Subduing the Dragon with a Flute

Dragon-Subduing Pearl and Curtain-Sound Flute is divided into upper and lower parts, making two volumes in total. Author: Hua Xianrang

What you are reading now is the upper part. It mainly tells of the various grudges and vendettas, loves and hatreds among adults in the martial world, all sparked by two treasures: the Dragon-Subduing Pearl and the Curtain-Sound Flute...

The upper part is divided into eight major sections: the Dragon-Subduing Pearl, the Curtain-Sound Flute, the Five Elders Gang, the Five Eccentrics of Meisha, the Old City of the Renhe Li Clan, Golden Manor, Tie Jia Manor, and Sun-Moon Divine Pool.

We have finished the Dragon-Subduing Pearl, Curtain-Sound Flute, Five Eccentrics, and Five Elders Gang sections. We are now telling the stories of the Old City of the Renhe Li Clan and Golden Manor. Still to come are Tie Jia Manor, and the story of Bai Tianxiao and Xiao Changfeng's final battle.

First, let us briefly review the threads of this book before continuing.

The purpose of writing the upper part of this book:

The story is built around two treasures: the Dragon-Subduing Pearl, a royal treasure, and the Curtain-Sound Flute, an object from beyond the heavens.

According to rumors in the martial world, whoever possesses these two treasures can become invincible beneath heaven. For thousands of years, martial artists have fought to the death over them, leaving the dead and wounded strewn everywhere.

The Dragon-Subduing Pearl: A royal treasure and the ultimate prize. It was originally kept in the treasury of the prestigious Ma family residence, where the Ma family guarded it loyally from generation to generation.

Rumor has it that it is worth a fortune, conservatively estimated at 800 to 900 million, and that its magical power is boundless. If a martial artist opens it while training and catches some of its auspicious aura and radiance, their power can increase a hundredfold, a thousandfold, or even ten thousandfold. It is also said that even the combined might of the Four Divine Beasts, the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, cannot compare with it.

Thus, the people of the martial world coveted this treasure and all wanted to seize it for themselves, sparking one conflict after another.

The Curtain-Sound Flute, an object from beyond the heavens and a peerless treasure, is priceless. The melodies played on it are exquisite, and it can also serve as a weapon for self-defense. It was brought to the mortal world by Fairy Mengdie, who had descended without permission, and its arrival sparked a struggle among all kinds of people in the martial world.

The Curtain-Sound Flute was originally a token of love given by Sword Lord Momei to Fairy Mengdie when he first met her in the Celestial Court. She later brought it to the mortal world, where it passed through the martial world and gave rise to a series of beautiful, legendary love stories.

The upper part of this book follows the two treasures, the Dragon-Subduing Pearl and the Curtain-Sound Flute. The first thread celebrates the heroic, moving stories of the prestigious Ma family, who gave their lives defending the royal treasure, the Dragon-Subduing Pearl, and preserving peace and stability in the martial world; the Tie family, another distinguished clan, who were innocent victims because of their generations-long friendship with the Ma family; Old Master Wen, former leader of the Phoenix Mountain Sect, once the greatest sect in the martial world; the former eldest daughter of the Phoenix Mountain Sect, Hua; the immortal elder Dongfang Dexue, who loved traveling the world; Master Yuntong, former abbot of Fahong Temple; and Lu'er, the former crown prince.

The second thread follows the Curtain-Sound Flute. Originally an object from beyond the heavens, it was brought to the mortal world by Fairy Mengdie, who had descended without permission. It then circulated through the martial world, giving rise to one beautiful, legendary love story after another, such as those of Sword Lord Momei and Fairy Mengdie; Wen Tianyu, young master of Yeaou Island, and Feng Rou, the Music-Loving Gentleman; and Shen Zuiyan, the Peony Fairy of Luoyang, the imperial capital for a thousand years, and the painter Wu Yinzi.

The lower part of this book mainly follows the younger generation from the upper part, including young Xiao Linger, young Lingzi and her little brother Xiaodigua, young Ma Yunfei, young Jiang Feng, young Xiaoyu, and young Liu Yitong. It tells the delightful stories of their return to the martial world after growing up.

The Dragon-Subduing Pearl section centers on four crucial figures. The ones who openly tried to seize the Pearl were Xiao Changfeng, master of Moon Bay in Meisha, once unrivaled beneath heaven and undefeated in the martial world, and Liu Xiao, head of the Great Wutong Mountain Sect, an elder of the Tianshan faction. Liu Xiao was born arrogant and stubborn, but was also free-spirited and unconventional.

Those who tried to seize the Pearl in secret were Ma Kuangyi, leader of the Maluan Mountain Sect, whose mission was to uphold justice and save the country and its people, and Liu Lianshen, Lord Liu, who ruled Dapeng City with an iron hand, secretly committed every kind of evil, and hid his treacherous nature behind a deceptive face.

Xiao Changfeng, the great hero, sought the Dragon-Subduing Pearl to dominate the martial world. Liu Lianshen, Lord Liu, wanted it out of greed for wealth. Ma Kuangyi, the leader of the Ma faction, wanted it to maintain order and stability in the martial world. Liu Xiao, the old eccentric, wanted it to increase his own martial strength.

Liu Lianshen, treacherous and cunning, repeatedly used a magical disguise technique from the martial world to impersonate Xiao Changfeng. In his attempts to seize the Dragon-Subduing Pearl, he stirred up bloody conflicts throughout the martial world, causing everyone to wrongly blame Xiao Changfeng.

