Chapter 973: Handpicked Heavenly Thunder Returns to the Mortal World

This autumn rain was particularly long, a rare occurrence in Beiliang Road, a place known for strong winds and little rain. However, it delayed the construction of Jubie City, almost making the Governor-General stomp his feet and curse. He would either sigh in the administrative office or hold an oil-paper umbrella, go to the city wall, watch the sky, and anxiously wait for it to clear.

The river south of Jubie City swelled significantly, with rainwater mixing with yellow sand, making it turbid. This greatly annoyed some young martial artists who had come to the market outside the pass to enjoy the frontier scenery. What should have been a crisp and refreshing autumn season was ruined by this prolonged, "diarrhea-like" rain, turning everything into mud. They had originally hoped to stroll along the river at dusk with their admired companions, enjoying the "straight smoke from the vast desert, round sun setting over the long river" scenery outside the pass, perhaps even holding a gentle hand when no one was around — a delightful prospect. Now, they could only lament the unfavorable weather and retreat to inns and taverns in the town market. This group of young travelers, on their journey to the northwest, was often accompanied by elders from martial arts sects or family acquaintances, under their care and supervision. Spending all day staring at these "half-dead" old folks was incredibly dull. It wasn't that no one wanted to gallop freely like "horses roaring in the west wind," but around Jubie City, the land was filled with the clanking armor of Beiliang border cavalry. Who would dare cause trouble?

Perhaps the only people who didn't resent this autumn rain were Miss Hehe and Xu Ying in the prince's residence. The elder and younger girl often stubbornly pestered Jiang Ni to fly them on her sword, soaring straight into the sky, breaking through thick dark clouds. The moment they suddenly saw the light above, Jia Jiajia would always be overjoyed, and Xu Ying would also be endlessly amused. Jiang Ni's sword-riding skills were already supremely refined; she had seen all the aerial views when Cao Changqing took her to Beimang. However, she clearly felt a deep fondness and intimacy for the girl who had subtly become her informant. When Nalan Youci's personal maid Dong Yue visited the residence, it was Jia Jiajia who first alerted her, and later, she relayed the exact contents of the study conversation to her. Thus, no matter how wild Miss Hehe's imagination, Jiang Ni, who was lonely and helpless in Jubie City, always welcomed her. For instance, when she saw a formation of wild geese soaring high over Jubie City, she would take the girl on her sword to chase the geese flying south. Occasionally, she would even "aid the wicked" by helping Jia Jiajia catch two or three poor geese, tying paper notes to their claws, reminiscent of the childlike fun of "geese delivering letters." The last time, Jiang Ni had written, "Xu Fengnian is a bastard." The usually silent Xu Ying had written, "He is not a bastard," while Miss Hehe had asked Jiang Ni to write on her behalf, "They are both right." One wonders, however, if those southward-bound geese, having suffered such an ordeal, would dare to return north from here next spring.

Later, the three girls became fond of a game of "celestial beings flying from the sky." First, Jiang Ni would fly her sword up above the vast sea of clouds. Before their first daring attempt, they must have discussed it thoroughly, not daring to jump casually into the cloud sea, as an accidental plunge might swiftly create a massive hole in Xu Fengnian's prince's residence, ending their fun permanently. The three of them chose a spot directly above the river and hovered the Great Liang Dragon Sparrow sword there. Then, the fearless Jia Jiajia was the first to leap down, hands clasped, head first. She landed with a vigorous head-in-the-mud posture, plunging directly into the riverbed's silt! The young prince, who was processing military affairs in the council chamber at the time, suddenly sensed a powerful qi energy like a flying sword piercing the earth. He immediately rushed to the city wall, only to witness a comical scene that left him speechless. After assessing her falling speed and the girl's physique, Xu Fengnian had to discreetly intervene, dissipating most of Jia Jiajia's momentum before she hit the river. He then had to run into the turbulent, splashing river, grab her feet, and pull her out of the mud like one would pull a radish. The figure in the red robe, who had quietly controlled her qi during her descent, landed not far from the girl in the river. Since she didn't land headfirst like the girl, she was unharmed, though the young prince got soaked like a drowned chicken. Before Xu Fengnian could lose his temper, the three girls had already made their escape. After that, the game continued, but Jiang Ni lowered the sword's flying height considerably and often chose to play at dusk. Consequently, for much of the night, every now and then, the river would produce loud splashes, like dumplings dropping into a pot. Over time, the small town grew accustomed to it.

