Two enemy tower ships, having precisely calculated the draft depth of the Azure Dragon Creek, instinctively slowed down simultaneously after being stepped on by the withered Youth. The private vessel of the Xuanyuan family attempted to stealthily increase the distance, leaving the pair of brothers with contrasting appearances behind. Naturally, the ship ahead wouldn’t allow this to happen. In an instant, swords were drawn, and the atmosphere grew tense. Yet Xuanyuan Qingfeng only saw the Youth with withered arms, resembling dry bamboo, disregarding everything else, carrying the Xu youth behind a bed plank, tightly embracing him, refusing to let go.
The Xuanyuan Clan, dominating the martial world of the southeast, had only elite warriors aboard their ship. Two swordsmen, upon receiving a silent signal from Xuanyuan Qingfeng, lunged forward like dragons weaving through water. Their sharp swords aimed directly at the Youth’s back, renowned for his fearsome reputation, intending to pierce both brothers at once, impaling them like candied hawthorns against the ship’s railing, sending a chilling message to those outsiders who had angered the Xuanyuan lady. To the Xuanyuan family, what were two lives worth? In recent years, why had the governor’s office of Jianzhou managed to function smoothly despite the constraints imposed by the Prince of Guangling? It was all due to the unwavering support of this dragon that had dominated Mount Huishan for five hundred years. Otherwise, scholars confronting soldiers would have been suppressed by the powerful Prince Zhao Yi long ago, reduced to homeless dogs. Since the mutual benefit between the Jianzhou government and the Xuanyuan family persisted, the governor of Jianzhou, sheltered under the Guangling army, was no fool, granting the Xuanyuan family extensive privileges, secretly supporting their ruthless elimination of dissenters at Niuniu Gang, allowing Mount Huishan to cultivate a private cavalry of two hundred under the very nose of the imperial court.
Xuanyuan Qingfeng furrowed her brow, clearly witnessing the Xu youth merely stroking the Youth’s head, seemingly oblivious to the two incoming swords, which contradicted his usual cowardly demeanor.
Though Huangman’er lacked wisdom, his instinct for danger likely surpassed even Yuan Tingshan’s. As the swords approached, he made no intricate movements, simply turning and grabbing the sword tips barehanded. The swordsmen suddenly exerted force, attempting to crush the ignorant Youth’s hands. Huangman’er’s face contorted into a terrifying visage, like a wrathful King Kong, suddenly twisting his hands, effortlessly bending the swords into crescent shapes. With a pull, he dragged the hesitant swordsmen forward, delivering two punches to their chests. Blood mist erupted as they died instantly, their bodies plummeting into the river like broken kites.
Several other Xuanyuan loyalists, initially watching, realized the danger and rushed forward to protect Xuanyuan Qingfeng at the ship’s bow. Yet the Youth allowed a sword to pierce his forehead, grinning eerily. Raising his arms, his robe billowed, and the sword bent into a half-moon arc between them, failing to penetrate. The sickly Youth then executed a flawless martial arts maneuver: right foot pivoting, left knee lifting, Center of gravity shifting to the right leg, right heel rotating forward, left knee bending inward, foot arch extended outward. Suddenly, he launched into the air, his leg whipping out with force concentrated on the foot. As he landed, the loyalist’s body remained in a charging stance while his head soared several zhang high. The Youth brushed aside the headless corpse, fixing his pale-lipped gaze on Xuanyuan Qingfeng. The loyalists, familiar with each other’s strengths, exchanged shocked glances, realizing this monster’s power—capable of shaking the ship with a single step, possessing speed rivaling Dragon and Elephant, and a body as unyielding as King Kong.
The silence was shattered by two eerie beasts leaping across the river—crimson, armored, scaled, tails trailing. They sprang from the front ship onto the Xuanyuan tower ship, claws gripping the railing, struggling to perch there, snarling and baring fangs.
The Youth leaned forward, roaring in fury.
Xuanyuan Qingfeng stumbled backward in terror.
Outside the ship, a disheveled old Taoist monk paddled a bamboo raft. A head plummeted toward him, which he casually swatted into the river with his staff, muttering, “How can a humble donkey bear the force of Dragon and Elephant’s stomp?”
