"Giggle giggle..."
"Splash..."
With a cute laugh, the water dragon plunged into the lake and quickly resurfaced.
"Niu Er, come and chase me!" Mengmeng shouted to Niu Er behind her as she circled the lake on her water dragon.
"Moo..."
Niu Er roared, and then his body slowly grew larger, eventually transforming back into his original form—a giant bull two zhang tall. With all four hooves off the ground, as if there were a path beneath his feet, he chased after Mengmeng.
"Unbelievable, utterly unbelievable! There really is magic! There really is magic in this world!" Yang Guang came to his senses, stood up, and walked to the lakeside.
"It's amazing." The Queen stepped forward and said, looking at Mengmeng playing in the lake.
"Haha, this is just a little trick. Please sit back down, everyone," Li Daoyi said with a smile.
Only then did the group realize they had been somewhat rude and awkwardly sat back down.
"Dongfang, Long'er, that's enough. Go and prepare some food. His Majesty and the others probably haven't had breakfast yet," Li Daoyi said to Dongfang Bubai and Xiaolongnu.
"good."
"I'll help too," the Queen quickly stood up.
The three women then entered the small courtyard.
"Taoist Master, besides these, do you have any other spells?" Yang Guang asked curiously.
"Oh? Your Majesty wants to see my skills in killing enemies, doesn't he?" Li Daoyi said with a half-smile.
“Indeed, the methods you used to kill that man yesterday were truly unbelievable.” Yang Guang nodded.
Yuwen Huaji and Pei Ju also looked at Li Daoyi with curiosity.
He made a sword-finger gesture with his right hand and placed it in front of his chest.
"Sword, come!"
Accompanied by a soft shout.
The group's eyes widened in surprise as dozens of swords appeared out of thin air above Li Daoyi's head.
"go…"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."
The thirty-six swords immediately flew into the air and disappeared into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
"Return."
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."
In the blink of an eye, all the swords flew back, hovering above the group and forming the shape of a flower.
"My flying sword can take a person's head from a thousand miles away in an instant. Even a grandmaster cannot withstand it. It can also carry people and fly on the sword. It will take no more than half an hour to reach Daxing," Li Daoyi said slowly.
"hiss…"
The group gasped in shock.
“Return…”
After Li Daoyi finished speaking, he reached out and lifted his sleeve, and the thirty-six flying swords instantly shrank and flew into his sleeve.
"This is truly, truly astonishing," Yang Guang murmured.
"With such supernatural power, he is simply invincible under heaven," Yuwen Huaji exclaimed.
In the following days, Yang Guang and his companions would come to the small lake every day. Yang Guang was amazed by Li Daoyi's amazing abilities and his insights into some issues of the Sui Dynasty. Li Daoyi also kept his promise and went to Yuxianlou to tell stories every three days.
Soon, half a month passed, and Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils came to its finale.
"Azi gouged out her eyes and threw them to You Tanzhi. Then, with two lines of bloody tears streaming down her face, she picked up Xiao Feng's body and jumped off the cliff of Yanmen Pass amidst the exclamations of Duan Yu, Xu Zhu, and the others. Just like when Xiao Feng's father jumped off with his mother in his arms, she was a brother-in-law for life. Azi's feelings for Xiao Feng had long surpassed kinship. They could not be together in life, but she only wished to be buried together in death."
"Yelü Hongji burst into tears upon seeing this scene. He never imagined that Xiao Feng would go to such lengths for the Han people. Now, thinking of their past and how they are now separated by death, he realized that nothing could compare to the joy of drinking fine wine with Xiao Feng."
"Yelü Hongji withdrew his troops and promised never to invade again in his lifetime. This was his promise to Xiao Feng. At this moment, the people and soldiers of both countries are grateful to Xiao Feng. He ended the war, but at the cost of his own life. As a Liao person, he could not betray his country, but he was raised by Han people since childhood, and he could not forget their kindness. In this dilemma, death may be the only choice he can make now."
Li Daoyi's voice gradually became low and deep, and the entire audience fell silent. Many people were suppressing their emotions, and tears were already streaming down their faces.
"As the saying goes, the greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people. Xiao the Great Hero may not be a perfect person, but he is worthy of the title of hero. Those who practice martial arts should not be competitive, but use their skills to benefit the people. Otherwise, no matter how high your martial arts skills are, you are nothing more than a brute or a villain."
"The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils has come to an end. Thank you all for your support these past few days." Li Daoyi said, standing up and bowing to those around him.
"Waaah..."
"Master Xiao..."
At this moment, everyone's emotions finally erupted, and many people burst into tears.
"What a fine Qiao Feng! What a fine Xiao Feng! Such talents truly deserve the title of heroes. I, Shi Zhixuan, admire them greatly." On the fourth floor, Shi Zhixuan also sighed inwardly.
"Alas, I truly wish that the warriors of my Great Sui Dynasty could be like Master Xiao," Yang Guang sighed.
With the conclusion of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," booksellers in Yangzhou immediately began printing new books and then dispatched them to all parts of the country as quickly as possible.
Emperor's Peak.
Cihang Jingzhai.
Along with the Pure Mind Zen sect, it is known as one of the two great holy sites in the martial arts world. It is the foremost of the righteous martial arts sects and was founded by the legendary nun from the Broken Realm during the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Whenever the Central Plains were in chaos, Cihang Jingzhai would send out its disciples to search for the true emperor and restore order to the world.
