Chapter 653: Leaves Turn Red

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Xu Fengnian quietly returned to Qingliang Mountain. As Fan Xiaochai had intuitively predicted, Beimang indeed began its southward military advance, employing a three-pronged attack to target Liang, You, and Liu Prefectures simultaneously. This differed significantly from Beiliang’s initial expectations because the enemy now had the "fatty" Dong Zhuo, who had temporarily seized power and risen to the position of Southern Royal King. The Northern Royal King position had been vacant since Xu Huainan’s death, elevating Dong Zhuo, previously not even considered a high-ranking border official, to a status second only to the Emperor. Xu Fengnian was uncertain whether Beimang’s current deployment was a meticulous strategy orchestrated by the Taiping Ling, or simply Dong Zhuo’s deliberate and disruptive meddling.

It is often said that "standing still to meet all changes" is a clumsy but effective method favored by intelligent people. However, military affairs that determine the ultimate fate of two dynasties are like a duel between masters, testing not only internal power but also cunning and traps. It is especially crucial to avoid "losing a major battle for minor gains"—winning a series of skirmishes only to lose the overall strategic objective. Such historical precedents do not require searching distant annals; they can be found in the recent Spring and Autumn period. Xu Fengnian’s headache stemmed, at its core, from Beiliang’s resources being vastly inferior to Beimang’s. Empress Murong could confidently launch three offensives: deploying Tuoba Bodhisattva to suppress the great chiefs of the Northern Court grasslands, using Southern Imperial elite cavalry to "provoke" Beiliang, and even sending a large force to garrison the eastern front, eyeing the Two Liao border built by Gu Jiantang. Of course, even a fool knew that the final eastern front standoff was a mere formality understood by all three parties—Liyang, Liang, and Mang—otherwise, the three trade towns at Jizhou North Pass would not have remained open.

Sitting alone in the pavilion on Listening Tide Lake, Xu Fengnian couldn't help but smile bitterly at this thought. His use of force to pacify the rebellion and compel Taian City had forced the court to relax the ban on grain shipments to Liang and tacitly acknowledge the legitimacy of Liu Prefecture and Song Dongming’s unauthorized appointment. The imperial court retaliated immediately, not even bothering to maintain appearances. It was rumored that border trade north of Jizhou was more bustling than ever. Meanwhile, Yuan Tingshan, whom Xu Fengnian had once threatened to flay alive, had soared to prominence during this period of upheaval. After his adoptive father, Gu Jiantang, sent him to the Jizhou border, he rose rapidly through the ranks. He was now a "Daoma Colonel" commanding four thousand veteran soldiers from Northern Jizhou, overseeing more than twenty large and small garrisons and forts, and simultaneously holding administrative authority over three counties. His jurisdiction was increasingly encroaching upon Beiliang. The immense power wielded by this young man was almost equivalent to half a governor and a powerful general combined. This was undoubtedly a silent taunt from the Zhao Imperial family of Liyang towards Xu Fengnian, the Prince of Beiliang.

Especially after Li Huoli, the eldest son of Yanbao in Jizhou, mysteriously died in Kuaixue Villa, the influential Yuan Tingshan was poised to become Yanbao’s son-in-law, marrying the famous woman with a reputation for beauty, nicknamed "Li’s Falcon." Furthermore, Yuan Tingshan had an exceptionally close relationship with the First Prince Zhao Wu, who was enfeoffed in Liao. It could be said that Yuan Tingshan’s influence was now substantial; even the nobles of Taian City no longer dismissed him simply as Gu Jiantang’s adopted son. In just two years, Yuan Tingshan, once like a stray dog, had clearly become a brilliant rising military star in the dynasty. Some even secretly fanned the flames, elevating Yuan Tingshan to the status of Xu Fengnian’s destined nemesis.

Xu Fengnian sat on a long bench in the pavilion, two boxes of chess pieces on his lap. He held over a dozen smooth, pleasing pieces in his hand; over time, they had absorbed his body heat and were no longer cool to the touch.

Xu Fengnian’s thoughts drifted to Taian City, a place he had both hated and feared in his childhood. He smiled, recalling how as a child, he had always believed Qingliang Mountain was the highest in the world. Only after leaving Liangzhou City did he learn about Wudang’s eighty-one peaks, and after leaving Beiliang, he personally witnessed countless majestic mountains and vast waters. As his experiences grew, many of his deeply ingrained childhood perceptions involuntarily diminished.

