The two riders slowed their steeds as they entered the alley.
The city’s lanterns dimmed, making the moonlight appear even more radiant.
Li Mibi chuckled softly, “That Xu fellow was slow to realize, but he finally understood that it was the woman’s overwhelming sword aura that betrayed their tracks, prompting him to send her away from Snow Lotus City first. Within a hundred miles, even if that Great Liang Dragon Sparrow is sheathed, to my eyes, it still flickers like a firefly in the distance—barely visible. Yet this also reveals that Jiang Ni of Western Chu, though a once-in-a-century sword prodigy, still falls short of the legendary realm where one could dominate the world. Without Jiang Ni by his side to anchor his momentum, that young man stands no chance. It all depends on whether the heavens grant him the fortune to escape death once more.”
Throughout this cat-and-mouse chase, their side held absolute control. Now, with a life-and-death battle imminent, Xu Fengnian had abruptly made a blunder, weakening himself. Yet Tuoba Pusa’s expression remained grave. “It can’t be this simple. Over the years, in every desperate fight—against the Fifth Kui, Yang Taisui, Han Shengxuan, Wang Xianzhi, Huang Qing, and even the Bronze Ancestor—he was always at a disadvantage. Yet in the end, it was always Xu Fengnian who survived. This can’t be explained by mere luck.”
At this, Tuoba Pusa laughed freely. “If not for your timely arrival, I too would have become another stepping stone for Xu Fengnian. Tonight, Master, you should remain hidden. I’ve recovered most of my strength and am ready to face Xu Fengnian head-on. Whether he and Jiang Ni have some hidden trick, or if he’s truly cornered and seeks mutual destruction, you’ll be able to handle it with ease.”
Li Mibi pondered briefly before nodding decisively. His figure vanished from the saddle in an instant. To this spymaster who had long spun his web at the heart of the Northern Desert, the duel between Xu Fengnian and Tuoba Pusa was clear: in terms of life and death, Xu Fengnian would win, but in terms of victory, Tuoba Pusa always held a slight edge. Thus, Tuoba Pusa bore no resentment toward his intervention, his flawless mental state remaining unshaken. Li Mibi, now the foremost master of the Zhixuan realm after Han Shengxuan’s death, understood better than anyone that a shattered mirror could never be whole again. Not everyone could recover their peak state like Li Chun’gang once did.
*”Vital energy can be restored in days, but a damaged mind may never heal, even in a hundred years.”*
Moreover, Xu Fengnian’s injuries were far worse than Tuoba Pusa’s, meaning his recovery—both in energy and physique—would be slower. In the battle at Snow Lotus City, Li Mibi saw no way Xu Fengnian could emerge victorious by luck. Yet if Xu Fengnian chose to flee, Li Mibi wasn’t arrogant enough to believe he could ensure the young man’s death.
Those below the first-rank martial realm, even those at the Vajra level, were like frogs at the bottom of a well, blind to the vast skies beyond. Only by ascending to the Zhixuan realm could one perceive the threads of heaven and earth, moving with the currents like a fish slipping through the grand net of fate. As for the Heavenly Phenom realm and the even freer Land Deity realm, those masters could truly bargain with the heavens themselves.
Li Mibi sighed regretfully. As the shadow chancellor of the Northern Desert, he had committed too many acts that, while aligned with his ambitions, defied the natural order. He dared not step into the Heavenly Phenom realm, fearing he might trap himself in his own web. He suspected Han Shengxuan had harbored the same hesitation, never truly crossing that threshold. Li Mibi believed in the inscrutable will of heaven—those steeped in darkness would inevitably face divine retribution.
Appearing atop the upturned eaves of a tall building, Li Mibi stood where the ridge was adorned not with the usual auspicious beasts like qilins, but with a lively carp, embodying the aquatic elegance of Central Plains architecture. A wind chime hung below, its gentle tinkling carried by the breeze. From this vantage point, five hundred paces from the alley, he could oversee the impending clash between the two grandmasters while keeping an eye on Jiang Ni’s distant sword flight.
