Moonlight shone across the empty, deserted snowfield, turning it into a dazzling expanse of white. The lingering wind swept up fine grains of snow and lashed them against his face, sending one shiver after another through him and forcibly suppressing the drowsiness, heaviness, and exhaustion brought on by the march.
In the snowy night far removed from the clamor of the world, one figure moved fluidly, turning and leaping as he wielded his sword, while another imitated him. Though the latter’s movements were still awkward, he followed each gesture as best he could. Their black shadows were stretched long beneath the moonlight, reflected across the snow as one closely followed the other.
A raised sword. Falling blossoms. A light leap. Flying snow. Silver armor. Black hair. A cold blade. Phoenix eyes.
The ethereal beauty and graceful mystery that should have existed only in dreams suddenly became reality without warning. Every movement seemed like a fatal spell that could make someone lose himself. Swaying in the wind, Ning Xuan gave off the fragrance and temptation of a poppy. Even knowing that a single glance would lead to eternal ruin, one still could not tear away the gaze fixed so fervently upon him, as though it had taken root and begun to sprout. In only a few short days, Feng Xuanzhen had watched Ning Xuan progress from awkwardness to fluidity, from fluidity to familiarity, and from familiarity to true comprehension. His billowing sleeves and crystalline beads of sweat were dazzling at every moment, utterly captivating and impossible to look away from.
“What are you thinking about? You’re so lost in thought. Aren’t you afraid I might suddenly attack you from behind and make sure you never see tomorrow’s sun?” Ning Xuan twisted his sword into a flourish and walked over with a smile. His breathing was slightly uneven as he raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
These past few days of marching had thoroughly taught Feng Xuanzhen what it meant to show no regard for rank or seniority, to overturn the distinction between superior and subordinate, and to take a mile after being given an inch. Unfortunately, by the time Feng Xuanzhen realized the seriousness of the problem, it was already too late. He had tried making one final struggle to salvage a little of his dignity as an imperial prince and put on some princely airs, but things were no longer as they had once been. In the past, Ning Xuan had held him in awe, so Feng Xuanzhen could do as he pleased. Now, Ning Xuan had seen through him completely after only a few exchanges. No matter how grandly Feng Xuanzhen postured, Ning Xuan had countless countermoves waiting for him.
“Could you at least show me the most basic respect?” Feng Xuanzhen asked helplessly. “No matter how you look at it, I’m carrying out the task you entrusted to me. I’m spending all this time and effort teaching you personally. Couldn’t you behave a little more modestly, phrase your words a little more tactfully, and treat me with a little more respect?”
Ning Xuan’s dark phoenix eyes spun rapidly as he gave the matter serious consideration. The result was: “I’m still not modest, tactful, and respectful enough? Have you ever actually been treated with modesty, tact, and respect before?”
Every verbal clash between them these past few days had ended with Feng Xuanzhen fighting battle after battle and losing every single one without the slightest suspense. He had long since abandoned any thought of a final struggle and now wore the expression of a man who had smashed the broken jar altogether—Ning Xuan could say whatever he liked.
It had only been a few days. Feng Xuanzhen had originally assumed this would be a miserable assignment, but unexpectedly, Ning Xuan possessed considerable talent. Although he had begun learning late, he progressed extremely quickly. His ability to imitate movements after seeing them once was especially remarkable, sometimes making Feng Xuanzhen wonder whether Ning Xuan truly had no martial foundation at all.
Ning Xuan found the admiration and astonishment revealed in Feng Xuanzhen’s expression and words quite gratifying. Even though sleeping and eating outdoors every day had nearly shaken his bones apart, his nightly martial arts lessons still gave him a trace of hope and joy.
“Ning Xuan…” Feng Xuanzhen’s gaze deepened as he watched Ning Xuan standing before him in contemplation, turning his wrist and experimenting with a sword flourish.
“What is it?” Ning Xuan continued concentrating fully on the movement in his hand without even turning around.
“You, Fifth Brother, and Eldest Brother…” Feng Xuanzhen’s gaze flickered as he hesitated over his words, but he successfully made Ning Xuan stop what he was doing.
Ning Xuan lowered his brows and gathered his thoughts before turning around. He looked expressionlessly at Feng Xuanzhen. “Prince Yu may as well speak plainly. Hesitating like this hardly resembles Your Highness’s usual way of handling matters.”
