Chapter 419: Saying What You Do

Before the six feudal kings and several new kings departed the capital, two carriages had already quietly left Tai'an City.

The coachmen were Qing Niao and the young warrior-assassin Wu. Liu Bao had finally achieved his goal; the old scholar, who had endured several days of freezing weather, was now able to sit inside a carriage, facing Wang Xiaoping, the Sword Obsessive. Liu Bao had wanted to ask this martial arts master, reputed to be the greatest swordsman on Wudang Mountain, for advice on health preservation techniques. However, seeing Wang Xiaoping's lifeless demeanor, he abandoned the idea, fearing he might irritate this formidable personage. He didn't want the Prince of Beiliang to misunderstand his ambition, thinking he was too eager for advancement in officialdom, as insatiability was a major taboo. Liu Bao had been impoverished for most of his life; though he hadn't eaten pork, he had at least seen pigs run. After finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, he wasn't complacent but instead cherished his good fortune and connections even more. After passing through the gates of Tai'an City, Liu Bao lifted the curtain, peered out, and looked back with a complex expression. He hadn't become a legitimate court official, and to say he felt no regret at all would be self-deception. However, the prospect of applying his expertise in Beiliang, the northwestern gateway of the dynasty, made that slight, dispensable regret seem insignificant. Liu Bao lowered the curtain, his old face blooming with a brilliant smile. He vigorously rubbed his cheeks until they burned, then leaned against the carriage wall, muttering to himself, "Before spring fully arrives in Beiliang, will I, Liu Bao, have my own carriage? Heh, that's all I hope for. I won't think about the size of the official hat or whether I'm in the ranks or not. Just being an official is enough."

Inside the leading carriage, Xu Fengnian and Xuanyuan Qingfeng sat cross-legged, facing each other. Between them rested a catalpa wood chessboard, hastily purchased by Tong Ziliang. The chess pieces were brand new. In an era that revered the past and disdained the present, a refined scholar skilled in chess would be embarrassed to entertain guests without a chessboard used by grandmasters. Thus, even though this board was made of fine material and was aesthetically pleasing, it was not considered valuable. Xuanyuan Qingfeng was an amateur at chess, but fortunately, Xu Fengnian also played haphazardly, making for a closely matched game. Otherwise, given Xuanyuan Qingfeng's stubborn competitive spirit, she would have lost interest in playing with Xu Fengnian long ago. Xuanyuan Qingfeng's chess skills were mediocre, but she compensated with intelligence and persistence. Every move was carefully considered and recalculated. When she reached a stalemate, she didn't rush to play. Holding a smooth black piece between her fingers, she looked at the board and asked, "If one day Huishan crosses the court's red line and is purged and besieged, will you abandon me?"

Xu Fengnian leaned against the carriage wall, one hand resting on a half-empty box of cold chess pieces. "You wouldn't believe me if I said no, would you?"

Xuanyuan Qingfeng's thoughts drifted, like a gazelle hanging its horns, and she said, "You are truly kind to that Miss Li. It's the first time I've seen you treat an outsider like that."

Xu Fengnian teased, "Are you jealous?"

Xuanyuan Qingfeng looked up, giving him a cold stare. (Xu Fengnian thought: What a sharp-tongued woman who manages to displease everyone.) Xu Fengnian quietly waited for her to make her move, then slowly said, "Aren't you curious how Xu Xiao got to where he is today? His martial strength is barely second-grade, and among the four famous generals of the Spring and Autumn period, he was the most unpretentious. Not only in his ability to lead charges, but he also suffered the most defeats. His family background was poor; not even a noble clan or a minor scholarly family, just a common, impoverished lineage. Xu Xiao joining the army early in Liangliao back then was out of necessity. Yet, this very ordinary man, risking his life fighting battles, managed to achieve success. My master used to say that when Xu Xiao was a minor military commander with fewer than a thousand men under him, he fought the hardest but earned the least military merits; most of them were easily claimed by the higher-ranking generals who just watched. In those years, he did only one thing: he fought desperately, then scraped together a little credit from others' crumbs. His warhorses, armor, and weapons were no different from those of his soldiers. From a minor commander to a general recognized by the court, he snowballed his way up, little by little, finally distinguishing himself during the Spring and Autumn Wars. And even then, his initial involvement was unlucky. In the first three fierce battles, he nearly lost everything he had, and almost all his old comrades from Liangliao died. Xu Xiao said that when he was young, he didn't understand the ways of officialdom; he was just willing to bend over backward and spend money. He never kept a single copper coin for himself, giving it all to the officials managing provisions, horses, and weapons. That one time, he ran out of money and still couldn't get things done. On a snowy day, he stood there like a snowman until he borrowed a thousand elite soldiers from a general. He gambled and won, taking down a tough opponent everyone had dismissed. A few years ago, I asked him if he would have knelt if he couldn't get what he wanted by standing. Xu Xiao said no. I asked him why, but he didn't say. When Xu Xiao got older, he liked to ramble about old stories, how dashing he was in his youth, how popular he was with women, how he used a big bow to shoot tigers. I don't really believe those stories. But when he said he got used to washing his face with snow and could taste fish in roots and tree bark, and that when he woke up, he always felt like he could see the souls of those he'd killed, I believed that. I used to always counter him with the saying, 'A true hero doesn't boast of past glories,' but for some reason, now I genuinely want to hear him talk about those old memories."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng figured out her next move, but her hand remained suspended.

