the earth. The Song officials and ministers were both sorrowful and fearful, with tears falling like rain. Later, Wang Yuanliang wrote a poem lamenting: "At the western mountain pass where the sun sets, at the northern gate where the rain comes from heaven, the southerners shed tears while the northerners laugh, and I bow my head to worship the cuckoo!"

  Liang Xiao followed the army south, nominally as the deputy commander of Ping Zhang, but in reality he spent his days drinking and was drunk to death. One day, he got drunk for a night, woke up with a terrible headache, Ah Xue couldn't help but persuade him to go out of the camp and take a walk to clear his mind. Liang Xiao couldn't bear to disappoint her, so he reluctantly agreed.

  Two people ride horses with reins, walking along the west bank of Xizi Lake. Looking up and afar, the thin mist has not dispersed, the smoke and water are vast and hazy, the pavilions and kiosks remain as before, but lack the sound of music and dance. In the distance, fog locks the sky, dark and unclear, even the shadow of Xise Mountain cannot be seen.

  Liang Xiao gazed out at the lake scenery, recalling the chance encounter with Hua Xiaoshuang and her daughter here years ago. At that time, they were two innocent children, unaware of worldly matters; now the scenery remains the same, but the heart of youth is no longer there.

  At a sentimental moment, I suddenly heard the sound of a huqin, its melody mournful and unbearable. Someone sang along with the strings: "The flowers and trees are thinking of each other, the birds are cutting branches to make pictures. The fish in the water are paired like eyes, the mandarin ducks on the shore are like a household. Step by step, the golden lotus is paved, it's a good place in the world. Don't think about it too much, or you'll sell West Lake." The tune was low and mournful, lasting for a long time.

  Liang Xiao listened silently, thinking to himself: "The willow trees, the broken branch map, the mandarin fish, and the yuan-yang door, this West Lake has taken all the good things in the world, enticing the prominent figures of the Great Song Dynasty to indulge in pleasure and forget about their troubles, ultimately losing everything, including this West Lake. If they had spent half of their time on governance and military affairs instead of indulging in pleasure, would they have ended up like this?" Feeling suffocated, he took a sack of strong liquor and drank it all in one gulp.

  It was already noon when they returned to the camp, and Bai Yan's commander summoned them. Liang Xiao instructed Ah Xue to return to the camp and went to the central military tent himself. Before entering the tent, he heard continuous laughter. As soon as Bai Yan saw him, he laughed and said: "Liang Xiao, you've come at just the right time, let me introduce these noble guests!" Everyone in the tent looked over when they heard this.

  Liang Xiao's eyes swept around, and his face changed color. To the right of Bo Yan sat the fourth prince, Tuo Huan, and to the left sat the white-clad stranger, He Tuo Luo. Below Tuo Huan was a man in yellow clothes with white hair, who was none other than "Huang He" Ming Gui. Below He Tuo Luo was a lama in yellow robes sitting cross-legged. The row of people standing behind the four were all familiar to Liang Xiao: Ha Li Si, Huo Zhen Ren, and A Tan. There was also an unfamiliar old man in a green robe, tall and thin, with a harmonious aura. Liang Xiao had not expected so many enemies to gather together under one account, and his heart began to pound like thunder, sweat breaking out all over his body, and more than half of the wine's effect wore off.

  Tuo Huan met Liang Xiao for the first time, initially shocked, then burst out laughing and said: "Is this really Liang Xiao? Indeed as tender-faced as rumored!" The last four words were spoken with gritted teeth.

  Bo Yan gave Liang Xiao a glance, smiled and said: "This is the King of Tuo Huan, who was conferred as the King of Zhen Nan, ruling over Jiang Nan." Seeing that Liang Xiao didn't move, he frowned and asked: "When you see the king, why don't you pay your respects?" Liang Xiao looked up at the sky with a cold smile, unmoving. Bo Yan and Tuo Huan were not on good terms, but he felt that in front of everyone, he couldn't just let him lose face, so he hesitated for a moment before Tuo Huan waved his hand and said: "Forget it, I'm also an old acquaintance of Lord Liang's, let's dispense with the formalities!"

  Bo Yan smiled slightly, descended the stairs with the help of a ladder, and pointed at Ming Gui: "This Mr. Ming is the newly appointed military strategist of the great king Du Huan, with profound wisdom and insight beyond ordinary people." Ming Gui stood up straight, exchanged a faint smile with Liang Xiao, but did not speak to acknowledge each other.

  Liang Xiao was puzzled in his heart, not knowing why Minggui had joined the ranks of Tuohuan. Boyan pointed to that yellow-robed lama and smiled: "This is the current emperor's master, the great disciple of Basiba Living Buddha, Master Ganba." Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat, he didn't know about Ganba, but he had heard of Basiba's reputation. This person was born with a wise root, at the age of 16, he met Kublai Khan and was made emperor's master by Kublai Khan, his power was very prominent.

  Tanba stood up, and all he saw was that he had broad shoulders and a rough face. He clasped his hands together in greeting and said with a smile: "Ping Zhang's military tactics are like those of the gods, shaking the imperial court, Tanba has long admired you!" Liang Xiao returned the courtesy and said calmly: "You're overpraising me." Tuo Huan saw that he had returned Tanba's courtesy but not his own, and couldn't help but snort in anger.

  Bo Yan was about to introduce He Tuo Luo, He Tuo Luo stood up and smiled: "Lord Ping Zhang, I have eyes but no knowledge of Mount Tai. If there is any fault in my previous actions, please forgive me." Everyone was surprised and did not know how the two were acquainted. Liang Xiao thought that he should not hit a smiling face, so He Tuo Luo apologized and he himself would lose his dignity if he retaliated, so he coldly smiled and turned to sit down.

  Harris's eyes rolled, and he suddenly laughed: "Lord Ping Zhang, do you still remember me?" Liang Xiao saw him laughing with a sly glint in his eye, and thought for a moment before smiling: "I remember!" Harris took big strides forward, laughing: "If the lord doesn't mind my being too forward, let's get to know each other better!" He stretched out his left hand towards Liang Xiao. Liang Xiao said: "Good idea!" and casually extended his right hand.

  Two people's palms were about to touch, Harris' middle finger with the "snake eye diamond" quietly turned over and moved under his fingers. Baiyan saw it clearly, but before he could stop them, the two hands touched and then separated, Liang Xiao turned around and walked away. Harris was stunned, looked down, his face pale, and urgently called out: "Lord Pingzhang, wait!"

  Liang Xiao turned back and said, "What?" Harris hesitated, "I... my ring?" Liang Xiao smiled, "What ring?" Harris glared at Liang Xiao, his eyes blazing with anger. The "Snake Eye Magic Ring" was a family heirloom passed down from his ancestors, extremely hard and able to snap steel swords in two if grasped tightly. If Liang Xiao had really grabbed it, his hand would have been pierced by the ring. But unexpectedly, Liang Xiao used his "As-You-Wish Phantom Hand" technique, skillfully removing the ring from Harris' finger when they shook hands. Harris realized something was amiss and quickly withdrew his hand. Harris had tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice instead, failing to harm Liang Xiao while losing his treasured family heirloom. He was left speechless with shock and anger.

  Liang Xiao sat down calmly, as if nothing was wrong. Harris hesitated, wanting to shout, but suddenly heard He Tuo muttering a few words and Harris's face turned red with anger, retreating behind him. He Tuo looked at Liang Xiao and smiled: "Great skill, Lord Ping Zhang! Please don't mind my son's offense."

  Liang Xiao glanced at Harris and smiled: "Is he your son? Ha, I think you look more like his son." The whole group of Du Huan changed color, all thinking: "This man is so rude!"

  Unexpectedly, He Daluo was overjoyed, his thumb twitching upwards as he smiled and said: "Sir has a unique eye for things, I, He, may not have any other skills, but this art of preserving one's youth and vitality is something I've grasped quite well." After speaking, he looked around with an air of satisfaction. Liang Xiao had originally intended to make the father-son duo uncomfortable, but unexpectedly He Daluo was delighted instead of angry, leaving Liang Xiao feeling uninterested. The wine arrived, and after downing two jars of strong liquor, he fell onto the table, dazed and confused.

  Everyone saw his drunken state and had a look of disdain. Bo Yan was even more angry: "This kid is getting more and more out of hand, if I had known he would make such a fool of himself, I shouldn't have called him to meet!" Pretending not to see, he smiled and said: "Danba Dashi, you were ordered to suppress the great dragon vein of Song Dynasty, what's the method for suppressing it?"

  Dan Ba laughed and said: "This method is not difficult to say. First, we must overthrow the Great Song Dynasty's imperial palace, cutting off its earthly spiritual roots; then dig up the tombs of the Song Dynasty emperors, take their bones, mix them with cow and horse bones, and bury them on top; finally, build a hundred-zhang-high tower to store Buddhist scriptures, Buddha statues, and esoteric mantras. In this way, the Great Song Dynasty's royal energy will be completely dissipated, the dragon pulse will be cut off, and the Zhao family emperors will never be able to turn over for generations!" Liang Xiao did not want to talk to these people, so he pretended to be drunk, but when he heard this, he became furious, thinking: "This monk is digging up people's ancestral graves! As a Buddhist monk, he should do good deeds as his foundation, how can he be so shameless and despicable?"

  Tuo Huan laughed and said, "In my opinion, breaking the dragon vein of the Song Dynasty is not enough." Ganba laughed and said, "Your Majesty must have a profound theory, I am willing to hear it in detail." Tuo Huan said, "The Zhao family cannot become emperors, but other families may become emperors. It's best to do one thing or not do it at all. Investigate the ancestral tombs of the Song people's aristocratic families and dig them up to ensure that our great Yuan Dynasty will last for thousands of years and never be extinct." Ganba said, "Your Majesty's words are correct, but how can we dig up all the tombs of the Song people? There must be hundreds of millions of them!" Tuo Huan laughed and said, "Dig one less, there is one less!" Baiyan also said, "Your Majesty is right! It's like fighting a war. Today, defeat their several hundred soldiers, tomorrow capture their two generals, eventually making them surrender without any soldiers or generals." Tuo Huan clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "Prime Minister, you are indeed a famous general of the world, your three sentences do not leave your profession!"

  Liang Xiao Yue listened and got angrier, his heart filled with indescribable sorrow and indignation: "We fought nine deaths and one life to establish our empire, only to have it taken advantage of by these shameless scoundrels." Unaware of the wine fumes rising, he slammed his hand on the table and stood up straight.

  The tent was quiet for a moment. Bo Yan looked at Liang Xiao's expression and thought it wasn't good, just about to scold him, when suddenly a strange noise came from afar. It was slow and then fast, high and then low, making people's hearts skip a beat. Liang Xiao forgot to scold, turned his head to look outside the tent, and Bo Yan also ordered Nuo Zha to investigate immediately. Before long, Nuo Zha brought in a hundred-man commander.

  Bo Yan saw the hundred officials' frightened faces and lowered his head, saying: "What's the panic? If you're panicking now, how will you fight?" The hundred officials swallowed their saliva and hastily saluted, saying: "Reporting to the Prime Minister, a strange creature has appeared in the right army camp!" Bo Yan frowned and said: "Nonsense! In broad daylight, where did this monster come from?" The hundred officials said: "I dare not speak nonsense, this sound is indeed made by the monster."

  Everyone was quiet, concentrating on listening, and then the hundred officials continued: "Earlier, a sound came from Wutuluhai's account in Xiaojiang's department. At first, everyone didn't care, thinking that Wutuluhai was snoring while sleeping. I think it's not right to sleep lazily in broad daylight, so let HuheTai go and pull him out."

