Xiang Qingniu, clutching his stomach, quickly disappeared in a scurry, seemingly disappearing into some bushes to relieve himself. Watching the plump figure vanish from sight, Fang Jie shook his head with a smile. To be honest, his encounter with this fat man was purely by chance. The fat man had tried to extort him on the road, but Fang Jie had seen through his scheme. They then traveled together, exchanging jokes and having a somewhat shady business.
Even Fang Jie hadn't expected Xiang Qingniu to step forward to help him at this moment. Although Xiang Qingniu spoke casually, he must have secretly gone to great lengths to secure this potentially turning-around opportunity for him. However, someone like Xiang Qingniu probably wouldn't even bother to promote his favor after doing someone a great favor—something most people would consider a given.
Fang Jie was never one to waste opportunities.
He took a deep breath and then slowly walked towards the man sitting in the center of the teahouse. When he first arrived in this world, Fang Jie wasn't used to the thrill of being hunted. Mu Xiaoyao had once told him, "If you're scared, take a deep breath. In a crisis, a deep breath might just bring you back from the brink of death."
"Calm down. The more critical the situation, the calmer you need to be." From then on, Fang Jie would take a deep breath whenever he encountered a problem; it had become a habit.
Walking over and standing not far from the man, Fang Jie felt uneasy.
There was only one stool next to the table, and the man sat down. There was only one bowl of tea on the table, and the man was savoring it. He wondered what flavor that cheap brick tea could possibly have. Although Fang Jie didn't know who he was, the fact that Xiang Qingniu had said his life or death depended on this man's decision suggested that this person's status was terrifyingly high. Fang Jie even suspected that this person's height had transcended the realm of a stick, and was now the hand holding the stick.
"There is only one Supreme Ruler of the Great Sui Dynasty, and even a Supreme Ruler is only human with two hands." Fang Jie assumed this person's height was equivalent to the height of one hand, demonstrating the immense importance he placed on this person.
There was no stool, no tea, so Fang Jie could only stand and thirst. But his face showed neither displeasure nor excessive humility.
"Greetings, Senior."
Fang Jie clasped his hands in a respectful greeting.
The man, whose age was difficult to discern, didn't look up, continuing to sip his inexpensive tea with focused concentration. He seemed to be waiting for Fang Jie to continue, yet also seemed completely oblivious to Fang Jie's presence.
Fang Jie remained silent, leaning slightly forward.
After a while, the man put down his teacup and said with a hint of displeasure, "I'm busy."
Fang Jie hummed in agreement, then straightened up and said, "I don't know how to exonerate myself from this matter, nor can I. The person who broke into the Ministry of War is one of my people. Although I really want to mention it, I can't because it would complicate matters further. I can only say that she was afraid I would die a violent death and had no choice but to do something foolish that violated the law. But this person is very important to me, and I can't just watch her die, so we had to escape."
The man frowned slightly, then looked up at Fang Jie: "You're wasting my time. Xiang Qingniu really flattered you by saying you're smart."
Fang Jie pursed his lips and said, "I can't do something that involves her life or death." "Come on, perhaps in your eyes this is worthless womanly compassion, an utterly idiotic idea. In fact, when I decided to flee the capital, some people advised me to abandon my companions to survive alone. I did hesitate, but my hesitation stemmed from whether I had the ability to do my best, rather than simply seeking personal gain."
"Go."
The man waved his hand. "I have no interest in fools or those who claim to uphold so-called moral principles. Because the latter are even worse than fools, they're idiots. Go back to your companions. Since you're so loyal, you must be willing to die with them. I can grant you that wish, allowing you to die on the same day, month, and year."
Fang Jie hummed in agreement and bowed again. "Thank you."
He turned and left without hesitation.
The man was slightly taken aback, not expecting Fang Jie to actually leave. He hadn't expected this guy, whom Xiang Qingniu called a first-rate genius, to be unwilling to even make an effort. Even if he wouldn't kneel down and beg for mercy, he should at least try to convince himself. But the boy did nothing; he merely reiterated his pitiful, worthless so-called bottom line.
