Fang Jie leaned against the iron door of the stone chamber, looking at the two men in flying fish robes through the small window and asking, "Brothers, what time is it?"
The man in the flying fish robe on the left glanced at the man in the flying fish robe on the right, his eyes conveying that he was asking them. The man in the flying fish robe on the right looked up at the roof, pretending not to hear anything. This young man had absolutely no awareness of being a death row inmate; he had been talking to them incessantly since morning. He would either lean against the door to talk, or pull the chair to the door and squat on it to talk. He had even tried to move the stone bed to the door, thankfully he couldn't.
"What? Why is the sky so dark? Is it going to rain?" Damn it, this underground chamber never sees the sun; how could you possibly tell the sky?
"Brother, judging by your full forehead and square jaw, do you already have two sons?" Damn it, what does a full forehead and square jaw have to do with having two sons?
"Brother, what workshop made those flying fish robes of yours? The craftsmanship is excellent. I'll have to check them out when I go out. If they're capable, I plan to place a big order with them." My goodness... you're almost dead, you know that? And what do you mean by a big order?
Fang Jie asked countless pointless questions like this, seemingly tireless and never still for a moment. The two men in flying fish robes stood outside the door, not daring to leave, suffering terribly.
Fang Jie asked the time, but neither of them answered. Fang Jie, surprisingly unfazed, reached his hand through the gap in the iron bars of the small window and grabbed the collar of a man in a flying fish robe, continuing to ask, "Brother, what time is it?"
"Ahem..."
The man in the flying fish robe, his clothes being pulled, turned around and smiled awkwardly at Fang Jie, saying, "Sir, could you let go? I'll go out and show you right now, okay? You see, even if it's sunny outside, it's still pitch black. Without a light, I wouldn't last three steps before I bump into a wall."
"That's well said!"
Fang Jie sincerely praised, "Brother, you have a talent for poetry. I have a few lines of poetry; would you like to hear them first?"
"I'd rather go check the sundial for you..."
The man in the flying fish robe broke free of Fang Jie's hand and quickly ran outside. If it weren't for the orders from above to tolerate this young man no matter what he did, to give him whatever he wanted, and not to torture, scold, or beat him, the two of them would have already gone in and given him a good whipping. In this situation, they could only endure it.
One left, but it was clear Fang Jie had no intention of letting the remaining one go.
"Brother, do you understand literature?"
The remaining man in the flying fish robe looked extremely pained. He turned to Fang Jie and asked, "Sir, are you hungry? Should I go get you some wine and food? Poets always need a drink when reciting poetry, right…"
"Alright."
Fang Jie nodded seriously, "Also, could you give me pen, ink, paper, and inkstone? I want to record my insights here, bind them into a book, and publish it later. Maybe I can make a fortune."
"No problem!"
The flying fish robe said as he ran out, "As long as you don't say anything, I'll find you any girl you want!"
"Really? Then forget the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, can I have a girl instead?"
Fang Jie called after him.
Oh dear! The man in the flying fish robe nearly tripped and fell, staggering a few steps before finally regaining his balance. He dared not speak to Fang Jie again, wishing he could immediately run to the deputy commander and beg for someone else to guard the door. However, the iron door to the secret chamber was at least two inches thick; even a ninth-rank cultivator might not be able to break it by brute force. There was no need for the two of them to guard it. But the deputy commander had ordered them to keep a close eye on Fang Jie, watching his reactions in the stone chamber. The two of them had been tormented these past two days; that guy was practically a madman.
After they left, Fang Jie quickly tore off a strip of his shirt lining and clutched it in his hand. Then, pretending to be nonchalant, he walked back to his chair and sat down, muttering to himself, "Fatty, this time it's all up to you."
He had to get the message out. Even if he couldn't escape himself, he had to get Shen Qingshan and the others to find a way out of Chang'an. Here, he was eating, drinking, and relieving himself under everyone's watchful eyes, unable to do anything. Even if people came to see him, like Professor Qiu Yu, everyone outside was listening intently to every word he said, making it impossible for him to make any arrangements.
Therefore, he had to find a way to get the message out. That's why he needed pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. The paper that was delivered had definitely been counted; even a missing corner would be noticed. So he had to tear off a piece of his inner lining, and only when the two outside couldn't see him.
Even doing such a small thing, Fang Jie had to be extremely careful. Because outside this stone chamber in Chang'an City, there were several people he cared about.
Accepting fate?
Fang Jie never believed that everyone's fate in this world was predetermined, nor did he believe that any oppression was insurmountable. At the very least… he had to ensure Mu Xiaoyao and the others' safety.
…
…
Li Nan is dead!
The old man who had sent Shen Qingshan flying with a single palm strike that night died so simply and easily. A ninth-rank expert who was once renowned throughout the Sui Dynasty's martial arts world and even the entire world died just like that on Half-Moon Mountain. He wouldn't have died if he hadn't shielded the landlady from the old monk Zhihui's full-force attack. But he knew the landlady's lightness skill was the worst among them; she had never been known for it.
Eleven years ago, on their westward journey, he had known the landlady even before Su Tugou. Because that battle was so brutal, he was the only one among the Sui Dynasty's westward envoys to retreat, resulting in Su Tugou, who had fought alongside him, being severely wounded. The landlady, who had initially developed feelings for Li Nan, never looked at him again. After the battle, she carried Su Tugou away and disappeared without a trace, leaving Li Nan to return to Chang'an in a sorry state.
For eleven years, he had never left Chang'an.
He died smiling, because the landlady had told him, "They are waiting for you."
"They" were the Sui Dynasty's wandering swordsmen who had shed their blood on the grasslands eleven years ago. It was because of the landlady's words that Li Nan achieved his redemption. He knew he could go to the underworld to meet his brothers and sisters, and stand before them to say sorry.
The landlady showed no emotion at Li Nan's death. She remained calm, as if, in her view, Li Nan deserved to die this way, rather than live a lowly life in Chang'an.
The Emperor looked at the village girl before him, who had fought for the Sui Dynasty eleven years ago, and didn't know how to begin their conversation. That year, he had just ascended the throne; the court was unstable, the nation in turmoil. The Mongol Yuan Dynasty in the west was gathering its best warriors to infiltrate Chang'an. The Seventh Prince, Prince Zhong, Yang Qi, traveled alone westward, issuing orders to kill the barbarians along the way. By the time he reached the northwest border, hundreds of wandering swordsmen had joined him. They were originally hermits, living in seclusion in famous mountains and rivers, indifferent to worldly affairs.
Perhaps even if the court had issued an order, they wouldn't have left their homes to face a powerful enemy. But when they heard Yang Qi's order to kill the barbarians, they acted without hesitation.
The Emperor knew he owed these people, and he also owed the landlady.
"Thank you."
After a long silence, the Emperor got off the earthen bed and bowed deeply before the landlady.
He was the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty, the supreme ruler of the Central Plains. But he bowed deeply to a village girl, without the slightest reluctance.
The landlady didn't move, nor did she stop him.
She accepted the emperor's bow calmly.
"I'm not dead. Your Majesty, I accept this bow on their behalf," she said.
The emperor straightened up and nodded, saying, "When the army marches west, I will proclaim to the world that eleven years ago, it was because of you that the people of the Great Sui enjoyed peace. I know you harbor resentment towards me. This is something I should have done eleven years ago, but I've delayed until today. Even if I don't say it, you should understand why I haven't given you the honor you deserve..."
He paused and continued, "Since the founding emperor established the Great Sui, the Yang imperial family has instilled in the people of the Great Sui the greatest quality of pride. We instilled in them pride in being Sui people. But it was precisely because of this pride that I had to suppress your achievements eleven years ago. If I had proclaimed it to the world then, you would have been..." "He died defending against the Mongol invasion, and the people of the land were bound to be indignant. The pressure on me to send troops to punish the Mongols is immense. But… at that time, I lacked the capacity for a western expedition. If war broke out, the Sui Dynasty would inevitably be trapped. Yet, if I didn't fight, I would be a coward… How could the emperor of the Sui Dynasty, the emperor who gave the people of the Sui Dynasty pride, be a coward?"
"I am the emperor; I have more to consider than anyone else."
The proprietress's expression remained unchanged. She glanced at the emperor calmly and said, "Your Majesty is right. When we went west, no one thought of gaining anything from the court. When you issued the order to kill the barbarians, we went. It's that simple."
That simple.
Not for honor, not for wealth. Not for the court, and certainly not for the emperor.
"No one is perfect, but I will not deny my mistakes."
The emperor said. The proprietress was silent for a moment, then said earnestly to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, if you wish to express gratitude, the one you should thank most is actually the gentleman."
The Emperor nodded, "I know, but the one I owe the most to is my seventh brother."
"Back then, when the gentleman went west to issue the order to kill the Hu, we followed. If it were anyone else, we might not have been willing to go. The gentleman already held a very high position in the martial arts world, and we had no complaints about dying for him. Therefore, Your Majesty need not feel guilty towards us. You owe the gentleman, but the gentleman owes us."
The proprietress said, "Only after many years did I understand that the gentleman's journey west back then was not merely for killing the Hu?" Looking directly into the emperor's eyes, she said, word by word, "It was mostly for the sake of Your Majesty's throne. Many Mongols died in that battle, and naturally, many martial artists from the Sui Dynasty also perished. But despite so many deaths, the biggest beneficiary was Your Majesty. All the Mongol experts who planned to infiltrate the Sui Dynasty were killed, so Your Majesty can rest assured. Six or seven out of ten of the Sui Dynasty's martial artists with considerable skill died, so Your Majesty can sleep peacefully. When you led us to our deaths, sir, from the very beginning, he wanted to reduce the number of people in the Sui Dynasty's martial arts world who could threaten Your Majesty's safety."
The emperor's expression changed, but he did not stop the proprietress from continuing.
"Sir's westward journey is a triple win. Although he no longer attends court, his prestige among the officials is extremely high. If he doesn't leave, His Majesty will be uneasy. The Mongol masters are ruthless and barbaric by nature; if some aren't eliminated, His Majesty will be uneasy. The people of the Sui Dynasty's martial arts world are unruly and strong-willed; if some aren't killed, His Majesty will be uneasy. This westward journey will bring His Majesty eleven years of peace of mind; Sir should be satisfied."
"So, as I said before, His Majesty owes Sir."
The Emperor's face showed displeasure, but he didn't lash out: "I know, which is why I've always protected his things and forbade anyone to touch them."
"But His Majesty himself touched them."
The proprietress said in a slightly cold tone. "What have I touched?!"
The Emperor's patience was finally wearing thin. He looked into the proprietress's eyes and said, "I will not allow anyone to touch Seventh Prince's property. Even a servant of Seventh Prince's family will be treated as a high-ranking official."
"Your Majesty touched his successor."
The proprietress said, "Fang Jie is his successor."
"Fang Jie is really Seventh Prince's successor?!"
The Emperor was stunned, his eyes filled with undisguised surprise. "His Majesty trusts no one, which is why he suspects Fang Jie. His Majesty doesn't even trust the Master; otherwise, why would he imprison Fang Jie?"
The proprietress bowed slightly. "Thank you for summoning me, Your Majesty. I am but a humble village woman, unaccustomed to worldly affairs. My words were rude and offended Your Majesty. Therefore, I take my leave and depart Chang'an to return to Fangu. My husband, accompanying the Master on his second westward journey, is certain to die, and the Master's old wounds are not yet healed, so his chances of survival are slim. After returning to Fangu, I will erect three earthen graves: one for the Master, one for my husband, and one for Fang Jie."
"At each grave, burn soil as incense and tell the Master that you have no descendants. The murderer… is His Majesty."