Chapter 93: Dare to Fight?

Xu Fengnian drank three pots of wine one after another before collapsing onto the stone table in a deep slumber. Qingniao gently covered the young lord with a mink fur coat and sat quietly beside him. When Xu Fengnian awoke in the early morning, he saw Qingniao sitting formally and primly. He offered an apologetic wry smile, and Qingniao returned a bright smile.

Xu Fengnian then drew his saber, Xiudong, and practiced for an hour in the courtyard. He began attempting to select the most exquisite sword techniques from a vast collection of secret manuals, including "Thousand Swords Materia Medica," "Whale Slaying Sword," "Dunhuang Flying Sword," and "Green Water Pavilion Jiazi Sword Practice Record." His goal was to integrate these into his saber techniques, using the mental cultivation method from his ox-riding days as a foundation, striving for a seamless and fluid style.

However, achieving peak mastery in fifty preemptive moves, as Aunt Zhao had suggested, was far from easy. At this stage, Xu Fengnian’s saber practice often resembled a clumsy imitation, his movements quite sluggish. Such practice yielded only half the results for twice the effort. Yet, Xu Fengnian possessed an unnoticed strength: remarkable focus cultivated since childhood. Copying books as a child, playing chess as a youth, and three years of traveling six thousand li had refined away the impetuousness of a young lord. Otherwise, given his family's vast resources and countless loyal retainers, could he truly have settled down to practice saber techniques diligently? He had only just achieved the "One Saber Breaks Six Armor" move; any other arrogant scion would have long since been cursing and stamping their feet.

After working up a sweat, Xu Fengnian returned to his room and changed into the clean, new clothes Qingniao had bought yesterday from the Qingfu Silk Shop, feeling completely refreshed. Just as he was about to eat breakfast, he saw Wang Chudong, who usually prioritized sleep above all else, awake uncharacteristically early, standing at the courtyard gate, nervously fiddling with her clothes. Xu Fengnian beckoned her to join him for the meal. Wang Chudong ate with charming spontaneity, and Xu Fengnian repeatedly wiped food from the corners of her mouth. Xu Fengnian was set to leave Laomo Mountain that day for Xiangfan, a place described as the second Fengdu. As breakfast neared its end, Wang Chudong's expression grew increasingly forlorn and sorrowful. Given her lack of composure, she couldn't hide her emotions at all. Xu Fengnian didn't try to console her; he simply finished his meal and took the young girl to see the White Jade Guanyin statue one last time. When Xu Fengnian said, "Don't bother seeing me off later," Wang Chudong became utterly heartbroken. She sobbed and frantically wiped her face like a kitten, choking out indistinctly, "When I grow up, remember to come back and see me."

Xu Fengnian flicked Wang Chudong's nose and teased, "Look at you, your face is all tear-streaked. No wonder they say a girl grows up and leaves home; your father's doting was all for naught."

The renowned scholar Wang Dongxiang had written of a deeply emotional woman's death in his book. At the time, she too had hidden and cried secretly, but after indulging in sleep, food, and play, her sorrow faded. However, she didn't realize that when Wang Dongxiang was no longer Wang Dongxiang, but simply the young girl Wang Chudong, even a gentle parting with the possibility of future reunion, let alone a final separation, could be so heart-wrenching. She desperately wanted to tell Xu Fengnian that she might not love sleeping anymore in the future, and she wanted to ask what she should do if she missed him but couldn't see him. But to her frustration, she could only cry, unable to utter a single word.

Xu Fengnian couldn't stand to see women cry or hear their weeping. He raised his voice and told her not to cry, and she, obediently and docilely, immediately shut her mouth.

Xu Fengnian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He reached out and cupped her rosy cheeks, leaning down to touch her nose with his own, and gently said, "Don't worry. As I travel southeast, there will be plenty of rumors about me reaching Qingzhou. Just wait, there will be surprises."

Wang Chudong nodded, forcing a smile, and said, "I'll write poems for you."

Xu Fengnian didn't take it seriously, even jokingly agreeing that she could write a poem for every Northern Mang head he collected. If that day truly came, wouldn't she be busy to death?

Xu Fengnian suddenly felt a pang of regret for carelessly leaving such a deep impression on her heart. He recalled a lyric by Yu Youwei: "Only when one doesn't know what lovesickness is, does lovesickness truly strike, and then it causes pain." Wasn't this describing the young girl before him? Even in the Wutong Courtyard of the princely mansion, the young lord had always been cautious with other maids, besides Qingniao and Hongshu, never allowing his affections to go beyond a certain point. For over a decade, he feared unpredictable calamities; he didn't want to bear the pain should a woman close to him perish. Unbeknownst to Xu Fengnian, this very lyric about lovesickness was from Wang Dongxiang's "First Snow" in Qingzhou, effectively making Wang Chudong's words a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The group grandly arrived at the dock. Xu Fengnian boarded the boat, moving further and further away from Laomo Mountain. Yu Youwei stepped forward and softly asked, "You don't know Wang Dongxiang?"

Xu Fengnian looked bewildered and countered, "Who's that?"

Yu Youwei smiled playfully, "You mean you haven't read 'The First Snow in the East Chamber'?"

Xu Fengnian frowned, "Li Hanlin told me the ending was completely tragic, so I didn't bother to read it. Last time my elder sister returned to Liangzhou, she brought a copy of 'East Chamber' with her and forced me to read it aloud to her. I barely managed to escape."

Yu Youwei lowered her head, stroking her white cat, Wu Meiniang, and gently said, "That young girl from the Wang family is Wang Dongxiang, the author of the line 'May all lovers under heaven eventually become a couple' from 'First Snow.' That phrase is even well-known in Northern Mang."

Xu Fengnian quietly said, "No wonder."

Yu Youwei looked up and said, "Wang Dongxiang doesn't just write graceful lyrical poetry. Although she has never ventured far to the border, her frontier poems are also remarkably spirited. The line 'I don't recite poetry when I arrive in Liangzhou, for Liangzhou itself is grand literature' was even praised by the Grand Marshal."

Xu Fengnian scoffed with a laugh, "Xu Xiao knows nothing about poetry, lyrics, and prose!"

But the young lord quietly added, "Still, that little girl's line of poetry does have some meaning."

Yu Youwei smiled, as the increasingly plump Wu Meiniang lazily stretched in her arms.

The ghost city of Xiangfan was overseen by Prince Jing'an, one of the six great vassal kings.

Among the imperial princes, Zhao Heng was a rare example of someone with both literary and martial talents, though he was neither truly outstanding nor entirely inept. His literary skill was inferior to his younger brother, the Prince of Huainan, and his martial prowess lagged behind his elder brothers, the Princes of Yanla and Guangling. Perhaps out of despondency, in his sixties, he began to embrace Huang-Lao philosophy and even once considered becoming a Taoist monk at Longhu Mountain. In the past two years, he had abandoned Taoism for Buddhism, making a great show of it. He specifically sought special imperial permission to burn incense at Liangchan Temple and even proactively requested to become a Bodhisattva vow disciple of the black-robed monk Yang Taisui. Unfortunately, the ailing old monk remained deaf to his requests, completely ignoring him.

Zhao Heng now extensively practiced Western Buddhism, constantly twirling a string of 108 prayer beads in his hand, and was as melancholy and fickle as a woman.

Xu Xiao had once said that Zhao Heng was as gloomy as a jealous woman, and his pursuit of Buddhism and Taoism was merely a pretense to find peace of mind after accumulating too many misdeeds in his early years. Among the six great vassal kings, he was the least of a true man.

No sooner had the three large boats left Laomo Mountain than two Chun Shen Lake Navy war vessels approached. Compared to them, the boat Xu Fengnian was on was like a dwarf next to a giant.

Xu Fengnian squinted, looking out. The Beiliang Iron Cavalry, invincible in the Spring and Autumn Wars, had swept through cities and toppled nations, their only weakness being naval warfare. Thus, Xu Fengnian had extensively studied the navies of various Spring and Autumn states, having a fair understanding of over forty types of lake warships in the current dynasty. The warship before him, named "Yellow Dragon," was only slightly inferior to the "Azure Dragon" warship and the "Six-Tusked Mammoth" vessel in the Qingzhou Navy. Capable of navigating both rivers and seas, it was an imposing and majestic behemoth, featuring three decks, standing sixty feet high, adorned with vermilion lacquer, clad in iron armor, and equipped with a stable for horses. Voices from one deck could not be heard on another. The arrow slits on the crenellated walls were dense and alarming. It also possessed giant ramming poles; a single strike from one could shatter an ordinary large ship.

Unfortunately, Xu Fengnian's few boats could not withstand a few furious strikes from such poles. However, it was the Qingzhou Navy that was truly unfortunate, for standing at the prow of the opposing ship was the Young Lord of Beiliang.

Xu Fengnian calmly said, "General Ning, go get the halberd."

The usually gentle General Ning Emei, known for his halberd skills, rarely showed such a fierce grin. He turned and entered the cabin, retrieving his trident-shaped iron halberd, and even slung his bag of short halberds over his shoulder.

Lu Yangshu and the other two naturally prepared to leap onto the ships and fight. Ordinary soldiers were no match for three second-rank masters like them. However, there were some inherent taboos: commoners shouldn't contend with officials, and martial artists shouldn't violate prohibitions. But upon remembering who had taught the martial arts world this bloody lesson, the three immediately felt completely at ease.

Xu Fengnian told Yu Youwei to return to the inner cabin. He looked up and saw the young Zhao scion, who had been kicked by Lu Qiantang yesterday, standing with a group of his sycophantic friends on the third deck of the Yellow Dragon warship, pointing and gesturing. Was he feigning to be a grand strategist, directing the scene?

The Yellow Dragon warship gradually drew closer, and it was clear that its giant ramming poles were now ready.

Before the ramming poles could strike, the young master Zhao, who was the Qingzhou Governor's brother-in-law, held a white porcelain wine cup between two fingers, looking quite unrestrained and debonair. He shouted to Xu Fengnian, "Outsider, do you still dare to be presumptuous?"

Xu Fengnian smiled back, "Alright, I'd very much like to gauge the true strength of Qingzhou's warships. I just fear you might look good but be useless."

The young man surnamed Zhao subconsciously glanced out of the corner of his eye at a peer also surnamed Zhao within the group. This peer, elegant in appearance but low-key and reserved in demeanor, even when among them, was unpretentious and enjoyed an excellent reputation in Qingzhou. This son of a military commander looked down from above and asked, "Do you dare to repeat what you said yesterday?"

Xu Fengnian knew it was an obvious trap, yet he still smiled calmly and said, "Prince Jing'an's name? What's the harm in saying it? If Prince Zhao Heng's son stands here, I'll beat him so badly he won't even recognize Zhao Heng when he gets home."

The young man surnamed Zhao was secretly delighted. He glanced sideways at the refined young man from Qingzhou whom no one dared to call themselves a noble scion in front of, and a rarely seen sinister glint appeared in his eyes.

The fair-skinned young master, with a face like polished jade, stepped forward. As he advanced, the Zhao scion immediately retreated.

The young master looked directly at Xu Fengnian and calmly said, "Don't regret this."

With a raise of Xu Fengnian's hand, all one hundred soldiers of the Phoenix Battalion on the three boats emerged from their cabins. They stood holding crossbows, with standard Beiliang sabers hanging from their waists, gleaming clear as snow upon being unsheathed.

This turn of events put the Qingzhou Navy in a difficult position, like riding a tiger.

Today, were they really going to have a naval battle?

Yuan Meng, the commander of the Phoenix Battalion, showed no fear. He repeatedly gestured, directing his troops who were orderly and disciplined. The Phoenix Battalion was already among the elite of Beiliang's light cavalry, excelling in mounted, infantry, and night combat. The helmsmen had long since been brought under control, and the three boats instantly formed an arc, supporting each other like the horns of an ox. Although the Beiliang army was not skilled in naval warfare compared to land battles, what about the Qingzhou Navy? When the Beiliang Iron Cavalry besieged Xiangfan back then, the sailors on these two warships were probably still nursing! Western Shu once chiseled through rock cliffs and strung three iron chains across the river, attempting to obstruct Beiliang's hastily assembled navy. Yet, that naval battle ended before it even began, as all the natural defenses along the great river were shattered by the Beiliang army. Strictly speaking, it would be more accurate to say that the Beiliang army was half an ancestor to the Qingzhou Navy.

Xu Fengnian burst into mocking laughter, "Do you dare to fight?"