Chapter 989: Exiled Immortal Falls Like Rain

Facing Zhao Changling, who claimed to be an immortal, Tantai Pingjing revealed a hint of a sarcastic smile. "Banished immortal, banished immortal—the key lies in the word 'banished.' Do you imagine yourself to be a Taoist master in the mortal world, revered by the common people as an unattainable land immortal, whether you are on a mountain or in the lowlands?"

Tantai Pingjing was undoubtedly one of the few remaining grandmasters of qi cultivators in the human world. She immediately exposed Zhao Changling's true nature: once an immortal descends to the human realm, they are no longer an immortal of longevity. It is like a powerful central minister, wielding great authority, being banished from the capital and exiled a thousand miles away. While they might not be reduced to a stray dog, their power is far diminished compared to before, and they must adapt to local customs, abiding strictly by local rules. Xu Fengnian's victory outside the Imperial Astronomical Bureau in the capital, where he single-handedly slew countless Dragon Tiger Mountain patriarchs who emerged from hanging portraits, was due to his advantage of being in the human realm. If Xu Fengnian had also been an ascended being, meeting those Dragon Tiger Mountain patriarchs who had long achieved immortality in the heavens, he would undoubtedly have lost. Compared to Zhao Changling's bluster at this moment, Tantai Pingjing was more curious as to how this person managed to escape the all-encompassing Heavenly Dao, surviving death as a scholar without becoming a crippled soul in the Heavenly Well.

Zhao Changling did not advance further but stood by the bridge railing, gazing at the quietly flowing river, ceaseless day and night. The old man, clad in an ancient, tattered Spring and Autumn period scholar's robe, stood with his hands behind his back, reminiscing. His brows furrowed as if recalling many unspeakable, heavy burdens.

Xu Xiao, The Butcher, one of the Three Great Demonic Figures of the Spring and Autumn period and a great general of Li Yang whose achievements overshadowed his lord, lived a life that could be divided into two segments. His enfeoffment as a prince in the northwestern frontier served as a clear dividing line. Before that, he dedicated his life to Emperor Zhao Li, the old emperor of the Li Yang Zhao imperial house. After that, the deep-seated connection between the Xu and Zhao families dwindled. Zhao Dun emerged victorious in the succession struggle, and the new emperor harbored a long-standing grudge against the previous dynasty's foremost meritorious minister even before his enthronement. The Xu and Zhao families became estranged. Zhang Julu's ascent to power in the imperial court ushered in the peak of the court's covert encirclement and suppression of the Beiliang border army. They imposed restrictions on Beiliang scholars entering Central Plains officialdom and jointly employed Gu Jiantang's trusted subordinate, Cai Nan, and Prince of Huainan, Zhao Ying, to curtail Beiliang. Ultimately, this led to the people of Beiliang, including the Xu family, being treated as outsiders, confined to a remote corner of the northwest and barely considered by the Central Plains gentry to be part of their nation. Li Yishan was largely considered the least distinguished among the top strategists of the Spring and Autumn period because, after Zhao Changling's death, he failed to turn the tide and successfully integrate the Xu family and Beiliang into the Central Plains. This resulted in the Zhao imperial court viewing Beiliang as a persistent thorn in its side from beginning to end. For this reason, neither the Xu nor the Zhao family truly won, and the Xu family's Iron Cavalry, a border bulwark whose combat prowess surpassed even the Liangliao border army, never received fiscal backing from the Central Plains.

Conversely, the Zhao imperial house also planted the seeds of rebellion, leading to two Guangling River rebellions. Although they covertly instigated the restoration of Western Chu, barely achieving their aim of weakening the two major powers—the vassal princes and military commanders—the war's difficult progress and the immense drain on Li Yang's national strength clearly far exceeded the expectations Zhang Julu had before his death. It further ignited the ambition of Prince Yan Chi, Zhao Bing, who had been bitterly suppressed in the Southern Frontier for twenty years, to contend for the Central Plains. Similarly, the Xu family endured continuous bitter fighting and suffered significant depletion of their strength. Even after a great victory in the first Liangmang War, the Beimang cavalry still chose not to target the easier prey of the Liangliao border army and Jizhou front line, resolving to first subdue Beiliang and then conquer the Central Plains. Therefore, from the current perspective, the Beiliang Xu family, the Li Yang Zhao imperial house, and the Beimang Empress all suffered losses. Instead, Prince Yan Chi, Zhao Bing, and the puppet Prince Jing An, Zhao Xun, who is about to be crowned emperor, gained the most. As for Grand Pillar Gu Jiantang, one of the Four Great Generals of the Spring and Autumn period, who still remains on the sidelines, his choice remains uncertain.

