Double Happiness at the Door - Part Two
At the foot of Mashou Mountain, in Wuling City, which was gradually being engulfed by darkness, one lamp after another lit up. Light shone from the windows of every household, some dim and some bright.
As the scattered lights converged, whether they were dim or bright gradually became less important. All the points of light reflected each other, coalescing into an enormous lunar disk.
One by one, the people of Wuling took to the streets to watch the fireworks display in the sky.
Qu You also leaned against the door frame, staring blankly at the slowly collapsing Heian Palace.
"Grandma, Grandma!" Qu You suddenly called out and ran towards the backyard.
This was the first time in her life that she felt the passageway between the shop and the backyard was so long.
As Qu You knocked on the door, she kept turning her head to look in the direction of Ma Shou Mountain. Although she couldn't see Ping An Courtyard at all from the courtyard, and could only see the red air currents constantly splitting and rising in the sky, she still looked into the distance as if afraid that something would slip away.
"Mother-in-law."
Qu You pushed the door open, but no one inside responded.
The walls of the Sword God Temple also began to collapse, with huge bricks rolling down from the mountaintop to the foot of the mountain.
Suddenly, the gate to the backyard of the Qu family opened, and Qu You stumbled out, her face flushed as the shimmering air reflected off her.
Her feet slipped a little, and she stumbled and mingled into the flow of people heading to Ping An Hospital.
~
Ma Mansion.
Three new-style elders surrounded Xiang Wu in the center, two of them already bearing numerous sword wounds. Another elder lay sprawled on the floor at the far end of the main hall.
Song Zhen stood outside the main hall with the monks from the Hall of Longevity. Upon seeing Xiang Wu make his move, the monks immediately pulled Song Zhen away from the main hall as quickly as possible.
"Is Madam alright?" The monk asked with concern when he saw that Song Zhen seemed a little lost in thought.
After a while, Song Zhen realized that he was asking her a question, and quickly touched her face to thank him, saying, "I'm fine, thank you for saving me, Master."
The "fireworks" at Ping An Courtyard illuminated everyone's faces.
"Everyone be careful, this kid's kung fu is strange." A new-style elder shouted, "He uses a sword technique that we've never seen before, and he also has a golden body that resembles the one at Xinyuan Temple."
On the other side stood a middle-aged man whose right hand hung limply at his sides; it was likely unusable. He glanced at the two people from the Hall of Longevity beside Song Zhen, then looked at Du Taibai and the other elders in the courtyard. He said angrily, his expression hardening.
"If the skin is gone, what will the hair cling to? If we let this brat escape, wouldn't our Beggars' Sect become a laughingstock? Elders, please form a battle formation!"
The group in the courtyard exchanged glances, then leaped into the main hall and took their positions within the formation. One of them called out in a drawn-out voice, "Form the formation—"
The three members of the new faction reluctantly moved to attack positions. Although they had grievances, at least the formation was complete, and the most important thing now was to focus on defeating Xiang Wu.
The elder of the new school glared at Du Taibai, who stood motionless in front of the door, and then turned to Xiang Wu and said smugly, "You brat, you're lucky. Today I'll let you experience the Yellow River Formation, which is famous throughout the world in my Beggars' Sect."
Just as the group was about to pounce on Xiang Wu, a clear and melodious laugh rang out from the courtyard.
"It is said that the Beggars' Sect shares the joys and sorrows of the people, and the elders are all unparalleled in their benevolence and righteousness." A graceful figure leaped up from the courtyard, and with just two sword strikes, she disrupted the formation formed by the group.
Han Yizhi landed behind Xiang Wu and continued to mock, "Looking at them today, they are nothing but a bunch of fame-seeking, opportunistic scoundrels."
The men in the main room were so angry that their beards trembled.
“This is the swordsmanship of Yijian Mountain,” a hunched-over, narrow-eyed old-school elder said meaningfully.
"At such a young age, with such skill, you must be the swordsman of Yi Jian Shan. I rarely leave my house, and I have heard about Yi Jian Shan's submission to the Demonic Sect."
The old man chuckled dismissively, "It seems today that your reputation is indeed well-deserved."
"Bullshit, you shameless old man!" Han Yizhi was furious and cursed, "You bunch of bastards who are accomplices to evil and bully men and women."
Amidst the cursing, Han Yizhi quickly and quietly said to Xiang Wu, "You go first."
Xiang Wu recognized the voice behind him. He focused intently on the old men in front of him, not daring to turn around. He only replied resolutely, "No, Sect Master, let's go together. This is trouble I caused myself; there's no reason for you to bear the consequences."
"Did you get brain damage from the fight? Look who that is!" Han Yizhi scolded helplessly.
Xiang Wu looked in the direction Han Yizhi pointed and saw a man clutching his chest, stumbling and running towards the courtyard exit.
That was Ma Youyuan, whose heart had been pierced, and who should have died.
"I don't care if he has two hearts or what, since you made the choice, you should do what you're supposed to do," Han Yizhi said calmly, showing no trace of the agitation she had displayed when arguing with the old man earlier.
As if sensing the intense gazes of the two men, Ma Youyuan turned around and glanced back. Seeing that the two men in the main room had already noticed him, he yelled and quickened his pace towards Ma Shou Mountain.
"Understood," Xiang Wu replied in a low voice.
After speaking, Xiang Wu shot off towards Ma Youyuan like an arrow released from a bow.
The old men inside the house tried to stop her, but Han Yizhi blocked them all with her sword: "Since we've met today, I'll clean house for your ancestors and get rid of you city foxes and rats."
"You're young and arrogant! You really think you can take on all of us by yourself?"
Han Yizhi laughed loudly: "Enough nonsense, I'll beat your Yellow River Formation until it's nothing but your ass and you're pissing."
~
Ma Youyuan walked up the Hundred-Step Heavenly Ladder, with Xiang Wu following behind him.
Xiang Wu was puzzled. He had indeed pierced Ma Youyuan's left chest with his sword, right to the heart. But now, Ma Youyuan was not only alive, but was also climbing upwards at a considerable pace.
There was no sign of cardiac arrest or excessive blood loss. There was absolutely no indication of impending death.
The reason Xiang Wu was so eager to get rid of Ma Youyuan was not because he didn't want to end things sooner, but because Ma Youyuan's appearance was really strange, and Xiang Wu kept a distance to observe him.
At the same time, Xiang Wu was also wary of the two figures behind him. If he wasn't mistaken, they should be from the Hall of Longevity.
"If these two discover my true identity, I'm afraid I'm the one in real danger now." Xiang Wu glanced back at the two who were also keeping their distance, thinking, "The people of the Hall of Longevity will risk their lives to seize 'The Song of Misty Rain'."
Xiang Wu was severely injured in the battle with the Beggars' Sect.
"If it really comes down to a fight to the death, I'm afraid I don't stand much of a chance." Xiang Wuyan saw that he was about to reach the top of the mountain, so he quickened his pace and thought to himself, "If they only see me as an assassin, then the situation will be much better."
What he didn't know was that the two people behind him were none other than Yu Hui and the monk who had immobilized him with the Sumeru Palm technique in the Qu family's backyard that day.
The monk recognized Xiang Wu the moment he saw him limping into the main room, and it was the monk who warned Ma Youyuan to avoid Xiang Wu's assassination attempt. Of course, given Ma Youyuan's martial arts skills at the time, it was too late to dodge, and he was still pierced through the chest.
Yu Hui and the monk quietly followed behind Xiang Wu, maintaining a distance as well, knowing that Xiang Wu was always on guard against them. Moreover, if they rushed forward now, it would be a disadvantageous situation for them to attack from below.
And so, the two groups tacitly maintained a delicate distance. Only Ma Youyuan was climbing with all his might.
Ma Youyuan scrambled up using both hands and feet, glanced back at Xiang Wu, who was still haunting him, and then looked at Yu Hui and the other man who were nowhere to be seen. He spat and cursed, "Damn it, I knew these bastards couldn't be trusted."
As Ma Youyuan crawled, he cursed all the while. From the Beggar Clan elders to the guests of the Hall of Longevity, Ma Youyuan insulted the ancestors of all these people for eighteen generations.
"You old bastards, watching me get killed." Ma Youyuan panted heavily, looking at the mountaintop he was about to reach, and said viciously, "After tonight, I'll poison you old geezers to death."
Ma Youyuan quickened his pace, climbing rapidly towards the summit. Xiang Wu and Yu Hui's groups also accelerated their ascent.
"Dad, Dad—" Ma Youyuan cried out in a mournful voice, crawling up on all fours like a dog.
~
After climbing the last step, a relatively wide flat area comes into view. This is the intersection of the five paths and one ladder, and also the center of the entire Wuling City. Passing through this open area and continuing forward, you will reach Ping'an Courtyard.
Ma Youyuan's gaze was just above the steps when he saw Ma Hong. Ma Youyuan scrambled forward, but as his vision gradually cleared, his mind calmed down, and he slowly slowed his pace.
The situation was completely beyond Ma Youyuan's expectations.
Ma Hong was facing off against someone in the center of the open space, with two guests from the Hall of Longevity standing solemnly on his left and right sides. As for the other accompanying elders, they were already lying sprawled on the ground, their fates unknown.
The person was graceful and slender, holding a long sword with a hollowed-out center. Half of the blade was red, while the other half was a faint blue.
The shadows on the woman's face were particularly sharp, and her eyes, reflecting the red light above her head, made her appear exceptionally cold and stern. Behind her stood a man holding a long staff, who seemed to have no intention of attacking.
Indeed, these two were none other than the Western Palace Supervisor and the Eastern Palace Meng Zhang.
Ma Hong was somewhat surprised to see Ma Youyuan and scolded him, "What are you doing up here!"
Before Ma Youyuan could answer, the short sword pierced his body again.
This time, Xiang Wu pierced Ma Youyuan's right chest. Before the short sword was even drawn, Xiang Wu leaped upwards, and two sword intents slashing from the direction of the Heavenly Ladder cleaved Ma Youyuan into five pieces, scattering them in all directions.
Ma Hong's eyes instantly turned red, and he roared as he charged towards Xiang Wu.
The guard moved swiftly, and from behind Ma Hong, a sword pierced through his neck.
The elephant landed steadily back on the ground.
“We really do get along, hero,” the guard joked, a smile spreading across his blood-splattered face.
"Long time no see." Xiang Wuqi drew the short sword back into his hand and nodded to the two from the Blood Palace.
The supervising soldier looked around and said, "How about three against four?"
"Same as before."
"But this time we have to go all out."
"agree."
~
The clanging sounds of impact echoed across the open ground. After several exchanges, neither side had gained the upper hand.
The four people from the Hall of Longevity secretly adjusted their positions, surrounding Xiang Wu and the other two in the center.
“Damn it,” the supervising soldier said, looking in the direction of the Hundred-Step Ladder. “They seem to be stalling for time.”
Xiang Wu said, "The Beggars' Sect members won't be here anytime soon."
“You are truly my heroes, so reliable,” the soldier said happily. “Please thank your friend for me.”
"The Beggars' Sect members really can't get up here."
Neither of them expected Yu to respond, and he seemed to have relaxed considerably.
Yu Hui clapped his hands and said through gritted teeth, "Kid, you killed my brother, and now I've been looking all over for you."
Three more people entered the open area from different entrances. Each of them wore a unique blue jade plaque from the Hall of Longevity hanging from their waist.
"Lord Yu." Several people bowed to Yu Hui and greeted him respectfully.
Yu Hui nodded and ordered, "Leave this cripple alive, kill the other two."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the monk began to act. He pressed his palm down into the air, and a tremendous weight pressed down on Xiang Wuyi, rendering him unable to move.