"There's only a stool and a bowl of tea here… Do you feel slighted and uncomfortable? So you put on a show of determination to prove you're not humble?"
He asked.
After taking three or four steps, Fang Jie stopped.
He turned to the man, slowly shook his head, and said earnestly, "If it can guarantee that my companion and I won't die, what's the point of standing and thirsting? If you, senior, would let us go this time, and then let me kneel down and crawl to your feet to lick your boots, I'd be happy to do so."
Hearing this, three people frowned simultaneously.
One was the somewhat arrogant-looking man; another was the young man with flawless features and demeanor sitting on the far left; and the third was the person sitting behind the teahouse curtains.
"Alright, then kneel down and crawl over here first."
The man sitting on the stool suddenly replied to Fang Jie in a calm tone.
Fang Jie took a deep breath and asked, "If I crawl over, will you spare me and my companions?"
The middle-aged man did not answer.
Fang Jie asked again, "Or, if I die, will you spare them?"
The middle-aged man still did not answer.
Fang Jie was silent for a moment, then looked at the man solemnly and said, "Although I do not know your status, whether you are so high that I cannot even look up to you, I am merely a lowly scout from the border town of Fangu, not particularly outstanding among the hundreds of millions of people in the Sui Dynasty. In terms of status and strength, you may be an eagle soaring in the sky, while I am just an ant struggling for survival. But if you are not an official of the Sui Dynasty, but an enemy of the Sui Dynasty, and you are using this method to make me beg for my life, I will only answer you with my sword, even if I am certain to die."
After saying this, he lifted his robe and prepared to kneel on one knee.
Upon hearing this, the man who had been utterly disappointed in him suddenly brightened, a slight smile playing on his lips. He tapped the table lightly with his hand, then rose and left.
The man sitting in the center of the teahouse heard the tap, his expression changed, and then he couldn't help but laugh.
"You are his disciple, you don't need to kneel before me… If you had revealed your connection to him when you entered Chang'an, who would have made things difficult for you? Who would have dared to make things difficult for you? Even if you made a mistake, you would have been given a chance to correct it. You should be grateful that what you just said saved you, because you haven't forgotten your roots… You haven't forgotten that you are a citizen of the Great Sui Dynasty, and you've shown me another kind of steadfastness you possess."
"Very good," he said.
The man stood up, smiling, and said, "Let's go, I'll take you somewhere."
He took a step forward, then suddenly turned to look at the white-robed young man sitting on the far left. He frowned slightly, a sharp glint in his eyes.
The white-robed young man remained focused on his teacup, seemingly unaffected. But no one noticed that he quietly loosened the mudra he had formed with his left index, thumb, and ring fingers, his fingers trembling slightly.
...
...
Fang Jie knew he had gambled correctly, gambled correctly again on the edge of life and death.
In the courtyard of the Imperial Guard's quarters, he stared blankly at the nearly ripe peaches on the tree. The man who had brought him into the palace had told him to wait there before gracefully departing. Nearly two hours had passed since he entered the palace, and Fang Jie had stood in the courtyard the entire time, unnoticed.
He looked at the peach, really wanting to pick one and eat it.
He hadn't eaten or drunk anything since morning, and he was starving.
Although he knew those unripe peaches certainly wouldn't taste good, perhaps even sour and astringent, after a whole day of hunger and thirst, even the sight of a green peach made his stomach churn slightly.
"What are you doing?"
Just as he was staring blankly at a green peach, someone asked from behind him.
Fang Jie turned around and saw a familiar figure.
"Greetings, Mr. Zhuo."
He bowed.
Zhuo Buyi walked slowly over and sat down on a stone bench not far from Fang Jie. He asked, "Why were you staring so intently at that green peach just now? Did that peach give you some insight, or were you thinking about something else?"