With Zhao Changling's assistance, Xu Xiao, despite his achievements overshadowing his lord, was never eliminated like a spent force; instead, he was granted a fiefdom as a prince and lived out his later years peacefully in the northwestern frontier.

After Zhao Changling's death on the Western Shu battlefield, Li Yishan single-handedly propped up the Xu family estate, yet now the Beimang army of 400,000 cavalry presses upon Jubei City, and the young prince is highly likely to die prematurely. The achievements of the two Xu family strategists, Xu Xiao's left and right hands, thus seem starkly contrasted.

Zhao Changling did not insist on entering the city to the north, and Tantai Pingjing likewise did not make a sudden move.

A ferry bridge, a world unto itself. With Tantai Pingjing's exquisite Celestial cultivation, and crucially, her immense natural destiny, it might be a stretch to ask her to create a blessed land, but to merely block other Celestials' perceptions, to draw a line and create a confined space at a certain time and place, was remarkably easy for her.

Zhao Changling muttered to himself, "In the Spring and Autumn period, I was a strategist, but fundamentally, I was more of a master [scholar], and unlike the venerable masters of the Qin Dynasty, I did not advise kings and nobles from humble origins. I, Zhao Changling, came from a prominent aristocratic family, so rulers, prime ministers, and high officials of other states at that time, even those in opposing camps, were still willing to treat me as an honored guest. Time and again, when dispatched by the Great General, I always succeeded, earning the reputation of 'eloquent and quick-witted.' Some scholars under the Great General even believed that I, Zhao Changling, alone could handle both strategy and decision-making, entirely sparing Li Yishan, who came from a humble background."

Zhao Changling slowly shook his head, sighing, "How could the world know that this was fundamentally not the case? Li Yishan was outwardly Confucian but inwardly Legalist, blending it with the Way of the Hegemon King. This was the true foundation of the Xu family's military establishment, enabling the Great General to 'fight repeatedly despite repeated defeats' in the Spring and Autumn wars. Ultimately, I, Zhao Changling, was merely the face of the Xu family's Iron Cavalry, merely adding to its splendor. Li Yishan was the indispensable core, providing crucial support to the Great General in times of need. Twenty years ago, Li Yishan might not have done better than me, nor necessarily worse, but in the twenty years since the Spring and Autumn period was settled, I would have been far inferior to Li Yishan. I fear that the so-called 300,000 Beiliang Iron Cavalry, renowned as the best under heaven, would have long since disintegrated, or already been usurped by others."

Zhao Changling suddenly turned and smiled, "Heaven's justice is clear, retribution is swift. Sect Master Tantai, are you not curious why the Heavenly Dao granted me a reprieve?"

Tantai Pingjing remained cold and silent, not speaking.

Zhao Changling didn't mind, looking up at the sky. "Because among my disciples—Chen Zhipao, Yao Jian, and Ye Xizhen—and also the Great General's brother-in-law, Wu Qi, these four were regarded as important pawns by the Celestials, especially Chen Zhipao, who was of utmost importance. Of the nine Spring and Autumn states, Li Yang Zhao imperial house extinguished eight to unify them into one, confronting Beimang in a north-south standoff. This was still the arrangement approved by the Celestials. But if one side were to recuperate for just twenty years and then unify the world, expanding its dynastic territory far beyond the peak of the Great Qin, and then grant the common people at least a century of peace, that would go against the original intention."

Zhao Changling withdrew his gaze, looking towards Jubei City, and pointed. "Therefore, even if Xu Fengnian successfully inherits the title, he should die outside Liangzhou Pass, beneath the iron hooves of the grassland warhorses. Then the Beiliang Iron Cavalry would be handed over to Chen Zhipao, who would command the northwest, forming a three-way standoff with Li Yang and Beimang, with the three sides contending for the empire, and war never ceasing. Ultimately, the Li Yang Zhao imperial house's rule would continue for over a hundred more years. During this period, the Beimang grasslands would fall into internal strife; after that woman's death, the imperial clan Yelü Dongchuang, along with the maternal relative Murong Baoding and military strongman Dong Zhuo, would also form a three-way standoff, with endless internal wars, greatly depleting their strength. Chen Zhipao would launch two preemptive strikes: the first northward expedition into the grasslands, reaching deep into the Beimang royal court's heartland, but being hampered by the freezing weather, unable to deliver a decisive blow. In his twilight years, he would choose to attack Li Yang, but the latter would send envoys to the grasslands, offering the immense price of ceding Jizhou to request the grassland forces to raid Chen Zhipao's rear in Liangzhou. Chen Zhipao would ultimately still reach Tai'an City but fail to breach it, retreating regretfully, with no further possibility of seizing the empire. Emperor Zhao Zhuan of Li Yang also initiated two major wars against Beiliang in his prime and later years, both inconclusive. Li Yang would lose but not be overthrown, Beiliang would win but lose the overall situation, and ultimately, the Beiliang dynasty single-handedly built by Chen Zhipao would end after three generations, withdrawing from the struggle for dominance."

Zhao Changling burst into laughter. "This might have been the earliest grand strategy of the world in the eyes of that eccentric Huang Longshi. It's a pity that the astonishingly talented Huang Sanjia sought his own demise, and on a whim, actually altered the predetermined structure, leading to Xu Fengnian's unstoppable rise and forcing Chen Zhipao, who was seeking advancement through retreat, to still be unable to smoothly take over the 300,000 Iron Cavalry. Everything is in disarray. If Zhao Ningshen's summoning of Dragon Tiger Mountain's founding patriarch for a battle with Xu Fengnian at Chun Shen Lake was merely a subtle probe by the mastermind—a test of the bottom line of a certain powerful figure in the heavens—then the subsequent unprecedented summoning of countless Dragon Tiger Mountain patriarchs by the Li Yang Zhao imperial house, with the Celestials turning a blind eye, actually broke their own established rules. As for the recent almost blatant schemes to bolster Beimang's prestige, that's already a complete breakdown of relations."

Zhao Changling pointed to the sky, then to his feet, a hint of sarcasm in his smile. "Actually, it's the same everywhere. Where are there no factional struggles? They always have to stir up some trouble before they stop. One performs, then another takes the stage; you come and I go. In fact, many ancient sayings and proverbs from the human world have long since explained the truths of both heaven and earth completely. To be honest, that powerful figure who chose you, Tantai Pingjing, was the one who used celestial means back then to make the Heavenly Dao grant me a reprieve. This wasn't an act of rewarding a meritorious official, but rather to clean up certain loose ends. Otherwise, leaving evidence would make it difficult to conclude things, and besides, he also needed my help to keep an eye on Chen Zhipao. Otherwise, why do you think Chen Zhipao was able to so quickly reach the pseudo-Confucian Saint realm after being enfeoffed as a prince in Western Shu? While things do happen naturally in this world, it requires gradual accumulation for a long, thin stream to slowly carve out a channel. Chen Zhipao's half-step Confucian Saint realm was forced upon him; it was an artificial boost to his destiny. There was no other way. Huang Longshi's meddling, his initial audacious and utterly unreasonable interference, then handed over to Xu Fengnian to continue the game in the middle, messed everything up. Originally, with Chen Zhipao's character and foundation, he would have naturally become a Confucian Saint in the future."

Tantai Pingjing finally spoke, asking, "After Cao Changqing's death, his qi luck was divided into three parts: the largest portion dissipated into Guangling Road, the smallest portion was intercepted by me, and the third portion was a transaction, a prerequisite for the first portion of qi luck to successfully integrate into the former Western Chu territory. This last portion of qi luck should have gone to Western Shu, but why did Chen Zhipao refuse to accept it?"

