Fire Captain

"Brother Bai...if I can only choose one, I still hope to be a disciple of Changliu!" Hua Qiangu said to Bai Ziyang.

Bai Ziyang rubbed Hua Qiangu's head and said with a smile: "Don't listen to him, it's not that serious, I'll let you be both!"

Hua Qiangu hurriedly explained, "No, Brother Bai, the position of the leader of Shushan was originally entrusted to me by Taoist Qingxu before he died. At that time, he said that he would hand it over to Senior Brother Yunyin when the time is right. I have never found Senior Brother Yunyin, but when I see him, I will definitely hand over the position of the leader to him. Then, can I continue to be a disciple of Changliu?"

Bai Ziyang smiled and said, "Silly...let's go..."

"Hey...Brother Bai..." Hua Qiangu chased after him.

In less than a day, the news that Hua Qiangu was the leader of Shushan spread throughout Changliu. People who didn't know her just heard about it, and those who knew her at most looked at her curiously. Hua Qiangu didn't expect that the one who was most affected was Ni Mantian. Not only did she not come to talk to her, but she also ignored her when Hua Qiangu talked to her, which made Hua Qiangu very depressed.

When Bai Ziyang saw Ni Mantian, Ni Mantian was practicing sword skills in a deserted place to vent her anger. Bai Ziyang stood aside and watched for a long time, but Ni Mantian didn't notice him, so he called out, "Ni Mantian!"

Ni Mantian was shocked when he heard this, he put away his sword moves and turned to see Bai Ziyang, he saluted helplessly and said: "Disciple Ni Mantian greets the Taoist Master!"

Bai Ziyang pretended to be serious and said, "Why call me Daozun? You don't know how to call me a human being?"

Ni Mantian gritted her teeth and squeezed out a voice: "Hello, Uncle Ziyang!"

Bai Ziyang grinned and said, "Well, okay, dear niece!"

This was many years ago. Bai Ziyang followed his master Yan Dao to Penglai to discuss something with the head of Penglai. The head at that time was not Ni Qianzhang yet. When Bai Ziyang was wandering around Penglai Island out of boredom, he found Ni Mantian who was losing her temper.

Ni Mantian, who was only eight or nine years old at the time, pointed her sword at him and asked, "Who are you? Tell me your name. How dare you trespass into my Penglai Fairy Island?"

Bai Ziyang was feeling bored, but when he saw Ni Mantian's spoiled temper, he immediately perked up. In the next few days, he made Miss Ni cry for her parents. But the key point was that his father Ni Qianzhang saw that Bai Ziyang was kindly teaching his unruly daughter. Seeing his daughter becoming more and more obedient and clever, he thanked Bai Ziyang profusely. When Bai Ziyang and his disciple left, they received Ni Qianzhang's full gratitude.

Perhaps the only one among all people who knows Bai Ziyang's true identity is Ni Mantian, but the key is that no one believes her. Others will only think that Miss Ni is arrogant and refuses to be disciplined by outsiders.

At that moment, Bai Ziyang looked at Ni Mantian and said, "What's wrong? Are you upset? Is it because of Hua Qiangu?"

Ni Mantian said: "How do you know?"

Bai Ziyang said: "Nothing can be hidden from me in Changliu!"

Ni Mantian asked: "Are you here to lobby for Hua Qiangu?"

Bai Ziyang said: "Don't change the subject, I'm talking about you now! Why are you jealous of Hua Qiangu? You were the daughter of the sect leader, and now a sect leader has come. You feel bad that you can't be the boss, right?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Ni Mantian shouted at Bai Ziyang.

Bai Ziyang scratched his ears fearlessly and said, "You know whether you are talking nonsense or not... Your old habit has come back again, right? You are already in Changliu and you are still thinking about your identity as a young lady? Hua Qiangu is already the head of the sect but she hasn't shown anything special!"

Ni Mantian swung her sleeves and said, "Don't mention her to me! Hua Qiangu is just a hypocritical villain. With her mediocre kung fu, she thinks she is the leader of Shushan. As long as she is here, Shushan will be wiped out sooner or later!"

Bai Ziyang said: "Wow, I didn't realize you were such a vicious person. You actually cursed someone to be exterminated?"

Ni Mantian made Bai Ziyang choke: "You..."

