Chapter 54

(Review sections are also a battlefield of the Spring and Autumn period, very exciting.)

Prince Wangzi rode out of the city on a white horse, armed with twin sabers, followed by over a hundred light cavalry led by a burly general. However, the leading carriage was unremarkable, driven by a delicate woman. Even Prince Wangzi rode his horse, so it was clear no one had the privilege to sit inside the carriage.

After traveling a dozen miles out of the city, the hundred Phoenix Camp cavalry deliberately kept their distance, trailing far behind. The martial general, Lu Qiantang, rode up to Xu Fengnian, despite facing one of the most prominent figures of the past decade in the Beiliang Four Teeth, whose loyalty was unquestionable. Lu Qiantang, along with Shu Xiu and Yang Qingfeng, the three dogs under the Great Pillar of State, remained cautious, ready to act at any moment. It was evident that they were deeply afraid of the Great Pillar of State, fearing that any slight disturbance might harm Prince Wangzi, for which they would have to die to atone.

Xu Fengnian was discussing the essence of the "Treatise on the Two Instruments" with the old Taoist Wei Shuyang. Seeing the tense demeanor of Lu Qiantang and the others, he did not speak. Only after the spear-wielding general bent down on his horse to inquire did Xu Fengnian smile and say, "General Ning, having your troops follow behind is just to avoid the dust, nothing more. Don't be nervous. Keeping a half-mile distance, if there's any danger, it's just a sprint away. Don't you trust the Phoenix Camp? This is my personal guard, each man selected from the best of the Beiliang armies, fierce and elite. With General Ning in command, there's no room for failure."

The spear-wielding martial general, Ning Emei, had a poetic name but a robust build, with a muscular frame. The Phoenix Camp was uniformly equipped with sabers and crossbows, but he alone rode a heavily armored horse, holding a prominent Buzi iron spear and carrying a large bag with over a dozen short spears, clearly a general capable of leading thousands in battle.

Before leaving the city, Xu Fengnian had received a summary of Ning Emei's military achievements, which left him in awe. Ning Emei was an orphan from the battlefield, found and raised by the great general Wang Jian. After Wang Juling's death, Ning Emei inherited his legacy. With a spear in hand, he had achieved the feat of beheading enemy generals amidst thousands of soldiers multiple times, each time being pardoned by the Great Pillar of State for his great deeds. Otherwise, he wouldn't be the lowest-ranked among the Beiliang Four Teeth. However, as long as he could fight and kill, Ning Emei didn't care about other matters.

Throughout history, those who used spears as their weapons were all fierce and ruthless warriors.

On the battlefield, he was a god of war, but off the battlefield, Ning Emei was not a general who would casually beat his soldiers. On the contrary, he was gentle and modest. His voice, though powerful, always sounded like it came from the delicate lips of a southern woman, a truly bizarre and unique trait. Hearing Prince Wangzi's explanation, Ning Emei held his spear diagonally, the tip touching the ground, and smiled shyly, "This trip, the Great Pillar of State has ordered me to follow Prince Wangzi's instructions. Whatever the prince says, I will do."

Xu Fengnian glanced at Ning Emei's large iron spear and asked curiously, "General Ning, this Buzi spear must weigh seventy to eighty pounds?"

Ning Emei was surprised, "Does Prince Wangzi recognize this as a Buzi spear?"

Xu Fengnian laughed, "I heard about it from my second sister. I wouldn't mistake it for a decorative spear."

Ning Emei, unaware of the tense atmosphere, continued, "Prince Wangzi's guess is correct. This spear weighs seventy-five pounds, and ordinary people can't even lift it."

Xu Fengnian, with twin sabers at his waist, laughed heartily, "I look forward to seeing General Ning's spear-throwing skills. I've heard from Xu Xiao that you can knock a man off his horse with a single throw, never missing."

Ning Emei blushed slightly, just smiling. He eventually excused himself and rode back, dragging his spear.

Shu Xiu, with a charming appearance but unknown heart, pulled the reins, watching coldly. Her lips curled with disdain. This trusted general of the Great Pillar of State was truly naive. Since Prince Wangzi had recognized the weapon, whether he was knowledgeable or just lucky, he should have flattered the prince. Instead, he mentioned that ordinary people couldn't lift the spear, which could be seen as mocking the prince's lack of strength. This ignorant brute, even if Prince Wangzi wasn't a saber expert, the two excellent sabers he carried, cold and deadly, could be wielded by anyone, right?

The towering swordsman Lu Qiantang, not inferior to Ning Emei in build, simply closed his eyes, his thumb resting on the hilt of the giant sword Chixia he had chosen from the armory.

Yang Qingfeng, shrouded in a wide black robe, made his snow-white hands even more striking.

Xu Fengnian continued forward, sighing softly, "In the past, the Western Chu claimed to have a million spearmen over five thousand miles. Yet, those tens of thousands of invincible spearmen still fell to Xu Xiao's iron cavalry. It seems that among all the spears in the world, the Beiliang iron cavalry is the sharpest."

The old Taoist Wei Shuyang stroked his beard and laughed softly, "In my youth, I was fortunate to witness the spectacle of thousands of Beiliang iron cavalry charging like thunder, like the great tide on the Guangling River, overwhelming and awe-inspiring."

Xu Fengnian blinked, "Grandpa Wei, I've seen this many times."

The old Taoist was stunned for a moment, then finally understood, smiling with relief. This left Shu Xiu puzzled. Shu Xiu, along with the other two, had been kept as the Great Pillar of State's hounds in the mansion for a considerable time, though not long. The longest, Yang Qingfeng, had been there for only seven or eight years, during which Prince Wangzi had already gained a notorious reputation as the top incorrigible playboy of Beiliang.

