Chapter 264: Damn

Xu Fengnian woke up groggily. He didn't open his eyes immediately, instead first checking the flow of his vital energy internally. There were both good and bad signs. The newly opened Juque acupoint was a fortunate development, but unfortunately, for some unknown reason, his vital energy was burning fiercely like firewood. Although it hadn't turned to ash and dissipated, it still gave him a sense of uncontrollable crisis. This made the Young Master, who was accustomed to controlling every situation at hand, feel uneasy and utterly perplexed.

He then checked the breathing rhythms around him before slowly opening his eyes. The first thing he saw was an exquisite face. Her beauty had been striking since their first encounter in the canyon, so captivating that she seemed otherworldly. Her rare, dark green eyes, like verdant mountains and clear waters, were worth at least ninety-five coins. Perhaps she was only slightly less beautiful than Baihu'er Lian, Chen Yu, and Jiang Ni. If her figure were to mature and her charm ripen, she might even rival them. Within Beiliang, with its rough winds and sand, women were rarely delicate; their builds were often sturdier and larger than those of southern women. Could it be that just as Cao Guanzi monopolized eight-tenths of all elegance, he had also absorbed all the refined grace of Beiliang women?

A thought flashed through Xu Fengnian’s mind, making him wonder if his "golden coffin" training had turned him into a vegetarian monk, as he felt no desire to gaze at the beautiful girl further. He slowly stood up, willingly moving away from her soft, fragrant warmth. After cultivating his sword, his body was like a precisely calibrated clepsydra; even during meditation and breathing exercises, he would automatically awaken every hour. He leaped into the valley, silently wielding his sword, dripping blood onto its blade. The flying sword, however, plummeted straight down. "Great," he thought, "three days of effort wasted." Xu Fengnian resisted the urge to curse, frowning as he stared at the bloodstains on his palm. The vibrant red was permeated with an inexplicable faint gold. He had never heard of such a strange phenomenon even in the perfected Great Yellow Court realm. Daring not to randomly cultivate his sword again, he retracted the Emei sword, whose blade was as long and slender as a woman's hair, and swept back to the mountaintop. Most of the rescued herders were young, and they surrounded the girl, looking at Xu Fengnian with a mixture of awe and adoration. Xu Fengnian ignored them. He noticed a white bowl, its bottom glinting in the sunlight. He squatted down, ran a finger over it, and sniffed, guessing about seventy to eighty percent of its nature. The reason Buddhas were called "Golden-bodied Buddhas" was largely due to their so-called "Indestructible Vajra Body," rumored to ward off all evil spirits and make all ghosts of Fengdu prostrate. It was only through Li Chungang’s explanation that Xu Fengnian learned that most Vajra realms in the world were considered pseudo-realms; only Li Dangxin of Liangchan Temple and his brother Xu Longxiang were true Vajra practitioners. When Li Dangxin returned from his journey west years ago, an alarming secret spread—that eating a piece of flesh from the white-robed monk could grant an immortal golden body. Demonic figures flocked to him, yet none succeeded. Finally, as Li Dangxin approached Chang'an, he publicly cut a piece of his own flesh and gave it to a person dying of hunger and cold. Several years later, the old man died peacefully, but he had not gained immortality, and only then did the doubts dissipate.

Xu Fengnian sat cross-legged, staring blankly at the white bowl. The girl and the twenty-odd children and teenagers beside him dared not disturb him, simply staring along with him. Xu Fengnian stood up, picked up two children, and swept down to the valley floor. The herd of wild oxen, stunned by the Buddhist Lion's Roar, froze instantly like a sudden ice flow. Eventually, they all turned and surged out. Only then did the herders feel at ease, choosing ox carcasses for their autumn and winter meat supply. Xu Fengnian gradually escorted the remaining herders down the mountain. During this time, a few cheerful children felt as if they were soaring through clouds, laughing happily.

Finally, only the slender, graceful girl remained. North of Longyao Prefecture, the region was bitterly cold. In autumn and winter, the wealthy wore furs of mink, fox, muskrat, and raccoon dog, while the poor made clothes and trousers from the hides of cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep. In spring and summer, they wore cloth, with a distinction between coarse and fine based on social status. The woman before him, dressed in a left-overlapping narrow-sleeved tunic and black leather boots, was simply neat and plain, far from the exquisite embroidered garments of noble households' maidservants or palace ladies. However, she was naturally beautiful, and a delicate Qiang flute was tied at her waist. With no one else on the mountaintop, Xu Fengnian finally had the leisure to observe her carefully, not rushing to send her into the canyon. She blushed deeply under his gaze, lowering her eyes, her fingers subtly twisting the corner of her clothes. Xu Fengnian smiled, walked closer, and gently lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. Xu Fengnian had personally witnessed the brutal hunting and pursuit by the Mang cavalry and had no intention of getting involved in that quagmire. Beautiful women brought trouble, and Xu Fengnian lacked the ability to engage in romantic entanglements in Beiliang. The sword of love could wound; even broad-minded Li Chungang had suffered in the same way.

Xu Fengnian's purpose in stopping the oxen herd was clearly selfish: he merely wanted to leave a favorable impression on Monk Longshu, one of the two great saints in the world. To hope that the Young Master would "send the Buddha all the way to the West" and rescue these herders from their plight was to expect a compassion he did not possess. Furthermore, if they became entangled with him, who could truly have a good ending? Xu Fengnian picked her up, leaped gracefully, landed softly, and released her, speaking no further. Ignoring the tearfully grateful herders who knelt before him, his vital energy, flowing continuously like the Kunlun dragon vein, swiftly swept away, tracking the wild oxen herd. After turning a corner, he slowed his pace, planning to turn back. He had thought of a way to practice the "Swimming Fish" style from the sixth page of his saber manual: gliding like a fish among the wild oxen.

When the Beiliang cavalry had not seen the oxen herd for a long time, they realized the situation was unexpected. They brandished their sabers and charged into the canyon. Xu Fengnian, possessing astonishing hearing, frowned slightly. Like a gecko, he clung to the dark cliff. He had initially intended to stay out of sight and out of mind, planning to sweep to the mountaintop and pursue the oxen herd. However, he caught sight of a lone rider at the tail end turning into a curved corner of the canyon, followed by a menacing laugh that all men would understand. Xu Fengnian moved along the cliff ridge, observing about thirty horsemen circling the girl at the bottom of the valley. Those skilled in horsemanship leaned over, reaching out to tease her clothing. Xu Fengnian cursed under his breath and dropped back into the valley, his toes landing silently without raising dust. The arrogant Mang cavalry did not notice someone appearing out of thin air behind them. Xu Fengnian bothered with no superfluous words. He glided forward, one hand seizing the tail of a circling warhorse. The horse, galloping in circles, felt a sharp pain, reared on its hind legs, and neighed in agony. The fierce cavalryman turned in surprise, eyes blazing with murderous intent, and swung his saber down at the seemingly suicidal figure. Xu Fengnian grasped the Mang saber, dragged the cavalryman from his horse, and kicked the robust warrior away. His body slammed against the cliff, instantly turning into a pulpy mess. Xu Fengnian was inwardly startled: When had he reached such a level of power? The remaining cavalrymen were all stunned. A brave Mang man spurred his horse forward. Xu Fengnian remained unmoving. When the warhorse crashed into him, he placed a hand on its head; the horse's head exploded into the ground, killing it instantly. The latter half of the horse's body flipped up. Xu Fengnian slapped it away, sending both the Mang rider and the dead horse crashing into the cliff. The only difference from the previous death was likely a larger puddle of gore.

The thirty-odd cavalrymen no longer cared about teasing the "tender meat" that was almost theirs; they fled for their lives. Everyone could see that overwhelming the enemy with sheer numbers was simply not feasible. The principle of "where there's life, there's hope" is simple and straightforward everywhere. Since Xu Fengnian had begun to kill, he would not allow any fish to slip through and spread the news. He shot up, moving with unhurried elegance, casually "strolling" alongside the warhorses. With a single palm strike, he seemed to swat flies onto a wall, leaving large splotches of crimson blossoming on the canyon cliffs. Xu Fengnian truly could not employ the bloody methods of Chen Zhibao, who had dragged Ye Baikui's wife and daughters to their deaths behind horses at West Leibei. But when it came to killing some barbarians in Beiliang, he had no qualms. If not for this, Xu Fengnian believed he should have died in Beiliang himself!

Even with his inherited status, what right did he have to contend with Chen Zhibao for military power in Beiliang? Seizing soldiers, provisions, popular support, and military morale all required blood-stained hands, not mere lip service about benevolence and morality. In the unjust wars of the Spring and Autumn period, how many massacres occurred? How many cities were entirely slaughtered? How many people resorted to cannibalism—mothers selling children, fathers cooking sons? Scholars, nobles, powerful officials, and warriors, each took to the stage; even in death, most still managed to leave a mark or two in history. But too many were merely people of a chaotic era who wished to be well-fed "dogs of peace," and when they died, they simply died, often along with their descendants who should have offered incense during Qingming.

To command Beiliang's three hundred thousand iron cavalry with womanly compassion? If the empire's northern gate were to open, allowing Beiliang to be overrun by the Mang, the first to suffer would be Beiliang's scattered million households. Those "loyal and upright" officials of the Liyang Dynasty who consistently undermined Beiliang would undoubtedly be inwardly pleased, even while outwardly displaying sorrow.

Xu Fengnian's face was grim. After dealing with the thirty-odd Beiliang cavalrymen, he slowly walked towards the girl.

She was the only woman among the herders who had personally witnessed him single-handedly stop the oxen herd. At that time, she had believed him to be the greatest hero in the world, like an immortal descending from the heavens.

But when she witnessed his ruthless methods of killing men, not just oxen, especially as she saw him slowly approach, she instinctively averted her gaze and stepped back two paces.

Xu Fengnian sneered, then swept up to the mountaintop. He had done his utmost. He would no longer concern himself with the herders' survival and went to pursue the vast, thundering herd of wild oxen.

The girl suddenly realized what she had done, and her heart twisted with agonizing regret. She collapsed blankly onto the ground, her eyes vacant.

Xu Fengnian reached the mountaintop at the end of the canyon, where he stopped and gazed into the distance.

To save one and kill ten thousand, or to kill one and save ten thousand—which holds more merit, and which more sin?

Even though Xu Fengnian believed in Buddhism, he couldn't comprehend it, nor did he wish to know.

He remembered when he was a child, his second sister Xu Weixiong wrestled with the paradox of whether a white horse was still a horse. His crude father, Xu Xiao, had joked that if he sat there and said it was a horse, then it was a horse; who would dare say otherwise?

It was this very man, a brutish warrior and slaughterer, who had said to the Young Master that night, "There is no one in this world who deserves to die, especially no common folk who deserve to die. As long as I, Xu Xiao, live, not a single common person in Liangmang should die."

Xu Fengnian leaped off the cliff, dashed furiously, and followed the hoof prints to catch up with the wild oxen herd.

First, like a swimming fish entering a lake, he moved freely through the herd, then he leaped onto an ox's back.

He walked upon the surging mass.

Finally, he stood atop the lead wild ox, riding the crest of the wave.