Chapter 985: Wind Passes Silently, Hooves Approaching

The foreign armies around Jubei City began to evacuate the ordinary people from the markets and small towns. Scholars on their study tours, composing poetry, and chivalrous heroes accompanied by fairies, riding steeds and singing to the western wind, gradually headed south like the wild geese overhead. At dawn, a group of over forty people within the migrating crowd stood out. Each wore a tall hat and scholar’s robe; they were all Jixia scholars from Shangyin Academy, exuding elegance and representing the foremost intellectuals of the world.

After the cavalry crossed the river, a carriage stopped on the bank. Two women, one adult and one child, alighted. The girl wore two pigtails and cradled a plump white cat. The woman had an alluring figure and striking beauty, like a full peony that could steal the colors of a nation, in the prime of her blooming youth. She gazed north, and at the end of her sight, she could just make out Jubei City’s southern wall, where only clanging armor could be seen, no prince’s python robe. The pigtail girl, once personally praised by someone at Shangyin Academy as having "unrivaled boxing and invincible legwork," pouted. She spoke up indignantly for the woman beside her: "Sister Yu, why bother thinking about that fickle, heartless, faithless man, hmph! I must have been blind back then to mistake him for a decent human being; he's actually worse than that blockhead Qi Shence!"

The alluring but cold-mannered woman remained unmoved.

The little girl vigorously pulled the large white cat’s neck, then looked up cautiously and asked, "How about we go curse at the gate of that princely manor? Don't worry, if I personally go, I guarantee I'll lambast that guy thoroughly! What 'Grandmaster of Martial Arts Rankings' or 'Number One Under Heaven'—none of them are my match!"

The older woman was Yu Youwei, a Jishang Master from Shangyin Academy. She rubbed the little girl's head and said softly with a smile, "Some things are better left uncontested. A restless mind only brings trouble."

The little girl put her hands on her hips and unceremoniously dropped the white cat. She lifted her small head and, in a world-weary tone, said, "Sister Yu! Where in the world are there broad-minded women? We are women! If you don't go meet him and ask him yourself, and instead become a deserter retreating from the front, what kind of behavior is that?! Don't history books say that treacherous villains love to deceive the emperor? Maybe that Xu fellow doesn't even know you came to Jubei City, and if you leave in a huff without a word and return to the Central Plains, won't those usurping fox spirits simply take a huge advantage for free? No, absolutely not! I must uphold justice for you!"

Just as the huffing little girl took a step, Yu Youwei gently pulled her back by one of her skyward-pointing pigtails. The little girl wrinkled her face pitifully and asked, "Really not going?"

Yu Youwei smiled, "No need to go. I know that he knows I've been here."

The little girl was still annoyed, "I don't care what you know or he knows, I'm just too angry! All that talk about 'better to forget each other in the martial world than to struggle together in adversity' is a lie! How can it compare to the respectful devotion of a talented scholar and a beautiful lady, or the intimate affection of a divine couple?!"

The little girl looked at the calm-faced Sister Yu. The child, too young to know what love was, began to look close to tears. She lightly kicked the fat, clumsy white cat beside her, then wiped her tender face with a slender arm, sobbing, "No wonder my mother dislikes that book *First Snow* the most. She always says that many words in it are too much of a self-fulfilling prophecy, practically making it impossible for women in the world to feel any longing. Especially the line 'the passionate are always misled by the heartless' – that's the most hateful!"

True to her ancestors and parents, who were all learned scholars from Shangyin Academy, the little girl's speech, though not particularly elegant, was certainly beyond what ordinary Central Plains children could match.

Suddenly, a cold voice sounded above the little girl's head, "*First Snow* is full of nonsense. 'May all good people find true love and marry' – that phrase is the most hateful. Only what you said, little girl, 'the passionate are always misled by the heartless,' can be called golden words of wisdom."

Her two pigtails tilted backward. The little girl, with watery eyes, blinked her bright, moist eyes and looked up in a daze at the unexpected visitor who seemed to have descended from the sky. The woman was tall and slender, like Mount Emei, which scholars' travelogues describe with such lavish detail for its unique and unparalleled beauty. In the little girl's eyes, this fairy-like woman in purple was exceptionally beautiful, especially her sharp chin, like an icicle hanging from the eaves during a heavy snowfall. The little girl inexplicably liked this purple-clad sister at first sight but also deeply feared her, feeling very conflicted.

Yu Youwei, neither overly warm nor distant, politely asked, "May I ask why Alliance Leader Xuanyuan has suddenly graced us with her presence?"

