One who lightly bears grudges shows little kindness; one who lightly casts aside righteousness possesses little affection; and one who treats filial duty with levity is truly heartless. What kind of person is the Crown Prince of this realm? Countless courtesans of Beiliang sing of his tenderness and affirm his outward brilliance, while scholars and literati unanimously accuse him of lacking righteousness and declare him rotten at the core. Xu Fengnian long ago ceased to heed such gossip and idle talk. Now, he merely accompanied the once armored Zhao Yutai into the Guanyin Pavilion to sit, where the recluse who had since become a Daoist nun atop Qingcheng Mountain had, for some unexplained reason, grown more robust than Xu Fengnian himself. Side by side, their appearance was somewhat ludicrous—an amusing scene wherein the noble prince seemed delicate and dependent on the nun. Xu Fengnian could not hide the delight in his heart as he gazed at the nun Zhao.
Zhao Yutai, once a maid who wore armor, was the sword attendant to the previous generation’s young sword prodigy of Jianzhong from the Wu family. A sword attendant is an outsider chosen in youth from a different clan who grows up alongside the master, nurtured meticulously to serve for life. They feed and maintain the sword for their master and eventually are responsible for laying it to rest. Each sword attendant has shown exceptional mastery in the sword arts since childhood. Some even surpassed their masters in skill before turning twenty. Yet, once their master reaches adulthood, the sword attendants are merely tasked with sharpening the master’s sword heart and sword path, without the obligation to sacrifice their lives. In fact, the Wu family strictly forbade such a custom, as it was feared that Wu swordsmen would become reckless and careless, thus hindering their higher sword cultivation.
Wu Liuding, dressed in green robes, journeyed southward sword in hand, while secretly destined to be accompanied by a shadow-like sword attendant.
Every young swordsman chosen from the Wu clan to leave their ancestral sword tombs to practice their skills is an extraordinary genius. Yet upon leaving, they face only two ultimate fates: either they will return in triumph as the number one swordsman in the sword path, or they will die on their journey of cultivation without being allowed a burial in the ancestral sword tombs, their swords unfit for the family’s return. Wherever they perish, they are buried; the sword attendants are charged with lifelong guardianship of the tomb and the sword.
Softly, Xu Fengnian asked, “Auntie, why are you at Qingcheng Mountain?”
Still studying Xu Fengnian’s face, Zhao Yutai withheld no answer, and with a gentle voice replied, “Once I removed my face armor, I supported Wu Lingsu as a puppet. The Grand General needed Qingcheng Mountain to be transformed into a dead and empty mountain city, secretly concealing over six thousand armored soldiers to prepare for future contingencies. In earlier plans, should Beiliang’s cavalry suffer defeat against the Northern Man, Yuzhou could be prevented from collapsing without resistance. Otherwise, possessing formidable terrain and failing to hold it would make its recovery as improbable as climbing to the heavens. There was also concern that if a major battle were being waged at the borders, Gu Jantang might stab from the rear. Yet over these years, the Grand General stood firm alone, wielding his iron armor and formidable blade against the Northern Man with no loss in strength. With strategic wisdom orchestrating affairs from afar, he has not been burdened by accusations of overshadowing the throne, securing a firm foothold in Beiliang. Consequently, the secret stationing of troops in Qingcheng Mountain slowed, as moving generals and soldiers under the watchful eyes of Yuzhou and the court was no small or easy feat. For years, I speculated that should the Grand General have further arrangements in the Eastern Sword Pavilion, it would mean he had prepared for the worst-case scenario. Regardless of how the thirty thousand Beiliang cavalry might fall, those six thousand armored soldiers would safeguard the Crown Prince’s passage through the Sword Pavilion into the Western Regions, beyond the reach of the Empire. At the very least, the Xu family would avoid becoming a desolate house devoid of kin.”
Xu Fengnian sighed, “Father has grand plans. On my way here to Qingcheng Mountain, I carefully recorded a topographical map. I felt this place was the strategic hub of Yuzhou, and it would be a pity not to station troops here to guard the advantageous terrain. Hearing you explain this, knowing Father’s character, it’s highly probable that he has already bribed operatives in the Eastern Sword Pavilion, laying hidden agents in case of the worst. But I suspect the imperial court has its own hidden ploys and traps, waiting to see who makes the first move and who has more clever schemes. These years, Li Yishan has taken the place of Zhao Changling in advising Father. It’s said that there is a scheme called the ‘Ten Strategies of Listening to the Tide’; I wonder how many have been executed. The dilemma Father faces is his conspicuousness. He has no desire to rebel, yet there are those who dream of forcing this upon him. After the defeat of Xichu, many veteran generals secretly urged him to proceed and seize the entire realm. Of course, what general would not wish to become a founding hero of a new dynasty? And what strategist wouldn’t hope to be the Emperor’s teacher? Yet the endless chaos of the Spring and Autumn Wars has gradually eliminated generations of powerful clans, and my father is blamed as the prime culprit. Without the people’s support or the scholars’ allegiance, even if Father could march north in triumph, reaching the imperial court, where would he find the stability to hold the throne of an emperor?”
