A pair of weary Daoist master and disciple, after reaching the estuary of the Guangling River, witnessed the grand fifteenth tide and escorted the legendary Dragon Carp on its journey into the sea. As they began their return along the great river, they finally arrived at the border between Liang and You, where the majestic peaks of Wudang’s eighty-one summits came into view. At dusk, the sky was painted with resplendent hues of sunset. The young Daoist carried his exhausted young apprentice on his back, walking steadily as the little disciple, who had traversed half of Liyang’s territory with his master, slept soundly.
When they reached the foot of Wudang Mountain, the young Daoist unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure—a man in green robes with a saber at his waist, exuding an air of effortless grace. Quickening his pace, the Daoist could only nod in greeting due to the child on his back. The young man at the mountain’s base returned the gesture, and without exchanging words, they silently began their ascent together. Passing under the archway inscribed with Lü Dongbin’s own words—”Wudang Shall Rise”—the little Daoist Yu Fu, who might also be called the reincarnation of Hong Xixiang or even Lü Dongbin himself, suddenly stirred awake. Resting drowsily on his master’s back, he turned his head to gaze at the handsome young man walking beside his master. For some inexplicable reason, the child felt both an instinctive closeness and an involuntary fear toward him.
Just then, the evening drums of Wudang’s peaks resonated in unison, their solemn echoes weaving through the mountains.
Xu Fengnian, lost in thought, snapped back to reality at the sound of the drums. He turned to meet the little Daoist’s gaze. Truth be told, it was largely due to Xu Fengnian’s efforts that Li Yufu had found this child, Yu Fu, in a humble village south of the Yangtze. During his spiritual journey through the Spring and Autumn Annals to prepare for Wang Xianzhi’s impending battle in Liang, Xu Fengnian had faintly sensed the boy’s awakening potential. Li Yufu followed those subtle traces and eventually brought the child to Wudang.
Studying the boy’s youthful face, Xu Fengnian saw little resemblance beyond the clarity in his eyes—reminiscent of Wudang’s Elephant-Washing Pool—and perhaps a faint echo of the late Daoist Hong Xixiang. Overcome with emotion, Xu Fengnian reached out and pinched the boy’s sun-darkened cheek, perhaps a bit too hard. The child winced but dared not protest, only sulking silently.
Xu Fengnian feigned a fierce expression. “If you dare to fall for someone else before you grow up, I’ll beat you to death.”
The little Daoist, flustered, retorted, “A cultivator devotes himself to the Dao, not to love! What nonsense are you spouting?!”
Xu Fengnian scoffed. “Did your master teach you that, or was it that old fool Chen Yao?”
The child nearly blurted out an answer but instead tugged at his master’s robe. Li Yufu chuckled softly. “This is the Prince of Northern Liang. Even your master and Elder Chen cannot afford to offend him.”
The little Daoist straightened up immediately. “It was my own realization! Absolutely nothing to do with Elder Chen!”
Xu Fengnian and Li Yufu exchanged amused glances. Then Xu Fengnian noticed the roughly woven bamboo box on the child’s back. “What’s inside?”
After a moment’s hesitation, the boy answered honestly, “Master and I traveled thousands of miles east. Along the way, he often treated the sick. I gathered herbs from the mountains and brewed the medicines. Some patients insisted on paying, so Master accepted their silver and gave me a few coins. I saved them all and bought gifts for Elder Yu, Elder Chen, and the others on our way back.”
His small, soot-darkened face made his bright eyes shine even brighter. The thought of presenting his gifts to the elders filled Yu Fu with joy—until Xu Fengnian’s next words dashed his spirits.
“If I received such worthless trinkets, I’d toss them aside in no time.”
The boy’s face fell. He wanted to argue but found no grounds, so he stayed silent.
Xu Fengnian grinned. “How about selling the box to me? I’ll give you a few hundred taels of silver, and you can pick something valuable in Taoshu Town. Deal?”
Yu Fu didn’t refuse outright but whispered to his master, “What do Elder Yu, Elder Chen, Brother Han of Xiaozhu Peak, and Brother Qingxin like?”
Li Yufu refused to aid Xu Fengnian’s mischief. “They’ll love whatever you give them.”
The boy fretted. “But my gifts really aren’t worth much…”
Li Yufu smiled. “Things that are ‘valuable’ often hold no deeper worth. On this mountain, we cultivate the Dao. Material value means little.”
The child beamed and shot Xu Fengnian a triumphant glare.
Xu Fengnian ceased his teasing and turned serious. “Grandmaster Li, have you truly considered this? Unlike ordinary mortals, you could rectify regrets in another life. But once you take this step, there’s no turning back.”
Li Yufu countered, “Isn’t the same true for you, Prince?”
