If earlier the young eunuch had viewed Xu Fengnian as a flood dragon entering the sea, looking down upon a massive serpent coiled in the depths of a mountain lake, then now, facing the iron cavalry behind the young prince, this peculiar eunuch who had lived as long as the nation itself revealed, for the first time, the expression of one facing a formidable enemy.
Great masters of the martial world contend with pride, while emperors of the mortal realm contend with destiny.
By sheer coincidence, though neither of the opposing sides unexpectedly meeting on this small street were rulers of a nation, the young eunuch had nurtured his celestial realm by absorbing the fortune of the Liyang Zhao dynasty, and Xu Fengnian, as the eldest son of the Xu family of Beiliang, was deeply entwined with the rise and fall of the Liyang dynasty. Thus, both sides embodied both aspects.
The street leading to the Ruyi Inn ran north-south. At this moment, Mi Fengjie and Fan Xiaochai, two top spies of the Fushui Bureau, and the elderly eunuch Zhao Siku stood at the eastern and western ends of the intersecting street. The young eunuch stood by the well at the crossroads, while Chen Wang and Xu Beizhi sat and stood at the inn’s entrance, barely able to make out the eunuch’s faint silhouette through the gloomy rain. They could not yet spot Xu Fengnian, but they saw a water dragon as thick as a giant tree trunk surge from the well beside the young eunuch, leaping high before plunging down with ferocity. The dragon’s body seemed endless, continuously gushing from the well.
Xu Beizhi chuckled and asked, “A dragon emerging from water? What’s the connection between this eunuch and Han Shengxuan, the ‘Human Cat’?”
Chen Wang frowned in deep thought but remained silent.
Xu Beizhi slowly rose to his feet, closing and opening his eyes repeatedly, murmuring, “This space… feels strange.”
Chen Wang said softly, “Since ancient times, both Daoism and Buddhism have referred to a ‘square zhang’ of land, where the Three Pure Ones and the Western Paradise are said to manifest. Within such spaces, they possess supreme powers, akin to a general commanding a battlefield, foreseeing the enemy’s moves and seizing the advantage of time and terrain.”
Xu Beizhi said worriedly, “If what you say is true, then that Xu fellow is actually at a disadvantage on his own turf, overtaken by the eunuch?”
Chen Wang answered obliquely, “This small street isn’t suited for large cavalry charges. Why, then, is there such a dense and heavy sound of hoofbeats?”
Xu Beizhi stood and looked into the distance. “Don’t misunderstand—that Xu fellow wouldn’t go so far as to scheme against you, nor would he mobilize the Youzhou cavalry. Besides, martial artists of their profound level hardly need worldly cavalry support. It’s meaningless.”
Chen Wang nodded.
On the small street, just as Xu Fengnian was about to collide with the water dragon, the young eunuch, his face dark, sighed and reached out, inexplicably pressing his palm back onto the well’s pulley.
In an instant, the rain vanished from the world, and the dim sky seemed to brighten slightly, as if time had reversed.
Xu Beizhi found himself still sitting on the threshold. Chen Wang shook his wine flask—though it had been emptied earlier, it now held a small amount of the green-ant wine again.
Mi Fengjie looked utterly bewildered, while Fan Xiaochai glanced down to find her clothes intact, undamaged.
The elderly eunuch Zhao Siku stood at the dry end of the street, utterly confused.
And Xu Fengnian, as if he had never risen, was once again seated on the well’s edge, as though the fierce battle in the rain had never happened.
As the saying goes, much thunder but little rain. This time, it was much thunder and no rain at all.
Yet in truth, it was far from that.
For instance, the Liang blade at Xu Fengnian’s waist was indeed shattered beyond repair.
The young eunuch’s expression was complex as he snorted coldly.
Xu Fengnian smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t dare fight to the death.”
The young eunuch asked, puzzled, “When did you realize all of this was within my consciousness?”
Xu Fengnian looked up at the sky and sighed. “I sensed something amiss when the rain began. But I truly understood only when I scooped up a handful of rainwater from the street.”
