Chapter 218: 高手

The *jianghu* of young Yousong, the child who touched the blade, was simply a child's *jianghu*. He naively believed that any *jianghu* would be wonderful, certainly more delicious than a string of candied hawthorn berries. The *jianghu* of a teenager, however, was often like Wang Dashi from the Fish Dragon Gang, accustomed to being bullied. He secretly harbored admiration for an unattainable woman, and when danger struck, he thought of nothing else but that dying by her side would be enough. Yet, the *jianghu* of an adult, like the old man in sheepskin, was defined by caprice; merely uttering "Swords, come!" from a mountaintop could summon over a thousand swords from two directions – such power was rare indeed. The unfortunate ones were like Han Xiangma, a green dart from the border of Jianzhou, who died miserably soon after entering *jianghu*. Most others fared somewhat better, or, like the Dongyue swordsman Lu Qiantang, achieved fame and success, only to ultimately meet their end within the *jianghu* they inhabited.

Han Tao left a few soldiers from Daoma Pass to assist the Fish Dragon Gang in clearing the aftermath. With over a dozen people dead or injured, it was no small matter, and how to conclude it cleanly would test Han Tao's abilities as a military leader and official. Regardless of the hidden currents within and beyond the imperial court, the surface still presented an era of peace and prosperity. Promotions resembling a carp leaping over the dragon gate, earned through battlefield merits, were rare and hard to come by; more often, advancement came from petty schemes and backroom maneuvering.

The Fish Dragon Gang had suffered a significant loss, but having narrowly escaped death, their relief far outweighed their sorrow. Second Chieftain Xiao Qiang offered thirty taels of silver to the soldiers. It wasn't that the Fish Dragon Gang couldn't afford more, but these soldiers, though clearly confidants of the Imperial Grand Marshal, were ultimately minor officials who couldn't make final decisions. If their appetites were inflated now, it would be difficult to deal with Han Tao later. Among the Fish Dragon Gang, only the seasoned veteran Xiao Qiang likely understood this delicate balance of power perfectly. Liu Nirong did not expose Xiao Qiang's true demeanor while they were upstairs, indicating that she had matured significantly after a disaster that had nearly annihilated them.

Xu Fengnian placed the dead bandit back on the chair. As he finished, he saw Liu Nirong standing at the doorway, her face like frost. Xu Fengnian calmly stated, "Zhao Yingchuan gave this man not only a sleeping drug but also poison. He's dead."

Liu Nirong glanced at the normal crimson blood oozing from the seven orifices of the corpse on the chair. She scoffed, "Xu, do you think I'll believe that? Do you take me for a three-year-old?"

Xu Fengnian knew she resented his inaction. He smiled and said, "I killed Zhao Yingchuan. Are you going to report it truthfully to the authorities? If I'm caught and beheaded, how will the Fish Dragon Gang explain themselves to a dignified fourth-rank military official back in Lingzhou?"

Liu Nirong glared intently at the brazenly shameless man, as if another glance would defile her eyes. She turned away with a cold laugh, "No matter your reason for killing Zhao Yingchuan, you helped the Fish Dragon Gang. I am not so ungrateful as to betray you to that extent. Even if it takes a thousand taels of silver to settle this, I, Liu Nirong, will not bat an eye."

Xu Fengnian stood beside the chair. "Thank you, Miss Liu."

Liu Nirong paused briefly as she stepped over the threshold, then slowly said, "In my opinion, you're even worse than Xiao Qiang."

Xu Fengnian merely smiled, offering no rebuttal. He returned to the room whose door Zhao Yingchuan had shattered and found Wang Dashi sitting on the edge of the bed, trembling. Wang Dashi clearly hadn't recovered from the fighting in the inn's courtyard. For a teenager who had just entered the *jianghu*, tonight's gruesome scene of blood and gore was simply too much to bear. The one-sided slaughter by the armored soldiers, in particular, would likely be deeply etched in the boy's heart, never to be erased.

Wang Dashi looked up at Xu Fengnian, forced a smile, of sorts, and called out, "Young Master Xu." Xu Fengnian nodded, then sat back in the chair by the window. He pulled an unremarkable saber manual from his embrace and continued to study it. The manual contained over twenty saber techniques, including "Armored Thunderclap," which drew from various schools, all verifiable within its pages. It wasn't limited to merely creating and explaining moves; between the lines, it exuded the unique dominance and "lion's fight against a rabbit" attitude characteristic of Wang Xianzhi, the second most powerful person in the world. As he read with his head bowed, he softly said, "I ate all those pastries. I'll get you some more later."

