The Sword Strider Saga

Xu Longxiang jerked his horse to a sudden stop, shouting his brother's name several times. Seeing no reaction from the latter, he thought his brother had died, and broke into loud sobs. It was only after Old Huang hobbled over and whispered a few words that Xu Longxiang started to laugh while sucking in his snot, giving the old servant a pat on the shoulder that landed as a slap so hard, the old man fell squarely on his butt.

The Northern Liang Palace lay nestled in Qingliang Mountain, surrounded by lush vegetation and presiding over thousands of households. As the Lord of Northern Liang, Xu Xiao ruled over the three northwestern provinces, and was the sole monarch in the kingdom who came from a different lineage. Both within the royal court and the realm of fighters, he invoked condemnation and acclaim in equal parts.

By all accounts, Xu Fengnian was quite a handsome and striking casanova. Several popular courtesans in Ling Province had been fighting tooth and nail over him in jealous fits. If anyone in the castle dared to shoot daggers at Xu Fengnian and displayed their hatred of him unreservedly, that would be the maid who at this moment was distancing herself from several servant girls who were smiling coyly. Jiang Ni was her name.

Xu Fengnian left the Tingchao Pavilion and came to the stable, where there was a lone russet-colored horse with a lame leg. Old Huang was grumbling at the horse when he spotted Prince Xu. He grinned from ear to ear, his two missing front teeth in full view, painting an altogether goofy scene.

News of a beauty with peerless elegance coming to Dragon Inn had been the hot topic of the capital city of Ling Province for the past two days, second only to Prince Xu's return in terms of buzz. Rumor had it that this lady was even more alluring than the top courtesan of Ling Province, Yu Youwei.

White fox-face entered the palace, one of the three great forbidden fortresses along with City of the Peerless, where the "World No. 2" resided, and Wu's Shrine of Swords. City of the Peerless had an old freak who belittled all the world's masters. Wu's Shrine of Swords housed a large horde of wizened swordsmen who spent all their lives honing their sword skills. Whereas Northern Liang Palace, aside from being guarded by the Northern Liang iron cavalry, contained countless masters who had chosen to stay out of worldly affairs.

The Zijin Mansion possessed a tremendous reputation, and Yu Youwei was its the Oiran. She once performed a sword dance which mesmerized and scared Xu Fengnian out of his wits all at once. The procuress here was all dolled up today, personally welcoming the three loaded scions.

Xu Fengnian flung the tightly bound Yu Youwei onto the grand bed in the inner chamber, then proceeded to feed her the Yuni Powder. The drug would revive an unconscious female, while making her body supple and devoid of strength, like an amorphous resin. She would not even be able to bite her own tongue in despair, though still perfectly capable of moaning and purring.

Before long, wisps of snow had ushered in the onset of winter. White fox-face had now spent five days inside the first floor of the Tingchao Pavilion, while Yu Youwei and Empress had settled down as well.

Once again, white fox-face had gone into seclusion. Xu Fengnian went to the center of the lake with Jiang Ni, Yu Youwei and Old Huang in tow, to make mulled wine while admiring the snow.

All around the palace, there were lights and decorations, the place enveloped in a glorious celebratory mood. It was lunar January, and there seemed to be an endless line of guests bearing precious gifts. Then came the Lantern Festival. Xu Fengnian took Yu Youwei and a slew of burly guards to Valedictorian Alley to revel in the festivities.

Spring came knocking, awakening insects in hibernation. It was noontime, and Xu Fengnian ventured alone to the lakeside, plunging into the tranquil emerald waters. The lake water was fluid, as if having a life of its own. It reached substantial depths, and a huge Luminous Pearl lay embedded in its lakebed, illuminating its surroundings with radiance as bright as daylight.

Once they reached the center of the lake, Xu Fengnian threw down the purple-colored Tonitrusword with all his might. A long uneventful silence followed. Old Huang slowly stepped toward the bow of the boat and remained motionless. It happened in a flash. The lake waters surged with intense undulations, as if the world was about to topple over.

The great battle came to a swift end. Old Huang wielded three swords in the end, unleashing six moves in total. Surprisingly, the old ogre no longer put up a fight after that. Back then, it was indeed Old Huang who beat that ogre down the lake bottom. The ogre shouted at Xu Fengnian, "Hey kid, gimme some meat and booze!"

Xu Fengnian led a group of cavalry back to the palace and came to the courtyard where the old ogre was in. On seeing Xu Fengnian, the old ogre asked, "Boy, has Swordmaster Huang left for City of the Peerless to settle with Old Wang Xianzhi?" Xu Fengnian nodded and sat down on a stool opposite the old ogre without a word.

