Chapter 125: Confrontation

Xu Fengnian stood transfixed by the water's edge, still maintaining the peculiar stance of holding Xiudong upright and Chunlei in a reverse grip.

The Old Sword God remained silent. Only after confirming the teenage assassin had retreated did he drift down from the tops of the reeds. In martial arts cultivation, most people progress step by step, accumulating strength over time, or even regress if they don't constantly strive forward, much like Li Chungang himself. After reaching the pinnacle of swordsmanship, he encountered a series of setbacks and became unsettled, not only failing to cross that threshold but also falling back into the mundane world, drifting further and further from the realm of a Land Immortal. However, some geniuses can achieve sudden leaps in their cultivation through immense opportunities. Over the past century, there was Qi Xuanzhen, and later the new Wudang sect leader who reached the Heavenly Phenomenon realm in one go, and the Female Dharma King of Ranluo Mountain. These rare individuals mostly pursued a vague and ethereal path of 'No-Heavenly Dao'; grasping it would lead to becoming a dragon, failing would mean a lifetime of obscurity. They cannot be judged by conventional wisdom. Lesser geniuses, like Wu Liuding, cultivate their realm through constant combat. This Prince, currently before him, is largely similar to the Wu family's Sword Crown, belonging to the 'break before building' category. However, such instantaneous breakthroughs are like lighting a candle in a dark room—a flash of light, fleeting, not a constant illumination. As for how much profound meaning one can grasp afterward, it depends on one's fortune and talent. Even someone as astonishingly talented as Li Chungang couldn't escape this pattern; what good was occasionally unleashing an Immortal's Sword if it didn't make him a Land Immortal? Far from it. In the Old Sword God's view, apart from the unlucky Wang Mingyin who was assassinated, among the remaining nine top-ranked masters in the world, probably only Wang Xianzhi had entered the Land Immortal realm. Deng Tai'a was likely close to Li Chungang's own peak when he first left Longhu Mountain, still a hair's breadth away from becoming a human immortal. What seems like a hair's breadth could well be a thousand miles. The path of martial arts truly has no end.

Xu Fengnian exhaled slowly, feeling no fatigue whatsoever after the life-or-death battle. The Great Yellow Court truly was marvelous. He turned to help Wei Shuyang, who looked deeply ashamed. The injured Shu Xiu and Yang Qingfeng divided their tasks; Shu Xiu stayed close behind, while Yang Qingfeng remained to deal with Lu Qiantang's aftermath. The Old Sword God, stepping on the reeds, was the first to depart, free and unburdened. This sight left Pei Nanwei dizzy and shaken once more. The day's events had almost completely overturned the thirty years of stable life enjoyed by the Princess of Jing'an. The old man in sheepskin's superb swordsmanship, the magnificent hundred-foot green serpent, the Phoenix Camp light cavalry fighting to the death without retreating against the formidable farmer, and two generals leading the charge—then there was the maid in green, wielding a red spear with divine skill, risking her life to save her master. The seemingly invulnerable farmer was killed instantly by a strange young girl using her hand as a blade. And along the main road and in the reed marsh, the seemingly erratic Prince of Beiliang had twice fiercely drawn his blade. How could he be the useless fop the outside world claimed? He was clearly well-versed in killing and repelling enemies!

Pei Nanwei walked behind Xu Fengnian and said softly, "I finally understand why Zhao Heng would stop at nothing to kill you."

Seeing that Wei Shuyang truly couldn't walk, Xu Fengnian gently carried the old Taoist on his back and said in a cold tone, "Princess Pei, I am currently considering how to deal with you, so I advise you to speak less. Since Zhao Heng is indifferent to your life or death, I wouldn't mind having one more head to account for; after all, enough people have died today. Zhao Heng claimed to send his nephew off for a thousand *li*, but instead sent Wang Mingyin to see me off. If his nephew were to send back the head of the Princess of Jing'an, I believe Prince Jing'an would be deeply moved."

Pei Nanwei immediately fell silent, struck by fear.

