Chapter 504: A Few Matters Neither Large Nor Small and the Simultaneous Refining of Saber and Armor

Winter passed and spring arrived.

The frozen river thawed.

After the New Year, several major events that were by no means small occurred in succession.

A military review was held at the Hulu Pass on the border, and a new Beiliang King took office.

Yet, what caused everyone's jaws to drop was that the person serving as the new Beiliang King was not the Prince, Xu Fengnian, but the Second Princess, Xu Weixiong.

—Beiliang King Xu Weixiong.

When this news spread, the world was shaken.

This was the first time a woman had been enfeoffed as a King, and for a time, there was endless discussion.

In reality, from the act of Xu Weixiong heading to the capital before the New Year, many people had already caught a hint of it, but very few dared to think in that direction; it was simply too absurd.

However, the Liyang Imperial Court was uncharacteristically in sync with Beiliang this time; they issued an imperial decree, bestowed a Python Robe, and acknowledged Xu Weixiong's status as a Feudatory King of Beiliang.

This was not difficult to understand.

For the Imperial Court.

Beiliang must have Iron Cavalry.

Beiliang must have a Beiliang King.

But Beiliang must absolutely not be prosperous.

In a world where men were held in higher esteem, with a female Beiliang King taking office, it was impossible for the interior of Beiliang to be a solid, impenetrable block. For the Imperial Court, they were naturally happy to see this happen.

It was just a pity that this wish fell through.

At least, that was how it appeared on the surface.

That female Beiliang King had truly won the hearts of the people.

Before succeeding as the Beiliang King, Xu Weixiong issued a proclamation to the four regions of Beiliang, holding a competition of both civil and martial arts on a constructed martial arts platform.

The civil competition included poetry, prose, and songs, as well as matters of national economy and the people's livelihood, and various policy questions.

The martial competition included simple duels, as well as military strategy, and even leading troops in confrontation.

Whoever could defeat the soon-to-be-inaugurated female Feudatory King in either aspect would be rewarded with gold and silver, and granted promotions and titles.

Many people prepared to watch the Second Princess Xu Weixiong make a fool of herself, and the challengers came in an endless stream; could she, Xu Weixiong, a mere woman, really defeat all the heroes of the four regions of Beiliang?

As it happened, she really could defeat them.

At least, there were not a hundred.

There is no need to say much about the civil competition.

Xu Weixiong had gone to study at Shangyin Academy at the age of sixteen, apprenticing under the two great masters, Libationer Wang and Han Guzi. A single line, "Green Ant New Brewed Wine, Red Mud Small Fire Stove," made the Beiliang Green Ant Wine sell out and resound throughout the world. And the art of strategy she learned from Han Guzi was even more extraordinary.

The crowd of scholars and strategists who went up to challenge her were often left convinced and speechless after just a few words from her.

Everyone had heard of the Second Princess's talent, and while it was surprising, it was not entirely unexpected.

What was truly unexpected was the martial competition.

Everyone had assumed that the Second Princess, being young, was at most a Second-Rank Small Grandmaster, or at the very peak, First Grade Vajra.

But who would have thought that Xu Weixiong was actually a First-rank Great Profound Realm expert. Especially that exquisite sword technique of hers; it lacked the gentleness and delicacy of a woman, and was instead filled with cold, murderous intent, sweeping and powerful.

One move in particular, "Sword Inclines Under Heaven," was extremely overbearing, defeating many experts in succession.

Afterward, rumors spread that this Princess had followed the world's number one, Murong Tonghuang, for a period of time, and had obtained the true essence of his sword technique.

Regardless, this Second Princess won the admiration of the vast majority of men in Beiliang; whenever she was mentioned, they would all give a thumbs up in praise.

"A heroine who does not yield to men."

It was precisely because of this that the Second Princess becoming the Beiliang King did not seem so abrupt.

