Since the first year of the Xiangfu era, the night curfew in Liangzhou City had been extremely strict. However, as Xu Fengnian approached the city gate, a group of elite spies from the Fushui Society had already been waiting patiently. The gate slowly opened, and Wang Sheng could clearly see the faces of the armored soldiers beneath the lantern lights inside the gate passage. Regardless of whether they were aged or youthful, each face radiated a strange and unfamiliar mixture of emotions—passionate from reverence, cold and fierce from valor.
Lü Yunchang, carefree and unfeeling, didn’t feel much, but he keenly sensed that these soldiers were taller, stronger, and more dangerous than the cavalry and garrison troops they had encountered along the way. The comparison struck him like this: one group resembled noisy chickens and ducks waiting daily for their master to feed them, while the other was like wild dogs scavenging in the wilderness—silent, but capable of killing.
To these two fortunate younglings, the title of Prince of Beiliang, an imperial noble from the distant Liyang dynasty, felt too distant and abstract. It paled in comparison to the serene and approachable demeanor of their immortal-like master. However, Lü Yunchang soon had a vivid impression when he saw the two life-sized jade lions guarding the entrance to the Qingliang Mountain mansion. Overwhelmed with astonishment, he ran up to one lion, reached out to touch its cool, massive paw, and started muttering in amazement. He raved about how grand it was, claiming that no household in Wudi City had such a magnificent entrance. Then he speculated how much silver he could get if he stole and sold the lions.
The return of the Beiliang Prince caused little commotion at the mansion. Only a middle-aged steward came out to lead them in as a formality. As the steward walked behind Xu Fengnian, softly speaking, Wang Sheng and Lü Yunchang, wide-eyed and overwhelmed, followed in awe. The winding paths, hidden vistas, and unexpected beauty kept them gaping for a full incense stick’s time before they finally blinked their aching eyes. They exchanged glances, noticing each other’s unease. For the first time, the two sharp-tongued children found a bit of harmony between them, no longer bickering as they had on the journey.
Lü Yunchang felt as though he had entered a fairyland. The maids all seemed like celestial beauties stepping out from temple murals—elegant, noble, and exuding an aura that was hard to describe, especially for a boy who had never studied books. Any one of them could outshine Xiaomei from the next alley of Wudi City, who always painted her face heavily, by at least a dozen streets.
Lü Yunchang was at the back, still glancing at a young woman in a distant corridor. Her figure was graceful, and even from afar, her charm seemed to flow like a stream. She walked slowly beneath a large white lantern, then suddenly turned her head. Their eyes met, and she smiled, nearly stealing his soul away. Lü Yunchang turned his gaze back, shook his head, and chuckled awkwardly, thinking to himself how captivating that lady was.
A little ahead, Wang Sheng’s view suddenly opened up, and she stopped in her tracks. Even when Lü Yunchang bumped into her from behind, she didn’t move. He turned to look beside her, and both of them were stunned.
Before them lay the famous Tingchao Lake, renowned throughout the land. Xu Fengnian’s two new apprentices reacted very differently upon seeing the lake. Lü Yunchang, ambitious and lofty-minded, immediately looked up at the pavilion on the lake—the Tingchao Pavilion. Legends said that the pavilion housed countless secret martial arts manuals, and possessing even one could make one a regional overlord. Lü Yunchang had never believed such tales before, but after witnessing his master’s mastery of martial techniques outside Wudi City, he now believed them wholeheartedly.
Wang Sheng, on the other hand, looked down at the calm lake surface, illuminated by lanterns along the shore, reflecting like a red silk ribbon. She wondered if there was truly a golden carp weighing ten jin in the Tianchi Pool.
In the center of the lake stood a pavilion, and inside it stood a solitary, timid shepherd boy. For some reason, Wang Sheng and Lü Yunchang simultaneously raised and lowered their gazes, spotting the oddly dressed but otherwise unremarkable child, who looked about five years younger than them. The three children shared a moment of silent understanding, exchanging glances.
Xu Fengnian had already dismissed the steward to attend to his own matters. Glancing at the child in the pavilion, he smiled and said, “His name is Yu Dilong. He is your senior apprentice-brother.”
Lü Yunchang twitched his lips, pretending to be old and wise. “What? This little kid is our senior apprentice-brother? Dilong? Sounds mighty, but he looks like a skinny runt with barely any strength. He probably couldn’t even carry my sword.”
