Chapter 702: Brothers

Xu Fengnian, covered in blood from head to toe, sat cross-legged on the ground. The heavy snowfall pressed upon his battered body, melting with his blood and making him look even more wretched. He gasped for breath, each inhale feeling like it tore through his internal organs. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the broken halves of his Northern Liang saber. He tried to summon it with his qi, but as the thought surfaced, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

At that moment, a snow-white creature emerged from behind him, gliding through the air as if swimming in water. Barely three chi in length, it had a slender, snake-like body, a pair of dragon-like horns on its forehead, whiskers like those of a carp, and four tiny claws. In a flash as swift as lightning, it snatched up the broken saber and placed it beside Xu Fengnian’s legs. Then, lifting its small head, it wagged its tail proudly, as if seeking praise.

Xu Fengnian chuckled and extended his hand. The little creature suddenly turned its body and hovered motionless in the air, pretending not to notice. Xu Fengnian bent his finger and gently tapped the creature’s head. With a plop, the snake-like, dragon-like beast tumbled onto his knees. First pretending to be blind, it now feigned death.

With blood smeared across his face, Xu Fengnian laughed softly, “That pearl is already shattered. Even if you swallowed it, it would take you centuries to fully digest. It won’t benefit either of us much. But Huang Man’er needs it to strengthen his body and soul. Spit it out now. I’ll count to three.”

When Xu Fengnian reached three, the little creature lying on his knees gave a deliberate twitch, as if declaring that it had truly died a brave death.

Xu Fengnian pinched its tail with two fingers, sighing, “No wonder you’re my familiar spirit. You’re as stubborn as I was back then. Alright, alright. I promise, when we return to Liangzhou, you can feast on the ten thousand koi in the Tingchao Lake.”

The creature raised its head until it aligned with its tail, curving its body into a cute little circle, like a lively dragon Jade.

After a brief hesitation, it reluctantly opened its mouth and spat out a tiny pearl, no bigger than a grain of rice, yet radiating the brilliance of sun and moon, with fine cracks clearly visible across its surface. Once the pearl was expelled, the little creature looked listless and vanished in an instant. Xu Fengnian grasped the two halves of the saber in one hand and held the pearl between two fingers of the other, struggling to his feet. He turned and walked toward Xu Longxiang.

The boy stood motionless, the blade of the famous sword Ding Fengbo in his mouth, its surface and his outstretched arms crackling with blinding lightning.

The sheer intensity of his aura made even Xu Fengnian feel a chill of awe.

But this power was like a dynasty that seemed prosperous on the surface, yet was riddled with hidden dangers, ready to collapse at the slightest touch.

Xu Fengnian did not approach the wildly unstable Xu Longxiang. He opened his palm, letting the shattered dragon pearl spin in his hand. With a gentle push, the pearl slid forward, but quickly bounced back. If not for Xu Fengnian quickly stepping aside, it would have struck him. To any martial cultivator, this pearl was an unimaginable treasure, capable of nourishing one’s essence, energy, and spirit like nothing else. But sensing Xu Fengnian’s resistance, the pearl could only whirl around him. Despite its natural affinity, it had chosen Huang Man’er as its host far less willingly than it would have chosen Xu Fengnian.

Tan Tai Jingping glided to Xu Fengnian’s side, her expression complex. “If Heaven bestows something and you do not take it, do you not fear misfortune in return?”

Xu Fengnian replied calmly, “Huang Man’er sealed his heart to withstand the heavenly lightning, and his three souls and seven spirits are unstable. Even if he ascends to the Tianren realm in one step, he would be like Gao Shulu, who lost his mind. Tan Tai Jingping, if you help me, I won’t hold a grudge against your earlier attempt to seize both the dragon and the serpent.”

Tan Tai Jingping’s thoughts raced, neither agreeing nor refusing.

Xu Fengnian suddenly grinned, “Then I’ll just have to beg you, big guy. How about it? At worst, I’ll give back the Yuejing Tianjing mirror to you.”

Tan Tai Jingping was momentarily stunned, her expression dazed.

Deng Tai’a appeared beside them at some point, softly laughing, “At a time like this, still flirting?”

Tan Tai Jingping turned her head, gazing at the boy whose aura was rapidly depleting yet furiously absorbing the world’s fortune. Her expression grew grave.

Deng Tai’a, never one to miss an opportunity to tease, added, “Oh, our Sect Leader Tan Tai, a hundred years old at least, actually blushing like a maiden. Look at you, even your ears are red.”

Tan Tai Jingping ignored the Peach Blossom Sword God’s mockery and sighed softly, “Even if I help, it might already be too late. He has reached the Tianren realm, clinging to only one lingering thought. Unless that thought is severed, even if Deng Tai’a takes the sword and I insert the pearl, it will be meaningless. Xu Longxiang will still not return to the world of men. Moreover, whether it’s me inserting the pearl or Deng Tai’a taking the sword, the cost will be immense.”

Tan Tai Jingping raised her hand and flicked her sleeve. A breeze stirred a handful of yellow sand into the air, drifting toward the boy. The grains did not immediately turn to dust but instead flew like an arrow into water, gradually slowing. Yet during this deceleration, an eerie phenomenon occurred—a natural yet irrational erosion. It seemed natural, for desert sand to erode over time was only expected. Yet it was unreasonable, for such erosion should never occur over just a few zhang, as if years or even decades had passed in an instant. This strange phenomenon was like a toddler taking one step and becoming a youth, then a few more steps and passing through middle age and old age, until death.

Deng Tai’a marveled, “This is the Dao of Heaven.”

Tan Tai Jingping looked troubled, “The so-called Tianren realm is one of Carefree and World-Forgotten, where all are awake but I alone sleep, just as the sage Liezi rode the wind alone. The hardest part is how to awaken Xu Longxiang.”

Deng Tai’a smiled, “All these grand truths mean nothing in the end. But I do have one sword…”

As he spoke, Deng Tai’a brought his two fingers together and sliced downward.

If Xu Longxiang’s surroundings followed the rules of Heaven, forming a small world of their own, a Chaoslike primordial egg, then Deng Tai’a’s sword strike would cleave the heavens and split that egg in two.

Deng Tai’a laughed aloud, “After splitting the mountain, there’s another sword. Let’s call it paving the way!”

His finger-sword split the mountain, and the mountain tried to close.

But Deng Tai’a placed layers of sword qi between the mountains, forcibly halting the convergence of Heaven’s Dao.

Deng Tai’a rode the wind, gliding forward. Leaping over Xu Longxiang’s head, he seized the lightning-wreathed Ding Fengbo. The Peach Blossom Sword Godthen soared through the heavenly thunderstorm, his figure growing distant as he flicked the sword with his finger and laughed loudly, “Two swords for splitting mountains and paving roads, in exchange for a fine blade. No debts between us.”

Almost the moment Deng Tai’a took his first step, Tan Tai Jingping summoned the pearl from Xu Fengnian’s side and followed closely behind him. The path was as narrow as the width of a sword stroke, and Tan Tai Jingping, in her flowing white robe, moved like a restrained white crane. She followed Deng Tai’a over Xu Longxiang’s head, then flicked her wrist and pressed the pearl into the boy’s chest. When she landed in the distance, it felt as if she had just escaped the gates of hell, her soul trembling with fear. Precisely because she was the world’s foremost cultivator, someone who understood the severity of Heaven’s Dao better than anyone, she felt the deepest dread. The logic was simple—if a high-ranking official in the imperial court happened to brush past the Prime Minister Bi Yian, it would feel like walking on thin ice, unlike a commoner who didn’t recognize him.

Deng Tai’a and Tan Tai Jingping passed through the thunderstorm, one after the other, in the blink of an eye.

She turned her head, her expression one of horror.

The two mountains had merged, but standing beside Xu Longxiang was Xu Fengnian.

Tan Tai Jingping knew he had used the Yuejing Tianjing mirror to arrive and could use it to retreat, but the key was that this journey wasn’t just for sightseeing. He had come to “awaken” his younger brother Xu Longxiang. With every passing moment, Xu Fengnian might age by a decade—or even a full month. Perhaps in just half a stick of incense’s time, Tan Tai Jingping would see an old, frail man with white hair instead of the young Northern Liang King in his twenties. Tan Tai Jingping bit her lip. She could understand Xu Fengnian giving the pearl to Xu Longxiang; brotherly love was not uncommon in the world. Though rare among emperors and ministers, she wasn’t surprised that Xu Fengnian was willing to give good things to his brother. Even when he fought against the heavenly tribulation for his brother’s sake, she thought it natural—after all, back then Xu Fengnian still had the strength to fight. But now, with his internal energy completely drained, what else could he do besides die?

Tan Tai Jingping couldn’t suppress her rising anger.

She suddenly opened her mouth slightly.