Many even set off firecrackers to celebrate; handing the four regions of Beiliang and the three hundred thousand Iron Cavalry to the Second Princess was always better than handing them to that playboy Xu Fengnian. Even though Xu Fengnian's reputation had recovered somewhat, in the eyes of the people of Beiliang, he remained an incompetent, great playboy—a deep-rooted impression.

During the first military review after the New Year, Chu Lushan, Yuan Zuozong, Han Laoshan... and a dozen other generals holding great power in the military stood in a row, holding their sabers.

The fourth son of the Great General, that seemingly simple-minded and foolish, but actually born with a Jingang Jingti, Xu Longxiang, walked step by step toward that war drum, which was one and a half people tall.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Beiliang war drum, which had once resounded through the six kingdoms of the world and was loudest at the Spring and Autumn Western Rampart, was struck, the sound like muffled thunder.

And just at this moment, a rider galloped over; the woman on the horse was heroic and spirited, her sleeves fluttering. Though she had only average looks, she already possessed a captivating, Demonic power, yet at this moment, no one dared to look her in the eye.

A slightly lame old man looked at the back of that rider, his hands tucked into his sleeves, smiling from ear to ear.

Behind the old man was a handsome young man, smiling even more carefreely.

The slightly lame old man's smile faded slightly, and he glanced at his second son, who had been viewed by the outside world as a playboy since childhood but had never disappointed him, saying: "Fengnian, do you regret it? All of this should have belonged to you."

The handsome young man stretched and said with a chuckle: "Regret my foot, I'm so happy I could wake up laughing in my dreams. That position of yours is majestic to sit in, but it's exhausting and full of grievances. Now the heavy burden falls on Second Sister, but who told her to be so smart since she was little; she deserves to bear this burden."

"As long as you don't regret it, as long as you don't regret it." The lame old man chuckled; if the siblings in the family could be united without any grudges, then when he saw her, he would have less guilt and unease.

The handsome young man suddenly changed the subject, yet his words were shocking: "Old man, you're going to die, aren't you?!"

"Yes, I am going to die." The lame old man nodded, also feeling no ripples regarding his own "death."

"Sigh, I haven't cried in a long time. You are my father, after all; if I don't shed a single tear when you die, I'll be scolded again," the handsome young man said with a bitter face.

"Haha, Fengnian, you still have to be serious at my funeral. I don't mind, but if people see through the ruse, Mr. Murong will beat people up."

The lame old man laughed heartily.

"Got it, got it," the handsome young man said.

On the other side, the woman in the Python Robe, equipped with a Beiliang Saber, had already arrived in front of the martial arts platform, standing in the very center, and then she suddenly gripped her saber and shouted: "Beiliang, draw your sabers."

Swish!

A dozen generals drew their sabers.

The three hundred thousand Beiliang Army, whose armor did not stir even under the weight of flying snow, drew their sabers.

The Beiliang Iron Cavalry are the best under heaven.

The drums of Beiliang sound, heard throughout the world.

Beiliang has a new king, Xu Weixiong.

Xu Weixiong's gaze is resolute as she points her Beiliang Saber toward Beimang.

Three hundred thousand Beiliang Sabers point in unison toward Beimang.

In Xu Weixiong's heart, there is another blade, pointing toward the Central Plains, pointing toward Taian City.

……

As for the second matter, it also concerns Beiliang.

Xu Xiao is dead.

That Human Butcher Xu Xiao, who governed the four northwestern prefectures, joined the army and began killing at ten, slaughtered the Xiongnu from Jinzhou in the northeast, annihilated six large and small states in the south, massacred over seventy cities, and suppressed the sixteen barbarian tribes in the southwest, is dead; he died in the first year of Xiangfu.

He did not die on the battlefield, but on his bed.

This news first spread in Liangzhou City; it passed from ten to a hundred, and many old people gathered their courage to go to the foot of the mountain outside the Wang Mansion, seeing with their own eyes those miserable white-backed spring couplets.

An hour later, the entire city was hung with white lanterns and all couplets were replaced with white-backed ones.

Liangzhou Inspector Hu Kui, dressed in mourning clothes, rushed outside the ceremonial gate, turned his head to look at the tens of thousands of Liangzhou commoners in the city, and shouted until his voice was hoarse: "First bow."

The wind and rain were as gloomy as darkness, and a vast expanse of white knelt in the streets.

"Second bow!"

"Third bow."

After several days, the news gradually spread, but the Liyang Dynasty capital, Taian City, fell into a state of wild celebration; no one knows how many people clapped and cheered, forming groups to toast to this with one, two, or three large cups of wine, and even the morning court fell into a strange, treacherous atmosphere of joy.

That Xu Xiao, one of the three Great Demons of the Spring and Autumn period, had finally died.

Yet there were also those who sighed inopportunely; regardless of Xu Xiao's merits or faults during his life, this Human Butcher who broke six states was indeed a Sea-Calming Treasure.

Without this Sea-Calming Treasure, how could one possibly hold down that group of barbarians in Beimang? Coupled with the Western Chu that is about to restore its state, the Central Plains will be in chaos.

In the imperial court, they argued endlessly over the posthumous title for this former Beiliang King, but the titles proposed by the officials were none of them good. Especially that Jin Sanlang, who came from Beiliang and had been disciplined by Xu Weixiong, joined with Ministry of War Vice Minister Lu Shengxiang to propose the title "Li" (Cruel), wanting to define Xu Xiao as a rebellious subject of the Liyang Dynasty.

In the end, the Zhao Family Emperor, with the corners of his mouth slightly curled up before quickly suppressing it, made the final decision, waving his dragon sleeve to propose: "Merits and faults cancel each other out, posthumous title: Wu Li."

Soon, an imperial decree with the posthumous title "Wu Li" was placed in a gold-lacquered box and sent to Beiliang.

The head eunuch of the Yinshou Bureau held the gold-lacquered box, not daring to let it leave his hands even while sleeping.

The closer he got to Beiliang, the more violently the head eunuch's heart beat; although he was accompanied by a hundred-man elite force, compared to the three hundred thousand iron cavalry of Beiliang, it was not even a drop in the ocean.

The head eunuch tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, thinking to himself that the female Feudatory King would surely not dare to send people to assassinate him or refuse the imperial decree.

The carriage suddenly stopped.

The old eunuch in the carriage also sensed an unusual aura; he lifted the curtain to look, and his heart sank instantly.

Near the Youzhou boundary marker, there were countless iron cavalry, stretching to the very end of his vision.

The iron cavalry slowly cleared a path, and a woman in a Python Robe rode out, looking heroic and spirited; who else could it be but the only female Feudatory King in the world?

The old eunuch's mouth twitched; he puffed out his chest, secretly summoning the arrogance of a head eunuch from the Imperial Palace, and shouted loudly: "This servant..."

Before he could finish speaking, he heard the woman in the Python Robe say coldly: "Raise the box."

"This..." The head eunuch's chest instantly deflated.

"Raise the box!"

The voice of the woman in the Python Robe was cold and indifferent, as if devoid of the slightest emotion.

But to the ears of the eunuch in the Python Robe, it was heart-stopping, like hearing a thunderclap, and a chill shot straight to his heart.

"Raise the box."

The woman in the Python Robe shouted for the third time.

The old eunuch knew that things do not happen a third time; with just their pair of men, whatever the other side wanted to do to them would be easy, and one must be sensible, so he tremblingly held the box high.

The woman in the Python Robe took a large bow, drew the string, and it looked like a full moon.

The old eunuch knew something was wrong, but the feathered arrow had already whistled out.

The arrow pierced the sky; a full-strength shot from a First Grade Finger Profound expert was naturally extraordinary.

With a "Crack!", the gold-lacquered box shattered instantly, and the arrow struck the imperial decree inside, pinning it into the dirt.