Hearing the title "Alliance Leader Xuanyuan," the pigtail girl's eyes immediately lit up, no less excited than a civil or military official hearing "Your Majesty." Mustering her courage, she took a step forward, then stealthily extended two fingers and secretly pinched the corner of the robe of the fairy who achieved longevity overnight at Daxueping. Then she turned back, her face beaming with excitement, and said, "Sister Yu, Sister Yu, this purple robe she's wearing must be, as rumored in the martial world, woven from the silk of ice silkworms at the peak of Kunlun Mountain, the ancestor of all dragon veins! It's so smooth and soft, incredibly comfortable to touch! They say it's impenetrable to blades and spears and impervious to water and fire. This one robe alone is priceless. Our Alliance Leader Xuanyuan spent half the wealth of Daxueping just to coax a reclusive Mohist Grandmaster into reluctantly making four of them. She wears one for each season: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. When she's out and about, she always flies, soaring over famous mountains and great rivers without ever touching the ground, just zipping across. Her purple robe flutters, it's so domineering!"

In the distance, young talented individuals who had long heard of Huishan Purple Robe's fame but never seen her were, on one hand, captivated by her extraordinary demeanor, secretly comparing this martial arts alliance leader with Master Yu. On the other hand, they sincerely admired the pigtail little girl's unbelievable boldness. It was well known throughout the court and commoners that this Xuanyuan family head had an extremely strange temper, even more capricious than the tyrannical rulers reviled for centuries in historical records. They worried that the little girl would be slapped to a pulp by Xuanyuan Qingfeng. These Jixia scholars had traveled west all the way to the Beiliang frontier and had spent days with the little girl, and having already doted on her at the academy, even though they were extremely wary of Huishan Purple Robe's fearsome reputation, seven or eight of them still stepped forward in unison, with a sense of tragic grandeur, as if prepared to die generously.

However, Xuanyuan Qingfeng merely glanced sideways, and those scholars, brimming with noble righteousness, involuntarily retreated in unison, breaking out in a cold sweat in an instant.

No wonder a renowned martial arts veteran once joked that while countless alluring women exist, the Huishan Purple Robe is the hardest to conquer; one must have the capability to even dare to try.

The ignorant little girl unexpectedly added fuel to the fire by patting the purple robe, then scurried over to the crowd, laughing heartily and triumphantly, "You all saw it! I exchanged blows with Huishan Purple Robe! How about that? You didn't believe me when I said I sparred with Xu Fengnian at the academy; surely you believe me this time, right?!"

Everyone was dumbfounded. Some timid young scholars had already begun wiping cold sweat, fearing they would witness a gruesome, bloody scene the next moment.

Yu Youwei said softly, "Childlike innocence and frankness. I hope Alliance Leader Xuanyuan will forgive her."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng glanced at the little girl with her back to her, a slight curve appearing at the corner of her lips, which she quickly suppressed. She then turned to Yu Youwei and whispered, "Don't worry, I wouldn't stoop to bickering with a child."

Yu Youwei felt a sense of relief, her stiff body gradually relaxing. Clearly, her inner state was far less composed than her calm expression suggested. Xuanyuan Qingfeng, who was only a paper-thin distance from becoming a Land Immortal, naturally saw through this clearly but found it tiresome to bother with, let alone disdainful.

Since her debut, this woman had never lacked martial arts news, and each time, it was astounding. The most recent incident involved the recently risen Taibai Sword Sect, one of the Ten Great Sects of Liyang. The Exiled Immortal Chen Tianyuan, despite reaching the foot of Wudang Mountain, did not participate in the Wudang martial arts discussion. On his journey to the Central Plains, he unfortunately encountered this purple-clad figure, whose fame had already spread throughout the land. Rumors of that unexpected skirmish said its power shook heaven and earth and moved gods and spirits, rocking half of Hezhou province. It was said that Chen Tianyuan exhaled seventeen times and unleashed three thousand swords consecutively, illuminating half the province with sword light like daytime in the night, yet he still could not inflict the slightest harm on the purple-clad figure. After this battle, the Exiled Immortal Chen Tianyuan's reputation did not diminish but soared. Xuanyuan Qingfeng was even compared directly to the New King of Beiliang. Those who extensively praised Huishan firmly believed that the title of "Number One Under Heaven" would only be decided by a fight. Even neutral busybodies felt that, at worst, this female Alliance Leader could join the ranks of Grandmasters of Martial Arts Rankings, becoming the esteemed fifth, after Huyan Daguan, who single-handedly constituted a sect in Beimang.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng stood with her hands behind her back, gazing north with Yu Youwei at the still-unfinished formidable frontier city. The northwest sky was vast and the wind strong; great gusts swept past, making the two women's sleeves flutter and rustle.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng looked straight ahead and suddenly sneered, "Does that Xu fellow really bear to miss such a magnificent sight?"

