Chapter 887: Having a Beginning and an End

Wudang Mountain is flourishing. Many pilgrims travel great distances to burn incense, particularly from the capital region and Jing'an Dao. Numerous Daoist temples, large and small, across Wudang's peaks offer lodging. Even Qing Shan Temple on Xiaozhu Peak, which only recently opened its gates, is bustling with pilgrims.

While attractions like the Zixu Temple on Wudang's main peak, the Xixiang Pond, the Persimmon Forest and Turtle-borne Stele on Xiaolianhua Peak, and the grand auspicious murals on Yuzhu Peak are undeniably captivating, the approachable nature of Wudang's Daoist priests also deeply impresses visitors. Even high-ranking figures like Chen Yao and Yu Xingrui, and the esteemed Abbot Li Yufu, adhere to Lu Zu's rule that "Daoists of this mountain shall interpret divination slips every ten days," offering free explanations to pilgrims.

However, much of Wudang Mountain's immense popularity is attributed to one person: Xu Fengnian, the new King of Northern Liang, who once cultivated himself in a hermitage there. The Xixiang Pond, near his former hermitage, has become a pilgrimage site for martial artists of the current era and attracts countless female pilgrims to Wudang Mountain. They come to burn incense, but also genuinely to admire "North Xu." This young man is truly legendary: a prince of a different surname, holding one of the highest positions in the court, commanding Northern Liang's 300,000 cavalry, and a martial artist ranked among the four Grandmasters. He is also rumored to be exceptionally handsome, and word-of-mouth describes him as an "immortal banished to the mortal realm," whose charm rivals that of Cao Changqing of Western Chu in his prime. As a result, a fascinating phenomenon has emerged on Wudang Mountain: unlike other temples and Daoist monasteries, Wudang sees an increasing number of female pilgrims, many of them young women traveling with companions.

As dusk settled, Xu Fengnian parted ways with Li Yufu and Yu Fu. The abbot and his disciple continued their ascent to the main Wudang temple, while Xu Fengnian headed for the hermitage. To his surprise, he found the door shut. From a distance, he'd seen a faint light inside, but as he approached, the light abruptly went out, and his knocks went unanswered. Xu Fengnian was puzzled but assumed she was simply too embarrassed to share a room with him. This made him chuckle. In truth, they had lived together after she carried books up the mountain years ago, though not as bedmates. He slept on the small wooden bed, while she pitifully made a makeshift bed in a corner of the room. At that time, His Royal Highness was far from chivalrous. Moreover, the "Little Mud Figure" would never have accepted his kindness; if Xu Fengnian had genuinely offered to sleep on the ground, she would likely have felt uneasy, suspecting ill intentions from the Crown Prince. This shows how much the maid from Qingliang Mountain, the "Little Mud Figure," was bullied by the unscrupulous Crown Prince back then. Two thin wooden doors were enough to block this young prince, who had even forcefully entered the Imperial Observatory. Xu Fengnian turned and spotted a small bamboo chair she had seemingly forgotten to bring inside. He sat on the chair, which he had personally woven when he was still riding an ox, his hands tucked into his sleeves. He looked up at the brilliant, flowing Milky Way. The night air on the steps was as cool as water, a pity there was no light silk fan to chase fireflies.

After sitting alone for a while, thoroughly bored, Xu Fengnian used the starlight to inspect the vegetable patch next to the hermitage. It was lush and well-tended by the "Little Mud Figure," with many wooden trellises covered in clinging cucumber and luffa vines, adorned with numerous small yellow flowers. Slightly lower down were green peppers, and even some round watermelons hidden among the greenery. Xu Fengnian counted about five or six, varying in size. Perhaps due to his affection for the gardener, Xu Fengnian found them charmingly plump and thought they would taste delicious if picked when ripe and chilled in the Xixiang Pond. Yet, he might also be reluctant to eat them.

Xu Fengnian returned to the small bamboo chair, sat down, and closed his eyes, trying not to think of anything.

*Creak.* The door opened gently, just a crack. Jiang Ni secretly watched his back, feeling a little apprehensive. Since she had ascended the mountain alone, she initially habitually slept on the floor. Later, she mustered the courage to put a bamboo mat on the small wooden bed, and she had enjoyed her sleep immensely these past few days. Earlier, upon hearing Xu Fengnian's familiar footsteps, her first instinct was to jump out of bed barefoot, close the door, then pull up the bamboo mat, throw it on the floor, lie on it pretending to sleep, and cover her ears as if playing dead. This series of actions was executed flawlessly, with the demeanor of a true master. She waited for a long time, until he got up, left, and then returned to sit down, after which nothing further happened. This, paradoxically, made Jiang Ni nervous. It wasn't a troubled conscience, but rather a fear that the most vengeful person she knew would settle scores later. After considerable inner struggle, she finally plucked up the courage to open the door a crack. She saw him, uncharacteristically, sitting quietly outside, showing no signs of holding a grudge against her.

Suddenly, a crisp sound echoed, and Jiang Ni, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly erupted in fury. Both pained and indignant, she exclaimed, "Xu Fengnian! You stole my things!"

Xu Fengnian, who was munching on a cucumber, turned his head, wearing an utterly deserving-of-a-punch expression. "What's yours, what's mine? Yours is mine. How can you call it stealing?"

Jiang Ni, her face stern, extended her hand and stated unequivocally, "Pay up!"

Xu Fengnian seemed to have anticipated this. "I have no money on me. I'll owe you for now and borrow some copper coins from Abbot Li and the others tomorrow. How many *wen* for one cucumber? One *wen* or two *wen*?"

Jiang Ni hesitated for a moment, then confidently declared, "Two *wen*!"

Xu Fengnian smiled gently, biting his cucumber. He mumbled, "Couldn't you have asked for three *wen*?"

Jiang Ni paused, then, mortified, snapped, "Two *wen* means two *wen*!" She quickly added, "But it can't be two *wen* from Yonghui Tongbao coins. It must be two *wen* from Xiangfu Tongbao mint coins!"

Xu Fengnian teased, "Oh, so you've collected all sixteen types of Hongjia and Yonghui coins, and now you're planning to start collecting Xiangfu mint coins? Little Mud Figure, your ambition is quite significant, isn't it?"

Jiang Ni huffed, "None of your business!"

Xu Fengnian turned his head back, remaining silent.

Jiang Ni came over to him, warning him like a thief, "The watermelons are still small. You absolutely can't steal them!"

Xu Fengnian grunted in acknowledgment. For some reason, he recalled Wutong Courtyard in Qingliang Mountain, where second-class maids included Huang Gua, Lü Yi, and Bai Jiu, while first-class maids were Hong Shu and Qing Niao. Some people were still there; some were no longer.

Jiang Ni returned to the house, retrieved a small chair, and sat a little distance from him, watching him slowly eat the cucumber out of the corner of her eye, as if he were consuming her copper coins, her two *wen*.

Xu Fengnian stopped eating, holding the half-eaten cucumber. He said softly, "Xie Xichui and the others are doing well, you don't need to worry. As I said before, apart from the inevitable sporadic bloodshed after the Xilei Wall battle, the Liyang court's wrap-up of Guangling Dao has generally been gentle. They've been very kind and conciliatory towards civil officials. The Song family has become the leader among local officials in the new Guangling Dao. Emperor Zhao specifically decreed that Song Maolin be summoned to the capital to serve as an academician in the Hanlin Academy. Wang Xiong-gui, the former Military Commissioner of Guangling Dao, has been reinstated in the capital. The new commissioner is a favored disciple of Yu Jiankang, an old esteemed figure from Jiangnan Dao, who has always had a natural affinity for scholars in Guangling Dao. Upon arriving in Guangling Dao, he didn't immediately take up his official post but instead hosted a grand banquet, a 'flowing cups' gathering, inviting hundreds of renowned Jiangnan scholars for elegant discussions. He also invited over twenty *Jishang* scholars from Shangyin Academy, making it a literary event rarely seen in a decade. Furthermore, Song Li, one of the main generals guarding Guangling Dao, is also about to marry a woman from a prominent Guangling Dao family. All these signs indicate that Tai'an City does not wish for Guangling Dao to face further upheaval."

