Preguntando sobre canciones de amor

Capítulo 13

Once, a businessman from out of town died in western Hunan. Someone dragged his body to the entrance of a coffin shop, making it impossible for the shop to do business. The shop owner came out cursing loudly, and a commotion arose outside the coffin shop as people gathered to watch the dead. Wei Wenchang crouched down and found the businessman's home address in his belongings. He decided to send the businessman back to his hometown to prevent him from dying far from home and becoming a vengeful ghost. Using Liu Shuang's method of raising the corpse, Wei Wenchang transported the businessman's body across mountains and rivers back to his hometown. Unexpectedly, the businessman's family, besides the grief upon seeing the body, were exceptionally warm towards the middle-aged man who brought the body back, and ultimately gave Wei Wenchang more money than they could spend in ten years.

When Wei Wenchang returned to western Hunan, he was unaware that he had become famous. Later, whenever someone from out of town died in western Hunan or nearby areas, they would come to Wei Wenchang to "walk the coffin" (a ritual performed by the deceased). Eventually, Wei Wenchang even quit his regular job and made a living transporting corpses. People gave him a flattering title—"The Corpse Driver." From then on, Wei Wenchang's single-lineage corpse-driving skill was not forgotten by his descendants and has been passed down to this day. This is the story of Wei Tianba's ancestor. =================================================================================== Chapter Eleven: The Legacy of Maoshan - The Spirit of Brother Yi - Collected and Organized by

As they spoke, Wei Tianba was already standing on the arena, facing off against Zhang Xiaolong. Wei Tianba took the wooden box off his back and placed it beside him. The front of the box was a wooden plank; Wei Tianba gently lifted it, and the box opened. This was no wooden box at all; it was practically a small coffin. With the sound of Wei Tianba shaking the soul-capturing bell, a small zombie dressed in Ming Dynasty clothing jumped out, a cinnabar talisman affixed to its forehead.

So-called zombies are simply corpses that can't walk. Some people mistakenly believe that the zombies under the command of corpse transporters are divided into two types: 'jumping corpses' and 'walking corpses,' but this is not the case. Moving a corpse isn't difficult, but expecting a corpse to walk like a human is simply a fantasy. After death, the body loses blood flow and becomes stiff. Imagine how a corpse whose joints can't move could walk? Therefore, please don't believe in the existence of walking corpses.

Zhang Xiaolong tossed the compass aside, took the peach wood sword from his back. This sword, a Maoshan artifact, began to tremble upon encountering such an evil entity as a zombie. Zhang Xiaolong firmly believed in the principle of striking first, and before Wei Tianba could attack, he charged forward like the wind. Wei Tianba leisurely shook the Soul-Capturing Bell in his hand; with a single ring, the child zombie leaped forward. Zhang Xiaolong had already reached the zombie, and with a powerful thrust of his right hand, he stabbed the peach wood sword into it.

The zombie was no ordinary creature; it leaned back, dodging the peach wood sword's attack. The extent of its backward lean was unbelievable, like a roly-poly toy. Seeing this, Zhang Xiaolong twisted his wrist, changing his attack to a downward strike, leaving the zombie with nowhere to retreat. With a 'crack,' the peach wood sword reached the zombie's chest, but the sword failed to penetrate. To prevent a counterattack, Zhang Xiaolong jumped back two steps.

Wei Tianba remained standing aside, observing coldly, as if the duel had nothing to do with him. He tilted his head and chuckled, saying, "Kid, you'd better save your energy. This little zombie is the son of the Corpse King Liu Shuang. They've lived in the peach forest for so long they've developed immunity to peach wood. You'd better surrender quickly, or I'll hurt you." Kid? How dare he call me a kid! Even if he's the Corpse King's son, so what? Even with a thousand years of cultivation, I'm not afraid. Wei Tianba's words stimulated Zhang Xiaolong's spirit like a stimulant.

Zhang Xiaolong bit his finger, smearing the blood all over the peach wood sword, saying as he did so, "Since ancient times, evil has never prevailed over good. Although not every member of my Maoshan Sect possesses the skill to subdue demons, we will certainly not stand idly by. Today, I will eliminate this zombie." With that, he thrust the sword forward again. Wei Tianba had thought the peach wood sword wouldn't be able to harm the zombie, but this peach wood sword, imbued with the blood of a virgin, was far more powerful than anyone else.

The moment the peach wood sword touched the zombie, white smoke billowed from its wound, causing the little zombie to grimace in pain. Zhang Xiaolong pressed on, holding the sword in his right hand and forcefully pushing the hilt of the peach wood sword with his left, determined to pierce the zombie's body. Just then, Wei Tianba rushed over, still carrying the coffin plank in his right hand. Taking advantage of Zhang Xiaolong's momentary lapse in attention, he struck the peach wood sword with the plank, snapping it in two. Enraged, Zhang Xiaolong threw down the peach wood sword and punched Wei Tianba, the punch landing squarely on Wei Tianba's mouth. With Zhang Xiaolong's strength, this punch would surely knock out two of Wei Tianba's front teeth. Wei Tianba clutched his mouth and staggered back a few steps, clearly in considerable pain.

As the saying goes, two fists can't beat four hands. As Wei Tianba retreated, the zombie charged forward again. The zombie's two arms shot out towards Zhang Xiaolong's chest, and it was too late for Zhang Xiaolong to dodge. A brand-new Taoist robe was ripped apart by the zombie. The instant the robe was torn, a yellow light emanated from Zhang Xiaolong's chest, shining on the zombie's face. The zombie collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Seeing a turn of events in the competition, the contestants in the stands stood up to watch. Everyone wanted to know what Zhang Xiaolong was hiding that had frightened the zombie.

Zhang Xiaolong simply took off his Taoist robe, revealing a reflective, circular pendant on his chest. "This is..." Old Man Xia asked, pointing to Zhang Xiaolong in the distance. The Ghost Doctor murmured, "A Tai Chi Bagua Mirror. It seems Old Man Zhang of Maoshan has gone to great lengths for his disciple." Old Man Xia gave an "oh," and continued looking towards the arena.

Before leaving, to save face for Maoshan, Master Zhang had a Taoist robe custom-made for his beloved disciple, Zhang Xiaolong, and said, "Xiaolong, don't embarrass Maoshan this time. Even if you don't get first place, don't give up. Otherwise, I'll lose face. Also, be careful if you encounter disciples of the Qi Yi School in the martial arts competition. That kind of sect uses all sorts of moves." After saying that, he took out a Tai Chi Bagua mirror from his pocket. "Alas, many of Maoshan's tools were looted during the Cultural Revolution. Only this Tai Chi Bagua mirror, passed down from our ancestors, remained. Because the Tai Chi Bagua mirror can be carried close to the body, it has survived until now. This Tai Chi Bagua mirror can not only help you subdue demons and monsters, but also protect you as a heart-protecting mirror."

