Chapter 188: Penguing

**Chaos and Strategy: Beacon Fires Amuse the Lords**

Computer Reading Link:

Link:

Chapter Index Post:

Please wait patiently; no interruptions are allowed before the main text is posted.

Appendix: Baidu Tieba QQ Group Arbitration Team: 11043035, Enchanting Club YY: 1655

Those who participate in discussions within the updated content section will be treated as interrupting and will be muted for one day. Interruptors will be muted for three days.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng walked back to the courtyard of the main heir’s residence. The glazed fish tank in the front hall’s courtyard was already destroyed. Looking up at the plaque, she saw "Pot of Heaven, Eternal Spring," written in regular script by her father, Xuanyuan Jingcheng. Passing through the hall, there was a Decree Pavilion where a teenage Xuanyuan Jingcheng had spent almost all his time. It housed over six thousand volumes of scriptures and records, yet, unlike the Wentin Pavilion, it contained very few martial arts manuals, focusing instead on classics from the Hundred Schools of Thought. The small building was simple, but its windows were bright and clean, and the top floor offered an expansive view, allowing one to observe the Southern Star and Northern Dipper.

Behind it was the Lingzhi Courtyard, which had a modest facade. On either side were small side rooms, originally for maids and servants. However, the main heir’s residence was desolate, and the woman had a cold disposition, disliking noise, so only one personal maid remained. The side rooms were all used for storing miscellaneous items. Many poems and essays written by Xuanyuan Jingcheng in his youth, expressing his feelings and grievances, were discarded by her in piles, scattered across tables, chairs, and the floor. Along the side of the pathway grew a pair of male and female thousand-year-old Podocarpus trees. Their roots were gnarled and intertwined, their crowns stood side by side, making the place seem even more desolate and unsettling to the heart. Xuanyuan Qingfeng walked further back to the private rear hall of that woman’s residence. Originally, there were countless calligraphy pieces, paintings, and couplets, but she had removed all of them. Only a large plaque reading "The Tathagata Does Not Depart" hung in the hall, presumably spared because it was too heavy for her to move.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng walked to the tea room, which offered a view of Dragon King River, and saw the woman sitting silently. Beside her, there was a pile of ashes on the floor, and of a scroll painting, only its white jade axis remained. Xuanyuan Qingfeng said coolly, "Father killed the Old Ancestor by reaching the Earthly Immortal realm. Xuanyuan Jingyi was successfully ambushed by Huang Fangfo and Hong Biao. Grandfather was expelled from the mountain. The Prince of Beiliang, Xu Fengnian, single-handedly slew over a dozen people outside the Great Snow Plain. He had his light cavalry escorts hang the corpses at Huishan’s ceremonial gate and declared he would not accept anyone from Huishan. Now, three or four out of ten guest scholars have left Huishan, and most of the remaining miscellaneous martial artists and drifters have chosen to descend the mountain."

Only when facing her daughter, Xuanyuan Qingfeng, did the woman’s words and demeanor not completely push people away. She smiled softly, "Isn't this an excellent opportunity for Qingfeng to take over Huishan? Xuanyuan Jingcheng has cleared the Great Snow Plain. With the Prince of Beiliang watching intently, it’s truly a situation of internal strife and external threats. The restoration ministers in history are precisely those who stepped forward at such times, turning the tide from collapse, earning both gratitude and fear, mastering people's hearts with just the four words: 'combining grace and might.' If I'm not mistaken, Xuanyuan Jingcheng has already reached a secret agreement with His Highness the Prince. Besides Huang Fangfo and Hong Biao, who were obvious pawns, there are still some hidden pieces not yet in motion, correct? What I'm most curious about now is whether His Highness the Prince made an exorbitant demand, proposing something difficult for Qingfeng? Even if it means marrying into the Beiliang Prince's manor as a secondary consort, it wouldn't be impossible. Using Huishan Xuanyuan Family's centuries-old foundation as a dowry, there aren't many women in the world who could be so generous, are there?"

The woman's voice was soft and gentle, very pleasant to the ear. But the implications of her words, as she slowly recounted them, made the current scene chillingly cold to the bone.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng burst into laughter, tears streaming from her eyes. Wiping her tears, she said, "You'll be very disappointed, Mother. His Highness the Prince doesn't even care for Huishan, let alone Xuanyuan Qingfeng, who can't even make it onto the Rouge Ranking. You'll have to blame yourself, Mother, for not giving birth to a more enchanting femme fatale in me back then!"

