Chapter 193: Female Hero

Across the Lands: Playing with Fire to Rally the Lords

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After changing boats, Xuanyuan Qingfeng did not return to Mount Guiniu. Instead, she traveled along the Dragon King River, entering the Green Dragon Stream, and headed to Longhu Mountain to find the guest official. The notorious flower thief, for his part, didn't mind being a lost dog; freed from the responsibility of guarding a manor, he lived without restraint. Thus, when Xuanyuan Qingfeng found him, he was making the best of a bad situation, having caught a wild chicken and roasting it over a fire face-to-face with a young child. Longyu Xuan, seeing with his own eyes that the Prince of Beiliang's large ship had not turned back, felt somewhat relieved. He also hadn't expected Xuanyuan Qingfeng to mobilize such a large force to pursue him into the mountains. When surrounded, he showed neither heroic spirit nor begged for mercy. He simply asked that Huishan spare the child, who seemed to have sprung from a stone. Xuanyuan Qingfeng didn't beat around the bush; she roughly conveyed Xu Fengnian's intentions. Longyu Xuan was wary, fearing it was a trap to force him into surrender. Seeing his uncooperative demeanor, Xuanyuan Qingfeng was slightly displeased and left without another word. Longyu Xuan had actually believed 70 to 80 percent of it when he saw the formation Xuanyuan Qingfeng had arranged. However, what truly convinced him to chase the large ship on the Shejiang River was an innocent remark from the child beside him: "Dad, let's capture all the big sisters on the ship to be mothers." Longyu Xuan, even with the courage of a bear and a leopard, would never dare to contend with the Prince for women, not even to glance at them. But since an excuse to save face had presented itself, what better time to seize the opportunity?

Upon catching up with Xuanyuan Qingfeng, she magnanimously disembarked at the Dragon King River ferry and lent him her boat. When Longyu Xuan bade her farewell, he was genuinely impressed with her for the first time, promising that if he truly rose to prominence in Beiliang, he would never forget Miss Xuanyuan's favor of introduction.

After catching up with the Prince on the Shejiang River and changing boats, Longyu Xuan still felt like he was walking on thin ice. However, the Prince did not engage in polite formalities; instead, he instructed his retinue to arrange accommodations for the father and son. This, paradoxically, greatly reassured Longyu Xuan. For the next period, he did not step half a pace out of his cabin, behaving himself dutifully. He feared the Prince might mistakenly think he had returned to his womanizing ways, which would be a tragic injustice. He had finally leaped from a minor guest official of Huishan to an honored guest of the Beiliang Prince's manor, like a carp leaping over the dragon gate. It would be a cruel twist of fate if, having just transformed into a dragon, he were to be slain.

The little rascal, however, fearless like a newborn calf, was precociously aged to a fault. Whenever he felt bored, he would walk out of the cabin with his hands behind his back, either leaning against the railing gazing at the river or standing alone at the bow, striking various poses that suggested profound worldly experience.

That alone would have been enough, but once, seeing several of the Prince’s beautiful women, he approached a pair of gender-ambiguous siblings, tilted his little head up, sighed softly, and looked disappointed. He then moved to the prettiest young woman, again staring at a certain part of her, nodding slightly. Finally, he came to the sister holding a white cat, his eyes lighting up as he observed her undulating curves, and declared loudly, "Excellent! Superb! Absolutely superb!"

The women didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Even the usually reserved Princess Pei Nanwei of Jing'an was amused. Murong Wuzhu covered her mouth, giggling, not at all bothered by the little brat mocking her for her small chest. Yu Youwei was momentarily stunned when the little fellow said, "Sister, I’ll hold the white cat for you, and you can hold me instead!" With that, he jumped, trying to take Wumeiniang, but the Prince, who had been observing with a cool eye, swiftly strode forward, grabbed the little rascal by the back of his collar, and held him suspended in the air. He jested, "Flirting with my women, eh? If you weren't Longyu Xuan's biological son, who would believe it!" The child, suspended between heaven and earth, flailed his limbs. Yu Youwei gave the Prince a naturally charming glare.

Over the next two days on the river, the strictly hierarchical circle that had formed around Xu Fengnian subtly grew more harmonious thanks to the child's antics. It was as if a patcher had mended drafty windows, finally letting in some warmth. The child had no name, and Longyu Xuan flatly denied he was his son. Yu Youwei, in a rare display of childlike playfulness, noticed that he had somehow acquired two crickets and would often stick his backside out, lying on the deck watching the two insects engage in fierce duels. She nicknamed him "Little Bug." On board, apart from the old man in sheepskin who remained in seclusion and never showed his face, and the Prince who had little affection for this little pervert, almost no one disliked him. Even the two pets—the adorable white cat Wumeiniang and the lively Tiger Qilin, Pusa—were not shy around the child. Wumeiniang, in particular, would often sneak out of the cabin, find the child, and pounce on his entire little face. A common and unusual sight was the child fighting crickets, with a white cat and a Tiger Qilin quietly squatting nearby, observing the match. Every time Xu Fengnian encountered this, he would lightly kick the child's backside, making him tumble head over heels, just to vent his frustration. After all, this little pervert, who surpassed his father in impudence, knocked on every woman's cabin door nightly with a thousand bizarre excuses.

