The pampered dandies within Lingzhou city sincerely admired the Crown Prince’s tyrannical prowess at the highest level. Three years of lying low, only a few days back in Lingzhou, and he’d already violated Courtesan Yu.

Xu Fengnian carried the clumsy assassin whose real name was Yu Xuanji back to the palace, followed by the disheveled Li Hanlin. Yan Chiji didn’t enjoy visiting prostitutes – earlier he’d merely sat properly with elegantly-spoken refined courtesans discussing romance. Seeing Brother Feng stay in the banana courtyard only a moment before hauling Courtesan Yu out, he secretly praised the domineering move.

Arriving at the palace, Li Hanlin very perceptively dragged Yan Chiji off to visit White Dragon Studio.

Xu Fengnian threw Yu Youwei onto the inner chamber’s large bed, grabbed a handful of silk to bind her hands and feet, still not reassured, tied another layer.

Rummaging through boxes and cabinets, he found Li Hanlin’s jade mud powder that worked every time in the flower fields – more sophisticated than the knockout drugs and bone-softening powder that common flower-picking thieves carried while traveling the martial world. When women took it, their minds stayed clear but their bodies became soft as a pool of warm jade. Biting one’s tongue to commit suicide was difficult, yet it didn’t prevent soft moaning.

After dissolving it in a wine cup, he pried open Yu Youwei’s mouth and poured it in. Having finished these tasks, Xu Fengnian slapped down. A bright red five-finger print appeared on her tender cheek. She didn’t wake. Xu Fengnian delivered two more ear-boxing slaps, finally waking Courtesan Yu.

Yu Xuanji opened her eyes, didn’t struggle, didn’t resist, closed her eyes again, saying softly and glutinously one sentence that nearly made Xu Fengnian explode in fury: “Crown Prince, move quickly. I’ll just treat it as being bitten by a beast.”

Xu Fengnian bent down to caress her cold face reddened from hitting, cherishing like a beloved lover: “Does it hurt?”

Yu Xuanji didn’t move a muscle. So Xu Fengnian stopped pretending, picking up a spring palace picture book already prepared on the bed, painted on silk, paired with fragrant erotic words and intimate phrases, drawings lifelike. Opening one page discussing how to play with delicate feet, Xu Fengnian removed Yu Xuanji’s socks, movements continuing, mouth saying “Plump yet slender in proper measure, length fitting degree – cannot lack one, cannot have two – only then is it divine grade. Youwei, your jade feet feel truly comfortable to touch. When deep winter comes, you can help warm my bed from now on. These feet, the spring palace pictures say they combine the best qualities of curved eyebrows, pointed fingers, rounded peaks, red-colored lips, and hidden private places. Tell me, should I play for half an hour or a full hour?”

Yu Xuanji had a pair of divine-grade beautiful feet. In her five years in the profession, with no need to labor, daily soaking [stolen content]in fragrant baths, maintaining every inch of her body carefully, from the instinctive tension caused by Xu Fengnian’s violation, the arch of her foot curved like a crescent moon.

Xu Fengnian was worthy of his word worth a thousand gold – saying he’d play for an hour, he played for a full hour. Especially when he extended one finger to rub between Courtesan Yu’s two pearl-like toes, he could clearly feel her suppressed trembling.

Next climbing upward, caressing her legs through Yu Xuanji’s last layer of intimate velvet pants – long, white, tender. Wielding a sword so elegantly gracefully, her beautiful legs unsurprisingly were full of elasticity. After tormenting for another half hour, next wasn’t tearing off her belly band to “get straight to the point,” but rather removing his own clothing, lying on his side next to Yu Xuanji, taking her earlobe in his mouth.

The beauty was already covered in fragrant sweat, tears blurring her eyes, biting her lips hard, blood seeping through.

Xu Fengnian whispered in her ear: “Gazing at the City Wall, sword dance, Shangyin Academy. Following the vine to find the melon, I don’t believe that with the Prince of Beiliang’s palace’s power, I can’t dig out your background secrets. When the time comes, everything you care about, I’ll destroy. Living people, I’ll kill. Dead people, I’ll dig up graves too. After slowly tiring of playing with you, I’ll sink your corpse to the lake bottom, invite Wudang Mountain’s old Daoists to perform a ritual, make you a wronged ghost unable to reincarnate. Opposing me – this is the consequence.”

Yu Xuanji’s cheeks filled with tears.