  Bo Yan said: "Sleeping during the day should be beaten with a stick, and then demonstrated to the crowd!" Bai Fu Zhang said: "Yes, but unexpectedly Huhe Taisi entered the account, called out 'hiss' and there was no movement again! The young general's heart is strange, and he sent someone in again. Unexpectedly, one by one, they went in but didn't come out. The strange sound became more and more intense, at first like a grass flute, gradually becoming a cow's roar. The young general was about to go and investigate personally, when Wutu Hai arrived." Tuo Huan asked strangely: "Isn't Wutu Hai inside the account?"

  "He was guarding outside, heard that something strange happened in the tent, and without saying a word, he rushed in. All that could be heard was his loud cry, and then there was silence. The strange noise grew louder and louder, and soon the entire camp could hear it. Everyone is brave in battle, not afraid of knives, guns, bows, or arrows, but this matter is truly bizarre. It's probably an evil spirit at work, and ordinary people can't defeat it. I heard that Damba Zongba is here, so I've come to ask for his help in subduing the demon!" He gazed at Damba with pleading eyes. As he spoke, the strange noise grew even more bizarre. At times it was low and faint like a flute, while at others it was loud and thunderous like a drumbeat. The pitch rose and fell unpredictably, changing in extreme ways.

  Bo Yan's heart was filled with suspicion and he slightly furrowed his brow. Gan Ba hesitated for a moment before standing up and saying, "Chancellor, I'll go take a look to see what kind of evil creature it is." He Tuo Luo also slowly stood up, smiling as he said, "I'll accompany the honorable one on this trip!" Gan Ba knew that his martial arts skills were unfathomable, and even his master, Ba Si Ba, had told him to yield three parts, so he joined his hands together in respect and said, "Thank you, sir."

  Bo Yan was not convinced of the magic spell, but the soldiers in the army were superstitious about ghosts and gods. If he didn't use some tactics, he feared that it would shake the military's morale. So he smiled and said: "I'll accompany the Venerable too!" Ganba laughed and said: "No need for the Prime Minister to take the trouble, please heat up some good wine, Ganba will go and come back right away!" With a wave of his sleeve, he went out with He Tuo Luo.

  Everyone sat down again, but their hearts were not at ease. Before long, the strange noise stopped abruptly. Tie Huan clapped his hands and laughed: "The respected one has great magical powers, but I don't know what kind of monster he caught. I'd like to take a look." Just as he was about to get up, they heard a shout and were left wondering. The messenger, the hundred-man commander, rushed in again, panting and shouting: "It's not good! The respected one has been injured!" Tie Huan asked in surprise: "Was he bitten by a monster?" The hundred-man commander shook his head: "It wasn't a monster, it was a person!" Everyone was shocked. Bo Yan said: "Tell us the whole story, don't leave out half a word!"

  Baifu Chang said: "The respected one arrived at the camp, chanted a spell in front of that tent, pushed out with both hands, and suddenly a strong gust of wind rose from the ground, blowing the tent far away." Boyan thought to himself: "That is the Mahayana's great mudra!" He asked again: "What was strange about the tent?"

  "Sounds strange when you hear it, but doesn't look strange. Huhezhai and Wuduhai are lying on the ground, one person is sleeping on the bed, clothes all tattered, that strange noise is him snoring!" Tuo Huan shouted: "Nonsense! Such a loud noise, how can it be made by human?" Bai Fuzhang said with a mournful face: "It's true, I don't dare to speak nonsense." Bo Yan's face was as calm as water, and he said lightly: "Alright, go on."

  Bai Fuzhang responded with a sound, continuing: "Danba Zun saw that person sleeping and not waking up, so he said: 'What kind of demon has come to this place?' His voice was loud and shook my head dizzy and ears buzzing!" A Tan sighed: "Danba Shixiong's 'Lion's Roar' is truly unparalleled!" Bai Fuzhang said: "The little general hasn't heard the 'Lion's Roar', but the tiger's roar is nothing more than that! That person woke up with a start, rubbed his eyes, and stared at Zun asking: 'Are you calling?' Just looking at his long whiskers and disheveled hair, he was a crazy old man. Danba Zun saw that he didn't look like a demon, so he said: 'Sir...' Before he finished speaking, the old man's body swayed, grabbed Zun's chest, and threw him out..."

  Everyone who heard this lost their color. Dabala had followed Basiba since childhood and deeply understood the true teachings, whether it was Buddhist law or martial arts, he was a top figure in the Mi Zong sect. Who would have thought that with one move, he would be thrown out, it's really hard to believe.

  The hundred officials didn't notice the strange expressions of the crowd, and continued to say: "The Venerable One flipped over in mid-air and landed steadily on the ground. The old man laughed and said: 'Great monk, your skills are not bad!' The Venerable One said: 'I am a lama, not a monk.' The old man laughed and said: 'It doesn't matter if you're a trumpet or a flute! Come, try hitting me with six palms!'"

  Everyone was shocked again when they heard this, and Bai Yan thought: "This person is too arrogant. The 'Big Handprint' realm of Daban is extraordinary, and the wall will collapse with a single push. Even if it were replaced by the master, he might not be able to withstand his six palms!"

  The hundred officials continued: "The venerable one looked surprised, joined his palms together and said: 'Where does the pavilion come from? Why is it pretending to be a ghost?' The old man impatiently said: 'Are you going to hit me or not? If not, I'll leave.' The venerable one was still hesitant, Mr. He Tuo laughed and said: 'The old man dares to speak like this, the venerable one hits him with two palms, it's unlikely to hurt him!' Liang Xiao listened coldly and thought: "He Tuo is cunning, he doesn't have a surefire way to win so he's urging the venerable one to take action, while he himself stays on the sidelines to reap the benefits."

  "Respected one said to the old man, 'I've wronged you!' The old man said, 'Come here!' Respected one went before him, swung his hand and slapped him once. The old man took a step back, but respected one retreated two steps." Baiyan asked, "Was that person injured?" Baifu shook his head, "No!" Baiyan raised an eyebrow, slightly revealing surprise.

  The hundred officials continued: "The elder was stunned for a moment, then clapped his hands again. The old man retreated another step, and the elder also retreated two steps. He bowed his head with clasped hands, and his bones crackled loudly. Suddenly, he rushed forward, both palms striking out together, hitting the old man four times in succession..." Before he could finish speaking, Tuo Huan clapped her hands and exclaimed: "That's it! The old man was beaten to death, and Bao Ba suffered a minor injury from the backlash of his own strength?"

  "Impossible!" said Bai Fu Chang, shaking his head. "The old man retreated four steps back, nothing happened, but the respected one fell more than ten feet away, with a face as red as blood and purple." Bo Yan slammed his hand on the table and shouted loudly: "Nonsense! How can this person's flesh and blood withstand the great palm print of the Ten Successes?" This shout had the power of thunder, Bai Fu Chang was so scared that he fell to the ground, trembling with fear, saying: "Everything I said is true!"

  Bo Yan felt embarrassed, furrowed his brow and sat down, saying: "What happened next?" The hundred officials said: "Dangba Zun took a deep breath, stood up and said: 'Your martial arts skills are unparalleled, may I ask your surname and name?' The old man scratched his head, muttering to himself: 'Surname and name? Surname and name?' He said two sentences, then suddenly slapped his own head loudly, shouting: 'Can't think of it, can't think of it!' With a flicker of his eyes, he glared at Zun and said: 'You hit me six times, I'll hit you once!' In an instant, he rushed in front of Zun, the two faced each other, and Zun flew out, spitting out a mouthful of blood."

  Everyone felt a chill in their hearts and thought: "Who is this person? He took six slaps from Bao Ba, but Bao Ba couldn't even take one slap back?"

  The hundred-man commander said: "As soon as we saw the respected one get hurt, he picked up his spear and went up. Mr. He suddenly rushed to the front, two people came and went in a flash, too fast to see clearly. The old man kept shouting: 'Good skill, good skill!' From his tone, it seemed that he was very happy. After fighting for a while, I saw that it was hard to distinguish between victory and defeat, so I led the men to rush up together. The old man said: 'Great! Let's play chicken catching eagles!' He threw down Mr. He on the school field and started circling around..."

  He sneered and said, "Since ancient times, the old eagle catches the young chicken. Where does the young chicken catch the old eagle?" The centurion looked gloomy and said, "The young general guessed that the old man was saying he was the old eagle, and we were all young chickens. Young chickens catching an old eagle would naturally not be able to catch him. Over a hundred of us blocked his way, clearly seeing him approach, but when everyone pounced together, they couldn't even touch a corner of his clothes."

  "He jumped over people's heads?" The hundred officials shook their head and said, "He saw people coming, didn't jump or leap, just dodged and weaved through the crowd like a clear breeze, couldn't be caught or touched." Just as he was saying this, seeing Tuo Huan's face full of disbelief, he was about to swear an oath when suddenly a long whistle pierced the air, strong and powerful, rising up to the heavens. Following that was another strange cry, sharp and high-pitched, mixed with hissing sounds.

  The hundred officials' faces changed color, and they cried out: "They have arrived..."

  Bo Yan furrowed his brow, stood up straight and said: "Let's go take a look!" He led the crowd out of the commander's tent. In the blink of an eye, only Liang Xiao was left in the tent. He drank wildly, getting drunk to the point where he stumbled out of the tent, feeling like his chest was churning, and couldn't help but lean against the wall of the tent and vomit loudly.

  In a daze, the figure in front of him swayed, and Liang Xiao looked up to see that there was an extra person in the tent. He had a lion's nose and a wide mouth, his sword-like eyebrows slanted upwards, and his appearance was majestic and extraordinary. However, his hair was very disheveled, and although his clothes were of high quality, they were also dirty and tattered. He sat steadily at the head of the table, grabbing food and drink with abandon.

  Liang Xiao was slightly startled and asked, "Who are you?" The old man stopped eating and drinking, looked troubled when he heard this, and shook his head saying, "Can't think, can't think..." Liang Xiao said, "Can't think what?" The old man said, "Think who I am!" Liang Xiao was even more curious, asking, "Why can't you think?" The old man rolled his eyes and said loudly, "Because as soon as you think, it's wrong."

  Liang Xiao was taken aback, and when he turned around to look, the soldiers outside his tent were all standing there like wooden chickens, not moving or responding even after hearing the conversation inside. His heart skipped a beat as he drew his sword and shouted, "What brings you here?" The old man chuckled and said, "I'm just here for food, food!"

  Liang Xiao frowned and asked, "Old man, where did you come from?" The strange old man said, "I came from the sea!" Liang Xiao asked, "Did you take a boat?" The strange old man glared at him with both eyes: "Nonsense, I rowed here myself!" Liang Xiao said, "That's still taking a boat!" The strange old man scratched his head and said, "Is that so?" Just as he was about to think, he shook his head again: "Can't think, thinking is wrong."

  Liang Xiao restrained his temper and asked, "What brings you here in a boat?" The strange old man said, "I'm looking for someone to fight!" Liang Xiao asked, "Who are you looking for?" The strange old man replied, "A monk!" Liang Xiao was surprised: "What monk?"

  The old man scratched his head and said, "I don't remember!" He suddenly glared, slammed the table and shouted, "You little rabbit, asking this and that, wanting to get me in trouble!" With a wave of his hand, two porcelain plates flew left and right towards Liang Xiao.

