Fang Jie glanced apologetically at Cui Lüshang, then leaped forward, pulling open his robe to shield Cui Lüshang behind him and whispering, "Young Master Cui, quickly turn your head away. Don't let them see your appearance. This damned horse had to be startled now of all times! A beast is a beast!"
Cui Lüshang didn't see Fang Jie wink at the large dog. He gave Fang Jie a grateful look and quickly turned around, pulling up his trousers. His face was flushed crimson, almost hot enough to boil an egg. He came from the Cui family of Longxi, a prominent family in Longxi, though not as renowned as the Cui family of Boling. He had received a good education from birth and had never done anything so shameful.
The initial thrill of pulling down his trousers had vanished, replaced only by shame and panic.
As he pulled up his trousers, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. What would those beautiful girls do if they saw what he looked like? If word got out, how could he ever face anyone in Xiangcheng again? If his classmates found out, he'd never be able to hold his head up again.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
He regretted ever listening to the boy's encouragement; otherwise, how could he have been so humiliated? But the boy had rushed over to shield him immediately, not only not kicking him while he was down but also urging him to turn away quickly. This boy did have some sense of loyalty.
Although he came from a prestigious family and wasn't exactly stupid, he had never been as quick-witted or clever as his brothers. He was extremely naive, a rare breed in aristocratic families. Because he lacked cunning, even though he was the eldest son, his father had never really liked him.
His relationship with his father had never been harmonious. His father's pressure to study and write only fueled his rebellion. Finally, his father almost gave up and let him have his way. He had a good relationship with several young masters from prominent families in Xiangcheng, but those men weren't genuinely friends; they just took advantage of him, and nine out of ten times he ended up paying the bill at their drinking parties.
He thought Fang Jie was loyal, but little did he know that just as he turned to pull up his trousers, Fang Jie subtly shifted half a step, revealing half of his white buttocks. This caused the girls at the Red Sleeve Pavilion to scream, but there was no real panic; it was just jeering.
Hearing the screams of the beauties, Cui Lueshang was even more embarrassed. He said goodbye, "Brother," and ran off, pulling up his trousers.
"Young brother, come find me when you get to Xiangcheng. I'm heading to the capital soon to take the martial arts academy's exam. If you're also going to the capital, we can travel together."
The voice drifted back from afar, but the man had already turned the corner and disappeared without a trace. Fang Jie chuckled and remarked that his lightness skill was indeed impressive. Big Dog, leading the rickety horse, returned, chuckling, and said, "I didn't expect to run into a future classmate. This was really underhanded…it gave those girls at Hongxiuzhao a good look. I'll have to ask them for some benefits later."
Mu Xiaoyao couldn't be bothered with these two despicable men. After more than a decade in exile, Big Dog and Fang Jie were experts at this kind of thing, having swindled countless honest people. Mu Xiaoyao didn't believe that heaven was fair because of these two. If heaven truly punished evil, these two should have been struck dead long ago.
"Fang Jie, what are we having for dinner tonight?"
Big Dog, having finished laughing, rubbed his belly and asked, "How about we go for a walk in the mountains and see if we can hunt some game? We're almost sick of eating dry rations; if I can't smell meat, I'd rather go back to Fangu City."
Fang Jie nodded and said, "Anyway, it's still early. We can go for a walk in the mountains."
Big Dog tied up the rickety horse and asked Mu Xiaoyao, who was lying in the carriage, "Do you want to go for a walk? Look at this place, it's full of lustful bees and butterflies ready to plunder. What if some daredevil sneaks into the carriage while we're not here? Although Fang Jie and I don't consider you a woman, you are still a woman..."
"Get lost!"
Mu Xiaoyao cursed.
Big Dog wasn't angry at being scolded; he turned and left. He did this kind of self-inflicted scolding every day. In Fang Jie's words, Big Dog's most valuable asset was his shamelessness.
Before heading up the mountain, Fang Jie went to Hongxiuzhao and borrowed a strong bow and quiver from a guard. He had only brought a broadsword with him when he left Fan Gu; the bow and arrows weren't his personal belongings, so he left them behind. Of course, the broadsword wasn't his personal property either. Fang Jie's archery skills were actually quite good; otherwise, Emperor Xiaozong wouldn't have trusted him to join the scout team.
During their time in Fan Gu, when they went out to kill bandits, Fang Jie would always find a place to hide. He didn't want to engage in hand-to-hand combat, but he often took down the fiercest bandits by firing a few arrows from afar. However, he wasn't entirely from this world; even after fifteen years, he still harbored some resistance to killing.
It's not easy for a modern person to take killing lightly.
The two climbed up the hillside, avoiding the established paths. The more difficult and remote the terrain, the more wild animals they encountered; in crowded places, you might not even find a rabbit.
After hunting for more than half an hour, they caught a roe deer and two pheasants, enough for dinner, so the two returned. Halfway there, Big Dog suddenly pulled them back, sniffed, and whispered three words:
"There's killing intent."
...
...
Among the twenty-odd people who protected Fang Jie during his escape, Mu Xiaoyao and Big Dog were quite special. Neither of them were particularly strong, yet their status in the group was only slightly lower than Shen Qingshan's. Mu Xiaoyao could sense the enemy's strength, and Big Dog could smell killing intent.
In the first twelve years, if it weren't for them, the group of twenty-odd people would likely have been wiped out long ago; seven surviving was already a remarkable achievement. When they discussed splitting up in Dali City of Southern Yan, there was some debate about who should stay with Fang Jie and who should lead the pursuers away.
Originally, Shen Qingshan's idea was for her to stay behind while the others took the stolen girl and escaped in another direction. Mu Xiaoyao strongly objected, for one reason only: although Shen Qingshan was highly skilled in martial arts, she had already been identified by the pursuers, and if she stayed with Fang Jie, they wouldn't be able to escape.
