Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chang'an City, the former bustling and noisy city seemed to be isolated in another world. Yueying's room was filled with a faint scent of medicine, but it could not cover up the lingering sadness. Wu Tao sat on the bed, stroking Yueying's pale cheek with her slender fingers, and tears fell silently.

Hu Bugui stood by the window, his tall figure made particularly lonely by the setting sun. He looked at the mountains outside the city, and his mind kept replaying the moment when Yueying fell, Li Xiaoyao's desperate eyes, and the mysterious man's meaningful words. Love and courage, how easy is it?

Since Li Xiaoyao left, Xingchen has been locking himself in his room, not eating, drinking, or talking. His world seemed to have collapsed, leaving only endless darkness and fear.

"Xingchen, eat something." Wu Tao walked into Xingchen's room carrying food. Looking at his son who had lost a lot of weight, he felt distressed.

Xingchen looked up at her with empty eyes. He said nothing and lowered his head silently.

"Brother Xiaoyao... will never come back..." Xingchen's voice trembled and was choked with sobs.

Wu Tao's eyes were moist again. She put the food on the table, walked over and gently hugged Xingchen in her arms. "Xingchen, you have to be strong. Brother Xiaoyao doesn't want to see you like this."

"But, we can't defeat that demon...we will all die..." Xingchen's voice became smaller and smaller, and finally turned into helpless sobs.

Wu Tao hugged Xingchen tightly, feeling powerless. Yes, even Yueying and Li Xiaoyao couldn't defeat the ancient demon, could they really defeat it?

At night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui sat side by side on the roof, looking up at the starry sky in silence.

"Bugui, tell me... can we really defeat the devil?" Wu Tao's voice was full of confusion.

Hu Bugui was silent for a moment and held her hand tightly. "I don't know, but I believe that as long as we don't give up, there will be hope."

"But, we have already lost so much..." Wu Tao's voice choked, "I don't want to lose anyone else..."

Hu Bugui held Wu Tao in his arms, patted her back gently, and comforted her silently.

In the distance, a black crow flapped its wings, landed on the eaves, and let out a shrill cry, breaking the silence of the night.

"Maybe... we should change our thinking..." Wu Tao suddenly raised his head, with a hint of determination in his eyes. "The mysterious man said that the power of the artifact needs to be stimulated with love and courage. Should we..."

Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by Hu Bugui, "What do you want to do?" There was a hint of worry in his tone.

Wu Tao took a deep breath and looked into the distance with a determined gaze, "I'm going to...Death Valley."

"Death Valley?" Hu Bugui repeated, frowning, "It's a forbidden area, full of unknown dangers. You can't go there!"

Wu Tao shook his head with a firm look in his eyes. "I know it's dangerous, but I have to go. The mysterious man said that the power of the artifact needs to be stimulated with love and courage, and the Valley of Death is the gathering place of all emotions. Maybe there, I can find a way to stimulate the power of the artifact."

Hu Bugui wanted to say something else, but seeing Wu Tao's resolute eyes, he finally sighed and said, "I'll go with you."

The Valley of Death is located thousands of miles outside of Chang'an City. It is a desolate and silent place. It is said that it was once an ancient battlefield where countless vengeful spirits and demons were sealed, so it is full of dangers and unknowns.

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui fought their way through the thorns and finally arrived at the entrance of the Valley of Death. A cold breath came over them, making them shudder.

"Are you ready?" Hu Bugui clenched the sword in his hand with a serious expression.

Wu Tao nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped into the Valley of Death.

There was a dead silence in the Death Valley, without a trace of life. Only the cold wind blew up the dust in the sky, adding to the horror.

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui searched for ways to activate the power of the artifact according to the records in ancient books, but their attempts ended in failure again and again.

"How could this happen?" Wu Tao looked at the artifact in his hand, his eyes filled with disappointment and despair.

At this moment, a powerful dark force suddenly descended, and the entire Death Valley shook violently.

"Oh no! It's an ancient demon!" Hu Bugui's face changed drastically, "He took advantage of our absence and launched an attack on Chang'an City!"

Without time to think, the two of them immediately rushed back to Chang'an City.

At this time, the city of Chang'an was already ablaze with flames and screams. The ancient devil led his demon army to slaughter the people in the city. The once prosperous capital turned into a living hell in the blink of an eye.

