Chapter 59: Moonlight on the Great River

  Liang Xiao's left hand grasped Shi Tianfeng, his right hand wielded a sword to deflect the arrow branches, and for a moment he couldn't spare a hand to throw the wooden board. Just as it seemed difficult to hold on, Hua Sheng snapped off a piece of the arena's wooden board, exerting his "Great Vajra Godly Strength", and shouted: "Go!" The wooden board flew along the surface of the lake, instantly landing behind Liang Xiao. Liang Xiao flipped over and leapt up, and Hua Sheng had already thrown a second wooden board. This sudden rise and fall continued until Hua Sheng threw his sixteenth wooden board, at which point Liang Xiao had already carried Shi Tianfeng back onto the arena. Ling Shuimeng's eyes shone with joyful tears as she repeatedly said: "Liang Gongzi, thank you!" She helped Shi Tianfeng up and pulled out the feathered arrow for him. Her heart ached with anger, and just as she was about to scold him, her tears began falling instead.

  Shi Tianfeng's face turned red with anger, but then he saw her tears and couldn't help but scold: "Old lady, what are you crying about? It was just one arrow! You're far away from the child!" Ling Shuimeng angrily said: "You old fool, I've been worried for 40 years, taking care of you for 40 years... can't you just be more careful and let me live a few more years?" Shi Tianfeng looked at her tears streaming down, revealing true emotions, and could only mutter a few words, having nothing else to say.

  This time, the Yuan army's prestige was not diminished, but instead, they lost a top-notch expert. The heroes were already discouraged, when suddenly, a small boat emerged from the Yuan army formation, with a Yuan general standing on it, wearing an iron helmet and casual clothes, shouting loudly: "Liang Xiao, brother Tuhai is here, just seeking a meeting." Two soldiers rowed the oars like flying, and in an instant, they reached the center of the lake.

  Liang Xiao's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he said with a hint of emotion: "Liang Xiao, this matter is suspicious, I'm afraid there's an ulterior motive, it's better not to go." Jiuru said: "What's the difference between conspiracy or not? Liang Xiao, opportunities are hard to come by, this person has delivered himself to our doorstep, let's capture him as a hostage and force the Yuan army to retreat." Liang Xiao thought for a moment, then turned back and said: "Xiaoxue, I'll be right back." Hua Xiaoxue nodded and said: "Be careful." The two exchanged a deep glance, and Liang Xiao turned around and rowed the small boat to the center of the lake. The two boats drew alongside each other, and a Yuan soldier used a hook to secure them together.

  Compared to the past, Tuhata's appearance had not changed, but his beard was much thicker, and his eyes were piercing. The two men looked at each other for a moment, then Tuhata pointed to the bow of the boat: "Sit." Liang Xiao nodded. The two sat facing each other, and Tuhata picked up a bag of kumis, saying: "Please!" Liang Xiao took it, pulled out the stopper, and drank.

  The two men sat in silence, finishing four bags of kumis. Tuo Tuo Ha suddenly threw the empty skin bag into the lake and laughed: "Liang Xiao, if you want to take me as a hostage, now is the best time!" Liang Xiao shook his head and said: "You first say your intention." Tuo Tuo Ha sighed and said: "Liang Xiao, San Gou'er, Yang Xiaoque, Wang Ke's parents and siblings are all safe and sound, enjoying wealth and glory. You can rest assured." Liang Xiao said: "Very good." Tuo Tuo Ha's expression turned gloomy, and he continued: "Nangutai was besieged by the rebel king's army in the north of the desert, his troops were exhausted and food was scarce, and he died by cutting his own throat." Liang Xiao's eyebrows twitched, and after a long while, he said: "He wrapped his corpse in horsehide, which can be considered as fulfilling his lifelong wish."

  The two men sat opposite each other in silence, Tu Ha grabbed two bags of kumis and tossed one to Liang Xiao. They both tilted their heads back and drank until they were empty. The people on both sides couldn't hear the two men talking, but saw them continuously drinking, and everyone was very puzzled.

  In an instant, the two of them finished three bags of strong wine. Tu Tuo Ha Lang said loudly: "The reunion is over, let's talk about the main issue." Liang Xiao said: "Please speak." Tu Tuo Ha said: "Tianji Palace is the lair of the Jiangnan Righteous Army, and King Zhen Nan has long had the intention to attack it. However, there are two reasons for this: first, we need to attack Annan and occupy the city; secondly, this place is a masterpiece of ghosts and gods, as Mr. Ming has deduced, without tens of thousands of elite soldiers, it cannot be broken through."

  Liang Xiao interrupted, "Is Mr. Ming referring to Ming Hui?" Tu Tuo Ha said, "That's right, he is now the military advisor of the King of Southern Conquest. The northwest kings have been defeated, and Wuhuati Khan has sent envoys to surrender. His Majesty ordered me to come south this time to assist the King of Southern Conquest in eliminating the remnants of the Southern Dynasty." Liang Xiao said coldly, "Your Excellency's power shakes the universe, and your prestige is renowned in the world. It's truly a joyous occasion." Tu Tuo Ha heard the sarcasm in his words and smiled bitterly, "Liang Xiao, don't mock me. As for facing each other on the battlefield, I am far inferior to you. However, this time with Mr. Ming's strategy, the King of Southern Conquest and I have come prepared, and Tianji Palace will be broken soon. Moreover, Shi Xin Long Ya has said that Yun Shu and others are all here, so today's battle is inevitable."

  Liang Xiao was silent for a long time, then suddenly sighed and said: "Tutuha, your Mandarin has improved a lot." Tutuha didn't expect him to say this, and slightly hesitated before saying: "Liang Xiao, I'm not joking. Either tonight or tomorrow, the Tianji Palace will definitely be breached. For many years, I have fought for the Emperor in the east and west, achieving great merits. As long as you utter one word, Tutuha is willing to exchange all his merits and wealth for your life."

  Liang Xiao waved his hand and said, "Tutuha, your intention is good. But you don't know that my skills mostly come from the Tianji Palace. As a human living between heaven and earth, one must remember where they came from when drinking water. If the Tianji Palace is in trouble, Liang Xiao will certainly fight to the death with it, how can there be a reason for him to survive alone?" His voice was like throwing gold and stone at the end of his speech.

  Tutuha remained silent for a long time, then suddenly stood up and said: "Alright, Liang Xiao, you want to take me as a hostage, go ahead." The two soldiers behind him were startled and quickly drew their steel knives. Tutuha raised his hand and said in a deep voice: "Don't move." The two men froze, and the knives returned to their sheaths.

  Liang Xiao smiled faintly and stood up, saying: "Tutuha, you treat me with brotherly courtesy, I should also treat you with brotherly courtesy." He swung his sleeve, breaking the hook and tusk, and said loudly: "Farewell for now, we'll meet again!"

  Tu Tu Ha's powerful body shook, and tears flashed in his tiger-like eyes. He bowed his head, clasped his hands together, and said in a hoarse voice: "Good, let us part ways for now, we will meet again!" Both of them were resolute individuals, their words were final, and they each pushed off in their boats to return to their own camps.

  Liang Xiao stepped onto the wooden platform, and Shi Tianfeng stomped his foot in anger, saying: "Liang Xiao, why didn't you bring that person back?" Everyone's faces were filled with confusion. Liang Xiao shook his head and said: "A great man has things he will and won't do, this matter is truly regrettable. But since I've returned, I should join all of you in living and dying together to guard the Tianji Palace!" Jing Wen sneered coldly: "I think you've colluded with the Tartars, came back as a spy, and want to sell out the Tianji Palace..." Before he finished speaking, Yun Shu suddenly shouted loudly: "Shut up." Jing Wen was taken aback by his rebuke. Yun Shu gazed upwards, his voice low and solemn: "Wen'er, remember this. Although he is a powerful enemy, he is not a treacherous or petty person. This kind of base thing, others may do, but he cannot bring himself to do." As he spoke, he didn't glance at Liang Xiao even once.

