On the official road returning to Chang'an from the martial arts arena, Fang Jie, Zhang Kuang, Mo Xidao, and Xie Fuyao rode side by side. Because today's competition had been quite tiring, Dean Zhou had mercifully allowed the examinees to ride back to Chang'an, though the horses had to be returned to the martial arts academy upon entering the city.
Fang Jie, however, was exempt; his crimson horse was the envy of many.
Xie Fuyao watched Fang Jie, Zhang Kuang, and Mo Xidao chatting and laughing as they rode, their laughter laced with vulgar language. He seemed somewhat curious about this conversation and listened attentively. When Fang Jie and the others spoke of something amusing, he would smile along, his lips pursed. It seemed as if Fang Jie and the others were three wanton women, while he was a shy virgin.
Fang Jie glanced back at Xie Fuyao and asked with a smile, "Aren't you afraid of being laughed at if you travel with the three of us?"
Xie Fuyao thought for a moment and replied seriously, "You said you'd treat me to drinks."
Fang Jie laughed heartily, seemingly pleased with the answer. "I always thought you'd be reluctant to travel with us because you found us uncouth. You know we border soldiers aren't exactly learned, we just have endless stories about women. Of course… we might not have seen as many women as you've slept with."
Xie Fuyao shook her head awkwardly, still somewhat uncomfortable with this way of talking.
"I… well, not really…"
"Not really what?"
"Let's continue talking about your time in the border town, I really enjoy hearing those kinds of stories."
Xie Fuyao didn't want to dwell on the topic of women with Fang Jie.
"That's not a story!"
Mo Xidao snorted coldly. He was too straightforward and had an inherent aversion to a noble young master like Xie Fuyao. Even if they traveled together, he didn't feel like he and Xie Fuyao were on the same level. This conflict was difficult to resolve. Even without any deep-seated hatred, a chasm existed between soldiers from humble backgrounds and scions of noble families.
Xie Fuyao paused, remained silent for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Mo Xidao, saying, "I apologize for my intrusion."
These words were sincere; Mo Xidao could tell it wasn't mere politeness. Aristocratic scions were masters of hypocrisy, readily fraternizing with those from humble backgrounds, but few truly respected them. Therefore, Xie Fuyao's sincerity was particularly valuable, yet Mo Xidao still harbored no goodwill towards her.
"What we discussed was all true. Perhaps you only heard us laughing, but you don't know the bitterness in our hearts as we spoke. The life of a border soldier is something you can never understand, and the bond between us is something you can never comprehend," he said.
Xie Fuyao nodded and said, "Perhaps. I'll experience your lives after I reach the frontier."
"Why does Young Master Xie want to go to the frontier? There's no need to suffer there after graduating from the Martial Arts Academy in three years. As long as you get good grades, getting a position in the military isn't difficult."
Zhang Kuang asked curiously.
Xie Fuyao urged his horse to keep up with Fang Jie's pace. Looking at the majestic Chang'an city walls under the moonlight, he said, "Since I'm joining the army, going to the frontier is best. Perhaps you think I'm being sentimental, but that's truly what I think. Don't mention the local garrison troops, the soldiers in the princes' fiefdoms, or even the Sixteen Guards of the Sui Dynasty—these are not places I want to go. Only the frontier… is where soldiers truly belong."
These words changed Mo Xidao's opinion of him somewhat, so his tone softened slightly: "The frontier isn't what you think. If..." "If you can't adapt to a life where you don't know when your comrades will leave you, or when you'll die in battle, it's best not to go to the frontier. Entering the Martial Arts Academy might just be a path to advancement for you, so you don't need to truly consider yourself a soldier."
Xie Fuyao slowly shook her head and said, "I'm different from those people you're talking about… In your eyes, I should be no different from other aristocratic scions, but in reality… I'm different from them. Compared to them, I feel I should be closer to you."
"Why?"
Zhang Kuang asked. Xie Fuyao opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't explain: "It's nothing."