Wang Sheng murmured softly, “In my hometown, dilong is an earthworm. It can be used in medicine.”
Xu Fengnian nodded. “Indeed.”
A figure abruptly appeared before the three, neither tall nor short. Lü Yunchang was somewhat surprised—it was a man in a wheelchair. Not only the observant Lü Yunchang, but even Wang Sheng noticed that their immortal-like master seemed to have encountered a land-bound immortal far more powerful than himself. He was visibly nervous, his steps faltering.
Lü Yunchang muttered quietly, “Could this be a hidden grandmaster of the Beiliang Mansion who never appears in public?”
Xu Fengnian quickly walked to the lakeside path and helped push the wooden wheelchair, his lips tightly pressed together, saying nothing. Lü Yunchang, perhaps influenced by preconceptions, felt a deep sense of caution toward the young woman in the wheelchair. He dared not act flippant. Wang Sheng, on the other hand, felt an instinctive sense of closeness toward her.
The woman did not speak to Xu Fengnian but turned her chair to face the two children. Her gaze finally settled on Wang Sheng, who carried a sword strapped to her back. Smiling, she said, “She’s a true sword prodigy. If I and your master’s mother were to see her, we would be delighted.”
Wang Sheng, shy and bashful, didn’t know how to respond, but she could feel the woman’s kindness. The tall girl could only smile warmly. In that moment, her previously rough and coarse features softened like distant mountains veiled in mist, like serene and beautiful hills.
Lü Yunchang, not considering himself an outsider, noticed that the woman of average appearance but extraordinary status didn’t seem to like him much. He dared not overstep, so he sneaked off to the pavilion to bother the little brat there. Although he was Unconvinced about Wang Sheng being the senior apprentice, since she had joined the master’s tutelage first, Lü Yunchang was mostly bored and just wanted to quarrel for the sake of it. He didn’t really care about the ranking of senior and junior apprentices. He knew that only when his fists were strong and his sword was fast would he hold the strongest truth in the world. But who was this guy in the pavilion? Why was he ranked above him and Wang Sheng?
As soon as Lü Yunchang entered the pavilion, he slammed his Dashaung sword heavily on the ground, his face dark as he coldly asked, “Yu Earthworm, dare you take a slash from my sword?”
The little shepherd boy, brought to Qingliang Mountain by Xu Yanbing and then completely neglected, had been living in a daze ever since. He barely understood anything, except that this was the home of the Beiliang Prince, and his master was the most powerful figure in Beiliang. Now confronted by a stranger taller than him, he looked utterly bewildered. Who was Yu Earthworm? Why was he being threatened with a sword right from the start?
Lü Yunchang, who disliked bullying the weak, soon felt disheartened. It turned out this was just a clueless little fool. He had even prepared his secret rolling sword technique for this encounter.
Lü Yunchang, his face serious, said, “From now on, I’ll only call you senior apprentice-brother in front of the master. But every time I do, you must call me ‘Big Brother’ twice in private!”
He quickly added, “And you must call Wang Mutou ‘Second Brother.’ See that tall and strong girl by the lake? I use a sword, and she uses a blade.”
Pausing, he asked curiously, “What weapon do you use?”
The little shepherd boy, suddenly gaining a nickname and two unexpected brothers, was still dazed. Hearing Lü Yunchang’s question, he looked enviously at the long sword in the youth’s hand and shook his head. “I have nothing.”
Lü Yunchang’s eyes darted. “Is your father a high official in Beiliang?”
Yu Dilong shook his head vigorously.
Lü Yunchang pressed on, “Then is your father the founder of a martial arts sect in Beiliang?”
Yu Dilong instinctively shook his head again, then whispered hesitantly, “What’s a founder?”
Lü Yunchang sat on a bench, slapping his forehead. “Damn it, talking to a duck about chickens. Having such a senior apprentice-brother is the worst luck in eight lifetimes. What a shame! How can I ever make it in the martial world?”
Yu Dilong had barely spoken to anyone in the Beiliang Mansion. Though this robust youth looked fierce, he was still a child at heart, drawn to company. Carefully sitting beside Lü Yunchang, he stared at the Dashaung sword and muttered, “You only have one weapon, but it’s as thick as my thigh. That girl by the lake has fifteen, but each is as thin as my pinky. You still look more impressive.”
