The carriage arrived at the palace of Jing'an and the passengers descended. Lord of Jing'an, who seemed so kind to Xu Fengnian at the inn, ignored all the servants greeting him on their knees and crossed the hallway. Zhao Xun and the Lady of Jing'an left as they approached the worship chamber where Zhao Heng entered alone. He sat on a praying mat made of woven cattail and sneered, "Xu Xiao, you cripple! Do you really think I dare not go after your son? Hereditary succession? I'll make your 20 years of hard work the worst joke!"

Jiang Ni wanted to read, so Xu Fengnian forced himself to listen. But after about 2,000 words, he gave up and went to invite Yu Youwei out to enjoy the scenery over the Anglerfort.

There was a thousand-year-old monastery that had never opened its main gate to anyone, be it the king or the ordinary pilgrims.

This place saw the rise of countless revered monks. The most famous one recently was Yang Taisui, who had been the mentor of two kings and was likely to see the third reign of the kingdom.

That was the world-famous Duopondus Monastery.

Behind the hills, at the foot of the mountain, there was a cemetery housing more than 1,000 tablets of deceased revered monks. At the edge of the cemetery sat the Thousand Buddha Hall. There were fist forms painted on the walls which lasted hundreds of meters. "There are a thousand fist forms in a thousand people's eyes." Therefore, people say that the best fist forms were from the Duopondus Monastery.

Xu Fengnian and Yu Youwei left the Anglerfort. Wandering around the city, they found an alley crowded with people. They went closer and found out that they were all betting on chess. The public chess players sat against the wall with their chess pieces and boards in front.

Xu Fengnian only kept Ning Emei around and sent the three bodyguards further away. Soon, he found an available chess player and pulled Yu Youwei over through the crowd. The young man looked like a poor scholar in his patched clothes and worn shoes. He laid ten chess pieces on the chessboard, meaning that the bet was ten times the stake. It was a gesture of confidence because ordinary chess players bet only two or three times, not even five. Xu Fengnian squatted down. As he was contemplating the stake, he looked up and realized that the young man was blind. "How are we going to play?" He wondered.

In the inn, Li Chungang and Jiang Ni were scribbling something on the table with their fingers. In front of them, there were two white porcelain bowls, one with water, and one with wine.

Li Chungang was encouraging Jiang Ni with a sneaky expression, "Lassie, think of the table as Xu Fengnian's smiley face."

Jiang Ni hesitated for a second, and her eyes lit up. She went on practicing, but this time, the words seemed to be almost engraved on the table.

Now, the old God of Sword understood why Xu Fengnian enjoyed teasing Jiang Ni.

"The highest and ultimate truth, the world has no means to pursue. A lonely life so overwhelming, like an avalanche so devastating."

"Master, you're being sentimental again."

"Silly Nanbei, you'll get it once you're married."

"Well, I bet the Madame went down the mountain for rouge again."

"Master, are you afraid of anyone else apart from Dongxi and the Madame?"

"The abbot of our temple who's over 150 years old. I am afraid that he wouldn't pay me."

"Is there anyone outside the temple?"

"No one, maybe?"

"Master, monks do not spout falsehoods!"

"Let me think. Oh, there is someone. He once fought against your Madame over me. Thankfully, I was a better fighter. I bet this is the only place that old rascal dare not visit."

"Old rascal? Wait. He fought against the Madame over you?! What is that supposed to mean?"

"Let the past be the past."

The reeds flourished in water and easily formed huge ponds and marshes.

Ten miles outside of Xiangfan, the vast and vibrant reed marshes somehow seemed lifeless today.

In the northeast corner of the reed marshes, stood a man who looked like an ordinary farmer with a soft golden sword wrapped around his waist.

It was said that the Martial Review had ranked the same warrior eleventh two times in a row. This warrior mastered all weapons and had an insight into Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. However, such intelligence became a problem because he couldn't find a weapon that suited him best. In the end, he picked a soft sword. Once he put energy into it, he could use it as a sword, a spear, or an arrow accordingly.

Finally, Prince Xu came with an old Taoist who looked like an immortal.

Xu Fengnian sensed the sword aura in the reed marshes from afar. Before they went any closer, he asked Wei Shuyang seriously in a low voice, "Grandpa Wei, Chubby Chu's letter said that Wang Mingyang's little brother was also coming here. I just don't get it. The siege of Xiangfan lasted for ten years and he did absolutely nothing. Why would he meddle with this today? He just discovered his conscience or something?"

Wei Shuyang's expression turned serious instantly. He sighed and shook his head. "I dare not make any assumptions. I only know that he is a man of profound martial arts cultivation. Or he couldn't have been the Eleventh on Martial Review twice. That means he's been the Eleventh for twenty years. The laymen know nothing and may mock his title, but I don't find it funny at all."

Suddenly, a loud blast came from the other end of the reed marshes.

There was only one ancient spear among the nine divine weapons. Interestingly, this spear didn't feature a sharp tip. On the contrary, it was rather blunt and curved into a strange arc.

Seeing Qing Niao with the Flash Spear, Xu Fengnian finally had a real understanding of her position as a death warrior.

She saw herself as a walking corpse.

When Xu Fengnian was staring at the Flash Spear in a trance, someone dashed out of the reed marshes, shouting, "Your Highness, the Earth Knight underneath!"

The swordguard Cabbage finally opened her eyes. Wu Liuding and the old God of Sword were accumulating power for action. But she didn't look at them. Instead, she gazed at Prince Xu who had wielded nineteen slashes in one go, holding the blade with both hands.

Suddenly, she tilted her head. A Red-Armored Runic Knight was defeated, but it was a young woman who attracted Cabbage's attention. This woman forced her way into the battlefield. She was dressed in a dark gown and dark shoes, but the spear she held was fully scarlet.

The old God of Sword was already flying over to Xu Fengnian when he heard the young girl chuckling. She withdrew her arm that penetrated Wang Mingyin's chest and leaped back, landing steadily on the old acacia tree. Then, with a gentle tap of her toe, she left like a shooting star. She left swiftly just the way she came.

Xu Fengnian, however, could not care less about her. He silently came to Qing Niao and sat by her side. Seeing her pale face, he took her into his arms and gently wiped away the dark blood oozing from the corner of her mouth. Li Chungang threw away the sword in his hand and squatted down. Placing his fingers on the maid's wrist, he asked with a frown, "That girl who killed Wang Mingyin, is she a death warrior of yours?"