Chapter 23: Dispelling Clouds to Reveal the Sun

  Liang Xiao missed the opportunity to escape, and after a moment of despair, he turned his head to take a closer look. To his surprise, the newcomers were Lei Zhen and Chu Yu, both of whom had iron shackles on their hands and looked utterly defeated. Lei Zhen's forehead even had a bloody gash on it. The couple also recognized Liang Xiao and quickly dispersed, each standing on one side, surrounding him completely.

  "Little thief, I've finally found you," Chu Yu said sternly. Liang Xiao replied indifferently, "What do you want from me?" Chu Yu asked, "Did you kill Star?" After the Lei Gong Fortress was burned down, Chu Yu had discovered her son's body in the mountains behind. She was consumed by grief and anger, thinking it over repeatedly, suspecting Liang Xiao and Liu Yanyan. Now she was questioning him to confirm her suspicions.

  "He wasn't killed by my own hands, but I was the one who hurt him first, and he died because of me." He nodded his head and said, "Half of it is on me."

  The couple heard this and trembled all over, thinking: "That's right, he counts as half a murderer, the other half is Liu Yanyan, they joined hands to kill Xing'er."

  Lei Zhen's anger was uncontrollable, and he threw a punch at Liang Xiao's back. However, the iron chains binding his hands made a loud clanging sound before he could even throw the punch. Liang Xiao responded by taking a step back and using his palm to deflect Lei Zhen's fist. Chu Yu saw that Liang Xiao's counterattack was endless and feared her husband would be at a disadvantage, so she lifted her leg to kick him, but forgot about the shackles on her feet and tripped, falling to the ground.

  Lei Zhen swung his palms, Liang Xiao helplessly raised an abacus and used the "Heartless Thin Luck" to stab him in the heart. Lei Zhen hastily jumped back. Chu Yu stood up, grabbed an abacus, and used it as a sword, making the move "Golden Wind Teases Chrysanthemum", striking out with three swords in a row.

  Liang Xiao deceived her into being at a disadvantage, causing Chu Yu to become disheartened and lazy, only hearing the sound of "dang dang dang" as the two abacuses clashed. Chu Yu's previous moves were all resolved by Liang Xiao, who unknowingly felt a sense of fear in his heart, and hastily used the move "Long Heng Chun Gui", directly taking the defensive position, with the abacus beads flying about, like flowers blooming in the spring city. Liang Xiao saw that her hands and feet were bound, but her attack and defense were still within the rules, and couldn't help but secretly admire: "The Tian Xiang sword technique really has some skill." The two fought for several moves, Chu Yu was hindered by the length of the chains, her hands unable to move freely, revealing openings on both sides. Liang Xiao saw clearly, using the move "Heart Intestine Cun Jue", the abacus beads stabbed into Chu Yu's shoulder pit from the right. Chu Yu's abacus beads slipped out of her grasp, falling to the ground with a "pa" sound.

  Lei Zhengsheng feared that Liang Xiao would make another move, so he drank hastily and flipped the stone table towards Liang Xiao. The stone room was narrow, and Lei Zhengsheng had an advantage with this heavy weapon. With his brute strength, he swung the over 100-jin stone table, creating a strong gust of wind. Liang Xiao had no chance to counterattack and was forced into a corner. Lei Zhengsheng secretly rejoiced: "I'll crush you into a meat pie to comfort my son's spirit in heaven." Gathering all his strength, he swung the stone table out with force. Liang Xiao's back was against the wall, and in desperation, he quickly thought of a plan, curled up, and rolled out close to the ground. He heard a loud "boom" above him, as the stone slab hit the wall, sending debris flying everywhere, causing the entire stone room to shake.

  Liang Xiao let out a light cry, sweeping his leg horizontally. Lei Zhen was unable to dodge in time, his legs bound together, and he sank down into a horse stance, channeling his energy into both feet, wanting to meet the attack head-on. But Liang Xiao's kick was just a feint, taking advantage of Lei Zhen's momentary lapse, he flashed forward like lightning, entering his embrace, and struck him with an elbow in the "Sea of Qi" acupoint. Lei Zhen's body stiffened, the stone table in his hand fell down, smashing onto his foot, causing him to let out a pained cry, and he fell backwards, toppling over.

  Liang Xiao easily knocked down the two men, panting and not yet speaking. Suddenly, his shoulder was hit by an object. He thought it was a hidden weapon and was startled, but unexpectedly, the object slipped and fell to the ground with a clatter. When he looked closely, it turned out to be a bright pearl the size of a thumb. Dazed for a moment, pearls began to fall from the dome above, landing on the ground with a series of clicks. It turned out that Lei Zheng's blow had shaken loose the pearls embedded in the stone wall. For a while, the three people in the room stood or sat, staring at the falling pearl rain in amazement, all of them speechless and motionless.

  The bright pearls have all fallen, Liang Xiao raised his eyes to look, the Double Seventh Star Chart has disappeared, only the two stars "Cowherd" and "Weaving Girl" are still embedded in the dome.