Zhao Changling looked quite pleased with himself. "After inexplicably reaching the realm of a half-baked Confucian Saint, how could my proud disciple not have noticed? Afterwards, he collaborated with the ambitious Xie Feiyu; though they appeared harmonious, they were fundamentally at odds. Chen Zhipao was merely feigning compliance. Moreover, with his arrogance, how could he be willing to accept such a readily available boon?! Chen Zhipao, a disciple I, Zhao Changling, personally selected, is truly a once-in-five-hundred-year talent!"

Tantai Pingjing sneered, "The founding emperor of the Dafeng Dynasty, reincarnated as a banished immortal, truly deserves the appellation of a once-in-five-hundred-year talent."

Zhao Changling smiled and asked, "Tantai Pingjing, do you wish to know which banished immortal you are? I can enlighten you and tell you about your past and present lives."

The grandmaster of qi cultivators, whose temperament had always been close to the Heavenly Dao's impassiveness, seemed to have been touched on a raw nerve. For the first time, she was enraged. She sternly said, "Presumptuous!"

Zhao Changling smiled, leisurely remarking, "If there were no sorrow in one's eyes, who would believe that mortals grow old? The ancients truly did not deceive me."

Tantai Pingjing, whose heart was set on killing, narrowed her eyes. Her snow-white robe, though mostly calm, showed subtle ripples beneath the surface, like thin spring water flowing over bluestone.

From the river beneath their feet, a slender, unknown wild fish suddenly leaped out of the water, then plunged back down with a heavy splash.

Zhao Changling smiled knowingly.

Tantai Pingjing also smiled, "You calculated everything, disturbing my state of mind. You hope to use this to inform Xu Fengnian in Jubei City of our whereabouts?"

Zhao Changling waved his hand. "From the moment I began my northward journey, you started concealing the heavenly secrets. I only had a slight sense of it, but Xu Fengnian knew everything. This small world on the ferry bridge is merely your illusion. I, Zhao Changling, am not so naive as to believe a few words could disturb your Guanyin Sect's centuries-old 'still water runs deep' state. Using a fish jumping from the river below the bridge as a test, trying to break my last reliance—my immortal state of mind remaining after shedding my immortal physique—Sect Master Tantai, we are both intelligent people. This move is undoubtedly a low one."

Tantai Pingjing looked at the Spring and Autumn strategist with pity, at the chief strategist of the Xu family who had firmly overshadowed Li Yishan during his lifetime, and smiled faintly. "Cleverness outwits itself. Zhao Changling, do you know where, in my opinion, you fall short compared to Li Yishan?"

Zhao Changling ignored the female qi cultivator grandmaster's question. He frowned, turning to look at Jubei City, his eyes complex with doubt, surprise, and ultimately, a mix of realization and loss.

Tantai Pingjing walked forward, heading south, brushing past Zhao Changling. She softly said, "The 'Poisonous Scholar' Li Yishan was, in fact, the most compassionate. Regardless of circumstances, status, or fate's blessings and misfortunes, deep down, Li Yishan always harbored goodwill towards this world and chose to trust human hearts. You are different, Zhao Changling. That's why the one you chose to inherit your mantle could only be Chen Zhipao, while Li Yishan would choose Xu Fengnian."

Zhao Changling stood still, back to back with the slowly departing Tantai Pingjing. "I lost, and so did you, Tantai Pingjing."

Tantai Pingjing's steps did not falter. She walked off the ferry bridge, continuing south, without looking back.

A majestic voice faintly echoed in her ears, "Mortals, so foolish!"

Blood immediately flowed from her ears.

But a gentle smile played on her lips, and she murmured, "I am willing."

As she walked, golden light continuously emanated from the tall female qi cultivator grandmaster, and her unsettlingly pale eyes gradually returned to normal.

Zhao Changling stood still, sighing softly.

A streak of rainbow light descended upon the ferry bridge, it was the young prince, who had rushed over from Jubei City.

The movement of that fish leaping out of the water, seemingly subtle, was not clear to Zhao Changling, who was within the confined space of the bridge. But for Xu Fengnian in Jubei City, it was like a sudden clap of thunder beside his ear.

