Chapter 80

Xu Fengnian hurriedly rushed to the burial site of the adult female Ku, only to witness the pitiful scene of this green city beast, which was over six feet long including its tail and weighed at least 500 pounds, covered in wounds. The ground was littered with broken scales, and two of its six legs had been severed by a sharp weapon, indicating the ferocity of the previous battle. Xu Fengnian saw that it had suffered fatal injuries but was not at peace, leaving him puzzled.

Yang Qingfeng, an expert in taming beasts, disregarded the rules and rushed forward, kneeling before the tiger Ku. He placed his hands on the beast's belly, and only then did Xu Fengnian notice the swelling in the dying tiger Ku's abdomen. Yang Qingfeng, with a look of shock, explained that there were young beasts about to be born, and their survival after the birth would depend on fate.

Without a word, Xu Fengnian handed the short knife Chunlei to Yang Qingfeng, who used its sharp edge to carefully cut open the tough belly of the giant beast. The female Ku, with only a few breaths left, struggled to turn its head, seemingly wanting to see the birth of its offspring before closing its eyes. Yang Qingfeng pulled out two small beasts from the bloody wound, one female and one male, indicating they were a sister and brother.

Xu Fengnian squatted down and took the two small, crimson offspring, moving them to the front of the dying beast. It seemed he wanted the adult female Ku to see her offspring alive before she closed her eyes. The adult female Ku, with her breaths growing weaker, finally closed her eyes.

Yang Qingfeng, with his hands covered in the blood of the female Ku, said excitedly, "The first thing the young beasts see will be their parents. The opportunity is fleeting, Your Highness, don't be careless. When they open their eyes, I cannot predict. I beg you to wait until they open their eyes before letting go. This is a rare opportunity that is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold! If I am not mistaken, these beasts are called tiger Kus. According to records, male Kus emerge from the ground every five hundred years to mate with female tigers, but they often cannot reproduce. They are as invincible in water as dragons and dominate the mountains, living for five hundred years before dying. This tiger Ku is unusual. Your Highness, you have been chosen by fate!"

The two tiger Ku offspring began to struggle, their scales from the mother's womb scratching Xu Fengnian's hands. Yang Qingfeng, with a tense expression, reminded him that this was a sign that the young beasts were about to open their eyes. However, at this crucial moment, Xu Fengnian sat on the ground, holding the newborns and turning their heads toward the dying mother. The young beasts, seeing their mother lying in a pool of blood, looked dazed. Xu Fengnian's hands, covered in wounds, inevitably smeared blood on them. The young beasts turned their heads and looked at Xu Fengnian with a blank stare. Perhaps the mother Ku had defied fate and was punished, leading to her death and the birth of the two young beasts without the characteristic Ku horns. Xu Fengnian looked at them and said with a light smile, "Little ones, the first thing you see is your mother. Don't forget that. As for me, I am not your father, I assure you, I am not lying!"

Lü Qiantang, holding the large sword Chixia, listened to the serious words of the young lord and held back his laughter. This young lord, always shrewd and calculating, was indeed sometimes hard to dislike.

Yang Qingfeng was very frustrated that the young beasts had seen only the dead tiger Ku and not the young lord, missing a rare opportunity to make the beasts obedient. However, when he saw the young beasts lick the blood from Xu Fengnian's palm and then nuzzle his arm, Yang Qingfeng felt a bit relieved. Xu Fengnian stood up and named them Puti and Jingang, which was the scene witnessed by Shu Xiu and Ning Emei.

The young tiger Kus began to move, and Yang Qingfeng said with a smile, "Tiger Ku offspring are much stronger than foals. They can probably walk now. Your Highness can find a water source for them to clean themselves. Ancient books say that young tiger Kus need to encounter water to become more agile. The small stream you crossed earlier would be perfect. The water is shallow, so they won't dive and swim away. If it were a river or a deep pond, it would be more difficult."

Xu Fengnian nodded and said, "Lü Qiantang, you and General Ning will bury the mother Ku."

Yang Qingfeng was shocked and said, "Your Highness, if the tiger Ku's scales are made into armor, they are impervious to blades, fire, and water, just like the Red Armor of the Talisman General!"

Xu Fengnian glanced sideways at the loyal Yang Qingfeng and said nothing. Yang Qingfeng was silent, not daring to say another word.

Xu Fengnian carried the young beasts to the stream and placed them in the clear water. The two young beasts played in the water, splashing and frolicking. When they moved a bit further from the bank, the smaller sister Jingang, unable to see Xu Fengnian, bit the younger brother, and the two young beasts then swam back to Xu Fengnian, almost walking on the water and leaping into his arms. The force was so strong that Xu Fengnian almost fell backward, feeling a pain in his chest, but he didn't mind. Ignoring the natural armor and spines of the young beasts, he reached out to pet the two playful creatures, smiling brightly.

Ning Emei, not understanding the situation, only thought that the young beasts looked unique and extraordinary.

Shu Xiu quietly asked Yang Qingfeng, "Yang, what are these young beasts called?"

Yang Qingfeng remained unmoved, standing there like a wooden post.

Shu Xiu pouted and said, "So stingy."

Yang Qingfeng only looked at the back of the young lord, who was sitting by the stream playing with the young Kus, wondering why he had wasted the valuable body of the dead mother Ku.

Shu Xiu muttered, "This young lord, I always feel he is kinder to unremarkable people and things. He treats us even less well than his mount."

Yang Qingfeng, hearing this, sneered, "That's just your opinion."

Shu Xiu thought of how the young lord called her "Shu Dama" and how he repeatedly offered to give away things in the old temple and Qingyang Palace, which made her furious. However, her face remained charming, and she said with a hidden smile, "I wonder who was so scared by the young lord's glance that their legs turned to jelly."

Yang Qingfeng crossed his white hands over his chest.

Shu Xiu mocked, "Yang Qingfeng, if you have the guts to act, I promise not to fight back. You can do whatever you want."

Yang Qingfeng was angry but did not act, and said in a calm tone, "Sister? No wonder the young lord calls you Shu Dama. At your age, Yang Qingfeng has no interest in you, and I'm sure the discerning young lord feels the same."

Shu Xiu, when angry, always made people notice her chest before her anger.

The young Kus could already stagger and walk, and although they would fall when running too fast around Xu Fengnian, they were unharmed and quickly got up, still playful. When Xu Fengnian saw Ning Emei and Lü Qiantang approaching, he stood up and led the playful young Kus back to the convoy. Jiang Ni, sitting next to Qingniao, was surprised to see the lively little creatures. The old sword god, hearing the noise of the young Kus, lifted the curtain and looked, saying in surprise, "The spiritual energy is as strong as the black tiger that listened to Qi Xuanzhen's teachings for over a decade."

Xu Fengnian lifted the young Kus by their necks and entered the carriage. He didn't see Yu Youwei, thinking she didn't want to see him and had gone to sulk with Jiang Ni and the old man. That was fine. Xu Fengnian took off his Xiu Dong and Chunlei knives, sat cross-legged, and the two young Kus nudged his legs with their heads. Xu Fengnian patted them, and when they looked up in confusion, he pointed to each of them and said with a smile, "You are Puti, the sister. You are Jingang, the brother. Let me explain again, I am Xu Fengnian, not your father. Now, I need to practice the Great Yellow Court, so don't cause trouble, or I'll hang you up and beat you."

Strangely, the young Kus, who had been constantly active, became quiet after Xu Fengnian sat down to practice, curling up at his feet without moving. The male tiger Ku, born a moment later and thus the younger brother, would be bitten by his sister if he moved, and he didn't dare to retaliate.

Meditation requires concentration, but for some reason, Xu Fengnian thought about the young Kus, and his lips curled up. His internal energy flowed more smoothly than usual, even though he couldn't focus entirely on his breathing.

Xu Fengnian recalled a conversation on the mountain by the waterfall, "The highest level of forgetting emotions is not being without emotions. Forgetting emotions means being still and emotionless, as if forgotten. If remembered, it is the deepest emotion. As the saying goes, words are used to convey meaning, and once the meaning is understood, the words are forgotten. The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao. Occasionally understanding, wanting to speak but stopping, is true understanding."

Xu Fengnian opened his eyes and laughed, "What profound Dao, always speaking in vague and mysterious terms. If you are really the incarnation of the True Wu Emperor, have the courage to go from Wudang to Longhu. If that's too difficult for you, then go to Jiangnan!"

Xu Fengnian's smile faded, and he muttered to himself, "Is seeing a woman harder than becoming the first under heaven, carrying two Dao?"

The two major ancestral temples, one in the north and one in the south, faced each other.

Six hundred years ago, Longhu flourished, and Wudang's incense offerings almost ceased, with most of the Taoists fleeing down the mountain. Three hundred years ago, Wudang turned the tables on Longhu, and Longhu had to bow as low as possible. In the past hundred years, the dynasty has repeatedly elevated Longhu, while Wudang has declined, with no successive leaders, including Wang Chonglou, ever visiting the capital.

The next hundred years?

Few truly believed that Wudang would flourish for five hundred years.

This thousand-year-old struggle between the north and the south, would it be the victory of the Dao that the cow rider himself didn't understand, or the young Daoist with the surname Qi, who was said to have the best understanding and martial arts skills on Longhu Mountain, and whose cultivation could rival Qi Xuanzhen's?

Xu Fengnian truly didn't understand Hong Xiang's Dao.

Compared to winning over the four generations of talented Daoists on Longhu Mountain, wasn't going down the mountain and to Jiangnan easier?

Xu Fengnian lowered his head and said bitterly, "This Dao that you talk about but don't reveal, I will never understand in my lifetime. You don't speak, you don