Chapter 21: An Extraordinary Master of the Great State

Inside the Listening Tide Pavilion, the Great Pillar of the Nation personally witnessed two riders leaving the estate. Smiling, he returned to the pavilion and sat opposite his chief strategist, Li Yishan. He asked softly, “Brother Yuanying, do you think that rascal of a boy is deceiving the Yan family’s little girl more, or is he saving that bookworm Yan Chiji and his family of sixty-nine?”

Li Yishan replied calmly, “Both.”

Xu Xiao chuckled. “Is the position of Governor of Lingzhou really so worthless? That old fool Yan Jiexi is too caught up in theory. He thinks that by cozying up to Grand Guardian Wang and having his daughter luckily become an imperial consort, he can escape my grasp? Does he believe that by hiding under the emperor’s nose and grumbling about me, he can bring me down? Has he forgotten who made him rich all these years in Liangzhou? Without that gold and silver, how could he have won over Grand Guardian Wang or become sworn brothers with that eunuch Han Diaozi from the palace? In this regard, Li Gongde is much smarter—he at least remembers who his true benefactor is. Only such people live long.”

Li Yishan said evenly, “Where would you find so many obedient hounds to command? Isn’t it to your liking that a few mad dogs occasionally leap over the wall? If Liangzhou were peaceful year after year, without border conflicts or fools like Yan Jiexi stirring up trouble, wouldn’t your position be even harder to maintain? How many renowned ministers and generals have spent their later years tarnishing their own reputations? You’ve done well—you even refused the emperor’s offer to marry a princess. The scholars of the world have cursed you for decades, yet they haven’t broken your spine. That’s something to be proud of.”

The Great Pillar of the Nation remained indifferent, offering no comment.

Li Yishan smirked slightly. “That boy’s effeminate air has faded, but his rogue nature has grown stronger.”

Xu Fengnian had only just returned to the estate when he was dragged upstairs for a few games of chess, much to Li Yishan’s frustration.

To Li Yishan, no matter how intricate the nineteen lines of the board or how the pieces moved, chess was ultimately a lifeless game—a ghostly formation, unworthy of higher pursuits. He had never liked it, but Xu Fengnian had been too restless as a child. The only way to keep him seated was through chess.

Privately, Li Yishan admired the boy’s innate, extraordinary memory. At first, they played with a board and pieces, but later, they dispensed with them entirely, moving imaginary pieces across the nineteen lines. Over the years, Li Yishan had won nine out of ten games.

But now, after his travels, Xu Fengnian had somehow learned an endless array of unorthodox moves, especially in the endgame, where his chaotic strikes often overwhelmed the master. Li Yishan had been thoroughly embarrassed a few times, nearly smashing a wine jug over the brat’s head.

Sitting cross-legged, Li Yishan sighed lightly. “Our ten games at the Listening Tide Pavilion seem to be tied at four wins each. The boy has taken up martial arts as I hoped, but he’s also beaten me at chess.”

Xu Xiao laughed heartily. “There are still two games left—no rush.”

Li Yishan lifted his brush but paused mid-air. “Is the Grand Instructor from the Shangyin Academy coming to play chess with you?”

Xu Xiao grinned. “Indeed.”

Li Yishan scoffed. “Back then, they treated nine kingdoms as chess pieces and half the world as a board—what grand ambition! Yet they never made any brilliant moves, just sat around pontificating. After you cut them down, all their strategies and formations vanished.”

Xu Xiao said, “Wei Xiong is still studying there. We must give some face. Otherwise, you know my temper—scholarly arrogance and righteous indignation are the most unbearable stench to me.”

Li Yishan smiled but said nothing.

Xu Xiao suddenly asked, “Do you think the Xuanwu should rise or not?”

Li Yishan countered, “Wang Chonglou wasted his efforts cultivating the profound Daoist art of the Great Yellow Court. Aren’t you afraid the Wudang Mountain will turn against you?”

Xu Xiao dismissed it with a laugh.

In a quiet courtyard of the estate, Xu Fengnian sat cross-legged with the old swordsman, recounting every detail of the snowy battle. If his strikes lacked decisiveness, were too hasty, or wasted even a sliver of energy, the old man would strike him hard with the back of his blade, offering only a few terse critiques afterward.

The old man was a master of the blade, and even without witnessing the fight firsthand, Xu Fengnian’s descriptions painted a vivid picture. Xu Fengnian didn’t seek advanced techniques, nor did the old man volunteer his secrets. They played a game of patience, each waiting for the other to crack.

Leaning against a red-lacquered pillar, the white-haired old man grinned. “Kid, since you went to retrieve that sword box from the city wall, why not learn the sword? Wouldn’t that be more straightforward? Besides, isn’t it more dashing for a young man to carry a sword? ‘A sword from the east, a sword from the west’—doesn’t that sound more impressive than using a blade? Ah, what’s that phrase… ‘highbrow’ something? This old man’s memory fails me.”

