Chapter 66: When Rewards Are Undeserved

Lu Qiantang and Yang Qingfeng, regardless of their past characters—whether magnanimous or sly—had spent years in the Northern Liang King's Mansion, a place as rigidly hierarchical as an imperial court. This environment had forced them to adopt a cautious nature. Consequently, the conversation between His Royal Highness the Prince and Ning Emei, the Great Halberd, went in one ear and out the other; they dared not dwell on it.

Only Shu Xiu, leveraging her status as a woman, was willing to observe closely. Although unfamiliar with the inner workings of the Northern Liang military, she noticed that the Prince's understated remarks had subtly earned the general's sincere goodwill. The general drank large bowls, consuming six in quick succession, exuding boundless masculine prowess. Had she been the Prince, Shu Xiu thought, she would have struck while the iron was hot, perhaps by inviting General Ning to sit and drink, or at the very least offering a few words of comfort regarding the tragic casualties of the Phoenix Battalion. Yet, after inviting the general to drink, the Prince turned to tease his white cat, insisting that his pet, nicknamed Wu Meiniang, also partake in the wine. He quipped that if a drunken mouse dared to wield a knife against a cat, then a drunken cat would dare to slay a tiger with a sword, prompting the beautiful former courtesan to hug the cat and shy away.

Indeed, just as the old man, who was on par with a Land Sword Immortal, had remarked, the Prince genuinely enjoyed minor, flirtatious escapades. Yet, surprisingly, he possessed the patience to abstain from carnal desires. This left Shu Xiu, who was proficient in all eighteen martial arts and thirty-six positions in the bedchamber, with no avenue to display her talents. She pondered, "How could His Royal Highness be so unromantic?"

Xu Fengnian, feeling warm and satisfied after food and wine, was just wondering how to entertain himself when he spotted two young swordsmen on the wide, willow and phoenix-tree-lined official road. They stood facing each other, swords in hand, exuding a demeanor rarely seen among common folk. What was even more striking was that these young swordsmen, though not old, seemed to have coordinated their appearance: one was clad in flowing white, the other tightly wrapped in striking black. Standing by the roadside in black and white, they created quite a spectacle even before drawing their swords.

Apart from Xu Fengnian's lavish table, there were four or five other tables of drinkers who had stopped to rest. These individuals, though not wealthy, were no less enthusiastic about a good show than the Prince himself in his younger days. They all widened their eyes, eager to witness the two wandering swordsmen display some impressive moves, hoping to boast about it to friends and family later. Youzhou was quite different from Northern Liang, a region known for its fierce populace and abundant wandering knights. Both the former and current provincial governors of Youzhou vigorously enforced martial arts prohibitions within their borders. The incumbent Youzhou Governor, Tian Zong, was a former favored disciple of General Gu and had been the first to achieve the crucial feat of crossing the river and conquering the Southern Han Kingdom. Yet, despite being a martial artist himself, Governor Tian showed no leniency toward younger generations practicing martial arts. He maintained a 300-man light cavalry unit specifically tasked with apprehending unruly ruffians who brandished weapons. Once caught, they were brutally punished, first flogged raw in prison. If they were disciples of martial arts sects, the repercussions and penalties were even more severe. Consequently, Youzhou rarely witnessed the martial arts splendor that had been common twenty years prior.

The two swordsmen fought furiously, exchanging blows with a seamless coordination of sword techniques that astonished even the untrained eye. This quickly earned a round of thunderous applause and loud cheers from the thoroughly entertained and previously bored drinkers. Immediately, dust billowed on the official road, and several carriages passing through stopped, their occupants joining in to admire the dazzling sword moves and stances.

Xu Fengnian turned to watch this carefully orchestrated performance. In the past, in Northern Liang, he would simply enjoy such spectacles and generously offer large sums of silver. Now, having begun his own training in saber arts, having witnessed the formidable blades of both the White Fox Face and the White-Haired Old Ghoul, and having personally parried an untold number of strikes from Wang Xiaoping, the Wudang Sword Fanatic—not to mention the two profound sword techniques of the old Sword God Li Chungang—he found the two swordsmen's qi to be weak and their crude techniques far from refined. After watching for a while, Xu Fengnian grew bored and asked with a chuckle, "Lu Qiantang, how many of your sword strikes could these two withstand if they teamed up?"

Lu Qiantang, who practiced the Great Sword and focused on forging a mighty sword intent, replied truthfully, "Not a single strike."

Xu Fengnian looked towards Yu Youwei and quipped, "These two are waiting here, like hunters by a tree stump waiting for a rabbit, exerting all their effort to coax some silver out of me. Their intent is commendable. Just look at their brand-new clothes; they were likely bought with money saved by going hungry. Furthermore, the prohibition on martial arts in Youzhou is severe, so to dare to duel on an official road truly requires some guts. Youwei, do you think they deserve a reward?"

Knowing that Yu Youwei's mother had been the chief sword attendant to the former emperor of Western Chu, and though Yu Youwei had only learned the superficial aspects of the dazzling sword dance, she had grasped much of its profound essence. Naturally, she had no interest in the two pretentious, incompetent swordsmen. Shaking her head, she stated, "Their swordsmanship is mediocre; they do not deserve a reward."

Xu Fengnian remained silent, picking up his wine bowl and taking a sip, lost in thought, which was somewhat out of character. On the official road, the two swordsmen, seeing no reaction from their intended audience for a prolonged period, grew anxious. Their meticulously rehearsed duel, which they had diligently practiced ever since hearing of the Prince's travels within Liangzhou, was quickly running out of pre-arranged moves. The white-clad swordsman, distracted and unsettled, accidentally forgot their choreography and nicked his opponent. As a result, the black-clad swordsman, now truly bleeding, fought back with genuine ferocity. This inadvertently thrilled the unsuspecting casual onlookers, who found the intense, 'bloody' battle genuinely spectacular. 'How could such a breathtaking contest between masters be compared to mere scuffles among villagers wielding kitchen knives or hoes?' they exclaimed.

Consequently, even some of the financially strapped drinkers, who had been carefully counting their coppers to buy their wine, willingly ordered a few more bowls of apricot wine.

Xu Fengnian paid no mind to the clumsy fight staged by the two impoverished wandering swordsmen. Instead, his thoughts drifted to a friend he had encountered years ago during his travels. Over three years and six thousand *li*, it was a pitiful tale: besides his generous acquaintance, the young woman named Plum Blossom, only a fellow named Wen Hua had been willing to accompany him. This young man's parents had apparently died early, and after spending a few years with his older brother and sister-in-law, he couldn't endure his snobbish sister-in-law's harsh taunts and sarcasm. In a fit of anger, he embarked on a solitary journey through the *jianghu*. However, 'solitary' wasn't quite accurate, as this pauper was utterly penniless, able only to carve a wooden sword to strap to his waist; he certainly couldn't afford a horse. Poor as Wen Hua was, his ambitions knew no bounds. He declared he would seek a renowned master and train with a famous sword, vowing not to return home and bring glory to his ancestors until he had achieved great fame and possessed an expensive, high-quality sword. Xu Fengnian once asked him how he would 'deal with' his sister-in-law if he truly became successful and returned home. The young man replied that a sister-in-law was, after all, a sister-in-law, and no matter how shortsighted she might be, he couldn't truly harm her. Instead, if he succeeded, he could enable his brother to hold his head high, free from his sister-in-law's daily abuse. Every time Wen Hua saw Old Huang leading his scrawny red horse, it was as if he were gazing upon a fine sword. Xu Fengnian was constantly on edge, fearing that this sword-obsessed fellow might actually steal the horse to sell for money, but fortunately, such misfortune never occurred before they parted ways. It was exactly as Wen Hua himself had stated: a sword truly became one's own only when earned and purchased with one's own money. However, this young man also possessed some eccentric notions. For instance, he would shamelessly and overconfidently participate in martial arts contests for marriage held in various regions. Not once did he fail to be beaten until he spat blood. Several times, he was sent flying off the stage. Walking onto the stage only to be sent flying off was truly bleak and tragic, causing Xu Fengnian, who watched from below, to break out in a cold sweat, forcing him to laboriously carry Wen Hua away. Fortunately, after being half-dead and sickly for a period, he would always recover vigorously, move to a new location, and continue to ascend stages for martial arts contests, bringing humiliation upon himself and boosting his opponents' confidence.

Is that fellow, who used to boast about treating his good brother to several catties of cooked beef, still doing well? Has he earned enough to buy a sword? Has he found the good girl he desired?

He used to say that a good girl didn't necessarily have to be beautiful, but she absolutely had to be kind—that foolish girl willing to wait for him to train his sword and achieve a splendid future.

Xu Fengnian snapped back to reality and declared, 'They deserve a reward!'

Yu Youwei was puzzled but did not voice any objection. Having grown up amidst immense wealth, and knowing the Prince never feared depleting his resources, she wasn't surprised when he spoke of giving rewards. Could she possibly stop him? And why would she? Even when she was the top courtesan in Liangzhou, she had heard from the entertainers around her that many dissolute young masters, despite their extravagant spending in brothels—acting as if they belonged to the most prominent aristocratic families—were in fact merely putting on a show to save face. Upon returning home, they would be subjected to beatings from their fathers and were often cold and stingy towards their own servants. In contrast, Yu Youwei much preferred the Prince beside her, who was willing to spend lavishly on anyone. The King's Mansion's notorious servants were willing to risk their lives to plunder and destroy for the Prince, eagerly competing to act as his enforcers. However, Yu Youwei had privately heard a secret: on several occasions when Xu Fengnian faced assassination attempts, some of these ruthless servants had not hesitated to shield him with their bodies, sacrificing themselves without fear. What lay behind this, Yu Youwei dared not investigate further.

Xu Fengnian picked up his wine bowl, but paused with the large white bowl suspended in his hand, asking Jiang Ni, "How much do you think they should be rewarded?"

Jiang Ni sneered, "It's not my silver. You can give whatever you like, even a thousand gold pieces."

Xu Fengnian chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I didn't bring that much, nor would I be willing to spend it all. When traveling, it's best to be a bit frugal. Alright, let's make it a round sum: one thousand taels."

Xu Fengnian snapped his fingers, and Qing Niao, the attendant most attuned to the Prince's thoughts, turned to retrieve silver notes from the carriage. If it were one thousand taels of actual silver ingots, the two injured swordsmen would be exhausted to the point of vomiting blood just from carrying them. Flaunting so much money in public would be tantamount to courting death. Did they truly believe the world was so peaceful that nothing would be stolen on the road?

Jiang Ni, her face initially showing indifference, quietly turned her head. The young girl, not proficient in arithmetic, extended her fingers to calculate. One hand wasn't enough, so she added her other small, calloused hand, and with considerable effort, finally arrived at the result. Her face immediately fell. One thousand taels! If one character equaled one coin, and a thousand coins equaled one tael of silver, wouldn't that mean she had to read a full one million characters of secret manuals and classics?!

Even if she read through that entire chest of books, she might not earn a thousand taels of silver!

Practicing swordsmanship actually seemed quite appealing! Look at those two wandering swordsmen; didn't they earn a thousand taels after just a few bowls of wine's worth of effort?

Jiang Ni, secretly clattering away on her mental abacus, sighed and murmured, "But practicing swordsmanship is truly arduous."

Looking up at the old Sword God beside her—a man who had once been unrivaled in swordsmanship but was now left with only one arm—Jiang Ni decided to abandon the thought. Earning money through reading seemed quite good enough.

The two swordsmen, who had not heard the Prince's whispered comment, 'It's a skilled performance, they deserve a reward,' were utterly disheartened. Moreover, they had poured every ounce of their energy into this exhibition, even 'sucking milk' for strength, so the intensity of their combat inevitably dwindled, giving the impression of a grand start followed by a weak finish. The onlookers, who only needed to drink and chatter, might not have discerned the subtleties of swordsmanship, but they certainly could tell if the spectacle was good or bad. Seeing the two wandering swordsmen becoming increasingly sloppy, the crowd began to boo and jeer. The two swordsmen, covered in dust on the official road, even felt the urge to rush over and beat up those scoundrels. However, with the exalted Prince present, they had no choice but to swallow their bitterness. Indeed, just as Xu Fengnian had correctly surmised, even their entire outfits had been newly purchased on credit. Their valuable scabbarded swords were the only items they had originally owned; otherwise, they would have lost everything and faced their beloved companions, who were eagerly awaiting their return with cosmetics, with shame.

Heaven has opened its eyes!

Qing Niao approached gracefully and handed two stacks of five-hundred-tael silver notes, one to each young swordsman. One of them, upon receiving the silver notes, couldn't resist stealing an extra glance at the beautiful woman before him. In a swift blur, he was sent flying backward, landing heavily in the dust. The other wandering swordsman was greatly startled. Forgetting to maintain their pretense, he quickly rushed to help his companion and promptly fled via a shortcut.

Witnessing this comical scene, Yu Youwei couldn't help but smile faintly.

Xu Fengnian, however, showed no amusement. He merely lowered his head, took a sip of wine, and murmured to himself, "Wen Hua, what does it matter if you don't have money to buy a good sword? I hope you, my friend, can always carry that worn wooden sword and become renowned throughout the land. Then, according to our brotherly agreement, you'll treat me to beef, and I'll cheer you on."

The old Sword God, Li Chungang, showed a subtle change in expression.

Gazing at the Prince, whose demeanor was somewhat peculiar today, the old man habitually tugged at his sheepskin coat and softly suggested, 'Boy, find some time for you and that fellow named Lu—that swordsmanship novice—to have a duel. I'd enjoy watching that; it would be far more entertaining than observing two fools who don't even deserve to wield swords making such a spectacle.'

Xu Fengnian, preoccupied with reminiscing about the old agreement, hadn't clearly heard the old man's words. He looked up in surprise and asked, 'What?'

The old man, who was typically sharp-tongued with the Prince, spoke in an uncharacteristically mild tone, as if the sun had risen in the west: 'I said, you should spar with the fellow named Lu. I'll watch the show.'

Xu Fengnian said in a deep voice, 'Alright!'