Chapter 1: The Legend of Fengyi
I put down the book in my hand and couldn't help but exclaim, this volume is a collection of all the intelligence that the Yong Wang Fu can gather about the master of Feng Yimen. The author's writing is vivid, as if it were a legend itself.
Fengyi Gate's master, origin unknown, was adopted by the original Fengyi Gate's master at the age of four. At that time, Fengyi Gate was just a small school formed by some lonely and poor women for self-protection, with mediocre martial arts skills. However, the new master, Yan Huiying, was a natural-born talent who managed to create an unparalleled martial art based on a damaged copy of the Taiyin Heart Scripture. By the age of twenty, she had already made a name for herself in the Jianghu world. What's more remarkable is that despite being a woman, she was chivalrous and just, earning her a place among the top masters in the Jianghu world within a few years.
Although so, the beauty of Feng Yimen's master was still moving, and countless bees and butterflies were attracted to her. This outstanding woman did not strongly refuse, nor did she welcome everyone, but instead clearly stated that she would never marry, turning countless admirers who loved her talent into close friends. Of course, she had also used thunderous methods. Once, the young master of Heishan Fort took Feng Yimen's foster mother and mentor as a hostage, using every means to force her to marry. At that time, Heishan Fort was the largest gang in the underworld, shaking the heavens with its power. However, Feng Yimen's master readily agreed, and on the wedding day, at the banquet, the bride, dressed in a large red wedding dress, suddenly launched a surprise attack, her sword energy like a rainbow, killing the groom. The master of Heishan Fort was furious, ordering his subordinates to chop Feng Yimen into minced meat on the spot. But Feng Yimen, wearing only a white shirt and a simple dress, unleashed a massacre, her self-created "Difeng Sword Method" becoming famous throughout the land. In the midst of the wedding hall, surrounded by thousands of people, her superhumanly fast sword was recklessly harvesting lives, filling the sky with green sword energy and white shadows. This battle resulted in the deaths of nearly half of Heishan Fort's 48 guardians and 40% of its 108 branch masters. In the end, Feng Yimen merged with her sword and broke through the encirclement, but before that, her foster mother had already been rescued by someone taking advantage of the chaos. Later, those who saw Feng Yimen said that at the time, her white shirt was stained with blood, and she had over 30 wounds on her body, and it was truly a lucky escape. What's even more surprising is that during her recovery, Feng Yimen invited heroes from all over the world to form an alliance and discuss how to deal with Heishan Fort. Taking advantage of Heishan Fort's greatly weakened power, various powerful forces joined in, and under Feng Yimen's mediation, the once-powerful Heishan Fort became a fleeting cloud.
After the destruction of Hei Shan Village, Fan Hui Yao officially became the leader of Feng Yi Men. Under her wise leadership, Feng Yi Men quickly became a leading force in the White Way, and Fan Hui Yao herself was invincible, with one sword move that could freeze the blood of her enemies. At that time, it had been thirty years since the collapse of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and the Central Plains were in chaos. Although Fan Hui Yao traveled the land righting wrongs and saving the poor, how could one person's power turn back the tide of history? After witnessing the suffering of the people, Fan Hui Yao vowed to unify the world under one rule. At that time, everyone laughed at her boastful words, thinking that a woman, no matter how talented or capable, could not possibly unify the world. Yet, knowing this was true, Fan Hui Yao chose the most difficult and easiest path: she chose to support Li Yuan, a lord of moderate power but with a clear political vision in the Central Plains. Relying on Feng Yi Men's leading position in the White Way, relying on her own exceptional talent and unparalleled martial arts skills, Feng Yi Men made great contributions to the establishment of the Great Yong Dynasty.
For the sake of Da Yong, Fan Huiyao traveled all over the Central Plains to win the support of many aristocratic families for Li Yuan. For the sake of Da Yong, Fan Huiyao had assassinated several enemy generals and high-ranking officials on multiple occasions. Once, when the enemy commander was accompanied by his wife to a Buddhist temple to offer incense, she dressed in white clothes, barefooted and with her hair styled high, holding a willow branch and disguised as Guanyin Bodhisattva. Amidst hundreds of skilled guards searching the grand hall, no one noticed that the majestic Guanyin on the lotus throne was actually a woman in disguise. Just as the enemy general entered the hall to pay his respects, she pointed at him and killed him with a single strike. Then, like a celestial being, she walked out of the hall, leaving the guards outside stunned, watching her disappear into the distance. Her bare feet stepped on the snowy ground without leaving any trace or stain on her jade-like skin. Thousands of elite soldiers were shocked and exclaimed, "Guanyin Bodhisattva has manifested her divinity!" allowing her to leave safely.
There was another time when King Yong of Li led the army to fight against Yang Laosheng, and under Yang's command, there was a fierce general named Wen Hu, who wielded a large halberd and swept away all obstacles, beheading generals and snatching flags. He was known as the "Rival of Lü Bu" for his bravery. However, King Yong did not have a general who could match him, and his army of tens of thousands was tied down by an enemy force of only ten thousand.
Just then, Fan Huiyao happened to arrive at the camp with a shipment of grain, and upon learning of this situation, she smiled knowingly and left. That night, Yang Laosheng's envoy suddenly arrived at Wen Hu's camp, proclaiming that Wen Hu was guilty of treason and would be executed on the spot. The envoy drew his sword and beheaded Wen Hu, who was caught off guard.
The enemy army fell into chaos, and Fan Huiyao took advantage of the situation to slip away unnoticed. The next day, King Yong launched a counterattack and annihilated the enemy army.
The most tragic battle of Fahui Yao was the duel with Jing Wuji, the master of the Demon Gate. The Demon Gate supported Yang Laosheng and wanted to unify the Central Plains. The Phoenix Instrument Gate and the Demon Gate became sworn enemies. The people in the Demon Gate were ruthless and used assassination and poisoning without hesitation. Fahui Yao's Phoenix Instrument Gate was slightly inferior in power, so she persuaded the abbot of Shaolin Temple to establish a perfect defense system to protect the king and his generals. She herself began to eliminate the Demon Gate's assassins. This was an unprecedented battle, with both sides killing each other. In just half a year, Dayong lost 30% of its elite generals, but the enemy suffered even more severe losses. Fahui Yao's talents were fully displayed, and her various assassination methods dazzled people. Later, Jing Wuji could no longer bear the heavy losses and challenged Fahui Yao to a duel at Huashan Cliff.
That day was fine and sunny, with a gathering of heroes on the top of Lotus Peak. Who wouldn't want to see the duel between Jing Wuji, this generation's master, and the number one strange woman in the martial arts world, Fan Huiyao? At noon, the two arrived as scheduled. Jing Wuji wore a blue shirt, looking refined and handsome. Fan Huiyao wore white clothes, with an otherworldly beauty. The two of them chatted politely in front of the crowd, discussing the great trends of the world, their words hitting it off, as if they were old friends who knew each other well. Who would have thought that these two were actually arch-enemies?
The two of them chatted for half a time, and Jing Wuji let out a long sigh and said: "It's just that we met too late. Today, one of us must die. If I were to die, you would be in the Central Plains for a day, and my demonic sect would not take a single step into the Central Plains."
Fengyi Gate's master also smiled faintly and said, "If you are unfortunate, Huiyao will also have no one to share her thoughts with. If I die, Fengyi Gate will also withdraw from the Jianghu."
The two of them engaged in a battle that shook the heavens, with Jing Wuji being the master of the demonic sect, his knife skills were dazzling and overbearing, fast as lightning, swift as wind, attacking like a dragon, and fluttering like a god. Fan Huiyao's swordsmanship was elegant and beautiful, seemingly without any killing intent. As they fought fiercely, Jing Wuji's knife skills were indeed stunning, but Fan Huiyao's swordsmanship was also exquisite and unparalleled. However, Fan Huiyao was slightly inferior, suffering numerous injuries in the intense battle. If she hadn't risked her life to fight back, she would have lost long ago. But after a thousand moves, Fan Huiyao became more courageous, her entire intelligence and skill were forced out by this powerful opponent. She let out a long cry like a phoenix singing in the nine heavens, her long sword moving faster and faster, its green glow rising like waves, one wave higher than the next. After over ten moves, Fan Huiyao's long sword transformed into a rainbow that broke through the air, its swordsmanship strange and beautiful, breathtakingly gorgeous. One sword pierced through Jing Wuji's chest, and he suffered a crushing defeat, leaving dejectedly.
At that time, Fang Huaiyu stood in the wind, her snow-white clothes dotted with blood like red plum blossoms, her slender figure, long eyebrows and phoenix eyes, fluttering like a fairy, stern like a god. This battle made her the number one sword in the world, ranked among the masters, and also made her the spiritual leader of the White Way, her reputation surpassed that of another martial arts master, Ci Zhen, the elder of Shaolin Temple. Jing Wuxin fled to Beihan, went far away to the grasslands, and his knife skills became great in the wind and smoke outside the pass. Years later, he became the national teacher of Beihan, it is said that his knife skills have already reached the realm of heaven and man, only he kept his promise and never stepped into the Central Plains again.
If it weren't for Fan Huaiyu, the unification of the Central Plains would have taken at least ten more years. Under her encouragement and guidance, many masters from both sides of the Jianghu joined the Dayong army to make contributions, and during the wars, the power of Fengyimen also expanded rapidly.
What's even more remarkable is that Fan Huiyao has a stunning and unparalleled talent, she had participated in the military and political affairs several times, with shocking performances, so Li Yuan had his sons take her as their teacher, although Fan Huiyao claimed she didn't accept male disciples, but still occasionally gave guidance, benefiting them greatly. This led to Fan Huiyao's influence beginning to intervene in the imperial family of Daxia.
After the Central Plains were slightly pacified, Li Yuan had proposed to Feng Huiyao, but the clever Feng Huiyao refused. She declared that the master of the Phoenix Seal must remain unmarried for life, maintaining her transcendent position. However, in private, she dispatched a disciple of the Phoenix Seal, Ji Xia, to serve Li Yuan closely. Soon after, Li Yuan established Empress Dou as his empress, and Ji Xia became a noble consort. As Emperor Da Yong's rule gradually stabilized, Feng Huiyao returned to the Phoenix Seal to cultivate her spirit, no longer involving herself in worldly affairs. However, her latent power was growing greater and greater.
After Feng Yujiao took over the Phoenix Gate, she re-established the system and rules. She stipulated that the Phoenix Gate was divided into inner and outer halls. The inner hall was divided into three halls: Chunjiang Hall, Jinnui Hall, and Hansheng Hall. Chunjiang Hall was the power core of the Phoenix Gate, where all disciples were talented individuals who could take charge alone, mobilize all personnel, and had no fixed authority. Jinnui Hall was in charge of punishment and promotion, taking the meaning of autumn wind killing. Hansheng Hall was responsible for conquest and suppression, where all disciples were extremely skilled warriors, cold-blooded killers. Only women with extraordinary qualifications who took an oath to never marry and devote themselves to the Phoenix Gate could join the inner hall. The outer hall included members of the Phoenix Gate's branches in various places, as well as nominal disciples collected by Feng Yujiao to expand her power. However, only women could join. But the internal structure of the Phoenix Gate was very secretive, making it difficult to distinguish between an outer hall disciple and an inner hall disciple. Only when a female disciple got married would it be known that she must have been an outer hall disciple.
Feng Hui Yao's methods were very clever. She first took advantage of her close relationship with the Daxiong court to take in many daughters of officials as apprentices. The Daxiong valued martial arts, and those officials also liked their daughters to practice martial arts. The Feng Yi Men had a close relationship with the imperial family and were all women, so Feng Hui Yao easily took in a batch of official noblewomen. Among them, she indeed selected some talented individuals, and some women even admired the prestige of the Feng Yi Men and were willing to join the inner hall for life rather than get married. Additionally, through her relationship with officials, she arranged for some of her female disciples who were not only beautiful but also had good manners to marry into wealthy families. Although these female disciples came from different backgrounds, under the guidance of the leader of the Feng Yi Men, they all became women with exceptional talent and beauty, exceling in both literature and martial arts. As a result, the officials of Daxiong were proud to have their sons and nephews marry the outer hall disciples of the Feng Yi Men. In this way, Feng Hui Yao's Feng Yi Men formed an intricate and close relationship with the Daxiong court. If Feng Hui Yao had the intention, she could shake the foundations of Daxiong.
No need to mention others, Emperor Yong's noble consort, Ji Shi, was a fellow student of Feng Huiyao and had repeatedly participated in major military and national events. The Crown Prince's side consort, Xiao Lan, was beautiful and elegant, although she didn't care about politics or the military, but she was the Crown Prince Li An's favored consort, loved more than the Crown Princess. If not for the Crown Princess being from a prestigious family and having given birth to the heir early on, it's likely that her position as the main wife would be in jeopardy.
The Queen of Qi, Qin Jing, had exceptional talent and was originally going to enter the imperial harem, but Emperor Feng's father had only one daughter and begged the master of the imperial harem, so Feng Huiyao refused her request. Later, she won the heart of the King of Qi and became his consort.
Moreover, Feng Huiyao once wanted to marry off her beloved disciple, Liang Yu, to Prince Yong's son, Li Zuo, as a side consort, but Li Zuo politely declined. It was said that this was because Li Zuo had a good relationship with his main wife, Wang Shi, and often went on military campaigns. Wang Shi not only managed the household strictly but also respected the strategists and generals under Li Zuo's command, earning her praise from Li Yuan as a good daughter-in-law and virtuous helper.
Li Zuo's other two side consorts were both attendants who came with Wang Shi when she married into the family. The three women treated each other with respect, making them a harmonious and exemplary trio in the imperial court. If not for this, the imperial harem would have been completely dominated by Feng Huiyao.
If there's anything that can be said about Feng Yimen's master that is somewhat displeasing, it is:
Here is the translation:
Firstly, although Ji Guifei gained Emperor Yong's trust, she was not as favored as Empress Dou and other consorts. Empress Dou was virtuous and kind, and as the mother of the Crown Prince, her position was secure. Longsun Guifei had lost two sons but still had Princess Changle, so Emperor Yong treated her with guilt and indulgence. Yan Guifei, the mother of Prince Qi, was open-minded and generous, and among the palace consorts, she received the most imperial favor. Ji Guifei was not as favored as Empress Dou and the two other consorts in terms of old relationships, nor did she surpass Emperor Yong's newly selected beauties in terms of youth and beauty. Although she gained Emperor Yong's trust, her favor was somewhat less, and to this day, she had no children, which was also a source of regret.
Secondly, although Crown Prince's concubine Xiao Lan had gained the Crown Prince's favor and gave birth to an imperial grandson, the Crown Prince was actually very fond of the eldest son, without any intention of showing favoritism towards his concubine's son. It seems that even if Li An ascended to the throne, he would only establish the son of the proper wife as the crown prince.
Thirdly, although King Qi had a grand wedding, his philandering ways remained unchanged. Although he was not bad to Qin Zhuang, his favoritism towards the concubine in the golden house was no weaker than before. Several illegitimate children were already born, and although Qin Zhuang was dissatisfied, she could do nothing about it.
The Fengyi Gate was not without opposition, and the third son of Emperor Li, Li Kang, was one of them. He was born into a humble background, his mother being a palace maid who was promoted to Yi Pin, although she did not receive imperial favor. However, Yi Pin was gentle and obedient, and did not compete for favor, but instead focused on raising her beloved son, hoping that when he became king, she could leave the palace and enjoy family life with him in his royal residence. However, during a banquet hosted by Li Yuan, who had returned to the capital, Yi Pin was suddenly pushed into the path of an assassin's knife by Consort Ji, who was trying to protect Li Yuan. Although Li Yuan escaped unharmed, Yi Pin died tragically. Despite Li Yuan posthumously promoting Yi Pin to the rank of fei and giving her a grand funeral, Li Kang was filled with anger and resentment, demanding that Consort Ji pay for his mother's life with her own. When this failed, he stormed out in a rage, only returning years later after mastering martial arts. He once attempted to assassinate Consort Ji publicly but failed. Li Yuan sympathized with his pain of losing his mother and did not blame him, instead promoting him to the rank of Qing Wang and sending him to govern Dongchuan Prefecture. Although Li Kang was demoted, he did not change his ways, and in his territory, he showed great disdain for the Fengyi Gate. However, due to Li Yuan's sympathy and the secret support of Yong Wang, Li Kang was able to maintain a stable position in Dongchuan.
There was also Li Yuan's nephew Jiang Yong, whose sister Ning Hualong married a certain Marquis Jiang Wuya. Later, the two sides went to war and Jiang Wuya was assassinated by a hitman at Fengyimen Gate. The princess took her own life, and Jiang Yong angrily fought against Dayong but ended up defeated in Xuzhou. In the end, Jiang Yong led his remaining old troops on a long journey to the East Sea, becoming a notorious pirate who repeatedly invaded the coast and harassed Dayong's merchant ships. Li Yuan initially sympathized with this nephew, thinking of his sister having only this bloodline left, wanting to surrender him. Later, Jiang Yong brutally killed Li Yuan's envoy, and Li Yuan was furious, issuing several orders to punish him, but failed due to the vastness of the sea.
The hatred between Feng Yimen and the prince, a nephew of the emperor, was probably the greatest pain in Feng Yimen's heart. However, this did not mean they could shake Feng Yimen's power. If Feng Yimen had not been cautious, they would have lost their lives long ago. Even so, King Li Kang of Qing could only act recklessly in Dongchuan now, and because of his exclusion of Feng Yimen, Emperor Li Yuan had stationed another army in Dongchuan to monitor and restrain him. Feng Yimen had once set a trap to lure Jiang Yong into a fatal situation, but if not for the loyalty of Jiang's subordinates, he would have been captured long ago. Therefore, Jiang had gone into hiding these days.
After reading the intelligence on Feng Yimen, I was both shocked and excited. Such a formidable and powerful combination is definitely my arch-nemesis. The leader of Feng Yimen is indeed a stunning beauty with extraordinary talent. Judging from her actions, although they seem reckless, she actually has a calm and collected mind, making plans before acting, possessing both talent and strategic thinking. No wonder the King of Yong was suppressed by her to the point of being unable to breathe. However, another kind of joy also arose in my heart. If I can push such a powerful enemy into a desperate situation, it should be the greatest pride of my life. If I surrendered to the King of Yong just to repay his kindness, then now my goal is to eliminate Feng Yimen. If it weren't for the arrogant disciples taught by Feng Yimen, how would Piaoxiang have died? Liang Wan, Liang Wan, you are not enough to compensate for the life of my beloved wife.
