Chapter 69: Purple Qi Comes from the East

Xu Fengnian looked at Madam Shu, who was feigning shyness and panic while barely suppressing her murderous intent and disgust. At around thirty, calling her "Madam" (Dàniáng) was not an exaggeration. Xu Fengnian did not indulge her desire for violence; instead, he kept his arm around Yu Youwei’s slender waist. Her skin felt smooth to the touch. While Jiang Ni's waist was no less slender than Yu Youwei's, Xu Fengnian had been fortunate enough to witness Yu Youwei's captivating curves firsthand in bed. This comparison made her already small waist appear even more remarkably delicate. Xu Fengnian simply pointed at Shu Xiu and teased, "Gentlemen, if I hand over this beauty for your pleasure, will you spare us?"

The leader, wielding two Xuanhua battle-axes and draped in a tiger-skin cloak, glanced at Shu Xiu. Ordinarily, a woman of such rare beauty would be a welcome sight, making everything negotiable. However, greed knows no bounds. The other two women in the courtyard were clearly more appealing, surpassing even the most stunning and pampered Taoist nuns of Qingyang Palace by a wide margin. The leader had been cooped up on the mountain for two months, his pent-up urges almost causing internal injury; he was practically ready to find a female monkey for release. The prefectural governor's attempts to suppress them in the mountains had repeatedly failed, but numerous wanted posters for Qingcheng's various mountain bandits, including himself, were displayed in the county town. This forced him to occasionally disguise himself as a villager and risk beheading to relieve his urges at a brothel in the city. Each time, he needed five or six women sleeping together to feel satisfied. Thus, the leader, eager to rip off the women's clothes and reveal their milky-white skin, spat a glob of phlegm. He glared menacingly at the woman holding the white cat, for whom he had the strongest desire. Though the roasting maid had a fresh, pretty face, women, he thought, needed more flesh to withstand the "lashing of his mighty axe." This leader, who believed in sharing the spoils, pointed his axe at Yu Youwei and chuckled, "She's mine; no one touches her. The rest of you can do as you please, but make sure you don't kill them. Wash them clean before sending them to my room."

The Third Leader was a disgraced scholar, full of wicked schemes. He had once tricked a girl, intending to rape her in a secluded spot under the guise of visiting Qingcheng Mountain for incense. However, a slip-up led him to encounter this gang of bandits. He immediately offered the girl, who was almost his prey, to them. With a ruthless turn, he joined them as a robber, serving as a strategist for the two other leaders. Later, the girl, unable to bear the repeated humiliation, hanged herself. Still not sated, he, in a fit of rage, didn't spare her corpse. While it was still warm, he mounted her for the duration of an incense stick, impressing even the First and Second Leaders. Pleased, they made him the Third Leader, confident that a scholar, being "useless for anything practical," wouldn't pose a threat to their positions. The Third Leader stared intensely at Jiang Ni, smirking grimly, "This little sister is mine. Big brother will take her back and train her well. Don't be afraid, big brother is a cultured man who knows how to be gentle."

Only Shu Xiu was left, and the skinny Second Leader, assigned to her, sarcastically interjected, "The woman you tricked up the mountain back then? After she died, you threw her off the cliff to feed the wild dogs."

Xu Fengnian snapped his fingers and asked, "I remember this used to be Old Man Meng's territory. How did it become yours?"

The First Leader scoffed, "That coward who wouldn't even kill people was long driven away. Stop blabbering, come out and die. It'll just take one swing of my axe."

Xu Fengnian released Yu Youwei, drew his knife, and stood up. Seeing this stance, the First Leader paused in surprise, then burst into arrogant laughter, "Boy, you dare wield a knife in front of your grandfather?"

Xu Fengnian lightly leaped down the steps, his movements graceful and unburdened by worldly dust—clearly a display of profound inner power. Seeing the Xuanhua battle-axe leader looking somewhat dumbfounded, he kindly reminded, "Look behind you?"

The First Leader didn't dare turn around, fearing a sneak attack from the youth. He only quickly glanced over his shoulder. What? Besides the Second and Third Leaders, why was only one unfamiliar girl in a green dress standing? And why were all their brothers lying on the ground? The young woman in green, more graceful than any refined scholar, was holding one of their burly brothers by the neck, suspended in mid-air? Were all these brothers choked to death like this? The emotionless girl in green simply released her grip, and the deceased brother slumped silently to the ground. Shu Xiu, who had been waiting for this moment seemingly forever, executed a bow-leg kick. Before she even appeared to touch the skinny Second Leader, his body seemed to be struck by an immense force, bending into an arc, then he flew backward with a bang, embedding himself in the wall. A circle of blood spread evenly on the wall, as if a mosquito had been swatted flat.

