Dragon Gate Inn had welcomed a beauty of unparalleled elegance, becoming the second most important news in Lingzhou city after the Crown Prince’s return from his journey.

Those coming to gawk nearly trampled down the inn’s threshold. Business boomed. Whenever that indeed-stunning beauty emerged from the room to dine, even more idlers crowded in for a glimpse. At first, only young dandies participated, but later, wealthy merchants advanced in years and inadequate in bed also came to appreciate the beauty, unanimously sighing that such beauty was a feast for the eyes.

Busybodies all said this young lady was several degrees more captivating than Lingzhou’s top courtesan, Miss Yu Youwei. Some gentlemen who’d traveled beyond Lingzhou and seen the world all said they’d never seen such a gorgeous woman in their lives. Some talented scholars smashed down heavy gold, squeezed their way into the inn to occupy good positions, sipped wine while harboring thoughts of “wine doesn’t intoxicate, people intoxicate themselves,” spreading Xuan paper on tables to sketch and paint.

That beauty from out of town remained impassive, treating everyone as if they didn’t exist. She drank only Lingzhou’s finest aged flower carving wine, and ate by chewing slowly and carefully, yet not as coy and reserved as a refined young lady – possessing a different kind of charm. But the two blades of unequal length placed on the table made many lecherous scoundrels wisely retreat.

What proper young lady traveled alone and wore blades? And two of them at that?

The more extraordinarily gorgeous the flower, the harder to pluck – this was an essential understanding for pampered young masters, also supreme truth figured out through years of local tyranny. Like those two princesses in the Prince of Beiliang’s palace – who dared look twice, not fearing having their eyeballs gouged out?

Lingzhou’s head dandy, Crown Prince Xu, had long said: Everyone coming out to mix in this dandy profession, it’s not as easy as common folk think. There are rat holes, snake paths, rules and proper ways. You must be worthy of that head on your shoulders. The head isn’t for shitting – the ass is.

So Lingzhou dandies traveling to neighboring provinces felt especially proud, looking down on local wealthy official sons, always boasting about having family background, silver, and goddamn brains.

Since the Crown Prince had returned to the city, with a beauty manifesting, could the Crown Prince’s graceful figure be far behind?

The answer differed slightly from expectations. The hateful yet respectable Crown Prince appeared three days later than everyone imagined, but he finally came. Once he appeared, everyone consciously left the inn. Nonsense – which fellow competing with [noodles]the Crown Prince for girls and courtesans hadn’t paid a bloody price?

Young Master Tang from neighboring Dengzhou had deep enough family background, right? Not only did he have a father of Proper Third Rank, but also a grandfather who was a Censor of the Second Rank in court. Yet he overestimated himself competing with our Crown Prince for Courtesan Yu. Didn’t he return to Dengzhou with a broken arm? Afterward, they said his father the Governor personally came to apologize, but wasn’t even let through the palace gates. The Crown Prince spoke just one word: Scram!

The inn suddenly emptied, outside deserted, but the proprietor still wore an ingratiating smile, presenting with both hands the finest flower carving he’d treasured for years, saying he dared to welcome and wash the dust from the Crown Prince.

Dear father! The Crown Prince, who in the past never paid half a coin for wine, had changed his nature, rewarding him with a five-thousand-tael banknote at once.

The proprietor disappeared behind the counter in a puff of smoke, hands trembling as he held the banknote. He absolutely didn’t worry the Crown Prince was just showing off in front of the beauty, because silver that left the Crown Prince’s pocket had truly never been heard of returning even a fraction – absolutely the princely manner of spilled water never recovered.

Generally speaking, Lingzhou city’s fear of the Crown Prince was half real, but after raising hell lawlessly for so many years, no one had actually ended up wanting to die or hang themselves or jump in a river.

For example, those young ladies who had the fortune to be “invited” into the Prince of Beiliang’s palace all said afterward they’d only appreciated scenery with the Crown Prince, left behind intimate garments like belly bands at most, perhaps some fondling, but hadn’t been forced to do those clouds-and-rain affairs.

Initially no one believed it, but later after several beautiful virgins left the palace and had their virtue verified, people knew it was true. This made certain women of dissolute nature secretly resentful – why hadn’t the Crown Prince abducted them into the palace? Was their beauty insufficient?

