If Xu Fengnian had overheard his father and master’s conversation, he would definitely give Old Huang a good talking-to and teach him to be more careful when naming sword moves in the future. Three swords drawn weighed three catties, so four swords would weigh four catties.

At that moment, Xu Fengnian most wanted to ask Old Huang how many compartments were in that sandalwood sword box and how many swords were inside.

The battle ended quickly and unexpectedly, which made the Crown Prince, who hadn’t had enough of the show, feel even more bored and dissatisfied. He thought to himself, “Old Kui and Old Huang, you two heroes, don’t worry about the palace buildings. Just demolish them. You don’t have to pay for them.”

But life is often unsatisfactory, and Xu Fengnian couldn’t very well rush up crying, begging the two masters to continue their duel.

Swords have no eyes – one must bear the consequences of one’s own life and death.

After an expert’s explanation, His Highness the Crown Prince learned that in that battle, Old Huang the swordsman ultimately used three swords, employing a total of six moves.

It was nothing like what storytellers in teahouses rambled on about, where the duel between two unparalleled masters would last for days and nights, a battle both earth-shattering and terrifying.

At this moment, the old man with blades sat in the dilapidated pavilion where only the foundation remained. He planted his two swords in the ground. His unauthorized copyface was ruddy, hair white. He shook his head and said, “Let’s not fight today.”

Short and thin Old Huang, carrying his box, stood on the long embankment, rubbed his hands together, then put them into his sleeves. But in the minds of most onlookers, it was utterly absurd. This old groom who couldn’t even fart after being hit a few times was truly a master of deception, only revealing his true abilities to intimidate others.

Xu Fengnian was undoubtedly the most shocked. Little did he know it was Old Huang who’d driven that old monster to the lake bottom.

Otherwise, would Grand Pillar of State Xu Xiao have felt comfortable sending his most beloved son on a grueling six-thousand-mile journey? How could he have survived so many near-death experiences?

Sitting on the ground, Old Kui shouted at Xu Fengnian, “Hey kid, give Grandpa some wine and meat! Eat and drink my fill, then have a five-hundred-round battle with Yellow Old Nine! Whoever loses goes to the lake bottom!”

Xu Fengnian heard Old Kui’s loud voice from afar. After hesitating a long time, he still ran to ask the mansion steward to prepare a sumptuous meal. He specially prepared a whole roasted suckling pig and put it in an extra-large food box. Xu Fengnian carried it and ran up the embankment.

His pace slowed, and after passing Old Huang the stable boy, he glanced at the old servant who was grumbling that His Highness had forgotten to reward him with a pot or two of Longyan sunken-jar wine. The old servant rubbed his cheeks to indicate he was alright, and Xu Fengnian then mustered courage and stepped forward, placing the food box on the ground before Old Kui.

Just now, the steward hadn’t forgotten to bring a few crisp and tender cucumbers for His Highness the Crown Prince. Old Kui didn’t stand on ceremony either, tearing off a pig leg and stuffing it in his mouth, mouth full of grease. Having eaten live carp with fishy and earthy taste for over ten years, the over-ten-feet-tall Old Kui was obviously very fond of this exquisitely cooked suckling pig.

Xu Fengnian squatted down before him, slowly munching on a cucumber, pondering how to come up with a touching opening line. After all, they’d stolen contentknown each other over a decade – he had to make good use of that.

Before, when they went underwater to see Old Kui, it was like two people looking at each other in the underworld. But now that they’d finally arrived in the mortal world, he had to plan ahead. Otherwise, if he’d risked his life and caused such a big commotion, it wouldn’t be in line with His Highness’s style of repaying even the smallest kindness with greatest gratitude.

Before Xu Fengnian, whose eyes were darting around furtively, could finish his little calculations, the old man said bluntly, “Back then, it was the Prince of Beiliang who tricked me, and Yellow Old Nine did the work, that made me suffer a fate worse than death at the lake bottom. Today you’ve rescued me, so we’re even. I’ll just have a go at Yellow Old Nine and turn his five remaining swords into four. As for the Prince of Beiliang’s mansion, I’ll be kind and not destroy it. Kid, don’t expect me to repay you for any kindness!”

