The carriage traveled smoothly, allowing Fang Jie's heart to gradually calm down. The carriage he was in was loaded with goods, and he hid inside the cargo. He forced himself to rest with his eyes closed, but the knife was within easy reach.
Since leaving Hongxiuzhao yesterday morning, he had been repeatedly caught in dangerous situations.
Also starting yesterday, he had been forced to make deals with two people. The first was Luo Wen; Fang Jie used a flash of inspiration to buy himself a brief period of preparation time. Then he killed Luo Wen's men and blended into the Right Guard's ranks, escaping the training ground.
Not long ago, he made another deal with a company called Huotong Tianxia Hang. He exchanged a total of 1,460 taels of silver for his safe entry into the city.
Both of these deals were unavoidable.
Leaning against the carriage, Fang Jie couldn't sleep, nor dared to sleep, because he couldn't believe that the fat man could truly guarantee his safe entry into the capital. The transaction involving this supposedly all-powerful trade was itself bizarre and hasty, so Fang Jie, seemingly resting, was merely resting his body, not his mind.
The carriage was loaded with a variety of goods, but not much of anything.
There was wine, tobacco, tea, and some other odd and unusual items.
Fang Jie subconsciously reached out to open a jar of wine, but his hand froze in mid-air. He sat cross-legged, leaning against the carriage, breathing slowly, truly appearing to be asleep. They traveled like this for about an hour, swaying gently, until the voices of the pedestrians outside grew increasingly noisy. Fang Jie knew they were nearing the gates of Chang'an, hence the increased number of people on the official road.
He opened his eyes and gripped the hilt of his sword.
He listened intently.
"Wine shopkeeper, what brings you to your attire today?"
Someone greeted the fat man. "Don't even mention it, it makes me furious. I bet someone on the top three rankings at this year's Martial Arts Academy and lost, even my clothes. So unlucky… so incredibly unlucky."
A burst of laughter came from outside; Fang Jie guessed it was from the guards.
"Manager, can you give me a heads-up? Who's the champion this year?"
"Want to know? Wait for the imperial announcement."
"Manager, you're being stingy. That's not like you."
"Haha, it seems the young master of the Luo family won. I reckon the imperial announcement will be out first thing tomorrow morning. What, you bet some money too?"
"How could I compare to you, Manager? My monthly salary isn't even enough for a cup of tea for you. I bet five taels of silver on Young Master Luo, haha… it's only three to one, but I still made a small profit."
"Congratulations! You'll have to treat me later."
The fat man called Manager joked a few more times, then the carriage started moving again. Fang Jie was slightly surprised. He found it strange that this trading company called "Goods Selling Throughout the World" didn't even bother to check his goods, despite the notoriously strict guards at the gates of Chang'an. They'd just chatted briefly and let him through; clearly, this company had a powerful background.
Just then, a name suddenly flashed into Fang Jie's mind.
Yes, if it was him, it wouldn't be surprising.
Fang Jie shook his head and smiled helplessly. It was Wu Yidao, the richest man in the Sui Dynasty. He'd donated hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to repair an entire section of Chang'an's city wall, earning him the title of Marquis of Sanjin. Only he had such influence that the Chang'an guards wouldn't even check his goods, and only he dared to display a flag embroidered with "Goods Selling Throughout the World" on his carriage. Anyone else would be laughed at.
He'd actually made a deal with Wu Yidao, buying his life for 1,460 taels of silver.
Fang Jie found it somewhat amusing, thinking that this meant his life was now openly priced by Wu Ji Trading Company, which dared to claim its goods were traded throughout the world. From now on, anyone wanting to buy his head could simply look through Wu Ji Trading Company's catalog; it would be clearly stated: 1,460 taels, fair and square.
The crucial point was that he himself had set the price.
After the carriage entered Chang'an City, the sounds outside became even more lively and noisy. Chang'an City exuded prosperity, every street bustling with activity. The cries of merchants and peddlers, the haggling of tourists, the orderly footsteps of patrolling soldiers passing the carriage, and the clanging of their armor.
Unable to see outside, he relied entirely on his hearing to perceive and understand the world.
This feeling was quite strange.
Just as Fang Jie was intently listening to the sounds outside, a sudden, unexpected pain shot through his lower abdomen. The pain came on like a raging flood, instantly causing Fang Jie's body to involuntarily hunch over. The immense pain made it impossible for him to remain calm; even biting his lip until it bled couldn't alleviate the excruciating agony in his lower abdomen, as if a drill had pierced through it, twisting his muscles and internal organs together.
Such intense pain was unbearable even for someone as determined and resolute as Fang Jie.
He only endured it for a dozen seconds before collapsing from the pain.
Just as he slumped to the ground, the carriage stopped. Someone lifted the curtain and poked their head in, saying, "Get out of the carriage now, trying to linger?"
"Huh? Playing dead?"
The speaker paused for a moment, then got into the carriage and examined Fang Jie's eyes.
Wu Yidao, who had gotten out of the carriage, originally intended to go straight home, but for some reason suddenly wanted to take a closer look at the young man who had paid his way into the city. So he had his servants lead his beloved daughter, Wu Yinyu, inside first, then slowly walked over to Fang Jie's carriage. After waiting a while and seeing no one come down, he frowned slightly and looked inside.
He saw the fat man, known for his philandering and greed, squatting beside Fang Jie, his face filled with astonishment, even a hint of fear. Wu Yidao knew the fat man well. What could possibly make someone like him, who had little left to frighten him, show such fear? Wu Yidao was very curious.
"What is it?"
He asked.
The fat man turned and glanced at Wu Yidao, his eyes filled with a complex and indescribable meaning. His expression was equally complex and hard to describe.
"This young man… is too strange."
…
…
Just how much money Wu Yidao possessed, probably no one but himself knew. Not to mention the Wu Family Trading Company's ability to trade throughout the world, his assets in the capital alone were enough to make everyone envious. Chang'an, a city of immense size, inspired awe, but the price of land there was equally awe-inspiring.
In the capital, where every inch of land was incredibly valuable, Wu Yidao owned an entire street.
So, when people hear the name Wu Yidao, they naturally think of the street behind it. Some have started to proclaim how important a good name is; when Wu Yidao's father named him, he certainly couldn't have imagined his son would one day own a street.
Because his name is Yidao, he owns a street. This street in the capital is mentioned so frequently that people have overlooked Wu Yidao's supposedly immense wealth—enough to buy an entire empire like the Sui Dynasty. A street is nothing; that's the true meaning of "Yidao" (path/way).
As a result, the names of children born in recent years have become increasingly baffling. Some are named Yizhen (a town), some Yicheng (a city), some Yijun (a prefecture). On the way to the capital, Fang Jie encountered a young woman breastfeeding her baby. Seeing how cute the child was, he asked if she had named him. The woman looked distressed and said that several children in her village were named Yicun (a village), some Yixian (a county), and some, more daringly, Yiguo (a country). The father was nearly driven to despair; he just couldn't think of a good name.
Out of a helpful spirit, Fang Jie suggested without hesitation that the child be named Yiqiu (一球), implying it was incredibly powerful. He meant that if the child was named Yiqiu, the entire planet would belong to him.
The young woman's reply was: Get lost!
Later, Fang Jie realized that naming a man Yiqiu was indeed unlucky. Every village has a "Second Egg" (二蛋), but never a "Yiqiu" (一球).
Despite his immense wealth, Wu Yidao's current residence wasn't very large.
About a half-hour walk from his current home was a large estate spanning over thirty acres, his former residence. Back then, he was just a pure merchant, so he dared to live in a larger place. Because he could afford it, no one said anything. But now, things were different; he held a noble title.
With a title, one couldn't be too ostentatious.
Especially in the capital, who knew when someone might submit a memorial accusing him of transgressing etiquette? Such things were easily fabricated; any false accusation could be found as evidence. If the court investigated, even a crack in the door could be used to claim it was deliberately wider than the palace gate! Of course, the emperor wouldn't actually punish him, but the matter was still disgusting.