Bai Ziyang then said seriously: "Okay... don't be jealous. At that time, Taoist Qingxu was on his deathbed, and Hua Qiangu was the only one by his side. She was also given the task at a critical moment. After this period of time, she will return Shushan to Yunyin. What are you angry about? You are so young but you have a bad temper. Let Hua Qiangu admit your mistake later. If you have a way out, you should step down quickly. If you continue to be pretentious, I will beat you up!"

Ni Mantian said aggrievedly and angrily: "What's so good about Hua Qiangu that makes all of you side with her!"

Bai Ziyang said, "Who said we are on her side? I am on your side. I know you came to Changliu just to worship my elder brother as your master. Perform well at the Fairy Sword Conference, and I will make sure your wish comes true. I didn't give this good thing to Hua Qiangu!"

Ni Mantian asked happily: "Really?"

Bai Ziyang said proudly: "Of course... How about calling you uncle? It's not bad, right?"

Ni Mantian then smiled and said, "Not a loss, not a loss!"

Bai Ziyang waved his hands in satisfaction and said, "Uncle, I'm leaving now..."

Ni Mantian jumped happily behind him and shouted, "Goodbye Uncle Ziyang, goodbye Uncle Ziyang...wahahaha..."

Within two days after Bai Zihua sent the letter, Yunyin from Shushan came to him. This was much more efficient than Hua Qiangu's previous attempt, which was like a headless fly.

In the main hall, Bai Ziyang and the other three watched Hua Qiangu throw the leader Gong Yu to Yun Yin like it was a hot potato, but Yun Yin repeatedly refused, saying that the situation in Shushan was complicated now and that he was powerless and could not convince the others, so he begged Hua Qiangu to go back and take charge of the situation.

Hua Qiangu looked left and right. It was really hard to make a decision between Changliu on one side and Shushan on the other. Suddenly she made up her mind and said, "Okay, then I will set off with you back to Shushan tomorrow!"

Bai Ziyang was not surprised by Hua Qiangu's decision. Instead, Bai Zihua looked at Bai Ziyang with slight surprise.

Hua Qiangu agreed readily at the time, but later when she returned to the dormitory in the back mountain, she felt reluctant to leave. She was reluctant to leave her new friends, reluctant to leave Brother Bai whom she had just reunited with, and reluctant to leave Changliu Mountain.

He happened to meet Ni Mantian who had just returned from sword practice, and quickly jumped in front of Ni Mantian and said, "Mantian, you are still angry with me, I didn't hide it from you on purpose... You see, I have been too modest, please forgive me..."

Ni Mantian looked at Hua Qiangu in front of him and said expressionlessly: "Go early and come back early!" After that, he picked up the sword and walked around Hua Qiangu and left.

Hua Qiangu jumped up happily at the back and said, "Oh! Okay! Mantian, I will bring you some delicious food from Shushan."

Ni Mantian turned her back to Hua Qiangu, raised the corner of her mouth and muttered to herself: "Everyone is just like you and only knows how to eat!"

After packing up her things at night, Hua Qiangu couldn't help but walk to the back mountain where she used to practice sword-flying and stared blankly alone.

"I won't send you off tomorrow!"

Hua Qiangu looked back when she heard this and saw Bai Ziyang lying on the stone steps with his legs crossed. She couldn't help laughing and ran over to him and said, "Brother Bai, I don't know how to say goodbye to you."

Bai Ziyang rested his head on his arms, looked at the stars in the sky and said, "Just leave early tomorrow morning. I won't see you off!"

Hua Qiangu sat on the steps beside her, resting her chin on her hands and looking up at the starry sky, saying: "Okay, let's say goodbye tonight. Brother Bai, do you think I can still return to Changliu?"

Bai Ziyang said: "You can come back as long as you want!"

Hua Qiangu said: "But Your Majesty..."

Bai Ziyang interrupted, "Whether you stay or go, it's not his decision, it's my decision!"

While Hua Qiangu was returning to Shushan to reorganize the country, Bai Ziyang received news from Bai Zihua that the Seven Killing Sect was preparing to besiege Shushan and demand that the Shushan Sect hand over its leader Gong Yu.

While Bai Ziyang was cursing the Seven Killing Sect, asking them to be quiet for two days, he was also rushing towards Shushan at a great speed.

