Keyboard Immortal - Chapter 2800

Chapter 1313: The Fall of Xiangyang City

Tingxue nodded, seemingly understanding, “Where do we go next?”

Being with him meant no need to think, and she didn’t like to overthink anyway; after all, the followers of Chaos were emotionless machines.

“Mount Hua!”

Mount Hua wasn’t far from Zhongnan Mountain, and after two or three days of travel, they arrived within its borders.

Looking at the sheer cliffs, as if carved by an axe, Tingxue couldn’t help but sigh, “Apart from being a bit short, Mount Hua’s majestic and precipitous beauty ranks among the best in the universe.”

Zu An smiled. In the universe, mountains are often tens of kilometers high; the mountains in this world were indeed quite short. Ultimately, this world, which forbade the extraordinary, didn’t have enough primordial energy or spiritual power to support such high mountains.

The two continued their ascent. The roads on Mount Hua were naturally not as numerous as those in modern society, practically nonexistent.

However, with their martial arts skills, they didn’t mind, quickly reaching the top of Mount Hua and arriving at the Mount Hua Sect.

The Mount Hua Sect was still quite rudimentary; Hao Datong had long since passed away, leaving only a few young disciples.

Upon seeing the two arrive, the disciples were on high alert, clearly recognizing them as Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu from their appearance.

They also knew about Hao Datong’s accidental injury to Granny Sun, leading to her death, and assumed the two had come seeking revenge.

Zu An, of course, didn’t bother with them, explaining that their visit was harmless; they had a past connection with Chongyang Palace and couldn’t bear to see Wang Chongyang’s martial arts legacy die out, so they were offering some martial arts manuals.

Because of the Condor Hero’s reputation over the years, and his mention of Zhang Junbao saving the Quanzhen disciples, the Huashan Sect had no further suspicions and treated the two as honored guests.

After some questioning, Zu An discovered that the Huashan Sect already possessed the Zixia Divine Skill.

It turned out that Hao Datong, having witnessed the helplessness of many top masters in recent years, knew that while Quanzhen internal energy was balanced and moderate, its power was somewhat insufficient. Therefore, he devoted himself to researching a new internal energy technique that could greatly increase the power of Quanzhen internal energy, although it had some side effects, such as causing the skin to turn purple due to prolonged use beyond its limits.

Zu An secretly admired the Seven Masters of Quanzhen; even a casual novice could develop such a unique martial art. While not the most outstanding in the world, it was certainly first-rate. With

the internal energy problem solved, Zu An passed on some Quanzhen sword techniques, and Ting Xue passed on the Jade Maiden Sword Technique of the Ancient Tomb Sect—later, the Huashan Sect had the Jade Maiden Sword Technique and the Lady Sword Technique, and Zu An figured it must have been passed down from the Ancient Tomb Sect.

That day, all the disciples of the Huashan Sect witnessed a white-clad fairy dancing with breathtaking swordsmanship on the mountaintop. Everyone was haunted by that beautiful scene, and from then on, the main peak of the Huashan Sect was undisputedly named Jade Maiden Peak.

After the two finished teaching the sword techniques, Zu An inquired if there was a disciple named Feng Qingyang, but everyone shook their heads; there was no such person.

Zu An thought that perhaps he hadn’t been born yet, and he would probably have to return to Huashan in a few decades.

After bidding farewell to the Huashan Sect members, the two began to tour Huashan. Unknowingly, they arrived at a cliff. Suddenly, Tingxue exclaimed in surprise as they came to a large rock with the words “Cliff of Contemplation” carved on it.

“This notebook seems somewhat familiar.”

Zu An observed it for a moment, his expression somewhat strange. “It should be Guo Xiang’s notebook. Back then, she traveled all over the world searching for Yang Guo. Perhaps she heard that Yang Guo had encountered Hong Qigong and Ouyang Feng fighting on the summit of Mount Hua, and decided to try her luck here. She probably didn’t find him, so she stayed here for a long time and carved these words out of emotion.”