Overwhelmed, Wang Dashi quickly waved his hands. "No need to repay me, Young Master Xu. You're being too polite."

Out of the corner of his eye, Xu Fengnian noticed the boy's awkwardness. Thinking of his chaotic sword-wielding in the courtyard, he smiled knowingly and asked, "Your Fish Dragon Gang's Old Chieftain Liu cultivates both internal and external martial arts, mastering the Cannon Fist and Long Fist to perfection. His style emphasizes reason as the primary guide, qi as the core, and blending both hardness and softness. So why are your footwork and foundation so weak? Has no one taught you the fundamental principles?"

Wang Dashi, fearing that Young Master Xu might misunderstand and look down upon the Fish Dragon Gang's practices, hastily replied, "They did teach me, they did! It's just that my aptitude is too poor, and I haven't grasped the essentials. My senior brothers, they're truly capable."

Xu Fengnian didn't expose the lie. Within sects and gangs, factions often abounded. Truly impressive martial arts skills were usually taught orally and directly by the master; otherwise, a slight deviation could lead to a monumental error. This was precisely why the saying "a teacher for a day, a father for life" held true. Who would be willing to invest time in cultivating a soft persimmon like Wang Dashi, whom anyone could manipulate? The old adage "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts" had been passed down for centuries. To truly excel in martial arts, one needed not only opportunity but also financial resources. Pledging oneself to a master required a substantial gift, the amount of which was tied to the master's skill. And it wasn't a one-time payment; one also had to support the master, offering gifts during festivals and holidays, and proactively providing them with various attire. Furthermore, competitive sparring often led to injuries like sprains or broken bones, requiring endless, expensive medication and recovery care. This explained why people desperately sought entry into famous sects: besides having renowned masters, a large part of it was the cheap or even free medical care and the abundance of training partners for mutual improvement. As long as one had potential, there were no worries about the future. Unfortunately, an orphan like Wang Dashi, who had lost his parents, had only the meager copper coins dispensed monthly by the gang, which his senior brothers cleverly siphoned away. How could his masters, uncles, and grand-uncles, who also had families to support, even give him a second glance?

Xu Fengnian smiled. "I can't just eat your pastries for free. I have a set of the simplest Wudang boxing incantations here. It's not worth much, and there's no suspicion of it being leaked externally. If you want to learn, remember as much of the eight hundred-odd characters as you can tonight."

Wang Dashi was struck as if by lightning. He dropped to his knees, his shoulders trembling as he choked out, "Please, Young Master, teach me!"

Xu Fengnian offered no comfort, allowing Wang Dashi to remain kneeling. He began to slowly recite the boxing secrets, slightly modified to be easy to understand. He had removed many obscure Taoist terms, retaining only the immediately usable incantations. If a Taoist master were to see this, they would undoubtedly curse him as a spendthrift or someone who picked up sesame seeds while throwing away watermelons. It was known that this set of boxing heart methods came from Hong Xixiang, the sect leader of Wudang. After the world speculated whether this earthly immortal, Lu, had truly dissolved his body or ascended, and then learned that Wudang Mountain possessed such a set of incantations, people began to flock to Wudang Mountain like mad.

Originally, Wudang Mountain, in accordance with the sect leader's dying wish, had not kept this set of boxing techniques secret or deliberately edited out its essence. Anyone who wished to learn it could come to Wudang. However, the *jianghu* was dangerous, and human hearts unpredictable, causing numerous troubles for the peaceful and uncontroversial Wudang Mountain. For instance, some ruthless martial artists, after observing the Taoist priests practicing on Great Lotus Peak, were still unsatisfied. They captured Taoist priests who knew the incantations, tortured them, and then abandoned their bodies in the wilderness. Fearing they might have missed something or doubting Wudang Mountain's magnanimity, they weren't satisfied with killing just one Taoist priest who knew the incantations, killing several more before descending the mountain. This heartbreaking situation ultimately forced Wudang Mountain to seal itself off. Apart from pilgrims coming to burn incense, all seventy-two peaks refused visitors from the *jianghu*. Consequently, this set of boxing incantations became the most sought-after and alluring treasure in the martial arts world at that time. Therefore, Wang Dashi's all-night kneeling was truly no injustice.