Li Mibi suddenly laughed, overwhelmed by the grandeur of the current martial world. This was an unprecedented golden age, teeming with masters. Though many elders had fallen, the younger generation rose even faster, creating a spectacle unmatched in millennia! The fourteen names on the Martial Rankings—four grandmasters and ten top experts—were all, without exception, at the Great Heavenly Phenom or Land Deity level. Even Jiang Ni, who could ride her sword a thousand miles, or Xuan Yuan Qingfeng, a genuine Heavenly Phenom, would have ranked among the top ten in past eras. But in this age, they might not even crack the top twenty, overshadowed by hidden dragons like the White-Clad Monk Qi Dangxin.
Beyond these renowned masters, there were others: the “World’s Most Beautiful,” who roamed the Northern Desert like Luo Yang once did; the enigmatic young Wudang leader Li Yufu; Jiang Fuding, who trained against the tides atop Eastern Wu’s Martial Emperor City; Zhao Ningshen, the inheritor of Dragon-Tiger Mountain’s legacy; the wandering swordsman Qi Xianxia; the Sword Crown Wu Liuding and his sword-bearing maiden; even Xu Fengnian’s three disciples were making names for themselves.
If any two experts in the world were to duel, the clash between the Northern Desert’s God of War and the Northern Liang King would rank second only to the legendary showdown between Confucian Sage Cao Changqing and Sword Immortal Deng Tai’a.
For some reason, Li Mibi sat cross-legged on the eaves, ignoring the alley below. Closing his eyes, he let the breeze caress his aged face as he chewed on a dry biscuit, swaying to the chime’s melody as if savoring the moment. Finishing his snack, he wiped his mouth and rose, gazing at the starry sky. With a hearty laugh, he exclaimed,
*”Ah! Such a world, such a sight—how perilous, how sublime!”*
Far in the alley, a single, decisive slash greeted Tuoba Pusa.
Thunder roared in silence; moonlight rose from the earth.
Tuoba Pusa leaped high from his horse just as Xu Fengnian’s blade split the steed in two. Darting through the carcass, Xu Fengnian kicked off the wall and launched another slash toward Tuoba Pusa, now suspended mid-air. The alley flashed white—was it blade radiance or moonlight? Tuoba Pusa clenched his fists and hammered downward, meeting the gleaming edge. Xu Fengnian twisted mid-air, avoiding the blow, and spun behind Tuoba Pusa, slashing downward.
Tuoba Pusa dropped like a stone, landing crouched. With a double-fisted slam into the ground, he pivoted and lashed out with a whip-like kick at Xu Fengnian, who blocked with his blade. The impact rang like a colossal bell, sending both hurtling to opposite ends of the alley.
They charged again.
Xu Fengnian, far from exhausted, moved with dazzling vigor—no trace of the faltering man who had leaned on walls earlier. At ten paces, he twisted, his blade gathering momentum for a diagonal slash. Tuoba Pusa sidestepped, pressing against the wall, then lunged with a palm strike at Xu Fengnian’s temple. Ducking, Xu Fengnian spun and slashed horizontally. Tuoba Pusa evaded again, and the two wove through the alley, one high, one low, their duel eerily silent.
Not a scratch marred the walls or ground. Their strikes were precise, restrained—like scholars debating, not warriors brawling. Yet beneath this civility lay lethal intent: a single needle-prick to shatter the other’s mental mirror.
Of the four grandmasters, Cao Changqing had already stepped away from his throne, leaving only Deng Tai’a. Tonight’s victor wouldn’t just settle their feud—they’d seize the other’s realm, gaining an edge in the inevitable clash with Deng Tai’a. This battle would decide the world’s undisputed number one.
Now, blade and fist hovered—Xu Fengnian’s edge near Tuoba Pusa’s shoulder, neither piercing the wall. Then, in a flash, a knee drove into Xu Fengnian’s gut as his fist struck Tuoba Pusa’s chest. Both skidded back, halting just before the walls.
A slap. A blade’s flat against a cheek.
They staggered apart. Xu Fengnian smirked; Tuoba Pusa’s face bore the blade’s mark.
Li Mibi wanted him dead.
Tuoba Pusa wanted him broken first.
