Chapter 70

(Thanks for the generous support today... from my apprentice, Mingche, and Zou Zhaoqin. Thank you for your support all along.)

Xu Fengnian took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air, feeling refreshed and joked, "Grandpa Wei, are there really immortals who dine on the essence of the sun and moon? Do you think there are great immortals in the Qingyang Palace who feed on the essence of the sun and moon?"

The old Taoist priest chuckled lightly, "This old Taoist has never heard of such immortals. My master back then only knew some techniques for fasting and preserving essence, far from the realm of immortality."

Xu Fengnian left the pavilion, looked up at the twin peaks of Qingyang Tianzun, which resembled a pair of ox horns, and muttered to himself, "The King of Qingcheng, sounds pretty impressive, doesn't it? The Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain is only granted the title of National Master in charge of all Taoist affairs, and the leader of Wudang Mountain is nothing at all. Here, there's a king who claims the mountain as his own. Should I go take a look?"

Wei Shuyang smiled but said nothing. Because of his exalted status and the long-standing friendship with the young prince, he knew about the farce of the two geese for a eunuch. Now, seeing the young prince mapping out the landscape as he traveled, it seemed he was drawing wherever he went. Was there a hidden mystery in this path? The old Taoist of the Nine Dippers did not dare to delve deeper, but kept it in mind. Words could lead to trouble, and the literati of Beiliang, who were once bold and outspoken, had mostly been silenced by the Grand Marshal. No one dared to discuss military and political affairs on the border, only composing poetry. Interestingly, a few brave poets who joined the military had produced many bold and grand poems, attracting many young men seeking fame to join the army on the border. It was quite amusing that many of the young nobles who were tormented by the young prince in the local area, feeling they had no future, also went to the border to earn military merit, at least there, they wouldn't be suppressed by the young prince.

In the Taoist temple, Xu Fengnian couldn't help but smile slightly when he saw Jiang Ni, who looked exhausted with red, swollen eyes. This girl's courage was truly negligible; the only brave act in her life was probably trying to kill him. Yu Youwei, on the other hand, slept soundly, her face clear, as if she had understood something she couldn't grasp before. Her gaze towards the young prince was clearer, without the murky and gloomy self-pity. Xu Fengnian didn't bother to dwell on these trivial matters, just ate breakfast hastily, and then found the old sword god standing with his hands behind his back. The old man was staring at a faded and old door couplet. Xu Fengnian lowered his voice, "I've put some new things in the book box on the carriage. If we need to escape, please take Jiang Ni and the box with you."

The old sword god lazily replied, "It depends on my mood."

Xu Fengnian secretly bared his teeth, but considering the old sword god was there to watch his duel with Lu Qiantang, he didn't criticize the old man for his declining prowess. Suddenly, he saw the old man, who was once a top figure in the martial world, scratch his crotch with his single arm. Xu Fengnian couldn't help but grin. Old Sword God Li, Grandpa Wei said you were once the most handsome and dashing swordsman, with countless women pining for you, but your current behavior is really not what it's cracked up to be! It was indeed wise not to reveal to Grandpa Wei that this old man was Li Chunjian. The old man, wearing a sheepskin coat, had just scratched his crotch and then brushed his yellow teeth, removing bits of meat from the previous night's meal. Xu Fengnian, who had seen everything, silently walked away, cursing the land sword immortal in his heart...

Following the path around the mountain, they passed the two peaks at the front of Qingcheng Mountain and arrived at the waist of Huagai Peak. From the dense forest, a commotion of pushing and cursing could be heard. The muscular Lu Qiantang stopped his horse, squinting to look. This man, carrying the giant sword Chixia, sat on a tall and strong horse, and to the uninitiated, he might seem slightly less imposing than the spearman Ning Emei, but this towering swordsmen from Dongyue was undoubtedly intimidating to petty thieves. Lu Qiantang saw a thin, pale youth pushed out of the forest, stumbling and falling on the road, face down. Instead of addressing the bandits with their usual jargon, the youth turned back and shouted, "Liu Luzhu, I'll make your wife's life miserable tonight! Why did you push me? You don't even have the strength to climb the wall and watch you on top of your wife. Why did you push me out? I'll expose your dirty deeds from last month when you groped a girl's breasts in the city market!"

Lu Qiantang watched coldly, slowly drawing his giant sword.

A hoarse voice from the forest called out, "Kid, you're asking for it, run! The wind is tight, get out of here!"

It seemed these bandits were much weaker than those from the previous night, but their eyesight was much better. The most amusing part was that the youth, before running, looked at Yu Youwei, Shu Xiu, and Qingniao, and shouted, "The sisters are even prettier than the fairy ladies in Qingyang Palace!"

Yu Youwei's lips curled up, this little bandit was much cuter than the unlucky bandits from the previous night.

At some point, the young prince spurred his horse forward, using the Xiudong knife to push down Lu Qiantang's hand that was drawing Chixia, with a look of genuine surprise and joy on his face. The young prince held the Xiudong knife on his shoulder and laughed, "Little Hawthorn?!"

The youth, about to run into the forest, suddenly stopped, turned to look at the unfamiliar young nobleman on the horse, and felt a sense of familiarity, but how could he recognize such a wealthy and imposing young man? Damn, could it be that I'm on the city's bandit list? No way, our group is the least significant among the ten or so bandit groups on Qingcheng Mountain. Even our leader, Old Meng, doesn't have the honor of being depicted on the city walls. For this, the leader was very angry, always ranting and spitting, saying he was the first bandit king of Qingcheng Mountain, why wasn't he on the list?! He had kidnapped several county officials' wives and daughters, but just took the money and let them go. So they look down on us?!

The youth, whom the young prince called Little Hawthorn, stared for a moment and hesitantly said, "Xu Fengnian?"

The young prince narrowed his phoenix eyes, pursed his lips, and the critical Shu Xiu was momentarily lost in his charm. Such a prince was truly captivating, not just to a mature woman in her thirties, but to any woman from ten to eighty years old. Xu Fengnian dismounted and smiled, "Of course, it's only been three years, and you can't recognize me?"

The youth, truly a naive and bold young man, without hesitation, ran to Xu Fengnian, circled him twice, excited, touched Xu Fengnian's sword, and tugged at the sleeves of his fine clothes, marveling, and asked, "Xu Fengnian, you're even more impressive than last time. Are you here to give Old Meng some silver again?"

Xu Fengnian didn't mind his clothes getting dirty, just lightly tapped the youth's head with the Xiudong knife and laughed, "Go away, last time you robbed me, this time it's my turn to rob you."

From the forest, about ten ragged bandits jumped out, none of them weighing more than 150 pounds, all extremely poor, old and young, most wearing self-made straw shoes, and those with weapons only had flimsy wooden spears and sticks, a far cry from the group that attacked the temple at night. Old Meng, the leader, was a thin old man, rubbed his eyes, and finally recognized the young nobleman as Xu Fengnian, whom he had chased halfway up the mountain years ago. He nervously looked at the several imposing mounted guards and cautiously stepped forward, asking from a distance, "Xu Fengnian, let's get this straight, you spent all the silver you had on you back then. Old Meng only has his life. If you want it, take it. If you frown, I'll take your last name!"

Xu Fengnian looked around, Little Hawthorn, the timid Old Meng, the family-loving Liu Luzhu, Kong Bizi, and others, all familiar faces, all still alive.

Xu Fengnian's charming smile was captivating, he hugged Little Hawthorn and loudly said, "Old Meng, look at you, even your bandit camp has been taken over, and you're still pretending to be a hero. I'll curse your ancestors, stop pretending. Go, find a place by the water, and I'll treat you to a good meal."

Old Meng timidly asked, "Xu Fengnian, you're not a constable, are you? Are you here to round us up?"

Xu Fengnian glared and cursed, "Nonsense, I'm here to enjoy the scenery, and to see if I could run into you. Before coming up the mountain, I was wondering if you had starved to death. Now, you're not far from it. You, as the leader, make me ashamed!"

Old Meng's subordinates, including Liu Luzhu, burst into laughter, making the already unimpressive leader even more embarrassed. Old Meng awkwardly smiled, "Hey, it's hard for real heroes to rise in this world. You, with your sharp tongue, are still as unforgiving. Alright, let's go."

Yu Youwei's eyes widened, and Shu Xiu's alluring face stiffened.

Jiang Ni's small head peeked out from behind the curtain, feeling confused and unable to understand.

Old Meng led them to a picturesque place by the water, with a few shabby huts and some tattered clothes hanging on bamboo poles. If this was considered ruling a mountain, who would willingly become a bandit?

The elusive Yang Qingfeng somehow brought out countless wild game, making the bandits, who struggled to catch even a rabbit or a pheasant with ten traps, drool.

Xu Fengnian sat on a stone by the stream, with Little Hawthorn hugging his neck from behind, ignoring Old Meng's frequent glances. Xu Fengnian teased, "Alright, Old Meng, you, the top hero of Qingcheng Mountain, are afraid of nothing. Little Hawthorn is braver than you."

Little Hawthorn laughed, "I told Old Meng to let me be the leader, but he wouldn't. He said to wait a few more years."

Xu Fengnian nodded and smiled, "He's just fooling you. Why don't you come down the mountain with me? I'll treat you to a feast every day."

Little Hawthorn secretly glanced at the nearby fairy-like sisters and said, "I'll pass. I grew up on this mountain. If I leave, Old Meng will be heartbroken. But Xu Fengnian, who are those sisters to you? They are so beautiful! Much prettier than Liu Luzhu's daughter, Little Sparrow."

A twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, Little Sparrow, put her hands on her hips and shouted, "You, Little Hawthorn, what did you say?!"

Xu Fengnian turned and looked, surprised, "Little Sparrow, you're a young lady now. Come, stand closer, let Xu brother take a good look."

Little Hawthorn secretly revealed, "Xu Fengnian, Little Sparrow really likes you. I've heard her say it in her sleep several times."

The little girl, with sun-tanned skin, blushed, probably feeling inferior and timid after seeing the beauty of Yu Youwei and the others, and stood far away, not daring to approach Xu Fengnian. When she was young, Xu brother taught her to play a tune with leaves, and she practiced for a long time, now she could play it, and when no one was around, she would secretly play it a few times.

He had promised to come see her when she grew up.

Xu Fengnian finally managed to coax the shy Little Sparrow to sit beside him, eating the wild game that Old Meng was best at roasting. The little girl had truly grown up, knowing to chew slowly and not show her teeth. Xu Fengnian noticed Old Meng's eyes were blank and filled with fear, and frowned, "What's troubling you, Old Meng? Tell me."

Old Meng forced a smile and shook his head.

Little Hawthorn, gnawing on a wild deer leg, couldn't hide his words and immediately teared up, saying sadly, "Xu Fengnian, we owe money and can't pay it back. They're going to take Little Sparrow away! They already demolished our house, and if we don't pay back in two days, they'll make Little Sparrow their servant!"

Xu Fengnian smiled, "Don't worry, I'll help you pay it back. I was indeed one of the richest young nobles in the world, as you said before."

Old Meng softly said, "It's no use. We owe them twenty or so taels of silver, and they're not after the money. They want to take Little Sparrow. You know, girls are rare on the mountain. Liu Luzhu and I have decided to fight to the death. We'll let Little Hawthorn take Little Sparrow and escape down the mountain. We old bones can't move, and we don't want to, having lived here for over twenty years. We've even chosen our graves. Xu Fengnian, I know you have some silver, and I appreciate your kindness, but those people are not to be trifled with. They kill and burn without hesitation, and have harmed many girls. After we finish eating, you should leave as soon as possible, and don't stay in Qingcheng Mountain, it's not safe."

Xu Fengnian asked, "Are the people you owe money to the ones with the big axes?"

Old Meng, still trembling, said, "No, if it were them,