Shen Qingshan didn't insist, because she knew Mu Xiaoyao was right. This was a rare instance of the two of them being in sync.
At that time, Shen Qingshan asked Mu Xiaoyao to choose a partner, and Mu Xiaoyao unhesitatingly chose Daquan Shang Guohen. Daquan's cultivation level was the lowest among the remaining seven, but there was no doubt that Mu Xiaoyao's choice was correct. Shen Qingshan, as the leader, didn't say a word, and turned to leave with the others.
That year, Fang Jie was twelve years old.
Fang Jie had no doubt about Daquan's nose-like abilities.
So when Daquan uttered the words "murderous intent" in a low voice, Fang Jie immediately crouched down and hid himself in the grass.
Big Dog pointed in a direction and whispered that they needed to be at least two hundred meters away. However, Mu Xiaoyao couldn't ascertain the strength of the person there, and two hundred meters wasn't a safe distance if they were a true expert. The world wasn't lacking in experts capable of killing from a distance; talisman masters were one such example, and Daoist masters were said to be able to injure people with flying swords, but no one had ever witnessed it, probably just a publicity stunt.
There was a Daoist temple on this mountain, and most of the people there could cultivate.
Big Dog planned to go around them, but Fang Jie was worried that someone might have designs on Hongxiuzhao's camp and wanted to sneak over to check it out. Big Dog calculated that they weren't far from Hongxiuzhao's camp, and even if they encountered an expert they couldn't defeat, they were confident they could escape with Fang Jie. So the two whispered a few words, plucked some wild grass to make hats for camouflage, and quietly crept towards that direction.
Fortunately, the forest in Mushan was dense enough, and the grass was tall enough that the two of them, like leopards spotting their prey, crouched low and moved slowly forward. After walking about a hundred meters, the big dog pointed to a large rock not far away. Fang Jie nodded, and the two of them quietly climbed up.
The large rock was hidden behind a big tree, and the branches conveniently concealed their figures as they climbed up. Fang Jie carefully parted the leaves and looked ahead, discovering four or five people standing about twenty or thirty meters away. They were all young men dressed in brocade robes, and seemed to come from wealthy families.
The most eye-catching one was a young man dressed in snow-white robes, holding a folding fan. This man looked to be in his early twenties, with a handsome face. However, no matter how you looked at him, he exuded a sinister aura.
"I don't know what the Governor was thinking! This year, the one recommended to take the Martial Arts Academy exam in Chang'an is that good-for-nothing from the Cui family!"
One of the men, short and slightly hunchbacked, spat and cursed, "I wonder how much money the Cui family spent to buy that good-for-nothing such a good opportunity."
Another man said, "If Xiangcheng were to select only one person to take the Martial Arts Academy exam, it would undoubtedly be our Young Master Li. In terms of looks and character, which of the many noble families in Xiangcheng can compare? In terms of martial arts skill, our Young Master Li awakened at twelve and is already at the third rank." "Even in the entire Hexi Circuit, they are among the best. Why did that good-for-nothing from the Cui family get this spot?"
"That's not how it works."
The white-clad man, known as Young Master Li, snapped his folding fan shut: "Last time, the Governor recommended someone from my Li family for the Martial Arts Academy's admissions. The time before that, it was still my Li family. Xiangcheng isn't just home to the Li family; it's about time for other families. It wouldn't be good if people said my Li family monopolized the candidates Xiangcheng sent to the Martial Arts Academy."
"He'd only be a disgrace to Xiangcheng!"
The short man said, "If it were our Li..." "If you go, young master, even if you don't get first place, you'll definitely be in the top three. That good-for-nothing, do you think he can even get in? It's such a waste of a spot, it makes me angry just thinking about it. The Martial Arts Academy holds its exams every three years, and our Xiangcheng can only recommend one person each time. This is such a rare opportunity, and he snatched it away!"
"There are ways to prevent him from going."
Another person sneered, "The death of a good-for-nothing in the Cui family probably won't cause much trouble. As long as we keep our hands clean, they won't find anything."
"Young master Li, just give the word, and we'll take that good-for-nothing's life tonight!" "Isn't this a bit much?"
The young master Li unfolded his folding fan again, his face showing difficulty: "Lue Shang is still an acquaintance of ours, and we've even had drinks with him a few times. Taking his life isn't a good idea."
The short man praised, "Young master Li is truly benevolent! Who among us doesn't admire him? Tell me, what should we do? We'll all listen to you! Everyone knows you're not only outstanding in the Li family, but also among the most talented young people in the entire Xiangcheng. General Li Xiaozong six years ago, and Li Fubo three years ago, were all inferior to you."
"Yes, we'll all listen to you!"
The others echoed.
The young master Li shook his folding fan and said, "Killing is never a good thing. Although Lue Shang is foolish, he's still quite close to us... Let's cripple his Qi Sea and break his legs. We can't sever all ties and do something completely wrong, can we?"
"Young master is benevolent!"
The others praised in unison. Big Dog glanced at Fang Jie's expression and couldn't help but lower his voice, saying, "This has nothing to do with us. That fool is just destined for misfortune."
"It has nothing to do with us..."
Fang Jie smiled and said, "But I have to get involved... Let's just consider it Cui's luck. The main thing is... I don't like that pale-faced kid, and what's even more annoying is that his surname is Li! I can't lay a hand on Li Xiaozong to get into the Martial Arts Academy, and of course, the three of us combined can't beat him. But today is different. This grandson of Li is only at the third rank of cultivation. I don't know if he's Li Xiaozong's brother or nephew... Since I've run into him, I'll help Cui this once. I'll play him once, and he'll help me once. We're even!"