Chapter 8

In the city of Lingzhou, the young nobles sincerely admired how the Young Master's arrogance was unparalleled. After three years of lying low, he had only been back in Lingzhou for a few days when he desecrated the courtesan Yu Huakui.

Xu Fengnian carried the clumsy assassin, whose real name was Yu Xuji, back to the mansion. Li Hanlin, who was disheveled, followed behind. Yan Chiji, who disliked consorting with prostitutes, had been sitting upright in the building, engaging in refined conversation with a red madam. Seeing how Fengge had stayed in the Banana Courtyard for a moment and then brought out Yu Huakui, he secretly praised his dominance.

Upon entering the mansion, Li Hanlin wisely pulled Yan Chiji to visit the White Dragon Studio.

Xu Fengnian threw Yu Youwei onto the large bed in the inner chamber, grabbed a bunch of silk to tie her hands and feet, and for extra security, added another layer.

He rummaged through the drawers and found the Jade Mud Powder that Li Hanlin had used countless times in the pleasure quarters. This was more advanced than the common knockout drugs and softening powders used by flower thieves. After a woman took it, she would be conscious but her body would be as soft as warm jade, making it difficult to bite her tongue to commit suicide, but not hindering her moans.

After dissolving it in a wine glass, he pried open Yu Youwei's mouth and poured it in. After finishing, Xu Fengnian slapped her, leaving a bright red handprint on her tender cheek. She didn't wake up, so he slapped her twice more, finally waking Yu Huakui.

Yu Xuji opened her eyes, did not struggle or resist, and closed her eyes again, softly and gently saying a sentence that almost made Xu Fengnian explode with anger: "Young Master, please hurry up. I'll treat it as if I was bitten by a beast."

Xu Fengnian leaned down and caressed her cold, pale face, as if he were a devoted lover, and asked tenderly, "Does it hurt?"

Yu Xuji did not move. Xu Fengnian did not pretend, and picked up a spring palace scroll that he had prepared in advance. It was painted on silk, with erotic words and intimate phrases. The pictures were vivid. He opened one, explaining how to play with her delicate feet. Xu Fengnian removed Yu Xuji's socks, his actions continuous, while he spoke:

"Perfectly proportioned, just the right length, not a single flaw, this is the divine quality. Your jade feet feel so good, Youwei. As winter approaches, you can keep my bed warm. This foot, according to the spring palace scroll, combines the beauty of arched eyebrows, pointed fingers, round breasts, red lips, and the secret place. Do you want me to play with them for half an hour or a full hour?"

Yu Xuji had a pair of feet that could be considered divine. For five years, she had not needed to work, soaking in fragrant baths daily, meticulously maintaining every inch of her body. Due to the instinctive tension caused by Xu Fengnian's play, her feet arched like a crescent moon.

Xu Fengnian, true to his word, played with her for a full hour, especially when he used his finger to caress the two jade-like toes of Yu Huakui, he could clearly feel her suppressed trembling.

Next, he moved up, caressing her legs through her last layer of undergarments. Her legs were long and white, elastic as expected from someone who practiced swordsmanship so gracefully. After another half an hour, instead of removing her undergarments and "getting straight to the point," he took off his own clothes, lay down beside her, and kissed her earlobe.

The beauty was already drenched in sweat, her eyes blurred with tears, her lips tightly bitten, blood seeping through.

Xu Fengnian whispered in her ear, "The 'Wang Chengtou' sword dance, the Upper Yin Academy. Following the trail, I don't believe that with the power of the Beiliang Mansion, I can't uncover your background. When I do, everything you care about, I will destroy. Living people, I will kill. Dead people, I will dig up their graves. When I tire of you, I will sink your body to the bottom of the lake and have a Taoist from Wudang Mountain perform a ritual to make you a wandering ghost, unable to reincarnate. This is the consequence of opposing me."

Yu Xuji's cheeks were wet with tears.

Xu Fengnian suddenly grabbed her breast, his gentleness gone, causing her intense pain. He smiled cruelly and said, "I have a good heart, I'll give you a chance to regret. If you serve me until you are old and worn out, I will let you remain Yu Youwei. I won't care if you are the orphan of a former minister of Western Chu or a commoner trampled by the Beiliang cavalry. I won't pursue it. Everything will be peaceful, and you can be my golden canary. Is there a more beautiful cage in the world than the Beiliang Mansion?"

Yu Xuji sobbed.

Xu Fengnian added, "I remember, there's also that Wu Meiniang, such a delightful little thing, so pitiful. She's about to become dog food. I'll get up now, go to the Banana Courtyard, pick her up, and chop her up in front of you, then throw her to the hungry dogs."

Yu Xuji fainted.

Xu Fengnian was taken aback, "You fainted just from that? I had more intense threats planned, I'm not done yet."

Xu Fengnian pinched her breasts, feeling satisfied, but with Yu Huakui lying there like a dead person, he quickly lost interest. If it was just a beautiful body, Xu Fengnian could have as many as he wanted, whenever he wanted.

He sat up, dressed, and looked down at the unconscious Yu Youwei, her face tear-streaked. The resentment in his chest and the malice in his eyes faded a bit. Just a silly girl, nothing special, wasn't there already a Princess Taiping in the mansion?

He covered her with a quilt, her head resting on a large red money-patterned pillow. The Young Master had a scale for the beauty and demeanor of women, with 100 coins (one tael of silver) being the ultimate, 60 coins being average, and only those above 80 coins could catch Xu Fengnian's eye.

In his view, White Fox Face, if not for her male identity, could be rated at 95 coins. He originally wanted to give her a full tael of silver, but thought it was inappropriate, wanting to leave some room for imagination; Jiang Ni had 90 coins, but could become even more beautiful in the future.

Yu Youwei, 86 coins, about the same as his eldest sister. There were not many women in the mansion over 70 coins, but there were some. However, indulging in such easy targets, as the Young Master put it, "is not a skillful act." Xu Fengnian, not practicing martial arts, did not dare to indulge excessively, carefully selecting, preferring quality over quantity, with a "refined" taste.

After two hours of activity, Xu Fengnian ate some warm pastries from a delicate food box, feeling energized. He sat by the bed and slapped Yu Huakui awake, coldly saying, "Do you want to eat buns made from Wu Meiniang's meat?"

Yu Xuji finally cried hoarsely.

Xu Fengnian rolled his eyes, "I was lying. Let me be honest, I just want to vent my anger, at most I'll target you and your background. After I throw you into the lake, I'll take care of Wu Meiniang, making sure she stays plump and healthy."

She stared blankly at Xu Fengnian.

Xu Fengnian sneered, "Have I ever lied to you in bed?"

She said, "You are sitting on the bed now."

Xu Fengnian, angry and embarrassed, stood up, "Damn, a woman who only remembers the bad. I'll go chop Wu Meiniang into meat sauce right now!"

Just as he stood up, he heard Yu Youwei softly say, "I will be your slave. From today on, I am just Yu Youwei."

Xu Fengnian turned and looked at the lifeless Yu Huakui, asking, "Can I trust you?"

She closed her eyes and said sadly, "Then kill me first, then kill Wu Meiniang."

Xu Fengnian hesitated, then untied her, and moved away, "You sleep here tonight. Tomorrow, I'll arrange a courtyard for you, to be my warm bed companion. Don't expect any status, and without permission, you are not allowed to move around."

She said calmly, "I miss Wu Meiniang."

That night, the Young Master sent people to the Purple Gold Tower to redeem Yu Youwei. The Banana Courtyard, except for a white cat, brought nothing else back to the Beiliang Mansion.

...

Under a bright moon, the two slowly ascended the base of the Tide Listening Pavilion, a strange pairing. The Grand Marshal Xu Xiao and the White Fox Face, whom Xu Fengnian had brought in.

Because the deceased Empress had been a devout Buddhist, there was a square pagoda at the base of the grand pavilion, with an eight-petal plum blossom base, a dome-shaped body, and a boat-shaped niche in the center, carved with a Buddha in a lotus position, with a solemn expression. The base of the pagoda was supported by eight stone-carved Vajras.

This building was undoubtedly the feng shui center of Lingzhou City. Lingzhou lacked water, so King Xu Xiao of Beiliang had the lake expanded to symbolize a "water pen." The Tide Listening Pavilion, towering and majestic, was built by the water, gathering the essence of heaven and earth and absorbing the essence of the sun and moon.

On the first floor of the main pavilion, there were three horizontal plaques, the eastern one being the imperial "Majestic and Unmatched" nine-dragon plaque.

Before entering the pavilion, the Grand Marshal lightly laughed, "Trading a life for Mr. Nangong to enter the pavilion, I think I got a good deal."

The White Fox Face remained expressionless, not responding.

Pushing open the door, a large white marble relief of "Dunhuang Flying Immortals" came into view, the flying immortals depicted in life-size, even the well-traveled White Fox Face was momentarily stunned.

The slightly hunched King Xu Xiao chuckled and introduced:

"This first floor west hall houses 30,000 scrolls of basic martial arts, not very valuable, I collected them just to fill the space and add a scholarly atmosphere.

The second floor is a hidden level, with 4,000 unique texts on yin-yang and strategy, as well as 49 unique weapons and tools, my second daughter's favorite place.

The third floor has 20,000 scrolls of advanced manuals and secret techniques, the fourth floor's hidden level houses some rare stones and antiques, often criticized by Fengnian for their coppery stench.

The fifth and sixth floors are what those daring intruders into the mansion are after. Higher up, I doubt ordinary experts would even understand.

As for the top floor, it is empty. Mr. Nangong, if you want to enjoy the view, you can go to the White Crane Tower on the mountain."

The White Fox Face understood the Grand Marshal's meaning and nodded.

Xu Xiao squinted and smiled, "Shall we go straight to the fifth floor?"

The White Fox Face shook his head and finally spoke, "Once we go up, we might lose interest in the 60,000 scrolls on the lower floors."

Xu Xiao was not surprised, laughed heartily, and walked up the stairs alone, disappearing into the shadows.

The White Fox Face, with the two swords Xiudong and Chunlei at his waist, stood before the jade screen, looking spirited.

The Grand Marshal reached the eighth floor, where bamboo slips and ancient books were scattered everywhere. A purple sandalwood table held a dim, flickering candle, and a red rope tied a gourd of wine to a thin, withered arm.

The man sat on the ground, disheveled, his face as pale as snow, with a faint red mark on his forehead, resembling an inverted phoenix eye. He wore a hemp shirt, barefoot, and was writing rapidly.

The Grand Marshal Xu Xiao picked up a dozen bamboo slips, neatly arranged them, and then sat down, apologizing, "I came in a hurry and forgot to bring wine. I'll have Fengnian make up for it later."

Xu Xiao was clearly used to the man's silence and continued, "Without a true super-first-class master in the mansion, I can't sleep soundly. I hope this Nangong Pushe doesn't disappoint me. It's strange, my spies couldn't dig up his background for half a year. He must be from the Northern Han. Yishan, what level is he now?"

The withered man spoke, his voice like the sound of metal, "First-class. After ten years of cultivation in the pavilion, he will surpass all below and none above."

The Grand Marshal Xu Xiao clicked his tongue, "Fengnian found a treasure."

The sickly man picked up the gourd, shook it, and found it empty, immediately losing interest and stopping his writing, his eyes vacant.

Xu Xiao stood up, looked at the "Earth Immortal" painting on the southern wall, and frowned, "Yishan, Fengnian will soon come of age and have his coming-of-age ceremony. Give him a 'courtesy name.'"

The man thought for a moment, "Xu Fengnian, courtesy name Tianlang."

The Grand Marshal Xu Xiao burst into laughter, quite proud.