Chapter 163: Hehe or Not Hehe

Over ten thousand book lovers share the joy of reading with you in the realm of novels!

**Feng Huo Xi Zhu Hou**

Xu Fengnian abruptly stood up. He inwardly examined the flow of vital energy within his body and found nothing unusual; the "Great Yellow Courtyard" at the fourth level was merely the fourth level. Just as he was about to draw Xiu Winter and Chun Lei back into their scabbards, his mind tensed, and he instinctively leaned back, parallel to the ground. His toes kicked the Chun Lei scabbard, causing it to strike the blade and spring back. A dagger, whose tip he couldn't tell if it was poisoned, narrowly grazed his nose. Xu Fengnian gripped Chun Lei in his left hand, slapped the ground with his right palm, and drifted back about six meters. After steadying himself, he looked towards the Sword Cliff, seeing a slender figure lightly leap out, still holding a dagger. She let out a soft laugh, not rushing into close combat, and tilted her head in confusion, asking, "Hey, how did you know I'd climb up from the cliff to the mountaintop?"

Xu Fengnian stared intently at the elusive young assassin, suppressing the fury in his heart, and calmly said, "You can crawl out from under a horse's belly, leap out of water, or jump down from a city gate's hollow. For the thousand taels of gold Prince Jing'an, Zhao Heng, paid you, what can't you do?"

The girl simply said "Oh" and said nothing more. She looked at Xu Fengnian, who held the blade in his left hand, with an expression that seemed to say, "I knew you were left-handed."

Xu Fengnian suddenly asked, "Did you encounter any unusual phenomena when you climbed up?"

The girl shook her head. "Climbing is boring."

Xu Fengnian's expression was complex as he looked at the faint streak of predawn light in the sky. He said helplessly, "'Hehe' Girl, did you really climb all night, inserting daggers with both hands into the rock face?"

The young girl, who should have been enjoying the prime of her youth and the stirrings of young love, had recently caused a huge uproar in the martial arts world after assassinating Wang Mingyin with her hand daggers. Her target was none other than the Eleventh Martial Master under Heaven, famous for twenty years! This news was far more shocking than any rumor of a beauty from the Rouge Rankings stepping out for a spring excursion with a young master. In the martial arts world, the most potent aphrodisiacs were always secret manuals, women, and achieving fame in a single battle. Pursuers flocked endlessly, especially for the latter. Otherwise, why would there be so many martial artists desperate to ascend the towers of Wudi City in the East Sea? Reaching the second floor was enough to ensure a life of wealth and glory after leaving the city. Xu Fengnian had not failed to offer her two or three thousand taels of gold, just to stop her from playing this damned cat-and-mouse game, but she never paid him any mind, so what could he do? This time, he had thought that with the old sword god Li Chungang and others protecting him from behind, and the dangerous cliff in front, he would finally have a peaceful night. Who knew that even a sheer sword cliff couldn't stop the 'Hehe' Girl? Xu Fengnian couldn't understand: Was she truly after that thousand taels of gold as payment? Or was there some unknown, irreconcilable grudge?

She tilted her head in the other direction and asked, "Hey, why aren't you calling your lackeys to protect you?"

Xu Fengnian said bitterly, "If I called them, wouldn't you, with no retreat, immediately fight for your life? Aren't I trying to see if I can turn hostility into friendship with 'Hehe' Girl?"

She shook her head, deadpan, saying, "No need. Go ahead and call them. At worst, after I stab you to death, I'll jump off the cliff. Wealth and fate, life and death, are up to heaven."

Xu Fengnian forced a smile. "No room for negotiation?"

The girl nodded emphatically.

Xu Fengnian squinted at the horizon, where the rising sun was steaming out rays of light. He let out a breath, pointed behind the girl, and smiled faintly. "Because of the angle of the sunlight, the Sword Cliff Waterfall will soon turn golden yellow. How about we enjoy the scenery first, and then fight to the death?"

