Chapter 863: Heavenly Strong Wind

The sun rose, brilliant and righteous, ushering in the dawn.

Day broke, and a flying sword arrived before its wielder.

Xu Yanbing looked into the distance and sneered, "It seems they come with ill intentions."

For the first time, Xu Fengnian seemed somewhat distracted. By all accounts, he should not have felt such apprehension, akin to 'fear of nearing home.' To suggest that the opponent's aggressive approach made him wary would be laughable. He had already witnessed such preemptive displays of sword qi and intent, whether it was the piercing sword qi of Huang Qing, Beimang's top swordsman, or the magnificent sword qi of Qi Jiajie from Liyang Capital, showcased in Taoshu Town at the foot of Wudang Mountain. In fact, Xu Fengnian had encountered numerous martial arts grandmasters wielding swords, from the early days of Old Huang and the old man in sheepskin, to Deng Tai'a, who used flying swords to slay celestials by the East Sea, Song Nianqing, who rode into the city with his horse and sword to face death, and even the Old Ancestor of the Wu Family Sword Tomb. Xu Fengnian had long since reached a point where nothing could surprise him. Yet, for some unknown reason, he felt a tremor of unease upon encountering this particular sword, which had traveled a hundred li through the air to visit their military camp.

Just as the world was tinged with the pale hues of dawn, the hazy sky resembled a sheet of Xuan paper, and that sword, precisely, drew an impossibly straight horizontal line across it.

Xu Yanbing asked, "Your Highness, shall I go intercept it? Though the sword qi is formidable, it's still slightly inferior to Deng Tai'a's, and at best on par with someone like Chai Qingshan. It certainly won't hinder our army's advance."

Xu Fengnian, seemingly changing the subject, said, "It's Lü Dantain, the last surviving swordsman grandmaster of Western Chu."

Xu Yanbing was momentarily unsure of Xu Fengnian's thoughts, so he refrained from acting impulsively. Now that the opponent's identity was confirmed, Xu Yanbing didn't believe a single Lü Dantain from Western Chu could pose any threat. Even without him and the young prince personally leading, the Grand Snow Dragon Cavalry still had Yuan Zuozong, who had concealed his true abilities for years, and the Wu family's hundred riders, each with a sword. If he truly attempted to force his way in, ten Lü Dantains would gain nothing. Furthermore, the Beiliang Cavalry's current southward expedition into the Central Plains was nothing short of a godsend for Western Chu, which was fighting a desperate battle. Lü Dantain's sword strike was likely just an impulse typical of a martial arts grandmaster, a mere provocation without any intent to fight to the death.

Xu Yanbing, now with a leisurely air, chuckled, "I've heard this man started practicing swordplay as a child, but his aptitude was extremely poor. In his early years, he sought out all the sects of Great Chu, but none would accept him as a disciple. Who would have thought he'd be a late bloomer? Relying on sheer stubborn persistence, he finally achieved mastery in swordsmanship at the age of forty. Then, observing the Guangling River from a boat, he comprehended a sword technique; climbing a mountain to watch the sunrise, he comprehended another; and climbing a tower to view the vast sea, he comprehended yet another. It's said that after Western Chu's downfall, he retired to the mountains and forests. But now, with Western Chu's restoration, most of his clan's disciples have joined the army, and he himself has emerged from seclusion to serve as the commander of the Imperial Guards in Western Chu's capital. This sword, riding the wind with purple qi rising, must be the 'Sun-Viewing Sword' that Lü Dantain accidentally perfected in his sixties."

Xu Fengnian's mood seemed to improve slightly, though his smile remained a little strained and forced. "I truly admire these senior masters," he said. "They can even increase their power just by appreciating a view. I'm not like that; mine is all beaten into me by others."

Xu Yanbing teased, "Your Highness, even I feel a bit stung hearing that. Wouldn't all of us warriors who've endured the Spring and Autumn Wars, now getting on in years, have lived our lives in vain?"

Xu Fengnian said self-deprecatingly, "It's the same for me. When I look at Yu Dilong and the others now, I also feel like an old hand."

The sun rose in the east, and purple qi drifted from the east.

The sword, having traversed more than half its hundred-li journey, suddenly accelerated, tracing a wonderfully beautiful downward arc through the morning glow.

