Fang Henshui had never imagined that he would one day have his flesh cut off. When fear filled his heart, it even overshadowed the physical pain. Undoubtedly, the fear in his heart was more unbearable than the physical pain. It was his own waist knife that had cut his flesh, and how could that seemingly delicate hand wielding the knife be so cruel?
The knife slid down Fang Henshui's arm and then, with a deft twist, sliced off a bloody piece of flesh. At that moment, in extreme terror, Fang Henshui even wondered why the despicable young monk had chosen his arm and not another part of his body.
Relatively speaking, there was more flesh on his buttocks and thighs.
But if his thighs and buttocks were cut, he wouldn't be able to walk, and if his shoulders or back were cut, he would have difficulty lifting the sedan chair.
Even the way the knife was used was so purposeful; how cold and cold-blooded was this young monk's heart?
After the flesh was removed from Fang Henshui's body, he covered his mouth with his other hand, afraid to let out a cry. Now he understood that what the two monks had said earlier was true, not a joke, and he finally felt how close death was to him. Back in that small county, as a constable, he had seen corpses before. But other people's deaths had become commonplace for him, while facing the threat of death himself, he was clearly unprepared.
"I won't run away, absolutely not!"
Fang Henshui squeezed out these words through clenched teeth, his forehead already covered in sweat.
"Good, go find water. If you're not tired, you can find some more food, because we're all hungry."
Chen Ya gave a calm order, then carried the piece of meat back to where they had rested and sat down. He looked at the bloody piece of meat in his hand, frowned, and wanted to throw it away.
"Do you know why I asked you to take this Sui man with you?"
The old monk asked. Chenya said, "It's more convenient for someone to show their face. Once we've confirmed which Sui pursuers have gotten ahead, we can get rid of this useless person. Right now, he's just a tool."
"No."
The old monk smiled slightly. "What are you holding in your hand?"
"Human flesh."
"It's also food."
The old monk said calmly, "When facing a crisis, you might not find food for a long time. But by taking a living demon with you, you can at least eat for many days."
When these words came from the kind-faced old monk, even Chenya trembled with fear. He had never realized his master was such a ruthless person. In his memory, his master would stop and let an ant crawl past him, afraid of stepping on it. But now, these words, spoken so casually by his master, pierced Chenya's heart like a cold knife. "This is... human flesh."
"No, this is the flesh of a demon."
"Master, but you said before that this Sui man's demonic nature hadn't yet arisen, so he was still human, not a demon."
"The moment you cut off this piece of flesh, the demonic nature within him was already alive."
The old monk looked in the direction Fang Henshui had disappeared and said, "If you carefully sense it, you will feel the anger and rage within that Sui man. Given the chance, he will kill you by any means necessary. This is demonic nature. When you cut off another piece of his flesh, he will..." Completely become a demon. "
"But if the disciple doesn't cut his flesh, won't he become possessed by the devil?"
"I don't know."
The old monk shook his head and said: "But what you have to remember is that Sui people are all demons. So killing Sui people, or even eating Sui people, is to slay demons. Only when you let go of your obsessions will you realize more truth and goodness. If there were no Sui people and no demons in the world, but they were all followers of my Buddhist sect, how peaceful and happy would the world be?"
"Disciple understands."
Chen Ya nodded, thinking about what the old monk said, he found that it really made sense. If Buddhist disciples all took it as their duty to eliminate demons, then there would be no place like the Great Sui Dynasty in this world where demons abound. And if there was no Sui Dynasty, the world of Buddhism would definitely be full of truth and goodness.
"Master, if we walk back slowly like this, will it delay things? Didn't you say that the Sui people might want to launch troops against the empire? If we rush back and tell Meng Ge Khan the news and let him be prepared, then the Sui people's conspiracy will not succeed."
"Where is your white tiger?"
asked the old monk. Chenya paused, then said with some disappointment, "I left it outside Chang'an, in the forest where we captured that Sui man. But I couldn't summon it before; I don't know where it went."
"It went back."
The old monk smiled slightly, "I wrote down the message to take back and hid it on the white tiger. It knows the way back, and it's definitely faster than you or I."
"Master, your calculations are brilliant."
Chenya bowed his head and said. "So we need to slow down, because if we don't go back, the Sui people chasing us will think the news hasn't been leaked. The faster we rush back, the sooner the Sui's plans will be brought forward. Let Baihu go back and relay the message; we might as well stay in the Sui Dynasty a few more days."
"Master, who is that great demon you mentioned earlier who traveled west?"
"I don't know."
The old monk slowly closed his eyes, facing west: "Don't worry. If even Junior Brother Shiyuan can't stop him, Senior Brother Dazizai will intervene. If Senior Brother Dazizai can't stop him, the Mingwang will naturally intervene. I can't think of anyone in this world that the Mingwang can't suppress."
A mile away, Fang Henshui, having found a small stream, hesitated for a long time, ultimately not daring to escape. He knew that with his martial arts skills, he wouldn't get far before being captured again. Now, besides carefully dealing with the two monks, he could only wait for the Sui's pursuers to arrive as soon as possible.
Thinking of this, he quietly tore off a piece of his clothing and tied it to a small tree by the stream.
"If I possessed great cultivation, I would surely devour those two demonic monks alive!"
He vowed thus.
...
...
When Fang Jie returned to the Sanjin Marquis's residence, it was already dusk. In the yurt, His Majesty once again inquired about his origins. He repeated the lie he had prepared, but Fang Jie knew His Majesty might not truly believe him. After all, he had several bodyguards with considerable cultivation; a poor scholar couldn't possibly possess such strength.
In Fang Jie's account, he was the son of a wealthy merchant. His father was killed by bandits on his way to Fan Gu for business, and his family's bodyguards risked their lives to rescue him. Fearing retaliation, he joined the Fan Gu border army. This led to the miracle of achieving twenty-one military exploits, and the current outstanding performance of the Nine Gates.
Before he left the yurt, the Emperor bestowed upon him the title of Right Attendant. This wasn't an official position, nor a prestigious title; children of aristocratic families were almost always born with such a title. Undoubtedly, with such a title, Fang Jie's status had changed.
From a distance, Fang Jie saw the gates of the Sanjin Marquis's residence decorated with lanterns and streamers.
He was startled, a thought of the trouble the young girl had encountered startling him. He assumed a decree had been issued from the palace, forcing Wu Yinyu to enter, hence the decorations. He quickened his pace, only to find upon reaching the gates that it was a false alarm.
This scene was actually arranged by the Sanjin Marquis to celebrate for him.
Fang Jie couldn't help but feel moved. Wu Yidao was the second benefactor he had encountered since arriving in Chang'an; the first was Mr. Zhuo. Undeniably, Wu Yidao had been the one who had helped Fang Jie the most.
Entering the Marquis's residence, every servant greeted him with a sincere smile. Fang Jie liked this feeling; it made him feel as if he had returned home.
Upon entering the living room, he saw Wu Yidao smiling.
Also present were Shen Qingshan, Mu Xiaoyao, Daquan, Qilin, Jiusecai, but not the spoiled little girl, Wu Yinyu. Fang Jie guessed the little girl was still angry with her father, so he didn't pay much attention. Faced with everyone's smiles, Fang Jie stood there dumbfounded for a moment, unsure what to say first.
"Congratulations! Congratulations!"
The fat man, Jiu Se Cai, stepped forward first, grinning, "Congratulations, Master Fang! The greatest man in the Sui Dynasty in a hundred years! Such a joyous occasion, I don't even know what auspicious words to use to congratulate you."
Fang Jie looked at his outstretched hand, awkwardly scratching his head, and said, "Everyone in the house was congratulating me when I came in; I've run out of money."
Jiu Se Cai, even more embarrassed than Fang Jie, withdrew his hand, chuckling awkwardly, "It's alright, it's alright, we're family."
Everyone laughed. Wu Yidao pointed to the table already laden with food and wine and said, "Come, sit down. Tonight, we must drink a few more cups. First, to celebrate His Majesty's appreciation of you, entering the Martial Arts Academy as the top student. Second, to celebrate my discerning eye, betting on you before you even rose to prominence."
Fang Jie chuckled, "Why do I feel a little guilty?"
"Very fake."
Wu Yidao sat down and personally poured Fang Jie a cup of wine, saying, "Before celebrating your victory, there's something I must tell you… I'm leaving early tomorrow morning, so you can stay in this house for now. Yin Yu left this afternoon to return to the Yi Qi Temple on Qing Le Mountain, and this house will be in your care."
"You're leaving the capital?"
Fang Jie asked in surprise. Wu Yidao nodded and said, "His Majesty gave you such a grand welcome today, didn't you guess what it meant?"
"I guessed a little... I'm afraid His Majesty will soon announce a military campaign abroad."
"That's right, so I have to leave the capital."
Wu Yidao paused and said, "There's something I can tell you now, His Majesty began preparing for the Western Expedition a long time ago. To keep it a secret, all the weapons, armor, provisions, and equipment used for the expedition were transported to the Northwest by my company, Huotong Tianxia Hang. Not only that, the elite troops mobilized from various regions were also secretly transported away using my fleet. Prince Xu, Yang Kai, set off for the Northwest several days ago to oversee the operation, and now, as the owner of Huotong Tianxia Hang, I also have to go to the Northwest to coordinate."
Fang Jie was stunned for a moment, only then realizing the Marquis of Sanjin's status in the court and how important he was to His Majesty. His Majesty had entrusted such an important matter to a merchant guild. This shows that His Majesty trusts Wu Yidao far more than he trusts most officials in the court.
"Now I realize how powerful a leg I've latched onto," Fang Jie exclaimed.
"Those who earn money from the court are the most shrewd merchants."
"Idiot!"
Wu Yidao cursed, seemingly disappointed by Fang Jie's reaction. However, he didn't continue the topic, instead bringing up Fang Jie's entry into the Martial Arts Academy. Fang Jie didn't pay attention to the meaning behind Wu Yidao's "idiot." Because he hadn't thought about it carefully, he was utterly astonished when he later learned the truth. Normally, Fang Jie might have pondered the word "idiot" more deeply. But today, his mind was somewhat clouded with joy.
"From now on, you don't need to worry about anything anymore. Since His Majesty has lifted you up with one hand, he won't allow anyone to easily ruin you. You must understand that you now represent not only the second candidate in the Martial Arts Academy to achieve the Nine Gates Excellence Award, but also His Majesty's emphasis on students from humble backgrounds."
"I know,"
Fang Jie nodded. "Therefore, you must not disappoint His Majesty."
Wu Yidao's tone suddenly turned serious: "You should understand that you are already standing very high. Because of this height, you can access things you couldn't before and gain the respect of others. But it's also possible that because you're standing so high, you'll fall and die. I have a piece of advice for you; I hope you remember it."
"Please enlighten me, Lord Marquis."
"What does His Majesty think?"
Wu Yidao said earnestly: "Before you act, always think about these five words, and you will become calm and clear-headed."
"This war will not end quickly."
Wu Yidao raised his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.
"Three years from now… if you are still alive, then it will truly be time to soar to the heavens."