The two retreated several feet simultaneously, then leaped into the air. Once in mid-air, they turned their bodies sideways and rushed towards the ice mirror with all their might. Just before touching the ice, instead of stopping, they forced their way in, unleashing a series of kicks that slammed into the ice!
The cracks in the ice wall did indeed widen considerably under the combined attack of the two. However, the ice above also accelerated the spread of the cracks due to the vibrations, and more and more ice spikes began to break and fall, gradually becoming more and more dense.
Mo Xi drew her soft sword from her waist, creating a dense net of swords to protect her vital points and deflect the ice shards. At the same time, she shouted to Mu Fengting, "Get below me, I'll cover you!"
Due to the acceleration of gravity, the closer one gets to the top of the cave, the slower the icicles fall, making them easier to deflect with a sword. Mo Xi's arrangement protects herself as well as Mu Fengting.
Mu Fengting immediately understood Mo Xi's intention to protect him, adjusting his posture to synchronize with her movements as much as possible. Perhaps due to the life-or-death situation, their coordination was unexpectedly high. After kicking the ice twice, their leaps in the air were exactly the same, their coordination was exquisite. Like two parallel flying swords, they struck the ice simultaneously.
After a dozen or so kicks, the icicles above his head had become as dense as rain, falling onto Mo Xi's sword with a continuous clanging sound. There was a hint of an impending thunderstorm brewing.
Mu Fengting aimed each kick at the spot where the two had just dug a hole, hoping to break through the weakest point as quickly as possible.
Finally, the wall began to crack rapidly, showing signs of collapse. After a moment, the sound of the ice splitting open resembled the crackling of a string of firecrackers being lit.
Mo Xi shouted, "We can't retreat now! If we do, we might get buried in the cave. Let's charge!"
Mu Fengting was a decisive person. He said, "Okay!" and thought to himself: I will definitely protect you and stand with you through thick and thin.
The two joined forces again to break through the encirclement. Finally, that attack became the last straw that broke the camel's back, and the ice wall collapsed with a roar. At this point, blocking with a sword was tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock. Mo Xi simply threw away her soft sword, protected her head with both hands, and risked being hit by the huge, violently falling ice blocks. She made a desperate effort and rushed outwards.
Mu Fengting followed closely behind Mo Xi, but whether it was because he was too focused on her and neglected his footing, or simply by chance, he suddenly tripped over a huge block of ice and lost his balance. Normally, his quick thinking would have been enough, but at this moment, there was no room for error.
Mo Xi sensed the person behind her slow down and immediately turned around. She saw Mu Fengting unsteady on his feet, and in trying to cope with the countless ice blocks and icicles falling from above, he was somewhat disoriented. She acted decisively, slowing her momentum and reaching for his right wrist. However, she suddenly realized that this was inappropriate. The wrist is a vital point, and martial artists would instinctively avoid having their pulse touched. Mu Fengting's martial arts were superior to hers, and if he reflexively shook off her hand, it would be bad. So, she quickly grabbed his hand instead, and with a pull and a tug, she helped him regain his balance.
Mu Fengting immediately gave her a grateful look.
However, this slowed them both down.
Just as they were about to break through the encirclement, a massive ice block, two meters long, hurtled towards them with lightning speed. Almost instinctively, Mo Xi didn't let go of Mu Fengting's left hand, but instead swung her right to block it. The ice block was incredibly powerful, weighing over ten thousand pounds. She heard a slight "crack" on her wrist, followed by a sharp, piercing pain. Mo Xi knew something was wrong; she might have broken a bone. But escaping was the priority, so she forced herself to ignore the consequences and sprinted away.
With another leap, the two of them fell to the ground together. Mu Fengting covered Mo Xi's frail body with his own, shielding her from the countless flying ice fragments stirred up by the sudden collapse of the ice cave.
After a short while, Mo Xi moved and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Finally escaped." He thought to himself: It's so good to be alive.
Mu Fengting felt a slight struggle from the soft body beneath him, and only then did he realize what was happening. He quickly rolled over and backed away. The two of them looked back at the ice cave behind them, and sure enough, a large amount of broken ice had completely blocked the entrance. They couldn't help but feel relieved and smiled at each other.
