A man stands before the heavens, his sword emerges from the Emei Mountains.

The trees of Hanyang stand clearly along the sunny riverbank, and fragrant grasses grow lush on Parrot Isle. Where is my hometown at sunset? The misty waves on the river fill me with sorrow.

With Ezhou in sight, the Yellow Crane Tower, viewed from afar, resembles a crane taking flight.

Bei Jinyi and Su Mengqing were already joking around, asking Ji Xiaofu to take the disciples to visit the Yellow Crane Tower.

Ji Xiaofu forced a smile, but her brows furrowed with sorrow.

When the extinction occurred in Ezhou, it was customary to pay a visit to Master Ji, the Golden Whip Master of Ji Village.

Whether it's the Su family of Guanzhou or the Ji family of Hanyang, they are both considered external forces of the Emei Sect because of Su Mengqing and Ji Xiaofu's identities.

"Yang An, wait for the riverboat to dock, then go ashore and buy some gifts."

"Master, there's no need for that," Ji Xiaofu said quickly, regaining her composure.

"Nonsense. Although we are people of the martial world and do not care about formalities, we have come from afar, how can we greet guests empty-handed?"

"That's right, Senior Sister, don't stop her," Chen Yu said.

"Senior sister, don't be so coy," Su Mengqing said with a smile.

With everyone saying such things, Ji Xiaofu had no choice but to give up.

A setting sun cast its rays across the water, half of the river shimmering green, the other half glowing red. The riverboat docked at the pier, where Miejue and Ji Xiaofu waited. Yang An, Chen Yu, Tang Zhihu, Su Mengqing, Bei Jinyi, and Ding Minjun disembarked.

Zhou Zhiruo accompanied them to broaden their horizons.

The group moved forward, seeking out a long-established pharmacy to purchase medicinal treasures such as ginseng and lingzhi. Passing by a soy milk shop, they saw many customers eating tofu, which was freshly ground inside the shop.

Its color is purer than creamy earth, its aroma stronger than rock marrow. It is so enticing that it whets the appetite.

"It's not too late to eat a bowl of tofu before boarding the boat; it won't waste any time," Bei Jinyi suggested.

"Good idea," Su Mengqing said.

"I happen to feel hot and thirsty in the sun," Ding Minjun said without refusing.

"They're gone."

Yang An and Chen Yu readily agreed, and the group found tables under the shed, ordering tofu pudding, soy milk, or steamed buns.

"What are some famous foods in Ezhou?" Tang Zhihu asked.

"It is a bream, sweet in taste, and has the effects of nourishing deficiency, strengthening the spleen, and nourishing blood. This fish is very oily, and if you throw the fish bones into the water, three oil splatters will appear."

"Really?" Bei Jinyi was delighted, her eyes brightening.

"Of course, when I was in Hengyang, I often heard fishmongers say that fish from the Xiang River also come here, but the taste is not as good as that from Ezhou."

"Why is that?" Su Mengqing asked curiously.

Just as Chen Yu was about to explain, several more people arrived at the soy milk shop. Suddenly, a man's gaze lingered on him for a moment before he walked straight over. "This young man looks familiar."

Chen Yu looked at it and inwardly chuckled, realizing he recognized it.

I saw him at the Xianrendu Restaurant on the Han River; he was a man surnamed Jian.

The other party's appearance in Ezhou should be because they came south from the Han River to search for Bai Guishou, who was taken away by the Five Poisons Sect.

"How so?"

"The Kongtong School is simple."

"It really is that bastard, Saintly Hand Garan," Chen Yu thought to himself.

Jian Jie had already pulled up a stool and sat down next to Ding Minjun, who immediately showed her displeasure at Jian Jie's behavior.

How could you be so rude?

"So it's Master Jian." Chen Yu clasped his hands in greeting.

"What's your name, sir?"

"Chen Yu".

"So you are Young Master Chen." Jian Jie got straight to the point. "I met you once at the Immortal Ferry Restaurant."

"I have poor eyesight."

"It's irrelevant," Jian Jie laughed. "You must know each other since you saw the young hero talking to the woman in green who captured Bai Guishou."

Chen Yu suddenly realized that the other party was trying to strike up a conversation by asking him about the identity of the woman in blue.

Ding Minjun's thinking was simple: Bai Guishou was related to Xie Xun, and Xie Xun was related to the Dragon-Slaying Saber. If they found Xie Xun, their master could avenge his blood feud and they could also obtain the Dragon-Slaying Saber. Then the Emei Sect could command all heroes. Naturally, the fewer people involved, the better.

Her face darkened. "The Kongtong Sect is a prestigious and righteous sect. How can you speak so rudely and lack manners?"

Jian Jie thought to himself that this woman was arrogant, perhaps she had some kind of backing.

"What should I call you, heroine?"

"Ding Minjun of the Emei Sect".

Jian Jie laughed. "So it's the Emei Sect?"

This tone is somewhat flippant. Among the renowned and orthodox martial arts sects of the time, Wudang and Shaolin reign supreme, while Huashan, Kunlun, Kongtong, and Emei each have their own strengths, and none of them are willing to concede to the others.

"What do you mean?" Ding Minjun was furious as she looked at Jian Jie's meaningful smile.

"Nothing much. My master has always held the Emei Sect Leader in high esteem."

"Does that mean you look down on Emei disciples?" Ding Minjun asked rhetorically.

"Pfft!" A disciple of the Kongtong Sect couldn't help but laugh out loud. You almost said you had some self-awareness.

Ding Minjun was furious and threw the porcelain bowl of tofu in her hand at the laughing Kongtong Sect disciple.

The man reacted quickly and retreated rapidly. Ding Minjun was not weak in skill and seized the initiative, finally getting tofu splashed on her face.

Jian Jie was not an easy person to get along with either. She defended her own and mocked, "I never thought that you, as a disciple of Emei, would be such a vicious and ruthless woman with a heart of stone."

Ding Minjun was furious. Even her master had never scolded her like this. Thinking this, she reached for her sword.

Jian Jie is known as "Saint Hand Garan" because his hand skills are naturally excellent. He curls his five fingers inward with his right hand, and spreads his thumb and index finger into a leopard hand, grabbing the table.

Ding Minjun swiftly withdrew her right hand and struck the opponent's face with a palm strike.

Chen Yu and his opponent were separated by a wooden table. Suddenly, he raised his arm and elbow, using the bamboo chopsticks in his hand as a sword, and with a move called "Red Apricot Over the Wall," he thrust the sword at Jian Jie's wrist.

"puff"

Jian Jie's wrist was numb and weak from the acupoint strike, and Ding Minjun's "Snowflake Piercing Cloud Palm" landed on the face of the master hand Jialan with as much comfort as possible.

bang...

Jian Jie's face turned to the side after being slapped, her cheek muscles undulating towards her ear.

Ding Minjun's palm strike was so powerful that the subsequent movements became instinctive. Before her left palm could retract, her right palm flashed like a fan, piercing upwards from under her left arm and striking Jian Jie's neck.

The esteemed disciple of the Kongtong Sect, "Saint Hand Garan," was sent flying, bench and all.

The members of the Kongtong Sect were naturally united in their hatred of the enemy. In an instant, angry shouts rang out. Some drew their swords, some threw punches, and some reached out with eagle hands to grab Zhou Zhiruo.

bang...

The table was overturned and smashed by Su Mengqing. Chen Yu's figure rushed forward like a beast. With his right hand, he used the Emei Small Capturing Hand to grab two fingers of the Kongtong disciple who was grabbing Zhou Zhiruo. He exerted force with his wrist and pressed down hard.

The Kongtong disciple's face was ferocious. His body stiffened slightly before he knelt down with his knees drooping as Chen Yu snapped his fingers.

Zhou Zhiruo had already drawn a gleaming dagger.

The dagger Chen Yu gave Zhou Zhiruo during their time on the Han River was always with her. Throughout their journey, Yang An meticulously taught her breathing techniques and basic Emei martial arts; she was exceptionally talented and learned them extremely quickly. The sudden outbreak of conflict and her instinctive reaction to the attack, displaying some martial arts skills, perhaps also stemmed from thoughts of the family feud caused by the violent Tibetan monks on the Han River.

In short, Zhou Zhiruo drew her dagger and stabbed out in one swift motion.

"puff"

The dagger plunged into the waist and ribs of the kneeling Kongtong disciple.

For a moment, Yang An, Chen Yu, and Bei Jinyi were all stunned.

"How despicable! He actually plotted against our junior sister!" Chen Yu shouted.

Chen Yu was merely trying to justify himself, but Zhou Zhiruo seemed encouraged. At such a young age, how could she possibly consider the consequences? She drew her dagger and stabbed again.

Bei Jinyi was terrified and hugged Zhou Zhiruo from behind.

Chen Yu released the other's fingers and, in a swift motion, raised his elbow, knocking the unfortunate Kongtong disciple to the ground.

Tang Zhihu, Su Mengqing, and Yang An had already knocked the remaining Kongtong disciples to the ground.

Jian Jie, who had been injured by Ding Minjun, rolled over and got up, his face contorted with rage: "Fine, fine, the Emei Sect has guts. We'll see."

"Walk."

A bruised and battered Kongtong disciple helped his companion, who had been stabbed by Zhou Zhiruo, and the group left in a sorry state.

Zhou Zhiruo belatedly realized her fear and looked pitifully at Chen Yu, Yang An, Ding Minjun, and the others.

"Senior sister, senior brother, I..."

"Junior Sister did a great job," Chen Yu praised.

Yang An knew that if he questioned Zhou Zhiruo about how she stabbed someone without considering the consequences, it would leave a shadow in her heart, and her martial spirit would be completely dissipated.

"That's right, Junior Sister acted decisively and saved herself."

Su Mengqing looked at Zhou Zhiruo with new respect.

"What a wonderful junior sister."

Zhou Zhiruo was overjoyed; the Emei family was united!