It vividly showed how disturbed Tantai Pingjing's state of mind was at that moment.

Xu Fengnian arrived at the ferry bridge. He had to be wary of this elderly scholar who had previously disguised himself as a fortune teller and managed to evade his perception, no less wary than he was of the eunuch of Tai'an City, who was as old as the nation itself.

Zhao Changling did not rush to reveal his name. He asked with a smile, "Books say there is no feast that does not end. Books also say we meet everywhere in life. But ultimately, since people have birth and death, life is, in the end, a farewell. Who am I? Why don't you guess?"

Xu Fengnian remained unmoved, looking south at the tall woman who, for some unknown reason, had chosen to dissipate her qi luck and return it to the world.

Xu Fengnian did not try to stop her, nor did he know how to.

Without Tantai Pingjing's constraint, the banished immortal Zhao Changling looked around, leisurely saying, "Some scholars appear to care about the world, but in reality, they are too high-minded; in the end, they only perceive a vast, empty world, disdaining the home and nation right before their eyes—like me. Then there are other scholars who balance the concerns of both home and nation with those of the broader world. In the Spring and Autumn period, there were only Huang Longshi and Li Yishan."

Xu Fengnian frowned. "Who exactly are you?"

Zhao Changling, acting with the arrogance of an elder, replied, "Didn't I tell you to guess?"

Xu Fengnian seemed to be weighing the pros and cons of making a move.

Zhao Changling appeared completely oblivious. "Your mind is unsettled. What's wrong? Is the encroaching Beimang army weighing so heavily on your mind that it's as overgrown as a weed-filled field? This is not a good sign. With your current state of mind, you stand no chance of victory against the 'favored' Tuoba Pusa; at best, it will be a pyrrhic one."

Zhao Changling sighed, gazing into the distance. "In former Great Chu, there was a prominent Zhao clan that held high official positions for generations since the founding of Dafeng. They had a three-hundred-year-long blood feud with the Su clan of Western Shu. Their enmity deepened after the 'Sweet Dew Southern Crossing' at the end of the Dafeng Dynasty, where the Su clan suffered greatly. Instead of going to Guangling River, they found a unique path and fortuitously came to rule Xishu. During the Spring and Autumn period, the Su clan, now a royal surname, sought to resolve grievances and turn conflict into accord, proactively proposing a marriage alliance with the wealthy Zhao clan of Guangling. The Zhao clan also wished to possess Xishu, a land surrounded by four natural defenses, as a sanctuary during times of war, and thus consented to this marriage. A woman burdened with heavy family responsibilities was sent far away to Western Shu. She ultimately lost in the palace's struggle for favor, defeated by another woman from a prominent Spring and Autumn family, and was poisoned to death by the enraged Emperor of Xishu, who was kept in the dark, despite being six months pregnant at the time."

Xu Fengnian said, "This woman was Zhao Changling's elder sister, and the siblings relied on each other since childhood; an elder sister was like a mother to him."

Zhao Changling nodded. "Indeed. My younger brother advanced in status through his sister, his talent and ambitions finally found an outlet within the family. Yet, in the end, all he received was the devastating news of his sister's tragic death, along with a pronouncement from the family elders: 'This woman brought it upon herself, and her death is no pity. Since matters have come to this, we absolutely must not hold the Shu state's Su clan accountable, lest we make things worse.' The most infuriating aspect was that after the Emperor of Xishu learned the truth, not only showed he no remorse, but at a banquet, he smiled and spoke to the envoy from the Guangling Zhao clan, who had come to mend relations, saying that henceforth, any Zhao clan descendants traveling to Shu would certainly be treated as honored guests. Only that utterly bothersome Zhao Changling dared to demand an explanation from him! An explanation? My will is the will of Heaven. If Zhao Changling dares to set foot in Shu, I shall treat him as an enemy."

Time had passed, and those hardships and sorrows were like a decrepit old dog, slumped on the ground, no longer able to whimper.

Xu Fengnian chuckled, "I fear that defeated emperor never imagined that Zhao Changling actually went to Shu, with a cavalry force of twenty thousand alone. On the territory of Western Shu, from its designation as a prefecture during the Dafeng Dynasty to its self-proclaimed status as a kingdom during the Spring and Autumn period, it had never seen an invading cavalry force larger than ten thousand."