Fang Jie smiled and said, "wise people always complicate simple things. Did you think I was contemplating some life lesson from that green peach? Not at all… I'm just feeling very thirsty right now, and looking at that green peach, I can imagine how terribly sour it must be. Just thinking about the sourness makes my mouth water, and saliva is water… swallowing a little more will prevent my throat from getting so dry and sore."
Zhuo Buyi was speechless at Fang Jie's answer.
"I really didn't expect you to still have the mind to joke in a situation like this," he said.
Fang Jie shook his head. "I'm really not joking, I'm genuinely thirsty."
Zhuo Buyi glared at him and asked, "Do you know you almost died at the teahouse outside the city?"
"I know."
Fang Jie smiled and said, "But I didn't die."
"You were lucky," Zhuo Buyi said.
Fang Jie continued to stare at the green peach, swallowing hard. "Perhaps. My luck seems to have always been pretty good."
Changchun Garden.
The Dome of the Earth.
The Emperor glanced at Luo Weiran, who stood bowing at the door, and nodded. "Come in and talk... Where is that young man placed?"
"Waiting at the Imperial Guards' quarters."
Luo Weiran entered, head bowed, and spoke.
"What do you think?"
The Emperor asked. Luo Weiran thought for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty has already made your decision, so I dare not offer my own."
The Emperor was taken aback, then laughed and scolded, "A sycophantic minister should be killed. No matter how you look at it, your flattery skills are lacking, at least far inferior to Su Buwei's."
Standing to the side, Su Buwei, serving the Emperor, gave an awkward smile, refilled the Emperor's tea, and retreated to an inconspicuous corner. Only then did Luo Weiran realize that although Su Buwei was standing right next to the Emperor, he had the strange feeling of not being able to find him in the room. He stood there like a clothes rack, a stool, a piece of furniture rather than a person.
Therefore, Luo Weiran placed even greater importance on Su Buwei, this newly promoted eunuch of the Imperial Study.
Luo Weiran bowed his head and said, "I haven't seen anything particularly outstanding about this young man, but since he accepted him as a disciple and even went so far as to bestow upon him the Lesser Golden Elixir, a divine medicine of unparalleled quality, to save his life, there must be a reason, though I haven't yet discerned it. This young man's physique is unsuitable for cultivation, and his knees seem rather weak..."
He was referring to the matter of making Fang Jie kneel.
"You are the commander of the Imperial Guards, while he is merely a border soldier. His kneeling is a matter of the Sui Dynasty's rules, not a sign of weakness. My disappointment lies in… his excessive fear of death. If one fears death too much, loyalty is lost."
"That's what I worried about too, but fortunately… he still possesses the pride befitting a Sui Dynasty soldier."
"I like that pride."
The Emperor was silent for a moment before saying, "Bring him to Changchun Garden. Regardless of whether that young man is qualified to be his disciple, it's an unchangeable fact. Ten years have passed, and that young man was the last person to see him. I want to ask that young man what he looks like now, and where he went…"
"What about the Ministry of War?"
Luo Weiran asked tentatively. "Of course we can't let Fang Jie go so easily. I'll figure out how to kill him after I've questioned him."
The Emperor waved his hand and said, "Also, investigate why a nobody like him, a mere border scout, has an eighth-rank expert as his bodyguard. I'm very curious about this. For an eighth-rank expert to risk breaking the law and storming into the Ministry of War's main hall to save him… I want to know if there's something else going on behind this."
"Yes, sir!"
Luo Weiran responded, then bowed and withdrew.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard of the Imperial Guards, Fang Jie, looking at the green peach, suddenly realized something. He slapped his forehead and cried out in surprise. "That old cripple tricked me again! There weren't two people, it was clearly one person!"
At the same time, the venerable monk Chenya, having entered Chang'an, observed the myriad lives on the streets, the satisfaction and smugness on the faces of the Sui people, and the vibrant life and energy emanating from these faithless individuals. He couldn't help but frown and mutter to himself, "Master was right, this place is indeed a land overrun by demons."