195: Broken Cloud Valley

Jun Xiaoyao twirled a white jade chess piece between his fingers. The piece glowed with a warm luster under the candlelight, reflecting the unfathomable calculations in his eyes.

The water mirror on the table was split into three scenes: on the left, Linghu Chong lay drunk and fast asleep in a reed marsh, his monkey wine gourd rolling on the ground, its aroma drifting for miles on the wind; in the middle, Yue Fei led his personal soldiers to reinforce the Jiangnan embankment.

Black armor formed an iron torrent under the setting sun; on the right, Zhao Xuan's warships patrolled the river, the frost on the armor of five thousand Xuanbing Soldiers seemed to even fog the water mirror with white vapor.

"Zhao Gao." Jun Xiaoyao didn't even lift his head, placing the chess piece gently on the 'Chu River' boundary line of the chessboard. "The Net's informant sent back news, saying the Xuanbing Dynasty's grain camp is located in 'Duanyun Valley' North of the River?"

Zhao Gao bowed and emerged from the shadows, holding a scroll of secret reports, and whispered, "Yes, Duanyun Valley has treacherous terrain, with only one narrow path leading through. Zhao Xuan certainly knows how to pick a spot.

However..." He paused, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes, "The informant said the valley has been haunted recently; women's cries can be heard at night. The Xuanbing Soldiers have replaced three waves of grain guards, all of whom were scared away overnight."

Jun Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow, the chess piece spinning between his fingers: "Haunted? Interesting." He looked at the right side of the water mirror, where Zhao Xuan was losing his temper at a map, clearly annoyed about the grain situation. "Any movement from Marshal of the Unruly's side?"

"Reporting to Young Lord," Zhao Gao opened another scroll, "Marshal of the Unruly led the Shadow Group into Duanyun Valley three times. The first two times they were blocked by the illusion array at the valley entrance. The third time, after burning half the forest, they managed to reach the periphery of the granary and said they saw a white-clothed shadow float past, moving as fast as the wind."

As soon as he finished speaking, the summoning array in the center of the hall suddenly lit up with a faint blue light, runes flowing like water across the ground, forming a swirling vortex of light.

This was a sign of a Middle Stage summoning—the energy fluctuation was more than three times stronger than the previous summoning of Linghu Chong.

Jun Xiaoyao raised his hand, signaling Zhao Gao to retreat, and walked alone to the front of the array. A figure gradually emerged from the light vortex: a plain white dress whiter than snow, black hair cascading like a waterfall, holding an ancient longsword. It was Little Dragon Girl from 'the return of the condor heroes'.

[Character Panel Expanded:

Name: Little Dragon Girl (from 'the return of the condor heroes' world)

Realm: Mid-stage Grandmaster

Martial Skills and Cultivation Techniques:

1. Jade Maiden Heart Sutra (Utmost Yin and Softness, can complement Yang Internal Energy; requires a serene mind during Cultivation)

2. Nine Yin Manual (Incomplete, learned 'Soul Shifting Great Art,' 'White Python Whip Technique,' and other Moves; unpredictable and bizarre)

Special Abilities:

- Ethereal Shadow Steps: Figure is ethereal like a ghost, skilled at concealment in dark nights or complex terrain, speed far surpasses peers

- Heart Cleansing Art: Can dispel negative statuses (such as illusion array or illusion effects) from self and allies

Additional Items:

- Lady Sword (Divine Weapon): Blade is as thin as a cicada's wing, silent when thrust, extremely effective at piercing armor

- jade bee stinger: Highly poisonous, attached to the blade can increase lethality, especially effective against evil entities]

Little Dragon Girl opened her eyes, her gaze as clear as a cold pool. She nodded slightly at Jun Xiaoyao: "Your Excellency, did you summon this humble one for the strange occurrences in Duanyun Valley?" Her voice was cold, yet carried a keenness that pierced through illusions.

Jun Xiaoyao tossed her a jade pendant—a rubbing of the Duanyun Valley map drawn by The Net's informant, with illusion array nodes marked in special ink. "The white-clothed shadow in the valley might be of the same origin as you."

Little Dragon Girl took the jade pendant, her fingers tracing the array patterns on it, and softly said, "This illusion array is the 'Cold Moon Array,' which uses moonlight as a guide to evoke fear in people's hearts. The array master's Internal Energy isn't high, but they understand Mystical Arts of Wondrous Gates and Hidden Staves." She looked up at the left side of the water mirror, where Linghu Chong was still sleeping drunk, a silly smile on his lips. "That young hero drinking wine has a pure Yang Internal Energy, which happens to be able to break this array."

Jun Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow: "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra with Nine Swords of Dugu? Interesting." He pulled out a message talisman and sent a secret order to Marshal of the Unruly: "Take Linghu Chong to Duanyun Valley; let Little Dragon Girl meet him."

The scene on the left side of the water mirror suddenly shook—Marshal of the Unruly grabbed Linghu Chong by the ear and pulled him up, the latter still groggily shouting, "Good wine!" In the right scene, Zhao Xuan's deputy burst in, delivering an urgent report. Zhao Xuan's face changed drastically after reading it, and he furiously smashed his teacup on the ground.

"Young Lord," Zhao Gao re-entered, bowing with a secret report, "Three-tenths of the Xuanbing Dynasty's granary has been burned. Zhao Xuan is now deploying troops to search the mountains, saying anyone caught setting fires will be executed!"

Jun Xiaoyao looked at Little Dragon Girl, who was lightly tapping her Lady Sword with her fingertip, a cold light emanating from the blade. "Was that your doing?"

Little Dragon Girl shook her head: "It was the 'shadow' in the valley. As soon as I reached the valley entrance, I saw flames soaring into the sky. That shadow floated out of the fire, smiled at me, and then vanished." She paused, adding, "Her footwork is very similar to the Ancient Tomb Sect's 'Heavenly Net and Earthly Web Formation'."

Yue Fei's voice suddenly came through the message talisman, carrying the 肅殺 of clashing weapons: "Young Lord, the Xuanbing Soldiers have begun to force their way across the Yangtze River! Warships have passed the river's center, and Zhao Xuan is personally leading the charge!"

The scene on the right side of the water mirror switched: ten warships rode the wind and waves, the Xuanbing banners at their bows flapping fiercely. Zhao Xuan stood on the flagship's deck, his long halberd pointing directly at Jiangnan. In the left scene, Linghu Chong finally sobered up and was rushing towards Duanyun Valley with Marshal of the Unruly, still mumbling, "Setting fires isn't as enjoyable as drinking." In the middle scene, Yue Fei's defenses had erected three layers of iron nets, and black-armored soldiers were drawing their bows, waiting for the enemy to approach.

Jun Xiaoyao heavily pressed the white jade chess piece onto the center of the chessboard, emitting a dull thud: "Little Dragon Girl, go to Duanyun Valley and find that shadow, figure out her origin; Marshal of the Unruly, burn Zhao Xuan's rear camp and cut off his retreat; Yue Fei, hold the riverbank, don't let even a fly pass!"

His gaze swept across the three scenes, finally resting on Little Dragon Girl's plain white figure. The light from the summoning array had not yet dissipated, illuminating her flowing robes, making her appear like an immortal banished from the moon. And the cold light of the Lady Sword was even colder than the Xuanbing Soldiers' armor, foreshadowing a storm about to sweep through Duanyun Valley.

"Remember," Jun Xiaoyao's voice carried an unquestionable authority, "the secret of Duanyun Valley is more important than Zhao Xuan's five thousand soldiers. I want to see her alive, or... her corpse."

Little Dragon Girl nodded in assent, her figure transforming into a white rainbow and vanishing into the twilight outside the hall. Where her Ethereal Shadow Steps passed, even the wind held its breath, with only the occasional moonlight reflected by the Lady Sword casting 碎 silver flecks on the ground, like a scattered net, quietly tightening, waiting to capture the mysterious white-clothed shadow of Duanyun Valley.

In the water mirror, Zhao Xuan's warships had already broken through the first layer of naval mine defenses. Explosions echoed across the river, and water columns splashed higher than the masts. Yue Fei stood on the embankment, his long spear sweeping. Behind him, trebuchets roared, and huge stones, like meteors, smashed towards the warships. Wood splinters and ice armor fragments, mixed with blood, fell into the river, staining half the water red.

Linghu Chong finally arrived at the entrance of Duanyun Valley, scared by the illusions evoked by the Cold Moon Array, he swung his sword repeatedly, wildly hacking with Sword Breaking Style and Palm Breaking Style, inadvertently breaking the array's core. Marshal of the Unruly watched from the side, shaking his head, yet had to admit that Nine Swords of Dugu's formless victory over form, against such a bizarre illusion array, was even more effective than Little Dragon Girl's Heart Cleansing Art.

Deep in the valley, that white-clothed shadow sat on the ruins of the granary, dipping her finger in a spark to write a character — “ 过” (Guo). She looked up at the valley entrance, seemingly having heard Linghu Chong's sword sounds, a faint smile gracing her lips, like a silhouette awaiting an old friend, flickering in and out of existence in the dancing flames.

Jun Xiaoyao watched the three chaotic battles unfolding simultaneously in the water mirror, lightly tapping his fingers on the chessboard. The grain crisis North of the River, the river-crossing battle in Jiangnan, and the mystery of the old friend in Duanyun Valley, like three intertwined chess pieces, finally fell into their predetermined trajectories under his arrangement.

Zhao Gao, holding the newly delivered battle report, saw the Young Lord's faint smile and wisely remained silent. He knew this was just the beginning. The Net of Beyond Heaven had just been cast, and those caught within it, whether the Xuanbing Prince, the drunken swordsman, or the mysterious white-clothed shadow, were merely chess pieces in Jun Xiaoyao's hand, soon to be placed.

As night deepened, the river wind, carrying the scent of gunpowder, blew into the hall. Jun Xiaoyao pushed open the window, gazing at the soaring flames on the South bank and the faint cries on the North bank, and tucked the white jade chess piece into his sleeve. The chess piece still retained the warmth of the candlelight, just like his current state of mind—seemingly calm, but beneath it burned a fire capable of spreading across the plains.

Who is the white-clothed shadow of Duanyun Valley? Can Little Dragon Girl bring back the answer? Can Linghu Chong's drunken sword slash open the truth of the illusion array? How devastating will Zhao Xuan's river-crossing battle be against Yue Fei's iron wall?

All the answers are hidden in the deepening night, waiting to be fished out by The Net. And Jun Xiaoyao knew that all he had to do was wait patiently, like waiting for the final Move that decides victory or defeat at the end of a chess game.