She said nothing, remained facing Xu Fengnian, slowly retreated backward, and stopped at the cliff edge. With a sidelong glance, she indeed saw a hanging golden ribbon of light adorning the Sword Cliff, a splendid and captivating sight. Xu Fengnian was torn, but finally gave up the idea of turning and fleeing for his life. He walked to the cliff edge, and together they admired this natural wonder.

The 'Hehe' Girl habitually uttered a "Hey," as a greeting. Then she asked, "Why are you crying?"

Xu Fengnian said calmly, "I had a dream, I dreamt of my mother. Believe it or not."

He had expected no response. He never would have thought the girl would hum in acknowledgment, her voice carrying a peculiar tremble. She crouched down, a dagger held in her mouth, propping her chin with both hands, and muttered to herself, "Is your mother beautiful?"

Xu Fengnian smiled.

The young assassin's lips curved slightly. She mumbled indistinctly, "You're so good-looking, your mother must be even more beautiful."

She slowly stood up, one arm hanging loosely, and a dagger came into view. She smiled, a grin that seemed steeped in bloodlust and cold cruelty. Xu Fengnian felt as if facing a formidable enemy, cursing inwardly. This girl turns hostile in an instant; he really needed to find an opportunity to eliminate her once and for all. Otherwise, even with Li Chungang accompanying him, there was no guarantee she wouldn't succeed with a single strike. His own head was only worth a thousand taels of gold — the thought infuriated him! The 'Hehe' Girl was indeed the 'Hehe' Girl; her timing for killing was always unexpected, and her actions were just as bizarre and unpredictable. Now, staring at Xu Fengnian, she said, "Let's call it a day. I won't kill you today. How about I return down the mountain the way I came?"

Xu Fengnian said without hesitation, "Alright! But if you trust me, I can promise not to let the old sword god and the others kill you. 'Hehe' Girl can descend the mountain at her leisure."

She looked at the Prince with an expression like he was an idiot and said, "Not killing me doesn't mean you won't capture me. Do you take me for that fool, Princess Jing'an? All butt and no brains."

Xu Fengnian chuckled knowingly. To be honest, if it weren't for this insoluble death knot where one of them had to die, he would truly like to have a good talk with her and find out who raised such an extraordinary person. Xu Fengnian extended a palm, signaling that she was free to go. The young girl said cautiously, "First, you don't draw Xiu Winter and stay a hundred paces from the cliff. Let's be clear: if you dare to renege, I won't play by the rules anymore. Killing you and that old man who picks his feet isn't easy, but killing off the hundred light cavalry of the Phoenix Camp, one by one, isn't difficult."

Xu Fengnian nodded, watching as the young assassin, like a gecko, inserted both daggers into the cliff face and slowly descended. However, this was only seemingly slow; if one were there, they would know that each time she stabbed the cliff, it was spaced two or three zhang apart. If it were Xu Fengnian, he certainly wouldn't have the courage to hang on the sheer cliff face. The mountain winds swept the cliff, exceptionally strong. Her figure swayed as she descended, and even Xu Fengnian, watching, felt a pang of anxiety for her. Strangely, Xu Fengnian did not wish for her to fall to her death. It was both amusing and exasperating: having her constantly dogging his steps was precisely what kept the Prince, feeling a thorn in his back, from daring to slack off even for a moment in his martial arts cultivation.

The sun rose in the east, fully emerging from the sea of clouds. Xu Fengnian didn't know how long he had been standing there, until old man Li slowly ambled over to watch the sunrise. Xu Fengnian turned and smiled faintly, "I think I'm beginning to understand the Elder's 'Sword Opening the Heavenly Gate'."

Li Chungang looked unconvinced and said, surprised, "Oh?"

Xu Fengnian turned to gaze at the sea of clouds, narrowing his phoenix eyes, which were very appealing to women. With an enchanting smile, he said, "One sword strike after another, each building upon the last, disregarding any specific sword forms or techniques. Compiling the sword intent to infinity, resolved that if a single strike cannot kill, then that sword should not be drawn. Betting one's entire lifetime of cultivation, staking it all on this single strike! If I were to learn the blade, it should be the same way, requiring the spirit of a desperate, all-or-nothing strike capable of slaying a heavenly dragon!"

