Chapter 208: This Rivers and Lakes Grow Old

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All good things must come to an end.

The horse carriage reached the barren border shared by two provinces. Hearing a slight movement inside the carriage, Qingniao stopped the horses. His Royal Highness bent down, lifted the curtain, and after stepping out, gazed blankly at the Northern Liang scenery, which was far less picturesque than the south.

After the Frost's Descent, trees withered, leaves fell, and hibernating insects burrowed into their holes. Even a gentle breeze outdoors carried a chill that no clothing could ward off. The Start of Winter was just around the corner. When Xu Fengnian had set out, it was spring with blooming flowers; now, returning to Liangzhou City, it was already winter.

For three years, during his travels, he had merely scraped by at the bottom of the martial arts world, experiencing nothing but hardship. This current journey, however, seemed to project prestige and power. The people he dealt with were either wealthy and noble, or the most elite grandmasters and eccentrics of the martial world. Indeed, how could ordinary, minor figures, who usually only dared to splash around in the shallow waters of this world, presume to greet the Heir Apparent of Northern Liang, who had openly revealed his identity? Wouldn't that be inviting a slap in the face? Xu Fengnian turned to look at the Murong siblings, Princess Jing'an, and Pei Nanwei, who had also disembarked. Of course, there was also the Sword God, the coachman, who had remained in the carriage. In the Battle of Guangling River, over a short distance of two li, two thousand six hundred corpses of Bei Kui cavalry lay piled up beneath Li Chungang's sword. Few bodies were intact. The hem of His Royal Highness's robe was soaked and stained red with blood. Apart from one general wielding a long spear who miraculously survived, all the Guangling armored soldiers who entered the fray had bravely sacrificed themselves.

Prince Guangling, Zhao Yi, seemed unsure whether he was intimidated by Li Chungang's declaration – "Let me kill two thousand more iron cavalry to satisfy my urge, and then drag a prince down with me before I die; I'd have no regrets!" – or if his plans were disrupted by the threats blurted out when he was cornered. In any case, no matter what calculations that "small mountain of white flesh" made in his heart, he ultimately did not prevent Xu Fengnian from leaving.

On the tenth day of the eighth month, although Xu Fengnian had not personally killed anyone, he felt fear for the first time. This was because with every person the peerlessly skilled swordsman Li Chungang killed, Xu Fengnian's own life became more likely to end up feeding fish in the Guangling River. Human strength eventually runs out. One must remember that over six thousand Bei Kui soldiers were amassed near Dayanyi, densely packed like an ant nest. Furthermore, countless tower ships and warships of the Guangling Navy were lurking menacingly. If Zhao Yi had truly resolved to kill them to silence witnesses, Li Chungang, even if he could have helped Xu Fengnian escape alone, would not have been able to look after Qingniao and the others. After returning to the carriage, Xu Fengnian looked down at his hands, which trembled uncontrollably.

Within this fear, there was a trace of restless, distorted excitement. He had witnessed firsthand how Li Chungang's sword energy, with a mere flick of its edge, created a swath of mangled flesh. He wondered when, in his own lifetime of practicing sabre, he could acquire such an ability to single-handedly contend against a thousand armies. After leaving Guangling, Li Chungang's face immediately showed a sallow complexion, as if his life force was running out. How could Xu Fengnian not know that the old Sword God had considered the battle by the riverbank as the grand finale of his life before even drawing his sword? Only saints of the Three Teachings could borrow the profound mysteries of heaven and earth, using a small force to move a great weight. For martial artists outside the Three Teachings, even one as powerful as Li Chungang, each sword strike was just that—a single strike, requiring a vast expenditure of vital energy. Especially under the relentless, flood-like assault of the iron cavalry, the old man in sheepskin had no chance to catch his breath and recover smoothly. This was the root of his current ailment.

The Wu Family Sword Mound's nine swords were said to have slain ten thousand cavalry, but that involved nine grandmasters of the sword from the Wu family's peak, and those nine could rely on and leverage each other's strength. Li Chungang, however, faced thousands of cavalry alone! The Bei Kui army was undoubtedly one of the most elite forces in the empire's southeast. How could Li Chungang, who pierced through the armor of two thousand six hundred men in just half an hour, be compared to the nine ancestors of the Wu family?

Xu Fengnian looked up at the movements of the blue-white luan in the sky, knowing that Lu Qiu'er was leading the Northern Liang Iron Cavalry to them. Li Chungang slowly dismounted from the carriage, walked over to His Royal Highness, and asked, "What, you don't want this old man to escort you to the gates of Liangzhou City?"

Xu Fengnian shook his head and smiled faintly, "Never mind. Chu Lushan is already leading troops to greet us, so we won't trouble you, esteemed senior."

The old man in sheepskin feigned surprise with a soft exclamation, then rolled his eyes and said, "Xu boy, how did all that conscience that dogs carried away suddenly return?"

Xu Fengnian could only offer a bitter smile.

