The citizens of the city finally caught a glimpse of the long-absent Young Master Xu Fengnian. This time, without the company of the Yan family’s son, his circle of dubious friends had dwindled to just Li Hanlin, the son of the Fengzhou Governor. Accompanying the Young Master was Yu Youwei, who had retired from the pleasure quarters, cradling the white cat Wu Meiniang. Both the woman and the pet exuded an air of languid nobility.
Li Hanlin had been summoned by Xu Fengnian himself. Having spent most of the past year in Beiliang honing his skills with the *Xiudong* blade and meditating on Wudang Mountain, Xu Fengnian was now about to embark on a secretive journey spanning thousands of miles. Feeling guilty for leaving Li Hanlin behind after all the times the latter had taken the fall for him over the years, Xu Fengnian had invited him for this outing. When Li Hanlin heard of the Young Master’s impending travels, he begged to tag along, but no amount of pleading swayed Xu Fengnian. Frustrated, Li Hanlin lashed his whip angrily during their spring excursion, though Xu Fengnian merely smiled in response.
By the time they reached Luosi Lake, the prime spot for spring outings, Xu Fengnian dismounted and walked his horse, noticing Li Hanlin’s sullen expression. Teasingly, he remarked, “Heard you recently found a pair of fair-skinned twin boys in Changye County—supposedly quite the beauties. What, worn out from last night?”
Yu Youwei deliberately distanced herself, focusing on the playful Wu Meiniang in her arms. She had resigned herself to Xu Fengnian’s ways, but Li Hanlin’s notorious debauchery was too much for her to stomach.
Despite his sulking, Li Hanlin never held a grudge against Xu Fengnian. Whining pitifully, he said, “Feng-ge, I’m going stir-crazy at home! Why won’t you let me roam the jianghu with you? Last time was one thing, but this time too? Don’t you consider me a brother? That bastard Yan Chiji, tagging along with his father and sister to the capital to stir trouble—serves him right that his sister caught the eye of that deranged Sixth Prince. But you’ve always been decent, Feng-ge. Please! I’ll fetch your tea and water every day if you let me come. I even stole all my father’s private savings for this trip. If I go back now, he’ll break my leg for sure.”
Xu Fengnian chuckled. “Your father would never dare lay a hand on you. Who’d believe that? Every time he’s mad at you, he just takes it out on his aging concubines. How many have died because of you?”
Li Hanlin grimaced, too depressed to reply, feeling like throwing himself into the lake.
Xu Fengnian patted his shoulder consolingly. “Truth is, last time would’ve been fine, but this trip’s different. Let me tell you who Xu Xiao’s assigned to shadow me—four elite guards in the open, a hundred elite cavalry led by a Martial General, not to mention covert assassins and counter-assassins, plus a top-tier expert watching my every move. You think they’re here for a picnic? Last time we sneaked out, but this is an official expedition. Remember what happened to Kong Wuchi? You’re the only heir to your family—stay out of this mess. If you’re bored, I’ll have Xu Xiao get you a lieutenant’s rank in the Beiliang army. Play soldier for a couple years, skip the frontlines, just enjoy the border scenery. When you return to Fengzhou, you can command troops properly. Your father would rest easier.”
Li Hanlin remained silent.
Xu Fengnian released the reins of his snow-white steed—a wild stallion tamed by the Grand Pillar of State last year—and sat by the lakeshore. After Li Hanlin joined him, Xu Fengnian tossed a pebble into the water and said softly, “Hanlin, grow up. Your father’s not getting any younger. If you don’t step up, who’ll shoulder the family’s burdens? Your sister?”
Li Hanlin sighed. “Feng-ge, you’ve changed. My sister used to despise you, but if she met you now, she might actually like you. But I don’t want that—who’ll I have fun with?”
Xu Fengnian skipped another stone, grinning. “Your sister’s prettier than Yan Dongwu, though not as sharp. I know she’s already smitten with someone. I was just teasing her before. One day, she’ll realize the man she loves is the real fool, while the one she loathed turns out slightly better. As for fun? Easy—marry a good wife and make babies.”
Li Hanlin scratched his head. “Babies are fine, but only sons. Daughters are just heartache—they’ll only get ruined by men. Sons are safer; I don’t care about karma.”
Xu Fengnian laughed. “You believe in karma?”