Xu Fengnian's tone suddenly softened, though not for the Princess of Jing'an, but as he quietly asked a retainer whose status was vastly inferior to Pei Nanwei's: "Shu Xiu, if you wish to leave, I won't stop you. And I'll explain things to Xu Xiao for you."

Shu Xiu seemed entirely unprepared for such frank words from the seemingly cold and calculating Prince. She paused for a moment, then looked at his back, his robes stained with dust and blood, and softly asked, "Your Highness, will there be more life-or-death battles like this in the future?"

Xu Fengnian looked up at the sky and nodded. "Not necessarily, but if there are, they will likely be even more dangerous than today. If you don't leave today, I will continue to treat you as a disposable pawn without hesitation."

Shu Xiu murmured in acknowledgment. A gentle breeze caressed her face, carrying the faint, fresh scent of reeds. Beauty-conscious Shu Xiu raised a finger to smooth the stray strands of hair on her forehead. She looked at the sky with the Prince and smiled. "If I don't leave, will there be any benefits? Your Highness knows I'm a pragmatic person."

Unexpectedly, Xu Fengnian stopped and turned, chuckling. "I've long known you've coveted my body, but I can't just agree to that right away, can I?"

Severely wounded but still lucid, Wei Shuyang stroked his beard, smiling without a word. Shu Xiu, her secret romantic thoughts exposed, blushed deeply, then burst into tearful laughter. Xu Fengnian looked at the charming and alluring woman before him and smiled. "Shu Xiu, you are actually very beautiful, truly."

Shu Xiu, uncharacteristically bold, teased, "The entire Beiliang knows that when His Highness speaks outside of bed, he's always telling the truth."

Xu Fengnian walked along the lush green path, occasionally reaching out to push aside the disarrayed, leaning reeds. "Are you really not leaving?"

Shu Xiu smiled. "I'm thinking about it."

Xu Fengnian hesitated, then said, "If you leave, you'll get silver if you want silver, and secret manuals if you want secret manuals. If you don't leave, Shu Xiu, I ask you, would you like to be a princess, just once?"

Shu Xiu's heart skipped a beat. She asked cautiously, "A princess?"

Xu Fengnian nodded. "The Princess of Jing'an."

Shu Xiu tentatively said, "Given the Princess's devastating beauty, it would still be very difficult to impersonate her, even with disguise."

Xu Fengnian simply hummed in response, just as he had piqued Shu Xiu's curiosity, which now grew as rampant as the reeds in the marsh. Meanwhile, he treated Princess Pei Nanwei of Jing'an as if she were invisible.

Wei Shuyang felt it was undignified to be carried by the Prince and said, "Your Highness, this old Taoist can walk by himself."

Xu Fengnian laughed heartily. "It's fine, it's fine. When I was little, Grandpa Wei always carried me on his back in the Listening Tide Pavilion. Now it's my turn."

Wei Shuyang sighed, his smile tinged with the weariness of age.

Pei Nanwei and Shu Xiu, each lost in their own thoughts, walked quietly behind the old man and the young one.

The wind rose and fell, the reeds swayed, and finally, they reached the end of the path.

The main road, now a pitted mess, was filled with an unspoken atmosphere of grimness. Xu Fengnian first settled Wei Shuyang into a carriage; in the one before it lay Qingniao, whose fate was uncertain, though Xu Fengnian felt relieved seeing Li Chungang's composed demeanor. He instructed Shu Xiu to gather the armor from several Red-Armored Talisman Generals carefully. Finally, he knelt beside Wang Mingyin's corpse. This formidable martial artist, ranked among the world's best, Xu Xiao had only casually mentioned in a few words regarding the siege of Xiangfan. Although Wang Mingyin was the younger brother of Wang Yangming, the scholarly general of Xiangfan, he possessed remarkably profound insights into the Spring and Autumn National War. He had once strongly urged Wang Yangming to abandon the city and retreat with him into reclusion, but Wang Yangming, the master of Yin Soldier formations, was determined to sacrifice himself for righteousness. Wang Mingyin could only watch until the end. Thus, he bore no deep-seated hatred for Xu Xiao, merely leaving a vow that no member of the Xu family should enter Xiangfan. He had arrived today as per their agreement, unexpectedly failing to claim the Prince of Beiliang's head and instead being ambushed and stabbed by an assassin who should have been an ally. The eleventh rank in the world was now vacant, and countless martial artists in the martial world were already stirring with ambition for it. Xu Fengnian picked up the golden soft sword and examined it closely. General Ning Emei, wielding a halberd, stood quietly behind him. Xu Fengnian placed the soft sword on Wang Mingyin's body and asked, "General Ning, how is your right arm?"

