Chapter 24

Xu Fengnian was too lazy to stare at Jiang Ni with a blank expression, so he left her on the ground and went inside to open his luggage. Apart from a large night pearl and a few sharp-tipped brushes made from the tails of Guandong purple rabbits, he threw the rest of the books onto the table, piling them up like a mountain. At a glance, there was the *Whale Killing Sword* from the Forbidden Mountain Villa, the *Vajra Demon Subduing Fist* manuscript from the Two Chan Temple, and the *Guanyin Enlightenment Finger* from the largest nunnery in the South China Sea. There were dozens of martial arts secret manuals, all sharing one common point: they were all advanced techniques from various sects. Although they might not have reached the pinnacle of martial arts, for Xu Fengnian to master even one of them would be a remarkable feat. He had brought all these books from the Tidal Pavilion, not to learn all the martial arts, but to draw the best from each, ideally finding one or two techniques that could be applied to his saber skills. Even if he didn't use them, seeing so many techniques would help him in the future. Just like in chess, knowing the patterns and set moves would allow him to predict his opponent's next few moves, no matter how many variations they tried. He could then strike them down with a single blow.

Xu Fengnian picked up a secret manual, flipped through a few pages, put the book down, and picked up his saber, preparing to practice six hundred saber strikes and six hundred saber sweeps at the White Elephant Pool. When he stepped outside, he realized Jiang Ni hadn't left the mountain yet. She was sitting on a bamboo chair, using her sleeve to wipe the dirt off her face, her movements delicate, as if each pull required all her strength. After all, which woman in the world doesn't love beauty?

Xu Fengnian chuckled and said, "Little Mud Doll, it's going to be a dark and windy night. Are you afraid to go down the mountain alone? I'm a good person, I can call a handsome young Taoist to accompany you down the mountain."

Jiang Ni sneered, "The Grand Marshal has asked me to stay on Wudang Mountain. I heard that someone has already had their coming-of-age ceremony. How amusing."

Xu Fengnian felt a headache coming on. He ignored the little weed's sarcasm and frowned, "Has Xu Xiao taken the wrong medicine?"

Jiang Ni remained silent, her face expressionless, and slowly combed the dirt and dust out of her long black hair with her slender fingers.

Xu Fengnian went into the forest to gather some medicinal herbs and threw them in front of the house, saying, "You stay here, I'll go elsewhere."

Jiang Ni remained unmoved, like a clay Buddha, her head tilted to one side, not even glancing at the young prince. She meticulously cleaned up, but she wouldn't touch the pile of herbs. Xu Fengnian took the large night pearl and the wild rabbit hair brushes to the Xuanxian Peak cave. He chiseled a hole in the stone wall and embedded the night pearl, instantly illuminating the cave. With blood seeping through the bandages on his hands, Xu Fengnian continued to practice his saber skills, but he didn't dare to strike the waterfall. By midnight, he was exhausted, sitting against the farthest stone wall, cross-legged, with his saber in hand. In the early morning, he woke up on time and saw Hong Xixiang squatting in front of the waterfall, washing his face with water. Xu Fengnian usually ignored this guy, but he got up and practiced his saber strikes and thrusts on the open ground. While Xu Fengnian practiced his saber in a rigid manner, the guy who had been riding a bull and herding cattle on the mountain for over a decade was studying the priceless heavy-spined pearl on the stone wall. The pearl was round and green, crystal clear in the light and as bright as a full moon in the dark. The one Hong Xixiang was looking at wasn't the largest, but it was the most colorful. The largest night pearl in the world was in the imperial palace, requiring four beautiful young women to encircle it, and it was placed in Princess Sui Zhu's study. The emperor's most favored daughter was named Princess Sui Zhu because she was born when the State of Sui presented this huge night pearl, which was dug up at the foot of Mount Tai.

Xu Fengnian had the chance to own two "Sui Zhu" pearls, as long as he was willing to go to the capital and become the imperial son-in-law.

Whether the sweet bun was hot or not, Xu Fengnian had no way of knowing. The North Liang Wang's mansion wouldn't make such a low-level mistake, as the maids in the Wutong Courtyard were all gentle and considerate. But the roasted sweet potato was definitely hot, and the young prince knew it better than anyone.

The cave was humid, and Xu Fengnian was sweating profusely, which was harmful to his health. He didn't dare to stay long, so he shouldered the Xiudong saber and took a famous Guandong purple rabbit hair brush. This was the best quality hard brush, and the rabbit hair was already hard, especially in the northern regions. The Guandong purple rabbit was the best of the best, and this type of brush was perfect for writing strong and square characters. The brush tip was as sharp as a cone and as sharp as a knife, truly a "pen-knife." Since childhood, Xu Fengnian had been required by Li Yishan to use only hard brushes, and he was forbidden to touch soft brushes like goat hair, which were considered boneless and weak. However, Xu Fengnian knew that one day he would have to write large characters on plaques, and at that time, he would need to use soft brushes. Although he was often called a superficial fool, he had a deep understanding of poetry, calligraphy, painting, music, tea, and wine, even if he wasn't an expert in all of them.

Practicing saber skills was a major physical activity, while practicing calligraphy was a minor one, especially after practicing saber skills. It was particularly challenging.

Xu Fengnian used the Guandong purple rabbit hair brush to write the *Whale Killing Sword* mnemonic on a green stone slab. The characters reflected his inner thoughts, and the cursive script on the ground exuded a fierce aura.

Hong Xixiang squatted beside him, marveling, "Good calligraphy, good calligraphy. It's a hundred times better than the worm-like writing of the eldest master. When he writes to his younger brothers or people outside the mountain, he always asks me to write for him."

