Chapter 1060:

Beside the man stood a girl slightly darker-skinned than the little lass, carrying a sword case on her back, two swords at her waist, and another longsword horizontally strapped to her lower back. At a glance, she didn’t seem like a swordsman aspiring to reach the pinnacle of the sword path, but rather a girl who looked as if she wished to hang every sword imaginable on her body—like a sword peddler.

The little girl, resting her chin on her father’s head, wiped his face and giggled, “Dad, you look much handsomer like this.”

The man sighed softly in a helpless tone, “Ungrateful daughter.”

The girl carrying at least seven or eight swords smiled sweetly.

The little lass slapped her hands onto her father’s head and exclaimed, “Oh ho! Xu Xiao, you’re rebelling! Just wait till I tell Second Mother, Third Mother, Fourth Mother, Fifth Mother, and all the others! I’ll say you’ve been flirting with fairy maidens and lady warriors again. Let’s see if they believe Sweet Potato or you!”

The man sighed. “Sweet Potato, there’s no such thing as fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth mothers. And jokes like this are absolutely off-limits. If I go home and the first thing I have to do is kneel on a washboard for three days and nights, won’t you feel sorry for me?”

The girl nicknamed Sweet Potato folded her hands and gazed at the distant tidal bore, sighing deeply. “Dad, I miss our hometown a little. Shorty Brother, Uncle Li Yanchao, Grandpa Yan, and Grandpa Gu—they all loved Sweet Potato the most! Especially the grandpas—they never liked seeing you, but they adored me!”

The man nodded with a smile, not daring to argue.

Sweet Potato sighed again, her face clouded with worry. “Dad, are we never going back to our hometown? Will Sweet Potato never see that big lake again?”

Before the man could answer, the little girl sighed heavily once more. “Our lake was called the Listening Tide Lake. After seeing this grand tide of the Guangling River, I’ll just pretend I’ve been back home!”

The man smiled gently. “So thoughtful.”

Sweet Potato lowered her voice. “Then can I go to Martial Emperor City with you? I don’t want to rush back home with Brother Tong and the others.”

The man huffed, “Fine. At worst, I’ll suffer with you. If your mother spanks you, I’ll kneel right beside you. We’ll share the hardship—how’s that?”

The little girl weighed the pros and cons but ultimately gave up. After all, she could go out with her father every year from now on. Truth be told, she was already missing her mother a little. As for those second, third, fourth mothers and so on—well, she missed them too, just not as much as her real mother.

The tidal bore had passed, and a misty spray engulfed them. The man made no effort to shield himself, and the little girl stretched out her arms, dancing in the mist with pure delight.

The man chuckled softly. “Sweet Potato, remember that old man in sheepskin I often tell you about? Back then, your father fought side by side with him right here. With a single sword stroke, he shattered the armor of 2,600 men—and mind you, that was all in one breath, one strike! Honestly, in my eyes, no one could’ve done that except perhaps the reincarnation of Lü Zu.”

Sweet Potato asked curiously, “Even you couldn’t do it?”

The man thought for a moment. “I have the energy, but applying it to the sword is a struggle. Far from the effortless grace of that old man in sheepskin. You should’ve seen that sword…”

Sweet Potato waited eagerly for him to continue.

After a brief hesitation, the man sighed. “That sword… there’s only been one like it in this world. And sadly, we’ll never see its like again.”

He pointed toward the river. “Long before that, when the old man was as young and dashing as your father, he once rode his sword across this great river—more divine than any immortal.”

Sweet Potato suddenly thrust out her thumb. “Grandpa Li, truly remarkable!”

Xu Fengnian, wearing a lifelike mask, squinted into the distance and murmured to himself, “In a world where he existed, you didn’t need to worry about golden ages or dark ages of the martial world, nor about the Four Great Masters or the Ten Supreme Experts. You didn’t even need to pay attention to sects or factions. All you had to do was watch that one man in blue robes, wielding his sword.”

Sweet Potato gasped in surprise. “Wow, Dad, so even you admire someone?”

Xu Fengnian grinned. “There are plenty of people I admire. I’ll tell you about them slowly in the future.”

Then he lowered his voice in warning. “Though your horsemanship is decent now, you still need to be careful. When you go back with Tong Guan and the others this time, I won’t be around. No matter what happens, don’t act impulsively. If you encounter suffering, first feel compassion—but then think carefully. Remember, not all pitiable people are without their faults. And when you meet someone hateful, still keep kindness in your heart and consider whether they might have their own sorrows. But no matter what, don’t forgive blindly. Unprincipled forgiveness harms both others and yourself. And don’t give favors without limits—remember, a small kindness is repaid, but a great one breeds resentment. A great favor can become a great grudge. Above all, cherish your innocent heart—it’s the root of humanity, like a monk’s unwavering faith or a scholar’s righteous spirit…”

Xu Fengnian rambled on at length, heedless of whether the little girl could grasp it all immediately.

