The hairpin was so crude and tacky! It was him after all… not handsome at all as he aged, tall and lanky like a wooden post, lacking charm. But an ordinary move was executed so powerfully, such a shared understanding, how could it not be envied? Seeing you obtain it, I am at peace. Li Wanxue glanced aside, thinking.
The Reception Platform was a section of the Tongxin Cave that emerged above ground, a mountain valley road often shrouded in mist when the humidity was high. In its center rose a wide, flat, giant stone, shaped like a viewing platform, hence the legend that it was where immortals descended. Li Wanxue, standing on the stone platform, stepped forward, sweeping her gaze across the crowd. Over a hundred people present instantly felt frozen. “I had already instructed Qian that the now-defunct Warring Peaks Alliance no longer bears Lin Zhaoying’s name.” Her voice was calm, not loud, but clearly heard by everyone. “Everyone here may have different perceptions of Li’s founding ancestor, Xiangjia, but all will affirm that she led the refugees and the mountain cave dwellers, establishing a place of refuge where they could stand tall and live without being bullied. This was hard-won and even harder to preserve. If we are even slightly disunited, what she gave us will instantly crumble. Therefore, in every glance, every thought, every action, we must remember how painstakingly she walked. Even as times change and the new generation wishes to improve, they must not forget the hardship of her sacrifices. Like my existence is to fulfill your happiness. As her successor, defending the fruits of her gift is paramount, firmly suppressing any harm, showing no leniency towards any infringement. Even I am no exception!” Grandmother, let me, Li Wanxue, bear all the punishment for rebellion, and spare your descendants.
“Stop!” Li Yunxian, standing at the far right, lunged forward to intervene. Li Ziqian, behind Li Wanxue, finally became aware. Holding the falling Li Wanxue, Li Yunxian whispered, “Her heart’s pulse has been severed.” Grief and bewilderment surged into Li Ziqian’s mind. She knelt, grasping Li Wanxue’s right palm, crying out, “Xiangjia, Xiangjia…” Li Wanxue cast a怜悯 glance at Li Ziqian before closing her eyes and passing away.
Cao Kaixiu ordered those present, “They have angered our Li Xiangjia to death! Seize the traitor and that pig Song!”
As Li Wanxue spoke, Wang Chongyang, carrying the unconscious Lin Zhaoying, quietly retreated. Upon hearing the command, he hastily shifted her onto his shoulder and, drawing his sword, defended himself awkwardly against the surging crowd. The crowd that had surrounded them suddenly parted. It turned out that Doggo had somehow infiltrated their ranks to intercept. She unleashed the ‘Shrimp Whisker Hook’ staff technique, wielding the whip at the end of the staff: circling, lashing, sweeping; then suddenly coiling the whip around the shaft and reversing to use the staff technique: poking, chopping, slashing. Her moves were bizarre, precise, and ruthless. She quickly broke through the gap and met up with Wang Chongyang. Suddenly, a forest fire erupted from the rear of the crowd. Wang Chongyang exchanged a glance with Doggo. With her covering the rear, they escaped into the cave’s branching paths.
Thick smoke gradually filled the passage, blurring their vision. Doggo was unaffected and could even guide Wang Chongyang. Wang Chongyang was astonished. Although she had sharp senses, she seemed excessively familiar with the environment. He tested, “We must stop and check her condition.” Doggo said, “At our current pace, in another fifteen minutes, there’s a hidden grotto that can serve as a resting place.” Indeed, between two overlapping stone walls, she found a crevice, lowered herself, and reappeared moments later, signaling for Wang Chongyang to hand Lin Zhaoying over to her.
Wang Chongyang entered and saw that Doggo had already placed Lin Zhaoying on a bed of wild flowers and grass. He quickly checked her breath and pulse. Afterward, he told Doggo, “Her grandmother’s matters caused excessive grief, leading to qi reversal in her heart and lungs, resulting in unconsciousness.” Doggo said, “No, it was a relapse of an old injury.” Wang Chongyang felt slightly displeased but, wanting to know the reason, asked, “Where did the old injury come from?” Glared at by Doggo, he was momentarily stunned. Doggo gritted her teeth and concisely recounted Lin Zhaoying’s fall from a snowy cliff on Mount Li while searching the Qinling Mountains.