Xu Fengnian snapped, "Cattle-riding boy! If you hide again, I'll lead my men to destroy Serenity Palace and throw you off Lesser Lotus Peak along with the Turtleback Stele!" The young Taoist said, "Greetings, Your Highness." After some intriguing eye contact with Xu Fengnian, the Taoist turned around and just walked ahead, followed by Xu Fengnian and the old ogre. The three of them went to a secluded place, where Xu Fengnian gave the Taoist a good beating.

The woman named Fan Xiaochai was the daughter of a lineage holding a grudge against Xu Xiao. Master Lin, meanwhile, was a doofus being used to bring the assassin into the palace. Taking the chance of sightseeing, Miss Fan drew a map of the palace and a portrait of Xu Fengnian, awaiting a chance of assassination. Xu Fengnian had no mercy for those people. After all, he had learned quite a lot about the world in the three-year travel.

After Xu Fengnian woke up in the morning, Hong Shu, the eldest servant girl in Sycamore Garden, came in to help him dress. She softly reminded him of a secret letter on the table. Xu Fengnian freshened up. Then he gently opened the envelope, upon which was a small seal script of "Yin".

Xu Fengnian wanted to practice blade skills from the old ogre. The old ogre asked, "Why should I teach you?" Xu Fengnian replied, "I'll ask Xu Xiao to invite Wei Beishan, the man with the blade Horse Slayer, to Northern Liang. You can fight with him. And we'll invite one master every year till I can use a blade."

All too quickly, it was lunar January again. Today, the Grand Consul personally received two state governors, Yan Jiexi and Li Gongde. Li Hanlin was unable to sit still, so the Grand Consul waved him off with "Get out". Then Li Hanlin immediately took his best friend Yan Chiji and ran out.

In the Tingchao Pavilion, the Grand Consul witnessed the two riders leaving the palace. He asked gently, "Li Yishan, do you think he's fooling around with the Yan’s girl or saving the sixty-nine people of Yan Chiji's family?" Li Yishan said flatly, "Both."

Xu Xiao asked, "Do you really intend to keep practicing?" Xu Fengnian wondered, "Or what?" Xu Xiao said, "Then go to Wudang Mountains. Someone's waiting for you." Xu Fengnian asked in surprise, "To see Hong Xixiang?" With a faint smile, Xu Xiao replied, "No. To see Wang Chonglou, High Priest of Wudang Mountains."

Wang Chonglou was tall. Turning around, he saw his sullen junior fellow apprentice and joked, "Did Brother Chen take your private collection of banned books again?" Hong Xixiang shook his head as if to speak but then stopped. Wang Chonglou patted him on the shoulder before leaving in the moonlight.

Xu Fengnian ignored Jiang Ni and opened the package, which contained a Luminous Pearl, several ink brushes, and secret guidebooks from dozens of sects. He planned to pick one or two adaptable skills from each book and apply them in blade drills, drawing strength from all the sects.

Xu Fengnian didn't superficially read the hundreds of books he had managed up the mountain. For parts he didn't fully understand, he would ask Hong Xixiang for an explanation. During this time, Xu Fengnian used "Ursus Strikes", which spoke of fierce moves, as a classic book to train his body. Meanwhile, on the advice of Hong Xixiang, he asked for a set of anonymous punch skills from Wudang Mountains. The latter was gentler. Despite long-term practices, he still failed to get the hang of it. Xu Fengnian had to ask, "Who created this set of punch skills? Are you deliberately screwing me over?"

Xu Fengnian opened his eyes and let out a whistle. He sneered, "A hundred Northern Liang cavalrymen are coming up the mountain with crossbows. Let's see who will get killed." The noble youth flared, "How dare you?" Xu Fengnian laughed, "In Northern Liang, there's nothing I dare not to do."

Watching the tension outside the hut, Hong Xixiang couldn't help but get anxious for Xu Fengnian. Just then, the subtle stalemate was broken by Wang Xiaoping, who came carrying a sword. Wang Xiaoping was over forty years old. He carried a long purplish mahogany sword named Shenshu Sword. Wang Chonglou persuaded gently, "It's inappropriate to fight on the mountain. How about we all go to Ziyang Temple for a meal?"

All of a sudden, a strange sight occurred—the waterfall exploded! Xu Fengnian and Hong Xixiang were met by waves that bedraggled them. Wang Xiaoping, the sword fanatic, was on a boulder in the center of the White Elephant Pool. He stood proudly, pointing his Shenshu Sword straight toward the cave.

