In the martial world, a young man began to gain notoriety for his unchecked dominance. Dressed in black with bare feet and wild hair like a rising comet, he traveled with a giant black tiger, twice the size of an ordinary tiger. He first headed south to the Shangyin Academy, then charged straight north towards Beiliang. Along the way, he neither harmed people nor performed heroic deeds. The boy rarely spoke and showed no smiles. He neither pursued justice nor indulged in evil, but if anyone dared to provoke him on the road, none had survived intact so far.
This black-clad youth seemed unstoppable, like the White-robed Luoyang of the Northern Desert Kingdom. Many reckless young martial artists, unaware of their limits, mistook him for an easy target to elevate their reputations. Most ended up torn limb from limb or devoured by the black tiger. As he passed through regions alone, major sects with advance knowledge of his approach remained still, warning their younger disciples not to provoke trouble. Several waves of unidentified assassins met particularly gruesome fates. The youth appeared impervious to blades and arrows, his immense brute strength capable of overturning ships and destroying cities.
Three hundred ironclad cavalry galloped out of Liangzhou city to welcome the black-clad youth, Xu Longxiang.
Huangman’er returned expressionlessly to the empty Beiliang Prince’s Mansion. In the Wutong Courtyard, he saw the fake heir who resembled the real one only superficially. Had it not been for several maids who still recognized him and risked their lives to intervene, the impostor would have been reduced to pulp. The boy didn’t see his older brother or Xu Xiao, who was still inspecting the border. Confused about what to do next, Huangman’er stood blankly by the Listening-to-the-Tide Lake for a while, then squatted in the Wutong Courtyard, unmoved by anyone’s persuasion. Few dared to approach anyway, especially with the terrifying black tiger nearby. Then Huangman’er grew restless, seemingly realizing he had lost his way, and began charging recklessly through the Prince’s Mansion, smashing holes through the courtyard walls. No one dared stand in his way.
Within the Beiliang Prince’s Mansion, everyone knew the heir had brought back two exceptionally beautiful women from afar. The younger one resided in the Wutong Courtyard, rarely going out. The older woman, with the charm of a married lady, was so beautiful that people wished they had extra eyes to admire her. Unfortunately, compared to the younger woman who occasionally strolled by the lake, she only remained within the reed-covered acreage, never stepping beyond. Her graceful figure often appeared fleetingly, leaving unforgettable impressions. After her younger brother’s mysterious disappearance, Murong Wuzhu lived in loneliness but not sorrow. Living under the Wutong Courtyard’s roof, her naturally gentle temperament helped her gain acceptance more easily than the solitary Pei Nanwei in the reed fields. Both being displaced outsiders, Murong Wuzhu occasionally visited Pei Nanwei by the lakeside reeds. Upon hearing the commotion in the mansion today, she hurriedly lifted her skirt and ran to the high terrace to look out. She saw neither the familiar tall figure nor the wild barefoot youth. Besides fear, she felt unmistakable disappointment.
Pei Nanwei never left her house. Seeing the young woman return dispiritedly, she sighed silently. Is that Xu rogue really worth so much attachment?
Murong Wuzhu steadied herself and softly said, “Sister Pei, I saw the young prince returning from his Daoist cultivation at Dragon-Tiger Mountain. He doesn’t look much like him.”
Pei Nanwei teased, “Him? Who do you mean? Your brother or the Beiliang King?”
Murong Wuzhu blushed deeply, lowering her head while fidgeting with her sleeve.
Pei Nanwei looked at her, inexplicably feeling envious. Young girls could afford to be coy in their youth. Growing older meant becoming unattractive.
Afraid of further teasing, Murong Wuzhu made an excuse to leave. Pei Nanwei did not rise to see her off. Her small cottage was built beside the lake, surrounded by reeds on all sides. In midsummer, the reeds were green, and a pair of wild mandarin ducks floated and swam together. She stepped outside, where the ground was muddy without stone paths. Removing her shoes and socks, she held them in hand and walked through the secluded reed beds, quietly gazing northward.
The one who resolved the commotion in the mansion was Yuan Zuozong, who returned urgently with only dozens of riders. As the adopted son of the Beiliang King, Huangman’er recognized him. No one knew exactly what Yuan Zuozong said, but the young prince immediately calmed down. Without even having time to eat, the elite riders left the mansion and rode out of the city. They galloped nonstop to the foot of Wudang Mountain. Xu Longxiang ran barefoot all the way, faster than galloping horses. The last time the heir visited Wudang, only the old patriarch Wang Chonglou descended the mountain to greet him. Today, under the four-character archway reading “Xuan Wu Dang Xing,” only a young Daoist in plain robes stood waiting. Yuan Zuozong nodded to this Li Daoist and dismounted. Huangman’er, perhaps having spent time at Dragon-Tiger Mountain with small Daoist temples and living closely with the Grand Master, felt no aversion to Daoists but rather a sense of familiarity. Quietly ascending the mountain, he reached the peak of Lotus Peak. Daoist Li Yufu stopped near the turtle-carrying stele, while the black-clad youth and his pitch-black giant tiger approached the cliff together.
At this place, a red-robed figure ascended.
Here, Hong Xixiang voluntarily shattered his body in cultivation, vowing to re-verify the Dao for another three hundred years. Since this Daoist, who became an Earth Immortal before thirty, was the reincarnation of Lü Zu and Qi Xuanzhen, the prophecy of the True Martial Deity clearly pointed to another. The black tiger, once under the tutelage of Qi Zhenren at the Demon-Slaying Platform, bore a fierce nature but was unusually docile here, lying on the ground. Remember, Hong Xixiang was both Lü Zu and Qi Xuanzhen’s reincarnation, and originally the black tiger’s master. The tiger, possessing spiritual awareness and innate abilities, began whimpering with head shaking.
