Chapter 39

Though thirty thousand iron-clad cavalry were stationed at the border, the northern Liang border seemed never to be at peace. For years, the memorials of the Yan and Jiaodong Princes and other major princes were all the same, reporting peace. Only the hetero-prince Xuxiao, every year, would complain to the court, and the Northern Liang would cooperate, sending troops to harass the border every now and then, leading to small battles every year and major ones every three years, with mixed results. Over time, the court's literati began to clamor that Xuxiao had ulterior motives, that he was not satisfied even after being granted a fiefdom.

Most of these self-proclaimed pillars of the state and the nation's conscience were reprimanded by the emperor in the palace, and the more serious ones were "exiled" from the capital. Often, after accumulating enough experience in local prefectures and states, they would be recalled to the central government after five or six years, given important positions. Over time, even the less perceptive scholars realized this was a shortcut to success. In recent years, Xuxiao had become an obstacle that no scholar could bypass; not criticizing him a few times would make one feel embarrassed to call oneself a loyal minister. At the last imperial council of the year, the newly appointed Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall, Wen Shouxin, had his servants carry a coffin all the way to the imperial city gates. At just under fifty, this senior official submitted a blood letter, requesting death to clear the court of corrupt officials. The scholars in the capital all applauded.

The Xuxiao banner of the Northern Liang flapped in the wind.

Under the banner, Grand Marshal Xuxiao rode slowly, accompanied only by a handsome man with a face like a jade crown, exuding scholarly charm but dressed in military attire. He carried no weapons, only a belt buckle made of white jade, standing out among the other prominent Northern Liang generals who lagged behind at a distance.

Xuxiao received a secret report from the capital and chuckled, "Clear the court of corrupt officials? I am thousands of miles away from His Majesty. These old scholars don't know to save their energy and go home to deal with their concubines."

The elegant man in his thirties smiled but said nothing, riding beside the Butcher of the North, Xuxiao, with a calm demeanor, his presence not far behind. The common people said that the hunchbacked and limping Northern Liang King bore the souls of hundreds of thousands of soldiers who refused to return home, and that his limp was due to the ghost of the first general of the old nine states pulling him. These stories, which the common people enjoyed, were naturally ridiculed by the literati who considered themselves loyal ministers. Xuxiao, a career soldier, had been injured countless times; he was no three-headed, six-armed demon but a cunning and power-hungry general. Moreover, how many years had it been since Xuxiao last returned to the capital? Most of the court officials, except for the older ones, had never dealt with the Grand Marshal, let alone seen him. Who would be intimidated by these empty titles?

Xuxiao held the reins and looked northeast, pointing out several places with his riding crop, sighing, "It's been too long since I've been there. The old men who opposed me for decades are either old or dead, and it seems no one remembers my ruthlessness anymore. The young scholars' remonstrances are lively, but they lack sincerity. If this continues, the country will be ruined by the scholars' empty talk. The Western Chu once had the people's support and the scholars' loyalty, but it serves as a warning. Now, the Northern Liang is fierce and aggressive, like wolves and tigers, with long-standing ambitions. If the Northern Liang cavalry were to withdraw, the soft troops of the Yan and Jiaodong would be no match. The southeastern barbarians are hard to tame; they can be suppressed but will rebel if left alone. The Western Region is a unified military and religious entity, almost impervious to influence. I don't care about that, but now even the Esoteric Red Sect is trying to win over my son. Go to her for dual cultivation? That would make him a son-in-law! This woman is truly fed up. Do you think I won't bring my cavalry to tie her up and bring her to the Northern Liang to serve my son as a slave?"

The elegant man's smile deepened, not doubting that the Grand Marshal could march his cavalry into the Western Region. It would be difficult and inappropriate to advance east, but the court would be pleased if the cavalry moved west.

This man spoke little, one hand on the reins, the other on his belt buckle. The belt buckle, with its intricate design of two dragons fighting over a lingzhi mushroom, had a deep history. It was the cherished possession of the former top general, Ye Baihui, who had it taken from him at his death and personally given to this man by Xuxiao.

This trusted confidant was Chen Zhibao, the second-in-command of the Northern Liang's thirty thousand iron cavalry, known as the "Little Butcher." It was he who had forced both himself and Ye Baihui into a life-or-death battle, leading to the decisive victory where Chen Zhibao, after already burying countless surrendered soldiers, emerged victorious by personally killing Ye Baihui's wife and daughter in front of him.

After this decisive battle, Chen Zhibao's reputation for ruthlessness grew even more.

Xuxiao smiled and asked, "Zhibao, how long has it been since you last saw my daughter Weixiong?"

The Little Butcher, with a firm and resolute face, showed a hint of tenderness but remained respectful, "Report to my adoptive father, it has been nearly four years."

Xuxiao spurred his horse forward, laughing, "Then you should be careful. She rushed back to the Northern Liang in a bad mood."

Chen Zhibao followed, pulling the reins.

The Northern Liang was filled with fierce generals and countless brave soldiers, but the only one who could ride alongside the Grand Marshal was Chen Zhibao, who always wore a white robe when not in armor!

——

A lone rider galloped.

The horse was a red snake, a legendary creature from the ancient painting "Nine Horses." Even experts in horse breeding did not believe such a spirit-filled horse existed. In ancient texts, the red snake was the land mount of the Dragon King, standing nine feet tall, with scales like armor, and the most mysterious feature was a pair of red snakes in its nostrils, which would leave the horse upon its death to find a new master.

On the back of the red snake sat a plain-looking woman in a green robe, a simple ancient sword at her waist.