“Dad, you’re at your most dashing when you’re lecturing like this!”

“Heh, in the past, wasn’t it always your mother threatening to spank you when I started preaching? How could I not be dashing then?”

“Oh, Dad, where’s that Song Yushu? Can I see him? Hmph! How dare he try to steal Second Mother from you back then. I’ll punch him till he looks like Aunt Hehe’s big cat!”

“That guy? He’s on that little slope behind us. No need to beat him up—he’s just one of your father’s defeated foes.”

“Dad, after we part, you really mustn’t flirt with any more girls, okay? I won’t speak up for you this time. Don’t forget you still have a bunch of messy accounts unsettled. Not that Mother minds, but…”

“Got it, got it.”

“But don’t you dare miss out on Aunt Xu from Daoma Pass! I like her best—she’s the gentlest when she smiles. And, well… Aunt Xu has big, soft—”

“Enough!”

As the crowd by the river gradually dispersed, a slightly exasperated Xu Fengnian led Sweet Potato and his disciple Wang Sheng away with the flow.

A one-armed youth, serving as their coachman, had been waiting quietly. Xu Fengnian bent down, and Sweet Potato quickly hopped off, running toward Tong Guan, whom she’d known since she could remember. The boy pulled out a still-warm mutton pancake wrapped in oiled paper. Sweet Potato took a big bite and tilted her head. “Brother Tong Guan, are you hungry?”

The youth shook his head with a smile.

Xu Fengnian walked over to the young eunuch from Dunhuang in the Northern Desert and hesitated before asking with a smile, hands tucked in his sleeves, “After taking Sweet Potato home, would you like to come with me to meet someone?”

Though young, Tong Guan was remarkably steady. Glancing at Sweet Potato, he shook his head. “Benefactor, I’d rather not.”

Xu Fengnian smiled. “No rush. Let’s wait till Sweet Potato is older. Otherwise, you wouldn’t bear to leave, and neither would she.”

Sweet Potato wrinkled her nose. “Brother Tong Guan, you’re my great benefactor, which makes you Dad’s benefactor too. You can just call him ‘Xu’ if you want.”

The now beardless Tong Guan flushed and waved his hands frantically. “No, no, that wouldn’t be proper!”

Xu Fengnian ruffled the boy’s hair gently. “Why not? Sweet Potato isn’t wrong.”

The youth’s eyes reddened as he whispered hoarsely, “Benefactor…”

Xu Fengnian sighed. “Alright, alright, I won’t send you away. On the journey back, don’t let Sweet Potato gorge on candied hawthorns—and especially don’t let her sneak any wine! Also, remember to eat smaller meals more often. And unlike Liang or the grasslands, autumn here creeps in silently. Dress warmly before you feel the chill—don’t wait till it’s cold to add layers. And don’t always listen to Sweet Potato’s mother. Spoiling a daughter is never wrong—what’s the point of making her suffer? If you pass a rouge shop, don’t hesitate to spend. Buy whatever catches her eye. Oh, and remember to get some for her mother and those… well, you know. Just stock up on cosmetics and pretty trinkets…”

As the man prattled on, Sweet Potato sighed dramatically. How tragic—her father was such a chatterbox, so utterly lacking in heroic grandeur! The young eunuch, however, listened intently, not daring to miss a single word.

After Sweet Potato climbed into the carriage, Xu Fengnian whispered to the youth, “Remember, you too can live a long life. Understood?”

Tong Guan nodded vigorously, grinning with a trace of his old simple honesty.

As she lifted the carriage curtain, Sweet Potato turned and said gravely, “Dad, you really mustn’t bring home another mother, okay? If you do, White Fox might just slash you twice in rage—once with Spring Thunder, once with Winter Embroider!”

Finally, the little girl winked secretly at Wang Sheng, who could only respond with an “I’ll try” look.

Xu Fengnian and his disciple stood watching as the carriage slowly disappeared down the official road.

Wang Sheng asked softly, “Master, where do we go next?”

Xu Fengnian smiled. “First to the nearest Huishan and Longhu Mountain, then to Eastern Sea’s Martial Emperor City to find Lü Yunzhang. After that, we’ll visit Dongyue Sword Pool—I owe Chai Qingshan a debt I can never repay. From there, we’ll head north to Wu Family’s Sword Mound for the best pickled vegetable noodles in the world, then detour to Youyan Manor. After that… we’ll see. If at any point you wish to leave and wander the martial world alone, you may.”

The girl bit her lip, shaking her head firmly. “I won’t!”

Xu Fengnian neither agreed nor disagreed, turning instead to gaze once more at the Guangling River.