Overjoyed, Zhang Xiaolong said, "Master, don't worry. I will definitely not bring shame to the Maoshan Sect." He then accepted the Tai Chi Bagua Mirror he had longed for. It was precisely because Master Zhang passed this Tai Chi Bagua Mirror to his disciple that this human catastrophe occurred—but that's another story.

This Tai Chi Bagua mirror is made of brass. It is circular on the outside but octagonal on the inside, with Bagua patterns drawn on it and Tai Chi symbol in the center.

Zhang Xiaolong cursed, "You motherless beast, you think you can beat me?" He then pulled a copper coin from his pocket and placed it on the little zombie's forehead. Zhang Xiaolong's words were directed at the zombie, because he had heard Old Zhang mention the origins of corpse-driving and knew that the zombie's mother was no longer alive. However, Wei Tianba interpreted these words differently. This was clearly an insult to him!

Corpse-driving tribes have a strict family rule: a household can have a hundred men, but no woman. Women are believed to possess an innate yin energy, which can cause corpses to rise from the dead and attract ghosts. This is why ghosts in movies typically prey on women. Furthermore, since corpse-driving people deal with zombies and ghosts, they must never approach a woman's yin energy, or the consequences will be dire. The way corpse-driving tribes ensure their lineage continues is by not marrying a woman in the home. Once the woman has given birth, the corpse-driving person will take the child and leave the mother, never to see her again. The unbearable separation and emotional burden of this act is unimaginable. Therefore, people in western Hunan are very taboo about mentioning women to corpse-driving people.

These words provoked Wei Tianba. Ignoring the pain in his mouth, he spat out a mouthful of blood and said with a twisted expression, "Are you trying to provoke me? Unfortunately, you succeeded!" In the blink of an eye, Wei Tianba ran towards Zhang Xiaolong and pulled out his corpse-driving whip from his waist, lashing out at Zhang Xiaolong.

After removing his Taoist robe, Zhang Xiaolong was left wearing only a tank top, and Wei Tianba relentlessly whipped him, leaving clear welts on his body. The audience below the stage was terrified. Zhang Xiaolong could only cover his head in defense, but his master's words echoed in his ears: "Xiaolong, don't bring shame to Maoshan this time." Suddenly, Zhang Xiaolong reached out and grabbed the whip, something Wei Tianba hadn't anticipated. Xiaolong pulled sharply, almost causing Wei Tianba to stumble.

Wei Tianba simply put down his corpse-driving whip, intending to rush forward and punch and kick Zhang Xiaolong. Like the Qi Yi sect, the first thing a new disciple must practice is physical conditioning, so Zhang Xiaolong could be considered a semi-trained martial artist. Zhang Xiaolong unleashed a sweeping kick, tripping Wei Tianba and sending him sprawling to the ground. Just as Wei Tianba was about to get up, Zhang Xiaolong leaped into the air and used his Poisonous Scorpion Tail Sting, delivering an elbow strike to Wei Tianba's chest. With a 'pfft,' Wei Tianba spat out a mouthful of blood.

The Wei family of Xiangxi also prioritized physical training, focusing on increasing their resistance to attacks. Since they resolutely chose to subdue the zombies instead of fleeing, they were bound to be attacked, making their resilience essential. Wei Tianba slowly stood up and shook the Soul-Capturing Bell in his hand again. Zhang Xiaolong, panting heavily, squatted to the side, exhausted.

No one noticed that the Taoist talisman on the zombie's forehead had burned away, leaving only a red-hot copper coin. Both talismans and copper coins could suppress corpses. However, using them together would have the opposite effect. It's like certain chemicals; one is beneficial to the body, and the other is also beneficial, but combining them produces toxins. Zhang Xiaolong placed the copper coin on the zombie's forehead to suppress it, but unexpectedly, the coin had already burned away the talisman.

Wei Tianba shook the Soul-Capturing Bell several times, but the zombie didn't get up for a long time, so he turned his head to look. What he saw startled him. The zombie had actually gotten up, but its steps had become so light that Wei Tianba hadn't noticed. Wei Tianba and Zhang Xiaolong shouted in unison, "Oh no, the zombie has tricked us!" The zombie was no longer under Wei Tianba's control. If this thousand-year-old zombie were to escape, the disaster it would bring to the human world was something they didn't even dare to imagine.

The two, understanding each other perfectly, stood shoulder to shoulder, their initial martial arts contest between a Maoshan practitioner and a corpse-driving expert escalating into a fierce battle against zombies. =================================================================================== Chapter Twelve: Removing the Zombie Poison - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by

The peach wood sword was broken, the corpse-driving whip was thrown aside, and the soul-capturing bell in Wei Tianba's hand was now completely useless. Faced with the crazed zombie, the two could only resort to the most primitive human hand-to-hand combat tactics. But the opponent was a thousand-year-old zombie, how could it be subdued so easily? Zhou Qiang, who was about to step forward to help, was pulled back by Qin Shuang. Qin Shuang said, "Let them settle their own duel. If we go to help, it will only disrupt the entire process. Look at the three old men on the stage, they are sitting calmly. We can still help if something goes wrong." Xie Qifeng also chimed in, "Yes, yes, senior brother. Let's wait and see." Seeing that what the two said made no sense, Zhou Qiang sat down. Although he was sitting on a stool, Zhou Qiang swayed from side to side as if his buttocks were being pricked with needles. Perhaps it was because he cared too much about Zhang Xiaolong. After all, the two had fought side by side before, and now their brothers were in constant danger of losing their lives in the ring. How could the older brother sit still in the audience?

Despite its small size, this zombie had four prominent fangs, each about the length of a little finger. A single bite would have dire consequences. Before the two could even formulate a plan, the zombie pounced. Zhang Xiaolong and Wei Tianba dodged, the zombie flying between them. The zombie looked left and right, finally lunging at Wei Tianba. Zhang Xiaolong, having lived in Maoshan for a long time, possessed a large amount of mountain spirit energy, while Wei Tianba, though residing in a peach grove, had inevitably absorbed some corpse energy from prolonged contact with corpses. Faced with both mountain spirit energy and corpse energy, the zombie wisely chose the easier target—the corpse-covered Wei Tianba.

Despite his tall and imposing stature, Wei Tianba was surprisingly agile. He rolled on the ground and picked up his corpse-driving whip. Seeing the zombie leap towards him, Wei Tianba raised the whip and lashed out. The zombie didn't dodge; instead, it intensified its attack, growing faster and faster. In the blink of an eye, the zombie was airborne, lunging towards Wei Tianba's neck. Staring at the zombie's gaping, foul-smelling maw, Wei Tianba felt despair. He regretted his momentary carelessness in not protecting the zombie, regretted his father's dying wish for him, regretted not finding a wife before the duel, and so on. In the instant the zombie lunged at him, Wei Tianba steeled his resolve, thinking, "I might as well die with it." He quickly pulled out a poison pill, deciding to poison himself.

The profession of corpse transport has many rules. They also fear they might not be able to handle zombies, so they all carry a poison pill. Once they eat the poison pill, the zombie will drain their blood, and the zombie will inevitably decay and die. While mutual destruction is a last resort, it's Wei Tianba's only option at this moment. He can't let the zombie wreak havoc on humanity while his elderly father has to step in again.

Just as Wei Tianba was about to put the pill in his mouth, a circular object blocked his view. The yellow light emanating from the object shone on the levitating zombie, instantly repelling it. Without a doubt, the object was the Tai Chi Bagua Mirror. Looking in the mirror, Wei Tianba saw Zhang Xiaolong smiling at him, saying, "Brother, don't do anything rash. I still want to defeat you fairly." Wei Tianba was deeply grateful, but as a grown man, he didn't know what to say.

The zombie sprang up quickly after lying down and roared at the two men. Zhang Xiaolong stared at the zombie and said to Wei Tianba, "Brother, sticking the corpse-suppressing talisman on the zombie's forehead should seal it off, right?" Wei Tianba responded with an "oh," having almost forgotten about this in his busy work.

Just as Wei Tianba took out the corpse-suppressing talisman, the zombie stubbornly jumped over again. Because of the zombie's small size, Wei Tianba had to bend over or squat to apply the talisman, which made it more difficult. Just as Wei Tianba bent down to place the talisman on the zombie's face, the zombie leaped up, jumping over Wei Tianba's head and stepping on his back, causing Wei Tianba to fall flat on his face. The zombie quickly turned its head, opened its mouth, and pounced on the fallen Wei Tianba like a hungry tiger. Wei Tianba closed his eyes, awaiting death. But he only felt someone pressing down on him. When he opened his eyes, he saw a corpse-suppressing talisman stuck to the forehead of the crouching zombie.

The small hands that had been affixing the talisman slowly fell to their sides. Zhang Xiaolong, blood in his mouth, forced a smile and said, "I won this round." Then he closed his eyes and fainted. It turned out that while Wei Tianba was taking out the corpse-suppressing talisman, Zhang Xiaolong had also secretly drawn one. When the zombie kicked Wei Tianba and lunged to attack, Zhang Xiaolong leaped onto the dying Wei Tianba. This was partly to make it easier to affix the talisman to the zombie's forehead, and partly to protect Wei Tianba. The talisman was successfully affixed, but the zombie's five fingers were now poking into Zhang Xiaolong's chest.

Wei Tianba kicked away the crouching zombie, scooped up the thin Zhang Xiaolong, and cried out helplessly, "Who will save him? Who can save him? I beg you!" Zhou Qiang slammed his fist on the table, turned around, and lashed out at Qin Shuang and Xie Qifeng, "It's all your fault! Why didn't you let me go up and help?! Now Xiaolong is poisoned by the zombie, what are we going to do?!" At this moment, Xie Qifeng and Qin Shuang understood Zhou Qiang's feelings, especially Qin Shuang. A man who gets angry is a real man, and she was growing to like Zhou Qiang more and more. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but blush.

The Ghost Doctor Ouyang Bai flew to the arena and said to Wei Tianba, "Put him down." Wei Tianba did as he was told. At this point, he was willing to do anything, even jump off the eighteenth floor, as long as Zhang Xiaolong was saved. The Ghost Doctor lifted Zhang Xiaolong's clothes and noticed that the wound was slightly purple. He hurriedly asked, "Do you have any glutinous rice on you?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Wei Tianba said, trying to remove the small cloth bag from his belt. In his haste, he couldn't get it off, so he snapped the belt in half. The Ghost Doctor took some glutinous rice from the bag and applied it to Zhang Xiaolong's wound. White smoke instantly rose from the wound, and Zhang Xiaolong was in so much pain that beads of sweat streamed down his face. Seeing the Ghost Doctor appear, everyone crowded around.

Zhou Qiang said, "Watch me, I'll treat the corpse poison my way." He then took the ghost relic from his mouth and applied it to Zhang Xiaolong's wound, releasing some of Zhou Qiang's true energy into Zhang Xiaolong's body. The ghost doctor checked Zhang Xiaolong's pulse and found his breathing had stabilized. He smiled and said, "Not bad, the Qi-restoring method." Zhou Qiang, not having time to think further, added, "If all else fails, I'll use the life-borrowing method to save him." He knew the consequences of this life-borrowing method; his ancestor saving his father was an example. But for his friend, what did death matter?

Qin Shuang, hearing that Zhou Qiang was going to use the life-extending technique, was startled and quickly said, "Watch me, I'll treat the corpse poison with my own method." She took some herbs from her small bag, chewed them, and then applied them to Zhang Xiaolong's wound. Gradually, Zhang Xiaolong's face regained its color. The Ghost Doctor nodded and said, "Not bad, Miao herbal detoxification method."

Xie Qifeng, unwilling to give up, said, "Watch me." He then held up three incense sticks to Zhang Xiaolong's wound. In no time, a stream of venom gushed from the wound. The Ghost Doctor's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed sincerely, "Brilliant! Using the Qi-gathering Yin technique to absorb the damp corpse poison is innovative!" He then gave Xie Qifeng a thumbs-up. Xie Qifeng chuckled foolishly after being praised.

Qian Qiuyue crouched down and said, "Watch me, I'll treat the corpse poison with my method." She then took some brown liquid from a small bottle and dripped it onto Zhang Xiaolong's wound. Some of it flowed into the wound, while the remaining brown liquid mixed with the external poison, turning into clean water droplets. The Ghost Doctor stroked his beard and said, "Using poison to fight poison, first-rate."

Qi Zijun, a Tantric lama, also came over and said, "Watch me." Qi Zijun turned to the Tibetan mastiff beside him and said, "Zhuiming, go!" The Tibetan mastiff stepped forward, sniffed Zhang Xiaolong's wound, and licked it a few times with its long tongue. Seeing that the others were puzzled, Qi Zijun explained, "The saliva of a Tibetan mastiff is antibacterial and has a miraculous effect on wound healing."

Buddhist monk Youlong crouched down and said, "Watch me." He then grabbed a handful of incense ash from somewhere and sprinkled it on Zhang Xiaolong's wound. The Ghost Doctor nodded and said, "Incense ash can heal wounds, so everyone can rest assured. The corpse poison of a thousand-year-old zombie has been cured just like that, truly remarkable. This old man is completely humbled." With that, he lightly tapped his right foot and flew back to the judging panel. Everyone exclaimed in unison, "Wow, light-footed skill!"

Wei Tianba repeatedly thanked the people who helped rescue Zhang Xiaolong. After thanking them, he looked back and saw that Zhang Xiaolong was gone. Turning to the arena, he saw that Zhou Qiang had unknowingly carried Zhang Xiaolong off the stage. Zhang Xiaolong had regained some of his senses, but he was still unable to move. Lying on Zhou Qiang's back, Zhang Xiaolong smiled weakly and said, "Senior Brother Zhou Qiang, I didn't disgrace Maoshan, did I?" Zhou Qiang replied affirmatively, "Absolutely not, you are the best." Zhang Xiaolong smiled joyfully and then fainted again.

Old Man Xia coughed, drawing everyone's attention. "In this duel, Zhang Xiaolong of the Maoshan Sect fainted; the Corpse Driver wins!" Although it was a victory, no one showed any joy, including Wei Tianba. Everyone had witnessed the duel; Zhang Xiaolong was clearly injured saving Wei Tianba, yet the Corpse Driver was declared the winner—it seemed unreasonable. If it were Zhou Qiang on a normal day, he would have definitely stepped forward to argue with this old man, but right now, he was only concerned about Zhang Xiaolong's condition.

Wei Tianba put away his corpse-driving whip and shook the soul-capturing bell. The zombie, which had been as ferocious as an ox just moments before, now obediently crawled into the peach wood box. Wei Tianba finished tidying up, picked up the wooden box, and said to Old Man Xia, "Old man, I've decided to withdraw! The true victor is the Maoshan Sect. I have no more interest in the competition. Thank you for your high expectations." He then turned and walked towards the contestants' seats.

"Good, as expected of a man of loyalty and righteousness. I wasn't wrong about you! I just made a bet with Wax Man Xue that you would withdraw from the competition, and it seems I won." He finished speaking and looked at Wax Man Xue, who was glaring at him. Wax Man Xue said, "Alright, alright, let's proceed with the next match!" ========================================================================================= Chapter Thirteen: Blade Warrior - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by

Just now, when Zhang Xiaolong was poisoned, only two people didn't come to his aid—the two outsiders. Since the order of the duels had already been arranged, it was destined from the start that the two would face off. At this moment, the two were at a table, raising their glasses in a toast. Executioner Wu Laosan raised a large bowl, downed the baijiu in one gulp, and exclaimed with delight, "Baijiu is good! It's strong and burns the blood. Just like us Chinese, so free and unrestrained!" He then looked at the American youth opposite him. Mike smiled gently, picked up his own glass, took a sip of red wine, and said calmly, "I feel red wine is better, light and fragrant. Just like the gentlemanly manners of us Americans, leisurely and elegant without losing our depth."

Zhou Qiang overheard their conversation and thought to himself, "Pah! You Americans, and you call yourselves gentlemen? They're everywhere carrying guns, and even young girls have children. What's with all the subtlety?" Zhou Qiang was outspoken, unaware that Wu Laosan and Mike were already exchanging barbs, though he hadn't realized it.

Wu Laosan stood up and said, "Young man, it's our turn. Let's go." He then took a large gulp of baijiu and held it in his mouth. Standing on the platform, Wu Laosan took out his broadsword, spat baijiu at it, and wiped it with his sleeve, saying, "My dear, since you came with me, I haven't let you see blood. This time, I'll let you taste the long-awaited flavor of blood." He then took off his shirt. Zhou Qiang exclaimed in surprise, "A red undergarment!" It turned out that Wu Laosan was only wearing a red undergarment under his coat.

"Senior brother, this old man is really funny, wearing a red bellyband at such an old age!" Xie Qifeng said, covering his mouth and laughing. Zhou Qiang frowned and replied, "What do you know? This red bellyband is no ordinary thing." Xie Qifeng perked up at this and pressed Zhou Qiang to explain what was so special about the red bellyband.

During the Japanese invasion of China, the three northeastern provinces were occupied by the Japanese. However, the Japanese ambitions didn't stop there, so they began to expand their attacks to various parts of China, including Shandong. At that time, machine guns were rare in China, and even small pistols were uncommon. The people of Shandong primarily fought the Japanese with swords. A strange fighting team was organized among the civilians, known as the "Blade Fighting Group." The group consisted of only about thirty people, all wearing red bellybands. One night, the Blade Fighting Group infiltrated a Japanese military camp, forcing the Japanese to retreat repeatedly. It wasn't that the Japanese were weak; these burly men were simply impervious to swords and spears. Every night when the Japanese were asleep, these thirty-odd invincible men would enter the camp and kill the Japanese, gradually reclaiming the occupied territory. After a while, the Japanese figured out their tactics and reported it to their superiors.

Upon hearing that these Chinese men were supposedly invulnerable to swords and spears, the officers at the higher command were terrified and immediately sent a report to Japanese headquarters. Japan also dispatched a military sorcerer named Murakami Takeo. True to his name, Murakami Takeo was quite similar to Pan Jinlian's husband in the Chinese classic *Water Margin*, both suffering from dwarfism. But don't let his small stature fool you; this fellow was quite capable.

Night had fallen when Murakami Wudang arrived in China. Before he could even drink a sip of hot water, the Chinese elite infantry fighting force attacked. Murakami Wudang quickly arranged for his troops to engage, while he watched from a distance through binoculars. He saw Japanese soldiers firing submachine guns, bullets hitting a large, fat man wearing a red bib and falling to the ground. The fat man scratched the spot where the bullet had struck him and snarled at the terrified Japanese soldier, "You son of a bitch, you dare hit me? If you don't get back to Japan, I'll come back every day to kill you all!" The Japanese soldier put down his machine gun, knelt on the ground, and begged for mercy. The fat man laughed, "Begging won't do you any good." He then raised his broadsword and beheaded the Japanese soldier, splattering blood all over the fat man's face. The fat man spat out the Japanese soldier's blood and cursed, "The Japanese blood stinks!" Suddenly, the fat man spotted the flashing binoculars in the distance, pointed his broadsword at Murakami Wudang, and yelled, "You little brat, get down here!"

Murakami Takeshi was actually quite clever; asking him to fight a Chinese man twice his height was a joke. He couldn't even beat a sixth-grade Chinese child, let alone a tall Chinese man. Terrified by the fat man pointing a knife at him, Murakami Takeshi dropped his binoculars and quickly ordered a car to escape. In this way, the Blade Legion reclaimed some more territory of their homeland and achieved successive victories.

After observing the situation several times, Murakami Takeshi noticed something: these Chinese men attacked at night, and they were all wearing red bellybands. Murakami Takeshi devised a plan. He sent a reckless Japanese soldier with the Blade Legion back to their camp. The soldier was brave, but upon entering the camp, he only heard the snoring of sleeping men and saw no one. All he saw were red bellybands hanging outside. Upon seeing this, the soldier rolled up all the red bellybands and took them all back with him.

Murakami Takeshi was delighted upon seeing this and immediately promoted the Japanese soldier, ordering him to lead a large contingent of troops to attack the Blade Fighter Group's camp. Murakami Takeshi had said that those men without red undergarments were just like normal people, which gave the Japanese soldiers a real boost of confidence.

As Murakami Wu Dalang said, those men, without their red undergarments, were truly just like normal people. A knife can't beat a gun; in just a few minutes, the entire Blade Fighting Group perished. What impressed the Japanese devils was that all the dead men stood upright, leaning against their long swords; not one lay down. These are the true Chinese men.

As Xie Qifeng finished speaking, tears were almost streaming down his face. Zhou Qiang mocked, "Are you even a Chinese man?" Xie Qifeng wiped away his tears and sobbed, "Yes."

"If it's you, then stop crying," Zhou Qiang said dismissively, glancing at Zhang Xiaolong snoring loudly beside him before turning his head to look at the ring. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of beautiful eyes were watching him; those eyes belonged to Qin Shuang. Zhou Qiang was not only kind-hearted and helpful, but also knowledgeable—it was wonderful to be friends with such a man. Qin Shuang's mind was already wandering, and her face flushed again. Xie Qifeng simply turned his tears into laughter and said, "Qin Shuang, you've blushed several times tonight, what are you thinking?" Qin Shuang froze, then snapped, "What's it to you? I'm happy to do it. If you say another word, I'll unleash a snake on you." =================================================================================== Chapter Fourteen: The Indomitable Chinese - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by

Despite his admiration, Zhou Qiang was very curious. The Blade Legion had been wiped out decades ago, and how could Wu Laosan's methods on stage be explained? It seemed he could only find out after the match ended.

The two on stage slowly approached each other until they were only an arm's length apart. Wu Laosan swung his broadsword down, and Mike didn't even dodge. There was a loud 'clang,' as if the broadsword had struck stone. It turned out Mike had reached out and grabbed the blade. Wu Laosan was still wondering what was going on when Mike bared his vampire-like fangs and bit into Wu Laosan's neck. Another 'clang,' as if those fangs had bitten into metal.

Wu Laosan seemed unfazed, but Mike, clutching his teeth, took two steps back and muttered, "Hey, is your neck made of iron?" Wu Laosan chuckled twice, offering no reply, but instead said with a smile, "Take this!" The moment the words left his mouth, Wu Laosan's broadsword swept towards Mike's leg. Even if the blow didn't penetrate, it would still send Mike sprawling. Mike, sensing the danger, lightly tapped his toes and sprang to his feet.

Just as Wu Laosan straightened up, Mike suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Wu Laosan's neck and forcing him to retreat. This move, a stone-like hand gripping an iron-like neck, drew the attention of the audience, who all stood up to see who was stronger. Wu Laosan's face told everyone that he was already having difficulty breathing.

Veins bulged on Wu Laosan's face, and his eyes were bloodshot. He gripped the broadsword tightly and stabbed upwards. The blade struck Mike squarely in the stomach; though it didn't leave a wound, the impact sent him flying. Wu Laosan bit his tongue, spitting blood onto the blade. Mike, being a vampire, became even more frenzied at the sight of blood; the whites of his eyes turned blood-red.

But then, Wu Laosan's broadsword reacted strangely, surprising everyone. The blood-stained blade trembled, and the blood on its surface seemed to evaporate with a hissing sound, as if it had encountered hot iron. Or rather, it absorbed the blood; the originally silver broadsword instantly turned blood red. Wu Laosan looked at the red blade in his hand and roared, "This Japanese sword gathers the souls and wills of over thirty members of the Blade Fighting Group! Today, with the blood of future generations to open its seal, I can cleave not only stone, but even mountains!" In the blink of an eye, Wu Laosan charged forward with the red blade.

Before Wu Laosan could even prepare to attack, the red knife was already impatient. It wasn't so much that Wu Laosan was wielding the knife, but rather that the red knife was leading him. Wu Laosan seemed like a completely different person; his previous wild, haphazard hacking and slashing now possessed a disciplined rhythm, like a martial arts master. Mike dared not underestimate his opponent, for he didn't fully understand this mysterious superpower he was in, and was completely unaware of Wu Laosan's strangely dressed bib. Not only was he unaware, but few in the audience knew of such a unique skill, except for Zhou Qiang.

Startled, Mike could only dodge the attacks, but Wu Laosan's knife skills were now so fluid that vital points were inevitably targeted. Wu Laosan's blows came one after another, giving Mike no chance to retaliate. Just as he ducked, the broadsword swung horizontally towards his stomach with a gust of wind. Mike helplessly raised his hands to block, thus averting the danger. But when Mike looked at his hands, he saw that the skin had been completely peeled off, revealing black, fleshy strips.

Enraged, Mike ignored his own pain and shoved the elderly Wu Laosan to the ground. When Wu Laosan got up, Mike was gone. Before Wu Laosan could react, the red knife swung behind him with his right hand. A loud 'crack' echoed as Mike blocked Wu Laosan's elbow. With incredible strength, Mike grabbed Wu Laosan's red undergarment, lifted him up, and slammed him to the ground. Unfortunately, Mike managed to pull the undergarment off, and Wu Laosan slowly rose, panting heavily. He knew his life was over.

Mike threw his tattered red bellyband off the stage and charged again, this time aiming for Wu Laosan's neck. Suddenly, a large, transparent yellow bell struck Wu Laosan, making him jump. No matter how Mike attacked, he couldn't penetrate the bell, so he turned his curious eyes to You Long in the audience. You Long was performing a ritual, muttering incantations. Old Man Xia on the judges' panel spoke up: "Foreigner, you've already won, so don't kill any Chinese. If you kill him, I guarantee you won't be able to cross this threshold either." In truth, Mike never knew how he had won. In America, if the opponent could still stand, they would be defeated, unaware that in China there was a tradition of stopping short of defeat.

Mike imitated a gesture from a movie, clasping his hands in a fist and bowing to the judges, audience, and contestants. After finishing, he reached out to help Wu Laosan, but Wu Laosan slapped his hand away. Mike looked at the Chinese man in front of him curiously, wondering what he wanted. Wu Laosan, half-kneeling on the ground, weakly shouted, "It's not over yet! I haven't had enough! Chinese people can't be defeated!" He struggled to his feet, but his aged body told him he had already lost. His body swayed, and just as he was about to fall, Zhou Qiang appeared beside him and caught him.

Wu Laosan smiled at Zhou Qiang, who smiled back and said, "Third Uncle, you must be tired. Go and rest. No one can defeat us Chinese. Even if you win our bodies, you can't win our souls." Zhou Qiang pointed at Mike retaliatoryly, "Including you!" He then helped Wu Laosan, who was limping, towards the players' seats. The audience erupted in applause after hearing Zhou Qiang's words. They were amazed that such a young child understood patriotism and would surely become a pillar of the nation. This was what the spectators thought. Mike was helpless. He didn't know who the applause was for, nor what he had done wrong to deserve Zhou Qiang's criticism. He shrugged helplessly.

Old Man Xia cleared his throat and said, "Everyone! Today's competition is over. Come back tomorrow night." As soon as he finished speaking, the inn's door suddenly opened, and Zhou Qiang glanced at the audience opposite—all the ghosts and monsters had vanished. Old Man Xia whispered a few words to Meng Linglang, then walked backstage with Ghost Doctor Ouyang Bai and Wax Figure Xue. Seeing the three old men leave, Meng Linglang's tone became gruff, and he loudly announced, "All contestants, please come with me to Xia Family Village for the night to rest and recuperate. The final winner will be decided tomorrow night."

And so, Qi Zijun's Tibetan Mastiff carried Zhang Xiaolong, Zhou Qiang helped Wu Laosan, and the other contestants walked into Xiajia Village. Although Xiajia Village had been renamed, the elders still preferred the old name because Xiajia Village used to have a great philanthropist named Xia. "Where are we staying?" Zhou Qiang asked.

As Meng Linglang led the way, he said, "Of course we're going to Old Man Xia's house, but the current owner is Xia Ji, Old Man Xia's great-grandson." Great-grandson? All the contestants were very surprised, and everyone was guessing Old Man Xia's age. Meng Linglang saw their confusion and said with a smile, "I'll tell you about Old Man Xia tomorrow after you all wake up."

The group quickly arrived at their lodgings. It turned out the Xia family's houses occupied one-tenth of the entire Akita Village, and since many houses were empty, they were all locked. The keys, of course, were with Meng Linglang. Meng Linglang led everyone to a separate courtyard, opened a front door, and inside were two large rooms. Standing in the middle, Meng Linglang said, "The men will sleep in the left room, the women in the right room, and the foreigner will sleep here." He then pointed to the dirty ground beneath his feet. It seemed Meng Linglang still harbored resentment towards this foreigner.

Mike slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Oh, no!" Yu Long quickly said, "Chinese people are supposed to be polite. You should go inside and sleep." With that, Mike grinned, said thank you, and went inside. Since it was already very late, everyone lay down on their beds and fell fast asleep. Only two people were still awake: Zhou Qiang and Wu Laosan.

Wu Laosan wasn't unwilling to sleep, but he felt embarrassed by Zhou Qiang's constant questioning. Zhou Qiang asked, "Third Uncle, I heard the Blade Fighting Group was completely wiped out decades ago. How did that unique skill end up in your hands?" Wu Laosan smiled and explained to Zhou Qiang. It turned out that on the day Murakami Wu Dalang ordered the killing of the Blade Fighting Group soldiers, the Japanese had just entered the group's camp. Coincidentally, Wu Laosan's grandfather had an upset stomach and went to the toilet. When he returned, he found everyone dead, standing up. Wu Laosan's grandfather cried for an entire day. These soldiers had been together for so long, like family, and now only Wu Laosan's grandfather remained, inevitably causing him immense grief.

After burying his brothers' bodies, Wu Laosan's grandfather knelt before the graves and swore, "Brothers, wait until I train a new Blade Fighting Brigade to avenge you!" He then rose and left, taking his greatsword with him. Back home, Wu Laosan's grandfather married and had children. When his children grew up, Wu Laosan began teaching them swordsmanship, instructing them on how to use a red bellyband to summon spirits and kill enemies at night. However, things didn't go as planned. Within a few years, the Japanese surrendered and fled, and soon after, China was liberated. The matter was left unresolved. But the skill was not lost; it had been passed down to Wu Laosan.

Wu Laosan became increasingly animated in his storytelling, and just as he was about to speak to Zhou Qiang, Zhou Qiang unexpectedly fell asleep. Wu Laosan gazed at Zhou Qiang and murmured, "How wonderful it would be if I had a child like you." He then wiped Zhou Qiang's drool and fell asleep as well. ==================================================================================== Chapter Fifteen: Kowtowing Brothers - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and Organized by

The next morning, everyone was chatting energetically, even Zhang Xiaolong, who had recovered from his injuries, was bouncing around. Only one person seemed downcast: Zhou Qiang. It turned out that Wu Laosan had gotten up earliest and left a letter for Zhou Qiang before departing without saying goodbye. The letter read: "Kid, I'm so glad to have met you, even though I still don't know your name. But your words and actions have deeply moved me. I didn't have high expectations for this supernatural martial arts competition; my ideal was to let everyone learn more about folk culture. I've achieved that! So I have no regrets. I'm giving you this Giant Spirit Sword, and entrusting you with my hopes for the future. Don't bring shame to the Chinese people! Seeing you reminds me of my youthful impetuosity, but I can't accept old age. I'm leaving, going back to my hometown in Shandong. My wife, children, and grandchildren are there; I'm going to live the ordinary life I've longed for. Seeing the sword is like seeing the man, Wu Laosan."

Zhou Qiang gripped the heavy sword, feeling the pressure on his shoulders increase even further. Not everyone has extraordinary experiences, nor does everyone want them. Some things are beyond our control, or are ordained by fate.

Meng Linglang brought over a large bag of fried dough sticks and shared them with everyone. You Long suggested eating outside, and no one objected. "Is this knife Wu Laosan's?" Xie Qifeng asked, swallowing a piece of fried dough stick. Zhou Qiang nodded and said, "My third uncle passed away, and he gave me this knife." Wow, everyone looked on with envy. Zhou Qiang seemed to remember something and said to Meng Linglang, "By the way, how old is Old Man Xia this year?"

Meng Linglang replied, "I don't remember exactly, maybe over 130 years old." This one sentence made Xie Qifeng choke. "Ah? My goodness!" Meng Linglang was used to this; whenever someone asked about Old Man Xia's age, they almost always had the same expression. He was used to it. Meng Linglang smiled and said, "Old Man Xia's life has always been maintained by the Ghost Doctor and Wax Figure Xue. Or rather, the three of them are maintaining each other's lives."

Old Man Xia's original name was Xia Zhenqiang. The original Xia Family Village wasn't called Xia Family Village; it was called Fengshou Village. However, during a famine, the entire village relied on Old Man Xia's family's grain for survival. Later, to express their gratitude, everyone named it Xia Family Village. Coincidentally, that same year, Wax Figure Xue and the Ghost Doctor also fled to this place and received similar kindness from Old Man Xia. The three became fast friends and swore brotherhood. Wax Figure Xue and the Ghost Doctor also had impressive backgrounds. First, Wax Figure Xue: a few years prior, he ran a wax figure shop in Beijing, making a living selling wax figures. At that time, wax figures were considered works of art, and some people liked to buy a wax figure that looked exactly like themselves to take home. Therefore, Wax Figure Xue's reputation spread far and wide in Beijing, eventually reaching the ears of Empress Dowager Cixi. The Empress Dowager invited Wax Figure Xue to the palace, saying that he should create a wax figure for her within three days. If the Empress Dowager was pleased, Wax Figure Xue would be promoted; if she was displeased, he would be beheaded and displayed publicly.

Wax Figure Xue harbored deep hatred for Empress Dowager Cixi, who had ruined a prosperous China. So, Xue, under the pretext of going home to retrieve materials, said, "Your Majesty, all my materials are at home. I'll make it for you here. Send someone to collect it in three days." Sure enough, three days later, Cixi sent someone to the wax museum. Upon entering, they found a life-sized wax figure wrapped in red cloth. The official forgot to call for Wax Figure Xue and simply took the figure back to claim his reward. The wax figure was taken to the palace, and Cixi impatiently ordered it to be opened. What she saw nearly made her nose twist in anger, and the official who had intended to collect the reward was beheaded. It turned out that one of Wax Figure Xue had made of Empress Dowager Cixi had been gouged out, half of her tongue had been cut off, all her teeth were sharp, and she was naked. Empress Dowager Cixi ordered the confiscation of Wax Figure Xue's property, but unexpectedly, Wax Figure Xue had already fled to another region.

The origins of the Ghost Doctor are even more mysterious. Legend has it that Ouyang Bai was originally just an ordinary itinerant doctor who fell off a cliff while gathering herbs. Fortunately, he survived but became crippled. At the bottom of the cliff, besides Ouyang Bai, there was also a skeleton. Kind-hearted Ouyang Bai thought that even the dead shouldn't be left exposed in the wilderness, so he carefully buried the skeleton in the ground. For three whole days, Ouyang Bai didn't eat or drink a drop of water. Just when he was in despair, a ghostly figure appeared. Ouyang Bai strained his eyes and saw that it was a beautiful young woman. The young woman brought him dry food and water to eat. Gradually, Ouyang Bai's leg healed, and he regained his energy.

Finally, one day, the beautiful young woman said, "Sir, I am actually a ghost. Don't be afraid. I'm going to be reincarnated now. Thank you for burying my remains. I'm giving this to you; if you eat it, you'll live a long life." After saying this, the girl took a ghost relic from her mouth and fed it to Ouyang Bai. Then, she gradually became transparent and disappeared. Ouyang Bai sighed, realizing that even ghosts can be good or bad. Since he couldn't repay the girl, he would even cure the ghost's illness.

Ouyang Bai, after a tremendous struggle, climbed the mountain. His first encounter was with someone being chased. A group of officers were pursuing a man. The lead officer, seeing the man had run far away, raised his rifle and fired. The man fell to the ground. The officers approached and kicked him a few times; he was barely breathing, so they left. Once the officers were out of sight, Ouyang Bai ran over and used the Ghost Relic to restore the man's life force. After speaking with him, Ouyang Bai learned that the man's name was Wax Man Xue, the very same wanted criminal who had caused a national sensation—the reason for which was widely known.

Later, the two traveled together and fled to Xiajia Village in Anyang, Henan. There they met their savior, Xia Zhenqiang. After the three became sworn brothers, to evade the officials, they built an inn in a cemetery that could appear and disappear intermittently. Gradually, all three grew old. Old Man Xia was the first to die of old age, but the Ghost Doctor, with his various skills, sealed Old Man Xia's ghost inside his own body. Thus, Old Man Xia became a living dead, but even though he could speak and walk, he couldn't stop his skin from aging. So, Wax Man Xue coated Old Man Xia's body with a special wax oil, which is why the three's skin never decayed. Relying on the Ghost Doctor's miraculous healing techniques and the Ghost Relic, as well as Wax Man Xue's ancestral wax oil, all three became living dead. Although the Ghost Doctor couldn't heal himself, the Ghost Relic extended his lifespan.

Every few years, the Ghost Doctor Ouyang Bai would travel all over the country to broaden his horizons and collect rare Chinese medicinal herbs. Therefore, he was the most knowledgeable of the three. Once, he heard that there were many extraordinary people in the countryside who could capture ghosts and exorcise demons, so he returned to the inn and the three of them discussed holding the first Supernatural Martial Arts Competition.

After Meng Linglang finished speaking, everyone sighed in admiration. The fried dough sticks were finished, and everyone returned to their rooms to rest and prepare for the evening's martial arts competition. =================================================================================== Chapter Sixteen of the Qi Yi Successor: The Toad Gu King - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by

At 11:30 PM, everyone packed up their magical implements, preparing to determine the final victor tonight. Since Zhang Xiaolong was declared the loser, the corpse-driver withdrew from the competition. Tonight's participants included Qin Shuang from the Gu Technique school, Xie Qifeng and Zhou Qiang from the Qi Yi school, and Mike, the American vampire. Upon entering the inn, everyone felt a chilling aura. They each activated their third eye in their own way and discovered that there were far more ghosts watching the competition tonight than yesterday; the stands were even full, and some were floating in the air.

