Chapter 43

From ancient times, it has only been the Prince who teases others; who would ever think of being teased? Moreover, the white fox-faced person beside him is a man!

Xu Fengnian felt a deep sorrow, but what could he do? Even after switching to the Spring Thunder saber, he was still no match for the white fox-faced person, and immediately felt the urge to go into seclusion to practice his saber skills. He would practice for a few hundred years, and wouldn't he then be invincible in the world? The Prince's current state of despair had reduced him to self-hypnosis. The white fox-faced person drank his wine, and with a glance from his phoenix eyes, he saw Xu Fengnian's frustration, feeling a great sense of relief. The two pots of wine warmed his stomach, and the words he spoke warmed his heart. No wonder Xu the Beggar, despite his dire poverty during his travels, still had a sharp tongue. Sometimes, words can be the most hurtful, seemingly even sharper than the Spring Thunder and Embroidered Winter sabers.

After finishing his wine, the white fox-faced person placed the two empty pots at his feet and looked at the calm lake, smiling, "I heard the 'Radiant Beilu Town Spirit Song' that night. The lyrics were well-written, but the melody was a bit lacking, wasting a thousand and eight characters."

Xu Fengnian pointed at himself and laughed dryly, "Forgive me, it was this Prince who composed the melody."

The white fox-faced person punched him and then gave him a sweet word, "When I said it wasn't good, it was because the lyrics were so excellent. If your melody stood alone, it would still exceed my expectations. Perhaps I shouldn't call you a good-for-nothing anymore."

Xu Fengnian leaned back and lay on the ground, saying indifferently, "Go ahead and call me. It's rare to meet someone who can call me names without making me angry. I can't let this opportunity go to waste."

The white fox-faced person asked, "If someone else called you names?"

Xu Fengnian said matter-of-factly, "I would first curse back, then beat them to death."

The white fox-faced person suddenly understood, "No wonder Beilu is saying you are arrogant and domineering."

Xu Fengnian feigned profundity, "I'm sure you can see through it. It's all an act. In fact, I'm enduring hardship to achieve my goals. One day, I will make a grand entrance and let the whole world know of this Prince's civil and military prowess!"

The white fox-faced person said lazily, "You're not acting; you're just going with the flow. You are inherently a lazy and unruly person."

Xu Fengnian burst into laughter, "White fox-faced person, you really understand me. You said something earlier, right? Oh, I remember, if you were a woman, I would marry you!"

The white fox-faced person ignored him and asked softly, "You, a lazy person, actually learned the saber, just for Old Huang?"

Xu Fengnian shook his head, "Not entirely. I probably won't be able to defeat the old monster Wang Xianzhi in this life, and thus won't be able to retrieve Old Huang's sword case. I am very clear about this. But I secretly think that even if I can't defeat Wang Xianzhi, I can still wait for the day he dies of old age. If the Second in the World can live another sixty or seventy years, I will admit his strength. If he can't, I will tear down the Wu Di City!"

The white fox-faced person smiled and asked, "Would you not go to the East Sea before Wang Xianzhi dies of illness or old age?"

Xu Fengnian said seriously, "I will go. I might leave Beilu after the first month of the new year. I have some debts to repay, some people to curse, and some people to kill. Of course, I will also go to Wu Di City."

The white fox-faced person turned to look at the lying Prince, puzzled, "Since you can't defeat him and won't be able to retrieve the sword case, why go?"

Xu Fengnian said calmly, "Just to see. If I don't go, I'm afraid that over the years, I will gradually forget about Old Huang and the sword case."

The white fox-faced person thought for a moment, then lay down straight, stretching his legs, and said softly, "It seems like me. I'm afraid that if I can't hold my breath, I will forget everything. Giving you the Embroidered Winter was right. Now, giving you the Spring Thunder won't be wrong either."

Xu Fengnian grinned, "White fox-faced person, it's a pity you're a man."

The white fox-faced person returned the favor, narrowing his eyes and smiling, "It's a pity you're not a woman."

Xu Fengnian closed his eyes.

The white fox-faced person said softly, "When you leave Beilu, I won't follow. The armory has five floors of secret manuals. I won't leave until I reach the top floor. So, can you change your condition?"

Without waiting for Xu Fengnian to answer, the white fox-faced person continued, "If you don't agree, and I still follow you into the world, I will still fulfill my promise."

Xu Fengnian, still with his eyes closed, pulled the corners of his mouth, "Exchanging the Embroidered Winter for the Spring Thunder is enough. Old Huang said, a person must be content to be full in heart and stomach. Listen to this wisdom, no wonder he could wield those nine swords. I think this is what makes a true expert. To hell with Wang Xianzhi, Deng Tai'a, and Cao Guanzi!"

The white fox-faced person closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up in the morning, the white fox-faced person sat up abruptly, his face pale. The Embroidered Winter saber beside him trembled and cried out. When he noticed the familiar sable fur coat covering him, he quickly calmed down and smiled self-mockingly.

When Xu Fengnian found Jiang Ni, she was washing clothes by the water. The few thin, white clothes were being washed gently, as if she was afraid to use too much force. Seeing Xu Fengnian, the once proud princess, now a lowly maid, had a cold expression and ignored him. Xu Fengnian had heard that his second sister, upon returning to the mansion, had treated this silly girl, who had written the 'Great Gengjiao Vow to Kill' note, very harshly. Xu Fengnian didn't feel sorry; he only felt a sense of schadenfreude. "Let her make a fuss, let her not properly tend to that small vegetable garden."

Jiang Ni seemed to catch a glimpse of Xu Fengnian's malicious smile from the corner of her eye, her face turned even colder. She accidentally used too much force while washing the clothes, her eyes filled with regret, and she immediately washed more gently, no longer caring about arguing with Xu Fengnian.

This Prince, who could casually create a 'Beilu Town Spirit Song' that could be heard throughout the city, was a wastrel of a noble family, while she was just a maid who dared not wash clothes with too much force. What was the point of arguing with him?

Xu Fengnian looked at Jiang Ni's red, frozen cheeks. Sigh, when she didn't smile, her dimples were shallow. Looking into her eyes, they were lifeless. Had she been discouraged by her second sister's scolding? Had she given up on the idea of killing him? This didn't seem like her usual behavior. Could it be that her second sister had given her too strong a dose of medicine?

After a moment of thought, Xu Fengnian smiled, "In the coming days, come to the Wutong Courtyard and read books to me. One character for one coin. What do you think of this deal?"

Jiang Ni didn't hesitate, saying firmly, "I won't read!"

Xu Fengnian said leisurely, "You should know that the books I want you to read are from the armory. You won't read? You won't earn this money?"

Jiang Ni frowned, washing the clothes even more carefully and slowly.

Xu Fengnian turned and walked away.

Jiang Ni coldly snorted and continued to wash the clothes.

She wasn't going to fall for it!

Xu Fengnian's voice came from a distance, "One character for one coin, a thousand characters for one string of coins. Ten thousand characters a day for a hundred strings of coins. Three hundred and sixty thousand strings of coins a year, minus rest days. By the end of the year, you'll have three hundred thousand strings of coins. Just think about it, how impressive. What a pity."

Jiang Ni pursed her lips.

Xu Fengnian seemed to be walking further away, but his voice was still clear, "Reading ten thousand books makes one's writing as if inspired by the divine. There's an old saying, read three hundred poems, and even if you can't write poetry, you can still recite it. Well, I'll have Sweet Potato and Green Ant read to me; their voices are more pleasant to listen to."

Jiang Ni turned and spat at Xu Fengnian.

Xu Fengnian always treated Jiang Ni this way, just teasing her a bit, making her angry like a spitting wildcat, but never hurting her. Perhaps there were many small acts of kindness mixed in, but Jiang Ni either ignored them or saw them as provocations.

When the Prince disappeared from her line of sight, Jiang Ni was lost in thought. Although she was born into the highest nobility, a child of a few years old couldn't really understand the value of money. After being captured and brought to the Beilu Mansion, she lived a very poor and hard life. Her monthly allowance was less than two taels of silver. A string of ten thousand coins was ten thousand taels of silver, something she could only dream of. Jiang Ni wasn't particularly interested in making money; what truly attracted her was the secret manuals in the armory, which she had longed for for many years. She knew that Xu Fengnian, the cruel and vicious person, was working hard to practice his saber skills on Wudang, never stopping or slackening. This made Jiang Ni wonder, what could the divine talisman wrapped around her arm do?

She couldn't kill the Prince a few years ago, and even if she had a hundred or a thousand talismans, could she kill him now?

But if she agreed to read for him, Xu Fengnian, being so cunning and deceitful, wouldn't there be a trap waiting for her to fall into?

Jiang Ni's eyes were empty, and she walked aimlessly to the small snowman and squatted down.

The greatest sorrow is the death of the heart.

Xu Fengnian stood in the shadows, squinting at the small mud figure and the small snowman.

The great marshal Xu Xiao appeared behind him, smiling lightly, "Have you been watching for ten years and still not had enough?"

Xu Fengnian rolled his eyes.

Xu Xiao