Chapter 85

Li Mochou naturally knew those two Broken Dragon Stones weighed over ten thousand catties; when Wang Zhongyang built this tomb, he combined the strength of several hundred men using huge ropes to pull them into place, and once the Broken Dragon Stones fell, they could not be opened again; the tomb passage is even narrower, allowing only one person to pass, and even if one feels the huge stone blocking the tomb gate, no matter how strong a person is, they cannot lift it.

Even if one could use explosives to break the stones, whether once or multiple times, by the time these two stones weighing over ten thousand catties are blown up, the tomb passage would suffer shock and inevitably collapse.

Thus Wang Zhongyang's move was to hold the determination to never leave the ancient tomb.

Li Mochou swallowed, her voice trembling as she said: "Do you have another way out?"

Xiao Longnv spoke calmly: "Senior Sister, once the Broken Dragon Stone is lowered, none of us can get out!"

Li Mochou gritted her silver teeth, her eyes flashing a chilling glare as she turned to Feng Yi and shouted: "You're just watching—are you satisfied now? We can't get out!"

"What are you shouting for?" Feng Yi laughed: "We all came seeking something; this is the price!"

"It's good that I have Lingbo accompanying me, and you, this great beauty—I think it's fine."

Hong Lingbo glanced over, tears suddenly filling her eyes, her body trembling slightly. Feng Yi locked eyes with her and asked: "Are you afraid?"

Hong Lingbo bit her lip, voice trembling: "I'm afraid!"

Feng Yi said: "Following me, this sort of thing happens often..."

Hong Lingbo shook her head: "I was originally afraid, but with you here, I'm not afraid anymore!"

Feng Yi smiled slightly: "Good!"

Li Mochou spat resentfully: "Hypocrite!"

A flicker of cold light passed through Feng Yi's eyes as he casually remarked: "Being hypocritical is better than your stubborn mouth—did you lose again to your junior sister?"

Li Mochou's heart sank, and she shouted angrily: "How could I have lost to her? Her disciple just spoke so well, yet now he has lowered the Broken Dragon Stone, himself..."

Suddenly a voice cried: "Aunt!" Yang Guo rushed in like the wind, shouting: "Aunt, Guo'er has come—you can't drive me away again!"

Li Mochou was stunned.

Xiao Longnv never expected Yang Guo to ignore her words and run in again; in a moment surprise and joy mingled, she became overly excited, nearly fainting, her whole body shaking from cold, when suddenly a surge of heat rose from her lower abdomen. Xiao Longnv found it strange; that heat like electricity coursed through her body, turned in her dantian, she no longer felt cold and felt light all over; she swayed and waved her hand.

With a "slap", it landed squarely on Yang Guo's cheek as she shouted: "Guo'er, dare you disobey me!"

Li Mochou and Hong Lingbo saw her movements astonishingly swift; her pallid face instead showed a faint flush, a sign of abundant inner energy, and they couldn't help thinking: "He merely gestured casually and revived her. Such a person, trapped by the Broken Dragon Stone, is truly a pity."

Yang Guo only saw stars exploding before his eyes, turned and fell backward to the ground; yet he was not angry but overjoyed with surprise, exclaiming: "Aunt, you're healed—I'm not dreaming, am I?" He tried to rise but felt utterly weak.

He had given Xiao Longnv a blood transfusion, lost too much blood, and naturally could not recover.

"Yang Guo!" Hong Lingbo suddenly said: "Your aunt's life was saved by my husband; tell us how to open the Broken Dragon Stone."

Yang Guo stared blankly upward, then saw Xiao Longnv's eyes glistening with tears, fixed on him: "Aunt..." Yang Guo's spirit returned to his orifice, he muttered: "Was it really him who saved you?"

Xiao Longnv softly replied: "It should be."

Yang Guo looked at Feng Yi: "You..." The words reached his lips but he couldn't speak, his chest feeling blocked, after a long while he said: "Why didn't you save my aunt just now?"

He and Xiao Longnv had already agreed that if Feng Yi could save Xiao Longnv's life, they would not keep him in the ancient tomb—but now it's too late.

Feng Yi looked at Xiao Longnv, seeing her expression indifferent, he smiled: "This is a case of 'this time, that time.' Earlier I said I was in danger and feared saving people would lead to a sneak attack.

But just now, feeling that you master and disciple could sacrifice yourselves for others, worthy of admiration, and would not harm others without cause.

Thus I am willing to try; after all, although I don't believe in love, I still hold a positive attitude toward true love—it is precious, worth my risking my life once.

Xiao Longnv remained silent; Li Mochou snorted coldly: "I think you have other motives!"

"Of course!" Feng Yi said lightly: "If I wanted nothing, what would bring me to the ancient tomb with you? Just because you're pretty?"

Li Mochou's face flushed with anger as she coldly said: "Yang Guo, did you really lower the Broken Dragon Stone?"

Yang Guo sneered: "Is that even fake?"

Li Mochou stared at him for a while, then suddenly said: "Since you're alive, why did you come back?"

Yang Guo met her gaze, his heart suddenly guilty, he hastily looked away and said: "I just want to be with my aunt."

Just moments ago he ran outside the tomb, and at the instant he lowered the Broken Dragon Stone, he also felt torn: should he leave forever to enjoy the bustling world, or come inside to die alongside Xiao Longnv?

In the end he chose the latter. Yang Guo added: "Good aunt, I will live and die with you; we two will look after each other for our whole lives."

Hearing his sincere words, Xiao Longnv's heart stirred with genuine emotion, her body feeling both cold and hot; she couldn't help but remain silent, truly feeling bewildered.

Unbeknownst to them, Feng Yi had infused Xiao Longnv's body with Divine Illumination True Qi; at that moment she was dazed and unaware, only sensing abundant essence and energy. But just now, when she grew angry and her emotions stirred, her whole body turned cold again—this Divine Illumination Technique is the highest internal art; a sudden chill arose, eliciting a response, like a block of ice thrown into hot coals, instantly vanishing.

Yet such extreme heat and cold will inevitably cause a serious illness afterward, possibly leaving a lasting root; when emotions fluctuate, spitting blood without cease is also quite possible.

However, Xiao Longnv's injury from her practice was not caused by Feng Yi, and thereafter he cannot control it.

After all, he cannot treat her the way he treated Li Mochou.

Li Mochou showed a hint of annoyance, enunciating each word: "So you're willing to die for her?"

Yang Guo glanced over, seeing Xiao Longnv gazing steadily at him, and wanted to straighten his body.

Feng Yi also saw Xiao Longnv full of worry, utterly focused, as if all her body's spirit and soul were poured onto Yang Guo, with no room to spare; he understood she also hoped Yang Guo would break his oath for her.

Although Yang Guo didn't know what oath, he felt that to answer this he must stand upright; he struggled to prop himself up, trembling as he rose, hands bracing against the wall, legs still shaking, yet he laughed: "Exactly—for aunt, what is there to fear in death?"

A bluish tint flashed across Li Mochou's face as she lunged forward, her left hand swinging out sideways, her right index finger pointing at his vital chest point.

Yang Guo was weak, had no mind to resist, and didn't expect Li Mochou's attack to be so swift—with a "clang", her left hand seized his waist sword, pointing it at his throat as she shouted fiercely: "I will kill only one person. Say again—will it be you or her who dies?"

Yang Guo smiled at Xiao Longnv and shouted loudly: "Naturally it's me who dies!" By then the two had already disregarded life and death; no matter what killing method Li Mochou used, they didn't take it to heart.

Li Mochou let out a long sigh and said, "Junior sister, your oath is broken; you may go down the mountain now."

The founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect, Lin Chaoying, once deeply loved Wang Zhongyang, but their union was never to be. In her sorrow she established a sect rule: anyone who inherits her true teachings must swear to dwell forever in the ancient tomb and never leave Mount Zhongnan; however, if a man willingly dies for her, that oath is considered broken.

However, this must never be revealed to that man beforehand.

For Lin Chaoying believed that all men are fickle and unfaithful, that none would willingly die for the woman they love; even the heroic and righteous Wang Zhongyang was no exception, let alone others.

If such a man should ever appear, then her later disciples going down the mountain with him would not be in vain.

Li Mochou entered the sect before Xiao Longnv and should have inherited the robe and bowl, but she refused to keep the oath of never leaving the mountain; consequently, the true teachings passed instead to Xiao Longnv.

Xiao Longnv was naturally cold and aloof, devoid of emotion, but upon hearing Yang Guo's few words, her thoughts surged like a tide, and she felt waves of hot blood rising in her chest; biting her lip she said, "Guo'er, how can you be so foolish?" Her expression mixed joy and sorrow, a light sweat appeared at her temples, her face pale yet flushed, lovely as peach blossoms.

She also felt as if a fire had been lit in her heart; trying to suppress it with her qi, she could not calm down, and she was secretly astonished, realizing she had never experienced such a state before, surely due to her severe injury making her inner strength hard to restore.

She did not realize that suppressing the seven emotions and six desires through quiet cultivation was actually going against heaven; it did not eliminate desire, only strictly restrained it. Now over twenty, suddenly faced with danger, yet having a young man willingly die for her, she could not help but be stirred emotionally, like a breached dike, feelings surging like a tide, with countless thoughts rushing in.

Yang Guo saw her eyes flowing, cheeks flushed, expression agitated, chest rising and falling with panting, only thought her injury had flared up, not even noticing Li Mochou's long sword, he urgently called: "Aunt!"

Yang Guo gently embraced her, lightly patted her back, Xiao Longnv said: "All right, then we two will die together."

Clang, Li Mochou's face turned ashen, her long sword fell to the ground.

"Good, good, good..." Feng Yi lightly clapped, calling out three goods, and said: "I have heard countless love stories in my life, never expecting to actually witness what it means to live and die together; if you do not leave, I will not abandon—this love fairy tale. Truly not a wasted trip!"

Feng Yi had long known the rules of the Ancient Tomb Sect; his purpose was to get some martial arts manuals, as for Xiao Longnv, he merely wanted to see how beautiful she was.

If it were said that he felt moved by her or wanted something to happen, Feng Yi had no interest at all.

This woman acts on her own, extremely sensitive; if a word is wrong, she runs away, never communicating; he inwardly dislikes this behavior.

Like Yang Guo, the ordeal of searching the world for a wife is described in the book with a light sentence saying he wandered dazed for an unknown time, but in reality, walking a few hundred miles cannot be endured.

Therefore Feng Yi immediately let Li Mochou not harm Xiao Longnv and Yang Guo, nor help them escape mortal danger, just wanting to wait until the two were forced into a desperate situation, set down the Breaking Dragon Stone, and mutually confess their feelings.

And he could naturally reap the benefits—this is called each taking what they need, owing nothing, never feeling guilty at any time! Feng Yi sighed again, softly saying: "Li Mochou, have you not lost utterly this time?"

Hearing him say that, both Yang Guo and Xiao Longnv were stunned; Li Mochou, seeing Yang Guo's sincere treatment of Xiao Longnv, could not help but feel both envy and resentment, recalling Lu Zhan yuan's faithless betrayal of her. She also felt a hint of resentment: killing Yang Guo would deprive her junior sister of true love, yet she thought of Feng Yi.

That day, all my ugly and embarrassed moments were seen by that foul man; today, again ignoring his obstruction, I came full of confidence to the ancient tomb to compete with my junior sister.

Who would have thought it would be, as Feng Yi said, a crushing defeat; if I were to kill Yang Guo, what would that be? Wouldn't I lose again?

She was proud and conceited, thinking her looks and talent made her outstanding among contemporary women, but He Yuanjun, who was inferior to her in every way, somehow seized her beloved, making her furious and she took it out on others.

Feng Yi looked down on her for this reason, and she felt it acutely; now if she were to lose her composure, in his eyes the saying "Lu Zhan yuan doesn't want you" would become true, wouldn't it? In an instant, Li Mochou's heart seemed twisted into a knot, her blood running hot and cold, her eye sockets sore and hot, almost about to tear up.

Li Mochou turned over several thoughts, fixed her gaze on Xiao Longnv, and suddenly asked: "Junior Sister, have you married him?"

Xiao Longnv replied: "No, he is my disciple."

Li Mochou was greatly puzzled, shaking her head and saying: "Junior Sister, let me look at your arm." She extended her left hand to lightly grasp Xiao Longnv's hand, and with her right hand rolled up her sleeve, seeing a speck of crimson on the snow‑white skin—exactly the guardian sand placed by their master.

Li Mochou secretly admired: "These two, rubbing cheeks in the ancient tomb, still manage to keep propriety; she remains a pure and spotless maiden." She then rolled up her own sleeve, a speck of guardian sand glowing brightly.

Feng Yi saw the two white arms lying together, extremely moving, and inwardly sighed: "One has been broken by a lovesick fool, the other a lovesick fool with no one to break her; in the end they will be buried in a sea of fire—what a pity!"

Li Mochou thought she preserved her chastity only out of helplessness, while her junior sister had a man willingly die for her and still kept her body like jade—the difference in difficulty is worlds apart.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but let out a long sigh, releasing Xiao Longnv's arm, and said: "Junior Sister, in this life I have ultimately gotten nothing! You have never left the mountain, unaware of how treacherous people's hearts are; a man as deep‑hearted and righteous as Yang Guo is hard to find a second of in the whole world.

Today I have lost to you and I concede; I will no longer contend with you, I do not want the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra either—I will just keep you company.

Her heart had been utterly wounded in love; in her grief and indignation she inevitably spoke excessively, wiping out all sincere men in the world.

Feng Yi also agreed with this, nodding involuntarily.

Because he had heard many such love stories where lives could be entrusted, yet he had never actually witnessed one.

Even the love of Ding Dian and Ling Shuanghua, he had not seen that parting in life and death, one caring for the other.

Having lived two lives, he neither had the heart to die for any woman, nor had he seen a woman willing to die for him; therefore here he does not believe in love.

Even facing Hong Lingbo, it was merely physiological urge at work; if there were true love, Feng Yi himself would not believe it.

It was only that just now Hong Lingbo said she wasn't afraid to die with him, which moved his heart a little, and he thought about how to give her more benefits later.

Li Mochou's move, however, greatly surprised Xiao Longnv, who knew her senior sister was proud and lofty, never willing to bow to anyone; not knowing the intent of those words, she lightly replied: "You do your thing, I do mine, each to their own—there's no need to apologize for anything."

Li Mochou said: "Junior Sister, listen to me; for us women, the greatest blessing in life is to have a sincere husband."

The ancients said: "Priceless treasures are easy to find, but a devoted lover is hard to come by." Being an elder sister is a hard fate, needless to say.

This youth treats you so well; you actually lack nothing.

Xiao Longnv smiled faintly and said: "I am very happy. He will always treat me well, I know."

Li Mochou rose, feeling envious, thinking of her own misfortune, and slowly said: "Junior Sister, you spend your whole life in this stone tomb, knowing only this one man among men, yet you do not know how many men in the world are faithless; truly loyal ones to you are probably hardly any."

Speaking, her gaze unintentionally flicked toward Feng Yi and Hong Lingbo.

Hong Lingbo's eyes were reddened, she looked at Feng Yi with a questioning expression, and couldn't help recalling his remark down the mountain: "Love is bullshit."

Feng Yi did not want to hear Li Mochou's petty talk, but seeing Hong Lingbo's expression off, he couldn't help thinking: "This woman seems overly sensitive; how will I manage to live with her in the future?"

"I once had a lover who showered me with sweet words, saying he would die a thousand or ten thousand times for me without regret. Not expecting that after only two months apart he met a young, beautiful girl and immediately became infatuated; when he saw me again he actually ignored me, as if we were strangers. I asked him how he was, and he replied: 'Miss Li, we are righteous brothers of the jianghu; I am grateful for your past kindness, and if I ever have a chance to repay, I will certainly not forget.'"

He then brazenly said: "Miss Li, on the twenty‑fourth of next month I will marry Miss He in Dali; if you have time, please do come to the wedding feast."

I was so angry I vomited blood and fainted on the spot. He revived me, helped me to rest at an inn, and then left without looking back."

Over these years, Li Mochou has constantly recalled the words Lu Zhan yuan spoke to her that day, repeating his decisive speech, tone, expression—it seemed exactly as if spoken by a heartless, unjust man, only with added deep resentment and hatred.

Hong Lingbo felt miserable hearing this, her vision blurred; she clenched her fists till nails dug into her flesh, a piercing pain. She increasingly felt that Feng Yi would become a second Lu Zhan yuan.

Feng Yi noticed Hong Lingbo's oddness, but did not guess what she thought of him, merely assuming she had been affected by the experience of a resentful lady of the inner chambers; he inwardly sighed: "I thought I wielded my spear like a dragon, who knew it would be one careless move! Do I still need to prove myself to her? What a fuss—looks like I ought to think of a way to part peacefully."

"From now on I'm better off wandering the jianghu alone; women are truly a damn hassle!"

Although the two had already slept together, for Hong Lingbo it was a big matter, but Feng Yi would not, for this reason, bind himself for life; he ultimately had a modern mindset, felt it unsuitable, and had already thought of leaving, at worst giving some compensation.

For example, martial arts!

As Feng Yi pondered, he heard Xiao Longnv ask Li Mochou: "Then what happened? Are you just going to let it go?"

Li Mochou coldly replied: "How so? When a man changes his heart, not even a thousand horses can pull him back!"

Even if you placed a steel blade at his throat, forcing him to return to your side, he would be insincere, sweet‑talking you again for a while—what flavor would that be? All men in the world favor the new and discard the old, seek novelty; even if you were a celestial beauty, you could never make him eternally sincere.

Junior Sister, this man truly willing to die for you—such a man I have longed for, hoping only to meet one; whether he is an idiot or an ugly monster, I would treat him with complete sincerity.

Junior Sister, you have met him—you are truly blessed!

I do not envy the master passing the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra to you; I only envy that you have found such a fine disciple!"

Feng Yi hearing this couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, and reflected on himself: am I fond of the new and tired of the old?

Yang Guo loudly said: "Master Li, I have encountered such a good master—I am the fortunate one!"

Li Mochou sighed and said: "You two are both fortunate, but it's a pity that, being young, you will have to spend your lives in this lightless ancient tomb, never seeing the outside world's splendor again; you will regret it someday."

Yang Guo loudly protested: "No way, no way! If I had the slightest regret, let her cut me down with one sword—I would never flee!"

Xiao Longnv gazed warmly and kindly at Yang Guo, comforting him: "Guo'er, don't be anxious; I believe that with me you will never regret."

Yang Guo reached out his hand and grasped her palm.

Their palms met, and instantly their spirits connected; they deeply knew that in this life and this world they would never betray each other.

They gazed at each other; though the stone chamber lacked light, they felt as if they had spoken hundreds of sentences, confirming their feelings, with no fear of ever changing their hearts.

Li Mochou sighed and said, "Junior Sister, you are a young maiden, unaware of how treacherous people's hearts can be; that's not your fault. Today I will teach you a self-defense move. Your master would not teach you this, because she has never left the ancient tomb and does not know it herself."

Xiao Longnv listened attentively to her solemn words and said, "Thank you, Senior Sister."

Just as Li Mochou was about to speak, Feng Yi said, "Enough, full of resentment, words fail to convey meaning—what's there to say?"

Li Mochou was left speechless, her face suddenly draining of color.

Feng Yi let out a faint sigh and said, "Love is something that defies reason and cannot be grasped."

However, Yang Guo and Xiao Longnv, you two consider each other and are willing to sacrifice your lives for one another—this is the most precious affection in the world.

After all, isn't it said that nothing is more important than death?

Li Mochou is obstinate; after meeting Lu Zhan yuan, she became what she is today. You two need not listen to any talk, nor dwell on her past.

Her experiences and her background have nothing commendable.

Her experiences and her background have nothing commendable.

"Because only by weighing persistence against flexibility does one face the challenge that everyone must encounter on their path of growth, and it is the sole way to avoid detours and heartache." Li Mochou's eyes reddened, tears glistening, about to spill.

Hong Lingbo quickly flicked her sleeve to wipe away the tears that had already fallen.

Xiao Longnv, however, felt greatly relieved and whispered, "Then, having him accompany me in death would already make it worthwhile!"

Feng Yi said, "Don't just rush to die; in life you can enjoy different scenery and meet different people, and you'll be surprised to find that the things you once found tangled and worrisome are actually trivial—who hasn't felt lost and confused..."

As he spoke, he pointed to his broken leg: "I made one careless move and nearly fell to my death, but I didn't give up, because one should believe in one's own abilities!"

He went on, looking at Li Mochou: "I've said before, you merely had a failed love affair, yet you resent heaven and earth, as if the whole world owes you."

Why don't you consider that you gave your heart to Lu Zhan yuan; if you had truly been with him, you would have given your body as well, and after breaking up, what then?

Now you are still pure—isn't that true good fortune?"

Li Mochou's cheeks flushed, her lips trembled, she could not utter a word, then suddenly her eyes reddened and tears streamed down.

Seeing her tears, Feng Yi thought, "All right, she is ultimately a woman mad for love; why should I criticize her on this point?" He said, "Think from another angle: he is not a scoundrel who cheated you out of your body; doesn't that prove your taste is excellent? At the very least he's far better than me—if I were Lu Zhan yuan and met you back then, I would surely have taken your body first and then spoken."

Thinking this way, isn't he far better? What is there left to resent?

His shocking words startled both Yang Guo and Xiao Longnv, and Hong Lingbo's heart suddenly felt a pang of sorrow: "What am I to her in her heart?"

Yet Li Mochou let out a puff and burst out laughing.

She is exceedingly proud and does not care for others' praise or blame, but in her eyes Feng Yi is a remarkable man of the age—truly, his words are like gold and jade.

Most importantly, she has constantly been preoccupied with the fact that Feng Yi has looked at and touched her body—whether she resents it or can't forget it—ultimately he has secured an irreplaceable place in her heart.

Upon hearing him admit he is inferior to Lu Zhan yuan, Li Mochou's resentment toward him vanished completely, and that remark about taking her body made her feel delighted.

Because Li Mochou feels that a proud man like Feng Yi having such a thought precisely proves her own excellence; she does not believe Feng Yi could say that line about taking a woman's body to any woman, especially not in front of Hong Lingbo.

Xiao Longnv watched Li Mochou go from normal to tears, then to laughing through tears, merely a few words from Feng Yi left her wondering, "Is this still the senior sister I know?" She said, "Senior Sister, come with me; let's go see our master." Saying this, she took Yang Guo's hand and turned to leave.

Feng Yi said, "Let's go, let's also have a look at your master."

Li Mochou snorted, yet a voice inside urged her to follow Feng Yi's steps, and she did so without hesitation.

Hong Lingbo silently followed behind Li Mochou.

In this tomb passage there was not a glimmer of light, and there were mechanisms; Li Mochou thought that with the dragon‑breaking stone lowered, death was certain anyway, so it didn't matter, while Feng Yi proceeded step by step, wary and daring not to be negligent in the slightest.

Seeing Xiao Longnv leading Yang Guo winding east and west, Feng Yi found it straight‑forwardly headache‑inducing; he considered this and therefore dared not act rashly, for without a guide he might starve to death before finding the way out.

After walking a while, Xiao Longnv pushed open a heavy stone door, took out a tinder from her bosom, struck a flame, lit the two oil lamps on the stone table, and everyone looked around, involuntarily shivering.

All they saw was a vast, empty hall with five stone coffins placed side by side.

Looking closely, they saw that three of the stone coffins had their lids tightly sealed, while the other two had lids only half‑pushed on, and it was unknown whether they contained corpses.

Li Mochou had grown up in the ancient tomb but had never come here before; Xiao Longnv pointed to the first stone coffin on the right and said, "The ancestral grandmother rests here." She pointed to the second and said, "My master rests here."

Li Mochou, recalling her master's kindness in raising her, felt deeply sorrowful; she had originally thought her master played favorites, but upon learning that her master's death was entirely because of herself.

Moreover, after Xiao Longnv personally confirmed it, she could let go of revenge, yet she could not understand why she had to relieve Ou Yang Feng's pressure point.

Evidently, in her master's heart, she could not believe that the disciple she had painstakingly raised was a traitorous rebel; otherwise this thought would not have arisen.

At once she knelt and began kowtowing to her master; Hong Lingbo, seeing this, felt rather embarrassed and glanced at Feng Yi.

Feng Yi gave a slight nod: "The dead are paramount; it is proper for you and Li Mochou, master and disciple, to do this."

Saying this, he knelt together with Hong Lingbo and knocked his head once.

This gesture left Xiao Longnv, Li Mochou, and Yang Guo stunned, but they soon realized it was because of Hong Lingbo.

But Feng Yi did this to obtain the martial arts from the ancient tomb and seek peace of mind; after all, Lin Chaoying is also here, and this is the price he has paid.

Xiao Longnv reached out and pointed to the third stone coffin, saying, "Grandma Sun rests here."

She then pointed to the two coffins and said, "Senior Sister, the master anticipated your return and made these arrangements; go ahead and pick one to rest in."

Saying this, she looked at Feng Yi and Hong Lingbo: "You two and Guo'er have no coffins; my master probably didn't anticipate that."

Feng Yi heard her speak so nonchalantly about life and death, truly admired her, rose and laughed: "Your master didn't expect me to come. But I am certain this ancient tomb has another exit."

"What do you mean?" Li Mochou asked, glancing at Feng Yi, her gaze falling on Xiao Longnv's face.

Yang Guo also looked back at Xiao Longnv, his eyes shining with spirit.

When someone thinks they are bound to die yet finds they can live, they no longer wish to die.

Xiao Longnv said lightly, "Senior Sister, you also know that with the dragon‑breaking stone lowered, there might be a way out."

"Feng Yi?" Li Mochou frowned, indicating a question.

Feng Yi said, "Is this Tomb of the Living Dead built by Wang Zhongyang?"

Xiao Longnv nodded and said, "Indeed, it is Wang Zhongyang; back then he lost in a martial arts contest to my ancestral grandmother."

"Senior Sister, your relationship is deep; didn't you tell him?"

Li Mochou was full of doubts, saying, "What? What should I have told him?"

"Feng Yi," Li Mochou laughed, "you wouldn't have learned that from Wang Zhongyang, would you?"

"Hehe." Feng Yi gave a cold laugh and said, "Did Wang Zhongyang build the tomb back then just for himself to live in?"

"No!" Xiao Longnv said, "He did it to resist the Jin troops."

What is the purpose of the Broken Dragon Stone?

It was so that, in the event of a military defeat, if they were surrounded in force, they would perish together with the enemy.

Feng Yi nodded and said, "Back then, Wang Zhongyang raised troops to resist the Jin, hoping to emulate Yue Fei and restore the Central Plains."

Having become a Daoist, he constantly thought about the way to save the world, rescue the nation, and pacify the people; such a man full of hot blood, brimming with ambition and lofty aspirations, how could he, after a single defeat, consign himself to a desperate situation?

"That makes sense." Yang Guo clapped and laughed loudly, "He surely left an escape route!"

Xiao Longnv shook her head and said, "No, Master never mentioned any other route; if there were one, he wouldn't hide it from me!"

Feng Yi said, "Perhaps even your master and your ancestral grandmother don't know either."

Li Mochou sneered, "If Wang Zhongyang left an escape route, why didn't he tell my ancestral grandmother? You're probably just being overconfident!"

Feng Yi gave a slight cold smile and said, "So you will end up lovelorn; even if your ancestral grandmother's martial arts are superb, she too will be unable to obtain what she seeks."

Li Mochou stared at Feng Yi, and Xiao Longnv asked, "What do you mean?"

Feng Yi said wistfully, "Although I, Feng Yi, am nobody special, I still know that every man cares about his dignity, especially in front of the woman he loves."

You can praise him a bit, but you must not keep attacking him.

Although Wang Zhongyang and your ancestral grandmother never became husband and wife, it's undeniable that they had mutual affection; he lost to your grandmother and yielded the ancient tomb, which was already embarrassing, and then he claimed he had reserved a passage to escape death—your ancestral grandmother, with her opposing character, would not fail to mock him, saying, "Wang Zhongyang, I never expected you to be such a coward who clings to life and fears death!"

Everyone listened intently, especially Yang Guo, Xiao Longnv, and Li Mochou, who roughly knew the entanglement between Wang Zhongyang and Lin Chaoying, and couldn't help but feel a sudden realization.

Wang Zhongyang and Lin Chaoying were both martial arts prodigies, originally a perfect match made in heaven. Between them, there was no third party—male or female—causing ripples in their sea of emotions, nor any grudges among relatives, friends, or fellow disciples.

Wang Zhongyang had previously been too focused on the uprising against the Jin to attend to personal feelings, but after the righteous army's defeat and his solitary dwelling in the ancient tomb, Lin Chaoying came to console him with tender affection and lofty righteousness, deeply moving; at that point there seemed no reason they couldn't be together, yet they still ended up with eternal resentment in love—one took the Daoist cap and left the world, the other lingered in sorrow in the stone tomb until death.

The reason behind this, even the disciples like Qiu Chuji did not understand, and Wang Zhongyang and Lin Chaoying themselves could hardly explain it, so they could only attribute it to the two words 'no affinity'.

But they did not realize that 'no affinity' is the result, not the cause.

Simply because both possessed high martial arts and great pride, whenever their affection began to sprout, their discussions of martial arts would breed competition, and they never yielded to each other; Wang Zhongyang might sometimes have a yielding heart, but Lin Chaoying was not so—she had to suppress Wang Zhongyang.

In comparison, Lin Chaoying ultimately had the slight edge; Wang Zhongyang, unwilling to forever be inferior to a woman, would, whenever he felt even a hint of affection for Lin Chaoying, forcibly restrain himself.

Later Lin Chaoying even created the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, specifically to counter Quanzhen martial arts, while Wang Zhongyang, unwilling to admit defeat, inscribed the essentials of the Nine Yin True Classic in the tomb—all stemming from a single thought of competitiveness! Thus Lin Chaoying thought that if she subdued him, he could become her lover, which was simply a mistake about the object.

Although no one fully understood why they lacked affinity, Yang Guo laughed loudly and said, "Brother Feng, your insight is truly remarkable; if I were Wang Zhongyang, I would have already lost, and would be even more embarrassed to become a laughingstock. So, in your view, where is this escape passage?"

Feng Yi smiled but said nothing.

He could not simply say it was right inside these two empty coffins.

The reason he first proposed the idea of a passage was to get Xiao Longnv to lie in the coffin; if she didn't, everyone would search around, and he would happen to find the coffin, making it seem less abrupt.

Otherwise, if he went straight to someone else's coffin and found the passage, he could not explain himself; in such a place full of mechanisms, causing any mishap would ultimately be bad.

After all, even if he saw the tomb map himself, he might not understand the walking routes as Xiao Longnv does; that is the fundamental reason.

As for the directions involved, without understanding the tomb's construction, trying to comprehend them would be troublesome.

Xiao Longnv, however, shook her head and said, "Leaving aside whether this passage exists, our tomb's food and honey would only last us ten days; given the tomb's size, if we can't find it, we'll die here, so we might as well sleep in the coffins and wait for death."

Such stubborn words only made Li Mochou tremble with anger; she stamped her foot, turned and walked away, but Feng Yi grabbed her and asked, "Where are you going?"

Li Mochou snapped angrily, "She knows all the tomb's mechanisms, yet she doesn't even think about finding a way out—must I go look? Am I really supposed to lie down and wait for death like her?"

Feng Yi said, "What's wrong with sleeping in a coffin and waiting to die? Pick one first."

Li Mochou stared at him, gritting her teeth, "Do you really want me to die that badly?"

Feng Yi merely smiled, too lazy to argue.

Li Mochou spat and said, "You're all talk, just another coward who clings to life and fears death!"

Feng Yi's eyes flashed, he gave a faint smile and said, "Fine, as long as you sleep in a coffin, I'll sleep in one with you—this isn't just empty talk, nor is it fear of death, is it?"

Li Mochou's face flushed red, her heart a mix of joy and anger, and she spat, "You... you shameless!"

As they argued, they heard Xiao Longnv say, "Guo'er, push open the lid of this stone coffin; I'll sleep first."

Yang Guo replied, "Okay!" Xiao Longnv noticed there was no sorrow in his tone and felt a little strange.

Yang Guo pushed open the coffin lid, waited for her to enter, then leapt into the coffin and lay down beside her, head to head.

Xiao Longnv felt both happy and puzzled, asking, "What are you doing?" Yang Guo answered, "I want to be with you. Let's see how they sleep in that stone coffin."