  Chu Yu saw Liang Xiao frowning and looking up at the sky, as if deep in thought. She assumed he was thinking of ways to manipulate her and her husband, and with a nervous heart, she said sternly: "Little thief, if you want to kill us, then just do it, don't think of some cruel way to torture us." Liang Xiao glanced at the two of them, thinking to himself: "Han Ningzi must be resentful that I won't open the iron box, which is why despite knowing my internal energy has been depleted, she still locked up these two big enemies to torment me." After a brief moment of contemplation, he asked: "Why were you two locked in here?"

  The two of them lost their composure for a moment, and after exchanging a glance, Lei Zhen grumbled, "Why didn't you say how you got locked in here earlier?" Liang Xiao gave a cold smile. Chu Yu feared that he would make a move, so she quickly threw a glance at her husband and said, "It doesn't matter, we're all in the same situation, it's fine to tell you. When we were tracking down that... uh... Liu Yueyue..." She had originally wanted to call her a lowly person, but was afraid of provoking Liang Xiao's anger, so she changed her words mid-sentence. "Suddenly, we heard a noise, and the 'Pure Yang Iron Box' fell into Han Ningzi's hands..." At this point, she couldn't help but ask, "Is this true?"

  Liang Xiao Dao said, "What about the back?" Chu Yu heard him answer irrelevantly and was secretly annoyed, but she didn't dare to get angry, so she said, "Han Ning Zi and Liu Yuan Yuan are also famous female thieves!" She stole a glance at Liang Xiao, who looked expressionless, and felt strange in her heart: "Liu Yuan Yuan was humiliated by me with veiled insults, but this kid doesn't even get angry?" After a moment's hesitation, she continued, "We've gone through twists and turns to find this Red Mansion, only to discover that the mechanisms inside are everywhere. We weren't careful for a moment, and we were trapped." She looked regretful as she spoke.

  Liang Xiao nodded and waved his hand to open the acupoints of the two men. The two were stunned, but then heard Liang Xiao say: "Do you want to get out of trouble?" Lei Zhen jumped up and shouted: "Needless to say! I'll smash the door and settle accounts with you again." Without saying a word, he grabbed the stone table and slammed it towards the stone gate. A loud crash, the stone slab shattered, and a dent appeared on the stone gate. Lei Zhen's mouth was bleeding, and he stood there in a daze.

  Liang Xiao smiled and said, "The stone gate is three feet thick, and there's also an iron plate on the outside. Can a stupid donkey gnaw through stone with its hard teeth?" Lei Zhen's face turned purple with rage, and he shouted, "You little thief only knows how to talk big!" Liang Xiao said, "I'm not talking big, if everyone works together, maybe we can really get out of this predicament." Chu Yu couldn't help but say, "Please tell us more."

  Liang Xiao smiled faintly and said, "Think about it, Han Ningzi is in the stone room, and suddenly the outside is locked. What should she do?" Chu Yuqi said, "Who dares to lock her?" Liang Xiao fell silent for a moment, then sighed, "The world is unpredictable, even lovers can change their hearts, husbands and wives can also turn against each other. Han Ningzi may not necessarily be without bad luck? She's as cunning as a fox, how could she not leave herself a way out?" His words had another meaning, Chu Yu and Lei Zhen thought of the time they turned against each other for the pure yang iron box, and both their faces flushed with heat.

  Chu Yu said: "Is there a mechanism to escape in the room?"Liang Xiao said: "Yes, but trouble Leilang to help me step on my feet."Lei Zhen jumped up and shouted: "What's wrong with you stepping on my feet? Shouldn't it be you stepping on my feet?"Liang Xiao smiled and said: "You are taller than me!"Lei Zhen's face turned purple, and he wanted to shout again, but Chu Yu whispered a few words in his ear.Lei Zhen gritted his teeth and said: "Forget it, stinky boy. Once we get out of this place, we'll settle the score."He bent down and let Liang Xiao step on his shoulder, and the two of them stacked up, just reaching the top of the room.

  Liang Xiao observed for a moment, then formed a pair of scissors with his fingers and suddenly inserted them into the two bright pearls. He felt that they should enter as he pointed. With a few creaking sounds, the stone bookcase on the left wall slid to the left, opening up a stone door. The three people were all startled, and Liang Xiao felt even more strange. He had thought that the door that opened would be the room door, but who would have expected that there was another secret door inside the stone room? Liang Xiao jumped to the front of the door, and from inside came a dark, cold, and damp air that rushed out, making his hair stand on end. He hesitated for a moment: "You two stay here and guard this place, I'll go in and take a look."

  Chu Yu's eyes rolled, and she coldly smiled: "Slow down, if you go out, what will you do?" Liang Xiao said: "Call everyone to go out together." Chu Yu shook her head: "It won't work, we have to leave together." Liang Xiao knew that she was afraid he would find the exit and seal the hidden door, so he said: "If we're going together, then let's go together!" After speaking, he went in first.