The most frustrated player in the first match was Zhou Qiang. No matter which of the two players won, he couldn't show any joy, because the two about to compete were essentially his equals. At this moment, Zhou Qiang could only lower his head and wipe his knife, not daring to glance at the other two, for fear of upsetting the other. The three elders, Xia and his companions, swaggered to the judges' table. Elder Xia cleared his throat and said, "Please invite the winners of last night's first and second matches to come up." Xie Qifeng and Qin Shuang stood up and said to Zhou Qiang in unison, "I'll go." Zhou Qiang, focused on wiping his knife, said calmly, "Okay."

Xie Qifeng walked beside Qin Shuang and whispered, "Qin Shuang, I've wanted to compete with you for a long time, but if it weren't for my senior brother's sake..." Before he could finish, Qin Shuang threw a puff of white smoke at Xie Qifeng and deliberately shouted, "Are you even a man? Why do you always speak so softly?" Her words made everyone present laugh, which made Xie Qifeng grit his teeth and clench his fists so tightly they cracked.

The two stood on the arena, Xie Qifeng eagerly charging at Qin Shuang in a retaliatory attack. Qin Shuang, seemingly anticipating Xie Qifeng's attack, secretly concealed the white snake behind her. Just as Xie Qifeng reached Qin Shuang, the white snake suddenly floated onto Qin Shuang's left shoulder. Xie Qifeng threw a punch at Qin Shuang's face, but Qin Shuang dodged to the right, just as the white snake bared its fangs at Xie Qifeng's fist. Xie Qifeng could no longer retract his fist; he could only change his grip to a claw. He grabbed the white snake's head and slammed it to the ground. In a flash, before the white snake could even roll over, Xie Qifeng pulled out a Qi-Suppressing Demon-Calming Diagram from his robes and affixed it to the white snake's body. No matter how much the white snake writhed, it couldn't get up, as if a hundred-pound boulder was pressing down on it.

Qin Shuang inwardly cursed, realizing that Xie Qifeng had come prepared. He took two steps back and pulled a Gu bell from his backpack—a Gu bell that even Zhou Qiang and Xie Qifeng had never seen before! Qin Shuang slowly opened the lid of the Gu bell, and as soon as it was opened, everyone present smelled a pungent odor. A moment later, an enormous toad jumped out of the Gu bell. The toad's back was covered with disgusting, blisters of varying sizes. The toad croaked, its eyes fixed on Xie Qifeng.

Xie Qifeng asked in surprise, "What is this?" Qin Shuang explained, "This is a toad Gu King I made myself." To be honest, this toad Gu King looks no different from a regular toad except that it's a bit bigger. Actually, Qin Shuang went to great lengths to raise this toad. First, when Qin Shuang was young, his master taught him how to concoct poison. His master asked Qin Shuang, "What kind of poison do you want?" Qin Shuang replied seriously, "I want the most poisonous one." So his master taught Qin Shuang the recipe for the most poisonous Miao poison. To concoct a Gu, one simply puts some naturally poisonous small insects or animals into a Gu pot along with the poisonous water. Gradually, the insects absorb the toxins from the water, and that's how the Gu is made.

However, not every insect can adapt to the toxicity of the poisonous water; some die as soon as they enter. In the Miao village nestled between mountains and water, Qin Shuang chose tadpoles as the raw material for her poisonous Gu. One day, Qin Shuang caught some tadpoles and put them into her Gu pot. As soon as they entered, all the tadpoles floated belly-up on the surface of the poisonous water. Qin Shuang sighed; she began to doubt whether her choice was correct. Suddenly, a small head surfaced in the poisonous water of the Gu pot. Qin Shuang looked closely and saw it was the smallest tadpole she had just put in. Upon seeing this, the tadpole sank back down. Overjoyed, Qin Shuang told her master the news, and her master praised her for her good fortune. Qin Shuang observed for a few more days and saw that the tadpole hadn't died. Qin Shuang began to feed the tadpole, and gradually it grew four legs, eventually becoming a powerful toad Gu king. Everyone in the Miao village knew that Qin Shuang's most powerful poison was the Toad Gu King, but she hadn't had the chance to use it while at the old man's house in Leshui, Hebei. Now that the White Snake was injured in the last competition and had been thrown to the ground by Xie Qifeng, Qin Shuang was reluctant to use it again and would only use what she considered her most powerful poison.

While Qin Shuang was removing the poison, Xie Qifeng wasn't idle either; he had already pulled out his Kongming Fan from his back. Despite the distance between Xie Qifeng and Qin Shuang, the toad spat out a mouthful of venom that flew straight towards Xie Qifeng, who was three meters away—something Xie Qifeng hadn't anticipated. With a 'snap,' the Kongming Fan blocked it, instantly evaporating the foul-smelling venom on the fan. Just as Xie Qifeng lowered the fan, another mouthful of venom flew towards him. This time, Xie Qifeng wasn't polite, saying, "Go back." With that, he flicked the Kongming Fan, and the venom was blown back by the wind. Qin Shuang skillfully dodged the returning venom, which was blown onto the floor, making a 'hissing' sound.

The toad seemed quite angry, leaping two meters away with its hind legs, heading straight for Xie Qifeng. Xie Qifeng thought to himself, "Fine, one person bullying me isn't enough, now they're sending a giant toad to scare me!" With that, he took off his coat, revealing his Divine Armor. The giant toad leaped again, pouncing on Xie Qifeng's head. Xie Qifeng tried to dodge, but the toad was no ordinary creature; its leaps were so fast they were almost imperceptible to the naked eye. Xie Qifeng leaned back slightly, and the toad's four legs gripped the armor, which was designed to protect the body. The toad croaked twice and fell to the ground.

Just as Xie Qifeng was about to step down, Qin Shuang ran over, pushed him down, and picked up the giant toad. Qin Shuang looked at the toad's four legs with heartache; they looked like they were all charred. Qin Shuang was so anxious she almost cried. Xie Qifeng stood up and laughed loudly, saying, "Haha, let's see what other magic weapons you have! Quickly, bring them out..." Before he could finish speaking, Xie Qifeng choked. It turned out that while Xie Qifeng was laughing, the Toad King had used all its strength to spit out a mouthful of poison, which flew precisely into Xie Qifeng's mouth and was swallowed with his deep breath.

The Toad Gu King croaked twice, seemingly mocking Xie Qifeng. Qin Shuang said, "You've been poisoned. If you want to live, admit defeat." She then placed the injured Toad Gu King back into the Gu Bell, indicating that Qin Shuang intended to end the battle. Xie Qifeng was speechless. After all, he was a grown man, and he couldn't bring himself to grovel and surrender to a woman. Just as he thought this, Xie Qifeng felt his body go limp. Zhou Qiang, sitting below the stage, finally couldn't sit still any longer and shouted, "Qin Shuang, give him the antidote! I beg you!"