Chapter 920: Not Raining

If previously the young eunuch had regarded Xu Fengnian as a flood dragon entering the sea, looking down upon a giant python coiled in a deep mountain lake, now, facing the iron cavalry behind the young prince, this eccentric eunuch, as old as the nation, for the first time showed a look of facing a formidable enemy.

Grandmasters of the jianghu vie for pride and spirit, while emperors of the human world contend for destiny and fortune.

Coincidentally, the two opposing sides who met unexpectedly on this small street, though neither was a monarch, both possessed this quality. The young eunuch cultivated his Celestial Realm by drawing on the fortune of the Liyang Zhao imperial family, and Xu Fengnian, as the eldest son of the Beiliang Xu family, was deeply intertwined with the rise and fall of the Liyang Dynasty.

The street leading to the Ruyi Inn ran north-south. At that moment, Mi Fengjie and Fan Xiaochai, two chief spies of the Fushui Bureau, and old eunuch Zhao Siku, were positioned at the eastern and western ends of the street, respectively. The young eunuch stood by a well at the intersection. Chen Wang sat and Xu Beizhi stood by the inn's entrance. They could only vaguely discern the young eunuch's silhouette through the gloomy rain and could not yet spot Xu Fengnian. They only saw a water dragon, as thick as a giant tree trunk, surge from the well. It leapt high beside the young eunuch, then swiftly charged forward. Its body was incredibly long, seemingly endless, continuously gushing from the well.

Xu Beizhi asked with a smile, "A Water Dragon Emerging? What's this eunuch's connection to Human Cat Han Shengxuan?"

Chen Wang frowned in deep thought, remaining silent.

Xu Beizhi slowly rose, closing and opening his eyes repeatedly, murmuring, "This place... it's a bit strange."

Chen Wang softly said, "Taoist and Buddhist schools have long had the title of 'Fangzhang.' Legend has it that in those 'Fangzhang' lands, the Sacred Lands of the Three Pure Ones and the Western Buddhist Pure Land were established, respectively. Those within them possess supreme divine powers, like a great general commanding the battlefield, predicting enemy moves and already possessing the advantage of time and terrain."

Xu Beizhi worriedly said, "So, you're saying that 'the guy surnamed Xu,' even though he's on his home turf, had his advantage seized by that eunuch?"

Chen Wang replied evasively, "A small street isn't a place for large groups of warhorses to gallop. Why then is there such a dense and heavy sound of hooves?"

Xu Beizhi stood up and looked around. "Don't misunderstand. 'The guy surnamed Xu' wouldn't be so insidious as to scheme against you, nor would he mobilize the Youzhou cavalry in such a grand manner. Besides, for martial grandmasters of their profound realm, would they still need worldly cavalry as assistance? It makes no sense."

Chen Wang nodded.

On the small street, just as Xu Fengnian was about to collide with the water dragon, the young eunuch, his face grim, sighed. For some unknown reason, he reached out and pressed down on the well's winding mechanism again.

In an instant, the rain curtain vanished from the world. The previously dim sky seemed to clear, as if time had flowed backward.

Xu Beizhi found himself still sitting on the doorstep. Chen Wang shook the wine flask in his hand; the Green Ant wine, which had clearly been emptied, now had a small amount remaining.

Mi Fengjie's face was filled with bewilderment. Fan Xiaochai looked down to find his clothes intact, without the slightest damage.

The aged eunuch Zhao Siku, standing at the very end of the street where the interference occurred, was completely confused.

And Xu Fengnian, at some point, had "returned" to sitting on the wellhead, as if he had never risen or engaged in a fierce battle with the young eunuch in the rain.

The old saying is "loud thunder, small raindrops," but this time, there was just loud thunder with no raindrops at all.

Yet, in reality, it was not like that at all.

For example, the Liang Saber at Xu Fengnian's waist was indeed shattered.

The young eunuch's expression was complex; he let out a cold snort.

Xu Fengnian smiled faintly. "I knew you wouldn't dare to go all out."

The young eunuch asked, puzzled, "When did you realize all of this was within my divine consciousness?"

Xu Fengnian looked up at the sky and sighed with emotion, "I sensed something was off when it started raining, but I truly understood it when I grabbed a handful of rainwater from the street."

The young eunuch said sternly, "You were severely wounded by Tuoba Pusa, so naturally, I wouldn't take advantage in a fight with you. Within that rain curtain, no matter how fierce the battle, in the end, you would only exhaust your spiritual essence, not suffer actual physical harm."

Xu Fengnian remained silent, turning to look at the Liyang eunuch, whose hand slowly moved away from the winding mechanism, a playful smile on his face.

The young eunuch sneered, "The young emperor did not instruct me to fight you to the death. Although he is a monarch, he does not have that authority, nor do I have such idle thoughts."

Xu Fengnian stood up and nodded. "At this moment, even if I were to offer my neck in Taian City for Zhao Zhuan to casually chop, he wouldn't dare to kill me."

The young eunuch felt a faint surge of anger. "If that's the case, why do you still command the residual souls of Beiliang's fallen heroes? What, are you trying to show off to me?"

Xu Fengnian said calmly, "If I hadn't acted this way, ask yourself, what would the situation be like in the future? If Beiliang loses, everything would naturally be over; the Xu family's fortune, which influences the Zhao imperial house, would cease to exist. Then, whether I die on the Liangmang battlefield beyond the pass or not, you would likely leave Taian City again to eradicate the roots. If we were fortunate enough to win, regardless of whether Zhao Zhuan still sat on the Liyang throne, you would be restless, knowing that a tiger cannot allow another to sleep on its couch, and you would certainly want to get rid of me, Xu Fengnian, quickly."

The young eunuch asked, surprised, "If that's the case, shouldn't you have kept your trump card hidden? You and I both know that in Taian City, you cannot defeat me, and thus cannot kill the Zhao emperor. In Beiliang, I cannot defeat you. If I were to proactively leave the city, your chances of winning would be even greater. Why would you make me wary? Once I am dead, there would truly be no one left in this world who could act as a deterrent to you. Wouldn't you then be able to act as you please and truly fulfill your desires?"

Xu Fengnian smiled brightly and gave an inexplicable answer, "A gentleman has been met."

The young eunuch chuckled, dumbfounded. "I consider you, Xu Fengnian, along with Zhang Julu, Cao Changqing, and others, to be gentlemen. Do you truly treat others with such sincerity?"

Xu Fengnian shook his head and repeated, "A gentleman has been met."

The young eunuch was initially confused, then suddenly understood.

"When I saw you, Xu Fengnian, I saw a gentleman."

"When you, Xu Fengnian, saw me, you saw a gentleman."

The interactions and conflicts between gentlemen do not alter their original intentions, regardless of whether they are friends or enemies.

This is both their true nature and the foundation of their principles.

Beiliang guards the northwest gate of the nation, and its original intention was naturally not for the Liyang court or the people of the Central Plains. Therefore, no matter how much the Liyang court, which truly benefited from Beiliang, tried to make things difficult, and no matter how the Central Plains turned a blind eye, how could Beiliang change its original intention because of this?

The young eunuch scoffed at himself, "Can I, a eunuch inherently your enemy, also be considered a gentleman in your eyes?"

Xu Fengnian habitually clasped his hands inside his sleeves and softly said, "Those who recognize what I recognize are fellow travelers. In my view, a person's understanding naturally differs due to their background, knowledge, and affiliation. However, some fundamental principles in the world are the same. For instance, one must understand right from wrong; even if you are committing evil, you should know that your actions are far from blameless. Or, if someone has endured hardships and tribulations, feeling that the heavens are unfair, they should not vent their bitterness upon everyone in the world. Plants grow towards the sun; this is the way of nature and perfectly acceptable. But when humans stand between heaven and earth, there are human rules to follow. Confucianism proposes adhering to rites; this is both a restraint and a shortcut."

The young eunuch nodded. "Ultimately, it boils down to 'reason.' The Confucian sage once said, 'Follow your heart's desires without transgressing the rules'—isn't that a true sense of inner peace? I once extensively read texts in the palace, including Master Lu's advocacy for the unity of the three teachings, the works of past Confucian sages on how to live peacefully, and the tenets expounded by the saints of the other two schools. The foundations of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, in fact, lead to the same destination by different paths."

The young eunuch suddenly burst into laughter. "Of all the things I could have imagined, I never expected to be discussing such abstract principles with you, an opposing prince."

Xu Fengnian also laughed. "If Beiliang is fortunate enough to defeat Beimang, you and I will probably meet again in the future."

The young eunuch sighed, "I hope it will only be to determine a winner, not life or death."

Xu Fengnian remarked with emotion, "I actually envy those who are willing to be reasonable and can also act according to their desires."

The young eunuch smiled. "Are there truly such people?"

Xu Fengnian nodded. "Yes, there are. Liu Jinulang of Beiliang, and Wei Jingtang of Jizhou."

Unfortunately, they are all dead.