The old eunuch and the hundred elite guards were stunned like wooden chickens.

The female Feudatory King had already turned her horse and left.

In the first year of Xiangfu, Beiliang not only refused the imperial decree, but that female Beiliang King even trampled the decree into the dust. The Capital was shaken, and no one knows how many people cursed that female Beiliang King for not knowing what was good for her. Even the current Emperor was furious; it is said that his favorite porcelain cup was smashed.

As for the third minor matter that occurred in the Central Plains, it was a "Great Snow Order" from Daxueping on Huishan, which will not be mentioned here.

And once the Human Butcher Xu Xiao died, a minor matter also occurred in Beimang.

That woman with the greatest prestige in the world, the Beimang Female Emperor, received an old Confucian scholar of similarly advanced age.

The Female Emperor's face was aged, though one could vaguely see that she was indeed a stunning beauty in her youth; she looked coldly at this old Confucian scholar who had left in a huff all those years ago. After a long silence, she finally spoke: "Taiping Ling, according to your request, everything in the palace has been arranged; can we begin?"

The old Confucian scholar before her was none other than Taiping Ling from the Chess Sword Music Mansion.

The Chess Sword Music Mansion recruits disciples based on the names of lyric patterns; among the three-character patterns, Taiping Ling and Sword Qi Near are the most famous.

Taiping Ling has always been the Great Mansion Master of the Chess Sword Music Mansion, with close ties to the Imperial Court, often serving as an Imperial Tutor.

And this Female Emperor, after ascending the throne, had once rebuked Taiping Ling to his face: "Since ancient times, sacrifices are ranked by Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Kin, and Teacher; I have no parents left to worship, if you consider yourself able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Heaven and Earth, then come and be this Imperial Tutor."

Thus, this Taiping Ling failed to become the Imperial Tutor, left in a huff, and lived Yinxing Maming for twenty years; now, after Xu Xiao's death, he finally entered the palace to see the Female Emperor again.

Taiping Ling did not stand on ceremony; he walked up the first tier of steps, took off his book box, and raised his hand to wave.

Nearly two hundred palace maids and eunuchs holding silk like scroll paintings filed in one after another, knelt to place the silk paintings on the left and right sides of the square, walked backward with their heads bowed, and each pulled up a long scroll.

Before long, a hundred pieces of silk became a giant painting.

It was the map of the Beimang and Liyang dynasties, meticulously including every military town, every great river, and every majestic mountain range.

The Female Emperor narrowed her eyes, and could not help but feel infinite heroic spirit arise.

The landscape of two dynasties, as beautiful as a painting, magnificent and vast, lay entirely beneath their feet.

Only after the old Confucian scholar had waited for the female officials and eunuchs to withdraw did he sit down and say, "Today, allow this old man to first speak of the timing, the geographical advantages, and the human factors; tomorrow, I shall speak of the local customs and conditions I have seen in the Central Plains over these years; the third day, the borders of the two countries, though I can only give a general overview; the fourth, specific matters and how to win the hearts of the people; the fifth, how to destroy Beiliang, occupy Western Shu, and swallow Nanzhao; the sixth, pointing the spearhead directly at Taian City, annexing the world, and unifying the Northern Mang and Central Plains. On the seventh day, I shall then speak of how to govern the empire."

Even though this Female Emperor had experienced the vicissitudes of life, she was momentarily stunned upon hearing such heroic words that could swallow the world like a tiger; after a moment, she smiled slightly and said, "Sir, please."

Thus, the Taiping Ling spoke for seven consecutive days.

Over these twenty years, he had spent the majority of his time in the Central Plains, assuming over a dozen identities, traveling across the length and breadth of the land, seeing all the states of the world, and fully taking in the mountains and rivers of the Spring and Autumn period.

There is a saying by a Saint: "Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles."

Perhaps even Huang Sanjia, the only remaining one of the three Great Demons of the Spring and Autumn period, had not necessarily walked further or seen more than he had.