Jiang Ni remained silent.

Xu Fengnian turned to look at her captivating, peerless face. He said gently, "In this world, some things often don't have indispensable people. Your luck has always been good, and that's usually the case."

Jiang Ni said indifferently, "You don't need to comfort me. I've never felt that Western Chu's restoration needed me that much."

Xu Fengnian smiled. "I'm relieved if you think that way."

Jiang Ni suddenly asked, "Then what about Northern Liang? Would it definitely fail without you?"

Xu Fengnian met her gaze and stated gravely, "Of course, it wouldn't work without me!"

Jiang Ni rolled her eyes.

Xu Fengnian smiled and resumed eating his cucumber. "If Xu Xiao hadn't died, if my master Li Yishan were still alive, if Chen Zhibao were willing to assist me as the King of Northern Liang, if the imperial court didn't restrain affairs in the northwest, if the Murong and Yelü clans of Beiliang were in internal conflict, if Northern Liang's border army were not 300,000 but 500,000... Unfortunately, there aren't so many 'ifs' in this world, which is why I become so important."

Jiang Ni tilted her head. "Are you complaining to me?"

Xu Fengnian returned her eye-roll. "I'm not suffering. I'm clearly just showing off to you. Remember back then, I told you that I, a martial arts genius with such extraordinary talent and unique bones, could become invincible and experience life's loneliness like a great avalanche if given two or three years? You looked at me like I was an idiot back then. How about now?"

Jiang Ni didn't verbally refute him but wore a disdainful expression, as if he had stepped in dog faeces, a large pile of it at that.

Xu Fengnian raised his hand and tossed away the small end of the cucumber, his face beaming with pride. "I've taken three disciples. If there's still a martial arts ranking in the future, then Wang Sheng, Yu Dilong, and Lü Yun-chang will definitely all make it into the top twenty. That little rascal Yu Dilong even has the potential to come out on top."

"Oh," Jiang Ni said. "Yu Dilong? The boy who was a scout in the Youzhou cavalry?"

Xu Fengnian nodded.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Ni's next words struck with the force of a flying sword taking a head: "Even here on Wudang Mountain, I've heard about that famous anecdote of 'leaning on the wall to exit.' Truly, what an amazing 'number one under heaven.'"

Xu Fengnian froze on the spot.

Then Jiang Ni heard the "Wall-Leaning Grandmaster" muttering about "purging the disloyal."

Jiang Ni looked up, gazing intently at the Milky Way suspended in the sky. After she followed Uncle Chess-Attendant to Guangling Dao, she had always heard the local people refer to it as "the Guangling River in the Sky."

Xu Fengnian looked with her at the great celestial river, muttering, "I heard there are a hundred thousand mountains in Southern Xinjiang. I heard the heavy snow in Liaodong surpasses that of the Northwest. I heard there's a Butterfly Spring in Nanzhao, where countless colorful butterflies link their tails, hanging from trees all the way down to the water's surface..."

Listening to his rambling, Jiang Ni softly asked, "Those places you yearn for, will you go see them all someday?"

Xu Fengnian narrowed his eyes. "Of course I want to."

Jiang Ni withdrew her gaze. "Tomorrow, I want to go to Zixu Temple on the mountaintop to burn incense."

Xu Fengnian wondered, "For blessings and wishes? Or to seek a divination slip?"

Jiang Ni retorted testily, "None of your business!"

Xu Fengnian simply smiled. "If I'm not mistaken, tomorrow the Wudang Discipline Master, Immortal Chen Yao, will personally interpret divination slips. No matter how late you wake up, I can ensure the old immortal interprets your slip first. After all, I'm Wudang Mountain's top pilgrim; they wouldn't dare treat me lightly."