  The plate came swiftly, Liang Xiao's emotions were urgent, and his two hands parted to sweep away the two ceramic plates. The ceramic plates rotated inward, making a "crashing" sound as they shattered in front of his chest. This move was from the Chu Xian Stream's "Ji Xiao Liao Liao", Liang Xiao executed it with precision, instantly breaking the old man's killing move.

  The old man was overjoyed, and with a loud whoop, he leapt into the air, his greasy fingers splayed like bird claws. Liang Xiao dodged to the side, avoiding the attack by a hair's breadth. The old man missed, but this only added to his excitement, and he laughed, saying "I'll get you next time!" With a speed that belied his age, he launched another two-pronged attack. Liang Xiao ducked under one of the claws, drew his sword from its scabbard, and stabbed at the old man's right shoulder with the "Bright Opening Sword". The old man dodged to the side, picked up a chopstick, and laughed, saying "Come on, you use your knife to stab me, I'll use my chopstick to stab you. Let's see who gets the better of the other!" As he spoke, he stabbed at Liang Xiao with the chopstick, using the same "Bright Opening Sword" move, but with even greater speed and ferocity than Liang Xiao had shown.

  Liang Xiao was greatly shocked and changed his move to "Big You Jian". The old man followed suit, also using the move "Big You Jian". Liang Xiao was even more shocked, leapt back and changed his move to "Small Chu Jian", but the old man also used "Small Chu Jian" and struck first, hitting Liang Xiao's tiger mouth.

  Liang Xiao's long sword fell to the ground, and he cried out in surprise: "You also know how to return the sword?" The strange old man smiled and said: "You also know how to return the sword?" Liang Xiao furrowed his brow, unfolded the "Ten Directions Step", and sprang to the back of the strange old man. His palms came together, and before he could even strike with "Three Talents Return to the Origin", a flower bloomed in front of his eyes, and the opponent's figure vanished. Then, a strong gust of wind suddenly rose from behind him, and he hastily used the move "Heavenly Rotation Earthly Revolution" to turn around and attack the old man's left chest. The strange old man also quickly turned around, attacking Liang Xiao's left chest. Regardless of the moves or techniques, they were all extremely similar to Liang Xiao's.

  Two palms clashed, and Liang Xiao fell out of a zhang, landing with his blood churning. He thought that the old man must have had some connection with Gong Yangyu, as neither "Gui Cang Jian" nor "San Cai Gui Yuan Zhang" worked, and he could only use another kind of martial arts to counterattack. He used the Stone Array Martial Arts, first using the move "Fu Xi Wen Gu", but unexpectedly, the strange old man also used "Fu Xi Wen Gu". Liang Xiao was shocked in his heart, and immediately followed up with the moves "Zhou Wen Wang Bu Gui" and "Gui Gu Zi Fa Ke", two moves linked together. The strange old man smiled slightly, and then changed into two moves, with a style and technique identical to his.

  Liang Xiao was shocked beyond words. In today's world, only he knew the Stone Array martial arts, yet this strange old man was using it with such mastery - it was truly bizarre. In an instant, the two had exchanged thirteen moves. Liang Xiao's mind suddenly stirred and he blurted out: "Old man, you've stolen my martial arts!" As soon as the words left his mouth, the strange old man also shouted: "Old man, you've stolen my martial arts!" The two spoke in unison, their sentences identical.

  Liang Xiao suddenly enlightened, he made a move, and the strange old man learned one move. Not only did he learn it perfectly, but he also managed to counterattack and gain the upper hand. Thinking of this, Liang Xiao made another move, "Scratching Lice and Discussing Tao". In the Northern Dynasty, Wang Meng met Qin King Fu Jian, with one hand in his sleeve scratching lice, and the other hand pointing out the great affairs of the world. This move was used to point at the opponent's acupoints with the left hand, while the right hand was hidden in the sleeve, pulling out a dagger for a surprise attack. When Liang Xiao made his move, he intentionally added some variations, his left hand pointing as usual, but his right hand suddenly circled around and slapped his own chest. The strange old man saw this and also imitated it, his left hand pointing, and his right hand slapping his chest.

  Liang Xiao's palm fell, thinking that if the old man followed through with his strike, he would definitely hurt himself. So when his palm reached his chest, he retracted his internal energy. But unexpectedly, the strange old man also retracted his energy, not only was he unharmed, but his left hand's five fingers were still pointing at Liang Xiao's chest.

  Liang Xiao did not expect his opponent to have also mastered the internal energy changes, and in a moment of astonishment, he had already retreated to the corner of the tent. In a flurry, a tendon shot up, using the move "Guang Chengzi's inverted kick of the dan furnace", kicking downwards towards the old man's heart. The old man followed suit, also using the move "Guang Chengzi's inverted kick of the dan furnace". The two men clashed, their bodies intersecting. Liang Xiao felt a sharp pain in his back, having been kicked squarely by the old man, and the wine he had drunk surged up violently, causing him to vomit it all out.

  This spit was extremely strange, the old man couldn't bear it, and angrily shouted loudly. Avoiding the filthy thing, people were like wind blowing through grass, slipping out of the way for several feet.

  Liang Xiao stood up, raised his eyes and saw the old man staring at him. The old man puffed out his chest and said: "Youngster, what's this water-spitting skill of yours called?" Liang Xiao's back was aching with pain, and he irritably replied: "This is called Tianhe Daoxuan!" The old man scratched his head and said: "Tianhe Daoxuan? Never heard of it... Ah! Can't think, can't think!" He hit his forehead again, looking anxious.

  Liang Xiao thought: "I can't beat the old man, thirty-six moves, retreat is the best move." Just as he was about to turn around, a white light flashed outside the tent, and He Tuo Luo rushed in, seeing the strange old man, and said with a gloomy smile: "Good fellow, you've hidden here!" The strange old man flipped his eyes and said coldly: "Who are you? Who is your good fellow?"

  "Heh, old cheat! You were just trying to kill me a moment ago, and now you're pretending not to know me?" He sneered, throwing out both fists at once.

  The two men were ten zhang apart, and Liang Xiao didn't notice anything unusual: "Can his fist's power reach as far as ten zhang?" He Daluo approached three zhang closer, suddenly changing to a palm, then again approached three zhang closer, transforming into a fist. Suddenly a fist, suddenly a palm, changing continuously three times, the two men were now only five chi apart. The strange old man's eyes were wide open, staring at He Daluo's hands, his expression extremely focused.

  Hei Tuo's palms moved again, and Liang Xiao thought: "Change fists or use palms? Hmm, it's decided, use palms." Unexpectedly, Hei Tuo let out a loud shout, and both fists came out together. The strange old man dodged and counterattacked with his palm, the two exchanged another move. A strong gust of wind suddenly rose, cups and plates fell all around, clattering incessantly, even the large commander's tent shook from it.

  The two men each retreated three zhang, suddenly fists and palms, claws and fingers, far away from the move, mouth shouting non-stop, as if drinking wine excitedly, guessing each other's moves. Liang Xiao had previously guessed wrong about He Tuo Luo's fist and palm, now watching from the side, couldn't help but secretly guess whether they would come out with fists or palms, fingers or claws. After more than ten moves, he only guessed two or three correctly. What was even stranger was that He Tuo Luo's movements were clear and distinct, but the old man didn't imitate him in the slightest.

  Liang Xiao repeatedly made mistakes, feeling disheartened. Seeing the two men's movements getting slower and slower, but their strength increasing, He Tuo Luo stumbled, and the old man took a step forward, his palm slanted, He Tuo Luo's palm force was off, brushing against the tent wall, three wooden pillars supporting the tent collapsed. Liang Xiao saw that things were not going well, and quickly retreated out of the tent. Only to hear three consecutive loud noises, the tent collapsed to the ground, burying the two men underneath, only to see two mounds rising and falling, like a dragon and snake moving in tandem.

  The tent collapsed, and Boyan led the crowd to rush back. He ordered someone to fetch bows and arrows, pulled them full, and aimed at the people under the account. However, the two figures came and went like lightning, and it was difficult to distinguish between friend and foe for a while.

  Everyone was shocked and impatient, a strange noise sounded, the cowhide tent broke two holes, two human shadows jumped in mid-air, exchanging seven moves like lightning. He Tuo Luo stumbled, suddenly fell backward.

  The old man let out a strange cry and rushed forward, striking out with four palms. He dodged the first three, but couldn't avoid the fourth. Just as he was about to raise his palm to block it, Baiyan released the bowstring, shooting three arrows in a line at the old man. The old man didn't dare to be careless, and forcibly withdrew his palm, shrinking his body to dodge one arrow, and then swiftly waving his hands to deflect two more. Unexpectedly, He Tuo took advantage of the chaos to strike out with his fist, hitting the old man's chest. The old man let out a long, shrill cry, and his body disappeared like smoke, falling back down over ten feet away, passing over the heads of the crowd, and vanishing behind a tent. He Tuo also flipped over and landed on the ground, taking a deep breath, as a black aura rose up from his pale face.

  Bo Yan put away his bow and arrow, furrowing his brow. Those three arrows had all his strength, but unexpectedly not one hit the mark. It was strange that the old man could take a punch from He Tuo Luo and still move freely, his martial arts skills were astonishing and intimidating. He racked his brains, unable to figure out the old man's background, so he asked He Tuo Luo: "Sir, do you know where he comes from?" He Tuo Luo remained silent, at this time a green shadow flashed by, and the green-robed old man rushed over in quick steps, took out a porcelain bottle, poured out three dan pills, and said with a smile: "Master, your yinwei pulse is slightly damaged, taking these three pills will make you fine."

  Hedda took the pill, sniffed it, but didn't swallow. Her gaze fell on Harris. Harris's facial muscles twitched twice, and he silently stepped forward, picked one up and swallowed it.

  He Da Luo took a moment to swallow the Dan medicine, and after several rounds of inhaling and exhaling, he opened his eyes and smiled: "Mr. Chang's Dan medicine is indeed effective!" Bo Yan's gaze flashed, and he smiled at the old man in green clothes: "Is Mr. Chang not 'Laughing King Yan'?" The old man in green clothes was taken aback, and smiled: "I am just a humble Ning, fortunate to have been included in the Prime Minister's law, I am truly grateful!" His words were modest, but his eyebrows showed great pride.

  Bo Yan smiled faintly and said no more. But Liang Xiao was puzzled: "This old man's medical skills are excellent, how did he end up with the nickname 'Yan Wang'?"

  He Tuo Luo turned around and smiled at Ming Gui, "Mr. Ming, you are knowledgeable and insightful, have you guessed the origin of this strange person?" Ming Gui smiled, "I'm not good at guessing, please enlighten me!" He Tuo Luo said coldly, "If Mr. Ming doesn't know, then I certainly don't know either. This person's moves are completely unpredictable, making it impossible to grasp." Ming Gui smiled, "You're being too modest, whoever this person is, next time we meet, they will definitely not escape your hands."

  The two of them seemed to be praising each other, but in reality, they were criticizing. He Tuo and the strange old man had a battle and he ended up at a disadvantage, knowing that they would meet again someday, it might be easy to protect himself, but winning was impossible. However, he had a thick skin and endured, smiling: "Mr. Ming is overpraising me." Ming Gui smiled slightly.

  Liang Xiao was well aware of Ming's subtlety, and from his demeanor and speech, it could be inferred that he had guessed the origin of the strange old man. Why didn't he want to reveal the truth? It was indeed strange. Liang Xiao suddenly had an epiphany: "Ming Lao and He Tuo must have a deep-seated grudge. He knows but doesn't speak, precisely because he doesn't want He Tuo to know the true nature of the strange man. Next time they clash, his chances of winning will be greatly reduced, and it's best if he dies at the hands of the strange man."

