The next ten days or so were uneventful. Mr. Zhuo had spoken a great deal to Fang Jie upon their meeting, but once on the road, he was preoccupied with admiring the scenery. He would only answer Fang Jie's questions, often irrelevant and rambling. After ten days, the biggest change was that the three fine horses from Northern Liao were less wary of Zhu Xiaohua, at least daring to travel side-by-side.
It must be said that Zhu Xiaohua was indeed a very individualistic pig. When they had traveled most of Hedong County, a large-eyed, double-lidded sow caught its attention in a small village. Overcome with lust, Zhu Xiaohua refused to move. It kept circling back and forth, forcing Mr. Zhuo to climb off its back and watch ants climb trees. Zhu Xiaohua then charged into the fenced yard like a wild horse, causing a ruckus for a good half hour.
The pig returned satisfied, much to the amusement of Fang Jie and the others.
However, this seemingly robust and imposing pig, Little Flower, appeared somewhat weak-legged upon its return and immediately lay down under the shade of a tree, fast asleep. Mr. Zhuo called it several times, but it refused to get up.
Fang Jie couldn't help but laugh, "Little Flower's name is truly fitting; it's a womanizer. Traveling thousands of miles to the capital, who knows how many yellow-spotted sows it'll encounter? With such a philandering lifestyle, won't it have a house full of offspring?"
Mr. Zhuo earnestly explained, "Actually… it has high standards. But you know, domestic pigs are always prettier than wild boars… right?"
Fang Jie couldn't deny it.
Since Little Flower refused to get up and continue the journey, they could only sit and rest. The farmer, seeing such a large wild boar lying at his door, nearly fainted from fright. Mr. Zhuo, a very high-ranking official in the Sui Dynasty's intelligence bureau, humbly went over and apologized to the farmer for a long time. Finally, he gave the farmer another two taels of silver as compensation, and only then did the farmer realize his mistake and decide not to pursue the matter of Piglet's trespassing and molesting a sow.
Mr. Zhuo was deeply grateful and thanked him repeatedly.
With nothing else to do, Fang Jie approached Mr. Zhuo and whispered, "Mr. Zhuo, may I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead."
Mr. Zhuo, clearly not in high spirits because he was reluctant to spend the money, glared at the fast-sleeping Piglet and sulked.
"Cultivation, what exactly is it?"
Fang Jie had asked this question to Big Dog, to Mu Xiaoyao, to the old cripple, and to many others. But because he couldn't cultivate, he couldn't understand its mysteries. The most profound thing he remembered so far was that Mu Xiaoyao had said cultivation was very painful. Every advancement in cultivation involved a tempering of the body.
Mr. Zhuo glanced at Fang Jie and asked, "Why are you so curious about cultivation?"
He placed his hand on Fang Jie's wrist, then released it after a moment, saying, "Has no one told you that your physique is simply incompatible with cultivation? Generally speaking, most people in the world have mediocre aptitude; only one in a hundred can cultivate. And of those who can cultivate, seven or eight out of ten, even with a lifetime of hard work, cannot surpass the third rank. Your physique… is indeed very peculiar."
"One hundred and twenty-eight acupoints, and you've only opened one, right?"
Fang Jie didn't care about this fact at all; he had experienced too many such setbacks.
"No, it's two acupoints that are open."
Mr. Zhuo said seriously, "Did you see that farmer who asked me for compensation earlier? Logically speaking, in terms of physique, he's better than you. Ordinary people should at least have three to five acupoints open. One hundred and twenty-eight acupoints, and only two are open—you are the only one I've ever seen in my life."
"Two acupoints?"
Fang Jie was stunned, a wave of emotion immediately surging within him. His expression shifted constantly, his feelings a complex mix he couldn't quite describe. He didn't know whether he should be happy or continue to feel inferior. Before leaving Fan Gu, he was completely ignorant. Later, he didn't know what method the man in blue had used to help him open one of his apertures. In the two months since leaving Fan Gu, he had quietly opened another aperture.
But Fang Jie also knew that opening one aperture and opening two apertures were almost no different.