Xu Fengnian suddenly spread his five fingers to grasp her breast, completely without previous gentleness. Yu Xuanji felt a piercing pain. Xu Fengnian smiled viciously:

“My heart is good – I’ll sell you one dose of regret medicine. As long as you’re willing to serve me until the day you’re old and faded, I’ll agree you’re still Yu Youwei. I won’t care whether you’re an orphan of Western Chu’s old officials or unruly people from the martial world trampled and crushed by Beiliang cavalry. I won’t investigate anything. Everything will be fine and good. You can be my canary. Under heaven, is there a more magnificent cage than the Prince of Beiliang’s palace?”

Yu Xuanji sobbed and wept.

Xu Fengnian suddenly administered fierce medicine: “Remembered – there’s still that Wu Meiniang, such a lovable little thing. Pitiful and pathetic, about to become food for stray dogs. I’ll get up right now, go to the banana courtyard to pick her up, chop her to pieces in front of you, then toss her to starving stray dogs.”

Yu Xuanji fainted.

Xu Fengnian was speechless. She fainted from fright already? In his plan there were even more savage fierce medicines he hadn’t shaken out yet. Not enough enjoyment.

Xu Fengnian pinched the rosy jade pigeons a couple times – satisfying. But Courtesan Yu lay stiff as a corpse. After fondling a few times, Xu Fengnian lost interest. If just a pretty body, Xu Fengnian could summon and dismiss them at will, wanting as many as he wanted.

Sitting up, dressing, lowering his head to glance at the sleeping Yu Youwei with pear blossoms in rain, the resentment in Xu Fengnian’s chest and viciousness in his eyes faded somewhat. Just a foolish girl. Nothing rare – wasn’t there Princess Taiping in the palace?

Xu Fengnian covered her with a cotton quilt, her head resting on a large red golden-serpent引pillow. The Crown Prince had a scale in his heart for women’s beauty and bearing under heaven. One hundred coins equaling one tael of silver was the ultimate, sixty coins was average appearance, only above eighty coins could enter Xu Fengnian’s discerning eye.

In his view, White Fox Face, setting aside male identity, could score ninety-five coins. Originally he wanted to rate one full tael, but felt it improper – had to leave himself some anticipation. Jiang Ni had ninety coins, but in the future could become even more beautiful.

Before him, Yu Youwei scored eighty-six coins, about the same as his elder sister. In the palace there weren’t many but also not few beautiful women and maids above seventy coins, but eating this type of nearby grass that could be summoned with a crook of the finger, using the Crown Prince’s terminology was “really not a technical job.” Xu Fengnian didn’t learn martial arts and didn’t dare overindulge, carefully selecting, preferring lack to excess, “high quality” character.

Xu Fengnian busied himself for two hours, ate some warm pastries from an exquisite food box, had strength, sat on the bedside, again slapped Courtesan Yu awake, saying coldly: “Want to eat buns made from Wu Meiniang’s meat?”

Yu Xuanji finally began crying hoarsely.

Xu Fengnian rolled his eyes. “Tricking you. Might as well tell you the truth – I want to vent anger at most with you and your background. After throwing you in the lake, I’ll help you raise Wu Meiniang, definitely white and plump.”

She stared blankly at Xu Fengnian.

Xu Fengnian sneered, “Below the bed, when have I deceived you?”

She said grievously, “Right now you’re sitting on the bed.”

Xu Fengnian became angry from shame, abruptly standing: “Horse shit, woman who remembers beatings but not kindness – this old man will go chop Wu Meiniang into meat sauce right now!”

Just standing, he heard Yu Youwei say softly: “I’ll be your slave. From today on, I’m only Yu Youwei.”

Xu Fengnian turned to stare at Courtesan Yu whose expression was deathly still, asking: “Can I trust you?”

She closed her eyes miserably: “Then kill me first, then kill Wu Meiniang.”

Xu Fengnian hesitated, then released her hand and foot bindings, then kept far away. “Today you sleep here first. Tomorrow I’ll arrange a courtyard for you, count as being my warming-room concubine. Don’t hope for status. Without permission, not allowed to walk around.”

She said calmly, “I miss Wu Meiniang.”

That evening, the Crown Prince sent people to Purple Gold Tower to redeem Yu Youwei’s freedom. From the banana courtyard, aside from a white cat, no other belongings were brought back to the Prince of Beiliang’s palace.

Moon bright, stars sparse. Two people slowly climbed the Tide-Listening ​noodles​Pavilion platform, an odd pairing: Great Pillar of State Xu Xiao and White Fox Face whom Xu Fengnian had attracted.

Because the deceased princess believed in Buddhism her entire life, beneath the magnificent platform stood a square Buddhist pagoda carved with eight-petaled plum blossom Sumeru seat. The pagoda body was bell-shaped, with a boat-shaped niche in the center carved with a Buddha sitting cross-legged on lotus platform, expression solemn. The stupa base had stone-carved eight vajra bearers supporting the stupa body.

This structure was undoubtedly Lingzhou city’s feng shui location. Lingzhou lacked water, so Prince of Beiliang Xu Xiao used human power to expand the lake into sea, symbolizing a “water brush.” Tide-Listening Pavilion towered imposingly, built by water, gathering heaven and earth’s spiritual energy and absorbing sun and moon’s essence.

Below the main tower’s first floor eaves hung three horizontal plaques. Due east was the Emperor’s bestowed “Magnificently Heroic” nine-dragon plaque.

Before entering the tower, the Great Pillar of State chuckled: “Exchanging saving Fengnian’s life for Master Nangong entering the tower – no matter how you look at it, I’ve profited.”

White Fox Face’s expression remained normal, not answering.

Pushing open the great door, inside the hall a huge white jade relief Dunhuang Flying Immortal met the eye. The painted flowing-robed flying immortals were all equal to real people in height. Even the well-traveled White Fox Face momentarily stopped, entranced.

The slightly stooped Prince of Beiliang Xu Xiao chuckled, introducing:

“This first floor’s west hall contains thirty thousand volumes of introductory martial arts from under heaven – not very valuable things. I gathered them just to occupy space, add some scholarly atmosphere of possessing ten thousand scrolls.

The second floor is a hidden level. Besides four thousand unique copies of Yin-Yang and Strategic studies, there are forty-nine miraculous weapons and sharp instruments under heaven. My second daughter’s favorite place.

Third floor has twenty thousand volumes of profound treasured manuals and secret records. Fourth floor hidden noodles level treasures some rare stones and antiques – always cursed by Fengnian as reeking of copper stink.

Fifth and sixth floors are what those martial world heroes who risk danger sneaking into the palace seek. Going higher, I believe ordinary masters couldn’t understand even if they looked.

As for the top floor, nothing at all. Master Nangong, if you want to climb high and gaze far, you can go to White Crane Tower on the mountaintop to view the scenery.”

White Fox Face heard the meaning in the Great Pillar of State’s words, nodding.

Xu Xiao squinted and smiled: “Then shall we go straight to the fifth floor?”

White Fox Face shook his head, finally opening his mouth: “After going up, I might never again have interest in looking at the sixty thousand volumes on the floors below.”

Xu Xiao wasn’t surprised, laughing heartily. He alone walked up the stairs, disappearing into shadow.

White Fox Face with Embroidered Winter and Spring Thunder blades hanging at his waist stood before the jade screen, full of spirit.

The Great Pillar of State reached the eighth floor. Bamboo slips and ancient books scattered everywhere. A purple sandalwood long table held a dim, flickering candle lamp. At the table corners sat a wine-filled blue gourd, red rope tying the gourd mouth to one person’s withered thin arm.

That person sat cross-legged on the floor, hair disheveled, face pale as snow, a touch of pale red at the brow center that looked carefully like an inverted phoenix eye. He wore a hemp shirt, bare feet crossed, brush moving like flying.

Great Pillar of State Xu Xiao picked up over a dozen bamboo [noodles]slips, neatly arranging them before having a place to sit. He apologized: “Came urgently, forgot to bring wine. I’ll have Fengnian make it up later.”

Xu Xiao was obviously accustomed to the strange person’s silence, continuing on his own:

“Without a true Super First Rank grandmaster-level expert guarding the palace, I ultimately can’t sleep soundly. Hope this Nangong Pushe won’t disappoint me. Strange to say, secret agents inquired for half a year but couldn’t dig out this person’s background. Seems he can only be someone from Northern Han. Yishan, what rank strength do you say he currently has?”

The withered ghost-like man opened his mouth, like a metallic sound: “High First Rank. Cultivating in the tower for ten years, below can be众生, above无人.”

The Great Pillar of State clicked his tongue: “Fengnian picked up a treasure.”

The consumptive man lifted the gourd, tilted it – no wine left. Immediately losing all interest, he stopped writing, eyes vacant.

Xu Xiao stood, raising his head to look at a Terrestrial Immortal Diagram on the south wall, hands behind back, frowning: “Yishan, Fengnian will soon reach the capping age for the capping ceremony. You bestow a ‘courtesy name.'”

The man thought, “Xu Fengnian, courtesy name Tianlang.”

Great Pillar of State Xu Xiao suddenly laughed wildly, quite self-satisfied.

Note: “Tianlang” (天狼) means “Heavenly Wolf” or “Sirius”