As Xu Fengnian left the Ninety-Nine Pavilion, the sky was painted with fiery clouds, stretching across the horizon like layers of magnificent Shu brocade set ablaze.
A splendid moment, a beautiful scene—
Renowned generals and fair ladies,
Ambitious heroes and valiant warriors,
Noble lords and meritorious officials.
All gone with the wind.
The carriage belonged to the proprietress, and Xu Yanbing, having abandoned his horse, once again took up the reins as the coachman. Inside the carriage, apart from Xu Fengnian, there was also a graceful woman with a veiled hat obscuring her face. Initially, Xu Fengnian had no intention of taking on this troublesome responsibility, but Aunt Hong’s words convinced him in an instant.
*”There are always women in this world who wish to live for themselves, but they often find it difficult. I wouldn’t beg other men, but with you, Fengnian, I don’t stand on ceremony. Take her to Northern Liang. After that, wherever she wants to go, you need not concern yourself.”*
The journey was silent. Chen Yu remained lost in thought, while Xu Fengnian busied himself regulating the qi within his body—a task more arduous than the Liyang Ministry of Works’ efforts to control the floods of the Guangling River.
Upon returning to the Xiamawei Posthouse, Xu Fengnian arranged for her to stay in a secluded courtyard, neither too close nor too far from his own. As they parted, Chen Yu’s limpid eyes lingered on him before he turned away.
Xu Fengnian smirked mischievously. *”Isn’t that King Zhao Wu of Liao supposed to marry you as his consort? I have a grudge with him. If he’s unhappy, I’m happy.”*
She blinked. *”Are you planning to cuckold him?”*
Xu Fengnian feigned seriousness. *”Only if you can defeat me in a fight.”*
Chen Yu’s lips curled slightly. *”What a shame.”*
Xu Fengnian nodded shamelessly. *”Indeed, indeed. It’s a shame my martial prowess is just decent enough that ordinary folk can’t get close.”*
Chen Yu pretended anger, raising a clenched fist.
Xu Fengnian seemed to recall some painful memories from his past wanderings. *”Heroine, spare my face—I still need it to earn a living!”*
Chen Yu snorted lightly, turning away with a graceful spin. *”Before, you lacked the guts. Now, you don’t even have the heart. Seems all that talk about ‘skill breeding courage’ is just nonsense.”*
After Chen Yu had gone, Xu Yanbing teased, *”You could resist taking a bite? Did that old training in the Wudang Mountain’s Great Yellow Court leave you with lingering issues?”*
Xu Fengnian scoffed. *”Impossible! You don’t know about my time in Youzhou’s Rouge County—”*
Xu Yanbing nodded knowingly. *”Ah, yes—‘leaning against the wall to walk out.’ That brat Yu Dilong already spilled the beans. By now, Chu Lu Shan, Yuan Zuozong, Yan Wenluan, and probably even Bai Yu and Song Dongming—pretty much everyone—must’ve heard.”*
Xu Fengnian finally understood why Yan Wenluan, Chen Yunchui, and the others had given him those odd looks when passing through Xiaguang City in Youzhou.
Gritting his teeth, Xu Fengnian muttered, *”Yu Dilong, you traitorous little brat, just you wait!”*
Xu Yanbing mused aloud, *”Honest advice is hard to swallow.”*
Xu Fengnian sighed helplessly. *”Uncle Xu, that’s just unfair. Taking advantage of my waning cultivation—where’s your grandmaster dignity?”*
Xu Yanbing patted Xu Fengnian’s shoulder solemnly.
Just as Xu Fengnian thought the most obscure martial saint of the Liyang Dynasty was about to share heartfelt words, Xu Yanbing said gravely, *”Your Highness, as long as *you* have grandmaster dignity, that’s enough. By the way, could you please send away those madwomen outside the posthouse? I just want to buy a jug of Green Ant Wine in peace.”*
Xu Fengnian replied firmly, *”That, I truly cannot do!”*
Xu Yanbing laughed heartily and strode off.
Xu Fengnian mulled it over, then leaped onto the courtyard roof, lying back to admire the dazzling sunset. Jia Jiajia and Xu Ying sat on either side of him, stretching their arms across him to play an endless game of finger-guessing.
Just as Xu Fengnian was about to steal a moment’s rest, he noticed the Xiamawei postmaster standing nervously at the courtyard gate, peeking inside with a small cloth bundle in his hands.