After dawn, a sweeper boy saw the scribbles on the plaza ground. He dropped his broom to fetch his master, who told the master's master. In the end, the six people with the highest seniority in Wudang Mountains gathered here.

Just as Xu Fengnian was going to the Purple Bamboo Forest, he caught the sound of piercing screams coming from behind. With a smile, he turned around and saw a beefy guy staggering towards him. Xu Fengnian asked, "Chubby Chu, have you taken care of what Xu Xiao asked?" Chu Lushan smiled ingratiatingly, "Almost. I'm waiting for Your Highness' inspection."

Xu Fengnian picked forty pebbles from the lake bottom and piled half of them inside the cave behind the waterfall. Then he headed to the bamboo forest. Wang Xiaoping slowly walked out of the bamboo tower and sat on a bamboo chair. This time he didn't bring his sword.

A master would emphasize conditions just like a dynasty had its trend, and a sect also had its days. There was a tripod complexion in the Taoism world. Mount Longhu was valued by the Liyang Kingdom. Its four maesters were all gifted with remarkable abilities, and it had a wealth of geniuses. And Wudang Mountains? It had been voiceless for a hundred years…

Hong Xixiang sprinted to the Turtleback Stele and leaped onto it. Standing atop the stele, he counted on his fingers and rolled his eyes. As sweat broke out on his forehead, he slumped onto the stele. Standing under the stele, Yu Xingrui asked carefully, "Has anything gone wrong?" Hong Xixiang wiped the sweat off his face and smiled, "My reckoning is correct." Yu Xingrui asked laughing, "My fellow brother, how much can Xu Fengnian get of the Great Flavium?"

When Xu Fengnian woke up, he felt the smooth and comfortable flow of forces in his body, and seemed to have endless strength. He muttered to himself, "Is this the Great Flavium?" Hong Xixiang appeared at the entrance to the cave, smiling, "Yes." After Xu Fengnian spent half a day adapting to the new forces, he prepared to leave the mountain. Hong Xixiang saw him off to the archway that wrote "Thriving and Prosperous". Xu Fengnian looked back at Lotus Crests and asked, "How does that saying go?" In sync with him, Hong Shu smiled sweetly, "A day on the mountain equals a millennium on earth."

In Mount Lantuo, there was an elderly monk who had been restricting himself there for thirty-four years while nobody knew what he had been waiting for. Penance in Mount Lantuo was extremely austere, and the disciples were carefully chosen. With a total of some three hundred members, Mount Lantuo was able to rival Duopondus Monastery, which had disciples worldwide. One was in the east while the other was in the west, standing opposite each other. Although Xu Fengnian had a fondness for Mount Lantuo, there was no way for anyone to force him to Western Regions. So, he asked with an eerie smile, "What if I won't go?"

Before going to the top floor of the pavilion to see his master, Li Yishan, Xu Fengnian went to the second floor to find white fox-face, who was standing on a ladder and flipping through secret books on upper shelves. White fox-face got off the ladder and eyed the blockhead he hadn't seen for a year. In the end, he fixed his gaze between Xu Fengnian's eyes. He directly swiped Tonitrusword in a dominant manner.

Two things in Mount Lantuo were most tempting—instant enlightenment and Yin-Yang tantric practices. Xu Fengnian went to the third floor of the Tingchao Pavilion and asked for a set of regularly updated character profiles from Wei Baoxiang, the Taoist. He found the profile of that Tantric master, who came from an Indian royal family. There was a portrait of the "goddess" when she was young, indeed radiant and charismatic.

Not only was Xu Weixiong a mountain to Jiang Ni, but she could grate Hong Shu, the girl who would use fresh human blood as rouge. Xu Fengnian planned to have dinner with the little girl and the young monk, Nanbei. On his way to their courtyard, Xu Fengnian asked Hong Shu beside him, "What do you think Mount Lantuo really wants?"

Many people in the court got promoted for impeaching Xu Xiao. At the last hall meeting of this year, Grand Secretary Wen Shouxin advised ridding the monarch of "evil" ministers, carrying a coffin to show his resolution. In Northern Liang, a flag that read "Xu" fluttered in the wind. Xu Xiao cantered, holding a secret letter from the capital. He chuckled, "Ridding of 'evil' ministers? Why can't these old scholars save their strength to deal with the beautiful concubines back home?" Beside him, Chen Zhibao, who had a flawless and radiant face, smiled without speaking.

