Devour: Can you also draw entries from clone projection worlds?

When you returned to Taihu Lake again, it was already late autumn.

The osmanthus flowers have all fallen, leaving only bare branches.

Mu Wanqing sat on the stone steps at the entrance of the courtyard, holding the precious sword forged by the descendants of Ou Yezi, and was wiping it.

Seeing you appear at the village entrance, she stood up, sheathed her sword, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"You're back?"

"You're back." You walk over, pull her into your arms, and kiss her forehead. "Did you miss me?"

Mu Wanqing blushed and pushed you away: "I didn't mean to."

"That's a lie."

Believe it or not, it's up to you.

The two went inside. Mu Wanqing went to the kitchen to cook, while you meditated in the courtyard.

Close your eyes and mentally replay the battle on Shaoshi Mountain.

You remember every move and technique clearly: Qiao Feng's Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, Xu Zhu's Northern Darkness Inner Force, Duan Yu's Six Meridian Divine Sword, Ding Chunqiu's Poison Skill, Murong Fu's Swordsmanship, You Tanzhi's Ice Silkworm Poison Skill.

You start to wonder how you would deal with these tactics if you were in their shoes.

When facing Qiao Feng's Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, you can use Lingbo Weibu to dodge and then find an opportunity to absorb his internal energy with Beiming Divine Skill, or you can try to directly fight him with Beiming Divine Skill.

Facing Xu Zhu's Northern Darkness Inner Force, a head-on confrontation is possible, but his inner force, which comes from someone else, is certainly no match for yours. It would be more appropriate to suppress his reaction speed with sword intent and then win with a swift sword.

The best way to deal with Duan Yu's Six Meridian Divine Sword is to not give him a chance to attack. Use Lingbo Weibu to get close, suppress him with Beiming, and then kill him with a single sword strike.

After all, the Six Meridian Divine Sword, a sword-qi-based ultimate technique, is truly impossible to defend against.

"Indeed, this is what it means to learn from the strengths of many schools." These thoughts circulated repeatedly in your mind, becoming clearer with each iteration, and you felt that your understanding of martial arts had reached a new level.

Of course, this is also inseparable from the term "逍遥无极" (Xiaoyao Wuji), which enhances your understanding of the Xiaoyao School's martial arts, allowing you to see the essence of other people's martial arts and then integrate it into your own system.

This isn't stealing; this is integrating and applying knowledge.

At the end of the year, you drew the entry for the thirteenth year under the osmanthus tree by Taihu Lake.

[Thirteenth year in total, keyword extraction in progress... Detected that the host is witnessing a duel between top masters, resulting in a significant improvement in martial arts understanding... Congratulations to the host for obtaining the green keyword: Mastery]

[Effect: When observing others' combat or learning their martial arts, you can more quickly grasp their core principles and integrate them into your own martial arts system. Learning speed increased by 50%, fusion effect increased by 50%.]

As you look at this term, a smile curls up on your lips. What a wonderful phrase, "thorough understanding and mastery"!

The system truly understands the host's needs and desires.

[System notification: Current term statistics...]

[White entries: 30]

[Green Attributes: 6 (Body Refinement Genius, Sword Mind Clarity, Agile Movement, Combat Instinct, Compassion, Comprehensive Understanding)]

[Blue entries: 3 (Sword Intent Minor Success, Danger Perception Medium, Unfettered Freedom)]

[Purple Entry: 1 (Northern Sea Returns to the Ocean)]

In the spring of the fourteenth year, news came that Qiao Feng was forced to resign as the leader of the Beggars' Sect and was condemned by everyone.

You were drinking tea when you heard this news in the teahouse.

You put down your teacup, remained silent for a while, and thought that if it weren't for the influence of you, the butterfly, Qiao Feng would have gone to find the leader, gone on a killing spree at Juxianzhuang, met A'Zhu, lost A'Zhu, left the Central Plains, and gone to the borderlands.

Mu Wanqing walked in from outside and sat down opposite you.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "You don't look too good."