He didn't intend to tell Mr. Zhuo about his previous ignorance of only having one aperture. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "I want to know, just how strong is a ninth-rank expert?"
Mr. Zhuo pondered for a while and said, "Do you know why Qing Le Mountain became a famous place throughout the world? Why the Yi Qi Temple became the orthodox Daoist sect?"
"Because the Yi Qi Temple has Master Xiao," Fang Jie replied.
Mr. Zhuo shook his head and said, "There's something few people know: Qing Le Mountain became famous first, and then the world-renowned Yi Qi Temple came into being. There are many secrets behind why Yi Qi Temple was chosen to be built on Qing Le Mountain, and why His Majesty the Emperor appointed Master Xiao as the National Preceptor. I don't know them all. But one thing is certain… Master Xiao had a junior brother, who was said to be exceptionally talented, reaching the ninth rank at a very young age."
"Once, he and Master Xiao were traveling on Qing Le Mountain when they saw a huge, smooth, flat rock on a cliff face, like a naturally formed bronze mirror, about three or four zhang in size, standing on the precipice…" It was a bottomless abyss. Xiao Zhenren's junior brother pointed to the giant rock and said, "Such a magnificent view, how can we not leave an inscription?"
"So he leaped onto the cliff face and, using his right fist as a brush, wrote seven powerful characters on the rock. The characters were like dragons and snakes, deeply embedded in the stone. After His Majesty learned of this, he decreed the construction of the Yi Qi Temple on Qing Le Mountain. The Yi Qi Temple is designated as the orthodox lineage of Taoism, with Xiao Zhenren as its head, leading the martial world."
"What characters?"
"The Taoism should flourish here."
"Written on a sheer cliff with a fist as a thick brush and the giant rock as paper, these seven large characters—Fang Jie couldn't help but imagine the scene, his heart filled with longing.
"Upon reaching the ninth rank of cultivation, the strongest weapon in the world is oneself."
Mr. Zhuo stretched out a finger in mid-air and said, "With a finger as a knife, one can cut through gold and jade."
...
...
Why did things change? Fang Jie, riding his horse, had been pondering this question the entire way. For fifteen years, his Qi Sea (energy center) had remained completely blocked; in other words, he didn't have a Qi Sea at all. His 128 acupoints were utterly useless. Normally, even if he didn't die, he would be nothing more than a living dead, bedridden and unable to move.
Leaving Fan Gu, he would open one acupoint; traveling for two months, he would open another.
Would he continue opening acupoints in this manner?
If so, how long would it take to open thirty-six acupoints? Only those who had opened thirty-six or more acupoints could sense the purest Qi of heaven and earth. Refining this Qi into the internal energy contained within his Qi Sea, and then integrating this energy into his limbs and bones, would make his physical body exceptionally strong. This was cultivation. But if he calculated opening one acupoint every two months, opening thirty-six acupoints would take at least six years.
Even after opening thirty-six acupoints in six years, he would only barely have the ability to cultivate.
At the ninth rank of cultivation, one could even possess the power to shatter rocks and stop flowing rivers.
Therefore, he yearned for cultivation, yearned to become increasingly powerful. Whether in past or present lives, those without strength are either eliminated or become the cornerstones of society. The existence of the concept of "superiors" stems from the fact that those with power will always stand above ordinary people.
Mr. Zhuo, riding his piglet, glanced at Fang Jie, who was deep in thought, and shook his head slightly, inwardly lamenting. This boy's body was too strange; he should have been sickly, yet he was incredibly vigorous and far stronger than the average person. Moreover… he had heard from Big Dog that Fang Jie had killed a fourth-rank expert on the road. If this were to spread throughout the martial world, it would immediately cause a huge uproar.
For someone who couldn't cultivate to kill a fourth-rank expert was as astonishing as a three-year-old child punching a grown man's skull.
"Once we reach the capital, I can put in a good word for you. If the Martial Arts Academy won't accept you, I'll do my best to get you to Yongzhou City."
He smiled and said, "That's all I can do for you."
Fang Jie was stunned, then bowed deeply from his horse, clasping his hands in thanks: "I can't thank you enough."
In Yongzhou City, Yongjun County, in the southern border of the Great Sui Dynasty, there was a General Luo Yao. He couldn't cultivate, yet his pure body training had reached the ninth rank. He was perhaps the only person in the entire Great Sui Dynasty, and indeed the entire world, who could reach such a level with a mortal body. Moreover, according to calculations, Luo Yao might even surpass the ninth rank. Although there was no concept of anything above the ninth rank in the world, no one could deny that such masters might truly exist.
Regarding Fang Jie's strange physique, Zhuo Buyi could only guess that he might be similar to Luo Yao, although this possibility was extremely slim.
"However, if you want to achieve great things, it seems better to return to the northwestern border of the Great Sui Dynasty. With your reflexes and intelligence, you won't have trouble rising to a higher position," he said, looking at Fang Jie. Fang Jie smiled and said, "In the Great Sui Dynasty, there are probably countless poor scholars more intelligent than me. Yet, in the hundred years of the Sui Dynasty, how many poor scholars have truly risen to prominence? Luo Yao's current achievements are solely due to his past role as the emperor's umbrella-bearer. Without that opportunity, he might still be a poor woodcutter in the mountains, living a life of hardship."
When the previous emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty was touring the northwest, he encountered a runaway bull while traveling incognito. The bull, inexplicably frightened, was rampaging through the streets, injuring many pedestrians. Just as the emperor was about to order his guards to slaughter the bull to protect the people, a young woodcutter casually dropped his firewood and strode forward. He blocked the mad bull's path, grabbed its horns with both hands, and with sheer strength, overturned it, then smashed a large dent into its head with a single punch.
This young man later became the emperor's umbrella-bearer, lying low for several years before finally shining brightly during the suppression of a rebellion in the northeastern Qiaoyu County. The emperor promoted him exceptionally, granting him the rank of a fifth-grade general, and from then on, his rise was unstoppable, with victory after victory.
This young man was Luo Yao.
When he killed the running bull with a single punch, Luo Yao was also fifteen years old. Undoubtedly, Fang Jie at the moment didn't possess that strength. He had countless ways to kill that bull, but he could never resort to brute force.
Therefore, Luo Yao was Luo Yao, the one and only Luo Yao.
...
...
The Imperial Capital.
Taiji Palace.
Minister of War Yu Donglai hurried to the outside of the East Warm Pavilion. The eunuch Su Buwei, who had been waiting outside, quickly bowed and said, "His Majesty is waiting for you. He has instructed that you enter directly upon arrival. This servant has been waiting here, just waiting for your arrival, Your Excellency."
After saying this, he lowered his voice and said, "His Majesty is in a bad mood today, Your Excellency, please be careful."
Yu Donglai quietly thanked him, then straightened his robes and bowed before entering the East Warm Pavilion. He entered with his head down, unsure if anyone else was inside. Once inside, he glanced around and saw two people sitting in chairs, which reassured him slightly.
If His Majesty only summoned him when he was angry, then the trouble might be much greater.
"Your subject Yu Donglai pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
He knelt down, lifting his robes, and performed the proper salute.
After waiting a while, but the emperor didn't speak, Yu Donglai's heart tightened. His mind raced, trying to recall if he had done something wrong these past few days. Before he could even think, a memorial was thrown from the other side of the desk, landing with a thud in front of his forehead, startling him.
"Read it yourself!"
The emperor's voice carried a hint of disappointment and anger, suppressed but still chilling.
Yu Donglai carefully picked up the memorial and opened it. He was horrified after only a few glances! He looked up at the emperor, and instantly, cold sweat soaked his clothes. After just one look, he immediately lowered his head, his backside sticking out relatively high, making his posture look somewhat comical.
"Your Majesty, I failed to investigate! Please punish me!"
"Punish me?"
The Emperor asked coldly, "Would you be willing to have your official hat removed?! I entrusted the Ministry of War to you, yet you colluded with your subordinates to deceive me! I placed high hopes on Emperor Xiaozong, but he has utterly disappointed me!"
Yu Donglai trembled in fear, prostrating himself on the ground, unable to utter a word.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Fan Gu had committed a crime; this time… it was truly troublesome.