Xu Fengnian, who was staring blankly, thought to himself, “Damn it, I’ve met an opponent with thick skin.” He cautiously asked, “Grandpa, we have wine and meat at home, and Old Huang will fight with you. Why don’t you stay?”

Old Kui sneered, “There are plenty of experts in the world. After I break Yellow Old Nine’s Sword Nine, I’ll go to Martial Emperor City and defeat the second-best in the world. What else can I be but number one in the world?! A small royal mansion is not worth my attention.”

Old Huang, who was sitting on his sandalwood sword case, was putting a small blade of grass in his mouth and chewing it slowly, mimicking the Crown Prince’s eye-rolling.

Xu Fengnian looked embarrassed. He had no experience dealing with a hero like Old Kui who could kill people like cutting melons and vegetables, and didn’t know how to start.

Old Kui snatched the last cucumber from Xu Fengnian’s hand, bit off half, spat a few times, and threw it in the lake. Now dealing with a pig’s trotter, Old Kui glared at Xu Fengnian and said, “This bland stuff – kid, you eat it too?”

Xu Fengnian, who’d been sprayed with spittle, wiped it off haphazardly with his sleeve and tentatively asked, “Grandpa, could you help me teach someone a lesson? He’s a grandmaster uncle from Wudang Mountain, a master!”

Old Kui thought for a moment, then nodded and said, “I’ve been indebted to you over the years and have tasted some familiar things, but if you make any more demands, I’ll beat you to pulp. But if you want to fight and kill, I’m happy to. I’ll set off immediately after I defeat Yellow Old Nine!”

Old Huang, showing no mercy, curled his lips into a sneer, chewing on a grass root whose leaves had already been removed, his old face full of mockery.

Old Kui roared, “Yellow Old Nine, you’re not convinced? If you’re not convinced, let’s fight again!”

Old Huang simply turned his body around, facing away from Old Kui. Out of sight, out of mind.

Xu Fengnian covered his ears, feeling a headache coming on. If it weren’t for Old Kui’s promise to go to Wudang Mountain to teach that bastard Daoist who was riding a green ox backward a lesson, he would have insisted that Old Huang throw that ungrateful old man into the lake again. In this life, apart from those servants who drowned themselves in the lake, he’d never expect to see a living person again.

Xu Fengnian let out a soft “Eh.” Since Old Huang’s skills and abilities were so formidable, why not go through all the trouble of going to Wudang Mountain directly with Old Huang carrying the sword box? Wouldn’t that be simpler and easier? Why bother with Old Kui’s grumbles and roars? Xu Fengnian weighed the pros and cons, his expression shifting between light and dark.

The old man had a rugged appearance, but his mind was incredibly meticulous. He ate the entire suckling pig, meat and bones alike, patted his belly, and chuckled contentedly:

“Kid, I can tell you’re up to no good as soon as I see your eyes darting around. What, you [noodles]want Yellow Old Nine to drag me back to the lake bottom?

To tell you the truth, it’s easy to invite a Buddha but hard to send him away. If I hadn’t fallen for Li Yuanying’s treacherous scheme back then, even if I hadn’t defeated Yellow Old Nine, I could have come and gone as I pleased. There were four iron balls weighing eight thousand pounds at the lake bottom, and two of them were used to forge my twin swords, which is what trapped me. Now, with these twin swords in hand, I’m invincible! Hahaha, kid, are you scared yet?”

He forced a smile from the roaring and spittle of the Crown Prince, muttering, “How could that be? Fengnian’s respect for the old man is as vast as the Yangtze River flowing eastward and as numerous as the stars hanging over the plains.”

Old Kui said with a half-smile, “The kid is quite different from that butcher Xu. He’s more to my liking. Arrange a comfortable room for Grandpa, and prepare a whole table of wine and meat.”

Xu Fengnian stood up and said, “This is a small matter.”

Old Huang spat out a blade of grass and said, “Aren’t we going to fight anymore?”

Old Kui arrogantly said, “What’s the rush? You’ll get what’s coming to you later.”

Old Huang picked up the sword case and put it on his back, saying calmly, “If you’re not going to fight, then forget it. I’m going to Martial Emperor City to retrieve ‘Huanglu’ right away.”

Old Kui exclaimed in astonishment, “Really?!”

Old Huang nodded.

Old Kui sighed deeply, shook his head and said with a wry smile, “Then let’s not fight. It would be a waste of Grandpa’s energy.”

Xu Fengnian was completely confused.

After settling the enormous old man, whose stature even exceeded nine feet in height, into a courtyard, Xu Fengnian went to the stables. Old Huang, carrying sword case and cloth bag, was chatting with his chestnut horse, seemingly saying goodbye. Xu Fengnian asked in surprise, “Old Huang, what’s going on?”

The old groom said softly, “These years I’ve been keeping an eye on Chu Kuangnu at the lake bottom. Now that the young master has released him, it’s no longer my business. Back then, I was defeated by the old monster Wang Xianzhi and left the ‘Huanglu’ sword in Martial Emperor City. I’ve been thinking about getting it back all these years.”

Xu Fengnian said bitterly, “Is it the giant sword stuck in the city wall of Martial Emperor City? The ‘Huanglu’ ranked fourth among the Ten Famous Swords?”

Old Huang chuckled and nodded.

Martial Emperor City was located on the edge of the East Sea cliffs, built to overlook the sea from Jieshi. The city lord, Wang Xianzhi, was nearly a hundred years old, but had been famous for eighty years. He was a martial arts genius truly one in a hundred years. Known for not carrying any weapons when he first started out. When fighting, he always used only one hand.

At age twenty-five, he rose to the ranks of unparalleled masters. At forty, he challenged Li Chungang, the sword god of that generation, and forcefully broke the “wooden ox and horse” that could cut iron like mud with two fingers. In an instant, he became famous throughout the world, unmatched in his fame.

Wang Xianzhi clearly possessed qualifications to be best in the world, yet he considered himself second best. This caused the most famous martial arts masters to be ranked eleventh, leaving the top spot vacant for twenty years.

In the last fifty years, two top sword masters had emerged. The new sword god Deng Tai’a, carrying a peach blossom branch, sought defeat but never lost. He fought Wang Xianzhi three times, neither winning nor losing, ranked third among top-tier masters.

The other was elusive, only known to be a man from Western Shu, a swordsmith originally an unknown figure. After thirty years of forging swords, he comprehended the way of the sword and traveled the world alone, collecting famous swords from all over the land and storing them in his sword box. He was only known to the world for fighting someone, which made him famous throughout the country. Although he lost and was left with a sword stuck on the city wall, no one doubted this mysterious swordsman was not defeated but honorable, because he lost to the old but still strong city lord of Martial Emperor City, Wang Xianzhi.

Who could imagine a swordsman whose sword could move forty states would become a stable boy in the Northern Liang royal palace, spending his days talking and chatting with horses, at most asking the prince for a pot of yellow wine to satisfy his cravings?

So when Old Kui heard that Yellow Old Nine had returned to Martial Emperor City to challenge Wang Xianzhi, he knew he couldn’t beat Yellow Old Nine more than ten years ago, and still couldn’t now.

Xu Fengnian, holding a cucumber in his hand, said with a wry smile, “Old Huang, tell me – how many swords are in this sword box? The whole world is guessing.”

Having lain in the stable a while, Old Huang with a few strands of hay stuck to his head, scratched his head and said, “The sword case has three Read on Jormuntllayers and six compartments. Originally, it contained six of the ten most famous swords in the world, but now it only contains five.”

Xu Fengnian was speechless.

Old Huang, you’re a master! Can you go even further?

Old Huang said in a simple and honest manner, “If young master wants to practice swordsmanship, I’ll leave three or four swords behind.”

Xu Fengnian shook his head and said, “No, young master would love for you to carry a hundred or eighty swords and turn Wang Xianzhi into a hornet’s nest. Then when you go out and flirt with the heroines of the martial world, I’ll have face to show that I stole chickens and ducks with you, Old Huang. Doesn’t that make sense, Old Huang?”

Old Huang grinned foolishly. Old Huang with no front teeth was truly adorable. How could he possibly be Sword Nine Huang, a master far surpassing even the most skilled?

Xu Fengnian couldn’t figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it. He had a servant prepare a pot of Longyan aged yellow wine and brought over a poor-quality horse. Xu Fengnian personally took the reins and saw the old man off outside the palace. He even slipped a few small-denomination silver notes to the old man, who didn’t refuse, saying, “Young master, go back. I know the way.” Xu Fengnian didn’t agree, saying, “At least see you to the city gate, shouldn’t I?”

The horse was of inferior quality. It wasn’t that His Highness was stingy or miserly, but whether it was a dappled horse with mane trimmed to resemble celestial patterns, or an even rarer and more precious Akhal-Teke horse, neither fit the principle of never becoming easy prey when traveling. Besides, Old Huang probably wouldn’t actually ride a horse – Xu Fengnian was just finding him a companion to talk to.

The five or six hundred taels of silver were for Old Huang to buy wine. Old Huang was fond of yellow wine. It was hard to tell whether he liked to drink it because his surname was Huang or because he loved yellow wine. Old Huang always had some secrets, but in Xu Fengnian’s eyes, Old Huang was just the old coachman who carried him with difficulty. Huang Sword Nine was secondary. This was what he really thought, but he dared not say it out loud for fear of seeming pretentious.

From the Northern Liang Prince’s Palace to the main gate of Lingzhou, there is always an end, no matter how far.

Seeing the prince’s somber expression, the city gate captain dared not flatter him. Instead, he quickly ushered everyone queuing to leave the city to the side, leaving the city gate empty.

Xu Fengnian, who was leading Old Huang’s horse, stood under the inner city gate wall, handed the reins to the old groom, and said sadly, “This is where we stop. I won’t see you off. Old Huang, wasn’t it boring being with a spoiled brat like me who’s like a frog in a well?”

Old Huang shook his head, gazing at the young and handsome face of the Crown Prince, and said with a smile, “It’s quite interesting, really. Old Huang doesn’t know how to flatter, but doesn’t the young master often say I speak honestly?”

Xu Fengnian smiled slightly.

Old Huang took out a stack of silk scrolls and drew sword poses with charcoal. Each scroll had only two characters, from Sword One to Sword Nine, crooked and twisted like earthworms crawling in mud. He handed them to Xu Fengnian and said, “Young Master, keep this. If you see any children with talent in the future, take them on as disciples for Old Huang. It will be more appropriate than abducting young girls on the street.”

Xu Fengnian carefully accepted it.

Old Huang thought for a moment, then looked troubled and said, “Young Master, I’m not very cultured and don’t know how to name swords. I only know ​stolen content​nine moves, from Sword One to Sword Nine. The first eight moves have all been given names by people in the martial world, and I feel uncomfortable and uneasy when I hear them. Young Master, could you come up with one for me?”

Xu Fengnian was both amused and exasperated. After thinking for a moment, he said, “We’ve traveled six thousand li, so we’re just going to call it Six Thousand Li? If you don’t think it’s vulgar and lacks grandeur, then go with this.”

Old Huang gave a thumbs up and praised, “Impressive! When I arrive at Martial Emperor City, I’ll announce this top-notch sword name, and Wang Xianzhi will probably be quite envious.”

Old Huang eventually led his horse away, the gourd hanging from his waist.

Xu Fengnian climbed onto the wall, looked at Old Huang’s lonely figure, and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Old Huang, if you want to drink yellow wine on the way but run out of money and can’t afford it, just come back – I’ll save some for you!”

The old servant carrying the box and leading the horse stopped, turned around, looked deeply at Xu Fengnian, shouted their shared catchphrase “When the wind blows, let’s get out of here,” and then ran off in a comical, cute, and silly manner.

Sword Nine.

Six Thousand Li.