Chapter 54: White-Clad Farewell

The Crown Prince rode out of the city on a white horse, wearing two swords. Behind him followed over a hundred light cavalry led by a formidable general. However, the lead carriage was unremarkable; its driver was a refined young man. Even the Crown Prince rode on horseback, suggesting no one was deemed worthy to ride inside the carriage.

After traveling several miles outside the city, a hundred Phoenix Camp cavalry intentionally distanced themselves, trailing far behind. The general rode alone to Xu Fengnian's side. Even though he faced one of Beiliang's "Four Fangs," known for his sharp prowess over the last decade, and his loyalty was unquestionable, Lu Qiantang, Shu Xiu, and Yang Qingfeng, the three "dogs" of the Grand Commander, remained cautiously vigilant, ready to act at any moment. This showed their profound fear of Grand Commander Xu, deep in their bones. They were terrified that any harm to the Crown Prince would force them to atone with their lives immediately.

Xu Fengnian was currently asking the old Daoist priest Wei Shuyang, of the Nine-Peck Rice sect, about the essence of the "Two Forms and Three Principles Concordance." Seeing the anxious demeanor of Lu Qiantang and the other two, he remained silent. Only after the halberd-wielding general bowed from his horse to ask for instructions did Xu Fengnian smile and say, "General Ning, having your troops follow behind is simply because I don't wish to eat dust; there's no other meaning. Don't be nervous. Keep a distance of one and a half li. If there's real danger, it's just a matter of a charge. Do you not trust the Phoenix Camp, General Ning? This is my personal guard unit. Every man is a fierce, elite warrior handpicked from various Beiliang armies, and with you commanding them, it's absolutely foolproof."

This general, who wielded a large halberd, had a poetic name: Ning Emei. Yet, he was burly and broad-shouldered. While the Phoenix Camp was composed entirely of light cavalry armed with sabers, he alone wore heavy armor, rode an armored horse, and carried a distinctive 'bu' character-shaped iron halberd. He also had a large quiver on his back, filled with over a dozen short halberds. One could tell at a glance that he was a warrior capable of facing ten thousand men, a general specialized in charging enemy formations.

Before leaving the city, Xu Fengnian had received a summary of Ning Emei's military achievements, which filled him with admiration and awe. Ning Emei was an orphan of war, found and raised to adulthood by the great general Wang Jian. After his adoptive father, Wang Juling, died in battle, Ning Emei inherited his mantle. With a halberd in hand, he had accomplished the feat of beheading enemy generals amidst ten thousand soldiers multiple times. Each time, the Grand Commander had to offset his minor transgressions with major merits. Otherwise, he would not be the lowest-ranked among Beiliang's "Four Fangs." However, Ning Emei only cared about being on the battlefield and killing, not about being relegated to the rear to wave flags and shout, so he paid little attention to these ranks.

Throughout history, those who dared to use the halberd as their preferred weapon were invariably fierce, wolf-like warriors who killed as easily as picking up straw.

A god of slaughter on the battlefield, Ning Emei was not a barbaric general who frequently flogged his soldiers off it. On the contrary, he was exceptionally gentle, courteous, and modest. His voice, full of power, inevitably boomed loudly, yet his tone always seemed to come from the small, cherry-like mouth of a Jiangnan youth—a truly peculiar and awkward contrast. Hearing the Crown Prince's explanation, Ning Emei held his large halberd diagonally with its tip pointed towards the ground and smiled shyly, saying, "For this journey, the Grand Commander has ordered all subordinates to obey your commands, Your Highness. Whatever you say, that's what we'll do."

Xu Fengnian glanced at the large iron halberd in Ning Emei's hand and asked curiously, "General Ning, does this 'bu' character-shaped halberd weigh seventy or eighty catties?"

Ning Emei replied in surprise, "Your Highness recognizes this halberd as a 'bu' character-shaped halberd?"

Xu Fengnian couldn't help but laugh, "I happened to hear my second sister mention it. It's not so obscure that I'd mistake it for a 'shuo' halberd used for ceremonial whistling."

Ning Emei, oblivious to the slightly stagnant atmosphere around him, continued, "Your Highness's guess is correct. This halberd weighs seventy-five catties; ordinary people cannot lift it."

Xu Fengnian, with two swords at his waist, burst out laughing, "I must get a chance to witness General Ning's flying halberds. I heard Xu Xiao say that your short halberds can dismount a man with every throw, never missing."

Ning Emei looked somewhat abashed and simply smiled. Finally, he bowed out and rode back, dragging his halberd.