In the martial world, there were no such things as evil sects or heretical cults. No sect or gang would call itself "evil" or "heretical." Even those with cruel practices would cry and complain in public if associated with these terms, especially in a martial world that had been crushed by the Beiliang iron cavalry. No one dared to take such a short-lived path. About sixty years ago, the martial world was as chaotic as the nine states of the Spring and Autumn period, with a sect that called itself a "heretical cult" being revered by half the martial world. What was its fate?

Longhu Mountain easily produced a once-in-a-century immortal, Qi Xianzhen, who issued a challenge to the world, summoning the six self-proclaimed heretical masters to the Lotus Peak's Demon-Slaying Platform. Qi Xianzhen alone slaughtered all six, and the sect never recovered, fading from view for fifty years, with its descendants being humiliated by later generations.

Shu Xiu came from a minor sect of the Western Chu, practicing witchcraft heavily suppressed by the righteous path. Though she was a rare witch in her sect with the potential to become the leader, Shu Xiu had her own ambitions and despised the small, hundred-member gang. She escaped and lived freely, using her beauty and inferior seduction techniques to obtain a partial high-level manual from a middle-aged Taoist on Mount Kongtong. After practicing, her power grew rapidly. Learning that it was only a third of the "Baide Bopu Jue," she traced it to the Tingchao Pavilion armory. She was lucky to survive, entering the mansion but not even seeing the Tingchao Pavilion. She was nearly killed by the mansion's hidden experts. Later, she earned her life through several successful assassinations. This time, she cherished the "Bopu Jue" greatly.

Don't think the Beiliang mansion was only a target for assassins. Every time a group came, the Beiliang forces would immediately retaliate with iron-fisted vengeance, leaving no trace of the attackers.

This was the ruthlessness of the Great Pillar of State, Xu Xiao. Only through a series of bloody incidents did people like Shu Xiu, who feared nothing, become as timid as mice. Even the bravest heroes and female knights couldn't withstand the Great Pillar of State's myriad methods of making life worse than death.

Xu Fengnian had no good feelings toward Shu Xiu and the others and didn't need to be polite. He rode up to the carriage, lifted the curtain, and saw Yu Youwei playing with Wu Meiniang. She seemed in a good mood, whether as the flower queen Yu Youwei or the orphan of the Western Chu emperor's sword maiden Yu Xuji. Now, wherever she was, she was a caged bird. If she could move to a larger cage, from the mansion to the entire martial world, her mood would be even better.

Jiang Ni was huddled in a corner, not sitting but squatting, reading a secret manual, her brows slightly furrowed, working hard and diligently.

As for the old man in the sheepskin coat, he occupied most of the carriage, removed his boots, and was picking his smelly feet, then sniffing them.

Xu Fengnian put down the curtain, sighing, "It's hard for Yu Youwei and Little Ni."

Prince Wangzi muttered to himself, "Should I change the carriage? No, in one carriage, if something happens, this strange old man might help, otherwise, even if I'm in trouble, he might not bother, let alone help the two women."

Xu Fengnian pulled out the newly drawn map, "Yugong's Geography," from his chest. After the Liyang Dynasty unified the Central Plains, the original six states expanded to the current nineteen states, showing how the Liyang Dynasty swallowed the Spring and Autumn period like a snake eating an elephant. It was reasonable that Xu Xiao became the only Great Pillar of State. Beiliang was a general term, encompassing the entire Liangzhou and half of Lingzhou. They had just left the city, which was in the southernmost part of Beiliang, and it would take another day to reach the northern border of Yongzhou. The road Xu Fengnian was taking was the same one he had traveled four years ago, which was relatively easy and could be considered a time of youthful arrogance. The journey became bleak only after entering the heart of Yongzhou.

Perhaps unable to bear the old man in the carriage, Yu Youwei held the white cat and peeked out, her eyes pleading.

Xu Fengnian snapped his fingers, and Yang Qingfeng suddenly opened his eyes. Hearing the whistle, a chestnut horse, which had been obediently following him, trotted to Prince Wangzi.

Yang Qingfeng was said to be able to tame even wild ghosts and mountain spirits, so taming a horse was no problem.

Yu Youwei, with decent riding skills, just mounted the horse, carefully soothing Wu Meiniang.

For a moment, the entire official road was filled with dust, and the ground trembled with the sound of hooves, clearly not the work of just a hundred light cavalry.

Xu Fengnian turned his horse, squinting to look.

The carriage also stopped, and Jiang Ni, who had never left the mansion before, peeked out.

Xu Fengnian smiled and, seeing the fear in Yu Youwei's eyes, waved her over, "Change horses, come sit with me."

In all of Beiliang, only two people had such authority and influence.

His father, Xu Xiao, wouldn't dare to overshadow Prince Wangzi.

The remaining one was clear.

The rumored "Little Butcher" who commanded the ten thousand Beiliang iron cavalry.

Would Xu Fengnian not recognize him?

Yu Youwei, lacking the nerve, but seeing Xu Fengnian squint, had to dismount and remount, sitting in his lap.

With the spear-wielding Ning Emei, three of the Beiliang Four Teeth appeared.

Xu Fengnian clicked his tongue, "What a grand procession."

In the midst of the iron cavalry, a man in white rode out.

Recalling the past, this white-clad man seemed to have ridden out alone, piercing the renowned general Ye Wusheng's wife and daughter to death on the battlefield.

The elegant and handsome man bowed slightly on his horse, saying softly, "Chen Zhibao comes to