Chapter 80: Knowing

When Xu Fengnian urgently arrived at the spot where the adult female Kui had fallen, he was met with the tragic sight of the dying mythical beast from Qingcheng. Including its tail, it was over six meters long and weighed at least 250 kilograms. This formidable creature, invincible in the mountains, was covered in wounds. Broken scales lay scattered on the ground, and two of its six legs had been severed by sharp weapons, testament to the ferocity of the earlier battle. Xu Fengnian noticed its fatal injuries, yet its eyes remained open, a sight he didn't immediately understand.

Yang Qingfeng, an expert in taming beasts, disregarded all protocol and rushed forward, kneeling before the Tiger-Kui. As he stroked the beast’s abdomen, Xu Fengnian noticed the dying creature’s belly pulsating. A look of shock on his face, Yang Qingfeng explained that there were young inside, about to be born, and their survival after the incision would be left to fate.

Without a word, Xu Fengnian handed his Spring Thunder short sword to Yang Qingfeng, who struggled to cut open the iron-hard belly of the colossal beast with its blade. The female Kui, with only a few breaths of life remaining, painfully turned its head to look at its abdomen, as if wanting to see its young born before closing its eyes. From the bloody cavity, Yang Qingfeng successively retrieved two small creatures: first a female, then a male, making them sister and brother.

Xu Fengnian squatted, taking the two tiny, crimson cubs. He shifted and held them before the beast’s eyes, seemingly to let it see its young alive. The adult female Kui, her breath fading, finally closed her eyes.

Covered in sweat, Yang Qingfeng, his hands stained with the mother Kui’s blood, exclaimed excitedly, "Whoever these young beasts first see when they open their eyes, they will recognize as their parent! This is a fleeting opportunity, Your Highness, so you must not be careless. I cannot say when they will open their eyes. I implore you, Your Highness, wait until they first open their eyes before letting go. Such a heaven-sent opportunity is truly priceless! If I haven't guessed wrong, this mythical beast is a Tiger-Kui. Typically, male Kuis, residing in the underworld, emerge every five hundred years to mate with tigresses, thus creating them. Historical records state that while Tiger-Kuis have both sexes, they are often infertile. They cannot drown in water, like dragons, and in the mountains, they reign supreme, living alone for five hundred years before dying. This Tiger-Kui is unusual. Prince, this is truly a gift from destiny!"

The pair of Tiger-Kui cubs began to struggle and squirm, their scales, fresh from their mother’s womb, scratching Xu Fengnian’s hands. Yang Qingfeng, looking tense, warned that this was a sign the cubs were about to open their eyes. Yet, at this crucial moment, Xu Fengnian sat on the ground, holding the two newborn, soon-to-be-orphaned cubs. He turned the siblings’ heads towards the mother Kui, and the tiny creatures’ first sight was their mother lying in a pool of blood, leaving them dazed. Xu Fengnian’s hands, covered in messy wounds, unavoidably smeared blood onto their bodies. The cubs then turned and looked up, staring blankly at Xu Fengnian. Perhaps the mother Kui had defied destiny and suffered divine retribution, not only dying herself, but as Zhao Yutai had mentioned, the two cubs also had a single Kui horn. Meeting their gaze, Xu Fengnian chuckled softly, "Little ones, the first thing you saw was your mother. Don't forget her. As for me, I am not your father, truly, I'm not lying!"

Lu Qiantang, who stood holding his great Chixia sword, listened to the Prince's solemn words and suppressed a smile. This Prince, though often reserved and calculating, sometimes proved impossible to dislike.

Yang Qingfeng, however, was filled with regret. The young beasts' first sight upon opening their eyes had been the dead Tiger-Kui, not the Prince. Such a rare, heaven-sent opportunity to gain the beast's loyalty—an opportunity almost as significant as an emperor receiving the imperial robe from heaven—how could the Prince have simply given it away?! But then, as Yang Qingfeng, whose heart was twisting with pain, saw the cubs extend their tongues to lick the blood from Xu Fengnian's palm, and then, as if telepathically connected, both tiny heads nestled against and rubbed the Prince's arm, he finally felt a sense of relief, his mood slightly improving. Xu Fengnian stood up and named them Pusa and Jingang—this was the scene Shu Xiu and Ning Emei happened to witness.