  Yun Shu's words were like a knife, leaving no room for others to speak. Jing Wen glared at Liang Xiao with a mixture of anger and resentment before retreating in displeasure. Liang Xiao hadn't expected Yun Shu to speak up for him, and his heart was filled with complicated emotions. Gong Yangyu nodded in agreement: "You're right, our arch-nemesis is before us, we can't fall for the enemy's divisive tactics." Liang Xiao couldn't help but smile wryly as he thought to himself: "Perhaps it really is a ploy to drive us apart, but I won't be swayed by others' schemes. Besides, Tuhai said something true - today's battle was inevitable, and capturing him wouldn't serve much purpose."

  The crowd watched quietly, and before long, the war drums thundered, and the Yuan army's warships poured out of the gorge towards Qiu Yue Valley. The soldiers at the bow of the ships drew their strong bows and crossbows, and the arrowheads shone brightly in the sunlight. Hua Wuyan suddenly said: "Qingyuan, you lead the disciples from the palace to dismantle this wooden platform, then hide in the stone array, guard the entrance well, and the others follow me back into the palace." Hua Qingyuan obeyed the order, but by the time they dismantled the wooden platform, the Yuan army had already approached and shot arrows, and the crowd could only retreat into the stone array.

  In the palace, waiting for a moment, everyone had a worried look. Yun Shu suddenly said: "Master's wife, according to military law, once the Tianji Palace is blocked by warships at the entrance, there will be no retreat, and it will be a dead end." Hua Wuyan shook her head and said: "It doesn't matter, even if Minggui leads the way in, but I still have a key point inside the valley. If the Tartars enter the formation, I can manipulate the key point to change the direction of the formation, making them unable to advance or retreat, starving to death in the formation. There are 20 years' worth of grain and grass stored in the valley, with vegetables planted and livestock raised. We can compare endurance with the Tartars." Yun Shu sighed and said: "But as Master's wife said!" With a worried brow, he retreated to one side.

  It was not until nightfall that the sound of the Yuan army's shouts, like thunder, echoed into the valley, and everyone listened quietly, unable to sleep. They sat in silence until dawn the next day, when Hua Qingyuan sent someone to report that the Yuan army had still not entered the formation. Hua's eyebrows furrowed with worry as he paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. The others were all silent, even Shi Tianfeng felt that the atmosphere was unusual and didn't dare to shout loudly.

  Around the time of Chen, suddenly a shout was heard from the Yuan army, followed by a loud noise like thunder on a clear day. Everyone jumped up, and Liang Xiao and Yun Shu shouted in unison: "It's here!" Hua Wuyue stopped in her tracks, her face as cold as ice, her body trembling, and Gong Yangyu slowly got up and held her hand.

  In an instant, another loud explosion sounded, and in a short while, it rang out three times. The last one was particularly deafening, as if something had collapsed with it. Suddenly, Ye Zhong saw a puff of smoke rushing into the hall, his face pale, and he trembled with fear, saying: "It's bad, the Tartars have used cannons to destroy the 'Tianxuan' wheel." Hua Wuyue's body swayed and she sat down in her chair, her eyes dull and her face losing all its color.

  Yun Shu suddenly stood up and said, "Rather than waiting for death, it's better to make a strong counterattack." With a wave of his arm, he shouted, "All good men follow me!" The heroes responded with a loud shout and followed him out. Many powerful masters also closely followed behind. Shi Tianfeng ignored the pain and wanted to catch up, but was persuaded by Ling Shuimeng to stay back.

  A group of heroes emerged from the stone array, only to see the Yuan army's warships lined up in a row. As soon as they saw the crowd coming out of the valley, they shot arrows wildly. The heroes held shields and swords, shouting loudly in unison, and charged forward with all their might. The Yuan army fired powerful crossbow bolts and fire arrows, which were extremely fierce, and even iron shields were shattered by a single hit. For a moment, the heroes let out a tragic cry.

  Li Shao, Yun Shu, Jiu Ru, Hua Sheng, and Gong Yangyu, five great masters, bravely charged forward under the hail of arrows and stones, approaching the warships. Jiu Ru's disciples held giant wooden logs, exerting their divine power, sweeping left and right, and wherever they went, the warships were crushed to pieces.

  Gong Yangyu's disciples drew their twin swords simultaneously, moving horizontally through the army, and no one could withstand them. Li Shao held the Heavenly Punishment Sword, piercing directly through the enemy formation, rushing to the front of the iron-cast fire cannon, his palm flashing with purple electricity, metal clashing, and with a single sword strike, he cut off the cannon along with its operator.

  He destroyed one cannon, then swiftly dodged the arrow rain and leapt onto another warship. The Heavenly Punishment Sword swept open the crowd, and purple light burst out again, destroying another cannon.

  At that moment, Liang Xiao destroyed all five iron cannons. He heard a loud cry behind him and turned around to see the group of heroes dead or injured all over the ground, with blood staining the lake water red. Gong Yangyu was shot by an arrow and was protected by Yun Shu while retreating. Jiuru's disciples relied on their heavy blades to destroy all the warships near the shore, but the Yuan army's warships continued to emerge from Caibei Gorge, scattered in a circle, shooting arrows across the water, with strong arrows falling like rain, seemingly endless. Jiuru swung a giant wooden beam while shouting loudly: "Liang Xiao, retreat!" Liang Xiao sighed secretly and jumped off the warship, using his sword to split it into two segments. Then he made a great effort to break out of the encirclement, stepped on the water, and landed on the shore, protecting the wounded as they retreated into the stone array.

  Returning to the palace, nearly a third of the people had died, and most of the remaining ones were injured. Gong Yangyu and Hua Sheng were both shot by arrows, and Gong Yangyu's injury was particularly severe. However, he was stubborn and proud, and even though his clothes were stained with blood, his spirit remained unchanged. Hua Xiaoxue and Zhao Bing hurriedly brought over medicine to bandage the wounds of the crowd.

  Shi Tianfeng was so angry that he couldn't breathe, and from a distance, he saw Gong Yangyu and couldn't help but laugh: "Old poor acid, you've also been shot? Wonderful, wonderful." Ling Shuimeng angrily said: "Old man, at this time you're still talking nonsense." Shi Tianfeng angrily said: "You're still scolding me, if I had gone, I would have killed the Tartars until they were covered in blood and urine. Although old poor acid's martial arts are not good, with me watching over him, he wouldn't have been injured so badly." Gong Yangyu heard this and became furious, coldly saying: "Surnamed Shi, you only know how to talk, why didn't I see your shadow just now? Hmph, the masters of Lingguo Island are all turtles hiding in their shells?"

  This remark was like adding fuel to the fire, and Shi Tianfeng jumped up, shouting loudly: "Damn it, do I want to idle around here? Fine, I'll take an arrow for you, and you can take an arrow for me. Let's fight a great battle of three hundred rounds, whoever doesn't welcome the challenge is a turtle." Gong Yangyu wiped his sleeve with a cold smile and said: "I'll accompany you to the end." Ling Shuimeng saw that Liang Xiao was nearby and hastily said: "Liang Gongzi, help out." Liang Xiao shook his head with a bitter smile, holding his sword between the two of them. Shi Tianfeng said: "Liang Xiaozhi, who do you want to help?" Liang Xiao said: "I won't help either of you, with a great enemy approaching, why must you two seniors fight over these trivial matters."

