Chapter 114 "I didn't accomplish anything... I gave everything..."
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The chaos in front of the city gate was temporarily quelled as people from all sides either fled or dispersed.
The city gates were again heavily guarded by Jin soldiers.
Not even a mosquito could fly out.
A true struggle of a cornered beast.
Just as Yuan Zao, Yuan Wenkang, Gan Zishi, and the others were at their wits' end, with nowhere to retreat, a little girl suddenly led them into a dark alley, guiding them all the way to—
Fengyue Tower.
No one would have imagined that there was a secret room beneath the famous Fengyue Tower in Jinling City, known as the "Cave of Debauchery".
The dark room had taken in quite a few elderly, weak, women and children.
Liu Yirong emerged gracefully from the shadows, smiling sweetly at the crowd:
“Master Pei and I are old acquaintances. Master Pei’s friend is my friend, Liu Yirong’s friend. It’s also thanks to this place being where the demon Kong Wu is staying that you can hide here, and the Jin soldiers won’t be able to find this place for the time being.” Suddenly, she changed the subject, glanced at the young Taoist priest who had been silent not far away, and smiled gently, “What, you look down on this place of pleasure, and think it dirtys your feet?”
Wen Cheng'an paused for a moment before realizing that the woman was talking to him.
The woman had a beautiful face with a smile on her lips, but her lovely eyes held no smile, only anger.
The young man paused for a moment. From the moment he stepped into this brothel, he kept his eyes down and didn't glance at the girls inside. It wasn't the disdain that Liu Yirong mentioned. He was just a lowly Taoist priest, a nobody among the three religions and nine schools of thought, so there was no way he could talk about "disdain".
However, he was a disciple of the Taoist Master Wuyazi, whose Taoism was less about cultivating the mind and more about abstaining from women. Therefore, he always avoided women like the plague, and this Taoist priest lived a life even more austere than that of an ascetic monk.
Unexpectedly, this angered the other party.
"Young lady, you are so chivalrous and righteous, I..." After all, he was just a young man who had just left the mountain. Let alone being close to women, the Great Lonely Mountain was covered with snow all year round, and it was rare to even see a female monkey. He had only seen his junior sister, who was of the same generation, a few times a year during their sect competitions. And now, standing in front of him was the most beautiful courtesan of the Fengyue Pavilion, Liu Yirong, who was known as the most beautiful woman in Jinling.
A beautiful woman's anger, though not enough to cause countless corpses to be scattered for miles, still drew frequent sidelong glances and glares from those around her.
It would be a sin to displease such a beautiful and chivalrous woman.
For the first time in his life, Wen Cheng'an was at a loss for words: "I...I absolutely did not mean that..."
Liu Yirong suddenly smiled and said, "You've finally looked at me."
Wen Chengan was taken aback and froze.
Lifting his eyelids and gazing at the beautiful face before him, the usually mature young man revealed a hint of confusion for the first time on his handsome yet youthful face.
Liu Yirong touched her hair, a faint smile playing on her dimples, exuding an indescribable charm and allure. Her fingertips, tinged with cinnamon, touched the young man's chest.
"Just kidding. We're from the same sect, but you and your junior uncle... are really different. Remember to say hello to your junior uncle for me when you see him."
Wen Cheng'an remained silent for a long time, until the fingertips had been away from his chest for quite some time before he reacted and murmured:
"……good."
Meanwhile, Ma Rujiao and Ma Qingmei finally recognized each other.
At the same time, it also unravels a secret that has been buried for many years in the world's number one smuggling case.
“‘Hidden dragon, do not use it,’ what a wonderful ‘Hidden dragon, do not use it,’ my elder brother has kept it from me for so long!”