The cubs in Xu Fengnian's arms began to squirm. Yang Qingfeng, now feeling pleased, chuckled, "Tiger-Kui cubs are infinitely stronger than foals. They can probably walk now. Your Highness could find a water source for them to clean themselves. Ancient texts say that young Tiger-Kuis only truly come alive in water. The small stream you just crossed would be perfect. The water is shallow enough that they won't dive and swim away; a river or a deep pool would be tricky."

Xu Fengnian nodded and said, "Lu Qiantang, you and General Ning should bury this mother Kui."

Yang Qingfeng exclaimed in shock, "Your Highness, if the Tiger-Kui's scales were made into armor, they would be impervious to blades, spears, water, and fire—no less formidable than the Crimson Armored Generals!"

Xu Fengnian narrowed his eyes and glanced askance at the loyal Yang Qingfeng, saying nothing. Yang Qingfeng fell silent, intimidated, daring not utter another word.

Xu Fengnian carried them to the stream bank and placed them in the water. The two cubs submerged themselves in the clear stream, moving as effortlessly as on dry land. They played and splashed, sending countless drops of water into the air. When they drifted a little too far from the bank, the slightly smaller sister, Jingang, seemed to lose sight of Xu Fengnian and bit her brother. Both cubs then surfaced, paddling with all four legs, and rushed towards Xu Fengnian, who was sitting by the bank. Finally, they practically walked on water, leaping into the Prince's arms with frightening brute strength, nearly sending Xu Fengnian toppling backward. His chest ached, but he didn't mind. Disregarding the cubs' naturally armored, spiky bodies, he reached out and petted the two playful creatures who had become so close to him, a radiant smile on his face.

Ning Emei, with his great halberd, didn't understand the situation, only finding the young beasts' appearance peculiar and unlike ordinary creatures.

Shu Xiu quietly asked Yang Qingfeng beside her, "Hey, Yang, what are these cubs called?"

Yang Qingfeng remained indifferent, standing there like a block of wood.

Shu Xiu pouted coquettishly, "How petty."

Yang Qingfeng merely gazed at the Prince's back as he sat by the stream, playing with the young Kuis, unable to comprehend why such a valuable treasure—the mother Kui's corpse, precious in every part—had been wasted.

Shu Xiu subconsciously murmured, "This Prince, I always feel he's kinder to insignificant people and things. He treats us even worse than his own mounts."

Yang Qingfeng, who overheard her, scoffed, "That's just how he is with you, isn't it?"

Shu Xiu recalled the Prince calling her "Old Lady Shu," and his repeated pronouncements in the dilapidated Taoist temple and Qingyang Palace that he would send them away. She was so furious she wanted to kill him. Though seething with indignation and resentment internally, her face remained charming as a flower, and she said with a dagger hidden in her smile, "I wonder who just now had their legs turn to jelly from a single glance from the Prince."

Yang Qingfeng crossed his pale, slender fingers over his chest.

Shu Xiu sneered, "Yang Qingfeng, if you have the guts to strike, I promise not to fight back. I'll be at your mercy."

Yang Qingfeng was angry, but he didn't make a move. He simply said in a flat tone, "Sister? No wonder the Prince calls you Old Lady Shu. Old Lady Shu is at that age; Yang Qingfeng has no interest in carving you up. I imagine the discerning Prince feels even less inclined."

When Shu Xiu was angry, people tended not to notice her fury but rather the sight of her slightly trembling chest.