Xu Fengnian sat across from White Fox Face, personally breaking the seal on the flower carving wine. The wine’s fragrance instantly permeated the air. He presumptuously carried a bowl over – it wasn’t accepted.

After setting it down, Xu Fengnian laughed dumbly:

“Don’t worry, I’ve done the deed of drugging drinks before, but knowing you’re a master with deep internal power, I won’t humiliate myself. Ordinarily I might try, but today I only brought Old Huang. I’m still afraid you’ll knock my head with Embroidered Winter and Spring Thunder. Besides, I don’t have cut-sleeve preferences or penchants for male favors, ​unauthorized copy​so what are you afraid of? Could you be worried I’ll steal your two blades? That really underestimates me.”

White Fox Face smiled faintly, finally picking up the wine bowl and gently taking a sip. Just these few ordinary subtle movements nearly dazzled Xu Fengnian, who’d seen countless beauties, making him want to pound his chest and ask heaven why such a beauty was male.

White Fox Face’s voice was soft and pleasing, saying, “Someone who casually gives away the demon sect treasure Swallowing Gold Precious Register indeed doesn’t seem like someone who’d covet the Embroidered Winter and Spring Thunder blades.”

Xu Fengnian added, “Not ‘doesn’t seem’ – ‘isn’t.'”

During the five months from chance encounter to reluctant acquaintance, White Fox Face had actually always been sparing with words, only slightly better than a mute, not as willing to converse as today.

He remembered back then the first sentence was like thunder from clear skies: “I’m male-bodied.” At first Xu Fengnian didn’t believe it, but spending time together, this veteran of flower houses had to believe.

Because though White Fox Face didn’t speak much, he habitually kept his word. For example, killing those bandits blocking roads – saying he’d kill them all meant truly not leaving even one half-dead. Saying that after getting the secret manual he’d escort Xu Fengnian into Lingzhou city – though he could completely renege and leave, he still followed to Lingzhou.

Also, the feeling White Fox Face gave wasn’t of a woman – drinking wine like water, killing people like plucking grass. Xu Fengnian trusted his intuition. Initially he really couldn’t stand White Fox Face’s condescending gaze, swearing determinedly, “This old man is a young master, a great dandy, not the beggar in your eyes!”

White Fox Face had lightly responded with one bone-chilling sentence: “I don’t deceive people, but I also dislike others deceiving me. If you deceive me, after entering Lingzhou I’ll kill you and place the Swallowing Gold Precious Register on your corpse.”

Along the way, Xu Fengnian thought White Fox Face was an out-and-out lunatic – a lunatic beautiful beyond boundaries, a lunatic beautiful beyond boundaries with unfathomable martial arts who enjoyed playing with blades.

The key point: he was male.

Xu Fengnian’s heart was broken.

As promised, he was going to find the most beautiful woman under heaven to marry Silly Yellow Barbarian. If it were a woman, how simple – arrived at his territory, even one of the Ten Great Masters would have to obediently stay.

Now he only hoped before his brother descended the mountain to meet those well-substantiated rumors in the martial world, only praying those four sisters called the Four Great Beauties Under Heaven wouldn’t disgrace their reputation. Give one to his brother, keep two for himself, leave the remaining one for the vast martial world to fight over.

White Fox Face held the bowl with one hand, the other hand caressing an Embroidered Winter blade.

The blade was recognized as first among the nine short weapons in the eighteen martial weapons of nine long and nine short. Those who practiced swordsmanship were smarter – too lazy to compete for first among nine short weapons, they directly gave themselves the title of emperor among weapons.

Embroidered Winter blade was three feet two inches long, handle two and a half inches, exquisitely beautiful. Compared to the plain-styled Spring Thunder, it was more aesthetically pleasing, very fitting the Crown Prince’s taste. When traveling in Lingzhou, he enjoyed going to the arsenal to pick a pleasing, good-looking sword to hang at his waist. Regarding Embroidered Winter blade, he estimated the weight was probably around two pounds, but once when White Fox Face was in a good mood, he revealed Embroidered Winter weighed ten pounds nine taels.

Xu Fengnian had no great strengths, but born in the Prince of Beiliang’s palace, as a child climbing up and down daily in the arsenal Tide-Listening Pavilion, he was worldly – he believed it immediately. As for the narrow and short Spring Thunder blade, it had never left its sheath, White Fox Face had never mentioned it, which was a medium-sized regret for Xu Fengnian.

Xu Fengnian raised his cup, “I toast you.”

White Fox Face turned his head imperceptibly, the angle extremely slight, but Xu Fengnian knew this meant White Fox Face was inquiring, so he smiled and answered:

“Not thanking you for sending me back to Lingzhou. This isn’t a favor – half the Swallowing Gold Precious Register given to you, we’re even. But you let me confirm that under heaven there really are masters who can single-handedly overturn [visit our site]a hundred fierce bandits, otherwise my three years of hard days would truly have been suffered in vain.”

White Fox Face continued maintaining that angle. Xu Fengnian, who could nearly remember everything he saw, wasn’t stupid, and again took initiative to explain:

“Whether you believe it or not, I’ll tell you – in the palace there are definitely masters like you, and certainly more than one or two, but no one ever showed their skills before me. Probably Xu Xiao instructed them. This led me to always doubt whether flying over eaves and walking on snow without traces was just martial world people bragging.”

White Fox Face lowered his head and took a sip of wine.

Xu Fengnian smiled, “Speak. You waited for me to find you – what do you want me to do?”

White Fox Face, whom he jokingly called the most beautiful person under heaven, for the first time showed a smile, very fitting his style as he got straight to the point: “I want to enter Tide-Listening Pavilion and read through half the martial arts secret manuals under heaven.”

Xu Fengnian was stunned, “What do you want to do? Isn’t learning martial arts boring and tedious? Back then I absolutely refused to learn martial arts – practicing in the coldest winter and hottest summer, perhaps never having a moment to breathe or slack off in one’s entire life. How could that compare to the comfort of being an idle dandy?”

White Fox Face’s lips curved up slightly, saying nothing, clearly their ways differed and they couldn’t work together.

Xu Fengnian frowned, “Just to become the number one master under heaven?”

White Fox Face looked toward the Spring Thunder blade lying on the table, gently shaking his head.

Xu Fengnian pressed, “Could it be competing with someone for a woman, temporarily unable to win, visit our siteso you want to become more formidable?”

White Fox Face glanced at Xu Fengnian with a strange expression, as if looking at an idiot.

Xu Fengnian was out of options, simply shutting his mouth to drink morosely. He didn’t forget to have the proprietor warm two pots of the best, most expensive yellow wine for accompanying Old Huang. Old Huang was surnamed Huang and only loved drinking yellow wine. Strange person, strange temperament – same damn nature as White Fox Face. But why wasn’t Old Huang a master like White Fox Face? Thinking of this, Xu Fengnian drank even more heavily.

White Fox Face slowly opened his mouth, “I want to kill four people.”

Xu Fengnian froze, “With your superb skill, it’s still difficult?”

White Fox Face’s expression turned strange again. Xu Fengnian immediately knew he’d been idiotic again, self-deprecating, “Alright, then they’re among the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven.”

White Fox Face looked toward the window, expression desolate, like the clear autumn season, fitting the scene: “Close enough. Two are First Rank masters, what you call the Ten Great Masters. The other two are probably even more formidable. But half of the four aren’t people of your Liyang Dynasty.”

Xu Fengnian slapped his thigh, “White Fox Face, you’re amazing! I just love heroes like you.”

Having accidentally leaked secrets, Xu Fengnian thought this was bad, but the beauty hearing the nickname “White Fox Face” only smiled faintly, seemingly not disliking it, even finding it interesting.

Xu Fengnian probed:

“Tide-Listening Pavilion isn’t somewhere you can enter just by wanting to. Since I can remember, almost every year so-called martial world heroes rush in like moths to flame, then get corpses dumped in the wilderness. I’ve personally witnessed it several times – miserable death appearances. But I can first promise you that once you enter the palace, I can help you take out a second book after you finish reading one, until you’ve read them all. If – I’m saying if – Xu Xiao agrees, you can directly stay in Tide-Listening Pavilion. Prerequisite is you don’t dislike those walking-corpse-like tower-guarding servants. Hey, they’re not as handsome and witty as me.”

White Fox Face’s long, narrow peach blossom eyes revealed a different light, looking straight at Xu Fengnian. The meaning was clear: Xu the Beggar, state your condition.

Xu Fengnian said anxiously, “Just one condition – tell me your name.”

White Fox Face tilted his head, thought for a moment, then said softly, “Nangong Pushe.”

Note: Nangong Pushe (Pushe is pronounced “ye,” fourth tone)