After Beginning of Winter came Light Snow, but the Light Snow season brought no snow, which greatly disappointed the Crown Prince who most loved warming wine and reading forbidden books on snowy nights.

White Fox Face had already stayed on Tide-Listening Pavilion’s first floor for half a week, entering meditative trance, entering obsession. This perseverance made Xu Fengnian, who couldn’t endure hardship, feel ashamed of himself. But this didn’t prevent Xu Fengnian from finding amusement in the palace.

Courtesan Yu Youwei had settled down, living in a courtyard where棠banana and banana plants had been planted overnight. The white cat Wu Meiniang seemed very satisfied with her new nest, having grown plumper.

Xu Fengnian sent Yu Youwei the finest sable fur, the most exquisite food, but never again favored her jade-smooth beauty, deliberately keeping distance. That round Luqiu’er was right – raising people was the same principle as training hawks. Had to slowly train them. Too fast and they’d lose their spirit, too slow and they wouldn’t be obedient.

Everyone in the palace knew the Crown Prince enjoyed rowing alone on the lake. Each time reaching the lake center, he’d toss down several things. When weather was warm, he’d even dive into the lake, only surfacing after quite a while – presumably the Crown Prince was naturally close to water.

Today, Xu Fengnian again had the refined interest to play boatman, poling to the lake’s heart, muttering to himself a few sentences, tying several pieces of wrapped hot venison to a stone and tossing it down.

Then he lay in the small boat enjoying the warm winter sunlight, drowsily drifting to sleep. Half-asleep, half-awake, he heard a voice calling him. Sitting up to look, at the lakeside pavilion stood a tall woman wearing magnificent red fur garments.

A familiar slender figure stood nearby with several strangers. She waved vigorously. Xu Fengnian’s face lit with surprise. He rowed back, leaping into the pavilion, only to be embraced at the waist by the woman whose fragrant lips nibbled all over Xu Fengnian’s face. Face covered in rouge lip prints, Xu Fengnian intimately called out “Sister.”

Under heaven, the one who dared tease the Crown Prince this way ​stolen content​could clearly only be the Great Pillar of State’s eldest daughter, Xu Zhihu.

These siblings had been extremely close since childhood. Before she married, even when Xu Fengnian reached twelve or thirteen, she’d still pull him to share her bed. If under heaven the Prince of Beiliang Xu Xiao was most protective of Xu Fengnian, Xu Longxiang most obedient to him, then Xu Zhihu was absolutely most doting and delighted by Xu Fengnian.

Upon receiving her father the prince’s letter saying her brother had returned to the city, Xu Zhihu immediately brought a group of rough slaves and wicked servants rushing back to her maiden home without stopping.

Eyes brimming with tears, she pinched her brother’s cheeks, patted his head, rubbed his shoulders, and unabashedly heavily slapped Xu Fengnian’s rear once. Finally, habitually reaching toward her brother’s crotch, Xu Fengnian said with a bitter face, “Sister, everything’s fine down there, no need to inspect. There are outsiders. These two, who are they?”

In the pavilion, besides maids and matrons who’d been trembling with fear for years due to Xu Zhihu’s vicious and strange behavior, there were two outsiders, both romantic and handsome. One wore a blue shirt and carried a sword, graceful as jade trees in the wind. The other was imposing and robust, face full of righteous spirit.

Xu Zhihu smiled sweetly, pointing, laughing charmingly, “This is Young Master Cui of the Qinghe Cui clan, superb swordsmanship. On the road, Sister encountered blind bandits – Young Master Cui led household troops to disperse them. This is Young Master Zheng, acts chivalrously for justice, extremely renowned for chivalry in the Guanzhong area. Both are Sister’s benefactors.”

The two together bowed with cupped hands, “We meet the Crown Prince.”

Xu Fengnian smiled, “Since you’re Sister’s benefactors, then you’re this Crown Prince’s benefactors. Are there martial arts manuals you want to practice? There are quite abundant books stored here – I’ll have someone bring out a few for you.”

Young Master Cui with refined appearance had fervent eyes, but concealed it well, declining.

Knight-errant Young Master Zheng was genuinely uninterested from the heart.

Xu Fengnian inwardly cursed “affected” and “senseless” respectively, but his expression remained warm, speaking a bunch of present and absent pleasantries. Xu Zhihu didn’t find it boring – in her eyes, her brother was most perfect. Even back when learning to ride horses and falling face-first was an extremely dashing posture.

Xu Fengnian beckoned, summoning Jiang Ni over, having her lead the two young masters to tour the palace. Then he dismissed all servants, leaving only the siblings who hadn’t seen each other in years.

Xu Fengnian said bluntly, “Sister, this Young Master Cui’s appearance is not bad, but looking at him, his heart’s not right. He’s the same type as me. Don’t be swindled of money and body. As for that big fool, either he’s truly stupid or deeply scheming – also not a good bird. Playing with them is fine, but don’t develop real feelings.”

Xu Zhihu extended one finger to tap Xu Fengnian’s brow center, smiling seductively, “Sister still needs you brat to teach me? Men – Sister only needs one glance to know whether the bird in their pants is big or small, good or bad.”

Xu Fengnian grasped his sister’s hand, picked up a tribute yellow tangerine, peeled it open – siblings sharing half each. Xu Fengnian tossed a segment in his mouth, chuckling:

“Sister seems to have grown plumper. That’s good. If you’d suffered and lost weight, I’d have to go on a killing spree in Jiangnan Circuit.”

Xu Zhihu suddenly without warning burst into tears. Xu Fengnian thought his sister had been bullied there, saying through gritted teeth, “Sister, tell me – who made you unhappy? I’ll bring people and weapons to kill them!”

Xu Zhihu wiped her tears. After a long while she finally stopped crying, pulling up Xu Fengnian’s hands, looking at the calluses on his palms and fingertips, choking up again. “Sister knows your three years of traveling weren’t easy. The old you would never willingly swallow an entire tangerine segment whole. Even if Sister was willing to tear off the white threads, you might not eat it.

Sister has no worries about food and clothing – what hardship could I suffer? Even [stolen content]as a widow people poke in the back with accusations of lacking virtue, to Sister it’s just trivial gossip like scratching an itch.

But your three years traveling, walking thousands of miles on foot – Sister doesn’t even dare imagine. Cruel Father! I’m going to settle accounts with him! If he doesn’t cherish you, come with Sister to Jiangnan Circuit. It’s prosperous there, the girls are pretty too.”

Xu Fengnian made a pig-head funny face, making Sister laugh, then said heartily, “Sister, I’m not a child anymore.”

Xu Zhihu pulled Xu Fengnian over, pressing his head against the ample bosom that all men in Jiangnan Circuit coveted, humming, “Not a child anymore, you can still sleep with Sister. Tonight don’t think about escaping.”

Xu Fengnian said with a face of insincere shyness, “Sister, it’s improper.”

Xu Zhihu twisted her brother’s ear, threatening, “Believe it or not, I’ll go proclaim right now your heroic deed of bedwetting at age eight? Also, at twelve sleeping in the same bed with Sister – which morning didn’t you wake with your hand pressed here? Hmm?!”

Xu Fengnian glanced sideways at his sister’s bosom, wishing he could dig a hole to crawl into, fawning, “Sister, let’s not commit fratricide, right? Come, come, come, I’ll massage your shoulders.”

Enjoying the Crown Prince’s practiced massage technique, Xu Zhihu squinted contentedly at the lake view, sighing, “You return, Yellow Barbarian leaves. Don’t know if when I left, that girl came. Us four siblings are never reunited.”

Xu Fengnian asked, “Sister, when heavy snow falls, go to Wudang Mountain to appreciate the glazed-world scenery?”

Xu Zhihu laughed carefree, “Since that heartless coward wants to seek the heavenly way, let him be lonely for life. I don’t have the shamelessness to beg him. If you hadn’t mentioned it, [noodles]I’d have forgotten such a person existed.”

Xu Fengnian said “Oh,” no longer raising the topic that shouldn’t be raised.

Xu Zhihu fiercely kissed Xu Fengnian’s cheek, smiling sweetly, “Sister is petty-minded, narrow-viewed, so as long as I have you brother, all men under heaven are unworthy common objects.”

Xu Fengnian pretended to lament spring and autumn, “Pity we’re siblings.”

Xu Zhihu tightened her grip on his ear, laughing and cursing “Dead appearance.”

When women marry, they become water thrown out.

Heavy Snow season brought heavy snow.

No matter how reluctant, half a week of reunion time flashed by. Sister Xu Zhihu finally had to return to Jiangnan Circuit. She said once it snowed, if she didn’t leave she truly couldn’t bear to.

That day Xu Fengnian rode escort for thirty miles, returning to the city on a lone horse.

Returning to the palace, in poor spirits, Xu Fengnian’s head [noodles]heated up. He summoned both maid Jiang Ni and nominal concubine Yu Youwei to the lakeside pavilion to appreciate snow.

The lake surface had long frozen, but goose-feather heavy snow still refused to stop pouring down – a vast expanse of white land. Xu Fengnian shook his head, stood up, drank a mouthful of warm wine to warm his stomach, muttering something no one understood: “Old Lake Kui, don’t freeze to death down there.”

Xu Fengnian turned to look toward Tide-Listening Pavilion across the lake. White Fox Face hadn’t appeared in a long time. Inside facing those vast martial arts volumes, was he still well?

Finally gazing far toward Wudang Mountain’s direction, Xu Fengnian didn’t understand those martial men who spent their entire lives tirelessly pursuing the great martial realm. As for lunatics pursuing the illusory supreme heavenly way, he understood even less. He only knew that back then, if that young Daoist riding a blue ox backward had nodded, Sister would be happy.

So Xu Fengnian had not half a thread of good feeling toward thousand-year-heritage Wudang Mountain. Sister was petty-minded, he was even more so.

Xu Fengnian poured Jiang Ni a cup of hot wine, passing it over. She responded with a cold laugh.

She was truly a fallen nation’s princess, even called by her master a heaven’s proud son bearing the world’s fate. But in the Prince of Beiliang’s palace, she was merely a maid. Food, clothing, housing, travel must all follow rules, so she in thin clothing, shivering with cold, repeatedly glanced toward the wine mist.

Xu Fengnian mocked, “You want to drink wine. I give it to you but you don’t take it. You can’t take it yourself. Both you and I are exhausted from this. I’m just a no-good wastrel. If you have the ability, go assassinate His Majesty the Emperor, or my father works too. What kind of hero makes things difficult for me?”

Jiang Ni said coldly, “I’m a weak woman with just one Divine Talisman. Can only kill you. If not you, who?”

Xu Fengnian was at a loss for words. He drank wine, curling his lip, “Shameless [Read on Jormuntl]goods, quite suited to me.”

Jiang Ni simply closed her eyes to rest.

Yu Youwei, cradling Wu Meiniang, was very curious about this absolutely beautiful maid’s identity.

A white rainbow shot from the tower.

Landing on the lake not far from Tide-Listening Pavilion.

White-robed White Fox Face, for the first time drew both Embroidered Winter and Spring Thunder blades simultaneously.

Embroidered Winter blade: three feet two inches long, weighing ten pounds nine taels. The blade forger didn’t seek sharpness, going against the way – blunt edge.

Spring Thunder blade: two feet four inches long, weighing only one pound three taels, entirely blue-purple throughout, could blow off hair and sever it, could easily cleave through heavy armor.

One Embroidered Winter blade rolled up a thousand layers of snow.

As if all the world’s heavy snow followed like shadows, tilting toward the white-robed noodlesfigure swiftly moving across the lake.

Magnificent and vast.

One Spring Thunder blade cold and severe – the lake’s ice blocks split into nearly a hundred shocking massive grooves.

Wind and snow confused the eyes.

Xu Fengnian, who’d just picked up a cucumber to bite, froze in motion, staring like seeing an immortal at the lone figure with two blades amid boundless snow on the lake.

Eating raw cucumbers and corn were habits developed from the six thousand miles of traveling back and forth. Catering to the Crown Prince’s “eccentric” tastes, they’d prepared many washed but unpeeled raw cucumbers, plus some sweet corn. Procuring these things this season wasn’t a small expense.

Jiang Ni murmured, “Such a beautiful woman.”

Compared to the maid who aside from one Divine Talisman had no killing power, Yu Youwei who’d roughly learned swordsmanship and spent some years at Shangyin Academy had better judgment. The elegantly handsome figure practicing fierce blade techniques on the lake was absolutely a top-tier blade master. The scenery before her eyes was no less than seeing her mother’s sword dance in childhood.

White shadow rolled snow forward. Two blade energies crisscrossed matchlessly.

Xu Fengnian bit the cucumber, happily saying, “This is true grandmaster bearing.”

Wind and snow on the lake suddenly stopped. One resheathed short blade was thrown out, tracing a mysterious arc, stabbing straight into the snow before Xu Fengnian.

This year, Heavy Snow season, White Fox Face abandoned one Spring Thunder blade, ascending to the second floor.