The great Bull Post opposing the Celestial Master’s Mansion was indeed a place teeming with all sorts of strange and dangerous characters.
To enjoy solitude and peace on land?
Xu Fengnian sat back down on the hillside, using Spring Thunder to scrawl several names into the earth, then casually asked Murong Tonghuang beside him, “What do you think of Xuan Yuan Jingcheng’s words? How much can we trust him?”
Murong Tonghuang scoffed coldly without hiding his disdain, “Even if Xuan Yuan Jingcheng truly endured twenty years of hardship and humiliation, it’s impossible to guarantee that this madman won’t turn against Your Highness. Killing Xuan Yuan Dapang and Xuan Yuan Jingxuan would place him in a situation of certain death. But with the Grand Master of the Sword Way, Xuan Yuan Guoqi, guarding Mount Hui, a clan with centuries of foundation—how could Your Highness hope to suppress them with merely a hundred cavalry? Driving away one tiger only to invite another—better yet, let the two tigers fight each other. I find it hard to believe that Xuan Yuan Jingcheng, as the eldest legitimate son of the Xuan Yuan clan, wouldn’t have laid down some hidden schemes over twenty years. If Your Highness meets with misfortune and dies here on Bull Post, Beiliang will blame Mount Hui instead. Then that mother and daughter could seize the chaos to freely roam the jianghu. If Xuan Yuan Jingcheng truly meant well, what are three bows and exposing family shame compared to offering his daughter, Xuan Yuan Qingfeng, as a hostage?”
Xu Fengnian nodded and said, “It seems Xuan Yuan Jingcheng really does intend to break away from his clan.”
With a sigh, Xu Fengnian added, “Twenty years to achieve the unorthodox path to immortality, and to overturn centuries of family foundation single-handedly—it sends chills down one’s spine just to hear it.”
Murong Tonghuang had a pair of sensuous eyebrows, usually more alluring than heroic, but now they arched upward, his smile turning even more gleeful, “The Xuan Yuan family has long deserved to collapse and perish completely!”
Xu Fengnian took a hawthorn fruit from Huangman’er and sat cross-legged, placing the fruits on his robe, popping one into his mouth before waving at Murong Tonghuang, “Don’t rush into anger just yet. A bystander sees more clearly than the one entangled. You’re half an outsider, so speak freely. We’re in no hurry to climb the mountain. Let’s see if we can uncover any clues. No matter how confusing or foggy it seems, in the end, there are only two choices: go up the mountain, or don’t.”
Murong Tonghuang nodded and said, “Going up the mountain means Your Highness taking on considerable risks. That’s probably exactly what Xuan Yuan Jingcheng has been waiting for all along—waiting for a powerful external force before he dares to openly oppose his family. Otherwise, with Mount Hui’s deep roots, unless someone like Qi Xuanzhen, a true immortal on earth, could walk freely in and out, Xuan Yuan Jingcheng clearly isn’t strong enough for that. In this struggle between the sandpiper and the clam, that mother and daughter will reap the benefits. To Your Highness, Mount Hui is merely a bone of little value. Actually, it would be better if Your Highness delayed climbing the mountain, allowing Xuan Yuan Jingcheng to expend all his strength, bringing every hidden scheme into the open. By then, Mount Hui would already be severely weakened. However, trying to fish in troubled waters at that point would bring far fewer gains than the risk of rushing up now to support Xuan Yuan Jingcheng.”
Xu Fengnian never finished all the hawthorns, for as soon as he finished one, Huangman’er would already have a handful wiped clean with his sleeve. Xu Fengnian used Spring Thunder to erase the names drawn in the dirt, then tossed some hawthorns to the siblings, laughing, “Let’s go up the mountain—we must get there early!”
Murong Tonghuang frowned and asked, “Why?”
Xu Fengnian stood, gazing toward Bull Post, softly replying, “To watch the fight.”
Murong Tonghuang cautiously asked, “Is Your Highness fond of martial arts?”
Xu Fengnian mocked himself, “Just afraid of death. Of course, there’s also that childhood fantasy of becoming a righteous hero and rescuing beauties in distress.”
Murong Tonghuang turned his head, barely suppressing a grin. Anyone could talk about chivalry, but it was absurd hearing it from the eldest son of the Butcher of Jianghu, whose very name made the entire martial world tremble. Xu Fengnian laughed, “If you want to laugh, go ahead.”
Though Murong Tonghuang had grown more at ease, he still lacked the courage to openly mock the Crown Prince to his face. Xu Fengnian patted Huangman’er’s head, saying, “Let’s go to Mount Hui. Whoever blocks the way, tear him apart!”
Huangman’er’s previously dull eyes suddenly gleamed with brilliance.
Turning to Qingniao, Xu Fengnian said, “Go inform the Roaming FreeTemple, the old sword saint, and the Fengzi Camp. And you’d better bring the In an instant spear. We’ll meet at Qinglong Stream. This time, let’s make a big move. Also, remind Old Celestial Master Zhao Xibo—Longhu Mountain had better not get involved. Tell him that Xuan Yuan Jingcheng invited us up the mountain, and explain it’s a family matter of Mount Hui, not Your Highnessintentionally causing trouble or showing disrespect to the Xuan Yuan clan.”
Qingniao, holding the bamboo basket, nodded, “Understood.”