  Shi Tianfeng only acknowledged winning or losing, and thinking that his injuries were too severe to defeat Liang Xiao. He let out an angry hum and sat down on the side, panting heavily. Gong Yangyu saw him retreat and didn't pressure him again, but felt a sharp pain from his wound, so he sat down on the other side to catch his breath.

  At dusk, the Yuan army redeployed their cannons and bombarded Tianzhui and Tianji from across the water without landing. Liang Xiao launched three successive charges but was repelled each time by a hail of arrows.

  At the hour of Shen, a loud noise sounded, and the Tianxu wheel finally collapsed. The people in the Tiangong Palace saw it from afar and couldn't help but shed tears like rain. Hua Wuyan also lost her composure and burst into loud sobs: "The ancestors' 400 years of hard work were destroyed in an instant, what face do we have to continue living in this world?" Everyone who heard this was deeply grieved.

  After a moment of silence, Yun Shu suddenly said: "The Heavenly Machine Three Wheels are broken, the power of 'Two Instruments Fantasy Dust Array' is greatly reduced, and the Yuan army has Minggui to guide them. Entering the palace would not be difficult, but now what should we do to break through?" Gong Yangyu coldly smiled and said: "What other plans can there be? The Yuan people have already occupied the mountain pass, it's like catching a turtle in a jar."

  Ling Shui Yue sighed, "As long as we break through the siege, everything will be fine. My son Hai Yu has stopped eight ships at the mouth of the Qiantang River. After we break through, we can take a boat out to sea, and those Tartars won't be able to do anything about it." Everyone spoke their minds, but after discussing for a long time, they still couldn't come to a decision. In the distance, the sound of cannons shook the air, and the Yuan army's cannonballs continued to bombard the Tianqi wheel. Hua Wuyan had stopped crying, biting her lip, with a gloomy expression on her face.

  Liang Xiao remained silent, deep in thought for a long time. Suddenly, he bowed to Hua Wuyan and said, "Elder Hua, if I'm not mistaken, there's another way out of this palace!" Hua Wuyan gave him a cold glance, but Hua Qingyuan's eyebrows twitched. The crowd had already lost hope, but upon hearing his words, their spirits lifted, and they looked at Hua Wuyan with anticipation.

  Hua Wuhen said coldly, "The Tianji Palace is surrounded by mountains on all sides, what way out can there be?" Liang Xiao said, "The Tianji Palace has produced generations of wise men, it's impossible that no one thought of today's situation. There must be a way to retreat left in the palace." Hua Wuhen remained silent and expressionless. Suddenly, Hua Qingyuan stepped forward and whispered, "Mother..." Hua Wuhen cut him off sharply, "Qingyuan, do you remember the teachings of our ancestors who founded the palace?" Hua Qingyuan trembled slightly and bowed his head, saying, "I remember, when the book is destroyed, the people are destroyed."

  Hua Wuyue's expression slightly relaxed, and he nodded: "You remember that's good. For 400 years, my Hua family has been guarding these millions of books without losing a single volume. Today, when things have come to this point, we can only fight to the death to protect the books, and absolutely cannot retreat halfway." As soon as he finished speaking, everyone understood. There was indeed a way out of the palace, but Hua Wuyue had made up his mind to die, and would rather die in battle than give up protecting the books in the palace. Many heroes from the green woods were moved in their hearts, and someone called out: "Your Hua family wants to guard the books to the death, why drag us down with you?" As soon as this was said, some people voiced their agreement, while others angrily scolded and cursed the person for being spineless. But that person said: "As long as there are green hills, we don't have to worry about not having firewood. Guarding these books isn't very useful, it's better to preserve our useful lives and slowly deal with the Tartars." The heroes secretly agreed in their hearts, and the scolding voices gradually became fewer.

  Hua Wuyin let out a cold hum and said in a gloomy tone, "You brought the Tartars here, thinking you could just leave like this?" Her gaze swept over the crowd with an icy chill, suddenly stopping on Liang Xiao's face. With a hateful tone, she said, "If you didn't help Yuan attack Song, even if Great Song were to perish, Tianji Palace would not have intervened, and we would not have brought fire upon ourselves." Liang Xiao was momentarily speechless, thinking to himself, "Indeed, I used Tianji Palace's techniques to breach the city and shatter the enemy lines. If I don't give the world an explanation, they will truly have nothing to say against me." Hua Wuyin let out another hum, her gaze shifting once more to fall on Yun Shu. In a severe tone, she said, "And you, if you hadn't been so bent on opposing the Yuan people, would we be in this situation today?" Yun Shu lowered his head and remained silent.

  The flower without a smile gazed at the Heavenly Machine Palace, which was on the verge of collapse. Her heart had undergone a drastic change, and she suddenly felt that everyone in the world was detestable. She let out a shrill laugh, which sent chills down people's spines.

  As soon as her laughter stopped, she gritted her teeth and said with hatred: "Since you've all come here today, no one can escape. You'll all stay here for me." As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted into chaos. Someone angrily shouted: "Flower Without a Smile, what do you mean by this? We came to see Cloud Great Hero's face, not yours or Heavenly Machine Palace's. What right do you have to keep us here until we die?"

  The Flower Without a Smile coldly sneered: "Only I know the secret passage, and even if you kill me, you won't be able to get out."

  The heroes were enraged and began to clamor. The young masters of the Tianji Palace blocked in front of Hua Wuyan, with both sides at a stalemate. Ling Shuimeng frowned and said: "Hua's sister, even if others are not good, my husband and I have not offended you, right?" Hua Wuyan coldly replied: "What does that matter? When the city gate catches fire, it also burns the fish in the moat. It's just that sister came at the wrong time."

  Ling Shui Yue smiled bitterly and said, "You're right. Since I've come, I won't regret it either. Besides, Tian Feng and I are already old, so death is nothing to be pitied. But what about your grandson? He's still young, do you want him to follow us in death too?" Hua Wu Xian's body trembled slightly as he glanced at Hua Jingyuan, his heart hardened, and he said loudly, "No matter how young he is, he's a disciple of the Tianji Pavilion. When the pavilion perishes, its people perish." As soon as these words were spoken, the blood of the Tianji disciples boiled over, and they couldn't help but shout in unison, "When the pavilion perishes, its people perish!" A somber and murderous atmosphere filled the valley.

  Suddenly, a loud crash was heard, and the Tianji Wheel was finally destroyed. Everyone's heart skipped a beat, and they all gripped their weapons tightly. Someone in the crowd shouted: "If we don't leave now, it will be too late! Let's work together to grab this old nun and force her to reveal the secret passage." Many people echoed in agreement, but Hua Wuyue just coldly smiled.

  Bai suddenly became enraged, his face red with anger, and he cursed at the people who were jeering: "Damn your ancestors! You're all just a bunch of cowards. What's there to be afraid of? White Whatever wouldn't join forces with you bunch of good-for-nothings." Jia Xiucan said loudly: "White Second Brother is right. When we came to rescue the Tianji Palace, we were prepared to die. How can you lose your nerve at the critical moment?" Jin Cuiyu also said: "That's right! What happened to the heroic spirit you showed when dealing with Liang Xiao? You're all good men when it comes to bullying the weak, but now that you're facing a strong enemy, you're not even as brave as I am, a woman!" Chi Xianyu stepped forward and said: "If you want to fight the Tianji Palace, you'll have to step over my dead body first." Yun Shu stood beside Chi Xianyu and calmly said: "Add me to that list too." At this moment, the heroes were divided into two groups, seemingly standing on opposite sides of a clear line, but in reality, everyone was struggling with internal conflicts.