Ting Xue couldn’t help but sigh. “That Miss Guo was quite deeply in love, but Yang Guo was a bit oblivious to romance.”

Zu An laughed. “Is it okay to talk about your father like that? Are you suggesting your mother wear a green hat?”

Ting Xue rolled her eyes at him. “You clearly know those aren’t my parents.”

“Your expressions are much more lively than before, which is much better.”

“…”

“Where to next?”

“To the palace, to find a eunuch.”

“???”

“It’s time to create the ‘Sunflower Manual.’ If nothing unexpected happens, this technique should also be developed from the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra and the Innate Skill. We must reconcile this cause and effect.”

“That evil martial art that requires self-castration to practice?” Tingxue frowned slightly. “Why has the Ancient Tomb Sect’s martial arts become like this?”

“The Ancient Tomb Sect’s techniques are inherently somewhat unorthodox. The Jade Maiden Heart Sutra is prone to causing qi deviation during practice. Without a master’s guidance, it’s highly likely that others who obtain incomplete copies will go astray.”

Zu’an smiled. “Practicing the Innate Skill requires consuming various elixirs, which can lead to unbearable heat. In addition, practicing the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra easily arouses lust, so it’s not surprising that self-castration is a prerequisite for practicing the Sunflower Manual. Let’s study how to fuse the two techniques into the Sunflower Manual along the way.” “Okay

…”

They traveled together for the rest of the journey, enjoying the scenery during the day and discussing the creation of the Sunflower Manual at inns at night.

After all, they had never learned such a strange technique before, so creating it was not as easy as before.

At first, the two each had their own room, but later, because they often discussed details all night, they simply shared a room, sleeping in the same bed when they were tired—after all, they had slept together before in Xiangyang.

Of course, they both naturally fell asleep fully clothed when exhausted from discussions, without any other thoughts.

After some time, they arrived in Lin’an and saw the city filled with singing and dancing. They sighed inwardly; with war raging everywhere, how could this be? No wonder it seemed destined for ruin.

They had no heart for worrying about the country and its people. They searched the palace, but unfortunately, they couldn’t find a suitable eunuch.

Later, Zu’an realized that even the lowest-ranking eunuch should have mastered the skills after decades of cultivation. In the world of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, he wouldn’t be unknown; he would likely be like the Dugu Nine Swords, only able to find a suitable successor in his later years.

Just then, they heard news on the street: the Mongol army had besieged Xiangyang, the imperial reinforcements had been completely defeated, and Xiangyang was on the verge of falling.

The two dared not delay any longer and hurriedly traveled day and night towards Xiangyang.

Upon returning to Xiangyang, they discovered it had already fallen. It turned out that Guo Jing and Huang Rong, seeing no way out, had persuaded the Xiangyang commander, Lü Wenhuan, to surrender to the Mongols on the condition that the city’s inhabitants be spared.

They themselves refused to surrender and committed suicide.

The entire Guo residence was engulfed in flames. Although all of this followed the original timeline, and was even pre-arranged with Yan Hua, who had left with the Heaven-Slaying Sword,

the Dragon-Slaying Saber fell into the hands of the rebel army and, according to Jin Yong’s historical records, would circulate in the martial arts world, eventually becoming a target for various factions.

As for Guo Polu, like in history, he disappeared during the war, rumored to have died at the hands of the rebel army.

Seeing all this, Zu An couldn’t help but feel sorrow.

Because I didn’t return, Guo Jing and Huang Rong must be very disappointed…

Just then, a commotion broke out in the city. In the distance, a group of Mongol soldiers were chasing a young woman carrying something. Several Beggars’ Sect disciples desperately tried to protect her as she fled, but they were outnumbered and quickly slaughtered by the Mongol soldiers.

The Mongol soldiers approached, lewd grins on their faces. Such a beautiful woman! They were truly in for a treat today.

Zu An saw clearly that the young woman was Guo Fu, and the object she was carrying was none other than the Dragon-Slaying Saber!