Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

The village chief spoke in a hurried tone, and Hu Bugui's heart was lifted. He patted the village chief's hand in a soothing manner and welcomed him into the house. Wu Tao heard the noise and struggled to get up, "What happened?"

Hu Bugui held her shoulders and gestured for her to be at ease. "It's okay. Just lie down. I'll be back soon."

In the simple house, the light of the kerosene lamp was dim. The village chief nervously recounted the threats of the visitor. While speaking, he kept wiping the sweat from his forehead, as if he saw a catastrophe coming. Hu Bugui's face was solemn. It seemed that the peaceful life was just a short-lived illusion. The dangerous undercurrent was never far away.

"I understand. I will handle this matter properly and will not implicate the village." Hu Bugui said firmly, with a determined light in his eyes. After seeing off the worried village chief, he returned to Wu Tao.

These days, Wu Tao's body has recovered a lot. She is no longer as weak as before, and can even get out of bed and walk. Seeing Hu Bugui coming back, she was eager to know what happened, but Hu Bugui just smiled gently and talked about some trivial things in the village.

It was late at night, but Wu Tao was not sleepy. She could sense that Hu Bugui was not doing well, and knew that he must be hiding something from her. "Bugui, tell me, what happened?" she asked softly, with a hint of worry in her tone.

Hu Bugui sighed, knowing that he could no longer conceal the truth. He held Wu Tao's hand and told her everything that had happened during the day. After listening to her, Wu Tao remained silent for a long time. She knew that their situation was still dangerous, even more difficult than before.

"We can't just sit there and wait for death. We must find a way to solve the problem." Wu Tao pondered for a moment, with a determined light flashing in his eyes.

Hu Bugui nodded, "I have some ideas. Let's go find the miracle doctor tomorrow. Maybe he knows something we don't know."

The next morning, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao set out at daybreak. They traveled along the rugged mountain road and finally arrived at the residence of the miracle doctor at dusk.

The miracle doctor was an old man with white hair and youthful face. He lived in a simple thatched house filled with various herbs, exuding a faint medicinal fragrance. After learning the purpose of the visit, the miracle doctor pondered for a moment and slowly said: "I do know something, but this matter is of great importance and I cannot easily reveal it."

"Old man, I know this matter is very serious, but we have no other choice. Please help us!" Hu Bugui pleaded.

The doctor sighed, "Well, since you are asking me sincerely, I will tell you. In the far north, there is a hermit. It is said that he has a secret weapon that can fight against the imperial court..."

"A secret weapon against the imperial court?" Wu Tao couldn't help but mutter to himself, a glimmer of hope ignited in his heart. If it was true as the miracle doctor said, they might still have a chance of survival.

After bidding farewell to the miracle doctor, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao packed their bags without stopping for a moment and set off on the journey to the north. Along the way, they crossed steep mountains and rugged roads. They crossed steep peaks, waded through turbulent rivers, slept in the open air, and traveled under the stars, overcoming difficulties that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

In late autumn, the wind was howling in the forest, and the leaves were falling. Wu Tao tightened his clothes and looked at the towering mountain in front of him. He couldn't help but feel a little worried, "Bugui, we have been walking for so long, I don't know how long it will take to find that master?"

Hu Bugui held her cold hand and gave her a warm smile, "Don't worry, Tao'er, since the miracle doctor has pointed out the direction, we will definitely find him."

Although he comforted Wu Tao in this way, Hu Bugui was actually unsure in his heart. However, he knew that he could not show the slightest sign of wavering now, and he had to be Wu Tao's support.

They asked along the way and finally got some information about the master in a remote village. The villagers said that there was a deep valley in the north of the village that was rarely visited by people. The valley was always shrouded in clouds and mist. Legend has it that a master once lived in seclusion there.

Following the villagers' instructions, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao finally found the hidden valley. The entrance to the valley was covered by dense vines, and it would be easy to miss it if you didn't look carefully.

After pushing aside the vines, the view in front of us suddenly opened up, and we saw the beautiful scenery in the valley, which was like a paradise. A clear stream meandered along, and the streamside was full of unknown wild flowers, and the air was filled with a faint floral fragrance.

"What a beautiful place!" Wu Tao couldn't help but exclaim.

Hu Bugui nodded, but he did not dare to relax at all. He looked around, hoping to find some clues about the master.