Xu Yanbing squinted at the flying sword, hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, "Your Highness, what are you worried about?"

Xu Fengnian said softly, "I'm afraid it might be a wasted trip."

Xu Fengnian rubbed his hands for warmth. "Perhaps I was wrong," he mused. "I shouldn't have acted on impulse and brought the Beiliang Cavalry to Guangling Province."

Xu Yanbing shook his head. "Your Highness, if that's what you're thinking, you're mistaken. When the cavalry crossed the border this time, old veterans like Yan Wenluan, Gu Dazhu, and Zhou Kang certainly had their concerns at first. They might not have been as unconditionally supportive as Yuan Zuozong and Chu Lushan. But for middle-ranking generals like Pang Jianrui and Niu Qianzhu, this is a dream assignment. After enduring twenty years in the Northwest, losing men on the front lines while also facing ridicule from the rear, they finally get the chance to flaunt their might at someone else's doorstep. It's a chance to vent some frustration, and even if they fall in battle outside the pass later, it won't feel so stifling. This is simply human nature... Your Highness, the flying sword is now only thirty li away. Are you still not going to act?"

Xu Fengnian's melancholic mood lifted, and he chuckled, "What's the harm in waiting a bit longer?"

Yuan Zuozong appeared in the distance. Xu Fengnian waved his hand, and Yuan Zuozong, understanding implicitly, went to order the Grand Snow Dragon Cavalry units to remain at their posts and ignore the uninvited guest.

When the flying sword approached within about ten li of the cavalry's encampment, it suddenly accelerated forward again, swift as a young flood dragon making its first surge through a river.

The momentum was immense. Initially, there was a sound in the sky like distant firecrackers, barely audible, but soon it grew increasingly piercing, finally becoming like thunder right beside their ears.

Xu Fengnian extended both hands, pressing them onto the Beiliang Blade and the River-Crossing Pawn at his left and right hips respectively.

Just as tensions mounted, Xu Fengnian suddenly released his blade hilt. Simultaneously, the tip of the flying sword, which had been streaking directly towards the camp, pressed down slightly and embedded itself into the ground. The long sword, half-buried, was no more than ten paces from Xu Fengnian. It remained perfectly still, yet purple sword qi still swirled around its blade, shimmering with brilliant light.

After a brief moment, a tall old man in plain cloth robes strode into the camp. He carried a long, cloth-wrapped object on his back. Stopping fifty paces from Xu Fengnian and Xu Yanbing, he looked around, clearly surprised. Not a single soldier had come to "greet" him, which left the old man, who had been expecting a fight, feeling rather disappointed and frustrated. The old man had white eyebrows and a white beard; his features were refined like a southerner's, but his build was that of a robust northerner. The aura of a grandmaster emanated from him. He glanced at the young prince whose name he had heard so often over the past two years that his ears were almost calloused. Then, with a cold snort and a flick of his hand, the long sword embedded in the ground immediately shot up and flew back into its dark scabbard at his waist.

From beginning to end, Xu Fengnian's gaze remained fixed on the object the old man carried on his back.

This Western Chu swordsman grandmaster's status in the martial world of Great Chu back then was akin to that of Qi Jiajie of Liyang, who would later dominate Tai'an City with a single sword. He was considered to be of the same generation as National Preceptor Li Mi and Grand Tutor Sun Xiji. Even Cao Changqing should have shown him the respect due to a senior disciple.

Lü Dantain, with a full, resonant voice, asked in a deep, knowing tone, "You brat, are you Xu Fengnian, the Prince of Beiliang?"

Xu Fengnian slightly withdrew his gaze, looking at the old man who seemed to be there to demand an explanation, and said in a gentle tone, "I am."

Lü Dantain untied the ropes, took down the cotton-wrapped object from his back, and stood it heavily in front of him. He sneered, "You Xu brat, you don't even dare to take one of my sword strikes. How are you one of the Four Martial Grandees? What, is it just because you have a hundred Wu family lackeys following you, along with the ten thousand Beiliang cavalry Xu Xiao left you, that you have the guts to come and flaunt your power in our Central Plains?"

Xu Fengnian retorted, "Where is she?"