  At this time, the shouting of the Yuan army could be heard from afar, and everyone understood that the Yuan army had begun to break through the formation. Once the "Two Instruments Phantom Dust Formation" was unable to rotate, its power would be greatly reduced, and with Minggui's guidance, it was only a matter of time before the Yuan army broke through the formation.

  Liang Xiao furrowed his brow and suddenly said, "The saying 'when the book is gone, the person is gone' is truly absurd." Hua Wuying snorted in anger and said, "If you're afraid of death, then be afraid, but don't insult the ancestral teachings of Tianji Palace!" Liang Xiao sighed and said, "It's precisely because you cling to the old without changing that you've been empty-handedly guarding the foundation left by your ancestors, yet you don't understand the spirit of Tianji Palace." Hua Wuying angrily said, "I've been in Tianji Palace for decades, but I'm not as enlightened as you?" Liang Xiao shook his head and said, "Even if you stay for a hundred years, it's all in vain! Let me ask you, can you calculate the Heavenly Machine's Ten Calculations? Can you calculate the Source beyond the Source?" As soon as he spoke of calculation techniques, Liang Xiao was already the number one person in the world. Hua Wuying heard these words and suddenly became speechless.

  Liang Xiao gazed at the crowd, saying slowly: "Books are dead, people are alive. All books in the world were written by people, let alone without good learning and understanding, even if there are countless volumes of books, they are no different from waste paper." He looked at Hua Wuyan, with a flash of sharpness in his eyes, "What if the book is gone? What if Tianji Palace is gone? As long as people are still alive, the wisdom of Tianji Palace will not be lost."

  Hua Wuyan had spent her whole life guarding the Tianji Palace, but she had never thought of this principle. When she heard this, she unconsciously opened her mouth, and for a moment, she was stunned. Gong Yangyu sighed at this time and said: "Wuyan, Liang Xiao is right, as long as people exist, books will not perish." Hua Wuyan pouted, her heartstrings suddenly breaking, and she leaned on his shoulder and burst into tears.

  The shouts of the Yuan army grew louder. "Canghe" Yang Lu was covered in blood, carrying two feathered arrows as he stumbled and staggered over, urgently saying: "The Tartars are about to break through the stone array." Liang Xiao raised an eyebrow, his voice low and serious: "Hold them off for now." He drew his sword and rushed out. Yun Shu and the others followed closely behind him.

  Hua Wuyin's expression changed several times, and suddenly she gritted her teeth and said, "Follow me." She led the crowd to a bare stone wall, moved away a large stone, and revealed an unusually thick iron handle with rust all over it. Hua Wuyin pulled out the iron handle and turned to Jiuru, saying, "I'm afraid I need Master's divine strength." Jiuru walked forward and turned the iron handle several times, and soon heard a creaking sound as the stone wall rose up, revealing a three-zhang-square thousand-jin iron gate. Jiuru turned the iron handle again for several rounds, and the thousand-jin gate also rose up with a loud rumble, revealing a dark entrance from which a cold wind gushed out, chilling to the bone. Inside the entrance, stone steps led upwards, but it was unknown where they led.

  Hua Wuying smiled bitterly and said, "This secret passage leads to the outside of the valley. It was built by my father, Yuanmao Gong, in secret. At first, I thought he was cautious and prudent, but now that I think about it, my father is actually unconventional and far-sighted!" She turned to the crowd and said, "Please, everyone!" Gong Yangyu furrowed his brow and asked, "Aren't you leaving?" Hua Wuying smiled miserably and replied, "How can I not stay behind to face our ancestors?" Before she could finish speaking, Gong Yangyu and Hua Qingyuan simultaneously and unexpectedly struck her acupoints from either side. Hua Wuying was caught off guard by the simultaneous scheme of her husband and son, and she couldn't help but shout in anger.

  Huā Qīng Yuān bowed and said with a bitter smile, "Mother is at fault, you are already old, even if you stay, it should be as a child." Gōng Yáng Yǔ rolled her eyes and angrily said, "Nonsense, either leave or don't leave, don't dawdle."

  Huā Qīng Yuān's forehead was sweating, and he stuttered: "But..." Gōng Yáng Yǔ cut him off, saying: "Am I your father or are you my father? Immediately gather all the men and women, and have them leave." Huā Qīng Yuān had no opinion of his own, and Gōng Yáng Yǔ's imposing manner was overwhelming, so he hastily obeyed and gathered everyone to leave.

  At this time, the "Two Instruments Illusory Dust Formation" had already become a slaughterhouse, and the Yuan army soldiers were constantly pouring out of the stone array, with arrows flying like locusts and swords and spears like forests. The corpses around Liang Xiao were piling up more and more, his companions were getting fewer and fewer, and even he was getting tired from killing. Just at this moment, suddenly heard behind him Hua Qingyuan shouting loudly: "Liang Xiao, Yun Shu, everyone has retreated, you two also quickly retreat!"

  The heroes retreated one after another, and the Yuan army pursued them relentlessly. Everyone was fighting while retreating, and in an instant, they had already reached the outside of the secret passage. Hua Qingyuan directed the Tianji Palace disciples to guard both sides of the secret passage with crossbows and arrows to escort the heroes. Liang Xiao saw this and suddenly launched a counterattack, charging straight into the enemy's formation, beheading two hundred men, and scattering the enemies in front of him. Just as he was about to retreat back to the secret passage, he heard Hua Mulan cry out: "Yunlang!" Turning his head to look, Yun Shu had been hit by two arrows on his shoulder, back, and leg, surrounded by hundreds of Yuan soldiers in the center of the formation. His companions around him had all died, and Yun Shu was single-handedly fighting against the enemy with his sword, his movements gradually becoming sluggish.

  Hua Mu Rong was shocked and frightened, drawing his sword and rushing out of the secret passage. Hua Qing Yuan tried to stop him, but suddenly saw Liang Xiao rush over, grab Hua Mu Rong's shoulder, and use a gentle yet powerful force to send him flying back into the secret passage. Hua Mu Rong was furious and shouted, "Well done, Liang! You're kicking me while I'm down!" Liang Xiao was used to being scolded and didn't bother to argue, charging into the fray with his sword and making a beeline for Yun Shu's back. Yun Shu had been killing wildly, her hair disheveled, and she saw only blurry figures in front of her, not caring who was friend or foe as she stabbed out with her sword. Liang Xiao blocked her attack and shouted, "It's me!" Yun Shu came to her senses and stared blankly, asking, "Is it really you?" Liang Xiao nodded and said, "Let's fight side by side and get out of here." Yun Shu was taken aback, never having imagined that she would join forces with her arch-nemesis in this lifetime.

  More and more enemy soldiers arrived, the archers formed a formation, and arrows flew in. Liang Xiao knocked down one person and snatched a single knife. Seeing Yun Shu's soul was not guarding his house, he shouted: "What are you waiting for? I'll defend, you attack!" Yun Shu came back to his senses, seeing Liang Xiao with a knife in his left hand and a sword in his right hand, spinning like two full moons, deflecting the incoming arrows. In an instant, his heroic spirit was born, he let out a long whistle, and launched a fierce attack with his sword. The two of them stood back to back, Yun Shu swung his sword to clear the way, while Liang Xiao blocked the arrows, one positive and one negative, like shadows following each other's movements. In a short time, they were not far from the secret passage. At this moment, Hua Qingyuan couldn't withstand the enemy's strong bows and hard crossbows, and slowly retreated into the secret passage.

