Chapter 884: Wild Grass

Xu Fengnian headed east along the line of Hutou City, then turned into Hulukou, and again heard the wind passing through Wogong City, like a mournful wail.

After meeting Yan Wenluan, Chen Yunshui, and other Youzhou generals in Xiaguang City, he entered Daoma Pass on the border.

There, at the pebble ground where two "Jianghu masters" had once sparred, he again heard the joyful clamor of young children from the private school playing together after class.

Sitting on the low yellow mud wall, Xu Fengnian remembered Liu Nirong and Wang Dashi from the Fish-Dragon Gang, as well as Zhao Yousong, the child who lived on this land and had once borrowed his knife. He also recalled the girl with frostbitten hands who was with Zhao Yousong back then, remembering their childhood gathering, full of laughter and pleasant conversation, a memory he cherished. Finally, Xu Fengnian thought of that girl, like a wild grass in the countryside. After she joined the Jinlu Weaving Bureau in Lingzhou and after their meeting on Qingliang Mountain, she saved enough money, repaid the debt of merely one or two hundred taels of silver, and then resolutely left Liangzhou to return here.

Six years had unknowingly passed since he first left Beiliang to travel the Jianghu.

He had traveled many places, met many people, witnessed many events, and remembered many names.

Pedestrians at Daoma Pass saw a young man dressed in a green robe with a white jade pendant at his waist, looking up and staring blankly at the sky.

Yelü Dongchuang had said that if Xu Fengnian allied with him and helped him become the Emperor of Beimang, then half of the Southern Dynasty would be his "tea money" thereafter.

Not long after, Gu Jiantang secured the world's most costly prize.

Regardless of whether their words were true or false, these were grand gestures, gambling with kingdoms, extraordinary and astonishing boasts.

Xu Fengnian looked down at the wild grasses and flowers quietly growing in the cracks of the mud wall, one by one, one by one, inconspicuous and far from magnificent.

Xu Fengnian raised his head and looked towards the bustling market in the distance.

A figure in white appeared beside him. When the white-robed figure descended from the sky, not a speck of dust was stirred on the wall.

If the idea that every entity has its superior is a universal truth, then in the world today, those who could pose a fatal threat to Xu Fengnian as a Grandmaster of Martial Arts, rather than as the King of Beiliang, were few. After Cao Changqing's death, even Tuoba Pusa, if he couldn't make rapid progress in martial arts, wouldn't be counted. Only Deng Tai'a, the "Peach Blossom God," counted as half. He was "half" not because Xu Fengnian could surely defeat him, but because Deng Tai'a wandered the Jianghu freely and had no reason to fight Xu Fengnian to the death. So, all that remained was the person beside him: the sole surviving Grandmaster of Qi Cultivators in the world, Tantai Pingjing, the sect leader of Guanyin Sect, who had unknowingly gathered immense fortune.

Standing beside Xu Fengnian, she murmured to herself: "Wildfire cannot burn them all; they grow again with the spring breeze. But these are plants. People are not plants. And perhaps after some die, others who live will find life worse than death. It doesn't matter how insignificant these people are in magnificent wars, or how unremarkable they are amidst the drums of battle. I once followed my master across rivers and mountains, accustomed to seeing life and death, but that doesn't mean I can take life and death lightly."

Xu Fengnian remained silent. One leg dangled from the wall, the other bent at the knee. His arm rested on his knee, his chin propped on that arm. With the gentle breeze on his face, he narrowed his eyes, appearing calm and unconcerned.

Tantai Pingjing's gaze was cold. "Xu Fengnian, I believe you should also understand that the current world order is no longer in line with the rules. If Huang Longshi merely acted according to the trend, then you are the chief culprit, and of course, Li Yu'ax of Wudang. It's still not too late for you to stop now; perhaps you could even have a peaceful end."

Xu Fengnian smiled faintly. "According to Huang Longshi, if I, Xu Fengnian, die in battle in Beiliang, cursed by history for a hundred or a thousand years, is that what you call a peaceful end?"

Tantai Pingjing said indifferently: "They have already made concessions. If you continue to press your advantage, what does it matter if you are invincible under heaven? Don't forget, 'invincible under heaven' only means invincible in this 'world'."

Xu Fengnian neither confirmed nor denied. "If I'm not mistaken, you owe your current cultivation realm to me, don't you?"

Tantai Pingjing's eyes turned a bizarre, complete white, like two cups filled with mercury, or two worlds where heavy snow was falling.

She gently stamped her foot.

In a trance, they found themselves above the clouds. She stood aloft, controlling the wind, while Xu Fengnian maintained his previous posture.

The clouds beneath their feet gathered and dispersed. As they dispersed, great flowing ribbons, some thick, some thin, like streams, rivers, and mighty rivers, could be seen slowly coursing across the land in threads and wisps.

Xu Fengnian glanced, knowing that was the true world as seen by Qi cultivators.

Longevity is not granted for human goodness, nor is early death caused by human wickedness. An individual has life and death; a nation has rise and fall.

Xu Fengnian raised a hand, twisting a wild grass between two fingers, and said softly: "Huang Sanjia once said, 'To be born into this world, with all its myriad benefits, is but a fleeting dream.' And to cultivate to become an immortal, after a thousand years, one still needs a few cups of green wine. How long can a fleeting dream last? How much wine can a few cups hold? Plus this little grass before me, these are all small things. Anyway, I don't want to hear any grand principles right now. The grander the principle, the less I want to hear it."

Tantai Pingjing, who had reached the profound realm of unity with heaven and self-forgetfulness, sneered: "Do you truly believe Gu Jiantang will help you become emperor?"