Yuan Wenkang sighed deeply: "Back then, when the Jin army invaded, the Jin prince Wanyan Jing led his men in burning, killing, and looting, committing all sorts of atrocities. Brother Ma Rujiao's story of capturing the bandit leader from a thousand miles away spread throughout the martial world, and the entire court was greatly encouraged. Although killing the prince relieved their anger, the country was incompetent, and the court feared the Jin people, especially under the pressure of the Jin fourth prince Wanyan Yao, they even ceded territory to apologize. Thinking about it... it makes sense. The old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) has always cherished heroes, especially such a heroic figure. I just never expected that he would hide Brother Ma here. Hiding him here is the biggest secret known only to the chief镖头 (bodyguard/escort) of the world's number one镖师 (bodyguard/escort)."
“The old镖头 once told me…” Ma Qingmei sniffed softly, “If you miss your father, come here to pay your respects…”
Only then did Ma Rujiao realize the old镖头's good intentions. It turned out that the little girl who came here every day to cry and mourn the dead was his Mei'er.
Tears streamed down Ma Rujiao's face as he croaked, "Where...where is your mother?"
"Mother...is dead."
Ma Rujiao was stunned. The father and daughter embraced and wept bitterly, deeply moved.
Yuan Zao hurriedly asked Liu Yirong:
"Where is Sister Ling'er? Where are Pei Xuan and Sister Ling'er?"
Mentioning the young Taoist priest, Liu Yirong recalled the way Pei Xuan carried Jiang Ling'er when they arrived, and felt a pang of jealousy, thinking that she had never seen Pei Xuan like this before.
Liu Yirong glanced at the door not far away, and let out a soft snort, clearly jealous:
"It's precious. Don't worry, Master Pei has his own way."
Gan Zishi glanced at Liu Yirong and then at the tightly closed door, thinking: Martial Uncle... he really is still the same Martial Uncle.
Gan Zishi glanced at Wen Cheng'an beside him and saw that Wen Cheng'an was still staring down at his chest. Only then did he realize that his senior brother had been unusually silent ever since his brief conversation with that Miss Liu Yirong.
Gan Zishi saw something, suddenly paused, and exclaimed, "Senior Brother, why are your ears red! Are you injured...?"
Wen Cheng'an: "..."
The boy turned his head and glared at his junior brother for the first time in his life:
"Shut up!"
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Inside the tightly closed side room.
Jiang Ling'er's body was torn apart by the two streams of internal energy belonging to the Longevity Technique and the Ghostly Soul Book, respectively. Although Ma Rujiao had given her guidance, it was only temporarily suppressed, forcibly converted into her own power. This was a short-term, forced, and unavoidable measure, and it was only because of her excellent comprehension that she achieved some success. Otherwise, if an ordinary person like Ma Rujiao had forcibly poured internal energy into her body and circulated it, they would have surely exploded and died.
However, after another fierce battle with Kong Wu, the two internal energies that he had barely managed to suppress started to surge again, running wildly through his limbs and bones, until he finally went into a state of demonic possession.
Ma Rujiao glanced at it once and then shook his head and left.
"This little girl has only a superficial understanding of the Longevity Technique, and she also possesses a tyrannical internal force. It's like a pot of water that has been slowly simmering, with alternating hot and cold temperatures, finally boiling. Who in this world has such an opportunity to learn two unparalleled martial arts at the same time? Even I am powerless to help her. You'd better not make any rash moves and can only leave it to fate."
Yuan Zao was also very anxious, but the predicament was not yet resolved, so he could only go with the others to discuss matters.
Soon, only the unconscious Jiang Ling'er and Pei Xuan remained in the room.
"……cold……"
Jiang Ling'er murmured, her brows furrowed, her face pale, and she was trembling.
Pei Xuan paused, then covered Jiang Ling'er with all the blankets he could find. After tucking her in, he heard her complain that she was hot.
He had no choice but to remove the blankets again, repeating this several times until Jiang Ling'er stopped complaining of being cold. He then paused briefly, resting his forehead on the blankets beside Jiang Ling'er, and sank into a deep sense of helplessness.
