A smile can topple a city

Chapter 60

Love turned to hate... Ye Xiao lowered her head and reflected. During this period, she had deliberately been cold to Luo Qingcheng and opposed him in everything. Was it also because her infatuation had been thwarted? As a result, he was now in a difficult situation, as if walking on a knife's edge. What if they were really separated forever because of this? How could she bear it?

"Speaking of which, my loyalty back then was indeed as clear as day. All the changes that followed were because of the Xiao sisters. If it weren't for them, Lu Mingfei wouldn't have died, and the Shimohe Sect would probably have unified the Central Plains martial arts world long ago."

Huang Chongshan's thoughts drifted away: "The first two sisters I met were Hanqing and Ruqing. Hanqing was graceful and elegant, while Ruqing was shy and gentle. Both were unparalleled beauties in the world, and I think no man in the world could resist their charm. Because of me, Hanqing met Li Zhong, and the two quickly fell in love. Later, Lu Mingfei also came to the Central Plains, met the Xiao sisters, and also fell madly in love with Hanqing. I didn't care about any of that. I only loved Ruqing. But at that time, I was very young and ambitious. I thought I would help the city lord achieve great things first, and then fly away with Ruqing. But I was wrong."

"Due to the need to gather intelligence, I was constantly on the move. Whenever I had a spare moment, I would go back to visit Ruqing. But one time when I returned, I found she was gone. Later I learned that Lu Mingfei had very domineeringly taken Ruqing away, and Ruqing had gone with him. I didn't want such a delicate Ruqing to go to such a harsh and cold place as the Northwest, so I followed her to Wudu, hoping to take her back to the Central Plains. But Ruqing refused to go back with me. She had fallen in love with Lu Mingfei. At first, I thought she was just being childish and looking for something new, but I soon realized she was very stubborn. That's when I panicked. I tried everything, but I found that I couldn't win back her heart. I was really heartbroken."

"However, I still had a glimmer of hope. Lu Mingfei loved Hanqing, and I hoped that Ruqing would give up on him after their marriage. But Xiao Hanqing always had Li Zhong in her heart and showed no affection for Lu Mingfei. Later, Li Zhong devised a plan to bring Hanqing out, but I switched her with Ruqing. The two sisters look alike, and I also put Ruqing to sleep. They only realized their mistake when they finally saw Li Zhong. After that, Li Zhong completely lost Hanqing, and soon after, Lu Mingfei married Hanqing as I wished. Unfortunately, a forced marriage is never sweet. Hanqing remained cold to Lu Mingfei after the marriage, and Ruqing showed no change of heart. She even returned to Wudu City with her frail body and lived there for a long time, saying that it was enough for her to be able to see Lu Mingfei from afar. The two sisters were equally obsessed with this!"

After saying this, Huang Chongshan sighed heavily: "I really had no choice but to let her be and take care of her as much as possible, hoping that she would come to her senses one day. Unfortunately, before she could come to her senses, Hanqing ran away. Shortly after giving birth to Lu Mingfei's son, Ruqing took the child to Jiangnan, where she was heavily protected by Lu Mingfei's trusted guards. I couldn't even see her! Lu Mingfei went crazy searching for Hanqing everywhere, causing trouble for the Martial Alliance and the Central Plains martial arts world. That's when he started his hatred for many sects. My deep hatred for him also started from that time. I hate that he took Ruqing away, and I hate that he couldn't give Ruqing happiness but still kept her! So I devised a vicious plan to get rid of Lu Mingfei."

"Oh?" Ye Xiao pressed his hand to his wildly beating chest. Was the truth of what happened back then finally about to be revealed?

"I instigated conflict between the Martial Alliance and the Netherworld City, provoking Lu Mingfei to wreak havoc in the Central Plains martial arts world, and I tried every means to force Li Zhong to fight Lu Mingfei one-on-one! Li Zhong's martial arts were slightly weaker than Lu Mingfei's, but the outcome of that battle was too crucial. Not only was Li Zhong's life at stake, but the future and fate of the entire Central Plains martial arts world were also at stake. Under such dire circumstances, I easily persuaded Han Qing to take action and tricked Luo Qingcheng from Ru Qing. Ru Qing was pure of heart and never put her guard up against her sister. Later, at the crucial moment of their duel, we used this child to turn the tide and kill Lu Mingfei. Unfortunately, despite all our calculations, the child somehow still survived."