Lü Yunchang pretended to be fierce. “What thick and thin? Did your brain get waterlogged or something?”
Yu Dilong pointed at Lü Yunchang’s sword, looking wronged. “Isn’t there a white aura around your sword? Can’t you see it?”
Lü Yunchang maintained his composure, but his heart was in turmoil. He was both shocked and delighted. If the boy wasn’t making things up, then his perception was truly exceptional. This meant he had already surpassed Wang Mutou in martial cultivation.
Suddenly, Lü Yunchang fixed his gaze on the mysteriously gifted “senior apprentice-brother” and asked, “What about you? Do you have that kind of aura?”
Yu Dilong grinned but said nothing.
Lü Yunchang rolled his eyes. “So you’re not stupid after all.”
Wang Sheng entered the pavilion and saw Lü Yunchang and the shepherd boy getting along naturally, which made her feel a little envious and disheartened.
After much hesitation and scratching his head, Yu Dilong finally summoned his courage and said, “Apprentice-sister?”
Seeming to realize that addressing a girl older than him so casually might be inappropriate, he cautiously asked, “Or should I call you senior apprentice-sister?”
Wang Sheng, her identity exposed, grew slightly angry, and the pavilion was instantly filled with sword qi.
Yu Dilong seemed oblivious, scratching his head with a look of genuine confusion and apology.
Lü Yunchang cried out in mock horror, “Damn it, I must’ve gone blind! So you, Wang Mutou, had to run out seven miles just to pee, all because you’re actually a girl?!”
Wang Sheng, furious, snapped, “If your eyes are blind, then shut your dog mouth!”
Lü Yunchang stood up abruptly. “Don’t push your luck, Wang Mutou! Are you asking for a beating?”
Though the youngest, Yu Dilong quickly tried to mediate, anxiously saying, “Don’t fight, don’t fight! If you really must fight, hit me instead!”
Lü Yunchang rolled his eyes again. “You really are noble-hearted.”
Wang Sheng smiled slightly and bowed. “Senior apprentice-brother.”
Yu Dilong, flustered, could only grin foolishly.
By the lake, Xu Weixiong turned her gaze away from the three children playing in the pavilion and sighed, “Is this the martial destiny you inherited from Wang Xianzhi?”
Xu Fengnian nodded. “More or less. Otherwise, how could I find three children with such extraordinary talents? Lü Yunchang has a fierce martial spirit, which is why he was chosen by the Dashaung sword. Wang Sheng is a rare natural sword prodigy, while Yu Dilong inherited three-tenths of Wang Xianzhi’s legacy. These three apprentices of mine will likely all rank among the top ten martial experts in the future. Imagine how impressive that sounds. Even Wang Xianzhi couldn’t achieve that in his lifetime. Look at me—I not only defeated him, but I even surpass him in raising apprentices.”
Xu Weixiong glanced at her younger brother, her expression calm. “Look at how secretly pleased you are. Hurry up and close your mouth before it splits all the way to your ears.”
Xu Fengnian squatted beside her, hesitantly asking, “Sister, aren’t you angry? When I went to Wudang Mountain to train, you wouldn’t even talk to me when I returned. And when I went to Beiman, you nearly disowned me.”
Xu Weixiong folded her hands over her knees, gazing at the mirror-like lake, her eyes warm and gentle. “Back then, it was Father who was in charge, and you were just being reckless. Now you’re the one in charge, carrying the burden.”
Xu Fengnian nodded, rubbing his face with both hands. “Don’t worry. I won’t have time to cause trouble in the martial world anymore. I’m going to the border soon. Unlike the last inspection, this time I’ll bring all fourteen lieutenants. We’ll gather all fifty or so high-ranking generals in Beiliang.”
Xu Weixiong turned her head and flicked her finger against Xu Fengnian’s forehead. “You just can’t help showing off!”
Xu Fengnian smiled helplessly but offered no explanation.
Xu Weixiong tapped the edge of her chair with one hand and supported her cheek with the other, her smile radiant and proud. “The entire martial world is watching you. In the future, the two great empires will also have to follow your lead. Whether you succeed or fail, how many people in a thousand years can say the same?”
Xu Fengnian simply looked up at the sky.
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