Old man Li remained impassive and said gravely, "That makes some sense, but with your current cultivation level, wielding a blade like that isn't courting death?"

Xu Fengnian shook his head. "Of course not now. I'll consider it after I reach the Vajra realm."

Li Chungang let out an arrogant, cold laugh. "It's not that I look down on you, boy, but as long as you are the Crown Prince, you won't be able to master this blade technique. If I'm not your bodyguard, won't Xu Xiao find other masters to be your 'death-exempting tokens'? If you always have something to fall back on, how can you truly seek advancement through danger?"

Xu Fengnian calmly said, "Once I achieve the Vajra realm, I will immediately return to Beiliang and enter Beimang alone."

Li Chungang snorted coldly. "At least you have some ambition. You haven't wasted my two hundred moves of 'Green Snake'."

Xu Fengnian merely smiled.

The old sword god suddenly asked, "What happened last night? You almost suffered qi deviation after meditating."

Xu Fengnian lightly shook his head and said indifferently, "Nothing."

The old man adjusted his sheepskin cloak, pursed his lips, and didn't press further.

Yu Youwei and Pei Nanwei also woke up to admire the scenery, with Qingniao following behind them. It had to be admitted that Princess Jing'an, whom the 'Hehe' Girl had disparaged as having "no brains," certainly lived up to the four-character praise of "eclipsing the moon and shaming flowers." When a woman was beautiful to this extent, whether she had brains seemed irrelevant. Furthermore, where in the world could one find so many enchanting women with near-supernatural wisdom? The Prince's second sister, Xu Weixiong, was astonishing in strategy, but wasn't her appearance ordinary? Using Xu Fengnian's personal 'hundred coin' standard for evaluating beauty, among the many alluring beauties he had encountered in his life, not to mention the 'White Fox Face' who won the Rouge Pavilion's top prize, Pei Nanwei was undoubtedly first, meriting a level of fourteen or fifteen coins. After her downfall, she wore the wooden hairpin, narrow-sleeved cloth dress of a common woman, yet it could not hide her graceful curves. During this period, if she needed to appear in public, the Prince required her to wear a soft, layered Guanyin hood with shoulder-length light veil. Women from conservative families mostly wore such veiled hats when traveling. Younger, unmarried girls, however, generally wore thin forehead veils that were relatively brighter in color, allowing their faces to be seen seventy or eighty percent, so wearing one or not made little difference.

Yu Youwei didn't need to be so cautious and reserved. She wore beautifully styled, richly embroidered brocade robes with wide sleeves, and a pair of sheer brocade boots with a Western Regions flair. In terms of looks alone, she naturally fell short by two or three 'coins' compared to Pei Nanwei, whose skin was famously like snow. But what was undeniable was the commanding presence of Yu Youwei's chest. Indeed, anyone with a particular preference for such charms would undoubtedly fall under her sway.

During this journey out of Beiliang, he had, intentionally or unintentionally, discussed some court politics with Yu Youwei. Perhaps it was due to being born into an official's family and being exposed to it from a young age, but she always revealed quite remarkable insights.

Xu Fengnian sheathed both Xiu Winter and Chun Lei, and re-hung them at his waist. He then walked straight back to the Phoenix Camp's encampment.

Yu Youwei and Pei Nanwei stood together, gazing at the brilliant sky, their eyes seeming lost in thought.

And beneath their feet...

On the cliff face, as if sliced by an immortal's sword, a young girl gripped a blade handle with one hand, her body swaying. She was like a tenacious blade of grass clinging to a crack in the wind.

Suspended between heaven and earth, she stared blankly at the morning glow, without her usual soft laugh.

She just stood there, lost in thought.

I like this novel - Recommended.

Bookmark here for now.

Find a completed one to read the full story.