  The handsome tent was set up, and everyone was about to enter when a swift horse suddenly galloped over. The rider, covered in dust, fell off the horse and handed out a yellow scroll. Tuo Huan stretched out his hand to receive it, but the rider bypassed him and handed it to Bo Yan instead. Tuo Huan's expression turned ugly, and he reluctantly withdrew his hand.

  Bo Yan unrolled the scroll, took a glance, paced back and forth several times, and suddenly said: "Pass down my order, all generals above the rank of participant must come to the commander's tent for discussion." The personal army leader received the order and left. Bo Yan entered the large tent, sat at the top, his face gloomy and expressionless. Everyone didn't know what had happened, they stood around in a flurry.

  The generals all gathered together, and Bayan stood up, his tiger eyes scanning the crowd as he spoke in a stern voice: "A major piece of news has arrived! M?ngke's son Shilemü has colluded with Haidu to plot a rebellion, and all the northwest generals have been arrested. The 100,000-strong army has fallen into his hands. Now he has joined forces with Haidu, trampling our former capital and Lin, and seizing Genghis Khan's military tent. The Emperor has issued an imperial edict, ordering me to lead the army back west immediately!"

  The generals heard the words and changed color. Genghis Khan's military account, to the Mongols, is like the Han Dynasty's transmission jade seal, once lost, not trivial. Moreover, the northwest army changed, the rebel army increased to 30 million, including the Mongolian king of the sea, the situation was precarious.

  The big account was silent for a moment, and only the sound of Bayan's footsteps could be heard coming and going. After a moment of contemplation, Bayan raised his head and called out: "Liang Xiao!" Liang Xiao stepped forward in surprise. Bayan said: "The Holy One has an edict, ordering you to lead the Mongolian camp, the Jurchen camp, and 80,000 elite Han cavalry to march north first! A-Tu broke through Yangzhou, and will meet up with you afterwards!"

  Li Xue's mind went blank, and she felt a little dizzy: "Do we have to fight again? After fighting the Song Dynasty and Mongolia, when will this war end? The world is united, and there is no more war, isn't that just an empty phrase?"

  Tuo Huan furrowed his brow and said, "The elite soldiers and strong generals have been withdrawn, how can we destroy the Song Dynasty afterwards?" Bo Yan said, "There are priorities in things. The remaining defeated soldiers of the Great Song are like chickens and dogs, not worth mentioning. Hai Du and Xi Li Ji are the real formidable enemies!" He gazed at Liang Xiao, saying in a deep voice, "This trip is of great importance, we must win and cannot lose!"

  Li Xiang did not respond. Ba Yan saw that he was listless and displeased, just about to scold him, when a qianhu chang hastily came in and urgently reported: "Grand Chancellor, Song's imperial son-in-law Yang Zhen has taken the benefit of King Zhao Jun and Guang Wang Zhao Bing and escaped from Lin'an, heading south!" Ba Yan was already annoyed by the northwest military affairs, and upon hearing the news, his eyebrows stood on end, and he sternly said: "How can this be?!" This shout was like a thunderclap, startling that qianhu chang into a cold sweat, and he kowtowed.

  Tuohuan's eyes rolled around, and he laughed: "Prime Minister, why get angry? This matter is left to me, I guarantee that those two little rabbits will be captured!" Boyan's face showed worry, and he sighed: "If these two escape to the south, it will be a never-ending trouble!" He gritted his teeth, raised his hand, and slammed the table, shattering it into powder. He growled: "Fine, let's kill the chicken to scare the monkey, cut off the Song people's thoughts! Zhen Nan Wang, you capture Guangyi and Erwang, execute them on the spot, no need to report back to me!" Tuohuan clapped his hands and laughed: "Just what I wanted!" Amidst the maniacal laughter, he led the crowd out of the tent.

  Bo Yan dispatched his troops and retreated all the generals, leaving only Liang Xiao alone. He sighed for a long time and said: "Liang Xiao, the emperor has wanted to see you early, but owed the right opportunity. Alas, he is old and the princes are not obedient, repeatedly rebelling; The crown prince is weak in nature, it's hard to take on important tasks. So I want to have a young and promising general to support the situation, even after the emperor passes away, can assist the crown prince, deter the princes, expand the territory, and live up to the legacy of Taizu. After Xiangyang, every time you fight a battle, the emperor will let me report the war situation back to the capital, carefully considering it. Last time I entered the court, he didn't even mention your name in front of the princes and ministers, saying that he would not only leave you for his son to use but also for his grandson to use. Alas, in the past, he repeatedly broke the rules to promote you, you also know this, this time he specifically named you, wanting you to lead troops northward. The honor is rare in ancient and modern times, it's your good fortune to meet such a wise emperor!

  He paused for a moment, then continued: "When it comes to military strategy and battle, the likes of Ha Duo are not your match. However, as a high-ranking official in the imperial court, on this trip to the northern capital, you must be humble and restrained, and control your emotions. The imperial court is not like the battlefield; on the battlefield, every move is clear-cut, but in the imperial court, things are often unclear. I have a special relationship with you, which is why I tolerate your arrogance, but others do not have this luxury. Moreover, you hold high power and position, who wouldn't want to take your place? If everyone were to become your enemy, even with a thousand eyes, you couldn't handle it! Therefore, when the time comes to be tough, be tough; when the time comes to yield, yield as well. Don't always rely on your own abilities and temperament, or you'll stir up trouble. As the saying goes: 'The higher one climbs, the more envy they attract; the cleaner one is, the more suspicion they arouse.' In war, killing and plundering are unavoidable, but being overly calculating will only create more enemies. Remember, this world belongs to Kublai Khan. The emperor values loyalty above all else, followed by ability. Even if you don't have treacherous intentions, rumors can be terrifying, and accumulated slander can destroy one's reputation! Take today as an example: your disrespect towards Tuo Huan is a minor matter, but if he were to take offense, the situation could escalate with just a few words. As high-ranking generals like ourselves, if we were to be accused of treason, not even a hundred heads would be enough to atone for it. I must remind you again: don't always fiddle with those abacus rods. Earlier, when Guo Shoujing recommended you to take charge of the Imperial Observatory, the emperor flatly refused. Our Great Yuan dynasty was established through military conquest, and mathematics and astronomy are merely minor arts; true governance lies in battle and statecraft! Moreover, the emperor has grand ambitions, not only seeking to unify the land within the seas but also to expand our borders overseas. Goryeo, Japan, Annam, Champa, ancient Luoyang, Egypt, Daqin, and Western countries are all to be conquered one by one. You're still young, with many opportunities to use your talents...

  Bo Yan said a lot in one breath, and when he glanced over, Liang Xiao's mind was absent-minded, his eyes wandering, and he didn't realize that he was furious inside. He shouted loudly: "Do you understand?" Liang Xiao's body shook, he let out a breath of air, and slowly said: "I understand." Bo Yan thought for a moment, and then had no other orders to give, so he said: "Alright, you go and arrange the troops, we'll set off in two days!" Liang Xiao bowed deeply to him, turned around, and walked out with big strides.

  Bo Yan looked at his back and suddenly felt a mess in her heart: "This little scoundrel, I don't know how much more worry he will bring me?"

  When Liang Xiao walked out of the tent, the sky was already dark. He walked for a while, and suddenly heard someone laughing and saying: "Congratulations! Congratulations!" Liang Xiao frowned, turned his head to look back, and Ming Gui came out from behind the tent with a smile. Liang Xiao didn't want to pay attention to him, and coldly said: "What's there to be happy about?" Ming Gui laughed and said: "Is Lord Ping Zhang going to make use of me? With great power in his hands, tomorrow he will lead the army northward, if they win the battle, they will surely go down in history. Isn't this a joyful event?"

  Li Xue glanced at him and said lightly, "If you have something to say, just say it, no need to beat around the bush." Ming Gui smiled and said, "Let's forget about past grievances and start anew. If you're willing, I'd like to lend you a helping hand. Do you know the current situation in the imperial court? Bayan is actually part of the Crown Prince's faction and is at odds with Tuo Huan. In the future, Tuo Huan will definitely make things difficult for you everywhere, but with me by his side, secretly providing you with information, it will be of great benefit to your future prospects." Seeing Li Xue's skeptical expression, he smiled and said, "It's natural that you have doubts, but this matter is greatly beneficial to me. Currently, the Yuan court is full of contradictions, both internally and externally. There are rebellions by the princes outside, and within the imperial family, the princes are also at odds with each other. As soon as Kublai Khan dies, the situation will change. At that time, you'll be in command of a powerful army, and with my help, you can first overthrow Tuo Huan, control the Crown Prince, use the emperor to order the princes, and use military force to subdue the rebellious princes. In one move, you can seize control of the Yuan dynasty's politics. At that time, even if you can't become emperor, you can still be like Cao Cao or Huan Wen."

  Li Xue looked at him with a mysterious face, and from the bottom of her heart, she felt disgusted. Coldly, she said: "Surnamed Ming, do you think I would collude with someone like you? You're lucky to have kept your life in front of me."

  Ming's face sank, and he coldly laughed: "Liang Xiao, what kind of good person are you pretending to be? Ming has some calculations, but I don't kill many people. You point your whip, and a hundred million corpses fall, Ming is willing to admit defeat. Hmph, the four words 'same flow, same filth' are returned to their original owner." With a flick of his sleeve, he floated away.

  Liang Xiao couldn't help but stay in the local area. He had never approved of Minggui's actions, and now that he was being ridiculed by him, he found it impossible to refute, feeling suffocated for a moment. After standing for a long time, he finally got on his horse and walked around Lin'an City, buying some cosmetics and colorful clothes. Returning home, the night had already deepened, Ah Xue was busy with needlework, seeing him return, she was overjoyed, helping him take off his armor. Liang Xiao saw her smiling face, feeling a surge of affection, asked: "What are you doing with needlework?" Ah Xue's cheeks flushed slightly, saying: "I see Li Ting and others have hung sachets, but you don't have one." Liang Xiao frowned, saying: "What do I need those stinky things for?" He picked up a box, casually tossing it to Ah Xue, "This is for you!"

  Ah Xue lifted the lid and found a set of exquisitely embroidered ladies' clothes, and couldn't help but ask in surprise: "Brother, whose is this?" Liang Xiao smiled slightly and said: "I gave it to you." Ah Xue's face turned red as she said: "I want to fight with you, how can I wear a girl's clothes?" Liang Xiao sighed and said: "From now on, you won't have to wear men's clothes again!" Ah Xue was shocked and blurted out: "You...you're going to drive me away?" Liang Xiao shook his head and said: "Don't get it wrong!" Seeing Ah Xue's suspicious expression, he continued: "Go take a bath and change your clothes." Ah Xue's face turned bright red as she retreated into the room.

  After a while, Ah Xue changed her clothes and came out. The fragrance of the hot water had not yet dissipated, and her cheeks were still flushed red, making her even more lovely. Ah Xue saw Liang Xiao staring at herself without blinking, and she couldn't help but feel flustered, her hands and feet trembling as she whispered: "Brother?" Liang Xiao finally came back to his senses, sighed and said: "So you're this beautiful! I don't know which lucky bastard will be able to marry my lovely little sister!"

  A Xue's heart was sweet as honey after hearing the first sentence, but she felt disappointed and sat in front of the mirror with a pout. She hadn't worn women's clothes for many days, and her hair bun couldn't be styled properly. Liang Xiao sighed, got up to style her hair, brought over the makeup box, and drew her eyebrows, applying rouge. A Xue stared blankly at the mirror, letting him do as he pleased, when suddenly she spoke softly: "Brother, you...you've dressed me up like a new bride, could it be...that you've promised me to someone?" Her beautiful eyes reddened, and tears welled up.

  Liang Xiao smiled wryly and said, "Nonsense, it's not going to happen!" He pulled A Xue and sat down beside her on the stone steps in front of the courtyard, sighing, "Didn't I tell you? I won't force you to marry someone, and if you want to get married, I won't stop you either!"

  A Xue lowered her head and said, "What if I accidentally marry the wrong person and get bullied?"

  Liang Xiao snorted coldly, "I'll twist his head off!"

  A Xue let out a startled cry, then suddenly laughed and said, "Then wouldn't I become...become..." She couldn't bring herself to say the two words "widow".

  Liang Xiao smiled faintly and said, "Alright, I'll spare him for your sake. I'll just break his two legs instead."

  "A Xue thought: "Can you hit yourself? Even if I could, I'd still feel heartache." Her gaze was as gentle as water, and she lightly rested her cheek on Liang Xiao's shoulder. Liang Xiao looked at her for a moment, and a warm feeling rose in his chest."

  Two people leaned on each other, speechless for a long time. By midnight, Ah Xue was tired and sleepy, dozing off. When she woke up, she was already in bed, covered with a quilt, soft and warm, fragrant scent in her nose. She rubbed her eyes, got up to look around, Liang Xiao was facing the solitary lamp, writing something, and wrapped some things, solemnly placed on the case.

  "Brother, what are you doing?" Ah Xue asked. Liang Xiao turned around and said, "You're awake?" He got up, pushed the door open, looked up at the sky, and saw that it was pitch black, with only the North Star shining brightly. He remained silent for a moment, then walked to the bedside and whispered, "Ah Xue, I'm not going to fight anymore!" Ah Xue exclaimed in shock, "You... what did you say?"

  Xiang Xiao bitterly smiled and said: "Ah Xue, since I joined the army, I have killed many people. I had thought that after this war was over, I would abandon my bow and horse to go to Dadu to reform the calendar and build water conservancy projects. But they won't let me, instead wanting me to go west to conquer the Mongolian kings, continuing to kill people...". As he spoke, a bitter expression crept onto his forehead, and he let out a long sigh. "Rather than this, it's better for me to leave."

  A Xue also sighed, resting her face on his back and said: "Brother, A Xue is tired too. Let's go far away, to Qin Chuan, to Egypt, and cover the whole sky with our footsteps." Liang Xiao couldn't help but smile, sighing: "A Xue, hearing this sentence, my heart is truly joyful!" His mood lifted, he burst out laughing, A Xue also smiled and said: "Should we tell Tu Tu Ha and the others?" Liang Xiao shook his head: "Let's leave quietly, it's best that way!" A Xue didn't understand the reason, but felt that leaving quietly was for the best.

  Liang Xiao made up his mind and, together with Ah Xue, set off in a hurry through the North Gate at night. He held the token of passage, and there was no obstruction on the way. Unexpectedly, just as they were about to reach the official road, they saw a team of cavalrymen rushing forward with torches, shouting and running. Liang Xiao didn't know what had happened, and his heart was filled with doubts. He said: "Ah Xue, I didn't say goodbye, Bo Yan must have sent someone to chase us. Let's go hide in the deep mountains for a few days first, and wait for the storm to pass before leaving."

  The two of them headed southeast, but unexpectedly there were more and more Yuan soldiers along the way. Liang Xiao used all his strength to detour and entered the deep mountains. After walking for half a day, at noon, they chose a place to hide, using their palm strength to break trees and set up a hut, planning to stay for a while until the news passed, then go elsewhere.

  He set up a good nest, just thinking of sitting down to rest, when he suddenly heard the rustling of bushes ten yards away. He knew that wild beasts were near and his heart was filled with joy: "Good, dinner is settled." Holding his breath, he rushed forward, his left hand parting the bushes, his right hand grasping like the wind.

  This grasp was exquisite and unparalleled, even tigers and leopards would be hard-pressed to escape. But unexpectedly, the grass and trees parted, revealing a small child's face full of terror. Liang Xiao was shocked and lost his composure, forcibly retracting his strength, his claw paused in mid-air above the child's face. The child was only four or five years old, with tattered clothes and a face smeared with blood and mud, and after this fright, he burst into tears.

  He cried, and Liang Xiao was flustered. Suddenly, a slightly larger child emerged from behind the little one, his hands shaking as he stammered: "Don't... don't touch my brother..." Before he could finish speaking, a rustling sound was heard, and Liang Xiao looked down to see that the big kid's tough words were belied by the fact that he had wet himself. Liang Xiao was both startled and amused: "How did two kids appear in this desolate mountain wilderness?" He looked up to see a man lying behind the two children, his clothes tattered and stained with blood. Liang Xiao pushed aside the two children and reached out to feel the man's breath. The big kid cried out again: "Don't... don't touch..." Seeing that Liang Xiao was ignoring him, he too became frightened and began to cry.

  That person's breath stopped, and he had been dead for a long time. Liang Xiao got up gloomily and remained silent. Ah Xue heard the crying sound and rushed over, seeing the situation she hugged the children and comforted them with warm words. The two little ones seemed to have a lot of grievances, and the more Ah Xue comforted them, the harder they cried. The younger child cried while calling out "mom".

  Liang Xiao stroked the child's head and asked, "What are your names?" The two children were a bit afraid of him, the older one shrinking back and saying timidly, "I... I'm called Zhe Er, he... he's called Bing Er..." Liang Xiao sighed and asked again, "What brought you here?" Zhe Er began to cry, saying, "My brother and I were sleeping when our uncle burst in, picked us up and put us on a horse. Many people were chasing after us, many people died... Our uncle is also dead..." As he spoke, he started crying again, and Bing Er followed suit.

  He spoke vaguely, and Liang Xiao listened quietly, his face changing from light to dark. After a while, he sighed: "I didn't expect to meet you here. Hmm, your surname is Zhao, right?" The two stared at him, and Jing Er said crisply: "Uncle... how did you know?" Liang Xiao was taken aback, thinking: "This is the first time someone has called me uncle!" So he relaxed his tone and said: "Of course I know. I also know your aunt's name is Yang Zhen, your mother's surname is Quan, and your grandmother's surname is Xie!" The two were even more surprised, and Zhuo Er showed a guarded expression, shrinking into Ah Xue's arms, her voice trembling: "You... you're here to catch us too?"

  Liang Xiao thought to himself: "The King of Yan, Yang Zhen, has taken the two princes, Zhao Zheng and Zhao Bing, and escaped to the south. This is a great burden off my shoulders! The troops outside must be those sent by Tuo Huan!" He stared at the two young princes, frowning in thought: "Unexpectedly, the two kings are just two children under ten years old." His heart was set on escaping the war, and he didn't want to get entangled again after having just abandoned his post and fled. For a moment, he felt deeply troubled and remained silent.

  A Xue wiped away the tears of the two and asked softly, "Are you hungry?" Zhao Bing nodded and said, "Bing'er is very hungry, do we have swallow's nest to eat?" A Xue hesitated and shook her head, "No!" Zhao Zhen swallowed his saliva and asked, "What about five-jewel jelly?" A Xue shook her head again. Zhao Bing furrowed his brow and said, "How about roasted duck soup?" A Xue sighed and said, "None of those are available, only beef patties!" She brought over dry rations and spring water. The two young ones, who had grown up with fine clothes and food, were now famished after a day without eating. They grabbed the patties and devoured them hastily, causing A Xue to call out repeatedly in alarm, fearing they would choke.

  Taking advantage of Er Xiao's meal, Liang Xiao left for a while. When he came back, his face was pale, and he called Ah Xue to one side, telling them about the two people's origins. In a low voice, he said: "The soldiers we met on the way are all coming for them. I just took a look, there are many Yuan people in the mountains, and it won't be long before they search here."

  "A Xue exclaimed, 'Let's find a hiding place.' Liang Xiao shook his head and said, 'Tuo Huan has received the order to capture us, he will definitely spare no effort in searching for us. His subordinates are numerous and powerful, just Ge Daluo alone is not easy to deal with. Now this mountain range has been heavily surrounded, when the time comes, thousands of soldiers and horses will search the mountain together, there's nowhere to hide.' A Xue heard the three words 'Ge Daluo' and couldn't help but shudder, trembling as she said, 'What should we do? Can it be... can it be that we abandon the two children and don't care about them?'"

  Liang Xiao sighed, "Bo Yan has given the order to capture the two children and execute them on the spot. Throwing them down is equivalent to taking their young lives." Ah Xue looked at the child with a faint frown, secretly worrying.

  Zhao Zhen was so frightened that he soon fell fast asleep. Zhao Bing was still in good spirits, calling out "Uncle Liang Xiao" and "Auntie Xue". Auntie Xue's face turned red with shyness, but she was secretly delighted.

  She chatted with Zhao Kuangdong for a while, seeing that he was clever and lovely, and thinking of the many people outside the mountain who wanted to take his life, she felt sad. After thinking for a moment, she quietly pointed at Liang Xiao and whispered in Zhao Kuang's ear: "Kuang'er, go give your uncle a few kowtows and call him twice!"

  Zhao Bing stared with wide eyes, bewildered and confused. Ah Xue gently pushed him forward, whispering "Go quickly!" Zhao Bing didn't understand what was happening, but followed the instructions and walked to Liang Xiao's front, standing there stupidly, not daring to make a sound. Liang Xiao was drinking wine, saw him shrinking back in fear, and asked strangely "What are you doing?" Zhao Bing had been scared once before, his heart filled with fear, as soon as Liang Xiao spoke up, his legs went soft and he knelt on the ground, knocking his head loudly. Liang Xiao was greatly surprised, seeing him wanting to knock again, hurriedly held him back, calling out "Little guy, what are you doing?" Zhao Bing didn't know how to respond, stuttering "Uncle... uncle..." called twice, a wave of fear rising in his heart, and he couldn't help but burst into tears.

  Liang Xiao was taken aback, Ah Xue walked up and stroked Zhao Huan's head, saying: "Brother, he wants to recognize you as his uncle!" Liang Xiao gave her a glance, then looked at Zhao Huan's red and puffy little face, thinking: "Whether his father is the Emperor or his mother is the Empress, in the end, he is just an innocent child who knows nothing!" He felt a surge of compassion, wiped away Zhao Huan's tears and smiled: "Little guy, no matter what, I will always protect you."

  "Ah Xue happily said: "Huang'er, Uncle promised to protect you, don't you kowtow." Zhao Huang didn't understand but fortunately followed suit and kowtowed, Liang Xiao hurriedly supported him. Ah Xue's wish was fulfilled, her face full of smiles, she hugged Zhao Huang and took care of him until he fell asleep."

  Liang Xiao's mind was heavy with worries, and he hadn't closed his eyes all night. At midnight, he suddenly heard the sound of clashing metal. He grabbed his bow and arrow and rushed to the scene. Looking up, he saw a bright fire on a distant hillside, where dozens of Yuan soldiers were dancing with knives and fighting four Song people. Suddenly, a mournful cry was heard, and one of the Song people fell down. Turning his eyes again, two more people fell, leaving only one woman standing, her hair disheveled, wildly wielding a long sword.

  The Yuan army intentionally wanted to capture the woman alive, and a hundred soldiers shouted loudly, surrounding her on both sides and cutting off her retreat route. Liang Xiao felt a pang of sympathy, leaped down from his horse, and shot an arrow at the hundred soldiers. The man let out a muffled groan, and blood flowed from his neck like a fountain. Liang Xiao sprinted forward, firing arrow after arrow, each one hitting its mark, and the Yuan army, unsure what was real or fake, shouted and retreated in disarray. The woman took advantage of the opportunity to slip into the forest, and Liang Xiao shouted, "Follow me!" leading the way as he ran quickly, with the woman following closely behind him.

  The two of them turned seven or eight times until they reached a resting place, and by the light of the fire, Liang Xiao turned his head to look back, and was shocked. The woman was actually Chu Wan, who also let out a cry of surprise, raised her sword as if to stab him, but then realized she couldn't win, and for a moment was unable to advance or retreat, looking embarrassed.

  Liang Xiao frowned and said: "How is it you?" Chu Wan angrily said: "This question should be asked by me!"

  Upon hearing the commotion, Ah Xue and Er Xiao woke up. Chu Wan turned around to look, her eyes lit up, and she rushed over to grab onto Zhao Zhen and Zhao Bing, exclaiming: "You... how are you here? Where's the imperial son-in-law?" Zhao Zhen muttered: "Uncle is dead." Chu Wan's expression darkened, but then she suddenly jumped up again, blocking the two men with her body, glaring furiously at Liang Xiao.

  Liang Xiao said coldly, "If I had ill intentions, why would I save you?" Chu Wan's cheeks flushed red as she put down her sword and hugged the child to one side, asking this and that. After leaving Changzhou, she arrived in Lin'an and helped the two kings escape, but the Yuan army was too strong, a group of Song people were scattered all over the place, fleeing into the deep mountains. Chu Wan hid for half a day before being found by the Yuan army.

  Liang Xiao knew that the Yuan army would come searching sooner or later, so he extinguished the torches and went to set up wooden and stone mechanisms at the strategic passes.

  Chu Wan guarded against Liang Xiao, holding her sword and watching over the two kings. She didn't move an inch throughout the night. After a series of intense battles, she was exhausted and dozed off at midnight. In a daze, she vaguely heard laughter. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Liang Xiao had woven a delicate golden oriole with grass stems and was teasing the two little ones.

  Chu Wan was shocked and jumped up, holding her sword and shouting: "Get out!" Liang Xiao retreated half a step in response. Zhao Bing, being timid, saw Chu Wan's fierce appearance and rushed into Liang Xiao's arms, crying: "Uncle..."

  Chu Wan was even more shocked and hastily said, "Qian Shuai, quickly get out of the way, he's not a good person!" Zhao Bing looked at Liang Xiao in confusion and said, "Uncle is very good!" Chu Wan stomped her foot in anger, just about to scold him, when Liang Xiao waved his hand and said, "Don't say these things in front of the child, Chu Wan, I have something to ask of you."

  Chu Wan sneered, "With your great abilities, do you still need to ask for help?" Liang Xiao smiled wryly and said, "I've investigated a bit, not far from here there's a narrow valley, take these two children over there to hide!" Chu Wan was surprised and furrowed her brow, saying, "Only me going?"

  Liang Xiao sighed, "The search party has too many soldiers and horses. No matter how we hide, they will inevitably find us. The only way is to divert the searching troops. My sister Ah Xue is naive and can't handle big things! You take her and the child to hide for two days, wait until the Yuan army retreats, and rush to this place!" He drew a map on the ground, "This is Tianji Palace, you find the master Hua Qingyuan, report my name, he will definitely take you in."

  Chu Wan saw that he was sincere and didn't seem to be pretending, so she hesitantly asked: "You... what trick do you have?" Liang Xiao slightly smiled wryly and found Ah Xue, telling her the same thing. Ah Xue listened and anxiously asked: "Brother, how about you?"

  Liang Xiao Dao said, "I'll arrive at the Tianji Palace in a few nights to meet up with you!" He took off the Xuan Yuan sword and handed it to Ah Xue, "This is for you." Ah Xue accepted it, her eyebrows and eyes flushing red, she lowered her head and didn't speak.

  Liang Xiao's heart hardened, and he pointed out the direction of the narrow valley, urging the four to head there. Ah Xue fell behind, taking slow steps, frequently looking back with a reluctant gaze in her eyes. Chu Wan glanced at Liang Xiao, her expression bewildered, while Zhao Xian beside her asked, "Uncle isn't coming?" Chu Wan sighed and hugged him tightly before turning around and walking quickly away.

  Liang Xiao watched as the crowd disappeared, then led his horse to a high ridge beside the mountain pass. The trees on the ridge were bent and twisted, with large rocks and sharp branches above, and thick, tough vines below, arranged in rows like a mechanism. Liang Xiao took out a flask of kumis and drank deeply from it. From far away, the rustling of grass and trees carried the shouts of the Yuan army.

  In an instant, the wine's effect surged up, and he lay on the ground to nurse his spirits. His emotions were turbulent, and many past events welled up in his mind: "Just a day ago, I was the great general who pacified the empire, sweeping across the three Wu regions; who would have thought that today I would be facing my comrades with swords drawn?"

  He raised his eyes to the sky, where white clouds gathered in one place, vaguely forming a human face. At first glance, it seemed to be Liang Wenjing's appearance. Liang Xiao's heart trembled: "Does Father know in heaven and is also looking at me?" His chest was filled with hot blood, and he couldn't help but sit up, look around, and see a team of Yuan soldiers holding guns and spears, searching and approaching the mountain ridge.

  Liang Xiao suddenly jumped up and burst into a loud, long laugh. Before the Yuan soldiers could even lift their heads at the sound of laughter, two feathered arrows flew in, striking the first two men, who stumbled and cried out in agony as they fell to the ground.

  The crowd was caught off guard, and Liang Xiao drew his bow and shot again, killing seven more people. The remaining soldiers retreated backward. Liang Xiao did not pursue them, letting them escape. In less than a short while, the woods around them were teeming with people, thousands of soldiers shouting loudly, holding shields and rushing towards the mountain ridge.

  Liang Xiao endured and did not fire, waiting for them to climb halfway up. He swung his sword and cut off the vines, only to hear a loud rumbling sound as huge rocks and logs rolled down like thunder. The Yuan army's blood splattered everywhere, and cries of despair rose up. After the mechanism was released, over a hundred soldiers were killed or injured, and the survivors retreated down the mountain in disarray, crowded together in confusion.

  Liang Xiao didn't wait for the other side to regroup, he flipped over and mounted his horse, galloping out. He calculated the path, the southeast direction had sparse trees and flat mountain roads, it was a place where he could use his skills, so he rode his horse with a curved bow, his momentum like a flood bursting down a mountain.

  The troops could not withstand the enemy, and they watched as he broke through the encirclement, passed through a mountain valley, and galloped along the mountain path towards the outside. The troops were furious and each brought their horses to surround and intercept him. Liang Xiao exerted his divine power, and his arrows did not miss their mark. Wherever he passed, corpses covered the ground. Tuo Huan was enraged when he received the news, gathered his men, mounted his horse, drew his bow, and desperately pursued him.

  Liang Xiao killed his way to the outside of the mountain, exhausting the ten bags of arrows he had brought with him. His three strong bows were broken and their strings snapped, rendering them unusable. He dismounted his horse and killed his way back, shaking his long spear and killing five pursuing soldiers, taking their bows and arrows, and charging into the crowd. The curved bow was like a crescent moon, suppressing left and right, consecutively beheading three hundred men, rushing to the front of the commanding officer. That person was shocked and terrified, raising his gun to welcome him, Liang Xiao stretched out his hand to grab it, welcoming him with a spear thrust, stabbing him to death under his horse. He casually threw away his long spear, shook open his flower gun, and a bloom of gun flowers flew dancing through the array, none of which were able to withstand him.

  Both sides clashed, and after a fierce battle, they broke through the enemy lines for over 50 li. The Yuan army's soldiers gathered more and more, surging in from all four directions. Liang Xiao employed his old trick again, snatching two warhorses and charging into the fray, directly attacking a commander of a thousand men. He planned to first kill the general and then throw the enemy army into chaos. Just as he was about to strike with his spear, he suddenly heard that person exclaim: "Lord Ping Zhang!"

  Liang Xiao's spear paused, and he recognized the man as one of his own generals. The man was tongue-tied, with a look of shock in his eyes. Seeing his expression, Liang Xiao's heart softened, and he smiled: "Go! Tell Tuo Huan that I, Liang Xiao, have rebelled!" With a reverse stroke of his spear, he swept the man to the ground, turned around, and galloped out of the formation, fighting as he fled.

  Not long after the battle, they saw the commander's flag of Du Huan coming from afar. The soldiers shouted in unison: "Capture the rebel Liang Xiao alive!" Liang Xiao knew that the words of the thousand households had been passed on, and he couldn't help but laugh loudly: "There are no living ones, do you want dead ones?" He turned his horse's head, drew his bow and arrow, and charged into the enemy formation like a wave. The soldiers saw him being so brave and retreated in disorder to protect Du Huan. Unexpectedly, Liang Xiao was just pretending to be powerful, taking advantage of their retreat to seize two fine horses, and then rushed eastward at full speed.

  This lasted from morning till noon, when Liang Xiao gradually became short of breath and his spirit weakened. He leaned on the horse, panting continuously. At this time, he suddenly heard the sound of horseshoes in front, and more than 100 riders rushed over. Liang Xiao burst out laughing, just about to raise his gun to welcome them, when that group of horses and men suddenly fell into chaos. Looking up, a lone horseman wielding a long sword charged into the formation, fighting with the many cavalrymen as one.

  Liang Xiao was shocked in his heart, he fixed his eyes to take a look, and exclaimed, almost falling off the horse. The person wore embroidered clothes and had a palace bun, it was Ah Xue. She forgot that I had been struggling bitterly, covered in blood, and suddenly got hit by two arrows, sitting on the horse, swaying as if about to fall.

  Liang Xiao's heart was broken, his long spear shaking wildly as he charged into the formation, rushing to Asha's horse and with a reverse thrust of his spear, killing the leading general. He then hugged Asha and broke through the encirclement. For a moment, arrows rained down behind him, but before they could reach ten yards, his horse was hit by an arrow and he was thrown off.

  Liang Xiao was already exhausted, but at this moment he suddenly gained endless energy, turned over and fell to the ground, and started running wildly. The soldiers were heavily killed or wounded, their eyes red with anger, seeing that their enemy had lost his horse, they howled like a pack of wolves. Unexpectedly, Liang Xiao suddenly turned around and fled into the woods by the side of the road, the war horses ran out of control, tangled in tree branches, pushing forward and backward, chaotic and disordered.

  The sky is shining through the trees, dim and faint, with a murmuring sound in front, as if there is rushing water.

  Liang Xiao ran wildly, his face covered in blood from the thorny branches, yet he didn't even notice. Suddenly, a bright light appeared before his eyes, and the forest came to an end. As he looked out, he saw a river winding its way through the mountains and into the sea, a truly vast sight. The two sides had been chasing each other for half a day, but they had already arrived at the banks of the Qiantang River.

  His whole body was limp, kneeling on the ground, just about to struggle up, when he suddenly heard Ah Xue say: "Brother..." with a very weak breath. Liang Xiao lowered his head and saw that her pretty face was deathly pale, with bloodstains all over, but her eyes were full of smiles. The arrow wound on her neck was bleeding profusely, and couldn't be stopped, he felt a sharp pain in his heart, and scolded: "Stupid girl..." His hands moved quickly to bandage her wounds.

  Ashu's eyes were dim, and she lightly sighed: "Ashu is stupid... ability is small... can't help you... but this life encountered brother... Ashu is happy... very happy..." Fresh blood gushed out, the light in her eyes faded. Liang Xiao gathered his internal energy, poured it into the "Mingmen" acupoint, and tearfully said: "I scolded you wrongly, Ashu, stupid is me, I should have known you would come..."

  Asheng's slender fingers swept across Liang Xiao's eyes, wiping away his tears. She smiled softly and said, "Actually... Asheng... doesn't want to die either..." Liang Xiao's heart was like a knife being twisted, he tightly hugged her and said, "Nonsense! How could you die... I won't let you die..." He could face thousands of soldiers with ease, but at this moment, his tears flowed like a bursting dam.

  The sky grew darker, with layers of clouds piling up like a large sheet of gray paper splattered with a blob of thick ink. The strong wind blew in fits and starts, sweeping over the wild grass by the riverbank, making a soft rustling sound. Suddenly, a thunderclap exploded above the two people's heads, causing the vast earth to tremble.

  As the thunder rumbled, Ah Xue's mind cleared, and she felt her three souls and six spirits being blown away by the strong wind. Her eyes moistened slightly as she struggled to lift her hand and gently stroked Liang Xiao's temples. She sighed softly, "Ah Xue may have died, but... I couldn't bear to part with you. You... you never knew how to take care of yourself. Ah Xue is gone, who will worry about you now..." As she murmured, tears fell like broken pearls, row by row. "Everyone says brother is formidable, but... only Ah Xue understands that brother is like a ball of fire, burning others... and also burning himself..." For some reason, her mind was clearer than ever before, and all the thoughts she couldn't think of or express before came flooding out. "Brother is like a ball of fire... Ah Xue... is like a small moth that flutters towards the flame..." As she spoke, a strange light flashed in her eyes, and with her last ounce of strength, she hugged Liang Xiao tightly, whispering, "I love... brother... so much... I love..." Her voice sank low, turning into a faint, ethereal thread.

  The Qiantang River flowed eastward with a mournful sigh. A waterbird cried out in sorrow, flapping its wings and flying westward across the river's surface. Liang Xiao's heart also grew cold along with the body in his arms. In the sky, flashes of lightning tore through the dense clouds, rumbling and rolling, wanting to burst forth but unable to, as peal after peal of thunder boomed out, covering up the sound of hundreds and thousands of hooves. The men and horses gathered behind Liang Xiao, like a layer of dark cloud, growing thicker and heavier by the minute. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning zigzagged across the sky, shining brightly like a fiery snake, illuminating the sharp tip of an arrow and casting a black shadow that looked like an axe chopping down.

  A centurion, with a loud shout, swung his steel blade and chopped towards Liang Xiao's back. Hundreds of soldiers roared in unison, cheering him on. In an instant, a flash of lightning illuminated the scene, the centurion let out a blood-curdling scream, fell more than 15 meters away, struggled twice, then lay still. The shouting ceased abruptly, and the vast riverbank suddenly fell silent.

  The thunder grew louder, and the strong wind brought pea-sized raindrops that poured down, chilling to the bone. Liang Xiao shivered with cold, looked up at the sky, his face icy cold, unsure whether it was tears or rain. Suddenly, a loud shout came from behind, and countless footsteps rushed towards him. Liang Xiao lowered his head, gazed at Ah Xue, gently stroked her hair, and softly said: "Good little sister, you go first!" With a flick of his arm, Ah Xue fell into the river, the waves rolled up, and she was instantly engulfed.

  A flash of lightning, a long spear came like the wind. Liang Xiao's body slightly shifted to the side, grasping the spear handle, and with a swift motion, sent the person flying two zhangs away, spitting out fresh blood. Liang Xiao's body spun around, sword light flashing out, in an instant, dark shadows loomed, and fresh blood splattered everywhere. Liang Xiao charged left and right, like a mad tiger, all the soldiers saw this and were shocked to the core. Just as they were about to release their arrows, suddenly several long whistles echoed from afar, a distant voice called out: "The great king has an order, capture this person alive!"

  Everyone turned their eyes to look, and a group of horses galloped over. Before the horse arrived, three figures jumped off the saddle and ran over without touching the ground. The first person shouted loudly: "Make way!" With his hands rising and falling, he grabbed two soldiers on either side and threw them out.

  Li Xue raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Fire True Man, since you've come to send yourself to death, why the hurry?" Fire True Man let out a furious cry, like a nimble monkey leaping out, his sword flying in a stabbing motion. Li Xue's figure shot up, her hand reversing as she drew her sword, stabbing towards his shoulder. Fire True Man held his sword vertically to block, the two swords intersecting, sparks flying everywhere. Fire True Man's sword tip circled around, slantingly stabbing at Li Xue's wrist. Li Xue dodged and leapt up, her long sword horizontally stabbing. For a moment, only the two figures could be seen flashing about, their sword tips swallowing and spitting out, three moves not passing before suddenly blood flowers burst forth everywhere. Fire True Man's figure slightly stumbled back, retreating three steps in succession, a line of blood flowing down his right arm, his eyes wide open, filled with an expression of disbelief.

  "Next one?" Liang Xiao shouted, his long sword flashing in a circle as he stabbed towards Harris. Harris had just arrived and saw the sword coming, dancing up with his curved knife to make a slanted slash. Liang Xiao's move was not enough, his body shifted horizontally, the sword tip rising from below. Harris hastily retreated, Liang Xiao like a ghost or a demon, turning to his side to launch three swords in succession. Harris could only retreat again, Liang Xiao seizing the initiative, launching a flurry of attacks, stabbing out over ten swords, Harris not even able to counter with one move.

  Huoren didn't expect Liang Xiao's martial arts to have progressed so much, and he was defeated miserably. At first, when Harris suffered a calamity, he was delighted at his misfortune. But later on, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine, and he formed an alliance with Harris. With swords clashing, they attacked Liang Xiao from both sides.

  The two men were originally supposed to be one-on-one with Liang Xiao, but in the blink of an eye, they became a group bullying the minority. Suddenly, there was a burst of hissing sounds. The two men's faces were burning, but they thought that winning or losing was the most important thing, and everything else was secondary. As long as they could capture this person alive, no one would dare to gossip again.

  Liang Xiao fully displayed the "Gui Cang Sword", a sword that was unpredictable and ghostly. Harris and Huo Zhenren gradually felt unable to withstand it. Atan had been watching from the sidelines with a cold eye, but seeing this situation, he thought that if the two of them lost, he alone would not be a match for Liang Xiao. He immediately tore off his kasaya, took out the Vajra circle and put it on himself before advancing forward. Liang Xiao shouted: "You've come at just the right time!" His long sword drew a circle, bringing Atan into the fray. For a moment, the four figures chased each other in the wind and rain like flying catkins, their golden and silver lights flashing unpredictably, shining together with the lightning in the sky.

  Huozhenren had already been injured, the fierce battle had lasted for a long time, and he was losing blood, his movements were getting slower. Liang Xiao avoided his strong attacks and struck at his weak points, suddenly stabbing him in the face. Huozhenren lowered his head, his purple gold crown fell to the ground, his heart panicked, and he suddenly heard Liang Xiao's shout: "Go!" A foot flew out, kicking him in the abdomen, Huozhenren's blood sprayed wildly, shooting up more than a zhang high, his head down and feet up, heavily falling to the ground.

  Another exchange of blows, and in the flash of lightning, Harris let out a deafening roar as his waist and legs were slashed open by half a foot, revealing white flesh. He leapt three feet into the air, sat down heavily, clutching at his wound, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably. Abtan's heart was racing with fear as he wildly swung his giant iron ring, pouncing on Liang Xiao's side. Liang Xiao ducked and swiftly counterattacked with his sword, but Abtan clearly saw the iron ring encircle the blade, and with a swift reversal of his hand, he violently strangled it. Liang Xiao's long sword flew out of his hand in an instant, and Abtan was overjoyed: "Without your treasured sword, what can you do?" He focused solely on Liang Xiao's sword, but unexpectedly, Liang Xiao's left palm shot out, striking him squarely in the chest.

  Abtan's body was like a kite, flying out two zhang, falling to the ground. His internal organs were burning, but he still felt unresigned in his heart, and with a push of both hands, he struggled to get up again. At this moment, a loud thunderclap suddenly rang out, Abtan's whole body shook violently, a mouthful of blood shot out like an arrow, his eyes bulged, and with a crash, he fell backwards to the ground.

  Liang Xiao consecutively defeated three top masters, only to feel dizzy and disoriented. But after Ah Xue left, he merely sought a heroic death. With both hands on his waist, his gaze swept across the crowd as he loudly shouted: "Don't Mongolians have any good men?" His thunderous voice rolled out amidst the rumbling thunder, causing thousands of soldiers to fall silent momentarily.

  Suddenly, a low voice called out: "Who says the Mongols don't have good men?" The sound came from afar, but was not covered up by the thunder at all. As soon as the call fell to the ground, the sound of horseshoes could be heard. A group of cavalry rushed over from the north, with Bayan leading the way on horseback, followed by Tuo Huan, He Da Luo, Tu Tu Ha, Li Ting, and Nang Gu Diao. It turned out that all the great generals of the Yuan army had arrived.

  When Bayan's horse arrived, the troops made way for a road. Bayan stopped his horse three zhang away, with blue veins bulging on his forehead, staring at Liang Xiao without saying a word. Tuo Huan saw that his three top subordinates were all seriously injured and felt utterly humiliated, waving his hand and shouting: "Shoot him dead!" He Daluo waved his hand and smiled: "No need to waste arrows." After glancing at Haris, he dismounted and stared straight at Liang Xiao with a pair of blue eyes: "Please teach me the great move of Ping Zhang, sir!"

  Baiyan snorted in anger and said coldly, "What does it have to do with you, a Muslim, whether Mongolia has good men or not?" Hetao's eyes flashed with anger, but he laughed and retreated to the side. Baiyan pointed at Liang Xiao and shouted loudly, "I'll fight you one on one, and make you dare not look down on Mongolian heroes!" The generals were shocked and just about to speak when Baiyan sternly said, "No need to say more!" He flung his cloak aside, threw it under the horse's hooves, and ordered, "Give him a fine horse and a longbow!"

  Tutaha didn't wait for others to make a move, he dismounted his horse and led it in front of Liang Xiao, saying loudly: "My horse is yours!" The crowd was shocked. Tuo Huan angrily said: "Tutaha, you've also turned against us?" Tutaha remained silent and retreated to the side. Li Ting took a step forward, holding out the long spear in his hand, saying gruffly: "My spear is also yours!" Kang Ge also stepped forward, unfastening his strong bow, saying softly: "Liang Xiao, my bow and arrow!"

  Tegus Khorchi's face changed with shock and anger, and he shouted: "It's over, it's over!" Toghan Temur shook his head and sighed: "We Mongols rule the world with faithfulness, can I tell them not to talk about righteousness?" Tegus Khorchi was stunned, speechless.

  Liang Xiao saw himself at a dead end, but the three of them still didn't lose their sense of righteousness. He couldn't help but sigh, taking over the bow, arrow, and spear. Holding the spear, he drew a line on the ground and said loudly: "I'm drawing a line to cut off all ties with you three from now on! From this day forward, we'll have nothing to do with each other!" Tu Tu Ha and the others knew that Liang Xiao spoke like this because he was afraid of implicating himself. Remembering their past friendship, they couldn't help themselves, one by one bowing down to Liang Xiao and wailing loudly in sorrow.

  Liang Xiao didn't look at the three people again, turned around and mounted his war horse, raised his long spear, looked up to the sky and let out a long whistle. The sound of the whistle was filled with a heroic and tragic atmosphere. All the soldiers' blood was boiling, they urged their horses on, the horses stood upright, countless hooves fell, the momentum was like thousands of war drums sounding together. At the same time, the rain in the sky grew heavier, a heavy downpour finally came down.

  Liang Xiao spat out the resentment in his chest, shook the reins and charged towards Bo Yan. Bo Yan galloped sideways, the bowstring rang out, and a wolf-toothed arrow shot out through the rain. Liang Xiao raised his spear to block it, but the tiger's mouth was painful, and the long spear almost fell from his hand.

  Bo Yan was known as "Mongolia's First Divine Archer", his reputation for twenty years was not undeserved. With a whoosh, two arrows flew out in quick succession, and in an instant they arrived. Liang Xiao dodged to the side, his long spear sweeping swiftly, one arrow stuck into the white wax rod of his flower spear, and another brushed past the top of his head, the strong wind it brought sending his hair flying wildly.

  In the blink of an eye, the two horses approached each other. Bai Yan threw away his bow and arrow, and raised his ***. Liang Xiao's flower gun shook, and he stabbed forward with a thrust. Bai Yan blocked it horizontally with his knife, but suddenly saw Liang Xiao stretch out his hand to twist quickly, making a cracking sound, the long spear broke into two pieces from the spear hilt. Bai Yan only defended against his agile spear technique, but did not expect him to come up with an unexpected move, and his heart skipped a beat. Before he could change his stance, Liang Xiao used his left hand to wield the broken handle as a club, parrying *** away, while using the spearhead in his right hand like a dagger, thrusting it into the horse's eye. The horse was in extreme pain, let out a mournful whinny, and threw Bai Yan off its back. Bai Yan's movements were extremely swift, and as he fell off the horse, his long knife swept out like the wind, cutting off three legs of Liang Xiao's warhorse at the roots. Only water splashed everywhere, and the two men fell into the mud almost simultaneously.

  Bo Yan flipped over and jumped up, but before he could raise his knife, Liang Xiao rolled on the ground, stepped on the blade with both feet, and stabbed forward with both hands. Bo Yan had no choice but to drop his knife and retreat. Liang Xiao took advantage of the situation and pressed forward, his left hand wielding a stick like a rising dragon, his right hand holding a spear that seemed like a ghostly snake. The long and short weapons complemented each other, creating an unpredictable rhythm. Bo Yan was caught off guard and grabbed a five-foot-long giant bow, using it as a single knife. "Whooshing" sounds filled the air as he swung it around. This sudden change of moves left everyone in awe, their mouths agape, thinking to themselves: "The Flower Spear and Iron Bow still have such uses?"

  The thunder boomed louder, and the white rain poured down like a long dragon. In the rain, the two men trampled through the muddy water, advancing and retreating at times. After a fierce battle for half a day, Baiyan's giant bow became more and more agile, his knife skills gave rise to new uses, and he occasionally used his bowstring to snatch Liang Xiao's weapons. Liang Xiao saw him coming with his bow, suddenly crouched down, swept out with his left leg, and splashed a cluster of rainwater towards Baiyan. Baiyan was momentarily blinded, Liang Xiao spat out his rod quickly, and stabbed him right in the face. Baiyan's bowstring counter-hung, entwining the rod, and the two simultaneously exerted their strength, pulling the strong bow to its full moon shape. Liang Xiao swung his left arm, and the gun tip flew out, Baiyan dodged sideways, but unexpectedly Liang Xiao's throw was a feint, forcing him to offer his neck to the end of the rod. The bowstring had already been drawn tight, Liang Xiao released it with his right hand, and the white wax rod shot out like a strong arrow. Baiyan responded quickly, dropped his giant bow, lowered his head, and the white wax rod brushed past his forehead. In this way, both men lost their weapons, and they fell to the ground, pouncing on each other with their bare hands.

  Hei Tuo saw this and couldn't help but nod secretly: "The martial arts of these two are not the best, but they're really flexible!" As he was thinking, the two people on the stage suddenly changed their movements. Bo Yan was like a ghost, advancing and retreating, wanting to refuse but also welcoming, his palms moving in a strange way, up and down hard to distinguish, left and right unclear; Liang Xiao ran east and west, his palm strength condensed but not released, just circling around. The two people were several feet apart, getting faster and faster, like two strong gusts of wind, turning more than twenty circles, yet they hadn't exchanged a single move.

  Tuo Huan couldn't help but ask, "Mr. He Tuo Luo, what do you think the outcome will be?" At this time, the rain was pouring down like a deluge, and four personal guards used long spears to hold up a suit of armor over his head to keep off the rain.

  He Tuo thought for a moment and shook his head, saying: "The 'Dà Nì Zhū Xīn Zhǎng' against the 'Sān Cái Guī Yuán Zhǎng', it's hard to say who will win."

  "Sir, please speak plainly!" said He Tuo. "The palm technique used by the Prime Minister is the 'Great Reversal Heart-destroying Palm' created by Xiao Qian Jue. You see him aiming to the left, but he strikes to the right; you see him aiming to the right, but he gives you a left hook; originally aiming up, but suddenly striking down; clearly retreating, yet suddenly advancing. In short, the 'Great Reversal' means that in every move, whether advancing or retreating, attacking or defending, it goes against common sense; and 'Heart-destroying' means to make one's opponent bewildered and disoriented." Tuo Huan laughed and said: "Isn't this just cheating?" He Tuo smiled and said: "Your Majesty is wise, the key to this technique lies in the two words 'Heart-destroying'. If you can deceive your opponent into confusion and disorder, how can you not win? Therefore, it's said that this style of martial arts is the best in the world at deceiving people, originally created by Xiao Qian Jue to counter the 'Three Talents Returning to the Origin Palm'."

  Tuo Huan furrowed his brow and said, "San Cai Gui Yuan Zhang?" He Daluo said, "'San Cai Gui Yuan Zhang' is Liang Xiao's palm technique, the main idea is to examine the enemy's emptiness and fullness. When practiced to the extreme, it's like what the Han people say 'Pao Ding Jie Niu', using the mind to meet without relying on sight, knowing the stop but wanting to move, chopping the big void and leading the big cave, even with closed eyes can still hurt the enemy. It can be called the world's number one enemy-examining skill!"

  Tuo Huan seemed to understand, but asked again: "Why didn't the two of them fight each other from the beginning?" He Tuo Luo smiled and said: "The skill of deceiving people has met the skill of examining enemies. One is trying every means to deceive people into a trap; the other is carefully examining the reality and falsehood of the enemy, and if there is no absolute certainty, he will not lightly attack." Tuo Huan nodded and said: "I understand now, as long as Bo Yan can deceive Liang Xiao, he will win." He Tuo Luo shook his head and said: "This little thief is cunning and not easy to deceive. Prime Minister Bo Yan has set up countless traps, but this little thief won't fall for them. Hmph, if the two of them don't fight each other, it's fine; once they do, life and death will be decided!"

  He deliberately showed off his skills, word by word piercing through the sound of the rain, entering the ears of the two people on stage. Both were stunned, and in an instant they exchanged three moves. Liang Xiao caught a glimpse of an opening, his body pounced out, and he struck Bao Yan's chest with the "Three Talents Returning to the Origin" move. Bao Yan also realized his mistake as soon as he made it, and placed both palms horizontally in front of his chest. In that instant, the two used all their strength to clash palms, stirring up the rainwater to shoot out in all directions, like countless tiny flying arrows. Liang Xiao flew out for over six feet, heavily falling down, splashing up several feet of mud and water. Bao Yan stumbled, using his staff to steady himself, his blood and energy seeming to be about to burst out of his chest.

  The thunder rumbled, rolling in from the east. Liang Xiao struggled with all his might, but was unable to get up. Fresh blood mixed with rainwater flowed out of the corner of his mouth. In terms of martial arts, he was originally inferior to Bo Yan. Having fought a bloody battle for half a day, he had long been exhausted. Relying on his bravery and various clever changes, he managed to hold on until now. As for this palm strike, he had reached the end of his tether.

  "Heedro laughed and said, 'Liang Xiao, don't you admit defeat yet?' Liang Xiao let out an angry hum, pushed off the ground with both hands, and surprisingly stumbled back to his feet. Baiyan stared at him, opened his mouth to say a few words, but the thunder in the east grew louder, like a mountain collapsing, drowning out his voice."

  Liang Xiao's back was straight, but his whole body ached and felt like it was going to split open, yet the pain in his heart was even more unbearable. Tears mixed with rain flowed down his face, cold then hot, hot then cold. Bai Yan's expression was gloomy, suddenly clenching his fists tightly, he walked over step by step, his footsteps slow and heavy, as if treading on people's hearts. At this moment, the army formation suddenly became chaotic, many soldiers pointed to the east, shouting in shock.

  Bayan couldn't help but turn his eyes to look, a row of river water silver mountain snow wall came pressing. In an instant, a thought flashed in his mind: "Qiantang River tide!" Only to see the tide head like a running horse, as if it was angry, splashing and spraying, encountering death, facing destruction. The Mongolian soldiers were all northerners, who had been through many wars, but had never seen such a strange thing, and were shocked and at a loss for a moment, rushing into the pouring heavenly waves. Bayan was stunned for a moment, Liang Xiao gathered up his remaining strength and rushed over. Bayan stretched out his palm to block, but before he could exert his force, the surging tide swept over, momentarily engulfing the two of them.

  Tuo Huan and others were far away from the shore, seeing the momentum galloping wildly. When the tide went west, they finally looked back. But saw that there was no one on the riverbank, and when they wanted to rush over to investigate, suddenly heard a long whistle, Bo Yan turned over and jumped onto the riverbank. Tuo Huan was stunned, his face flashed with disappointment, angrily said: "Where is Liang Xiao?" Bo Yan shook his head and said: "I hugged a stone, just escaped, Liang Xiao..." He glanced at the river water, wanting to speak but stopped.

  The three of them wailed loudly in their hearts and knelt down by the riverbank, crying out in anguish. Tuo Huan sneered coldly: "General Bayan, Liang Xiao is your subordinate general. You failed to control him properly. I will have no choice but to report this to His Majesty."

  Bo Yan gave him a cold glance and said, "Liang Xiao was reckless and brought about his own downfall. I was wrong to use him, and I should apologize to the Emperor for it. However, the Western Expedition cannot be delayed. Tu Tuo Ha, Li Ting!" Tu Tuo Ha and Li Ting stepped forward in response, and Bo Yan said in a deep voice, "You two will take over Liang Xiao's position and lead the army northward!" Tu Tuo Ha was shocked all over, and he and Li Ting responded in unison. Du Huan's face changed greatly, and with an angry hum, he led his subordinates away on horseback like a whirlwind.

  Bo Yan gazed up at the sky, let out a long sigh. After a while, he glanced at the river and turned his horse around, galloping northward. The troops followed closely behind, and soon the sound of hooves faded away, the tide receded, and the banks of Qiantang River returned to tranquility.