Chapter 74: The Final Farewell

"Yes, once the hummingbird brings the news back to Luodu, Miss Yu's legendary battle record of first fighting the hunting flag immortal and then challenging the Moon-Boasting Hermit will surely be known to the world and respected by everyone."

County Magistrate Wang didn't understand Guan Zhong and Xiao Yu's worries; at this moment, his face was full of sincere admiration and awe.

"Who is using a hummingbird to spread the news?" Guan Zhong asked.

County Magistrate Wang was stunned for a moment and said: "Does the news of the Battle of Feixian Ferry need anyone to spread it specifically? Regardless of the outcome, it must be reported to Luodu immediately, right?

However, Wang learned the details of the Battle of Feixian Ferry from the Fire Crow Army's messenger.

This morning, a messenger holding a fire plaque arrived in Jiming Town to prepare supplies for Marquis Lieyang and the Fire Crow Army."

"Fire Crow Army messenger..." Guan Zhong felt a thud in his heart, his expression remained calm, and he asked again: "The first merit of the Battle of Feixian Ferry belongs to Marquis Lieyang.

The chief should diligently receive the Marquis and the Central Plains soldiers; why look for my young lady alone?"

Early this morning, Song Changqing fulfilled his promise and found Xiao Yu and Guan Zhong before the Fire Crow Army broke camp, allowing them to catch up with the main force in time.

When the Fire Crow Army set up camp at dusk, Song Changqing came out again to tell Guan Zhong and Xiao Yu outside the camp that Marquis Lieyang and the Fire Crow Army would stay outside the city, but would pass through the county town at the fifth watch the next day and continue south.

Because they knew Marquis Lieyang would enter from the north gate and go out from the south gate, they chose to stay in an inn near the north gate.

"Sigh, the Marquis is busy with military affairs and is in a hurry to go to Tianmen Town to meet the Central Plains Imperial Envoy; tomorrow he will start marching at the fifth watch!" He said sincerely and gently to appease him.

County Magistrate Wang nodded: "Wang also knows that the messenger has already gone south to Suiyang Prefecture with the fire plaque, and Marquis Lieyang is marching urgently and has no time to entertain."

Guan Zhong thought for a while, then stood up and bowed to County Magistrate Wang, saying: "It is good to let the magistrate know that the Marquis is leading the Fire Crow Army hundreds of miles a day, and the young lady and I are also following along.

Tomorrow morning, we will leave Jiming Town with the Fire Crow Army and finally arrive in Yingxiang Prefecture.

So we have to fail the magistrate's good intentions."

County Magistrate Wang was surprised: "Why are the steward and the young lady so urgent?"

Guan Zhong sighed: "My old master's life or death is uncertain, this old servant is burning with anxiety, and Miss Yu is also anxious to return to Yingxiang Prefecture!"

County Magistrate Wang's eyes flickered, and he asked: "Why is General Guan's life or death uncertain?"

——Isn't Guan Huchen dead, having violated Marquis Lieyang's taboo and been beaten to death?

Guan Zhong said: "My old master was seriously injured and almost heroically sacrificed on the battlefield of Feixian Ferry.

Fortunately, the old master has a divine horse, three thousand miles a day, and the Guan family still has a box of Flower Mist Incense, which might save his life."

"Sigh, General Guan is a pillar of the Great Shu Kingdom; may the heavens bless good people with a safe life, and escape disasters and difficulties!"

County Magistrate Wang prayed sincerely, then stood up to say goodbye and didn't mention the invitation for the young lady to attend the banquet again.

However, after County Magistrate Wang left the courtyard gate, he immediately ordered the government office runners to send eighteen red wooden food boxes to the inn.

Opening the food boxes, there were steaming delicacies, exquisite and sweet snacks, as well as various nuts and fresh fruits.

Xiao Yu and Guan Zhong had a full meal.

After eating and drinking, and sending away the government office runners with a few words of thanks and more than ten taels of broken silver, Xiao Yu picked up a cup of hot tea and whispered: "Li Zhongshu, do you think Marquis Lieyang is playing a big game, or is some Central Plains general dissatisfied with our Guan family?"

Guan Zhong understood she was talking about the messenger spreading the legendary battle record of her killing Kong Zan and abolishing Zhou Lang.

"I dare not think; no matter how I think, it's a great terror." Old Zhong said bitterly.

"Not necessarily, not necessarily..." Xiao Yu waved her hand: "If Marquis Lieyang is playing a big game, using me as a pawn to attract the remnants of the Eight Immortals, he will keep a close eye on the movements around us.

He is an upright hero and wouldn't kill with a borrowed knife.

If the Eight Immortals remnants appear and I am not their match, he will take action immediately.

If it has nothing to do with Marquis Lieyang, purely because some Central Plains general is unhappy with the Guan family, there is no need to worry.

Marquis Lieyang is an upright hero, and the Central Plains general wouldn't dare to go too far."

"Sigh, Marquis Lieyang might be a great hero and a great man, but it is also a fact that the old master died unclearly!

And the Red Smoke Colt...

The old master really should have listened to the ancestor and stayed home to read for ten years, and then come out of the mountains ten years later." Guan Zhong sighed.

"Is it possible that Marquis Lieyang discovered foster father's plan?" Xiao Yu asked.

"How could he discover it? Marquis Lieyang had just arrived at Feixian Ferry, and the old master didn't have a chance to show a single flaw, and even if he discovered it, it—"

Guan Zhong was stunned.

Huchen had analyzed with him that as long as the Shadow God Map was completed, even if Marquis Lieyang discovered his plan, he could only endure it or help him complete the Little Li Fei plan.

Because once the Shadow God Map was completed, the fact that Miss Yu was "Little Li Fei" couldn't be hidden from anyone.

Once the Human Emperor knew that someone had harmed Little Li Fei behind his back... who could bear the Human Emperor's anger?

Marquis Lieyang at most had some dissatisfaction with the "Little Li Fei plan," and there was no irreconcilable hatred, and even no conflict of interest.

For his own small anger, it was not worth provoking the Human Emperor's anger.

So knowing Huchen's plan, Marquis Lieyang would also endure it, or simply participate in it to seek benefits.

Huchen's judgment was probably correct, but Huchen's judgment had a big premise: the Human Emperor was still alive.

No matter how beautiful "Little Li Fei" was, it only had meaning to Human Emperor Zheng who missed Li Fei.

Once the new Human Emperor was changed, "Little Li Fei" would immediately lose all value.

Marquis Lieyang didn't need any forbearance; if he had anger, he would vent it on the spot.

"Sigh, this matter still needs to be asked of the old master; let's rest early. From tomorrow, we must follow the Fire Crow Army more closely." Guan Zhong said helplessly.

"Miss Yu, Miss Yu..."

Xiao Yu's body was very tired, and she slept very soundly, but her soul was unstable because she had completely lost the Shadow God Map, the more tired she was, the more unstable it was.

After reciting the "Tao Te Ching" several times before going to bed, she entered a dreamland in a daze, and didn't know how much time had passed before she heard someone calling her from afar.

"Whoo whoo whoo, bang bang bang~~"

Then, gusts of gloomy wind blew outside the house, and also blew the magnolia branches outside the porch, knocking lightly on the window.

Xiao Yu rubbed her eyes and sat up directly from the bed.

"Duan Laoshu Duan, is it you?"

"Whoo whoo whoo..."

The gloomy wind became more intense.

Xiao Yu took the clothes from the head of the bed and draped them over herself, found her embroidered shoes, walked to the door quickly, and opened the door, and sure enough, she saw two blurry black shadows standing in the courtyard outside the porch.

"Miss Yu!" Both black shadows made a bowing motion.

"Hey, Duan Laoshu Duan, what are you doing?"

Xiao Yu wanted to stop them, but couldn't touch the other party.

"Miss Yu, fortunately you didn't live near the military camp today, so my father and son could come over to say goodbye to you.

Sigh, this place is too far from our tombs; it's almost the limit of where we can leave.

If you walk another day, even if we want to say goodbye in person, we won't have the chance."

Xiao Yu said: "Before I went to sleep last night, I returned to the old site of Feixian Ferry and called Duan Laoshu Duan's name."

She wanted to know if the Duan father and son had encountered danger after the flood struck.

If Duan Laoshu Duan appeared safely, she could say goodbye by the way.

"Yesterday the flood rose too fast and too urgently; seeing it was about to rush toward me, I was anxious in my heart, drilled into the ground, and got lost.

I kept taking detours back to Sancha Ridge, and only then did I take Guisheng to Hualong Pass to find you again." Duan Yuhan said very embarrassedly.

Xiao Yu knelt down and bowed to the two ghosts solemnly.

This time the two ghosts were anxious, and hurriedly knelt down on the opposite side and bowed three times.

Xiao Yu said righteously: "The kindness of the old uncle to Xiao Yu is worthy of this bow. Moreover, we are about to part, and I don't know when we will meet again, so I am a bit sad and sincerely want to bow to the old uncle once."

She even bowed to that foster father who had bad intentions, so why should she be reserved toward the gentleman ghost Duan Yuhan who sacrificed himself to help her and knelt to her many times?

Duan Yuhan said: "The kindness of Miss Yu to our father and son is the real great kindness; although I wanted to repay the young lady's kindness, I had low ability and didn't help much."

"How could you not have helped! Yesterday in the flag gate escape formation, if it weren't for the old uncle leading the way, I would have died under Kong Zan's heavenly blade." Xiao Yu said.

"Miss, is it you?"

At this time, a rustling sound of groping came from the opposite house; Old Zhong was awakened.

"Miss Yu, take care!" Duan Yuhan said.

"Miss Yu, have a safe journey." Guisheng said.

After speaking, the two black shadows gradually went north.

"Creak~~~"

Guan Zhong walked out holding a candle, surprised and suspicious: "Miss, in the middle of the night, what are you kneeling in the courtyard for?"

"Sigh, I met two good ghosts..."

Xiao Yu climbed up from the ground and told the story of herself and the two Duan ghosts.

"Humans and ghosts are on different paths; the flag gate escape formation has different effects on humans and ghosts; with him leading the way, I was able to return to the wine cellar in time and stop Li Qing and Wang Bao. Later, being able to kill Kong Zan and avoid Zhou Lang's flying sword was all thanks to his reminder."

Guan Zhong was amazed, "I didn't expect that the day the young lady buried the bones in the mountains would bring such a big encounter. It really is heaven's justice, good and evil are rewarded."

After a pause, he pondered: "Since Mr. Duan and Young Master Duan have great kindness to the young lady, the young lady should repay them with all her heart."

"How to repay?" Xiao Yu asked.

Guan Zhong looked at her, thinking that she had just left the barbarians and didn't understand the etiquette and customs of the "Central Plains people," so he said: "Burial in the earth is a great etiquette, and returning to the roots is also a great etiquette."

Xiao Yu realized something, "I should send the remains of the Duan father and son back to their hometown, let them be buried in their hometown, so that their souls can get peace and enter reincarnation.

Sigh, I only know they live in Guangning Prefecture; I didn't ask for the specific address, so I have to inquire carefully in the local area."

She looked at Guan Zhong for help.

Guan Zhong smiled: "This matter is not difficult; after returning to Yingxiang Prefecture, I will personally arrange for capable people to go to Guangning Prefecture to find the Duan family members.

If his family is still there, give money and let the Duan family's own people go to Sancha Ridge to welcome back their relatives' remains.

If the Duan family has no one left, or the family is too poor, hire a security bureau to escort the coffin back to the Duan family's ancestral grave in Guangning Prefecture for burial."

"Thank you, Li Zhongshu! This arrangement is very thoughtful." Xiao Yu was happy in her heart and bowed to Guan Zhong twice.

"No, no, no!" Guan Zhong hurriedly avoided it, saying: "Mr. Duan helping the young lady is helping the old master and me.