After killing him with one kick, Shu Xiu smoothed the hair by her ear and sneered, "I'd rather not dirty my hands hitting you."

The Xuanhua battle-axe in the First Leader's hand trembled violently. He dared not retreat; the girl in green looked like a merciless female Yama, and the one who took care of the Second Leader possessed terrifying inner power that killed without direct contact. He dared not advance either. The old Taoist priest, who had seemed to be putting on an act earlier, now looked like an old immortal from Qingcheng Mountain. As for the dashing young master, whose elegance made him envious, was his relaxed stance with a knife also a sign of formidable skill? Was this where they were destined to meet their end today?

With a thud, the Third Leader, who was best at assessing situations, fell to his knees, wailing and begging the "grand-aunts" for their lives.

Xu Fengnian simply asked a puzzling question: "Are Old Man Meng's people dead?"

The First Leader, whose life hung by a thread, quickly bowed and said, "No, not at all. I've known Old Man Meng for over a decade. I just had him swap territories with me."

Xu Fengnian let out a sound of relief and instructed, "Lu Qiantang, take these two out. Be quick about it; their wailing in the middle of the night sounds like ghosts. And Yang Qingfeng, you know a lot about unorthodox methods. You handle these bodies. Make sure to dispose of them far away. I fear someone might spend the whole night in trepidation if they sleep next to a pile of corpses, and then have no energy to study and earn money the next day."

Jiang Ni, who had already hidden behind the old Sword God, squatting, was pale-faced at the sight of the dead. Yu Youwei, or Yu Xuanji, had always taken life and death lightly, even when she was still debating her identity, and was naturally much calmer than Jiang Ni. Xu Fengnian didn't even glance at Lu Qiantang as he carried one bandit in each hand out of the courtyard. He simply said to Qingniao, "Bring the brush and ink, then come with me. I need to draw something for Grandpa Wei, and I'll trouble you to accompany us to the Yin-Yang Pavilion, which offers a broad view."

Old Taoist Wei Shuyang stroked his beard and chuckled, "Your Royal Highness is too kind. Coincidentally, I've been rather nostalgic for that pavilion. When I was young and entered Qingcheng Mountain to cultivate Taoism with my master, that's where we used to rest."

Qingniao and the old Taoist priest of Nine Dou Rice each held a torch and led the way. Xu Fengnian carried a whole ream of fine Xuan paper, extorted from Jin Sanlang, tucked under his arm. The brush in Qingniao's hand was not her usual one; it was a slender, stiff-bristled "Little White Liaowei," the finest type from Liaodong. Watching the three depart, Jiang Ni then saw Yang Qingfeng digging the dead man out of the wall and dragging him outside. The two bandits carried out like chickens by the swordsman Lu Qiantang would surely also meet their end. Jiang Ni, still hidden behind Li Chungang, stared blankly. The old Sword God, who had seen much of life and was once reckless in his youth, was no stranger to women's thoughts. He chuckled, "Jiang girl, I must say a few good words for young Xu. You dislike his profligate behavior in Beiliang, and you're not wrong about His Royal Highness. But outside Beiliang, some of his methods can't be called ruthless; they're just his way. These thirty-odd people today, whether to kill or spare, was all up to young Xu. When he finally decided to kill them, it wasn't because he thought those rats looked at you girls indecently. My guess is it's about that petty bandit, Old Man Meng, who hasn't shown up yet."

Jiang Ni responded with a noncommittal "Oh."

The old Sword God grinned slyly, "Jiang girl, do you want to know what that boy is doing with the brush and ink? If you roast me another ginkgo chicken, I'll tell you."

Jiang Ni retorted irritably, "I don't want to know."

Old Man Li was not one to keep secrets. With great effort, he swallowed the words he was about to say and muttered, "Never mind. I won't tell you, lest his cunning scare you away from practicing your sword."

The Yin-Yang Pavilion.

Using it as a boundary, with the mountain foot as the realm of the living and the mountain top as the realm of the dead, made sense. Hadn't that gang of bandits who invaded the courtyard become lonely spirits of the underworld?

Xu Fengnian took a wooden board made by Qingniao, sat cross-legged, and spread the Xuan paper on it. As Qingniao prepared to grind the ink, Wei Shuyang held two torches for illumination, gazing at the Qingcheng Mountain range by the moonlight. Qingcheng Mountain held a prominent place in Taoist history, serving as the Fifth Grotto Heaven, ranking even higher than the ancestral temples of the two great Taoist traditions, Longhu Mountain and Wudang Mountain. Taoist temples nestled amidst green hills and clear waters, their architecture perfectly aligning with the Tao. An immortal once wrote, "Only love the peaks of Zhangren Mountain, where red stairs ascend to profound tranquility." Its main peak, Qingyang Peak, and its secondary peak, Tianzun Peak, stood opposite each other, connected by an iron chain bridge. Yellow cranes soared and cried, and a sea of clouds surged, truly a rare beauty on earth. Wei Shuyang had once bravely crossed that iron chain bridge, a journey that took him a full half-hour. By the time he finally reached Tianzun Peak, his legs were weak, and his clothes were drenched.

Wei Shuyang looked down and praised sincerely, "Your Royal Highness has an excellent memory."

Xu Fengnian concentrated, meticulously depicting all the mountains, rivers, and terrain behind Beiliang. His accuracy surpassed even that of senior officials in the geographical survey department, excelling in intricate detail. Even the well-traveled Wei Shuyang was astonished. His Royal Highness drew for an hour, going through a dozen sheets of Xuan paper. When he finally reached Qingcheng Mountain in his drawing, despite only having ridden through it without apparent detailed observation, the depiction of the mountains' trends in his painting was clearer than what Wei Shuyang, an old Taoist who had cultivated in Qingcheng Mountain for nearly a decade, could recall. Using the fine-tipped Guan-Dong Liaowei brush was particularly suitable. Wei Shuyang had watched His Royal Highness grow up, so he understood Xu Fengnian's character far better than outsiders. It was true that he was mischievous and unruly; otherwise, he wouldn't have urinated on Wei's neck or, as a child in Listening Tide Pavilion, casually used martial arts manuals to wipe himself after defecating. However, once this young boy became serious, he possessed a stubborn determination. Once, when Li Yishan from the top floor punished him by making him copy scriptures, His Royal Highness didn't admit his mistake but still went to copy. As a result, in a fit of stubbornness, he copied nearly 300,000 characters. Finally, even the Grand Marshal had to intervene, and Xu Fengnian ultimately "won" against the exasperated Li Yishan.

Xu Fengnian stopped writing, waited for the ink to dry, and looked up at Qingniao with a smile, "Later, you take these Xuan papers back to the carriage and sleep. Otherwise, that girl definitely won't dare close her eyes."

Once the Xuan paper had fully absorbed the ink, Qingniao quietly left with the paper and brush.

The torches had been replaced several times.

Xu Fengnian flexed his wrist, chuckling softly, "Grandpa Wei, don't let anyone know what I'm drawing."

The old Taoist nodded, "Of course. Your Royal Highness possesses a brilliant mind. I see it, I understand it, and I will certainly not speak of it."

Xu Fengnian gazed at Qingcheng Mountain's highest peak and self-deprecatingly remarked, "A prince who looks good on the outside but is rotten within—what kind of brilliant mind could I possibly have?"

Wei Shuyang laughed heartily, "Your Royal Highness is too modest."

Xu Fengnian closed his eyes, facing the picturesque mountains, a stacked knife resting on his lap. He formed the Huangting hand seal with his fingers and quietly entered a meditative state.

Wei Shuyang stayed awake all night, quietly observing His Royal Highness's mysterious state, which was neither sleep nor wakefulness.

Between his eyebrows, a faint purple aura seemed to emanate from the east.

As dawn approached and the sun began to rise, the jujube-red mark between Xu Fengnian's eyebrows gradually shifted from deep red to light purple.

As the first rays of dawn touched his body, Xu Fengnian slowly opened his eyes, turned to glance at Wei Shuyang, and offered a slight apology.

Wei Shuyang gently stroked his white beard, shaking his head with a smile. "This old Taoist is increasingly looking forward to Your Royal Highness ascending Dragon Tiger Mountain."