  The dark passageway was damp and chilly, with uneven stone walls that were cold to the touch and covered in dew. Liang Xiao wondered if this place was a natural cave, but if it was a passage, where did it lead? As he hesitated, a sudden fluttering sound echoed through the air, causing Liang Xiao to jump slightly. He looked up to see what seemed like a dark shadow darting across the sky. Then, from behind him, Chu Yu's teeth chattered loudly, while Lei Zheng spoke in a calm voice, "Second Madame, don't be afraid, it's probably just bats!"

  Liang Xiao had a premonition that there must be an exit in the cave since bats flew past, so he walked ten steps to the left and right. Suddenly, a faint light appeared in front of him, and his heart was filled with excitement. Just as he was about to rush forward to take a closer look, he heard Chu Yu's sudden cry on his right side. Before he knew what had happened, he turned his head to look, but suddenly felt a strong gust of wind coming from the left. Liang Xiao dodged to the right by a few inches and suddenly felt a fist-sized wind attack his shoulder blade. He hastily jumped forward again, only then realizing that Chu Yu's shout was a diversionary tactic.

  Lei Zhen shouted again: "Little beast, take another punch from Grandpa!" Another fist was thrown out. Liang Xiao didn't have time to dodge, a palm quickly came from the left side, knowing it must be Chu Yu. Just as he was about to retreat, Chu Yu suddenly appeared behind him, swinging his bamboo stick and stabbing him in the left rib in the darkness. Liang Xiao let out a painful hum, not waiting for Chu Yu to make another killing move, he unfolded the "Five Plum Blossom Steps", sweeping backwards and rushing out.

  Chu Yu was determined to avenge her son, and she chased after him with all her might. After chasing for over ten feet, she bumped into something on her shoulder. At that moment, it was pitch black all around, and she couldn't see anything clearly. She thought she had bumped into a rock and was about to go around it when suddenly a gust of wind blew from the side, accompanied by the sound of a sword slicing through the air. She quickly dodged to the side and shouted: "Husband, the little thief is here!" She avoided the sword and counterattacked with the move "Heavenly Flowers Falling", but unexpectedly stabbed into something hard, causing her bamboo stick to snap in two with a loud crack, and she felt a severe pain in her tiger's mouth.

  Chu Yu's heart felt something was off, and he turned to leave. He looked back, and his heart cried out in alarm - the stone door behind him had somehow closed without him noticing. Then, he heard the sound of thunder rumbling and a tiger roaring, iron chains clanking loudly as if someone was fighting.

  Chu Yu was unaware of what had happened, her heart racing and her mind in a state of confusion. Suddenly, she felt a strong gust of wind coming from the left side, and before she could dodge, her left leg was struck by a sword. Chu Yu let out a muffled groan as the sound of wind filled the air from all directions, and her heart was greatly shocked: "How can this little beast's martial arts be so powerful?" As she thought about it, fear arose in her mind, and she tried to locate the source of the sound by listening carefully. She attempted to dodge to the right, but unfortunately, her hands and feet were bound, and her movements were not agile. In an instant, her arm was struck by another sword, and Lei Zheng's pained groan also entered her ears at the same time. Chu Yu was extremely frightened and let out a shrill cry: "This little beast is playing tricks on me, ah...!" Her waist was struck by another sword, and the opponent's sword moves were incredibly fast, one sword following another, heading straight for her back. Just as Chu Yu thought she couldn't escape, her arm tightened, and she was pulled into a stumble, barely avoiding this attack.

  "Big brother?" Chu Yu exclaimed with joy. Just as her voice fell, a thunderous roar came from afar, and a cold hum followed: "You little beast, is that you?" With a surge of strength, she tried to break free but failed. All she heard was Liang Xiao's cold snort. Chu Yu's heart turned icy, thinking that she had fallen into the hands of her arch-nemesis, wondering how he would humiliate her next. Fear gripped her even tighter as she cried out: "Little beast, let me go..." Liang Xiao remained silent, holding onto her as they dodged the crisscrossing sword winds until they reached a secluded corner.

  Chu Yu's frightened soul was slightly calmed, she had been standing in the dark for a long time, her eyes gradually adapting, and she saw that far away, there were many black shadows looming, as if many people were moving in the darkness, but for some reason, except for Lei Zhen, not a single person made a sound. Chu Yu couldn't help but click her teeth together, tremblingly saying: "Wh-what is that ghost... thing?"

  Liang Xiao said, "It's not a ghost, it's an iron man." Chu Yu angrily said, "You set this up?" As soon as he spoke, he felt like he had misspoken. Suddenly, he felt a warm liquid dripping on his face and exclaimed, "You're also injured!" Liang Xiao coldly said, "This iron man array was set up in the dark passage, I don't know who triggered the mechanism." Chu Yu secretly felt ashamed and resentfully said, "Han Ningzi is so vicious. If we can't escape from here..." Before he finished speaking, Lei Zhen let out a pained cry. For a moment, his heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. He cried out in a mournful voice, "Dàláng, are you...are you okay?" Lei Zhen groaned again but didn't respond. Chu Yu heard him make a sound and slightly relaxed, repeatedly calling out to him.

