Chapter 844: Outside the Building, the Sun Is Just Warm

North of Liang Pass, a grand city rose from the flat ground. Further south of this new city, just officially named Jubi, a small market emerged, giving the impression of tall buildings sprouting from flat land. Though small, it had everything: restaurants, teahouses, inns, pawnshops, and gambling dens. Merchants and peddlers came here to seek business, scholars traveled from afar to the border, martial artists gathered with friends, storytellers performed, and some women engaged in illicit trades.

There was much discussion about the new city's name. Wealthy visitors from other regions felt 'Jubi City' lacked impact, preferring the more decisive 'Saman City,' which had been highly popular. Scholars from the imperial academy, not yet holding official positions in Beiliang, generally considered 'Jingguan City' more appropriate. Although it carried a heavier aura of death, after spending over a year in the northwest, these scholars had adopted local customs, becoming influenced by the Liang people's ways, much like clear spring water turning cloudy like turbid wine after flowing into a sand pit.

Jubi City, which began construction in early Xiangfu Year 2, was of paramount importance to Beiliang, both strategically and symbolically. Rumors circulated that not only would the Protectorate General's office relocate from Huaiyang Pass to the new city by year-end, but a newly appointed Liangzhou deputy would also establish an official yamen there, becoming an 'outside-the-pass prefect' with full military and administrative authority over Liangzhou. Despite Jubi City's significance, the elite border troops stationed around it maintained a 'strict in the north, relaxed in the south' deployment. This was evident from the lack of patrolling cavalry in the market. Initially, visiting scholars were puzzled, but they understood after a local merchant explained that battles raged outside the pass while peace prevailed within, a situation that had lasted for over twenty years in Beiliang.

Approaching noon, with the scorching sun overhead, Xu Fengnian walked alone through the market, nicknamed 'Little Sparrow Town.' He had no White Horse Cavalier guards, not even Xu Yanbing, accompanying him. Most of the market residents were outsiders. Apart from the common people of Liangzhou's provincial capital and veteran Beiliang figures like Yan Wenluan, few ordinary Beiliang citizens truly knew the new King of Liang's appearance. Tens of thousands of Hu Tou City soldiers knew him, but sadly, they had all fallen in battle, including their commander Liu Jinu. The Youzhou Ten Thousand Cavalry, who served as Xu Fengnian's comrades, also knew him well, but over half of them were casualties in the second Battle of Hulu Pass, and none of them, except Yu Luandao, would be present here.

At this moment, Xu Fengnian's face was somewhat pale, a lingering effect from the battle at the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. Qi Jiajie's sword energy, after being 'transferred' and regulated by Xuanyuan Qingfeng, had been suppressed in three vital points. This was the prerequisite for Xu Fengnian to fight vigorously against Deng Tai'e and Cao Changqing at the Xiamianwei Inn. Now, like a bursting dam, it coursed freely within his body, like an army passing through, iron cavalry thundering across the ground. Xu Fengnian's body seemed to rumble with muffled drums and thunder. If a Taoist Grand Master skilled in internal observation were to experience this, they would likely despair completely of achieving immortality.

Xu Fengnian chose a bustling restaurant and took a seat. During his three journeys into the martial world, both the first and last times, he had lived frugally, knowing well the saying 'a single copper coin can vex a hero.' He was accustomed to feeling secure with money in hand. Weighing his money pouch, Xu Fengnian ordered a pot of wine, two bowls of rice, and three dishes. He sat by the window, having put away his Liangdao saber and dressed in plain clothes, appearing like any ordinary scholar traveling to the border.

The restaurant was small but popular. As more diners crowded in, some sought to share tables. The waiter, looking apologetic, came to Xu Fengnian, who smiled and nodded, saying it was fine, but requested that two pots of 'green ant wine' be charged at the price of one. The waiter quickly calculated in his mind that it was still profitable, and took it upon himself to agree on behalf of the owner.