"It's nothing," you smiled. "I was just thinking about some things."

"What is it?"

"It's about a friend."

Mu Wanqing didn't press further, but simply reached out and took your hand. Her hand was both cool and warm, a warmth that went straight to your heart.

[In the fourteenth year, in the summer, as expected, A'Zhu died at Qiao Feng's hands. By the time the news arrived, quite some time had already passed.]

When you heard the news, you were practicing your sword in the courtyard. You stopped your swordplay, stood under the osmanthus tree, and remained silent for a long time.

Mu Wanqing came out of the house and saw that you looked unwell, so she came over and took your hand.

"What's wrong?"

"A girl died." You thought for a moment, but still said it. "She was killed by the person she loved most."

Mu Wanqing's hand tightened, and her expression changed.

"How could this happen?"

"Because of a misunderstanding," you said, "she thought her father was Qiao Feng's mortal enemy, so she disguised herself as him, intending to die in his place. Qiao Feng didn't know it was her and struck her directly with his palm..."

Mu Wanqing's eyes reddened, and she leaned on your shoulder without saying a word.

You hold her close, gazing at the distant Taihu Lake. The lake shimmers, and several egrets forage by the water's edge; everything is peaceful.

But in some corner of this world, Qiao Feng was kneeling before A'Zhu's grave, all alone, as lonely as a withered tree.

You suddenly feel like going to see him.

It's not that you're going to comfort him; Qiao Feng doesn't need comforting. You just want to see if that man who has lost everything can still stand up.

You rode your horse northward for over a month, traversing the Central Plains, crossing the Great Wall, and arriving at the border region.

Autumn comes earlier in the northern frontier than in the Central Plains; the grasslands have already begun to turn yellow, and the wind carries a desolate feel.

You searched for a long time before finally finding Qiao Feng's tent in a valley.

The tent was small, made of animal hides, with several strings of dried meat hanging outside.

Next to the tent is a newly erected tombstone with the words "Tomb of Azhu" engraved on it.

Qiao Feng sat in front of the tombstone, holding a wine gourd in his hand, drinking wine.

His hair was messy, and his beard had grown out, making him look much older. But his eyes were still bright, like two burning flames.

You walked over and sat down next to him.

"Why are you here?" Qiao Feng didn't look at you, he just took a sip of wine.

"I came to see you."

"What are you looking at me for? To see how miserable I am?"

You didn't say anything, but took out a flask of wine from your pocket, opened the lid, and took a sip. The wine was very strong, and it made you wince.

Qiao Feng glanced at you and suddenly smiled: "Brother Wei, you're quite an interesting person."

"What's interesting about it?"

"When other people see me, they either avoid me or curse at me. But you, you come to see me, and you even brought alcohol."

You hand him the wine jug: "Would you like some?"

Qiao Feng took the wine pot, took a big gulp, and then handed it back to you.

"Do you know?" Qiao Feng said, "I've done many wrong things in my life. I've killed people, shed blood, and let many people down. But the thing I regret most is that palm strike."

You didn't speak, you just listened quietly.

"She died in her father's place, but she didn't know that her father wasn't my enemy at all." Qiao Feng's voice was a little hoarse. "I searched for so many years, killed so many people, and finally found out that my enemy was long dead. And she... she died in vain."

"She didn't die in vain," you said. "She died for you; she wanted you to live."

Qiao Feng remained silent for a long time, then nodded: "I know, that's why I must live on, no matter how difficult it is, I must live on, this is what she gave her life for."

You stood up and dusted yourself off.

"I'm leaving."

"So fast?"

"Yes, there are still people waiting for me."

Qiao Feng glanced at you and nodded: "Go ahead, and give my regards to Duan Yu and Xu Zhu."

"Yes."

You turn around, take a few steps, and suddenly stop.

"Steve Jobs," you said, "you're not alone, you have two brothers."

Qiao Feng paused for a moment, then smiled. The smile was bitter, but also very sincere.

"Thanks."

You nodded and walked away without looking back.