  Liang Xiao heard her cry out in despair, and his heart ached with sympathy: "She has already lost her son, and now she's lost her husband too. She's all alone and pitiful, isn't she?" He had lost his parents at a young age and couldn't bear to see others suffer from separation and loss. For a moment, his hot blood rushed to his head, and he threw aside the grudges between them. He took a glance, and although the Iron Man didn't move quickly, there were too many of them, their swords flashing densely, making it impossible for anyone to dodge.

  He glanced around and charged into the formation, listening to the sound of wind coming from all directions, with five or six swords densely stabbing towards him. Liang Xiao listened to the wind to determine the position, avoiding several swords, and suddenly a faint light flashed before his eyes. Although it was only a thin line of light, he had already seen an iron man raising his sword to chop down. This sword move looked familiar, and Liang Xiao thought for a moment, suddenly remembering that the iron man's sword move was actually the "Heart-Breaking Sword" from the seventh style of the "Pierce Heart Seven Styles".

  Liang Xiao didn't have time to think much, following the woman's move, he twisted his body to avoid the sword and with a "clanging" sound, stabbed into the iron man's chest. In an instant, he only felt a slight dent inward. The iron man let out a hair-raising screech of metal scraping against metal, then slowly came to a stop.

  Liang Xiao suddenly realized, turned his eyes and saw that the iron men were indeed using the sword moves of the "Chuan Xin Qi Shi" (Piercing Heart Seven Styles). Each iron man only knew one move. He understood this principle, and used the sword moves of the woman in the "Chuan Xin Qi Shi", countering each move with a thrust to the heart of the iron men, left and right, every move piercing their hearts.

  Iron Man's heart is the key to the mechanism, once pierced, it immediately stops running. In an instant, Liang Xiao killed a way out and rushed to Lei Zhen's front. Lei Zhen was half-standing and half-crouching, his iron lock dancing wildly in his hand, looking like a madman. Liang Xiao flew around him in a circle, a flurry of chaotic stabs, and subdued all the surrounding Iron Men.

  Lei Zhen was severely injured, his body battered and bruised all over, his mind reeling from the intense pain. He collapsed to the ground, unable to move. Liang Xiao saw him in such a state and couldn't bring himself to continue his revenge. Sighing, he dragged Lei Zhen back to the safety of the corner. Chu Yu took over, her eyes widening as she saw her husband's skin torn and bloodied all over. She couldn't help but sob uncontrollably. Lei Zhen growled, "Second wife, what are you crying for? Don't let that little thief laugh at us." He then turned to Liang Xiao and shouted, "You stinking little brat, if you want to kill me, just do it! Stop pretending to be a good person, I won't fall for your tricks!"

  Liang Xiao was too lazy to bother with him, and thinking of the light he had just seen, he looked around, his eyes scanning the surroundings. On his left side, there seemed to be a small hole, through which a white column of light shone in from outside, making his eyes dazzle in the darkness.

  He guessed that the exit was there, restrained the iron man who blocked the way, moved forward, and touched a stone wall. A small hole was set on the wall, and when he looked out through the hole, it turned out to be a stone room outside. Each of the four walls had a long-lasting lamp burning, with flickering flames illuminating everything above and below. On the ground were stacked five wooden boxes, each corner wrapped in brass.

  Liang Xiao felt around the stone wall, but didn't find any mechanism. Just as he was about to give up, he heard footsteps and his heart skipped a beat. He looked through the hole and saw Ah Bing walk in with a smile, followed by the Taoist priest Yu Ling. Ah Bing glanced at the iron boxes inside the room and said in a low voice, "Dead enemy, this is indeed Han Ningzi's treasure trove." She was unlike her usual self, with a flirtatious expression and soft tone, directly addressing Han Ningzi by name without any respect.

  Yu Ling's eyes rolled around the room, suddenly embracing Ah Bing, and said with a smile: "Good Ah Bing, I love you to death." Ah Bing gave him a white eye, and spat out: "Do you love me or these treasures?" Yu Ling smiled and said: "Needless to ask. Ten million treasures can't compare to one of you." He gently lifted Ah Bing's hair and whispered in her ear with a low smile: "Good Ah Bing, you are my living treasure."

  Ah Bing's face turned red with anger and she glared at him, humming softly: "I hope your words match your heart." Yu Ling hastily said: "I swear to heaven..." Ah Bing covered his mouth, laughing: "Alright, don't say those scary things, do I not trust you?" She was usually cold and distant, but now she was playful and teasing with Yu Ling. Suddenly, she sighed and said: "Dead enemy, my heart is still a little afraid!" Yu Ling smiled: "Don't worry, Han Ningzi can barely save herself, how would she have the leisure to come here?" Ah Bing said: "I was raised by her, after all, I still feel some guilt." Yu Ling sneered: "Han Ningzi's heart is cruel and ruthless, you're not unaware of that. If things don't go her way, she'll take your life." Ah Bing nodded: "Let's hope to get rid of her from now on."