Sometimes Ning Xuan simply spoke too directly. Or perhaps no one could remain rational and tactful after someone touched upon a painful wound.
“That day beneath the city gate… You know how Fifth Brother feels about you, and I can also see that Eldest Brother treats you well. I want to know what you think now. Where exactly do you stand?” Feng Xuanzhen’s expression was deep and solemn, but his tone did not sound as though he had come to demand an explanation.
“Please forgive me, Your Highness, but shouldn’t this be my private affair? May I ask in what capacity Your Highness is questioning me now? As a prince? A deputy commander? A stranger? Or a friend?” The corners of Ning Xuan’s lips lifted with a hint of bitterness. “I know that in terms of status, rank, power, and wealth, they are far beyond my reach. For me to even consider them is climbing far above my station. Perhaps I do not possess the right at all. But if possible, I do not wish for the boundary that became important and meaningful precisely because of the word ‘friend’ to be broken so easily.”
“I’m somewhat tired today, so I’ll return and rest first. If Your Highness insists upon knowing, you may come to my command tent. I will tell you everything I know and hold nothing back.” Ning Xuan cupped his hands and bowed, then turned and left without pausing in the slightest.
Under the moonlight, Feng Xuanzhen stood alone upon the snowy ground, watching Ning Xuan’s figure recede into the distance. Yet across the wilderness that should have returned to holding only one person, two long shadows stretched over the snow.
“If you continue staring after him so infatuatedly, I really might start imagining things.” A man’s voice, low as flowing water and pleasing as rich magnetism, sounded beneath the snowy night and broke its silence. It was seductive enough to intoxicate the heart, while the trace of amusement within it was so cold that it was impossible to tell whether it had always been that way or had merely gathered a layer of frost from the frozen surroundings.
“F-Fifth Brother?!” Feng Xuanzhen stared at Feng Xuanyi, who stood before him with an entirely leisurely air, nearly dropping his jaw in shock. “Why are you here? You left the imperial capital without permission. What will you do if Imperial Father blames you?”
“Shouldn’t you have known that I would come here?” Feng Xuanyi’s lips curved upward, looking extraordinarily wicked and alluring. The smile that was not quite a smile exerted an invisible pressure. “Or is there something you didn’t want me to know, which is why you’re so astonished to see me appear?”
As he spoke, his pitch-black eyes, almost merged with the night itself, flickered with a peculiar light. They swept almost imperceptibly in the direction Ning Xuan had left, sending wave after wave of cold air down Feng Xuanzhen’s back.
Feng Xuanzhen was neither the youngest nor the eldest among the many imperial princes. Having lived beneath numerous imperial brothers and sisters, none of whom were simple-minded, pure, or innocent, he had developed enough conditioned instincts over the years to deal with them. Although he was straightforward and did not form factions or indulge in flattery, he still understood what it meant to protect oneself wisely and that the bird that stuck its head out was the first to be shot.
Feng Xuanzhen understood this principle, but Feng Xuanyi understood it even more thoroughly. In fact, before Feng Xuanzhen had even awakened to it, Feng Xuanyi had already perfected the art until it was flawless and left no openings. Therefore, among all his imperial brothers and sisters, Feng Xuanzhen could remain unafraid of the Crown Prince’s arrogance and tyranny, and he could disregard the ambition and desire of the legitimate eldest son. But he could never ignore Feng Xuanyi’s every word and action. Although they had grown up together and spent nearly every day in one another’s company, with a brotherly bond surpassing even that of siblings born from the same mother, Feng Xuanzhen still could not see through or fathom Fifth Brother’s thoughts. The only thing he knew for certain was that judging a person’s capabilities and intentions solely by appearances and what one believed after years of association—especially when that person was Feng Xuanyi—was no different from digging one’s own grave.
Therefore, when it came to reverence and fear, there was no second choice in Feng Xuanzhen’s heart besides Feng Xuanyi.
A single glance had made Prince Yu—one of the most accomplished young men among all the imperial princes, who had already earned some renown on the battlefield during his first campaign—change color. Yet unexpectedly, Feng Xuanyi suddenly burst out laughing. The oppressive and awkward atmosphere vanished instantly. The rise and fall of Feng Xuanzhen’s emotions, like a carriage hurtling up and down a mountain track, was truly becoming more than he could bear.
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