Later, at the martial arts tournament and swordsmanship contest in Yunpeng City, Xiao Changfeng proved his innocence to everyone in the martial world. He also exposed the sinister, ugly face of Liu Lianshen, who had been hiding in the shadows and repeatedly framing him.

After the tournament in Yunpeng City, Xiao Changfeng let his hair down, boarded a small boat, and journeyed to the island of Guqi Zhou, which is now known as Wuzhizhou Island. He went to visit and care for his master, the famous Lei Zhentian, who had long been living in seclusion there, enjoying his later years. Lei Zhentian had always looked after Xiao Changfeng and loved him as if he were his own son.

At the tournament in Yunpeng City, Liu Lianshen, Lord Liu of Dapeng City, who had wielded absolute power and committed every kind of evil, was rescued in time by Miss Zhiyinxue. To save his own life, he later disguised himself as an immortal called Crane in the Clouds and went to Butterfly Valley in the Green World. There, he tricked the elder immortal Dongfang Dexue, who lived in seclusion and regarded him as a lifelong confidant, into trusting him. After getting Dongfang Dexue drunk, he tricked him into revealing the whereabouts of the royal treasure and peerless prize, the Dragon-Subduing Pearl.

Liu Lianshen's crimes had already been exposed at the tournament in Yunpeng City, and everyone knew about them. Many sects and factions were therefore looking for revenge. He knew full well that, as a fugitive, he would eventually be brought to justice. The only thing that could save his life now was the infinitely powerful Dragon-Subduing Pearl, so he tried every possible means to steal it, whatever the cost.

After learning where the Dragon-Subduing Pearl was, Liu Lianshen used his intelligence to fool his way past the guards and secretly infiltrate Fahong Temple. When he tried to forcibly take the Pearl from the temple's reliquary pagoda, Master Yuntong did everything he could to stop him. Liu Lianshen, vicious and enraged, cruelly killed Master Yuntong, who was no match for him.

Young Lu'er, the former crown prince, who was hiding and witnessed it all, was also the young monk Jingkong. Grateful for the immense kindness Master Yuntong had shown him, and determined to stop the thug Liu Lianshen from stealing Fahong Temple's brilliant Dragon-Subduing Pearl and using it to commit more evil in the martial world, he acted without hesitation. He seized the Pearl before Liu Lianshen could, then chose to swallow it and take his own life inside the reliquary pagoda.

Liu Lianshen, that wretched man, was trapped when Fahong Temple's senior disciple Jinghuan arrived to rescue Master Yuntong, but was too late. Jinghuan had been Master Yuntong's favorite and most promising disciple. He locked the pagoda doors before Liu Lianshen could escape, then used the token his master had left him to order everyone to surround the pagoda with torches.

Liu Lianshen was trapped inside the reliquary pagoda by the disciples of Fahong Temple and could not escape. In the midst of the blazing inferno, he lost his life.

Ma Kuangyi, leader of the Maluan Mountain Sect, sought the Dragon-Subduing Pearl to protect order and stability in the martial world, but the struggle cost him one of his finest warriors: his beloved adopted daughter, Zhao Caie.

He later regretted it deeply. After mastering the Water and Fire Dragon Art, he took his other disciple Tu Mujiao and the Maluan Mountain Sect's treasured Nine Heavens Zither to seek revenge on Xiao Changfeng. In their battle, Leader Ma nearly took Xiao Changfeng's life. But at that critical moment, Lei Zhentian, the former leader of the Sun-Moon Divine Pool, Xiao Changfeng's master, who appeared and vanished unpredictably in the martial world, miraculously appeared behind Xiao Changfeng and rescued him in time.

After that, Ma Kuangyi knew that Lei Zhentian was secretly protecting Xiao Changfeng, so he did not dare to act rashly again. He simply watched the situation in the martial world from the shadows.

Liu Xiao, head of the Wutong Mountain Sect and another man who tried to seize the Dragon-Subduing Pearl openly, repeatedly sent his disciples Sun Mulan and Liu Yitong down the mountain to search for it. Once he learned that it had fallen into Xiao Changfeng's hands, he appeared unpredictably on the road many times to block Xiao Changfeng's way.

He kept challenging Xiao Changfeng to seize the Dragon-Subduing Pearl he carried and use its power to increase his own martial strength. He had been cultivating the Divine Weapon Art, but when he reached the eighteenth level, his martial arts had stopped improving, and he was extremely anxious...

Liu Xiao, the Tianshan elder, challenged Xiao Changfeng time and again and lost each time. Later, in front of the Great Buddha of Lingyun, the Leshan Giant Buddha, the two fought another fierce battle over the Dragon-Subduing Pearl.

Liu Xiao started the confrontation. He blocked Xiao Changfeng, who was returning by water after borrowing medicinal pills from the Old City of the Renhe Li Clan to save the life of his beloved daughter, Xiao Linger. Liu Xiao demanded that Xiao Changfeng hand over the Dragon-Subduing Pearl he carried.

Both men used their ultimate techniques in the fight. In the end, the Tianshan elder Liu Xiao was defeated by Xiao Changfeng and left lying on an open stretch of ground in front of the Leshan Giant Buddha, barely alive. His two disciples, Sun Mulan and Liu Yitong, who had been following Xiao Changfeng's movements from a boat, rescued him and took him away.

After that, the Tianshan elder Liu Xiao was thoroughly convinced by Xiao Changfeng. They made peace and became friends, and Liu Xiao never caused him any more trouble or mentioned trying to seize the Dragon-Subduing Pearl again.

That is the story of the Dragon-Subduing Pearl section.