  Yuliang broke the iron lock on the trunk, opened a box, and brilliant light burst out, dazzling everyone. He picked up a string of pearls, his eyes seemed to be spitting fire as he exclaimed: "I didn't expect Han Ningzi to have accumulated so many good things." Putting down the pearls, he opened four more wooden boxes and rummaged through them with his hands. A Bing asked in confusion: "What are you looking for?" Yuliang stood up, furrowed his brow and said: "Why can't I see that pure yang iron box?"

  "Ai Bing said: "The black iron box? Ah, Han Ning Zi always carries it with him, day and night he plays with it." Yu Ling's face showed disappointment. Ai Bing couldn't help but ask: "What is the origin of that box?" Yu Ling said: "That was left behind by Pure Yang True Man Lü Dongbin. Lü True Man achieved enlightenment during the Tang Dynasty, and did many shocking and earth-shaking things. During the Song Zhezong era, he even left behind a poem called 'Bu Quan Gong' at Yueyang Tower. From the mid-Tang to Zhezong, for hundreds of years, if not for the power of immortality, how could one live for so many years?"

  A Bing sighed wistfully, "If we could live for a few hundred years, loving each other, wouldn't that be great?" Yu Ling smiled, "No need for an iron box, with these golden treasures, it's not bad. Let's go out, buy some land and slaves, wear brocade and eat jade, that life won't be much different from the gods." A Bing lightly punched him, smiling flirtatiously, "I don't care about those things, I just want you to treat me well." Yu Ling smiled, "That goes without saying, but..." Seeing A Bing's face fall, he chuckled and said, "What about that girl?"

  Ah Bing's expression changed from anger to joy, and she laughed scoldingly: "I thought you were going to say something." With a smile, she turned around and pulled in someone who looked like Ah Xue. Ah Xue stood up straight, looking at the two of them and said: "Ice sister, aren't you afraid of Master's blame?" Ah Bing coldly laughed and said: "And what about you? What were you doing in the bamboo forest? Hmph, I didn't think you'd be so cunning despite your usual foolishness." Ah Xue's face turned red as she said: "I...I wasn't here to steal treasure." Ah Bing asked: "Then what did you come for?" Ah Xue hesitated and didn't speak, Ah Bing coldly laughed and said: "I know already, you're doing it for that useless thing!" Ah Xue was shocked and said: "Ice sister, how...how did you know?" Ah Bing looked at her frightened expression and secretly found it amusing, saying: "Do I need to ask? Hmph, you've been making chicken soup for me to send to him every day, and you even dared to ask me about the bamboo forest's layout. Isn't that all for the sake of saving that useless thing? Ha! Who would have thought that this foolish girl would also have a crush?" Ah Xue was mocked and ridiculed by Ah Bing, feeling both ashamed and sad, tears falling like beans as she lowered her head and began to sob.

  Liang Xiao thought to herself, "Isn't the fool she's talking about me?" She recalled the past few days when they had meals together, there was always a can of chicken soup. He hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now he realized it was Ah Xue who had cooked it. His heart felt warm and he secretly felt moved. Suddenly, Yu Ling impatiently said, "Ah Bing, don't waste any more time." Ah Bing's eyes flashed with a fierce light as she stared at Ah Xue, coldly saying, "Since we've come this far, let's just kill the stupid girl." Ah Xue was so scared that she trembled and stared blankly at Ah Bing, unable to say a word.

  "Ai Bing said: 'Foolish girl, you see I'm not using it, blame only blame you for ruining my good thing. Hmph, next life you'd better be born smarter.' Liang Xiao was shocked, unable to think of a way to break through the wall, seeing Ai Bing's murderous intent rising, her heart was anxious beyond measure. At this time, suddenly heard someone 'heh' laugh, a soft voice said: 'Ai, Ice sister, you're really ruthless, stealing the master's treasure is not enough, you also want to kill your fellow disciple?' Ai Bing's face changed slightly, turned around, only to see Ah Ling with a seductive smile, leaning against the door."

  Her eyebrows were like a cold frost, and she said in a stern voice: "What are you doing here?" Ah Ling smiled and said: "Whatever you're doing here, I'm doing the same!" Ah Bing sneered: "You overestimate yourself." With a flash of her soft sword, she was about to pounce forward when suddenly her back felt cold. She looked down and saw a shiny sword tip protruding from her chest. Before she could think clearly, she swung her soft sword backward and turned around. When she fixed her eyes on him, Yu Ling's face was pale, his lip bitten, standing in the corner of the wall, with a chunk of hair missing from his left temple, his black locks fluttering down to his feet.

  Ah Bing's mind was in a daze, staring blankly at him with an odd expression on the corner of her mouth, as if bewildered and heartbroken. Yu Ling shuddered slightly but didn't speak, watching as she fell softly to the ground.

