The Second Chapter

The night sky descended, and Lan You Village, squeezed between continuous mountain ranges in a gorge, was small and tranquil, unaffected by the death of two fine horses from Crimson Blood Fortress. Perhaps the only difference was the two figures standing quietly by the old osmanthus tree at the village entrance at this very moment.

Chang'an loved the night because of the starry sky. The starry sky was deep and complex; the stars were brilliant and eternal. He could find peace in it.

He never killed anyone at night.

Behind Chang'an, the old man's back gradually stooped, the sharpness in his eyes faded, becoming clouded and weathered by time. The night wind carried the old man's unique tremor, as if he could no longer withstand the wind and rain. He was indeed old, an old man who watched his grandson being abducted, Yang Taiyi.

Chang'an suddenly lowered his head, no longer looking at the stars, and gazed at the old man's weathered face, saying, "Uncle Yang, you've worked hard!"

Yang Taiyi slowly took two steps forward, looking at Chang'an, who was a head taller than him. The wrinkles on his face relaxed, and he let out a long sigh, saying, "Erhu is clever and skilled, he won't suffer. You can bring him back safely another day. As for you, all your power and glory are gone. Liu Xuanfeng, the young master of Crimson Blood Fortress, easily gained fame. You were a stepping stone, and it was unfair. You benefited a scoundrel!"

Chang'an squinted and simply smiled, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, it's all fate. I understand a little bit now, and I have no regrets. However, Lu Jing of the Dragon Yang Sect truly makes me unable to breathe easily..."

Yang Taiyi's arm trembled slightly, and a ball of energy like ice crystals instantly condensed in his palm. It flowed and transformed into a line, shooting out and piercing the soil and rocks on the ground with a pfft. A flurry of chaotic chirping sounds erupted from beneath the ground. A nest of field mice, pests that harmed crops, was annihilated by Yang Taiyi's seemingly casual action. Yang Taiyi, who often eliminated pests in the fields like this, clasped his hands behind his back and said calmly, "External, internal, qi, yuan, spirit – none are not profound and vast, each more marvelous than the last. The Dragon Yang Sect is a major sect that cultivates qi gong. Dragon Yang qi gong is overbearing and masculine, unmatched in the world. Yet, Lu Jing emerged, relying purely on external martial arts to dismantle your internal cultivation. He took a crooked path. Thirteen years of arduous training, and your internal energy was all for naught. My old heart aches watching this. These people from Crimson Blood Fortress arrived at just the right time."

Chang'an said, "There are no secrets that can't be leaked! It's just that I don't know who deliberately leaked the wind, selling the secret of my crippled martial arts to others. Liu Xuanfeng won fame and took my glory, but it might not be a good thing. Perhaps someone will recognize my Green Ox on the way back. Will he have an easier time?! If he isn't beaten to death halfway, that's his fortune. How can there be such a thing as only picking up benefits without suffering losses? What I resent is Lu Jing! I cultivated both internal and external martial arts, training diligently since childhood, and losing is truly unacceptable! No matter how I think about it, I can't understand why I lost, and even my sword was taken away..."

Yang Taiyi could only sigh. Even with his seasoned experience, he couldn't understand. Chang'an's martial arts were all taught by him, and he knew him inside and out. Although Chang'an still lacked in internal energy control, unable to unleash it to attack from a distance, Chang'an's external martial arts were exceptional, especially his swordsmanship. At that time, Liu Xuanfeng's wild punches couldn't harm his foundation, which was the result of hard training, not a superficial display achieved overnight.

After a long while, Chang'an suddenly let out a long sigh and said solemnly to Yang Taiyi, "Uncle Yang, I want to go back to the back mountain."

Yang Taiyi was startled, the dense wrinkles on his face tightening. He said gravely, "Do you really want to go?"

Chang'an nodded firmly, "I've made up my mind. I'll go up the mountain tomorrow!"

Hearing this, Yang Taiyi fell silent. He stood quietly for a while and then walked towards the village, his back looking desolate.

Chang'an stood alone at the village entrance and suddenly threw two punches. The stance was orthodox, but the powerful force from before was gone. He had secretly fought Lu Jing, and his internal energy was completely destroyed, as if the firewood had been removed from under the pot. Now he was like a dragon without sinews or bones, possessing a dragon's appearance but not a dragon's strength. He gritted his teeth and let out a fierce, long roar. Finally, his emotions calmed down. He climbed the old osmanthus tree, lay on a branch, looked at the starry sky, and began to recall his eight brothers and sisters, guessing the appearance of his parents, and stayed awake all night.

Tomorrow, at dawn, clear skies.

Chang'an jumped down from the osmanthus tree and looked up at the vast mountain behind Lan You Village, which soared into the clouds. He let out a long breath. Dragon Green Mountain held countless beautiful and bitter memories for Chang'an. On the mountain lived a fairy sister, Bai Lian'er, and an old grandfather who would rage like thunder at any moment. He grew up on Dragon Green Mountain when he was a child. Bai Lian'er, three years older than him, took meticulous care of his meals and lodging. In his memory, she didn't smile much, but her eyes were very gentle. Counting the days, it had been three years and seventy-eight days since he last saw her.

Dragon Green Mountain was too steep for ordinary people to climb. Near the summit was a cliff dozens of feet high, making it a secluded and inaccessible place. There were no roads on the mountain. Chang'an followed the foot of the mountain, weaving through bushes and thorns, climbing rock faces, walking slowly. By noon, he had finally approached the summit.

That cliff became a natural barrier blocking him. He couldn't climb it now unless his external martial arts were cultivated to the point of having a body of steel and iron, allowing him to grip the rock face with his fingers. Without internal energy, his lightness skills could no longer be used. Grass-walking, water-treading, and wall-climbing were all impossible.

Chang'an panted slightly, a bitter smile on his face. His hands clung to a slightly protruding rock, and he looked up at the summit, taking a deep breath and shouting, "Sister Bai Lian, Sister Bai Lian..." After shouting eight times, Chang'an stopped, hearing an extremely violent roar from the summit, like a lion's roar: "Who the hell is making trouble... Fu'er, Fu'er... Go and beat that noisy monster down the mountain..."

Chang'an dared not shout again. He waited motionlessly with a wronged expression, eagerly looking up at the cliff, waiting for his fairy sister to save him.

Not long after, a slender figure in the prime of her youth gracefully appeared at the edge of the cliff, leaning slightly downwards. The maiden's raven hair hung down strand by strand, swaying in the wind. Her expression was cold, and her eyes were bright, truly possessing an ethereal grace, giving off an otherworldly aura.

Chang'an was stunned by her appearance and said repeatedly, "Sister Bai Lian, quickly take me up."

The maiden straightened her slender waist upon hearing his voice and shook her head with a troubled expression, "Master doesn't allow you on the mountain." She knew that without her master's permission, Chang'an would never dare to go up the mountain, and even if he did, he would be beaten down.

She looked at Chang'an, her brows furrowed, and couldn't believe that Chang'an had become fat.

Chang'an said bitterly, "If I'm not allowed on the mountain, I can neither go up nor down, I'm at my wit's end... Ah... Ah... I might as well jump down from here..." As Chang'an spoke, he closed his eyes and let go of his hands, his chubby body falling straight down the thousand-foot mountain.

Seeing this, the maiden's gentle brows furrowed even tighter. She cried out, "Naughty child!" Her figure flashed, and she moved towards the cliff. She untied a colorful silk ribbon from her waist and flicked it out with a rustle. The ribbon coiled and wrapped around Chang'an's waist. Then, the maiden's delicate and weak hand gripped the stone wall, while her other hand pulled the ribbon and lifted with force. Chang'an flew up and was caught.

Chang'an smiled triumphantly and quietly reached out to embrace the woman's slender waist, startling the fairy-like maiden. The maiden's face flushed, and just as she was about to scold him angrily, she heard Chang'an softly call out, "Fu'er!"

The maiden's breath hitched, and she said shyly, "Master never lets you call me that! If Master hears, he'll beat you so badly you won't be able to get up for ten days."

Chang'an chuckled, his eyes narrowing. "It's worth it! He wants to keep you trapped, but I want to take you away and elope – whether you agree or not. Besides, Fu'er promised me when she was little that she would take care of me for a lifetime..."

The maiden, Yu Fu, looked gentle and lowered her head, smiling softly, her face blooming like peach blossoms. "Who wants to take care of a little rascal, a fatso, for a lifetime..." Bai Fu's expression changed drastically, and she exclaimed in shock, "Chang'an, you, your power?" She suddenly noticed something unusual about Chang'an. In her panic, her eyes turned sharp, like a gentle mother cat protecting her kitten, angered by the bullying. Yu Fu said coldly, "Chang'an, who turned you into this? I'll get revenge for you... Chang'an, take Fu'er with you now!"

Chang'an wore a bitter smile, rubbed Yu Fu's furrowed willow-leaf eyebrows, and was about to speak when a thunderous voice boomed from the cliff top, extremely annoyed, "Where are you two going? Huh, where? All of you stay on the mountain, you're not allowed to go anywhere!"

Bai Fu and Chang'an were both startled. They tacitly lowered their heads, not daring to answer or move.

Lei Gong Yang Qingling, Bai Fu's master and grandfather, the one who raised Chang'an, possessed immense authority in front of the two juniors.

Yang Qingling's temper was as fiery as lightning, and he was renowned for his booming voice. His martial arts were unfathomable. He was not a mere ruffian of the martial world; his authority was as high as his voice, making it impossible not to respect and obey him.

Yang Qingling glanced at the two children at the foot of the cliff and immediately became impatient, roaring, "Aren't you coming up? Are you trying to rebel?!"

Chang'an whispered, "Sister Bai Lian, let's go up."

Bai Fu was still somewhat reluctant, her beautiful eyes fixed on Chang'an. "Chang'an, who exactly harmed you?"

Chang'an said, "When we get to the mountain, I'll tell you everything bit by bit. Let's go up first!" A warmth surged in Chang'an's heart. The people who cared about him most in the world were none other than Fu'er. Although they hadn't seen each other for over three years, that warm feeling had not changed at all.

Only then did Yu Fu take Chang'an up to the summit. They stood before Yang Qingling, both lowering their heads, looking at their toes, their eyes focused on their noses, their noses on their mouths, heads bowed in silence.

Yang Qingling wore a coarse linen robe, his hair completely white, but his posture was exceptionally upright, like a blade, always emitting a cold glint. The old man didn't speak. His wise gaze swept over the two children. After a long, long time, he unexpectedly sighed and said in a deep voice, "You risked your lives to escape down the mountain back then, why have you rolled back now?"