Tantai Pingjing clasped her hands behind her back, gazing down upon all living beings and the human world's mountains and rivers, and answered her own question: "Yes, that's not false. But by then, it's likely that whoever becomes emperor will rule longer than you, Xu Fengnian. Gu Jiantang, who has now achieved great mastery and can glimpse heavenly secrets, sees this very fact, which is why he's being so 'kind' and 'generous'."

Xu Fengnian said calmly: "I guessed as much."

Tantai Pingjing continued: "In fact, you only guessed half of it. Do you think that after Li Yu'ax severs the connection between heaven and earth, you will be free from the constraints of the Heavenly Dao? But have you considered that if you and Li Yu'ax, two mere mortals, can cross the forbidden boundary, won't there be a few 'discarded pieces' in heaven willing to perish with you both? Over hundreds, even thousands of years, countless eminent figures have sought the path to immortality. Can you and Li Yu'ax truly escape this fate?"

As the two celestial beings discussed the fate of the human world high above the clouds, in Liyang, Beiliang Province, Youzhou, Yanzhi County, in the small place called Daoma Pass, there was a beautiful young woman with a slender waist and a rather striking bosom. After learning from the village children that he had appeared in the market, she bravely rushed all the way there, wanting to ask him if he would come back to her house for a simple, plain meal. She stood not far from the yellow mud wall, sweating profusely, forced to put her hands on her hips, bend down, and gasp for breath. She did not see the figure she dared not even long for.

Longing, longing... once remembered, it became unforgettable.

She knew that she and he belonged to two different worlds. This resigned understanding had been with her even before she saw him at the King of Beiliang's residence on Qingliang Mountain. After that, it only deepened.

After learning he was in Daoma Pass, she had been about to cook for Yousong. She could have asked Yousong to invite him, but she didn't. Instead, she told Yousong to wash the rice and prepare the vegetables, then she ran to the Daoma Pass market. This way, when he arrived at her home, he would have to wait for her to finish cooking before eating. She felt that no matter how busy he was, he might agree to stay for a moment near her; for her, that would be enough.

Anything more, he wouldn't give, and she wouldn't ask for.

Xu Qing, as she was named, stood in place and straightened her back. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, smiled, and felt content, as if she had already met him.

But after she turned and walked a few steps, she couldn't help but turn her head to look back again.

She blushed slightly.

Tantai Pingjing noticed Xu Fengnian's gaze wavering. Her own silver eyes also shifted restlessly.

Xu Fengnian withdrew his gaze. The world was vast; how could he find him? Although he had used spies from Fushui Manor to search for his whereabouts after learning he had left the Jianghu, Beiliang's intelligence network focused on the capital, Guangling Province, and Jing'an Province. Fushui Manor did not have deep roots in the southeast. Furthermore, the southeast had many mountains, famously having different dialects every ten li and different customs every hundred li, with blocked information. To find a needle in a haystack, it would probably take forever. Moreover, even if by chance he found him, he certainly wouldn't want to come to Beiliang. Nor could Xu Fengnian run off to his hometown now. Even if they met, it would be years later. Xu Fengnian hoped that by then, the guy would not only be safe and sound but preferably already settled down and established a family. Xu Fengnian had imagined their reunion countless times, but no matter how he thought about it, it never seemed particularly grand or emotional. Perhaps when they met, they would simply raise their hands and lightly clap.

It should be that simple. Between brothers, no thanks, no debts.

No apologies.

In the end, Tantai Pingjing did not make a move.

Xu Fengnian stood up. "Opportunity knocks but once. It seems Sect Leader Tantai has no intention of staking everything on a single gamble."

Tantai Pingjing's eyes returned to normal. "Why would I jump into such an obvious trap?"

Xu Fengnian pursed his lips and turned his head. Because of her tall stature, when they looked at each other, they only needed to gaze straight ahead.

Xu Fengnian chuckled. "That's how it should be. It won't be too late for you to make your move after I've fought to the death with Beimang."

Just as Xu Fengnian was about to descend back to the human world, he suddenly paused. "In this kind of karmic struggle, unrelated to physical strength, as long as I am near Beiliang, your chances of winning are actually not great."

Tantai Pingjing raised an eyebrow. "You think a few words can disrupt my state of mind?"

Xu Fengnian merely chuckled.

Tantai Pingjing vanished without a trace.

Xu Fengnian stood in the sky and stretched with a big yawn.

At this moment, whether it was due to the broad view leading to a broader spirit, Xu Fengnian inexplicably felt a surge of heroic spirit.

He suddenly remembered that in all his life's fights, whether he drew or won, he always felt a bit constrained, never truly fighting to his heart's content.

Beimang, just wait. Allow me, Xu Fengnian, to fight ten thousand cavalry alone.

Allow me this one time in my life to fight to the death without any reservations.

Not as the King of Beiliang, but only as a Grandmaster of Martial Arts, to fight unreservedly!

If your million Beimang iron cavalry want to enter the Central Plains, you must first get past me, Xu Fengnian.

It's that simple.

This figure, standing between heaven and earth, with a green robe, a jade pendant, and a suspended Liangdao sword.

Like a blade of grass.

Xu Fengnian, with his sleeves fluttering more like an immortal than any immortal, did not know.

The heroic spirit that filled his chest.

Lü Zu, who passed through the Heavenly Gate but did not enter, had experienced it. Li Chungang, who floated across Guangling River with a single sword, had experienced it. Cao Changqing, who ascended to the realm of a Confucian Saint at Xilei Wall, had experienced it.

It was also called *Haoran Qi*.