Fang Jie's heart began to race as he stared at the bizarre scene before him. He felt as if he were in a frozen moment on television. The shock was indescribable, especially since he wasn't a mere spectator, not an unrelated bystander.
The hundred-plus elite border troops in the lobby, of varying skill levels, were all frozen in place, like statues. Fang Jie even had the illusion that if someone pressed pause now, and the scene resumed, these frozen figures would all fall to the ground, turning into a pile of rubble.
Not only the border troops, but also the waiters of Keshengju, the accountant, other guests, including Wang Ding and others on the second floor.
The most bizarre thing was that stillness and movement were fused together; only people were frozen in place.
The steam from the teapot still rose gently, and Mo Xidao's tattered clothes still fluttered in the air.
When Fang Jie looked at Mo Xidao, he noticed that this fierce man seemed to be struggling. The muscles of his bare upper body twitched slightly, and a growing sense of defiance in his eyes intensified. But there was no doubt that he couldn't break free from his restraints.
"Drawing a circle on the ground as a prison."
Fang Jie deeply memorized these four words.
He had heard these four words mentioned by the old cripple when they were chatting. At the time, Fang Jie thought it was just the old cripple describing that kind of life, never suspecting that someone could achieve such a heaven-defying level of cultivation. It was precisely because Fang Jie had an excellent memory that he hadn't forgotten the origin of these four words.
Zhuo Buyi.
Within an impenetrable fortress, he comprehended the meaning of "drawing a circle on the ground as a prison."
While Fang Jie was still reeling from the shock, another kind of shock filled his heart. The stillness inside the Guest House wasn't absolute; steam rose, tattered clothes fluttered in the air… and a person slowly emerged from a room, hands behind their back, walking with an effortless gait.
This person could actually move freely within Zhuo Buyi's self-imposed confinement!
When Fang Jie saw this person, his pupils constricted sharply.
This person wore ordinary brocade robes, without any luxurious or expensive ornaments. Simple, yet exuding an air of elegance and composure. He walked to the second-floor railing, leaned on it, looked down, and then slowly shook his head slightly, as if muttering something to himself.
Fang Jie didn't hear him, but he noticed the person's gaze suddenly turn towards him. That gaze was also filled with shock and disbelief. Just as he had seen this person disregard Zhuo Buyi's self-imposed confinement, it seemed there was something surprising about Fang Jie as well.
There was!
Because Fang Jie was standing very straight.
Everyone frozen in place, each posture unique and awkward.
But Fang Jie stood ramrod straight, his hands still trembling slightly.
When the man looked over with an incredulous gaze, Fang Jie was suddenly startled… because he realized that it wasn't just the person upstairs watching from the railing who could still move; there was another person who didn't seem completely frozen either… and that was himself.
"Come up."
Fang Jie heard the man in brocade robes on the second floor say two words to him, then beckon.
Fang Jie took a deep breath, his heart pounding with barely suppressed anxiety. He tried to take a step forward, but found his legs felt as if they were weighed down by a thousand pounds, incredibly heavy and difficult to move. It was difficult, but not impossible. He gritted his teeth and, with all his might, lifted his foot. Although it only lifted a fraction of an inch off the ground, it was undeniably astonishing. No one knew the true extent of Mo Xidao's cultivation, but it was certainly far superior to Fang Jie's, and far superior to most people in the room, yet he couldn't break free of his restraints.
Fang Jie had only moved one step, already drenched in sweat.
The man on the second floor watched him, his initial shock and disbelief gradually replaced by curiosity and admiration. He truly hadn't expected this seemingly insignificant figure to bring so many surprises. Because of this unassuming man, he had brought down the Minister of War, Yu Donglai. Because of this man, he had controlled Luo Yao's only son, Luo Wen, and might even have reached some kind of agreement with Luo Yao.
And today, this seemingly insignificant man had surprised him again.
Hou Wenji watched the young man struggling to move one step, his heart even more unsettled than his expression. He looked at the young man, a slight smile gradually creeping onto his lips.
He beckoned Fang Jie to come up.
He really wanted to see if this young man could do it. Although Zhuo Buyi wasn't using his full power in his "drawing a circle on the ground to imprison" technique, even at its current level, very few people in the entire city of Chang'an could escape it. How was Fang Jie, a useless person without any cultivation ability, managing to break free from Zhuo Buyi's restraints?
"Today's events were going to be much less interesting because of Buyi's intervention, but I didn't expect you to give me such a big surprise… Little guy, do you have any secrets hidden within you? It seems today's gains aren't just about a young General Luo, but also a future young General Fang?"
Hou Wenji muttered to himself in a very low voice, his curiosity growing stronger.
Meanwhile, at a street corner far away, Zhuo Buyi, who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed in his carriage, suddenly opened his eyes, lifted the carriage curtain, and looked towards Keshengju.
"Interesting..."
He couldn't help but chuckle, then sighed softly, "So we all misjudged."
Further away from Keshengju, at Hongxiuzhao, the old cripple sat in the backyard, staring blankly at the withered tree Fang Jie had broken years ago. He seemed lost in thought, perhaps recalling something, or simply blanking out. Sitting there listlessly, his hand, reaching for his wine gourd, suddenly froze. He couldn't help but look up at a distant point.
"Drawing a circle around myself?"
He murmured four words, then vanished in a flash.
...
...
Keshengju had always been bustling, but never as bustling as today. When Zhuo Buyi emerged from the carriage, the three hundred Flying Fish Robes stationed outside Keshengju immediately sprang into action. Divine Eye Liu Duxiu, with a whole troop of guards, instantly blocked both ends of the street, and the remaining people surged into the gates of Keshengju.
Just as Liu Duxiu and his men entered, Fang Jie took four steps.
These four steps covered a distance less than his usual two.
Yet, he was already drenched in sweat.
Fang Jie glanced back at the surging tide of guards in flying fish robes flooding into Keshengju, then at the brocade-clad man leaning on the railing on the second floor, looking down at him.
The first guard in flying fish robes to rush into Keshengju foolishly shouted, "Everyone, don't move!" before realizing how stupid he had been.
Liu Duxiu entered and only saw one person moving. He intended to subdue the young man in border army uniform, but before he could act, he saw the garrison commander on the second floor shake his head slightly. So he retreated, ordering his men not to make any rash moves.
Fang Jie wanted to give up; these four steps had almost exhausted his strength.
But for some reason, he felt a strong, unyielding desire to be restrained. This desire even blurred his mind, and then… his eyes gradually turned bloodshot.
Since killing numerous assassins ambushing him on his way to the capital, he hadn't shown this change in recent days. He'd even gradually forgotten that maddening feeling, sometimes thinking it was just a surge of rage that drove him to a frenzy.
But today, his crimson eyes reappeared.
The moment his eyes turned completely red, Fang Jie's body slowly straightened. He didn't know, nor did he feel, that his muscles hardened like rock. He took a large step forward, his foot striking the blue bricks with a soft crack, creating numerous fine fissures in the hard surface.
With his eyes red, Fang Jie was like a wild bull, slowly making his way through his self-imposed prison. He bypassed the frozen border soldiers and climbed the stairs. His steps weren't fast, but each one was firm and heavy. When he reached the second floor, Hou Wenji, watching him, even felt an urge to applaud and cheer! On the rooftop of Jin Ke Zhai, opposite Ke Sheng Ju, the old cripple, hidden behind the roof ridge, stared blankly. He couldn't see Fang Jie's face clearly, but he could sense the unyielding fighting spirit emanating from Fang Jie. And this fighting spirit seemed to be growing increasingly violent and restless.
The old cripple looked across at the opposite building, his face grave.
Reaching the entrance of Ke Sheng Ju, Zhuo Buyi couldn't help but glance back at the rooftop of Jin Ke Zhai. But he made no comment, pausing only briefly before quickly walking through the doors of Ke Sheng Ju. When he entered, Fang Jie was already standing on the second floor. This young man with bloodshot eyes paused slightly before continuing forward.
Just when everyone thought he would finally reach the man in brocade robes, Fang Jie stopped again.
His eyes lingered on Mo Xidao, then he slowly reached out and removed the arm still choking Wang Ding's throat. The movement was slow, and no one could see that the arm inside Fang Jie's sleeve had turned a strange, pale red. It was as if the blood beneath his skin was churning, ready to burst forth at any moment.
Hou Wenji was stunned, and Zhuo Buyi was shocked.
At this moment, the young man was still thinking about stopping Mo Xidao from impulsively killing?
The next second, Zhuo Buyi was already on the second floor, reaching out to block Fang Jie's path. Fang Jie's attention was drawn to him, his crimson eyes slowly turning to fix on Zhuo Buyi's face.
He released his grip on Mo Xidao's arm and suddenly, without any apparent reason, threw a punch at Zhuo Buyi's face!
Hou Wenji's eyes lit up, and Zhuo Buyi dodged.
Zhuo Buyi reached out and deflected Fang Jie's punch, causing it to slam heavily into a pillar. With a loud bang, half of the sturdy pine pillar was swept away by the punch, leaving a large chunk missing from the thick pillar, as if bitten by some monster.
Amidst flying sawdust, Zhuo Buyi raised his hand and struck Fang Jie's chest eighteen times.
The movement was incredibly fast; the eighteen strikes seemed like a single, concentrated attack.
...
...
Fang Jie's body was truly immobilized this time. If Zhuo Buyi had used his mind to create a prison around the Keshengju residence, then this attack had actually created a small prison around Fang Jie's body. Compared to the prison controlling all the border troops, this method, targeting only Fang Jie, seemed small, yet its effect was far greater.
The old cripple hiding behind the roof ridge opposite Keshengju looked relieved and vanished in a flash.
Just moments after he left, an elderly man dressed in light blue brocade appeared where the old cripple had been standing. This old man appeared to be around fifty years old, his posture as straight as a javelin, exuding an aura of cold arrogance. He stopped on the roof ridge, frowned slightly, looked around, and couldn't help but sigh with regret.
"That night you abducted that woman from my hands, why don't you dare face me today?"
The old man muttered to himself, then turned his gaze to the Keshengju restaurant across the street.
Hou Wenji glanced at Zhuo Buyi with great interest, then smiled and said, "You seem to be a little too concerned about this young man."
"Your interest in this young man seems to have grown quite a bit too."
Zhuo Buyi replied calmly, his eyes fixed on Fang Jie's crimson eyes. Frozen in place, Fang Jie struggled instinctively, but couldn't break free. Suddenly, he let out a wail, the red in his eyes receding like a tide, and his body convulsed uncontrollably.
Zhuo Buyi released the restraints binding him, and Fang Jie's body immediately went limp. The young man's face was deathly pale, and after a scream, he convulsed violently. He rolled around clutching his abdomen, and after a moment, his body stiffened and he fainted.
Zhuo Buyi crouched down, glanced at Fang Jie, and then frowned deeply.
He snapped his fingers, and with a sharp crack, the stillness in the room abruptly broke. A series of thuds erupted as countless people lost their balance and fell to the ground. However, contrary to Fang Jie's expectations, they didn't shatter into pieces.
In the chaos, before Wang Ding could even regain his footing, a blur appeared before him, a blur of motion, and a hand slapped him across the face. With a thud, Wang Ding's body flew straight out like a cannonball, crashing into a table in the lobby of Keshengju, instantly shattering it into pieces.
Just as everyone was bewildered, a loud shout suddenly rang out from the street outside.
"His Majesty has arrived!"