Chapter 3
Bashu, Tangjiabao.
A blinding beam of light shone into the pitch-black room. The golden, shimmering light illuminated an empty table, and as the wooden door opened, the room's furnishings revealed their worn-out state.
Tang Xiaoye walked slowly inside, her shoes, the heels of which were made of mithril, making a grating sound as she stepped onto the wooden planks without carpets. Her long hair was simply tied back, her makeup was flamboyant, and she carried a set of clean, tattered clothes in her hand.
On the wooden bed in front of him, covered with warm mattresses, lay a person. His hair was disheveled, and his naked body was barely covered by a quilt from the waist down. He lay motionless on the bed.
"Hey, Tang Feng," Tang Xiaoye called out.
The person on the bed did not move.
Tang Xiaoye rolled her eyes, threw the clothes she was holding at him, turned around and looked around the simple room. From a pile of clothes made of some unknown fabric, she picked up something and examined it in the light.
A silver bracelet with a lifelike design of a scorpion embracing its fin.
"You spend all day in this stinky, fermenting room, doing nothing but sleeping and lazing around. You neither go out nor train. You're really something else!"
She tossed the bracelet behind her, and it landed steadily in Tang Feng's messy hair.
Tang Xiaoye had known this man for eight years. Ever since she was a child, she had heard of the Tang Clan's assassins. Her childhood memories were all tragic and blurry; the daily training and missions were more painful than just being tired. Only this man named Tang Feng would take her to the bamboo forest whenever he saw her struggling to practice her moves and crying. He would set up traps for her while watching her play happily with the panda.
now……
"Hey, a few people have arrived from Qutang Gorge. Your senior brother wants you to take them to the Five Poisons Sect. While you're at it, you can also check on Zha Nu..."
Tang Xiaoye realized she had said something and immediately stopped talking. She glanced at the person on the bed, and seeing that there was still no movement, she sighed softly, walked out, and closed the door behind her.
"He doesn't even have the courage to see his old flame," Tang Xiaoye thought to himself, "He's truly unworthy of being a man!"
She sighed, stretched, crossed her arms, and went to check on her junior sisters and brothers.
After Tang Xiaoye left, the room returned to a deathly silence, so dark that nothing could be seen. The person on the bed moved her hand, took the bracelet out of her hair, and clutched it tightly in her hand.
"Tang Feng! Mother said that I will soon be able to cultivate the Heaven-Mending Technique, and then I can protect you and stay by your side at all times!"
"Tang Feng, we have a tradition in our Miao village that we have to drink all day long during the wedding! Waaah, can you drink for me...?"
"Tang Feng... do you know about the Life and Death Gu? That kind of Gu technique that can bring people back to life. I'll give it to you, okay?"
He clenched his fist, the sharp part of the bracelet piercing his flesh, causing excruciating pain in his palm.
Xue Hua watched the Yangtze River rush past him with a look of utter despair. He didn't have the strength to pull the fabric below his waist to cover his legs. Instead, he just wanted to find a crack in the rocks big enough for his body to fit into, to disappear into, and never see anyone again.
"Xue Hua, what are you still standing there for? Come here right now!"
...Hearing Ye Min's shouting made her even less willing to see anyone!
Xue Hua didn't turn his head until Yang Yuan came over and tugged at his sleeve.
Yang Yuan was wearing a dark green floral dress with a white dress underneath. She had a wristband that matched the cloud pattern on her chest. She let down her long hair and was worried about how to style it. Ye Min, who had changed into bandit clothes, went over, combed her hair, and skillfully braided it into a long braid.
“There are girls in the villa too. Whenever they're late for morning exercises, my senior sister asks me to help them pack up. You know, men are always wielding swords and spears, how would they know anything about these little girls’ tricks!”
Yang Yuan smiled and asked, "So how did you help them?"
"Me? I just used their hair as rope. You know what hemp rope is, right? The straw sandals we used to wear were made by braiding hemp rope and then tying it up with a hair tie, that's all!"
Ye Min looked around and shouted at Xue Hua, who was standing to the side, "Hey! You there, what are you doing standing there? Use your shield as a mirror!"
...If you encounter this bastard again in the Black Gobi Desert, just kill him without trying to persuade him!
They were going into the city.
Although the people of the Twelve Linked Docks had been stationed there, they could easily enter by disguising themselves. Xue Hua did not ask Ye Min why he should go, because he knew that his decisions did not need a reason.
The three changed their clothes and crossed the wooden bridge spanning the Yangtze River. Xue Hua looked up and saw that Baidi City, built in the rolling waters of the river, stood firm not only because it once had a sage named Gongsun Shu, but also because of the favorable timing, location, and people, and the unique environment that created an indestructible landscape.
now……
Xue Hua simply lowered his head, reverting to his indifferent expression. The three of them rode their horses, their hooves step by step ascending the hard stone steps.
Around noon, Tang Feng finally finished dressing and came out of his room. He dragged his legs as he walked, his shoes scraping the ground with a discordant sound. A piece of fabric on his shoulder hadn't been properly adjusted, and he stepped on it as he turned, slipping and falling.
After a long while, he came to his senses, shook his head, looked at the dazzling light, and tried to stand up. When he stood still and looked up, he found that there was a person wearing a black robe next to him.
Tang Feng stared at him blankly for a few moments, then turned and walked away. Suddenly, the man called out from behind:
"Tang Feng".
"Tang Feng!"
Two voices overlapped in his ears, and as if remembering something, Tang Feng's pupils suddenly contracted. He turned around, pulled out the mother-and-child claws, and threw them at the man's face.
The man in black reacted quickly, grabbing Tang Feng with a force no less than Tang Feng's. The two were locked in a stalemate, with half of the man in black's face peeking out from under his robe.
"Qutang Gorge, Baidi City, Hidden Sword Disciple."
Tang Feng's eyes were fixed on that half of the face, watching as his mouth opened and uttered those words that he had heard and memorized countless times, words that were both familiar and strange.
"kill."
The loves and hates, the sorrows and sufferings of today, are not my fault, nor are they anyone else's. It's all just a dream, a fleeting existence.
The journey through Baidi City was arduous.
The Twelve Linked Forts were heavily guarded, and Baidi City was already completely surrounded. Given the easily defensible environment, the three of them, disguised, managed to sneak in; however, to leave, Old Master Jia at the gate insisted they collect all twelve tokens before allowing them to depart.
As for why he insisted on going in, Ye Min made up an excuse, saying he wanted to go in for a drink. However, after bypassing numerous checkpoints and stepping into the main hall of Baidi City, Ye Min quickly circled around to the back of the hall and then emerged again.
When he came out, he had a painting in his hand.
Before Xue Hua could react, the three of them were sent out by Old Master Jia's daughter.
"Alright, alright," Ye Min said, taking off his outer coarse clothes as he spoke, "Let's hurry to the Five Poisons Sect. That person will probably come to pick us up soon..."
As soon as he took off his clothes, a long-handled sword pierced through the fabric and pointed straight at Ye Min's throat. The blade reflected a cold light, illuminating Ye Min's unmoved face. He looked at Xue Hua, whose resolute face revealed the same coldness as the long-handled sword.
"You are not Ye Min."
"Hey, Xue Hua, don't you want to wear that outfit? Oh, you should have said so earlier, and I would have swapped with you!"
Xue Hua pulled Yang Yuan behind him, and the latter looked at their actions with a bewildered expression.
"Stop talking nonsense, where is he?"
Ye Min blinked and laughed, "What are you doing? I'm right here!"
Xue Hua fell silent and swung his arm at Ye Min. Ye Min's expression changed, and he leaned back to dodge, immediately grabbing Xue Hua's wrist while raising his other hand towards Xue Hua's acupoint on the neck. Xue Hua raised his left arm, grabbed Ye Min's hand, and pulled him towards the blade. Ye Min kicked Xue Hua, using the momentum to leap into the air. Just then, a cold light emanated from the sunlight, and Ye Min instantly found himself landing and flying again. He heard the sound of something hitting the ground, and Xue Hua looked down to see that it was a silver needle as thin as a hair.
Ye Min flew a long way and landed on a rock by the river. The thugs guarding the city noticed the commotion and immediately surrounded them. Xue Hua shielded Yang Yuan behind him, holding a knife in one hand and a shield in the other. When the kidnappers were still about twenty feet away, he focused his energy in his dantian, gathered his qi in his hand, and with a change in expression, threw the black iron shield in his hand.
Screams rose and fell, blood-red liquid splattering everywhere as shields flew through the air. Xue Hua's cold, stern face, reflected in Yang Yuan's pupils, appeared terrifying and horrifying.
In an instant, the shield was back in Xue Hua's hands. Yang Yuan looked around; within a radius of twenty feet, there were corpses everywhere.
Ye Min clapped her hands, her smile undiminished.
"The shields swirl like dancing geese, sweeping across the ranks of a thousand troops. Everyone says that the Cangyun martial arts are powerful, leaving only corpses wherever they go. Seeing it today, it is indeed powerful."
Who are you?
Xue Hua protected Yang Yuan and stared at the man, asking a question.
"I must say! This second young master is really handsome. If I could choose where I was born, I would definitely stay by the beautiful West Lake and admire the beautiful figures of the women from the Seven Show Pavilion every day~" The man did not answer Xue Hua's question, but said a long string of unintelligible words and snapped his fingers.
"As for you and that little girl, now that I've dealt with that delicate young master, you two naturally won't leave alive either!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a huge figure suddenly flew up behind the man, its dark wings obscuring the sky. It was facing away from the sun, so its face could not be seen.
The person folded their wings abruptly, a metallic, piercing sound rang out, and landed lightly, standing upright between Xue Hua and the man.
Xue Hua recognized him at a glance as Tang Feng, the Tang Clan assassin who had been missing for many years, known as "Fu Yue Tian".
"Oh dear, some kid is trying to steal my kill," the man said, his face covered by Ye Min's, feigning distress. "What am I going to do? I was waiting to bring you all your heads to claim my reward!"
The man suddenly reverted to his indifferent expression, smiled at them, and said, "Fine, now that I have the military manual, I won't waste my time with you."
The man leaped into the turbulent Yangtze River.
Xue Hua paid no heed to his words, his gaze still fixed intently on Tang Feng. The blue-clad man opposite him had long, flowing hair, held a Thousand-Mechanism Box in his left hand, and his expressionless face was devoid of any light in his eyes.
After a long stalemate, Tang Feng suddenly twitched his eyelids and looked at the tense-looking Xuanjia General in front of him and the little girl beside him.
He stretched out his hand, opened his clenched fingers, and Xue Hua looked closely and saw that it was a bracelet.
"To expel the five poisons."
Xue Hua was stunned and confused, while Yang Yuan stared at him with wide eyes.
"You, I won't kill you. I'll take you to the Five Poisons Sect. To find him."
Tang Feng tilted his head and thought for a moment.
"His...his name is..."
He has always been with me, always watching over me. Whenever I am in trouble, he will appear, smiling, by my side.
His name? His name… his name is…
"Zha Nu!"
Towering ancient trees, densely packed together, stretched into the clouds. Their leaves were shrouded in mist, a layer of dew clinging to their surfaces. Before the dew could condense into frost, a shadow suddenly flew by, causing the leaves to tremble and droplets to gather and fall, landing precisely beside a pair of ankles adorned with silver ornaments.
A purple figure weaved through the trees, circling around to the cedar, nearing the cliff. With feet planted on a branch, it leaped, arms outstretched, revealing a pair of enormous, deep purple butterfly wings on its back, nearly eight feet long. With each flap, it stirred up a cool breeze, carrying the purple figure to the opposite cliff.
Purple-clad figure landed lightly, straightened her clothes, glanced at the person sitting on the edge of the cliff, stamped her bare feet, walked over, and poked a figure with her finger.
"Zanu!" Alena shouted angrily, "I told you to wait for me in the Fairy Forest, why did you run off here again! Honestly, you never give me a moment's peace..."
"Tang...Tang Feng..."
Alena paused for a moment, then lowered her hand and knelt down beside the man in purple robes and silver ornaments, keeping him company as they looked across the cliff, where the mountain was shrouded in mist and surrounded by bamboo forests.
Alena turned her head, reached out and smoothed the man's hair, wiping the cold frost from his forehead.
The man raised his hand and reached towards the bamboo grove opposite him, his face pale, his gaze fixed on the mist.
"Tang Feng..."
"Zha Nu, once things have calmed down a bit, I'll go with you to the Tang Clan to see him, okay?"
The man's eyes lit up, and he suddenly grabbed Alena's arm, pulled her close, and pointed to the bamboo forest opposite.
"Tang, Tang Feng!...Tang Feng..."
"Okay, okay, we'll go in a few days. Zha Nu, let's go home first, okay?"
The man seemed to be affirmed by the answer, and smiled, his pale face beaming. The silver ornaments on his body jingled in the cool breeze.
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