Xu Fengnian grasped a handful of yellow earth and gravel, lifting his gaze northward toward the Beiman realm.
The Wu family’s sword graveyard, indifferent to praise or criticism, always remained aloof and detached from the martial world. It was a mysterious place indeed; over the past century, fewer than ten outsiders had ever entered or left. Among them, the two successive Sword Saints, Li Chungan and Deng Ta’a, were the most renowned. Other swordsmen who journeyed to the sword graveyard to refine their sword techniques remained there for life, following the Wu family’s rule to “worship swords” perpetually. With such an air of superiority, the Wu family had every reason to be proud. Their prestige was not merely from the legendary feat of the Nine Swords Against Ten Thousand Horsemen, nor had the descendants of Wu merely rested upon this glory for two centuries. Even someone as arrogant as Li Chungan did not deny that through centuries of accumulation by countless brilliant swordsmen, the Wu family had indeed reached the pinnacle of sword techniques, ascending step by step toward the heavens. Xu Fengnian recalled that on the way back to Beiliang, the old man in the goatskin coat had mentioned that the Wu family, long dormant, would eventually produce a swordsman who would embody the culmination of their sword legacy. As for whether Wu Liuding could shoulder the heavy burden of his family, the old man had not been optimistic. Instead, he believed that the female sword servant carrying the ancient Suwang sword held far greater promise.
Moreover, the Wu family’s technique of nurturing swords was also widely celebrated. Whether in terms of the efficiency of killing or the commanding presence of a top swordsman, their method of wielding swords remotely with a single breath of qi, soaring toward Kunlun, was truly impressive.
At that time, the greedy young prince silently criticized Deng Ta’a for not having the complete generosity to teach him the secret techniques for raising flying swords, offering only a blade instead. Upon returning to Beiliang, he consulted Li Yishan, the unparalleled scholar of the state, who selected a dusty, long-forgotten manual from the fourth floor of the Tingchao Pavilion. Xu Fengnian then learned that the Wu family’s method of raising secret swords was not difficult to begin with. It could be summarized in four words: “drinking blood to form a fetus.” The real challenge lay in the perseverance required every single day. Forging a sword was like refining elixirs, demanding precise timing for the final forging. However, while elixirs could be consumed immediately after refinement, each secret sword, once painstakingly forged with elaborate rituals, became a sentient, living entity. The master would feed it with his own blood, and due to the subtle differences in the blade’s patterns, the timing and location of feeding varied for each sword. Deng Ta’a’s twelve flying swords were forged successively, corresponding to the twelve earthly branches and twelve hours of the day. If the young prince carried just one flying sword, feeding it once a day was no trouble at all. But with three or four such swords, the burden became quite arduous.
Before departing, Deng Ta’a had told Qingniao to relay a message to the young prince, his tone slightly tinged with schadenfreude: a flying sword neglected for a single day would undo a hundred days of effort; if neglected for three days, the sword would lose all its spiritual essence, becoming no better than scrap metal, never again able to sever a head mid-flight.
As for how many flying swords the young prince actually carried—only the heavens knew.
Perhaps Liu Niro truly had urgent matters to discuss, forcing her to reluctantly approach the young prince, pinching her nose figuratively as she stood behind him, looking down at the back of the sword-buckled man, her tone cold as she asked, “In the future, if you encounter problems that Fish Dragon Band cannot resolve, which might lead to serious losses of your goods, will you intervene?”
Xu Fengnian let the rough sand slip through his fingers, not turning his head. After a pause, he slowly replied, “Yes.”
Liu Niro scoffed, “So last night at the inn, you had the ability to ensure that after Fish Dragon Band was wiped out as bandits, you could single-handedly protect that cart of General’s Mansion goods?”
Xu Fengnian shook his head, “I never said that.”
Liu Niro seemed to sulk like a petty girl, “Once the goods and silver are settled, we Fish Dragon Band absolutely do not want any further dealings with General’s Mansion.”
Xu Fengnian turned his head, looking up at this subtly charming woman with her alluring long legs, smiling, “Regardless of whatever resentment you may harbor, I want to tell you that you actually did very well that night. In the future, Fish Dragon Band will have a leader like you, worth more than three or four deputies like Xiao Qiang. But what I admire most about you is not your leading from the front and fighting fiercely against the soldiers of Daoma Pass, but rather that, after recognizing Xiao Qiang’s true face, you could still pretend to go along with him. Yes, just like after recognizing my cold-hearted and unscrupulous nature, you were still willing to approach me and exchange a few words, even if they weren’t very pleasant. I’m sure before you left Lingzhou, you had already decided never to associate with me again. That, I believe, is the very dilemma Elder Liu, the former band leader, faced in taking over this business. But as for me, I’ve been on the martial path a few years longer than you, witnessing many lofty immortals clashing, and spending many days worrying over just a few coins. Allow me to indulge in a moment of self-importance and say this: if you truly wish to strengthen Fish Dragon Band, you must be like this copper coin—square within and round without.”
Indeed, Xu Fengnian made a rather self-indulgent gesture, pulling a copper coin from his purse and tossing it to Liu Niro. Unfortunately, the latter remained unmoved, letting the coin fall to the ground. Xu Fengnian muttered something about a wasteful woman, stretched his back, picked up the coin from the dirt, wiped it clean, and carefully returned it to his purse. Liu Niro hadn’t expected Xu Fengnian to retrieve the coin, and seeing him act so miserly and vulgar, yet not even bothering to hide it, she found herself unsure whether to mock or resent him. Yet, deep down, her previous intense dislike for this man, who had always seemed like a cold-hearted servant of a noble house, began to wane. At least now she knew he could occasionally say something human and show a touch of warmth.