Li Hanlin lay back on the grass, unusually solemn. “Of course. They say the gods watch from above. Who knows when I’ll drop dead? I’m destined for the frying pan. Maybe next life I’ll be reborn a woman as punishment.”
Xu Fengnian roared with laughter. “What the hell’s in that head of yours?”
Li Hanlin smirked. “Fine, I’ll listen. I’ll join the Beiliang army. Maybe I’ll even capture a Northern Barbarian princess as a pet.”
Xu Fengnian whistled. “Lofty ambitions.”
Li Hanlin sat up, whispering, “Feng-ge, what’s that top-tier expert look like?”
Xu Fengnian gestured toward a scrawny, one-armed old man dozing by the carriage, picking his nose and flicking it away. “Probably like him.”
Li Hanlin stared at the ragged figure who looked unfit even to be a stablehand, now sharing a carriage with the famed courtesan Yu Youwei. Rolling his eyes, he scoffed, “Feng-ge, you’re messing with me!”
Xu Fengnian gazed at the lake, smiling. “You *are* a child.”
Li Hanlin protested, “A child? What girl hasn’t praised the ‘big bird’ in my pants after a night together?”
Xu Fengnian snorted. “Only kids brag about that. And you trust flattery from paid women? Face it, you’re still a brat.”
Li Hanlin’s temper flared. “Damn it, I’ll throw those whores to the beasts when I get back!”
Xu Fengnian’s tone turned sharp. “Enough. Go join the army. You’re as thick as your sister.”
Li Hanlin mumbled an obedient “Oh.”
In the end, the infamous Young Master Li of Fengzhou, who had yearned to follow Xu Fengnian beyond Beiliang, chose instead to enlist in its strictest military division.
At the city gates, Li Hanlin wept like a child, his sobs so dramatic that onlookers might’ve mistaken the Young Master for a jilted lover.
Back at the palace, the nameless old man shuffled off the carriage, his bony frame wrapped in a shabby sheepskin. His first remark was, “That girl’s got good hips—perfect for bearing sons.” Before Yu Youwei could react, his second comment drained her face of color: “That cat’s even better. Stew it—great for the health.”
Xu Fengnian took a deep breath.
The old man sauntered away, casting a distant glance at the *Tingchao Pavilion* by the lake.
Xu Fengnian sought out Jiang Ni in her courtyard, where she was doodling in the dirt with a stick. Ignoring her flustered attempts to erase the marks, he asked, “I’m leaving Beiliang. Might die on the road. You’d get your chance to stab me. Coming? I’ll bring a chest of martial manuals—yours by year’s end if you join.”
Jiang Ni hesitated briefly before blurting, “No!”
Xu Fengnian blinked, then turned away, disappointed.
Jiang Ni’s face flushed crimson, her voice barely audible as she corrected herself—too late. The habit of rejecting the Young Master had betrayed her.
Admitting a mistake to her sworn enemy was worse than death.
Xu Fengnian left her to stew.
At his mother’s tomb, Xu Fengnian plucked a leaf and sat cross-legged, whistling the folk tune *Spring Deity*. Here, his mind was at peace, his thoughts clearest.
The old demon beneath the pavilion—a genuine top-tier expert, though enslaving him was a pipe dream.
Where was “Jia”? Far away? Or right under his nose?
Hongshu was a deathsworn. A fact he didn’t know whether to welcome or rue.
Qingniao was “Bing” of the Celestial Stems. A frustrating yet expected revelation.
Xu Fengnian to Wudang, Huang Man’er to Longhu—the silent clash of Daoist orthodoxy, all part of Xu Xiao’s grand scheme?
Second Sister Xu Weixiong, mastering statecraft at Shangyin Academy—was she meant to temper the unruly Chen Zhubao, or to court hidden factions in the scholars’ sanctum?
Why had Xu Xiao spared Yan Jiexi’s family when he could’ve slaughtered them? Merely out of loyalty to a childhood friend?
Xu Fengnian discarded the leaf, resting the twin blades *Xiudong* and *Chunlei* on his knees. Gazing at the tombstone, he murmured, “Mother, if Xu Xiao won’t avenge you, I will.”
That spring, as flowers bloomed, Young Master Xu Fengnian rode his white steed out of Liangzhou.
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