Chapter 6

Bai Hu'er Lian entered the mansion without any hindrance. For those martial artists from sects whose homes had been trampled by the Northern Liang Iron Cavalry, entering this place was as difficult as ascending to heaven, and inside, it was even more perilous, ranking alongside the Martial Emperor City, which was guarded by the "Second Best in the World," and the Wu Family Sword Tomb, known for its sword immortals, as one of the three forbidden and dangerous places.

The Martial Emperor City was home to a monstrous old man who looked down upon all the martial experts in the world.

The Sword Tomb was filled with withered swordsmen who were only allowed to use or even touch swords for their entire lives.

As for the Northern Liang Mansion, besides the visible Northern Liang Iron Cavalry guards, there were countless reclusive experts hidden in the shadows. During that great martial calamity, Xu Shao, the butcher, not only slaughtered countless well-known martial experts like cutting straw, but also recruited a considerable number of "lackeys" with poor character but monstrous strength.

From the day Xu Shao, initially an unknown soldier, first took the field, he almost never took off his armor or dismounted, rising steadily for nearly forty years without end. This was enough to allow Xu Shao, the great demon who struck fear into the hearts of all martial artists, to nurture countless guests, orators, knights, and assassins, bestowing them with gold, beautiful concubines, or fame and power.

After the construction of the armory, various martial enthusiasts came to study, willing to serve the Northern Liang King and protect the mansion.

Who would dare to provoke Xu Shao's tiger whiskers? There was only one person who dared to call himself "老子" (Laozi, meaning "I" in a domineering way) and act rudely in front of Xu Shao: Xu Fengnian, who led Bai Hu'er Lian into the mansion.

At this moment, the Young Master introduced the mansion's scenery to Bai Hu'er Lian, who only knew her name. Xu Fengnian, as he said, could not endure hardship or learn martial arts, and despite having the armory that all martial artists dreamed of, he only read some minor and obscure books inside. Therefore, Xu Fengnian did not have much of a sense of the hidden dangers in the dark corners of the mansion, while Bai Hu'er Lian did not dare to be careless.

When they reached the majestic Tingchao Pavilion, they looked up at the pavilion's roof, their eyes filled with complex emotions. What was called a pavilion was actually a proper tower, with a pointed roof and layered eaves, looking the same from all directions.

Xu Fengnian smiled lightly and said:

"Officially, it has six floors, but actually, it has nine. Numbers start from one and reach nine, but to avoid someone in the capital saying something nasty, it is now like this.

As you can see, the lower four floors have corridors, the fifth and sixth floors can be used as lookout halls. The top floor has no books or items, it is completely empty. Inside the tower, five people are specifically responsible for arranging the martial arts secrets from the easiest to the hardest, from the bottom to the top. They are what the martial world calls 'gatekeepers,' all of whom I have known since childhood, and they are elusive.

There is only one person who copies the books, and I learned calligraphy and painting from him. He is a sickly man, more ghostly than a ghost, but he still loves alcohol. I have to bring him wine every time I go upstairs.

If the gatekeepers are considered experts, I believe it. If my half-teacher is one, I will jump from the ninth floor."

Bai Hu'er Lian did not push for entry into the tower, nor did he admire the ten thousand carp in the lake. He turned and walked away, saying lightly:

"First, help me get a set of 'Sumeru Sesame Seed' out. The Buddhist holy site Beilin Temple only has half a set, and the tower should have the other half, totaling six volumes. I read quickly, and reading one by one is too troublesome and not cost-effective for me, because I will pay for the wine you need to go upstairs. I can only give you one of the two swords, Xiu Dong and Chun Lei, so the fewer times you go upstairs, the more at ease I will feel."

Xu Fengnian asked in a slightly bargaining tone: "Can I have the Chun Lei?"

Bai Hu'er Lian, being a straightforward man, replied without hesitation: "Yes."

Xu Fengnian was surprised: "You really can part with it?"

Bai Hu'er Lian, who was leaving, said calmly: "There is nothing in this world that cannot be let go."

Xu Fengnian pursed his lips, muttering to himself: "Only a solitary person has the right to say that."

Bai Hu'er Lian settled in a secluded courtyard not far from the Young Master's compound, living a life that Xu Fengnian found extremely boring, staying up all night, almost to the point of chiseling through the wall to steal light or hanging himself from the beam to stay awake.

Xu Fengnian originally wanted to invite this beauty to enjoy the scenery, but gave up. Besides delivering books to the courtyard and returning them to the Tingchao Pavilion, he only chatted briefly when delivering the books, asking about trivial matters in the martial world.

For example, he asked Bai Hu'er Lian who among the top ten martial experts was the best, and whether the four beauties were truly as beautiful as fish diving and geese flying, which were naive questions from an outsider.

Bai Hu'er Lian, who was living under someone else's roof, mostly ignored him.

Xu Fengnian was helpless, but the only gain was that the now unapproachable Bai Hu'er Lian allowed him to touch the two swords, Xiu Dong and Chun Lei, and even let him draw Xiu Dong and play a few clumsy moves.

The Grand Marshal turned a blind eye to this, never asking a single word.

...

When the news of the Young Master's return to the city spread, the rich and powerful young men of Lingzhou who were friends with Xu Fengnian came running over, but Xu Fengnian was still fast asleep, and the Grand Marshal drove them all away.

It was only now that someone could enter the mansion to disturb him. One was Yan Chiji, the second son of Yan Jiexi, the governor of Lingzhou, and the other was Li Hanlin, a notorious young man from Fengzhou.

The former, due to the unfortunate pronunciation of his name, was called "Yechiji" (meaning "I eat chicken") by the young men of the neighboring states and counties, but he was a rare gentleman, a bookworm, albeit a rather cute one, who was vague about small matters but clear-sighted about big ones.

The latter, with a refined name, was a complete bully, who enjoyed throwing live people into animal cages to watch them be torn apart, and had a taste for both men and women, especially those with red lips and white teeth, and always brought one or two handsome young servants with him for his pleasure.

Xu Fengnian and Yan Jiexi became acquainted because Yan Jiexi had been used to following the Young Master since childhood, and Xu Fengnian enjoyed teasing this same-age friend who always talked about the teachings of the sages.

As for the scoundrel Li Hanlin, he was ruthless and merciless in harming others, but had no flaws in treating his friends. Moreover, Li Hanlin had a sister who was extremely beautiful, and Xu Fengnian had long been lusting after her, hoping to get closer to her.

Besides the bookworm Yan Chiji and the bully Li Hanlin, there was another good friend from an official family, surnamed Kong, but he had moved to the capital with his father for a promotion and had not been seen for four years. He was a martial enthusiast.

When the four gathered, the division of labor was that Xu Fengnian, the leader, came up with bad ideas, Yan Chiji, who was meticulous and never made mistakes, cleaned up the mess, Kong, the martial enthusiast, provided the muscle, and if things went wrong, Li Hanlin, who was ready to take the fall, would bear the blame. It was a perfect plan.

"Brother Feng~" Yan Chiji, who had been Xu Fengnian's little follower for over ten years, was now a handsome young man, but when they met, he looked as if he was about to cry, calling out a tender and affectionate name, his eyes moist.

Sigh, this guy is good in every way, but he is too delicate, sentimental, and melancholy, like a woman. No wonder Li Hanlin thought he had the same taste for young men, but he was a man, and he played with young men, while Yan Chiji was infatuated with Brother Feng.

"Brother Feng!" Li Hanlin's greeting was much more domineering, wanting to hug Xu Fengnian, who had been away for a long time, but Xu Fengnian lifted his foot and gently pushed him away, laughing and scolding, "Stay away from me, you reek of the scent of men."

The old friends reunited at the Baihe Tower on the top of Liangshan, the best place for a distant view. The couplet hanging outside the tower, "Old friends send me down Yangguan, immortals help me up Huangshan," was not written by a famous calligrapher whose work was worth a thousand gold, but by Xu Fengnian when he was eight years old.

Now it looks even more childish, but even though his calligraphy had improved, the copyist in the Tingchao Pavilion, who was the Young Master's half-teacher, said this was the most uncrafted couplet, both in writing and meaning. The Grand Marshal was so pleased that he had it carefully engraved and hung, and it had not been replaced for years.

Xu Fengnian did not talk much about the hardships and difficulties of the past three years, but he picked some fresh martial anecdotes to tell his two friends, narrating them in a gentle manner, making them gasp and envy.

After drinking a pot of wine, Xu Fengnian finished his story, and Yan Chiji and Li Hanlin were still savoring it. Xu Fengnian walked to the corridor, leaned on the railing, and smiled lightly: "Now you know you are like frogs at the bottom of a well. Yechiji will definitely read ten thousand books, and I have traveled thousands of miles. What about you, Hanlin?"

The straightforward Li Hanlin scratched his head and said: "How about becoming a general and killing ten thousand people?"

Yan Chiji sneered: "Brute."

Li Hanlin jumped up and said: "Dare you say that to the Grand Marshal?"

Yan Chiji was speechless and could not respond.

Xu Fengnian suggested: "Shall we go for a ride?"

Li Hanlin was the first to agree, excitedly saying: "We must go to the Zijin Building. The fish courtesan has not taken a single customer for you in the past three years, and her fame has been overshadowed by a new courtesan."

Xu Fengnian asked: "Do you have money?"

Li Hanlin patted his bulging stomach and said with a grin: "See? I stole ten thousand silver bills from the secret room for this trip. I'm willing to risk being confined to my room for Brother Feng."

Yan Chiji mocked: "Look at you, so accomplished."

Li Hanlin, with a thick skin, laughed: "Why don't you steal some? Not ten thousand, just one thousand. Do you dare? You scholars only talk about theories. When it comes to real fights, it's always us three who do the work. If you were given a naked woman, you wouldn't even dare to roll on her belly, and you dare to say I'm not accomplished."

Yan Chiji's face turned red, and he coldly snorted.

On every cold night under the sky, listening to the harsh snoring of Old Huang nearby, Xu Fengnian, who had turned from blaming heaven and earth to finding joy in hardship, would miss the time spent bickering with his friends, leaping horses by the Nanhu River, teasing good families, singing on the brothel, causing trouble, and getting drunk together.

The three said in unison: "Let's go~"