Qi Dangguo, the Zhezhong Commander who carried the banner for Beiliang’s army, found himself in a bit of a bind. Though he was one of Grand Pillar Xu Xiao’s six adopted sons—the “Wolf Hound” among the One Tiger, Two Bears, and Three Dogs—his relationship with the Crown Prince over these years hadn’t exactly been harmonious.

Truth be told, Qi Dangguo, who came from humble military ranks, didn’t approve of the Crown Prince’s dissolute behavior throughout the province. But loyalty came first. Since Xu Fengnian was his adoptive father’s legitimate eldest son, even if Qi Dangguo were ordered to personally kidnap young ladies, this Zhezhong Commander wouldn’t bat an eye. The problem now was how to get Xu Fengnian back to the manor. Surely he couldn’t just toss the noble Crown Prince onto a horse’s back?

Fortunately, a galloping rider solved Qi Dangguo’s dilemma.

The horse was black as ink throughout, exceptionally tall and powerful. Once the king of wild horses, after being tamed it was given to young Prince Xu Longxiang. At their first meeting, the wild horse king proved untameable, rearing up its massive hooves to trample its new master. But it had kicked an iron plate—the youth knocked it flat with one punch. After that, it became as docile and gentle as a sheltered maiden.

Young Prince Xu Longxiang arrived on the galloping horse and pulled up sharp, leaping down. He called out affectionately several times, “Brother!” Seeing no response, he naively assumed his brother was dead and began wailing inconsolably, heartbroken. When Qi Dangguo kindly tried to explain that the Crown Prince was merely exhausted, the young prince shoved him aside. Qi Dangguo staggered several steps, nearly falling. Mind you, Qi Dangguo was a fierce general who carried the banner for the Grand Pillar in Beiliang’s army—proof enough of the youth’s supernatural strength.

The old servant Xu Fengnian called “Old Huang” trotted over a few steps and said something softly in a thick Western Shu accent. Only then did Xu Longxiang turn tears to laughter, delivering a heavy slap to the old servant’s shoulder that sent the old man straight down on his rear in the dust.

The young prince had no sense of restraint with outsiders, but when it came to his brother Xu Fengnian, he was incredibly careful. He crouched down, lifted his sleeping brother onto his back, and slowly walked toward the city gate. His mount, nicknamed “Black Fang,” pranced with mincing steps like it was in heat, turning its head to nuzzle the red horse being led by the old servant—a horse with a build matching its own. But the skeletal, lame red horse wasn’t having it, snapping with its teeth. Black Fang quickly scurried away, though not too far, looking reluctant to leave.

Inside Lingzhou city, people initially weren’t sure who could merit young Prince Xu Longxiang carrying them into the city on his back, followed by two hundred cavalry as fierce as wolves and tigers from the manor’s personal guard. Then someone cried out “Crown Prince!” and all hell broke loose. Lingzhou’s main thoroughfare—wide enough for three carriages abreast—immediately erupted in chaos. Especially the prettily dressed young ladies—they forgot all about ladylike grace, grabbed their skirts and fled screaming. The large shops that displayed their prize possessions to attract customers immediately hid everything away.

The news “The Crown Prince has returned!” spread like wildfire through the entire city of Lingzhou. The city’s twenty-odd pleasure houses large and small perked up. Madams and procurers wept with joy. Voluptuous courtesans clutched their hearts and sat dreamily at windows, gazing until their eyes wore through, murmuring: “Darling, you’ve finally deigned to return. You’ve tormented this one so!”

One person followed the two hundred Liangzhou cavalry into the city from afar. Tall [noodles]and slender, wearing white robes, with brows like painted ink, phoenix eyes and peach-blossom gaze—narrow and alluring, skin white as jade, a perfect oval face, extraordinarily handsome, not like a worldly being at all.

If not for the two blades worn on the left side of the waist, the mysterious background, the proud and aloof expression, plus fear of the Crown Prince’s terrifying reputation upon returning to the city—the street thugs and wastrels would have already gone over for some flirtation.

This woman was just too beautiful, more stunning than all the courtesans in the city combined. Some respectable wives and wealthy young ladies fleeing in panic saw her—first with jealousy, then with admiration, thinking shyly that if this young lady were a young master, they’d gladly elope.

The white-robed beauty wearing blades showed slight surprise, hesitated, then selected an old fortune-teller and asked: “Old sir, that person being escorted into the city by Beiliang cavalry—which family’s crown prince is he?”

The old man, lamenting he’d have no way to do business in the future, had his soul shocked by the beauty before him. Advanced in years, he finally managed to compose himself and said with a bitter smile:

“Miss, you must be from out of town. Here we only have one Crown Prince—the eldest son of the Prince of Beiliang. No ordinary wealthy or powerful family’s son would dare call himself crown prince—they’d get beaten black and blue. Even the princelings from neighboring provinces, if they displease him even slightly, will still get beaten senseless by our Crown Prince.”

Hearing the old man’s address of “miss,” the woman’s exceptionally beautiful brows furrowed unconsciously, but she didn’t contradict him. Gazing toward the slowly advancing cavalry formation ahead, she narrowed her peach-blossom eyes with a hint of killing intent and muttered to herself:

“Who would have thought he really is a pampered young master. Xu the Beggar, could this be that ‘nine lies and one truth makes for good deception’ you always talked about? The Prince of Beiliang Xu Xiao, called the Butcher who broke over a hundred cities and slaughtered three hundred thousand souls—how does he have such a useless son?”

The Beiliang Manor.

The Crown Prince’s compound was actually more extravagant than Prince Xu Xiao’s own. Just the decorations on the large rosewood carved-dragon desk by the window told the tale—aside from a dark bronze tripod a full four feet tall, there hung a great Azure Dragon painting for court attendance.

Additionally there was a rosewood marble table set with the Four Treasures of the Study and wine vessels, famous calligraphy [unauthorized copy]piled like mountains. The ink stones alone numbered over ten, all priceless. The brush holder bristled with brushes dense as a forest.

In one corner of the table sat an enormous Ge kiln flower vase stuffed full with crystal-white chrysanthemums, plus a pair of gold-inlaid single-horned auspicious beasts—pixiu—for casual handling.

The manor had several heating systems installed that consumed countless loads of charcoal, so in early winter the room remained warm as late spring. Even walking barefoot on the carpets was fine. Such were the ways of wealthy households.

At this moment, Crown Prince Xu Fengnian lay sleeping deeply on the large bed, covered with an autumn-fragrance-colored python-patterned quilt, his face haggard. Beside the bed sat Grand Pillar Xu Xiao and young Prince Xu Longxiang. The only outsider, Celestial Master Zhao from Longhu Mountain, stood to one side, along with the old servant surnamed Huang who sat by the door with his long bundle on his back. No one else was present.

At the bedside, a gilt-spotted bronze Xuande censer burned the mystical awakening substance ambergris.

“Celestial Master, is my son alright?” Xu Xiao asked this same question for who knows how many times. Where was that decisive general from the battlefield? Clearly just a father who doted on his son to an absurd degree.

“He’s fine, fine. The Crown Prince has merely suffered prolonged travel fatigue. Half a day’s sleep and half a month’s recuperation, and he’ll definitely be vigorous as a dragon and tiger.”

The old Daoist spoke with confidence, though feeling a pang of pain. Initially, seeing his beloved son so emaciated, the Prince immediately had the manor’s head steward bring out several furnaces of superior spirit pills from Wudang Mountain plus the manor’s treasured tribute medicines, wanting to pour them all down his son’s throat.

This made Celestial Master Zhao’s heart jump in alarm. He spent ages explaining the principle that medicine is half poison, and with a private desire to compete with Wudang Mountain, personally brought out Longhu Mountain’s Small Golden Pills to use lavishly. Only then did he dispel the Prince’s concerns.

Crown Prince Xu Fengnian slept for a full two days and nights before waking. His brother Xu Longxiang went without food or drink, keeping vigil for two days and nights.

When servants went to report the good news to the Grand Pillar, he rushed over three steps at a time to check on his son. The result? His son grabbed the Xuande censer from beside [unauthorized copy]the bed and hurled it at him, leaping from bed with a tirade of curses:

“Xu Xiao you goddamn bastard, you drove me from the manor! Three years! No wonder you always said I wasn’t your biological son!”

Xu Xiao tilted his head, dodged the censer, and shamelessly apologized.

But how could Xu Fengnian let off the culprit who’d made him sleep rough for three years? After smashing everything in the room that could be smashed, he chased his father outside. Spotting an embroidered broom leaning in the corridor corner, he grabbed it and continued the chase.

Poor Grand Pillar took several solid hits but still didn’t forget to remind: “Put on shoes, put on shoes, it’s cold, don’t catch a chill!” One chased, one fled around the courtyard—quite the spectacle. Several head stewards and servants from the manor—more influential than a province’s governor—all tactfully tucked their hands in their sleeves, looked up at the sky, heard nothing, saw nothing.

Xu Fengnian was physically exhausted after all. After chasing and hitting for a while, he was gasping for breath, bent over glaring viciously at his father. Xu Xiao stood at a distance, carefully offering an apologetic smile: “Anger vented? Once you’ve vented, eat first. Need strength to vent properly, right?”

Sitting on the threshold were young Prince Xu Longxiang and servant Old Huang, both grinning foolishly—one drooling, one missing front teeth. Both quite silly-looking.

The Crown Prince, huffing like a bull, pointed at the Prince of Beiliang Xu Xiao—so lofty in outsiders’ eyes: “Son of a bitch, I’ll let you off today. You just wait.”

Xu Xiao wasn’t angered at all, cheerfully replying: “Good, good, good, Father will wait. Definitely won’t hit back or curse back, let you vent your anger properly.”

Still barefoot, Xu Fengnian tossed aside the broom worth dozens of taels of silver and came to the doorway. Seeing his foolishly grinning brother, his eyes softened. Seeing drool flowing down the boy’s entire chest, Xu Fengnian didn’t mind the mess, naturally reaching out to wipe it away, saying gently: “Silly Huang Man, come, stand up and let brother see if you’ve grown taller or stronger.”

The youth stood up with great seriousness. Read on JormuntlXu Fengnian compared heights, smiling with slight disappointment: “Not taller, not stronger.”

The youth wrapped his arms around his brother’s waist and lifted him up. Xu Fengnian wasn’t particularly surprised, though his chest got stained with quite a bit of drool. He laughed heartily: “Your strength has definitely increased quite a bit though!”

The Grand Pillar stood in place. The butcher who’d killed countless in half a lifetime of military service actually felt his eyes moisten. He quietly turned his head away, mumbling self-mockingly: “This wind is strong—where’s all this sand coming from?”

The two brothers returned to the room together. Xu Xiao immediately ordered servants to bring the carefully prepared meal. The servants carrying food boxes alone numbered twenty or thirty, entering in succession like flowing water. Following the Longhu Mountain Daoist’s well-meaning reminder, most dishes were vegetarian, light and not heavily spiced.

After three days of good food, drink, and sleep, Xu Fengnian came to the manor’s most renowned attraction—the Listening to Tides Pavilion. He carried a purple bamboo fishing rod himself, had his brother Xu Longxiang carry several embroidered cushions, and had servants prepare a long tea table with exotic fruits and delicacies—nothing lacking. He specially had the steward select four or five beautiful young maids in the bloom of youth to massage his shoulders and back and serve him well. Now this was the leisurely life a Crown Prince should have!

The Listening to Tides Pavilion—just hearing the name revealed its meaning. The Beiliang Manor occupied the entire Qingliang Mountain. At the mountainside where there was originally a lake, they expanded it by half again, intending to transform the lake into a sea, building pavilions and towers. The centermost nine-story pavilion towering into the clouds was named Listening to Tides. Crown Prince Xu Fengnian’s hobby was fishing on the first floor. Inside the tower were stored ten thousand volumes, countless rare and unique editions, including many lost martial arts manuals.

Fifteen years ago, Xu Xiao—not yet enfeoffed as Prince of Beiliang—personally led cavalry with an imperial edict and the Emperor’s Sword of Authority, crushing dozens of martial world sects throughout the dynasty’s north and south. Aside from Longhu Mountain and other consistently well-behaved orthodox sects, arrogant ones like the Purple Forbidden Manor were directly annihilated.

Twenty years ago, the Purple Forbidden Manor was a first-rate martial holy ground in the martial world. Over a century, among the various generations of top ten masters, four came from there. In the end, the manor’s martial treasury and secret texts—aside from symbolically giving the imperial palace a few sets—all the rest were confiscated to the sixth floor of Listening to Tides Pavilion.

Fortunately, Xu Fengnian’s appearance didn’t resemble his father Xu Xiao’s at all. After leaving their territory, he didn’t dare call himself the Prince of Beiliang’s crown prince. Otherwise, just on this point alone, he’d face eternal damnation. The Grand Pillar’s enemies were as numerous throughout the realm as his disciples.

The lake held ten thousand koi. Casually scattering bait created the spectacle of ten thousand carp leaping—even the Emperor who came to escape the heat a few years back marveled and immediately admitted inferiority.

Xu Fengnian lay on a wooden couch covered in magnificent Shu brocade, fishing for a while. Seeing his visit our sitebrother grinning foolishly and drooling again, he reached out to wipe it away.

He couldn’t help but think of that white fox face he’d tricked into coming to Liangzhou—a beauty whose smile curved like a crescent moon, lips pressed in a delicate line. Xu Fengnian privately always called him the realm’s number one beauty. At first he’d praised him as the realm’s number one beautiful woman, got beaten to a pulp for it, and had to settle for second best, changing one character—beautiful woman to beautiful person.

Thinking of this person always put Xu Fengnian in a good mood. He rubbed his brother’s head, smiling: “Brother promised to trick you a top-notch beauty to be your wife, and I really did con one back. A white fox face, extremely beautiful. Wears twin blades—one called ‘Embroidered Winter,’ one called ‘Spring Thunder,’ both famous blades counted among the realm’s best. What a pity though—he’s a man.”