Chapter 930: True Bloodshed

Once this group of powerful but slightly dishevelled imperial eunuchs from the capital had gone downstairs, Xu Fengnian walked towards Liu Nirong's table. Before sitting down, he waved and smiled at Susu and the others, "Subing, Miss Xue, and Uncle Qi, come, come, come, let's all sit here together, it'll be livelier with more people!"

Xu Fengnian was the first to sit down.

Lin Hongyuan, Mao Shulang, Cheng Baishuang, Ji Liu'an.Liu Nirong, Zhao Shanhong, and another elderly enshrinement from the Fish Dragon Gang.Then there were Susu, Xue Songguan, the Qi family swordsmith who had once gifted Xu Fengnian the famous sword "Spring and Autumn," Wei Miao, and the Miao Jiang woman.

The woman in the crimson red robe was naturally Xu Ying, and the female ghost who had been hanging upside down outside the window earlier, sunning herself in the moonlight, was clearly Miss Hehe, Jia Jiajia.

Both of them had only arrived in Bei'an Town that night.

The reason was simple: staying on Qingliang Mountain was very boring.

Xu Weixiong was also not entirely at ease about Xu Fengnian, so she had simply sent the two of them to accompany him.

A single dining table could only accommodate a maximum of nine chairs, but now there were so many people that naturally, not everyone could have a seat.

Fortunately, Xu Ying and Miss Hehe weren't keen on sitting in chairs at all. The two of them floated over to a nearby screen that had miraculously survived. Xu Ying stood, while the young girl squatted. The latter was vigorously gnawing on a roasted chicken, God knows where she had pilfered it from. In just a few bites, she had spit a pile of bones onto the floor. Then she wiped her greasy hands on Xu Ying's large crimson robe, and Xu Ying merely smiled happily.

After Xu Fengnian, it was Susu, who could be single-handedly knocked down a hundred times by anyone present, who moved a chair over and was the first to sit.

Zhao Shanhong, on the other hand, was the first to kneel, his hands pressed to the ground, and said with a trembling voice to the young King: "Zhao Shanhong of the Fish Dragon Gang respectfully greets Your Royal Highness!"

This foremost master of the Ji'bei underworld had been thrashed like a stray dog by the mad dog Yuan Tingshan, which was why he had sought refuge with the Fish Dragon Gang. If he remembered correctly, this young King before him had once beaten that exceedingly arrogant mad dog Yuan Tingshan within an inch of his life, right in the Imperial Palace of Tai'an City, in front of Grand Pillar State Gu Jiantang.

For Zhao Shanhong, the Stone-Splitting Hand, who believed that might made right, he genuinely felt that being able to kneel before the co-lord of the Beiliang Iron Cavalry was a blessing his knees had earned in a previous life.

Xu Fengnian grunted, "Get up."

Then Xu Fengnian turned to look at the Fish Dragon Gang leader, and asked with a smile, "Why aren't you sitting? Have you become such a big gang leader that you're putting on airs?"

Liu Nirong, who had originally intended to remain standing, hesitated for a moment before finally sitting back in her original seat, which happened to be conveniently on Xu Fengnian's right side.

The elderly enshrinement, who usually put on airs and relied on his age with Liu Nirong, swallowed hard. If he had a sufficiently hard brick in his hand, he would have wanted to knock himself unconscious.

After getting up, Zhao Shanhong discreetly moved behind Liu Nirong, bowing his head submissively. He stood shoulder to shoulder with the equally solemn and respectful old enshrinement, feeling a sense of shared predicament.

The third floor of the restaurant was completely empty except for them.

Besides the joy of surviving the ordeal, there were also some thoughts best kept to themselves.

When navigating the Jianghu, besides skill, experience and insight are very important.

To gain experience means to have seen and met people; a single encounter is as good as an acquaintance, right?

So, having met Xu Fengnian, who was both a terrestrial immortal and the King of the Northwest, where in the Jianghu could they not boast about it for seven or eight years?

Lin Hongyuan, Mao Shulang, Cheng Baishuang, and Ji Liu'an sat down again.

Susu, Wei Miao, and the Miao Jiang woman each moved chairs over and sat down. Xue Songguan, despite Susu's persuasion, merely stood behind him, holding her guqin. And the Qi family's old master swordsmith from Western Shu also did not sit.

This way, there were exactly nine people.