However, Xu Fengnian spoke until his throat was dry. He repeated the heart method incantations seven or eight times, yet Wang Dashi only managed to remember five or six tenths of it. It seemed the Fish Dragon Gang's assessment of the boy's dull aptitude was not an overstatement. As time passed, Wang Dashi's head drooped lower and lower, fearing that Young Master Xu would despise him for his stupidity. Yet, the young master never showed the slightest impatience, his tone remaining calm and even, narrating gently. This only made the boy feel more ashamed. Eventually, when he made a mistake in reciting an incantation, the boy burst into tears, looking up with red eyes and declaring he didn't want to learn anymore.

How could Xu Fengnian be some sort of emotionless clay Buddha? He himself possessed a photographic memory. Even if his saber practice was slow, the old Sword God Li Chungang had to admit that Xu Fengnian possessed half of Li's own comprehension from his youth. It was well known that Li Chungang had reached the first rank by the time he came of age. After that, he broke through the remaining three realms, excluding the Earth Immortal realm, in just five or six years, demonstrating Xu Fengnian's extraordinary innate talent. Moreover, those who could stay by the Crown Prince's side were clearly filtered through many layers, with few dullards or fools among them. To say that he wasn't even a little frustrated with Wang Dashi's mediocre aptitude would be self-deception. But what truly angered the Crown Prince was the boy's declaration that he wouldn't learn anymore.

Xu Fengnian took a breath, relaxed his expression, and no longer repeated the incantations. Instead, he chuckled softly, "So you're not learning anymore? Then you can just spend the rest of your life staring blankly at Liu Nirong's back."

The boy, thin-skinned, had his secret thoughts exposed and instantly turned as red as the buttocks of the monkeys on Wudang Mountain. Regardless, the atmosphere immediately lightened.

Xu Fengnian helped Wang Dashi, whose legs had gone numb, stand up and return to the bed's edge, even assisting him. Seeing the boy carefully perch only half of his rear on the bed, he smiled gently and said, "I once knew a man from a poor family. He never went to school, couldn't read, and as a child, he only did farm chores like chopping wood and feeding pigs. Later, he inherited his father's tools and became a blacksmith. If he had any outstanding qualities, it was merely that he was stronger than average. He worked as a blacksmith for over twenty years, so focused that he didn't even save enough money to get a wife. Wang Dashi, how much success do you think a person like that could achieve?"

Wang Dashi was utterly bewildered, unsure what Young Master Xu was trying to say. In his eyes, Young Master Xu was not only handsome but also possessed an even more refined demeanor, clearly from the kind of esteemed family background most envied by *jianghu* members. Such a person, he thought, likely imbued every word with profound wisdom, and so the simple boy dared not interrupt.

Xu Fengnian smiled. "That very person became a very formidable swordsman."

The Crown Prince recalled some past anecdotes and chuckled to himself. "A very, very powerful master."

Wang Dashi, seeing Young Master Xu, who possessed a pair of phoenix eyes, reveal a truly sincere smile for the first time, was utterly mesmerized. His heart filled with the thought that only such a young master was worthy of Miss Liu Nirong.

Xu Fengnian glanced at the fish-belly white sky outside the window, estimating it wouldn't be long before he heard the roosters crowing. He stood up and said, "This set of incantations, though called Wudang boxing, actually focuses more on cultivating qi and spirit. It doesn't provide specific instructions on how internal qi should circulate; you'll have to figure that out yourself, day after day, year after year."

Hearing this, Wang Dashi almost instinctively knelt again in gratitude.

Xu Fengnian stood up and teased, "Don't scorn a poor young man; gold lies beneath his knees. So don't kneel anymore. If you kneel too much, let alone gold, even copper coins will run away from you."

Wang Dashi stood up, scratching his head with an embarrassed look.