"who?!"

Just as they were looking around, an old voice suddenly came from behind them.

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao were startled and turned around quickly, only to see an old man with white hair and beard, wearing coarse linen clothes, standing not far behind them.

"Old man, we are just travelers passing by and don't mean to disturb you. May I ask who you are..." Hu Bugui asked respectfully.

The old man looked them up and down, a gleam in his eyes, "You came here to beg me?"

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao looked at each other, and hope suddenly ignited in their hearts. It seemed that this old man was the master they had been looking for.

"Senior, we do have something to ask of you. Please feel free to give us some advice."

The old man stroked his long beard and said slowly: "I can help you, but I have one condition..."

"Please tell me, senior. As long as we can do it, we will go through fire and water without hesitation!" Hu Bugui and Wu Tao said in unison, their tone full of urgency.

The old man nodded slightly and said slowly: "What I want is not difficult to find, but you need to go to various places to collect it. They are the mermaid tears from the East China Sea, the snow lotus from the Kunlun Mountains, and the fire unicorn scales from the Western Regions."

"Mermaid's tears? Snow lotus? Fire unicorn scales?" Wu Tao couldn't help but mutter to himself. These things sound like legendary treasures. Can they really be found?

"Senior, we have never heard of these things, and we don't know how to find them. Please give us some advice." Hu Bugui also looked embarrassed.

The old man stroked his beard and pointed to the north. "To get the mermaid tears, you need to dive into the mermaid tribe at the bottom of the East China Sea. The Kunlun Mountains are covered with snow all year round, and snow lotus grows on the cliffs. As for the Fire Kirin in the Western Regions, it is an ancient mythical beast, extremely ferocious, and it is even more difficult to obtain its scales."

After hearing the old man's words, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao felt extremely heavy in their hearts. Each of these tasks was full of danger, but in order to fight against the court and for their future, they had no choice.

So, the two of them acted separately. Hu Bugui took a few confidants to the East China Sea and Kunlun Mountains, while Wu Tao, with the help of local villagers, inquired about the news about the Fire Kirin.

As time went by, Hu Bugui and his subordinates finally obtained the Mermaid's Tears and Snow Lotus after going through untold hardships, but Wu Tao had made no progress.

It turned out that the Fire Kirin had disappeared many years ago. The locals only regarded it as a legend, and no one had ever seen it. Wu Tao was extremely worried, but there was nothing he could do.

Just when Wu Tao was about to despair, Hu Bugui's subordinates brought a piece of news that they had discovered an ancient altar on the border of the Western Regions. It was said that this was where the Fire Kirin once appeared.

Wu Tao immediately saw hope, and she immediately set off to the Western Regions, and found traces of the Fire Kirin near the altar. After a thrilling fight, Wu Tao finally succeeded in obtaining the scales of the Fire Kirin.

When Wu Tao returned to the valley with the three treasures, Hu Bugui had been waiting there for a long time. Seeing Wu Tao return safely, he finally let go of his worries.

The old man took the treasure from their hands, examined it carefully, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. "Yes, you really didn't disappoint me."

Afterwards, the old man put the three treasures into an ancient furnace and began to refine a secret weapon to fight against the imperial court.

The fire went out, the aroma of medicine filled the air, and the old man handed a crystal clear jade pendant to Wu Tao, "When the time is right, wear it on your body, it will be of great use." Wu Tao took it solemnly, and the jade pendant felt warm to the touch, as if it contained huge energy. After bidding farewell to the old man, the two returned to the village, and a tense feeling of impending storm spread in the air.

"They will catch up soon, what should we do?" Wu Tao frowned slightly, worried. Hu Bugui looked solemn, and took Wu Tao into his arms, "Don't be afraid, I'll take care of everything." His deep eyes flashed with determination, and his tone was gentle but with unquestionable strength.

They set up simple fortifications at the entrance of the village. Although the villagers were afraid, they still chose to stand with them and face the coming storm together. As night fell, fires flickered in the distance and the sound of horse hooves came closer like thunder. The soldiers were coming.

"Hu Bugui, surrender, or I will kill you without mercy!" The leading general's voice was like a bell, full of murderous intent. Wu Tao clenched the jade pendant tightly, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his palms. At the critical moment, Hu Bugui drew his sword and pointed it directly at the sky, "I have made up my mind. Today, I will fight them to the death!"