Ning Emei knelt on one knee, his head bowed, and said in a deep voice, "It's nothing. It's just that your subordinate was incompetent and almost jeopardized Your Highness's important matters. I beg Your Highness to punish me!"

Xu Fengnian stood up, looking at the dust kicked up by hooves in the distance. He shook his head and chuckled. "Punishment or not, we'll talk about that later. Have someone give Wang Mingyin a proper burial in the reed marsh; he was, after all, the eleventh greatest master in the world. If you're worried about the Phoenix Camp having misgivings, you can have Shu Xiu and Yang Qingfeng do it later."

Ning Emei shook his head. "The Phoenix Camp is utterly loyal to Your Highness!"

Xu Fengnian whistled, and his mount galloped over. He leapt onto its back and, as he passed the carriage where Li Chungang and Jiang Ni were, retrieved the Instant Spear. Then, holding the spear, he rode to the front of his dozens of light cavalry and said coldly, "Draw your swords!"

The dozens of swift cavalry instantly drew their swords in unison, facing the thunderous hoofbeats on the main road alongside the Prince. From the sound, there were no fewer than five hundred heavily armored Qingzhou cavalrymen.

Eighty Beiliang light cavalry against six hundred Qingzhou heavy cavalry. On the opposite side, faintly visible amidst the chilling sword-halberds and dark heavy armor, was a man in a large yellow python robe, leading the charge. Beside him was a powerful, imposing general, clad in thick, heavy armor, wielding a silver-white pear blossom spear adorned with a red tassel, looking magnificent. The general seemed to exchange a few words with the man in the python robe, then rode forward alone. Without a word, Xu Fengnian charged forward with his spear. At a distance of a hundred paces, the Qingzhou general seemed to sense the approaching man's formidable killing intent. He suppressed any thoughts of underestimation and frowned, preparing to engage. He believed a single thrust of his spear could unseat the lavishly dressed young man before him. If Prince Jing'an hadn't specifically instructed him not to harm the Prince, he would have been unable to resist giving this Beiliang Prince a good lesson on behalf of the Qingzhou soldiers.

At fifty paces, the general saw that this fellow's charge was even more relentless, with no intention of conversing whatsoever. A sudden surge of anger flared within him; *what an insolent wretch!*

With a flick of his wrist, he charged forward, spear leveled for confrontation. The red tassel spun, and he then twirled his spear into a beautiful flourish, drawing cheers and shouts of approval from the Qingzhou cavalry behind him.

The two riders met in an instant.

The silver-white pear blossom spear was effortlessly parried aside with one hand by the remarkably handsome young man. The eerie, scarlet long spear in his hand darted forward like lightning, instantly piercing the armor. The spear bent into a stunning arc, forcefully lodging itself in the stout general's chest! As the two horses passed each other, the general, his iron armor shattered at the chest, was actually sent flying by the single spear thrust, crashing onto the main road. The young man on the white horse with the red spear raised his weapon and stabbed again, killing the general instantly, his skull completely fractured. The white horse, moving slowly, casually turned in a circle, once again facing the six hundred elite Qingzhou cavalrymen. The young man, still holding the long spear, gave a light flick, shaking off a string of noticeable blood droplets onto the ground. He then looked at the somber man in the python robe and chuckled, "Prince Jing'an, looking at this display, are you truly here to send your humble nephew off for a thousand *li*?"