  In the midst of their duel, they suddenly heard a series of mournful cries from afar. Liang Xiao looked up to see five Tianji Palace disciples surrounded by a group of Yuan soldiers at the edge of the forest. In that brief moment, two more fell, leaving only three struggling to hold on. Yun Shu brandished his sword, eager to charge in, but felt a surge of fresh blood from his wound. Liang Xiao hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yun Shu, you should retreat first!" Yun Shu sneered, "Do I not have the courage just because you do?" Liang Xiao smiled wryly, "You have a wife and children, but I do not."

  Yun Shu didn't notice as he turned his head to look back, Hua Mu Rong's eyes were filled with tears, her face full of anxiety. When he turned his head again, Liang Xiao had already rushed past the crowd towards those three Tian Ji Palace disciples. Yun Shu's chest felt a surge of heat, just about to follow, when suddenly Hua Mu Rong, Hua Sheng and Jiu Ru all charged out together, advancing to meet them. At this time, the Yuan army surged forward like a tide around Liang Xiao towards the secret passageway entrance. Yun Shu knew that holding onto the secret passageway was crucial, gritted his teeth, turned around and knocked down several Yuan soldiers, joining forces with everyone else, scattering hundreds of Yuan soldiers, guarding the entrance to the secret passageway.

  When Liang Xiao arrived, only two of the three disciples were left. As he turned his head to look back, the Yuan army had blocked their retreat, arrows pouring down like a tide, making it impossible for those at the secret pass entrance to lift their heads. A team of iron-armored infantrymen with sharp blades charged forward, bursting out from the middle towards the secret pass entrance. In just another moment, the secret pass would be lost.

  In an instant, Liang Xiao's mind had made a decision. He grabbed one of his disciples and shouted loudly, throwing him with great force. The disciple flew over the crowd's heads like a cloud and landed in front of the secret passage. Hua Sheng rushed forward to catch him. Jiuru swung her staff to deflect arrows, working together with Liang Xiao as they advanced and retreated swiftly, faster than lightning. Liang Xiao grabbed his remaining disciple and repeated the same move. This time, however, it was Qingyun and Yunque who rushed out, one catching the person and the other blocking the arrows. In the blink of an eye, they had rescued the disciple once again.

  Liang Xiao turned back to look, and there was no one else trapped. Feng Lian held a shield in his hand, squeezed out of the crowd amidst the rain of arrows, and shouted loudly: "Master, come back quickly!" Hua Xiao Xue stood behind the crowd, staring at Liang Xiao with wide eyes, her face as white as paper. Liang Xiao raised an eyebrow, swung his sword to knock down two people, took a deep breath, and shouted loudly: "Yun Shu, open the gate!"

  Everyone was stunned, and suddenly they heard Liang Xiao shout again: "Yun Shu, open the gate!" At this time, more than a thousand Yuan soldiers had gathered in front of the secret passage, their shouts shaking the sky. One group surrounded Liang Xiao, while another shot arrows into the secret passage. The crowd couldn't resist, and someone was hit by an arrow and cried out in pain. Yun Shu looked at Liang Xiao with a pale face, one hand pressing on the gate switch. As soon as he pressed it down, the thousand-pound gate fell to the ground, and no one outside could open it again. Feng Lian called out to Liang Xiao while looking back, and suddenly shouted in a shrill voice: "You dare to betray us, Yun Shu! I won't let you off even if I become a ghost!" Hua Sheng also cried out: "Don't close the gate, Liang Xiao! We... are coming to help you!" He lowered his head and tried to rush out, but was forced back by a rain of arrows. In an instant, Hua Sheng suddenly felt a slender hand trembling on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw that Hua Xiao Shuang's face was covered in tears, her lips quivering slightly. At this moment, Hua Sheng realized that everyone's eyes were fixed on Hua Xiao Shuang.

  Liang Xiao shouted again: "Release the gate." His voice was filled with extreme anxiety, as he was surrounded by Yuan soldiers on all sides, with arrows flying wildly and swords and spears raised. Hua Xiao Xue looked at Liang Xiao, her cheeks pale to the point of transparency, her body swaying slightly as she turned her head with difficulty, hoarsely saying: "Auntie, please release the gate." Feng Lian angrily said: "Master's wife, have you gone mad? Master hasn't returned yet, stinky woman, you...you're not even my master's wife, fine, none of you care about him, I'll go rescue him." Just as she was about to rush out, she suddenly smelled a strange fragrance and felt the sky spinning around her, falling to the ground in a daze.

  Hua Sheng was shocked and hastily said, "Xiao Feng, you..." Hua Xiao Feng almost fainted, relying on Hua Sheng for support, and only felt that the voice was faint and indistinct, as if it came from outside rather than from her own mouth: "Release the sluice gate!"

  Yun Shu closed her eyes, reached out and pulled down the gate, a thousand-pound gate crashing down, accompanied by a faint hum, isolating countless arrows outside. Hua Xiao Feng stared blankly at the last ray of light disappearing under the gate, the light in her heart also extinguished, leaving only endless darkness to slowly engulf her.

  Liang Xiao watched as the gate fell, his heart no longer burdened with worries. With sword in hand, he danced and weaved, appearing and disappearing without a trace, engaging in a fierce battle with the Yuan army amidst the towers and alleys. The Tianfa Sword devoured human blood, emitting an eerie purple glow.

  At that moment, a group of Yuan soldiers carried the battering ram towards the gate of Qianjin, and Liang Xiao rushed forward against the rain of arrows to the front of the battering ram. With his sword, he split the battering ram into three pieces. The Yuan soldiers shouted and cursed, shooting arrows wildly, but Liang Xiao dodged and weaved, avoiding them. However, he was hit by an arrow at the intersection of his shoulder and back, causing him immense pain that pierced to his bones. He gritted his teeth and fought his way out of the encirclement, retreating up to the Lingtai, where he kicked down twenty-eight astronomical instruments, crushing the Yuan soldiers who cried out in terror. After a brief fight, the Yuan soldiers climbed up to the Lingtai, and Liang Xiao leapt off, rolling and tumbling as he killed his way through the "Chongxu Lou" and "Chunqiu Lu". At the "Yao Wang Ting", he was hit by another arrow, and his strength began to wane. Liang Xiao knew in his heart that if he could hold on for a little while longer, the others would be able to escape further away, so he fought on with all his might.

  By noon, Liang Xiao had killed several generals in a row and never allowed the Yuan army to have time to break through the gate. Although he was invincible in the world, it was also difficult for him to fight against thousands of enemies alone. He saw that the Yuan army was getting more and more numerous, and his strength was gradually exhausted. Just as they were fighting hard, suddenly a long whistle came from the east, the Yuan army's formation was chaotic, Liang Xiao took advantage of the situation to break out of the siege, looked up and saw, couldn't help but be surprised, suddenly saw Xiang Qian's black clothes fluttering, opening up a bloody road, killing all the way to the front.

  Xiao Qian saw Liang Xiao and shouted loudly: "Where are the little girl and the little monk?" Liang Xiao thought for a moment, understanding that he was referring to Hua Xiao Shuang and Hua Sheng. He replied: "They've all left." Xiao Qian's brow furrowed as he asked: "Are you alone in the valley?" Liang Xiao replied: "That's right." As they spoke, the two of them converged on one spot, but after exchanging a glance, there was nothing more to say.