On the mud wall of the Xiangyao Temple, Old Daoist Zhao stretched his neck watching the middle-aged Confucian scholar stepping across the river. “Amazing, amazing,” he muttered. The Old Sword Saint, Li Chungan, wearing a lamb-skin coat, sneered, “I truly don’t understand this world anymore. In the past, reaching the Heaven Manifestation level without breaking into the Celestial Phenomenon could easily place one among the top ten in the world. Now, the Celestial Phenomenon is as common as cabbages on the roadside. Nowadays, if you’re not at the Diamond level, you’d be too embarrassed to greet others on the jianghu?”
Zhao Xibo, barely reaching the threshold of the Celestial Phenomenon, blushed and said, “Brother Li, you’re joking. The jianghu of the past thirty years has indeed changed. Many geniuses and freaks have emerged, but it’s not like Diamond is as common as dogs or Celestial Phenomenon as numerous as weeds. It’s just that Your Highness It journey differs from ordinary martial artists. If Xu Fengnian weren’t the son of the Beiliang King, or the hereditary Crown Prince, how could he encounter Wu Liuding blocking the river? How could he meet the Eleventh-ranked Wang Mingyin? And how could he be approached by Xuan Yuan Jingcheng seeking revenge so soon after arriving at Longhu Mountain? It’s not that the jianghu changes too fast, but that the young man you follow is simply too eye-catching. Those without real skills wouldn’t dare to humiliate themselves before the Crown Prince of Beiliang. Even without you, Brother Li, those hundred elite Fengzi soldiers alone would be more than enough to deal with minor threats—small fry would be slapped away with a single hand.”
Li Chungan snorted coldly, “Then what about this Xuan Yuan Jingcheng descending from Bull Post? And what about this supposed Immortal of Longevity you mentioned?”
The old Daoist stroked his beard, squinting, “That young man is unfortunate. He’s very talented, but as the eldest grandson of the Xuan Yuan family, he refused the martial path. When he descended the mountain to pursue officialdom, he fell for a heartless martial woman. She came from a humble background, stubborn and unwilling to be brought to Mount Hui. Xuan Yuan Dapang seized the chance, using both soft and hard tactics to force a dual cultivation union. Whether this spurred his grandson to take up martial arts—well, who knows? For the past twenty or thirty years, Xuan Yuan Dapang has immersed himself in the Joyful Meditation and the Art of the Boudoir, utterly fearless in his practices. Even several Taoist nuns from Longhu Mountain have fallen victim. Strangely, those nuns afterwards remained silent, even willingly becoming cauldrons for cultivation at Bull Post. Truly, Xuan Yuan Dapang’s skill in controlling people is remarkable. He was always popular with women in his youth, and his skills only improved with age. I heard he’s recently set his eyes on Xuan Yuan Qingfeng, his grandson’s daughter. This time, he must have finally crossed Xuan Yuan Jingcheng’s last line, pushing him to no longer endure. But how Xuan Yuan Jingcheng became an Immortal of Longevity—I don’t know. All I know is that this young man has visited the Celestial Master’s Mansion for books over the past twenty years, always returning them on time. He’s always been on good terms with my nephew Zhao Danping, who has lofty ambitions. Could it be that reading books alone can turn one into an Immortal? Strange indeed. I should ask Zhao Danping about this later.”
The old sword saint scoffed, “Judging from his reversed energy flow, it’s a suicidal method of cultivation—nothing worth mentioning.”
The old Daoist sighed, “If this young man hadn’t rushed so much, the words ‘Solitary Peace on Land’ carved on that stone tablet would have been truly fitting.”
The sword saint spat, “If he didn’t rush to die, sacrificing his life for cultivation, would he just stand by and watch his daughter fall into the mouth of that old beast Xuan Yuan Dapang?”
Zhao Xibo, hands tucked into his sleeves, sighed repeatedly, his face filled with worry, “Brother Li, do you think the Crown Prince will take up this hot potato?”
Li Chungan replied without hesitation, “Of course. At least it’ll be a life-and-death duel between two Celestial Phenomenon experts, maybe even a peak battle between Heaven Manifestation masters. That kid wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Zhao Xibo continued sighing, “Then the Xuan Yuan clan of Jiangdong will surely face at least thirty years of decline.”
Li Chungan sneered, “Compared to the Sword Tomb of the Wu family, both the Xuan Yuan and the Sword Pool are far inferior. In the past, when the Wu family sent out their nine sword masters to break ten thousand cavalry, that was true magnificence. What are the Xuan Yuan and Sword Pool compared to them? Just empty praises from sycophants in the jianghu.”
Seeing Qingniao approaching the Xiangyao Temple with a bamboo basket full of hawthorns, the old sword saint asked, “Are you going to Mount Hui later?”
The old Daoist chuckled uncomfortably, “My health isn’t too good today.”
Li Chungan leapt down from the wall, sneering, “You, old woman, still have monthly cycles?”
Zhao Xibo glared but dared not retort.
Li Chungan added salt to the wound, “Aren’t you worried your apprentice will suffer?”
The old Daoist immediately perked up, his face lighting with pride, “My apprentice won’t suffer any harm. Not to boast, but anyone wanting to injure Huangman’er would be counted among the top few in Longhu Mountain and Bull Post combined. And if anyone dares to kill my apprentice—well, maybe one or two in Longhu Mountain might, but in Mount Hui? Not a single soul!”
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