Wudang had several sacred paths leading into the mountains, all lined with incense burners. After Xu Fengnian and Yu Dilong left Xiaozhu Peak, they were walking toward the main peak when, in the deep ravine of Leigong Brook, they happened upon an old acquaintance. The venerable Daoist Chen Yao was leading a pair of master and servant along the northern sacred path. Xu Fengnian approached and inquired, learning that the two outsiders had come to admire the grand incense offerings of Wudang, and after entering the mountains, had wandered too far, straying deeper and deeper until they were completely lost. Fortunately, they had met Chen Yao. On the way out of the mountains, the old Daoist and the middle-aged Confucian scholar conversed joyfully. Since tonight was the fifteenth, a full moon night, the moonlight bathed the path in silver, making the night journey passable. Xu Fengnian, in no hurry to return to Xixiang Pond, joined Chen Yao in escorting the pair to the main path, known as “Yigenjin,” a straightforward route.
The scholar clearly did not know that Chen Yao was the Wudang master of discipline, mistaking him for an elderly Daoist from a humble temple. Yet, seeing that the old Daoist spoke with elegance and grace, the scholar, who claimed to come from a scholarly family of Plowing and Reading (agriculture and study) in Jiangnan, treated him with genuine respect. Xu Fengnian, with his piercing insight, quickly noticed something unusual. This scholar was dressed simply, and the youth carrying his books showed no signs of aristocratic arrogance. However, the jade pendant hanging at the youth’s waist was no ordinary item—it depicted a reclining deer turning its head, its details carved with delicate Shadow Line (hidden lines), lifelike and vivid. It was a rare treasure with a history of over a thousand years. The bamboo book chest, worn smooth from generations of handling, was clearly a family heirloom, worthy of the term ” Plowing and Reading Noble Clan”—a family of scholarly tradition passed from generation to generation. The depth of a great family’s heritage was revealed precisely in such subtle, refined details.
During the journey, the middle-aged scholar asked Chen Yao about the Daoist texts *Dao Shu Qi Zhen Pian* and *Zuo Dong Zhen Jing Mo Na Dao Yin Jue*, seeking clarification on certain passages. Xu Fengnian could tell that although these scriptures were introductory Daoist cultivation texts, they were orthodox and profound, officially recognized and annotated by Daoist sages through the ages. They were especially suitable for those who, though busy with worldly affairs, wished to cultivate their health in fleeting moments of leisure, balancing duty and self-care.
After Chen Yao and Xu Fengnian escorted the pair onto the main road, the two parties parted ways amicably. Standing side by side, the old Daoist and Xu Fengnian watched the Jiangnan scholar vanish into the distance, having traveled all the way from the south to Northern Liang. Chen Yao smiled lightly and asked, “Your Highness, did you notice anything?”
Xu Fengnian nodded with a smile. “He must be from the Song family of Luming in Jiangnan. His accent matches, and the little he said about his family background also aligns. Though the Song family ranks lowest among the Ten Great Clans of the Spring and Autumn Period, even a dying camel is taller than a horse. Moreover, since their ancestral home lies north of the Guangling River and they pledged allegiance to the court early on, they were less entangled with other families. Today, they are among the most prestigious clans in Liyang. The Song family in the capital, who once had two scholars in one generation, could not establish themselves in Taian City without claiming distant, collateral ties to the Luming Song lineage. I’ve heard that the Luming Song family harbors much resentment toward that other Song family, the one known for burning bridges after crossing them.”
Chen Yao smiled as he stroked his beard. “If I’m not mistaken, this man must be Song Dongming, the youngest son of Song Yeping of Luming. It is said that before his birth, an auspicious white deer ran into the family estate, and Song Dongming was born shortly after—truly a child of destiny.”
Xu Fengnian hadn’t expected Song Dongming himself to come to Northern Liang. Frowning, he said, “This man is one of the candidates the court has secretly chosen to be a hidden chancellor. Though he appeared to retreat from politics after his defeat alongside Yin Maocun during the Yonghui Spring, he has actually been lying low, biding his time. The Song family has always been adept at opportunism, but sending such a key figure to Northern Liang seems an awfully risky move.”
Chen Yao shook his head, turned to face Xu Fengnian directly, and asked, “Your Highness, do you truly believe that if the Northern Yan launches a full-scale invasion from the north, Northern Liang would be more likely to lose than to win?”
Xu Fengnian did not hide his thoughts. He replied calmly, “If the Northern Yan Empress uses only half her nation’s strength, sending only the southern armies southward, I am fully confident in holding the Northern Liang border. But if the Empress herself leads the royal banners to the border, bringing all the Northern Yan chieftains and generals with her, even though Northern Liang now has two lines of defense, we still won’t be able to stop their iron cavalry. To be honest, if it weren’t for Chen Zhibao being enfeoffed as King of Xishu, I would have been able to fortify Xishu and Nanzhao as a third major defensive line under the Xu family of Northern Liang. According to my master Li Yishan’s plan, the twenty thousand border troops stationed in Northern Liang, combined with the three provinces of You, Liang, and Ling, and finally the pocket formed by Liuzhou, Xiyu, Xishu, and Nanzhao, would have been enough to contain the entire Northern Yan army. However, the imperial court’s decisions—first sending Prince Zhao Kai to Xiyu with a ceremonial vase, and then enfeoffing Chen Zhibao—disrupted all our careful preparations. If we had retained Xishu and Nanzhao as a deep buffer zone of thousands of miles, even if we lost battles at the border, we would still have the flexibility to attack or defend. Not only five years, but even ten years would not be enough for the Northern Yan to break into the Central Plains!”
Xu Fengnian rarely opened his heart to others, especially not about matters of state and military strategy. But he had always felt close to Wudang Mountain, and Chen Yao was a respected elder there—Junior to the late Master Wang Chonglou and Senior to Hong Xixiang. Xu Fengnian had no reason to be guarded. Moreover, when a man carries burdens that wine cannot wash away, he must speak them aloud sometimes. Under a sky of bright moon and sparse stars, walking slowly back along the sacred path with Chen Yao, Xu Fengnian continued, “Unfortunately, after my master’s death, I couldn’t even preserve the strategies he had laid out. At the time, after defeating Wang Xianzhi, I had two choices: one was to head straight to Xishu and kill Chen Zhibao, who had ruined Northern Liang’s grand plans—even if it meant being branded a traitor—and seize Xishu, a land naturally easy to defend and hard to attack. The other was to travel far to Longhu Mountain and kill my enemy Zhao Huangchao. Out of personal vengeance, I chose the latter. At the time, I had a premonition that killing Zhao Huangchao would be easier than killing Chen Zhibao, but in hindsight, it was purely out of selfishness. Now, whenever I think of it, I feel a pang of guilt.”
Xu Fengnian smiled, a little awkwardly, and murmured, “Of course, I don’t think about it often—only twice, actually. This is the second time.”
Chen Yao smiled knowingly. “My late master once told us, ‘Cultivating the Dao is neither easy nor hard—it is simply about being true to oneself, speaking from the heart, and acting with feeling.’ In my view, the purpose of cultivation is to attain the Dao, which is perfectly natural. Everyone in this world is cultivating in some way, making choices and sacrifices. That is why it is said, ‘Those who lose the Dao gain little support; those who attain the Dao gain much.’ Since Your Highness has been so open with me, I shall also speak my mind. If there is anything disrespectful, I trust Your Highness will not take it out on Wudang Mountain. Your actions over the years have proven your magnanimity. A house with many doors is bound to have many winds blowing through it—that is only natural. Northern Liang is just such a house. As the guardian of the northwest frontier, standing alongside General Gu Jiantang on the eastern front against the Northern Yan cavalry, whether you are called a king of foreign blood or even the ‘second emperor,’ these are the burdens a Xu family heir must bear. You must not shirk them because of a few cold words from others. Generations of Wudang have chosen to stand close to General Xu Xiao not only because he treated our Daoists kindly, but more because my brothers and I deeply respected his sense of duty. As the new head of the Xu family and the new King of Liang, Wudang is generally satisfied with Your Highness. But there is one matter I must speak of today—I cannot hold it in any longer.”
Xu Fengnian smiled. “Please speak freely. I will listen to the good, and forget the bad.”
Chen Yao looked at the young prince with a gentle expression, then said solemnly, “Your Highness, you are far too old before your time!”
Xu Fengnian had not expected such words. He was momentarily speechless, torn between laughter and tears.
The old Daoist huffed, “Your Highness is barely in your twenties, a martial arts master who has reached the pinnacle of the world. You should be at the height of your vigor and ambition. Yet you carry yourself like a weary old man, even more somber than this eighty-year-old Daoist. Hmph! When I was your age, even Master Wang was full of youthful arrogance. Back then, the Zhao brothers from Longhu Mountain, Zhao Xi Yi and Zhao Xi Tou, came to Wudang to ‘ask Dao’ and ‘challenge with swords.’ Master Wang not only beat them soundly but also, without telling our teacher, took up his sword and left the mountain alone, journeying to Longhu Mountain to return the favor. He vented his anger fully before returning, even if it meant being confined to a cave in penance afterward. Our teacher scolded him fiercely in front of us, but as soon as he locked Master Wang away, he turned to us with a wide grin, smiling for days on end. But after our teacher passed, Master Wang grew heavier in heart, only lightening again when he brought his little apprentice up the mountain.”
Xu Fengnian stood with his hands in his sleeves, silent, but a warmth stirred deep within him.
Chen Yao suddenly smiled. “I have a little knowledge of prophecy. I have two good omens to share, as thanks for Your Highness’s gift of the Huang Ting manuscript.”
Xu Fengnian half-jokingly replied, “If they are truly good news, I promise that in three years, the incense offerings at Xiaozhu Peak will rival those of the main peak. Even if the Northern Yan truly invades Northern Liang, I will ensure Xiaozhu Peak remains untouched.”
Chen Yao frowned. “Before I share the good news, Your Highness must remember one thing: the more sincere a person is, the more cautious they must be with words! Have you not heard of the saying, ‘A careless word becomes a curse’? When the ancient sages created writing, the heavens wept. There is great mystery in this. Now that the Zhao dynasty has chosen Yu language as the official tongue, it is no idle choice—it is deeply rooted in the principles of fate and cosmic balance!”
Xu Fengnian nodded without argument.
Chen Yao’s expression softened. “The first good omen is a white dragon’s aura of benevolence rising from the Nanhai toward Liang. The second is a black dragon’s aura of martial might, moving westward from the east into Northern Liang.”
Xu Fengnian pondered for a moment and said with curiosity, “The first must be a cultivator from the Nanhai Guanyin Sect. But the second?”
Chen Yao remained calm, revealing nothing.
Xu Fengnian looked incredulous, murmuring to himself, “Could it really be him?”
Chen Yao smiled. “Together with Confucian scholar Song Dongming, Northern Liang is gradually ‘gaining the Dao.’ Your Highness, do you still believe Northern Liang is doomed to lose? The fate of the world is not fixed—when one wanes, another waxes. The Liyang court first destroyed its own deer, then saw several key figures quietly leave Taian City. For the Zhao dynasty, these are not auspicious signs. But for Northern Liang and Your Highness, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—do not let it slip away!”
Yu Dilong looked at his master.
Majestic and awe-inspiring.
Behind him, a python raised its head.
Its aura pierced the stars.
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