The Sword Strider Saga

Not only was Xu Weixiong a mountain to Jiang Ni, but she could grate Hong Shu, the girl who would use fresh human blood as rouge.

Xu Fengnian planned to have dinner with the little girl and the young monk, Nanbei.

On his way to their courtyard, Xu Fengnian asked Hong Shu beside him, "What do you think Mount Lantuo really wants?"

By all accounts, Xu Fengnian was quite a handsome and striking casanova.

Several popular courtesans in Ling Province had been fighting tooth and nail over him in jealous fits.

If anyone in the castle dared to shoot daggers at Xu Fengnian and displayed their hatred of him unreservedly, that would be the maid who at this moment was distancing herself from several servant girls who were smiling coyly. Jiang Ni was her name.

Xu Fengnian left the Tingchao Pavilion and came to the stable, where there was a lone russet-colored horse with a lame leg.

Old Huang was grumbling at the horse when he spotted Prince Xu. He grinned from ear to ear, his two missing front teeth in full view, painting an altogether goofy scene.

News of a beauty with peerless elegance coming to Dragon Inn had been the hot topic of the capital city of Ling Province for the past two days, second only to Prince Xu's return in terms of buzz.

Rumor had it that this lady was even more alluring than the top courtesan of Ling Province, Yu Youwei.

The Zijin Mansion possessed a tremendous reputation,

and Yu Youwei was its the Oiran. She once performed a sword dance which mesmerized and scared Xu Fengnian out of his wits all at once.

The procuress here was all dolled up today, personally welcoming the three loaded scions.

Xu Fengnian flung the tightly bound Yu Youwei onto the grand bed in the inner chamber, then proceeded to feed her the Yuni Powder.

The drug would revive an unconscious female, while making her body supple and devoid of strength, like an amorphous resin. She would not even be able to bite her own tongue in despair, though still perfectly capable of moaning and purring.

Before long, wisps of snow had ushered in the onset of winter.

White fox-face had now spent five days inside the first floor of the Tingchao Pavilion,

while Yu Youwei and Empress had settled down as well.

Once again, white fox-face had gone into seclusion.

Xu Fengnian went to the center of the lake with Jiang Ni, Yu Youwei and Old Huang in tow, to make mulled wine while admiring the snow.

All around the palace, there were lights and decorations, the place enveloped in a glorious celebratory mood.

It was lunar January, and there seemed to be an endless line of guests bearing precious gifts.

Then came the Lantern Festival.

Xu Fengnian took Yu Youwei and a slew of burly guards to Valedictorian Alley to revel in the festivities.

Spring came knocking, awakening insects in hibernation.

It was noontime, and Xu Fengnian ventured alone to the lakeside, plunging into the tranquil emerald waters.

The lake water was fluid, as if having a life of its own. It reached substantial depths, and a huge Luminous Pearl lay embedded in its lakebed, illuminating its surroundings with radiance as bright as daylight.

Once they reached the center of the lake, Xu Fengnian threw down the purple-colored Tonitrusword with all his might.

A long uneventful silence followed.

Old Huang slowly stepped toward the bow of the boat and remained motionless.

It happened in a flash.

The lake waters surged with intense undulations, as if the world was about to topple over.

The great battle came to a swift end. Old Huang wielded three swords in the end, unleashing six moves in total. Surprisingly, the old ogre no longer put up a fight after that.

Back then, it was indeed Old Huang who beat that ogre down the lake bottom.

The ogre shouted at Xu Fengnian, "Hey kid, gimme some meat and booze!"

Xu Fengnian led a group of cavalry back to the palace and came to the courtyard where the old ogre was in.

On seeing Xu Fengnian, the old ogre asked, "Boy, has Swordmaster Huang left for City of the Peerless to settle with Old Wang Xianzhi?"

Xu Fengnian nodded and sat down on a stool opposite the old ogre without a word.

After Xu Fengnian woke up in the morning, Hong Shu, the eldest servant girl in Sycamore Garden, came in to help him dress.

She softly reminded him of a secret letter on the table.

Xu Fengnian freshened up. Then he gently opened the envelope, upon which was a small seal script of "Yin".

Xu Fengnian wanted to practice blade skills from the old ogre.

The old ogre asked, "Why should I teach you?"

Xu Fengnian replied, "I'll ask Xu Xiao to invite Wei Beishan, the man with the blade Horse Slayer, to Northern Liang. You can fight with him. And we'll invite one master every year till I can use a blade."

All too quickly, it was lunar January again. Today, the Grand Consul personally received two state governors, Yan Jiexi and Li Gongde. Li Hanlin was unable to sit still, so the Grand Consul waved him off with "Get out". Then Li Hanlin immediately took his best friend Yan Chiji and ran out.