The young eunuch said sternly, “You were gravely wounded by Tuoba Pusa. In fairness, I wouldn’t take advantage of that. In this rain, no matter how fierce the battle, you would only expend your spirit, not truly harm your body.”
Xu Fengnian said nothing, turning to gaze at the Liyang eunuch as he slowly withdrew his hand from the pulley, his smile enigmatic.
The young eunuch sneered. “The young emperor never ordered me to fight you to the death. Though he is the ruler of a nation, he lacks the authority, and I have no such idle intentions.”
Xu Fengnian stood and nodded. “At this moment, even if I stretched my neck out in Taian City for Zhao Zhuan to chop at will, he wouldn’t dare kill me.”
The young eunuch’s anger flickered faintly. “If so, why did you still summon the lingering souls of Beiliang’s fallen heroes? To flaunt your power before me?”
Xu Fengnian said calmly, “If not for this, ask yourself—how would things unfold? If Beiliang loses, it’s all over. The Xu family’s influence on the Zhao dynasty’s fortune would vanish. Whether I die on the Liang-Mang battlefield or not, you’d likely leave Taian City again to root me out. If by chance we win, regardless of who sits on Liyang’s throne, you’d lose sleep. ‘How can one tolerate others snoring beside their bed?’ You’d surely eliminate me without delay.”
The young eunuch said, surprised, “If so, shouldn’t you have kept your trump cards hidden? Both of us know that in Taian City, you can’t defeat me, so you can’t kill the Zhao emperor. In Beiliang, I can’t defeat you. If I leave the city, your odds improve. Why alert me to your intentions? If I die, no one in this world could oppose you. Wouldn’t that let you act as you please, truly unfettered?”
Xu Fengnian grinned brightly and gave a baffling answer: “Having seen the noble man.”
The young eunuch laughed dryly. “I regarded you, Xu Fengnian, alongside Zhang Julu and Cao Changqing, as noble men. Do you truly reciprocate with such sincerity?”
Xu Fengnian shook his head and repeated, “Having seen the noble man.”
The young eunuch was puzzled at first, then understood.
I see you, Xu Fengnian, as a noble man.
You see me as a noble man.
The bond and contention between noble men do not change based on friendship or enmity.
This is both the original intent and the foundation upon which some people stand.
Beiliang guards the northwest border, not for the Liyang court nor the Central Plains’ people. So no matter how the Liyang court, which has truly benefited from Beiliang’s efforts, obstructs them, or how the Central Plains turns a blind eye, why should Beiliang change its original intent?
The young eunuch mocked himself. “A eunuch like me, your natural enemy, can still be a noble man in your eyes?”
Xu Fengnian habitually tucked his hands into his sleeves and said softly, “Those who recognize what I recognize are comrades. To me, though people’s perceptions differ due to background, knowledge, and allegiance, some universal boundaries exist—knowing right from wrong. Even if you commit evil, you should know your actions aren’t blameless. Or if someone suffers hardship and feels the world is unjust, they shouldn’t vent their rage on everyone. Grass grows toward the sun by nature’s law, but humans must follow human rules. Confucianism’s emphasis on propriety is both a constraint and a shortcut.”
The young eunuch nodded. “Ultimately, it’s about reason. Confucian sages said, ‘Follow your heart’s desires without overstepping bounds.’ Isn’t that true freedom? I once read Lü Dongbin’s essays on unifying the Three Teachings, as well as the works of Confucian sages and the tenets of Buddhism and Daoism. The roots of the Three Teachings converge.”
The young eunuch suddenly laughed heartily. “Of all things, I never expected to discuss such abstract principles with you, an enemy prince.”
Xu Fengnian joined in the laughter. “If Beiliang miraculously defeats the Northern Mang, you and I may meet again.”
The young eunuch sighed. “Let’s hope it’s only to determine victory, not life and death.”
Xu Fengnian mused, “I truly envy those who can both reason and follow their hearts.”
The young eunuch smiled. “Do such people exist?”
Xu Fengnian nodded. “Yes. Beiliang’s Liu Jinu. Jizhou’s Wei Jingtang.”
Unfortunately, both are dead.
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