Zhao Yutai, who still held the Prince’s hand and addressed him with the title of servitude, smiled warmly, saying, “Your Highness resembles Miss Xu very much, in both looks and actions.”
Xu Fengnian shook his head.
Zhao Yutai asked, “Why did Your Highness not order the light cavalry of Beiliang to break through the Divine Sword Formation? If you had given the command, these fierce soldiers would hold some loyalty to you.”
Xu Fengnian fetched the special parchment from Li Yishan, retrieved from the foot of the falcon, handing it to Zhao Yutai while softly saying, “After seeing this, I was too scared to act recklessly. Before leaving Beiliang, Master Li said he had prepared three emergency strategies for me, and this is the first one. I wanted to beg him to give me all of them at once, but he refused, knowing my nature: as soon as I turned my head, I would have torn them all open at once like a stubborn brat.”
Zhao Yutai read the line: “When encountering the King, halt; avoid killing if possible.”
Understanding the message, she smiled and handed it back to Xu Fengnian, who tore it up and tossed the pieces away, watching them disappear into the wind with no trace left.
Curious, Xu Fengnian asked, “Auntie, is Wu Liuding the sword champion of this generation from the sword tomb?”
Zhao Yutai calmly nodded without any expression.
Xu Fengnian instinctively tightened his grip on Zhao Yutai’s hand, a dark smile curling at the corners of his lips: “Then I must one day confront this rising star of the Wu sword tomb personally, to see if his sword techniques truly deserve the title of Sword Crown!”
Zhao Yutai chuckled and said, “Among your attendants, the one-armed old man is the deepest in sword cultivation. Who is that senior sword cultivator?”
Softly, Xu Fengnian replied, “He is Li Chungan, the old Sword God imprisoned for many years beneath the Listening to Tide Pavilion by my father. His Wooden Horse Buffalo broke, and I knew that he had been defeated by Wang Xianzhi, but I did not realize he had also lost an arm.”
Zhao Yutai smiled slightly and said, “So that is the venerable Sword God Li. No wonder. The old master who taught young Miss Xu and myself the sword arts once suffered a bitter defeat from Li Chungan. His sword was broken, and even his sword heart was shattered, leaving him unable to attain the realm of a land-bound sword immortal. In the past hundred years, Li Chungan defeated one Sword Champion and took the Wooden Horse Buffalo. Later, Deng Tai’a also defeated him, but disdainfully refused to choose a sword from the Sword Mountain. The honor of the Wu family has been utterly lost. Eventually, Wu Liuding, the Sword Crown of this generation, will certainly engage in battle with Deng Tai’a, the current Sword God. According to several secret letters, Wu Liuding has recently entered the Fingers Pointing to the Mysterious Heaven realm, but there remains a distance before reaching the Celestial Phenomenon level. Yet, every generation’s preeminent swordsman from the Wu family never advances step by step through the levels in an orderly manner, often stagnating for a thousand days, only to make a breakthrough that sees them soar forward by a thousand miles in a single day. No other sword cultivators in the world possess such a solid foundation as those from the Wu family. Back then, Miss Xu was exactly the same. Wielding a sword, she was merely a worldly-level martial artist before leaving the sword tomb. Yet, during a life-and-death match against the previous Sword Champion, she leapt past the two stages of Diamond and Fingers Pointing to the Mysterious Heaven, reaching the level of Celestial Phenomenon all at once!”
Gazing toward the mountain cliffs and empty valley, Xu Fengnian murmured, “Auntie, I’m rather slow-minded in comparison.”
Zhao Yutai gently shook her head and said: “Generally speaking, if someone hasn’t entered the Diamond level by the age of thirty, achieving the Fingers Pointing to the Mysterious Heaven level in their lifetime will be nearly impossible. Yet, Jianjiuhuang only stopped being a blacksmith forging swords at the age of thirty—who would dare to say he wasn’t an expert? Your Highness, you have access to countless secret manuals. May I make a suggestion? Perhaps you could adopt the style of being extraordinarily skilled in the first fifty moves, unmatched in the world. You need not follow the path of some high-level martial artists who destroy their enemies with a single finger. Nor is it necessary to emulate the likes of Cao Guanzi, who becomes increasingly formidable in the endgame, known as “the Master of the Endgame, invincible in the final moves”. Your Highness’ memory is unparalleled, and reading widely is no difficult task. Simply select the most essential moves and techniques from hundreds of secret manuals, gradually integrating their essence into your own Xuantian Dahuang cultivation. Merging the finest techniques of our predecessors into your swordsmanship will provide you with an element of surprise; in combat, the first fifty moves you execute could be like an antelope leaving no trace on the horn, unpredictable and inimitable.”
Xu Fengnian murmured after a moment of thought, “That seems workable.”
Zhao Yutai smiled in silence.
Xu Fengnian suddenly looked inspired, a faint violet glow appearing between his brows.
The reunion was one of silent companionship.
After a long while, Xu Fengnian slowly spoke, “I wonder how Father’s journey to the capital is progressing.”
Zhao Yutai said solemnly, “A slumbering tiger doesn’t open its eyes. It strikes only when it awakens.”
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