After Qi Yanglong, the Grand Libationer of Shangyin Academy, entered Taian City, even the most slow-witted officials began to sense an impending storm. Although Libationer Qi was temporarily assigned a minor, ceremonial post at the Imperial Academy, his official rank was far inferior to that of the younger Jin Lanting, the Right Libationer. What was even more perplexing was that the Imperial Academy comprised seven departments, with the martial arts department only recently approved after Gu Jiantang stepped down as Minister of War. Yet, Grand Libationer Qi, whose scholarship was said to be as high as the heavens, surprisingly took on the role of supervisor for this least prestigious martial arts department. In terms of status, he was barely equivalent to a lecturer in the Imperial College. Regarding seating arrangements within the Imperial Academy, the head of the neglected martial arts department was a full imperial road's distance from the influential officials of the Imperial College.

However, in reality, those lecturers who were once considered esteemed scholars of the capital’s puritanical elite were not fit to carry Qi Yanglong’s shoes. During this period, not only did nearly a hundred officials, large and small, from the six departments of the Imperial Academy, led by Jin Lanting, become agitated, but even tens of thousands of students were in a frenzy. Families of the highest social standing immediately transferred their children from the Imperial College and Grand Academy to the martial arts department. For those with merely average family backgrounds in the capital, there was no need for them to clamor to enter the martial arts department; their fathers had already begun bribing their way in with silver. Giving silver was vulgar, but the Liyang Dynasty was so powerful, having ushered in an unprecedented era of prosperity, and the capital was the foremost city in the world, teeming with the wealthy. Who didn’t own a few rare paintings or calligraphies? Especially those that someone had stamped with the word "forgery"—they became the best "knocking bricks" for smoothly entering the gates of the Ministry of Rites’ grandees. Regardless of how people in the capital publicly cursed that young man within Beiliang, when it came to authenticating genuine works, his discerning eye was highly convincing. Anything he dismissed as a "forgery," regardless of how he "destroyed" it, was almost certainly an authentic piece. Furthermore, though the young man’s surname was Xu, not Zhao, he had, after all, become a legitimate regional prince and had defeated the "Old Eccentric Wang," who was widely acknowledged as peerless under heaven. As long as his seal was on it, whether square or round, a piece of calligraphy or painting was guaranteed to fetch an astonishingly high price in the capital.

Xu Fengnian felt no particular emotion about this matter; he was more concerned with the trajectory of the impending "Dragon-Deer Contest"—a deadly gambit. According to confidential reports, this Grand Libationer, praised as a man worth a million armored soldiers, was not merely dabbling in the small martial arts department of the Imperial Academy. Instead, under the Emperor Zhao’s instruction, he had begun compiling new scriptures, becoming the first official to fully expound the Confucian sagely doctrines for the Zhao imperial family. Ostensibly meant to enhance the imperial examinations, its true purpose was to shake the very foundations of Zhang Lu. The Emperor’s high regard for Qi Yanglong’s leadership in this classical compilation was evident from the two key figures assisting him: Yao Baifeng, the Imperial Academy’s Grand Libationer and a master of Neo-Confucianism, and Yan Jiexian, a Grand Academician from the imperial clan. Both served merely as Qi Yanglong’s co-compilers. Was Qi Yanglong truly just compiling a few books? No, he was establishing rules for all scholars under heaven for centuries to come.

Clutching the chess pieces in his hand, Xu Fengnian murmured, "If the 'Green-Eyed Boy' loses, it’s fine; Zhang Lu has always been hostile towards Beiliang anyway. But if Qi Yanglong can still suppress the Green-Eyed Boy, Beiliang’s situation will only worsen, won’t it? Can I really hope that this Saint Qi, destined to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, will view Beiliang favorably? Mr. Wang, who lost the 'Heaven-Human Debate' back then, once said that Qi Yanglong harbored deep animosity towards all vassal kings, including Beiliang, stating, 'Enfeoffment as a king is acceptable, but territorial division is not.' He clearly appears to be an imperial tutor type, scheming for the monarch. However, compared to his student Xun Ping, Qi Yanglong, as a teacher, is undoubtedly far more seasoned and astute, knowing when to emerge and when to stay hidden. Whether it’s 'cultivating oneself' or 'benefitting the world,' he dictates it. First, the Taiping Ling of Beimang, then Qi Yanglong... can’t I have fewer opponents like these?"

Xu Fengnian sighed, averting his gaze. Taian City was troublesome, and even the Prince of Beiliang’s own residence beneath his feet was no peaceful scene of tranquil moon and gentle breeze by a shallow pond.

