The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

"Forget it, your human gatherings are incredibly boring. Remember to bring back a bottle of good wine."

Lin Xiao smiled, turned around and stepped into the clouds, his figure quickly disappearing from sight.

Three days later, on the banks of the Sishui River.

As dawn broke, a light mist drifted across the river.

Song Zhiwen was dressed in a plain white scholar's robe, with soft armor underneath, and his world-famous "Great River Sword" hung at his waist.

Behind him, Lu Yunshan led eight hundred elite cavalrymen in a state of high alert.

"General, everything has been arranged."

Yang Cheng rode up and said in a low voice.

"The Blood Shadow Tower members have already blended into the reeds on the opposite bank."

Song Zhiwen nodded slightly.

"What about Chen Shouren?"

"I just received news that he has also led eight hundred cavalry out of the pass."

Yang Cheng hesitated for a moment.

"General, what if something unexpected happens?"

"Then let's launch a full-scale attack."

Song Zhiwen said calmly.

"Order the three armies to take the sight of red fireworks as a signal and immediately cross the river to attack the city."

Before Sishui Pass, the great river flows swiftly.

Flags fluttered on both sides of the strait, and armored vehicles stood in imposing array.

On the east bank, eight hundred black-armored cavalrymen stood solemnly like a forest, while on the west bank, eight hundred green-robed knights remained silent as a mountain.

The river breeze whipped up tiny waves that lapped against the rocks on the shore, making a crisp sound.

In the middle of the river, two small boats, about three zhang apart, swayed gently with the waves.

"General Song, how have you been?"

Chen Shouren, dressed in a blue robe, stood at the bow of the boat with a slight smile on his face.

The green-clad girl, Aqin, who was rowing the boat behind him, pursed her lips and gently tapped the small boat with her bamboo pole, bringing it to a steady stop on the waves.

On the opposite ship, the black-armored soldier silently lowered his oar.

Song Zhiwen, dressed in white robes that were as pure as snow, with a long, pure white sword hanging at his waist, nodded slightly upon hearing this.

"General Chen's demeanor is even more impressive than before."

Their eyes met in mid-air, as if invisible sparks were flying.

Chen Shouren suddenly chuckled softly.

"I heard that General Song went to Yuelu Academy last month? I wonder if he saw Miss Yu? How is she doing?"

Song Zhiwen's eyes suddenly turned cold, and his right hand unconsciously went to the hilt of his sword.

"General Chen is indeed well-informed."

"where."

Chen Shouren's smile deepened.

"It's just that Miss Yu's musical skills are unparalleled in the Northern Territory, and General Song has always been known for his refined tastes, which inevitably makes people think a bit more."

"Yu Youwei is merely a musician, yet General Chen is so concerned about her, could it be...?"

A mocking smile appeared on Song Zhiwen's lips.

"You're interested in her?"

"Humph!"

Ah Qin suddenly snorted coldly and plunged the bamboo pole in her hand heavily into the water, splashing up a spray of water.

Chen Shouren turned around and glared at her, then said in a low voice.

"Don't make trouble."

"Who's causing trouble?"

Ah Qin rolled her eyes.

"Aren't you two grown men ashamed to be discussing girls like this?"

Song Zhiwen was somewhat surprised and chuckled.

"General Chen's maid is quite... straightforward."

Chen Shouren shook his head helplessly and leaned close to Aqin's ear.

"I deliberately provoked him. The Third Master said that Song Zhiwen and Junzi Qi had a falling out because of Yu Youwei..."

"You actually believe what that dissolute Third Master said?"

Aqin scoffed.

"All they do is gossip and spread rumors about others."

Chen Shouren was speechless and could only silently straighten his sleeves.

Upon seeing this, Song Zhiwen's eyes showed even deeper doubt.

The atmosphere froze for a moment, with only the sound of the river water lapping against the boat.

Suddenly, Chen Shouren looked up, his smile vanishing.

"General Song, our meeting today is not just to discuss the young lady, is it?"

Song Zhiwen's expression turned serious.

"Of course. General Chen mentioned in his letter the joint military expedition..."

"letter?"

Chen Shouren frowned.

"What letter?"

Both of them changed color at the same time.

"Three days ago, I received a personal letter from General Chen, inviting me to meet him at Sishui today to discuss the grand plan for resisting the enemy."

Song Zhiwen's voice grew colder.

A sharp glint flashed in Chen Shouren's eyes.

"What a coincidence, I also received a letter from General Song, concerning border defenses..."

Ah Qin suddenly shouted.

"careful!"

Almost simultaneously, Song Zhiwen leaped into the air, his white robes billowing, and the long sword at his waist was drawn with a clang.

A beam of shimmering white sword energy knocked three tiny golden needles, each as thin as a cow's hair, down from mid-air.

"Poisoned gold needles?"

Chen Shouren's eyes turned cold. He slapped the gunwale with his right hand, and a bamboo pole sprang up. With a casual wave of his hand, he knocked away the other two golden needles.

"Song Zhiwen!"

Aqin glared angrily at the black-armored soldier.

"Your men launched a sneak attack!"

Song Zhiwen gracefully landed back at the bow of the boat, his face ashen.

"They're not one of my people."

The black-armored soldier remained silent, then suddenly flung out several golden needles from his sleeve, this time aiming them at Song Zhiwen!
"court death!"

Song Zhiwen let out a cold shout, and the warm jade sword shone brightly, its sword energy like a rainbow, splitting the soldier and his needle in two.

Amidst the billowing blood mist, Chen Shouren's pupils suddenly contracted.

"The renowned sword, Warm Jade...a masterpiece by Bai Wuyi, the master swordsman of the Sword Sect!"

"Chen Shouren".

Song Zhiwen pointed his sword at the other party, his voice icy cold.

"You set me up?"

"fart!"

Ah Qin's pretty face turned bright red with anger.

"It was clearly your people who attacked first!"

Chen Shouren pressed down on Aqin's shoulder and said in a deep voice.

"Two possibilities. Either the letters we received were switched, or..."

He looked directly at Song Zhiwen.

"General Song is putting on an act."

A murderous intent surged in Song Zhiwen's eyes, and the warm jade sword emitted a clear and melodious sword sound.

Upon seeing this, the cavalry on both sides drew their swords and their horses neighed.

The atmosphere on the river was tense, as if a conflict could erupt at any moment.

"Aqin".

Chen Shouren suddenly laughed.

"Go and deal with that black-armored soldier."

"What? He's already..."

Ah Qin was speaking when she suddenly turned around and saw that the black-armored soldier who had been split in two was writhing strangely, with wisps of black smoke rising from his wounds.

"Corpse Puppet Technique!"

Song Zhiwen's expression changed drastically.

"Southern Xinjiang Witchcraft Cult!"

Ah Qin drew a short sword from her waist and leaped toward the strange corpse.

A faint blue light emanated from the short sword as it pierced the corpse puppet's brow.

"Ow—"

The corpse puppet let out a horrific scream before completely turning into a pool of black water.

At the same time, Song Zhiwen did not hesitate any longer and slashed through the air with his warm jade sword.

"Chen Shouren, take this sword! The first move of the Great River Sword Intent—Thousand Piles of Snow!"

The surface of the Sishui River began to boil, and countless water droplets rose into the air, transforming into a sky full of snow-white sword light under the guidance of the sword energy, sweeping towards Chen Shouren.

"Well done!"

Chen Shouren laughed loudly, and with a flick of his wrist, the bamboo pole in his hand gleamed with a metallic sheen as he infused it with his true energy.

He stood on the Seven Stars, his bamboo pole like a sword, drawing a blue light curtain in front of him.

"Azure Nether Sword Qi?"

Song Zhiwen was somewhat surprised.

"You actually incorporated swordsmanship into a bamboo pole?"

"Isn't General Song's 'Great River Sword Intent' also derived from spear techniques?"

Chen Shouren laughed heartily, and suddenly thrust his bamboo pole forward, the azure sword energy colliding violently with the sky full of snow-white sword light.

"boom!"

The two immense forces collided, causing a water column several meters high to erupt from the river surface.

The two small boats were pushed more than ten feet away by the shockwave. The wooden planks under Chen Shouren's feet shattered inch by inch, but he moved like a crane, lightly touching the water and gracefully retreating to the stern of the boat.

"Excellent swordsmanship!" Song Zhiwen exclaimed sincerely, but his hands did not stop, and the warm jade sword changed again.

"Take another move from me!"