"Stop!" Wu Tao and Hu Bugui rushed into the battlefield and started a fierce battle with the ancient demon.

However, the ancient demon had recovered all his strength and became even more powerful. Although Wu Tao and Hu Bugui tried their best, they still couldn't stop his attack.

"Are... we really going to lose?" Wu Tao looked at the tragic scene in front of him, his heart filled with despair.

"No! Never give up!" Hu Bugui roared and swung his sword towards the ancient demon again.

At this moment, the ancient demon suddenly laughed wildly, "Do you think you can stop me? I have obtained..."

Before he could finish his words, a golden light suddenly descended from the sky, covering the entire battlefield...

The golden light dissipated, and a woman radiating a holy light slowly descended. There were tears in the corners of her eyes, and she was holding a sleeping baby in her arms.

"Xingchen!" Wu Tao recognized the child at a glance. It was her and Hu Bugui's child!

"Yueying, how could you..." Hu Bugui looked at his friend in disbelief. Scenes of them fighting side by side flashed through his mind. He couldn't imagine why Yueying appeared here and why she brought their child with her.

Yueying smiled sadly and weakly handed the child in her arms to Wu Tao, "Tao, take him. This is the child of Bugui and I, Xingchen... I used the last bit of my strength to save him from the devil..."

"Yueying, what did you do?" Wu Tao took the child with trembling hands. Feeling the warmth from the child, she could no longer hold back her tears.

"It's too late to explain," Yueying coughed painfully, with a trace of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, "The ancient demon... his power comes from the heart of darkness... If you want to completely destroy him, you must... must..."

"What is necessary? Tell me!" Hu Bugui asked anxiously. Yueying's condition was getting worse and worse. He knew that she was at the end of her rope.

Yueying did not answer. She raised her head with difficulty, her eyes fell on the artifact in Wu Tao's hand, and she said with her last bit of strength: "Tao, the artifact... use your blood... use your blood..."

Before Yueying finished her words, she suddenly pushed Wu Tao away and pounced on the ancient demon in the distance. Her shrill voice resounded throughout the battlefield: "Tao, stay alive! Protect Xingchen! This is my life... please..."

Yueying's resolute eyes and tragic back deeply hurt Wu Tao and Hu Bugui. They watched Yueying rush towards the ancient demon with her last bit of strength. Her frail body was like a leaf swaying in a storm, yet she was determined and resolute.

"Yueying! Don't!" Wu Tao cried heartbreakingly, but could not stop Yueying's determination.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Yueying's body turned into starlight in front of the ancient demon, and the dazzling light instantly illuminated the entire night sky. At the same time, the artifact in Wu Tao's hand vibrated violently, and a powerful force gushed out, turning into a golden beam of light, which hit the ancient demon fiercely.

The ancient demon roared in pain, and his huge body was blown away by the beam of light, falling heavily in the distance. Black smoke emerged from his body, as if silently telling of his pain.

"Yueying..." Wu Tao collapsed on the ground, tears blurring her eyes. Xingchen in her arms seemed to sense her mother's departure and burst into tears.

Hu Bugui clenched his fists tightly, letting his nails pierce his palms and blood drip through his fingers. He raised his head to stop the tears from falling, his heart filled with grief and self-blame.

"Yueying, why are you so stupid..."

Yueying's sacrifice and the explosion of the artifact rekindled the flame of hope in the hearts of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui, who were originally in despair. They knew that they could not let Yueying's sacrifice go to waste, and they could not let Li Xiaoyao's sacrifice go to waste.

“Bugui, we can’t give up!” Wu Tao stood up and looked firmly at the ancient demon in the distance, “Yueying sacrificed herself for us, we can’t let her down! We still have Xingchen and the people of Chang’an City, we can’t fall!”

Hu Bugui looked at Wu Tao's determined eyes, and a warm current surged in his heart. He walked to Wu Tao, held her hand, and said in a deep voice: "Tao, you are right, we can't give up! For Yueying, for Li Xiaoyao, for Xingchen, and for the people of Chang'an City, we must fight to the end!"

Under the night sky, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui are so determined. They know that the road ahead is still long, but they are no longer confused because they have hope and goals in their hearts. They will carry the hope of Yueying and Li Xiaoyao and continue to fight to bring true peace to this land!