Everyone on Qingliang Mountain knew that a highly influential figure had arrived: a scholar from Luming County in Jiangnan Province. Previously unheard of, he had inexplicably become the Deputy Commissioner of Beiliang Province, an unprecedented high-ranking official position among the dozen or so provinces in the Liyang Dynasty. By convention, it should have been a third or second rank official, but the Zhao Imperial family in Taian City turned a blind eye, neither rebuking nor acknowledging it, seemingly resolved to let Beiliang flounder on its own. Rumor had it that this caused a great headache for Wang Lüting, the head of the Jinlü Weaving Bureau in Liangzhou, who didn't know how to sew a proper official robe for "Deputy Commissioner Song." It was still undecided whether the official rank badge should feature a first-rank crane or a second-rank peacock.

Qingliang Mountain was already accustomed to such oddities. Two younger scholars before him, Xu Beizhi from the Beimang Huazu ethnicity, was already the chief official of Liangzhou, and even Chen Xiliang, a commoner, had become the City Governor of Qingcang City in Liuzhou. Another suddenly influential scholar from the Song family was just par for the course. Moreover, it was said that this person had once competed for the top scholar position with Yin Maochun, the current Chief Minister-in-Waiting, during the Yonghui reign, when many court stalwarts emerged and took on significant responsibilities. Such a prominent figure naturally started at a much higher level than Xu and Chen. The atmosphere in Beiliang was now shifting, and the status of scholars was gradually rising, a clear trend. Consequently, there were fewer gossipy remarks about the sudden rise of Deputy Commissioner Song Dongming; Xu and Chen had faced considerable hardship regarding this matter in the past.

Fortunately, even the stable boys and cooks on Qingliang Mountain were worldly individuals, so they didn’t delve much into Song Dongming’s arrival. After Song Dongming entered this magnificent princely mansion located in the dynasty’s far northwest, he neither lived as unrestrainedly as Xu Beizhi had initially, nor was he as reclusive and difficult to meet as Chen Xiliang. Without a proper official robe, he simply wore a common scholar’s gown. He usually resided in an elegant courtyard on the mountainside, and intentionally or unintentionally, he had gathered a group of advisors and retainers who had previously been frustrated in the mansion. The small courtyard was named "Huai Gui," which, due to its homophone meaning "cherishing ghosts," had an inauspicious connotation, easily bringing to mind the phrase "harboring ill intentions," and was therefore avoided. Thus, despite having an excellent view, where one could see half of Liangzhou City on a clear day by opening the window, it had been abandoned for years. Song Dongming chose this place as his residence. The servants in the mansion only knew that he never set foot in the Wutong Courtyard, where "warblers and swallows carried red mud" (a place associated with women/pleasure). However, women from that courtyard, who held significant authority, often traveled between the two places, and then unfamiliar faces continuously entered Huai Gui Courtyard. Some left, some stayed, with the latter residing in the sprawling courtyards nestled on the mountainside near Huai Gui Courtyard, leading to much speculation.

Xu Fengnian fell into deep thought. Song Dongming not only had to be used but should be used extensively. However, compared to Xu Beizhi and Chen Xiliang, whose loyalties were straightforward, Song Dongming would be far more challenging to employ effectively.

With the war between Liang and Mang imminent, just as he now held a handful of excellent chess pieces, Beiliang also possessed a strong hand. Among the military generals, stars shone brightly: Yan Wenluan, Brocade Partridge Zhou Kang, Gu Dazhu, He Zhonghu, Chen Yunzhui, Chu Lushuan, Yuan Zuozong, Ning Emei, Wang Lingbao, Li Mofan, and many others. Talented individuals emerged endlessly, seemingly inexhaustible. But what about civil officials? Especially those who could make even Liyang envious and covetous, they were few and far between. Not to mention comparing them to the surge of loyal court officials who emerged like bamboo shoots after rain during the Yonghui reign. It was no wonder the Liyang court liked to mock Beiliang for imitating them, saying that with Xu Xiao crippled, the entire Beiliang officialdom was also crippled, unbalanced between civil and military, and thus incapable of achieving great things. Warfare wasn’t just about martial artists being good at fighting and fearless of death. Especially with the looming large-scale battles, which would require tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of troops in a single localized engagement, civil officials first had to avoid being a hindrance. If they could also complement the martial officers, many lives could be saved.

Xu Fengnian looked up, frowning.