Standing at a distance, Li Yufu witnessed this scene with sorrow. To him, his junior uncle was a true immortal figure of extraordinary grace. Li Yufu respected his master but deeply admired his junior uncle. How wonderful it would have been if Hong Xixiang had chosen not to ascend and instead cultivated with the red-robed woman as divine companions in the mortal world.
Suddenly, Xu Longxiang clenched his fists, raised his head, and howled to the sky.
The black tiger roared in unison.
The earth shook and mountains trembled.
As Xu Longxiang unleashed his emotions, his energy rippled like a meteor striking a lake’s center, spreading outward. Li Yufu, the newly appointed junior master who had only been on the mountain a few years, swayed like a small boat on the vast sea, yet remained upright.
He welcomed the youth up the mountain and saw him off on the descent. Watching the youth and tiger disappear into the distance with the cavalry, Li Yufu sighed. If the younger brother was already this domineering, the heir, whom even the Patriarch couldn’t control, must truly be as lawless as rumors claimed. Next time he heard the heir was coming up the mountain, he would need to find an excuse to avoid meeting him. Li Yufu himself was unaware that before Hong Xixiang shattered his body, he had left behind a nine-character prophecy: “Wudang shall prosper, and Yufu shall lead.” His master, Yu Xingrui, had picked him up as an orphaned fisherman’s child on the East Sea, placing great hopes on him but never pushing him too hard. Furthermore, Wudang Mountain’s centuries-old tradition favored natural development. Besides studying Daoism under his senior brothers, Li Yufu led morning and evening martial arts practice at the main hall plaza, fed the oxen, maintained the vegetable garden by the waterfall, and even cleaned the secluded bamboo hut of Qi Xianxia, the Patriarch’s close friend. Every day, he traveled between several peaks, covering fifty to sixty miles of mountain paths, passing six Daoist temples. Many young Daoist apprentices liked to wait along the way, helping his junior uncle with the oxen just to hear stories from the outside world.
He still clearly remembered his first and only conversation with his junior uncle. At that time, the Patriarch was at his peak, riding a crane to subdue Rivers and mountains, flying swords to Dragon-Taming Tiger-Subduing, and cutting the fate of several kingdoms. He entered the capital city as if unobserved, making the entire world respect Wudang Mountain. Li Yufu was brought by his master to Lotus Peak, his palms sweating. His master did not comfort him, only smiling all the way. Halfway up the peak, they encountered the Patriarch relaxing in the sun while herding oxen. After his master left, Hong Xiaoshushu waved at him. They sat on a large shady rock beneath a tree. Seeing Li Yufu’s nervousness, Hong Xiaoshushu smiled, saying, “When you first came up the mountain, I should have gone to meet you, but I happened to be away then.”
Li Yufu, extremely nervous, sat upright and replied, “No worries.”
The young Patriarch, not yet thirty, spoke gently, “I remember when I first came up the mountain, it was snowing heavily. What a blizzard! No matter how hard we swept, the snow wouldn’t clear. My eldest senior stood under the archway waiting for us. I thought it was a snowman made by Wudang Daoists. When he smiled and shook off the snow, I realized he was alive, which startled me so much I nearly cried. My master scolded him for a long time, but the senior didn’t get angry. When I secretly looked back at him while climbing the mountain, he smiled.”
“My eldest senior mastered everything, understanding all. He studied Meng Xi’s trigram energy, Jing Fang’s transformation, Xun Shuang’s rise and fall, Deng Xuan’s line positions, and Yu Fan’s celestial stems, deeply exploring their meanings before finally cultivating the Great Yellow Court. He told me that ancient shamans cultivated spirit with delightful intricacies, later focusing on energy, then essence. The more writings, the further from the Dao. Cultivating fate without nature is the first ailment of cultivation. We Daoists cultivate strength; how are we different from martial artists? Though my senior said much, I didn’t fully understand at the time, but he never blamed me.”
“Does the Patriarch also have things he doesn’t understand?”
“You speak like me, hahaha. Next time you see the heir, remember to speak this way. That guy has soft ears and likes this kind of talk. Oh, Yufu, I like your name.”
“Master helped name me.”
“Your master is knowledgeable and profound, yet humble. Treasure him.”
“Yes!”
“Yufu, do you cultivate Dao for immortality?”
“Patriarch, I… haven’t thought about it.”
“No rush to answer. I was just wondering.”
“I’ll report back once I figure it out.”
“Just call me Junior Uncle. Come, I’ll teach you a set of boxing and sword techniques. Learn them, then go back down the mountain.”
“Junior Uncle, I’m listening carefully.”
Lost in memories, Li Yufu wandered leisurely, feeling a bit sad, until he reached the main hall of the main peak, where he saw the statue of the True Martial Deity. Li Yufu had seen it many times, each time losing himself in thought. This time was no exception.
I look at True Martial, and True Martial looks at me.
On the Beiliang border, ten thousand cavalry of the Longxiang regiment stood ready, armor gleaming.
Xu Xiao, wearing old armor, stood before the army. Pointing north toward the Northern Desert, he softly said to the black-clad youth beside him, “Go fetch your brother.”
Huangman’er smiled foolishly, yet his expression carried bloodthirsty intensity.
Xu Xiao turned and asked with a smile, “Dragon Elephant regiment, dare you charge a thousand miles straight?”
The soldiers roared, “To death!”
The youth mounted the black tiger, took a silk ribbon, raised his hands behind his head, and tied his long hair into a ponytail.
The gesture was identical to his older brother’s.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage