Chapter 78

In the inner courtyard of the private residence of the Green Sheep Palace, the King of Qingcheng and his son Wu Shizhen sat facing each other. Wu Lingsu, whose martial arts cultivation was average but whose demeanor could rival that of the Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, held the green porcelain teacup lid between his fingers, gently dispersing the tea's fragrance. Wu Shizhen had no heart for tea, his face filled with resentment.

Wu Lingsu took a sip of tea and smiled, "Are you resentful of that even more arrogant young lord than you?"

Wu Shizhen gritted his teeth and said, "I only resent my own lack of power, not Xu Fengnian. On the contrary, I admire this son of the Beiliang King. He is not a dissolute playboy but an expert at feigning weakness. The three provinces of Liang, Yong, and Quan have all been deceived by his and the Butcher's act!"

Wu Lingsu nodded and said, "This matter is known only to you and me; don't speak of it to others. Those who see through it already have, and there's no need for us to remind them. Those who don't see it are outsiders who can't influence the situation, and if you tell them, they'll just laugh at you. Since our position is lower than others, we must have the patience to lower our heads. This isn't cowardice but prudence. Shizhen, your father founded the Shenshao Sect, which was seen as a great joke by the major ancestral temples of Dragon Tiger and Wudang. But who will be looking up and who will be looking down after a few hundred years? Who dares to say they know? A cursory study of the early history of Dragon Tiger and Wudang reveals that their patriarchs were far more humble than I, the King of Qingcheng. At least I was ennobled and took possession of the blessed land of Qingcheng. But to pass on this considerable estate for ten generations or more and to compete with other Daoist ancestral temples, it depends on whether you can take on the heavy responsibility first. I originally invited you for tea to prevent you from harboring resentment against Xu Fengnian and to discuss the long-term plans of the Shenshao Sect. It seems I was overthinking it; my son is indeed capable of achieving great things. Shizhen, let me be frank with you. If your vision is limited to one mountain and one temple, I will not let you leave the mountain to explore the world. If you go to the capital, it will be in vain."

Wu Shizhen smiled and said, "Father, I came here to ask you to let Shizhen go to the capital."

Wu Lingsu lowered his head to drink tea, "That's very good."

Wu Shizhen asked, "Then how should we interact with Xu Fengnian? Should we never communicate? If not, how do we gauge the right approach?"

Wu Lingsu looked up at the strange sky, which seemed to foretell a heavy rain, and said, "Never communicate? You're wrong. If the Green Sheep Palace wants to grow, it cannot avoid the 300,000 iron cavalry behind the Butcher. I will give you a piece of advice: if Xu Fengnian survives by chance and truly becomes the Beiliang King, it's fine to be his dog. But if Xu Qiao has an accident, or if he dies of old age, and the young lord doesn't have the fate to succeed, the Xu family will eventually fall apart, and you can then beat the fallen dog. I have already chosen some precious secret manuals, which you will deliver tomorrow. In the capital, the more you complain to the imperial relatives and officials about the young lord's arrogance and lack of virtue, the happier Xu Fengnian will be. Only then will the bond between our Green Sheep Palace and the Beiliang King's mansion be truly solid. Do you really think that the scholars and officials in the capital who curse the Grand Marshal with all their might are all loyal and upright enemies of the Beiliang King? You're wrong. If you trace it back, they might be the Grand Marshal's disciples and former officials. But this corrupt matter, which is rotten to the core, is something no one wants to deal with. Even the Chief Minister Zhang Julu, who holds great power, can't handle it. This is the ridiculous and tragic nature of the imperial court. In a peaceful era, it's hard to distinguish who is loyal and who is treacherous. Only in times of chaos, when the great achievements of the Western Chu and Eastern Yue have failed, can the true nature of people be seen."

Wu Shizhen softly said, "If Father were to enter politics, you could turn the clouds and the rain, no worse than Chief Minister Zhang."

Wu Lingsu pointed at his son and smiled, "Did you forget who taught you to flatter? You don't need to use it on me. In the capital, you will have plenty of opportunities to show your skills."

Wu Shizhen looked out the window and softly said, "To be honest, I really envy Xu Fengnian. The 100 Beiliang light cavalry he brought up the mountain are clearly much more valiant and skilled than the soldiers of Yongzhou. That's just 100 people. Beiliang boasts 300,000 iron cavalry. If they were to rebel..."

Wu Lingsu frowned and shouted, "Silence!"

Wu Shizhen smiled, "Just talking. I know the gravity of the situation."

——

The armored maid who served by the side of the Beiliang King's consort, after removing her face mask, unexpectedly became a female Daoist nun. Not only did she complete the "Lingbao Scripture" for the King of Qingcheng, but she also created the famous Shenshao Sword Formation. If the maid could do so much, what must the consort, who personally participated in the wars of the Spring and Autumn period, have been like? Zhao Yutai whispered, "Come, come, come, listen to who is beating the beauty drum, the Wu family has a woman in mourning. Come, come, come, see who is the Butcher of the world, the Xu flag is chasing the deer... Young Lord, the lyrics and the tune are both excellent. I heard that the Second Princess once carved the words 'exiled for three thousand miles' on the statue of the True Wu Emperor on Wudang Mountain. Only such a woman could write such a stirring Beiliang song. In my view, the Second Princess is more like a great general, and Your Highness is more like a young lady. If you had learned the sword instead of the saber, it would have been even better. The maid has guarded the tomb on the mountain for over a decade, always waiting for this day. I guard the Daliang Dragon Sparrow, always feeling unsatisfied. Young Lord, when you leave the mountain tomorrow, take the sword that made the heroes of the world bow their heads? It's buried here, burying the Daliang Dragon Sparrow! The lady once told me that if Your Highness meets a good woman who happens to be skilled in the sword, you should give it as a gift. Unfortunately, the lady can't give it to her herself..."

Xu Fengnian softly said, "Alright. I'll take the Daliang Dragon Sparrow. Aunt, but Fengnian can't guarantee that I'll meet a woman like Mother, and I might never give it away."

Zhao Yutai reached out to touch the young lord's chin. The little master, who used to be as delicate as jade, now had a stubble. Her expression was genuinely kind, far from the arrogant and rough manner she showed to Wu Lingsu and Wu Shizhen. She looked at Xu Fengnian as if he were a beloved junior, a child who had grown up and become successful, and her eyes were full of pride and satisfaction. She slowly said, "Those who seem unfeeling are often the most emotional. Any woman who is favored by Your Highness is blessed. In this, Your Highness is just like the great general. The maid only hopes that Your Highness will meet her soon, marry, and live a harmonious life together, rather than forgetting each other in the world of politics. The lady said that the ultimate goal of martial arts and the Dao is all about emotion. If a person has no feelings, how can they talk about the Dao? It's like trying to catch the moon in a bamboo basket. Therefore, in Daoism, it is said that when one person attains the Dao, even the chickens and dogs ascend. In Buddhism, many bodhisattvas make great vows to save all beings. Your Highness, compared to your deep thoughts, the maid is more pleased by Your Highness's remembrance of old friends like Old Meng and Little Hawthorn."

Xu Fengnian sighed, "But these things won't win the hearts of the Beiliang army."

Zhao Yutai, who had been burdened with resentment for over a decade, suddenly felt a sense of relief and playfully said, "When Your Highness goes to the Beiliang border and personally leads the troops like the great general, everything will naturally fall into place. I heard that the Second Princess disapproved of your practice of the saber. Your Highness must hold firm and not change your original intention. A true man must personally lead the troops and kill, or it's not proper. The maid's greatest hope is to see Your Highness lead a million troops to conquer the Northern Liang, and flatten that dynasty."

Xu Fengnian made a face and said with difficulty, "Aunt, conquering a dynasty is a highly technical task. Besides, if I succeed, no one will reward us. The emperor might even be more concerned about when the Xu family's lineage will end."

Mentioning this, Zhao Yutai's face turned fierce, but her tone was calm, with a sharp and deadly aura that matched her sword skills. Her eyes were red as she said mournfully, "When the world was just stabilized, the lady was six months pregnant with Your Highness. The old emperor, upon hearing that the geomancers predicted she would give birth to a son, was eager to get rid of her. In that battle, the lady, without telling the great general, went to the palace alone with her sword, facing three Finger Pointing Realm and one Celestial Phenomenon Realm experts. Although she succeeded and retreated, she was left with an incurable illness. She only had a few years of peace in Beiliang before..."

Xu Fengnian looked blankly at the opposite Listening Lamp Pavilion. A sudden heavy rain poured down on the mountain peak, and after the rain, the clouds and mist enveloped the mountain, with thousands of lamps lighting up. Xu Fengnian, Zhao Yutai, and Qingniao, who stood outside the pavilion, seemed to be in a heavenly realm.

A wild beast's roar echoed through the Qingcheng Mountain, continuous and unbroken.

Xu Fengnian was surprised and asked, "Aunt, what is this?"

Zhao Yutai smiled and said, "In the Qingcheng Mountain, there is a strange beast called the Tiger Kui, which has lived for hundreds of years. As a young one, it has one horn and four legs; as an adult, it has two horns and six legs, with a black scaly body. When it gets angry, its body turns red. This adult female Tiger Kui usually hides in the remote mountains, but since it is pregnant, its appetite has increased, and it has come closer to Green Sheep Peak in recent years. I once went to see it with my sword. The Tiger Kui is extremely fierce, especially when pregnant, even more brutal. My Qinggang sword was bitten in half, and I couldn't defeat it, nor could it defeat me. After several confrontations, there was no result. Later, I let it roam and hunt around Green Sheep Peak. According to ancient records, the Tiger Kui's pregnancy lasts three years, and it is about to give birth soon."

Zhao Yutai listened to the continuous roars and said, "The Tiger Kui seems to have met an equally strong opponent. Is there anyone or any beast in Qingcheng Mountain that can match it?"

Xu Fengnian was puzzled.

That night, Xu Fengnian heard two distinctly different roars until late at night.

The next day, Xu Fengnian descended the mountain, holding a red lacquer sword box in his hand.

Inside the box was the Daliang Dragon Sparrow.

The King of Qingcheng, Wu Lingsu, personally saw him off at the Crane Landing Pavilion, and Wu Shizhen respectfully presented him with three secret manuals.

Inside the bell tower, the Qingcheng female Daoist, Zhao Yutai, stood.

The armored maid was very curious about who would come to hold the Daliang Dragon Sparrow sword and beat the beauty drum for the lady's most beloved little Fengnian.

{Piaotian Literature}