In this lifetime, the heroes who gave their lives to protect peace and stability in the martial world and defend the royal treasure, the Dragon-Subduing Pearl, included the Ma family, whose prestigious residence was massacred; the Tie family, another distinguished clan that was innocently implicated and had close ties to the Ma family; Old Master Wen, former leader of the Phoenix Mountain Sect, once the greatest sect in the martial world; the former eldest daughter of the Phoenix Mountain Sect, Hua; the elder immortal Dongfang Dexue; Master Yuntong, former abbot of Fahong Temple; and the former crown prince, the young monk Jingkong.

The Curtain-Sound Flute section:

1. After completing his tribulation in the mortal world, Sword Lord Momei returned with the Curtain-Sound Flute and sought out his former lover, Fairy Mengdie, hoping to reconcile. But after suffering heartbreak in the mortal world, she would not agree so easily. Instead, she gave him a year in the Celestial Court to prove himself.

Later, since the love in both immortals' hearts had never faded, they finally put their rift behind them and reunited.

Fairy Mengdie gently entrusted her heart to Sword Lord Momei once more. He promised to cherish it carefully and never break the vow between them again.

Fairy Mengdie later followed Sword Lord Momei to undergo a tribulation near Gulangyu Island, because the old Jade Emperor had given him a new mission.

After Fairy Mengdie left, her master, Immortal Erbao, took his wife and child out of the immortal village of Yunmo. His wife was Pear Blossom Fairy Li Xiangru, and their son, Xiaoyunxiang, was just over five. They returned to the Hundred Herbs Garden beside the Celestial River, which they had not visited in a long time, and took over its perfume-making business.

Immortal Erbao had two plans for his return. First, he would continue studying his disciple Fairy Mengdie's unfinished work, Heart's Fragrance, and create several new perfumes of his own. Second, he would train his son Xiaoyunxiang to take over the art of perfume-making in the future.

Another figure connected to the Curtain-Sound Flute was Qian Qiuye, mistress of the Arctic White Lotus Palace and the wife Sword Lord Momei had married during his tribulation in the mortal world. After her feelings for him faded and they went their separate ways, she married not long after the tournament in Yunpeng City. Her new husband was the head of the Tianmu Gang, the Old Ancestor Tianyan, brother of Qiu Yuehua, the Witch of Shennong Mountain, who was known as the most beautiful woman in the martial world.

The Old Ancestor Tianyan had once lent the Yin-Yang Arrows, his family's treasured heirloom, to Golden Manor, indirectly causing Qian Qiuye to be injured. He felt guilty about this, and after marrying her, treated her extremely well. Perhaps no one in the world could love her so much or replace his sincere heart. Qian Qiuye's life afterward was not bad, and she was always surrounded by warmth and affection.

Another pair of lovers connected to the Curtain-Sound Flute were Feng Rou, master of the Number One Music House and known as the Music-Loving Gentleman, and Wen Tianyu, young master of Yeaou Island. Their love story was beautiful and romantic.

In the end, Feng Rou, gentle in temperament and accomplished in both virtue and art, politely turned down her wealthy master's passionate pursuit. She gave up following him across the sea to Japan, which lay beyond the waters, to live a comfortable, happy, and peaceful life with him.

Instead, the Music-Loving Gentleman followed her heart's true wishes and chose to marry Wen Tianyu, young master of Yeaou Island, who loved her deeply. She wanted to grow old together with him.

Feng Rou's master eventually saw reason and said he respected his disciple's choice. As he let her go, he returned the Curtain-Sound Flute to her as a heartfelt blessing for her future marriage.

After their marriage, Feng Rou and her husband Wen Tianyu often traveled back and forth across the sea. They made a major contribution to reconciling the Phoenix Mountain Sect and the brothers of Yeaou Island, helping them put their grudges aside, make up, and become one loving family again.

As everyone knows, the people of Yeaou Island were originally disciples of the Phoenix Mountain Sect, the greatest sect in the martial world. They were later split off and went into exile in a distant land.

Back then, the eldest daughter Hua, Blue Phoenix, and her sisters' father, Mr. Wen Shide, the former leader of the Phoenix Mountain Sect, had a falling-out with their senior uncle Wen Shiqing.

The ambitious Wen Shiqing wanted to become the sect leader, but the disciples of the Phoenix Mountain Sect supported the elder Wen Shide. Mr. Wen Shide, who had won more people's hearts, was chosen as leader. After his defeat, Wen Shiqing left in anger with his followers and traveled far away to Yeaou Island, where they settled. But this ambitious man was not satisfied with ruling a single island. He led cavalry and elite troops, wielded his whip, and swept through the region. Within a few years, he had unified and annexed the surrounding islands, large and small. From then on, he was the greatest island lord across the sea, and no one dared cross him.

Through the repeated efforts of Feng Rou and her husband, young master Wen Tianyu, relations between the Phoenix Mountain Sect on this side of the sea and Yeaou Island on the other side began to thaw. The first to break the ice was Wen Tianyu, who had once visited the Phoenix Mountain Sect to attend the unprecedentedly grand Phoenix Banquet on Phoenix Mountain. It was held by his cousin, Blue Phoenix, then leader of the Phoenix Mountain Sect, to celebrate the birth of her twins, a boy and a girl.

Back when Wen Tianyu was pursuing his beloved Feng Rou, the young master of Yeaou Island visited the Phoenix Mountain Sect again. He was looking for young Ma Yunfei to ask if he would allow him to take the peerless Dragon-Subduing Pearl (Mother), which the eldest daughter Hua had carefully kept in temporary safekeeping. Wen Tianyu's parents had entrusted the Pearl to the Phoenix Mountain Sect when they had brought their son there as an orphan.