  Xiao Qian didn't say a word, turned around and focused on injuring people. He had no weapons in his hand, either killing the enemy with bare hands or seizing other people's blades. Any weapon that came near him became a deadly killer. All were defeated without exception. Liang Xiao was extremely puzzled in her heart, not knowing why this great enemy appeared at this time and why he asked about Xiaoyan Hua Sheng as soon as they met. However, the stubborn enemies surrounded them, and there was no time to speak more.

  Two men silently killed their way through the crowd, a group of Yuan soldiers charging forward with guns, just as they were about to resist, a sudden rain of arrows flew in from behind. Liang Xiao felt the arrows coming and was about to swing his sword to deflect them, but the two wounds on his body suddenly throbbed with pain, causing him to turn around slightly slower than usual. The arrowheads were pressing against his eyebrows when a dark shadow flashed at the corner of his eye, Xiang Qian Yue darted out from the side and lightly pushed him three feet away.

  Liang Xiao narrowly escaped death, turned his head to look back, and saw Xiao Qian's lips tightly pursed, her eyes darting about restlessly. Two Yuan soldiers charged forward with their spears, but Xiao Qian swiftly turned around, raised her hand, and sent the two spears flying back at them. The two men didn't even have time to cry out before they fell to the ground, dead.

  He turned around, and Liang Xiao suddenly saw two feathered arrows inserted in his back. His heart sank rapidly. Xiang Qian's body was severely injured, and he had already made a great effort to use this move. After killing two people, he couldn't help but stumble. Suddenly, an arrow shot over, piercing his left chest. His eyes blurred, and he involuntarily retreated three steps. Several soldiers took advantage of the situation, brandishing their swords and guns as they charged towards him.

  The swords and guns had not yet arrived, but the purple mang star flashed, the heavenly punishment sword swept across the sky, and three yuan soldiers immediately settled the account. The others let out a cry and fled in disarray. Liang Xiao leapt up to support Xiao Qian Yue, fighting as they retreated, retreating to the "Tian Yuan Pavilion" on one side. This pavilion was where he had studied as a child, located at the center of the Tianji Palace, reaching nine stories high, with windows open on all eight sides, and narrow and steep corridors, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.

  Two men stood high and low, the Yuan army was anxious and did not dare to rush up, only shooting arrows at the pavilion. They retreated all the way to the top floor, and the feathered arrows were hard to shoot. Xiao Qian sat down, closed his eyes, and gasped slightly. Liang Xiao looked at him, with a mix of emotions in his heart, never expecting that when he was isolated and in danger, the one who would fight alongside him would be Xiao Qian, even more unexpected was that at the critical moment of life and death, the old devil actually sacrificed himself to save him, taking the deadly feathered arrow for him.

  In an instant, countless thoughts surged to her mind, Liang Xiao gazed at this arch-nemesis with whom she would not live under the same sky, her heart bewildered and dazed, and she couldn't help but become infatuated.

  Xiao Qianjue suddenly raised his head, with blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. He looked at Liang Xiao and asked, "Did the little girl and the little monk really leave?" Liang Xiao nodded silently. Xiao Qianjue's eyes lit up, and he said proudly, "Good, I owed them a life, and today I finally repaid it. Hmph, in my lifetime, I have always been clear about favors and grudges, never owing anyone." After speaking, his eyes revealed a fierce glint, and he let out a long, loud laugh.

  Xiao Qian jue was a man who took grudges very seriously. On the day he was rescued by Hua Sheng and Xiao Feng, he followed them from afar. For many years, Hua, Xiao, and Feng traveled the jianghu, doing good deeds without incident, all thanks to Xiao Qian jue's secret protection, taking care of any evil or ominous events. Later, Hua and Xiao encountered their shifu and heard news about Liang Xiao, so they traveled south together to Mount Kuocang. Xiao Qian jue did not follow them, instead finding a place to drink alone, but after just one day, he heard that the Yuan army was attacking Tianji Palace. Xiao Qian jue rushed into the palace to help Hua and Feng escape, but unexpectedly ran into Liang Xiao.

  Just now he saw Liang Xiao in a desperate situation, and could have stood by with his hands in his sleeves to protect himself. Who would have thought that at the critical moment, he still stepped forward. Afterwards, thinking about it, he felt inexplicably puzzled. He learned that his benefactor had escaped danger, and his heart was relieved, laughing twice, his breathing slightly weak, his face even paler, glancing at Liang Xiao, saying lightly: "Young man, aren't you very resentful towards me? Now it's easy to kill the old man, why not take action?"

  Liang Xiao gazed silently at Xiao Qianxue, the old demon's eyes burning like torches, refusing to back down even in the face of death. Suddenly, Liang Xiao's resentment dissipated, leaving only sorrow and pity in his heart. He sighed, "Forget it, Xiao Qianxue, I won't kill you."

  Xiao Qian's face turned cold as he sneered, "Let you kill or not, this kid is quite strange!"Liang Xiao replied calmly, "You old monster, aren't your actions also strange?"Xiao Qian's eyebrows drooped slightly as he nodded and said, "Well said, I am an old monster, and you are a young monster."Liang Xiao nodded in agreement, "That's right, you're an old monster, and I'm a young monster."

  Xiao Qian was taken aback, looked at Liang Xiao for a moment, and suddenly burst out laughing. Before his laughter had subsided, he abruptly opened his eyes wide, pulled out the feathered arrow from his chest, and swiftly flung it out. At this moment, a Yuan soldier was poking his head out from the corridor outside the window, and this arrow pierced through his chest, sending him flying off the building. The long arrow penetrated his chest and continued on its trajectory with undiminished force, making a humming sound as it pinned another thousand-man commander to the ground below. The Yuan soldiers let out a collective shout, startled into retreating down from the building.

  Xiao Qian threw out an arrow that was like a thunderbolt, let out a loud and long laugh, but only laughed halfway before his neck twisted to the side and he sat down and died.

  The Yuan army surrounded the pavilion in layers, all of whom were intimidated by Xiao Qian's last arrow and no one dared to go up. Suddenly, a large sedan chair with eight people rushed over, pushing through the crowd. A person jumped down from the sedan chair, wearing golden armor with silver inlays, extremely luxurious. A thousand-year-old general hastily came forward, kneeling: "King of Zhen Nan, Liang Xiao and a rebel are hiding on the top floor, resisting stubbornly, please give orders."

  His face turned blue with rage, and the veins on his forehead bulged out. This time, he had lost many soldiers and generals, but hadn't caught a single prisoner. He was furious and on the verge of madness, feeling deeply guilty towards the imperial court. He glared at the Tianyuan Tower and shouted, "Set fire to the tower and force them to come down!" The commander hesitated, saying, "But, Mr. Ming said not to use fire." Du Huan glared at him with a cold smile, saying, "Is he the King of Zhen Nan, or am I?"

  A thousand men's hearts were stirred, and with a sudden burst, they rushed to give the order to set fire. In an instant, flames shot up towards the Tianyuan Pavilion like a swarm of locusts. Before long, the Tianyuan Pavilion was ablaze, burning fiercely and crackling loudly.

  The fire was burning fiercely, when suddenly a figure rushed through the crowd and flew over to them. He wore a yellow robe with white whiskers - it was Minggui. He ran up to Tuo Huan and exclaimed in surprise: "Your Majesty, why have you set fire to the tower?" It turned out that Minggui had been guarding the stone array, directing the troops as they came and went, when he saw the flames rising from Tianyuan Tower, he was shocked and rushed over hastily.

  Tuo Huan was enraged, and upon hearing this, he angrily said: "Does the king need you to say more? Humph, not even one rebel has been caught, how can I explain this to the imperial court? All troops listen to orders, burn down this laborious Tianji Palace, venting my anger." Ming Gui was shocked, unable to stop it, and saw a thousand arrows fired at other buildings. The fire spread with the wind, and Tianji Palace became a sea of flames.