He saw Yuqun crossbow bolts continuously firing into the air from the foot of Qingliang Mountain. The closer they got to Listening Tide Lake, where he, the Prince of Beiliang, was resting, the denser the crossbow bolts became. After Xu Fengnian personally returned from Beimang carrying the heads of Xu Huainan and Fifth He of Tibing Mountain, the martial arts masters daring to assassinate him at the Prince of Beiliang’s residence had completely vanished. After all, those who made a name for themselves in the martial world, regardless of how deep their grudges, were not fools willing to walk into a trap. Especially after Xu Fengnian’s battle with Wang Xianzhi, which solidified his dominance in the martial arts world, many suicidal assassins from powerful Spring and Autumn families who had hidden in Beiliang for years quietly left with the wealthy military families. These people were truly disheartened. Xu Fengnian couldn't imagine who could completely conceal their presence, reach the foot of Qingliang Mountain, and then suddenly break into the mansion. Even Xu Fengnian couldn't clearly discern the blurred figure. Logically, the Zhao imperial family would now want him to contend with Beimang; he could die, but not too soon. As for Beimang, Hong Jingyan and Murong Baoding had only recently appeared in Liuzhou, so it was unlikely anyone else would be so foolish as to ride in alone and court disaster. Tuoba Bodhisattva possessed the strength, but the Beimang God of War’s temperament always leaned towards achieving legitimate military success on the battlefield.

Just as Xu Fengnian was wondering, he saw a figure dart out from Listening Tide Pavilion nearby.

For a moment, Xu Fengnian was lost in thought. Before he had even begun practicing the saber himself in the mountains, he had brought back that White Fox-face. It was during a severe winter with heavy goose-feather snow when White Fox-face performed his "saber walk" on the lake. At that time, Xu Fengnian truly believed it was the most formidable saber technique in the world. Looking back now, White Fox-face’s saber posture, intent, and technique were still superior, but they likely still lagged somewhat behind the "Cun Lei" (Inch Thunder) technique, which Gu Jiantang and Cao Changqing used in their face-off in Taian City later. Nevertheless, White Fox-face was the first martial arts master Xu Fengnian unequivocally confirmed during his three years of travels. Of course, after that, Old Huang, the old master with a saber who emerged from the bottom of the lake, the old sect leader Wang Chonglou, and the old man in the sheepskin robe gradually appeared in his sight, each with their unique charm, and all were admired and yearned for, inspiring a deep reverence for the martial world.

White Fox-face, who had left the pavilion with a single saber, passed the tall figure a hundred *zhang* beyond the lake pavilion.

Xu Fengnian stood up, and after a subtle, almost imperceptible pause from the assailant, he immediately identified the newcomer: an unexpected elder. It was Sui Xiegu, the nameless swordsman who loved to "eat" swords. It was the elder’s borrowed sword that had allowed Xu Fengnian to snatch his life back from the "Human Cat" Han Diaosi.

Xu Fengnian stepped out of the pavilion. Before he could descend the steps, the Sword-Eating Ancestor arrived near the pavilion. The one-armed old man, who had exchanged an arm with Li Chungang, raised the sleeve of his severed arm, which was largely cut away, and chuckled, "Gu Jiantang at this age doesn't possess such fierce saber techniques. One strike is roughly equivalent to Gu Jiantang from eight years ago. If he used two, what then?"

Xu Fengnian descended the steps, smiling, "Junior pays his respects to Elder Sui."

The elder spoke directly, "I won't fuss about your family's hospitality. You owe me a life, brat. First, send over seven or eight good swords as an appetizer. As for how you'll repay me, we'll settle that later. You little scoundrel robbed Wang Xianzhi’s entire fortune from Wudi City, so I assume I’ll have a good feast this time."

Xu Fengnian laughed, "Unluckily, the Sword Tomb Master blocked the road in Hezhou earlier, and seven or eight of those famous swords were destroyed. However, since an elder has graced us with his presence, there are still some good swords in the mansion’s treasury. You will certainly not be short of them, Elder. Stay for one day, and you’ll be well-fed for one day."

The elder glanced at this young man, whom he could once look down upon, and laughed heartily, "That’s the one thing about you, brat, that makes you not entirely detestable. Though you're not exactly a good sort, to be fair, you’re not stingy."

The elder stepped into the lake pavilion. Xu Fengnian followed him, asking in a low voice, "Did Deng Tai'a not enter Beiliang with you, senior?"

Sui Xiegu rolled his eyes. "He’s not interested in meddling in court disputes, and neither am I. It’s just that old woman Tantai Pingjing is the only obsession in my heart. I’ve been thinking about her for eighty years. Since she’s come to Beiliang, I naturally have to keep an eye on her. If she were to 'stray from the path,' I’d immediately kill the person."

Xu Fengnian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. For such a prolonged entanglement, longer than an ordinary person’s lifetime, he naturally had no choice but to stand by and watch.