Just as Jiang Ni was about to retort, Xu Fengnian spoke first: "Deng Tai'a once gifted me twelve miniature flying swords. Many were destroyed in the desperate battles against Han Shengxuan, Wang Xianzhi, and Tuoba Pusa, so they no longer made a set. I later had the Mohist grand master from behind Qingliang Mountain forge a new set of nine, each resonating with one of my sword intents. The nine flying swords are named Fengdu, Yichen, Duyu, Shuijing, Laojiao, Meiran, Zhiqu, Yehu, and Yangzhi. What do you think, don't they sound interesting?"

Jiang Ni bluntly said, "Cheesy. Really cheesy!"

Xu Fengnian burst into laughter. After composing himself, he gently reminded her, "Oh, by the way, if you're burning incense tomorrow, there are a few minor things I should tell you beforehand, so you don't run around like a headless fly. You don't need much incense; buying a large bundle doesn't necessarily show sincerity. Three sticks are enough. And the copper coins for the incense must be paid by the person making the wish themselves; they cannot be borrowed. There's also a difference between burning incense at the main hall and at the altar in Wudang. For the former, it's particularly important that 'incense does not exceed an inch; if it exceeds, it loses efficacy.' For the latter, sandalwood is best. True pilgrims bring their own incense; it's not like you, cramming at the last minute—oh, no, not 'clutching the Buddha's feet,' but 'clutching the feet of Emperor Zhenwu,' which sounds even more incorrect... When entering a Daoist temple, men go left and women go right. Whether ascending steps or crossing thresholds, never walk in the exact middle. When making a wish, don't casually promise future offerings; this principle applies to both Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries. Neither Bodhisattvas nor true immortals lack your single stick of incense. Also, when burning incense at Wudang, it's said that wishes for peace and smooth sailing are most effective. Remember not to wish for anything too grand. If your wish comes true later, don't forget to fulfill your vow..."

Listening to Xu Fengnian's tireless rambling, Jiang Ni felt a sense of peace, and a warm, comforting feeling grew in her heart.

However, Xu Fengnian did not "disappoint" Jiang Ni, as his last sentence revealed his true lecherous nature: "Most, most, most importantly, you can also wish for an early birth of noble children on Wudang Mountain!"

Jiang Ni took a deep breath. She remembered the "Moonlit Oath to Kill at Dagengjiao" from years ago. At its end, it was Jiang Si's vow to kill Xu Fengnian.

Xu Fengnian watched the slight rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, smiling. "Little Mud Figure, truly, a scholar who hasn't been seen for three days should be looked at with new eyes."

Jiang Ni continued to sneer. She was no longer just the "Little Mud Figure" who always lost arguments in the past; now, she carried quite the demeanor of His Majesty, the Emperor of Western Chu.

The next day, as dawn subtly broke, the resonant morning bells of Wudang's various peaks chimed simultaneously. In the square outside Zixu Temple on Dalianhua Peak, Wudang's main peak, stood hundreds of Daoist priests of all generations. Alongside them were hundreds of pilgrims, some who had lodged there the previous night, others who had ascended the mountain in the darkness. Together, they practiced a set of martial arts believed to have been discovered in ancient texts by the previous abbot, Hong Xixiang. Their movements were fluid and graceful, balanced and serene.

Leading the practice were three individuals: Li Yufu, the current Abbot of Wudang; his disciple, the young Daoist boy Yu Fu; and Xu Fengnian, the King of Northern Liang, clad in a green robe with a jade pendant. A gentle breeze drifted by. Naturally. The mountain was filled with mist, immortal aura, heroic spirit, and vitality.

Jiang Ni, who had vowed to go burn incense alone, secretly stood at the back of the square, standing on tiptoes to watch his tall, slender figure. Hearing the shamelessly whispered comments from other female pilgrims, she smiled, and two dimples appeared on her cheeks.

After Xu Fengnian finished his practice, Jiang Ni openly walked through the crowd. Under everyone's gaze, especially that of the other women, she blushed slightly and took his hand.

He had said last night that his martial arts journey began on Wudang Mountain, so his life in the *jianghu* should also conclude there. Between this beginning and end, and even beyond, she was always there.