"You started all of this?" Ye Xiao asked in surprise.

"That's right. Although there were some twists and turns later, Li Zhong was really a kind-hearted, good-natured person. He couldn't bring himself to do it at the crucial moment, and almost ruined everything. Fortunately, I was monitoring the situation, so I had to throw the child off the cliff myself, which finally put an end to Lu Mingfei. The real murderer is me. It was my plan, so I absolutely cannot let someone like Lu Mingfei survive. Otherwise, no one can live a peaceful life!"

"Qingcheng has suffered so much, yet he still doesn't know the truth..." Ye Xiao was extremely frustrated, wondering if he would ever have the chance to see him again and tell him the whole truth.

"He knew all along; Ruqing told him. That's why Luo Qingcheng tried to assassinate me in the capital, risking exposing his identity in the Martial Arts Alliance. When Lu Mingfei died, I was already married with children, and it's hard to hide these things from one's spouse. My wife knew some of the details. Later, I brought Ruqing home, which aroused her jealousy, and she told Ruqing everything. From then on, Ruqing hated me until her death..."

"So that's why you haven't spoken to Madam Huang all these years?"

Huang Chongshan snorted and remained silent.

"Alliance Leader Huang, there's something else I've never understood. Back then, when the Martial Alliance attacked Wudu City, they were completely wiped out because they weren't familiar with the terrain. But you clearly knew the terrain of Wudu City well, so how could you have allowed the Martial Alliance to run out of supplies and be wiped out?" Ye Xiao asked again.

Huang Chongshan nodded gently: "Miss Ye is indeed meticulous and thorough in her thinking. I would be satisfied if Tingfeng had half of your intelligence. When Li Zhong suddenly disappeared, the group was leaderless. Although I had some status in the Martial Alliance, I was still relatively inexperienced and could not make decisions on important matters. Besides, I had a dual identity and it was not convenient for me to participate in the struggle between the two factions."

Ye Xiao chuckled and said, "Brilliant! By not participating in the fight, you can preserve your strength and reap the benefits at the same time. It's truly killing two birds with one stone."

Huang Chongshan smiled: "That is indeed one of the reasons. In fact, the ferocity of that battle far exceeded any imagination, and the strength of Youming City far exceeded everyone's understanding. The real victor was not the Martial Alliance. The Martial Alliance caught them off guard and drove them back into the mountains, but once they entered the mountains, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse. Youming City quickly gathered its forces and launched counterattack after counterattack, eventually annihilating all the forces that the Martial Alliance had sent to conquer. At that time, the situation was actually very critical. The Martial Alliance was depleted of talent and morale was low. Meanwhile, the people of Youming City were indignant and clamored to find their young master and revive Wudu. I thought that if they really found Lu Mingfei's son and uncovered the whole truth, I would have nowhere to live in the world, so I took a risky move. Not only did it turn the whole situation around, but it also made me famous in the Martial Alliance and allowed me to take the position of leader."

"You defied Li Zhong's orders and had Xiao Hanqing take Xiao Xun back to Wudu City, pretending to be Lu Mingfei's son. As a result, Youming City was torn apart."

Huang Chongshan nodded: "That's right. At first, I only wanted to use the emperor to command the princes and take control of Wudu City under the guise of the young master. Unfortunately... the Heavenly King Pingjing was really hard to fool. In a fit of anger, he took away most of the troops in Wudu City. But after that, Wudu City finally weakened and could no longer compete with the Martial Alliance."

"Why did King Sha Xiong also support Xiao Xun back then?" Ye Xiao asked him.

“Back then, Ping Jing’s power and prestige were simply too great. If he hadn’t supported Xiao Xun, Wudu City would probably have fallen under Ping Jing’s control. Selfishness and lust for power, I think these selfish thoughts led him to ultimately decide to support a fake young master.”

"What a brilliant move of killing several birds with one stone!" Ye Xiao finally spoke after a long pause, "Just like that, you eliminated your love rival, became the leader of the martial arts alliance, and almost even took control of the Netherworld City..."

