Chapter 129: Spring God's Ballad

Silence returned to the official road. Holding the Momentary Spear, Xu Fengnian stepped into a nearby carriage, which puzzled Yu Youwei and Jiang Ni, who were inside. Given the prince's fondness for his maid Qingniao, why would he come to this particular carriage? Before the two women could ponder much, the answer became clear: as soon as the prince, who had been the center of attention at the end of today's battle in the reeds, lowered the curtain, he vomited a mouthful of blood, accidentally spitting it onto Yu Youwei, who was holding a cat. Her white dress and the white cat were stained crimson, a shocking sight.

Not only that, but as soon as Xu Fengnian sat down cross-legged against the carriage wall, blood began to seep from his seven orifices. Only then did Yu Youwei notice that his front clothes were torn, and even the strange soft silk armor underneath, which glowed with a faint green hue, had a gash. Xu Fengnian, his face devoid of color, clutched his wound and gasped, "Get out of the carriage. First, summon the Old Sword God Li, then tell Ning Emei that he is to handle all matters. This prince will not show himself for now."

Yu Youwei, forgetting about the cat, disembarked in a panic. When Jiang Ni lifted the curtain, she glanced back. The prince seemed to be forcing a smile, but with blood gushing from his seven orifices, he truly looked terrifying. Xu Fengnian, aware of his own suffering, closed his eyes and painfully regulated his breathing using the Grand Yellow Court technique in conjunction with the *Cantong Qi*. However, he exhaled more than he inhaled, his breath was turbid and labored, and each breath brought agonizing pain. Such hardship was no longer merely a simple torment.

Taoist alchemy likens the seventy-two small orifices of the human body to Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands. Many orifices—their names are not idly given, all have deep meanings. When Xu Fengnian was forcibly imbued with Grand Yellow Court cultivation by the Old Wudang Grandmaster Wang Chonglou, only six were activated and fourteen were opened. The rest of the vast qi lay dormant like a hidden dragon within the remaining orifices, preventing it from disturbing his meridians. Through gradual absorption using Taoist techniques, it was beneficial and harmless. Later, during the night procession of ten thousand ghosts led by the Guanyin statue in Xiangfan City, a glance at it provided mysterious benefits, allowing him to ascend to the second stage. At that time, Li Chungang protected him by preventing the two from meeting gazes, and afterwards he reprimanded Xu Fengnian for not knowing his own limits. The root of the problem lay here.

Unexpectedly, in today's battle, like the sound of thunder during the Awakening of Insects when all things first stir, most of his orifices simultaneously burst open. The sixth level of Grand Yellow Court surged directly to the magnificent Fourth Story. This was vast true qi that Xu Fengnian should only have been able to withstand after cultivating a Vajra physique.

Not long after, Li Chungang, his expression grave, entered the carriage. Seeing Xu Fengnian in such a half-dead state, he frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Are you truly determined to pursue the Grand Yellow Court, even at the cost of your life? What good is even ten Grand Yellow Courts if you're dead?"

Xu Fengnian painstakingly raised a finger, seemingly smiling.

This small gesture implied that there was no such thing as "ten Grand Yellow Courts" in the world; the unique Grand Yellow Court of Wudang only appears once every hundred years in the Taoist sect. If he didn't fight and struggle for it, wouldn't he be met with an early downfall?

The phrase "Never return until Loulan is conquered," originally from a popular frontier poem, was widely reinterpreted within Taoist traditions to illustrate the resolve of a Taoist Master in cultivating the Grand Yellow Court stage. Countless painstaking Taoist Masters were blocked outside the "Grand Yellow Court Tower." On Mount Longhu, there were at least ten, if not twenty, Masters who diligently cultivated this stage but could not break through. To open the orifices and cultivate the sea of qi, forming one's own universe—that is the true Master described in Taoist texts who can "grasp Heaven and Earth and control Yin and Yang." If one can then close the orifices at will, only then is one a carefree immortal. Below this level, even if you are a Celestial Master of Mount Longhu, you are still only half-true, half-mortal.

At this moment, Xu Fengnian was desperately trying to seal the leakage of true qi from his sea of qi. That's why the Old Sword God immediately saw through his intention to embrace hardship by exhaling little and inhaling much. Why would a prince, who had the prospect of inheriting the title of King of Northern Liang, practice martial arts in such a way?