When Wu Yidao had free time, he liked to sit and read in a bamboo grove he had specially arranged for transplantation. Especially in summer, the bamboo grove was very cool.
Placing a recliner, a pot of fragrant tea on a tea table, and a few delicate snacks, lying in the chair reading, sipping tea, and listening to the wind rustling through the bamboo grove—it was definitely an elegant affair. Wu Yidao had now passed the stage of using elegance to mask his humble merchant status. Compared to most merchants, he was genuinely an elegant person, not pretending.
He was greedy, but in his eyes, greed was not a vulgar thing, but a matter of course.
The fat man, now dressed in different clothes, stood respectfully beside Wu Yidao, gently filling his teacup. Wu Yidao picked up his teacup, took a sip, put down his book, and asked, "Is everything arranged?"
"It's all set."
The fat man replied, "Miss has been settled into the small courtyard on the west side. I initially thought she wouldn't like this new place, since her old house had a spacious courtyard next to a garden, full of unusual rocks, flowers, and a lotus pond. But I didn't expect her to like this place so much. She said the courtyard is smaller, but it feels more lively. I'm too foolish to understand what she means by 'lively.'"
"If she doesn't understand, so be it. As long as she's comfortable here."
Wu Yidao smiled, suddenly realizing that what his daughter wanted was quite simple. The old house, though spacious and beautiful, was too desolate. He himself had been constantly traveling, and she only had her maid, Dujuan, as someone to talk to… Thinking about it, it's no wonder she prefers her current place; although smaller, it feels much more lively.
"Where's the boy?"
"In the guest room, still asleep."
"Have you called a doctor?"
"Yes, but the doctor couldn't figure out what the problem was. All he could see was that his right arm was broken, and the bandage was very rough; the boy must have tied it himself."
"Broken arm, and still has the mind to joke and bargain with you, interesting."
Wu Yi smiled and asked, "What do you think?"
The fat man's expression changed slightly. After a moment of silence, he speculated uncertainly, "His whole body is as hard as stone. I really suspect that one hammer blow would shatter him. I checked his pulse, and strangely, his whole body..." "Of the 128 acupoints, only three were open. That's incredibly strange. If it weren't for that, I'd be almost certain he fainted because he couldn't withstand the pain of his expanding Qi Sea after advancing in his cultivation."
"But… his Qi Sea doesn't even exist. Logically, someone without a Qi Sea is practically useless, even alive. They wouldn't even be able to turn over without help. Yet this young man's reflexes and skills are impressive. Even after fainting from the pain, he still gripped the knife tightly in his left hand; it was impossible to pry it open. His severed right hand had calluses from the knife, and I could tell from his eyes that he'd killed many people. While by the roadside, his eyes were constantly fixed on…" "My throat. I just examined it thoroughly; it's as strong as a cheetah."
The fat man shook his head with a wry smile: "This is the first time in all these years I've seen such a strange physique."
"Not strange."
Wu Yidao, holding his teacup, turned his head to look in the direction of the guest room and said calmly, "At least, I know someone with such a special physique."
"Who?"
"Luo Yao."
"But I've never believed that Luo Yao is truly unable to cultivate."
The fat man couldn't help but voice his opinion: "A person who cannot cultivate cannot possibly achieve his level simply through physical exercise." "Such strength is absolutely impossible. Without the tempering of internal energy, even the strongest body is still just a body."
"In this world, nothing is impossible. Luo Yao truly cannot cultivate… Few people in the entire Sui Dynasty know that his Qi Sea was forcibly shattered thirty years ago."
"Ah?!"
The fat man's face changed drastically, his expression filled with disbelief: "His Qi Sea was shattered, yet he didn't die?"
Wu Yidao put down his teacup, stood up, and walked towards the guest room with his hands behind his back: "You've met someone who didn't die without a Qi Sea today. What's so strange about Luo Yao not dying? Let's go… let's see just how much of a surprise this treasure you found can give me."