"well…"
A sigh came from a small bamboo grove in Cihang Jingzhai.
Passing through the bamboo forest, you will see a small bamboo house built entirely of bamboo. Inside the bamboo house, there is a Buddha statue. In front of the Buddha statue, wisps of incense smoke rise. A girl in a yellow dress, about eleven or twelve years old, is holding a book and sighing softly.
"Why must there be killing between people? Can't we live in peace? Xiao Daxia was such a good person, and he died like that." The girl muttered to herself, and then her eyes became moist.
"Feixuan."
Suddenly a woman's voice rang out in front of the bamboo house.
The girl hurriedly hid the book behind her back.
“Master, your disciple is here,” the girl replied quickly.
The girl is Shi Feixuan, a disciple of Cihang Jingzhai. She is twelve years old this year and holds the title of the number one person in Cihang Jingzhai for a hundred years. She is also the new Holy Maiden of Cihang Jingzhai. At the age of twelve, she has already reached the mid-stage of the Innate Realm and is expected to advance to the Grandmaster level at the age of eighteen.
The bamboo door was pushed open, and a nun dressed in a monk's robe and wearing a monk's hat, but with a very beautiful face, walked in.
"Master," Shi Feixuan greeted.
The visitor was Fan Qinghui, the master of Shi Feixuan and the current head of Cihang Jingzhai.
"Take it out!" Fan Qinghui said to Shi Feixuan, clearly already knowing that she had the book "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" hidden behind her.
Shi Feixuan lowered her head and took out the book from behind her back.
"I'm sorry, Master."
"Sigh, even you're reading it? Is this book really that powerful?" Fan Qinghui shook her head and sighed. Many copies of this book have already been confiscated at Cihang Jingzhai during this period.
Shi Feixuan simply lowered her head, not daring to speak.
"I heard this book was compiled by a Taoist priest from Yangzhou?"
“Yes, Master, the book introduces that Taoist priest,” Shi Feixuan said softly.
Fan Qinghui couldn't help but open the book, and the first page was an introduction to Li Daoyi.
"A celestial being of this era, who once crushed a grandmaster in mid-air from a hundred meters away with a mere wave of his hand?"
"They actually dared to write such rumors into a book. It's utterly absurd." Fan Qinghui closed the book, losing all desire to read any further.
Shi Feixuan opened her mouth, wanting to say a few words in defense of the author, Li Daoyi, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
However, Fan Qinghui noticed Shi Feixuan's expression, frowned, and asked.
"What? Am I wrong?"
“Master, that Taoist priest was able to write this book, so he must not be a hypocrite. He must have some skill.” Shi Feixuan said, mustering her courage.
"Alas, it's all my fault for protecting you too well all these years, unaware of the dangers of the martial world," Fan Qinghui sighed.
"Feixuan, pack your things, let's go down the mountain tomorrow!"
"Going down the mountain? Really?" Shi Feixuan's eyes lit up immediately, and she looked up excitedly. Only then did she reveal her childlike side.
“Yes, come with me to the Jingnian Zen Temple. Master Liaokong wrote to invite me, saying he has something to discuss. You should come with me too; it’s time for you to broaden your horizons.”
"Yes, thank you, Master." Shi Feixuan nodded quickly. She was overjoyed. She had lived on Emperor Peak since she was a child and had never seen the outside world.
Seeing Shi Feixuan's girlish demeanor, Fan Qinghui felt a pang of pain in her heart, but she quickly suppressed the feeling.
“This time, I plan to take you to Yangzhou first. I heard that Yang Guang is also in Yangzhou at the moment. I plan to go and see him in person, and also to check on the fortunes of the Sui Dynasty,” Fan Qinghui continued.
"Yes, Master." Shi Feixuan nodded.
"As the Holy Maiden of Cihang Jingzhai, your every word and action represents the face of Cihang Jingzhai. Feixuan, you must remember never to lose face for the sect in front of outsiders," Fan Qinghui reminded her.
"Disciple understands."
Not only Cihang Jingzhai, but at the same time, experts from various forces also flocked to Yangzhou, all wanting to see the mysterious Taoist who could crush a grandmaster with a single move.
Among these forces, the Demonic Sect was naturally present, since the area was undoubtedly dominated by the Demonic Sect, and Yangzhou quickly became a place of great turmoil.
By the small lake.
Li Daoyi remained completely unaffected by the outside world. After finishing Tianlong, he declined everyone's invitation to give a lecture on his new book. He had been adjusting his state of mind these days, preparing to find time to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
"elder brother."
That day, Li Daoyi, who was sitting quietly by the lake, was awakened by Xiaolongnu.
"What's wrong, Long'er?"
"Mengmeng has disappeared again," Little Dragon Girl said softly.
"Hmm? Did you sneak off to the emperor's palace again?" Li Daoyi asked.
"I don't know, Sister Dongfang has already gone to look for her."
"This child, sigh, I don't know what to do with her. But don't worry, no one in this world can hurt the little girl," Li Daoyi reassured her.
Meanwhile, in the woods not far from Yangzhou, a girl dressed in a pink dress, with delicate features like an elf, was roasting a pheasant by a campfire.
"Who?" the girl suddenly called out as she turned around into the woods.
A person slowly emerged from the woods. This person was dressed strangely, wearing a steel helmet, like a general. Most importantly, he had a pair of metal wing-like objects on his back.
The newcomer revealed a strange smile, and the girl hurriedly got up to run away, but in a flash, the strange man was already in front of her.
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