Yu Youwei felt confused, unsure what subtle point Huishan Purple Robe was making.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng finally left a parting remark, "Whether to contend or not depends on my mood. But one must speak clearly; hiding things, being wishy-washy, only makes it seem like the other person has betrayed deep affection and good intentions, when in fact, it might just be one's own doing."

Yu Youwei simply smiled and let it go. When Xuanyuan Qingfeng's figure flickered and vanished, this Jishang Master from Shangyin Academy murmured to herself, "You are not me, and I am not you."

A streak of purple rainbow plunged into Jubei City.

The pigtail girl, who had re-embraced the large white cat, looked up at the sky, dazzled and awestruck. She clicked her tongue in wonder, "How domineering! How powerful! When I grow up, I want to travel through clouds and mist like that too!"

When Yu Youwei stooped to get into the carriage, she finally realized what Xuanyuan Qingfeng's "magnificent sight" referred to, and she smiled helplessly.

She remembered a playboy once joked that if you looked down and couldn't see your toes, it meant you had an extraordinary talent, a wonder of the world!

Yu Youwei, recalling it now, didn't find it absurd or funny; instead, she felt a little bittersweet.

Those words, even if he had been stopped from saying them back then, he would have said them. Now, if she were to ask him to say them, he probably wouldn't be in the mood.

At some point, the princely manor, along with many high-ranking officials—primarily military advisors—began a new routine. Every morning, they would first jog three laps around the manor walls, then practice boxing together in the open space in front of the council hall and the six-ministry wing rooms. The boxing style was reportedly created by Hong Xixiang, the former sect leader of Wudang. After being abridged and integrated by the young Prince, the orthodox Wudang Grand Form's 108 stances were simplified into the Small Form's 36 stances practiced by the Jubei City manor's personnel. The essence remained, reducing many complicated postures difficult for ordinary people to perform. The movements varied in speed, flowing like clouds and water, perfectly suited for stretching muscles, strengthening the foundation, and cultivating qi.

Over time, officials like Minister Wang Jizhao of the Ministry of Rites and Song Changsui of the Ministry of Works actively participated, joining the manor officials in morning jogs and boxing. Bai Yu of the Ministry of Revenue, due to his poor eyesight, would still stand under the wing room eaves daily, smiling as he watched. The Ministry of Personnel, personally led by Administrator Li, lacked a central figure. Li Gongde had developed a habit of walking around the city wall before dawn every day. As a model of Beiliang's older generation of civil officials, Li Gongde could chat with the "mud-legged" craftsmen who built the city while sitting on sand piles, but he was unwilling to associate with a group of younger, less experienced officials. Therefore, he naturally did not mix with them, and the Ministry of Personnel officials also gave up. The officials on duty in the Ministries of War and Justice did not need such physical exercise and did not join the fun either. But even so, the manor's mornings exuded a vibrant, lively atmosphere.

Today, the young Prince stood at the top of the steps with Master Bai Lian, watching over two hundred people practice boxing together. Among them were the Lu family scions, Lu Chensong and Lu Chenqing. Lu Chenqing had not returned to Lingzhou with his family head, Lu Dongjiang, but had remained in Jubei City, becoming a green-robed advisor without a temporary rank. The leader of the boxing practice was Yu Xingrui, a Wudang True Man who had just arrived in the city last night. Behind Yu Xingrui were Qi Xianxia, the Young Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain, who had visited the manor together, and Chai Qingshan from Dongyue Sword Pool. True Men from the two Taoist ancestral lands of north and south, and the Sword Dao Master of a sword pool—three grandmasters—serenely practicing boxing together in the manor's open space. To describe it as an "unprecedented spectacle" would be no exaggeration.

Bai Yu, standing naturally shoulder-to-shoulder with the young Prince, looked straight ahead and smiled, "My Lord, besides these three, according to intelligence from the Ministry of Justice, Grandmasters Mao Shulang, Cheng Baishuang, and Ji Liuan from the Southern Frontier are also on their way to Jubei City. It seems that after the foremost expert, Wei Miao from Nanzhao, descended the mountain, he didn't return to his hometown with his wife; ten to one, he's also heading for our Jubei City. Although the whereabouts of Xue Songguan, the blind female zitherist from Western Shu, are unknown, Han Laozhong at Lazikou on the Lingzhou border also sent a secret report that this woman did not travel south with the former Western Shu Crown Prince Susu. As for people like Tong Shan Quan, the master of Jin Cuodao Manor, and Li Houzhong, the Spear Sage of Xuelu, there are no less than a handful of them, steadily coming here to join the fun. My Lord, are you planning to convene a new martial arts gathering for the Huishan family head from Daxueping?"

Xu Fengnian shook his head, "They'll join the fun, then return to their homes, what else? Could I persuade these martial arts grandmasters to kill barbarians on the battlefield? Didn't your junior brother Qi Xianxia clearly state he's leaving for Difei Mountain immediately? Besides, killing enemies on the battlefield has always been unrelated to the martial world."

Master Bai Lian unceremoniously retorted, "If I recall correctly, during the ten-year siege of Xiangfan City back then, countless chivalrous heroes helped Wang Mingyang resist your Xu family's army."

Xu Fengnian said helplessly, "Yes, yes, yes, Master Bai Lian is completely right."

Bai Yu teased, "Don't say that. I'm not that Transport Commissioner who dared to punch His Highness for a disagreement. So, Your Highness has no need to be so timidly cautious and ingratiating."

Xu Fengnian chuckled, a forced smile on his face, clearly having learned seven or eight parts of the essence from Jia Jiajia. "Bai Yu, it's a good thing you're not a martial artist, otherwise I'd have to spar with you."

Bai Yu suddenly changed the subject and quietly asked, "May I inquire about the whereabouts of Yu Xinlang and Lou Huang, Wang Xianzhi's two esteemed disciples?"

Xu Fengnian did not hide anything. "Lou Huang is with Li Hanlin. As for Yu Xinlang, guess."

Bai Yu understood instantly, "So he's like Xu Yanbing, hidden at Huaiyang Pass. I understand. My Lord, there's something I'm not sure if I should say?"

Tit for tat, Xu Fengnian said without reservation, "I advise you not to."

Bai Yu turned his head, feigning surprise, "What? Does someone dare to openly beat a respectable prefect of a province in broad daylight? And the prefect of Liangzhou, at that—a high-ranking second-grade prefect, unique among the thirty provinces north and south of Liyang!"

Xu Fengnian merely chuckled again, "It's truly a pity Master Bai Lian doesn't practice swordsmanship."

Bai Yu gave a knowing smile and indeed did not continue his inquiry.

He had originally wanted to ask if Xie Xichui, even with Yu Xinlang escorting him, still died in the interception battle in that corridor, would King Beiliang, Xu Fengnian, then bear a grudge against General Kou Jianghuai of Liuzhou.

After all, Bai Yu, Yang Shenxing, and Kou Jianghuai were now considered a group of influential figures.

Just as Deputy Administrator Song Dongming had a close relationship with Wang Linquan, nicknamed "Beiliang's God of Wealth," it was the same.

And just as Chen Xiliang had a deep bond with Yang Guangdou and the Liuzhou army, while Xu Beizhi was quite friendly with Han Laozhong of Lingzhou and Huangfu Ping of Youzhou—it was the same principle.

Different processes, same result.

"Gentlemen befriend without forming factions," and "scholars gather like a forest" were merely more refined ways for literati to describe forming cliques.

How was Zhang Julu as an official? Almost flawless, almost a saint, yet didn't he have Huan Wen, the "Tantan Weng," beside him, and behind him, a group of prominent officials from the "Spring of Yonghui" era, including Zhao Youling, Wang Xionggui, Yin Maochun, Yuan Guo, and Han Lin?

Thirty years of devoted cultivation on the mountain, ultimately, was just about cultivating the "heart" character. After Bai Yu descended the mountain to become an official, he understood things far more thoroughly than many cunning old-timers who had climbed the ranks in officialdom for decades.

Even an amateur performing that Small Form of Wudang boxing would find it pleasing to the eye. Bai Yu sighed, "If we could incorporate Taoist breathing techniques, whether it's Longhu Mountain's Heavenly Master's Residence's introductory mantra, the 'Song of Returning to True Simplicity,' or Wudang Mountain's Jade Pillar Peak Heart Method, they could harmonize body and spirit, benefiting both inner and outer self. Not to mention prolonging life, they could at least cure illness and strengthen the body."

Xu Fengnian nodded, "If you and I have the chance in the future, you, as the Governor of Liangzhou, will be the first to promote it within your jurisdiction. As for Wudang Mountain, I'll help you make arrangements."

Bai Yu suddenly felt an inexplicable cool breeze sweep from the side. Before seeing her, he heard her voice, cold and clear like a heavy winter snow: "Wudang Mountain's Jade Pillar Heart Method is hard to say, but Longhu Mountain's 'Song of Returning to Simplicity' is presentable? The lowest-ranked guest masters of Huishan wouldn't even glance at it."