Five people shared Xu Fengnian's table: one woman and four men. The four men had strikingly different demeanors, a mix of gallant heroes and scholars, and it was unclear how they came to be together. The heroism was obvious, like one tall man in his thirties whose sword sheath was made of gold. The scholarly air was equally evident: besides their scholar's caps and robes, each carried a folding fan of rosewood with gold flecks, and their fan pendants were made of agarwood (qinan), a material worth a thousand gold pieces. However, Xu Fengnian's discerning eye noticed that one's agarwood pendant was a "honey knot" while the other's was an inferior "iron knot," immediately revealing the disparity in their family backgrounds; the latter was clearly trying to keep up appearances. The table had four long benches. The two gallant men and two scholars sat side-by-side to Xu Fengnian's left and right, while only the young, beautiful woman sat alone opposite him.

As the saying goes, 'a person relies on clothes, a Buddha on gold.' They probably didn't think much of the plainly dressed Xu Fengnian, speaking freely. The woman had a soft, gentle Jiangnan accent and spoke little, not echoing the men. The two men with the strong heroic aura had a Jizhou accent and a Liaodong accent respectively, while the scholars were from Qingzhou in the Central Plains and Jianzhou in the southeast.

The four men discussed both the world's political situation and martial arts gossip. Their opinions on the Liyang imperial court were mixed; they considered the frequent rotation of chief officials in the capital's ministries a new trend of the Xiangfu dynasty. Unfortunately, they felt generals like Lu Shengxiang were incompetent, allowing the Guangling Dao rebels to grow strong. However, they all agreed that the Liyang dynasty was undoubtedly moving towards its peak. Firstly, Beiliang had defeated Beiman, solidifying the northwestern gateway. Secondly, Gu Jiantang's Two Liaos border army had finally taken the initiative, achieving a series of morale-boosting victories. Before this, the elite troops under the two Zhao princely kings who liked to compete with Beiliang's cavalry—Prince Yan Chi Zhao Bing and Prince Guangling Zhao Yi—had been deeply disappointing. Fortunately, Grand Pillar State Gu Jiantang stepped forward at this critical time, bringing a sense of relief to the court and common people, proving that Liyang was not without others who could contend with the Beiman barbarians besides the Beiliang border army.

Among their discussions, when the Two Liaos and Xu Gong, the Vice Minister of War who patrolled the borders on behalf of the Emperor, were mentioned, the scholar from the Central Plains nonchalantly stated that his father's generation had an extremely close relationship with Vice Minister Xu. They were classmates in their youth and later colleagues. When General Longxiang entered the capital for his appointment, several of his father's generation were among those seeing him off, and they still exchanged letters to this day. Upon hearing this, the woman, who had occasionally glanced at Xu Fengnian, suddenly regained her haughty demeanor.

Xu Fengnian ate slowly, savoring each bite, but even two bowls of rice and three dishes would eventually be finished. Fortunately, he still had a pot of green ant wine nearby. He put down his chopsticks, opened the wine pot himself, and poured a cup. In fact, it wasn't just his table engaging in grand discussions; nine out of ten people in the restaurant were commenting on affairs of state, eating dishes and drinking wine costing two or three taels of silver per table, while concerning themselves with matters of the Tai'an City Imperial Palace or Beiliang's Qingliang Mountain Princely Manor. Xu Fengnian listened with a faint smile to the bustling discussions around him. He raised his wine cup and turned to gaze at the beautiful sunny day outside the window.

At some point, the Jianzhou scholar holding the iron-knot agarwood pendant carved with a Maitreya Buddha spoke of the new King of Liang, whom he had never met. Perhaps he was drunk, or perhaps he deliberately tried to impress the woman he fancied with shocking remarks, for his words became quite aggressive. After draining his cup, he scoffed, "Everyone knows that the eldest son of the old King of Liang, the Crown Prince, was a complete scoundrel in his early years, notorious for over a decade of profligacy. His first public appearance was when the old King of Liang had him participate in the military parade outside Beiliang Pass before his death, clearly paving the way for his hereditary succession to the Beiliang kingship. Now, the common folk in Beiliang say that when the new King of Liang served as Prince and General of Lingzhou, he severely dealt with Zhong Hongwu, the Huaihua Grand General who had retired to civilian life, much to everyone's satisfaction. But is that truly how it was?"

The beautiful woman asked curiously, "Young Master Song, what do you mean by that?"

