Chapter 12

The Awakening of Insects has arrived.

Spring thunder stirs, all things awaken, and hibernating insects emerge from their burrows. The North Liang Wangfu, draped in silver, is a sight to behold, and the springtime scenery of the mansion, with its blossoming flowers and trees, is equally enchanting. Thousands of peach and pear trees in full bloom exude a vibrant spring atmosphere.

At noon, Xu Fengnian came to the lakeside alone, rowed a boat to the center of the lake, took off his outer robe, took a deep breath, and plunged into the dark green water.

This lake is a flowing water body, and with the arrival of the Awakening of Insects,

Spring thunder stirs, all things awaken, and hibernating insects emerge from their burrows. The North Liang Wangfu, draped in silver, is a sight to behold, and the springtime scenery of the mansion, with its blossoming flowers and trees, is equally enchanting. Thousands of peach and pear trees in full bloom exude a vibrant spring atmosphere.

At noon, Xu Fengnian came to the lakeside alone, rowed a boat to the center of the lake, took off his outer robe, took a deep breath, and plunged into the dark green water.

This lake is much clearer than ordinary lakes. Xu Fengnian held his breath and dived, piercing through the water, but he was still some distance from the bottom. He resurfaced, dived again, and after three or four attempts, he was confident he could reach the bottom in one go, so he made a final effort to dive.

The lake is quite deep. Normally, the bottom of a deeper lake would be pitch black, but the unique feature of this regularly dredged lake is a large night pearl at the center of the lake bottom, illuminating the area with a bright light.

Xu Fengnian held his breath and suspended himself at the bottom of the lake. The scene before him could be written into any novel that would make the common folk gasp in amazement:

A "water king" about ten feet tall was seated in the mud, his white hair resembling aquatic plants, gently swaying. The water king, with his eyes closed in meditation, had a robust physique. In the light of the goose-egg-sized night pearl, it was faintly visible that his left hand and feet were bound by three chains as thick as arms, the ends of which were cast into three iron balls weighing thousands of pounds each.

Is there a more bizarre and cruel prison in this world?

The water king opened his eyes, devoid of any emotion, and looked at the only living person he had seen in over a decade.

Xu Fengnian made a gesture, roughly meaning he would throw down some cooked meat a bit later.

The massive creature opened its mouth and sucked in a carp, tearing it apart and swallowing it whole, blood seeping from its mouth. In a few moments, the plump red carp was entirely devoured.

Xu Fengnian's face turned from red to blue, and he couldn't hold his breath much longer. After hesitating, he made a series of gestures that only he and the water king understood.

The old water king, more like a demon than a human, widened his eyes, his gaze sharp, staring directly at Xu Fengnian, as if in doubt and judgment.

After years of isolation, the old water king's thinking was very slow, but Xu Fengnian couldn't wait. He shot up to the surface, otherwise, he would have died young, floating on the lake.

Climbing back into the boat, the water wasn't actually cold, but the moment he emerged from the water, it was the coldest. Xu Fengnian wiped his body, put on his clothes, and the boat, with a stove inside, was quite warm.

Xu Fengnian waited for a moment. The lake surface was calm like a mirror, and he felt a bit disappointed. He looked away, glancing at the short sword Chunlei given to him by Bai Huer, placed it on his knee, and stroked the scabbard, sighing, "Chunlei, it seems you won't have a chance to show your might. That old ghost is content to stay at the bottom like a turtle, so I might not feed him meat anymore."

When he was young, Xu Fengnian had a cramp while swimming and almost drowned at the bottom of the lake. The old water king, who had been living at the bottom of the lake for years, feeding on live fish, did not devour Xu Fengnian but used his powers to lift the young prince out of the water.

After that, Xu Fengnian developed the habit of throwing cooked meat into the lake as a way to repay the favor. When he was in a bad mood, he would also dive to the bottom of the lake to see the old water king, which made him feel that life was actually quite beautiful.

At first, he thought the old water king was a demon punished by heaven, but as he grew older, he realized it was a human who needed to eat. However, Xu Fengnian couldn't understand how the old water king could stay at the bottom of the lake for years without suffocating. How deep was his internal energy?

Xu Fengnian specifically went to Tingchao Pavilion to search through ancient martial arts texts on breath control. He found the term "tai xi" (fetal breathing) in Taoist scriptures, which seemed to fit, but he was familiar with Wudang Mountain and had never heard of any living master who could achieve such a miraculous "Xuanwu Ding" (Black Tortoise Meditation).

In the eyes of the prince, who had no good feelings for Taoists, the phrases "when the pulse stops, the breath stops, and the fetus begins to form" and "if you want to live long, the spirit and qi must be in harmony" were just borrowed from the words of immortals to deceive people. His teacher, Li Yishan, had clearly said there were no ghosts or gods in the world, and the highest achievement of a Taoist master was to abstain from food for three years, with no possibility of riding dragons or ascending to immortality.

The prince, who had come with high hopes but left disappointed, carried Chunlei ashore, cut down four or five willow branches covered in yellow buds, formed a circle, and wore it on his head, swinging the sheathed Chunlei as he strolled leisurely.

Outside the mansion, a handsome young man with a peach-blossom-like face presented a visiting card. The gatekeeper, who had a keen eye, immediately gauged the weight of the beautiful blue jade card in his hand. He looked down and saw that it was the young master of the Lin family from Hedong Qiaoguo.

This family was not a top-tier aristocratic clan in the dynasty, but it had some connections with the mansion. The eldest son of the Lin family had once had the opportunity to marry the princess of Changjun, so the gatekeeper did not dare to be negligent. He reined in his initial coldness, smiled slightly, and asked the young master to wait while he went to report.

After several layers of reporting, the matter finally reached the second steward, Song Yu, who, after some consideration, decided to treat the visitor with the same hospitality as a governor or provincial governor.

Soon, someone courteously led the young master of the Lin family and a delicate young lady into the mansion. Along the way, the young lady became a scene in herself, with her delicate figure, not extremely beautiful, but exuding a charm rarely seen in the rugged and fierce Liang region.

Perhaps due to fatigue or the speed of the guide, beads of sweat appeared on her smooth forehead. The young master of the Lin family felt pained, but he lacked the courage to mention it to the steward.

The Lin family, though not a top-tier clan in the region, was insignificant compared to the North Liang Wangfu, a behemoth like a whale or a dragon. The saying goes that the gatekeeper of a prime minister is a third-rank official, and the advisors of a mansion are as powerful as governors. Even though he had passed the imperial examination as a third-place winner last year and had once ridden a horse to see the flowers of the capital in a day, he did not dare to be arrogant or presumptuous at the North Liang Wangfu.

The second steward led them to Fengyi Pavilion along the lakeside path. However, the third-place winner saw a person he absolutely did not want to see.

He saw a man slowly walking towards them, dressed in brocade and fox fur, exuding wealth, but wearing a willow wreath and acting carefree, playing with an ancient short sword.

The person who could stroll so leisurely in the strictly hierarchical North Liang Wangfu was, of course, the prince who spent his days playing with eagles, fighting dogs, and reading **. Xu Fengnian, upon seeing the Lin third-place winner whom he had thrown into a cesspool, gave the steward a gesture to be quiet, quickened his pace, and smiled, saying, "Third-place winner, did you come to the mansion to eat rouge? Did you not eat enough on Lantern Festival?"

The Lin third-place winner, not knowing Xu Fengnian's background, stammered, "You are?"

Xu Fengnian deliberately put on a haughty and disgusting act, pretending to be ignorant, "I am the prince's study companion!"

The Lin third-place winner, who had initially thought he had encountered a local bully from a noble family on Lantern Festival, felt relieved and then nervous, his expression awkward. Although the person in front of him was not from a powerful clan, his closeness to the prince made the situation clear to the Lin third-place winner, even if he was not well-versed in worldly affairs.

Before he could react, the "study companion" who was bullying with the prince's authority had already taken a few steps forward, staring directly at the young lady, completely ignoring the Lin third-place winner, and said softly, "Young lady, it's fate. Let me show you around the mansion. At Tingchao Pavilion, you can see the spectacular sight of thousands of carp leaping over the dragon gate."

After saying this, Xu Fengnian reached out to hold the young lady's hand. The Lin third-place winner, suddenly filled with a sense of chivalry, quickly stepped between them, glaring.

Xu Fengnian smiled and whispered a threat, "Rouge eater, don't be ungrateful. Since I am the prince's study companion, feeding you six or seven boxes of rouge is no big deal, or I can make sure you are turned away. Think about it!"

The third-place winner's face turned pale, but he stood his ground, which made Xu Fengnian look at him with a bit more respect.

The graceful young lady, surnamed Fan, sighed lightly and forced a smile, "Brother Lin, it's fine. I've always wanted to see the scenery at Tingchao Pavilion."

Before leaving with the young lady, Xu Fengnian secretly beckoned the second steward over and instructed, "Tell Xu Xiao not to show up, wait for three or four days."

The steward, with his back to the young couple, flattered, "I understand, I won't let the prince down."

Xu Fengnian whispered, "I'll reward you later."

The steward smiled broadly, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Xu Fengnian patted his shoulder and led the young lady, who was like a lamb entering a tiger's mouth, onto the lake dike, placing the willow wreath on her head and giving a warning look to the heartbroken Lin third-place winner.

On the dike named Chazǐ, many graceful young ladies passed by Xu Fengnian. Like the steward, they were quick-witted and knew from one look that the prince was up to his usual mischief with a new young lady.

The North Liang Wangfu not only had many servants but also a significant number of scholars and literati who benefited from the Grand Marshal's favor, each working hard in their respective courtyards to advise the North Liang King.

In Xu Fengnian's Wutong Courtyard, the maids were divided into four ranks. The first rank had two maids, one of whom had a natural fragrance and was specifically assigned to warm the prince's bed, while the other raised Xu Fengnian's white falcon.

The second rank had four maids, one of whom was skilled in poetry, calligraphy, and painting, especially in writing elegant characters, and was responsible for adding fragrance to the prince's perfect night. The other three were trained in music and dance from a young age.

The third rank did elegant tasks like watering flowers and tending to the tea stove, while the fourth rank did rough work like cleaning the courtyard. These women, except for the exceptionally alluring and charming first-rank maid, were all of average beauty, and Xu Fengnian could always satisfy his desires with them.

Feeling a bit bored, the young lady gently asked, "Does the young master use a sword?"

Xu Fengnian, shamelessly, replied, "I have practiced swordsmanship for ten years and have achieved some proficiency."

To prove his long practice, Xu Fengnian made a sweeping gesture, but accidentally dropped Chunlei, nearly causing it to fall into the lake.

She smiled and, understandingly, tilted her head to look into the distance. Xu Fengnian picked up the sword, which had met an unworthy master, laughed it off, and explained that it was a slip of the hand.

Upon reaching the base of Tingchao Pavilion, the young lady looked at the three plaques under the eaves: one inscribed with "Majestic and Unparalleled" by the late emperor, another with "Phoenix Arrives" by a famous calligrapher, and the third with "Qi Chong Dou Niu" (Qi Reaches the Dipper). She was more interested in the beautiful sight of carp leaping over the dragon gate, which was different from the young ladies and noble daughters Xu Fengnian had previously lured with both soft and hard tactics.

Xu Fengnian thought it was better to have something different; always having delicacies like shark's fin and bird's nest could be tiring, and occasionally having autumn perch and winter bamboo shoots could be refreshing.

Just as Xu Fengnian was secretly admiring the young lady's clear and beautiful face, a natural phenomenon occurred, and the lake water began to undulate, just like on the day of the Winter Solstice. Xu Fengnian was delighted and signaled for the servants to lead the frightened young lady to Fengyi Pavilion and ordered everyone to leave the lakeside.

After doing this, Xu Fengnian hurried to the small ferry where a black-roofed boat was moored, picked up the sharp Chunlei, and jumped onto the boat. Just as he was about to row, he saw Old Huang, his frail body swaying like a bamboo pole, rushing over, carrying the long cloth bag that had once given Xu Fengnian a lot of trouble, which contained a nearly four-foot-long purple sandalwood box.

Xu Fengnian rolled his eyes. What was Old Huang getting involved in? If the old water king turned against them, would they start a race to see who could run faster?

After Old Huang got on the boat, Xu Fengnian rowed towards the center of the lake, his palms sweating.

The prince had always had good luck, and this time, he was betting big!

The lake was much clearer than ordinary lakes. Xu Fengnian held his breath and dived, piercing through the water, but he was still some distance from the bottom. He resurfaced, dived again, and after three or four attempts, he was confident he could reach the bottom in one go, so he made a final effort to dive.

The lake is quite deep. Normally, the bottom of a deeper lake would be pitch black, but the unique feature of this regularly dredged lake is a large night pearl at the center of the lake bottom, illuminating the area with a bright light.

Xu Fengnian held his breath and suspended himself at the bottom of the lake. The scene before him could be written into any novel that would make the common folk gasp in amazement:

A "water king" about ten feet tall was seated in the mud, his white hair resembling aquatic plants, gently swaying. The water king, with his eyes closed in meditation, had a robust physique. In the light of the goose-egg-sized night pearl, it was faintly visible that his left hand and feet were bound by three chains as thick as arms, the ends of which were cast into three iron balls weighing thousands of pounds each.

Is there a more bizarre and cruel prison in this world?

The water king opened his eyes, devoid of any emotion, and looked at the only living person he had seen in over a decade.

Xu Fengnian made a gesture, roughly meaning he would throw down some cooked meat a bit later.

The massive creature opened its mouth and sucked in a carp, tearing it apart and swallowing it whole, blood seeping from its mouth. In a few moments, the plump red carp was entirely devoured.

Xu Fengnian's face turned from red to blue, and he couldn't hold his breath much longer. After hesitating, he made a series of gestures that only he and the water king understood.

The old water king, more like a demon than a human, widened his eyes, his gaze sharp, staring directly at Xu Fengnian, as if in doubt and judgment.

After years of isolation, the old water king's thinking was very slow, but Xu Fengnian couldn't wait. He shot up to the surface, otherwise, he would have died young, floating on the lake.

Climbing back into the boat, the water wasn't actually cold, but the moment he emerged from the water, it was the coldest. Xu Fengnian wiped his body, put on his clothes, and the boat, with a stove inside, was quite warm.

Xu Fengnian waited for a moment. The lake surface was calm like a mirror, and he felt a bit disappointed. He looked away, glancing at the short sword Chunlei given to him by Bai Huer, placed it on his knee, and stroked the scabbard, sighing, "Chunlei, it seems you won't have a chance to show your might. That old ghost is content to stay at the bottom like a turtle, so I might not feed him meat anymore."

When he was young, Xu Fengnian had a cramp while swimming and almost drowned at the bottom of the lake. The old water king, who had been living at the bottom of the lake for years, feeding on live fish, did not devour Xu Fengnian but used his powers to lift the young prince out of the water.

After that, Xu Fengnian developed the habit of throwing cooked meat into the lake as a way to repay the favor. When he was in a bad mood, he would also dive to the bottom of the lake to see the old water king, which made him feel that life was actually quite beautiful.

At first, he thought the old water king was a demon punished by heaven, but as he grew older, he realized it was a human who needed to eat. However, Xu Fengnian couldn't understand how the old water king could stay at the bottom of the lake for years without suffocating. How deep was his internal energy?

Xu Fengnian specifically went to Tingchao Pavilion to search through ancient martial arts texts on breath control. He found the term "tai xi" (fetal breathing) in Taoist scriptures, which seemed to fit, but he was familiar with Wudang Mountain and had never heard of any living master who could achieve such a miraculous "Xuanwu Ding" (Black Tortoise Meditation).

In the eyes of the prince, who had no good feelings for Taoists, the phrases "when the pulse stops, the breath stops, and the fetus begins to form" and "if you want to live long, the spirit and qi must be in harmony" were just borrowed from the words of immortals to deceive people. His teacher, Li Yishan, had clearly said there were no ghosts or gods in the world, and the highest achievement of a Taoist master was to abstain from food for three years, with no possibility of