Xu Qingfeng presented a wooden visiting card carved from the heartwood of a thousand-year-old osmanthus tree from Huishan, then was led by a steward into the Northern Liang Prince’s Mansion. She passed through corridors and pavilions, finally arriving at a pavilion in the middle of the Tingchao Lake on the mountainside. A young man with white hair like frost sat on the railing beside the water, leaning against a gilded pillar. His hair was loosely tied with a red cord. He was idly toying with the visiting card Xu Qingfeng had submitted to the mansion. Xu Qingfeng stood on a lotus-shaped stone pier outside the pavilion, half-submerged in water. As she walked here, a thousand thoughts flooded her heart. Back in the Lantern Festival at Wuzhou, this handsome young man had been with a lecherous ruffian, quarreling and then chased like a rat through the streets by her retinue. At that time, Xu Qingfeng had thought him merely an unremarkable son from a ruined family, without scholarly talent or hope of passing the imperial examination, only able to deceive delicate young ladies with his looks. Later, she occasionally speculated that his mother must have been a peerless beauty to give birth to such a handsome son. Who would have known that they would meet again at Huishan, and that he had transformed into the infamous heir of Northern Liang, leading a hundred armored soldiers into Longhu. Because of him, the master of Guniu Ridge had been replaced by her. Yet Xu Qingfeng still couldn’t connect him with the man destined to inherit the Northern Liang King title without interruption. Only after personally stepping into the Qingliang Mountain Mansion did she gradually form a clear image of him: Xu Fengnian, who would become the second non-imperial noble of the Liyang Dynasty after the Man-Slaughtering Xu Xiao.
Xu Fengnian stroked the osmanthus wood visiting card in his hand, smiling at the woman who had traveled all the way from the Jianzhou region to the northwest of the empire. The Zhaoyao Mountains had many thousand-year-old osmanthus trees, but over the past century, they had gradually died out. The last Tang-era osmanthus tree was no exception, making Huishan’s osmanthus wine a thing of the past. Xu Fengnian waved his hand lightly and asked, “Besides over a hundred martial arts manuals, did you bring any osmanthus wine?”
Xu Qingfeng entered the pavilion and chose a seat farthest from him, maintaining a calm demeanor as she said, “There’s not much left at Huishan, but if the young master wishes to drink, I’ll bring a jar next time.”
Xu Fengnian placed the visiting card on his knee, his face showing unmistakable signs of fatigue as he closed his eyes to rest, offering no hospitality befitting a host. Xu Qingfeng harbored no resentment, for in her view, as the eldest son of the Man-Slaughtering Xu Xiao, he had every right to be arrogant. She calmly asked, “I’ve always heard that the Northern Liang Prince’s Mansion is guarded with deceptive looseness on the surface but firm vigilance within, treating martial artists like fish to be caught. Why would you let me enter this pavilion without fear that I might be an assassin?”
Xu Fengnian snapped his fingers. A figure in red robes leapt from the waters of Tingchao Lake, soared over the pavilion roof, and plunged back into the lake, vanishing in a flash. The scene was enchanting, like a red carp leaping through the Dragon Gate.
Besides the The Crimson Robed Phantom (red-robed yin entity) that loved to surface from the lake, a maid from the mansion approached with a tray, carrying bait for Enjoying the scenery (viewing the scenery). Xu Fengnian waved his hand, indicating to give it to Xu Qingfeng.
Xu Fengnian opened his eyes and returned to the silk-cushioned chair, saying, “I’ve heard about the happenings at Huishan. Even if your cultivation has improved dramatically, even if I let you sit closer, shoulder to shoulder, you still wouldn’t find it easy to kill me.”
Xu Qingfeng coldly remarked, “The Northern Liang Prince’s Mansion indeed has no shortage of experts.”
Xu Fengnian glanced at the yin entity leisurely playing in the waters of Tingchao Lake and laughed, “This expert at the Tianxiang level was bought with my life and fortune. It’s a fair trade. So Xu Qingfeng, don’t mock me anymore.”
Xu Qingfeng didn’t throw the bait into the lake, her expression unchanged as she said, “I dare not.”
Xu Fengnian didn’t dwell on such matters and asked, “With just over a hundred martial arts manuals, you expect me to support you as the leader of the southern martial world? Isn’t that a bit greedy? You’re not even my wife, so why would I make such an unprofitable deal?”