Xu Fengnian sighed. “But we’re different. You’re a transcendent of the mountain; I’m a worldly man below it. My path has been blocked by Wang Xianzhi, Xie Guanying, and Tantai Pingjing. And in the end, my motives are selfish. You, however, could ascend peacefully, secure immortality, and even receive heavenly rewards. Even if you chose to remain like Wudang’s predecessors, someday another Daoist would find you, just as you found Yu Fu, and guide you back to the mountain.”
Li Yufu, still carrying his disciple, ascended the steps slowly. “Since Patriarch Lü established our rules, Wudang has resembled Northern Liang—a stubborn, defiant force barely tolerated because it never crossed certain lines. After joining the mountain, I focused more on cultivating the mind than strength. I read the records of past grandmasters, histories, even Buddhist scriptures. Over time, I developed thoughts I perhaps shouldn’t have.”
Xu Fengnian chuckled. “Today I learned that not just you and I, but Northern Liang and Wudang share the same plight.”
Li Yufu teased, “Why not call it ‘shared purpose’ instead?”
Glancing at Yu Fu, Xu Fengnian mused, “If I’m not mistaken, after you, the next grandmaster will be Han Gui of Qing Shan Temple—the one Elder Wang Chonglou praised as ‘upright and sincere, ever advancing.’ And after him, this little one. Wang Chonglou, Hong Xixiang, you, Han Gui, Yu Fu. In just a few years, I’ve met five Wudang grandmasters.”
Li Yufu lamented, “Yet in this life, I’ll likely only meet one Prince of Northern Liang.”
At a pavilion halfway up the mountain, Xu Fengnian and Li Yufu paused to rest. Below, the lights of Taoshu Town flickered faintly in the night. Yu Fu had fallen asleep again.
Li Yufu murmured, “The fortune Cao Changqing carried for Western Chu has dispersed into Guangling. But as for his own destiny as a Confucian sage… I cannot fathom its course.”
Xu Fengnian nodded. “It split in two. One part went to Zhao Zhu, heir of Yanchi. The other was meant for Chen Zhibao, but he refused. Tantai Pingjing of the Guanyin Sect seized it instead.”
Li Yufu asked, “Logically, Cao Changqing should have favored you over Chen Zhibao.”
Xu Fengnian smiled. “Li Chun’ang lost to Wang Xianzhi, who lost to me. Cao Changqing chose Chen Zhibao. Outsiders found it baffling. The truth may remain hidden for ages.”
Li Yufu gazed into the distance. “The breadth of the martial world depends on its fortune. Huang Longshi ushered in an unprecedented era these past twenty years—masters abound. In Gao Shulu or Liu Songtao’s time, the world could barely sustain three or four Land Gods. In lean years, perhaps only one or two. Now, even the heavens couldn’t have foreseen such prosperity. With Cao Changqing’s death, either a new Land God would emerge, or more first-rank masters would rise. Instead, that Qi Practitioner ascended to divinity.”
Xu Fengnian remarked, “Men of old would be humbled by today’s achievements.”
Li Yufu said suddenly, “Prince, after that day, Wudang will rely on your care.”
Xu Fengnian groaned. “Another burden on my shoulders?”
Li Yufu laughed. “I once heard a saying: ‘A rich man’s fleas have double eyelids.’ The more I think on it, the truer it seems. With your vast responsibilities, don’t shirk this one.”
Xu Fengnian smiled, though sorrow flickered in his heart as he regarded the young Daoist, whose past and future would one day vanish like smoke.
Both men knew the truth: Heaven was impartial. The notion that good begets good and evil begets evil was but mortal wishful thinking. So long as gods and immortals loomed above, humanity remained shackled to fate.
Xu Fengnian sought to sever his own karmic ties.
Li Yufu sought to sever the ties Heaven imposed on mankind.
Their silent battle against celestial will would shape the world for millennia to come.
Xu Fengnian still did not fully grasp Li Yufu’s true aspirations.
Yet, as he looked upon the young Daoist in his pristine robes, he felt nothing but reverence.
Li Yufu carried his disciple, who in turn carried his bamboo box.
The young grandmaster of Wudang exhaled softly. “This humble Daoist wishes to speak for the mortal world.”
Xu Fengnian frowned in confusion.
Gazing at the tranquil night, Li Yufu smiled. “May the world after my death be one where noble men strive ceaselessly and bear all with virtue. May centuries hence, whether the martial world endures or not, heroes still rise to champion righteousness.”
Xu Fengnian couldn’t resist interjecting, “That’s two statements, isn’t it?”
Li Yufu grinned. “Then let this humble Daoist speak one extra line?”
After a pause, Xu Fengnian nodded. “That… can be allowed.”
Side by side on Wudang’s slopes, they stood as if a single glance spanned a thousand years.
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