Mo Xidao disliked this hesitant speech, so he simply stopped looking at him and smiled, saying to Fang Jie, "I've been watching your matches at the martial arts arena all day. Fang Jie, you've really made us border guard candidates proud! Before we came out, I already discussed it with the others; we'd all chip in to find a nice restaurant to treat you to drinks! The brothers who went to the martial arts arena early have already made arrangements. Tonight, we'll drink until we drop!"
"Tonight... I can't."
"Why?!"
Mo Xidao asked in surprise.
"Brother Mo, you heard it too, I promised to treat Young Master Xie to drinks. We border guards value integrity above all else; we can't go back on our word, right?"
Mo Xidao's expression changed angrily: "What? Just because you know a young master from a prestigious family, you think drinking with us is beneath you?!"
The atmosphere immediately froze upon hearing this. Fang Jie shook his head with a wry smile, looking at Mo Xidao and explaining, "Brother Mo, you know I'm not..."
"Brother Mo!"
Zhang Kuang said from the side, "That's definitely not right of you. Is Fang Jie really that kind of person?"
Mo Xidao's face was somewhat unpleasant, and he remained silent. After walking in silence for a while, he slowly shook his head and sighed, "Fang Jie, I'm sorry... I don't know what's wrong, but since returning from Dongchu, my temper has become increasingly volatile..."
Before he could finish speaking, several figures suddenly rushed out of the woods by the roadside. The first person to appear wore a very loose robe and seemed to be carrying someone in his hand. Behind him, at least five or six people chased after him like lightning. Before Fang Jie and the others could react, the first person who rushed out was already in front of them.
Without warning, the person grabbed Fang Jie from his horse and darted to the side!
...
...
Fang Jie only felt a blur before his eyes, and his body was lifted off the horse by the person. The wind whistled past his ears, so strong he could barely open his eyes. He heard Zhang Kuang and the others gasp, but before he could speak, he felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen, as if a hand were sucking at his stomach like a suction cup.
When the wind subsided, he opened his eyes and saw that the hand holding him was that of an old monk!
"Don't you Buddhist sects preach compassion? Don't you feel ashamed to use a young boy as a shield?"
Hearing this, Fang Jie was startled. Looking in the direction of the voice, he recognized several of the people chasing after him!
Mr. Zhuo from the Imperial Guard, Professor Qiu Yu from the Martial Arts Academy, and Yan Qing. Standing on the other side was a middle-aged man in a bright red Taoist robe. Fang Jie recognized him. He and Shen Qingshan had seen him sitting in a tree before entering Chang'an City; this high priest had used his cultivation to create a large pit with a single finger, trapping the running bull.
Across from the red-robed high priest was an old man in a blue robe. Holding a broken sword, Fang Jie had never seen this person before.
Upon seeing the last person, Fang Jie couldn't help but let out a low gasp.
"The proprietress?!"
He almost shouted it out, but ultimately swallowed it back. Not understanding the situation, he didn't want this mysterious old monk to realize he knew Mr. Zhuo and his group. Being someone's hostage was already bad enough; if his captors knew he knew those who had pursued him, it would be even worse.
Clearly, the proprietress, Du Hongxian, was also surprised to see Fang Jie. But she quickly regained her composure and pretended not to recognize him. Zhuo Buyi and the others did the same; none of them wanted to call out Fang Jie's name at this moment.
Slightly later than Zhuo Buyi and his group were Jiangnan Xie Fuyao, followed by Mo Xidao, and finally Zhang Kuang.
Seven or eight people surrounded the old monk completely.
"You lot, step back. This is a situation you can't handle."
Yan Qing glanced at Xie Fuyao and gave the order.
Xie Fuyao was clearly surprised as well. Although he didn't recognize most of the people surrounding the old monk, he recognized two professors from the Martial Arts Academy and one a high-ranking red-robed priest from the Daoist sect. The cultivation levels of such individuals were unimaginable, and for so many experts to besiege an old monk, the monk's cultivation level must be absurd. The high-ranking red-robed priest alone was already a top figure in the martial arts world of the Sui Dynasty; the others' cultivation levels weren't necessarily much weaker. How terrifying would it be for several such powerful figures to join forces against one person?
Considering this, Xie Fuyao didn't back down.
"He is our friend," Xie Fuyao replied calmly but firmly, without showing any acquaintance with Yan Qing and the others. "Shameless!"
The old man in the sapphire blue robe was none other than Li Nan. He pointed his broken sword at the old monk's nose and roared, "Are all Buddhists so shameless? Using innocent lives as leverage! Is this the same as the Buddhist teachings you preach?!"
The old monk shook his head. "He is not innocent."
He didn't look at Fang Jie, but slowly raised Fang Jie and said, word by word, "You Sui people are all demons. The Wise King is merciful, but only to the people. Why should he be merciful to demons?"
But as he raised Fang Jie, his expression suddenly changed. For some reason, he subconsciously glanced at Chen Ya. And when he saw the surprise in Chen Ya's eyes, he seemed to have found the answer.
Ignoring the curses of Li Nan and the others, the old monk slowly placed Fang Jie on the ground. He glanced sideways at Fang Jie and murmured, "This is fate?"
"Master...kill him..."
Chen Ya, covered in blood, was filled with intense, unyielding hatred. Fang Jie, however, didn't remember knowing this man, or even seeing the blood gourd. He hadn't understood why this man harbored such intense hatred, but seeing the old monk's bald head, he suddenly understood.
"What a coincidence."
The old monk sighed softly.
Fang Jie hummed in agreement, saying, "Indeed, a coincidence. Incredibly delicious."
"Huh?"
The old monk was taken aback, not understanding Fang Jie's meaning. Of course, no one but Fang Jie himself understood this advertising slogan.
Just as the old monk was puzzled, Fang Jie suddenly attacked. With a left-hand strike, he slashed out with his sword at an unbelievable angle. After the duel, he had retrieved the broken sword the old cripple had given him, which lay within easy reach at his waist. This was the fastest strike Fang Jie had ever unleashed in his life, and also the most refined strike he had ever mastered since learning the first sword technique.
He didn't strike the old monk, but rather Chen Ya.
This move was definitely not a hasty decision. He knew that with so many experts surrounding the old monk, the monk's strength must be astonishing. He had no confidence that his left-hand sword technique could even injure the old monk. But he was somewhat confident in injuring the Blood Gourd, after all, that guy looked like he couldn't even stand up.
Suddenly, the old monk instinctively exerted force with his palm, sending Fang Jie flying. Then he used his other hand to fling Chen Ya to the side, but he was still a little too slow. Fang Jie's blade left a small wound on Chen Ya's body. Although it wasn't serious, for the old monk's cultivation level, it was clearly unexpected that Fang Jie had succeeded.
"I actually forgot, controlling your dantian and qi sea is meaningless."
The old monk shook his head and sighed, somewhat lost in thought.
Almost simultaneously, four figures leaped up together. The two professors from the Martial Arts Academy, Mr. Zhuo and his colleague, both leaped up to try and help Fang Jie. However, the fastest among them was surprisingly the beautiful young woman in a rather rustic blue floral dress.
The proprietress of the Fan Gu dog meat shop caught Fang Jie in mid-air. She couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "You damn fool, you're asking for death!"
With Fang Jie tucked under the proprietress's arm, feeling the softness of her chest, Fang Jie even sniffed and said with relish, "So fragrant," before passing out.
At that moment, the other five masters simultaneously launched their strongest attacks on the old monk. The old monk's expression hardened. He placed Chen Ya behind his back and clasped his hands together. A dazzling white lotus suddenly appeared, as if blooming within his body. The five petals of the lotus looked exceptionally pure and beautiful.
With a deafening boom, the attacks of the five masters slammed into the five-petaled lotus.
The white lotus trembled, finally shattering under the weight. The petals scattered like rain, but when they looked again, the old monk was nowhere to be seen.