"Oh no!" Xiang Wu was greatly alarmed; this monk was the one who had ambushed him in the Qu family courtyard.
"Go ahead, everyone!" the monk shouted. "My Sumeru Palm won't affect you."
The group hurried forward and were indeed not affected in the slightest.
Standing by his side the whole time, having done nothing, Meng Zhang suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Senior brother!" the guard shouted anxiously.
The people from the Hall of Longevity had already arrived at Meng Zhang's side.
No sooner said than done, the guard swiftly deflected the man's arm.
~
"What happened?" Yu Hui asked in surprise.
"I did indeed use the Sumeru Palm on all three people," the monk said. "These two people have evil magic, and the man is the one who suffered the damage."
Yu Hui immediately calmed down and ordered, "Attack from both sides at the same time. I want to see how many you can protect."
The Hall of Longevity split into two groups and attacked Xiang Wu and Meng Zhang simultaneously.
Xiang Wu tried to use his true energy to resist the suppression of the Sumeru Palm, but after continuous depletion, his current state was even worse than when he was in the Qu family courtyard.
The guard, fighting three opponents alone, shielded Meng Zhang in the center. The crisscrossing sword strikes had already slashed through her abdomen and arms. Splattered blood landed on the slightly weary side of Meng Zhang's face as she knelt.
Xiang Wunian recited the Buddhist scripture: "One must be one's own protector and refuge. If one can tame oneself, it is like a charioteer taming a horse."
Three people attacked Xiang Wu from three different directions.
The moon twinkled.
The monk, who was struggling to suppress the three people, only felt a chill on his neck, and then the world in front of him began to spin.
"Wind." A gentle voice echoed across the open space.
A sudden gust of wind surrounded Xiang Wu and Meng Zhang, scattering the six people from the Hall of Longevity.
"cigarette."
Suddenly, smoke billowed up, and everyone lost their sight. A scream echoed from within the thick fog.
"Who's playing tricks on me!" Yu Hui shouted, looking up at the sky.
"rain."
In an instant, the smoke dissipated, and a torrential downpour began, the violent raindrops stinging the skin. A moment later, the rain abruptly stopped, and all the raindrops rushed towards the same person.
The man cried out in anguish, as if he had been struck a thousand times, and collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud.
"Snow."
Several ice crystals instantly condensed in the air, spinning and carrying sword intent as they hurtled towards the group from the Hall of Longevity. The remaining five unleashed their own sword intent, fighting back with all their might.
Finally, another person collapsed, covered in wounds.
"Yin." The voice, like a pronouncement of judgment, continued to ring out.
Suddenly, thunder roared, and a bolt of lightning struck the ground. Only then could everyone make out a glimpse of the woman's figure through the intense light.
The thunderclap skimmed across the ground, and another person fell heavily to the ground.
"clear."
As soon as he finished speaking, all the strange phenomena that had occurred earlier vanished in an instant.
Yu was on edge, but found nothing had happened. Looking around, he realized that only two of the original seven people remained. The monk's body still stood motionless in the same spot.
A sudden wail came from behind him. Yu turned around and saw thick steam rising into the sky. When the steam dissipated, only a pale skeleton remained.
"Night."
The moon twinkled.
"It's been a long time," the woman whispered in Yu Hui's ear.
"You!" Yu Hui finally realized who the woman was, but he could no longer utter a sound. The expression on his face was ultimately frozen in regret and fear.
The guard gripped Meng Zhang's shoulders tightly, constantly scanning the surroundings, fine beads of sweat sliding down her forehead.
The woman put one hand on Xiang Wu's shoulder and said, "I didn't teach you to chant sutras and wait to die when you're surrounded by people."
Xiang Wu was overwhelmed with joy, and tears streamed down his face.
“I’ll handle Yu Hui myself,” Nana said gently, looking at the man who was much taller than her and whose eyebrows and nose were furrowed. “You still owe me something, you have to pay me back.”
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