The old Taoist, stretching his neck like a millennium-old turtle, shouted, “Prince, we’re nearly at my Xiaoyao Monastery.”
Zhao Xituan hesitated, then smiled, “Tell Xuanyuan Dapan to stop hiding like a turtle. If he won’t emerge, wait until his nest is destroyed.”
Xu Fengnian ignored Xuanyuan Qingfeng, pulling Huangman’er onto the bamboo raft instead of returning to the large ship. The two Tiger Kui followed closely. King Kong’s eyesight, clearly inferior to her sister Bodhisattva, dove straight into the water, splashing wildly. Seeing her brother frolicking in the river, Bodhisattva jumped in too. Xu Fengnian chuckled, “Old Taoist, I never said I’d go to Mount Huishan to cause trouble. Why are you stirring up chaos? Trying to divert western troubles eastward?”
The least renowned old Taoist of the Celestial Master’s Temple deliberately feigned surprise, fearing the capricious Northern Liang prince might turn hostile. Truthfully, Master Zhao Xituan, second patriarch of the Celestial Realm, held unparalleled seniority in the Taoist hierarchy, transcending worldly concerns. Though Lao Mountain and Northern Liang were worlds apart, the old Taoist had weathered countless storms. Previously, he’d casually slung arms around this younger generation in Northern Liang, not necessarily out of fear for General Xu Xiaojing, but due to his free-spirited nature. In his youth, he’d been a Bold and Unrestrained poet, fond of wine and adventure, rarely matched in talent and ambition. Hence, he’d left home with a sword, journeying far from Lao Mountain for twenty years. Encountering the playful, rule-defying prince suited his temperament. If instead, his nephews Zhao Danchao and Zhao Danping—respective “Robed Minister” and “Qingci Chancellor”—had been present, their attitudes toward Prince Xu Fengnian would have differed greatly.
Xu Fengnian glanced at Huangman’er’s Giggle, then looked up at the old Taoist, surprised, “Not afraid of water anymore?”
The old Taoist nodded, “Long overcame it. The Xiaoyao Monastery sits by the Azure Dragon Creek. I told him to follow the stream to Mount Huishan, where the Longwang River joins the She River, heading northward into the Eight Hundred Li Spring God Lake, drawing closer to Northern Liang. I told him you’d visit Lao Mountain in autumn, so Dragon and Elephant waited by the creek until he grew unafraid.”
Huangman’er struck the water, sending a large fish soaring airborne, its five claws like hooks. Catching it, he proudly grinned at his brother.
Xu Fengnian patted Huangman’er’s head, laughing, “Customs change with the land. Release the fish.”
Huangman’er returned the stunned fish to the water, only for one Tiger Kui chasing the raft to devour it.
Xu Fengnian suddenly asked, “Does your Lao Mountain have an old Taoist named Zhao Huangchao, very ancient?”
Zhao Xituan pondered, shaking his head, “Many centenarian cultivators are secluded on the mountain practicing the Great Huangting Manual, but none named Zhao Huangchao.”
The ship and raft drifted upstream while the Xuanyuan tower ship retreated in disarray to Mount Huishan’s dock.
Standing at the cabin window, Xuanyuan Qingfeng’s lips were pale, her body trembling, unable to discern whether from fear or rage. She wasn’t blind. Though her martial talent was mediocre, her memory was exceptional. On Mount Huishan, she excelled in memorizing complex techniques. The mountain welcomed diverse talents, yet harbored dark secrets. The Xuanyuan family’s library overflowed with treasures—countless secret manuals that other sects revered. Only the Northern Liang’s Martial Repository, the Tingchao Pavilion, surpassed it. Yuan Tingshan sought her hand to access these secrets, viewing her as a shortcut to martial supremacy. Even if he couldn’t enter the Wending Pavilion, her verbal guidance would resolve all obstacles. How could Xuanyuan Qingfeng not fear the withered Youth? Two steps shook the ship—perhaps fewer than ten on Mount Huishan could achieve such might. Adding the King Kong Youth resisting the sword at his forehead, the count dwindled further!
