Chapter 20

In the first month, a steady stream of distinguished visitors brought gifts and paid their respects, one after another. Yan Jiexi, the governor of Lingzhou, arrived with his children, followed closely by Li Gongde, the governor of Fengzhou, who naturally brought along his son, Li Hanlin, who had a poor reputation. The two governors had a deep relationship because their sons were childhood friends with the crown prince. They were always favored by the King of Beiliang, and even when they made mistakes in governance, they were lightly overlooked by the Grand Marshal. Yan Jiexi had an additional advantage that others envied: he had a daughter who was both talented and beautiful, and even the Grand Marshal praised her, saying she was "steady and graceful, open and generous." At the time, many believed she would enter the Beiliang royal palace, but perhaps because the crown prince was too unrestrained, there was no substantial progress.

Today, the Grand Marshal personally received the two governors. Li Hanlin, unable to sit still, was eager to move. With a wave of his hand, the Grand Marshal said "get lost," and Li Hanlin immediately felt relieved, dragging his best friend Yan Chijie, who was still bowing, out of the room. Li Gongde sighed, thinking this brat was too impolite. The Grand Marshal smiled and said that Hanlin's character was not bad, which reassured Li Gongde. The Grand Marshal added that it was a hundred times more useful than the thousands of complaints in the state.

Yan Jiexi's daughter, Yan Dongwu, also gracefully excused herself and went for a walk in the courtyard. It was rare for a woman to receive such high praise from the Grand Marshal. She was recognized by the scholars of Beiliang as a "female scholar," excelling in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and literature, with a radiant and charming presence. If not for being overshadowed by the first lady of Beiliang, Xu Weixiong, she would have been even more famous. However, from the moment she first saw Xu Fengnian, she had no good feelings towards him, viewing him as an empty-headed fool and never hiding her disdain. Xu Fengnian, in turn, was equally confrontational, calling Yan Dongwu a pretentious and worldly woman, who appeared gentle and harmless but was actually a sharp blade, and whoever married her would be bringing a sharp knife into their home, leading to an unfortunate family life.

In short, the two had always been at odds, disliking each other, and avoided meeting whenever possible. When they did, they did not even greet each other. Her brother, Yan Jiexi, had hoped to form a closer relationship with Fengge, but seeing no hope, he gave up.

In the twilight, Yan Dongwu walked along a secluded path, sneering to herself. She had not heard of the crown prince causing any trouble for half a year, and it was said he was under house arrest, reading the classics. She did not believe the Grand Marshal could keep Xu Fengnian in check, suspecting he had caused some major trouble.

Yan Dongwu heard a sarcastic voice: "Oh, this young lady has great courage, daring to wander alone in Xu Clod's territory, not afraid of being kidnapped and abused by that clod?"

She did not need to look up to know it was her nemesis, the crown prince, who could not achieve anything significant.

Yan Dongwu ignored him, quickening her pace to leave early, not wanting to see him.

Xu Fengnian blocked her path, teasing, "Miss, how about I protect you? Don't fall into Xu Clod's hands, or you'll lose your virtue. Who will marry you then? I heard a young prince in the capital is infatuated with you. Are you preparing to become a princess?"

Yan Dongwu glared at him with her phoenix eyes.

Her face was cold, but she was slightly surprised. The rascal she had not seen for over three years seemed much darker and stronger, but the same obnoxious air of a spoiled rich kid remained. She noticed that the biggest playboy in Liangzhou had stopped wearing fancy swords and now carried a knife, not on his waist but in his hand, looking out of place.

Yan Dongwu took a step back, increasing the distance between them, and retorted, "Since you can't learn the skills of that fierce masked swordsman, you can only learn the easiest thing, carrying a knife? What a lofty ambition, Crown Prince!"

Xu Fengnian nodded a few times, then slung Xiu Dong over his shoulder, looking even more rogue, and said with a smile, "The female scholar has heard of the swordsman's feat? Should I give him a few thousand or ten thousand taels of silver? I heard there will be a fight outside the city tonight. I'm thinking about how much silver to bring. Female scholar, you are good at calculating. Why don't you help me plan?"

Yan Dongwu sneered, "Do you dare to see the bloody scene? How much silver you bring is your private matter, but I kindly remind you to bring an extra set of clothes."

Xu Fengnian clicked his tongue, "The female scholar is truly meticulous, even calculating that I will wet my pants. Impressive, impressive. I used to think you would not speak unless it concerned you, but now I see I was wrong."

Yan Dongwu lost patience and said coldly, "Move!"

Xu Fengnian, leaning on Xiu Dong, said nonchalantly, "Female scholar, dare you go with me to see that swordsman?"

Yan Dongwu firmly replied, "No!"

Xu Fengnian teased, "Are you afraid of seeing my ugly side, or are you afraid of seeing the swordsman and running off with him? I heard from Yan Chijie that you always secretly read stories of wandering knights. Aren't you curious about the hero behind that fierce mask?"

Yan Dongwu, though exposed, showed no embarrassment and remained silent.

Xu Fengnian said with a regretful look, "Fine, if you don't want to, I'll enjoy it alone."

He passed by Yan Dongwu, carrying Xiu Dong.

Yan Dongwu suddenly wrinkled her nose and turned to ask, "Are you really going to be that generous?"

Xu Fengnian smiled, "There are two horses in the stable."

In the end, the two rode out of the city.

Yan Dongwu, wearing a thick fur to hide her identity, galloped furiously, feeling extremely annoyed. How did she get tricked by this Xu Clod? She thought the royal palace would have a cavalry escort, but after twenty miles, there was still no sign of them. She asked curiously, "Xu Fengnian, where are you taking me?"

Xu Fengnian, holding the knife in one hand, turned and smiled, "Another twenty miles, and you'll know. Are you afraid I'll take you to a desolate place and do something improper? Don't worry, a forced marriage is no marriage. I understand that better than anyone now."

Under the starry night, Yan Dongwu saw a face that seemed unfamiliar.

Another twenty miles.

They saw a small hill opposite, with a campfire flickering.

Xu Fengnian leaped off his horse and up the hill first.

When Yan Dongwu reached the top, her face turned pale.

At the bottom of the hill, a dozen burly men were drinking and eating, their faces sinister. Seeing Xu Fengnian, they looked at him like a fat sheep. Then, seeing Yan Dongwu in her expensive clothes, their eyes were filled with lust and depravity. Being left in this desolate place, with a delicate and beautiful woman, it would be a sin not to take advantage.

Yan Dongwu stared at Xu Fengnian's side profile, thinking he was using this despicable method to take revenge on her.

Xu Fengnian stared at the bottom of the hill, smiling lightly, "Miss Yan, don't rush to bite your tongue. Xu Fengnian isn't as despicable as you think. I won't hand you over to a bunch of dead men. Yan Chijie would break ties with me, and it would be a loss all around."

Xu Fengnian took a deep breath, and the white mist in the cold air was particularly clear to Yan Dongwu.

Then she saw the idle crown prince take out a fierce mask from his chest, put it on, draw his knife, and stick the scabbard into the soil. These silent actions instantly changed his demeanor.

Yan Dongwu covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound.

It was a good time to kill, especially in the snow. The bodies would quickly freeze, not looking dirty, especially the pools of blood, which would freeze like embroidery. This made Xu Fengnian, who had to kill quickly and efficiently, feel satisfied. He had gained some experience that he couldn't easily share. But walking the path of blood without an audience was lonely. That's why experts always chose to fight on rooftops or mountain peaks, or at least in crowded markets.

Moreover, Xu Fengnian had disliked Yan Dongwu for many years, not because of her face or figure, but because of her pretentious attitude. So he had a mischievous idea to bring her out to see the world. With a rare audience besides Lao Kui, Xu Fengnian felt he needed to be more focused and ruthless, to scare her out of her wits.

The leader of the bandits gave a signal, and two capable but not entirely trusted men were sent as vanguards. They were not too willing, knowing that the masked swordsman was not gentle, and the bodies were rarely intact. But the leader promised that if they killed the masked man, they could have the young woman first. This made the two bandits, who had been pent up for too long, forget their lives. More importantly, they were told that if they killed the man who was after them, they would be spared and receive a large reward, and even return to the army. In a life-or-death situation, they got excited and forgot their fears.

Xiu Dong clashed with a fine chopping knife, Xu Fengnian sidestepped, sliding down the blade, cutting off several fingers of the charging bandit. Before the man could cry out, Xu Fengnian slashed and beheaded him.

Without stopping, Xiu Dong rolled, cutting the second bandit in half.

Xu Fengnian charged into the fray.

Xiu Dong swirled like a snowball.

In just a short time.

They were all dead, with few bodies intact.

Xu Fengnian finally took a deep breath, understanding the saying "strike while the iron is hot." Using a knife, the most important thing was to maintain a steady state. He began to understand the principles he had learned on the peak of Wudang.

Xu Fengnian removed the fierce mask, his demeanor changing again, returning to the carefree and handsome young master. He lightly flicked his wrist, shaking the blood off Xiu Dong onto the snow, then walked up the hill. Yan Dongwu, sitting on her horse, trembled, gritting her teeth, unwilling to lose her high and noble demeanor. Xu Fengnian glanced at her, wiped Xiu Dong on her thousand-gold fox fur, leaving a slight mark. This rough action made the delicate and refined lady gasp, her body swaying.

Xu Fengnian stopped scaring the blank-minded young lady, sheathed Xiu Dong, walked a few steps, and mounted his horse, saying lightly, "Let's go back."

On the forty-mile return to the city, Xu Fengnian was in front, and Yan Dongwu, with poor riding skills, struggled to keep up.

Xu Fengnian spent most of the time with his eyes closed, focusing his breath.

Practicing the knife, killing was secondary. The real challenge awaited him in the small courtyard of the royal palace.

The city gate guard recognized the crown prince and hurriedly opened the gate, afraid of angering this Beiliang troublemaker and having to go home to raise chickens and plant fields. Xu Fengnian delivered Yan Dongwu to the governor's residence and smiled, "I need this horse back."

Yan Dongwu, still silent, did not object. When Xu Fengnian bent down to take the reins from her, he tapped her buttocks with the scabbard of Xiu Dong, teasing, "Lost your soul?"

Yan Dongwu looked angry.

Xu Fengnian lifted her delicate chin with Xiu Dong, slowly saying, "Your father has a letter to Wang Taibao in the capital, on Xu Xiao