Chapter 309: Scarlet Layered Upon Scarlet

Hong Shu stood alone outside the palace gate, her brocade robes fluttering as if in a breeze. Her eyes were wet and bloodshot, her fingers curled into hooks. She seemed to descend into madness almost instantly. Not even when her own aunt died had she been like this.

At some point, a middle-aged man carrying a familiar book-box appeared and shook his head at her. Hong Shu's wide brocade sleeves slowly stilled.

On the field, everyone saw the blood-soaked man seemingly grin. He then said, "Don't worry, I couldn't kill all five hundred Jinwu Guards; I only killed two hundred cavalrymen. After I cut down this Mao Rou, the remaining three hundred scattered and fled."

"Only two hundred armored cavalrymen."

Inside the carriage, Mao Rui's old heart felt as if it would burst. The five hundred Jinwu Guards outside the city were the culmination of generations of effort by the Mao clan. After Mao Rou gained military command, she had, against much opposition, converted light cavalry into heavy cavalry. The calculations, sacrifices, and costs involved were immense, far too much to explain in a few words. "You scoundrel, you dare tell this old man you only killed two hundred cavalrymen?!" Mao Rui stumbled out of the carriage and, under countless gazes, rushed to embrace his younger daughter's head. Disregarding all dignity, he sat on the ground and wailed. Although Mao Rou was just a step away from the Second Grade Grandmaster realm, it was well known that women found it a hundred times harder than men to achieve such martial arts mastery. Yet, once they crossed the Second Grade threshold, their martial progress could be astonishingly fast. Furthermore, in terms of both martial prowess and intelligence, Mao Rou was the undisputed backbone of the Mao clan for the next thirty years. Her death was no less painful than losing two hundred armored cavalrymen; in fact, it was perhaps even more so. For a family to prosper for generations, it ultimately depended on one or two capable descendants who could stand up and support it. A hundred mediocre individuals were no match for one talented person. How could Mao Rui, a white-haired man burying his black-haired child, not be utterly heartbroken?

During this time, several peculiar, knowing glances were exchanged among people like Lu Wu, who were well aware of the dirty secrets of Dunhuang City. Mao Rui was known for his insatiable lust, indiscriminate in his desires, ridiculed as a bookworm engrossed in erotic literature. Mao Rou, despite being over thirty, was still unmarried, leading to suspicions that the father and daughter had an illicit relationship. After their initial amusement, Lu Wu and Tao Yong exchanged glances, sensing mutual concern. The rage of a common man was trivial, but when a martial artist approached the First Grade, no one could afford to underestimate them. Why did the great "A-list" clans of Beiliang spare no effort to recruit and support such individuals? Was it not to deter lesser men and achieve victory without battle? Faced with a madman like the one before them, willing to confront five hundred armored cavalrymen for a woman, Lu Wu honestly felt he would willingly offer up his legal wife and concubines if the blood-soaked young man found them appealing.

The martial arts vagrants, drawn by promises of gold and wealth, had long since lost their courage. Unlike the established clans that banded together, these lone wanderers, if killed, would simply die in vain, with no one to collect their bodies. Their weapons, banknotes, and secret manuals would undoubtedly be plundered. Their entry into the city was predicated on a sure victory, a chance to seek fortune, not to serve as cannon fodder. At this point, the seventy or eighty remaining individuals who had fought against the Jinwu Guards were stirring, contemplating retreat. Those with existing ties to each other became wary of unfamiliar faces and began to whisper, weighing their options.

Lu Wu, with the demeanor of a great general, spurred his horse forward and demanded, "Who are you?!"

Xu Fengnian merely looked at the old man wailing in anguish and calmly said, "You are Mao Rui. I know you."

Tao Yong, the fierce general with the bow, suddenly shouted, "Be careful!"