Shu Xiu, with her charming face but inscrutable heart, pulled on her reins, observing coolly, her lips curled in disdain. This capable Beiliang general, a confidant of the Grand Commander, was truly ignorant of official etiquette and worldly affairs. Since the Crown Prince had recognized the weapon—whether from true knowledge or blind luck—why didn't he seize the opportunity to flatter him? And to say he couldn't lift a halberd in front of a prince wearing swords? Was he mocking the Crown Prince for being weak and helpless? This clueless brute! Even if the Crown Prince wasn't a master swordsman, those two exquisite blades emanated a chilling aura; one glance showed them to be killing instruments steeped in blood. Could "ordinary people" wield them?

Lu Qiantang, a burly swordsman no less imposing than Ning Emei, simply closed his eyes in concentration, his thumb pressing against the hilt of the colossal Red Cloud sword, chosen from the armory.

Yang Qingfeng was shrouded in a loose black robe, which made his snow-white hands appear even more striking.

Xu Fengnian continued forward, sighing softly, "Back then, Western Chu claimed to span five thousand li and wield a million halberd-wielding soldiers. Yet, those invincible hundred thousand halberdiers were still defeated by Xu Xiao's iron cavalry. It seems that among all the spears under heaven, Beiliang's iron cavalry is still the sharpest."

The old Daoist priest Wei Shuyang stroked his beard and chuckled softly, "This old Daoist was fortunate enough in his younger years to witness the miraculous sight of thousands of Beiliang iron cavalry thundering in a single line, like the great tide of Guangling River, overturning rivers and seas, capable of toppling mountains. It was truly captivating."

Xu Fengnian blinked and said, "Grandpa Wei, I've seen plenty of that."

The old Daoist priest was stunned for a long time, then finally understood, a look of satisfied amusement on his face. This left Shu Xiu, who was still in the dark, utterly perplexed. The days Shu Xiu and the other two had spent as "dogs" raised by the Grand Commander in the King's residence were neither short nor long; Yang Qingfeng, the longest-serving, had only been there for seven or eight years. By then, the Crown Prince was already infamous as Beiliang's most incorrigible and beyond-redemption young master.

There was no concept of "evil cults" in the martial arts world (Jianghu). What clueless sect or gang would dare label itself "evil"? Even sects known for their ruthless methods, once associated with those two words, would usually run to crowded places to wail and cry injustice. Especially in the martial arts world, which had been crushed by Beiliang's iron cavalry, no one dared to pursue such a "heretical path" that was doomed to be short-lived. About sixty years ago, the martial arts world was a chaotic mix, with various factions vying for power like the Nine States during the Spring and Autumn period in the Central Plains. There was indeed one sect that claimed to be looked up to by most of the martial arts world. What was its fate?

Longhu Mountain easily produced Qi Xuanzhen, a once-in-a-century immortal. He sent out challenges across the land, inviting others to battle on the Execution Platform atop Lotus Peak. Grand Master Qi, by himself, slaughtered six self-proclaimed Daoist masters. Since then, that sect had never recovered and had faded from view for fifty years. Heaven knows how many times they had been humiliated by the "grandson-generation" sects of that time, metaphorically speaking.

Shu Xiu came from a minor, "leftist" faction in Western Chu, which studied powerful witch-gu techniques suppressed by orthodox sects. They never amounted to much. Although she was one of the few witches in her sect and had hopes of inheriting the sect leader's position, Shu Xiu harbored her own ambitions. She disdained the provincial nature of a gang with fewer than a hundred members, so she escaped to live freely and enjoy herself. Relying on her excellent looks and rudimentary enchanting arts, she coincidentally obtained a partial copy of an advanced cultivation manual from a middle-aged Daoist priest on Kongtong Mountain who was unaware of its true value. After practicing it, her power surged uncontrollably. Upon realizing it was only one-third of the "White Emperor Embracing Simplicity Manual," she traced its origin to the Listening Tide Pavilion's armory. It was a miracle she survived; she only entered the King's residence and hadn't even seen a glimpse of Listening Tide Pavilion before being nearly beaten to death by a hidden master. Later, she exchanged several successful assassinations for a chance to live, and now, finally holding the "Embracing Simplicity Manual," she naturally cherished it immensely.

Don't assume the King of Beiliang only gets assassinated. Whenever a group came, didn't Beiliang immediately send out another group for bloody retaliation? Was there ever a time they didn't eradicate the roots?

This was the ruthless nature of Grand Commander Xu Xiao. Only after countless bloody incidents accumulated did "leftist" figures like Shu Xiu, who once feared nothing, become as timid as mice. Even the bravest and most fearless heroes could not withstand the Grand Commander's hundreds, even thousands, of methods to make life worse than death.

Xu Fengnian had no particular affection for Shu Xiu and the other two, nor did he feel the need for polite greetings. He simply rode up to the carriage, lifted the curtain, and saw Yu Youwei playing with Wu Meiniang (the cat). She was in a good mood. Whether as Yu Youwei, the "Kuiyu," or Yu Xuanji, the lonely "fish-mystery" of Western Chu's Emperor Sword, she was now a caged bird wherever she went. But if she could exchange her current cage for a larger one, moving from the King's residence to the entire martial arts world, her mood would undoubtedly improve.

Jiang Ni huddled in a corner, not sitting but squatting, reading a secret manual, her brows slightly furrowed. She always looked utterly serious and diligent in whatever she did.

As for the old man in the sheepskin robe, he occupied most of the carriage, having taken off his boots. He was picking at his smelly feet with his hands, and after picking, he would put them to his nose to smell.

Xu Fengnian lowered the curtain and said helplessly, "Poor Yu Youwei and little Jiang Ni."

The Crown Prince mumbled to himself, "Should I get another carriage? Never mind. If something happens while they're in the same carriage, this eccentric old man will at least lend a hand. Otherwise, he might not even bother if something happened to me, let alone for two girls."

Xu Fengnian pulled out a newly drawn map, "The Geography of Yu Gong," from his sleeve. After the Liyang Dynasty unified the Central Plains, the original six prefectures expanded into the current nineteen, demonstrating how the Liyang Dynasty, during the chaotic Spring and Autumn period, achieved a "snake swallowing elephant" feat (a smaller entity conquering a larger one). It was thus perfectly logical why Xu Xiao became the dynasty's sole Grand Commander. Beiliang was a general term, encompassing the entire Liang Prefecture and half of Ling Prefecture. Their group had not been out of the city for long; the city itself was located in the southernmost part of Beiliang. It was still a day's journey to the northern border of Yong Prefecture. Xu Fengnian had last traveled this official road four years ago. That section of the journey had been easy back then, a leisurely ride on a fine horse. It was only after entering the heartland of Yong Prefecture that the journey became desolate.

Perhaps unable to tolerate the cross-eyed old man inside the carriage, Yu Youwei poked her head out, holding the white cat, and looked at Xu Fengnian with a hint of pleading in her eyes.

Xu Fengnian snapped his fingers. Yang Qingfeng suddenly opened his eyes. With a whistle from Xu Fengnian, an unridden, reddish-brown steed, which had been obediently following behind Yang Qingfeng, trotted towards the Crown Prince.

Yang Qingfeng was said to be able to tame even mountain specters, so handling horses was naturally effortless for him.

Yu Youwei, whose riding skills were decent, had just mounted the horse and was carefully soothing Wu Meiniang.

Suddenly, behind them on the official road, only swirling dust could be seen.

The thunder of hooves shook the ground. This was clearly a formation that could not be created by merely a hundred light cavalry.

Xu Fengnian turned his horse around and squinted towards that direction.

The carriage also stopped. Jiang Ni, leaving the King's residence for the first time in her life, also poked her head out.

Xu Fengnian smiled and waved to Yu Youwei, who looked apprehensive. "Switch horses, come ride with me."

In all of Beiliang, there were only two figures with such presence and capability.

His father, Xu Xiao, certainly wouldn't dare to steal the Crown Prince's thunder.

So, the identity of the remaining person became clear.

It was rumored to be the "Little Butcher," to whom Beiliang's one hundred thousand iron cavalry were utterly obedient.

How could Xu Fengnian not recognize him?

Yu Youwei didn't have the audacity to refuse, but seeing Xu Fengnian narrow his long eyes, she had no choice but to dismount and then remount, settling into his embrace.

With the addition of Ning Emei, the Halberd-wielder, three of Beiliang's "Four Fangs" had now appeared all at once.

Xu Fengnian tutted, "What a grand display."

Amidst the iron cavalry, bristling with swords and spears, a white-clad figure rode forth.

Recalling those days, this white-clad man seemed to have ridden out of formations with such flair, leaving all others behind, and personally stabbed the wife and child of Ye Wusheng, the world-renowned paramount general, to death on the battlefield.

The elegant and peerlessly charming man bowed slightly from his horse and said softly, "Chen Zhibao is here to see Your Highness off."

In the sight of Beiliang's "Three Fangs" and the dozen or so fierce generals at the very front, they only saw the Crown Prince holding a person, and that person holding a white cat.

On one side was the most outstanding figure of the younger generation, from a lineage of loyal and valiant generals, who had followed Grand Commander Xu in battle since childhood.

On the other side, was the young master who dallied with cats in a land of comfort?

It seemed, for a moment, that the superiority was immediately apparent.

Xu Fengnian turned his horse around once more, a finger gently twirling a strand of the girl's dark hair, and slowly said, "No need to see me off."