Chapter 100

As they approached Xiangfan, one could see the famous Fishing Terrace on the city wall. The Fishing Terrace was supported by a single pillar, standing firm for ten and a half years. The plaque on the city tower read, "Fishing Alone in the Central Plains." Xu Fengnian ignored Wei Wei and Huang Toulang, dismounted the boat, and rode his horse towards the ghost city in the twilight. He dismounted near the city gate. Jiang Ni seemed to truly believe that the young prince had a Taoist talisman, and she jumped off the carriage and ran to Xu Fengnian's side. Xu Fengnian held back his laughter, pointed at the city wall with the Xiu Dong knife, and squinted, saying, "Do you see? The greatest general of the realm once sat there for ten years, which is why we now have the saying 'sitting firmly on the Fishing Terrace.' There are few people who could make Xu Xiao grind his teeth in hatred. The Western Chu scholar who truly understood the great principles of the Spring and Autumn period could rank in the top three. Even after the Western Chu emperor was defeated at the Western Fort, and the entire south was lost, this city and the Fishing Terrace remained unshaken. Unfortunately, no matter how impregnable Xiangfan was, it couldn't influence the overall situation of the realm."

Jiang Ni bit her lip.

Xu Fengnian led the horse slowly and said, "When the city ran out of food, they ate the horses. When the horses were gone, they caught birds and dug up rats. When the birds and rats were gone, they ate people."

Jiang Ni remained silent.

Xu Fengnian said softly, "The soldiers knew they would die, and the city defenders fought to the last man, with no one surviving. This is what the wars of the Spring and Autumn period were like. These tragedies are unimaginable to the scholars of the Shangyin Academy. Xiangfan, a mighty city, stands eighteen zhang and six chi tall, with a base nine zhang wide. The city wall is eleven li long, built with granite and limestone blocks. The walls are made of special large bricks from three states, each brick marked with the place of manufacture, the supervisor, and the maker. When the bricks were laid, the gaps were filled with a mixture of glutinous rice juice, sorghum juice, lime, and tung oil. The city was built with steamed earth, and the chief engineer of the construction project held a sharp awl. If the awl could penetrate an inch, the builder would be killed and buried in the wall. Thus, the wall was as solid as iron, and historians of the time all called it cruel and harsh."

Xu Fengnian stopped and, without looking at Jiang Ni's face, said coldly, "When Xu Xiao attacked the city, Wang Mingyang defended it. Each prepared for battle. This scholar, who graduated from Jixia Academy, cleared the fields and moved all food and supplies into the city, even tearing down houses to move the wood and bricks inside. To prevent Xu Xiao from digging tunnels, he had a hundred wells dug around the city, each containing a large earthen jar covered with leather, with people listening for any digging. Not only did he organize the fifty thousand soldiers, but he also divided the 150,000 Xiangfan civilians into three, six, and nine categories, assigning roles to monks, craftsmen, and knights. Essential supplies for the city defense were divided into two categories: official and civilian. He also selected skilled warriors to patrol the city day and night to prevent spies from setting fires or opening the gates. Wang Mingyang's military knowledge, learned at the Shangyin Academy, was fully utilized over the ten years. Xu Xiao once said that if everyone at the Shangyin Academy were like this, he would have no problem being a Jixia scholar."

Xu Fengnian continued, "To attack the city, one must first cross the river and moat. Then, one must approach the city, and only then comes the most brutal part: scaling the walls. This is also called 'ant climbing.' Look at the city wall and imagine thousands of people climbing ladders, facing arrows, boulders, and boiling oil. The monks in the city invented the Demon Subduing Mace, and the old Taoist created a liquid that caused the skin to rot on contact. After scaling the walls, there was street fighting. At the time, Xiangfan gathered many martial artists and outlaws, all determined to defend this strategic town for the three Central Plains states. They fought with a united spirit, repelling the Northern Liang army countless times on the city walls. Without them, Xiangfan would have fallen in three years, not ten. The world only knows that the Northern Liang army excels in cavalry warfare, but they are also skilled in infantry and sieges. In the wars of the Spring and Autumn period, they were invincible, except at Xiangfan, where they lost a large number of elite troops, including three hundred tunnel experts. As for who was right or wrong in this ten-year siege, who knows? But it was during these ten years that Xu Xiao, who always held grudges, truly became an enemy of the martial world."

The moat was exceptionally wide, and the drawbridge was not raised. Xiangfan had strict night curfews, but in recent years, the drawbridge had always been down, and even the main gate had never been closed. It seemed that, following the instructions of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master, after a grand ceremony to exorcise the nine hells and absolve sins, the ghost gate was left open to allow the spirits to leave Fengdu Xiangfan. It was said that before leaving the city, the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master personally drew talismans around the city and hung a Taoist talisman in the top floor of the Fishing Terrace, inscribed with "The Heavenly Spirits have all returned to heaven, the Earthly Fiends should return to the earth." It was said that when the spirits of Xiangfan were all gone, the talisman would burn away.

But the talisman had remained for many years without disappearing, casting a shadow over the hearts of the hundreds of thousands of people in Xiangfan.

Xu Fengnian led the horse, with two young kuai following, and Jiang Ni by his side, her expression complex. Xu Fengnian subconsciously looked up at the Fishing Terrace on the city wall. The moon was bright, and the city tower was magnificent.

Xu Fengnian turned to the little clay figure and said gently, "Don't be afraid."

Jiang Ni, with sweat on her palms, nodded.

The young prince could not see the people in the tower, but they could see Xu Fengnian.

The person in the tower was tall and slender, wearing ordinary Taoist robes, with hemp shoes, a Taoist bun held by a wooden pin, and a duster in hand. The top floor of the Fishing Terrace was a forbidden area, guarded by several respected old Taoist priests from Dragon Tiger Mountain, even the Prince of Jing'an was not allowed to enter. When the Great Celestial Master left the city, he explicitly stated that only a true Celestial Master could enter.

If the little girl from the Celestial Master's residence and the little monk Nanbei were there, they would recognize this Taoist as the one who led them into the inner courtyard of the Celestial Master's residence. It was he who used his white-tailed duster to block the arrogant yellow-robed Taoist's attack and personally introduced them to the White Lotus Scholar.

This young Celestial Master from Dragon Tiger Mountain was surnamed Qi, sharing the same surname as the Great Celestial Master Qi Xuanzhen and the same appearance as a former ancestor of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

Holding the duster, he was praised by the Imperial Preceptor, who governed the Taoist religion, as "Grandfather sitting on Kunlun."

After he left Dragon Tiger Mountain, various legends spread like a snowball, as if the whole world was praising him. But he was indifferent because none of these things mattered to him. To him, those grand principles that most people couldn't even understand were not principles. The love between brothers, the filial piety of children, and the affection between couples were the true principles. Those great studies were just academic debates in books, not true knowledge. The hard work of farmers, the bargaining of vendors, and the profit-seeking of merchants were the true knowledge. He considered his Taoist roots shallow, so he did not seek the Way of Heaven, but rather wanted to enter the world through martial arts to help others. He left the mountain for two reasons: one was to enter Xiangfan, as his master said before closing the gate that the talisman would burn, and he wanted to confirm it with his own eyes. The other was to visit Wudang to see if the young abbot could truly shoulder the Way of Heaven. The judgment was simple: if he could be killed with the duster, he was fake; if he couldn't, he was real.

He turned to look at the talisman hanging from a red rope connecting heaven and earth, frowning.

The talisman was shaking.

Xu Fengnian squinted and saw a strange woman walking out of the city gate.

She had shaved off all her hair.

She wore a white monk's robe, with a white snake biting a white pot on her wrist.

She was barefoot, but her jade-like feet did not touch the dust.

She walked lightly onto the drawbridge.

Outside the city gate of Xiangfan, the ghostly atmosphere was heavy like a snowstorm, but she seemed like a Bodhisattva of Compassion, liberating all beings.

The talisman on the Fishing Terrace burned to ashes.

"Ten thousand ghosts leave the city."

A Taoist from the Celestial Master's residence sighed, "Dragon Tiger Mountain has lost. Mount Lantian has won."