"Is that so? Only a genius could come up with such a method. Indeed, I was once quite proud of myself. But man proposes, God disposes. Soon, Ru Qing turned against me and has hated me for over a decade, refusing to even see me. My husband and I also fell out because of this, and haven't spoken to each other for many years. All that's left is my coveted power. So, all these years, I've been frantically pursuing power, hoping to one day dominate the martial arts world. Now, everything is finally about to come true. Miss Ye, I won't make things difficult for you, because you are of great use to me."

Ye Xiao sneered: "You want to use me to blackmail Qingcheng?"

Huang Chongshan shook his head and said, "He is no longer a concern. Miss Ye, Youming City will soon fall into our hands, but Guyun Fortress is a force to be reckoned with in the martial world. You are the heir of Guyun Fortress, and it will certainly be of great benefit to me if it falls into my hands."

Ye Xiao sneered: "So you wanted to use me to blackmail my father."

Huang Chongshan laughed heartily, "It's not about coercion. I just want to arrange a marriage between your father and your daughter. My son, Tingfeng, is about the same age as you. I have immense power, and your father has unparalleled wealth. Don't you think our two families are a perfect match?" He ignored Ye Xiao's protests and walked straight out. Only after leaving the house did he touch his left arm. The shoulder that Li Zhong had just touched was numb and tingling, completely powerless. He needed to circulate his qi to heal the injury.

Siege...

"In-laws! With the Huang family!" Ye Xiao almost burst into tears on the spot. She paced desperately in the tent, surrounded by guards. How could she escape? She was already so close to Luo Qingcheng, yet she still couldn't see him, forced to watch helplessly as he walked towards death day by day... Was it truly a case of being so close yet so far?

Someone sneered behind her. Ye Xiao turned around and saw someone she never wanted to see again in her life: Huang Tingfeng.

"Long time no see, Miss Ye," Huang Tingfeng said sarcastically. "What a small world. I've been thinking about you these past few days, remembering how you and that Luo Qingcheng took my arm..." He then chuckled maliciously, and after a moment said, "Now look what's happened, you've arrived, and Luo Qingcheng is right across the street..."

Ye Xiao took a step back warily: "What do you want?"

Huang Tingfeng burst into another bout of hysterical laughter, then grabbed her short hair: "Look at you, you ugly monster! Your hair looks like dry straw! I have absolutely no interest in you! But unfortunately, for Luo Qingcheng... I have no choice but to sacrifice myself..."

Qingcheng? Ye Xiao instinctively felt something was wrong and opened his mouth to call out, but he was silenced by being silenced by being pressed on a pressure point, and was dragged out by his short hair.

Luo Qingcheng gently placed Ye Xiao's braid into her bundle. The bundle was overflowing with Ye Xiao's treasures: the Sky-Piercing Rope, the Thousand-Mile Wind-Riding Wings, the Stinky Bomb… Luo Qingcheng stroked each of her precious items, as if he could see her mischievous face again. When she fled from Wudu City, she hadn't taken her bundle in her haste, and he had sent it away again shortly after her return. Only after she left did he find her bundle at her former residence. He hugged the bundle, as if he were hugging her body. Judging by the time, the Martial Alliance should be attacking the city soon; his moment of revenge was approaching. His only concern now, his Ye Xiao, should be happily staying in Lonely Cloud Fortress, right?

He heard Ye Xiao's name in the distance. He listened intently and suddenly his expression changed.

The snowstorm subsided, and a pale sun shone weakly in the sky. A thin layer of ice covered the iron chain bridge at the gate of Wudu City, gleaming coldly in the sunlight. On the open ground opposite Wudu City, Huang Tingfeng, dragging Ye Xiao, shouted arrogantly, "Luo Qingcheng! You dare come out here! Your woman is in my hands! Remember how you crippled my arm? Hahaha! Today, I'm going to strip your woman naked, devour her, and tear her to pieces right in front of you! I want you to watch! Watch me humiliate her!"

He then let out a sinister laugh, reaching out to tear off a large piece of her clothing, exposing half of her shoulder. Ye Xiao had never imagined he could be so beastly; terrified and cold, and unable to utter a sound, she could only weep and tremble. The members of the martial arts alliance nearby stared blankly, their eyes filled with pity, but intimidated by Huang Tingfeng's usual tyrannical power, no one dared to step forward to stop him. Wu Ducheng cursed and shouted, but they were all helpless.

Suddenly, a gentle voice cut through the noise, "Xiaoxiao! Xiaoxiao, you've come?"

Ye Xiao turned around. At the other end of the iron chain bridge, the city gate was wide open, and Luo Qingcheng swept out like the wind. Ye Xiao opened his mouth, but no sound came out; he simply stretched out a hand to him.

Huang Tingfeng yelled wildly from the side, "Fire arrows! Fire arrows to stop him! Don't let him get any closer!" A hail of arrows and hidden weapons flew out like locusts. Luo Qingcheng raised his black cloak, deflecting most of the arrows, but even more hidden weapons came flying at him, making it almost impossible for him to move an inch. Luo Qingcheng took a step back and looked at Ye Xiao in despair.

Ye Xiao watched as Luo Qingcheng struggled on the slippery iron chain bridge, worried about his safety. She tried to get up, but Huang Tingfeng forcibly pushed her to the ground again and pinned her down. She struggled helplessly, trying to avoid the great humiliation to come.

A figure rushed over from afar and slapped Huang Tingfeng to the ground: "Beast! How could we, the righteous army of the martial arts alliance, commit such a beastly act! What will the world think of us! Youming City will soon collapse. You can have a fair fight with Luo Qingcheng. Why resort to such shameless means!"

Ye Xiao looked up and saw Guo Qiwu, who was always righteous and outspoken. She glanced at him gratefully, seized the fleeting opportunity, leaped up, and braved the rain of arrows to leap onto the bridge. Amidst screams, a long arrow unsurprisingly pierced her body. She staggered, unable to maintain her balance on the icy bridge, and plunged headlong into the abyss.

"Xiaoxiao!" Without hesitation, Luo Qingcheng on the other side of the bridge shot down, his black cloak suddenly billowing up just feet from Ye Xiao, pulling her into his arms. At the same time, he pulled out a small bamboo tube, pressed a switch, and the Sky-Piercing Rope shot out, wrapping around the iron chain bridge several times before tightening. The black cloak billowed up again, forming a protective shield around the two of them, blocking the barrage of hidden weapons and arrows.

With a burst of strength, Luo Qingcheng's men used the power of the Sky-Piercing Rope to propel themselves into the sky, quickly flipping onto the bridge and speeding towards the city.

Huang Tingfeng screamed hoarsely, "Fire arrows! Fire arrows now! Shoot them dead! You bunch of idiots!" Arrows flew out again like locusts, but just as they were about to catch up with the two, they were broken by the air barrier surrounding Luo Qingcheng. Watching the two disappear into the slowly closing city gate, Huang Tingfeng was furious. His face darkened as he turned back, intending to vent his anger on someone, but he met his father's ashen face, and his arrogance immediately subsided: "Father… I wanted to take this opportunity to kill Luo Qingcheng…"

Huang Chongshan glared at him for a long time before saying, "Fool! You have disappointed me greatly! This was the good wife I had just chosen for you! She was the magic weapon I would use to control Long Aotian in the future! But look at what you have done!"

Luo Qingcheng placed Ye Xiao on the bed, looking at her deathly pale face and the long arrow stuck in her waist. He didn't dare to check her injury, but gently touched her face: "That idiot Lao San, how could he let you be captured and bullied by that pervert Huang Tingfeng? Oh well... to be able to see you one last time is heaven's mercy on my deep affection... I've been thinking of you like crazy these past few days. It's a pity that you lost your life. Xiao Xiao... I am the most useless man in the world. I clearly love you deeply, but I can't confess my feelings, and I have to leave you with Lao San, which has brought me this humiliation..."

Ye Xiao, still trembling with fear, suddenly fell silent, staring at him with a strange expression. Luo Qingcheng, who had suppressed his emotions for so long, now, knowing they were both nearing their end, had no more reservations. He kissed her disheveled short hair: "Xiao Xiao… I haven't been good to you, and I've repeatedly put you in danger. I'm such a bastard. Now that you're injured like this, I… I'm so stupid. Fortunately… I'll soon be joining you in the underworld…" He suddenly hugged her tightly, kissing her frantically, kissing her cold face, her trembling shoulders, her deep black eyes… It all came too late, too late to be regret, a regret that couldn't be shared in life, only to be shared in death…

Ye Xiao, who was in his arms, jumped in surprise and reached out to push him away. Luo Qingcheng let go and comforted her somewhat awkwardly, "Xiao Xiao...did I scare you?"

Ye Xiao looked at him in horror, pointing to the long arrow at her waist and then to her mouth. Luo Qingcheng then realized she had been silenced by a pressure point technique. He reached out and released the pressure, and then heard her scream, "You stinking second brother! You just stuck that arrow into my body!!"

"..." Luo Qingcheng hesitated before tearing open her clothes. The arrow was shallowly stuck in her waist and abdomen, making a small hole in her skin. A thin stream of blood slowly flowed down, down... drawing a beautiful but somewhat eerie mark on her fair skin.

Something inside his body snapped, and he suddenly couldn't think clearly. Luo Qingcheng's gaze was fixed: "Wasn't this arrow already dead from the start?"

Ye Xiao angrily accused, "That arrow was very powerful, knocking me off the iron chain bridge. Luckily, it only stuck in my golden pestle! But just now you were on top of me and squeezed it in... It hurts so much!"

She wasn't injured before? Luo Qingcheng struggled to pull his gaze away from her body and shift it to her face, but his thoughts became even more confused: "Xiaoxiao... have you always liked Lao San?"

Ye Xiao's heart softened: "Nonsense. I like you, but I always feel I'm not good enough for you... You're so beautiful, I still prefer that old toad, who was always so arrogant, saying he was as handsome as Pan An." Suddenly, she felt a tightness in her chest. Luo Qingcheng was already leaning over her, his gaze intense: "Xiao Xiao... do you really like me?"

Ye Xiao blushed and simply reached out to hug him tightly.

A wave of dizziness washed over her. Luo Qingcheng reached out and pulled the arrow from her ear, whispering, "Xiaoxiao, the siege is imminent. Our time is running out... I can't wait any longer, I can't endure this any longer..."

Ye Xiao looked blankly at the bulging veins and beads of sweat on his forehead, and nodded: "No need to endure it, no need to wait. It's just that the brazier in the room is burning too brightly and it's too hot. I'll go put out a few embers right away..."

Feng Sihai was inspecting the final defenses when he received the news too late. He was told that Luo Qingcheng, looking grief-stricken, had taken the wounded Ye Xiao back to her room. He knew very well how much Luo Qingcheng loved Ye Xiao; would he go mad if she died in front of him? Feng Sihai listened anxiously at the doorway.

Ye Xiao sobbed, "It hurts...it hurts...pull it out! Pull it out!"

Luo Qingcheng gently comforted him, "I can't bear it... Just bear with it, the pain will subside soon..."

"It's been hurting all this time! Luo Qingcheng, you lied to me! If you don't pull it out, I'll throw stink bombs at you every day!"

"That's good..."

Pulling out... an arrow? Feng Sihai was shocked and stepped inside. "The arrow has barbs! Don't pull it out!" He felt a sudden darkness envelop him as something covered his head, followed by a gentle force that pushed him out the door. He inexplicably pulled off the covering, recognizing it as Luo Qingcheng's black cloak. After a moment of stunned silence, he suddenly understood. Was a scene of forced intimacy finally about to unfold?

Luo Qingcheng finally pulled away. He gently kissed Ye Xiao's sweat-drenched forehead and hugged her tightly to comfort her.

Ye Xiao looked at him with astonishment and disdain: "Second brother, you wet the bed."

"!" Luo Qingcheng was so shocked he could barely speak. "No... that's not urine..."

"How could it not be? I saw it come out with my own eyes, and you're still trying to deny it!"

Luo Qingcheng hugged her tightly and quickly changed the subject: "I didn't want to tell you, I originally planned to lure them into the city and then blow up the whole city to die with them, but I didn't expect you to come too, Xiaoxiao... How could I let you go with me..."

Ye Xiao placed something on his chest, cool and pungent, like a stinky bomb? Luo Qingcheng was somewhat amused and exasperated. Someone could still be joking at a time like this? He stretched out his hand, "What...the Maha Holy Ring?"

"I came here specifically to deliver this... I was so worried about Lao San..." Ye Xiao curled up in the blanket. She was sleepy and hadn't slept well for many days. She had finally finished what she needed to do.

When Luo Qingcheng left, Feng Sihai was not far away. He saw him and smiled: "City Lord, you finally resorted to force?"

Luo Qingcheng snorted in frustration. He definitely had a thousand ways to coax women, yet he still managed to turn such a wonderful thing into a slaughterhouse scene. He was truly the most foolish man in the world. However, he couldn't let outsiders know this. He raised his head solemnly and said, "King Feng, the Sacred Ring of the Maha has been found. The plan needs to be changed. We will withdraw from Wudu in the next few days. You can make new arrangements."

"The city fell so quickly?" Huang Tingfeng looked at his father in surprise.

“There was almost no resistance.” Huang Chongshan looked triumphantly at the vast crowd behind him. “We’ve besieged the city for months; I reckon almost everyone inside is dead…”

However, the city was deserted, showing no signs of the starving carnage he had imagined. A ghost town... Where had everyone gone? Huang Chongshan grew increasingly suspicious as he walked.

A series of deafening roars followed, followed by a terrifying earthquake that shook the entire city of Wudu violently. The crowd looked around in astonishment. Across the Flying Cloud Gorge, smoke billowed; the mountaintop was almost completely flattened! The iron chain bridge was broken, swaying forlornly at the city gate. They'd been tricked! They were trapped in this isolated city! Anxiety spread through the crowd, growing stronger and stronger until it finally became an unstoppable storm of despair…

ending

Lonely Cloud Fortress. Ye Xiao tiptoed out of the house and looked at Xiao Xun at the door: "Third brother, you're back? We've been looking for you... How is your father?"

Xiao Xun raised his head: "I originally wanted to go to Wudu, but it's a dead city and I can't get in. Boss, I need to save the people of the Martial Alliance. I can't watch so many people die in Wudu."

Ye Xiao hesitated, "Third brother, this matter is very dangerous, and we have to keep it from Qingcheng."

Xiao Xun nodded: "Right and wrong are just a matter of a single thought; success and failure are not worth worrying about. I am not afraid."

Ye Xiao handed him something: "To prevent the Shimohe treasure from being destroyed along with it, Qingcheng ultimately didn't blow up Wudu City, but instead trapped all the Martial Alliance members inside. The Shimohe Sacred Ring is essentially a key; I made a wax model of it earlier. As for the entrance to the secret passage, I drew a very detailed diagram. Third brother, Qingcheng has been plotting revenge for many years. If he finds out, we're no longer brothers..."

Udu City had truly become a lonely city. A lifeless, desolate city. Tree bark, grass roots, even the mud on the walls… anything edible was gone. People lay scattered throughout the streets, barely alive, awaiting their final release. All had given up hope. They had tried to leave, but sheer cliffs surrounded them; rebuilding a path was no easy feat, especially with the mortal enemies of the Netherworld City guarding the outside.

When Xiao Xun first appeared with his Sun-Chasing Sword, no one noticed, and even those who did didn't react. Having been starving for so long, they had almost lost the ability to think. The reaction came when the man untied the large bundle on his body—a completely instinctive reaction. Inside the bundle were rows of golden-brown baked flatbreads.

The people who had been on the verge of death on the ground suddenly came to life, scrambling and crawling towards the sesame seed cakes. The Huang father and son were among them, though they secretly hoped that Xiao Xun would not see them.

Xiao Xun saw them, but his expression towards them was no different from his expression towards everyone else—it was one of extreme pity. Not everyone could get a sesame seed cake, so Xiao Xun said to the group, "Come with me! I'll take you out! There's plenty of food in the carriages outside..."

Humans have a strong instinct for survival. Those who could get up stood up, and those who couldn't were helped up to keep up with Xiao Xun.

As they passed through the secret passage, everyone saw the tempting treasures, but in most people's eyes, the allure of these things paled in comparison to the food on the carriages outside. So they didn't stop and walked straight through the long secret passage, where they indeed saw several carriages parked outside.

Having eaten and drunk their fill, although their strength hadn't fully recovered, their spirits were much better. They finally began to pay attention to their savior. Most of them didn't recognize him.

"May I ask... your esteemed name, my benefactor?"

"Xiao Xun".

Soft "oh" sounds rose and fell.