Wen Tianyu wanted to take the Dragon-Subduing Pearl (Mother) from his cousin, the eldest daughter Hua, and use it to make a gold lotus-and-lotus-root hairpin set with the Pearl for Feng Rou, the woman he loved, as a token of love and a marriage proposal.

But the eldest daughter Hua insisted that it was an extremely rare and valuable treasure from the Ma family residence's treasury. Its rightful owners were the Ma family, and her father, Wen Shide, had entrusted it to her only for safekeeping. So she told her senior, Wen Tianyu, young master of Yeaou Island, to ask Ma Yunfei for permission first.

When he heard that Wen Tianyu wanted the Dragon-Subduing Pearl (Mother) to confess his love and propose to the woman he loved, young Ma Yunfei said that his parents had died fifteen years earlier and that there was no point in keeping the Pearl now that it had come into his hands. He generously agreed to give it to Wen Tianyu.

After the gold lotus-and-lotus-root hairpin set with the Dragon-Subduing Pearl (Mother) was made, Feng Rou thought it was far too valuable and did not dare accept it. Instead, she accepted another equally exquisite and expensive gold hairpin Wen Tianyu had made for her, called the Lotus and Mandarin Ducks Hairpin.

The gold lotus-and-lotus-root hairpin set with the Dragon-Subduing Pearl (Mother) was later placed in the hair of the eldest daughter Hua by Bai Tianxiao, before she was laid in her coffin. She now rests with it forever beneath the ground of the Phoenix Garden Mausoleum.

After the eldest daughter Hua was abducted from Junlao Mountain to Yeaou Island by her senior and cousin Wen Tianyu, its young master, she repeatedly urged her senior uncle Wen Shiqing to let go of his resentment and reconcile with the Phoenix Mountain Sect across the sea, so that they could become one loving family again and visit each other often. She also urged him to lay down his weapons and stop the massacres.

Later, Xiao Changfeng came to Yeaou Island to seize the Dragon-Subduing Pearl (Mother), combine it with the other Pearl, and increase his martial strength. He accidentally killed the eldest daughter Hua with a single blow from his Tyrant King Palm. She left this world with unfinished wishes and regrets.

To fulfill his junior sister Hua Manyu's dying wish, Wen Tianyu, young master of Yeaou Island, made repeated visits to the Phoenix Mountain Sect across the sea to seek reconciliation. Blue Phoenix, then the leader of the Phoenix Mountain Sect, wanted to ease her senior uncle Wen Shiqing's resentment as much as possible. She even took it upon herself to consider betrothing her most accomplished disciple, young Ma Yunfei, to young Ke'er, Wen Shiqing's most treasured adopted daughter.

Uncle Meng, who knew about young Ma Yunfei's tender feelings, was Blue Phoenix's husband. He deliberately interfered and repeatedly tried to stop the match. Young Hero Chishui was close to Ma Yunfei, like a brother to him on Phoenix Mountain. Chishui had also accepted a particularly precious keepsake, a peace talisman, from his confidante Lingzi. It was meant to protect him and carried profound symbolic meaning. He also knew the secret in his good brother Ma Yunfei's heart. So he volunteered, asking his master Blue Phoenix to let him take Ma Yunfei's place and become betrothed to young Ke'er across the sea.

Young Hero Chishui did not betray his senior, young Ma Yunfei. Instead, he said that he loved Ke'er and that she loved him too. He said they had met at the Rose Banquet, introduced by Ma Yunfei, and had instantly recognized each other as lovers bound together by a thousand lives of fate. He begged his master Blue Phoenix to let him become engaged to Ke'er in place of his senior Ma Yunfei, adding that he would marry her when he grew up.

Uncle Meng also tried to smooth things over. He said adults should respect what the children wanted. The young Chishui standing before them was brave and sincere enough to express his feelings at such a young age, so Uncle Meng supported his taking Ma Yunfei's place and becoming betrothed to Ke'er, the peerless young island lord across the sea.

As he spoke, Uncle Meng shot a timely glance at young Ma Yunfei, who stood dumbfounded and motionless nearby.

Young Ma Yunfei finally reacted. He cried and pleaded with his master Blue Phoenix, insisting that he and Ke'er across the sea simply were not meant for one another. During the few days they had spent together on Phoenix Mountain, he had always treated her like a younger sister. At last, he begged Blue Phoenix to let his junior Chishui become engaged to his Ke'er in his place, to ease tensions between the two sides.

Blue Phoenix had never given up hope that Ma Yunfei would marry her senior uncle's adopted daughter Ke'er when they grew up. The first time she saw the pure-looking, gentle young Ke'er, she had decided that one day she would become the Phoenix Mountain Sect's daughter-in-law.

Now her beloved disciple, young Ma Yunfei, said he had no feelings for Ke'er, while another of her most promising disciples, Young Hero Chishui, openly declared his deep love for her and said he would marry her when he grew up. Blue Phoenix was at a loss, but after Uncle Meng repeatedly comforted and advised her, she temporarily gave up the idea of arranging a childhood betrothal for her youngest disciple.

She wanted to leave the outcome to fate and destiny, and let the children's future unfold on its own. She would no longer interfere.

Another pair of lovers tied to the Curtain-Sound Flute were Shen Zuiyan, the beloved daughter of Lord Shen in Luoyang, the imperial capital for a thousand years, and Wu Yinzi, a poor painter from humble beginnings.

The painter Wu Yinzi, the Peony Fairy Shen Zuiyan, and the last of the five eccentrics of Meisha Moon Bay, the Zither Demoness, met in the eerie, shadowy village of Fenghunting. They became sworn sisters and brothers and regarded one another as lifelong friends.

The painter Wu Yinzi and the Zither Demoness saved the Peony Fairy Shen Zuiyan's life in Fenghunting.

The Peony Fairy Shen Zuiyan later rejected the advances of the Dragon Prince Aokun, son of the old Dragon King of Rose Coast, who was passionately in love with her. Instead, she chose the poor but talented and gifted painter Wu Yinzi, and the two spent the rest of their lives together in love.

The Dragon Prince Aokun of Rose Coast later married the Azure Wave Fairy Ding Birou, eldest daughter of Madam Shuihua of the Lotus Mountain Sect. She was Xiaoyu's eldest aunt and the older sister of the Wave-Riding Fairy Ding Biling.

Xiaoyu's mother, Ding Biling, broke the rules of the Flower Realm, endured countless trials and emotional wounds, and was reunited in the Celestial Court with Duan Qingyun, a poor young man who had spent ten years honing his skills on Qingyun Mountain before finally becoming an immortal. Their story later became a celebrated romance across the Six Realms.

Ao Zhan, the old Dragon King's second son from Rose Coast, shared many interests with Yu Mo, the mermaid princess of Gulangyu Island, who was also a sea warrior of the highest order. Both had grown up by the sea. They eventually became a couple after the five eccentrics of Meisha, Zhui Ming Changfeng and Erma Feidao, introduced them and brought them together.

Zhui Ming Changfeng and Erma Feidao, two of the five eccentrics, had been childhood friends of Ao Zhan. On Xiao Changfeng's orders, they went to find a thousand-year-old lingzhi mushroom that could cure their young mistress Xiao Linger's injuries. On their way to Gulangyu Island, they met Yu Mo, the mermaid princess, sitting by the sea in sorrow after a broken romance.

Zhui Ming Changfeng and Erma Feidao broke through the five mysterious barriers Yu Mo had set up around Gulangyu Island. The two eccentrics lived up to their mission, witnessed a miracle, and used their own strength to pass all five barriers.

Yu Mo, the mermaid princess, was deeply impressed by the strength and charisma of the men of Meisha Moon Bay. On the clean, soft white sand, she swore brotherhood with the two of them.

The two eccentrics, Zhui Ming Changfeng and Erma Feidao, wanted to help Yu Mo overcome the sadness and troubles in her heart after her heartbreak. They also wanted to repay her for helping them find the thousand-year-old lingzhi mushroom, so they introduced her to their childhood friend.

Thus, Yu Mo, the mermaid princess of Gulangyu Island, became a couple with Ao Zhan, the second son of the Dragon King of Rose Coast.

Little Rose, the third princess of Rose Coast, was loyal and understanding. To help her good friend Wang Mingyang, leader of the Great Nanshan Sect, be with his true love Sun Mulan, senior disciple of the Great Wutong Mountain Sect and eldest disciple of the Tianshan elder Liu Xiao, she took the initiative to confess her feelings to Yang Bufan, the senior disciple of the Yangtai Sect.

With Little Rose's intervention, the Yangtai Mountain Sect and Wutong Mountain Sect reached an agreement over the broken engagement. Yang Bufan and Sun Mulan's arranged marriage was canceled, and the two sects agreed to remain on good terms and not cause each other any more trouble.

In the end, Wang Mingyang of the Great Nanshan Sect and Sun Mulan of the Great Wutong Mountain Sect got back together. The two devoted lovers remained true to their love and spent a beautiful, sweet life together, side by side.

Yang Bufan, senior disciple of the Yangtai Sect, later married Little Rose, the third princess of Rose Coast.

As for the Curtain-Sound Flute, it had originally been in the hands of Feng Rou, the Music-Loving Gentleman. Before her master, a great collector, departed, he entrusted the treasure to her.

Feng Rou later generously gave it to her close friend, the painter Wu Yinzi.

The painter Wu Yinzi was poor and had no family to rely on. When he first courted the Peony Fairy Shen Zuiyan, Lord Shen of Luoyang, the imperial capital for a thousand years, did everything he could to obstruct him.

Lord Shen looked down on him as a poor man. He even declared that all the princes and nobles pursuing his daughter Zuiyan were lined up outside, jostling for a chance. He also said that, given his daughter's beauty, talent, and family background, she had no shortage of good marriage prospects.

Lord Shen was firmly against their relationship from the start. He mocked the painter Wu Yinzi for his meager means and poor background, trying to drive him out of Luoyang, the imperial capital for a thousand years, and make him lose heart so that he would never dare pursue Shen Zuiyan again.

Lord Shen was ruthless. To put an end to their romance, he had Madam Shen lock their beloved daughter, the Peony Fairy Shen Zuiyan, inside the Fragrant Heart Pavilion in the family residence. She was to reflect on herself until she came to her senses, and only then would they let her out.

The despondent painter Wu Yinzi felt deeply inferior. He secretly cried countless times, but he did not want to give up. He sought out his close friend Feng Rou, the Music-Loving Gentleman of the Number One Music House, to help ease the heaviness in his heart.

After hearing what had happened, Feng Rou, who was perceptive and thoughtful, sent people to find out what Lord Shen of Luoyang, the imperial capital for a thousand years, liked. When she learned that he shared her interests and was privately a great music lover who was obsessed with collecting famous musical instruments, she handed her treasured Curtain-Sound Flute to her friend Wu Yinzi and told him to present it to Lord Shen.

After Lord Shen received the treasure, the Curtain-Sound Flute, an object from beyond the heavens, he was so delighted he could not stop smiling. He was completely captivated by it. He took it out to admire and play every morning and evening. He even slept with it in his arms, sharing his pillow with it. He also began to see Wu Yinzi, his future poor son-in-law, in a different light.

In return for the Curtain-Sound Flute, Lord Shen agreed to let the painter Wu Yinzi court his beloved daughter, the Peony Fairy Shen Zuiyan, but he gave him a two-year trial period.

That is, if Wu Yinzi passed the two-year trial period set by him, Shen Wanlu, he could marry his beloved daughter, the Peony Fairy Shen Zuiyan. If he failed, he should not blame Shen Wanlu for being worldly. Lord Shen also earnestly explained that every parent hoped their children would marry someone of similar standing and enjoy a better life.

With the heartfelt help of his close friend Feng Rou, the painter Wu Yinzi finally got the rare chance to be with Lord Shen's beloved daughter Shen Zuiyan again. He treasured it all the more, of course. In the end, he lived up to their love and Lord Shen's high hopes, passed the two-year trial period, and married the woman he loved, the Peony Fairy Shen Zuiyan.

For a long time afterward, Lord Shen kept the Curtain-Sound Flute in his collection. He eventually gave it to Perfected Jade Cauldron in the capital because the Peony Fairy's close friend, the Zither Demoness, had asked him for help.

Perfected Jade Cauldron said it belonged to his friend, Sword Saint Yufengtian, and that he would help get it back from Lord Shen before agreeing to help her.

After completing his tribulation in the mortal world, Sword Saint Yufengtian invited a group of friends in the capital to a farewell meal and said he was about to leave. Perfected Jade Cauldron knew exactly what his confidant planned to do, so he personally returned the Curtain-Sound Flute he had reclaimed from Shen Wanlu to Sword Saint Yufengtian.

As he saw Sword Saint Yufengtian off, Perfected Jade Cauldron also told him that as long as the Curtain-Sound Flute was not lost and remained in his hands, there was still a very good chance he could seek out his former lover, Fairy Mengdie, and mend the rift between them.

After Sword Lord Momei and his former lover Fairy Mengdie reconciled, the Curtain-Sound Flute remained in their keeping.

That is the complete story of the Curtain-Sound Flute section.

As for the endings of Xiao Changfeng's five eccentrics from Meisha Moon Bay, we have already given a detailed account:

After Little Zhuge and his junior sister, the Zither Demoness, arrived at Butterfly Valley in the Green World, the immortal elder Dongfang Dexue had already been killed by an evil person from the martial world. With no one to help him, Little Zhuge saw his great-grandfather Huanmeng appear before him. Huanmeng told him to smash the Xuanyuan Mirror in anger, and doing so would save his junior sister, the Zither Demoness.

After rescuing the Zither Demoness, the two heard from people in the martial world that their bay master, Xiao Changfeng, had announced the dissolution of the Meisha Gang at the tournament in Yunpeng City and would go into seclusion himself.

Little Zhuge and the Zither Demoness saw that Butterfly Valley in the Green World had lovely scenery and was no worse than Meisha Moon Bay. The two, who had long loved one another, married there and settled down for good.

The Zither Demoness's father, the Great Demon Lord, was not released, even after Lord Shen had asked many people for help and he had undergone a series of assessments. The Old One of Primordial Beginning decided he did not meet the requirements for release.

Later, the Old One of Primordial Beginning and his Twelve Golden Immortals apologized sincerely to Lord Shen. Lord Shen explained the truth to his daughter, the Peony Fairy: if the Great Demon Lord were released, he would threaten peace and stability throughout the martial world. Everyone was helping him reform, but he had not yet reflected on his actions, so he could not be released yet.

He also told his daughter, the Peony Fairy, that he had done everything he could. She should tell the Zither Demoness that her father's case would have to be watched carefully. He could only be released after his demonic nature had truly been purged.

The Peony Fairy later found her good friend, the Zither Demoness. The Zither Demoness understood and thanked her, but deep in her heart she firmly believed that she would live to see the day her father, the Great Demon Lord, forsook evil and returned to the right path. So she was willing to wait.

Her devoted and unwavering lover, Little Zhuge, encouraged her too. He was willing to wait with her until the day her father, the Great Demon Lord, turned over a new leaf and returned in triumph.

After the other three eccentrics went their separate ways, Zhui Ming Changfeng went to Pear Blossom Stockade. The Lily Fairy Diao Liangyan had descended to the mortal world once again and planned to stay this time. She wanted to renew their beautiful romance.

Erma Feidao went to Yujia'ao. The Stone-Carving Fairy Jiang Fusu had also descended to the mortal world again and did not plan to return to the Celestial Court. She wanted to write a beautiful love story with him beside the Bixian Lake at the foot of Dragon and Tiger Mountain.

The Big-Mouthed Eccentric missed the perfect chance to reunite with the Red-Clad Mountain Ghost, Miss Du. The immortal formation was never broken, so she could not leave Youhuang Mountain to be reborn as a human. The Big-Mouthed Eccentric therefore spent his whole life beneath an osmanthus tree, keeping her company so that she, who loved him so deeply, would not suffer too much.

The Five Elders Gang section:

The climactic battle between the Five Elders Gang and the Jinliang Gang was described in the earlier chapters:

1. Li Jingjiang became the greatest contributor.

The reason: During this battle, Sun Mujin fought Yun Zaitian. His opponent had prepared in advance and wanted Yun Zaitian's head, so his attack was ferocious. As sand filled the battlefield, it was clear that Yun Zaitian was no match for Sun Mujin. At that moment, Sword Saint Yufengtian charged forward and helped Old Leader Yun break through the encirclement in time.

But Yun Zaitian fled with only a few followers to cover his escape. Halfway there, General Wang Huan, Sun Mujin's trusted aide, blocked his path. The force Wang Huan had brought with him consisted entirely of the Jinliang Gang's finest troops, a band of valiant, powerful warriors personally selected by Sun Mujin.

Their arrival with General Wang Huan was no coincidence; they had laid an ambush in advance. Old Leader Yun and a few wounded survivors were driven toward a dead end. One more step and the men and horses might plunge into a bottomless ravine and die. But if they turned back, the few of them were no match for General Wang Huan and his fierce, battle-hardened force.

Trapped in desperate circumstances, Old Leader Yun felt there was no way to escape. Unwilling to die miserably beneath Sun Mujin's iron hooves, he thought of drawing his sword and taking his own life.

At that moment, the heavens changed. The sky had been dark with sinister clouds, as turbulent as the Yellow River in flood, but suddenly the sun shone brightly, the world was filled with light, and peace seemed to descend. Li Jingjiang, also known as Li Lingzhao's father, was still full of vigor. His heroic spirit soared as he led an elite force, darted into the enemy's encirclement, rescued Old Leader Yun in time, and took him away. He wiped out all of Wang Huan's troops and captured General Wang Huan alive.

Because Li Jingjiang had saved Old Leader Yun's life in his hour of need, he earned great respect and prestige among the Five Elders Gang's disciples. Behind his back, they all praised him as a true hero, a great dragon of the martial world.

After the Jinliang Gang's crushing defeat and Sun Mujin's death, most of its troops joined the Five Elders Gang, while a small portion returned to their hometowns to farm and raise silkworms. From then on, the Five Elders Gang surpassed the Phoenix Mountain Sect and became the greatest gang in the martial world.

Every disciple of the Five Elders Gang respected Li Jingjiang, and he had long since poured his heart and soul into the gang.

So everyone nominated Li Jingjiang to lead the Jinliang Gang disciples who had joined the Five Elders Gang. But Li Jingjiang did not claim credit. He said that when he had sent an elite force to rescue Old Leader Yun, he had simply followed his own heart. He said he had struggled bitterly with himself first, because the man fighting Yun Zaitian was his son-in-law, Sun Mujin.

He said he had come to rescue Old Leader Yun because he felt guilty. First, he had heard Yun Zaitian's name in the martial world long ago and respected him as a born hero who aided the people, saved the country, and defended its people. Second, Li Jingjiang had supported his son-in-law Sun Mujin in founding the Jinliang Gang and married his beloved daughter Li Lingzhao to him, hoping he would follow the example of the Five Elders Gang and accomplish great things. But Sun Mujin had betrayed the principles he and Li Jingjiang's daughter had founded the gang for. He could not bear to watch Old Leader Yun be trampled under Sun Mujin's iron hooves, so he had come to rescue him of his own accord.

Li Jingjiang later politely declined the honors and rewards offered by Old Leader Yun. He did not want to become leader of the Jinliang Gang. He said that what he had done was merely to put his own house in order, and that he hoped to become sworn brothers with Yun Zaitian. He also hoped that, because he had once saved Yun Zaitian's life, Yun would spare his granddaughter, Sun Yinxue, who had also fought in the battle despite being young and inexperienced.

Li Jingjiang had led an elite force into a desperate situation and saved Yun Zaitian. The kindness was as deep as the sea, and the gratitude as weighty as a mountain. Old Leader Yun never forgot it and was deeply moved. He agreed without hesitation to Li Jingjiang's small request and spared his granddaughter, Sun Yinxue.

When the Five Elders Gang and the Jinliang Gang were at war, Li Lingzhao had promised her father Li Jingjiang that she would not get involved. But when she saw her father leave with an elite force, she could no longer bear the anxiety. She secretly took a group of people with her, afraid that her beloved daughter Sun Yinxue might die in the battle, and went to save her.

Li Lingzhao, skilled at riding and archery, quickly found her beloved daughter amid the chaos. She charged into the crowd alone, faced ten opponents at once, rescued her daughter in time, and raced away from the smoke-filled battlefield.

2. Sword Saint Yufengtian became the second greatest contributor. At the critical moment, he helped Old Leader Yun break through the encirclement of his formidable foe, Sun Mujin. After Old Leader Yun fled in haste, Yufengtian used his peerless swordsmanship to kill Sun Mujin.

To capture the enemy, first capture their leader. Once everyone heard that their leader, Sun Mujin, had been killed, they stopped resisting. In the end, most of the Jinliang Gang's elite troops joined the Five Elders Gang. This battle also allowed the Five Elders Gang to surpass the powerful Phoenix Mountain Sect and become the greatest gang in the martial world.

Old Leader Yun, head of the Five Elders Gang, wanted to reward and ennoble Sword Saint Yufengtian, his lucky star, and make him stay by his side. But Yufengtian said he had more important personal business to attend to and politely declined. His request was that, in view of his contribution, Old Leader Yun look after and guide his adopted son, young Jiang Feng, who had chosen to remain in the Five Elders Gang rather than leave with his master.

Old Leader Yun later agreed to look after young Jiang Feng, the adopted son and disciple Sword Saint Yufengtian had left behind on Mount Wulao.

3. Lin Juexiao became the third greatest contributor.

Lin Juexiao had grown up at the Jinliang Gang's base, the Diyou Manor, until he was ten. Only then had Madam Wan sent him to Mount Wulao, so he knew the terrain well. Following his master, Old Leader Yun's orders, he led a group of people into Diyou Manor in secret and successfully rescued Miss Lin Xi, who had been imprisoned there by his adoptive father, Sun Mujin. Lin Xi was the woman loved by Yun Zaitian, leader of the Five Elders Gang.

