The old man looked sorrowful and said, "The siege has lasted for a long time, and the city is short of food. Emperor Wu used up the remaining grain, leaving little for the soldiers, let alone the common people in the city. During this period, righteous men from various parts of the Divine Land organized to transport grain to the Capital City, but unfortunately, they were all intercepted and killed by Murong Zhong, Yuwen Mao, and the Profound Celestial Sect..."

"In a few months, the armies of the Murong Family, Yuwen Family, and the Profound Celestial Sect ravaged Guanzhong savagely. Countless families were destroyed and displaced. Roads were cut off, and there was no sign of human life for a thousand miles."

At this, the old man sighed deeply, seemingly recalling something, and murmured, "The spring swallow returns, nesting in the woods."

This last sentence sounded somewhat strange.

However, after a brief thought, Chen Tang felt a chill!

Swallows should originally build nests under rooftops, but with the changes in the Capital City, the land turned barren for miles around. The return of the spring swallows, forced to nest in the woods, showed the dire state of the chaotic times.

"What happened later?"

Chen Tang asked again.

The old man took a deep breath and continued, "With no grain in the city, if they continued to hold on, cannibalism would surely occur. Emperor Wu couldn't bear to see this happen, so he chose to break out of the Capital City with his Dragon Tiger Guard!"

Chen Tang was silently contemplative.

The Yuwen Family, the Murong Family, and even the Profound Celestial Sect all had one goal: Emperor Wu.

If Emperor Wu could break through, regardless of life or death, at least it could temporarily lift the siege of the Capital City.

A few days ago, the old man had mentioned the origins of the Dragon Tiger Guard.

The Dragon Tiger Guard belonged to the Imperial Palace Guard of Emperor Wu. Their selection was extremely strict, consisting of first-rate experts of around the Third Grade, numbering only about a thousand.

After the battles at Xiajiang and Snow Ridge, there were fewer than five hundred Dragon Tiger Guard left in the Capital City.

The old man said, "Emperor Wu, with a severely injured body, carved a bloody path through the chaotic army, fleeing west. The Dragon Tiger Guard by his side had long been scattered, with few remaining. By the end of their escape, only about ten or so remained with Emperor Wu."

"Ultimately, Emperor Wu was caught by Yuwen Mao at Martial General Mountain in Guanzhong and was killed outside Xinping Zen Temple."

Chen Tang's heart was stirred.

Guanzhong, Martial General Mountain?

In the previous dynasty, Guanzhong was now called Yongzhou.

When he was descending Snow Mountain, Mountain Guest had once advised him that if he encountered great trouble, he should go to Xiping Temple in Yongzhou to find a Master Le Kong.

He had once seen on the map that Xiping Temple was located on Martial General Mountain.

What was the relationship between Xiping Temple and Xinping Zen Temple?

Chen Tang couldn't figure it out, so he temporarily set aside this doubt and asked, "Did anyone see Emperor Wu die at that time?"

"Many people saw it."

The old man said, "Besides Yuwen Mao, there were many monks from Xinping Zen Temple, and even the ten or so Dragon Tiger Guard by his side witnessed it. Emperor Wu was beheaded by Yuwen Mao, killed on the spot."

Chen Tang frowned slightly.

He originally thought Emperor Wu might have used a trick like feigned death or a substitute to deceive everyone, to perform the Golden Cicada's Shell escape.

But if there were so many people present, and it was Yuwen Mao who personally killed him, this speculation seemed unrealistic.

After all, Yuwen Mao was a grandmaster, with eyes sharp like torches.

If it were a substitute, it certainly couldn't fool him.

Even having the head cut off, methods like feigned death became impossible.

Thus, it couldn't be that Mountain Guest was Emperor Wu.

The old man chuckled coldly and said, "Yuwen Mao wanted to force Emperor Wu to reveal the whereabouts of the Heirloom Seal of the Realm and the Heart Method of the Dragon and Tiger Pill Scripture. What kind of character was Emperor Wu? Even in death, he wouldn't fulfill Mao's wishes."

