Fang Jie was proud; this time, he hadn't fainted.
The pressure of the waterfall was unexpected, especially since he had been pretending to be nonchalant while reciting poetry with an air of grandeur, unaware of how much water had slammed into his mouth and nose. The feeling of suffocation was almost identical to being choked, but the pressure was much stronger.
However, he didn't last long. After his grand display, he had to bow his head to the waterfall due to difficulty breathing. Because he was panting heavily, his muscles relaxed slightly, and the powerful current slammed him onto the rocks. Just as Fang Jie thought he was about to be swept into the deep pool, Qiu Yu skimmed across the water like a dragonfly. With a swift, swallow-like turn, she pulled Fang Jie back from mid-air.
After casually tossing Fang Jie onto the grass, the female professor, who had concealed her alluring figure in her long robe, walked away with her hands behind her back.
"You possess a treasure, but you don't know how to wield it."
She left behind these words, leaving Fang Jie deeply moved.
He understood Qiu Yu's meaning. His body was indeed extraordinary, even stronger than those capable of cultivation. No one knew the explosive power of this body better than himself. But as Qiu Yu said, his body was a treasure trove, and his understanding of it was still completely unexplored. If he could master this body, what would this mere waterfall matter?
But now, Fang Jie had to admit his admiration for Li Xiao, who had recited poetry beneath the waterfall a hundred years ago. Li Xiao wasn't known for his high cultivation level; he was more like a learned Confucian scholar. His Majesty the Emperor had once described Li Xiao as "refined yet ruthless" when commenting on many famous generals of the Sui Dynasty.
Refined and ruthless—logically, they shouldn't be paired together.
But without a doubt, Li Xiao was such a contradictory person. He possessed a refined demeanor and was extremely learned. When debating, he never acted rashly, speaking eloquently and calmly. Yet, those who debated with him were often defeated, even those who cited classical texts could not gain the upper hand.
On the battlefield, however, this scholar-general displayed a ruthless side. He pacified Jiangnan, nearly doubling the territory of the Sui Dynasty. To consolidate this vast new territory, Li Xiao's methods of killing were so cruel that they shocked the world. Those who condemned him called him a devil, an executioner; those who admired him praised his iron-fisted resolve.
At one time, Li Xiao, as the supreme commander of all the circuits in Jiangnan, wielded immense power; people even privately called him the Emperor of Jiangnan. Yet, he harbored no rebellious intentions towards the Sui Dynasty, and Emperor Taizong's trust in him was unshakeable. These two men were hailed by later generations as exemplary rulers and ministers.
When Li Xiao was stationed in Jiangnan, he never appeased rebellions; his response was simple: kill.
Often, when his subordinates rushed in to report another rebellion... Li Xiao would have a map brought to him and then inquire about the location of the rebellion. Once confirmed, he would circle the rebellion's location on the map with his finger and casually say, "This area is no longer needed."
"No longer needed" didn't mean the location was unwanted; it meant the people were unwanted.
The imperial army marched into the circle he had drawn, leaving no one alive.
This is why, even now, the people of Jiangnan still feel a deep-seated fear when they hear the name Li Xiao.
This man left behind many legends, but what makes him seem most intelligent is that at the height of his power, he resolutely refused most of the rewards Emperor Taizong offered him. Emperor Taizong even considered bestowing upon him the title of Prince, an honor unmatched since the founding of the Sui Dynasty. But Li Xiao firmly refused, even resigning all military posts after Jiangnan was stabilized to live a life of gardening and bird-keeping at home.
What is most perplexing is that he even declined the hereditary title of Duke. In his words, "I have personally rendered some service to the Sui Dynasty and received His Majesty's favor, but that does not mean my descendants can rely on it for eternal wealth and honor. If my descendants wish to become dukes, they must strive for it through their own abilities. If my descendants live in comfort and become complacent because of my service to the Sui Dynasty, I will be a sinner to the Li family a hundred years from now."
Such a thing is unprecedented in thousands of years of history.
In the end, for reasons unknown, Emperor Taizong actually granted Li Xiao's request. He granted him the prestigious title of First-Class Duke, but not hereditary, although he ultimately granted his descendants the hereditary title of Marquis. Many people were puzzled at the time, but Fang Jie couldn't help but admire the wisdom and courage Li Xiao possessed by not seeking benefits for his descendants. If Li Xiao had been granted the title of Prince, would his descendants be in the same situation?
Although his decision delayed the Li family's entry into the ranks of first-class families by nearly a century, there is no doubt that Li Xiao's actions were truly for the sake of his descendants. Because of his refusal and decline, no one in the Li family has been executed or imprisoned since the reign of Emperor Taizong.
But what if Li Xiao had received the title of Prince?
Who knows what would have become of the Li family?
Fang Jie felt that Li Xiao was as intelligent as Prince Zhong, Yang Qi. A person who knows when to advance and when to retreat is far wiser than one who only knows how to advance blindly. And the best care for one's descendants is certainly not as superficial as giving them wealth and honor.
…
…
Fang Jie lay on the grass for a while before regaining his strength. He sat up, panting heavily, moved to the deep pool, scooped up water, washed his face, and then looked at his reflection in the water, murmuring, "The revolution is not yet complete, handsome, you still need to work hard."
He was very hungry.
He hadn't eaten anything during lunch break while climbing the mountain. After such a huge physical exertion, what Fang Jie wanted most now wasn't to eat, but to lie on the grass and not get up. But the boy, once he felt he could walk again, stood up, refusing to rest any longer.
He drank some water, stretched, and walked towards the waterfall again.
Reaching the waterfall, he felt the powerful force of the cascading water, the impact of the splashing droplets, and the body's reaction to these forces. He took a deep breath of the damp air, preparing to step into the waterfall once more.
Qiu Yu hadn't gone far. She had intended to return to her lodgings to read and write, but for some reason, she felt she should go back and give Fang Jie a few more instructions. Upon her return, she witnessed a scene that embarrassed her.
The stubborn, strong, and shameless boy had stripped naked and walked back under the waterfall.
Qiu Yu's eyesight was excellent; she saw things far more clearly than the average person. Thus, she saw what the boy should and shouldn't have seen. Qiu Yu, who thought she could be indifferent to everything, including gender, felt her cheeks flush slightly at this moment. She abandoned her plan to instruct Fang Jie to feel the effects of external forces on his body and turned to leave.
Frustrated, she even considered slapping Fang Jie into the deep pool.
Fang Jie stripped naked, not because he had a fetish for nudity, but because he felt his clothes were hindering his body's reactions when he felt the water and air. So he didn't hesitate to tear off his clothes, allowing his skin to directly contact the external forces.
Having entered the waterfall a second time, Fang Jie was more experienced. He slightly tilted his head back so the force of the water wouldn't hit his head or the back of his head directly. This slight tilt prevented the water from stinging his eyes. Fang Jie knew that the top and back of his head were much more vulnerable than his forehead.
The water cascading down from the height hit Fang Jie, and he felt it with his eyes closed.
He felt the pressure, the suffocation, and the pain.
Amidst the roar of the cascading waterfall, Fang Jie suddenly entered a very calm state. He thought of his two fainting spells, and the times his eyes turned blood red. He guessed that if these fainting spells after the excruciating pain were his body undergoing some kind of modification, then he had no choice but to passively accept it. When his mind couldn't bear the physical pain, fainting became inevitable.
He then thought of his eyes, especially after meeting the red-robed high priest, Crane Cry Daoist. He became even more interested in the red eyes that had appeared out of nowhere. He had asked Mr. Zhuo, Wu Yidao, and the old cripple about the purpose of the vertical eye on Crane Cry Daoist's forehead. When he learned that the eye could restrict a person's freedom and induce hallucinations, he wondered if he possessed this potential as well.
Zhuo Buyi's assessment of his idea was…you're overthinking it, and your imagination is too wild.
Fang Jie didn't think his imagination was wild. If a person couldn't even have a beautiful imagination, how boring would the world be?
The two times his eyes turned red were due to anger.
If explained scientifically, Fang Jie could understand it as anger causing his eyes to bloodshot… But why was his body's potential activated after his eyes turned red? Was emotion the fundamental reason that controlled his body? If so, being passive seemed absurd.
Fang Jie disliked being passive.
If the red eyes only appeared after anger, then this reason for his body becoming stronger became meaningless. Not all battles in this world are driven by anger; some encounters can even bring pleasure. But does pleasure mean only getting beaten up?
That's fucking useless.
While Fang Jie was lost in thought, he even forgot about the external force at work, and forgot that he had stripped naked and stood under the waterfall to feel the changes it brought to his body. At that moment, the waterfall seemed to disappear. When the waterfall disappeared, what was the biggest change?
Freedom.
Fang Jie forgot the existence of the waterfall, and therefore forgot the immense pressure it brought.
When a person is lost in thought, they often pace slowly. This was a subconscious action, perhaps even unconscious.
Fang Jie began to pace.
He paced beneath the waterfall.
Just then, Qiu Yu, who had already walked away, suddenly changed her expression. She couldn't help but glance back at the waterfall. As she focused, the distance instantly closed, and the image of Fang Jie pacing beneath the waterfall clearly appeared before her eyes. She was startled, then a relieved smile appeared on her lips.
"He's quite good."
At some point, Dean Zhou appeared beside Qiu Yu.
"Indeed, quite good."
Qiu Yu repeated.
"So you shouldn't have lied to him."
Dean Zhou smiled. "When has Li Xiao ever strolled leisurely beneath this waterfall, or recited poetry? Without getting close to the waterfall, he would definitely use the excuse of worrying about his clothes getting wet to run away."
"Lying to him has its benefits, doesn't it?"
Qiu Yu replied with a smile.
Then she looked at Dean Zhou seriously and said, "Didn't you lie to him before? You told him that researching his body was for His Majesty, for the Sui Dynasty, to build an invincible army. That excuse was a bit shameless…"
"Lying to him was good for him, wasn't it?"
Dean Zhou returned Qiu Yu's words to her, then said matter-of-factly, "Lying is a means. As long as the starting point isn't evil, there's no need to think the means are unrefined. Lying beautifully is also a kind of cultivation."
Qiu Yu curled her lip, seemingly not showing the same respect for Dean Zhou as she did in front of outsiders.
"Next time you use me to lure someone into making a mistake, I won't agree."
She said.
Dean Zhou naturally knew what she meant, after all, his pimping for Fang Jie had happened just today.
"Your eyes and ears are particularly useful, so you've missed out on so much fun."
Dean Zhou sighed, then turned and walked back: "Sometimes pretending to be deaf and dumb, pretending not to see, isn't a bad thing."
"For example, when Zhihui came to Chang'an, you pretended not to see him?"
Qiu Yu asked.
Dean Zhou paused for a moment, then said calmly, "Sometimes, pretending to be helpless against the enemy isn't a bad thing. Especially... when the Sui Dynasty is about to go to war with the Mongol Yuan."
"Understood."
Qiu Yu was silent for a while before saying, "Zhihui was able to leave because you let him."