Xu Fengnian sat upright, his embroidered blade resting on his knees. He smiled faintly. “‘Highbrow and elegant.’”

“The people of Liangzhou call you ‘Xu the Straw Bag’—what a joke!” The old man slapped his thigh and Xu Fengnian’s shoulder, nearly knocking him over.

Xu Fengnian chuckled self-deprecatingly. “Old man, your judgment is as poor as your swordsmanship is superb.”

The old man laughed freely. “Once I fight that Wei Beishan with his horse-chopping blade, I’ll truly leave this place. Kid, have you thought about your path?”

Xu Fengnian placed a hand on his scabbard and sighed. “What else can I do? First, I’ll find a quick internal cultivation manual in the pavilion, then leave the rest to fate. If that fails, I’ll memorize every martial art I can find and rely on tricks in battle. My foundation is mediocre—I’ll never overpower ten foes like you. Without underhanded tactics, how will I ever reach the Martial Emperor’s City? By the way, is it true that Wang Xianzi once snapped the old Sword God Li Chunyang’s ‘Wooden Horse Ox’ with two fingers?”

The old man nodded solemnly. To the world’s top martial artists, the ancient monster Wang Xianzi was an insurmountable peak. Even drawing against him was enough to secure a place among the ten greatest masters.

Xu Fengnian rose slowly. Tomorrow, he would rise early.

Tonight, the future imperial consort’s estate was likely in chaos.

The next day, a distinguished guest arrived at the Northern Liang estate—a scholar from the Shangyin Academy, said to rank just below the Grand Instructor, one of the three revered as the “Masters of Jixia.” These men taught not mere classics, but the wisdom of sages.

Students at the Shangyin Academy came from all corners of the land, regardless of origin, status, or wealth. Those who passed the triennial exams became “Shangyin Scholars,” also known as “Jixia Scholars.”

The current Grand Instructor, Qi Yanglong, was the imperial tutor, a figure of transcendent status. The visiting instructor, known only as Master Wang, specialized in the arts of strategy and statecraft. He had once won a famed debate on “name and reality” but lost the “heaven and man” argument, thereafter rarely appearing in public.

He was notoriously selective, accepting only Xu Xiao’s second daughter, Xu Wei Xiong, as his disciple in the past decade, declaring her his final successor.

From his sparse correspondence with his sister, Xu Fengnian knew this Master Wang was a chess fanatic who loved to comment on games. As for his scholarly depth, Xu Fengnian had no doubts—anyone who could teach his sister couldn’t be lacking.

A chessboard was set beneath the White Crane Tower.

Xu Xiao and the visiting Master Wang faced off, while Xu Fengnian watched from a distance.

Master Wang’s profile was refined—a simple blue robe, hemp shoes, and a mutton-fat jade pendant at his waist. He exuded an air of serene confidence, his demeanor lofty and transcendent.

Xu Fengnian thought, *This man truly has presence. Most would tremble before Xu Xiao, yet he remains unshaken.*

But when he looked at the board, he nearly spat blood.

True masters played with depth and precision, their moves either vast as the ocean or intricate as a spider’s web.

But these two?

Xu Xiao was a notoriously bad player, but Xu Fengnian had assumed Master Wang’s elegance would balance his father’s crudeness. Instead… the board was a tangled mess, like two children brawling in the mud.

Worse, Master Wang commented on every move, praising himself for “not wasting a stone” or “avoiding weak plays,” though Xu Fengnian saw only blunders.

Master Wang gloated, “Among the eighteen grandmasters of the three chess schools, only Zhao Ding’an and Chen Xiping can rival me.”

Xu Fengnian’s face twitched.

Xu Xiao remained expressionless, hesitating over his next move.

Master Wang finally looked up kindly. “Young Master, should the Great Pillar abandon this weak stone?”

Xu Fengnian forced a smile. “Hard to say. Your formation is meticulous and profound. I fear White is losing.”

To his shock, Xu Xiao, in frustration, stumbled upon a brilliant move. Master Wang, sensing danger, shamelessly reached out to take back Xu Xiao’s stone. “Great Pillar, let me retract this move.”

Xu Xiao, seemingly accustomed to this, gestured for him to proceed.

Xu Fengnian was speechless.

After a dozen retractions, Master Wang eked out a narrow victory. Xu Fengnian’s reverence for the Shangyin Academy vanished.

Master Wang stood, refreshed. “In all my years of chess, I remain undefeated.”

Xu Fengnian forced a smile. “Truly, Master Wang is the foremost grandmaster.”

After the game, the “grandmaster” departed, his demeanor flawless when not playing chess.

Xu Fengnian muttered, “Undefeated? How?”

Xu Xiao laughed. “It’s true—because he only plays those worse than him. If he’s unsure, he abstains.”

Xu Fengnian sighed. “And my sister learns statecraft from such a man?”

Xu Xiao gazed down the mountain. “To never lose—isn’t that the mark of a grandmaster?”