  Yu Ling's eyes fluttered closed for a moment, and he let out a sigh as he reached out to close Ah Bing's eyelids. But then he heard Ah Ling coldly laugh and say, "Heartbroken?" Yu Ling straightened up, chuckling and saying, "What are you talking about? If I were heartbroken, how could I have made my move? But she was true to me with all her heart, and killing her does make me feel a bit...uncomfortable." As he spoke of feeling uncomfortable, his face was still smiling. Liang Xiao's anger burst forth in his chest, thinking, "This ox-nose is too shameless, losing the face of all men under heaven. This time I'll escape from my predicament, and I must slaughter him."

  A Ling sneered and said, "You're sad? It's best to accompany her on the road. Hmph, it saves your good Ah Bing from being lonely." Yu Ling smiled and said, "A Ling, what kind of vinegar are you eating? You came up with the idea, but you're also the one speaking out. Alas, this Ah Bing is a block of ice on the outside, but a flame in her heart. With a little temptation, she can't hold back. Unlike you, who appears to be a flame, but has a heart as cold as ice."

  A Ling's face sank, and she scolded: "You're using all sorts of ways to mock me?" Yu Ling wrapped his right arm around her waist, chuckled and said: "Alright, alright, you're a ball of fire inside and out, but I'm a snowflake-like person. As soon as I see you, I melt." A Ling poked a red mark on his forehead with her finger, scolding: "I was a decent girl, but your mouth has deceived me."

  A Ling turned around, kicked Ah Bing's corpse, and laughed: "Thanks to this cheap person, who would have known that the treasure cave was here? Hmph, Han Ningzi usually spoiled her, I don't know what expression she would have when seeing her dead body." She had been competing with Ah Bing for favor since childhood, and today she finally avenged herself, feeling delighted in her heart. Turning to Ah Xue, she laughed: "Are you here to save that useless person?" Ah Xue was already stunned by the sudden change of events, and when she heard this, she didn't know how to respond. A Ling laughed again: "Unfortunately, you saw everything, what can sister do?" After a moment's thought, she sighed: "We're sisters after all, so let's do it like this - I'll dig out your eyeballs, cut off your tongue, and stab your ears deaf. Cut off your two hands. From now on, even if you want to reveal today's events, you won't be able to."

  Yu Ling stroked her palm and laughed: "You're still kind-hearted, Ah Ling." Ah Ling gave him a white eye, and with a smooth motion, pulled out the short sword from Ah Bing's corpse. With a swaying snake-like waist, she walked to Ah Xue's front. Just as she was about to take action, she suddenly saw Ah Xue fearless but shocked, her eyes staring at the door. Ah Ling looked at her strange expression and turned around, almost shouting out loud. Yu Ling saw her terrified appearance, and with a turn of her head, suddenly saw Han Ningzi's ghostly figure standing quietly in front of the door.

  Yueling lost all color, Ah Ling's slender body trembled slightly, and she suddenly burst into tears, saying "Master..." Her knees softened, and she knelt to the ground. Han Ningzi's mouth curled up in a cold smile, but before he could speak, Ah Ling's legs sprang into action, and she swung her sword at him. It turned out that she knew she was doomed to die, so she pretended to be weak to deceive the enemy, but in reality, she had made up her mind to fight to the death. Han Ningzi shifted his body slightly, and Ah Ling's short sword stabbed into thin air. Han Ningzi swung his left hand, severing Ah Ling's right elbow, and with a swift kick of his right leg, there was a cracking sound as he broke her right leg.

  Yu Ling's heart was racing with fear, taking advantage of the two fighting, she swiftly escaped. Han Ningzi let out a series of giggles, snatched Ah Ling's short sword and rushed out the door. Only to hear Yu Ling let out a long, mournful cry. Following that, a green shadow flashed by, Han Ningzi once again held onto Yu Ling, smiling as she slipped back inside.

  Yu Ling's body was covered in blood, and everything below his waist had disappeared. Han Ningzi threw him to the ground, but Yu Ling's mangled corpse still showed signs of life, gasping for breath, his hands wildly grasping at the air as he crawled inch by inch towards Ah Ling. With his fingers stained with fresh blood, he wrote on the ground: "Suffering, suffering, suffering..." He wrote eight characters for "suffering" before finally dying in front of Ah Ling's feet.

  Before the ghost could get close, Ah Ling had already fainted. Han Ning Zi touched her face and she woke up with a chill in her brain. She looked at Han Ning Zi, her teeth chattering. Han Ning Zi smiled slightly and said: "Ah Ling, did you bring the Lei and Chu families here this time?" Ah Ling's eyes welled up with tears as she trembled and said: "I was wrong, Master please spare my life..." Han Ning Zi laughed and said: "I'm asking you a question!" Ah Ling couldn't bear it and had to say: "It was all done by that dead ghost Yu Ling, it has nothing to do with me."

  Han Ningzi smiled and said, "You deceived him to death without any evidence? Hmph, you didn't say it, so how did he know about the pure yang iron box?" Ah Ling's face turned white, Han Ningzi shook her head, raised her sword and stabbed it into her heart, not even looking at her, then pulled out the sword and turned around, staring at Ah Xue with a smile: "Clumsy girl, what are you doing here?" She walked closer step by step, holding the sword, with a smiling face, but her eyes were as cold as ice. Liang Xiao's heart was stuck in his throat, but unfortunately he was separated by a thick wall, watching helplessly.

  Suddenly, a long whistle was heard, and a group of swallows flew up into the sky. Han Ning's expression changed slightly, and she turned around to close the door, but at this moment, a green shadow flashed, and another person appeared in the room, laughing: "Good fellow, you invited me to compare our lightness skills, but instead led me into a maze of soul-stirring circles." Liang Xiao was overjoyed, secretly exclaiming: "Chu Xianliu!"

  Chu Xianliu's attire was the same as that day, with only an additional black hilt on his shoulder. He scanned the room and frowned, saying: "Han Ningzi, did you kill all these people?" Han Ningzi smiled and said: "Senior Chu, don't speak nonsense, which eye of yours saw me killing anyone?" Chu Xianliu sighed and said: "You are ruthless, poisonous, and treacherous. Leaving you in this world will only bring disaster." After speaking, he grasped the hilt of his sword with a reversed hand.

  Han Ningzi saw that he was serious, and knew that if he drew his sword, it would be earth-shattering. She smiled and said: "Senior, you are a master of your sect, how can you not keep your word?" Chu Xianliu raised an eyebrow and asked: "How did I not keep my word?" Han Ningzi smiled and said: "We were competing in lightness kung fu, but we haven't finished yet." Chu Xianliu said: "You agreed to compete in lightness kung fu, but you led me into this bamboo forest. This bamboo forest is clearly a strange array formation, and I almost fell into it."

  Chu Xianliu was drunk in Suzhou for a month, and when he woke up from his drunkenness, he received a letter from Chu Gong. After reading the letter, he found out that the pure Yang iron box had been stolen by Liu Yingying. He immediately rushed to find her. When he arrived at the Red Mansion, he found that Chu Yu and his wife had fallen into a trap and were captured. Chu Xianliu had no choice but to use his martial arts skills to subdue Han Ningzi. Han Ningzi knew she was no match for him, so she used words to distract him and proposed a wager on their lightness skills. She then lured him into the "Southern Dipper Four Symbol Formation", hoping to trap this top-notch expert with the bamboo array. However, Chu Xianliu also understood this technique and only got trapped for a short while before escaping and chasing after Han Ningzi's trail again.

  Han Ningzi's eyes sparkled as she smiled and said, "Senior, you've misunderstood. The scene in the bamboo forest was just like an introduction to a musical composition, but now is when the real music begins." Chu Xianliu replied nonchalantly, "This small room can't compare to the revolving wheel, how can it be compared?" Han Ningzi smiled and said, "Senior doesn't dare?" Chu Xianliu slightly furrowed his brow, thinking, "This place is very narrow, if we want to compete, we should use a more agile technique..." Before he could decide, he suddenly saw Han Ningzi quietly move back and lean against the stone wall behind her. Unaware of what was happening, he let out an "ah" and shouted, "What are you doing?" Han Ningzi's face revealed a sly smile as she made a "brushing" sound, and a hidden door appeared behind her. She chuckled and slipped inside. But before she could even stand steady, a strong gust of wind suddenly rose from beside her. Han Ningzi had not expected there to be someone inside the door, and in her panic, she hastily dodged to the side. Liang Xiao's calculating move swept past her, causing Han Ningzi immense pain, and she couldn't help but let out a groan. But with pursuers behind her, she didn't dare stop, so she exerted all her strength and kicked off, flipping into the Iron Man formation.

  Liang Xiao's strike was supposed to be decisive, but unexpectedly it was dodged. He thought to himself: "I'm holding an iron sword, how can she still be alive?" Feeling resentful, he chased after her relentlessly. Han Ningzi hesitated due to Chu Xianliu's presence and didn't dare to engage in a fight, hastily activating the Iron Man Formation. Suddenly, sword winds filled the air, blocking the secret passage. Liang Xiao pointed east and struck west, causing the iron men to stop moving one after another. Han Ningzi was shocked and enraged: "This is strange, where did this kid learn how to break formations?"

  Iron array lies between "Tian Yuan Di Fang Shi" and the treasure cave, almost airtight, only by mastering the "Chuan Xin Jian Fa", can control the iron man, to open up a road. Han Ningzi originally intended to lead Chu Xianliu into the array, at least to block him for a while, but unexpectedly Liang Xiao suddenly appeared halfway and broke through her carefully set trap in two or three moves.

