Chapter 66

Lü Qiantang and Yang Qingfeng, regardless of how carefree or devious they had been in the past, had been tempered by the strict hierarchy of the Beiliang Prince's Mansion, which was as rigid as an imperial household. They had been forced to develop a cautious and meticulous nature. The conversation between the Prince and the Great Spear Ning Emei went in one ear and out the other, and they did not dare to dwell on it.

Only among the three, Shu Xiu, who relied on her femininity, was keen to observe and read the situation. Although she was not familiar with the inner workings of the Beiliang military, she noticed that the Prince's casual words had subtly won the sincere admiration of the general. After drinking six large bowls of wine, the manly valor was evident. If she were the Prince, she would definitely seize the opportunity, for example, by inviting General Ning to sit and drink, or at the very least, console him about the tragic losses in the Fengzi Camp. However, after inviting them to drink, the Prince turned to play with the white cat, insisting that the pet, nicknamed Wu Meiniang, also drink. He said that a drunk mouse would dare to carry a knife to cut a cat, and a drunk cat would dare to wield a sword to kill a tiger. This caused the former courtesan, now a beautiful woman, to hug the cat and dodge, truly as the old man, who was said to be a terrestrial sword immortal, had said: the Prince indeed enjoyed some frivolous and alluring activities, but despite his lack of interest in carnal pleasures, he could still endure it, which left Shu Xiu, skilled in the eighteen martial arts and thirty-six postures of the bedchamber, with no place to show her talents. How could the Prince not understand the charm?

Xu Fengnian drank wine and ate meat, feeling warm and full, and was just worried about not having any entertainment when he saw two young swordsmen appear on the wide official road where willows and paulownias were planted. They stood on either side of the road, their styles and auras rare sights for the common people. More remarkably, the two young swordsmen, as if they had made a pact, one wore a flowing white robe, and the other a striking black robe. One black and one white, they stood by the roadside, creating a highly dramatic scene even before they began their duel. The wine stall, besides Xu Fengnian's table, which was generous, had four or five other tables of wine drinkers who had stopped to rest. These people, though not wealthy, were just as eager to watch the spectacle as the Prince had been in his youth. They all stared with wide eyes, hoping to see the two wandering knights display some impressive moves, so they could boast to their friends and family. Unlike the rugged and martial North Liang, where wandering knights were common, the new and old governors of Yongzhou had strictly banned martial activities. The current governor of Yongzhou, Tian Zong, was a former top student of General Gu. He had led the charge across the river to capture the Southern Han kingdom. Governor Tian, a martial man, was not lenient with the younger generation. He had a troop of three hundred light cavalry specifically to deal with those who wielded weapons, and they would be severely punished and thrown into prison, where they would be beaten until they were bloody. If they were from a martial arts school, they would face even harsher penalties. As a result, it was rare to see the martial arts scenes of the past twenty years in Yongzhou.

The two swordsmen fought fiercely, their sword techniques so well-coordinated that even the laymen were amazed. Soon, the bored wine drinkers were cheering and applauding, and the official road was filled with dust. Several passing carriages stopped to watch the dazzling swordplay.

Xu Fengnian turned to watch this carefully staged performance. In the past, in Beiliang, he had only watched for entertainment and was generous with silver. Now, after practicing the art of the saber and witnessing the fierce sabers of White Fox Face and the white-haired old man, and personally blocking countless swords from the sword fanatic Wang Xiaoping of Wudang, not to mention the two finger techniques of the old sword god Li Chunjiang, the two swordsmen's weak and crude techniques were far from impressive. Xu Fengnian found it boring after a while and asked with a smile, "Lü Qiantang, how many of your swords could these two withstand together?"

Lü Qiantang, who had practiced the great sword and cultivated a powerful sword intent, replied honestly, "Not even one."

Xu Fengnian looked at Yu Youwei and teased, "These two are waiting here like rabbits, putting in all their effort to try to trick some silver from me. Their intentions are commendable. Look at their new clothes; they might have saved up by going hungry. Moreover, with the strict martial ban in Yongzhou, it takes real courage to duel on the official road. You, Yu Youwei, do you think they should be rewarded?"

Yu Youwei, whose mother was the chief sword attendant of the former emperor of Western Chu, had learned only a fraction of the splendid sword dance but had grasped most of its essence. She was not interested in the two pretentious and superficial swordsmen and shook her head, "Their sword skills are mediocre; they do not deserve a reward."

Xu Fengnian did not speak, raised his wine bowl, and took a sip, lost in thought, which was somewhat unusual. The two swordsmen on the official road, seeing no response, became anxious. They had been practicing for a long time since hearing that the Prince was touring Liangzhou, and their moves were almost exhausted. The white-robed swordsman, distracted, accidentally deviated from the rehearsed moves and injured his opponent. The black-robed swordsman, now enraged, began to fight desperately. This unintentionally excited the uninformed spectators, who thought the battle was truly intense and bloody. Such a thrilling duel between experts was far more exciting than the commoners' squabbles with kitchen knives and hoes.

The wine drinkers, who were short on money and had to count their copper coins carefully, were now willing to order more apricot flower wine.

Xu Fengnian did not watch the poor performance of the two poor wandering knights but thought of a friend he had met during his travels. Over three years and six thousand miles, apart from the generous Li Zi, the only person willing to travel with him was a guy named Wen Hua. This guy, whose parents had died early, had lived with his brother and sister-in-law for a few years but could not tolerate the sister-in-law's meanness and insults. In a fit of anger, he began to wander the world alone. However, "alone" was not quite accurate, as this penniless fellow could only carve a wooden sword for himself and could not afford a horse. Despite his poverty, Wen Hua had grand ambitions, saying he would seek a master to learn a famous sword and achieve great success before returning home to bring glory to his family. He insisted on getting a valuable sword with a hilt before he would be satisfied. Xu Fengnian once asked him what he would do if he returned home and saw his sister-in-law, and the guy replied that she was still his sister-in-law, and no matter how short-sighted, he could not really do anything to her. However, if he succeeded, he could make his brother proud and no longer have to endure the sister-in-law's abuse. Every time Wen Hua saw Old Huang leading the bony red horse, he would see a good sword, and Xu Fengnian was always worried that this sword-obsessed guy would steal the horse to sell for money, but nothing like that happened before they parted. As Wen Hua said, a sword should be earned with one's own money to truly be one's own. However, this guy had some other ideas, such as participating in martial arts contests for marriage, where he would always overestimate himself and end up being beaten and spat out. Sometimes he was even thrown off the stage, which was truly a sad and pitiful sight. Xu Fengnian, watching from the audience, would break out in a cold sweat and have to carry him off the stage with great effort. Fortunately, after being half-dead and sick for a while, he would always recover and continue to participate in contests, bringing shame to himself and confidence to his opponents.

This guy, who had promised to treat his good brother to several pounds of cooked beef, was he still well? Had he earned money to buy a sword? Had he met a good girl?

He said a good girl didn't have to be beautiful, but she had to be kind and willing to wait for him to achieve his dreams.

Xu Fengnian suddenly came to his senses and said, "They should be rewarded!"

Yu Youwei, puzzled, did not argue. Having grown up in a golden and silver mountain, she was not afraid of running out of money. Could she stop the Prince from rewarding them? Besides, why would she want to stop him? Even as the top courtesan in Liangzhou, she had heard from the courtesans around her that many rich young men, though generous in the brothels, were only showing off. At home, they would be beaten by their fathers, and they were often cold and stingy to their servants. In contrast, Yu Youwei preferred the Prince, who was generous to everyone. The evil servants of the Prince's mansion were willing to risk their lives for him, and she had heard a secret: several evil servants had even blocked swords for Xu Fengnian when he was in danger, risking their lives without hesitation. Yu Youwei did not dare to investigate further.

Xu Fengnian picked up his wine bowl, raised it, and asked Jiang Ni, "How much should we reward them?"

Jiang Ni sneered, "It's not my silver. Reward them as much as you want. A thousand gold pieces is fine."

Xu Fengnian said to himself, "I don't have that much, and I wouldn't spend it. We should save money when traveling. Alright, let's make it a round number, a thousand taels."

Xu Fengnian snapped his fingers, and Qingniao, who was most in tune with the Prince, turned to get the silver bills from the carriage. If it were a thousand taels of silver, the two injured swordsmen would be exhausted just carrying it. Carrying silver in public was asking for trouble. Did they really think the world was so peaceful that no one would pick up lost items?

Jiang Ni, who looked indifferent, secretly turned her head. The little girl, who was not good at calculations, stretched out her fingers to count. One hand was not enough, so she added her other hand, which had calluses. After much effort, she finally got the result and immediately frowned. A thousand taels, one character for one coin, a thousand coins for one tael. She would have to read a million characters of secret manuals and classics! She might not earn a thousand taels even after reading all the books in a box!

Practicing the sword seemed quite good. Look at those two wandering knights; they earned a thousand taels after just a few bowls of wine.

Jiang Ni, secretly calculating, sighed and muttered, "But practicing the sword is really hard."

She looked up at the old sword god, who had once been invincible but now had only one arm, and decided to stick with reading and earning money.

The two swordsmen, who had not heard the Prince's words, "It's a skill, they should be rewarded," were very disheartened. Their efforts had been exhausting, and the fight had become weaker, with a risk of fizzling out. The spectators, who only needed to drink and talk, could not see the subtleties but could tell the difference in the excitement. Seeing the two wandering knights becoming sloppy, they began to boo and jeer. The two swordsmen, covered in dust, wanted to beat up these bastards but could not, as the Prince was still there. As Xu Fengnian had predicted, their outfits were all on credit, and their valuable swords were their only possessions. Otherwise, they would have lost everything and would have no face to show their waiting lovers.

Thank goodness the heavens had eyes!

Qingniao slowly walked over and handed each young swordsman a stack of five hundred silver bills. One of them, upon receiving the silver, could not help but glance at the beautiful woman, but he saw a blur and was thrown back, landing heavily in the dust. The other swordsman, shocked, quickly ran over to help his companion and fled through a shortcut.

Yu Youwei, seeing this comical scene, could not help but smile.

Xu Fengnian, however, had no smile. He lowered his head and took a sip of wine, muttering to himself, "Wen Hua, it doesn't matter if you can't afford a good sword. I hope you can keep carrying that broken wooden sword and become famous. When the time comes, according to our agreement, you treat me to beef, and I'll cheer for you."

The old sword god Li Chunjiang's expression changed slightly.

Looking at the Prince, who was acting a bit strangely today, the old man habitually tugged at his sheepskin coat and said softly, "Kid, find some time to spar with that Lü guy. I'll watch for fun. It's better than watching two idiots who don't even deserve to hold a sword."

Xu Fengnian, busy thinking about the old agreement, did not hear clearly and looked up in surprise, "What?"

The old man, who had always been sharp-tongued with the Prince, now spoke calmly, "I said, spar with that Lü guy, and I'll watch for fun."

Xu Fengnian said solemnly, "Alright!"

{Piaotian Literature}