But this wasn’t the worst.
Your Highness!
This unfamiliar term chilled her blood. After the Spring and Autumn Chronicles, while “Prince” became somewhat common, reserved for Legitimatesons or even Commonersons of noble families, ” Your Highness” grew increasingly rare, reserved solely for imperial princes and princesses. In the southeastern empire, only Prince Zhao Yi of Guangling’s descendants bore this title. Zhao Yi had three sons and six daughters, with The Crown Prince Zhao Biao yet to inherit. Strangely, mirroring karmic retribution, Zhao Yi’s lustful nature—abducting countless beauties, exceeding regulations with seven consorts—produced children resembling him, all fat and ugly, inheriting none of their mothers’ beauty. Thus, who was the youth addressed as Your Highness by the Lao Mountain Taoist? His Identity was almost unquestionable—not a prince’s son, who else would dare travel with elite soldiers armed with blades and crossbows? Even the powerful Zhao Yi wouldn’t willingly provide such leverage to the court. His children’s outings were simpler than common families.
Your Highness Xu?
Xuanyuan Qingfeng’s face drained of color.
The Xuanyuan family, being among the top aristocracy, had excellent intelligence. She’d heard of General Xu Xiao’s eldest son, the Heterogeneous King, who’d wandered for three years to avoid marrying into the imperial family before returning to Northern Liang. This time, he’d caused trouble in Jiangnan, sparking thousands of scholars in the Imperial Academy to demand the emperor intervene, claiming chaos without order. Yet the Butcher, stripped of his Grand General title, remained favored by the emperor, shielding his The Crown Prince unscathed. While General Xu remained in the capital, no official above fourth rank dared criticize him. Only the scholars of the Imperial Academy wept and wrote petitions, creating laughter. Xuanyuan Qingfeng still remembered the elders of Mount Huishan speaking of Northern Liang’s iron cavalry stationed beneath Lao Mountain, their arrogance unchecked. At that time, it wasn’t the Xuanyuan family’s righteousness that saved them, but the inevitable consequence of Lao Mountain’s destruction leading to their own downfall, forcing them to ally with the Lao Mountain Taoists.
If this truly was the Northern Liang The Crown Prince, what should she do?
Swallowing her anger might be manageable, but if this beggar-turned Your Highness of Xu youth came to Mount Huishan seeking vengeance, how would her family react? Her cowardly father would surely fear confrontation. With his waning influence, the Legitimate Eldest House had few supporters, while other branches would seize the chance to undermine him. Who didn’t know her uncle Xuanyuan Jingyi had openly flirted with her mother, saying, “Jiaozi is delicious, but not as much as my sister-in-law”? Her father merely buried himself in books, never uttering a word of anger. How many such jokes existed?
As the ship docked, Xuanyuan Qingfeng wandered out of the cabin, lost in thought.
A solitary boat shot forth.
An elderly scholar with frosty temples leaped across the river, landing gracefully on the ship’s bow.
The solitary boat, filled with Mana, slowly moored by the riverside.
Seeing the only family member who truly cared for her, Xuanyuan Qingfeng’s tears flowed.
The old man, waist adorned with an ancient sword, kindly said, “Who dares bully my granddaughter? Which young rascal? Let your grandfather teach him a lesson.”
Xuanyuan Qingfeng remained silent, head bowed.
The old man smiled, “Surely not the Northern Liang The Crown Prince who’s arrived in Jianzhou? That would be troublesome.”
Xuanyuan Qingfeng looked up, astonished.
The The old man returning from the Eastern Yue Sword Pool duel was Xuanyuan Guoqi, rumored to command swords ten zhang to sever heads, his swordsmanship unparalleled in the southeast. Even the Eastern Yue Sword Pool, second only to the Wu Clan’s Sword Tombs in sword mastery, regarded him as their greatest threat.
The The old man Arrogant said, “What is a Northern Liang The Crown Prince? Can he bully my granddaughter? I shall see if Li Chungan, the one-armed, can still open the heavenly gates with his sword!”
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