Xu Fengnian turned round sharply and saw the beef store's girl looking at him, glassy-eyed and carrying a bamboo twig. She then turned to run away. Xu Fengnian took the little girl to the beef store three blocks away, but he didn't see the girl who carried a bamboo twig. On their way back to the palace, Xu Fengnian smiled, "I'll show you something before you go home."

Finally, the little girl left with the young monk in a carriage Xu Fengnian had prepared for her. In the palace, Xu Xiao and Xu Fengnian sat in the Lakeheart Pavilion, just the two of them. Xu Xiao sounded smug, "I met your second sister at the city gate, and she didn't scold me this time. Am I good or what?" Xu Fengnian was glum, "That's because she didn't take you seriously."

Xu Fengnian asked with a smile, "What other treasures are there in the palace? Stop hiding them. Tell me all about them?" Xu Xiao said, "These are almost all which I've hoarded for half of my life. Aren't they enough for you to fool with?" Xu Fengnian grinned, "Aren't there any family heirlooms?" Xu Xiao said bitterly, "There are, but I can't give them to you until I die."

After white fox-face finished the rice wine, he smiled, "I heard the 'Requiem of the Great Northern Liang' the other night. Good lyrics. It's just the tune was a bit deficient, wasting the thousand and eight words." Xu Fengnian said with a dry laugh, "Sorry, it was me who wrote the music." White fox-face said, "If you don't compare the tune with the lyrics, it's still beyond my expectation. It seems I shouldn't call you a blockhead anymore." Xu Fengnian said vivaciously, "White fox-face, you know me. It's a pity you're male."

"He who seeks human immortality should do ninety good deeds. He who seeks earthly immortality should do three hundred good deeds. He who seeks heavenly immortality should do a thousand and three hundred good deeds." Qing Niao was reading "Enlightenment of Empedias" in Wutong Garden.

Mount Longhu had been committed to Taoism for forty generations. Zhao Danxia, the current Grand Celestial Master, teaming with the Grand Libationer of Shangyin Academy, was Grand Maester, being in charge of the world's Taoist affairs and enjoying a reputation as first-grade sage minister. Unfettered Haven was a small sanctum on Mount Longhu, inhabited by an elderly Taoist, Zhao Xituan. Inside the sanctum, looking at a whole courtyard of shriveled hawthorns, the elderly Taoist could still manage to eat them. A teenager with dark yellow skin squatted in the courtyard, looking in a dilemma.

Seeing the bamboo hurtling back, Xu Longxiang reached out a hand yet failed to grasp it. It went through the gaps between his fingers and hit him in the forehead. Zhao Jingchen grew nervous. It would be tricky if he hurt this teenager. Even his father Zhao Danxia, the noble sage minister, must respectfully address Zhao Xituan, Xu Longxiang's master, as "uncle". However, Xu Longxiang wasn't hurt, and the bamboo exploded inch by inch in front of his forehead.

If Mount Longhu was the immortal capital of Taoism, then the Shangyin Academy was a city of saints. At the Shangyin Academy, there was a Rune Lake planted with countless blue lotuses. The water wasn't deep, just the height of two people. Ordinary scholars dared not boat or tour Rune Lake for two reasons: this was where Huang Longshi became famous, and Xu Weixiong lived here.

Blind Old Xu was a veteran of Northern Liang. After he went blind, he accidentally failed to avoid the hooves of a rich kid's steed in the downtown area. He was trampled, crippled, then saved by Xu Fengnian. Although Old Xu had a broken leg, an officer came and said they would give him a tael of silver every month. Old Xu collected the silver apprehensively for half a year before plucking up the courage to ask the officer. The officer told him it was a new rule of the Northern Liang army to treat veterans well.

Xu Fengnian asked casually, "Why doesn't Hong Shu like to leave the palace? Yet, you like to come out now and then?" Qing Niao replied, "She's lazy." Xu Fengnian changed the subject, "Xu Xiao knows that as Zhang Jyulu is now in power, he will rectify the court and reform the border army. Why must Xu Xiao get involved and go against Chief Minister Zhang? Isn't this going against the trend?" Qing Niao dared not answer such a question.

When Xu Fengnian returned to the palace, Hong Shu handed over a signed letter from Zhao Xituan, the elderly Taoist on Mount Longhu. After reading the letter, Xu Fengnian said in a fierce voice, "People from Maesters' Mansion went to bully Longxiang! I'm going to Mount Longhu to see the manner of the sage minister." Hong Shu said softly, "Your Highness, are you really leaving Liang territory again?"