The young Kuis could now stumble and walk. Though they would sometimes tumble when running too quickly around Xu Fengnian, they remained unharmed even when dust flew, shakily getting back up and resuming their lively play. Seeing Ning Emei and Lu Qiantang approaching, Xu Fengnian stood up and, with the sibling cubs playing behind him, rejoined his group. Jiang Ni, sitting beside Qing Niao, paused, surprised, at the sight of the two boisterous little creatures. The Old Sword God, hearing the commotion, lifted the curtain and glanced out, saying in amazement, "Their spiritual energy is so abundant, they could rival the black tiger that listened to Qi Xuanzhen preach for over a decade!"

Xu Fengnian gently lifted the cubs by their scruffs and entered the carriage. He didn't see Yu Youwei, likely because she wanted to avoid him and had gone to sulk with Jiang Ni and Old Man Li. "That's fine," he thought. Xu Fengnian removed his Winter Embroidered and Spring Thunder twin swords, sat down cross-legged, and the two cubs nudged his calves with their small heads. Xu Fengnian patted them twice, and when they looked up in puzzlement, he pointed to each one separately and said with a smile, "You're Pusa, the elder sister. And you're Jingang, the younger brother. To be clear, my name is Xu Fengnian, and I'm not your father. All right, I'm going to practice the Great Yellow Court now, so don't cause trouble, or I'll hang you up and beat you."

Strangely enough, the constantly boisterous young Kuis quieted down after Xu Fengnian settled into his practice. They curled up at his feet, not moving a muscle. If the male Tiger-Kui, born a step later and thus the younger brother, so much as stirred, its sister—though actually smaller—would bite it, and it dared not retaliate.

Distraction was a taboo during cultivation, yet for some reason, Xu Fengnian found himself smiling as he thought of the sibling Kuis. Though he wasn't fully concentrating on his breathing, the qi circulation within his body was smoother than usual.

Xu Fengnian suddenly recalled a conversation he'd had with the ox-riding Taoist behind the mountain waterfall: "The Supreme Forgetfulness is not heartlessness; forgetfulness is the stillness of emotion, like oblivion. But if recalled, it is supreme emotion. As it is said, one speaks because one intends to; when one understands, one forgets the words. The Dao that can be spoken is not the constant Dao. To know occasionally, to hesitate before speaking, that is true knowing."

Xu Fengnian opened his eyes and cursed with a laugh, "What kind of Profound Void Dao is that? Always so ambiguous and inexplicable! Ox-rider, if you really are the True Martial Emperor incarnate, then have the guts to descend Wudang and ascend Longhu. If that's too much trouble, then get yourself to Jiangnan!"

Xu Fengnian's smile faded, and he murmured to himself, "Is seeing a woman harder than becoming the foremost figure under heaven, bearing the two Great Daos?"

The two great ancestral Taoist schools faced each other from north and south.

Six hundred years ago, Longhu flourished, while Wudang Mountain’s spiritual influence nearly withered away, with more than half its Taoists fleeing down the mountain. Three hundred years ago, Wudang, in turn, heavily suppressed Longhu, forcing it to bow its head as low as possible. Now, for a century, the dynasty has repeatedly elevated Longhu, while Wudang has declined with each generation; successive abbots, including Wang Zhonglou, never once had an imperial audience in the capital. For the next hundred years, few genuinely believed that the Black Tortoise (Wudang's patron deity) would flourish for another five centuries.

In this thousand-year-long, silent struggle between north and south, would victory go to the ox-rider, whose Dao was based on something even he didn't fully comprehend, or to the young Celestial Master surnamed Qi, who was proclaimed to have the greatest enlightenment and martial progress on Longhu Mountain, and whose cultivation in this life was hoped to rival Qi Xuanzhen's?

Xu Fengnian truly didn't understand Hong Shixiang's Dao.

Compared to defeating Longhu Mountain, which was overseen by the Four Celestial Masters and produced generations of brilliant talents, wouldn't it be easier to simply descend the mountain and go to Jiangnan?

Xu Fengnian lowered his head and said bitterly, "This Dao of yours, which can be known but not spoken—I suppose I'll never understand it in this lifetime. If you don't say it, if you don't act on it, how will my elder sister ever know? Just hiding on Wudang Mountain riding an ox, what good is that supposed to do?!"