Chapter 19: Practice with the Sword

Xu Fengnian truly took up the martial arts he had once disdained the most, but before learning the sword, he first learned the sabre.

Naturally, he learned from the white-haired old eccentric.

The old eccentric had originally planned to leave the Prince's Manor and wander the *jianghu*. He had long been itching for a fight, wanting to challenge the "Top Ten Masters who squatted in latrines but rarely relieved themselves." After defeating nine of them, he planned to spar with the "Old Monster Wang." The old eccentric couldn't stand that old geezer. "First in the world is first, why pretend to be second? Damn hypocrite! Hateful!" As he was gnawing on a lamb leg, the old eccentric burst into wild laughter upon hearing that Xu Fengnian wanted to learn sabre from him, spitting minced lamb all over the floor. Seeing that the Prince, who was holding the fine sabre, was completely serious, the old eccentric dropped the lamb leg. His grease-stained large hand caressed the fearsome scarlet great sabre, which, in his youth, he had commissioned a master to forge with a design meant to strike at the shoulder blade. He then asked, "Why should this old man teach you?"

Xu Fengnian replied, "I will have Xu Xiao invite Wei Beishan, who wields a horse-chopping sabre, to Northern Liang to spar with you. Afterward, I'll bring you one such master every year until I master the sabre."

The old eccentric praised, "What a grand gesture!" He looked up at Xu Fengnian, his expression strange, and asked with a chuckle, "Tell me, kid, why do you want to learn the sabre? Are Northern Liang's three hundred thousand Iron Cavalry not enough for you to show off your might?"

Xu Fengnian drew out Xiu Dong, flicked its blade with a finger, and grinned, "Ultimately, those sabres and spears belong to others. I need to find a weapon that feels right in my own hand."

The old eccentric merely pursed his lips noncommittally. He instructed Xu Fengnian to hold Xiu Dong aloft with one arm and stand for half an hour, ensuring the sabre's blade remained perfectly straight. Otherwise, he warned, even if Old Monster Wang were invited, he wouldn't accept such an easy disciple. As a result, Xu Fengnian persevered for an hour before collapsing on the spot. Xiu Dong never tilted; to be precise, it didn't even tremble.

The old eccentric stared blankly at the collapsed Prince, then walked over and squeezed the boy's right arm, which was stiff as iron. He made a tutting sound of approval, muttering that he had found a treasure.

Subsequently, the old eccentric did not teach Xu Fengnian any profound or mysterious techniques. Instead, he made him repeat four tedious movements: direct thrusts, diagonal lifts, vertical chops, and sweeping retreats. Three thousand thrusts, three thousand lifts, four thousand chops, and four thousand sweeps.

The old eccentric had expected this young master, accustomed to a life of luxury and ease, to at least ask a few questions. But Xu Fengnian didn't. Instead, he simply began practicing the sabre in a secluded courtyard every dawn and stumbled away late at night, Xiu Dong never leaving his side. This greatly frustrated the old eccentric, yet also piqued his curiosity. Xu Fengnian displayed not only strong will but also a remarkably solid grasp of sabre handling. Could it be that the Prince had previously received careful training from military generals, learning combat sabre techniques for self-defense? The deliberate difficulties he imposed during this period, forcing Xu Fengnian to practice tedious sabre handling, served two purposes: partly to make the boy retreat from the challenge, as there are no shortcuts to mastering sabre techniques in the world. The other half was genuine: the primary skill in sabre practice is handling the sabre itself. If one cannot even hold the sabre firmly, they aren't wielding it but being dragged by it. Even with a pile of peerless sabre manuals, they would only perform seemingly elaborate and showy movements, leading to certain death in a real fight.

The first day of sabre practice coincided with Major Heat.

Major Heat was followed by the Beginning of Autumn.

Xu Fengnian always practiced shirtless. His smooth skin, painstakingly nurtured by a life of fine clothes and rich food, had tanned to a bronze hue, and his physique grew increasingly robust. With a few scars, he would be indistinguishable from a hardened soldier.

Yet, his sabre techniques were far from proficient.

White Dew, Autumn Equinox, and Cold Dew were followed by Frost's Descent.

The four thousand sweeps became six thousand sweeps.

Xu Fengnian finally broke his silence and asked his first question: "The sabre is the courage of all weapons, characterized by broad, sweeping movements, embodying the spirit of charging forth even against a thousand armies. But this 'sweeping retreat' is a collecting movement. Why must it be practiced so much more?"