Xu Fengnian left the room alone, intending to find some breakfast outside the inn. The front courtyard had already been cleaned, though some hidden corners still retained traces of last night's fierce battle. Stepping out of the courtyard gate, Xu Fengnian stretched, then spent eight *wen* to buy four large meat buns. He ate them as he walked, his mouth greasy with oil. A meat bun of such size would cost more than six *wen* in the Jiangnan region. Unknowingly, he reached the stone platform of the old city ruins. His lips curved into a smile when he saw the young boy, Yousong, along with a few playmates his age, practicing boxing together on the platform. Of course, it was a childish, haphazard punching match, accompanied by their babbling and grunting. Beside their feet were satchels sewn by their parents. Xu Fengnian walked onto the platform, squatting at the edge as he tackled his third meat bun. Yousong, who had touched the Spring Thunder Saber, saw Xu Fengnian, immediately stopped his antics, and trotted over. His small face smiling innocently, he deliberately raised his voice and said, "Big Brother, when I went back to the village yesterday, I told them I had touched your saber, but they didn't believe me! They said I was bragging!"

Xu Fengnian reached out and patted the child's head, kindly "clearing his name." He said, "Yousong wasn't bragging."

Four or five children gathered around Xu Fengnian, openly envious of Yousong. Xu Fengnian, sharp-eyed, noticed little Yousong kept glancing at a small, slender girl standing some distance away. Her clothes were even more heavily patched than Yousong's, and her hands were twisted behind her back. She wanted to join the fun but lacked the courage, only daring to look down at her worn hemp shoes, which exposed her toes. Xu Fengnian, about to take a bite of his meat bun, smiled, stopped, rubbed his stomach, and said helplessly, "I've eaten five or six in a row; I'm stuffed. It would be a shame to throw these two away, Yousong, would you help Big Brother eat one?"

Yousong hesitated for a moment, but a gluttonous little chubby boy nearby didn't stand on ceremony, clamoring for a bun. Xu Fengnian handed one to the chubby boy. Only then did Yousong take the other. Seeing Big Brother give him a knowing look, the child smiled subtly, then, clutching the bun with both hands, ran off to find his childhood friend. He said something, and after much coaxing, he finally convinced the girl, and they ended up sharing the bun. Xu Fengnian quietly gave a thumbs-up in their direction, and Yousong grinned back. The chubby boy and the others, having tasted the delicious two-wen meat buns, knew they'd be spanked by their teacher if they didn't get to the private school soon. They quickly grabbed their satchels and scattered. Xu Fengnian walked over to Yousong and the little girl and only then saw that the latter's hands were covered in chilblains, cracked and bleeding profusely. How painful would it be for such small hands to then wash clothes in the stream or toil in the mountain fields?

Xu Fengnian remained silent, merely squatting and listening to Yousong chatter about trivial matters in and around the village. It was then he learned that a *xiucai* (scholar) had emerged from the township two years prior. Perhaps it was due to the villagers' limited worldview, but they considered this an immense honor for their family. Yousong's village, along with two other hamlets, had pooled their money to invite an old *juren* (recommended person) scholar, who was determined to pursue an official career, to open a school and teach. The teacher was upright and strict, and his reputation was excellent, so he had continued teaching there for several years. For the parents and villagers of children like Yousong, passing the imperial examinations was an impossible dream; they dared not even think about it. They simply hoped their children would learn to read. Yousong proudly smiled at the Crown Prince and said that the old scholar had told him his handwriting was good, and in the future, he could even write spring couplets for the villagers on the scholar's behalf.

At this moment, the little girl also smiled, softly and timidly, the light in her eyes like a clear mountain spring.

Just then, over a dozen cavalrymen galloped out from Daoma Pass, their armor gleaming brightly, a sight that filled Yousong with admiration.

Trailing behind the cavalry were several ruffians, notorious in the vicinity of Daoma Pass, who were strenuously running to keep up. After riding a certain distance, the cavalry unit would have to slow down and wait for these few who were desperately chasing them on foot. The cavalrymen all wore expressions of contempt.

The little girl, observant and sensitive, tugged at Yousong's sleeve, pointed towards the village, and showed signs of fear and worry.

Yousong's face instantly paled. He carefully handed his satchel to the little girl. Disregarding the inevitable spanking from the old scholar later, he bid farewell to the Crown Prince and ran after them.

Xu Fengnian looked down to find the little girl holding his sleeve. He smiled and nodded, saying, "I'll be right there."