The Jianghu of Feng Qingcheng and Mo Xibei

Chapter 81

A cursory glance revealed that the book described seemingly simple methods of cultivating qi, some of which were similar to what Mo Xibei had learned, and many more were methods that Mo Xibei felt he had never even considered.

Mo Xibei remembered what his master had said. This book described something that could cure poison in one's body, so he picked it up and diligently practiced two pages. However, he then thought about the utter silence outside. He might be trapped here to die, and with his injuries, he didn't know how many more days he could last. What good would further practice do? So he became less focused, simply flipping through the book randomly, practicing whatever page looked appealing. Fortunately, the content in each chapter was scattered and lacked strong connections, focusing solely on internal energy cultivation. There were no external martial arts techniques, and it wouldn't reopen his wounds. It was a decent way to pass the time.

He practiced what looked fun. If it wasn't fun, he moved on, over and over again. Until finally, Mo Xibei started to feel thirsty, and gradually his internal organs felt like they were burning. The stone cave was located halfway up the mountain, so naturally there was no river flowing through it. Therefore, Mo Xibei groped along the inner wall for a long time, but he couldn't feel any dampness, or even a speck of moss.

It was too quiet and too thirsty. After a while, even the method of quenching thirst with plums didn't work. Mo Xibei held her breath and then felt that she was starting to hallucinate. She kept thinking that there would be the sound of water droplets falling to the ground in the distance, at long intervals. While she was hallucinating, she kept feeling around on the stone wall with her hands, supported by her strong will to survive, until she finally felt a small round pit on the smooth stone wall. The pit was not big or deep, just big enough to insert a finger. It felt a little soft inside, so Mo Xibei gently put her finger in and pressed it.

Then came the twang of the bowstring, a very piercing sound, and with a whoosh, it was right behind her head. Mo Xibei had no time to think and bent over to dodge, but she lost her strength and slipped, falling to the ground. At the same time, a sharp arrow almost grazed her scalp and pierced heavily into the stone wall opposite.

"I thought there were no traps, but it turns out I was just lucky." Mo Xibei smiled wryly, looking at the arrow that had shot into the stone wall. The pure gold blade still shone brightly under the dim light of the white jade gate.

"How extravagant! They even use gold like this." Mo Xibei grinned at his good luck, then swayed over to see if he could squeeze any water out of the crack in the rock after that arrow.

Of course, there was no result. She was slightly disappointed and tried to pull the golden arrow out by gripping its shaft tightly.

It was surprisingly difficult; the first time, the arrow itself didn't budge an inch.

Mo Xibei's defiant spirit resurfaced. He took a deep breath and unconsciously used the breathing technique he had just learned, putting all his strength into it. The golden arrow was slowly pulled out, and a cool breeze actually seeped in through the gap.

It was a really cool breeze, carrying the unique scent of earth and fallen leaves that is characteristic of mountain winds.

Overwhelmed by an indescribable ecstasy, Mo Xibei could only shout, "The mountains and rivers seemed to block the way, but it turns out that there really is a new village hidden in the darkest of times!"

However, this seemingly thin stone wall was not easy to break through. It took Mo Xibei a long time to use the golden arrow and his own palm strength to create a small hole just big enough for his head to pass through. It was still pitch black on the other side of the hole, making it impossible to tell the depth or length of the cave.

He tore his clothes into strips, tied them to the golden arrow, and threw them inside. Soon, he heard the crisp sound of the golden arrow hitting the ground. The hole on the other side was not deep. Mo Xibei took a deep breath, shrank his bones, and crawled through the small hole.

Fortunately, the cave wasn't very long, and after walking for a while, we finally saw the light.

The starlight and moonlight were very faint; it turned out to be midnight outside.

They fumbled their way through the mountains, and when they finally returned to the place where the Eastern Depot had once been staying, they found that the place was deserted and the cliff they had climbed was half gone, apparently blown to pieces and fallen into the river.

In the first few days, Mo Xibei still held onto a sliver of hope. After resting for a day, he went down the mountain to inquire, but the villagers at the foot of the mountain had no idea what had happened up there. Only a village woman who was washing clothes by the river that day said that it sounded like thunder, very loud, and then many large and small rocks collapsed. She was so frightened that she turned and ran away, losing several pieces of clothing. When she returned, she was beaten by her mother-in-law.

Although she hadn't witnessed the scene firsthand, Mo Xibei guessed it must have been horrific. What happened to the people who had been standing at the cave entrance after the cave collapsed? She tried not to think about it, nor dared to. But Mu Feinan had clearly promised her that in this life, the next, and the life after that, they would be husband and wife. Lifetimes were too far away; this life was still so long. Where had the person who had vowed to be with her for all eternity gone?

Mo Xibei decided to stay at the foot of Zilang Mountain. She had no attachment to anything in the capital. Jingjia owed her parents a debt of gratitude for raising her, and this near-death experience was enough to repay that debt. From now on, she would only be Mo Xibei, and all she had to do was find Mu Feinan.

Volume 3, Chapter 5: Slaughter

It's almost over, and I'm calling for recommendation votes in the last month...

In this vast sea of people, how will you find him?

This question was not only asked of her, but even Mei'er had tentatively asked it.

"Yes, how should we look?" Mo Xibei looked up at the sky, then shrugged and smiled. She wasn't too troubled by it; she would just search little by little, and once she had searched this place thoroughly, she would move on to other places. Perhaps she really knew very little about Mu Feinan. Apart from knowing his name, she knew nothing about what he did, where his ancestral home was, or where he lived now. But she always believed that as long as they were destined to be together, even if they were thousands of miles apart, they would eventually meet again; it was just a matter of time.

All she can do is keep herself in the best possible state during this search and waiting process, so that no matter how long the process is, when they meet again, she can immediately give him the most cheerful and confident smile.

At these times, Xiuwen and Mei'er would fall silent and quietly retreat to their own space, leaning close together. Not everyone's love in this world can be perfect, so perfect love should be cherished even more and brought with double the happiness.

Every few days, Mo Xibei would go out and search along the Yangtze River, either upstream or downstream, sparing no expense, conducting a thorough search for any possible clues.

During this period, many people came to provide clues, but very few of them were truly valuable.

"They're clearly just spouting nonsense to scam money; people like that should be beaten out." Sometimes, watching Mo Xibei excitedly leave and then silently return, Mei'er couldn't help but get angry. And when she saw anyone else coming, she would fiercely try to drive them away.

“We earn money. Besides food and clothing, it’s just for expenses. They’ve come all this way, it’s not easy for them either. Let’s give them some travel expenses to go back.” Over time, Mo Xibei also realized that this method wouldn’t work. Because she didn’t want to expose her identity, she didn’t conduct her search openly. Naturally, there were many people trying to scam her out of money. However, she was unwilling to miss a single useful clue, which inevitably meant spending a lot of money unnecessarily.

“It’s because you’re too nice to these people that they keep coming to scam you. You don’t have to work hard to earn your money, but you can’t let these bastards get away with it.” Xiu Wen added after checking the accounts.

"Oh, then tell me. What other methods are possible? Anyway, I just want to find the person; the process doesn't matter." Mo Xibei blinked, his question sounding completely innocent.

"Let's forget about it for now. Let's just spend the money and wait; maybe it'll work." Xiu Wen and Mei'er exchanged a glance. They opened their mouths but couldn't come up with a better way to find the person, and both of them deflated.

It's currently clam-gathering season, the busiest time in Tongxian County. Clams are selling for good prices this year, and many people are planning to gather as many clams as possible to help their sons get married or to save up some decent dowries for their daughters. So for many days in a row, as soon as the tide goes out, many people flock to the beach, their laughter echoing throughout.

Mo Xibei also came to the beach to watch the excitement. Her row of small houses was bustling with activity. Besides making clam sauce to sell far and wide, Mo Xibei was also teaching the workers some quick ways to process seafood, such as rapidly drying clams. She had already planned to package the dried clams into smaller packages for sale once the quantity increased. Each package of dried clams would also include a note with various cooking methods. Of course, she could also add side dishes to sell together, which would earn her even more money.

The method for collecting clams was also unique: you had to stomp on the sand with your feet, and the clams, unable to withstand the pressure, would surface on their own. Mo Xibei was initially eager to try, but then a servant came to his house, reporting that someone had brought news again. This time, it was said that someone had seen a veiled man in a neighboring county; his height and attire closely resembled the description of Mu Feinan given by Mo Xibei, though his face hadn't been seen.

As always, Mo Xibei would immediately put down his work to meet the person who provided the clue. However, no one expected that in just a short while, this once bustling beach would become a living hell.

The tide was already slowly rising, but if one or two people who were collecting clams didn't leave, then many more people wouldn't leave either. Everyone wanted to collect as many clams as possible before the tide came in and earn more money.

With everyone's eyes fixed on the beach, no one noticed that a black boat with a blue-faced, fanged demon painted on its bow quietly stopped not far away. Then, many small boats were lowered from the large boat, each carrying two or three people. The oars moved swiftly, and soon they were close by.

"The Japanese pirates are here!" The first person to see the sampan was a little girl who was treading on clams with her mother. Her voice was childish but high-pitched.

"Run!" Most of those scavenging for clams were women and children. Fortunately, the coastal people had suffered greatly from the Japanese pirates in recent years and knew a thing or two about how to escape. At a shout, they rushed desperately to the shore.

However, the Japanese pirates were mostly former samurai, highly skilled in combat. Once they reached the shore, they had no intention of letting the elderly, women, and children go. After shouting a few words in their own language, they brandished their katana and rushed ashore. Chu Junfeng, who had been searching the mountains for another possible entrance to the treasure, happened to be standing on high ground when he saw thick smoke rising from somewhere on the shore. When he finally arrived after circling the mountain paths twice, this was the scene he witnessed.

On the flat beach, many small net bags woven from silk threads were carelessly discarded. Fresh seashells inside the bags would occasionally squirt out a jet of water. Next to these net bags, there was splattered blood, which seeped into the sand. The thick, bright red color and pungent smell of blood attracted greedy ants.

The fire started in a row of small wooden houses built against the mountain. When Chu Junfeng approached, the fire was already raging. However, he could clearly hear the innocent cries of a child amidst the flames.

Disregarding everything else, he cleaved open the wooden house door with a single palm strike, and with just one glance, he felt as if his hair was standing on end.

Inside the wooden hut, piled haphazardly, were people—or rather, almost all of them dead, half-naked, young or old women. Near the door, a little girl was crying out, her hands outstretched; she was pinned beneath several people, her face a bloody mess.

Chu Junfeng quickly tied his belt, threw it out, and lightly wrapped it around the child's chest. With a flick of his wrist, the child flew out of the sea of fire and landed in his arms. At almost the same time, the already disintegrated roof beams collapsed with a crash.

"Mommy, I want Mommy!" the little girl cried, struggling to turn around, but Chu Junfeng covered her eyes. Such a cruel reality shouldn't be seen by a child.

Volume Three: Hand in Hand Through the Mortal World, Chapter Six: An Old Friend Returns