Xu Fengnian seemed to say only one sentence to his younger brother before swiftly retreating to his original position, staggering out from the wobbling Yuejing Tianjing mirror, a brilliant smile on his face.

Tan Tai Jingping didn’t believe that a single sentence could awaken Xu Longxiang.

Could one sentence break through Heaven’s Dao?

But what followed forced her to believe that rules and reason simply did not apply to this pair of brothers.

The boy opened his eyes, turned, and ran toward Xu Fengnian.

He crouched down, gently lifting his exhausted older brother onto his back.

In the distance, the sound of hooves approached.

It must be the two thousand cavalry of the Longxiang Army, arriving late as expected. Even if they had arrived earlier, they would have been helpless bystanders caught in the crossfire.

Tan Tai Jingping approached the two brothers and glanced at Xu Fengnian’s hands resting on his younger brother’s neck. The palms were stripped to the bone, revealing horrifying white. She murmured, “The disciple of Wang Xianzhi, Lou Huang, has arrived.”

From the distant snowstorm, a dull man with an ancient sword named “Bodhisattva Man” at his waist approached.

The exhausted Xu Fengnian shrugged, smiling hoarsely, “Lou Huang is just here to watch. If he wants revenge, he’ll wait patiently for me to recover. If he killed a helpless enemy, he wouldn’t be Wang Xianzhi’s true disciple.”

Tan Tai Jingping sneered, “Can Lou Huang afford to wait that long?”

Xu Fengnian shot her a glare, weakly retorting, “How dare you speak to your master like that?!”

Tan Tai Jingping, as if her most sensitive nerve had been touched, flickered with a faint trace of killing intent.

Xu Fengnian tapped Huang Man’er’s shoulder with his chin, signaling him not to mind this woman.

Tan Tai Jingping’s words were a question—could Xu Fengnian ever return to his peak? And this peak wasn’t the one where he had fought Wang Xianzhi, nor the one during the “Three Invitations,” but rather before he endured the final heavenly lightning strike—when he lacked Gao Shulu’s body but had abundant vitality and spirit. Xu Fengnian didn’t want to answer directly because even he wasn’t sure. After this battle, he had completely severed ties with his past life. The downside was that he had lost his last hidden trump card. The upside, though subtle, was that the fate of Northern Liang would no longer be tied to his personal fortune. On the flip side, now that he had his familiar spirit, his life was now bound to Northern Liang’s destiny. If Northern Liang fell, he would surely die. Yet Xu Fengnian felt no anxiety over this. Saving Huang Man’er and ensuring his younger brother’s peace of mind—this was a great deal. Making a deal with Heaven and not only surviving but gaining something—itself a feat worthy of Xu Fengnian’s pride.

After the battle, Xu Fengnian felt drowsy, his eyelids drooping. But before he drifted into sleep, he still had a few words to say to his younger brother. And so, in a soft, rambling, and disjointed way, he spoke from the heart.

“Huang Man’er, I won’t say stupid things like ‘your master didn’t die for you.’ Old Tian Master did give his life for you. If you feel guilty, I feel it too…”

“Back then, when Lao Huang left Northern Liang for the Wudi City, I wanted to believe it was because he was a sword-maniac, going to the East Sea to prove the name ‘Jian Jiu Huang.’ But deep down, I knew he was going for me. Maybe he wanted to tell me that if one day you, Xu Fengnian, lost Northern Liang, there would still be a Jianghu to remember. Or maybe he thought that on our first journey together, he hadn’t shown me enough glory, and wanted to do it again in grand style. Or maybe… who knows. Either way, he left. Like Old Tian Master, everyone must die. But they died for us, far too early.”

“You thought you could kill a few more masters for me, and I understand your intentions, but you did it poorly—no, terribly. I was on my way here, fighting one person after another, and didn’t have time to punish you. I’d have beaten your behind raw if I could. I still want to, but I’m just too tired…”

“When I was little, I liked to argue with Xu Xiao even when I was in the wrong, thinking it was satisfying. I feared that our father wouldn’t scold or beat me. Later, I realized it was wrong. Huang Man’er, don’t follow your brother’s example.”

Xu Fengnian’s voice grew softer and softer.

Xu Longxiang never interrupted, carefully carrying his older brother on his back.

When he was little, he had already shown extraordinary strength, often carrying his brother up and down Qingshan Hill. Sometimes his brother would hold a kite in his hand, and the lively eldest sister would run behind them, joyfully shouting, “Fly! Fly!”

Huang Man’er whispered softly, “Brother, don’t fall asleep.”