Mo Xi tried to move her wrist, and a piercing pain shot through her. She sighed inwardly, thinking: Is my right hand ruined from now on? Will I have to start practicing swordsmanship with my left hand from now on? However, she had just survived another close call, and although she was worried about her injuries, the excitement of being alive still prevailed. She had a kind of heroic spirit that nothing is more important than death, so this question did not bother her for long.
Mu Fengting had already noticed her unusual behavior and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Did you hurt your wrist just now?"
Mo Xi smiled and said, "It's just that I survived a near-death experience, so I'm a little emotional." She paused, then added casually, "The wrist injury is nothing serious." He had risked his life to protect her several times, so Mo Xi wasn't afraid to expose her weakness in front of him. Besides, such an injury couldn't be hidden.
Mu Fengting's heart skipped a beat, thinking to himself: She got hurt like this to protect me. How could a wrist injury not be a problem? A swordsman's hand is his lifeblood. He dared not show it on his face, fearing it would unsettle her. He didn't press further, only saying, "What do we do next? Go back to Mount Shu and question Qu Yao about whether he intended to harm us?"
Mo Xi pondered for a moment, then said, "Those two, one fat and one thin, must have done something good down the mountain. Qu Yao most likely knows about it, and might even be covering for them. Qu Yao is cunning and cautious; accusing him of deliberately leading us to the south slope without evidence will not bring him down. Why don't we start with those two and see if we can find other leverage against him?" She certainly didn't want to make things difficult for Qu Yao, but he had already tried to kill her. Even if she left Shu Mountain safely today, there was no guarantee he wouldn't let it go easily later. For one thing, if he gave the order to accuse her of stealing the Shu Mountain sect leader's sword, "Cheng Ying," not only would everyone on Shu Mountain consider her their nemesis, but countless people in the martial arts world would also be drawn to this peerless sword. Rather than constantly hiding, it was better to take the initiative and eliminate any future trouble!
Mu Fengting agreed, "That fat guy seems impulsive. We need to separate the fat and thin guys; it shouldn't be difficult to pry anything out of the fat guy." He hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, "Should we go back to find your Chengying?"
Mo Xi shook his head and said, "I think that sword is most likely fake."
"Oh, why?" Mu Fengting asked curiously.
"First, if Qu Yao really wanted to harm me because of Cheng Ying, why would he have handed over his real sword? Even if he was certain I would die here, he couldn't guarantee he could find Cheng Ying afterward. Second, I find it very strange that the wooden box containing the sword is so heavy."
Mu Fengting immediately understood and exclaimed, "That's right! Most people would be reluctant to give up such a peerless sword even if it meant losing their lives. If you hadn't decisively thrown away the box back then, carrying such a heavy thing would have restricted your movements and greatly reduced your chances of survival."
Having finalized their plan, the two chose a new route and quietly returned to Mount Shu.
Settling scores after the autumn harvest
( ) The two sneaked back to Mount Shu at night.
As usual, Mu Fengting would handle diplomatic and cliché tasks.
He chose a secluded spot, stopped a young Taoist priest, and asked, "Young master, where is Master Yuanwu now? I asked him a question a few days ago, and today I have a slight enlightenment and wish to ask him again."
Hidden behind a pillar, Mo Xi couldn't help but chuckle to himself. What this fellow said was all true, but it was far from the truth of the matter.
Seeing that Mu Fengting was handsome and elegant, and that he knew Yuanwu, the young Taoist priest said warmly, "Don't you know? Master Yuanwu has been confined to his quarters." He paused, then pointed to a house in the distance and said, "That's it. I'm responsible for bringing him food every day. Please come with me. But you can only visit him for a short while."
Mu Fengting said, "That's natural." After a pause, Mu Fengting looked worried and asked, "I wonder why Daoist Yuanwu has been confined to his quarters?"
The young Taoist priest said, "We don't know the specifics. The sect leader is usually kind and generous, but he is different from Daoist Yuanxing. He has always been quite strict and used to send the two of them down the mountain to cultivate diligently."