"Sister Murong, it's cold. Does Little Bug need to warm your bed for you? Dad said young lads can bake pancakes on their butts! When Little Bug has warmed it up, you can lie down, okay?"

"Aunt Pei, the night is long, and Little Bug can't sleep. The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching; why don't we enjoy the moon together?"

"Sister Yu, that part of you is heavy; aren't you tired? Little Bug is good at kneading and massaging to relieve your fatigue, how about it?"

"Sister Qingniao, I know you love wearing green. Today, Little Bug specially changed into a green outfit. Don't we look like cousins who've had a child-betrothal?"

Crude overtures didn't seem to work, so the clever little rascal immediately changed his approach and knocked on doors again: "Sister Murong, both of us are people who have left our homes and are adrift far from home. Shouldn't we comfort each other?"

"Aunt Pei, I heard you're skilled at playing Go. Little Bug secretly brought a Go board and box. During the day, I learned some moves from Dad, like the 'Large Avalanche External Turn,' and I even created my own 'Internal Turn' move in private. How about we play a decisive match by lamplight until dawn?"

"Sister Yu, Little Bug found your lazy cat Wumeiniang for you! Can you open the door?"

"Sister Qingniao, Little Bug wants to learn spear techniques from you!"

Longyu Xuan spent these past few days in constant trepidation. He couldn't bring himself to hit the little fellow, who was still young enough to wear split-crotch pants. But whether he feigned anger or tried to reason with him, his adopted son just rolled his eyes. Hitting him was simply out of the question. Although Longyu Xuan was a flower thief, he wasn't a vicious and depraved person; otherwise, he wouldn't have refrained from taking the poisonous, alluring bait while on the bamboo raft, but would have decisively turned back. In summary, they were father and son in name, but the little fellow acted more like the father. Longyu Xuan later saw that the atmosphere on the ship wasn't tense, and though the little fellow caused random trouble, he heard he was quite popular among the beauties. So, Longyu Xuan simply threw his hands up and let him do as he pleased.

The boat was on the Shejiang River, and a small riverside town was already visible. This marked the border of Jianzhou, and another ten days' journey north would lead them to Wudi City in the East Sea. The Old Sword God Li Chungang finally emerged from his cabin and came to the bow. Xu Fengnian's cultivation level was too far below his to discern his true depth or secrets. Longyu Xuan was finally summoned by the Prince, officially acknowledging his place on the ship. During their conversation, Xu Fengnian learned that Longyu Xuan, primarily a flower thief and former guest official of Huishan, was actually from the Mohist School. Although the Mohist School, like other philosophies among the Hundred Schools of Thought, had withered and declined, before Confucianism became the sole dominant philosophy and before Buddhism arrived from the West, Mohism, with its reverence for gods and spirits, could rival Taoism. Unfortunately, unlike Buddhism and Taoism, Mohism was not as adaptable and directly clashed with the unstoppable rising force of Confucianism. Their core doctrines were incompatible, leading to their ultimate downfall. However, the Mohist leader, the *Juzi*, passed down through generations, was still revered as a demigod and remained a highly mysterious figure. Longyu Xuan had been a disciple of the previous *Juzi*, one of thirty-six personal students. As for why he was expelled from the school, Longyu Xuan was vague, and Xu Fengnian didn't bother to dig for details. Who doesn't have a difficult story to tell or a secret to hide?

People in the martial world, much like scholars, are often inflexible: a physical blow creates a grudge, but a public humiliation creates a mortal feud.

Nearing the shore, the normally fearless Xu Fengnian instinctively recoiled upon seeing a sword-wielding woman. He swiftly retreated into the cabin, apparently too afraid to disembark.

The passengers from outside Beiliang, who had only recently joined the Prince, assumed they were facing disaster. Otherwise, why would the arrogant and resourceful Prince of Beiliang act so timid and fearful?

Longyu Xuan cautiously watched the woman approaching the ship, feeling a mix of shock, fear, and curiosity. She looked ordinary, not fierce or evil. Was there really a female warrior who could make even his new master wary?

Driven by his professional instinct, Longyu Xuan wondered if the Prince had abandoned a lover, who was now seeking him out.

But all the beauties accompanying the Prince were breathtakingly beautiful; even with the worst taste, he wouldn't have secretly pursued someone as plain as this woman, would he?

Just as Longyu Xuan was at a loss to understand, the woman boarded the ship and scoffed, "Xu Fengnian! What's wrong? You dare go to Wudi City, but you don't dare face me?"