Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 253: Phoenix Nirvana, Rebirth from Fire

The white light faded, and Wu Tao found himself in a dense forest. The towering trees blocked out the sun, and the sun could only shine through the gaps between the leaves, forming mottled spots of light on the ground. The air was filled with the smell of moist soil, and a few crisp bird calls came from the distance. Everything seemed so strange and familiar.

"Bugui, where are you?" Wu Tao looked around but did not see Hu Bugui. She felt a little uneasy and raised her voice to call out.

"Taotao, I'm here!" A familiar voice came from not far away. Wu Tao looked in the direction of the voice and saw Hu Bugui walking out from behind a big tree with his usual gentle smile on his face.

"I was so scared, I thought we were separated!" Wu Tao finally felt relieved when she saw that Hu Bugui was safe and sound. She quickly walked up to Hu Bugui and held his hand tightly.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you." Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand with his backhand, interlocking their fingers. His eyes were firm and gentle. "No matter what happens, we will face it together."

The two smiled at each other, and everything was said without words. They both knew that the calm at the moment was just the calm before the storm, and a bigger test was still waiting for them.

According to the plan, they came to a dense forest near the villain's lair. The trees were lush and the vines were intertwined, making it an ideal ambush location. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui led everyone to hide in the depths of the dense forest, waiting for the villain to arrive.

Time passed by, and the air was filled with a tense atmosphere. Finally, there were chaotic footsteps and the sound of weapons colliding in the distance. The villains appeared!

"Kill!" With a roar, the villains rushed into the ambush circle with great momentum.

"Attack!" Hu Bugui gave an order, and the people who were ambushing in the dense forest jumped out and pounced on the enemy like tigers descending from the mountains.

Wu Tao held a long sword, her figure was light and her sword skills were sharp, like a blooming peach blossom, beautiful and deadly. Every time she swung the sword, she took away a fresh life, and the blood stained her clothes red, but it could not hide the determination and resoluteness in her eyes.

Hu Bugui was like a god of war, holding a spear, and was invincible among the enemy. Every time he swung the spear, a bloody storm was set off, and the villains retreated step by step under his attack, and were completely defeated.

The battle lasted for a long time, and ended with the victory of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui. The villains suffered heavy casualties, and the remaining defeated troops fled in panic.

However, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui did not let their guard down. They knew that this was just the beginning and the real challenge was yet to come.

"Bugui, be careful!" Wu Tao's face suddenly changed and he shouted loudly.

Before he finished speaking, a black shadow descended from the sky and headed straight for Hu Bugui...

The shadow was as fast as lightning. Wu Tao didn't even have time to see the man clearly. He could only watch the sharp blade in his hand pierce Hu Bugui's chest. At the critical moment, Hu Bugui turned around and barely avoided the fatal blow, but the sharp blade still cut a deep bloody mark on his arm. Blood gushed out immediately, staining Hu Bugui's clothes red.

"Bugui!" Wu Tao exclaimed, and rushed to Hu Bugui regardless of everything, supporting his shaky body.

"I'm fine." Hu Bugui endured the pain and patted the back of Wu Tao's hand comfortingly, but his eyes were fixed on the assassin in front of him.

The assassin was dressed in black, with his face covered, revealing only a pair of cold and ruthless eyes. He was tall and agile, and it was obvious at first glance that he was a top-notch expert who had been through many battles. The sharp blade in his hand was still dripping with blood, emitting a chilling chill.

"Who are you? Why do you want to assassinate us?" Wu Tao glared at the assassin and asked harshly.

The assassin didn't say anything, but just smiled coldly, raised the blade in his hand again, and stabbed towards Hu Bugui.

"Be careful!" Wu Tao was quick-witted and quick-handed. He pushed Hu Bugui away, but he himself was faced with the assassin's attack.

"Taotao!" Hu Bugui's eyes were red with anger and he wanted to step forward to help, but he was entangled by the assassin's attack and could not escape.

Just as the assassin's blade was about to pierce Wu Tao, a white light suddenly fell from the sky and knocked the assassin back a few steps.

"Who is it?" The assassin looked around in confusion, but saw no one.

"It's me." An old voice sounded in the air, and then a translucent figure slowly appeared in front of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui.

"Senior!" Wu Tao and Hu Bugui shouted in surprise. The person who came was the ancient wise man who had instructed them before.

"You have done a good job. Leave the rest to me." The ancient wise man smiled slightly, turned his head and looked at the assassin, with a gleam in his eyes, "Young man, the sea of suffering is boundless. Turn back and you will become a Buddha. Put down your butcher knife and you will become a Buddha right away."

"Hmph, old man, stop pretending here. Prepare to die!" The assassin obviously didn't buy it. He roared and attacked the ancient sage again.

"You are so stubborn!" The ancient wise man snorted coldly and waved his sleeves lightly. An invisible force blew the assassin away.

The assassin fell heavily to the ground, spitting blood, obviously seriously injured.

