Chapter 135 – A Great Head
In the dusk, Xu Fengyen finally walked to the source of the weak water in the border area of Baobao state, a green oasis full of verdure, such as a green pearl set in the yellow sand disk, extraordinarily delightful to see. Xu Fengyen in the oasis edge of the turquoise riverside water to wash his face, Zhu robes in the water such as koi carp play play, out of the northern Liang before, know the news is that the security here is very strict, not only is always stationed in a six hundred royal tent iron horsemen, more mixed with a lot of shadow chancellor Li Mibi under the banner of the catching flies and catching butterflies waiter, intertwined with a large spider web, led by a Zhu sprites the top assassin swordsmen, not only is to protect the ancient old man, is also a Close surveillance, whether traveling to enjoy the scenery route, or every meal dishes should be reported to the master Li Mibi, coupled with the old man’s own beloved forces, the two confrontation at the same time but also cooperate with each other, to resist the endless vengeance assassination.
But in Xu Fengyen seems to be really inconsistent with the news previously received, hidden stakes sparse, that stationed ten miles away from the barracks of the strong brigade also six hundred people plummeted to a mere two hundred riders, Xu Fengyen to take a few handfuls of cool water to wash his face, and then relieved, the old man in the eyes of the North Mang and how the tiger death does not fall frame, completely abandoned power after five or six years, living behind the scenes to enjoy their days, the reputation of nature is less than before that scrupulous, North Mang away from the sun Temple Hall momentum! Like the same, at first, are roughly the pattern of the north of the south phase, if you say that the South House Privy Council King Huang Song Pu opened a good head of the south for the general, in fact, even earlier, there are people early in the North Court tent to the identity of the Spring and Autumn relics, in a high position, can be called one person under ten thousand people, when each time Her Majesty the Empress hunts, and the group of ministers to draw grey deliberation, and this is the only person who can make the unruly and difficult to tame the Royal Court of the power of the people to be pleased to convince, the North Mang can be successful in the future! It can be said that it is this old man who is responsible for the implementation of the rule of scholars, Xu Fengyen’s purpose of this trip is to see this old man who is regarded by the Empress as the pillar of Beimang, who can believe that a doomed son of Beiliang who is destined to be inextricably linked to Beimang, who has traveled thousands of miles, is just casting himself into the net?
Xu Fengyen chose this secluded location near the water, did not rush into the hinterland of the oasis, is clearly a strange gate and hidden armor array, wading recklessly, may have to give as an assassin to capture. Walking a hundred miles half in ninety, Xu Fengyen withered until the twilight is sinking, the Zhu-robed shadowy creature is always that a pair of full of warmth without worrying about the dispassionate posture. Xu Fengyen stared and held his breath, like an old monk in meditation, remembered the camel-riding woman he met on the Gobi Beach a little more than half a decade ago, without looking at the face, he knew that it was a dragon lady phase, otherwise, with Xu Fengyen’s current Taoism, he wouldn’t have shown up to borrow any water. As for the latter’s help, there is not much to think about, it’s just to think about the grace of a water, the spring to return. Ancient books recorded this kind of mirage woman every time into the ocean or into the desert, there will be a mirage, the difference is just sea mirage or sand mirage, mirage belongs to the dragon, spit gas into the building, with Gong Gong phase and other natural divine power is different, with the phoenix consort phase can be the mother of the world is also different, mirage female phase since ancient times has been seeking immortality of the emperor as a search for the key of the mountain of the immortal, the mortals see mirage is naturally false, but this illusion after all can not be No reason to appear, there is something to rely on, the emperors of all dynasties authorized the Founder to go out to sea in search of Immortal Immortal Mountain, the team will inevitably be accompanied by a dragon lady, but how to guide the specific secret techniques, it is not known, the woman will be reduced to the emperor’s key, Xu Fengyen indifferent, but also is not a precarious position of his own son can be decided.
How many people in the world can be as fastidious as the old man in sheepskin fur when he was young? Most of the martial artists walking in the jianghu, after eating pain and suffering all believe in the purpose of see more, do less, say less. A Xu Snapdragon, passed the head of the rivers and lakes, a North Mang female emperor, Na as a hawk and dog, easily let the two rivers and lakes of all the people of the rivers and lakes all have no choice but to do so.
Xu Fengnian snapped open his eyes, looked to the water’s edge and trampled on the trail, the end of the trail there is an old and a small companion, the child was born with red lips and white teeth, riding a bamboo horse, naive and adorable. To a pole of bamboo as a crotch horse, mouth lightly yelling driving driving, the child wore a wide-sleeved robes, natural look, let people see forget the vulgar. The child beside the old man with white hair, tall, Wen towel green shirt, own a clear air, the old man a hand holding the bamboo horse child, a hand holding two volumes of scripture, saw no hidden tracks of Xu Fengyen, seems to have no surprise, let go of the little Taoist child’s hand, towards Xu Fengyen smiled and waved, like a long time to meet the forgetful friends.
The reason why Xu Fengyen did not hide, is to guess the identity of the old man, the former North Mang royal court of the first minister of power Xu Huainan, born in Liaodong, carefully scrutinized, it is a generation older than Xu Snapdragon distant relatives, but this relationship can be far enough to be negligible is. Xu Huainan, in the scholar fled before the north has arrived in the north of Mang, become Murong’s female emperor usurped the throne of the chief strategist meritorious minister, learning rich five car, a lifetime of learning all pay with the north of Mang dynasty, LiYang first set the Spring and Autumn, hostage to the impact of the momentum of the north of Mang, it is his persuasion has not yet been stabilized in the chair of the female emperor south of the imperial expedition, only today’s north and south of the world divided into two. Liyang second national strength of the northern expedition, it is this has been discharged to return to the field of his re-emergence, the development of strategies, making the new noble Tuoba Bodhisattva routed Liyang three lines, he has been living in these years by the weak water, nominally the House of the year out of the left and right hands to sell the military intelligence of the double-sided spies, provoked the anger of the empress, had to retire from the royal court, but in fact it is a deserved merit of the old man Xu Huainan treatment of the Muyong a family of attitudes and the empress The so-called spy case that shocked the whole country is just a step back for both sides.
Looking at the old man who once climbed to the top and then slowly climbed down, Xu Fengyen could not help but have mixed feelings. In front of him, but in terms of prestige, in terms of achievements, can actually be compared to Xu Snapdragon’s powerful minister. Xu Fengyen respectfully bowed, the old man in good spirits approached, picked up the Xu family descendant who risked his life, examined a few eyes, and laughed with delight: “This old man of mine did not think that it would be you who would come to see me, and I even wondered if there was a possibility that Xu Snapdragon would visit me in person, which is really a great surprise, worthy of being a member of my Xu family. I said a long time ago, without some guts, souls wouldn’t dare to cast the tire of the Xu family’s daughter-in-law.”
Xu Fengyen smiled bitterly.
Xu Huainan touched the head of the bamboo horse child beside him, looked at the rippling river, and softly said, “Don’t worry, the Liangmang border is very quiet, my side has taken away a very key Zhu sprites swordsman, because I guessed that you want to come over, so I took the opportunity to transfer most of the Royal Horde cavalrymen, it looks the most dangerous here, but it is also the safest. Qingming Festival, left behind the city killed Tao Qianzhi, and later fought with Tuoba Spring Falcon, so that do not know the height of the young general species ate a dumb loss, all the way to the line, took advantage of the hand to kill a mouthful of people’s hearts and livers of the devil Xie Ling, Dunhuang City attracted Deng Tai’a out of the sword, seems to be in the Yellow River side with the Princess Grave involved in the grudges, you, the descendant of this, is really to let the old man eye-opening. At that time I said, as long as you can live to the weak water, I will meet you no matter what. Come come come, let’s sit and talk.”
Xu Huainan and Xu Fengyen sat on the water’s edge grass, the naive boy suddenly made a furious face, lifting the bamboo horse will be towards the water to split, the weight of the qi, so that Xu Fengyen appeared to be suffocated for a moment, the Zhu-robed shadowy creature jumped out of the water, also to turn the river look, good in Xu Huainan held the section of verdant bamboo pole, shook his head, the boy only convergence of the qi, return to the innocent look, see Xu Fengyen eyes different, the old man divulged a bit of Heaven’s opportunity, but point to stop, warm smile: “I can not tell whether it is the Taoism a gas into three Qing’s supreme magical power, or chopping off the three corpses on the ten continents of the out-of-the-way means, but the side of this, surely a bitter life child. These years the cottage door can be sparrows, know how to burn a cold stove this kind of public cultivation of intelligent people also gradually can not stay up, more and more reduced, thanks to this child with, do not feel old and boring.”
For the Taoist orthodoxy, the Dragon Tiger Golden Dan has always been regarded as the only way to prove longevity, talismans and external dan are all side doors, not to mention the left way of decapitating three corpses, which is not documented in any canonical records. Moreover, Xu Fengnian did not have the heart to get to the bottom of this bit of minutiae, just a small Taoist child can make the Yin Qi tends to be full of Yin things like a great enemy, North Mang is not too much hidden dragon and crouching tiger?
Xu Huainan, who is already old but does not see any old age fatigue, sat down on his knees and said softly: “Since you dare to come here, I will make an exception and be frank with you, and say a few words from the bottom of my heart that I intend to take to my coffin, if it was a year ago, I would have planned the swallowing of the Mang for the North Rang for Xu Snapdragon according to the agreement, after all, I can’t talk about being loyal to the royal court, and also don’t have any addiction to being a subject of women’s skirts, the reason why I am a traitor for the dogs in my home town, bowing down for the female emperor, is because I am a slave. After all, I am not loyal to the royal court, nor do I have a penchant for being a vassal under the skirt of a woman, the reason why I am a traitor to the country, bowing and scraping for the empress, is only because I am holding my breath against Chunqiu and Liyang, in that case, I would be happy to see the ripples of the Liangmang, which is more interesting than a chess game replay, of course, I am a notorious bad chess player like Xu Snapdragon, however, the Chess Sword and Music House’s Order of the Peace is a real national player inside and outside of the chessboard, and he has been traveling to Liyang for more than a decade and has figured out the pulse of the situation, and this time, when he returned to the palace, he returned to the palace and played the right medicine. The right medicine, played a big game of spectrum, black and white to set the world, encompassing the North Mang Liyang North Liang, my position as a strategist, naturally, was replaced by this new emperor, I have been waiting for these years to be put on the market, it became not a small joke. Xu Fengyen, you say that since the royal court no longer has a place for me to use my writing, even if I have the cheek to make a comeback, what can I do?”
Xu Fengnian was silent.
There was a self-deprecating undertone in his words as Xu Huainan did not look at the young son who had traveled all the way here, “Isn’t it disappointing?”
Xu Fengyen nodded, “I don’t believe myself when I say I’m not disappointed.”
Xu Huainan really opened the window and slowly said, “When I was born, my family was naturally rich and famous, after I died, I was destined to be decapitated in less than ten years, half of the reason is that I purposely didn’t restrain my clansmen, letting them do wrong by their fresh clothes, and when I was the Chancellor of the North Courtyard, I also intentionally fought with the two surnames of Yelu Muyong for a long time. The other half is that the empress is ultimately a woman, women hold grudges is nature, she is destined to settle old scores with me before she dies, take a step back, even if she remembers the past and does not make things difficult for me, the next emperor of the Northern Mang, but also to take my descendants to open the knife. I think I am right for my clan, more than thirty years like the sun, it is the glory and wealth that ordinary people can’t enjoy in several lifetimes, only one person, can’t die, or can’t die so early, also counted as a bit of compensation for my loss of faith in Xu Snapdragon.”
Xu Fengnian raised his head, confused.
Xu Huainan laughed softly, “Back then, Xu Snapdragon had Zhao Changling and Li Yishan as his right arm, I am not a god, I can’t give it to the two of them, I can only give it to you, the future King of Northern Liang, one of them. If you trust it, feel free to use it, he would have had to die of exhaustion before the age of forty.”
The old man pointed to his own head, “My life of reading history and understanding and self-realization of Yang’s tactics and intrigues have all been passed on to this unassuming concubine’s grandson.”
Without the need for Xu Fenian to ask, the old man smiled, “He is already on his way to Northern Liang, so you will naturally meet when you should.”
Xu Fengyen was about to get up to thank him, but the old man waved his hand to stop him, “This is what I owe to your father and son, I can’t do it without Xu Snapdragon’s help if I can rise to great heights in Northern Mang.”
Xu Huainan suddenly laughed, “I remember when I left home at a young age, my intention was to aspire to be a Confucian scribe, after traveling thousands of miles, then ten thousand volumes of books, to be able to exegete and annotate is good. Where would I have thought to come to this point today.”
Xu Fenian was speechless.
Xu Huainan patted Xu Fengyen’s shoulder and said amiably, “In the future, the world, after all, will be left to you young people to point the way.”
After the old man sighed, he then asked, “I heard that you have a climate for practicing swords and knives, do you have the Northern Liang Sword? I want to take a look at it.”
Xu Fengnian shook his head and said, “Coming to North Mang, it’s not good to carry the Northern Liang Sword. There is only a Spring Thunder short sword.”
The old man slapped his own forehead and laughed, “Old fool, a short knife won’t hurt.”
Xu Fengyen took out the Spring Thunder Knife from the book case.
Xu Huainan placed it on his knee and stared at it for a long time, “I have no joy to speak of in life, and I have no fear of death, the reason why I’m patiently not dying is that I’m waiting to give that grandson a future, and then there’s one less reason to go to his death with peace of mind. Since I owe Xu Snapdragon, I can no longer owe you. And old me has also thought of a way to do it without owing anyone.”
Xu Huainan drew out his Spring Thunder Blade and handed it to Xu Fengnian, the smile on that vicissitude face was incomparably open-minded, “Come come come, cut off Xu Huainan’s head, put it in a bag, return to Beiliang, and go to be that Beiliang King.”