The horse galloped so fast that dust flew in a straight line.

She could already see the city walls in the distance.

In the city, the dust was even more chaotic. Over three hundred Northern Liang cavalry, each equipped with light armor and a standard set of weapons, including a long knife and two quivers of arrows, charged through the market, their momentum astonishing. They split into two groups, surrounding two unremarkable inns.

In the past, when the Northern Liang King Xuxiao rode into the world, his cavalry was different from the national armies. Each soldier was equipped like the current Phoenix Camp, with light armor for both mounted and dismounted combat. Only the strongest officers could carry a long knife, while the rest carried standard Liang knives, and the archers carried two quivers of forty arrows each.

In single combat, only the battle-hardened Northern Liang generals and some soldiers from the greenwood or martial arts sects could match the martial arts experts. However, when the Northern Liang cavalry gathered in numbers over a hundred, the training and coordination honed in the heat of battle became evident, especially when a whole camp of cavalry or archers advanced in formation, few could stand against them. Moreover, under the Butcher Xuxiao, there were no shortage of ruthless and cunning subordinates, who were even more adept at killing their own kind. A head was worth ten to fifty gold pieces, and some sect leaders' heads could fetch a thousand gold pieces, plus secret manuals and official titles upon completion. Who wouldn't be driven mad by such rewards?

After all, the best wool grows on the fattest sheep, and Xuxiao was skilled at using the promise of future rewards to drive people to their limits.

The smoke of the conflict that erupted in the martial world was a once-in-three-hundred-years disaster!

Otherwise, why would Xu Fengnian be targeted by so many enemies? Perhaps the martial arts heroes felt that killing Xuxiao was as difficult as climbing to the heavens, and killing two young girls would be beneath them, and killing the simple-minded Xu Longxiang wouldn't make them heroes. So they all turned their weapons on the innocent and pitiful young prince.

Not all martial heroes with deep-seated grudges were willing to rush to the Northern Liang王府 like moths to a flame. Over the years, wave after wave of them came and never returned! Revenge was a great matter, but what good was it without a life? Who among those capable of challenging the Northern Liang King Xuxiao was a fool? Now, there were even rumors that the young prince was a despicable scoundrel, who had once devised a scheme to "open the door and let the dog bite" while lying on a courtesan's smooth belly. This made them even more frustrated, for though the prince was a good-for-nothing, he had learned enough tricks from the Butcher Xuxiao to be truly deserving of death.

At this moment, the prince, who was considered deserving of death, and a young girl were on a street far from one of the inns. Xu Fengnian bought two skewers of candied haws from a roadside stall, not expecting the prince, who rarely carried money, to pay. The young girl, seeing Xu Fengnian take the skewers and leave without being chased or beaten, was very impressed. She couldn't associate the beggar Xu Fengnian with the prince, and found him more appealing when he was pale and thin, and more fun when they made headbands from willow branches by the river, or when he supported her in a verbal battle with a village woman. Sigh, what was so great about the prince? A penniless Xu Fengnian was enough.

The young girl stuck out her tongue and licked a candied haw, feeling melancholy.

Xu Fengnian had said, "A young girl's melancholy is poetic." So at her age, being melancholy, sad, or worried would always look good. When she grew up, it would be different. He said that a young woman's melancholy was "wet," which she didn't understand but knew wasn't good. Every time he smiled mischievously, someone would suffer.

Where was the old Huang, who suffered the most? She thought about it but didn't ask.

Xu Fengnian chewed on the candied haws, listening to the cold whistling of arrows and the cries of pain in the distance, feeling quite pleased.

He wasn't worried about scaring the young girl who had insisted on coming with him. In the past, when he and old Huang had set a trap to catch a wild boar, Xu Fengnian hadn't mastered the technique, and the boar, with its thick skin, didn't die after a few stabs. She couldn't bear it and took the knife, stabbing the boar to death in a few swift movements, leaving it dead as could be...

No wonder she wanted to be a female hero, not a refined lady who smiled without showing her teeth.

Xu Fengnian liked her, like a younger sister.

So she was different from anyone else in the mansion.

Old Huang, in his lifetime, probably only had her as a friend and confidant.

Xu Fengnian, with the Xiu Dong sword at his waist, stopped chewing the candied haws and stared at a young couple at the corner of the alley.

The young girl looked up and saw Xu Fengnian smiling mischievously, but she tugged at his sleeve and wisely remained silent.

Xu Fengnian blinked and shook his head at the young girl, then walked forward alone.

The young woman clung tightly to the young man's hand, shaking her head, "Master He, don't go! The plan has been exposed, and going now is suicide. A hundred or two Northern Liang cavalry are not something we can handle!"

The young man, surnamed He, with red eyes and a pale face, said with deep sorrow, "Sister, but your parents are there. If it weren't for my master and mistress taking me in, I would have starved to death on the streets. A day as a teacher is a lifetime as a father. Even if I die, I must go!"

The young woman, facing the inevitable death of her parents, remained cold and calm, gripping her fellow disciple's wrist even tighter, gritting her teeth, "Master He, if you die, you won't even see the faces of Xu Fengnian and Xu Weixiong. What kind of filial piety is this?!"

The young man, driven by emotion, was determined to go to his death.

The young woman, with a fair complexion, let go of his hand and slapped him across the face, sneering, "Then go to your death!"

As the young man walked away, she spat out a few words with each step, "I will live! Xu Fengnian is weak but lustful. Even if I enter a brothel, I won't regret it. I'll give my body to the prince a few times until he is completely off guard. After he has his way with me a few times, I'll stab him to death! This prince claims he never harms women