  Chu Xianliu stepped into the dark passage and saw the two people swiftly chasing each other in the iron man formation. He found it strange, put away his iron wood sword, and used "Spring Water Three-Part Sword". The sound of clashing echoed in his ears as the iron men broke their heads and waists, falling into three pieces. In a flash, Chu Xianliu rushed to Liang Xiao's back and laughed: "Good kid!" He was about to chase after Han Ningzi when he suddenly saw a light ahead and another secret door opened. Han Ningzi dodged and entered the "Tian Yuan Fang Shi" room, and with a loud bang, the stone door closed from the inside.

  Liang Xiao stomped her foot in anger, knowing that the room must have another mechanism, but she couldn't discover it. Han Ningzi only needed to reopen the front door to escape safely.

  Chu Xianliu stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Liang Xiao, with many questions in his mind, but before he could speak, he heard Chu Yu calling out from a distance: "Third Uncle?" Chu Xianliu detected weakness in her voice, as if she was severely injured, so he abandoned Liang Xiao and rushed forward.

  Liang Xiao took the opportunity to step out of the hidden door. He saw Ah Xue sitting in the corner, her eyes blurry with tears, staring blankly at the outside of the door. Hearing footsteps, she turned her head and exclaimed in surprise: "You... you're also here..." Her voice choked, and tears flowed down again.

  Liang Xiao saw her mixed emotions and couldn't describe the feeling in his heart. He wiped away her tears and sighed, "It's hard to put into words, let's talk about it later when we leave this place." Ah Xue was overjoyed and simply nodded. Liang Xiao opened up her acupoints and suddenly saw a precious sword leaning against the wall corner - it was the very same "Xuan Yuan". On an earlier day, he had been captured by Ah Xue and his precious sword had also fallen into Han Ningzi's hands. He inserted the sword at an angle into his waist and then saw that the box next to him was overflowing with pearls and jewels. He thought to himself, "Han Ningzi is not a good person, these gold and jewels must be ill-gotten gains." Without being polite, he grabbed a few handfuls of them and stuffed them into his bosom as traveling expenses.

  He walked out with Ah Xue, the bamboo forest in front of him was deep and quiet. When he looked back, the mountain cliffs were towering and majestic, the rocks were rugged and steep. The color of the treasure cave was a dull gray, at first glance it was no different from the mountain cliff, no wonder Ah Ling wanted to use the winged spirit to lure Ah Bing, just because if you didn't know in advance, it would be difficult to guess that there was another world inside the mountain cliff.

  Suddenly, Ah Xue said: "Young Master..." Liang Xiao interrupted her and said: "My name is Liang Xiao, just call me by my name." Ah Xue's cheeks turned red as she lowered her head and said: "Liang...Liang Xiao, Ice Sister and Ling Sister grew up with me, I...I want to do my best to give them a proper burial." Liang Xiao furrowed his brow and said: "They just tried to harm you."

  Ah Xue didn't know how to respond, and she lowered her head, tears falling. Liang Xiao sighed: "Forget it." He turned around and entered the room, picking up the corpses of Ah Bing and Ah Ling, but felt a chill in his hands, thinking of the two people's beauty and charm when they were alive, and couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness at the transience of life.

  As soon as he went out, he saw Ah Xue digging with both hands and stepped forward to brush her away: "I'll do it." He swung his sword and cut down two thick bamboo shoots, dug two big holes with his hands, and buried Ah Bing and Ah Ling. He thought that these two people had bullied Ah Xue in every way when they were alive, but after death, they were lucky to have Ah Xue bury them, so they could rest in peace. If there was knowledge underground, what would they think? As he turned his head, Ah Xue stared blankly at the grave mound, tears falling like rain. He bowed down and paid his respects, and before he got up, someone said: "The girl is repaying grievances with virtue, very good, very good."

  Liang Xiao turned his head to look, and Chu Xianliu was quietly standing behind him. He knew that he had heard everything they said. Chu Xianliu smiled slightly at him and said: "You little guy are not old enough, first it was Liu Yuying, now you have another beauty by your side? I didn't think you were so young, yet you're already having multiple loves?" Ah Xue's face turned red with shame. Liang Xiao frowned and said: "Chu Lao, don't speak nonsense!" Chu Xianliu laughed and continued: "My niece and nephew-in-law said you hurt them, is that true?" Liang Xiao was speechless for a moment, then said: "If it's true, do you want to avenge them?" Chu Xianliu stared at him for a while, shook his head and said: "No need, they suffered sword wounds, but all you have in your hand is an abacus."

  Chu Xian's expression sank for a moment, then he said: "Little guy, your swordsmanship is too heavy with the intent to kill. From now on, don't use it." Liang Xiao thought to himself: "What swordsmanship I use is none of your business." Then he said: "Swordsmanship is a method for killing people, how can you kill without the intent to kill?"

  Chu Xian shook his head and sighed, "Little guy, the way of the sword is a method to cultivate one's mind, not a method to kill people." He smiled faintly and turned into the room. Liang Xiao thought to himself, "This old man is really strange, if he doesn't kill people, what's the point of practicing sword?" Unable to figure it out, he said to Ah Xue, "Let's go." Ah Xue nodded slightly and followed him.