If it weren't for his guidance, letting the young lady return to the wine cellar in time, I would definitely be dead, the divine pill would be lost, and the old master would have to suffer endless humiliation.

The Duan father and son have great kindness to the young lady and to the Guan family.

I still have some regrets now that I didn't thank the two benefactors in person!"

——When it doesn't involve his own life and the core interests of the Guan family, this Old Zhong can be considered a kind person.

Xiao Yu felt emotional in her heart.

For the next few days, Xiao Yu and Guan Zhong followed the Fire Crow Army on a hard march.

However, Xiao Yu didn't suffer in vain; during the march, she recited the "Tao Te Ching" over and over again.

To practice the breathing technique of the "Male Xiong Xiong Long Gong," one must first accumulate "Dao Qi."

Xiao Yu's goal was far more than practicing the internal power of the "Male Xiong Xiong Long Gong"; she wanted to become an immortal!

The "Dao Qi" accumulated now would definitely be of great use when practicing immortal arts in the future.

So when she recited the "Tao Te Ching," she had very strong subjective initiative.

Not only reciting the original text of the Tao Te Ching, but also looking for annotations and analyses of the Tao Te Ching by various "Daoist big shots" in bookstores when encountering cities on the road.

Those who can publish books in ancient times are basically big shots.

"If the young lady wants to chant scriptures and increase Dao Qi, it is better to chant the 'Huangting Dadong Jing'; it is said that chanting ten thousand times can directly ascend to heaven in broad daylight and become an immortal." After asking clearly about Xiao Yu's situation at the entrance of the bookstore, Guan Zhong suggested.

"How many days does it take to chant the 'Huangting Dadong Jing' ten thousand times?" Xiao Yu asked.

Guan Zhong thought for a while and said: "I heard that if you chant diligently every day without stopping, it will take at least twenty years."

"Trading twenty years for eternal freedom is too worth it; so how many people have become immortals because of this?"

Guan Zhong shook his head.

He had lived for more than forty years and hadn't heard of a few legends of ascension.

"I don't know; maybe everyone couldn't persist for that long, or maybe chanting the 'Dadong Dadong Zhenjing' requires special methods.

Anyway, if you can increase Dao Qi and become an immortal, it's a big profit; if you can't become an immortal, it won't delay chanting scriptures and increasing Dao Qi."

Xiao Yu felt he was right, so she... still silently recited the Tao Te Ching.

It was really because there were too many versions of the "Dadong Dadong Zhenjing."

Not to mention different cities and different bookstores, even in the same bookstore, there were four or five kinds of "Dadong Dadong Zhenjing," and even the book titles were different; some had "Dadong" in the book, and some only had "Huangting," so she couldn't tell the true from the false.

If she spent a few years seriously chanting a fake scripture compiled by a third-rate Daoist, let alone increasing Dao Qi, she would ruin her already slim immortal fate.

There were also many versions of the "Tao Te Ching," but at least she could distinguish them slightly and find the most reliable one.

On the morning of the fourth day, just as Xiao Yu crossed the saddle, she suddenly thought of Huchen and turned to ask Guan Zhong, "Foster father should have returned to Yingxiang Prefecture by now, right?"

Guan Zhong was stunned, his expression worried: "If there were no accidents on the road, he should have arrived last night... I hope the old master has a smooth journey and has escaped disasters and difficulties by now." ===== CHAPTER 75 =====

If she spent a few years seriously reciting fake scriptures compiled by some third-rate Daoist, let alone cultivating Daoist energy, she would even ruin her already slim immortal destiny.

There are quite a few versions of the "Dao De Jing," but she could at least distinguish them slightly and find the most reliable one.

Early on the fourth day, just as Xiao Yu mounted her horse, she suddenly thought of Huchen and turned to ask Guan Zhong, "Shouldn't Godfather have returned to Yingxiang Mansion by now?"

Guan Zhong was stunned and said with a worried expression: "If he didn't encounter any accidents on the road, he should have arrived last night... I hope the Master's journey was smooth and that he has already escaped disaster and trouble."