Upon hearing this, Chen Tang's heart was greatly shaken!

Mountain Guest had once said that he merged the superior cultivation methods of both the Buddhist Sect and the Profound Sect to create the Inner Strength Method, which was the Dragon and Tiger Pill Scripture!

It seemed then that Mountain Guest was Emperor Wu!

But with Emperor Wu severely injured, how could he, under the watchful eyes of so many, escape from death, deceive everyone?

How was that possible?

Chen Tang couldn't figure it out no matter how much he thought.

And the old man knew the situation at that time so clearly, even able to recount details, revealing his identity was almost upon him!

Chen Tang pondered for a long while and asked again, "Are any of Emperor Wu's descendants still alive?"

"They're all dead."

The old man shook his head and said, "Some died in battle at the Capital City, while others committed suicide."

Chen Tang said, "As far as I know, Emperor Wu should still have a descendant alive. During the changes in the Capital City, someone reportedly sneaked into the Imperial Palace to rescue a prince."

"Hmm?"

The old man's eyes widened.

Of course, he knew about this, but how did this young man in front of him find out?

Why was this young man asking about Emperor Wu's descendants?

Could it be that he was a dark scout sent by Yuwen Mao to eradicate them completely?

In a turn of thought, the old man became more wary and murderous towards Chen Tang.

Chen Tang asked, "Do you know the whereabouts of this prince, Senior?"

The old man shook his head.

Even if he knew, he certainly wouldn't reveal it.

The old man suddenly attacked Chen Tang!

He reached out with his withered hand, aiming to grab Chen Tang's shoulder blade.

This attack came without warning and was extremely fast, leaving Chen Tang no time to dodge.

He instinctively used a move from the Dragon-Catching Claw to counter-grab the old man's wrist joint.

Ever since he reached the Seventh Grade, achieving Great Mastery of Yijin, his use of the Dragon-Catching Claw had become increasingly proficient.

This was entirely instinctive.

The old man recognized the Dragon-Catching Claw technique and used the same style, reaching for Chen Tang's wrist.

Chen Tang changed his moves, executing all Eight Techniques of the Dragon-Catching Claw.

The two exchanged moves in mid-air, continuously changing techniques.

Without direct confrontation, any slight mistake could allow the other to seize their joint vulnerabilities!

After dozens of exchanges, the old man gauged Chen Tang's skill level, spotted a flaw, drove straight in, and instantly seized multiple joints on Chen Tang's body, rendering him immobile.

"Who taught you the Dragon-Catching Claw?"

The old man asked in a low voice.

Chen Tang endured the pain at his joints, feigning ignorance, and said, "What Dragon-Catching Claw? This is called Celestial Mountain Plum-Breaking Hand."

"Nonsense!"

The old man scolded, "If you don't reveal your master, I will break both your wrists immediately, and you will never wield a knife again with these hands!"

"Hey, what are you doing, old man?"

At this moment, a voice shouted from the village entrance.

Madam Lu appeared, holding a piece of burlap, her face full of disdain, muttering, "At such an age, why are you bothering with a child?"

The old man still held onto Chen Tang, frowning and said, "Madam Lu, this is a private matter between us, it has nothing to do with you."

In the blink of an eye, Madam Lu approached, seemingly casually using the burlap to tap the back of the old man's hand, lightly scolding, "Let go of him!"

The old man didn't take it seriously at first.

But when the burlap tapped the back of his hand, several acupoints on his hand suddenly ached, like being pricked by needles!

The old man's face changed, instantly feeling his entire arm go numb, and his hand involuntarily released.

Madam Lu dragged Chen Tang away, holding his wrist, walking towards the village without looking back.

The old man stood in a daze, staring at Madam Lu's receding figure for a long time before exhaling and murmuring, "What powerful inner qi, there's actually a master in this village, I overlooked it."

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