Old Huang calmly ate his roast chicken. He was the only one who dared to tease Xu Xiao so brazenly.
Xu Xiao looked embarrassed and snapped, "You didn't take some bribe, did you?"
"Would I dare? If I dared reveal my identity, I might be surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Northern Mang troops."
"Haha, true enough. The fall of those kingdoms was largely your doing."
After eating and drinking, Xuantian returned to his residence. On the third day, he planned to visit Tide-Watching Pavilion, but Xu Fengnian came as well. He carried a purple bamboo fishing rod, had his younger brother Xu Longxiang bring several embroidered cushions, and ordered servants to prepare a long tea table. Rare fruits and fine dishes were all present, and he had even instructed the steward to select four or five beautiful young maidservants in the bloom of youth to massage his shoulders and back and attend to him properly.
Tide-Watching Pavilion had been built on a mountainside where there had originally been a lake, then expanded to twice its former size with the intention of turning the lake into a sea. Pavilions and towers had been erected around it, while the grand nine-story pavilion soaring into the clouds at its center was named Tide-Watching. Crown Prince Xu Fengnian's favorite pastime was fishing on the first floor. The pavilion housed tens of thousands of books, countless rare and unique editions, including many martial arts manuals whose lineages had been lost.
Fifteen years ago, before Xu Xiao had been named King of Northern Liang, he had personally led iron cavalry with an imperial edict and the Imperial Sword, crushing dozens of martial arts sects throughout the empire. Aside from orthodox sects like Mount Longhu, which had always been well-behaved, rebellious forces such as Violet Forbidden