He was unable to do anything.
He then heard Jiang Ling'er say something softly. He initially thought she was complaining of being hot again, so he leaned closer and heard her murmuring softly:
"I'm sorry... I messed it up..."
The young Taoist priest paused slightly, stunned.
The girl's face was thin and pale, with a raised brow. The once arrogant and carefree girl had finally learned the taste of sorrow. After a series of changes, especially after her break with the little poisoner, the young Taoist priest had never seen her heartbroken or cry again.
Even when the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) was insulted, she remained calm. Even when Kong Wu knocked her to the ground, she could wipe her face and get back up. Even when she was imprisoned by the condemnation of everyone, led by Wen Shan Zhenjun, she was never afraid.
And now…
"I...I not only failed to open the secret passage, but I also lost Lian Sheng..."
The girl's voice was hoarse, tinged with... a sob she had never heard before. She seemed trapped in a terrible nightmare, her brow furrowed, her body trembling slightly from the cold, as if struggling to escape a dream from which she could not break free.
“I’ve accomplished nothing…I’ve messed everything up…I’ve messed everything up…”
A silver thread slid down, dampening the hair at her temple.
The young Taoist's heart seemed to have been violently squeezed, softening completely.
"I...I'm so cold."
Pei Xuan paused, as if making a decision, and hugged her tightly through the quilt.
Then, as if he had regained what he had lost, he hugged her even tighter.
"...Don't go."
Jiang Ling'er rubbed her cheek against his, her voice hoarse with a hint of crying, like a feather brushing against his heart.
Tears dripped from the corners of his eyes onto his neck.
The heat made him shudder for a moment.
The young Taoist priest's heart surged, his heart softening completely. He held her with a strength that felt like he wanted to embed her into his own bones, his thin lips brushing against her cold ear, repeatedly telling her:
"I'm here...I'm here."
He tried to warm her with his own body heat.
"son……"
Jiang Ling'er seemed to be further confused by the two internal forces within her body, her mind was muddled and she could not form coherent sentences.
The young Taoist priest listened intently: "What?"
"…son……"
Pei Xuan moved even closer to her, his earlobe almost touching her dry lips.
Pei Xuan stopped abruptly as a warm breeze brushed past his ear.
His blood instantly froze.
"...Zi Chu."
He remained silent for a long time, then gave a self-deprecating laugh and let go.
The young Taoist priest took out a silver needle from his sleeve and placed it on Jiang Ling'er's Baihui acupoint, forcibly injecting internal energy, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea, leaving no ripples.
The young Taoist's face darkened, and his thin lips pressed into a tight line.
He was a man who wouldn't flinch even if a snow-capped mountain collapsed in front of him, but for the first time in his life, he was at a loss.
After a moment, he slumped down, pressing his forehead against Jiang Ling'er's burning forehead, gazing intently at her long, narrow eyelashes that were tightly closed like seaweed, and said in a hoarse voice:
"what do I do……"
Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door, and a woman slowly walked up to the two of them.
Seeing the young Taoist's dark, unreadable gaze, the woman pulled off her hood, revealing her shiny forehead, and mustered her courage:
“I…I can help her.”
It is lotus.
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The Seven Sons of Lingxiao rode swiftly for the third time, but before they could meet the Emperor, they received a report from Zhang Liangxiang's scouts—
The Jurchen prince Wanyan Yao has led his troops to Jinling!
The Seven Sons of Lingxiao were furious: "Are we really going to hand over Jinling to them?!"
The emperor regained consciousness for a while but then fell ill again and ultimately failed to see him.
Zhang Liangxiang, kneeling outside the hall, felt a chill in his heart; his refined face turned ashen.
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Nanjing.
Wanyan Yao rode his tall horse and led his troops past.
The Jin soldiers set fires along their route.
As dusk approached, blood stained half the sky.
Nanjing was plunged into chaos.
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