When Bai Ziyang arrived at Shushan, he saw from afar that all the Shushan disciples were gathered in the main hall, and Hua Qiangu was just appearing at the entrance of the main hall. As soon as Bai Ziyang landed outside the hall, he heard Hua Qiangu saying, "Shushan's Taoist Qingxu entrusted the head of the sect, Gong Yu, to me to shoulder the responsibility of protecting Shushan. If Shushan is safe, I will be safe. If Shushan is in trouble, who else can do it but me? I will protect Shushan even if I have to use all my strength, even if it means losing my life."

Bai Ziyang bent down and looked inside, and saw that Hua Qiangu, who was usually like a dumpling, now had a serious face, an unstoppable aura around her, and her words were sonorous and powerful.

"I also hope that fellow disciples will pick up the swords in your hands and join me in protecting Shushan, the home where you have lived for many years. Think about the fellow disciples who died for Shushan in the past, think about Taoist Qingxu. Instead of living in disgrace, it is better to fight to the bitter end. Even if we have to massacre the Wanfu Palace in the end, it will be worthy of all the ancestors of our Shushan!"

Seeing the Shushan disciples who were previously dejected, Hua Qiangu's words immediately boosted their morale. Except for the two elders Qingfeng and Qingyang, all the disciples shouted in unison: "Disciples are willing to follow the master. The mountain is as long as the people are there, and the mountain is gone and the people are gone!"

The two elders also expressed their loyalty when they saw this: "As long as the mountain is there, the people will live. If the mountain is gone, the people will die!"

"Well said! As long as the mountain survives, the people live. If the mountain dies, the people die!"

Hua Qiangu looked up and saw Bai Ziyang standing outside the palace looking at her with a smile. She shouted in surprise, "Bai...Dao Zun!"

The two elders had never seen Bai Ziyang, but Yun Yin had seen Bai Ziyang before in Changliu. Seeing this, he quickly introduced him to the two of them, "This is the Taoist Master Bai Ziyang of Changliu!"

Changliu's status in the hearts of the major sects is still reliable. When they heard that he was the Taoist Master of Changliu, regardless of whether they had seen him before or not, the two elders Qingfeng and Qingyang were immediately overjoyed.

Hua Qiangu asked: "Dao Zun, why are you here?"

Bai Ziyang said: "Changliu got the news that the Seven Killing Sect was besieging Shushan. How could I not come if you are still in Shushan!"

Hua Qiangu said with a smile: "Thank you, Daozun... I feel relieved after seeing you!"

Bai Ziyang said: "When I came here just now, I took a look and saw that the Seven Killers Sect only had one Shan Chunqiu. He is really nothing to worry about. I will teach you two moves and you can go out and defeat him right away!"

"Ah?" Hua Qiangu opened her mouth with disbelief written all over her face.

The two elders and Yun Yin at the side also said it was impossible after hearing this. Not to mention that Shan Chunqiu had great magical powers, Hua Qiangu, who had just entered the immortal path, was not a person of extraordinary talent. How could it be possible that after being trained by Bai Ziyang, she could immediately fight against Shan Chunqiu, whose magical powers were much higher than hers?

Bai Ziyang looked at the disbelief in the eyes of the four people in front of him and said with a smile: "Xiao Gu, follow me!"

Bai Ziyang did not take Hua Qiangu far, and came to a deserted place outside the palace, took out a sword and handed it to Hua Qiangu, saying: "This sword is called Xuanyuan Sword. It has been with me for many years, and we have reached a state of telepathy. Now I give it to you..." As he spoke, the sword body rang slightly. Bai Ziyang tapped the sword body lightly, and the Xuanyuan Sword immediately stopped ringing. Bai Ziyang continued: "Later, you will use it to fight Shan Chunqiu. I will cast a spell in the palace to help you. As long as you relax your whole body and follow my magic power, you will be able to defeat Shan Chunqiu!"

Hua Qiangu took the Xuanyuan Sword. The sword was simple and majestic. Holding it in her hand, she could feel the murderous aura coming towards her even though she couldn't see the sharp blade. Although Hua Qiangu didn't understand swords, she had no doubt that this was a magical weapon.

"Brother Bai, are you really giving me this sword?"

Bai Ziyang smiled and said, "Of course, I don't need it normally. You have just started your immortal journey and your skills are low. Having it by your side can protect you, and I can feel more at ease."

Hua Qiangu pursed her lips and smiled happily: "Well, thank you, Brother Bai!"