The young scholar sneered, "It was merely 'beating the bush to startle the snake' and 'pulling down the bridge after crossing the river.' Ultimately, wasn't it the old King of Liang, fearing his son wouldn't command respect, who secretly instructed Li Gongde, then serving in Lingzhou, to deal with Zhong Hongwu as a warning to others? Otherwise, with Xu Fengnian's status and reputation at the time, would he truly dare to challenge the revered and powerful commander-in-chief of Beiliang's cavalry? Everyone knows Grand General Zhong Hongwu had countless protégés in the border army; moreover, Lingzhou, the wealthiest region in Beiliang, was even jokingly called the 'Zhong family's backyard.' Beiliang first forced Zhong Hongwu to leave the border army, then apprehended this old military leader, and simultaneously, in the subsequent military reforms in Beiliang, they left the border army untouched while only reforming the garrison troops within the territory. This was all done in one go. If one says this wasn't the old King of Liang's plan before his death, who would believe it?"

The young man who claimed a long-standing family friendship with Vice Minister Xu smiled and nodded, saying, "One might say it was 'killing an old tiger to warn the fierce ones.' Zhong Hongwu was out of position, like a toothless tiger. It was perfectly suitable for the old King of Liang to use him as a 'sacrifice' for his eldest son. Similarly, Yan Wenluan, another grand general of the Beiliang border army and the 'local emperor' of Youzhou, held military power over Youzhou at the time. Did the old King of Liang touch him? Did that Crown Prince dare to touch him? The fact is, Xu Fengnian never even went to Youzhou before his succession! Why choose Lingzhou? Because compared to Youzhou, where civil officials' words held sway over military generals, here, civil officials could contend with powerful military families. Moreover, with Li Gongde having secured the position of Military Commissioner and concurrently serving as the Prefect of Lingzhou, how could he not serve the Xu family to the death? To be precise, the true underlying plot behind the three events Young Master Song mentioned, all accomplished in one go, was Li Gongde, the Military Commissioner who also served as Prefect of Lingzhou at the time. If I were Zhong Hongwu, I would have been wary long ago."

The two gallant men could boast eloquently about the martial world, but when it came to officialdom and court affairs, they were stumped. Yet, they found the discussion chillingly intriguing. They exchanged smiles; after all, wasn't a scholar's brush a blade in his hand?

The scholar surnamed Song readily agreed, continuing his sarcastic remarks: "Regardless of whether Xu Fengnian's status as a Grand Master is true or false, let's just talk about the Youzhou Ten Thousand Cavalry appearing outside Hulu Pass. Nowadays, Beiliang people say this act has the style of Xu Xiao. But among the great figures in the world today, does anyone truly lead from the front on the battlefield? Even if they do, it would be a valiant general capable of facing ten thousand men. Is it truly appropriate for Xu Fengnian, as a princely king, to act this way? Does he not know that if he were to die outside the pass, Beiliang would not need to be defended at all? Did the old King of Liang and his three hundred thousand iron cavalry defend the northwestern gate for twenty years just so Xu Fengnian could act impetuously to gain a few good names for himself?"

At this point, the young scholar burst into laughter. "Beiliang people say that Grand General Xu Xiao never feared a bad reputation, and that Xu Xiao once said the Liyang people's curses could fill thousands of large vats, enough to wash his feet for generations. It seems now that while Xu Xiao might indeed not fear ill repute, his son truly wishes to be remembered in history, and only with a good name!"

The other young scholar deftly snapped open his folding fan. "The new King of Liang and the new Beiliang! The brave act of refusing imperial edicts certainly won countless hearts in Beiliang, impressive! But I wonder if it was Xu Beizhi's intention or Chen Xiliang's strategy. In my opinion, without Xu Beizhi's extensive grain procurement in Lingzhou and Chen Xiliang's strategic planning in Qingcang City of Liuzhou, Beiliang, even with its famed three hundred thousand iron cavalry border army, would not have been able to withstand Beiman's million-strong army."

Scholars, naturally, are partial to other scholars. Of course, provided there are no direct conflicts of fame or interest between them. Otherwise, scholars harming scholars is even more insidious than bloodshed.

Xu Fengnian slowly drank his wine. The two young men's meaning was simple: he owed his current position as King of Liang to his father Xu Xiao and Li Yishan, and the defense of the pass to Xu Beizhi and Chen Xiliang. As for himself, he was merely wandering aimlessly in Beiliang, seeking fame and deceiving the populace. Xu Fengnian wasn't angry in the slightest; instead, he felt somewhat happy. At least these two visiting scholars acknowledged that the Xu family, across two generations, had defended the northwest.