“Taotao, Bugui, hurry up, now is the time!” The ancient wise man’s voice became weaker, and his figure became increasingly fainter. “Time is running out, go and complete your mission!”

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other with determination in their eyes. They no longer hesitated and turned to run towards the villain's lair.

"Wait, you can't leave!" The assassin struggled to get up and stop them, but he was powerless and could only watch them go away.

"Time is running out, let's get started." Wu Tao took out an exquisite box from his arms, opened it and saw a piece of crystal clear jade inside, emitting a faint light.

"This is..." Hu Bugui looked at the jade, his eyes full of expectation and hope.

"Yes, that's it." Wu Tao nodded, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, "Now, let's get started."

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui ran on the streets of Chang'an City, with the sound of fighting gradually fading away and the weak but firm voices of ancient wise men behind them. They knew that time was running out and they had to reach their destination as soon as possible to complete their mission.

The villain's lair was located in a hidden courtyard on the outskirts of the city. When Wu Tao and Hu Bugui arrived, the place was deserted, leaving only the mess on the ground and the smell of blood in the air. The two of them didn't care about these things, they went straight to the secret room, where their last hope was stored - the magic weapon of time travel.

Wu Tao gently stroked the magic weapon in front of her. It was an exquisitely crafted golden phoenix hairpin, luxurious and lively. However, it was dull and had lost its former spirituality.

"Taotao, let's start." Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand with a firm look.

Wu Tao nodded, took a deep breath, and took out the crystal clear jade from his arms. It was the jade that the ancient wise man had given to them with his last bit of strength, and it was also the key to repairing the magic weapon.

She carefully placed the jade into the groove in the center of the Phoenix hairpin. As soon as the jade touched the hairpin, it emitted a dazzling light, illuminating the entire secret room. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui interlocked their fingers and chanted an ancient spell together. Their voices echoed in the secret room, interweaving with the light emitted by the jade, forming a powerful force that was injected into the Phoenix hairpin.

The golden hairpin trembled violently, and the light became brighter and brighter, almost melting the entire secret room. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui stared at the golden hairpin closely, their hearts in their throats, success or failure depended on this one move.

Finally, the light gradually dissipated, and the golden hairpin returned to calm, but its originally dull surface was now glittering, and the phoenix's eyes seemed to be infused with a soul, and looked lifelike.

Wu Tao picked up the golden hairpin, and a warm current immediately spread from her fingertips to her whole body. She knew that they had succeeded.

"We..." Wu Tao turned to look at Hu Bugui, tears still in the corners of her eyes, but she couldn't hide the joy in her eyes.

However, before she could finish, a noise came from afar, getting closer and clearer... The noise was getting closer and closer, and a group of people poured into the yard, with joy on their faces after surviving the disaster, and their eyes flashing with admiration for Wu Tao and Hu Bugui.

"It's the princess! The princess and the prince defeated the bad guys!" Someone shouted, and deafening cheers broke out in the crowd.

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other and saw relief and emotion in each other's eyes. They knew that the people were not just celebrating the victory, but also thanking them for protecting Chang'an and their homes.

An old man walked up to Wu Tao surrounded by the crowd and bowed tremblingly: "On behalf of the people of Chang'an, I thank the princess and the prince for their kindness! It is you who saved us from disaster!"

Wu Tao quickly helped the old man up and said gently, "Grandpa, you are too kind. Protecting Chang'an is what we should do."

The old man excitedly held Wu Tao's hand, tears welling up in his cloudy eyes: "Princess, your and the prince's righteous deeds will be remembered forever by the people of Chang'an!"

Warm applause and cheers broke out in the crowd again. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were surrounded by the people, and everyone's face was filled with happy smiles.

In a jubilant atmosphere, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui said goodbye to the people one by one. They knew it was time to leave.

As night fell and the sky was dotted with stars, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui stood on the city wall, overlooking the brightly lit Chang'an City, their hearts filled with reluctance.

"Taotao," Hu Bugui gently held Wu Tao's hand, "Are you ready?"

Wu Tao took a deep breath and nodded, with a determined light flashing in his eyes.

They turned around, interlocked their fingers, and raised the phoenix hairpin high above their heads. The hairpin emitted a dazzling light that enveloped them.

"Goodbye, Chang'an." Wu Tao whispered softly, his voice full of nostalgia.

The next second, the light disappeared, and the figures of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui also disappeared into the night, leaving only the empty city tower and the legend about them, which circulated in Chang'an City for a long time.

……

"Squeak-"

With a slight sound, a familiar door was pushed open. In the room, a middle-aged couple were sitting at the table and talking in low voices, their faces full of worry and anxiety.

"Where did Taotao go? Why is there no news at all..."

"Don't worry, Taotao is so smart, nothing will happen to her..."

Before they finished speaking, they suddenly heard a noise at the door. They looked up suddenly, and the next second, expressions of surprise froze on their faces.

"Dad, Mom, I..."