Chapter 68

While eating, Xu Fengnian and Wei Shuyang each told some strange stories about Qingcheng Mountain. Yu Youwei listened with rapt attention, while the old sword god just gobbled his food. Although Jiang Ni was quite fond of the scenery of Qingcheng Mountain, she said that the Western Shu had many immortal mountains, and just the towering Emei Mountain alone surpassed all other famous mountains. Xu Fengnian, however, said that the continuous snow-capped mountains in the Western Regions were even higher than Emei and Qingcheng combined, but literati and poets lacked the ability to see them with their own eyes. Jiang Ni said that Xu Fengnian was just talking nonsense, but the old man mumbled that the snow-capped mountains in the Western Regions were indeed much higher than Emei, and Lantou Mountain claimed to be three times as high as the highest Emei, which was a modest statement. Only then did Jiang Ni lose her temper.

Yu Youwei softly asked, "Should we send some to the Fengzi Camp?"

Xu Fengnian, who was gnawing on a white nut chicken, pointed with his greasy fingers at the three people who could only eat at the door, and said calmly, "Showing a little kindness to these people is a waste of effort and won't win their favor. Not to mention the Fengzi Camp, for these three, if you don't give them what they desire most, even if you put ten thousand roasted white nut chickens in front of them, they would only find it disgusting."

Yu Youwei said in a soft voice, "But being approachable is always good, isn't it?"

Xu Fengnian smiled and said, "That's only because you haven't been in the Beiliang army. Xu Xiao's prestige was earned by leading from the front and risking his life. In the later stages of the chaotic wars, the former emperor specifically ordered Xu Xiao not to personally engage in battle. Several of the Beiliang army's top generals died in place of Xu Xiao. Do you know? Wang Jian, the mighty warrior known as the incarnation of the Celestial Giant, and the two before him, all died. Qi Dangguo, who now leads the Beiliang army, has scars that would shock even a veteran of a hundred battles. Xu Xiao himself said that his survival to this day is due to fate, and that heaven doesn't want him to die. Giving small favors, if managed properly, can indeed bring greater benefits, but it can never earn someone's loyalty to the point of giving their life. Whether it's a martial artist like Lü Qiantang or the elite soldiers of the Fengzi Camp, if I want them to give their lives for me, well, it's still too early."

Yu Youwei, who was warming herself by the fire, felt a chill. This prince had barely spoken to them and was already thinking about how to trick them into giving their lives in the future?

Seemingly guessing Yu Youwei's thoughts, Xu Fengnian said sarcastically, "Do you think they are fools? If I say, 'Hey, give me your lives,' they would really hand them over obediently? The title of prince can only scare and lure some petty people. If I were a hollow fool, I would end up as a wasteful rich kid. Yu Youwei, let me tell you something you don't know. When we climbed the mountain earlier, did you see any torches of cavalry moving on the small paths? No, right? Because the Fengzi Camp's night and field battles are among the best in the Beiliang army. The military books say that cavalry has ten advantages, nine disadvantages, and eight harms. Logically, dense forests are the worst places for cavalry, but if anyone really thinks that the hundred soldiers of the Fengzi Camp can't fight effectively on the mountain, they are just asking for trouble. The horses of the Fengzi Camp, from selection, breeding, feeding, training, to horseshoes, stirrups, saddles, and armor, and finally to selecting horses with consistent jumping speeds for formation, and frequent archery and horseback riding, every step must be perfect. When a warhorse dies, it is not to be eaten but to have its ears and hooves cut off and returned to the horse supervisor. Violators are punished by military law. This is just a glimpse of the Beiliang army. Xu Xiao's army is clear in rewards and punishments. Before a battle, he doesn't seek great achievements but only ensures that he makes no mistakes. In the end, it's only through fighting to the death, and fighting to the death, and fighting to the death again, that Xu Xiao leads his troops. Even the great general himself leads the charge, so how can the 300,000 iron cavalry not be fearless in defeat and unyielding in death? Among the four great generals of the Spring and Autumn period, who can make even the lowest-ranking soldier willing to fight to the death like Xu Xiao? Yu Youwei, tell me, is it good or bad for this prince to take you, a beauty, to tour famous mountains and give a little favor to the Fengzi Camp?"

Yu Youwei was shocked speechless.

Xu Fengnian wiped his hands on Yu Youwei's clothes and smiled, "Don't be upset. In a few days, when we reach a large city, we'll change your old clothes. Also, when did you untie the silk ribbon that binds your chest? What a magnificent sight, hidden away. Do you think it's too big and will look bad when you dance with a sword? Wrong, it's precisely because it's big that your sword dance will have more power. With each swing and sway, the majestic and powerful sword intent will emerge. Any woman in the world would feel inferior to you. What I say in bed is the truth."

Perhaps because the prince's words jumped from one topic to another, Yu Youwei didn't immediately blush and run away. She just held Wu Meiniang and stared blankly.

The old sword god laughed exaggeratedly, "This is a bit of wisdom, and it sounds good to me."

Jiang Ni subconsciously stole a glance at Yu Youwei's still very full and plump chest, then looked down at her own, feeling a bit discouraged.

Lü Qiantang entered the courtyard and whispered, "Your Highness, there's an attack. More than thirty people, but they are just bandits in the forest."

With just a word from the prince, Lü Qiantang could make these bandits die without knowing how.

Xu Fengnian, however, smiled and said, "Let them all in. Lü Qiantang, and Yang Qingfeng, who looks even more like a ghost, don't show yourselves. Be careful not to scare them. Yang Qingfeng, go tell Ning Emei to stay put. Shu Xiu, you stay."

More than a dozen burly men noisily flooded into the courtyard, with the rest crowding at the door, peering in. They had followed the light, and now they had found a rare big catch. There were few pilgrims, and this group today made them laugh. They all widened their eyes and almost simultaneously swallowed their saliva. The young man sitting on the steps looked like a noble's son, at the very least a wealthy young man from Yongzhou. As for the old man eating meat and the old Taoist, they didn't pay much attention. But the others were all stunning beauties. The plump lady holding the white cat had a figure that was simply perfect, like a fairy! The young maid roasting meat had a face that was incredibly beautiful, with her legs tightly closed, leaving no gaps, a real maiden! The older lady standing closest to them, who looked like a fox spirit, what was the word for it? Right, alluring!

The men at the door, who were less physically fit and thus more likely to shout and cheer than to charge and plunder, were almost driven mad. They pushed and shoved, and the shorter ones started jumping, just to get a few more looks. How could such beautiful and gentle young ladies withstand the rounds of the bandit chiefs? Would they get a chance to taste the freshness? The three women in the courtyard were sights they had never seen in their lives, let alone touch or even press down. If the bandit chiefs took them as their wives, they would be doomed! If it weren't for the presence of a noble's son, a Taoist priest, and a bony old man in a sheepskin coat, they would have thought the fairies had descended from heaven.

The bandit chief, wielding a pair of rusty Xuanhua axes, sneered, "Do you know about the Yin-Yang Pavilion on Qingcheng Mountain?"

Xu Fengnian, with a look of innocent confusion, replied, "Yes, the pavilion is in the world of the living, and below it is the world of the dead, with completely different climates. I once heard in this temple that when it rains below, it is sunny above."

The second-in-command, a scrawny and lecherous man even smaller than the old sword god, jumped forward and tried to touch Shu Xiu's chest with his dirty, nail-filled hands. Poor Shu Xiu, not knowing the prince's true intentions, had to pretend to be frightened and took a small step back, just in time to avoid the disgusting touch.

Shu Xiu, unfortunately, was the least respected outsider in the courtyard, standing close to them. She not only smelled their wild men's sweat but also the terrifying armpit odor of the scrawny man. Looking at the prince, who remained indifferent, Shu Xiu felt helpless, hoping that the prince would soon lose interest in playing with cats and monkeys. She really didn't want to stand in the same courtyard with them. As a former witch, she still knew some witchcraft that could make them suffer worse than death. She could release some specially bred venomous creatures into their bodies to slowly devour their organs, or reverse their meridians, causing their bodies to explode. Since they were full of lewd thoughts, she had a sedative, but she wouldn't use it on them. Instead, she would give it to wild bears or monkeys, and then they would really gnash their teeth. Shu Xiu could guarantee that they would end up with large holes in their bodies.

Xu Fengnian wrapped his arm around Yu Youwei, rubbed her smooth face with his stubbly chin, and asked with a smile, "So, are you robbers?"

This naive question made even Jiang Ni feel embarrassed.