Xu Fengnian soon received news: White Fox-face had not only left the pavilion but also the city. Carrying only his Spring Thunder saber, he wasted no time, heading directly for Beimang with Wang Sheng, who was helping him carry the Embroidered Winter saber and seven bound swords. He didn't even bother to say goodbye, which left Xu Fengnian feeling somewhat disheartened.

Sui Xiegu plopped down, and then, with a single sentence, delivered a shocking revelation: "With Xie Feiyu’s help to capture the large and small dragons of Shu, Chen Zhipao will soon catch up to Wang Xianzhi."

The old man said with a gloating expression, "Xu Fengnian, could it be that you, brat, have a fated enmity with everyone whose name contains 'Zhi' (芝)?"

Xu Fengnian smiled bitterly and shook his head, but his heart jolted, and he slowly nodded. He recalled the most reclusive shadow of the Great Qin Dynasty from eight hundred years ago, whose name didn’t contain "Zhi" but was called Cao Zhi.

The old man had merely spoken casually; he wasn’t truly concerned about such convoluted theories of fate.

Xu Fengnian, his face somewhat grim, leaned against the pavilion pillar and closed his eyes. Then his expression visibly brightened. He stood up, looking out into the distance once more.

Sui Xiegu, with his two long, snow-white eyebrows, extended two fingers and twisted one eyebrow, staring at the young man whose mood had shifted, slowly falling into contemplation.

From the gentle winds and fine rains of the southeast to the coarse winds and yellow sands of the northwestern frontier, a master and disciple had journeyed ten thousand miles. They were finally about to enter Beiliang, approaching the ever-bustling Wudang Mountain, and would ultimately ascend it amidst falling snow at the end of the first year of Xiangfu.

At this moment, the young master walked slowly, carrying his exhausted young apprentice on his back.

"Master, if I become a Taoist priest, will I have to memorize many books?""Not necessarily.""Master, Mr. Xu said you are the greatest Taoist priest on the mountain. Since I’m your apprentice, I must cultivate well and devote myself to the Tao. I’m afraid I won't do it well.""To live in this world, to be content with one's lot, that is cultivation, and also a blessing.""Master, I don’t understand. What does 'content with one’s lot' mean?""It means stopping when you’re tired, and continuing when you’re not. We Taoists seek and question the Tao, but it’s never in the heavens; it’s right beneath our feet.""Master, then let me walk by myself. I’m not tired anymore.""It’s alright. Master will carry you a bit longer.""But Master, wouldn’t that go against being content with one’s lot?""Yu Fu, remember, some things in this world are more important than cultivation.""Hmm?""Like when you’re walking and you see someone, even if you’re not tired, you might not want to walk anymore. Then you can stop and just look at her. It might seem to go against the Heavenly Dao, but in your master’s junior uncle’s view, when things flow smoothly with nature, there is no violation of the Great Dao. Whether I follow the Tao or not, why should someone outside my true heart dictate it?""Oh, Master, being a Taoist priest sounds really difficult. But Master, you have a junior uncle too?""Of course, Master has a junior uncle, and Master’s junior uncle will also have a junior uncle. In the future, people on the mountain will call you junior uncle and grand-junior uncle.""Master, look, the leaves on that tree are all red.""Shall we stop and look?""Yes!"

Li Yufu, the Wudang Taoist, set down his apprentice, Yu Fu, took his hand, and together they looked up at the fiery red autumn leaves of the smoke tree.

The autumn tree was like a woman in a red dress.

One dares not fully calculate the hexagrams, for the world is unpredictable. One dares not love too deeply, for fear it might all be a grand dream.

Li Yufu lowered his head, looking at the child’s dazed eyes.

"Junior Uncle, do you truly wish to dream for three hundred more years?"

Li Yufu looked at the heavens and earth, his gaze resolute.

People in the world seem to seek to prove the Heavenly Dao. Yet everyone has a Great Dao to follow beneath their feet, but it has been forgotten. The Heavenly Dao, no matter how high, has a limit. Celestial beings sit high, ostensibly "ranked among the immortals." But the Great Dao is endless. Why must one be high above?

Li Yufu smiled.

"Junior Uncle, you told me not to follow your path before your 'Soldier’s Disintegration,' and I never understood it. Now, I understand a little."

Li Yufu released his hand, clasped his own, and slowly bowed three times. The first bow for parents and teachers, the second for heaven and earth, and the third for the Great Dao in his heart.

Across the entire Central Plains, muffled thunder rumbled, yet for some reason, no single clap of thunder burst into the mortal realm.

Relax yourself when tense, comfort yourself when troubled, and don't forget to congratulate yourself when happy!

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