Xu Fengnian ignored his praise, biting the brush handle. Practicing saber skills before practicing calligraphy was exhausting, but it wasn't so bad that it would wear off the calluses he had developed over three years of travel. Now, his hands were full of fresh blood, and when he wasn't practicing, he would carry the Xiudong on his shoulder, which looked poetic, but in his heart, he felt like killing.

Walking towards the thatched cottage, the herbs he had thrown there yesterday were still there today. Xu Fengnian smiled and pushed the door open. At first, he didn't see Jiang Ni sleeping on the bed. Had she gone to admire the scenery of the Crystal World? Then he saw that the little mud doll had cleaned herself up and was sitting against the wall, asleep. She didn't touch the bed, which Xu Fengnian understood completely. She must have thought it was too dirty. The reason she wasn't sleeping against the wall was that her delicate back, which had carried the luggage up the mountain, couldn't bear any contact.

Xu Fengnian spat the brush onto the table and kicked the princess, who had fallen from the most prestigious imperial city to the North Liang Wang's mansion and then to this small thatched cottage. She must have been exhausted, as she didn't react at all. She mumbled a few words in her sleep, and Xu Fengnian knew they were curses. He stared at her for a while. She was a beauty in the making, not as beautiful as Bai Hu'erlian, but not far behind Hongshu and Qingniao. She would only become more attractive in the future. Xu Fengnian found her amusing when she was sitting on the ground, wiping the dirt off her face.

In her sleep, Jiang Ni's body tilted, almost falling to the ground. Xu Fengnian's shoulder twitched, and the Xiudong fell. He used the saber sheath to gently support her body, slowly straightening her, and then left without disturbing her. Outside, he saw that the guy who rode the bull had already started cooking porridge. There were a few small jars of pickled vegetables in the house. During this period, unless his grand-uncle was too busy with the small seal script bamboo slips or the annotations of precious ancient texts, he would usually come to cook for the young prince, working hard and enjoying it.

Hong Xixiang was cooking porridge and flipping through a *Winter Recommendation Ritual Record* with his fingers dipped in saliva.

Xu Fengnian couldn't understand how this timid guy could be the one to revive the Xuanwu Sect and shoulder both martial and Daoist responsibilities.

He left two bowls of rice porridge for Jiang Ni on the table inside and carried his saber to the top of Xuanxian Peak. The *Jiazi Sword Practice Record* contained insights on sword practice, but occasionally mentioned activities like climbing high to observe the stars or looking at the sea, which were beneficial to the Dao of the sword but not to sword skills. Xu Fengnian read for a long time but couldn't find any profound connection to the Dao of the sword. The guy who rode the bull watched with great interest. Xu Fengnian, feeling unbalanced, asked, "You've been looking at this for twenty years, don't you get tired?"

The young grand-uncle smiled and said, "Every day is different, how could I get tired?"

Xu Fengnian asked curiously, "Do you know martial arts?"

Hong Xixiang replied sincerely, "I don't think so."

Xu Fengnian kicked him, and the grand-uncle, who was squatting, swayed but didn't fall, returning to his original position without any deviation.

Xu Fengnian was surprised and asked, "What is this?"

The grand-uncle, who had indeed not read a single secret manual or practiced any martial arts in twenty years, scratched the shoulder Xu Fengnian had kicked and said innocently, "In the Xuanwu Palace, there's a big bell. When others ring it, I watch how it stops."

Xu Fengnian probed further, "Did you see any patterns?"

The guy who rode the bull shook his head, "No patterns."

Xu Fengnian felt a bit defeated and asked, "If you were to use a saber to cut the waterfall, could you do it?"

The grand-uncle shook his head, "Of course not."

Xu Fengnian felt better.

But the guy who was squatting added, "I can't cut it, but I probably won't drop the saber or sword."

Xu Fengnian was full of doubt and ordered, "Then go find a sword and try it. If you can't do it, you'll be fish food."

The grand-uncle looked embarrassed, "How about you lend me the saber on your shoulder?"

Xu Fengnian was about to kick him, but the grand-uncle had already run far away.

Xu Fengnian went down the peak and waited for about an hour before Hong Xixiang, drenched in sweat, returned with a peachwood seven-star sword. His sword grip was awkward, and Xu Fengnian gestured for him to stab. Hong Xixiang took a few deep breaths and walked to the waterfall as if he were going to be executed. He raised his arm and swung the sword lightly.

A subtle half-arc, like a hanging antelope horn, cut through the thundering waterfall.

He withdrew the peachwood sword and turned to look at Xu Fengnian, without any sign of pride, as if it was a natural thing.

Xu Fengnian was stunned for a moment and smiled, "I see, this is your Dao."

The grand-uncle, who thought it was a trivial matter like eating, drinking, or sleeping, exclaimed, "Oh, can you explain it to me? Master Chen said I'm in the mountain but don't know the mountain, and I'll never understand the Dao."

Xu Fengnian said slyly, "As long as you go down the mountain and stand far away, you'll see the mountain clearly."

Hong Xixiang sighed and pretended to calculate, saying, "I knew it, it's not a good day to go down the mountain."

Xu Fengnian wanted to kick this cowardly guy to death.

Jiang Ni, who was stubborn, decided to stay in the thatched cottage, from winter to spring. The young prince was exhausted every day, while she had a leisurely time, never doing the chores a servant should do. She wandered around Wudang Mountain, visiting half of the eighty-one peaks and the temples and blessed lands. She even asked the nearby Ziyang Temple for some seeds and planted vegetables and fruits outside the bamboo fence, creating a small garden. Xu Fengnian would be warned if he looked at it for too long, like a little white wild cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Apart from practicing saber skills and calligraphy, Xu Fengnian constantly moved books from the Tidal Pavilion to the mountain.

One after another, one bag after another.

It was like moving a mountain.