Zhao Changling twitched his lips. "It's just a pity that I didn't get to witness the Xu family's Iron Cavalry crashing into the Western Shu capital during my lifetime. You see, the Great General had once promised Zhao Changling that once the gates of the Western Shu imperial palace were breached, Zhao Changling could lead the charge, and then whether he wished to personally kill his foes or sit on the dragon throne, it would be his to decide."

Xu Fengnian exhaled deeply, turned, and bowed to the elderly scholar. He solemnly said, "Xu Fengnian pays his respects to Master Zhao!"

Zhao Changling also turned, shaking his head. "I am not worthy of this bow."

Xu Fengnian lowered his head. "You are!"

Zhao Changling, helpless, returned the bow with utmost respect.

Once they stood upright again, Zhao Changling smiled faintly. "Don't take what I said that day seriously. Over the years, you've suffered much hardship for nothing. I, Zhao Changling—well, Chen Zhipao's half-master—am somewhat the culprit. This time, I'm here to offer a small compensation. However, bound by the Heavenly Dao, or perhaps by certain powerful figures, I cannot directly assist you. I can only add some extra qi luck to Beiliang, but even that can only barely offset the additional national fortune that Beimang received from Heaven. Celestials have their own laws; no one can truly dictate everything, especially since more entities do not favor Beiliang. This act of deceiving the heavens is already the limit of... that very person whom we both know."

Xu Fengnian felt relieved. "That is already very good."

Zhao Changling shook his head. "But Tuoba Pusa, at this very moment, already possesses a celestial physique of the Great Vajra realm, and the depth of his insights into the Zhixuan and Tianxiang realms is simply astonishing. Zhixuan refers to the Daoist realm of profound longevity, and Tianxiang to the Confucian realm of celestial phenomena. Such a so-called land immortal would be rarely matched even in the heavens."

Xu Fengnian acknowledged with a hum, then added, "Tuoba Pusa is not entirely without flaws. I need to observe the timing."

Zhao Changling looked surprised. "What do you mean? I'm truly curious."

Xu Fengnian blinked. "Heaven's secrets must not be divulged."

Zhao Changling laughed heartily. "Precisely."

Zhao Changling's smile faded. "Tonight, we shall see."

Before Xu Fengnian could speak, Zhao Changling's figure flickered and vanished. "I'll go for a walk and take this opportunity to speak words that are not meant for mortals with Yishan."

Xu Fengnian did not return to the study but went directly to the rear courtyard. Jia Jiajia was playing with the playful and adorable large cat. This "large cat" was only large compared to common alley cats; in fact, it was still young and enjoyed eating bamboo, though it wasn't entirely vegetarian.

With a major battle imminent, for both public and private reasons, Xu Fengnian couldn't possibly mobilize the Fushui House spies and border soldiers specifically to transport bamboo for this little creature to Jubei City. Xu Fengnian's intention was simple: if the situation reached its nadir, young Jia Jiajia should not die here. He hoped that for the sake of this large cat, she would then leave Jubei City, leave the pass, and even leave Beiliang, to go to Western Shu, which had not yet been ravaged by war, and find a place where bamboo was as dense as a sea.

Xu Ying was missing; she must have left the city.

Jiang Ni sat on a small stool, lost in thought. Even when Xu Fengnian approached her, she didn't snap out of it.

Xu Fengnian smiled and waved a hand in front of her eyes. She then started back to reality and gave him a fierce glare.

Xu Fengnian sat beside her. "I know you won't leave, but I hope you can do one thing. Only if you agree will I let you stay in Jubei City."

Jiang Ni nodded vigorously. "Tell me!"

Xu Fengnian grinned. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

Jiang Ni's autumn-water eyes widened, her face filled with indignation.

Xu Fengnian clasped his hands behind his head and said gently, "It's good to be alive."

Jiang Ni retorted ill-humoredly, "Nonsense!"

Xu Fengnian solemnly countered, "Those words are truly not nonsense."

Jiang Ni turned, curious. "You went out, wandering around so freely. Did you accidentally hit your head and get stupid?"