  Ming Gui stared at the soaring flames, stunned. For over a decade, he had been consumed by the desire to reclaim Tianji Palace from Hua Wuyan, even going so far as to surrender to a foreign tribe and lead an army in attack. Who would have thought that all his efforts would end up being reduced to ashes? His heart was filled with both pain and anger as he gazed at the raging inferno, feeling as though his very soul was being scorched by the flames.

  Ming Gui gritted his teeth, knelt down and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, considering the many years I have followed you, please quickly give the order to put out the fire and rescue the books inside." Tuo Huan coldly replied: "The decisions made by this king are never changed. You can command the troops to burn a few more houses, what's the big deal about a few books..." Just as he was speaking, he suddenly saw Ming Gui raise his head, with fierce light flashing in his eyes, and was startled, saying: "What are you doing?"

  He hastily retreated, but Ming Gui had already jumped up and struck him in the chest with both palms. The palm strike was so powerful that it shattered nearly half of Tuo Huan's ribs, causing him to spit out blood. As he bent down to draw his sword, Ming Gui grabbed his head and twisted it to the right, shattering his trachea. Before he could even groan, Tuo Huan collapsed to the ground.

  Ming Gui struck and killed Tuo Huan, and the soldiers were all shocked. Then they attacked with knives and guns. Ming Gui let out a loud roar, swung his palm to strike, and in an instant, he killed ten Yuan soldiers. However, he was also hit by an arrow on his back, which pierced deep into his lungs. He summoned his spirit and strength, swung his palm to shock another Yuan soldier to death, stumbled forward a few steps, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back. A long spear had stabbed into his back. Ming Gui struck the spear with his palm, didn't look back, and rushed towards "Tianyuan Pavilion" like a madman. Before he could reach it, he was severely injured and fell to the ground.

  Ming Gui had long been numb to the pain, and his eyes were also blurred by fresh blood. In a daze, he seemed to hear a girl's crisp voice beside his ear: "Brother Ming Gui, are you reading books in Tianyuan Pavilion again? Hmm, I'll ask you, why do we need to protect these books?" "Xiao Qi, is that you? These books were all preserved by our ancestors at the cost of their lives. Father said before, as long as the books exist, people will exist. Therefore, no matter if it's the Huo family or the Ming family, as long as we live for one more day, we must guard these books with our lives..."

  "When the book is gone, the man is gone." Ming Gui's mind was clear and he struggled to get up and took two steps towards Tianyuan Pavilion. His hands grasped at the air as if trying to brush aside the flames and retrieve something from within. At this moment, a loud shout erupted around him, with swords and spears falling like snowflakes. Ming Gui stumbled and was instantly engulfed by the chaos below.

  In the distance, a string of horseshoes sounded, and Tudaha rode up on his warhorse. A centurion with a face as pale as earth came forward and said in a rough voice: "General, Minggui is plotting to assassinate the emperor, and King Zhen Nan has already died for the country! The humble one failed to protect the emperor, and I hope General will punish him." Tudaha coldly glanced at Tie Huan's corpse without saying a word, raised his eyes to look at Tianyuan Pavilion, where the flames were bright, and in just a moment, they had burned to the top of the pavilion.

  Suddenly, a loud singing voice was heard from the attic: "The grass and trees are green, distant friends have come, the mountain flowers bloom with smiles, and the bright moon opens its arms; The spring light flashes before our eyes, only for an instant, your and my friendship can be passed down for ten thousand generations; White clouds drift by, just for a moment, your and my friendship will last for a thousand autumns; The grass and trees are green, distant noble guests have come, hearts like gold and jade, resonating with sound, beautiful people smile, young men open their hearts, who is this friend? Tell you, the Western Regions are majestic, how great is Mount Kunlun! The singing voice was heroic and vast, in an instant, everyone's eyes seemed to have an illusion, seeing a huge mountain in the raging flames, stretching east and west, exceptionally steep and majestic.

  After finishing the song, the man let out a long laugh and rose into the air, sitting on his horse with an imposing demeanor, as still as a boulder. He slowly raised his right hand high up in the air.

  Laughter suddenly stopped, a bolt of purple lightning flashed down. Tu Tu Ha's eyes flashed with a hint of pain, his steel teeth clenched, and his arm swung down. For a moment, thousands of arrows shot out, dense as flying locusts.

  Unexpectedly, Liang Xiao dodged the hail of arrows and turned around to dive into the flames. The raging fire became a perfect shield, with flames shooting up to the sky, and no one dared to charge into the pavilion. Liang Xiao's calculations were precise, and his Heavenly Punishment Sword sliced downwards, cutting through beams and pillars, reducing them to splintered wood. The entire Tianyuan Pavilion was severed from its foundation, and in an instant, it began to sway precariously, as if it would collapse at any moment. A creature emerged from the flames, letting out a mournful wail.

  Liang Xiao's body fell to the ground, and with a slap of his palm, he sent a pillar flying. The Tianyuan Pavilion had long been on the verge of collapse, and with a loud crash, the entire pavilion collapsed, its momentum like a heavenly collapse, with flames and wind pressing down towards the northwest. The Yuan army below was unable to dodge in time, and for a moment, they suffered heavy casualties. Liang Xiao took advantage of this momentum to charge forward fiercely, his sword light and firelight intertwining, making it difficult to distinguish between them.

  Even if Tūtūkhā had not expected him to come up with such a strange plan, he was at the height of his power and managed to narrowly escape with his life. However, he was struck by a flaming arrow on his warhorse, fell off the horse, and his whole body felt like it was going to split open. In the chaos, he didn't have time to give orders, and with one breath, he rushed out several miles, heading straight for the mouth of the Qīyuè Valley.

  Tu Tu Ha Meng suddenly understood Liang Xiao's intentions and struggled to order a pursuit, but it was already too late. Liang Xiao had made several moves and entered the Tianji Stone Array.

  Ming returned to one death, and the Yuan army never had a master of the stone array again. This stone array was the gathering place of Huaxia's wisdom, even without the Tianji Sanlun, it was still extremely powerful. Liang Xiao entered the stone array like a fish in water, every stone statue became his helper, breaking enemies with him, hiding with him, the Yuan army inside the palace had no one to guide them, once they entered the array, they fell into it one after another, wanting to find Liang Xiao was like finding a needle in the ocean.

  Liang Xiao took advantage of the chaos to launch a surprise attack, killing and wounding countless soldiers. He calculated that the elite troops of the Yuan army had entered the palace, so the remaining forces outside would be weak. Without waiting for more reinforcements to arrive, he broke through the stone array with a fierce counterattack. Once outside, he was hit by another arrow on his back, but fortunately it didn't strike a vital spot. He gritted his teeth and fought desperately to commandeer a small boat, forcing the boatman to sail downstream towards Caibei Gorge. As they approached the gorge, the Yuan army unleashed a barrage of arrows and rocks, causing the small boat to capsize. Liang Xiao hid beneath the overturned boat, using its hull as a shield against the hail of projectiles raining down from above, which either stuck in or bounced off. When some soldiers tried to approach by boat, he stabbed them through the hull from below.

  Liang Xiao had gone through the ordeal of the giant whale, and his aquatic skills were unmatched in the world. If it were in normal times, he would have been able to escape safely. But at this moment, he was shot with multiple arrows, and there were many knife and spear wounds on him. As soon as he entered the water, fresh blood gushed out of his wounds, and he gradually became dizzy and disoriented, losing all strength.