Xu Fengnian broke the mud seal on a pot of Green Ant wine. He only poured a cup for Liu Nirong and Mao Shulang, who were close to him, and then filled his own. He smiled and said, "I won't be formal. Everyone, please pour your own drinks and make yourselves at home. Your true drinking character reveals itself when you drink freely; it can't be forced out, and those who try to make others drink often have the worst drinking manners themselves."

Ji Liu'an raised his cup to the young King and drained it in one gulp, "Ji Liu'an of the Dragon Palace, it is my honor to have met Your Royal Highness!"

Cheng Baishuang also raised his wine cup, "Cheng Baishuang, a commoner from Southern Jiang. This cup of wine is for you, just like Brother Ji."

Wei Miao helped himself to a cup of wine and said in a deep voice, "Wei Miao!"

Xu Fengnian toasted each of them in return.

Lin Hongyuan was about to raise her wine cup, but for some reason, after her gaze met the young King's, she gave up.

The Miao Jiang woman didn't use a wine cup; she simply picked up the wine pot and took a big gulp, then stared directly at Xu Fengnian's face and laughed, "You're so handsome, your mother must be very beautiful!"

Xu Fengnian smiled brightly and said, "This sister, at first glance, is a straightforward person!"

Wei Miao smiled knowingly.

Only Susu, with her arms crossed, let out a cold snort.

Xu Fengnian slanted a glance at this old friend he had met in Northern Mang. "Oh, Subing, no, I should address you as Grand Master Su now. I hear you've made a great name for yourself in the Jianghu of Western Shu and Nanzhao. What's up, are you here in Beiliang to participate in the Wudang martial arts discussion as well? Aren't you afraid that with you here, everyone else will only be able to compete for second place in the world?"

Susu's face turned beet red with indignation, almost suffering internal injuries on the spot, and blurted out, "Xu, you're full of crap!"

Xu Fengnian hastily poured himself a cup of wine, feigning alarm, "As expected of Grand Master Su, who is unrivaled across Shu and Zhao! I need a drink to calm my nerves."

Susu stood up, slapped the table, and said angrily, "Damn it, Xu! Are you looking for a fight?!"

Not to mention Lin Hongyuan's group of Southern Jiang guests, even Liu Nirong and Wei Miao's parties were somewhat dumbfounded, utterly unable to comprehend if this guy's lack of common sense was something he was born with.

This fellow named Su had poor martial arts skills, yet unexpectedly, he was full of guts.

Zhao Shanhong and the elderly enshrinement, on the other hand, firmly believed that this seemingly mediocre martial artist was definitely a top-tier master of the current age who kept his true abilities hidden.

Xu Fengnian chuckled, "Come on, beat me, I dare you to beat me!"

Susu immediately sat down with lightning speed, and declared righteously, "A gentleman uses his words, not his fists!"

Zhao Shanhong, the Stone-Splitting Hand, nearly had his eyeballs pop out.

After Susu's antics, the somewhat heavy atmosphere significantly lightened.

With diverse and complicated backgrounds around one table, it was naturally not suitable to delve into deep conversations.

After drinking about a pot and a half, Xu Fengnian announced he was going downstairs to say hello to someone, thus ending the drinking session at their table. Lin Hongyuan and Liu Nirong, having met there specifically for business discussions, naturally stayed on the third floor. Susu and his group also had no intention of staying. However, before getting up, Wei Miao proactively raised a toast to Cheng Baishuang and Ji Liu'an. The two sides were loosely considered old acquaintances; earlier, they had each represented the King of Shu, Chen Zhibao, and the King of Yan Chi, Zhao Bing, traveling to a certain meeting in Liaodong to meet Grand Pillar State Gu Jiantang. At that time, all three parties had parted on bad terms. The world was unpredictable; no one could have foreseen that these two Kings would eventually join forces and revolt. Among the heroes of the world, even when serving different masters, mutual respect and admiration often remain. Moreover, now that they were considered "family," there would be even less resentment.

Xu Fengnian returned to the second floor and, as expected, saw the empty floor, with only the grandfather and granddaughter remaining, seated at their original window-side table.

Seeing Xu Fengnian return safe and sound, the old man breathed a sigh of relief. Although Tong Shanquan, the master of Golden Inlaid Blade Manor, appeared expressionless, her brows subtly relaxed a little.

After Xu Fengnian sat down, the old man asked, "How did it go?"

Xu Fengnian, who had drunk a lot of wine that night, let out a long breath. It was unclear if it was just the smell of alcohol, or if there was also some pent-up frustration. He smiled and said, "It's all sorted. When you're out and about, you rely on friends. Although there was a big commotion upstairs, my friends handled it."

The young woman, a master of blade techniques despite her youth and still unmarried, frowned again and said in a deep voice, "Just now, one person's aura was particularly mighty; they were at least a peak master of the Heavenly Phenomenon realm!"

The old man's face showed displeasure as he said, "That Wei Miao fellow must have gained more confidence after pledging allegiance to that King of Shu. To abandon a perfectly good life as a Jianghu grandmaster and go be a lackey in officialdom... I must have been blind; years ago, I even thought he was a true man of honor."

Xu Fengnian did not comment on this.

In an instant, Tong Shanquan had already stood up, her left hand resting on the hilt of a long blade at her waist, drawn an inch or so from its scabbard!

However, it was unknown whether the famous blade she held was "Wude" or "Tianbao."

Xu Fengnian felt a bit helpless.

The window near the three of them.

At that moment, two heads were hanging upside down from it, staring fixedly at the three of them.

Xu Fengnian rubbed his temples and said with a wry smile, "Manor Master Tong, don't misunderstand, they're all family."

The elderly man surnamed Tong was dumbfounded, looking at "Brother Xu" then at the two heads outside the window.

Even with Tong Shanquan's rock-solid composure, she slightly opened her mouth.

This showed that Xu Ying and Miss Hehe's way of appearing, especially late at night, was not very well-received.

Jia Jiajia chuckled three times, pouted, and vanished in a flash.

Xu Ying also mimicked her, laughed three times, and then disappeared.

The atmosphere then became awkward.

No one spoke.

Fortunately, at this moment, Susu and his group walked down from the third floor.

Susu clicked his tongue and said, "Oh, Xu, enjoying a romantic night with a strange young lady again? You're really busy!"

Then Susu raised his voice and said with utmost sincerity to Tong Shanquan, "Miss, please don't pay any attention to that pervert. He already has three wives and four concubines at home, and his children are old enough to climb trees and raid bird nests!"

Xu Fengnian laughed in exasperation, "Get lost!"

Susu pointed his thumb downwards, "You first?"

Xu Fengnian made a move to get up, and Susu decisively scurried away.

Wei Miao and the Miao Jiang woman came downstairs slightly later than Susu, Xue Songguan, and the swordsmith with the sword-box. The elderly man surnamed Tong turned his head and let out a heavy cold snort, which made Wei Miao, who had originally intended to greet the old man, continue downstairs. However, the graceful Miao Jiang woman boldly winked at Xu Fengnian, and didn't forget to give him a thumbs-up.

The old man, who hadn't touched his wine since Xu Fengnian went upstairs, instinctively reached for the wine pot, shook it, and found it empty. After putting it down, he said ill-humoredly, "Young Master Xu, give this old man the full story, give me a straight answer!"

Xu Fengnian said seriously, "How about I drink two more pots with you, old brother? Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't get any more wine."

The old man's face darkened, "No!"

Xu Fengnian continued, "According to the restaurant's rules, if someone can drink six pots of Green Ant wine in a day, they won't even be charged for food. I just need to drink another pot and a half, and I'll make it."

The old man, truly a seasoned Jianghu veteran, immediately said with decisive resolve, "Then drink!"

This time, it was Tong Shanquan who rubbed her temples.

The second floor no longer had any waiters, so Xu Fengnian had to personally run to the counter, rummage through things with great difficulty to retrieve the two pots of wine, and grabbed two small dishes of peanuts while he was at it.

With wine pots tucked under both arms, and dishes held in both hands.

All he lacked was a white cotton towel draped over his shoulder.

When Tong Shanquan saw him in this state, she quietly asked, "Grandfather, could this truly be 'that person'?"

The old man, who had been idly spouting nonsense to his granddaughter earlier, twitched his mouth and remained silent.

Drinking was drinking, and silence remained silence.

A bored Xu Fengnian only occasionally pointed at things on the table.

After thus tediously and uninterestingly drinking two pots of wine, the old man slowly stood up from his chair and said plainly, "Time to go."

Xu Fengnian nodded, "Then I won't see you off."

The old man waved his hand and strode away.

Xu Fengnian looked at Tong Shanquan's receding figure and asked with a smile, "May I ask, Miss Tong, which of those is 'Wude', the sixth most famous blade in the world?"

Tong Shanquan stopped, her right hand gently resting on the hilt of a long blade at her waist.

Xu Fengnian slowly recited, "A swift blade cutting water, the blade remains sharp, the water leaves no trace."

Tong Shanquan uttered the same words she had said when she first met Xu Fengnian.

"Thank you."

The autumn of Xiangfu's third year was particularly eventful.

In the Central Plains, King of Yan Chi Zhao Bing and King of Shu Chen Zhibao jointly raised armies, seizing half the country south of Guangling River. The Liyang Imperial Court had no choice but to send Lu Shengxiang and Wu Zhongxuan to lead troops south again. Xu Gong, the Vice Minister of War, replaced Cai Nan, who had resigned, and was promoted to Jiedushi (military commissioner), responsible for controlling all northern border armies between Beiliang Dao and the two Liaos.

The imperial court decreed Xu Fengnian, the King of Beiliang, as Grand Pillar State. At the same time, it posthumously conferred titles upon all heroes who had died in battle outside the passes, including Liu Jinu and Wang Lingbao. And in Beiliang Dao, it exceptionally established two Deputy Commissioners of Military Affairs and a Jiedushi. The former Governor of Liangzhou, Lu Dongjiang, instantly became the second most important civil official in Beiliang. Xu Beizhi and Yang Shenxing jointly served as Deputy Jiedushis.

In the Battle of Miyun Pass, Cao Wei and a previously unknown military general named Xie completely annihilated Zhong Tan's cavalry forces. Only Zhong Tan of Xia Naibo, leading a dozen elite cavalrymen of the Zhong family, managed to break through. This battle successfully forced the Lantuo Mountain sect, which had already accepted the title of Northern Mang Imperial Preceptor, to switch allegiance, and twenty thousand monk soldiers rushed to aid Qingcang City in Liuzhou.

Yu Luandao led over ten thousand light cavalry, bypassing several important border towns like Junziguan Wanzhu in Gusai Province. He advanced deep into enemy territory with a lone army, directly penetrating the heartland of Northern Mang's Southern Dynasty, his vanguard pointing towards Xijing, shaking both Northern Mang dynasties.

News from the Northern Mang Royal Court reported that the Empress, upon hearing of the disastrous defeat at Miyun Pass, was overcome with rage, fell gravely ill, and was bedridden. Crown Prince Yelü Hongcai temporarily took charge of the Southern Expedition affairs. Yelü Hongcai, a veteran official of three reigns, assumed the title of Xijing Counselor to assist His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Among them, Yelü Dongchuang, a member of the Royal Tent, was exceptionally appointed as the Right Vice Minister of War in Xijing and simultaneously enfeoffed as a General Who Guards the Nation, commanding four important military towns including Junziguan Wanzhu.

Subsequently, the rebel armies of the two Liyang kings did not immediately launch an offensive northward but rapidly encroached upon the vast territories south of the Guangling River.

But just as the entire Liyang officialdom and military mistakenly believed that the King of Yan Chi would declare himself emperor, the Central Plains experienced a profound shock; rumors spread that the two great Kings would place King Jing'an Zhao Xun, renowned throughout the court and country for his loyalty to the Zhao imperial lineage, upon the throne!

The eyes and minds of the world were fixed on this series of astonishing changes.

Among them, Zhao Zhu, the Crown Prince of Yan Chi, remained unperturbed and unnoticed by the world.

And no one paid attention to that small Liangzhou town called Bei'an, where, on that night, true brutality was concealed behind the apparent bloodshed.

The real bloodshed involved no visible blood.

Instead, it would be the warmth of past affections, the bond of shared life and death.

On the spacious second floor of the large restaurant, Xu Fengnian sat alone on a long bench, dozing with his eyes closed.

When Xu Fengnian opened his eyes, Liu Nirong was standing alone beside the table.

Seeing that it was not the woman he had expected, the young King breathed a sigh of relief.

Even though he was destined to meet the other woman, a delay, even a slight one, was always better.

This was like the Crown Prince returning from his Jianghu travels, knowing full well that Xu Xiao was starting to age, but a slower pace was still better.