Chapter 96: One Step on the Yellow Dragon

Alliances formed out of self-interest often lead to shared circumstances but conflicting goals. Wei Wei was contemplating how to achieve fame in a single battle, but his absolute boundary was to prevent the Yellow Turban soldiers from killing the man named Xu. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince of Jing’an began to ponder whether he could strike mercilessly, treating Wei Wei and the other young masters from Qingzhou as expendable pawns.

Wealth and status are often acquired through risk. For a dignified Crown Prince, the lives of others were of no consequence compared to his title and power; it wasn't even worth considering. As a descendant of the imperial family, this vast world was merely personal property to the Zhao clan. When looking at anyone, be they a Grand Secretary of the Imperial Cabinet or one of thirty provincial governors, no matter how polite they appeared on the surface, weren't they all inwardly looking down on you with disdain?

Among the six Crown Princes of the vassal kings, excluding the two whose princely titles were permitted to be hereditary without reduction according to the "Imperial Clan Laws," did the other four truly not covet the apricot-yellow, five-clawed python robe? A difference of merely one claw between four and five signified a status gap of more than a thousand miles. The terrifying part was that a nine-python, five-clawed robe could be demoted to a nine-python, four-clawed robe. What would happen to the next generation then? In this era of peace and prosperity, where could one earn military merit? The Northern Territory had the King of Northern Liang, and the Southern Kingdom had the King of Yan. Both vassal kings were widely recognized by the dynasty as ruthless and formidable figures. Who would be willing to share a piece of the pie with you? What was damnable was that the "Imperial Clan Laws" explicitly stated "Permanent Severance from Officialdom," effectively cutting off all avenues for imperial clan members to hold office.

The Crown Prince of Jing’an lowered his head, frowning slightly, pondering deeply, his malevolent aura as thick as the fumes of wine in a cup. He didn't even pay attention to the earth-shattering shouts and screams of battle outside the window.

"Damn it, that guy with the great halberd isn't human! He even chopped off the ramming pole with a hundred-pound iron halberd!" A young master from Qingzhou gasped, unable to stop himself from shouting. That muscular, black-armored general was truly a match for ten thousand men. His long halberd easily deflected volleys of arrows, and he even shattered the ramming pole that the Yellow Dragon ship was using with immense force.

"How can a few hundred Yellow Turban archers and crossbowmen be suppressed and shot down by a hundred Northern Liang barbarians? Hiding behind shields and arrow-proof barricades, not even daring to raise their heads—they've all turned into damn cowards!" Another fop, who cautiously peeked out then quickly pulled back, looked utterly shocked. Little did he know that he was no different from the Yellow Turban soldiers. At least the Yellow Turban soldiers he was berating were facing the fierce Northern Liang soldiers head-on. What was he?

Outside the window, the close-quarters skirmish had entirely devolved into hand-to-hand combat. Even though the finely crafted Northern Liang crossbows had a longer range, they held no real advantage here. This didn't stop the Yellow Turban soldiers on the warship, with their six thousand arrows in storage, from unleashing volleys of arrows. However, after one volley, the opposing Northern Liang light cavalry suffered minimal casualties, while dozens on this side were accurately shot down. Everyone on the warship could clearly feel the penetrating vibrations caused by the Northern Liang crossbow bolts striking the hull. This was in stark contrast to the scene everyone on the warship had envisioned: their side suppressing the enemy with sheer numbers until they couldn't even breathe.

"That fellow isn't afraid of death; he just uses his saber to deflect arrows," the second son of the Prefect of Shujian Commandery in Qingzhou remarked in admiration.

Birds of a feather flock together. Those who called the villainous Wei Wei their sworn brother were not ordinary people, nor did they come from average wealthy families. Anyone present could casually flip through their family genealogy and find several ancestors who had left their mark on history. For a thousand years, the imperial throne had changed hands, sometimes for four centuries, sometimes for just a few years, with one ruler succeeding another.

