Chapter Thirty-Five: The Snake Hisses and the Sparrow Arrives

  In the first year of Song De's reign, in May, the Song court learned that the Yuan dynasty was in a precarious situation in the northwest. Chancellor Chen Yizhong beheaded the Yuan envoy who came to negotiate peace and reported to Empress Dowager Cishi, vowing to retake Lianghuai. The empress dowager was overjoyed and ordered Zhang Shijie to take command of the three armies, gathering a fleet of over 10,000 ships, joining forces with Jing Fei, claiming an army of 200,000 land and sea troops, and advancing to besiege Jingkou. Li Tingzhi also led 50,000 infantry and cavalry out of Yangzhou, attacking Artu. At this critical juncture, the Song dynasty eliminated the treacherous and evil elements, gathering elite soldiers and good generals in Huaidong, preparing for a decisive battle with the Yuan army.

  The Song army came with great force, and the defenders of Jingkou were in a state of emergency. Liang Xiao led his troops across the river and advanced to Jingkou. In the same month, the Yuan generals gathered one after another, and the two armies confronted each other at Jiao Mountain, with tens of thousands of warships blocking the river and cutting off the flow.

  Before the battle, General Fan Wenhutu met with Artuh and said: "Twenty miles from here is Shigong Mountain. Climbing the mountain to take a look, the Song army's formation can be seen at a glance." Artuh was overjoyed and took his generals to Shigong Mountain to observe the enemy.

  Shigong Mountain stands tall on the riverbank, with a height of over 100 zhang. It has a rather extraordinary aura. The Yuan generals climbed to the top and looked out, seeing the vast expanse of the great river, with misty waters stretching far and wide. The twin peaks of Jinshan and Jiaoshan stood in the distance, while the Song army's warships, numbering in the tens of thousands, emerged and disappeared between the two mountains. Their formation was like a square yet not a square, like a circle yet not a circle. Ten ships formed a single unit, with their prows and sterns tightly packed together.

  Li Xiang observed the Song formation and suddenly said, "It's not right!" Ah Shu was surprised and asked, "What do you mean it's not right?" Li Xiang replied, "The Song army's formation is called the 'Heavenly Mystery Yellow Formation'. Ten ships form a team, with five formations in the middle, combined with the positions of the five sacred mountains in the east, west, south, north, and center. The five mountains have nine formations inside and outside, following the number of Zhou Yan's great nine states: Chen Tu in the southeast is Shen Zhou, Shu Tu in the south is Qiong Zhou, Tao Tu in the southwest is Rong Zhou, Bing Tu in the west is You Zhou, Bai Tu in the center is Ji Zhou, Fei Tu in the northwest is Zhu Zhou, Cheng Tu in the north is Xuan Zhou, Yin Tu in the northeast is Xian Zhou, Xin Tu in the east is Yang Zhou. The fourteen formations are interconnected and form the image of Hou Tu." Everyone followed his pointing and saw that the Song formation was indeed divided into fourteen blocks, and they couldn't help but secretly admire it.

  Liang Xiao pointed to the outer formation of the Song army: "Outside the Hou Tu formation, there is the Xuan Tian formation, which is further divided into 24 small formations, corresponding to the 24 solar terms: Li Chun Yu Shui, Jing Zhe Chun Fen, Qing Ming Gu Yu, Li Xia Xiao Man...". As he spoke, he pointed out the positions of the 24 formations. "The Xuan Tian formation corresponds to the Zhou Tian solar terms, and the Hou Tu formation corresponds to the eight directions of geography. The harmony between heaven and earth is endless, and the changes are boundless. According to my knowledge, this formation has long been lost. At first, I only saw a fragment of it. However, the fragment says: 'This formation encompasses heaven and earth, swallows and spits out the sun and moon, commands millions of troops like picking a small herb, advances and retreats with ease, and breaks what cannot be broken.'"

  Ah Shu's expression changed, and he furrowed his brow. Suddenly, someone laughed loudly and said: "What a gloomy atmosphere! Such a beautiful landscape, yet no one knows how to appreciate it. Only a group of wild dogs are barking east and west!"

  The crowd was shocked, turned their heads to look back, and suddenly saw a sloppy scholar on the smooth big stone, facing the Yangtze River with wine in hand, his demeanor was elegant and carefree, just like a person in a painting.

  Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and he bowed to the scholar, saying: "Mr. Gong Yang, it's been a long time since we last met, why do you scold people as soon as we meet?" The crowd was puzzled in their hearts: "How does Liang Xiao know him? There are elite soldiers guarding below the mountain, how did this person come up?"

  Gong Yangyu smiled and said, "I scolded the wild dog, where did I scold people?" The crowd heard the sarcasm and were all furious. Liang Xiao frowned and shouted, "Are you Yun Shu's master?" Gong Yangyu glanced at him and said lightly, "What about it?" Liang Xiao's face was pale, nodded and said, "I understand."

  "Goat horn laughed coldly: 'You understand nothing!' Gazing at the Yangtze River, he raised an eyebrow and patted a stone with his hand, muttering to himself, 'The heavens have no bounds, yet north and south are divided. There are many scenes before the mountain, but in the central plains, one regret is hard to discuss! It's as if the Yangtze River stretches for ten thousand miles, suddenly having two isolated peaks, breaking through the crystal basin, borrowing the power of thunder to drive away the Kunlun Mountains! Looking towards Huaiyin, the place where troops are stationed, it still exists. It seems that heaven's intention is lacking only in the elegance of Shi Yaxuan and Liu Cong, three times striking the stubborn stone, awakening the old man from Longzhong, carefully savoring the fragrant wine cup, just as summer needs rain to wash away the northern dust!"

  Ah Shi listened to the strange sound, concentrated his mind and asked Zhang Hongfan, the general manager of the water army in a low voice: "What song is he singing?" Zhang Hongfan was quite familiar with poetry, and said in a low voice: "This song says that the mountains and rivers are majestic, I want to drive out the barbarians like Zu Ti and Liu Kun, and make a northern expedition to the Central Plains like Zhuge Kongming."

  His face sank, and in Chinese he called out: "Who are you?" Gong Yangyu glanced at him and smiled: "You ask who I am? Ha! In the morning I tour the South Sea, in the evening I'm old and gray, with a green snake's gallbladder and rough air in my sleeve. Three times drunk, people from Yueyang don't recognize me, one sword flies over Dongting Lake!" The crowd of imperial guards couldn't bear it anymore, and flew up to pounce on him, but as soon as they raised their knives, they felt a numbness all over their bodies and couldn't move. Gong Yangyu's poem wasn't even finished yet, more than ten imperial guards had already opened their mouths in anger, like wooden or clay sculptures, each one frozen in place.

  Gong Yangyu's sleeves fluttered down, and he laughed loudly: "Ah Shu, who do you think I am?" This poem was written by Lü Dongbin, Gong Yangyu recited it casually, originally using the elegant and divine self-portrait, Ah Shu didn't understand its meaning, only feeling that something strange and inexplicable appeared in front of him, his back chilled, and he shouted loudly: "Everyone be careful, this Acid Ding will use witchcraft!"

  Gong Yangyu snorted and said, "It's clearly a divine technique, but you say it's a demonic method. Alas, people say that Tartars are as stupid as cows and horses, and indeed they are not wrong. Talking to you is like playing the zither to a cow!" Ah Su calmed down and said in a deep voice, "Let's not waste words, what brings you here?" Gong Yangyu smiled and said, "I'm just a poor and humble person, I don't dare to have any grand ambitions. Li Taibai once said, 'The heavens and earth are betting on one throw, but we cannot forget the war.' This time, I've come to challenge your bird emperor Kublai Khan to a game of chance!"

  He only felt that the man's words were strange, and he thought to himself: "Having encountered such a formidable assassin, I'll take it one step at a time and stall for time by talking to him." Pretending to think for a moment, he said: "Alright, how do you want to gamble?"

  The ram's feather clapped his hands and laughed: "Indeed, it's playing the lute to a cow! As for the heaven and earth betting on one throw, of course, it's throwing dice. What about the stakes? It's just this heaven and earth. But with gamblers and stakes, how can we lack dice?" He picked up a cloth bag from his side, shook it casually, and a human head rolled out of the bag with a rattling sound.