Bai Yu strained to look, seeing a slightly blurred face, but the dazzling, vivid purple confirmed her identity.

Bai Yu immediately gave a wry smile, struck dumb with fear.

Master Bai Lian rarely feared anyone. For instance, he felt no fear toward Xu Fengnian, because although this young Prince appeared incredibly arrogant, he was actually most reasonable when dealing with those willing to reason.

But Bai Yu also knew that the world was full of wonders, and there truly was a small group of people who simply did not like to reason at all.

And coincidentally, the woman beside Bai Yu happened to be the most unreasonable among that small group.

In every letter exchange, Zhao Ningshen, the current sect leader of Longhu Mountain, who resided in seclusion at Difei Mountain, the first Grotto-heaven and Blessed Land of Taoism, would invariably complain in his letters about how arrogant, domineering, and utterly unreasonable that young woman named Xuanyuan from Huishan was. To elicit such comments from an amiable Taoist like Zhao Ningshen, Huishan Purple Robe was indeed the most unreasonable person under heaven. After Huishan Daxueping's power grew significantly, she imposed three prohibitions: first, Longhu Mountain pilgrims were not allowed to ascend the mountain for incense on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month; second, no Taoist priests surnamed Zhao from Longhu Mountain were allowed within a ten-li radius of Huishan; third, no yellow or purple robed Heavenly Master's Residence Taoists were allowed into her sight! Besides these three prohibitions, she also brazenly ordered the relocation of over ten ancient trees from Longhu Mountain, each at least three hundred years old, including four osmanthus and three ancient cypresses. Afterwards, she didn't forget to have someone drop a bag of silver fragments, at most less than ten taels of silver! If she was in a bad mood or simply bored, she would even inexplicably hurl large objects at Longhu Mountain. Although no one was ever hurt, colossal objects would occasionally fly overhead and crash, leaving a large crater. How could cultivators, who sought peace and quiet on the mountain, tolerate that?

However, Bai Yu knew even more clearly that the real bitterness in his close friend Zhao Ningshen's complaints lay in the young Longhu Mountain sect leader's own indecisiveness deep down.

Longing had already arisen, but there was nowhere for it to land.

For cultivators, who wielded the sword of wisdom, emotional ties were easily severed. Unfortunately, some were unwilling to sever them.

Longhu Mountain's Heavenly Master's Residence was too close to Huishan Daxueping.

Only Difei Mountain, neither too far nor too close, within sight but out of reach, was just right.

Why did Zhao Ningshen, recognized for his profound good fortune and ancient demeanor since childhood, constantly clash with the New King of Beiliang? Was it merely due to the grievances of the previous generation? Was it simply because Xu Xiao, the Human Butcher, led his army to trample Longhu Mountain back then? Of course not.

At this moment, as Bai Yu thought of the young sect leader's helpless sorrow at Difei Mountain, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. After a moment's hesitation, he looked at this woman and finally couldn't help but speak bluntly, "Alliance Leader Xuanyuan, do you know that Zhao Ningshen..."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng's expression was indifferent. She interrupted Master Bai Lian and sneered, "You want to say he likes me? I've known for a long time. Please tell that fellow hiding in Difei Mountain to come tell me to my face if he has the guts, and then I'll show him how to write the word 'regret'."

The young Prince, who had a significant feud with that Longhu Mountain sect leader, made no effort to conceal his calm and collected demeanor. He probably would have slammed the table in applause if a desk had been in front of him.

Bai Yu held his forehead, speechless.

Bai Lian knew he absolutely dared not reveal this incident in his letter to Zhao Ningshen today.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng frowned and asked, "Is it really appropriate for a minor prefect like you to stand so casually shoulder-to-shoulder with a Prince?"

Perhaps it was a case of every object having its master.

Bai Yu took a deep breath, turned, and walked away, sighing. He was probably lamenting the decline of the world's morals, the changing human heart, and women fierce as tigers.

Xu Fengnian turned and looked at the Hehe Girl and Red-robed Xu Ying, who were sitting side by side on the edge of the roof, legs dangling. He winked and made gestures at them.

Hehe Girl merely chuckled, clearly even more gloating than Xu Fengnian had been towards Zhao Ningshen earlier.

Xu Fengnian knew that narrow-minded little mud doll had three "thresholds," neither too high nor too low, that she would never cross in this lifetime. One involved a princess making things difficult for another princess; she had somewhat put it aside after Xu Fengnian worked hard to earn her so much copper at Wudang Mountain. Another related to a euphemism about "emerging from the wall" (exhausted from indulgence); Minister Wang Jizhao, who had revealed the secret, had already suffered for it. Whenever the young Prince had free time during that period, he would drag the old man, who couldn't control his tongue, to play chess, defeating him utterly, making the old master almost vomit blood at the sight of a chessboard and chess box. The third threshold involved moving and sending books. For years, the little mud doll had considered moving books, like moving mountains, the most difficult thing in the world! But someone had actually sent large chests of martial arts manuals to Huishan Daxueping?!

When Xuanyuan Qingfeng had entered Jubei City manor like a long rainbow piercing the sun just now, Xu Fengnian had already resigned himself to fate, expecting Jiang Ni to have been alerted. Not seeing flying swords killing people at that moment was already a blessing in disguise; Xu Fengnian's attempt to bribe Jia Jiajia was merely a dying struggle.

Xuanyuan Qingfeng ignored this, remaining proudly at the top of the stone steps. She knew, of course, that there was a Western Chu woman named Jiang Ni within this manor.

She quietly asked, "How is that Wen fellow doing now, do you think?"

Xu Fengnian paused, then said after a moment of silence, "I think of him occasionally, but dare not think too much."

She continued, "If there's a chance in the future, shall the three of us gather? It's a pity I didn't beat him hard enough myself back then."

Xu Fengnian grinned, "Alright, but let's agree beforehand, I'll definitely stop you then."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, lifted her chin slightly, and said softly with a smile, "Regardless of who wins or loses, that stingy Wen fellow must treat us to drinks, we'll fleece him mercilessly."

Xu Fengnian nodded, "I absolutely won't stop you from doing that!"

Xuanyuan Qingfeng looked around, "I'll find a place to stay. When I want to return to the Central Plains, there's no need for a send-off; you probably won't have time anyway. When I get back, I'll help you find that Wen fellow first. No matter how vast the martial world is, it's mine after all."

Xu Fengnian said softly, "Thanks."

Xuanyuan Qingfeng merely smiled and vanished. Coming and going without a trace, like a wild goose treading on snow, leaving no mark.

Her figure appeared below Jubei City's north wall, walking slowly.

May all lovers in the world find true love and marry.

She had told another woman that these words were the most hateful.

But she had not said that these words were also the most anticipated.

Xu Fengnian stood silently where he was. After regaining his senses, he found that everyone in the square was looking at him, with various expressions. Even Sword Dao Grandmaster Chai Qingshan was whispering to Wudang True Man Yu Xingrui, their eyes particularly subtle and intriguing.

Xu Fengnian naturally felt helpless about this and had no desire to explain further, as it would be like protesting "no silver here" where 300 taels were hidden.

When Xu Fengnian arrived at the front courtyard of the second hall, he saw Deputy Military Commissioner Yang Shenxing standing beside a one-armed old man with white eyebrows, white hair, and white clothes, looking quite troubled.

Xu Fengnian glanced at the old man, who was even more ethereal and immortal-like than the Taoist deities in paintings, and felt troubled himself. "Sui Xiegu, last time at Qingliang Mountain, I let you eat three famous swords, including 'Ten Thousand Ravines Thunder,' in one go. Even if we turn Jubei City upside down, there definitely won't be any good swords to your liking. I beg you, don't stir up any more mischief."

The sword-eating old ancestor, whose two wisps of snowy white eyebrows almost reached his knees, twitched his mouth and sneered, "How could you not know that I've coveted the 'Fuji' and 'Shudao' swords in the Listening Tide Pavilion for a long time? I've come north this time to make a deal with you. I'll help you kill at least two thousand Beimang barbarian cavalry outside the pass, and you'll give me the Fuji and Shudao swords. How about it?"

Xu Fengnian flatly refused, "I've said it before, my second sister has loved those two swords since she was very young, and she couldn't even bear to take them out of Listening Tide Pavilion to wear. That's why she brought the 'Red Chi' to Shangyin Academy for her studies. Even if I were willing to exchange the two swords, would I dare?"

Sui Xiegu scoffed, "Indeed, even with a hundred more times your courage, Xu Fengnian, you wouldn't dare."

Xu Fengnian approached and whispered, "Although Fuji and Shudao are among the Ten Great Famous Swords under Heaven, aren't there still the other eight in the Central Plains? I'll get you some no less inferior to these two, how about that?"

Sui Xiegu sneered, "It's still uncertain if you'll live past the end of autumn this year; where do you get the confidence to get swords from the Central Plains to Beiliang for me?"