Lü Dantain, not receiving an answer, was enraged. He barely managed to suppress his seething fury, his voice booming like a great bell, "None of your business, coward!"

After the old man's words, only occasional whinnies from warhorses broke the exceptional silence in the camp.

But the sword at Lü Dantain's waist was already vibrating incessantly, and the old man stared at the middle-aged man beside the young prince as if facing a formidable enemy.

Xu Fengnian extended his arm, blocking Xu Yanbing, and continued to ask, "If you want to return something, let her come herself. Please, senior, take the item back..."

Lü Dantain rudely interrupted, sneering, "You brat, are you worthy to order me around? Or to give His Majesty instructions?"

Xu Fengnian said sternly, "Senior, please return home."

The word 'please' was enunciated with heavy emphasis.

Lü Dantain reacted as if he'd heard a tremendous joke, his thumb gently caressing his sword hilt. "Do you know this sword at my waist?" he scoffed. "It was forged in the Mountain and Sea Sword Forge by the Guangling River, originally named 'Great River.' After the Battle of Xileibi, I renamed it 'Slay Xu.' It's a pity His Majesty personally led this expedition, and our Great Chu's million-strong army has re-garrisoned Xileibi. Hearing that your Beiliang Cavalry is about to enter Guangling, His Majesty did not wish to see you and incidentally instructed me to return an old item to Beiliang, while also forbidding me from launching a massacre. Otherwise, that sword strike just now would have advanced five more paces."

Xu Fengnian frowned. "Are you finished?"

Lü Dantain continued to provoke, "So what if I'm finished? Do you dare to fight me? If you don't, what can you, Xu Fengnian, do even if I say ten or a hundred more sentences?"

Xu Yanbing said expressionlessly, "In the Battle of Xileibi, sixteen direct descendants of the Lü clan died in battle. And your in-laws, the Ma clan, lost over a hundred men, all killed in action."

Lü Dantain, whose old wound had been exposed, bristled, a murderous intent immediately flaring as his five fingers tightened around his sword hilt.

Xu Fengnian sighed, "You should leave."

Lü Dantain roared, "Xu Fengnian, as the Prince of Beiliang and one of the world's renowned martial arts grandmasters, why fear a fight?!"

The next moment, Lü Dantain was wide-eyed with shock. He dared not move, nor utter another word.

Right before his eyes, indeed, two fingers, held like a sword, were barely an inch from the old man's glabella.

If the sword at his waist had advanced five paces earlier, it would have had a 'chance' to cleave off the young prince's head. But now, if Xu Fengnian's two fingers advanced just an inch, they could pierce his skull.

The disparity in their martial attainments was like heaven and earth.

At that moment, the caught-off-guard Lü Dantain finally understood a simple truth: the seemingly agreeable young man before him wasn't feigning a good temper because he was a soft target.

Xu Fengnian said slowly, word by word, "Take the sword box back to the Xileibi battlefield and return the Daliang Dragon Sparrow Sword to Jiang Ni. How about that?"

Lü Dantain gritted his teeth, refusing to speak even if it killed him. This humiliation, coupled with his utter powerlessness, left the preeminent swordsman of Western Chu utterly disheartened. It turned out that a certain commentary in the martial arts rankings was indeed true: any martial artist in the world, as long as they had not ascended to the realm of a Land Immortal—even if they had reached the Celestial Phenomenon realm with its vast aura—would be no different from someone in the Finger-Mystery or Vajra realms, or even a second-rank junior grandmaster, when facing these four: Xu Fengnian, Cao Changqing, Deng Tai'a, and Tuoba Pusa. All would be helpless, awaiting death.

Xu Fengnian withdrew his conjoined fingers. "A hundred-li flying sword, senior, you've certainly displayed your might," he said. "Now, please help me convey a message to your Empress: I, Xu Fengnian, will go find her, and we can speak face to face."

Although Lü Dantain looked dejected, he had no intention of backing down. He glared fiercely, "Xu Fengnian, I brought the item here, and I won't take it back! If you're capable, then take the sword box yourself, break through Wu Zhongxuan's army defenses, and through the formidable iron cavalry of my Great Chu!"

Xu Fengnian dismissed it with a smile. "Very well," he said.