If it were just such harmless mischief, Xu Fengnian would have turned a blind eye. However, one night, during a particularly fierce thunderstorm, the young prince was in the finance office discussing grain transport with Bai Yu when he heard an unusually loud clap of thunder from very high above. Xu Fengnian immediately realized something was wrong. Sure enough, he caught the three sneaky girls red-handed in the four-courtyard residence. Jia Jiajia, with her hair standing on end and face covered in soot, clutched an iron rod that crackled with electricity, like a white dragon coiled around it. Her eyes sparkled, filled with the joy of a successful endeavor. Xu Ying watched from the side, full of envy. Only Jiang Ni was the most cautious; after putting the Great Liang Dragon Sparrow back into its scabbard, she tried to sneak back to her small house. Xu Fengnian instantly vanished and reappeared, grabbing "Little Nini" by the collar and pulling her back into the courtyard. In the pouring rain, the three girls stood in a line. Jiang Ni pretended to be admiring the moon, looking utterly innocent. Xu Ying secretly glanced at the long, fine iron staff in Jia Jiajia's hands, which crackled with streaks of lightning. Jia Jiajia, completely oblivious to the trouble she had caused, looked at Xu Fengnian with a wary expression, her face saying, "Don't even think about touching my staff, or I'll fight you to the death."

Xu Fengnian sternly asked, "You dare to draw down lightning from the sky without permission? Are you trying to get yourselves killed?!"

Jiang Ni secretly made a face and mumbled, clearly adopting a "what's done is done" attitude.

Xu Ying looked blank and innocent.

Jia Jiajia simply turned away, not bothering to argue with him.

Xu Fengnian, who showed no princely authority or even a hint of Grandmaster aura in front of the three girls, then waved his sleeve, cutting off the rain curtain above their heads. It was a miniature world, a self-contained space within a small area. He gently tapped "Little Nini" on the forehead with a bent finger, then patted Xu Ying's head, and finally turned Miss Hehe's body to face him. He looked at all three and gave a wry smile, saying, "The residence has been incredibly busy lately, and I truly haven't been able to spare time to take you around. That's my fault..."

"Little Nini" muttered softly, "Who cares if you accompany us?"

Xu Fengnian glared at her. Though to outsiders the young prince seemed helpless with her, always yielding, which led to everyone in the residence holding this female sword immortal in great awe, when Xu Fengnian genuinely got angry, Jiang Ni immediately reverted to her true self. She now stood frozen, not even knowing where to put her hands.

Xu Fengnian sighed, then said gently, "In the future, if you want to play in the sky, that's fine. But you must remember, absolutely do not go to high altitudes outside the territory of Beiliang Road. After Sage Zhang transformed into a rainbow, the Confucian spirit accumulated over hundreds of years severed the connection between heaven and man for mortals. But even a cornered dog will jump over a wall, let alone those heavenly immortals accustomed to looking down on all beings from above? Within this small plot of land in Beiliang Road, even if they want to seize an opportunity to act against you, at worst I can still try to mend the situation. But in other places where I cannot arrive immediately, you would be very dangerous. I'm not intentionally exaggerating to scare you; if I hadn't sensed something just now and manifested my spirit by the cloud sea to observe, the next lightning bolt you drew down might truly have been a purple thunderbolt carrying murderous intent."

Jiang Ni lowered her head guiltily, not daring to look Xu Fengnian in the eye. Miss Hehe looked at the iron staff in her hand, which still had dozens of slender white pythons of electricity wildly swirling around it, clearly reluctant to let it go.

Xu Fengnian glanced at the girl whose hair was standing on end and face was covered in soot, and couldn't help but chuckle. "I didn't say you couldn't keep the staff. You took such a big risk, and got struck by lightning into this state! The residual lightning on the staff will last for several more days. There's no reason not to treat it like a treasure."

Xu Fengnian looked up at the deep rain curtain and murmured to himself, "It's impolite not to return a courtesy."

After hearing the young prince say, "I'll be right back," Jiang Ni anxiously asked, "Do you want me to lend you the Great Liang Dragon Sparrow?"

Xu Fengnian smiled and shook his head. His figure shot up from the ground and vanished in a flash.

Not long after, the three heard a roar from the sky, louder than any thunderclap. It was Xu Fengnian's voice shouting, "Get back!"

Jiang Ni secretly clicked her tongue. "That guy has some nerve."

In the night sky, two brilliant white rainbows streaked across, one falling into the Beimang grasslands and the other plummeting into the Central Plains territory.

Half an incense stick later, Xu Fengnian floated back to the ground, hands clasped behind his back, looking composed.

Jiang Ni asked curiously, "Did you fight someone?"

Xu Fengnian nodded, offering no detailed explanation.

Facing seven immortals who sat on the clouds, peering into Beiliang's destiny, Xu Fengnian had thoroughly beaten two of them—those who dared to step out of the heavenly gates—turning them into banished immortals on earth.

Jiang Ni took off her sword scabbard and handed it to Xu Fengnian with both hands.

Xu Fengnian asked, puzzled, "What for?"

"Little Nini" wrinkled her nose. "You can keep it. It'll save us from causing trouble."

Xu Fengnian said helplessly, "Ultimately, Jubie City is a boring place for you. I'm just upset that I can't let you play freely, not that you snuck out to play."

Who would believe that?

"Little Nini" certainly didn't believe him; he had glared at her more fiercely than anyone just now.

Xu Fengnian smiled. His hands still clasped behind his back, he suddenly stretched one hand forward. Three or four inches above his palm, a fist-sized, snowy-white sphere gently revolved—it was lightning essence condensed!

The three girls immediately widened their eyes, as if they had seen the cutest thing in the world.

Xu Fengnian withdrew his hand, letting the thunderball, imbued with supreme heavenly might, hover in the air before him. He smiled and warned, "Whatever you do, don't touch it with your hands. Even an ordinary Vajra physique couldn't withstand its blast. In the world today, apart from me, perhaps only the white-robed monk Li Dangxin's prayer beads, Deng Tai'a's sword, or Tuoba Pusa's fists could touch it and remain unharmed. However, you can easily control this thunderball by slightly releasing your qi, which won't consume much energy. But I must warn you beforehand: absolutely do not let this little thing leave this courtyard, and absolutely do not let it touch any physical object in the courtyard, or I won't have the time or energy to get you another one."

Xu Fengnian casually swept his hand over the iron staff in Miss Hehe's hand. "I left a trace of qi on it. When you're not playing with the thunderball, it will automatically hover near the staff."

Jiang Ni and the other two nodded vigorously in unison, truly like chicks pecking at rice.

Without a word, Jia Jiajia swiftly plunged the iron staff into the bluestone floor of the courtyard. The thunderball then began to gently revolve around the staff on its own.

Three heads huddled together, their eyes fixed on the little object as it leisurely spun.

Xu Fengnian, left ignored, glanced at the cracked ground, sighed, and left the courtyard to return to the finance office.

Once the young prince's figure disappeared, the self-contained space sustained by his qi also silently dissipated, and the small courtyard was once again enveloped in rain. The three girls moved chairs and benches and sat side-by-side under the eaves. Jiang Ni suddenly came to her senses, turned to Jia Jiajia, and said earnestly, "Little Hehe, you can't refuse to pay for repairing the ground."

The girl, nicknamed Little Hehe, slowly shook her head.

Jiang Ni frowned. "Jia Jiajia, you mustn't do that!"

Miss Hehe's eyes darted around, then she leaned in and whispered something to Jiang Ni.

After hearing the secret whisper, Jiang Ni snorted coldly and angrily declared loudly, "Little Hehe, you don't have to pay for this, and neither do I! Doesn't a certain someone have confidantes all over the world, even charming women he's only met once? Would he really be short of these coppers?!"

In fact, Xu Fengnian, who hadn't gone far after leaving the courtyard, suddenly stumbled, shaking his head with a wry smile. Well, Jia Jiajia, to escape her debt, had quite disloyally shifted the blame, revealing the last words of the maid Dong Yue.