Even Li Chungang couldn't understand it. But confusion aside, he couldn't just stand by and watch the boy's meridians explode, leading to his death. He reached out and flicked a finger, touching Xu Fengnian's glabella. Using his sword-dao, this flick was called the "Heaven-Striking Bell." All great Daos lead to the same destination. Li Chungang guided Xu Fengnian's qi, which required a great deal of mental effort, but fortunately, it was not beyond his means. The advanced sword control of the Wu Family Sword Tomb had as its core principle "ascending Kunlun with tranquil qi." Li Chungang naturally possessed unspoken divine powers. For a full half-hour, he sat opposite Xu Fengnian, flicking his finger no less than three thousand times. Even a master like Li Chungang was drenched in sweat. Seeing the mark on Xu Fengnian's glabella stabilize, turning from black to red, then from red to purple, the Old Sword God let out a long breath, quietly exited the carriage, and personally drove the cart, which then slowly proceeded.

An hour later, Li Chungang turned and lifted the curtain for a peek. The boy's clothes were soaked with blood, his body still trembled violently, and sounds like popping soybeans continually emanated from him. At noon, the old man checked again; Xu Fengnian finally showed signs of having narrowly escaped death. At dusk, Li Chungang stopped the carriage in a scenic spot with clear waters and green mountains. He estimated they would have to camp in the wilderness tonight. Besides Wei Shuyang, Shu Xiu, and Yang Qingfeng, the three retainers, the Phoenix Camp was followed by over sixty White Horse Righteous Cavalry, led by Yuan Meng. The remaining light cavalry, led by Halberd-wielding Ning Emei, were simultaneously handling the aftermath and acting as a rearguard, ready to counter any heavy cavalry pursuit from Qingzhou. However, Chu Lushan would soon arrive with his swift assault, and he believed that even six hundred heavy cavalry wouldn't be able to stir up trouble then. Chu Lushan, known for his harshness, was undoubtedly ruthless in his actions, but also extremely cautious. Otherwise, given his reputation, he would have died a thousand times over already. This loathed fat fellow, who incurred both divine and human wrath, would certainly not dare to leave Northern Liang without some life-saving skills and deterrent tactics.

The Princess of Jing'an, whose fate was uncertain, rode in the carriage with Jiang Ni and Yu Youwei throughout the journey. The maidservant, whose green clothes were stained with dark blood, occupied most of the carriage space, making it extremely difficult for the clean Princess Pei to endure. As soon as the carriage stopped for a rest, she immediately jumped out. With a dozen light cavalry patrolling vigilantly nearby, she dared not wander far, fearing that these brave Northern Liang soldiers, who could face death calmly, might slice off her head with a single stroke of their blades. Dying at their hands was preferable to becoming a casualty of the Northern Liang prince's blades; at least his twin blades were exceptionally beautiful, weren't they? Princess Pei glanced at the alluring woman the prince called Shu Xiu, and Shu Xiu coincidentally returned her gaze. Shu Xiu's smile was playful, looking at Princess Pei like a lamb to be slaughtered. The princess, filled with terror from the secrets she had overheard in the reeds, dared not meet her gaze again. She turned her head to look at the Old Immortal in the sheepskin robe's carriage. What was he doing now?

No one could have guessed that Xu Fengnian was currently hovering at the gates of hell. If there truly were Ox-Head and Horse-Face demons for soul retrieval in the underworld, they would surely bear a grudge against this loathsome prince, who was neither truly dying nor truly living.

Li Chungang, the only one who knew the truth, closed his eyes to rest, much like Lu Qiantang, who had humbly trained his sword by watching the tides, had always disliked and misunderstood Xu Fengnian. For the first forty years of his life, Li Chungang had roamed the world with his sword, unrivaled. He also didn't quite understand the minds of princes and nobles, largely holding them in disdain. He always felt that these pampered scions, relying on their family's ancestral protection, were insignificant and incapable of achieving much. They couldn't endure hardship, clung to life, and feared death, thus often losing in martial arts to ordinary grassroots heroes and hidden talents, let alone standing shoulder to shoulder with geniuses like Wu Liuding, who came from distinguished martial families. When he learned that this young man actually practiced the saber while emerging from the Tide-Listening Pavilion in Northern Liang, he almost laughed his teeth out. The Old Sword God quietly murmured to himself, "If this boy were to truly succumb to cultivation deviation, would this old man be willing to sacrifice two or three tenths of his cultivation to draw out the surging, overflowing Grand Yellow Court for him?"

The spiritual elixir originates from the great void; nine transformations enter the heavy furnace.