After Lin Juexiao successfully rescued Lin Xi, the leader of the Five Elders Gang, Yun Zaitian, was grateful for his loyalty. He gave him the position of leader of the Jinliang Gang, which Li Jingjiang had refused, and put him in charge of it.

Before returning to his post on the Fen River frontier, Li Jingjiang told Old Leader Yun that all peoples beneath heaven were descendants of the dragon, generation after generation. He hoped Yun would treat the Jinliang Gang disciples who had surrendered and joined him well, and not treat them like enemies...

Lin Juexiao had lived at the Jinliang Gang's base, Diyou Manor, for more than ten years. He was also Sun Mujin's adopted son and had originally been a Jinliang Gang disciple. Only later had Madam Wan sent him into the Five Elders Gang as a spy. Now that everyone had willingly joined the Five Elders Gang, Old Leader Yun placed great hopes in his most promising disciple, Lin Juexiao, and hoped he could help manage the Jinliang Gang well, so that Yun would have less to worry about in the future.

After the battle ended and Yun Zaitian was firmly established as leader of the Five Elders Gang, Lin Xi married him and became the gang's undisputed first lady.

Lin Xi's cousin, Sun Mujin, had died in the battle, so the Five Elders Gang disciples no longer hated or feared her. They also knew that Old Leader Yun had always held deep feelings for Lin Xi. They supported their marriage and hoped their leader and his wife would love each other for life.

After becoming leader of the Jinliang Gang, Lin Juexiao considered marrying his beloved junior sister Sun Yinxue. He repeatedly visited her to apologize and propose, but Sun Yinxue remembered that he had abandoned her, refused to help her father Sun Mujin, and instead joined the Five Elders Gang and pledged loyalty to Yun Zaitian. She would not forgive him and firmly refused to accept his love again.

To sever their relationship and take revenge on the senior who had once loved her but betrayed her father Sun Mujin, Lin Juexiao, she acted swiftly and coldly. She asked her maternal grandfather Li Jingjiang to find another young man from a noble family for her, then quickly became engaged to him.

Thus, Lin Juexiao gained a high position but lost the woman he loved. He often drowned his sorrows late at night, entrusting his wounds and endless longing to the lonely moon above. Sometimes, deep in the night, he listened to the evening wind and wept bitterly, venting his dissatisfaction with the fate of his love...

Later, to ease this unspeakable pain in his heart, Lin Juexiao accepted a marriage arranged for him by Old Leader Yun. He married a gentle, virtuous, thrifty, and capable woman surnamed Lu, a distant relative of Lin Xi.

Although he had no feelings for her after the wedding, he could accept her because she was sensible and good at managing a household, which put him at ease. He treated her with considerable respect in everyday life.

Most importantly, she was willing to stay with Lin Juexiao for life and accompany him into the future. This pleased him, so he did not abandon her.

The ending of the Golden Manor section:

Golden Wu finally proved through his actions that he deserved his place in the heart of his wife, Qiu Yuehua, the Witch of Shennong Mountain, known as the most beautiful woman in the martial world. After their relationship had become stable, Golden Wu set aside time to tell his wife all the concerns he had kept in his heart.

Golden Wu's concern was that when he had pursued Qiu Yuehua, the Witch of Shennong Mountain, he had resorted to a bit of scheming to push his rival, the divine physician Li Deqian, out of the way, giving himself the chance to marry her, the great beauty of the martial world.

Seeing that her husband Golden Wu was being honest with her, Qiu Yuehua, the Witch of Shennong Mountain, eventually forgave him because of the snow orchid he had sent people through countless hardships to find beside the Lanxi Waterfall on Shu Mountain. It had a very unusual shape and an unusual color, and was rumored to have the power to grant immortality. Looking at it often brought her peace of mind.

Golden Wu later remembered that his subordinate Sun Ergou had been utterly loyal to him while serving at Golden Manor, and that he had given his life searching for the snow orchid his wife loved so much. Golden Wu treated Sun Ergou's elderly mother well and gave her the reward money he had promised Sun Ergou.

When Sun Ergou's mother learned that her son had left this world before her, she wept bitterly. She donated the reward money her son had earned to help the poor people in her city, whose lives were extremely difficult.

Seeing so much bright silver before her, Sun Ergou's mother briefly thought her son, who had been dishonest, must have done something immoral outside and suffered an equivalent punishment from fate. She felt so guilty that she was ashamed and could not face anyone.

After giving away all her possessions, she took a strip of white silk and hanged herself, following the same tragic path as Qian Ge, Liu Lianshen's beloved.

That concludes the stories of the Dragon-Subduing Pearl, the Curtain-Sound Flute, the Five Eccentrics of Meisha, the Five Elders Gang, and Golden Manor. Next, we will continue with the Old City of the Renhe Li Clan, Tie Jia Manor, and the detailed story of Bai Tianxiao and Xiao Changfeng's final battle at the Sun-Moon Divine Pool. Once that story is finished, the upper part of Dragon-Subduing Pearl and Curtain-Sound Flute will reach its conclusion. Whether the lower part of Dragon-Subduing Pearl and Curtain-Sound Flute will be written depends on author Hua Xianrang's mood. At least a year will pass before it is written. Thank you again for following this book.

Theme: Celebrating the heroic deeds of martial artists who defended the royal treasure, the Dragon-Subduing Pearl, and contributed to peace and stability in the martial world, as well as conveying the beautiful, legendary, and timeless love stories sparked by the Curtain-Sound Flute, an object from beyond the heavens.