Xu Fengnian self-mockingly said, "Everyone in Beiliang now knows I once went to Beiman alone and accomplished several great things. But actually, many times there, I was terrified. When I met Tuoba Chunshun, who was escorted by two great demonic masters, I almost thought I was dead. When I encountered Luoyang, who was almost the fourth or third most powerful person in the world, I also thought I was about to die in the Qin Emperor's tomb. Facing Fifth Mo of Tibing Mountain in the Rouran Mountains was slightly better. I used to wonder how Xu Xiao could become the King of Beiliang. Only after three journeys did I begin to understand that being a person is simply about walking with your head down; who knows, one day you might look up and touch the sky."

Xu Fengnian extended his hand, motioning for the confident Huishan Mountain Master to play. "I feel uncomfortable saying these things to others, but you're different. We're essentially cut from the same cloth, so I know you'll definitely let it go in one ear and out the other."

After Xuanyuan Qingfeng made her move, she regretted it upon closer inspection of the board. Xu Fengnian chuckled, "If you want to take back a move, just do it. That old chess-hack Xu Xiao wouldn't undo a dozen or twenty moves when playing with me; that's not even playing chess."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng indeed picked up the white piece, and while doing so, also removed a few black pieces. The previously deadlocked game immediately became lopsided. Xu Fengnian burst into laughter. Xuanyuan Qingfeng asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Xu Fengnian laughed openly, "I was thinking that when you become an unprecedented female martial arts alliance leader, there will certainly be several young, handsome heroes of the jianghu who will fall for you and swear undying loyalty. And then I thought, I'm not even a part of the jianghu, yet I can play chess with you in the same carriage, and you even have such poor sportsmanship by taking back moves. I find it very amusing."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng sneered, "Boring!"

Xu Fengnian shook his head and said, "That's not quite right."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng's expression changed instantly, and she angrily asked, "The 'yan' of 'words' or the 'yan' of 'countenance'?"

Xu Fengnian burst into hearty laughter, "You finally remembered how I subtly mocked you back then?"

During their first meeting, Xu Fengnian had used the four characters "this countenance is lacking" to comment on Xuanyuan Qingfeng's appearance.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng raised two fingers, holding a chess piece, appearing ready to strike Xu Fengnian with a Zhi Xuan move if he said another word.

Xu Fengnian casually said, "But honestly, if you had even half the charm and demeanor you possess today back then, I guarantee I wouldn't have said those four words. The first time I was down and out, wandering the jianghu, my mind was full of fantasies: a beautiful, fairy-like female knight would fall for me at first sight, and we'd travel the jianghu together. I thought it would be such a glorious and wonderful thing, infuriating those young, famous jianghu heroes. Now, thanks to you, one of my wishes has come true."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng's expression was strange. "How can someone like you achieve both a pseudo-Zhi Xuan and a Celestial Phenomenon state?"

Xu Fengnian made a move, recovering some of his disadvantage, and said with his head down, "I'm warning you, don't reopen old wounds."

Before Xuanyuan Qingfeng made her move, she again removed a few black pieces. Xu Fengnian looked up, glaring, "Xuanyuan Qingfeng, aren't you bored?!"

Xuanyuan Qingfeng looked as if it were perfectly natural, leaving Xu Fengnian, who knew that reasoning with her was pointless, utterly exasperated.

Then it was a continuous cycle of taking back moves and playing pieces.

After leaving Xiamawei Posthouse, as Xuanyuan Qingfeng, who had the State Seal of Western Chu hanging on her wrist, entered the carriage, a wave of ominous energy erupted from her.

Xu Fengnian understood immediately, turned, and lifted the curtain, seeing a scholar in green robes standing far off on the secluded post road.

Shifting his gaze slightly, he saw nothing but vast expanses of white snow.

A woman was squatting in the snow, likely building a snowman with a childlike spirit.

Xu Fengnian did not get out of the carriage. He took the imperial seal from Xuanyuan Qingfeng's hand, tossed it gently, returning it to its rightful owner.

As the carriage passed the Confucian sage, Cao Changqing, who had carefully placed the imperial seal into his sleeve, spoke in a warm, mellow voice that reached their ears: "Grand Eunuch Han has vowed to meet you within a thousand li, but beyond five hundred li, for a fight to the death."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng looked at the unexpected person who hadn't gotten out of the carriage. "Not even a brief meeting? Is it truly to 'forget each other in the jianghu,' as Li Yu'fu said?"

Xu Fengnian remained silent.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng clicked her tongue sardonically a few times. "That princess of the fallen kingdom harbored murderous intent; some of it was for you, but I suspect most of it was for me."

Xu Fengnian tidied up the game, putting the more than ninety black and white chess pieces back into their box one by one.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng asked with a smile, "Have you ever considered what you would do if Western Chu were to be restored one day, and she faced a crushing defeat, like your black pieces here? Would you just stand by and watch her meet the same fate as the Sword Emperor of Western Shu, her sword broken and her life lost? And then, in your spare time, just think about it a few times, keeping it to yourself?"

Xu Fengnian looked up at this demonic woman.

She returned his gaze, meeting his eyes sharply. "Can't bear to think about it now?"

Xu Fengnian smiled.

Quietly putting away the chess pieces and setting aside the chessboard, Xu Fengnian sat upright and said, "If that day ever comes, under the premise of ensuring that Beiman's cavalry cannot enter Beiliang, I will take all available Beiliang cavalry directly to Western Chu. I will make everyone in the world know that while I may bully Jiang Ni, none of you are allowed to. I, Xu Fengnian, always keep my word!"