From a distance, Wang Dashi watched Liu Niro standing tall and Xu Fengnian crouching low, his expression devoid of jealousy or anger at the woman he admired seemingly drifting further away. Instead, the boy merely wiped his face and secretly grinned with innocent delight.
Liu Niro hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you use a blade?”
Before Xu Fengnian could reply, she quickly added, “Forget I asked.”
It seemed she realized she had posed a rather foolish and childish question.
Xu Fengnian chuckled, clapped his hands, and stood up. He wasn’t worried about any mishaps with Huangfu Ping. The term “Chunlei” would certainly not escape Daoma Pass. Moreover, since the young prince had dared to venture alone into the perilous Beiman realm, and was likely to actively plunge into dens of dragons and tigers, he naturally possessed some hidden tricks. As for traversing the martial world, the young prince had no shame in claiming he was no novice. Meeting Liu Niro’s gaze, he narrowed his eyes and said, “Can’t I just wear a blade for show? Think about it—when others, like you, assume I’m a swordsman, they’ll engage me in battle, expecting me to draw my blade. Those with limited martial experience might underestimate me when I don’t, and then I can defeat the master with a flurry of unpredictable strikes. That’s called an illusionary technique, a part of the treacherous martial world.”
Liu Niro looked utterly baffled.
The journey toward Liuxia City in Beiman proceeded relatively smoothly afterward, though Fish Dragon Band grew cold with fear upon spotting distant horse bandits. Likely border bandits who preyed upon merchants, they assessed the situation and decided Fish Dragon Band was too hot to handle, so they did not pursue. This relieved Liu Niro greatly.
For Fish Dragon Band, any losses were now unbearable. The injuries and deaths at the inn had already left Liu Niro overwhelmed. Since those who perished were genuine disciples who had formally submitted their Apprenticeship Letter (letters of apprenticeship), it wasn’t as simple as offering compensation. Each death was a catastrophe for the families involved in this peaceful era, and inevitably led to heart-wrenching grief and accusations directed at Fish Dragon Band. Moreover, an inauspicious beginning would severely damage the band’s reputation. Liu Niro didn’t need to imagine the joy shared among rival factions and sects of comparable strength in Lanzhou once the corpses were returned.
Thus, encountering any trouble in the Beiman realm outside of Beiliang would mean no help from heaven above or earth below, rendering the favor-seeking mission to General’s Mansion utterly futile. Fortunately, Zhou Ziran had brought two chests containing a full three thousand taels of silver. Though Liu Niro found the sight revolting, she understood this sum was an indispensable lifeline for Fish Dragon Band, which was already teetering on the brink.
As for the bandits who merely observed from afar without attacking, Xiao Qiang’s reasoning was straightforward and logical: though these horse bandits were fierce and individually matched any elite cavalry of the empire, the largest groups along the border numbered no more than fifty or sixty riders, while typical roving gangs barely fielded twenty horses. If their raid failed to yield substantial profit, it would be a loss they couldn’t afford, and a band formed purely for profit would disband as easily as they gathered. How could they dare to confront Fish Dragon Band, which still maintained considerable strength? Besides, Fish Dragon Band only had a single cart of goods—far too small compared to convoys carrying a dozen carts, making them an unappetizing target. The larger bandit strongholds looked down on such meager spoils, while smaller gangs lacked the strength to swallow them whole, making the situation relatively safe.
However, the quiet and reserved Gongsun Yang voiced a different opinion, warning of the possibility that these desperate outlaws might collude and gang up for a joint robbery. Initially, Liu Niro dismissed the idea, but after seeing two more small groups of horse bandits tailing them days later, she finally sensed something amiss.
During the night’s halt, Fish Dragon Band lit over a dozen campfires—not only for warmth but also to scare off the beasts lurking in the desert.
What a sight it was, stars stretching across the vast plains.
Wang Dashi built a fire for Xu Fengnian, and they sat together. “The early bird catches the worm,” and diligence was the key. The boy had finally managed to memorize the six hundred-character martial arts manual through sheer rote learning. A few days earlier, Xu Fengnian had even taken time to demonstrate the forms in a secluded spot for Wang Dashi. Since the passing of the Wudang Sect’s previous abbot, this martial art had already evolved into two versions—the old and the new. The original version consisted of one hundred and eight movements, rich in flavor but relatively complex and obscure. Even the elder Daoists who had first learned from the young abbot in the Tai Xu Palace courtyard struggled to grasp its full essence. A new Daoist named Li Yufu, truly gifted, had simplified it into sixty-four movements, creating the new version, which earned high praise from the senior Daoist masters. Unfortunately, Xu Fengnian had only demonstrated the original old form, and Wang Dashi struggled even to memorize the manual, let alone perform the movements. Nevertheless, Xu Fengnian never looked down upon his clumsy apprentice, teaching him with boundless patience. Seeing Wang Dashi’s constant guilt and frustration, he smiled and told the boy, “Martial arts are like water carving stone—slow but sure. If ten years aren’t enough, then practice diligently for a lifetime.” Only then did the boy feel reassured.
Xu Fengnian practiced with Wang Dashi, exchanging blows back and forth.
The timid cowherd once held a sparrow in his palm, its claws unable to grasp, flapping helplessly in his hand.
After finishing a segment of instruction, Xu Fengnian took a sip of water and added a few dry branches to the fire.
He caught the boy gazing Absent-minded (dreamily) at Liu Niro in the distance.
Without thinking, Xu Fengnian recalled the flying sword hidden in his sleeve—Qingmei.
Love—the green plum upon one’s heart.
Even in old age, the bitterness of youth remains remembered.
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