The gallant man with the gold-sheathed sword lowered his voice, carefully saying, "Young Masters, walls have ears. I hear the intelligence agents of Beiliang's Fushui Chamber have exceptionally sharp ears."

The Jianzhou scholar surnamed Song burst into laughter. "No matter! If they arrest us, they arrest us. It would only prove that Xu Fengnian's magnanimity is insufficient to be a powerful princely king guarding such an important northwestern region!"

Xu Fengnian immediately looked at this man with new respect. There were many Fushui Chamber agents in this small town, all experienced veterans. This fellow's remark, seemingly uninhibited, was actually a protective charm for himself. If the 'Xu Fengnian' who merely sought fame were to learn of this, he should simply laugh it off. Perhaps he would even spend a fortune to win over people and give the visiting scholars a satisfactory explanation.

Xu Fengnian sighed, lowered his head, and took a sip of wine. Although these people at the table were deeply immersed in the martial world, his mind inexplicably turned to the Spring God Lake. There, a young man named He Zhu, who had just entered the martial world, died. He held a grudge against the Xu family of Beiliang, yet, to repay a kindness to the Jia family, he went to Kuai Xue Mountain Villa, severely wounded, to deliver a message to Xu Fengnian, ultimately dying there. A vow worth a thousand gold pieces, lightly regards life and death.

Xu Fengnian held such people in immense respect. In the depths of his heart, he placed individuals like He Zhu second only to Old Huang and the Old Man in Sheepskin, even above Deng Tai'a, the Peach Blossom Sword God. It's not about who you are, but what you do. It's not about what grand feat you accomplished; rather, if you, in your circumstances, did something I could not, then I, Xu Fengnian, would genuinely admire you. What would it matter to pour wine for you and toast you if we shared a table?

During his second journey into the martial world, there was a swordsman attendant named Lu Qiantang, who, before his death, cursed Xu Fengnian, calling him 'that son of a bitch Crown Prince.' The meaning was simple: If you weren't the Crown Prince of Beiliang, not Xu Xiao's son, and if Tingchao Pavilion didn't have the secret manuals I wanted, would I fight to the death for you? Thus, when Xu Fengnian scattered Lu Qiantang's ashes into the Guangling River according to his dying wish, he still felt a pang of guilt.

Therefore, Xu Fengnian always believed that the female martial artist who was too shy to spar with others due to her ample chest, the woman who showed kindness even when he and Wen Hua were down and out, was a true heroine. Li Chungang's martial world was vast, encompassing his entire life. So, when the sword arrived at Daxueping, it was for Lv Pao'er. When he broke the armor by the Guangling River, it was for the green-robed swordsman whose style once surpassed all others, simply to leave no regrets for those two. When he borrowed a sword from a thousand li before his death, it was to personally refute the saying, 'If Heaven had not given birth to Li Chungang, the Way of the Sword would be an eternal night.'

Old Huang's martial world was small. He died on the ramparts of Wudi City for his master, Sui Xiegou, who loved to eat swords, proving to his master that he had a decent disciple. More significantly, it was for the young man whom he was willing to call 'Young Master,' the young man he had wandered the martial world with for six thousand li, the old man with missing teeth carrying a sword box, who never treated Xu Fengnian as a Crown Prince, but rather like a junior.

When Wen Hua broke his sword and left the martial world, he surely regarded Xu Fengnian simply as Xu Fengnian, just the sworn brother and good-for-nothing friend with whom he had slogged through the martial world. It was because of these martial artists that Xu Fengnian lent his saber to the child yearning for the martial world at Daoma Pass, that he killed out of rage for Qingzhu Niang in Beiman, and that he held no hatred for the demonic couple Yatoulu. So, as these people gradually left the martial world, Xu Fengnian became one of the Four Grandmasters of Martial Arts, yet ironically, he became indifferent to the martial world itself.

Xu Fengnian always held kindness in his heart towards this world, towards this martial world. Like the sun outside the restaurant, during peaceful times, everyone blames it for the scorching heat of summer. But when winter arrives, the sun does not fail to appear because of people's summer resentment; instead, it continues to bring warmth.