Just as the girl had sensed, Xu Fengnian had been lying. The message from Six-Year Phoenix wasn’t about Xu Yanbing’s imminent aid—it confirmed that Chen Zhibao and Xie Guanying had secretly joined the Qingzhou navy, poised to sway the Guangli River war before their official arrival. With or without Jiang Ni’s luck, the Western Chu’s fate hung in the balance.
Xu Fengnian had feigned weakness, letting her believe he needed her. And the ever-gullible Jiang Ni never questioned their narrow escapes or his uncanny foresight against Li Mibi’s traps—nor how his post-battle critiques always sharpened her swordsmanship.
The fool never suspected a thing.
He had originally intended to fight Tuoba Pusa openly and honorably in Snow Lotus City—not just to let her observe and gain insights, but more so to fulfill a youthful vow, to prove something to her.
What? You say I only know how to bully you? How absurd! If I truly set my mind to martial arts, forget about the so-called Top Ten Masters—even the title of “Number One Under Heaven,” which even Wang Xianzhi wouldn’t dare claim, would be as easy as plucking something from a bag.
When the time came to part ways outside the city, he could casually hand her that Snow Lotus and boast, “This is a gift from the greatest master in the world.”
From the distant high tower, Li Mibi’s mood shifted from leisurely to increasingly grave.
He glanced at the sky—dawn was approaching.
A full three hours had passed, yet the two in the alley still hadn’t determined a victor!
It wasn’t that Li Mibi didn’t want to interfere, didn’t want to take advantage of the situation—even if it meant angering the Northern Court’s Great King, he wouldn’t care as long as he could kill Xu Fengnian. Tuoba Pusa’s opinion meant nothing to him. But despite leaving the tower several times to approach the alley, he found no opening. After repeated failed attempts, Li Mibi had no choice but to wait patiently atop the tower, occasionally gazing tens of miles beyond the city, growing more and more uneasy.
That sword aura—he could initially detect it from three hundred miles away. Half a month later, it shrank to two hundred miles. By the time they reached Snow Lotus City, it was only a hundred miles. Now, even within fifty miles, it had become faint and indistinct.
It seemed that before long, the world would truly witness the rise of a female Sword Immortal.
Li Mibi continued to wait.
Until the sky lightened, the world gradually turning pale blue.
With a sigh of regret, Li Mibi leaped down from the tower, landing at the alley’s end.
Xu Fengnian and Tuoba Pusa had just separated again—Xu Fengnian knelt on one knee, his Liang Blade carving a deep groove into the ground before him. Tuoba Pusa wasn’t faring much better, sitting on the ground, breathing heavily for the first time.
Li Mibi stood not far from Tuoba Pusa, silent.
Tuoba Pusa exhaled softly, stood up, and said calmly, “This is pointless. Let’s go.”
Li Mibi nodded. If they lingered any longer, waiting for Xu Yanbing to arrive, they’d be trapped like turtles in a jar.
Before turning away, Tuoba Pusa looked at the young man who had also risen to his feet and smiled. “Even if the Northern Liang Iron Cavalry is wiped out, even if you’re cornered and desperate—as long as you, Xu Fengnian, ask, I will fight you one-on-one!”
Xu Fengnian stood with his blade, silent.
As Tuoba Pusa and Li Mibi left the city northward, a streak of violet light soon vanished eastward beyond the walls.
After the battle, the Liang Blade in Xu Fengnian’s hand could no longer endure the strain, snapping in two. He bent down, picked up the broken half, and placed it into the scabbard first.
Thirty miles north of Snow Lotus City, the two turned westward. Finally, Li Mibi spoke, shaking his head with a wry smile. “This Northern Liang King is young, but his schemes run deep.”
Tuoba Pusa suddenly asked, “Do you know why I didn’t fight him to the death last night, but instead engaged in a battle of wills?”
Li Mibi pondered but couldn’t grasp the answer—or perhaps, he didn’t want to believe the truth.
Tuoba Pusa chuckled. “Xu Fengnian can freely convert his destiny into martial prowess unrelated to his realm. Sitting atop a treasure trove, he could squander it recklessly—yet he remains restrained, only ensuring he doesn’t die. That first strike in the alley was his way of telling me this fact, warning us not to push him too far. If it had been a battle of pure attrition, he wouldn’t have lost. In fact, one of us might have been left behind. But he likely wants to preserve as much of his fortune as possible for his crumbling Northern Liang.”