  A Shi looked at the head and exclaimed, "Yan Tiemu!" Gong Yangyu smiled and said, "This guy is called Yan Tiemu? I saw him swaggering around, so I brought him along." He chuckled and pointed to the head, "This counts as my first roll of the dice. I heard he was the Wanhu of the Lao Shizi Ma army, so that's three points." Yan Tiemu was a Wanhu of the Yuan army, brave and skilled in battle. Now his head was severed from his body, evoking feelings of sorrow and regret among the generals.

  Ah Shi, as a great general, was not willing to show weakness and coldly said: "The commander-in-chief is three points of dice, I must be six points." Gong Yangyu pointed with his big finger and laughed: "Indeed, it's the commander-in-chief of the three armies, with great self-awareness. Unfortunately, there can only be one six-pointed die, and you can't roll out a six-six grand slam or a leopard. However, fortunately, there are still three managers, Liang's little rabbit son is the Grand Manager of Water and Land, which counts as five points. The Army General Manager Alahan counts as four points, and the Navy General Manager Zhang Hongfan also counts as four points. Dong Wenyi, who participates in policy discussions, has few troops, but his official rank is still good, so he can be counted as four points. As for this Fan Wentao? He's a traitor who sells out his country for personal gain, the worst of the worst, and it's already flattering him to count him as one point. Using him as a die would dirty my hands." Fan Wentao was scolded by him until he was covered in dog blood, with an angry expression on his face, but in his heart, he felt a surge of joy.

  At this time, the sun had not yet reached its peak in the sky, and the river water was like a ribbon. The distant view was vast and open, and it was originally a very carefree scene. However, the atmosphere on top of this small Stone Mountain was heavy as lead. Gong Yangyu's smile never changed, just like he was attending a banquet for elegant conversation. But the more he talked and laughed, the more the other generals felt suffocated. They were used to commanding thousands of troops and holding the lives of countless people in their hands, but being treated like fish on a chopping board, waiting to be slaughtered at will, was something they had never experienced before.

  The old goat stroked his whiskers and chuckled, "Gamblers are gamblers, either three or six. I was just having a streak of bad luck, only threw three points, dare ask you all, what should I throw next?" His gaze swept across the generals, seeing no one responding, he sneered coldly, just about to mock, when suddenly he saw Liang Xiao float out from the crowd without touching the ground, slapping a personal soldier's back, that person's limbs flailed wildly, acupoints instantly released. Liang Xiao wove through the crowd, left and right, his body like a butterfly in flight, his palms flashing like lightning, in the blink of an eye, over ten personal soldiers were all moving about. Liang Xiao's figure condensed, his feet not even touching the ground, calmly said: "Mr. Gong Yang, please!"

  Gong Yangyu's face flashed with a hint of blue, but his mouth was smiling: "Five points have arrived, very good!" His right palm rose and slowly slapped towards Liang Xiao's chest. The wind from his palm was as solid as substance, and Liang Xiao swung his palm to meet it, the blood in his chest churning, involuntarily retreating three steps. A personal soldier behind him, not knowing any better, rushed up to support him, but just as his fingertips touched his back, he flew out six zhang, doing a somersault and falling down the cliff, letting out a mournful cry that echoed from afar.

  Gong Yangyu didn't wait for Liang Xiao to steady himself, and with a flash of his body, he appeared above Liang's head, laughing loudly: "Rabbit son, go down the mountain!" Liang Xiao didn't dare to meet him head-on, and his long sword left its scabbard, charging straight at Gong Yangyu's chest. Gong Yangyu let out a hum, and from his sleeve, the Qing Xuan sword broke through the air, its blade as thin as paper, curving and bending without any fixed shape, like a group of snakes writhing together, stabbing towards Liang Xiao's entire body with deadly intent.

  Two men, their swords flashing like lightning, suddenly rising and falling, exchanging five moves. Although their attacks were swift, their blades never touched, seemingly dancing separately, but in reality, every move was a deadly strike aimed at the opponent's weak points.

  The five swords of Gong Yangyu fell empty, and his heart was shocked again, and he felt sad: "This child will become a master of the generation if given time. Unfortunately, he assisted Zhou in his tyranny, and his martial arts skills grew stronger, causing greater harm. If I don't eliminate him, who knows how many Song people he'll kill?" His heart suddenly turned cold and hard, and with a swift movement of his long sword, he stabbed towards Liang Xiao's face.

  Liang Xiao took a step back, suddenly feeling the ground beneath his feet give way. His heart was greatly shocked: "Oh no! Behind me is a cliff!" Just as he was about to steady himself, Gong Yang's sword came like the wind, pressing in on him. Amidst the crowd's cries of alarm, Liang Xiao's body leaned back and he fell off the cliff. In his desperation, he looked at the cracks in the cliff wall, exerting all his strength to thrust his sword into them. With a "clang", Liang Xiao grasped his sword with one hand, his body suspended in mid-air, swaying back and forth with the vast river wind.

  Gong Yangyu didn't pursue, and instead smiled while stroking his beard: "This 'Monkey Hanging' move is quite good!" Liang Xiao knew he couldn't escape death, so he loudly shouted: "Gong Yangyu, use the 'Wild Dog Eating Feces' to stab me!" He was in a very low position, and Gong Yangyu thought: "If I were to stab him, I would have to lean forward, resembling a wild dog crawling on the ground. Wouldn't that be falling into his verbal trap?" As he hesitated, the wind sounded from behind, and many imperial guards charged forward with their knives. Gong Yangyu turned around and swept his palm, knocking down four of them. The imperial guards were shocked and stopped in their tracks. Suddenly, they heard A Shi loudly shouting: "Those who retreat will be beheaded!" His military orders were as strict as a mountain, and the imperial guards rushed forward desperately.

  Gong Yangyu laughed and said, "Shrimp soldiers and crab generals are not worth mentioning at all. If they were to come out, wouldn't I be greatly defeated?" He withdrew the soft sword into his sleeve, turned around, grabbed A Zhu's heart with one hand, and held it up laughing, saying, "You keep calling for people to send you to death, but your own abilities are quite ordinary." The various generals saw their commander being subdued and were all shocked and lost color.

  Liang Xiao seized the opportunity, shook his hand, and drew his sword to climb up the cliff. In mid-air, he let out a loud cry, and his sword moved in the "Ran Jian Dao" style, with swift and fierce movements, like a strong wind blowing rain, pouring down towards Gong Yangyu's back. Gong Yangyu had intentionally let him come up, and seeing this, laughed and said: "You've arrived just in time." He grabbed Ah Su's shoulder and used him as a shield to counterattack. Liang Xiao's sword movements didn't stop, and with a series of six swift stabs, his sword body was compressed into an arc shape by his inner strength, each sword brushing past Ah Su's face, nose, waist, and body.

  All the generals were shocked and shouted in unison: "Liang Xiao, you're crazy!" Liang Xiao remained silent. His swordsmanship was precise, seemingly slashing randomly, but he never hurt Ah Suo, instead occasionally circling around his body to stab at Gong Yangyu's vital points. Ah Suo understood his intention, the sword edge swept across his forehead, also without blinking.

  The ram's gaze swept over the two of them, one was transcendent and confident, with a swift and fierce attack, while the other was calm and composed, entrusting his life to fate, with an air of self-satisfaction. A chill ran down his spine as he thought: "With such generals, it's no wonder that the Yuan army is invincible wherever they go."

  At this point, he had a loving thought and pulled Astra aside, pointing at the tip of Liang Xiao's sword with his finger. Liang Xiao only felt a hot flow rushing up from the tiger's mouth, and half of his arm seemed to be burned by fierce fire, hastily withdrawing his sword and jumping back.

  Gong Yangyu smiled and said: "Mount Tai collapses in front, a fierce tiger pounces from behind, yet his expression doesn't change. You, this Tatar general, indeed have remarkable composure. Alright, Liang Xiao, let's make a wager between the two of us, with Ping Zhang's life as the stake. If you win, I'll spare his life; if you lose, you must take your own life to apologize."