And now, the Taiping Ling was recounting all the knowledge and learning he had gained over these twenty years to the Female Emperor.

Matters of the world, whether great or small, were all told in detail.

He spoke by day and by night, truly speaking for a full seven days.

After seven days, the Female Emperor took the hand of the Taiping Ling and said calmly, "I appoint you as Imperial Tutor."

The Taiping Ling, now promoted to Imperial Tutor, merely smiled slightly and exchanged a glance with the Female Emperor.

A moment later, both turned their gazes toward the direction of the Central Plains.

Xu Xiao was dead, Beiliang could be broken, so why could they not sit upon those magnificent and beautiful mountains and rivers of the Central Plains?

War was near.

……

Xu Xiao was dead.

That Human Butcher, Xu Xiao, who had campaigned across the six states, was dead.

Regardless of how the outside world evaluated that former Beiliang King, the four prefectures of Beiliang were draped in mourning, and no one laughed.

Especially within Liangzhou City, one could walk through the entire city and might not even see a single smiling face.

In the Beiliang Prince Mansion, the atmosphere of grief was even heavier, almost suffocating.

Yet in a side courtyard of the mansion reserved for servants, an old man lay on a rocking chair, slapping his thigh and humming a little tune, finding great amusement in it.

This old man was named Wu Jiang, and he had served in the Beiliang Prince Mansion for fourteen or fifteen years as a third-class servant; because he liked to eat a piece of raw ginger with his meals and drinks, his nickname was "Old Ginger Block."

Today, his roommates had all gone to work, but he had taken two days off under the pretext of having caught a cold.

"That Jinzhou barbarian Xu Xiao has finally left; Su'er won't be lonely down below. Heh, this guy was never any good; in his whole life, only his son ever caught this old man's eye."

The old man's weathered face showed a hint of sorrow: "It's just hard on these children, having to hold up such a massive Beiliang. Hmph, I don't know what that cripple is playing at, not letting Xiaonian take the position of Beiliang King, but insisting on his second sister doing it instead; have they all forgotten that Xu Weixiong is actually..."

Speaking of this, he suddenly sighed again: "That's not a good burden to carry anyway, what's there to fight over. Whoever sits there will only suffer. The little girl and Fengnian's relationship, though not family by blood, is family nonetheless."

Suddenly, the old man sat up, his eyes half-open and half-closed, carrying a fierce aura, yet with an excellent bearing as if he had come from a noble family, and said leisurely, "Since you have come, friend, why not reveal yourself?"

A long laugh rang out from outside the courtyard, and with a "Bang!", a slender palm pierced through the wall and gave a casual push; the stone wall immediately crumbled and scattered like tofu.

A person dressed in green, wearing a bamboo hat woven from willow twigs, slowly stepped inside, with a long blade hanging at their waist.

The bamboo hat on the person's head was pulled very low, and the old man could not see their face, but he felt a biting murderous intent rushing toward him, causing his whole body to chill.

"Blade Armor Qi Lianhua?"

The person said in a low voice, their tone hoarse, as if asking a question.

"What Blade Armor Qi Lianhua? What nonsense are you spouting?" The old man's brows furrowed even deeper, looking like two large lumps.

Swish!

The person in the bamboo hat removed their cloak, revealing a rather handsome face.

With a casual toss, the willow-woven bamboo hat spun out, as if thrown by an ordinary person, with no power to speak of.

But the old man felt as if there was nowhere to hide, his entire body locked in place. He took a deep breath and threw a punch. As the punch advanced, the air emitted a "clattering" roar, like crashing waves, and the entire sky and earth were submerged by an endless tsunami.

Bang!

The fist and the bamboo hat collided.

The old man staggered back two steps, a look of horror in his eyes.

Although he was not most skilled in fist techniques, at his level of cultivation, every punch and kick possessed its own true intent, a vision of ten thousand Daos returning to the source. Yet this simple bamboo hat caused the Qi and Blood in his body to churn and his internal energy to explode, a feeling difficult to resist.

The bamboo hat spun around and flew back into the person's hand.

The person in green slowly reached for the hilt of their blade; when their hand pressed against it, it immediately gave the impression of a storm about to break, pressing down on the old man until he could hardly breathe.

"Draw your blade, or you will die."

The person in green with the bamboo hat spoke in a flat tone.

But that murderous intent filled the entire courtyard, growing increasingly dense, and the old man could even smell the scent of blood on the tip of his nose.

When did such a master of the blade appear in the world?

The old man knew this was the most dangerous moment and, unable to care about anything else, lifted his foot and stomped on the ground.

Bang! The soil exploded, and a strange, snow-white long blade jumped out, landing in the old man's hand.

"Watch the blade."

With a clanging sound, the blade at the waist of the person in green was unsheathed; the blade light was like a dragon swimming in the nine heavens, and with a single strike, it was extremely domineering, as if Opening Heaven, slashing toward the old man.

The old man's eyes narrowed, and the snow-white long blade in his hand was unsheathed. The moment the long blade left its scabbard, the airflow in the entire courtyard was swept away, and a chilling coldness radiated from the blade light. It had been the return of spring to the earth, but suddenly it was as if they had returned to the depths of winter, bone-chillingly cold.

Clang!

The two blades collided, the force exploding on the spot, the icy energy turning into a gale that lashed out in the courtyard, as if the entire courtyard had been frozen with a layer of ice crystals.

A great battle erupted.

Both of their blade techniques were domineering and fierce; by the third exchange, the entire courtyard exploded with a bang, turning into dust in the bitter, cold gale.

By the eleventh exchange, the two fought into the nearby house, and under the sweep of ten thousand blade auras, it seemed to shatter with a bang, leaving only ruins on the ground.

By the twentieth exchange, the two blades collided again, producing another echo that shook the universe.

And it was at this moment that the person in green shook their arm, parried the old man's snow-white long blade, sheathed their own, and said indifferently, "In this world, besides Gu Jiantang, the number one master of blade techniques, the only other person capable of taking twenty of my moves is Qi Lianhua, the Blade Armor of the Spring and Autumn Thirteen Jia."

"That is correct, it is indeed this old man. Who exactly are you?" Blade Armor Qi Lianhua's Qi circulated, his palm gripping his blade tightly, ready to unleash a heaven-shaking strike at any moment.

"Very well. Since you are willing to admit it, then take this token."

The person in green robes and a bamboo hat smiled slightly, fished an object from their bosom, flipped their palm, and with a *whoosh* of wind, threw it toward Qi Lianhua.

Qi Lianhua did not dodge or evade; with a grab of his five fingers, he pinched the thrown object in his palm, feeling only that it was ice-cold and heavy to the touch, and looking down, he saw it was a plaque.

On the front were written three characters: Great Snow Order.

Without needing to look at the back, Qi Lianhua knew what was written there and understood the visitor's identity; he looked up abruptly and said, "You are a 'Hui Mountain Order Envoy', but aren't the Order Envoys only women?"

The person in green robes and a bamboo hat smiled slightly and said, "In reality, besides the Order Envoys, there is one other person responsible for delivering tokens, though the people this person delivers to are not ordinary, but rather great experts and legendary figures like Blade Armor Qi Lianhua, Confucian Sage Cao Zhangqing, and Peach Blossom Sword God Deng Taie."

Qi Lianhua pondered slightly, then was suddenly startled: "You... are you the current Master of Huishan, Murong Tonghuang?"

"You guessed correctly."

The person in green robes and a bamboo hat smiled again; clearly having done nothing, the person's entire image suddenly underwent a heaven-turning, earth-shattering change.

From an ordinarily handsome person in green robes and a bamboo hat, they transformed into the peerlessly elegant, transcendent, and demonically handsome Murong Shuang Kui.

"Also, your son-in-law wishes to see you."