Feng Yi, Li Mochou, and Hong Lingbo saw the two lie down in the coffin, each with different thoughts.

Feng Yi listened for a while but heard no movement, thinking, "If they had discovered something, they ought to say something." He walked over and asked, "Brother Yang, are you just going to sleep like that?"

Yang Guo said, "Brother Feng, you go look for the passage; I've resigned myself to fate with my aunt."

Feng Yi poked his head in and saw Xiao Longnv had tightly closed her eyes; the space was narrow, so he couldn't well stick his head in to inspect.

He could only tap his cane and walk toward another coffin.

Anyway, in the original story they discovered a secret inside the coffins, but it's not necessarily the same one they're sleeping in now.

Who would have expected Li Mochou's figure to flash, shove open a coffin, and directly lie down inside.

Feng Yi laughed and said, "Resigned to fate?"

As he spoke, he poked his head into the coffin; he didn't bother much about Li Mochou, but saw her staring fixedly at him, her expression startled, so he said, "Let me check for mechanisms; perhaps the passage is right here." He was about to reach out and touch the coffin when he suddenly saw a flash of brilliance in Li Mochou's eyes.

Feng Yi startled, jumped back several feet, and asked, "What are you trying to do?"

Li Mochou, seeing him like that, pursed her lips and gave a cold laugh, "You're really that afraid of me?"

Feng Yi replied lightly, "It's not that I fear you; I simply don't trust you."

Li Mochou felt her heart sink, closed her eyes, and thought, "In my life, Lu Zhongyuan doesn't want me, and he doesn't believe me either—what point is there left for me?"

Just then, Feng Yi had already come over, bent down again, and said, "Is there anything unusual inside the coffin?"

Li Mochou blinked at his words, opened her eyes, and saw Feng Yi winking at her; she couldn't help but feel strangely: "I just discovered this secret, yet he seems to have known all along!"

It turned out Li Mochou had discovered on the inner side of the coffin lid the large characters: "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra, to overcome Quanzhen; Yang Guo all his life, not inferior to anyone." That was why she involuntarily showed surprise then, while Feng Yi took it as her preparing to attack him; their thoughts were completely at cross purposes.

Feng Yi's eyes flickered, yet he spoke casually: "Could there really be something abnormal here?"

Then Li Mochou said softly: "Have you heard the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra? You want to defeat Quanzhen; in Wang Chongyang's lifetime, he was not inferior to anyone?"

The two were very close; a faint fragrance came from her body, her breath like orchids; Feng Yi felt a sudden tingling in his heart, thinking: "As it turns out, this time I was made to lie in this coffin by her."

After steadying himself, he then said: "From the meaning, everyone knows these are Wang Chongyang's words—what's the matter?"

Yet Li Mochou lowered her head and fell into thought.

Feng Yi sneered: "Will you speak or not?"

Li Mochou gave no answer; Feng Yi stared at her, killing intent fully revealed between his brows, about to seize her and find it himself.

Li Mochou snapped: "Hey, stinky Feng Yi, aren't you going to ask why I said that?"

Feng Yi said: "If you won't speak, what's the use of asking you?"

Li Mochou angrily said: "Fine, I won't speak; just kill me, but don't regret it later."

Yang Guo, Xiao Longnv, and Hong Lingbo each listened to their conversation, their hearts filled with surging thoughts.

Feng Yi looked at Li Mochou, his expression wavering; thinking of the Five Poisons Secret Transmission, only the final tremor remained; after pondering a while, he finally showed resignation and sighed: "All right, Fairy Li, tell me."

Li Mochou, hearing him address her as Fairy Li, grew even more displeased, gave a hum, and said: "Just now you were bursting with killing intent; I'll especially not tell you."

Feng Yi gave a hum, bent over, and slapped down; Li Mochou was about to block, but the coffin was narrow, her hand clumsy, and Feng Yi's speed left her no time to react.

This palm, intentionally or not, landed precisely on her chest at the Divine Seal point.

Even though Feng Yi was not doing this for the first time, he only felt the softness under his palm, his heart pounding wildly; Li Mochou couldn't move her hand in time, felt tightness in her chest, her cheeks flushed, and she lifted her head angrily: "You're so shameless!"

Before she could finish speaking, he had already dragged her out of the coffin.

Feng Yi snorted: "Who made you not listen to me!"

Saying that, he threw her to Hong Lingbo and jumped into the coffin himself.

Yang Guo and Xiao Longnv were inside the coffin; both heard the movements, they looked at each other, completely unaware of what Feng Yi and Li Mochou were doing.

In their astonishment, they heard Feng Yi sigh softly: "What a lifetime of Wang Chongyang, not inferior to anyone; Long maiden, come quickly!"

(End of chapter)