Chapter 169

(Beacon Fire Play with the Feudal Lords)

(Chapter Two)

Xu Fengnian, with a serious face, left the city with the old sword god to visit a grave. Qingniao, who accompanied them, brought the most famous Angelica wine from Zhizhang City. Li Chungang scoffed, "Being so soft-hearted won't accomplish anything significant. There are so many pitiful people in this world; do you have three heads and six arms? How can you possibly help them all?"

Xu Fengnian rolled his eyes and said, "I've always disliked the Xuanyuan family, who stand as one of the three martial arts powerhouses. Now that I've finally got a handle on them, if I don't stir things up at Guiniu Dagang, I'd truly be letting down my past self who was chased by Xuanyuan Qingfeng back then. Didn't Xuanyuan Dapan see the siblings as his prey? Heh, I, this young master, will deliberately make that 'meat' he's eyeing fall into my own plate. If he's not convinced, let him try to make a move. At worst, the old senior can just perform 'Sword Opening the Heavenly Gate' again."

The old sword god squinted at him and said, "Can't you stop scheming against me all day, young man? Jiang Ni isn't here to back you up now. If you truly anger me, I'll 'Sword Open the Heavenly Gate' on you."

Changing the subject, Xu Fengnian asked, "What kind of person is that old Xuanyuan geezer? I hear that if this pervert doesn't have women for a day, his eyes turn bloodshot, his cheekbones flush fiery red, and his skin cracks and muscles twitch. Sounds like he's going berserk, doesn't it?"

The old man in the sheepskin robe thought for a moment, then twisted his mouth and said, "He's just that old decrepit self; what else could he be?"

Xu Fengnian said helplessly, "Tell me more in detail. We're about to go make trouble at Huishan, so we need to know ourselves and our enemy. What if we descend with great fanfare, only to be disgracefully chased down the mountain? That woman Xuanyuan Qingfeng would laugh her head off."

Li Chungang, with an impatient expression, said dismissively, "That old geezer can probably be considered half a martial arts genius, but he's no match for Wang Xianzhi."

Xu Fengnian muttered under his breath, "Nonsense. If he were anything like Wang Xianzhi, why would I bother going to Guiniu Dagang?"

The old sword god kicked the young master's backside. He then turned to Qingniao, hoping to beg for some Angelica wine to satisfy his craving, but was met with a cold stare. He sighed. The bored old man casually said, "You, young man, are only focused on showing off in front of the siblings, completely oblivious to your own limitations! Although Xuanyuan Dapan isn't ranked in the martial arts evaluations, he's at least as good as, if not better than, Wang Mingyin. If only he weren't so clever, wanting to learn everything and excel at all of it... If he had just focused on one thing, say, mastering the blade, then Gu Jiantang would have nothing on him. It sounds like he's been perpetually lustful and disrespectful in his old age, but it's not that simple. This fellow mastered Buddhist and Taoist principles very early on. Moreover, by his prime, his internal energy was profound. He uses 'Yin Cauldron to supplement Yang Furnace' to overcome inner demons. If he truly succeeds in his dabbling, he could achieve a minor 'Huangdao Chizhuan' path to longevity, with a cultivation level comparable to a Grand Daoist Master. Whether you go to Huishan or not, you decide for yourself."

Xu Fengnian rubbed his chin, seriously pondering the matter.

The old sword god quietly asked, "Between that pair of perfect siblings, which one do you actually like?"

Xu Fengnian's mouth twitched as he replied, "Old senior, that's not the right way to put it."

The old sword god simply said, "Oh," and then continued to himself, "Indeed, with that person who lent you the Spring Thunder and Embroidered Winter dual blades setting such a high standard, it's unlikely you'd even notice Murong Tonghuang. So, when are you going to make a move on that 'White Fox Face'? The longer you wait, the less likely you are to defeat him. Eventually, you won't even have the chance to 'force an issue.' Actually, I can teach you a simple method: just consider yourself a woman. As for that 'White Fox Face' man, he's a man, but he's also the most beautiful person in the world, so you wouldn't be at a disadvantage anyway."

Xu Fengnian was instantly horrified, goosebumps erupting all over him, filled with indignation and grief.

Li Chungang disdainfully said, "What? Want to fight me?"

Xu Fengnian immediately flattered him, "How could I? This junior is still waiting for the old senior to use 'One Sword Against the Six-Fold Waterfall' to flood Guiniu Dagang."

Li Chungang sneered, "What a character!"

