While eating, Xu Fengnian and Master Wei shared some mysterious stories about Qingcheng Mountain. Yu Youwei listened with fascination. The Old Sword Saint merely devoured his meal voraciously. Jiang Ni, although secretly fond of the landscapes of Qingcheng, insisted that western Shu was home to many sacred mountains, especially Emei, which towered above all others. Xu Fengnian countered by saying that the continuous snow-capped peaks of the Western Regions were even higher than both Emei and Qingcheng combined, though scholars and literati lacked the ability—or perhaps the courage—to witness these wonders firsthand. Jiang Ni accused Xu Fengnian of making things up, but the old Li Master murmured that the snow-covered mountains of the West indeed surpassed Emei by a considerable measure. Lan Tuoshan claimed its peak was thrice that of Emei, and even that was considered humble exaggeration. This quieted Jiang Ni.
Yu Youwei softly asked, “Should we send some food to Feng Zi Ying?”
Xu Fengnian, chewing on white fruits and chicken, used his oily fingers to point at Lü Qiantang and the two others who were only allowed to eat by the gate. He said indifferently, “Offering small favors to people like them is not only thankless but counterproductive. Not only Feng Zi Ying, but for these three here, unless you give them what they truly desire, even if you placed ten thousand roasted chickens in front of them, they’d still find a reason to despise it.”
Yu Youwei replied in her gentle voice, “But being approachable is always a good thing.”
Xu Fengnian chuckled and said, “That’s because you’ve never served in the Beiliang Army, or you wouldn’t say such a thing. Forget others—take my father Xu Xiao himself. His prestige was earned by repeatedly leading troops from the front, risking his life every battle. By the later years of the Spring and Autumn War, the former emperor even issued a decree forbidding Xu Xiao from personally joining the battlefield. Several of Beiliang’s previous standard bearers died protecting him. Did you know? Wang Jian, the mighty general likened to a celestial guardian, fell in battle, as did the two before him. Today it is Qi Dangguo holding the Beiliang banner, and his body is scarred beyond imagination—even veteran soldiers would flinch at the sight. Xu Xiao himself once said his survival till today was merely heavenly fate, that Heaven itself didn’t want him to die yet. Bestowing small profits may bring minor gains if managed properly, but it will never earn someone’s unconditional devotion. Whether it’s Lü Qiantang and his martial world followers, or the elite of Feng Zi Ying, if they are to risk their lives for me—well, it’s still a long way from happening.”
Yu Youwei, sitting near the fire with a warm feeling all around, suddenly felt a chill. This Prince was already thinking about how to gain their lives in service to him, and they hadn’t even exchanged more than a few words with him?
As if reading her thoughts, Xu Fengnian added with self-mockery, “You think they’re fools who would hand me their lives upon a single command? That title of ‘Prince’ only serves to intimidate or attract greedy opportunists. If I were an empty shell with no real substance, then at best I’d just be another decadent, irresponsible noble. Let me tell you something you probably don’t know, Yu Youwei. When we came up the mountain earlier, did you notice any torches moving through the cavalry trails in the night? No, you didn’t, because Feng Zi Ying’s light cavalry are unmatched in night warfare and wilderness skirmishes. Ancient military texts claim cavalry have nine victories and ten losses, and that dense forests are a death trap for horsemen. But if anyone truly believes that the hundred riders of Feng Zi Ying would be helpless once they reached the mountain, then that person is simply asking for their own demise. Breeding these warhorses follows exacting standards—from selection, breeding, feeding, training, to horseshoes, stirrups, saddles, armor, and grouping into formations where speed and timing must be precise. Each step must be flawless. After a horse dies in battle, it may not be butchered. Only its ears and hoof are cut off to be returned to the horse inspector. Violators face severe military punishment. This is but a glimpse of the Beiliang Army’s discipline. My father Xu Xiao governs his forces with clear rewards and punishments. Before battle, he never seeks glory, only to make no mistakes himself. And in the end, the only strategy he truly relies on is unwavering resolve—fighting to the death, again and again. When even the Supreme General dares lead from the front, how can the thirty thousand armored riders not fearlessly march into certain defeat and inevitable death? Among the Four Great Generals of the Spring and Autumn Wars—well, maybe four new ones have emerged in recent years—who else could inspire even the lowliest soldier to fight to his last breath? So Yu Youwei, tell me now, would it be wise or foolish for this Prince to be leisurely strolling around this sacred mountain with a beauty like yourself, occasionally tossing minor favors to Feng Zi Ying?”
Shocked beyond words, Yu Youwei could only sit in silence.
Xu Fengnian wiped his hands on Yu Youwei’s gown and said with a grin, “Don’t fret over the mess. We’ll reach a large city in a few days and replace the old clothes. Also, when are you going to untie those ribbons binding your chest? Such a stunning sight being hidden away so shyly—nonsense. The larger, the more magnificent. The rhythm, the undulating sway—it gives the sword an aura of might. Any woman in the world seeing you would feel inferior. And trust me, everything I say by the bedside is the honest truth.”
Perhaps because the Prince’s speech had shifted abruptly from the grim to the flirtatious, Yu Youwei remained seated, not fleeing in coquettish modesty, merely clutching Wu Meiniang in a daze.
The Old Sword Saint chortled exaggeratedly, “That speech actually had a touch of sophistication. Quite agreeable to my ears.”
Jiang Ni instinctively stole a glance at Yu Youwei’s well-wrapped yet still generous curves, then at her own, and seemed to deflate a little inside.
Lü Qiantang stepped into the courtyard and whispered, “Your Highness, enemies have been spotted. About thirty men, though they seem to be mere mountain bandits.”
He was ready to eliminate them before they even realized they had met their doom—all it would take was a sign from the Prince.
But Xu Fengnian merely smiled and said, “Let them all in. Lü Qiantang, and you too Yang Qingfeng—don’t reveal yourselves. Don’t scare them too soon. Let Yang Qingfeng go warn Ning Emei to stay on standby. As for you, Shu Xiu, stay.”
A dozen burly ruffians noisily poured into the courtyard, while the rest could only cram by the entrance, peeking in from behind. They had followed the glow of firelight, and what a rare feast they had chanced upon this night! With few pilgrims around, this group was a godsend. Their eyes widened, mouths dry with awe. The young aristocrat seated in the center of the stone steps clearly must be of noble descent—at worst, a son of a wealthy household from Yong Province. As for the old man devouring meat and the Taoist priest, they were not worth much attention. But the rest—each of them was a vision of beauty. The plump and curvy woman cradling a white cat—her figure was breathtaking, like a celestial maiden. The little servant girl roasting meat had a face so exquisite that even her tightly closed legs stirred the senses—a true young beauty. And standing nearby was a slightly older woman with the seductive charm of a fox spirit. The scholars called it… yes—“bewitching.”
The men at the gate, weaker in physique and better suited for shouting encouragement than battle, grew frantic, pushing and shoving. The shorter ones even began jumping just to catch a better view. How could they resist? These beauties, how could the big and second leaders let them slip through their fingers? Would they even get a chance to touch them? Never in their lives had they seen such divine women, let alone dared to dream of lying atop them. If only the young nobleman, the Taoist, and that bony old man with the sheepskin coat weren’t present—but no, they must be gods descended among mortals.
The leader, wielding a pair of rusty Huaxuan axes, sneered, “You’ve heard of the Yin-Yang Pavilion of Qingcheng Mountain, yes?”
Xu Fengnian wore a look of innocent confusion and replied, “Of course. Under the pavilion is the realm of Yang, above is Yin—two distinct climates. I’ve heard from others that when thunderstorms rage below the mountain, the summit often remains clear.”
The second leader, a wiry man no taller than a monkey, was wiry in mind as well. In an instant, he leaped forward, reaching out with fingers caked in grime to grope at the chest of Shu Xiu. Shu Xiu, unaware of the Prince’s unspoken intent, could only feign fear and take two steps back—just enough to evade that nauseating hand.
Among those in the courtyard, Shu Xiu was the least significant outsider, standing closest to these bandits. She had already caught the stench of their sweat and, worse still, the putrid armpit odor of that skeletal monkey. Glancing toward the Prince, who remained unmoved, Shu Xiu felt helpless. She sincerely prayed the Prince would soon lose his current whimsy for games and tricks. She had not the slightest desire to share the same courtyard with these brutes. In her days as a shamaness, she had mastered techniques of the arcane—methods to make these men wish for death, techniques that could make their insides rot away slowly from the inside, or twist their meridians until their bodies exploded in agony. With their lustful minds, she even possessed a special aphrodisiac—not one meant for humans, of course, but for wild beasts like bears or monkeys, which would turn the men into writhing, grinning lunatics, their bodies torn open from within. Shu Xiu was certain she could guarantee precisely that fate for them.
Xu Fengnian suddenly wrapped an arm around Yu Youwei and rubbed his stubbled chin against her smooth cheek, asking with a smile, “So… are you here to rob us?”
This seemingly naive question was so absurd that even Jiang Ni felt embarrassed on his behalf.
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