"Zheng——"

Song Zhiwen's famous sword "Warm Jade" drew a blazing white sword aura, heading straight for Chen Shouren's throat.

Wherever the sword energy passed, a three-foot-wide ravine was cleaved in the river, and water vapor rose up.

Chen Shouren's pupils contracted sharply, and he used his bamboo pole to block the attack, but with a "crack," the tough green bamboo broke under the sword energy.

He lightly touched the water's surface with his toes and retreated three zhang (approximately 10 meters), barely avoiding the fatal blow.

"Brother Chen, your bamboo pole can't stop my warm jade."

Song Zhiwen, dressed in flowing white robes, stood on the water as if walking on flat ground, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"How about we admit defeat?"

"Brother Song, you're getting too excited too soon."

Chen Shouren wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced at the shore.

Just then, a streak of crimson light pierced through the air.

"Young master, take this sword!"

Sword attendant Aqin let out a sharp cry and threw the famous sword "Chixiao" that she was carrying into the middle of the river.

Chen Shouren leaped forward and precisely grasped the sword hilt with his right hand.

Crimson sword energy soared into the sky, clashing with the white light emanating from the warm jade.

"What a fine Crimson Sky Sword!"

Song Zhiwen was somewhat surprised.

"Legend has it that this sword was used by Emperor Gaozu of Han to slay the white snake. Seeing it today, I can confirm that its reputation is well-deserved."

Chen Shouren flicked his wrist, and the Crimson Sky Sword hummed.

"Brother Song's warm jade is also quite good; it's said to be able to melt gold and cut iron. Today, I, Chen, will experience it for myself!"

Before the words were even finished, the two attacked simultaneously.

"boom--"

The crimson and blazing white sword energies collided in mid-air, unleashing a deafening roar.

The violent shockwave blasted a whirlpool ten feet in diameter into the river, sending water splashing three feet high.

Both of them were knocked back more than ten steps, but both managed to stand firmly on the water.

"happy!"

Song Zhiwen laughed loudly.

"Brother Chen's swordsmanship is indeed superb!"

Just as Chen Shouren was about to respond, he suddenly heard Aqin's stern shout from the shore.

"How dare you, you scoundrel!"

A black-armored soldier approached Aqin without her noticing, his short blade gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light, clearly coated with deadly poison.

Aqin moved with the agility of a swallow, easily dodging the fatal blow, and then struck the man's chest with a backhand.

"The serpentine steps of the Blood Shadow Tower?"

Ah Qin's beautiful eyes held a murderous glint.

"You're from the Blood Shadow Tower!"

The black-armored soldier grunted and staggered back several steps, a sinister laugh emanating from beneath his mask.

"The little girl has a good eye, but it's a pity she found out too late!"

At the same time, unrest suddenly broke out on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Just as the Song army and the 1,600 cavalrymen of the Sishui Pass were about to cross the river to provide support, a huge wave suddenly rose up on the river.

"hiss--"

A giant white python rose from the river in front of the Song army, its body as thick as a water vat, its scales gleaming metallic in the sunlight.

Meanwhile, a giant black python, about the same size, emerged from the opposite bank, its scarlet forked tongue blocking the path of the garrison at Sishui Pass.

"Fire arrows!"

Song general Lu Yunshan made a decisive decision.

"Whoosh whoosh—"

Hundreds of armor-piercing arrows were fired at the white-striped python, but they only sparked a string of sparks on its scales, leaving no trace.

Enraged, the giant python swept its tail across the river, sweeping more than ten cavalrymen and their horses into the water, their screams echoing incessantly.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

Lu Yunshan's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly gave the order.

The situation on the other side was equally critical; the black-striped python had already coiled around several soldiers, and the sound of bones cracking could be clearly heard as the snake tightened its body.

At the heart of the river, Chen Shouren stared at the black-armored soldier and suddenly shouted sternly.

"You're no ordinary assassin! This snake-controlling technique...you're the Elder of Ten Thousand Snakes from the Blood Shadow Tower!"

Upon hearing this, the black-armored soldier laughed loudly, ripped off his mask, and revealed an old face covered with snake scale patterns.

"General Chen has a good eye. I am indeed Wan She. Today I have accepted the mission to assassinate both you and Young Master Song, which is a double achievement."