Xu Fengnian approached with a smile. *”What’s the matter?”*
The postmaster looked as if mourning his own parents, wailing pitifully, *”Your Highness, I just realized the posthouse has no Green Ant Wine, so I thought to buy a few jars from the taverns. But before I could even step inside, I was ambushed by a swarm of women—daughters of marquises, nieces of ministers, relatives of generals—I couldn’t possibly refuse them! They shoved all sorts of personal items into my hands—stacks of letters, fans, combs, hairpins, embroidered balls, jade pendants, sachets, even their first-ever rouge boxes, forbidden books they’d read, golden-threaded daggers, and locks of their own hair! There was even a noble lady who tried to make me deliver a guqin to you! I barely escaped with my life…”*
Xu Fengnian sighed and took the heavy bundle—which turned out to be an ornate shawl—from the postmaster’s hands.
As Xu Fengnian turned away, the postmaster added timidly, *”Your Highness, in the chaos, I might’ve also accepted a few bundles wrapped in pomegranate skirts or silk robes… Inside, there might’ve been… embroidered shoes… and undergarments…”*
Before the Northern Liang King could react, the postmaster bolted, disregarding all decorum.
Xu Fengnian instinctively glanced back—Jia Jiajia, the “Hehe Girl,” was on the roof, giggling incessantly.
Keeping a straight face, Xu Fengnian tossed the “bundle of deep affection” onto the ground by the gate, clapped his hands (now fragrant with lingering scents), and walked into the courtyard.
*”Hopefully, Xiamawei won’t be foolish enough to destroy everything. Some of those love letters might make for amusing reading,”* he mused.
The next moment, Jia Jiajia hopped down and stood near the bundle, lifting a foot as if to stomp on it.
Xu Fengnian turned his head away, refusing to look.
By the time he reclined on the rattan chair, he noticed Jia Jiajia and Xu Ying squatting by the gate, rummaging through the bundle like treasure hunters—scattering its contents everywhere.
And for some reason, Chen Yu had also appeared at the gate, fanning the flames, offering commentary, and even giving lessons…
Xu Fengnian grimaced and shut his eyes.
Yet the corners of his lips curled into a warm smile.
At dinner, Xu Yanbing sipped the Green Ant Wine the postmaster had painstakingly procured, barely suppressing his laughter and resisting the urge to add insult to injury.
Because aside from Chen Yu’s relatively dignified adornments, Jia Jiajia and Xu Ying had hairpins sticking out of their heads like porcupines, their faces slathered in makeup—outshining even the sunset’s fiery hues.
Chen Yu shot a coquettish yet challenging glance at the twitching young king.
Xu Fengnian nodded and lied through his teeth: *”Beautiful!”*
After enduring the meal, the courtyard settled into tranquil serenity under the night sky.
Chen Yu lounged on the rattan chair, while Xu Fengnian and Xu Yanbing sat on small stools at the top of the steps, each holding a jug of wine.
Xu Ying twirled gracefully, and Jia Jiajia spun around her in circles.
Xu Yanbing murmured wistfully, *”If only the people of Northern Liang could one day live as carefree as the citizens of Tai’an City.”*
Xu Fengnian took a sip of the wine—nowhere near as potent as Northern Liang’s signature brew. *”It won’t be easy. But since we won this year, there’s at least hope.”*
Rarely one for heartfelt speeches, Xu Yanbing gulped down a mouthful. *”I’ve always been a brute obsessed with martial ascension. Even when I served the Great General as a retainer for my sect’s sake, I never cared for nation or world. I figured if I ever got bored, I’d just break through the Heavenly Gate and ascend—or die at someone’s hands, wherever. Even if no one buried this old hide, so what? But once, while strolling behind Qingliang Mountain, I saw those short stone tablets—names still few—and it struck me: maybe I should leave my name here too. I’m no scholar, but I know history books, official or otherwise, never spare a word for common folk. To leave a name behind is harder than a martial artist becoming a grandmaster. But Northern Liang is different. We have three hundred thousand stone tablets. We have the *Record of Heroes*…”*
He exhaled heavily. *”Northern Liang is different.”*
Xu Fengnian, having unknowingly finished his wine, set the jug on his knee and tucked his hands into his sleeves. *”Uncle Xu, no matter how heroic, death can’t compare to living well.”*
Xu Yanbing grinned. *”Everyone dies. Of course, no one *wants* to die. But like I said—Northern Liang’s different. Nothing like this Tai’an City!”*
Xu Fengnian fell silent.
Xu Yanbing turned. *”What, you think those hundred thousand border soldiers died for *you*, Xu Fengnian?”*
He spat. *”Don’t flatter yourself! Just because a hundred women outside Xiamawei are swooning over you doesn’t mean Northern Liang’s three hundred thousand cavalry adore you too. Those boys can run bare-chested for miles in the dead of winter!”*
Xu Fengnian chuckled wryly.
Chen Yu stifled a laugh, though a trace of melancholy flickered in her eyes.
*This must be how Northern Liang men talk.*
Like Northern Liang sabers—not heavy, yet sharp enough to sever the heads of three hundred thousand Northern Mang troops.
Like Northern Liang cavalry—few in number, yet capable of building history’s greatest corpse mounds in Hulu Pass.
Xu Yanbing took another swig. *”In all of Liyang, only Northern Liang has no choice but to fight to the death! As long as you don’t let their deaths be in vain, as long as you never retreat alone like a coward—then you’ve done right by those three hundred thousand riders!”*
Xu Fengnian smiled. *”Uncle Xu, that’s a bit harsh. At the very least, my fight with Tuoba Pusa was earth-shaking, heaven-weeping stuff. If not for that bastard’s reinforcements, his head would’ve rolled before Yang Yuanzan’s.”*
Jia Jiajia, still spinning with Xu Ying, snorted.
Xu Fengnian quickly added, *”Next time, I’ll call you to finish the job.”*
Xu Yanbing shook his empty jug, then tossed it over the wall. Standing slowly, he said, *”Xu Yanbing has a request.”*
Xu Fengnian nodded. *”Name it.”*
Xu Yanbing spoke calmly. *”Don’t be the Northern Liang King just because you’re Xu Xiao’s son. Don’t stand beyond the pass just because you’re the Northern Liang King.”*
With that, he strode down the steps.
At the gate, Xu Fengnian lightly tossed him another jug. Xu Yanbing caught it without looking.
Xu Fengnian grinned. *”Deal! But you owe me a jug, alright?”*
Xu Yanbing laughed. *”Consider it owed!”*
Long after Xu Yanbing left, Xu Fengnian propped his chin on his hand, watching the two girls whirl around the courtyard.
Chen Yu broke the silence. *”I only followed you from the Ninety-Nine Pavilion because Aunt Hong wanted me to go to Northern Liang. To me, anywhere’s the same. I’m not lying.”*
Xu Fengnian hummed. *”I believe you.”*
Chen Yu smiled devastatingly—though Xu Fengnian didn’t turn to see it.
*”They say Northern Liang’s winters have snowstorms strong enough to sweep people away. True?”*
Xu Fengnian shook his head. *”Not *that* bad. But the snow *is* heavy.”*
Chen Yu pressed, *”So I’ve truly decided to go to Northern Liang. Alright?”*
Xu Fengnian nodded. *”Northern Liang’s small and poor, but it’ll make room for a woman who wants to see snow.”*
Chen Yu tilted her head. *”That’s all?”*
Xu Fengnian nodded again. *”That’s all.”*
Her smile didn’t waver. *”You’ve really changed.”*
Xu Fengnian kept nodding, then added, *”Oh, and Northern Liang’s *really* poor. If you’ve got savings or dowry, don’t leave them behind. I’ll carry them for you—I don’t mind the weight. If needed, I’ve got eight hundred White Horse Righteous Followers. This trip to Tai’an didn’t yield much plunder, which just isn’t the Northern Liang way!”*
Chen Yu’s chest heaved. *”You *haven’t* changed!”*
Xu Fengnian turned, laughing, and clasped his fists in salute.
Another stretch of silence.
Again, Chen Yu spoke first. *”The one in your heart—is she beautiful?”*
This time, Xu Fengnian didn’t nod. He seemed lost in thought before murmuring, *”Of course. Fell for her at first sight when we were little. Didn’t know what ‘like’ meant back then—just knew how to bully her. Maybe I was afraid she’d forget me otherwise.”*
Chen Yu sighed softly.
Suddenly, the young man turned, his smile tender. *”Also, she has dimples. You don’t.”*
For the first time, Chen Yu felt the urge to punch someone.
Xu Fengnian looked away again, as if gazing past the walls, past Tai’an City, past mountains and rivers—toward the distant south.
Chen Yu murmured, *”So it’s her. No wonder you led Northern Liang’s cavalry to Guangling.”*
Xu Fengnian’s voice softened. *”I told her: only *I* can bully her. No one else. She might not believe me, so I’ll prove it.”*
Chen Yu felt an inexplicable pang.
*So this is how some words, spoken so lightly between a man and a woman, can carry such weight.*
There was one thing Xu Fengnian didn’t say aloud:
From now on, he wouldn’t bully her anymore.
*”My little clay figurine.”*
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage