A Pact Amid the Borderland Herds

Just then, Duan Yanqing had already taken control of Western Xia Yipintang.

It would indeed be a pity to abandon everything and leave at this time.

Duan Yanqing's greatest hope was to be able to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures in Tianlong Temple while watching Duan Yu take control of the imperial power.

For Duan Yanqing, being free from the struggles of the martial world was a kind of happiness.

But it was precisely because of this son that Duan Yanqing, who had just felt that everything was perfect and he had no desires, now had a new goal to strive for.

He knew that Duan Yu, that silly boy, was a bit stubborn and too kind.

As a father, he might continue to protect his son.

Dali, after all, just a small border country, and life there is not so easy on a daily basis.

Now that the Western Xia is in a state of internal chaos and weakness, and he has gained immense power, why not stay here and act as a stab in the back, helping his son to work together from within and without?

If his son needs external support within the Dali Kingdom, he can naturally use the power of Western Xia to help.

If Duan Yu were to develop any ulterior motives in the future, then they could work together from within and without.

Although Dali and Western Xia were far apart, it seemed that there was no possibility of annexing them.

As the saying goes, "befriend distant states while attacking nearby ones," it's always better to have a thorn in your side than nothing at all.

Perhaps some changes will occur in the future. If Duan Yu can unify the six kingdoms under the Qin King, then annexing Western Xia will not be entirely unrealistic. Although such thinking is very impractical.

However, Duan Yanqing remained at the Western Xia Yipintang.

He had a detailed conversation with the three officials, and they naturally reached a consensus.

Having a Western Xia Yipintang was devoted to Dali was naturally a good thing for the Dali Kingdom.

Although they were all martial arts masters, they were also three dukes of the Dali Kingdom, so they had this vision.

They naturally agreed to Duan Yanqing's plan and happily returned to the Dali Kingdom to report to Duan Zhengming.

Xiao Feng picked up the wine bowl.

Then he stood up again and together with A'Zhu, respectfully offered Ji Boying a bowl of wine.

"If it weren't for Brother Ji, my family would have suffered greatly from the karmic consequences of this mortal world. Even if we were to go to the Avīci Hell in the future, we would never be able to extricate ourselves from this mess."

Ji Boying did not refuse.

He shared a bowl of wine with Xiao Feng and A'Zhu.

The wine bowl was placed back on the table.

Curious, he asked, "How did Brother Xiao and Miss A'Zhu get together...?"

The two of them weren't too awkward, but smiles still flashed across their faces.

First, A'Zhu poured another bowl of wine and took the initiative to introduce herself.

"To be honest, I've let down Great Hero Ji and Brother Xiao."

Xiao Feng patted A'Zhu's hand.

"It's precisely because you did something like this that I like you even more."

A'Zhu smiled and continued.

"Indeed, I had my own selfish motives. When I learned from Great Hero Ji in the Apricot Forest that my old master had gotten himself involved in such a big mess, it naturally made me uneasy."

A'Zhu smiled apologetically at everyone.

The Murong Family has wronged Xiao Feng, as well as Wang Yuyan and Duan Yu.

"What they did was indeed despicable to people in the martial arts world, but after all, they raised me and treated me like their own son. Such a great debt of gratitude cannot go unreturned."

"On the way to Shaolin Temple, Sister Wang and I learned the Lingbo Weibu) from Brother. We just wanted to walk a few steps faster and get to Shaolin Temple before Master Xiao."

"It was originally impossible, but fortunately, Master Xiao had other concerns in his heart."

Xiao Feng then spoke.

"I was worried about my adoptive parents. Although it was important to find the Shaolin Temple, I should take care of their safety first. I also got some answers from them, which confirmed what Brother Ji said."

A'Zhu said.

"Because of this delay, I was able to leave Shaolin Temple ahead of time, arrive at Shaolin, find the master in advance, and tell him what happened. Although he did not believe me, he was still wary."

Duan Yu chimed in.

"That is why, when many eminent monks of Shaolin Temple surrounded the Scripture Depository, Murong Bo seemed less flustered, as if he had made prior preparations and fled."

A'Zhu nodded.

She admired Xiao Feng.

But doing such a thing is truly unfair to Xiao Feng.

"After delivering the message, I left Shaolin Temple and reunited with the young master and the others. However, I did not mention my reunion with the old master."

"The Four Great Household Retainers were very wary of Brother Xiao. Although the young master at the time didn't take it too seriously, he did want to control Brother Xiao's parents first because the matter was of great importance."

"I was afraid something bad would happen, and since this matter had nothing to do with them, I secretly hid Brother Xiao's adoptive parents."

Xiao Feng was deeply moved and held A'Zhu's small hand.

Although he already knew about these things, he always thought of A'Zhu's painstaking efforts whenever he thought about them.

"Good girl, it's all thanks to you."

Duan Yu spoke up again, "If it weren't for Sister A'Zhu, Uncle and Aunt Qiao Family would really be in danger. When Murong Bo was being chased by Brother Xiao and his son, didn't they threaten to send people to capture them?"

A'Zhu shook her head.

"That's not true, he was just trying to scare Brother Xiao. Uncle Qiao, I've already hidden Aunt. Young Master didn't initially intend to arrest anyone; it was just a casual move."

"If things don't go well, they're simply forgotten about it."

"Although I was just trying to scare Brother Xiao at the time, it was because I knew that Brother Xiao was a man of loyalty and righteousness and would never gamble."

Xiao Feng nodded.

"I was worried at the time, so I stopped my father and immediately returned to my adoptive parents' home. Although I was very unwilling to let Murong Bo and Murong Fu get away like that, protecting my adoptive parents was the priority."

"When I got home, I was terrified. The house was completely empty. I thought the old thief from the Murong Family had succeeded."

"I was so anxious that I searched everywhere. My father was displeased to see how anxious I was, but he still helped me search carefully. It took a lot of effort before we found some clues."

"Following the trail, I searched the mountains and forests and found my adoptive parents safe and sound, which relieved me greatly. After some questioning, I learned that a woman in red had hidden them."

"At the time, I didn't know who it was, but I thought of the girl. I'm so glad you were there."

Xiao Feng held A'Zhu's hand tightly, his tiger-like eyes filled with tenderness.

The two of them looked so affectionate and happy.

Wang Yuyan also found out at this time.

"No wonder Murong Bo and Murong Fu were settled for so long. It seems that Brother Xiao spent time searching for Uncle Qiao and the others, which gave Murong Bo time to slowly make some arrangements for Murong Fu and pass on the rest of his internal skills to him."

A'Zhu nodded.

"That must be it. Knowing their feelings for my sister has left A'Bi and me feeling both disappointed and at a loss."

In the end, all I could do was help my sister leave.

A'Zhu sighed.

"Speaking of which, I'm someone who's already died once."

"A'Bi and I secretly released my sister, which angered the young master. His martial arts have improved greatly, but we still advised him not to go to Brother Xiao, lest he walk into a trap."

"They want to split their forces into two groups again. This time, they must find Uncle Qiao and his group to make Brother Xiao hesitate to act rashly, and also to lure Brother Xiao out so that they can defeat them one by one."

"I was also flustered. Although I had already hidden Uncle Qiao and the others, I was still afraid of being found, so I wanted to go and inform them."

"In the end, they still slipped up."

"This time, they released my sister, ruined his family's grand plan, secretly helped Brother Xiao, and prevented him from seeking revenge against Brother Xiao."

"He then concluded that I was siding with outsiders and wanted to settle old scores with me."

"But we've known each other for over ten years, how could we not know what kind of person he is?"

"With his skills, he could easily be a chivalrous hero or a wealthy man in the martial world. But with such ambitions but lack of talent, he's still rushing headlong into this whirlpool. He'll only end up battered and bruised and without a proper burial."

"He was so angry that I really thought he was going to kill me, so I thought I would try to persuade him before I died."

"But the more I tried to persuade him, the angrier he became, and he struck me so hard that I was critically injured and on the verge of death."

"Then they went to track down my sister and brother, A'Bi stayed behind crying, intending to collect my bodies."

"Fortunately, it was at this time that I ran into Brother Xiao."

As A'Zhu recounted her near-death experience, there was a hint of sadness, but mostly sweetness.

Because of the Murong Family, although she admired Xiao Feng, she could hardly get what she wanted.

They didn't even dare to go near it.

At that moment, he thought he was going to die.

He felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders, and he could say that he had repaid the kindness of the Murong Family with his life.

"When I saw the two sisters, A'Zhu A'Bi, I was naturally very surprised. When I saw that A'Zhu was beaten to death, I quickly used my internal energy to help her stay alive."

"My father stormed into Shaolin Temple again, intending to steal some elixirs and medicines. Some conflict ensued, but my master, Master Xuan Ku, stopped him."

"When my master learned that my father needed medicine to heal his wounds, he was worried that I was injured, so he quickly got some medicine and wanted to come down the mountain with me to help treat him. But my father refused."

"I used Shaolin Temple medicine on Sister A'Zhu, and her injuries were slightly relieved, but they were still not cured. After thinking it over, I realized that I could only go to Enemy of Yama and ask him to use his miraculous skills to cure her."

"So I took A'Zhu, A'Bi and my father to find Xue Muhua first. When we arrived at his residence, we asked him to treat us."

"Although what happened in the Apricot Forest has been exposed, the Beggar Gang's Clan brothers have not said anything bad about me, and my reputation has not been ruined. So Xue Muhua agreed to help me get treatment."

"It's just that he always needs a secret manual to save people, but that's not a big deal."

"But then he asked me to help him kill someone. The person he wanted to kill was Ding Chunqiu of the Xingxiu Sect."

"Although A'Zhu has always been helping the Murong Family and our enemies, Murong Bo is dead after all, and my father's hatred has been largely dispelled."

"Having seen that Sister A'Zhu is brave and resourceful, and loyal and righteous, he also accepted her in his heart. He asked me to take care of A'Zhu, and he went to the Xingxiu Sea to kill Ding Chunqiu himself."

Xue Muhua explained Ding Chunqiu's many methods one by one, and also prepared a lot of antidotes, telling my father to be careful.

"My father had no burden on his mind. He rushed all the way to the Xingxiu Sea, ambushed Ding Chunqiu in the dark, and killed him directly with the Seventy-Two Ultimate Techniques of Shaolin Temple."

"And I took care of Sister A'Zhu, watching her recover day by day."

Xiao Feng drank another bowl of wine.

He always had a smile on his face.

What was originally a very complicated and hateful family history has gradually been resolved, and the family is now moving towards happiness.

"After curing A'Zhu, A'Bi also wants to leave. Although she wants to go back to the Murong Family, the things the Murong Family did in front of her really make her feel bad."

"There was no other way but to escape. She went to Dali and visited her godmother, Dao Baifeng. Mr. Ba and the others said that Miss A'Bi and her godmother got along very well and lived a simple but happy life."

"My father wants to take me and A'Zhu back to the Great Liao, which puts me in a bit of a dilemma."

"After all, my great revenge was achieved, and my father's obsession lessened considerably. He stopped pressuring me. Later, we even met some brothers from the Beggar Gang's Clan, and we drank and ate meat together."

"They didn't care about my identity and begged me to become the leader of the Beggar Gang' Sect again, but I had long lost interest in that."

"I only want to wander the world with A'Zhu, and in the future, go to the borderlands and live our own lives, herding horses and sheep, without caring about the world."

Hearing this, A'Zhu leaned against Xiao Feng's shoulder again, her face full of sweetness.

He spoke softly.

"I have already repaid what I owed the Murong Family."

That's very clear.

From then on, A'Zhu was merely a princess of the Dali Kingdom and Xiao Feng's wife.

Although A'Zhu later learned that on that Tianshan, Murong Fu's death was partly due to her brother Duan Yu.

But knowing what Murong Fu had done on that Tianshan, she was indeed disappointed.

Good advice is useless when it comes to a damned devil.

In the end Four Great Household Retainers abandoned Murong Fu.

What else is there to say?

Xiao Feng continued.

"We then parted ways with my father. He wanted to go back to his Liao Dynasty for a visit, while I returned to my home at Shaolin Temple and took A'Zhu to see my adoptive parents again."

"Settle my parents down, and ask my Master Xuan Ku and Brother Wu Changfeng of the Beggar Gang' Sect to keep a close eye on them."

"I then wandered the world with A'Zhu, traveling and enjoying the scenery."

"I just heard that the princess of the Western Xia Kingdom is recruiting a consort. Although we are not interested in consorts, there will definitely be a lot of people gathering here. It will be very lively and interesting."

"So we all came over together. We were all there to see what was going on."

"I never expected to run into my third and second brothers here."

Xiao Feng downed another bowl of wine and laughed heartily.

Duan Yu and Xu Zhu's sworn brotherhood also included Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng clearly didn't care about these minor details.

Everyone chatted and laughed.

The old story from back then has come to a complete end.

Ji Boying also asked Duan Yu if he had seen Jiumozhi.

Duan Yu said he saw him when he first arrived, but then he disappeared.

He also asked Ji Boying if he knew Jiumozhi.

Ji Boying then recounted the amusing stories between himself and Jiumozhi to everyone.

This again drew a burst of laughter from the audience.