The old eccentric chuckled, "There are too many sabre users in the world who aren't afraid of death, but those who aren't afraid of death are often the quickest to die. Even the most powerful retreating sabre techniques in the world cannot escape the essence of a 'sweep.' There's no sabre technique that can take everyone's life with a simple strike. This old man's profound truths were all conceived on the way back after taking a stroll outside the King of Hell's palace. Pay attention and learn."

The armory contained mountains of sabre manuals and techniques. Yet, from the very first day of his sabre practice, Xu Fengnian never set foot in Listening Tide Pavilion, which *jianghu* martial artists regarded as a sacred site for martial arts.

The old eccentric was very pleased by this.

The path of sabre techniques is unlike the Heavenly Dao cultivated by that young grand-uncle from Wudang Mountain. The most crucial aspect is 'water drops piercing stone' (perseverance). As for how to choose complementary mental cultivation methods and combine internal and external training after achieving initial proficiency, the old eccentric wasn't worried about that. Xu Xiao, the Human Butcher, had plenty of unorthodox methods. The real question was whether the pampered Prince, accustomed to a life of luxury, could endure long enough to reach that stage?

After the Beginning of Winter, and right through the Major Cold period, even when the lake froze, Xu Fengnian was taken by the old eccentric to practice sabre at the bottom of the lake. His breath-holding duration grew longer and longer. His sabre techniques still hadn't reached a high level, but he first developed excellent swimming ability.

Recently, several roving bandit groups suddenly appeared outside the city, brazenly causing trouble right under the nose of the esteemed Grand Commandant. This was like 'disturbing the Grand Duke Jupiter' (a grave offense). However, rumors in the city claimed that these suicidal bandits were not crushed into a pulp by the Northern Liang Iron Cavalry, but were instead slaughtered by a sabre master wearing a hideous mask. After exclaiming in admiration, idle onlookers in the city would always lament that the Prince, who had been quiet for the past six months, couldn't witness it, otherwise he surely would have bestowed great rewards. As for the city's nobility, they were utterly bewildered. Not only was the identity of this mysterious sabre master unknown, but also where these roving bandits came from. While it couldn't be said that under the Grand Commandant's rule, nothing was lost on the roads and life was peaceful and prosperous, they utterly refused to believe the rumors that these were refugees from the northern barbarians who had infiltrated Northern Liang and caused trouble.

On the twenty-eighth day of the lunar month, Xu Fengnian accompanied the Grand Commandant to Mount Jiuhua, the Bodhimanda of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. This time, it would be his turn to strike the bell after his coming-of-age ceremony.

Dismounting from their horses and discarding their armor, they ascended the mountain. That night, lodging in the Thousand Buddha Pavilion at the peak, Xu Fengnian found time by lamplight to read a thick letter from the True Man of Dragon Tiger Mountain. Xu Fengnian smiled knowingly as he read that Huang Man'er, upon seeing hawthorns covering the mountains, had carried armful after armful back to his master's residence, eventually filling the entire courtyard. Fortunately, the highly respected True Man on the mountain dared not scold him, only kindly explaining that hawthorns don't keep long after being picked and it would be better to pick them when he descended the mountain in some future year. Huang Man'er almost tore down the house in response.

Xu Xiao was not asleep. He entered the room, glanced at Xiu Dong lying on the table under the lamplight, and held another family letter, which was from his second daughter, Xu Weixiong. The Grand Commandant said with a bitter expression, "Your second sister wrote a letter scolding me."

Xu Fengnian asked with a smile, "Just because I'm learning martial arts and practicing the sabre?"

Xu Xiao sighed after sitting down, "If you keep practicing, she might just run back from Shangyin Academy to scold me in person."

Xu Fengnian did not look at the letter, merely gloating, "What did she say?"

Xu Xiao squinted and said, "She asked me to ask you, 'What if you are first in sabre?'"

Xu Fengnian thought for a moment, then replied, "Just write back that it's for strengthening the body; I can't let my body be hollowed out by beautiful women."

Xu Xiao said awkwardly, "Isn't that a bit of a childish reason?"

Xu Fengnian confidently said, "When dealing with my second sister, this is the only way. Otherwise, if I try to reason with her with grand principles, can I ever win?"

Xu Xiao gave a thumbs-up and flattered, "You haven't learned the sabre for nothing!"

The morning of the twenty-ninth.

Mountain mist pervaded the air.

Xu Fengnian rested both hands on Xiu Dong's hilt, standing still and gazing into the distance.

After the Beginning of Winter, those roving bandits were all "training dummies" arranged by his father, Xu Xiao, for his sabre practice. Xu Xiao gave no hints, but Xu Fengnian naturally guessed that most of them were death-row inmates from the Northern Liang army who had committed grave offenses. Xu Xiao governed his army with extreme strictness, meting out clear rewards and punishments. Even his adopted son, Chen Zhibao, when he broke the law, was publicly flogged until he was a bloodied mess. If not for this, it wouldn't be rumored among the capital's literati that Northern Liang only recognized the Liang King's tiger tally, not the Emperor's imperial jade seal. These military convicts, temporarily serving as bandits and mountain robbers, had no formal martial arts training. However, their skills were honed through desperate struggles on the battlefield. They were powerfully built and brutal, possessing the fearlessness characteristic of the Northern Liang Iron Cavalry, making them perfectly suited for Xu Fengnian to practice the direct, lethal combat sabre techniques. The old eccentric personally watched Xu Fengnian eliminate three waves of them. Afterward, he stopped paying close attention, merely providing locations and letting Xu Fengnian go alone on horseback with only his sabre. After the first wave, Xu Fengnian suffered six sabre wounds – five minor and one severe. The cut on his back, though, was not fatal. He lay in a pool of blood, his sabre still clutched in his hand, and was eventually carried back to the Prince's Manor by the old eccentric. In subsequent encounters, Xu Fengnian always fought while injured. The old eccentric never gave him the slightest opportunity to slack off or complain. Any other master retained by a princely manor would never dare to treat a Prince of such high standing, comparable to imperial relatives, in such a harsh manner. The perils involved in honing a fierce sabre technique by fighting desperate bandits were beyond words for outsiders.

Xu Fengnian closed his eyes and slowed his breathing.

He wondered if he could now begin internal martial arts. No matter how formidable external sabre techniques were, against a truly skilled master who had cultivated both internal and external arts, they would be like child's play, merely inviting ridicule. However, internal cultivation emphasized steady progress, refining and connecting all the body's meridians and acupoints, much like arranging troops for battle. For example, Wudang, which claimed to produce half of the world's internal martial arts from its "Jade Pillar," especially its gifted Taoist priests with guiding masters, practiced daily as long as they remained on the mountain, striving to reach the Grand Dao realm, resonating with the cosmic mechanisms of creation. Internal energy was not like food that could simply be stuffed into one's belly until full. Where would Xu Fengnian find an extra ten or twenty years of precious internal energy cultivated through painstaking effort? Should he perhaps seek some unorthodox methods from Listening Tide Pavilion? Xu Fengnian frowned tightly, then opened his eyes. The boundless sea of clouds and the sound of rustling pines filled his senses, invigorating his spirit. He inexplicably recalled Xiu Dong's former owner. He wondered when that 'White Fox Face' would ascend to the third floor. This beauty would probably be annoyed that Xiu Dong had been given to the wrong person, wouldn't she?

That year, during the heavy snow, White Fox Face's display of sabre on the lake was truly the path of a fearsome sabre.

Xu Fengnian was well aware of the vast difference between them, but he wasn't discouraged. An old man with missing front teeth, who always chuckled foolishly, once said that it feels good to fart after a full meal, but it's even more comfortable to let them out one by one, slowly.

The method he was now practicing for sabre techniques was the most rudimentary.

It was time to strike the morning bell.

Thanks to his sabre practice, Xu Fengnian's bell strikes produced a resonant sound.

Throughout the day, the bell was struck a total of one hundred and eight times.

Among the Northern Liang army, Qi Dangguo, known for fighting corruption, had a strange look on his face. Among the other adopted sons, Yao Jian and Ye Xizhen exchanged knowing smiles, half surprised, half pleased. Fatty Chu Lushan almost had his eyeballs pop out. As for Chen Zhibao, the 'Little Human Butcher,' and Yuan Zuozong, 'Left Bear,' they were patrolling the border and did not appear.

The group descended Mount Jiuhua on foot. The Grand Commandant, walking beside Xu Fengnian, slowly said, "If you truly intend to practice martial arts, there are masters in the manor who know some unorthodox methods. It just depends on whether you are willing to abandon your pride."

Xu Fengnian burst into an astonished laugh, "What pride do I have to put on display?"

The Grand Commandant gazed distantly towards Wudang Mountain, squinting, and said, "That's good."