Xu Fengnian naturally put an arm around Sui Xiegu's shoulder and said, "That's easy! If I can't get two peerless famous swords on par with Shudao, I'll exchange them for twenty good swords that are slightly inferior! There are still seven or eight left in Listening Tide Pavilion, plus I'll have the Fish Dragon Gang in Beiliang exert some effort, and then I'll beg some people for favors—somehow I'll gather twenty. How does that sound?"

When it came to business deals, the young Prince was quite unpretentious and cared little for appearances.

Sui Xiegu lightly shook his shoulder, dislodging the young Prince's arm, then extended two fingers to twist a wisp of snowy white eyebrow, narrowing his eyes in thought, weighing the pros and cons.

Xu Fengnian pressed on, "Senior Sui, look, there are so many Central Plains grandmasters in Jubei City right now, and more top grandmasters will arrive later. It won't be hard for me to find an opportunity to ask them for some good swords, right? In short, I guarantee you'll have some 'appetizers' first. What kind of friendship do we have? Back then, we had a life-and-death bond, fighting side by side against the Human Cat Han Shengxuan. We truly felt like old friends at first meeting. You still don't trust me, Xu Fengnian?"

Sui Xiegu stopped at the study door, turned, and looked at the young Prince, "I trust you? I'd sooner trust that old hag named Tantai!"

Xu Fengnian gave a thumbs-up, "Senior Sui truly is a distinguished figure of the same generation as Liu Songtao of Zhulu Mountain, with such courage! Such spirit! Even I wouldn't dare call Tantai Pingjing an old hag!"

Deputy Military Commissioner Yang could hardly bear to watch, let alone listen. He simply strode away.

Sui Xiegu muttered under his breath, "I admit defeat. At such a young age, his skin is even tougher than my belly, which has contained hundreds of famous swords!"

The young Prince accepted the compliment calmly, smiling, "Senior, you flatter me, too much praise, too much praise."

After they entered the study, Sui Xiegu couldn't stand the young Prince's feigned attentiveness any longer and decisively pulled up a chair and sat down. He knew that the more deliberately attentive this Xu bastard was now, the more he would surely suffer a huge loss in the future.

Sui Xiegu's expression sobered. He asked, "Is the Left Cavalry Army really gone?"

Xu Fengnian, sitting behind the desk, nodded.

Sui Xiegu frowned, "Will the Right Cavalry Army join forces with the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry to hold them back again, or let the Beimang army advance straight to Jubei City?"

Xu Fengnian did not hide anything, saying frankly, "We won't hold them back. We can't. Rather than pointlessly exhausting our main field forces, it's better to let the Beimang barbarians pile up corpses outside Jubei City. If we endure this autumn and winter, and it comes to spring next year, especially from spring to summer, the Northern Mang cavalry will have an increasingly difficult time."

Sui Xiegu smiled, "You actually want to ease the pressure on Fatty Chu at Huaiyang Pass, don't you?"

Xu Fengnian didn't answer immediately, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

A century in the martial world, a life span almost rivaling the shortest-lived Hou Sui dynasty among the Nine States of Spring and Autumn, the vast experience accumulated by the old man over his long years was not to be underestimated.

Sui Xiegu surveyed the simple study, where not even a single scholarly ornament adorned the desk, and sighed slightly, "It's not easy to be a powerful Prince to such a shabby extent as you."

Xu Fengnian laughed heartily, waving his sleeve, "A bright moon on my shoulder, clear wind in my sleeves, and bare walls at home—a guaranteed place in history, you see."

Sui Xiegu scoffed, "How can you still laugh? Aren't you ashamed to disgrace your father?"

Xu Fengnian sat back in his chair, hands in his sleeves, a faint smile on his face, "No matter how unpromising a son I am, no matter how disappointed Xu Xiao is, he can't curse me to my face, can he?"

Sui Xiegu twitched his mouth, noncommittal. The old sword-eater, who had once exchanged an arm with Sword God Li Chungang, fell into contemplation. After a long while, he slowly said, "I've lived for so many years, and my impression of the Beimang barbarians is actually not deep. However, compared to many Central Plains people who only experienced the Spring and Autumn War, I did personally witness the scene of large-scale raids by grassland cavalry. I was just over twenty at the time, traveling with my sword in Jizhou, at a strategic north-south passage that should have been called 'Zhiguanguan Pass' in old Northern Han historical records; how the current Liyang court names it is unknown."

The old man's tone was calm, without heavy or intense emotion. "I saw thousands of cavalry charge into the pass. I, Sui Xiegu, was not from Northern Han, and moreover, I've always had a weak concept of home and country. My ambition was only to reach the pinnacle of the sword dao; I paid no attention to worldly affairs and had little interest in dynastic struggles or changes in imperial surnames. So, at that time, I didn't, full of passion, wield a single sword to perform the heroic feat of one man holding the pass. Then I went north to the Jizhou frontier, and along the way were countless gruesome corpses: many Northern Han border soldiers, and also civilians who didn't manage to retreat, including young men, women, and children. They died in various ways. Roughly speaking, these manners of death would not be unfamiliar to your Beiliang Iron Cavalry from the Spring and Autumn period until now. But there's one small detail you might not have witnessed: I saw jackals with full bellies by the roadside, just like pot-bellied rich men in times of peace and prosperity. Those beasts, upon seeing people, barked instead of retreating. Back then, I wasn't deeply affected; I just felt that survival of the fittest was a natural law, which only strengthened my determination to reach the pinnacle of martial arts. But now, as I recall that scene, I feel a little uncomfortable."

This was, in fact, the root cause of the young Prince's lack of extravagant hope for Central Plains grandmasters to remain in Jubei City. Just as Sui Xiegu himself said, thousands, even tens of thousands, died tragically under the trampling of grassland iron hooves, their heads cut off and bellies slit by battle-blades, their bodies hoisted into the air by spears, pierced by powerful cavalry bows. Regardless of how they died or how many died, in the eyes of that group of martial artists who hoped, and had the hope, to win a martial arts championship and ultimately stand alone at the peak, the same scene appeared vastly different from how it appeared to border army soldiers. And perhaps some, unlike the young swordsman Sui Xiegu of that time, would choose to step forward and actively intercept the grassland cavalry, but in the end, they too would retreat when faced with difficulty, and having done their best to kill dozens or hundreds of grassland cavalry, they would have a clear conscience.

Sui Xiegu had seen it then and merely moved on. Although he had a three-foot sword by his side, he chose to observe coldly, with his sword sheathed. Even now, he only felt "a little uncomfortable."

Xu Fengnian could not do that.

It wasn't necessarily because Xu Fengnian was far more compassionate than Sui Xiegu; it was simply because he came from the Xu family and had followed that limping Xu fellow since childhood.

Perhaps if it weren't at the Beiliang border, but somewhere else, like Jizhou or Liangliao, and he encountered the Beimang cavalry invading southward, if Xu Fengnian were merely an unattached Grandmaster of Martial Arts Rankings, he would be no different from certain martial arts grandmasters: he would simply fight to his heart's content, then retreat when faced with difficulty, without that unhesitating determination to fight to the death.

Chai Qingshan, Xue Songguan, Wei Miao, Mao Shulang, Cheng Baishuang, Ji Liuan, and so on.

On what basis could Xu Fengnian demand these Central Plains grandmasters, already in Jubei City or about to enter it, to fight to the death outside Liangzhou Pass, resisting hundreds of thousands of Beimang cavalry with their flesh and blood?

Sui Xiegu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and broke the silence, saying quietly, "Heaven can give birth to all things, and it can also kill all things. Xu Fengnian, are you truly not afraid?"

Xu Fengnian smiled and asked, "Tantai Pingjing said that, didn't she?"

Sui Xiegu neither admitted nor denied it.

Sui Xiegu rose and walked to the window. His broad back seemed a little lonely. The old man mocked himself, "As for swordsmanship and sword intent, I once considered myself second to none. But strangely, I've never liked carrying a sword; instead, I've liked sacrilegiously consuming famous swords as food. Perhaps Li Chungang was right back then, I, Sui Xiegu, cannot even be considered a swordsman. Then what am I? To be asking myself this question at such an old age, it's truly laughable."

Before Sui Xiegu left the study, Xu Fengnian proposed a new deal.

After a moment of surprise, the sword-eating old ancestor neither refused nor agreed, striding away.

After leaving the study, the old man walked slowly down the corridor, then suddenly turned to look at the lush loquat tree outside the window in the courtyard.

Not long after, the young Prince also left the study and handed a freshly written secret letter to a head of the Fushui Chamber from the Ministry of Justice. The two walked out of the wing room together, and the young Prince, with a calm expression, finally instructed, "After you deliver the letter to him, tell him that if that day truly comes, consider it my plea, Xu Fengnian, for him to do this."

The elderly spy gritted his teeth, saying nothing, just nodding vigorously. Then he took the order and quickly rode away from the manor and out of Jubei City.

Xu Fengnian stood on the steps, quietly gazing into the distance. Autumn winds rustled by silently.

The Beimang army was about to approach Jubei City, and some were making arrangements for after their death.

The young Prince gently turned around, looking up to see Hehe Girl and Red-robed Xu Ying sitting side by side on the roof.

He made a funny face at them.