Xu Fengnian leaned towards her, smiling. "Or would you like to feel it?"

Jiang Ni's face flushed crimson, and after struggling, she managed to squeeze out two words: "Lewd!"

Xu Fengnian sat up straight, cupping his chin in his hands, and gazed into the courtyard, sighing deeply.

Inside Jubei City, Xuanyuan Qingfeng found Xu Yanbing and declared she wanted a fight.

Xu Yanbing refused. Xuanyuan Qingfeng, naturally, was even more insistent. Xu Yanbing, familiar with that madwoman's disposition, simply didn't give her a chance to attack and directly retreated to the prince's study to cultivate his mind.

Outside Jubei City, a scarlet-robed figure soared through the sky, like a vibrant red cloud descending upon the human world.

Thirty li east of Jubei City, a figure in white stood beside a woman wearing a veiled hat.

The former's heroic beauty transcended gender. The latter's figure was graceful, yet beneath the veil, however, was a terrifyingly scarred face. Her eyes were vacant, utterly devoid of life.

The scarlet-robed Xu Ying was delighted upon seeing the figure in white, circling around the white-robed figure endlessly.

The figure in white reached out and pressed Xu Ying's forehead; her body abruptly halted in mid-air.

After withdrawing her hand, the figure in white cast a fleeting glance at the woman beside her and said indifferently, "Among the three of you, you are the most desolate. That foxy temptress and I never even considered you a rival, yet you believed you held a place in that person's heart. After waiting so many years, she finally calculated that he would descend to the human realm, yet she still couldn't meet him in time, forever separated once more. Why go through such trouble?"

The figure in white suddenly laughed aloud. "It's better not to have met; meeting would only have brought you greater sorrow. So, your little obsession from the Princess's Tomb isn't entirely tragic after all. I only hope that before you left the Princess's Tomb, you didn't reveal all your secrets to Beimang. Otherwise, with those hidden storages, it would be tantamount to letting the Beimang barbarians conquer half of the Central Plains prematurely."

Xu Ying floated down to the ground, with a beautiful smile.

The foremost demonic expert in both Beimang and Li Yang, the white-robed Luoyang, stroked Xu Ying's head. "Only you are the happiest and luckiest, aren't you?"

Xu Ying just giggled foolishly.

The white-robed Luoyang laughed loudly, "That city will soon be renamed Luoyang City!"

Wei Miao, the top expert in Nanzhao, lived in a secluded small residence in Jubei City. When he heard frantic knocking and went to open the door, he saw an unexpected yet understandable face: his wife, whom he had parted ways with at Wudang Mountain.

Wei Miao asked helplessly, "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to return to Nanzhao?"

She rolled her eyes. "Return my foot! I can't sleep alone at night without a man by my side."

Wei Miao retorted ill-humoredly, "Go find one then!"

She said with a seductive smile, "If I really brought a male prostitute before you, wouldn't you smash my head in?"

Wei Miao, who was practically invincible in Nanzhao, had no way to deal with her; it had always been like this in his life. Knowing she wouldn't leave this time, he resigned himself to his fate and led his wife into the courtyard.

The woman of the raw Miao tribe, born in the region known for its "Hundred Thousand Barbarian Mountains" in Nanzhao, curiously surveyed her surroundings. "That little handsome young man is a bit too stingy. This residence isn't worth much."

Wei Miao said, "It's on loan; they didn't say it was a gift to us."

She pouted. "This silly boy!"

Wei Miao lowered his voice. "He can hear you."

Her expression immediately changed, as if the young prince were right there in the small courtyard, and she said sweetly, "This courtyard is excellent."

Wei Miao suppressed his smile.

Finally, the old married couple sat shoulder to shoulder on the steps. Though Wei Miao never considered themselves a divine couple, having journeyed through the martial world together for so many years, encountering countless female martial artists and celestial maidens, Wei Miao hadn't remembered any of them.

She rested her head on Wei Miao's shoulder and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, I couldn't give you a child."

Wei Miao extended a calloused palm, gently stroking her cheek and wiping away her tears. This earnest man, who had never uttered a single sweet word of affection, said softly, "Ten Wei Miaos wouldn't be worthy of you, my wife, truly."