After leaving Zhizhang City, they walked for an hour before finally finding an isolated, overgrown grave. The isolated grave was three feet high, with wild grass growing rampant. Xu Fengnian knelt down, pulled away the weeds entwining the tombstone, and silently gazed at the stone inscription, which stood no more than three feet tall. After more than twenty years of cold winds and harsh rains, the inscriptions were already mottled and unclear. Only fragments of sentences could be faintly and intermittently discerned: "The sun rises from the East Sea, earth's energy surges boundless; the sun sets in Kunlun, the sky returns to rest," "Spring and autumn, spring and autumn, again and again, horse hooves trample the sound of reading," "I shall encompass the cosmos, my vastness akin to the azure sky." The old sword god, having nothing else to do, squatted down and squinted at the fragmented epitaph, clicking his tongue in wonder. Xu Fengnian took the wine from Qingniao and slowly poured it in front of the grave. The grave was on a hilltop. After pouring a pot of wine as an offering, Xu Fengnian sat on the ground, looking out at the distant fields, and murmured to himself, "My writing has always been utter nonsense. I can only spend money to buy poems from scholars in Beiliang. My second sister was right; most of what I buy is 'writing new poems to feign sorrow,' and when read aloud, it sounds like a resentful woman lamenting, unbearable to hear. But why couldn't the one in this grave live a few more years and write a few more lines like 'Fifty years of grand endeavors, spoken for the mountain spirits to hear'?"

The old sword god sat cross-legged, took off his boots, scratched his toes with his fingers, sniffed them in front of his nose, and chuckled, "Dead is dead, clean and done. The one in this grave is quite fortunate; at least someone still comes to visit. For an old man like me, who would bring wine to my grave after I die, and conveniently sweep the tomb and pull out weeds?"

Xu Fengnian nodded, saying, "That's certainly true."

The old man rubbed the soles of his feet and turned his head to ask, "Young Xu, do you feel sorry for yourself?"

Xu Fengnian laughed dumbfounded, "Me? I'm the dignified Young Master of Beiliang, for crying out loud! Didn't that person from the previous dynasty say, 'Live to feast at cauldrons, die to be cooked in cauldrons'? I was born into a life of luxury, with mountains of gold and silver, never lacking food or clothing. Few people in the world live a life as lavish as mine, and now I even have hereditary succession. If I still feel sorry for myself, then I might as well hang myself with my own hair, or be smothered by a woman's breasts. That's why, in those years, when the descendants of fallen kingdoms and jianghu assassins came to the Prince of Beiliang's manor to seek death, I only found them pitiable, not particularly hateful. Since I'm Xu Xiao's son, I must have this awareness: there's no such thing in this world as enjoying only blessings without enduring cold or hunger. Before I went traveling with Old Huang, I still had some resentment, but it's gone now."

The old sword god burst out laughing, "You certainly have an open mind."

Xu Fengnian chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Actually, I still have worries."

Li Chungang asked with a smile, "What are you worried about?"

Xu Fengnian pulled up a weed, flicked the dirt from its roots with his finger, put it in his mouth, and chewed it carefully, saying, "I'm worried about not being able to learn the 'Two Sleeves Green Snakes' technique."

The old sword god said boldly, "My ultimate technique is not something so easily learned."

Xu Fengnian said softly, "Actually, I know that your two hundred and sixteen 'Green Snake' moves, old senior, are like forging iron, making my Great Huangting more stable. As for how much of the essence of 'Two Sleeves Green Snakes' I can learn, it all depends on my destiny, right?"

Li Chungang slowly narrowed his eyes and said, "You are indeed not stupid, young man. To be frank, the sword moves of 'Two Sleeves Green Snakes' are extremely intricate, almost leaving no trace, so you wouldn't even know where to begin learning it. As for 'One Sword Opening the Heavenly Gate,' it's purely sword intent, and you can't learn that either."

Xu Fengnian sighed with a bitter expression, while Qingniao smiled faintly behind him.

The old sword god also picked up a weed, chewed it, then spat it out, saying, "Next, I'll take a bit of trouble and spar with you. Don't be overly ambitious, young man. Honestly solidify those twenty-odd makeshift saber techniques first. Actually, my own pugilistic skills are enough to deal with Wang Mingyin."

Before Xu Fengnian could speak, the old sword god wiped his face and said, "If Jiang Ni were here, she'd definitely say I'm bragging without thinking."

Xu Fengnian chuckled.

Thinking of that 'Hehe Girl,' she must be hiding in some corner, waiting to make her move, right?

The three of them walked down the mountain, strolling along a field path.

"Young Xu, you truly have no thoughts about that beauty named Murong Tonghuang?"

"This kind of twin lotus, whose gender is hard to distinguish, can be called a celestial product. From my exceptional perspective, it's a once-in-a-century sight. Are you really not tempted?"

"You can be tempted! This time, I can turn a blind eye to your beastly behavior."

"Just treat Murong Tonghuang as a woman, then. When the lights are out at night, can you tell who's Murong Wuzhu and who's Murong Tonghuang? Can you tell who's male and who's female?"

"Young man, say something, anything!"

"Old senior, it's just that I can't beat you in a fight right now!"

"What? You little rascal, don't think I'll help you practice moves. I'll still use 'Two Sleeves Green Snakes' to beat you soundly in the future."

"Don't!"

"Then, will you take this pair of twin lotuses?"

"Get lost."

"You've been holding back for over a year, young man, haven't you developed internal injuries yet?"

"Get lost!"

"Oh, what a miserable state! So many peerless beauties are parading around, yet you can't have any of them. How miserable, how truly miserable."

"Old senior, can I just get lost?"

Qingniao walked behind them, listening to the young master and the old sword god bicker, smiling as beautifully as a lotus emerging from clear water.