Star Martial Soaring Cloud

The sweltering heat of August had not yet subsided; the blazing sun seemed to be baking the heavens and earth.

On the official road leading east to Yangzhou, a caravan of over a hundred people moved slowly forward, with an apricot-yellow banner embroidered with the words "Situ" fluttering in the center of the procession.

The bodyguards, dressed in uniform military attire, marched in perfect unison under the blazing sun, exuding an aura of disciplined and fierce discipline.

"I've become a traveler a thousand miles away, drinking wine, gazing at the mountains, my heart longs for my western homeland." Wang Xiao lay on the caravan's carriage, sipped some yellow wine, and casually recited a line of poetry.

Whether it was due to phoenix blood or blood sacrifice, his appearance changed drastically—he was not yet sixteen years old, but looked like he was already twenty. His childishness had completely disappeared, and his bright eyes concealed an unconcealable weariness and vicissitude.

He was wrapped in thick white cloth from head to toe, looking like a freshly unearthed mummy.

"Brother Lu, what are you singing? It's really heartbreaking." Lin Er, a middle-aged soldier with dark skin and a burly build, spoke first.

"Lin Er, stop talking nonsense!" The speaker was an elderly man wearing a tattered straw hat and a blue military uniform, his forehead lined with deep wrinkles, but his eyes were bright and piercing. "Young Master Lu is reciting poetry, not singing a song!"

At the very front of the group, riding a chestnut-red steed, was the leader of the escort team.

Surprisingly, the commander was a woman. She had delicate features, and her military uniform accentuated her tall figure, which, far from concealing her beauty, added a touch of heroic spirit. Most striking were her long, slender, white legs, which shone like jade in the sunlight.

Lin Er realized he had made a fool of himself and scratched his head awkwardly: "Old Man Bai, please don't make fun of me! I've never been to school, and my biggest wish in this life is to learn how to write letters!"

"Brother Lin, what's so difficult about that?" Wang Xiao smiled gently. "I'll teach you another day when you're rested."

"Really? Really?" Lin Er's eyes lit up, so excited he was at a loss for words. His dark face broke into a wide smile as he rubbed his hands together repeatedly. "Then thank you so much, Brother Lu!"

Old Man Bai sensed the longing in the poem and stepped forward, asking, "Young Master Lu, are you homesick? If so, I will go and plead with the young lady to let you leave."

Unbeknownst to him, the word suddenly struck Wang Xiao, who was startled.

"Young Master Lu? Young Master Lu?" Old Man Bai called out softly twice.

"No need, thank you for your trouble, Old Man Bai." Wang Xiao came back to his senses, his tone calm, but his face under the white cloth still carried a lingering sense of melancholy.

Old Man Bai, being astute as he was, quickly changed the subject: "Young Master Lu, you may not know this, but I watched Miss grow up. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart; she may seem fierce, but she is actually kind-hearted. If she has offended you in any way, please forgive her."

"Yes! Miss Mulan is such a good lady!" The surrounding bodyguards echoed.

These words almost made Wang Xiao roll his eyes. He suddenly spread his hands, gesturing for everyone to look at his "mummy" appearance, his tone filled with grievance and helplessness: "Why don't you take a closer look?"

The soldiers were speechless for a moment, then gave an awkward laugh. They were also puzzled; the young lady was usually kind and treated the servants like family, so why was she so "cruel" to this young man?

Two weeks ago, Mulan dragged the dying Wang Xiao back to the camp. Everyone thought she was trying to save him, but later they found out that was not the case—and even privately speculated that Wang Xiao's condition was the young lady's "masterpiece".

Since then, every time they set up camp for a rest, Mulan would "invite" Wang Xiao to "spar".

Wang Xiao was always beaten black and blue, complaining bitterly. This "kind" young lady would "thoughtfully" treat his wounds after the beating, but her bandaging skills were really not flattering, making him look like a dumpling.

However, after spending more than ten days together, the soldiers found that Wang Xiao was easy-going, friendly, and not a bad person.

Many people had mustered the courage to ask Mulan about the reason, but she had always turned them away with a dark expression, even Old Man Bai was no exception. When they turned to ask Wang Xiao, he only shook his head and did not answer, which only added to the mystery surrounding the matter.

When asked about the events of that day, Wang Xiao himself couldn't remember them very clearly.

He was merely a cultivator at the Fish Leap Realm, incapable of flight. The fact that he was inexplicably lifted into the sky by the phoenix wings meant he was destined to be inexplicably thrown down as well.

In the sweltering summer heat, the smell of sweat made Miss Mulan quite uncomfortable. Even though she preferred martial attire, she couldn't help but feel a desire to look beautiful in this kind of weather.

So after ordering the caravan to rest, she found a secluded pool by herself and planned to take a good bath.

At this private moment, Wang Xiao fell from the sky like a meteorite, crashing squarely into the pool.

He had just peeked out, feeling dizzy and disoriented, when a fist carrying immense force slammed into his face, instantly knocking him unconscious.

When he woke up, he had already been detained by the镖队 (bodyguard team).

At that moment, Wang Xiao wanted to roar to the heavens: "Dou E is nothing! I didn't see anything!"

He did consider escaping, but found it was simply impossible.

After sacrificing his blood to the Seven Star Sword, all his vital energy was drained, and now he is no different from an ordinary person.

After a careful examination, he felt a little relieved—for some reason, he was still able to cultivate, but it would take him more than half a year to recover to the level of "Fish Leap Minor Success".

After learning about Mulan and her companions' origins, he no longer had any intention of running away.

Their destination was also Dongbin, where traveling together would be safer and they would have no worries about food and clothing. Apart from having to deal with Mulan's "stormy weather," everything else was pretty good.

Mulan was the only daughter of Hong, the Grand Chancellor who served as Minister of Works during the three reigns of the Qianlong Emperor.

Unlike ordinary young ladies from a young age, she preferred archery, horsemanship, and swordsmanship, disliked makeup, and aspired to become a female general who could gallop across the battlefield. She secretly slipped out of the Prime Minister's residence several times to go to the Great Qian Army camp, vowing to join the army.

But as the daughter of the Prime Minister, a woman of noble birth, which general would dare to take her in? Moreover, the Great Qian Army has never recruited female soldiers since its founding.

After repeated attempts to dissuade her failed, Prime Minister Situ, who doted on his daughter, came up with a "win-win" solution—recruiting over a hundred elite soldiers to form a caravan, which Mulan was then given full command of, allowing her to do as she pleased.

He relied on others for everything, including food, clothing, and shelter, and even "saw" them (though he didn't actually see anything). Feeling guilty, Wang Xiao always wore a fawning smile when he saw Mulan. But this smile only added fuel to the fire, making Mulan punch him even harder.

After repeated body training, these punches felt like mere tickles when they landed on my body.

But Wang Xiao soon realized something was wrong—his ability to fall from the sky meant he had the potential to fly, a fact that Mulan noticed and kept in mind.

Determined to join the army, the stronger her martial arts skills, the better. Although her father formed a镖队 (bodyguard team) for her, he intentionally wanted her to avoid practicing martial arts.

Having roamed the martial world for several years, she had only learned some rudimentary martial arts and had never even stepped into the realm of cultivation. Now that she had encountered Wang Xiao, who could fly, how could she let him go so easily?

Unable to resist Mulan's persistent pursuit, Wang Xiao unwittingly became her "master".

It wasn't until then that he realized how outrageous this decision was—Mulan, with zero cultivation foundation, leaped from an ordinary person to a Fish Leap Great Perfection expert in just three days, and even opened up her Sea of ​​Primordial Qi without using the Eight Elements Stone.

Wang Xiao knew she was born with superhuman strength, but he never expected that her talent for cultivation would be beyond description, even beyond the realm of "heaven-defying".

One step per day, and on the third day, I woke up to find myself at the Great Perfection of the Fish Leap.

Wang Xiao himself has only achieved minor success, while his apprentice has already achieved complete success.

He shamelessly asked Mulan for her insights on the Jianmu tree taking root, only to nearly vomit blood – she didn't even know what a "Jianmu" was! He then realized that he hadn't even mentioned Jianmu yet.

Mulan is not only incredibly talented, but also possesses an inexhaustible source of energy, requiring no external assistance from heaven and earth.

What does "comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable" mean?

This can't even be described as a "monster"; such a person shouldn't exist in this world at all! With her around, Wang Xiao felt like his ten years of cultivation had been wasted on a pig!

"The whole team should rest!" At the edge of a shady grove of trees, Mulan dismounted and her clear, authoritative voice rang out.

Due to a momentary oversight, the group had to travel for nearly half an hour longer under the scorching sun, and she felt somewhat guilty.

This time, instead of immediately causing trouble for Wang Xiao as usual, she instructed several bodyguards to find a water source and prepare a heat-relieving medicinal soup.

He then led the team doctor to examine each soldier's body.

Walking over to Lin Er, Mulan noticed that his arms were sunburned, swollen, and peeling. She frowned slightly, took out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom, poured out a cooling ointment, and applied it to his arm herself.

"This little injury is nothing, thank you, Miss." Lin Er was flattered and his face turned bright red.

Mulan snorted and said irritably, "If you dare to be reckless and get sunburned again, see how I punish you!" Although her words were stern, her actions were much gentler.

The soldiers felt a warmth in their hearts upon seeing this. That's just how the young lady is; she's always tough on the outside but soft on the inside, and cares about everyone more than anyone else.

People dispersed in twos and threes, some sitting and some lying down to enjoy the shade and chat.

"Have you heard? There's new information about the sensational Lishan incident that rocked Kyushu!" A soldier with thick eyebrows and big eyes, Lei Laosan, deliberately lowered his voice to whet everyone's appetite.

"Oh? What news? Tell me quickly!"

Seeing that everyone's attention was drawn, Lei Laosan cleared his throat smugly, took a sip of water, and slowly said, "The Xuanyuan family issued a proclamation this morning!"

"What?!" someone exclaimed. "The Xuanyuan family is finally going to make a move against Wang Xiao? This is too slow; more than half a month has passed. Given their vindictive and protective nature, they should have been furious long ago. You must know, the Xuanyuan family are the local tyrants of Zhongzhou; even the Great Qian Dynasty has to give them some leeway!"

Over the past month, Wang Xiao's story has spread throughout the streets and alleys. Zhong Yun's gamble against Song Qing and his splitting of Lishan with a single sword strike—although no one knows exactly what happened inside the City Lord's Mansion, the sight of Lishan cleaved in two is truly astonishing.

In an instant, the surviving trial participants all claimed to be eyewitnesses, and various versions of rumors flew around.

"What are you talking about?" The uninformed soldier looked bewildered.

"That's Wang Xiao, the one who stirred up trouble throughout the Nine Provinces during the Lishan Trials!" someone explained. "The Great Qian Dynasty has repeatedly tried to cause trouble for the Xuanyuan family but has always failed. Wang Xiao, however, directly slapped the Xuanyuan family in the face. He's so domineering!"

"What's even more impressive is what he said when he left Lishan." Lei Laosan paused deliberately, keeping everyone in suspense.

"What did you say? Speak quickly!" the crowd urged.

Lei Laosan smiled with satisfaction, lowered his voice and imitated Wang Xiao's tone: "'As long as I live, the Xuanyuan family will never have a moment of peace. This matter will not end until I die!'"

"That's so badass! If I ever run into Brother Wang Xiao, I, Lei Laosan, will definitely toast him!"

"Tch!" The crowd booed.

"What? I'm not qualified?" Lei Laosan was about to argue when he was interrupted: "Alright, stop patting yourself on the back. What exactly does the Xuanyuan family's proclamation say?"

"This proclamation is utterly astonishing," Lei Laosan said, no longer keeping everyone in suspense. "The Xuanyuan family has issued a decree to the world, stating that Xuanyuan Hong harbors treacherous intentions, practicing vicious demonic arts to harm fellow disciples and innocent cultivators, deserving of death; calling him a traitor to the family and a disgrace to the clan. To express their apology, the Xuanyuan family is willing to provide all cultivators who participated in the Lishan Trial with a single Eight-Element Stone as compensation. At the same time, they thank Wang Xiao for cleaning their own house and preventing the family from being disgraced. Finally, they even announced that Wang Xiao will become a guest elder of the Xuanyuan family from this day forward, and anyone who opposes Wang Xiao from now on will be an enemy of the entire Xuanyuan family!"

Wang Xiao, who had been lying down and sipping wine, suddenly stood up and asked in a trembling voice, "Are you sure this is a proclamation from the Xuanyuan family?"

"Absolutely true!" Lei Laosan shook his head in confusion. "I bet the Xuanyuan family has gone mad!"

"The martial world isn't just about fighting and killing. The bigger the family, the better they understand how to seek profit and avoid harm; otherwise, they wouldn't have survived for hundreds or thousands of years. They've either reached a reconciliation, or they have something to fear," Old Man Bai said bluntly. "Third brother, where did you hear this news?"

"Old Man Bai, please don't scold me..." Lei Laosan scratched his head, feeling a little guilty. "This morning I was itching to try my luck, so I went to the casino in town and overheard this..."

"You..." Old Man Bai was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at his face.

Seeing that Old Man Bai was about to get angry, Lei Laosan quickly ran away, shouting as he ran, "Old Man Bai, I won't dare to do it again! I'll go get you some water!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Before Wang Xiao could recover from the shock of the announcement, a pair of long, slender legs came into view.

"No way? Heroine Mulan." A chill ran from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, and Wang Xiao's face looked even worse than a wilted eggplant.

"Stop talking nonsense!" The only response he received was a sharp shout and a whistling punch.

"Come on! Let's bet! How long do you think that kid Lu can last against Miss this time?" The soldiers were already used to this, and instead of trying to stop him, they enthusiastically surrounded him to place their bets.

"Last time I lasted until I could hold my breath for half an incense stick's time; this time I bet I can last until I can eat a meal!"

"Suspenseful!"

"Perhaps he'll learn from his mistakes and improve?"

"Even with all the progress, it can't last as long as a cup of tea!"

"Ouch! Miss Mulan, have mercy!"

In the arena, Wang Xiao was beaten so badly that he was powerless to fight back and lay on the ground begging for mercy.

In the past few days, he has truly witnessed what "thuggish fighting style" means.

Mulan had never received systematic training guidance, and her master was not very qualified, resulting in Mulan's fighting style being completely unorthodox and without any rules.

"Behold my Mulan Shadowless Kick..."

"Fifteen Styles of Slapping Pigs at Mount Hua..."

"Two dragons emerge from the sea to strangle a chicken..."

"ah--!"

Wang Xiao's screams, the soldiers' laughter, and Mulan's creatively named "moves" echoed through the quiet forest, creating a peculiar yet "joyful" scene.