This was merely one episode from those eight years! The rest, he dared not imagine, and felt ashamed to face. No wonder Doggo glared at him. Not worth it! You are truly not worth being treated like this. Alas, if I hadn’t caused trouble, or insisted on persuading you to wait for an opportunity to rescue someone, your grandmother wouldn’t have been angered to death on the spot, I…
Wang Chongyang helped Lin Zhaoying up and channeled his internal energy through her Fengmen, Feishu, and Xinshu acupoints to help regulate her blood circulation and restore consciousness. To his surprise, within half an incense stick’s time, Lin Zhaoying became ice-cold and trembled continuously. Doggo advised, “It is not suitable to stay here for long. Let’s escape the pursuers first before finding a place to tend to her. It’s not too late. Where is the entrance to the underground waterway?” She looked around. Wang Chongyang couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you so familiar with this place, as if it was arranged long ago?” Doggo said, “Lu Enshu told me. He said my silly… young lady would definitely be unable to hold back and come here to save someone. He also said I’m ugly and must avoid attracting attention.” Wang Chongyang deeply regretted not persuading Lin Zhaoying to heed his words, “Did you also arrange for a fire to escape?” Doggo said, “It wasn’t exactly an arrangement. Lu Enshu ordered Pei Ji to come here at this time to ‘burn the wild grass.’ He warned him that if a fire broke out, he should hide in this grotto. This is the ‘Hidden Escape Tunnel of the Xuanyang Cave.’ He also told Pei Ji, ‘Follow the path to the underground waterway, take a small boat out of the mountains, and never come back to bother him.’” Wang Chongyang naturally understood the implication and mused, “Since there is another passage here, it can be detected by the airflow.”
The two searched around. Wang Chongyang finally spotted a hole behind a pile of rocks at the north end. He exerted his strength to move the obstructing rocks, thinking, “If it were just Doggo, even knowing the path would be in vain.” After hearing Doggo’s report of the situation outside, Wang Chongyang and she jointly carried Lin Zhaoying into the hole. As Wang Chongyang shouldered Lin Zhaoying, Doggo carefully used his jacket to bundle Lin Zhaoying securely onto him. Wang Chongyang advanced with his sword. Apart from the ground gradually becoming slippery with irregular puddles of water, there was nothing unusual along the way.
After about half an hour, the path suddenly opened into a large cave dozens of feet high and wide. Looking down, they saw a stream flowing northward below. After another hour, they finally reached the water’s edge. Wang Chongyang discovered a long object wrapped in oilcloth in a dark corner of the stone beach, surmising it to be the “small boat” Lu Enshu mentioned. At that moment, Doggo had already uncovered the oilcloth and intended to push the boat into the water. “Wait,” Doggo looked at him in surprise. Wang Chongyang thought for a moment and said, “Lu Enshu’s intentions are unclear. Following his instructions might be walking into a trap. Let’s delay here for a bit, organize our thoughts, and perhaps if they have set a snare, they might become complacent.” Doggo nodded and said, “While we’re at it, I’ll help the young lady circulate her energy, hoping she can regain consciousness. While circulating energy, we’ll only wear undergarments, so please, Brother Shixiong, stand guard outside.” Wang Chongyang settled the two behind a rock wall, then moved the small boat to the water’s edge and inspected it. Amidst the rippling water and light, it felt as if they were still at the bottom of the Duke of the Founding State’s mansion. He thought how wonderful it would be to stay there, why did he exert so much effort to escape… He looked up, recalling that place in the tomb, and wondered if things would have been different if he hadn’t created the “Golden Boy Sword Style,” and thus couldn’t wield the paired swords against enemies.
A warmth flowed from his arms, pulling me back from the swirling snowstorm, yet I still felt uneasy, unable to move and unwilling to do so. Grandmother, pitying my solitude, indulged my wishes since childhood, even encouraging me to “do as I pleased,” always shielding me from criticism and blame. Today, you finally bear the consequences of my willful actions, do you regret it? Without your support, I truly don’t know how I would have gone on… I might as well just stay still!… The cold air surging from my abdomen squeezed my chest, causing a numbing sensation… I drifted into a hazy sleep. I felt myself being carried forward. The warmth from the chest, once I leaned against it, should have dissolved all the bitterness, sorrow, and loneliness, but why did it lose its efficacy now, as if there was a barrier? Do you despise me? Heh, I’m not afraid!… I swayed continuously, just like when I was inside the stone box that day. Alas, if I hadn’t harbored the desire to maintain the status quo, would the distance between us now be closer or farther apart? I struggled to open my eyelids. In my squinting gaze, I met your eyes that were originally focused on me, but they immediately darted away. Why are you avoiding me? About Grandmother’s matter… In an instant, the cold air surged back, and I plunged into darkness again.