The woman was not angered; she simply waited quietly for Xuanyuan Qingfeng to finish laughing. Seeing her daughter's tears ceaselessly flowing down her cheeks, she reached out to wipe them away, but Xuanyuan Qingfeng slapped her hand away. She remained unconcerned and gently said, "When food runs out, mice disappear; when a family is poor, dogs sleep soundly. Unfortunately, this only applies to small families and households. Although Huishan's fortunes have been terribly damaged, it doesn't necessarily mean it will never recover. The current situation at Guniu Dagang is still somewhat better than a century ago, when the top experts of the Wu family's sword mound were almost wiped out in Beimang. The Prince of Beiliang hanging the corpses to intimidate everyone is clearly building momentum for Qingfeng. If, as you say, the Prince has no interest in Huishan, that's even better. Once he leaves with his troops, if Qingfeng finds herself short on resources and unable to control the situation, she can certainly seek protection from Longhu Mountain. The Celestial Master's Mansion and Guniu Dagang have shared prosperity and decline for centuries. 'Distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors' perfectly describes our relationship with Longhu Mountain."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng sneered, "In the end, it's still asking for help."

The woman murmured softly, "In one's lifetime, people seek help from heaven and earth, from rulers and parents; how can one not ask for help?"

Xuanyuan Qingfeng said expressionlessly, "The Prince left over a hundred light cavalry at Huishan, saying they are to transport copies of the Wentin Pavilion's secret manuals back to Beiliang."

The woman smiled, "Xuanyuan Jingcheng once said something that I, Mother, rarely remember: 'A man's talent, though weighing a thousand pounds, is no match for a woman's four ounces of charm.' In my opinion, His Highness the Prince clearly still has designs on Qingfeng. Whether or not you become a secondary consort in Beiliang is not important. A princely household, with its lavish lifestyle, might not be entirely a blessing for a woman. But if you can use this momentum to stabilize Huishan, that is the most important thing right now. Let me add one more thing: regardless of Yuan Tingshan's talent, do not meet him again in the future. A martial artist, no matter how great his achievements, cannot bring as much tangible benefit as a single word from the Prince of Beiliang. In the short term, you should only draw close to the Prince of Beiliang, not distance yourself. As for the long-term outlook, just take it one step at a time, like playing chess; Qingfeng, you must not rush to make your move and establish roots."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng stared blankly, lost in thought. She reached out and poured herself a cup of wine. The wine was still warm and fragrant. She tilted her head back and drank it in one gulp.

The no-longer-young woman's eyes were gentle as she smiled, "A cup of osmanthus wine descends, two peach blossoms bloom on the face."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng said plainly, "Father wrote that."

She said calmly, "Xuanyuan Jingcheng said and wrote so much; there are always a few lines one remembers. Ancient texts record that Zhaoyao Mountain had many ancient osmanthus trees. But when I, Mother, came to the mountain, few remained. Among them, the Tang Dynasty osmanthus was the oldest and most flourishing. Every autumn, its blossoms fell like rain, glorious yet unpretentious."

She hesitated, then slowly added, "Just like how Xuanyuan Jingcheng conducted himself."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng clenched the wine cup, looked up, and stared intensely at her, gnashing her teeth and choking out, "To talk about my father's good qualities now, isn't that utterly ironic?!"

She said indifferently, "Have I, Mother, ever spoken ill of Xuanyuan Jingcheng?"

Xuanyuan Qingfeng bit her lip until it bled, a thread of blood seeping into the wine cup. Her voice trembling, she asked, "Mother, did you ever love Father, even just a little?"

She shook her head, "I don't know."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng sneered hysterically, "Then you never loved him. Poor Father studied for twenty years for you, only to become the most tragically ridiculous Earthly Immortal the world has seen in a thousand years!"

She did not retort.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng dropped the wine cup and abruptly stood up. Turning her back to the woman, she said in a low voice, "Mother, don't worry. Father spent his heart and soul to create the current situation. Qingfeng will fight to the death to ensure Huishan does not fall, so that you can live out your later years in peace and stability!"

She still did not speak.

Only after Xuanyuan Qingfeng left the courtyard did she slowly rise. She picked up the scorching wine pot, not feeling the pain, and walked straight towards the Great Snow Plain.

After the rain, the sky cleared, and the Great Snow Plain was a pleasant sight.

She came to the edge of the cliff and revealed a tragically beautiful smile no one had ever seen. "Jingcheng, I'm not angry with you anymore."

She leaped.