Mo Xi thought to himself: "As expected, Qu Yao must have known what the two did; he might even have been the one who ordered it. So that 'straw' is called Yuan Xing. No wonder the two are inseparable. But these two are unlikely to ever truly understand; they're more likely to remain stubbornly deluded." Qu Yao truly intended to conceal the truth, even hiding the fact that Yuan Wu was confined because of Luo Heng. And Qu Yao's confinement of Yuan Wu that day, besides giving Luo Heng an explanation in front of Mu Fengting, was probably more about restricting Yuan Wu's movements so he could silence him at any time to protect himself.
As they walked, Mu Fengting chatted with the young Taoist priest, but he couldn't extract any more useful information.
In the shadows, Mo Xi followed closely.
Yuanwu was placed in a secluded spot far from the main hall.
The young Taoist priest led Mu Fengting through the door, but before he could even speak, Mu Fengting struck his pressure points with lightning speed.
Seeing this from the shadows, Mo Xi thought to himself: This editor is so ruthless; he actually struck that little Taoist's fatal point directly.
Yuanwu, who was meditating, immediately leaped up upon hearing the sound and attacked Mufeng Pavilion. His attacks were vicious and ruthless, and the angles of his strikes were bizarre, completely contrary to the Shushan School's principle of "Always be without desire, so as to observe its subtleties; always have desire, so as to observe its manifestations." This means: "Often observe the nameless and formless subtleties from a state of no purpose, no restraint, and no limitation; often observe the named and tangible clues from a state of purpose, restraint, and limitation," in order to achieve the state of "integrating with heaven and earth, following the natural way."
Having witnessed Mu Fengting's attack, Yuanwu knew his opponent was no ordinary person, and thus immediately unleashed his most ruthless moves, hoping to catch him off guard. Now, seeing his attacks proving ineffective, with Mu Fengting effortlessly neutralizing his attacks in just a few moves—like a monkey being toyed with—Yuanwu grew anxious and fearful, losing his composure and retreating steadily. He cried out, "I've already explained the jade pendant matter, and the sect leader has already punished me. Why must you persist, hero!"
Mu Fengting had already sensed something amiss with his martial arts style, deliberately letting him exert his full strength in order to discern the truth. Once he was certain that his style was insidious and deviated greatly from the Shu Mountain martial arts, fearing that too much commotion would attract the attention of Shu Mountain disciples, he stopped testing him. He immediately pressed several acupoints on the man's body, grabbed his chin, and forcibly fed him a pill, then laughed, "Daoist Yuanwu, you misunderstand. I am not here for the jade pendant. I am here on the orders of Sect Leader Qu to send you on your way."
Yuanwu exclaimed in surprise, "What did you give me to eat?!" He meant to shout, but the words that came out were weak and feeble. He was even more horrified, not knowing if it was because of the effects of the drug. He completely forgot that some unique acupressure techniques could also prevent people from controlling their qi in their dantian, thus making their voices low and slow.
Mu Fengting smiled warmly and said, "I couldn't bear to see you suffer so much while your collarbone is broken. This medicine can alleviate some of the pain." As he spoke, he used his Vajra Finger technique, pretending to grab at Yuanwu's collarbone, saying, "Please bear with it, Daoist. I'm just doing my duty to someone." He paused, then patiently explained, "Sect Leader Qu is kind-hearted and couldn't bear to do it himself. To repay Sect Leader Qu for his generosity towards Mu Yanzhai, I volunteered to send you two on your way and share his burden."
Yuanwu retorted, "You're talking nonsense! The sect leader ordered you to leave the mountain today, how could you..." Suddenly, he remembered his return; could it be a pre-arranged act? He was beginning to believe it. Besides, once the collarbone was destroyed, even the most skilled cultivator wouldn't be able to discern what kind of martial arts he had practiced in life. It must have been Qu Yao's order to prevent him from being exposed. Seeing Mu Fengting's hand drawing ever closer, he knew that if he were to grab him, not only would his martial arts be completely destroyed, but he would also be unable to practice martial arts again, becoming a complete cripple. Even if he miraculously escaped with his life, he would suffer a fate worse than death. In desperation, he roared, "That heartless Qu Yao! I've served him for years, and this is how he treats me!"
Mu Fengting disagreed, saying, "Why would the Daoist Master falsely accuse Sect Leader Qu when he himself practices evil arts?"