Xu Qingfeng grabbed a handful of bait from the plate glazed in an overall application of celadon with peony branch patterns and didn’t rush to throw it into the lake to admire the famous sight of ten thousand carps flipping, slowly saying, “I can offer help in times of need.”
Xu Fengnian extended his hand.
Xu Qingfeng continued, “Huishan has many people who seek quick success and possess genuine talent, Hong Biao being one of them. These martial artists are not short on skills or ambition, but they lack the right path. As long as Northern Liang is willing to accept them and offer sufficient bait, they will willingly bite the hook. However, there is one thing Xu Qingfeng must clarify: those entering Northern Liang seek official positions and wealth but are unwilling to sacrifice their lives. If you send them to the border to fight in the Northern Liang army, they will absolutely refuse. However, serving as a sixth or seventh-grade officer within Northern Liang, even if it’s a non-official or temporary position, will be enough to make them exert eight or nine parts of their strength for you.”
Xu Fengnian sneered, “Xu Qingfeng, do you think official positions are as common as cabbages at roadside stalls?”
Xu Qingfeng threw a handful of bait into the lake, her tone flat, “The matter of General Chen Zhibao entering Shu to be enfeoffed as a king is known to every woman and child in the realm. Many of this military sage’s trusted subordinates have mostly resigned to follow him to Shu, and a large number of sixth and seventh-grade martial generals are eager to go. When these newly vacated seats come up, who else but you will fill them? It’s better to go with the flow and give them to you. The people I offer you are all top-tier martial artists who have gained fame at a young age. Give them a year or two, and they will be able to gain the respect of the masses. Although I, Xu Qingfeng, have never held an official position, I know a bit about the art of managing people. A new emperor brings new ministers. If you want to firmly establish yourself as the Northern Liang King, you will inevitably need your own people, even if there are some mixed fish and dragons among them.”
Xu Fengnian laughed, “Your skills are merely a superficial understanding of managing people, not worthy of being called the art of managing people. It’s the same difference as between swordsmanship and sword mastery.”
Xu Qingfeng didn’t argue back but merely kept her cold expression as she poured the entire tray of bait into the lake at once. The carp splashed and clamored noisily.
Xu Fengnian waited until the lake surface returned to calm before sighing helplessly, “When will you ever change that bad temper of yours? Back then, when I and Wen Hua encountered you, although we were at fault for not controlling our mouths and teasing you, how many noble ladies would be so petty as you were? Now that you’ve become the head of Huishan and aspire to unify the martial world, with such poor self-cultivation, even if you become the top martial artist, you will inevitably end up as a lonely ruler. Why should I cultivate anyone else but you? It’s bound to be a futile effort, wasting silver and energy. It’s true that we became friends through conflict, but when it comes to doing business, there must be rules and standards.”
Xu Qingfeng stared at Xu Fengnian, her eyes cold as she said, “Xu Fengnian, it’s not your place to lecture me!”
Xu Fengnian, who hadn’t rested much since arriving at the mansion, leaned back against the pillar, whispering, “Because I consider you half a friend, I’m telling you these unpleasing words. Whether you like it or not is up to you.”
Xu Qingfeng scoffed, “Can we speak openly and honestly?”
Xu Fengnian gently clapped his hands and smiled, “Fine, since this time you’re coming to me for something, I’ll also be straightforward with you. I have a friend who has been engaged in a prolonged battle with Han Diaosi in the Western Regions. My mansion has successively dispatched several assassins to assist, but the results have been minimal. Now that your cultivation has surged, why don’t you go and warm up? Consider it a dangerous martial arts training. Oh, and Xu Qingfeng, do you have any particular man in mind? If not, then my friend is the most beautiful woman in the world, Nan Gong Pusha. The second-ranked beauty, Chen Yu, has a four-character evaluation on the The Rouge List (Yanzhi List) that reads ‘not inferior to Nan Gong.’ That’s the Nan Gong I’m talking about. I usually call him White Fox’er Lian, but remember not to call him that, or you’ll get beaten up. Assassinating Han Diaosi, the most powerful eunuch in the realm, can also serve as your token of loyalty to our Northern Liang. Once you’ve burned all bridges behind you, I can trust you, a distant Huishan clan leader, from thousands of miles away.”
Xu Qingfeng sneered, “So this is your method of managing people? It’s truly not the slightest bit refined.”
Xu Fengnian shook his head, “I’m just like you; we both only know how to manage people, both young calves in the ‘officialdom.'”
Xu Qingfeng glanced at the prince’s snow-white hair and smiled, asking, “Xu Fengnian, what’s going on?”
Xu Fengnian touched his hair, his tone calm, “To put it nicely, I’m at a pseudo-Zhi Xuan level. To put it bluntly, my cultivation has plummeted catastrophically. I’m sure you can see that even if I recover, my internal energy cultivation won’t even reach the second-grade level. But there was indeed a brief moment when I could wield swords at a pseudo-Tian Xiang level. So you don’t need to pity me. If you must, wait until you truly reach the perfect Zhi Xuan level.”
This woman had an absolutely terrible temper, not even bothering to hide her schadenfreude as she laughed heartily, “Another pseudo-Zhi Xuan and pseudo-Tian Xiang, it’s just scary-sounding. Xu Fengnian, doesn’t that mean you’ll never surpass the Diamond level for the rest of your life? I almost feel genuinely sorry for you!”
Xu Fengnian looked at her smiling face and laughed along, “I told you, you look much better when you’re happy.”
Xu Qingfeng didn’t bother to hold back her laughter, laughing freely, “Seeing you in such a miserable state makes me really happy.”
Xu Fengnian tossed the visiting card back to Xu Qingfeng, “Although our relationship is half-familiar and half-strange, it hasn’t become so distant that you need to present a visiting card to visit my home. Next time you come here, don’t even bother using the main gate; you can climb over the wall if you want. As long as good news from the Western Regions that I’m waiting for arrives, I guarantee that your Huishan clan won’t lack silver or people.”
Xu Qingfeng caught the visiting card and placed it on a blue-and-white porcelain plate, suddenly becoming serious as she asked, “Xu Fengnian, are you speaking kindly because you’re about to die?”
Xu Fengnian laughed and scolded, “Nonsense, Xu Qingfeng! Can’t you say a nice word that doesn’t sting?”
Xu Qingfeng asked, “When do you want me to go to the Western Regions to hunt down Han Diaosi?”
Xu Fengnian stood up and waved toward the shore. Immediately, a young boy carrying a massive iron-bow came running.
Xu Fengnian pointed at the young assassin Wu, who had been brought back from the Northern Desert to the mansion, and smiled at Xu Qingfeng, “This kid’s nickname is ‘One Dot.’ He’ll take you out of Northern Liang, and there will be people waiting for you in the Western Regions.”
The strong young boy softly said, “Master, next time when you introduce me to others, could you not call me ‘One Dot’? My name is Wu.”
Xu Fengnian slapped him on the head, “You little fool, aren’t you always saying you want to become the best assassin? If you introduce yourself to everyone you meet, don’t you think it’s embarrassing?”
The boy was momentarily stunned, scratched his head, and grinned, “That’s true.”
Xu Fengnian laughed, “Go, take this auntie to the Western Regions.”
Xu Qingfeng silently took a deep breath.
The boy said, “Okay,” turned around, and walked away, occasionally sneaking glances at the woman beside him. Auntie? How old must she be? Almost thirty? She must have taken good care of herself.
Behind Xu Qingfeng’s back, Xu Fengnian said, “I’ll arrange Hong Biao’s place.”
Xu Qingfeng turned her head and smiled sweetly, “Nephew, you’re such a good boy.”
Xu Fengnian smiled to himself, thinking she was indeed a woman who never let herself be at a disadvantage.
After their laughter, Xu Fengnian walked toward the courtyard where his second sister, Xu Wei Xiong, resided. The air was filled with the pungent smell of medicine. He sat beside her bed, but she remained unconscious.
These days, apart from hastily washing and changing into clean clothes, Xu Fengnian had been staying by her bedside without sleeping much, gradually revealing his fading white hair. Finding dyeing troublesome, he had Qing Niao simply wash and comb it before giving up.
Xu Fengnian gently held her hand; the room was silent.
When the fire burns fiercely, there is no smoke; when the water flows smoothly, there is no sound; when a person suffers deeply, there are no words.
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