In Fang Jie's opinion, Dean Zhou was definitely not a qualified persuader, although his method of first threatening and then enticing was quite effective. However, his final statement, "First of all, I won't ruin you," exposed his true nature, so Fang Jie decisively rejected the old man's conditions.
Of course, Dean Zhou didn't offer any substantial conditions either.
"Young man, you should know that there's no other way for you to go, unless you want to be expelled from the Martial Arts Academy on your very first day. Of course, even if you are expelled, I have ways to capture you, lock you in a secret room, and then dismember you into hundreds of pieces."
Dean Zhou shrugged, indicating that he didn't want to do that.
"Purpose."
Fang Jie was silent for a moment before asking, "Dear Dean, tell me your purpose. You just said I'm a smart man, so lies might not fool me."
"Curiosity."
Dean Zhou replied.
"Slippery, I don't like that attitude."
Fang Jie relayed Dean Zhou's exact words back. "Oh dear... how come you still haven't grasped the situation? You have absolutely no room for negotiation. Once you enter the gates of my Martial Arts Academy, you're one of us. In this academy, if you don't obey me, you'll have no way out."
Dean Zhou said while sipping his tea.
"Do you know what it means to be unyielding to the death?"
Fang Jie said resolutely. Dean Zhou nearly spat out the tea he'd just finished drinking. He chuckled and explained to Fang Jie, "You know your only use to me is a body with some meaning. Whether you're dead or alive makes no difference. If you're truly determined to die rather than submit, would you like me to provide you with the necessary tools?"
Dean Zhou counted on his fingers, "Swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, forks—the martial arts academy has all eighteen kinds of weapons. White silk and poison are also readily available. If you want a more aesthetically pleasing death, I can have someone stick stickers on your face. That way, a suffocated corpse will look more intact, and your tongue won't stick out. Hanging, while also a form of suffocation, is far too unsightly."
Fang Jie sighed inwardly, thinking to himself, "So this is the kind of person Dean Zhou, so revered by the world, is." "Alright, I won't ask about your purpose. Just be specific about the benefits you'll receive; I need to know what I can get."
Dean Zhou thought for a moment and said, "You're not lacking in beauties, you're not lacking in money. Let me think about what else can entice you."
Fang Jie said angrily, "Which bastard told you I'm not lacking in beauties and money? This is absolutely unacceptable!"
"Huh?"
Dean Zhou said in surprise, "So you lack both? That makes things easier. Name your terms; the Martial Arts Academy isn't short of money."
"One million taels."
Fang Jie said through gritted teeth. "Give me a million taels of silver, and I'll let you study me, okay?"
Dean Zhou rolled his eyes at him, then snorted coldly, "I guarantee you'll always have excellent grades at the Martial Arts Academy, even by graduation you'll still be number one. That way, you'll graduate as a fourth-rank general, a height most people can't reach even after a lifetime of struggle."
Fang Jie shrugged, "Finally something useful! Please continue."
"As for money… judging from your appearance, you don't seem like a greedy person…"
"I am greedy!"
"Let's not discuss that now."
Dean Zhou waved his hand, "Let's talk about women. I know you have two exceptionally beautiful women around you. Finding someone more outstanding than those two won't be easy. Fortunately… what do you think of Professor Qiu Yu?"
He blinked as he asked.
Fang Jie couldn't help but chuckle, "Dean, you really aren't suited for business."
"Never mind what I said."
Dean Zhou glared at him and said, "Anyway, it won't do you any harm."
"Of course, it benefits the court more, right?"
Fang Jie slowly sighed, then leaned forward and lowered his voice, asking, "I only now realize how much the court fears Luo Yao. They'll stop at nothing for a mere Left Vanguard General guarding the southern border. But how can you be so sure I really have the same constitution as Luo Yao? If this gets out and Luo Yao finds out, aren't you afraid he might harbor some ulterior motives towards the court?"
When Fang Jie said this, Dean Zhou, who had been acting somewhat lewdly, paused, his expression momentarily blank. Then he sighed, looking at Fang Jie seriously, and said, "Are you forcing me to kill you to silence you?"
...
...
General Luo Yao, the Left Vanguard General guarding the southern border, was absolutely a unique individual in the world. Years ago, his Qi Sea was shattered, yet he miraculously survived. No one expected this cripple to rise again, relying solely on a body without a Qi Sea to become one of the strongest in the world.
Only now did Fang Jie realize that Luo Yao was far more than just a ninth-rank expert. Fang Jie had encountered several monstrous experts with ninth-rank strength. For example, the old cripple, Mr. Zhuo, and the red-robed high priest—he was certain these people all possessed ninth-rank cultivation. But even so, they didn't seem strong enough to make the imperial court wary.
Therefore, it was unimaginable how strong Luo Yao truly was.
At least, in Fang Jie's view, this Left Vanguard General was far more terrifying than Mr. Zhuo and the others. He had witnessed Mr. Zhuo's prowess, and he had also seen the Crane Cry Daoist's. He believed these two were powerful enough; Mr. Zhuo's effortless immobilization of hundreds of elite border troops and Wang Sheng outside the restaurant, effectively trapping them in a circle, was already terrifying. The red-robed high priest's ability to create a ground-shattering barrier with a single finger was equally frightening. If Luo Yao was even more monstrous than them, what level of power would that be?
And to target this person, even Dean Zhou was considering using him as a guinea pig.
Fang Jie suddenly realized that the Sui Dynasty's rule wasn't as secure as it seemed.
While the southern border controlled by Luo Yao wasn't the most prosperous region of the Sui Dynasty, Yongzhou had once been the capital of the Shang Kingdom. Commerce was thriving, and both water and land transportation were readily available. Moreover, the people of Yongzhou hadn't been fully assimilated by the Sui Dynasty, given that the Shang Kingdom had only recently been destroyed. That's why the court had left Luo Yao there after conquering the Shang Kingdom—to deter the Shang people who still harbored hostility towards the Sui Dynasty.
However, precisely because of this, Luo Yao wielded far too much power.
The southern border was remote and far from the capital, so the imperial decrees were far less effective than Luo Yao's military orders. The longer Luo Yao remained in the southern border, the more the court would fear him. Although Luo Yao was merely one of the sixteen generals of the imperial guards, his Left Vanguard was arguably the most heavily armed force. To defend the Shang Kingdom, even the court had to allow Luo Yao to expand his army. How many men did the Left Vanguard actually have? Probably no one but Luo Yao himself knew.
This guy had gradually transformed from a high-ranking official into a potential threat to the court.
Having deduced so much from Dean Zhou's words, Fang Jie had gained a considerable understanding. Although these insights were of little practical use to him, they at least gave him a better understanding of the current state of the Sui Dynasty.
Dean Zhou, noticing the young man's somewhat solemn expression, couldn't help but frown slightly. "Now I understand a little why His Majesty suddenly changed his mind and made you a miracle. He wrote your name on the talent register before even meeting you, and after meeting you, he moved your name up four pages. Now it seems you are indeed an interesting little fellow."
Fang Jie didn't understand the sentence, but he knew what Dean Zhou meant.
Dean Zhou's expression changed; he was no longer as nonchalant as before. He sat up straight, remained silent for a moment, and then solemnly asked Fang Jie, "You said before His Majesty that you were proud to be a Sui person. Was that from the bottom of your heart?"
Fang Jie nodded. Just considering that statement alone, he was quite sincere.
Dean Zhou hummed in agreement, then sighed after a moment of silence. "Alright, then I'll tell you why I'm so interested in your physique. In fact, it has nothing to do with your guesses. I know you've thought a lot about what I said before, but I hope you keep those thoughts to yourself."
...
...
"It all starts with Luo Yao, though it has nothing to do with him."
Dean Zhou took a sip of tea, composed himself, and said, "You know Luo Yao's Qi Sea was shattered many years ago. Logically, even if he hadn't died, he would have been a cripple. But in reality, he remains one of the strongest ninth-rank masters in the world. When the Shang Kingdom was destroyed, he tore apart countless Shang soldiers with his bare hands..." "A master of the Imperial Guard. Such a strange physique—everyone wants to understand how it happened."
He paused, then continued, "The reason the court is curious about Luo Yao, and why His Majesty is curious about Luo Yao, is not only because Luo Yao himself created a miracle, but also because of another, more important reason."
"If someone without a Qi Sea can become a ninth-rank master, then isn't it possible for an ordinary person who cannot cultivate to become a master? Because of this curiosity, His Majesty even personally asked Luo Yao if he had any cultivation methods. But Luo Yao only said that he was lucky and didn't have any unique secrets. But His Majesty has never given up; he's been thinking about something..."
After saying this, Dean Zhou glanced at Fang Jie.
"I understand."
Fang Jie nodded and said, "Your Majesty is thinking that if ordinary people had the correct cultivation methods, could they also become strong like Luo Yao? Even if they couldn't reach that level, could ordinary people possess strength comparable to those who can cultivate? Then the court could use this to build a truly invincible army. I can't imagine how terrifying it would be to have an army of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, where every soldier possesses strength comparable to those with cultivation levels."
Fang Jie had seen the elite infantry battalion of General Li Yuanshan of the Right Valiant Guard; those several hundred men all possessed combat strength of at least the second rank. Fang Jie had no doubt that if a battle had truly broken out that day, even with Old Cripple present, they might all have died.
Dean Zhou smiled and said, "Now you know why I came to you?"
Fang Jie replied helplessly, "Because the court wouldn't arrest a general guarding the southern border for research, and coincidentally, a hapless fellow similar to Luo Yao appeared at this time. So, it could only be me."
Fang Jie finally understood. His Majesty's repeated mentions of auspicious omens that day weren't just because he, like Li Xiao, had achieved excellent results in all nine subjects. He had been surprised at the time, as his own excellent results in all nine subjects were clearly inferior to those of General Li Xiao during Emperor Taizong's reign. His five excellent results in the humanities subjects were merely a reward from His Majesty and didn't count. How could such a fake excellent result be compared to Li Xiao's?
So, His Majesty's good omens had another layer of meaning.
"I'm in a hurry."
Dean Zhou said, "The imperial court is about to launch a military campaign, and this time we'll be facing an exceptionally powerful enemy. You didn't have this strength before you left Fan Gu. In just six months, you were able to send Xie Fuyao flying with a single punch after he used the first two variations of the Four Symbols Finger technique. If we can truly uncover the secrets of your body and use them for the Sui Dynasty, in six months or a year, there will be an invincible army on the battlefield."
Fang Jie took a deep breath, remained silent for a while, and then asked Dean Zhou, "Are you sure I won't be played to death?"