No one could see the deep purple mark on Xu Fengnian's glabella shining brightly. In a single moment, he comprehended the secret of eternal life, and "eighteen green lotuses bloomed." Strands of purple qi emanated from Xu Fengnian's orifices, swirling and filling the carriage. As the sun set, he finally opened his eyes, having finally comprehended the essence of "Purple Qi from the East" and the Grand Yellow Court, which no longer needed to be sought. He smiled faintly, "What was once the bait of immortals, today has come for me to taste."

As the prince bent down and exited the carriage, Princess Pei instinctively recoiled a few steps. This person looked like a blood-demon, truly terrifying. It wasn't just Princess Pei; Jiang Ni, who in her life most revered ghosts and gods, immediately scurried back into the carriage. Li Chungang snorted coldly, "Stepped in dog shit again."

Xu Fengnian sniffed himself. The smell was pungent and unpleasant. Though his body was dirty, the impurities within him had been completely purged. He looked around and casually asked, "Is there a stream or mountain spring nearby?"

Yuan Meng, without removing his armor or his saber, rode up. Seeing this strange scene, he suppressed his shock, dismounted, and respectfully reported, "Reporting to Your Highness, there is a deep pool about half a *li* away."

Xu Fengnian nodded, "Lead the way."

Upon reaching the emerald pool, dozens of White Horse Righteous Cavalry had already formed a formation in the distance. They dared to fight to the death even against Wang Mingyin, the eleventh greatest master under heaven, and could draw their blades against King Zhao Heng of Jing'an. Who else could make them retreat from a battle? Xu Fengnian unfastened his Twin Sabers of Thunder and Winter, and removed all his clothes, including the Qilin Silk Armor, which was said to be invulnerable to blades and spears but had been cracked by a kick from the girl assassin. He slowly walked into the pool. Immediately, a large patch of blood rose to the surface, like a gigantic, blooming red lotus. Xu Fengnian spread his hands and leaned against a cold stone, his expression solemn. This unknown brush with death, a gamble for fortune, had resulted in the Fourth Stage of Grand Yellow Court. A total of sixty-eight orifices had been opened. The qi within his body flowed continuously like rivers and seas, integrated and profound, beyond description. He felt confident that if he were to face an enemy again with his twin sabers, he could not only "ascend the Yellow Court with one breath" but also "give birth to green lotuses with two breaths," creating endless power. As long as it wasn't against a top-tier enemy like Wang Mingyin, who could deliver a fatal blow, even against a Talismanic General in Red Armor, he could achieve a fifty-fifty chance of victory by relying on the exquisite techniques he had selected from various obscure secret manuals.

Xu Fengnian submerged slightly, the water level reaching his chin. He gently blew a breath, creating ripples, and murmured to himself, "Now that I've acquired four Talismanic General Red Armors, half a wooden ox-horse, and a saber manual, is that considered a bountiful harvest?"

Xu Fengnian's gaze deepened. "And don't forget, there's also the Princess of Jing'an."

Stark naked, Xu Fengnian emerged from the pool. Yu Youwei held a brand-new ivory-colored jade robe. She turned her head, not daring to look directly at the prince. Xu Fengnian dressed himself, then walked silently back to the carriage, slipped inside, and gazed blankly at the unconscious Qingniao. He reached out and gently stroked her delicate face, a face he had been too close to ever truly examine. Some people always stand quietly by your side or behind you, and only when you realize you might never see them again do you realize you hadn't even clearly remembered their appearance. Xu Fengnian clenched his teeth, sternly suppressing the urge to turn Wang Mingyin's corpse into a Talismanic General in Red Armor. He self-mockingly said, "It's still my own fault for being too useless."

"Whether it's my eldest sister, who spoils me the most, or my second sister, who seems to never need anyone's care, or Huang Man'er, who was born into the Vajra realm—even if you never feel you need it, I always hoped to be able to protect you all one day."

"Xu Xiao couldn't protect our mother back then. I cannot make the same mistake."

Xu Fengnian slowly released the hilts of his sabers, picked up a leaf from the forest, placed it to his lips, and softly played a tune.

The song "Divine Ballad" ended.

Xu Fengnian, his eyes red, murmured, "Mother..."

Just then, after the rhythmic thunder of horse hooves, a pig-slaughtering, earth-shattering voice echoed, completely ruining the atmosphere. "Your Highness, Lu Qiu'er deserves death! Lu Qiu'er is worthy of death! If anything were to happen to Your Highness, Lu Qiu'er would fight to the death to sodomize that old turtle Zhao Heng, the King of Jing'an!"