Night descended.

As day transitioned into night, sounds like rolling thunder suddenly erupted in the heavens and earth outside Beiliang Pass. For some reason, only the young prince could hear and see them. None of the other martial arts grandmasters, not even those of Deng Tai'a's high caliber, detected the slightest anomaly.

Zhao Changling appeared atop the Jubei City wall, laughing heartily, looking up at the sky. "Everyone, if not now, when else are we to descend upon the human realm!"

An immortal in the heavens loudly echoed, "My Great Chu *is* the Central Plains!"

The scholar, who had shed his tattered Daoist robe for a Confucian one, snorted coldly. "Li Mi! What Great Chu? It's Western Chu!"

A majestic rainbow light plunged directly into the human realm, landing on Jubei City's wall, its arrival imposing yet completely silent.

Another immortal proclaimed loudly, "How can my glorious Central Plains be submerged beneath the iron hooves of the barbarians?!"

Yet another immortal burst into heroic laughter in the nine heavens. "Three hundred thousand iron cavalry, guarding the northwest gateway of my Central Plains, fighting for twenty years without retreat; to witness this with my own eyes, what great fortune, what great fortune!"

Another immortal followed, emerging from the Heavenly Gate with a stretch. "My Great Feng Dynasty was incapable back then; now, it's up to your Beiliang Iron Cavalry."

A burly immortal clad in dark armor looked down upon the human realm. "Oh, the grassland barbarians have deployed quite the formation, thinking they're formidable just because of their numbers."

One by one, immortals, streaks of rainbow light, plunged into various parts of Jubei City.

Dozens of banished immortals, who had ascended in different dynasties, today transformed into Beiliang's qi luck.

Banished immortals from the heavens descended like rain upon the human realm.

The young prince, his new saber hanging at his waist, stood beneath a loquat tree. Zhao Changling's fading and indistinct form suddenly appeared before him.

Xu Fengnian wanted to speak but held back.

The old man extended his hand; though he could not physically touch Xu Fengnian, it was as if he had patted the young prince on the head. "There is gathering and scattering, coming and coming with fate; no need for sorrow."

Xu Fengnian clasped his hands in salute. His lips were tightly pressed together; he said nothing.

The old man said regretfully, "It's a pity I cannot help you more."

Xu Fengnian maintained his upright posture with clasped hands, like a common Populus euphratica tree in the northwestern deserts, living for a thousand years without dying, standing for another thousand years after death, and remaining unrotted for yet another thousand!

The old man's voice, wavering and indistinct, cast a glance at the young prince's new Liang saber, with a look of profound satisfaction. "A good saber!"

Xu Fengnian's lips quivered.

The old man smiled. "The Great General told me to tell you that his greatest achievement in life—not counting marrying your mother—was entrusting Beiliang to you, but he feels he has let you down."

Xu Fengnian shook his head.

The old man said softly, "Xiaonian, your mother said she used to advise you not to easily get into conflicts, to endure whenever possible, hoping you'd become a gentle and refined scholar. But if someone ever angers you again, then don't hold back; fight them to the death."

At this, the old man clearly showed a somewhat helpless expression.

In his past impressions, the Princess Consort wasn't like this.

The young man's face was streaked with tears. He nodded gently.

His form, now exceedingly ethereal, the old man closed his eyes, seemingly listening intently. He said mockingly, "Hmm? I seem to hear the thundering hooves of the Xu family Iron Cavalry's opponents? And the momentum is quite formidable."

The old man opened his eyes, as if asking Xu Xiao in his prime, and smiled, "What shall we do?"

The new King of Liang, Xu Fengnian, released his fists, reached for his saber's hilt, and laughed loudly. "What to do? It's simple: we fight them to hell! On the battlefield, only the sound of my Xu family Iron Cavalry's hooves will remain!"

The old man closed his eyes one last time. Before his spirit dissipated, this Spring and Autumn strategist seemed to be reminiscing about and reveling in the glorious years of the past, or perhaps imagining a future era of peace and prosperity. He said softly, "That's right, Xiaonian."