Li Chungang laughed heartily, "By the Guangling River, you got carried away by your passion, and I joined you in that madness. For us to still be standing here alive, it means we owe each other nothing. Without you, even if I had slain another two thousand cavalry, I would still have died completely, and my end might not have been any better than the Sword Emperor of Western Shu. Your words were more powerful than a thousand of my sword strikes, showing that the rage of a common man, let alone the wrath of Heaven, is far inferior to even the fury of kings and nobles. I've come to understand that people of the martial world should honestly conduct themselves within it. Otherwise, no matter how great their skill, they won't be able to sort out grievances. The true principle is that martial artists grow old within the martial world. As for your intrigues, those of emperors, generals, powerful clans, and noble houses—anyone who gets involved will be tainted. Just count them on your fingers: Dragon Tiger Mountain, Eastern Yue Sword Pond, they might seem powerful, but they are nothing but turtles in a jar and carp in a pond. Once they are fattened up, they might be steamed or braised at will. From my perspective, only Wudang and the Wu family seem truly respectable."

Xu Fengnian's face showed unconcealed sorrow and dejection.

Li Chungang glanced sideways, knowing that mentioning Wudang Mountain had touched a raw nerve with His Royal Highness. Feeling a pang of pity, he changed the subject and asked, "In Guangling, you dared to carve out even Zhao Piao's 'fat meat' for yourself. Chen Yu's beauty, even I found stunning. Are you truly willing to spit out the meat already in your mouth into that big bowl in the capital?"

Xu Fengnian calmly replied, "It's probably still that saying: there are things one should do, and things one should not do. Things in this world can't always go my way. First, there was the threat from Zhao Gou, largely destroyed by Cao Changqing, then the Empress herself sent someone with an imperial decree. It was a combination of sticks and carrots, persuasion and coercion; what could I do? If it weren't for the Guangling River incident, perhaps I would have had the nerve to argue with the Empress. In Xiangfan, I almost completely fell out with Prince Jing'an, Zhao Heng, and even abducted his principal consort to Northern Liang. I've formed a mortal enmity with Prince Guangling, Zhao Yi, a knot so tight that not even gods could untie it. Right now, I reckon Xu Xiao is already preparing a broom to beat me. If I cause more trouble for him and leave a bad impression with the Empress for not understanding decorum, I might not even be able to enter my own home. The matter of Princess Suizhu has already made this woman, who is said to be unprecedented and unmatched in palace intrigues, harbor resentment. To be honest, I'd rather be considered unreasonable by the one on the dragon throne than repeatedly become a concern for her. When women are ruthless..."

At this point, His Royal Highness suddenly stopped speaking.

Li Chungang stretched his back, rotated his neck, and unconcernedly chuckled, "It's widely rumored in the martial world that a new martial ranking will be established. This time, they plan to dig out and expose all those deep-sea turtles like Zhao Xuansu, and the ranking will be based purely on killing methods, not cultivation level. It's a pity that the truly undisputed number one, the Wudang sect leader surnamed Hong, has already voluntarily 'dissolved his being'; otherwise, Wang Xianzhi would be even more deservedly the second strongest under heaven. As for me, I reckon that thanks to the sheer madness of the Guangling battle, I'll be ranked ahead of Deng Tai'a. Furthermore, I predict that Gu Jiantang, who has always been underestimated in the martial world, won't be able to hide his strength this time and has a ten-out-of-ten chance of entering the top five. But none of this concerns me anymore. That Wang girl from Laishan is truly the most talented woman I've ever met. On her face, joy and surprise both show triumph, but in her heart, there is only sorrow and lamentation. She diligently pursued wealth and fame, only to realize upon opening her eyes that it was all a fleeting dream. The young girl's unintentional remark encapsulated all the frustrations of the world."

Li Chungang let out a long breath. "This old man can probably last a few more years. If that Jiang girl masters her swordsmanship in the future and comes to fight you to the death, don't secretly curse this old man."

Xu Fengnian said with a gentle smile, "If she achieves the realm of a female Earth Immortal sooner, won't I meet her even earlier? Otherwise, with her thin skin, how could she possibly bring herself to kill me? For that, I should thank you, esteemed senior."

Li Chungang nodded and chuckled, "Xu boy, putting everything else aside, your magnanimity really suits this old man's taste."

The old man in sheepskin, with keen hearing, caught the faint sound of distant hooves. He sighed softly, "Xu boy, after we part ways today, there will be no chance of meeting again in the martial world. Is there anything of mine that you desire? Tell me, I'll make an exception just this once."

Xu Fengnian chuckled, "What could you possibly have, esteemed senior? You've already imparted the 'Two Sleeves Green Snake' technique, and the sword intent of 'Opening the Heavenly Gate' is beyond my learning. If there's anything left, is it this tattered sheepskin robe that's older than I am? Let's just forget it. I won't see you off then."

Li Chungang casually picked his ear, then cast a deep glance at His Royal Highness and smiled, "That's for the best. This old man can't stand those sentimental farewells."

The old man walked slowly along the official road with his hands clasped behind his back, his figure stooped. After a few steps, seemingly knowing that His Royal Highness was watching him depart, he did not turn around, but simply waved his hand.

Xu Fengnian raised a hand to shield his eyes from the setting sun, and his lips tightened.

Wooden Horse and Ox. Green Robe of Fengdu. Sword God.

"Sword Come!" at Daxueping. "Sword Opens Heavenly Gate" at Wudi City. Slaying two thousand six hundred cavalry at Guangling River.

And that one-armed old man, wearing a sheepskin robe, scratching his foot.

All have become a fading afterglow of the martial world.

Xu Fengnian murmured, "For one man alone to make the entire martial world feel old, that truly is an unparalleled display of might. Esteemed senior, this prince has no way to reward you."

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