Song Zhiwen frowned.

"When has Blood Shadow Tower ever dared to offend both the Song and Chen families at the same time?"

The Old Man of Ten Thousand Snakes gave a sinister smile.

Why ask so many questions of a dying man?

He made hand seals and emitted a piercing hiss.

Upon hearing the sound, the two giant pythons abandoned the troops on the shore and swam towards the center of the river.

"careful!"

Chen Shouren gave a low shout and stood back to back with Song Zhiwen.

Two giant pythons came on menacingly, opening their blood-red mouths to pounce on the two.

Chen Shouren and Song Zhiwen drew their swords at the same time.

"Crimson Sky Burns!"

"Warm jade emits smoke!"

Two sword energies, one red and one white, intertwined to form a net, slicing the two giant pythons into several pieces in mid-air.

The foul-smelling snake blood rained down, staining half of the Sishui River red.

"Good swordsmanship!"

The Old Man of Ten Thousand Snakes clapped and laughed.

"pity…"

With a flick of his sleeve, dozens of small snakes flew out and pounced on the two men amidst the rain of blood.

Chen Shouren and Song Zhiwen parried with their swords, unaware that two fine, hair-like poison needles were hidden among the snakes.

"Uh!"

Song Zhiwen suddenly groaned and looked down at his left arm, where a black needle had already pierced his flesh.

Chen Shouren was also affected; his right leg went numb, and he almost collapsed to his knees.

"Hahaha!"

The Old Man of Ten Thousand Snakes laughed triumphantly.

"This is a Qi-locking needle. Anyone struck by it will have their true energy blocked and will undoubtedly die within half a quarter of an hour!"

Sure enough, their faces quickly darkened, and their lips turned purplish-black.

Song Zhiwen tried to expel the poison by circulating his internal energy, but instead spat out a mouthful of black blood.

"mean!"

Chen Shouren gritted his teeth and angrily rebuked, but he could barely hold onto Chixiao.

The Old Man of Ten Thousand Snakes slowly approached and drew a snake-shaped short sword from his waist.

"Don't worry, you two, I'll act quickly and won't cause you too much pain..."

Just then, a melodious fisherman's song drifted from upstream.

"The green hills remain unchanged, the waters flow on; when will the grudges and feuds of the martial world end..."

The old man with ten thousand snakes' expression changed drastically, and he abruptly turned his head to look upstream.

A bamboo raft was seen drifting downstream, with a middle-aged man sitting on it, wearing a straw hat and holding a bamboo pole, fishing.

The bamboo raft may seem to move slowly, but it arrives in the blink of an eye.

"who?"

The old man of ten thousand snakes shouted sternly.

The middle-aged man raised his head, revealing an ordinary face, except for his eyes, which were as deep as the starry sky.

He smiled.

"Just passing by."

The old man with ten thousand snakes revealed a murderous intent in his eyes.

"court death!"

Dozens of green lights flew out from his sleeve; they were all poisoned hidden weapons.

The middle-aged man remained calm and unhurried, gently shaking the bamboo pole in his hand.

With what appeared to be a casual flick, all the hidden weapons were knocked down.

"What a fast sword!"

Chen Shouren's pupils contracted. He clearly saw the bamboo pole transform into thousands of afterimages in an instant, each one accurately striking a hidden weapon.

The old man with ten thousand snakes' expression changed drastically.

"You are…"

Before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged man's bamboo pole suddenly transformed into a streak of blue light, piercing out from an unbelievable angle.

The Old Man of Ten Thousand Snakes hurriedly dodged, but was still stabbed in the shoulder.

"The people of Blood Shadow Tower are becoming increasingly ignorant of the rules."

The middle-aged man sighed, and the bamboo pole moved again.

This time, the Old Man of Ten Thousand Snakes had no time to react.

A flash of blue light, and a bloody hole appeared in his throat.

"you…"

The old man with ten thousand snakes clutched his neck, his body slowly collapsing and sinking into the river.

The middle-aged man put away the bamboo pole, as if he had only done a trivial thing.

He looked at the two people who had been poisoned.

"The gallbladders of those two snakes on the shore can be used as an antidote."

Chen Shouren suppressed his dizziness and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Thank you for saving me, senior. I wonder..."

The middle-aged man waved his hand. (End of Chapter)