At the same time, he drew his bow and fired an arrow directly at Mao Rui's head, in full view of everyone. This made some keen-eyed onlookers believe Tao Yong had gone mad or was trying to hit someone when they were down. Little did they know, the arrow collided with something, producing a metallic clang. Still, Mao Rui's head snapped back, and one of his eyeballs burst in a small splatter of blood. Mao Rui released the woman's head, clutched his eyes, and his screams grew even more piercing.

Tao Yong, his eyes bloodshot, gritted his teeth and reminded gravely, "This young man can control two swords!"

Xu Fengnian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then extended a finger and twirled it. Two swords circled around his finger like small butterflies. He asked, "I'll pierce his other eye. If you still can't stop me this time, next time it will be your turn."

Without a word, Tao Yong neatly retracted his iron-bow.

Xu Fengnian, with ease, controlled his sword to pierce through Mao Rui's palm, then pierce his other eyeball. He smiled, "Is my woman beautiful? Too bad you can't see her now." It was clearly a smile, yet seeing his blood-soaked red robes and his distorted, handsome face, it sent shivers down one's spine.

Xu Fengnian was not in a hurry to kill Mao Rui. He sheathed Chunlei and stood it on the ground, his hands resting on the scabbard. He challenged, "Who dares to fight me?! Even if it's a group assault, I don't care. I'll take on all of you alone!"

This was certainly no laughing matter. The young man, who had previously been regarded merely as a kept lover in the palace, exuded an overwhelming, blood-soaked aura of malevolence. And there was also his almost invincible sword energy and blade intent. At that moment, countless old generation heroes sighed, thinking, "If only I had a son like this!"

Outside the city, the young scholar, who clearly could wield a sword, instead drew his blade. After slaughtering many, he plunged the blade into the mouth of Mao Rou, who lay on the ground, twisting the hilt to mutilate her, and said to the corpse, "That'll teach you to boast." More than half of the remaining Jinwu cavalry, still capable of fighting, completely collapsed and began to flee frantically. Xu Fengnian did not pursue these scattered cavalrymen. Instead, he cut off Mao Rou's head, carried it, and staggered back. At the city gate, he saw a clean-cut, refined man standing. Xu Fengnian remained silent, his Spring Autumn sword almost drawn from its sheath.

After blocking a sword strike, the man calmly stated, "I am Xu Pu, an old veteran of Beiliang. Before coming to Dunhuang City, I was considered a loyal warrior of my friend, Li Yishan."

Xu Fengnian, his eyes still bloodshot, was slightly taken aback and asked, "Xu Pu? Xu Pu, the Grand Commander of Beiliang's Twelve Light Cavalry Camps back then?"

The man knelt on one knee, his voice hoarse, and softly said, "Your humble subordinate Xu Pu greets Your Royal Highness."

In the Beiliang Royal Mansion, apart from Xu Xiao's clandestine loyalists, the old man in sheepskin robes who guarded the Tide-Listening Pavilion, and the reclusive Sword Nine Old Huang, the next in line was this Xu Pu, whom Xu Fengnian had never met. His status was exceptionally unique; he had once held a third-rank official position, on par with Wu Qi, who trained the military prodigy Chen Zhibao. Their prestige among Beiliang's three hundred thousand armored cavalry was practically equal, though Xu Pu was more renowned as a scholarly general. As for why he later abandoned his official post to become a loyal warrior, that remained an untold secret. Xu Pu's gaze was sincere and warm. He helped shoulder the book-box that once contained the Chunlei blade and smiled, "Your Highness can rest assured and recover. Though not as valiant as Your Highness, Xu Pu still has some skill left. As we head north along the street, no one will dare disturb us."

Having unleashed Chunlei, the 'One-Sleeve Azure Dragon,' no fewer than sixty times, and having slain nearly two hundred cavalrymen, the blade was now trembling uncontrollably in its master's hand, clearly reaching its limit. Xu Fengnian clutched his chest, steadied his qi, and frowned as he asked, "Won't this expose Uncle Xu's identity?"

Xu Pu shook his head. "It's inconsequential now. According to Li Yishan's calculations, Dunhuang City was meant to be turned upside down today, and I was certainly going to make an appearance. Even if Your Highness hadn't acted, I would have cleared things up afterward anyway."

Xu Fengnian slowly entered the city. Hearing this, he sneered, "So, Uncle Xu would have collected Hong Shu's corpse then? And shed a few sympathetic tears?"

Xu Pu's expression remained unchanged as he nodded. Sensing Xu Fengnian's sudden surge of killing intent, Xu Pu seemed subtly displeased, not even bothering to conceal it. He stated directly, "Does Your Highness truly care so much about such personal attachments?"

Xu Fengnian continued his slow walk into the city, uttering each word distinctly and calmly: "Bullshit!"

Xu Pu remained silent.

After a long silence, as the upturned eaves of the Yangling Hall roof in Juxian Palace became visible, Xu Fengnian seemed to speak to himself: "If I can't protect one woman today, then even if I become the King of Beiliang and take command of three hundred thousand armored cavalry, what do you think I'll be able to protect?"

Xu Pu burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face. The twenty years of pent-up indignation that had accumulated in his heart were instantly swept away.

Xu Fengnian turned his head, a puzzled look on his face.

Xu Pu composed himself, a genuine, heartfelt respect finally appearing in his smile. He said, "Years ago, Li Yishan and Zhao Changling had a dispute. Li Yishan claimed you could become the King of Beiliang, but Zhao Changling disagreed, saying Chen Zhibao was sufficient! He even argued that it wouldn't matter if someone from another clan held the royal banner."

Xu Fengnian strained to force a smile, a difficult task. If not for the Two Zen Golden Core he had ingested earlier, whose essence he had carefully preserved in his Shushuan acupoint, this battle's outcome of life or death would have truly been uncertain. He asked curiously, "Then what is Uncle Xu's opinion?"

Xu Pu narrowed his eyes, looking into the city with a face full of satisfaction. He softly said, "In Xu Pu's opinion, when Your Highness chose to stand at the city gate, the outcome was still fifty-fifty. But once you walked into the city, Li Yishan won against Zhao Changling."

Xu Pu suddenly added, "Li Yishan asserted that Wu Qi would never side with Your Highness out of familial ties. This trip to Beiliang, did Your Highness encounter him?"

Xu Fengnian's expression darkened. "Perhaps I didn't see him, but he has already seen me."

At that moment, the field was eerily silent, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Not a single person dared to accept the challenge. At some unknown point, the Mao clan and other factions, who had been attempting to besiege Juxian Palace, found their karma catching up to them. They were now surrounded by several other forces, their escape routes blocked. With the exception of the Buque Terrace, which remained patiently observing, the Yuwen family, the Duanmu family, and others no longer waited. They had effectively swarmed out, like the oriole behind the mantis, waiting to snatch the cicada. What were inter-family marriages, years of friendship, or the principle of mutual dependence, compared to the tangible power vacuum created by eliminating these rebels?

Xu Fengnian looked at the rough martial artists and sneered, "You want money, right? Whatever the Mao family offered you, Juxian Palace will give you double. How about that?"

Xu Pu smiled as he set down the book-box and began to kill. As the Grand Commander of Beiliang's sixty thousand light cavalry, when had he ever refrained from killing with his own hands?

Xu Fengnian continued forward, his sword on his back, his blade in hand. With the situation decided, no one dared to stop him. He walked directly to the brocade-clad woman, raising his hand as if to strike. Her eyes blurred with tears, she made no attempt to dodge.

Hong Shu tightly embraced the blood-soaked figure in red, biting her lip so hard that it broke, crimson mingling with crimson. Xu Fengnian simply reached out and pinched her cheek, glaring as he said, "If you had died, did you really think I could forget you? As a maid, can't you give your young master some peace of mind? And putting that aside, as a woman, can't you let your man shelter you from the wind and rain?"