Yuan Zuozong smiled faintly from nearby. "Go ahead without worry," he said. "Figures like Xu Gong don't require Your Highness to personally enter the fray and slay enemies."

Xu Yanbing chuckled, "Do you want me, or perhaps a few men from the Wu family's hundred riders, to accompany you?"

Xu Fengnian shook his head. "No need," he said.

Yuan Zuozong and Xu Yanbing exchanged a knowing smile and nodded.

Xu Fengnian's face suddenly brightened with a brilliant smile. "In today's world," he declared, "where can't I go?"

Xu Yanbing clicked his tongue. "Those words truly invite a beating," he remarked.

Yuan Zuozong wore an expression of profound agreement.

Watching the three Beiliang men's casual demeanor, Lü Dantain, who had been left aside, felt a very strange sensation.

There was both the renewed hatred, as if seeing the Xu family's iron cavalry once more, and also the grudging acknowledgment that a true hero would indeed act in such a manner.

Xu Fengnian no longer paid attention to the swordsman grandmaster, who was a mix of emotions. He turned, and with two fingers, gently tugged at a corner of the cotton cloth wrapping the sword box, revealing the true appearance of the red sandalwood sword box. A flicker of daze appeared in his eyes, but his expression quickly firmed. After a brief thought, Xu Fengnian murmured to himself, "Wait."

A moment later, the person was gone, and the box remained.

A muffled rumble, far grander in scale than Lü Dantain's earlier single sword, sounded in the sky.

The rumbling roar was like a firecracker thousands of zhang long in the sky, bidding farewell to the old year for the Central Plains.

Lü Dantain's face was filled with shock.

The old man then let out a bitter laugh, looking down at the long sword that had hung at his side for forty years. "Old friend," he murmured, "I'm sorry."

The dejected Lü Dantain also immediately left the encampment after Xu Fengnian.

As the old man swept away, a thought surfaced in his mind: it was time to truly leave the martial world.

A long sword, within the magnificent vista of high heavens and vast lands, fell to the ground like a strand of silk.

Many years later, an nameless soldier, who had earlier decided to leave the Guangling Province battlefield, fortuitously found a discarded sword in the deep mountains. Later, as he cut a swath through the martial world, the famous sword he wielded was precisely the one engraved with the characters 'Slay Xu' on its blade. Many more years passed, and this swordsman grandmaster, who was then like the sun at its zenith in the southern martial world, traveled north to challenge Yu Dilong, who was by then undeniably the foremost martial artist in the world. As a result, the sword in his hand was forcibly broken. It was precisely because of this incident that Gou Youfang, a wandering scholar who was a close friend of this swordsman, emerged unexpectedly, appearing for the first time in the martial world's view. He had his first peak battle with his fated rival, Yu Dilong. After that, Yu Dilong and the regretfully defeated Gou Youfang made a ten-year pact. For the next sixty years, each of them dominated for thirty years.

However, in the current martial world, Yu Dilong was still merely a scout squad leader in the Youzhou cavalry, and Gou Youfang was just a young boy selling steamed buns in Wudi City.

Furthermore, the four supreme figures—Xu Fengnian, Cao Changqing, Deng Tai'a, and Tuoba Pusa—stood tall in the martial world. And ten great masters, including Xu Yanbing and Gu Jiantang, presented formidable obstacles to the younger generation of martial artists.

At this moment, Yuan Zuozong said worriedly, "Do you think His Highness might first take a detour to Guangling River?"

Xu Yanbing nodded. "Are you saying he'll go find Chen Zhibao first?" he asked. "I think he will."

Then Xu Yanbing patted Yuan Zuozong's shoulder. "Shouldn't Chen Zhibao be the one worrying about his own situation?" he asked.

Yuan Zuozong smiled knowingly. "That's true," he conceded.

The mountains and rivers of the Central Plains were winding and magnificent. On the Guangling River, tall tower ships flew their battle flags, fluttering in the wind.

On a flagship in the middle of the river, standing out like a crane among chickens, a white-robed man emerged from the cabin, carrying a long spear in his hand.

Mei Zijiu.

At this moment, the river surged.

A strong wind blew from the heavens.

An immortal crossed south.