Only one thing remained constant: the aristocratic clans and powerful families. Was Xu Xiao, who achieved unparalleled feats during the Spring and Autumn Wars, most criticized for slaughtering a million soldiers? No, those capable of criticizing the Grand Marshal wouldn't dwell on calling him an inhumane butcher. Instead, they were heartbroken that after the Spring and Autumn Wars, there were no more aristocrats; over half of the powerful families, with decades of heritage, were destroyed. The seeds of scholarship were gone, and moral etiquette was broken. This was Xu the Butcher's true injustice. For those old scholars who believed they bore the heavy responsibility of maintaining "propriety" in the world, this was Xu Xiao's monstrous crime, for which a hundred deaths wouldn't suffice. "No scholars after Xilei Wall"—how many later generations of literati were saddened by this single phrase? And how many ministers of fallen states shed bitter tears, cursing Xu Xiao's injustice even on their deathbeds?

Unfortunately, curses couldn't kill.

Therefore, His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Xu Fengnian, found it hard to believe in so-called loyalty and righteousness. He knew such things existed, but they couldn't be blindly trusted. The only thing truly reliable was the blade in his hand. Consider: if Xu Xiao were steeped in poetry and books, constantly speaking of benevolence and morality, would he still command the allegiance of three hundred thousand cavalry today? Zhao Guangling and Li Yishan were unparalleled national scholars; why would they be willing to strategize for Xu Xiao, a man of humble origins? Did Shangyin Academy reluctantly accept his second sister as a Jixia Scholar merely because Xu Weixiong was astonishingly talented? Xu Fengnian stood at the bow of the ship, deflecting incoming arrows with a single stroke of his saber. With no more stray arrows, he observed the battle. This small-scale naval battle, involving only six hundred combatants in total, wasn't a fierce struggle. Li Yishan never taught him knowledge in a conventional way. If one was only permitted to "see a leopard through a tube," why couldn't he draw inferences from one instance and discern the whole from a small detail?

Qingzhou's forty thousand strong navy, touted by the Qing Faction in the imperial court as a mighty naval force capable of challenging the Guangling Navy, was nothing but a fancy embroidered pillow. And the embroidery was even ugly. Truly uninteresting. Xu Fengnian wondered if this battle would prematurely toll a few death knells for it.

Wei Wei glared furiously at Xu Fengnian, enraged by his father's navy for its incompetence. He also felt infinite hatred for Xu Fengnian, mixed with a hint of fear he dared not admit. If this Northern Liang Crown Prince truly inherited his title without reduction, donning a five-clawed python robe, and commanding not just a hundred Northern Liang soldiers but three hundred thousand cavalry, how would his father, the "Lake Dragon King," conduct himself? Not to mention the future, if this battle was lost, public sentiment across Qingzhou would surely erupt, and the truly terrifying figures were those Qing Faction bigwigs who squinted as they read confidential messages from various families. The Qing Faction didn't engage in internal strife, but their methods for dealing with useless pawns were exceptionally decisive!

Xu Fengnian smiled at Ning Emei and said, "General Ning, lend me a short halberd."

Ning Emei was now idle. In the archers' and crossbowmen's exchange, the Yellow Turban soldiers were completely defeated. After a feeble volley of arrows, they timidly retreated, mere blustering cowards! Ning Emei had broken two ramming poles with his cross-shaped iron halberd, truly a brave general who could match ten thousand men on the battlefield. Upon hearing His Highness's request, he respectfully drew a short halberd from his backpack.

Xu Fengnian, holding Xiudong in his right hand, took the short halberd with his left and hurled it with tremendous force, directly at the third-story window of the warship. If Wei Wei dared to shoot arrows openly, Xu Fengnian dared to shoot the Crown Prince of Jing’an with an arrow, and even dared to use a short halberd to make all three of their legs tremble with fright.

The short halberd pierced through the window. The prefect's second son, who had been peeking at the battle, dodged quickly, but a gash was cut across his cheek, and the halberd embedded itself in the ceiling.

Those Qingzhou young ladies, who had initially been gossiping about the Northern Liang Crown Prince, finally began to personally experience how close the battle was. Their faces turned pale, especially upon hearing the Prefect of Shujian Commandery's second son wailing with his face covered, as if his parents had died, in heart-wrenching agony. If no one had supported him, he probably would have been rolling on the floor by now.

Wei Wei, already at his wit's end, sneered, "Go tell another warship to ram them! Ram those blind Northern Liang barbarians to death!"

The general of this Yellow Dragon warship was about to depart with the order when Wei Wei lowered his voice and added, "Remember, ram the other two ships first."

The warship general froze for a moment, then suddenly realized, breathing a sigh of relief and internally exclaiming his good fortune. If he truly rammed to death that domineering Northern Liang young master, given his status, would a small warship general like him get off lightly? A hundred insignificant scapegoats like him wouldn't be enough to satisfy the demands for retribution!

The ship's cabin was plunged into extreme chaos by this commotion. The Crown Prince of Jing’an tapped his finger on the table. The royal attendant, who had blocked half an arrow for him, bowed and approached. His Royal Highness uttered only one word.

"Kill."

Without His Royal Highness, who had grown up in Xiangfan City, needing to give detailed instructions, the skilled attendant knew how to handle things smoothly and securely.

In one cabin, the villainous Wei Wei, who had the deepest enmity with Xu Fengnian, still dared not use the Yellow Dragon ship to ram Xu Fengnian's vessel. Yet the Crown Prince, who seemingly had no deep-seated animosity towards Xu Fengnian upon their first meeting, was determined to kill him. The young ladies were even more interesting: though greatly frightened by the short halberd piercing the cabin, they instead felt admiration for the Northern Liang Crown Prince, who commanded soldiers as naturally as if they were personal servants. Qingzhou women valued pragmatism and gain over benevolence and righteousness—a truly incisive observation. How could a group of people, divided by their true natures yet outwardly harmonious, achieve anything great?

How many years could the Qing Faction, which now governed the nation through cunning political maneuvering and sheer luck, last? Did any clear-sighted person discern the underlying issues? They gathered when there was profit and dispersed when there was none—how were they any different from snakes and rats? Was this why Grand Secretary Zhang, who held supreme authority over both civil and military officials in court, always tried to win over the Qing Faction with words but never truly entrusted them with significant responsibilities?

For some reason, Jiang Ni was always distracted while reading in the cabin. Old Man Li sat nearby, taking off his boots to scratch his feet, rubbing his fingers between his toes, then bringing them to his nose to smell. If he felt greedy, he'd even pop a peanut into his mouth. Such an air of a master was truly beyond compare.

The old Sword God watched Jiang Ni's eyebrows, which sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed. After a thought, he smiled and said, "Want to watch this naval battle? If you do, this old man can protect you outside. Never mind a few hundred arrows; even if tens of thousands of arrows rained down like a storm, this old man guarantees your safety."

Jiang Ni asked earnestly, "Truly?"

Li Chungang chuckled, "I exaggerated a little. For ten thousand arrows to be fired simultaneously and for one to remain completely unharmed, it would require divine abilities like Qi Xuanzhen possessed at his peak. My current petty skills in the Heavenly Phenomenon realm are still a bit lacking. But this is all because this old man has no sword in hand. Don't you dare laugh at me, little girl."

Jiang Ni pressed, "A sword master like you can't achieve the state of 'no sword in hand, yet millions of swords exist within'?"

This time, surprisingly, the old Sword God did not boast about his swordsmanship as Old Man Li usually did. He merely said softly, "It is possible, yes, but with a real sword in hand, the state of mind is ultimately very different. You will understand when your sword skills reach perfection one day; otherwise, this old man could talk himself hoarse, and you still wouldn't grasp it."

Jiang Ni uttered an "Oh" and stood up.

She didn't say why she wanted to venture out to watch the battle, but despite being too weak to even tie up a chicken, she walked out.

Old Man Li tugged at his sheepskin coat and followed closely. By the time they reached the cabin door, he was already standing in front of Jiang Ni. Scattered arrows flew towards them, but without the old Sword God needing to make any move, they veered far off course.

Li Chungang's name contained the character for "sword aura."

This was no idle boast.

Perhaps this one-armed Sword God found the arrows an eyesore, or perhaps he couldn't bear to see Jiang Ni fearful. When the young girl saw the Yellow Dragon ship ramming straight towards a nearby vessel, and Xu Fengnian instantly drawing his saber and rushing off with Ning Emei and four attendants, she instinctively cried out in alarm.

Li Chungang scoffed.

He took a single step.

He swept past everyone, landing on the hull of the Yellow Dragon ship.

His form floated like a green dragon.

With one kick, he overturned the Yellow Dragon warship into the water!