Li Mibi sighed. “Destiny… the destiny of Northern Liang.”
Tuoba Pusa said gravely, “I won’t head to Liu Province yet. I’ll return to the Southern Court with you first—to remind His Majesty and Taiping Ling.”
Li Mibi suddenly sneered in frustration. “They always say our Northern Mang martial world isn’t a true martial world. But Xu Fengnian, one of the top grandmasters of Liyang, can’t even fight straightforwardly! Where’s the gallantry? Cao Changqing, Gu Jiantang—they’re all the same. Only Deng Tai’a lives up to his reputation.”
Tuoba Pusa remained expressionless, wiping the blood from his nose. “The pitiable have their detestable sides; the laughable have their admirable sides. That’s why I want Xu Fengnian to die by my hand—not trampled under hooves like the Western Shu Sword Emperor.”
※※※
In Snow Lotus City, a young man with a sword stood before a stall selling meat-stuffed flatbread, looking troubled.
The shopkeeper waited for ages, but the guy never pulled out a coin pouch. Rolling his eyes, the man eventually ignored this penniless fool. What, did he think looking handsome meant he could eat for free? Just because he carried a blade, he thought he was some grandmaster? Who did he think he was fooling?
But before long, the shopkeeper’s wife and daughter arrived to help—and they couldn’t stop stealing shy glances at the young man. The meat-flatbread seller groaned inwardly, tempted to toss the smallest bread at him just to shoo him away. But his shameless wife had already nudged their daughter forward with two generously stuffed lamb flatbreads. The girl swayed her hips, standing before the young scoundrel, offering the bread with a timid smile—free of charge.
The man turned away, refusing to watch. Damn it, back in my day, I was way more handsome than this punk!
Just as the young man reached for the bread with a bright smile, an indignant voice snapped beside him, “Have you no shame?!”
Then she glared at the shop girl. “How much?”
The girl blinked. “Six coppers for one, five for two.”
She turned her back to the young man, carefully pulling out a handful of Xiangfu-era coins from an embroidered purse—mostly single-copper pieces, a couple of double-coppers, and a few larger ones. These were all newly minted coins, nothing like the rare antiques collectors prized. Muttering to herself, she agonized over parting with even five coppers. She couldn’t bear to break up her only two ten-copper coins—they were a pair, after all.
Finally, with a pained expression, she handed the girl one single-copper and two double-coppers—exactly five coppers for two flatbreads. Her face looked as if she were watching her own daughter get married. The shop girl and her mother nearly laughed—it was just five coppers!
The young man stopped her gently. “It’s fine, keep your money.”
He turned and waved into the distance. Soon, a burly man rushed over, bowing nervously. The young man asked, “Got any silver?”
The man—a top-tier expert in Snow Lotus City—nodded frantically, emptying his pockets as if ready to offer his life.
The young man took just a small piece of silver, handed it to the girl, and took the flatbreads with a smile. “Keep the change.”
The girl blushed. “Thank you, Young Master.”
Beside him, she turned away, tucking her coins back with a scoff, lips silently mocking, “Thank you, Young Master.”
He handed her one of the steaming flatbreads. “I won’t see you off. Just don’t leave the city by sword—it’d scare people in broad daylight.”
The young woman with the purple case took the bread and walked straight toward the city gates.
He watched until she vanished from sight before turning the opposite way.
The burly man—a hidden agent of the Dripping Water Division, serving as Madam Song’s bodyguard—kept his head bowed, not daring to glance at them.
The young man bit into the flatbread.
It was stained with crimson blood.
※※※
Far above, atop the clouds where sunlight painted the sky, a woman in flowing robes stood upon the Great Liang Sparrow, riding the wind.
Bathed in golden light, she held a single copper coin between her fingers, raising it high as she gazed at it longingly.
He had lied to her. She knew.
Suddenly annoyed, she shot upward thousands of feet on her sword, grumbling, “I should’ve asked for some change back!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage