Fang Jie stretched comfortably, smiled at his reflection in the bronze mirror, and muttered to himself, "Finally, I'm as handsome as ever. These past two weeks are finally over. Today, I absolutely have to go out for a walk… First, I'll go to Hongxiuzhao to chat with Xiao Dingdian, then I'll report to the camp, then have a good hot pot feast at Yunji, and finally take a hot bath!"
"You're so carefree."
Mu Xiaoyao said somewhat discontentedly from the roof beam, "You haven't gone out for fifteen days, and I haven't drunk any wine for fifteen days. If you go out today, first buy some pear blossom wine from Yunji and bring it back, then you can wander around aimlessly."
"Or… should I have Keshengju send over a table full of good food?"
Fang Jie said with a smile, " "Having survived such a close call, we absolutely have to celebrate! While Keshengju's wine isn't as good as Yunji's pear blossom brew, at least it's not diluted. Aside from the wine, Keshengju's braised lion's head meatballs, squirrel fish, premium tofu hot pot, and crystal pork knuckle are all exceptionally delicious—just thinking about them makes my mouth water!"
"Great! Great!"
Daquan Shangguo wiped the drool from his mouth and said, "These past few days I've been stealing leftovers from the kitchen; my mouth is practically watering. I reckon we'll be setting off for Chang'an soon, and if we don't have a good meal at Keshengju now, we might not have another chance. Hurry up, don't keep us waiting."
"I only drink pear blossom brew,"
Mu Xiaoyao said calmly, then turned her head away, saying nothing more. One of her long, slender, white legs dangled from the rafters, swaying back and forth, drawing Fang Jie's gaze. To be honest, Fang Jie had never seen a woman with legs more beautiful than Mu Xiaoyao's, nor a waist thinner. Although he had already made his move on the several beautiful women at Jin Yuan Fang, they weren't exactly beauties.
"I wonder if Yunji Dog Meat is still open."
Fang Jie suddenly remembered Su Tu Gou leaving Fang Gu that day, muttered to himself, and then thought of something else.
Su Tu Gou left at night, when Fang Gu had already closed all four gates. How did Su Tu Gou get out of the city? Thinking of this, Fang Jie's heart skipped a beat. The city walls of Fang Gu were over two zhang high; to get out, one would have to be able to fly. But while this world had heard of cultivators, it had never heard of anyone actually being able to fly. Mu Xiaoyao's lightness skill was already quite impressive; in Fang Jie's eyes, being able to leap onto the roof beams had already completely changed his previous life's perspective.
He wondered if he would ever see Su Tu Gou again. If he could… he should try to find out.
He chuckled inwardly, self-deprecatingly thinking, "Fang Jie, you're practically obsessed with cultivation. Can a lowly butcher really be a hermit master? If that were the case, there would be far too many hermit masters in the world. Would a worthless hermit master even be considered a hermit master? Not being able to cultivate has its advantages. If he can't find a job at the martial arts academy, he can work hard and maybe even pass the imperial examinations. There are always different paths in life; why be so stubborn?"
Having consoled himself with these thoughts, he stretched and stood up. He asked himself again, "Is there a better way than cultivation?" Yes! So, do I still want to cultivate? Yes! Absolutely!
He was used to these pointless thoughts. He smiled, turned, and walked towards the door. As he walked, he thought that he should secretly take Li Gandang, Qiu Xiaoshu, and Fu Baobao away from the military camp that night. Before leaving, he should at least have one last big drink with his close comrades.
Although Li Gandang was greedy, he always talked about fate. And it really was fate; he'd met them in two lifetimes, which was something to be proud of.
Just as he was thinking of leaving, he suddenly felt his clothes tighten behind him, and then his legs seemed to float away on their own. After a brief pause, he was violently thrown back into the room. Yes, he flew, but in the kind of way that's like being grabbed and thrown.
"What are you doing?"
Fang Jie looked at Mu Xiaoyao, who had just thrown him back, and asked, "Can you stop using me as a punching bag? Don't you know how powerful I am now? What if I crash into a wall and leave a dent!"
"We have to leave now."
Mu Xiaoyao glanced at Fang Jie, her face extremely serious: "Don't pack anything, just take some silver notes, that's enough. You'd better put on makeup; I taught you. Big Dog, figure out which way is the safest. We can't delay a moment… There are four experts in the city!"
…
…
Border Army Camp.
Standing before Li Xiaozong were three law enforcement officers from the Dali Temple. Li Xiaozong could sense that these three were extremely powerful; it was said they were all sixth-rank experts, and it seemed that this was indeed true. Fifth-rank experts were rare even in the army, and seeing three sixth-rank experts at once made Li Xiaozong somewhat uneasy.
"General Li, I know your cultivation is also quite impressive. It's said you broke through to the fifth rank while at the Martial Arts Academy. These past few years have been filled with worldly affairs, but I imagine you've made considerable progress. These three are law enforcement officers from the Dali Temple, trusted confidants of Minister Hou Junci, the Vice Minister of War. Although they are only sixth-rank officials, their abilities… none of them are necessarily inferior to yours."
Li Xiaozong knew what Wu Peisheng meant by these words; he was simply putting pressure on him.
"I've already written the list. You can go and arrest them. I'm tired, so I'll go back and rest. Tonight, I'll host a welcome dinner for you gentlemen at Keshengju."
"Then we'll have to wait for you to spend the money, General."
Wu Peisheng waved his hand and said, "Mu Da, Mu Er, you two go and capture that Fang Jie guy. Mu San… you come with me to the Jiazi Squad. Start by arresting the leaders. Although the charges are confirmed, we still need to interrogate them. Squad leader, deputy squad leader, platoon leader, sergeant—arrest them all first. Make sure they sign and affix their fingerprints; not a single one can be missing."
The three Mu brothers nodded expressionlessly. The eldest, Mu Da, and the second, Mu Er, turned and walked out without any attendants. In this small city of Fanggu, besides General Li Xiaozong, it would be difficult to find even a third-rank expert. The brothers were both sixth-rank or higher; sending two of them was already a special favor to that Fang Jie guy.
Mu San followed closely behind Wu Peisheng. This man walked with an odd air, his body ramrod straight, like a drawn sword, exuding a chilling aura. Li Xiaozong subconsciously glanced at Mu San a few more times, unable to resist memorizing the name. Although this name was most likely just a code, and they might never meet again, this man's strength was enough for him to remember.
Sixth Rank, seemingly showing signs of breaking through to the seventh Rank.
At the seventh Rank, one would already be considered a first-rate expert.
"I know that among you three brothers, you are the youngest… but your cultivation is the highest. But could you please stop staring at the back of my neck? Even if you want to test your sword on my neck, I am, after all, the Imperial Study's Chief Eunuch. Do you dare to make a move?"
Wu Peisheng, walking in front, smiled smugly: "So what if you brothers are sixth-rank experts? It's not as powerful as the title of Chief Eunuch."
Mu San's expression changed, but he ultimately remained silent. "I know you three are unhappy. If I hadn't come along, you three might have filled your pockets with even more silver. But since His Majesty sent me, I can't bend the law… If you feel it's unfair, you can cut off your useless things right now. I'll talk to His Majesty and add three more sixth-rank experts to the palace; after all, it's a good thing."
"Useful!"
Mu San coldly uttered two words, which made Wu Peisheng's face turn even paler with anger.
"If it's useful, then keep it!"
He couldn't help but spit: "I don't know it's useful? I… have been useful before!"
…
…
From the afternoon onwards, the wind and snow grew heavier. There wasn't a single pedestrian on the street. It wasn't market day, and even the brothels were closed. In this kind of weather, the girls in the brothels rarely got a break. Close friends gathered together, playing cards by the fireplace, quite content.
… Little Dingdian disliked playing cards and drinking. She also looked down on the girls in the brothel; aside from Aunt Xi and Xi Zhuxin, she felt the women there were all rather promiscuous. Although Hongxiuzhao didn't solicit clients or engage in prostitution, judging from the girls' wanton laughter, it was clear that if Aunt Xi hadn't been so strict, these women would have readily parted their legs for money!
So, Little Dingdian was rather bored, leaning against the window, staring blankly at the empty street.
Just then, two dark figures appeared from the end of the street, gradually becoming clearer. Little Dingdian realized they were two strangers. Not barbarians from the grasslands, but Han Chinese. But Little Dingdian had never seen these two people before. For some reason, looking at them made her feel even colder.
She closed the window, keeping the wind and snow out.
Upon reaching the entrance of Hongxiuzhao, Mu Da and Mu Er stopped simultaneously, glancing at the window where Xiao Dingdian was. Mu Da shook his head, indicating it wasn't worth the trouble, and the two continued on their way.
Behind the closed door of Hongxiuzhao, an old cripple leaning against the door, drinking, smirked disdainfully, muttering, "At least he knows his place," before continuing to drink. He looked as if one more sip would send him into a stupor, yet he drank countless more mouthfuls, still appearing as if he'd collapse at the slightest touch.
At the far end of the border army's drill ground was a row of wooden huts, a temporary resting place for officers. Only during drills would officers of the rank of captain or higher occasionally go in to lie down and rest.
Suddenly, from the leftmost hut, a piercingly mournful wail rang out. The sound was so tragic that even the heavy, dark clouds above seemed startled.
"Your name is Li Gandang?"
Wu Peisheng chuckled as he glanced at Li Gandang, then pointed to the man being tortured before him and asked, "Tell me, what's this guy's name?"
Kneeling on the ground, trembling and already wetting his pants, Li Gandang hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, his name is Qiu Xiaoshu, squad leader of the Jia unit..."
Wu Peisheng grunted and walked to Qiu Xiaoshu's side, saying gently, "As long as you sign this confession pointing at Fang Jie, I guarantee you won't die, how about it?"
Qiu Xiaoshu's body trembled, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes. But soon, the fear vanished: "Juexiao is my brother... I can't falsely accuse my brother..."
"Well done! The Sui border troops are all tough men. I'm truly happy for His Majesty."
Wu Peisheng clapped his hands and smiled, then coldly ordered, "Pull out all ten of his fingernails. If he doesn't agree, pull out all ten of his toenails. If he still doesn't agree... gouge out his eyes, cut off his ears and nose. If he still doesn't agree... then cut off his flesh, piece by piece."
The wails of agony rang out again, and soon Qiu Xiaoshu's fingernails and toenails were all pulled out. The Dali Temple officials carrying out the executions were already used to this kind of thing, and they showed no expression whatsoever as they looked at the bloodied man. He walked up to Qiu Xiaoshu, brandishing a short knife, and asked, "Left eye first, or right eye?"
Wu Peisheng sighed, walked to Qiu Xiaoshu's side, and whispered, "If you tell me now, with the medicine, your hands and feet can be saved. You just need to sign a document, and you'll be fine. If you don't sign... your eyes will be gone, your ears and nose will be gone too... In the end, we'll have someone cut you 3,600 times. We guarantee you won't die until the very last cut."
Qiu Xiaoshu, his breath weak, suddenly whispered something, which Wu Peisheng didn't hear clearly, so he leaned closer.
"I'm not... a coward... afraid of death... Fang Jie is... a brother, I... won't betray him... He can, he can... entrust his back to me without worry..."
"Kill him!"
Wu Peisheng coldly ordered, and the executioner from the Dali Temple swiftly and decisively sl*t Qiu Xiaoshu's throat with the short knife. His technique was skillful; he didn't damage the artery, so not much blood spurted out.
"Li Gandang, is it?"
Wu Peisheng squatted down beside Li Gandang and asked, "We're asking you, will you confess? Will you sign it?"
"I confess...I'll confess to everything!"
The squad leader, Li Gandang, kowtowed desperately, and soon his forehead was a bloody mess. Wu Peisheng stood up, smiled sinisterly, and suddenly spat out a curse: "You coward! You're so scared, you dare call yourself a man!"