  Liang Xiao knew he couldn't force Gong Yangyu to release the people, so he raised an eyebrow and said, "How do you want to gamble?" Ah Shu's heart skipped a beat, and he was deeply moved. Gong Yangyu was momentarily excited and set down the gambling terms. As soon as the words left his mouth, he slightly regretted it: "The current situation is different from before. If I'm not careful, the Song Dynasty will be finished. Although I made a vow back then to not ask about the rise and fall of the world, it was just hot air. That kid Liang Wanjun was right: 'If the court is incompetent, what fault do the people have?' Today, at this moment, I absolutely cannot let these Tartar generals live to leave the mountain."

  He smiled slightly and said, "Good, guess whether the Ping Zhang Art in my hand is dead or alive?" Liang Xiao was taken aback, thinking to himself, "Of course it's alive." Just as he was about to speak out loud, he suddenly realized, "No, the life and death of the Art are entirely up to him. If I guess it's alive, he'll kill it with a single palm; if I guess it's dead, Gong Yangyu will let it live, and I'll have to take my own life." He was stunned on the spot.

  Gong Yang's heart was burning with anxiety: "This little thief is so cunning, he won't take the bait. As long as he says a word that sounds like 'live', I'll make a big profit and earn five or six taels in one go." He smiled and said: "Haven't thought of it yet? I'll count to three, if you still can't guess, then you lose... Liang Xiao's face turned pale, his lips trembling, unable to speak for the moment.

  Gong Yangyu laughed and said, "Two!" Just as he was about to say three, he suddenly heard someone say coldly, "I think it's alive." The voice wasn't very loud, but it was low and ominous, like a muffled thunderclap. Gong Yangyu's heart skipped a beat, and he turned his eyes to look over, where Xiao Qianxue stood tall in black clothes, standing on top of a boulder.

  Gong Yangyu's expression changed slightly as he smiled and said, "Old monster, I'm afraid you're wrong." Before he could even release his palm energy, a strong gust of wind attacked from behind. Gong Yangyu swiftly countered with his Qing Xuan sword, and a tiger-like roar echoed through the air. Just as he was distracted, Xiao Qianxue suddenly appeared, her palm pressing down on Ah Shu's shoulder, channeling internal energy into him that collided with Gong Yangyu's palm. Gong Yangyu found himself under attack from both front and back, struggling to cope. His wrist felt a surge of heat as Xiao Qianxue's internal energy sent his sword flying out of his hand. As he attempted to grab it again, Xiao Qianxue had already retreated several feet, holding Ah Shu in her grasp, and coldly said, "Old beggar, who do you think is wrong?"

  The male goat let out a hum, glanced sideways, and saw that the black tiger had three paws on the ground, baring its teeth in anger. One of its paws was still digging at the earth, with fresh blood dripping from it, and a sword wound visible. The male goat felt secretly enraged: "Good beast, ruining my big plan." All the generals looked at this sudden appearance of a man and a beast, and were extremely surprised. Liang Xiao stared at Xiao Qian Yue, his hand gripping his sword trembling.

  A bodyguard pulled out a horn and blew it loudly. The guards on the mountain waist heard the sound of the horn, shouting and rushing up the mountain. Gong Yangyu's eyes flashed with excitement, and he suddenly laughed: "Xiao Lao Guai, you have a skill that can be called the best in the world, and I am really impressed." Xiao Qianxue coldly said: "What skill?" Gong Yangyu laughed: "Your ability to follow the wind and eat fart is the best in the world! No matter where I am, you always come after hearing the wind, no, it should be that you come after smelling fart!"

  Xiao Qian's facial muscles twitched slightly, and he sneered: "Don't dare to, you old poor scholar also have a similar skill, worthy of being the world's number one." Gong Yangyu smiled: "Old man's world-class skills are not just one, I don't know which one you're talking about?" Xiao Qian said: "Other skills are not worth mentioning, but when you see me, you escape without a trace. This ' swift escape, pants-wetting' skill, Xiao is quite impressed!"

  The old goat shook his head and said: "This is where you're wrong, you old monster. As the poem says: 'A gentle and virtuous girl, a gentleman's delight.' Men chasing women, it's been going on since ancient times. A mere gentleman like myself, admiring a virtuous girl, not being a lecher, how can I stand your persistent pursuit!" The implication was that Xiao Qian's relentless pursuit was due to his own perverse desires. The crowd was shocked and stared at Xiao Qian, thinking: "This old man is so cold and stern, but he has such a strange hobby?"

  Xiao Qian's face turned blue with rage, and he shouted: "Fart, fart!" Gong Yangyu covered his nose with his sleeve and said: "Two farts in a row, extremely smelly! Extremely smelly!" After finishing speaking, he burst into loud laughter, the sound of which shook the sky. Among the crowd on the mountain, except for Xiao Qian and Liang Xiao, everyone's ears were ringing with pain, their heads spinning and hearts racing, almost unable to stand upright.

  Xiao Qianxue listened to his strange laughter, secretly paying attention, and glanced sideways. A silk wind kite rose from the Song army's formation, shaped like a centipede, about ten feet long. Xiao Qianxue felt slightly surprised in her heart. Gong Yangyu raised his hand, and the Qingxi sword shot out with a humming sound. Xiao Qianxue retreated half a step, counterattacking with a casual swing of her arm. Within several meters, two groups of people were frantically spinning around each other, their swords clashing, ringing out continuously, like thousands of pearls falling into a jade plate, making it difficult to distinguish the sequence of fast and slow.

  More and more soldiers rushed to the top of the mountain, surrounding the two masters. Liang Xiao saw that Gong Yangyu was in front of Xiao Qianxue and behind him were thousands of horses, he wanted to help him escape, so he shouted: "Old Wang Ba, look at my sword!" He jumped up and stabbed his sword towards Xiao Qianxue. The generals saw this and all angrily shouted and exclaimed.

  Liang Xiaoquan ignored him, launching a fierce attack with his sword. Suddenly, Xiao Qianjue was ambushed and retreated three steps involuntarily. Gong Yangyu angrily shouted: "Do you want to be a busybody?" and stabbed at Liang Xiao with his sword. Liang Xiao dodged too late, and the soft sword pierced his heart. Just as all hope seemed lost, Xiao Qianjue rushed forward again, striking down with his palm.

  Gong Yang Wu couldn't help but let Liang Xiao go, and turned his sword to face the greater enemy. Liang Xiao caught his breath and swung his sword again at Xiao Qian Jue. Xiao Qian Jue angrily said: "You little beast want to die!" Although he was tough on the surface, being outnumbered two-to-one was ultimately difficult, so he could only temporarily dodge and evade.

  Gong Yangyu obtained the empty child, and the sword stabbed Liang Xiao again. This time Liang Xiao was prepared, and in an instant, the two exchanged swords twice. Xiang Qianjue dodged several times to avoid it, looked up and saw that the two were fighting again, and couldn't help but rush forward with anger, striking both of them with his palms. The two could only dodge him. In this way, they fought back and forth, exchanging over a hundred moves, still unable to gain the upper hand. The Yuan army officers were afraid of hurting Liang Xiao, so even though they held knives and bows, they didn't dare move rashly.

  In the fierce battle, a northeast wind rose, and Song Jun's kite relied on the wind to soar higher and higher, approaching the top of Shigong Mountain. Gong Yangyu glared at Liang Xiao, then glared at Xiao Qianjue, suddenly thrusting his sword to open up Liang Xiao, and slapped out a palm towards Xiao Qianjue, who met it with a swing of his own palm.

  Two palms intersected, Gong Yangyu burst out laughing and said: "Old monster, I'll take the lead!" Xiao Qianju was taken aback, suddenly enlightened, and shouted loudly as he rushed forward. Suddenly, he saw Gong Yangyu do a backflip and leap out towards the cliff edge, laughing and saying: "No need to see me off!" His lightness skill was originally extraordinary, and with Xiao Qianju's palm strength, this leap exceeded ten zhang. The Stone Grandfather Mountain was over a hundred ren high, no matter how formidable he was, jumping down would be hard to survive, everyone thought he had died unyieldingly, leaping off the cliff to kill himself, Liang Xiao's heart ached, almost shedding tears!

  The river wind howled, and the kite was suspended in mid-air, with a thick rope stretched taut. The sunlight shone through, making the rope glisten as if it had been greased. Gong Yangyu raised his right hand, and the ten-zhang white silk ribbon wrapped around the rope, causing the kite to dip slightly, leaving him hanging in mid-air. He divided the white silk into two strands, threaded them onto the rope, and slid down slowly along the hundred-zhang long rope.

  On the mountain, a sudden and startling sound, feathered arrows flying like raindrops, shot towards Gong Yang. Lao Qian Suan's right hand sword light flew in a whirlwind, sweeping down all the incoming arrows. Because the rope had been smeared with oil, his movement was extremely fast, like a meteor streaking across the sky, and in an instant he was outside the range of the bow and arrow. The two armies on the river saw this strange sight, everyone pointing to the sky, issuing wave after wave of astonished cries.

  He snatched a hard bow, took out a fire arrow and lit it, shooting an arrow at the rope. The rope was covered with oil, and as soon as it ignited, a flame dragon rose up, swallowing the kite in the wind. Gong Yangyu suddenly lost his balance and fell towards the river. At this time, he was still ten zhang away from the water's surface, amidst the shouts of the crowd, he flipped over to the rope with a somersault, facing the wind with his sleeves spread out, his clothes puffed up like a ball, slowing down his fall faster than the rope. Ah Su blurted out in surprise: "Good acrobatics!" As the sound faded away, the rope fell into the river, and Gong Yangyu stepped on it to fly, drifting gently into the Song army's formation.

  Liang Xiao saw Gong Yangyu's clever plan to escape danger, and his heart was slightly calmed. He turned his head to look, but didn't see the figure of Xiao Qianjue anywhere. He drew his sword and chased after him, but Xiao Qianjue rode a tiger as if it were flat land, crossing mountains and ridges with ease. Liang Xiao chased all the way down the mountain, only to see a vast open plain, without any sign of his enemy's trail.

  Returning to the camp, Liang Xiao thought of Gong Yangyu helping Yun Shu come to kill him, and his heart was gloomy and unhappy. He hastily handled military affairs and returned to his room to rest. As he lay on the bed, he thought of the scene where Gong Yangyu taught him martial arts at Mount Hua, and he couldn't sleep, tossing and turning until late into the night. At this time, he suddenly heard a sharp whistling sound coming from the rooftop, which didn't seem like the wind blowing over the roof, but rather like an expert testing their martial skills.

  His heart was greatly startled, he threw on his clothes and went out of the door, raised his eyes to take a look, two human figures were on the roof, suddenly appearing and disappearing, intersecting and making a whooshing sound.

  Liang Xiao recognized that it was Gong Yangyu and Xiao Qianjue, and he was greatly shocked. The people in the mansion heard the noise and were startled awake, and they hastily lit up lanterns. Suddenly, Gong Yangyu laughed and said: "Xiao Lao Guai, all of these are your accomplices, dare you go with me to the outskirts of the city?" Xiao Qianjue coldly replied: "Let's go!"

  The two figures were identical in shape and size, and they ran shoulder to shoulder towards the outskirts of the city. Liang Xiao was right behind them, his body as agile as a house. In the blink of an eye, the three people's running speeds differed, with Gong Yangyu and Xiao Qianxue running side by side, while Liang Xiao fell back by a distance of one arrow.

  He rushed to the city gate, only to see that the two men had already escaped south of the city by some means. The two figures fled like arrows, disappearing into the dark night in an instant. Liang Xiao thought: "Is Mr. Gong Yang here to kill me again? I want to make it clear with him whether I was wrong or Yun Shu was wrong. As for Xiao Qian, my feud with him is as deep as the sea, fighting is a small matter, revenge is a big deal." So he opened the city gate and chased after the two men with all his might.

  He rushed all the way, occasionally seeing the two figures, trees breaking and rocks splitting, as if a hurricane had swept through. Liang Xiao was shocked and thought to himself that searching for Shao Xiang would also be certain death. With this in mind, a tragic atmosphere rose up in his chest, knowing that disaster was more likely than good fortune, yet he didn't slow down at all.

  They chased southwest for half the night, and the two people's footprints suddenly became shallow. By the next morning, they suddenly lost their trail, and Liang Xiao searched everywhere, but there was no trace of them, as if the two people had vanished into thin air.

  Liang Xiao continued on his way, passing through several villages and towns, all of which were empty and deserted. He saw broken spears and scattered corpses, most of whom were Song and Yuan soldiers, as well as ordinary civilians. The scene was too gruesome to describe. Liang Xiao was shocked and uncertain, running for over a hundred miles until he finally met a group of Song Dynasty civilians. When he asked them what had happened, they told him that several branches of the Yuan army had passed through, repeatedly clashing with the Song army, and the civilians were afraid of being looted by the chaotic soldiers, so they abandoned their homes and fled south.

  Li Xiang saw that these Song people were all dirty and disheveled, with a look of despair on their faces. Thinking back to what he had seen along the way, he felt a great sense of regret in his heart. In the past, he had vowed to destroy the Song Dynasty, but who would have thought that after one battle, it would end up like this? Witnessing the tragic scene inside Xiangyang City, he had already secretly regretted it, so until now, he continued to fight, all because of Bayan's boastful words about unifying the world and having no more wars. However, as he marched on, he witnessed the cruelty of war, and his heart was always tormented. That night, he saw the desolate villages and the fleeing people, and after feeling regret, he also felt a sense of unease, thinking that if things continued like this, how many more people would die, and how many more civilians would be implicated. Perhaps it was true what Lan Ya had said, that even if there was eternal peace after this war, his soul would never be at peace.

  Liang Xiao stood there in a daze, and by the time he came to, the villagers had already left. Looking at the backs of the crowd, his heart felt like it was being bitten by a venomous snake: "Xiao Qian made my parents disappear, leaving me homeless, and now I've caused these villagers to lose their homes too. It seems that I'm no different from Xiao Qian."

  He rushed here regardless of his life, just to avenge and settle the score, but thinking about it again, he suddenly lost interest, and the idea of revenge was greatly discounted. He walked dazedly and aimlessly for an unknown distance, and at midnight, his legs were like lead, and he fell sitting under a large tree, gazing at the village town like a ghost domain. The strong wind swept over the treetops, sounding like the wailing of people and horses, which was especially mournful.

  Liang Xiao's mind was exhausted, and he fell into a daze, sleeping for a while. At the hour of Yin and Mao, he was suddenly startled awake by a strange laugh. The laughter was sharp and high-pitched, mixed with hissing sounds. Liang Xiao woke up with a start, and the laughter stopped abruptly, leaving the surroundings silent once again.

  Laughter rose from the darkness, and Liang Xiao felt a chill in his heart. He followed the sound for several miles, and suddenly saw houses and buildings standing before him. It was actually a village. At this time, the sky was about to brighten, and the faint light of dawn outlined the undulating mountain shadows behind the village.

  As he walked, Liang Xiao unintentionally approached the border of Huangshan. As he drew near, he saw that in front of the village, there were over ten corpses of Yuan soldiers scattered about. Liang Xiao rushed forward and tore open one of their shirts, revealing a black mark on his chest that seemed like a pair of deeply sunken eyes staring at him. Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat as he examined the soldier more closely, finding that his entire body was soft as cotton, with over 300 bones broken into pieces.

  Liang Xiao was shocked and suspected that the soldiers must have been punched to death by someone, with their entire skeletal system shattered by the powerful punch. The brutal and vicious nature of the killer's fist was unprecedented, and upon further inspection, all the other soldiers had similar chest injuries with shattered bones.

  He hesitated for a moment, dug a hole and buried these people on the spot. He looked at the village entrance for a while, shook his spirits, and walked in. He was afraid that the murderer was still in the village, with a full body of inner energy, but after walking for a while, every household in the village had their doors and windows wide open, with no one inside. At dawn, the air was cold and windy, the fierce wind pierced through the windows and doors, making a mournful sound, as if hundreds of ghosts were crying at night.

  Liang Xiao's courage was great, but as soon as he thought of the murderer beside him, his heart began to beat faster. Suddenly, a loud noise was heard, and he involuntarily cried out: "Who?" He glanced sideways, and a wooden door creaked and swayed in the wind. The wind grew stronger, and the door slammed shut with a "bang".

  He let out a breath, and in the blink of an eye, between the opening and closing of the door, it seemed like someone's shadow flashed by. Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and he swiftly jumped up, entering through the doorway, but saw that the room was empty, with no one inside. Just as he felt strange, he suddenly saw a long, narrow human shadow on the ground, which turned out to be the morning light casting a shadow from outside the window into the room. Liang Xiao broke out of the window and suddenly saw six people standing in a line on the main street ahead, their chests and backs connected, with their hands hanging down.

  Those six men were also dressed in Yuan army uniforms. Liang Xiao frowned and shouted, "Whose subordinates are you?" The six men stared blankly, not moving or speaking. Liang Xiao was puzzled, walked forward, and patted the last man's shoulder. With a thud, the six men fell like dominoes, stacked on top of each other. Liang Xiao was shocked and pale, and after a closer look, he saw that the six men had their tongues out and eyes wide open, having been dead for some time.

  Six dead bodies did not seem to be from the village, their skeletons were intact, and there were no scars on their bodies. Only the last person had his right little finger cut off, the fifth person had his left little finger cut off. Liang Xiao saw that the fourth person's left foot's little toe was also cut off after careful examination for a long time. The third person had his right foot's little toe cut off. The second person was the most bizarre, with his hair broken into sections, but no other injuries. Liang Xiao was shocked and suspicious, and examined the first person carefully. That person seemed to be completely unharmed from head to toe. Liang Xiao thought for a moment, then tore open his clothes, and was shocked to discover that there was also a black fist-sized mark on his chest.

  Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and she let out a soft "hmm" of surprise. Just then, someone coldly laughed and said, "You've noticed it too?" Liang Xiao turned to look in the direction of the voice, and saw a person standing far away, dressed casually and exuding an air of nonchalance.

  Liang Xiao stood up with a sigh and said: "Mr. Gong Yang." After a brief hesitation, he asked again, "Did you kill these people?"

  Gong Yangyu snorted, "A nameless little soldier, killing you would only dirty my hands." He looked up and down at Liang Xiao, "If you want to die, I'd be happy to oblige." Liang Xiao smiled wryly and asked, "Where's Xiao Qian?" Gong Yangyu replied indifferently, "He ran into an old friend and is being affectionate with them right now."

  Liang Xiao saw Gong Yang Yu appear alone, and his heart was filled with doubts and confusion. After a moment of silence, he sighed: "These six people wore the same uniform as me in battle, sir please wait for a moment, let me bury them." He drew his sword and dug a large pit, then buried the six men on the spot.

  Gong Yangyu looked at him and asked coldly: "When they died, you buried them. Who will bury you when you die?"

  Liang Xiao listened to these words and thought of the frequent battles since he joined the army, with corpses piling up like mountains, millions of soldiers falling on the battlefield, turning into countless lifeless bodies. He himself had lived until today, which was truly fortunate, and couldn't help but sigh: "A person's life is a hundred years, isn't it all about death? After death, whether buried or not, what difference does it make? Can Mr. Come say that if he passes away next year, he can predict who will bury him?"

  The old ram threw away his wife and abandoned his children, with no relatives left by his side. He feared that even after a hundred years, he would still be a lonely skeleton in the wilderness, with no one to bury him. Thinking of this, he felt desolate in his heart and bitterly smiled: "Alright, for your father's sake, I'll let you rest in peace after you die."

  Liang Xiao's heart was filled with a hundred flavors, he had originally come to debate with Gong Yangyu, but along the way, witnessing the cruel ravages of war, his heart was filled with regret. He knew that his guilt was deep and only thought: "Dying at his hands today would also be a great relief. However, my father's revenge has not been avenged, and my mother is gone without a clear reason, how can I face them if I die with my hands tied?"

  The ram's feathers also brought up his past grievances, frowning and thinking deeply: "I won't be able to return to the Heavenly Machine Palace, with a son and daughter in name only. A hundred years later, I'm afraid no one will offer incense or sacrifices for me. Alas, that child Liang Wenjing was originally very good, but unfortunately fell into the hands of the old monster. This grudge must be avenged. However... he only has this son, and if he dies, won't his lineage be cut off?" Earlier, when he heard about Liang Xiao's plan to attack Song, he was furious and wanted to kill him immediately, but thinking about it now, he suddenly became hesitant and indecisive.

  Li Xue saw him not speaking for a long time, and felt strange. Gong Yangyu suddenly raised his head and said: "Little boy, do you know how these six Yuan soldiers died?" Li Xue hesitated slightly before saying: "They were killed by one punch, but why did the second person have their hair cut off, and the last four people had their fingers and toes cut off?"

  "This is exactly where that person's ferocity lies. One punch killing six people isn't difficult, what's difficult is that his fist power only reaches the tip of the fingers and doesn't affect anything else. The subtlety of internal energy can be said to be controlled by one's heart."

  Liang Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Is it Thousand Absolute?" Gong Yangyu shook his head and said, "Xiao Lao Guai kills people with his palms, and heads fall to the ground. There are no such fancy tricks. This martial art originated from Tianzhu, and its Sanskrit name is 'Shiva Sena'. Shiva is the destructive god of Brahmanism, and Sena refers to the inner power in yoga, which also means snake. Therefore, this internal skill is also called 'Destructive God's Snake'. After achieving great success, the inner energy is like thousands of poisonous snakes, moving around the opponent's body, causing heartbreak and bone fracture, or destroying the liver and intestines, all depending on the practitioner's intentions."

  Liang Xiao Dao said, "It seems that person has already made great progress." Gong Yang Yu said lightly, "Even if he hasn't made great progress, it's almost the same!" Liang Xiao raised an eyebrow: "What is his name?" Gong Yang Yu glanced at him and smiled, "You little brat are about to die, yet you still have so many questions." Liang Xiao felt a slight anger in his heart, and loudly said, "Sir, if you want to kill me, then just kill me, why bother talking nonsense?"

  Gong Yangyu gazed at him, secretly sighing in his heart: "If I had a mind to kill you, why would I bother with idle chatter? Alas, for now, I'm not ruthless enough to do so, unless you provoke me into anger." He then probed: "This person's internal strength is impressive, are you admiring him?" The one who cultivated the "Destruction of God Snake" was extremely evil, and as long as Liang Xiao answered with a single "yes", Gong Yangyu would be enraged in his heart and could immediately take his life. Thus, as soon as he spoke, he stared intently at Liang Xiao without blinking.

  Liang Xiao shook his head and said, "There are only four people in the world who make me admire, and this person is not among them." Gong Yangyu was greatly disappointed and asked casually, "Who are the four people you admire?"

  Liang Xiao said, "One of them is a great monk, he's got a lot of guts and dares to do whatever it takes. Among the people I admire, he ranks fourth." Gong Yang Yu said, "You're talking about Jiu Ru Monk?" Liang Xiao said, "Sir knows him too?" Gong Yang Yu snorted coldly and didn't answer directly, "What about the second person?" Liang Xiao said, "The second person is Leng Qing Dao Zhang. As for the reason, there's no need to say." Gong Yang Yu listened and nodded repeatedly, smiling, "This goes without saying, she should be ranked first, right?" Liang Xiao shook his head, "She's ranked third." Gong Yang Yu's face sank, thinking to himself, "I'd like to hear who's ranked first."

  Liang Xiao continued, "The second person I admire is a young girl." Gong Yang Yu's anger rose to his head: "A little girl, how can she be compared to Hui Xin?" He thought and let out an angry hum.

  Liang Xiao looked at him and sighed, "This young girl suffers from an incurable disease, yet she doesn't give up on herself. She's happy to help others. If it weren't for her help, there wouldn't be a Liang Xiao today." Gong Yangyu heard this and his expression eased slightly, nodding slightly.

  Liang Xiao paused for a moment, then said: "As for the person Liang Xiao admires the most, it is an official of the Great Yuan." Gong Yangyu's eyes flashed with sharp light, and his hands clenched tightly. Suddenly, he heard Liang Xiao say: "This person's surname is Guo, named Shoujing. He developed water conservancy projects, studied calendar systems, achieved great accomplishments that will last for thousands of years, and benefited people for generations to come. Among the people Liang Xiao admires, he ranks first."

  Gong Yangyu heard this and his anger gradually subsided, nodding: "If it's as you say, then this person is worthy of admiration whether in the Yuan or Song dynasties." He said so with his mouth, but among those he admired, there was no himself, and his heart always felt a little unwell. Suddenly, he heard Liang Xiao say again: "Sir's martial arts and intelligence are rare in the world, unfortunately, abandoning wife and child, disregarding family ties, also makes Liang Xiao not too admiring."

  The ram's anger was about to erupt, but he thought better of it. If he killed Liang Xiao now, wouldn't that be an admission of guilt? He suppressed his rage and sneered, "You're just a naive kid, what do you know about family ties?" But in his heart, he thought, "Why should I take action myself? Let him go to his doom willingly, isn't that better?" After a moment's hesitation, he suddenly said, "Follow me, boy." He turned and walked away, with Liang Xiao having no choice but to follow.

  Arriving at the village head, under a green pine tree, the sky was already bright and the fields were shining. Gong Yangyu slapped the trunk of the tree with one palm, and the pine needles fell like rain. Gong Yangyu swung his sleeve, and a suction force emerged from it, gathering thousands of pine needles into a line, which he then put into his sleeve. After collecting the pine needles, Gong Yangyu said: "Young man, I killed you by relying on my strength to bully the weak, which is not a fair victory. On Shigong Mountain, our bet was unfinished, now it's no harm to continue."

  Liang Xiao was slightly startled, and suddenly saw Gong Yangyu's large sleeves waving again. The pine needles between his sleeves whizzed down to the yellow mud ground, forming a pattern that seemed like a square but not quite, like a circle but not quite. Gong Yangyu said: "Do you recognize it?"

  Liang Xiao said casually, "This is the Tian Di Xuan Huang formation. The Song army's formation, it was drawn by your hand, sir?" Gong Yangyu smiled and neither confirmed nor denied: "You were very boastful on Mount Shi Gong, you must have some insight. Now in this array of mine, one pine needle represents a soldier, if you can break through the formation, I will spare your life, but if you cannot, you will be the one to take responsibility."

  Liang Xiao examined the formation chart, shook his head and said: "I don't have the skill to receive and send the needle, how can I compete with you?" Gong Yangyu smiled and said: "This is not difficult, with your current cultivation, I'll tell you and you'll understand!"

  He thought to himself that Liang Xiao would not be able to escape death, so he didn't hide his secret. He picked up a pine needle and said: "This method of mine is called 'Bì Wēi Jiàn' (Azure Micro Arrow). It uses the azure needle as an arrow and internal energy as a bow. When this pine needle is shot out, it's just like that." Seeing Liang Xiao's puzzled expression, he asked again: "I ask you, can a bow shoot an arrow? But why?"

  Liang Xiao was skilled in archery and responded, "The bow's back is hard and strong, the bowstring is soft and resilient. The left hand tightly grasps the bow's back, the right hand pulls open the bowstring, with hardness and softness complementing each other, then you can shoot the arrow out." Gong Yangyu nodded, "That's correct, a single bow has both hardness and softness, don't your internal strength also have hardness and softness?" Liang Xiao suddenly realized, "Sir's intention is to use strong energy as the bow, gentle energy as the string, and relaxed energy as the arrow's feathers."

  "Ah, you little scoundrel, your comprehension is truly impressive. As I always say: 'The Way of Heaven is like the stretching of a bow, the high it presses down, the low it lifts up, the excessive it diminishes, the insufficient it supplements.' And also: 'When about to close in, one must first open up.' The secret to using the Azure Mist Arrow lies within these two phrases." He then went on to elaborate on how to circulate the vital energy and how to manipulate the inner force.

  Liang Xiawu's comprehension was originally high, after Mount Hua, his internal strength combined with yin and yang, hard and soft. After listening, he picked up a pine needle, adding 50% of his hard energy and 50% of his soft energy. His hard energy was released externally, while his soft energy was retracted internally. With a "whoosh" sound, the pine needle flew out and deeply inserted itself into the mud.

  "Remember this, outwardly strong and inwardly weak is called 'exit', while outwardly weak and inwardly strong is called 'entry'." Liang Xiao nodded his head, and with a punch struck the tree trunk. The pine needles fell rustling to the ground. With another palm strike, the force was opposite to what it had been before - soft and hard, external and internal, like an inverted longbow, with the bow's back inside and its string outside, sending the arrow flying back. The pine needles were drawn into his sleeve by the power of his palm.

  Gong Yangyu saw that he was enlightened and felt even more regretful in his heart. He shook his head and sighed, "To say it, this principle is not limited to the injury of pine needles. In the future, when your internal strength reaches the realm of transformation, blowing autumn hair and shooting micro dust, it's also possible. Only, if you live until then, I'm afraid there will be no one in the world who can be your opponent."

  Liang Xiao discerned the implicit tone, and smiled wryly. With a gentle yet firm motion, he shot out a needle from his sleeve, forming an array that was seemingly square yet not quite, seemingly round yet not quite. Gong Yang's eyes flashed with a cold smile as he said, "You're using this too?" Liang Xiao replied, "The mysterious and yellow heavens, the king of all arrays. Apart from countering with the same move, there is no other superior strategy."

  "You're quite perceptive, young one." With a wave of his sleeve, the pine needles on the ground were blown away like they were swept by the wind. The "Mystic Heaven 24 Arrays" began to operate: "The Beginning of Spring Array" was like thunder rumbling; "The Rain Water Array" was like slanted winds blowing rain; "The Awakening of Insects Array" was like a dragon swinging its tail; "The Vernal Equinox Array" divided yin and yang; "The Beginning of Summer Array" surged forward like fire; "The Grain Buds Array" was sharp as wheat awns; "The Minor Heat" and "Major Heat" arrays were connected front and back; "The Minor Snow" and "Major Snow" arrays wandered left and right; "The Frost Descent Array" was like the six directions flying frost, reaching everywhere; "The Hoarfrost Array" was like dew on flowers, gathering and dispersing without bounds. The 24 arrays each followed the changes of the four seasons, advancing and striking in unison without cease.

  Liang Xiao also rotated the "Mystic Heaven 24 Arrays", with "Winter Solstice Array" facing up against Gong Yangyu's "Summer Solstice Array", "Autumnal Equinox" facing up against "Vernal Equinox", "Major Snow" facing up against "Minor Heat", "End of Heat" facing up against "Clear and Bright", "Frost Descent" facing up against "Grain Rain"... The Mystic Heaven 24 Arrays combined with the seasonal nodes' changes, naturally having yin-yang mutual restraint, Gong Yangyu's array method was restrained, suddenly becoming stagnant. Liang Xiao once again waved his sleeve, the "Earth Creation Array" emerged from due north, the "Hidden Earth Array" came from northeast, the "Morning Earth Array" emerged from southeast, the "Rushing Earth Array" came from southwest. In an instant, the nine earth arrays each followed their respective positions, rushing out in a flurry.

  The ram's feathers large sleeves lightly swing, the mysterious heaven twenty-four arrays scatter to both wings, nine states nine arrays reside in the middle and suddenly emerge. Southern fire overcomes western metal, he uses the true south "Deep Earth Array" to resist Liang Xiao's western "Parallel Earth Array", eastern wood calms northern water, with the true east "Faithful Earth Array" resisting Liang Xiao's true north "Accomplished Earth Array". The other seven arrays also each follow the five elements' overcoming, their momentum like a white crane spreading its wings, elegantly hiding killing intent.

  Liāo Xiāo recognized this as the "Crane Soars Transformation" of the formation, and loudly said: "Sir, look at my tiger-squatting form!" The inner energy was everywhere, the rear earth formation retreated inward, the mysterious heaven formation burst outward, resembling a squatting fierce tiger, facing off against the soaring white crane in the distance.

  Gong Yangyu deeply knew that the attack could not last, and after a brief struggle, the formation was withdrawn and transformed into "Tuanlong's formation". Tuanlong is one of the nine sons of the dragon, half-turtle and half-dragon. This change implied attacking in defense and hiding killing intent.

  Liang Xiao suddenly changed to "Phoenix Rising", easily switching from defense to offense. Gong Yangyu transformed into the "Yellow Dragon Image", and the Xuantian and Houtu arrays suddenly moved forward and backward, as if the divine dragon had no beginning or end. Liang Xiao's array transformed into the "Black Turtle Shape", allowing it to come and go freely, remaining unmoving like a mountain from start to finish.

  Two people use their inner strength to control the pine needle, but what they are fighting is wisdom. After "Xuan Huang Jiu Bian" has changed, the two have created a new formation again. It's like playing chess, "Xuan Huang Jiu Bian" is like setting up the board, after the setup is complete, then adapt to the situation and come up with new ideas.

  The old ram was shocked and thought, "This young man is so skilled in arithmetic? This array he has only just begun to study, but I have spent many years researching it and can't even gain half an advantage." However, he didn't know that Liang Xiao was also thinking deeply and didn't dare to be careless for a moment. At first, he only sought to protect himself, but later he gradually gained interest and became more focused on his studies than on his own life.

  Both were exceptionally intelligent, and this time they engaged in a battle of wits, with each move countering the other. At first, the changes came rapidly like a raging wind, but later they gradually slowed down, with both furrowing their brows in deep thought. After a while, they finally made their moves, exchanging one round of variations. When they reached a critical point, they again rested their chins on their hands and deliberated for a long time, until one side had an inspiration and responded with another change.

  After fighting for two hours, the outcome was still undecided. Suddenly, a sharp and long cry of an eagle came from the western mountain, lingering on for a long time without stopping. Gong Yangyu's eyebrows moved slightly, as if he was impatient. The eagle's cry lasted for a good while before finally ceasing. Gong Yangyu suddenly stood up, swung his sleeve, and shot two emerald needles at Liang Xiao.

  Liang Xiao was immersed in the formation, not defending against his sudden attack. The "Xiong Zhong" and "Shen Feng" acupoints were numbed at once, and he couldn't move suddenly. Suddenly, Gong Yangyu laughed and said: "The formation can be fought again later, let's go take a look at the excitement first!"

  He rose and fell like flying, in an instant he rushed out of ten miles, came to a mountain col, jumped onto a huge stone, laughed: "Arrived!" Put the person down with one hand.

  Xiang Xiao glanced sideways, in the distance a green peak stretched across the sky, surrounded by clouds and mist. Nearby was a vast expanse of reeds, their flowers swaying gently, like silver and snow piled up. On the edge of the marsh stood two figures, one black and one white. The black figure was Xiang Qian Jue, while the other was a white-robed foreigner with a high nose and deep eyes, his face pale and beardless, his white hair perfectly arranged on his head like a Buddha.

  Liang Xiao's gaze shifted, and he saw a Yuan army soldier sitting next to the Hu man, his fur hat removed, his black hair hanging down. If not for being restrained by the cave passage, Liang Xiao would have called out in surprise. The soldier was Ah Xue, her whole body stiff and rigid, sitting there like a stone statue.

  A blood-red flute appeared on the lips of the man in white, and the eagle's cry was precisely triggered from the flute. In the sky, seven or eight eagles and sparrow hawks were crying out loud, fighting with two vultures, causing feathers to fly everywhere. The vulture was extremely fierce, pecking and scratching, and one of the eagles fell to the ground. Liang Xiao remembered that his mother had once said that she had raised two vultures when she was young, and it seemed that these were the same ones.

  The white-robed man's flute sound rose and fell, and the mountain eagle and rock hawk flew in from time to time, surrounding the bald vulture and pecking at it wildly. Liang Xiao looked on in secret amazement: "Can this person use his flute to command eagles and hawks?"

  The bald eagle, outnumbered and outmatched, its head, wings, and claws in disarray, its body swaying unsteadily. The white-robed man's flute sounded a single note, and dozens of eagles, hawks, and falcons surged upwards, their beaks and talons unleashed, as blood rained down from the sky. The bald eagle was torn to shreds, its remains falling to the ground in pieces.

  Xiao Qian's eight-shaped eyebrows drooped, and he let out a heavy hum. The man in white stopped playing the bird flute, laughed loudly and said: "Xiao Lao Guai, you lost, what else do you have to say?" After finishing speaking, he burst into loud laughter, with strange hissing sounds mixed in. Liang Xiao thought: "Was that strange laugh last night his?"

  Xiao Qian jue was silent for a moment, then coldly said: "This round counts as my loss. As previously agreed, let's first compete in falconry, and then compare our martial arts skills." The white-robed man smiled slightly, watching Xiao Qian jue make a move to pounce forward, holding his flute to his mouth and emitting a series of clear eagle cries. With a loud fluttering sound, a flock of eagles swooped down from the sky.

  Xiao Qian let out a loud roar, his palms dancing in the air as if wielding invisible swords. The mountain eagles and rock falcons had their wings broken and heads severed, their feathers scattered everywhere. Those that didn't die immediately flapped about wildly before falling to the ground. In an instant, the eagles and falcons were slaughtered, leaving only one small sparrow hawk, which was frantically trying to escape when it suddenly heard a tiger's roar. A black tiger leapt out from nowhere and pounced on the hawk, sending it tumbling down from mid-air.

  The man in white robes sneered, saying: "Xiao Lao Guai, your 'Tian Wu Ren' is quite interesting!" Xiao Qian Yue's eyes rolled back, and he shouted: "Return my Swan's life to me!" His body flashed, closing in within three meters. The man in white robes didn't move his hands or feet, floating horizontally two meters away, letting out a palm strike, and laughed: "Xiao Lao Guai, don't be impatient, let you see something again." The horizontal flute began to play, this time with a high-pitched, sharp, and noisy sound. Liang Xiao thought: "What kind of bird is making this call?"

  Xiao Qian stopped in his tracks and sneered, "Fine, I'll take a look, see what other tricks you have up your sleeve!" He stood still, his hands waving out three palm strikes. The white-robed man was several zhang away, dodging left and right, his face looking ugly as he blew continuously on his flute. Suddenly, the air was filled with chirping sounds, like countless birds responding in kind. Then, the sky darkened, and Xiao Qian looked up to see a massive flock of sparrows flying in from all directions, their brown bodies resembling a cloud, swiftly drifting over. He suddenly realized, "This man is imitating the calls of sparrows!"

  Sparrows flew in like a mad storm, arrows shooting down with a whoosh. Xiao Qian's palm wind swept by, sparrow corpses fell like rain, but as one group fell to the ground, another two groups came, advancing and retreating, unaware of what death was.

  Xiao Qian's initial palm movements were calm and composed, but gradually became faster and more rapid, until his double palms moved as swiftly as windmills, spinning like flying wheels. The sparrows continued to gather in increasing numbers, filling the sky and covering the sun, spreading across the land like a vast sea of birds summoned by the bird whistle.

  The sparrows had gathered in large numbers and, responding to the flute's sound, split into two groups. One group surrounded Xiao Qianji, while the other charged towards the black tiger, pecking at it wildly with their sharp beaks, leaving no opening unexploited. The black tiger swung its paws and shook its tail, letting out a fierce roar, but it was unable to defend both its head and tail at the same time. Before long, blood flowed from its eyes, and it let out a mournful cry as it fled in panic. The sparrows pursued relentlessly, pecking until flesh and blood flew everywhere. The black tiger ran for over twenty yards before its roars turned into wails of despair. Suddenly, all four legs went limp, and it collapsed to the ground.

  "The Heavenly Blade" palm wind was fierce, but when encountering such a strange event, it felt helpless. Sparrows were originally the lowest and weakest among all birds, but because of their enormous numbers, they were fearless and ferocious, and once gathered, their power surpassed that of hawks and eagles. Xiao Qian killed layer after layer, and another layer came, killing until the sparrow corpses piled up to the feet, turned his head to look, and saw that the black tiger was being pecked at by sparrows, its flesh and blood almost gone, leaving only white bones.

  Liang Xiao's horse galloped across the battlefield, having seen many corpses scattered all over the ground. However, seeing this scene also made him feel a slight chill. Suddenly, he heard Xiao Qian shout loudly and strike out with several palms, breaking through the enemy lines and flying towards the reeds like a dark cloud.

  Liang Xiao saw that he had revealed his light footwork and thought that Xiao Qian would not be able to shake off these sparrows, could it be that he wanted to enter the water to escape?

  Xiao Qian stuck to the reeds and slid out for ten zhang, his feet not touching the water. He floated down to the opposite bank, and in his hand was an additional reed. He plucked off its leaves, transforming it into a reed pipe. His eyebrows furrowed, he put it to his lips and began to play. The sound of the reed pipe was already mournful and sorrowful, but with his internal energy urging it on, it became even more heart-wrenching. Liang Xiao listened, feeling a warmth in the corners of his eyes, an inexplicable sourness in his heart. He hastily used the "Washing Heart and Entering Stillness" method from the "Purple Mansion's Origin", concentrating his spirit to guard against the reed pipe.

  The sound of the reed pipe rose, entwining with the flute sound of the man in white, the sparrows were at a loss, circling around the corpses of their own kind and wailing for a while before scattering in all directions.

  As the sparrow flock disappeared, Liang Xiao let out a long sigh, feeling as if he had dispelled the clouds and seen the sun. He realized that Xiao Qian had used the bamboo pipe to disturb the bird whistle, causing the sparrows to come because of the sound of the whistle, and when the whistle was broken, the sparrow flock also broke up.

  Although the sparrow array was broken, Xiao Qian did not dare to be careless. He adjusted his tone to be even more mournful and resentful, with a sound like a person crying at night, a grieving woman's lament, a sorrowful atmosphere filled the mountains and valleys. The white-robed man also transformed into the calls of a hundred birds, the oriole's chirping, the yellow oriole's chattering, even to the crow's cawing and the crane's wailing, with changes that seemed endless.

  The music of the two shook their souls, Liang Xiao was concentrating on resisting, when suddenly he heard a sobbing cry, opened his eyes to look, Ah Xue's pear blossoms were accompanied by rain, crying very sadly. It turned out that Xiao Qian's reed pipe was too sorrowful, she listened more and felt more sad, her blood and energy broke through the seal, and she cried out in a low voice. The seal had not been completely opened, she tried to cry loudly, but again lacked breath, her sadness could not be vented, and gradually her face turned pale, her eyes lost their luster.

  Liang Xiao knew that if things continued like this, Ah Xue would inevitably die of a broken heart. In her anxiety, she circulated her internal energy and struck the acupoints, but no matter how many times she did so, it was all in vain. Suddenly, Gong Yangyu let out a long laugh, sat down cross-legged, with the Qingxiang soft sword lying across his knees, his fingers hooked and stroking the blade, making a "ding-dong" sound, as if cutting through metal and jade.

  Gong Yangyu laughed and said: "Xiao Laoguai, you said 'sad but not hurt', but your flute playing is all over the place, it's unbearable to listen to." He replaced his sword with a zither, enticing Zhen Yu, pressing down on the strings, the music was elegant and beautiful, no less than Wu Tong's icy strings or the famous zithers of past and present. The melody was lively and uplifting, making sorrow and hardship momentarily forgotten.

  "In the wild there is a dead deer, wrapped in white rushes. There is a girl with spring in her heart, a lucky scholar woos her. In the forest there are tall trees, in the wild there is a dead stag. White rushes pure and simple, a girl like jade. Gently and softly! Do not disturb my sash! Do not make the dog bark."

  This "Wild Has a Dead Doe" comes from the "Book of Songs · Zhao Nan", which tells that in the wilderness, women are pregnant with spring, and men come forward to tease. The song is full of spring, naturally born.

  The ram's horn has finished its tune, and the melody changes again. It sings: "The woman says the cock crows, but the gentleman says it is not yet dawn. The son gets up to look at the night, and sees that the bright stars are shining. He will soar and fly with the geese and ducks. The words 'add' and 'with you' are auspicious for you. It's auspicious to drink wine with you, and grow old together with you. The zither and se are by your side, all is quiet and good...

  This "Girl Said the Rooster Crows" comes from "The Book of Songs: Zheng Wind", which tells the story of a man and a woman having a midnight tryst, with gentle and subtle emotions. As soon as these two songs came out, the reed pipe was broken into pieces, Ah Xue was no longer sad, but suddenly felt her face burning and her ears hot, thinking wildly, her heart beating fast, all because of Liang Xiao's shadow.

  The man in white robes stopped playing the flute and chuckled, saying: "Brother Gong Yang is also a fellow of my way? As the saying goes, 'In the river's islet, a beautiful maiden, a gentleman's delight.' I have always been infatuated with beauty since I was young, and that is something I do every day." He didn't know much about Han poetry, but now he could show off, feeling very pleased with himself. As he spoke, he glanced at Ah Xue with a lewd smile on the corner of his mouth. Liang Xiao frowned heavily, thinking: "This old thing is over fifty years old, and yet he dares to call himself young?"

  The ram's whiskers slightly smiled, and suddenly sang: "New platform has a wine, river water is vast. Swallow Yan seeks, but the lotus is not fresh. New platform has wine, river water is deep. Swallow Yan seeks, but the lotus is not withered. The fish net is set, the swan leaves it. Swallow Yan seeks, and obtains this gift."

  The man in white heard a tune that seemed to be mocking him, but he couldn't quite grasp the meaning. He furrowed his brow, when suddenly Gong Yangyu laughed and said: "He Chou She, do you know what 'Yan Yuan's request, Qian Gan is not fresh' means?" The man in white smiled: "I'm ashamed, I only roughly understand Han Chinese, I don't quite get it."

  Gong Yangyu smiled slightly and said, "In short, it's like a toad eating swan meat, which means you're overestimating yourself!" The white-robed man's face sank, and he coldly said, "Brother Gongyang is scolding me as a toad?" Gong Yangyu laughed and said, "That's right, I've scolded you three times as a toad, but you don't know anything about it. Is this not playing the zither to a cow?" The white-robed man looked ugly and heavily snorted.

  At the time of their conversation, Xiao Qianxue's flute sound changed, and the sorrowful meaning was slightly reduced, while the gentle emotions increased. Gong Yangyu listened in a daze, and Xiao Qianxue blew a tune called "Jiang Jin": "The reeds are dense and green, white dew turns to frost, the one I yearn for is on the other side of the water. Following the winding stream, the road is blocked and long. Following the winding stream, she is in the middle of the water..." This song tells the story of a man who goes through countless dangers to pursue his beloved.

  The ram's horn has a demon, and the sound of the great birth resonates. To know that he searched for emotions all over the world, he felt that his suffering was not enough to be described by the poem "Jian Jie". Suddenly, he pitied himself and was heartbroken, with a bewildered mind.

  Xiao Qian jue blew "Jian Jia" once, and then again. Gong Yang Yu listened intently, and the tune under his fingers gradually changed to the tune of "Jian Jia": "The reeds are dense and lush, the white dew has not yet dried, they say that person is on the water's edge. Following her upstream, the path is obstructed and steep. Following her downstream, she seems to be in the middle of the water..."

  He engaged in a spiritual battle with Xiao Qian, and in an instant, his heart was filled with madness. The white-robed man saw the opportunity and thought: "If I don't eliminate this person now, when will I?" He crossed the bird whistle, emitting the sound of a mandarin duck's call. The mandarin duck is a love bird, the male and female guarding each other, never abandoning each other for life, its cry was sorrowful and complaining, like fanning flames, increasing the power of the reed pipe's sound.

  Gong Yangyu listened to the reed pipe bird's chirping, his heart suddenly rising and falling, sometimes sad, sometimes joyful. In a daze, he saw only a figure in white clothes with red feet, blue silk scattered on the ground, standing between the clouds and water, smiling sweetly and charmingly, making one's blood boil. Gong Yangyu stared fixedly ahead, tears suddenly flowing from his eyes, shouting loudly: "Hui Xin, why are you hiding from me? Do you know how much I've suffered searching for you? The road is long and winding... The road is long and winding..." He had always been self-pitying and bitter, confined by his status, but now it all burst out uncontrollably.