  He struggled to support himself and finally reached Caibei Gorge, passing through Liulong Waterfall. When he raised his eyes, the two peaks of Yuanshan were in sight. He knew that if he could pass through these two mountains and enter the depths of the valley, he would be able to escape safely. However, when he approached the shore, he suddenly saw a clear figure standing on horseback in front of him.

  Liang Xiao felt a chill in his heart, and a mouthful of water rushed into his throat, almost suffocating him. He mustered up the last of his courage, leapt out of the water, and charged into the Yuan army's formation. A hail of arrows shot towards him, and Liang Xiao deflected several with his spear, but suddenly felt a chill in his chest as a cold arrow pierced through it. He stumbled, almost falling over, feeling his body empty and weak, his vision blurring with golden stars, his limbs incredibly soft. Strangely, at this moment, his mind was clearer than ever before, and many figures flashed before him - his father, mother, Ah Xue, Liu Yanyan, Hua Xiaoxiao... everyone smiled at him as if they were within reach.

  Liang Xiao's sword fell to the ground, and the cries of killing whizzed past his ears. He wanted to get up but had no strength left, wanting to laugh but couldn't make a sound. He felt knives and guns closing in on him from all sides, and heard angry shouts in his ears. A strong gust of wind swept by, followed by the clashing of metal, wails, sobs, and the thudding of bodies against blunt objects... The sounds grew indistinct, like a gentle breeze, gradually fading away from him. A sense of inexplicable relief surged up to his head, and Liang Xiao fell backwards, losing consciousness in an instant. In that moment, he seemed to hear someone calling out, sounding like Huasheng, also like Yunshu... Whoever it was, afterwards, he couldn't hear anything anymore.

  The setting sun has disappeared, the cold smoke is heavy, and the Qiantang River flows into the vast ocean. At the mouth of the sea, several white sails are raised, each embroidered with a golden dragon head, and in the gap between the falling mist and the shining light, a few more shades of crimson are added.

  Hua Xiaoshuang stood on the shore, gazing steadily into the distance, with female disciples of Tianji Palace standing behind her.

  After a long time, several figures appeared in the twilight. Hua Xiao's heart tightened, her legs softened, and she could hardly stand up. The figures gradually became clear, and it was seen that they were covered in blood, with two people holding each other, stumbling forward, Yun Shu held a long sword, limping along beside them, while Jiu Ru, Shi Tianfeng, Gong Yangyu, Hua Qingyuan, and Qin Bofu followed silently.

  Hua Xiao Shuang wanted to step forward, but her feet were rooted to the spot. She wanted to cry, but she had no more tears left. Hua Sheng walked up to her and gently laid down the person in his arms. The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the sound of a needle dropping being audible. Hua Xiao Shuang bent down, embracing the familiar man, stroking his icy face. For ten years, she had seen this face more than once in her dreams. She wished that this was just another nightmare, and when she woke up, it would be just an endless dark night, with nothing having happened.

  Hua Xiao Shuang looked up and saw Hua Sheng Fudao lying on the ground, wailing and pounding the earth with his fists. Although she had seen him cry many times before, she had never seen him so grief-stricken. Zhao Bing was also kneeling on the ground, gritting his teeth and crying uncontrollably. Yun Shu gazed up at the sky, what was he looking at? Grandfather lowered his head to stare at the ground, what was there to see? Jiu Ru Dashi was very calm, not a hint of joy or anger on his face; while Shi Dao Zhu's expression was strange, it seemed like he was both crying and laughing. For a moment, Hua Xiao Shuang felt as if she were detached from everything, except for the person in her arms, nothing else had anything to do with her.

  The women were all sobbing, but they all tried their best to suppress their grief and did not dare to wail loudly. Only Feng Lian stood stiffly, her eyes full of resentment, scanning the crowd one by one, as if she wanted to remember each person in her heart.

  Hua Xiao Shuang's hand slid down from Liang Xiao's face, stroking his lips and neck. This day and night, she had already cried out all her tears, but now she couldn't cry even if she wanted to. Perhaps from now on, she would never know what it was like to cry or laugh again, just like the person in her arms, quietly passing the rest of her life. Her fingers slid down, stopping at Liang Xiao's heart, and suddenly, she felt a jolt. She had taken the pulse of millions of people, and no doctor's fingers were more skilled than hers. Clearly, she could feel that deep within Liang Xiao's pulse, there was still a hint of warmth, faint but lingering.

  Hua Xiao Shuang suddenly woke up from her dream, shouting: "Xiao Gege, I must save you, I must save you..." She hugged Liang Xiao tightly and rushed towards the white sailboat along the riverbank. As she ran, her voice grew louder and more urgent: "Save you, save you..." The crowd was stunned, then shocked, and they all chased after her.

  After a long while, the peanut plant lifted its head from the ground, and the sea ships at the river mouth had long since gone out of sight. The surroundings were all silent, with only the occasional sound of crickets coming from the withered grass clumps on the shore.

  Jiuru took a sip of wine and sighed, "Are you sober?" Huasheng shook his head and said, "Master, I don't know if I'm sober or confused, anyway my heart feels uncomfortable." He was silent for a moment, then asked, "What about Liang Xiao, is he alive or dead?" Jiuru smiled and said, "The monk doesn't even know if he's alive or dead. If he's dead, everything will be empty, but if he's alive, do you want to follow him and his wife for the rest of your life?"

  The peanut seller was dazed for a while, and tears flowed down his eyes again. He said: "Master, my heart is so bitter. Why are there always so many hardships in the world? If I didn't grow up, it would be great. I wouldn't have to think about anything or do anything. I could drink during the day and sleep at night. I wouldn't see anyone crying, I wouldn't see dead people, I wouldn't see anything.

  He looked at him and sighed, "Foolish child, you've been muddled in the mortal world for over a decade, yet you still don't understand? The ways of the world are just like this: when you look, you see the myriad appearances of all living beings, a dazzling array that brings both tears and laughter. When you don't look, what's there to see? What's there to this vast world? It's nothing but empty space, perhaps not even that."

  The peanuts were shocked, and in an instant, more than a decade of sights and sounds flashed through his mind. He was stunned for a moment, slowly got up, looked up at the full moon, and felt an unprecedented calmness in his heart.

  He looked at him with a divine expression, stood up and joined his hands together, saying: "Good! Good!" Huasheng also swept his sleeve, joined his hands together and said: "Joy is like sorrow, coming and going, tears streaming down, laughing and smiling, the stupid monk under the Bodhi tree, after the rain, the mountain is green and the mud is old."

  Jiuru sighed and said, "Good for you, you have entered the Way, but not yet deeply. The monk gives you a verse: 'A hundred feet pole is motionless, though one has entered, it's not yet true; A hundred feet pole requires further steps, the ten directions are the whole body.'"

  The monk didn't even look back, and before Jiuru had finished speaking, he had already turned his sleeve and left, walking away while laughing loudly. His laughter was so loud that it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or sad. Jiuru couldn't help but praise him, saying "Good monk, you're really something!" He watched as the monk disappeared into the distance, then turned around and drank the remaining wine in the gourd in one gulp. He tied the gourd to his waist, looked up at the sky, and struck the ground with his wooden staff once, laughing loudly and saying: "Go! The cold crow flies over the chaotic clouds, and a thousand miles is just a drunken village. Ha ha! One laugh can make the empty space of ten thousand years quiet, and three points of bright moonlight shine on the great river!" As he spoke, he walked away with a carefree stride, heading east. At that time, the small moon in the sky was like a washbasin, washing the river water white, and several late crows were dancing in the clouds, flying off in who-knows-what direction.