Chapter 82: Dragon Lord Stops the River in One Stroke

After leaving Mount Qingcheng, Xu Fengnian hired four large ships and sailed down the Yanzi River. The currents in this section were extremely rapid. High mountains faced each other on both banks with sheer cliffs, and the river narrowed to barely fifty zhang at its narrowest point. Its danger was second only to Kuimen Pass, where a Taoist sage is said to have ridden a green ox backward. This stretch of waterway featured gorges within gorges—large gorges encompassing smaller ones—and rapids within rapids—large rapids swallowing smaller ones. Dressed in a white robe, Xu Fengnian stood at the bow of the ship and smiled at Yu Youwei, who was holding Wu Meiniang, saying, "We just passed the Book Rapid and the Sword Rapid, where Wudang patriarch Lu Dongxuan hid a celestial book and an ancient sword. Don't think that was dangerous. The Dongsheng Gorge ahead is the true peril. Our four large ships are already at their limit; any larger, and no matter how familiar the boatman is with the currents, they would inevitably hit reefs and sink. Old Huang and I were half-scared to death back then; I even got seasick and threw up all over him. That's why the local fishermen say the Book Rapid and Sword Rapid aren't true rapids; Dongsheng is the true 'Gate of Hell.' The ship will shake violently soon, so you shouldn't stand here."

Yu Youwei looked at the scene ahead, her face pale. Just as she was about to turn away, she widened her eyes, seeing a small boat seemingly moving against the current. It was heading directly towards the leading large ship, where Ning Emei, holding a great halberd, was stationed! A young man, appearing like a scholar in a green robe, held a bamboo pole. The green-robed youth held the pole with both hands, plunging it into the water, and the stern of his small boat lifted. Simultaneously, the bamboo pole, inserted beneath the large ship, was pried up by this elegant man. A dark green bamboo pole bent into a half-moon arc. On one end, the small boat remained steady. On the other end, the large ship was astonishingly flipped upside down by the bamboo pole! Was this green-robed stranger the Dragon King himself? The boatmen on the other three ships were utterly terrified. A single pole on the river sent shockwaves through heaven and earth. The small boat under the green-robed man then slammed back onto the water, drifted downstream, and vanished gracefully. Xu Fengnian's eyes were wide as he muttered to himself, "That's some incredibly formidable skill."

Upon reaching Xiong Province, they were not far from the capital. In this dynasty, all six imperial clan princes were granted fiefdoms. Apart from the Prince of Huainan, Zhao Ying, who had detested warfare since childhood, the other five princes commanded varying degrees of military power, each at least garrisoning a province. These included the Prince of Jing'an, Zhao Heng; the Prince of Jiaodong, Zhao Sui; and the Prince of Langya, Zhao Ao. Two others wielded even greater military might: the Prince of Guangling, currently in the former Western Chu capital of Dahuang City, who controlled half of the vast territory of the former Western Chu dynasty and had spent years suppressing persistent rebellions, earning a formidable reputation. And the Prince of Yanla, stationed on the border of the former Southern Tang kingdom, whose forces were strong and generals numerous, constantly vying with the Northern Liang Iron Cavalry for the title of the world's most formidable army. When General Gu Jiantang was summoned to the capital years ago, he effectively retired from military command, entering the capital almost alone. Most of his disbanded former troops ended up under the command of these two powerful princes.

The smoke of the Spring and Autumn Wars had not yet completely cleared, and the empire was newly unified. It was deemed a wise move to entrust the defense of the nation to several major imperial clan princes, and there was no objection from within the dynasty to this. Only Xu Xiao, a prince granted a fiefdom despite not being of the imperial clan, drew criticism from both court and commoners. Originally, besides Gu Jiantang, who was hoped to guard the frontier, many civil officials and strategists wished for the Prince of Yanla, whose bravery was no less than Xu Xiao's, to move his forces to Northern Liang. However, in the end, neither Gu Jiantang nor the Prince of Yanla were able to lead troops to the north. Although the princes held immense power and prestige, a set of "Laws for Imperial Princes" imposed numerous restrictions on them. The closer a prince's fiefdom was to the capital, the stricter the rules. For example, Prince Zhao Ying of Huainan in Xiong Province, and Prince Zhao Sui of Jiaodong in Liangliao, were particularly constrained. Many of their imperial relatives, including princes and grandsons, were often punished and even demoted to commoner status. As for the Prince of Yanla, imperial regulations strictly forbade him from easily entering the capital. Even when the former emperor passed away, the current emperor cited ancestral precepts as the reason for refusing the Prince of Yanla's request to enter the capital. It was rumored that this prince performed a remote sacrifice facing north, to the point of coughing up blood and fainting, remaining bedridden for months. His profound filial piety caused northern scholars, who previously held a very negative impression of this arrogant and violent prince, to express deep regret and sympathy.

In Magu City, Xiong Province, the governor, military inspector, and all other civil and military officials traveled thirty li outside the city, forming a grand procession solely to greet a person passing through Xiong Province. Prince Liu Ying of Huainan did not leave the city. According to the "Laws for Imperial Princes," a prince was forbidden from leaving his fiefdom without authorization. Even for visiting ancestral tombs or engaging in spring/autumn hunts, permission had to be sought through the provincial governor's petition to the capital and officially approved before travel was permitted. Otherwise, all officials of the province would face severe repercussions. The Prince of Jiaodong once tested this rule, resulting in the governor of Jinzhou being dismissed outright, and the military inspector and other generals being transferred out of Liangliao, demoted two ranks, and exiled to the southern border under the jurisdiction of the Prince of Yanla. Furthermore, the first article of the "Laws for Imperial Princes" stipulated, "Two princes shall not meet." Prince Liu Ying of Huainan was renowned for his strict adherence to rules, never daring to overstep imperial boundaries. Even when his descendants occasionally violated regulations and were punished, the gentle and refined Prince of Huainan never spoke out. This adherence to rules, a blend of fortune and misfortune, made Liu Ying the prince who met the emperor most frequently, receiving abundant rewards.

Over a dozen Northern Liang "hawk-dogs," all once renowned in the martial world, surrounded a carriage. Among them were Fan Zhenhai, who had once sliced off the head of the owner of Zijin Villa with a single saber, Han Laozan, a fellow disciple of the elder martial arts grandmaster "Spear Immortal" Wang Xiu, and the one-eyed Yang Chunting, covered in poisonous weapons and reputed to defeat all Vajra realm masters. Three hundred heavily armored cavalry advanced with thundering hooves. Yao Baifeng, the governor of Xiong Province, along with everyone else, bowed respectfully. The curtain was not lifted, nor did anyone step out of the carriage. Only a hoarse voice commanded, "Enter the city." No one dared to show even a hint of resentment!

It should be known that Yao Baifeng was a leading figure among scholars in the three northern provinces and the head of the influential Yao clan of Xiong Province. When Grand Chancellor Zhang Julu was still a palace eunuch, he had frequently sought academic guidance from Governor Yao. For five generations, the Yao family had produced preeminent Neo-Confucian scholars. The "Five Heroes of the Yao School," from first proposing the concept of "intuitive virtue" to "investigating things to gain knowledge" and then "exhausting principles from things," represented a continuous lineage. Their teachings, alongside the "Zhu School of Neo-Confucianism" from the Shangyin Academy in the south, were renowned as the "Dual Pillars of the Nation," complementing each other across north and south, and had always been favored and esteemed by emperors throughout history. Yao Baifeng had dedicated his life to transforming his family's learning into national scholarship, and his disciples were found throughout the land. Yet, despite such a transcendent status, he still bowed his head to the warrior in the carriage who didn't even bother to show his face. No wonder the Neo-Confucian masters lacked backbone; most of the ten most prominent clans in the empire had been eliminated by this "Butcher"—who wouldn't be afraid?! Moreover, when he took a concubine at the age of sixty, the puritanical scholars merely considered it a romantic tale of a virtuous man winning a beautiful woman. Yet, the "Butcher" bluntly called him a shameless old man. Upon hearing this, Grandmaster Yao was so enraged that he closed his doors and refused visitors for six months, only resuming his lectures after being persuaded by his disciples and senior students.

Inside Magu City, Prince Liu Ying of Huainan stood barefoot, with disheveled hair draped over his shoulders. He dismissed his servants and stood alone, drunk and muttering to himself in a small pavilion, appearing somewhat insane.

As they approached the city gate, the King of Northern Liang, who had been called an "old scoundrel," slightly hunched his back, lifted the curtain, and glanced sideways at the elderly Yao Baifeng, asking, "You old reprobate, Yao, where is Liu Ying?" It was indeed Xu Xiao, the King of Northern Liang, who merely squinted and hummed in acknowledgment.

As the cavalcade passed through Magu City's central avenue, everyone knelt on the ground, not daring to look up. However, every short distance, shouts rang out, continuous and unnerving, making the scalp of Yao Baifeng and the other officials tingle.

"Jinzhou Eighteenth Veteran Camp, Qingshan Battalion, foot soldier Zhu Zhen, greets the Grand General!""Liaoxi Tianguan Camp, cavalryman Song Gong, greets the Grand General!""Pipa Camp, archer Gong Duankang, greets the Grand General!"

At this moment, Yao Baifeng and the others involuntarily recalled the concluding lines of "The Resplendent Northern Liang Spirit-Suppressing Song," which truly exuded a terrifying aura: "Xu Xiao, alive, is a hero among men; Xu Xiao, dead, is a hero among ghosts. He laughs as he goes to Fengdu to recruit old subordinates; with a million banners, he slays the King of Hell!"