Fang Jie glared at Xiang Qingniu, and with just one sentence, he dispelled Xiang Qingniu's idea of risking his life to drink.
"I won't pay for the drinks."
Hearing this, Xiang Qingniu immediately deflated. He had the courage to risk his life to drink, but he absolutely lacked the audacity to pay for his own wine. Back in the Northwest, he had saved so much silver entirely thanks to his frugality. Moreover, he saved silver for things he absolutely had to do, things he would never regret doing.
"You wouldn't come here if you had nothing to do."
Fang Jie pushed a steaming bowl of soup noodles in front of Xiang Qingniu, handed him a pair of chopsticks, and asked, "Speak, what's the matter that troubles you to come all this way? If you're here to brag about how good the food at Qingxu Temple is, I guarantee I'll beat your face into the shape of your buttocks, and then carve out facial features from your buttocks."
Xiang Qingniu seemed genuinely hungry, not caring about the heat, and ate several mouthfuls of noodles before mumbling, "These past few nights I've been wandering the streets with nothing to do, but I haven't encountered the white-clad man who attacked the big dog. However, I've thought about it carefully again these past few days, and if what you said isn't wrong, that guy might be from the Buddhist sect."
Fang Jie's expression slightly... His expression shifted slightly, but he quickly masked it with a smile: "Buddhism? I have nothing to do with Buddhism. Why would those bald monks bother me?"
"How should I know!"
Xiang Qingniu said while eating, "You come from Fangu, which borders the Mongol Empire. The Mongol Empire is, frankly, Buddhist territory. Who knows if you crossed the border in the dead of night and defiled a Buddhist nun or something? You're not incapable of peeping at nuns bathing. It's said that Buddhism is very picky about female disciples; they won't accept anyone who isn't beautiful and graceful. Besides, these female disciples are recruited specifically to serve men; they're all gentle, virtuous, dignified, beautiful, and always ready to grant requests."
"Really?"
Fang Jie asked.
"If it were true, I wouldn't be a Taoist priest and would have become a monk long ago."
Xiang Qingniu rolled his eyes at him. Fang Jie laughed heartily, "Others might, but you really don't have the guts. The fact that you can sit so calmly in front of Sister Xiaoyao and the others today has already impressed me."
Xiang Qingniu blushed, "Don't hit someone in the face!"
"What is it?!"
"Just wanted to remind you to be careful."
Xiang Qingniu finished his meat soup noodles and started stuffing steamed buns into his mouth again: "After hearing what you guys said last time, I'm increasingly suspicious that person used the Buddhist Wuxiang Gong (Formless Skill). The so-called Wuxiang means being able to conceal one's appearance as a basic technique. It's said that if the Wuxiang Gong is mastered, one can transform into all things, realistically and undetectably. A blade of grass, a tree, a flower—it can have the form of all things, yet be formless."
"You mean, if the Wuxiang Gong is mastered, even if someone turns into a pile of dung, I wouldn't recognize them?"
Fang Jie asked. "You'll definitely recognize it!"
Xiang Qingniu said while eating, showing no disgust whatsoever: "It's a huge pile of shit, like a human. If you still can't recognize it, you're an idiot."
"Transforming into anything is a bit of an exaggeration, but changing one's appearance should be possible. Be very careful these days. If any unfamiliar faces try to get close to you, be very cautious. If that person really knows the Formless Skill, perhaps even an ordinary-looking Sui Dynasty citizen on the street could be his disguise. For example, this uncle selling hot soup noodles could also be his wife... Tough, his waist is too thick..."
"If only I could learn it."
Fang Jie smiled lewdly, seemingly lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about?"
Xiang Qingniu asked curiously. "He's thinking about transforming into a woman to go to the bathhouse."
The answer came from Zhuo Buyi, who was slowly approaching from a distance. This made Fang Jie blush, and he looked at Zhuo Buyi with an awkward smile, saying, "It's very immoral to spy on someone's thoughts when they're not looking."
Zhuo Buyi smiled, walked to Mu Xiaoyao's side, and asked, "When are you coming back to the Imperial Guard with me? The Commander wants to see you."
Mu Xiaoyao was taken aback, and asked softly, "What would I do at the Imperial Guard?"
"You're still a commander in the Imperial Guard..." Of course I want to go back. "
Zhuo Buyi sat down and ordered a bowl of hot noodle soup without being polite. "Although I know you don't care much about tacky things, you should also understand that there are only seven thousand households in the Ouchi Guards Department. I won't say how difficult it is to get this position. I just want you to wake up and don't waste your opportunity. I told you before that there are many ways to help Fang. Entering the public house and wearing a flying fish robe is undoubtedly a good way."
"Now...I can't go yet."
Mu Xiaoyao said softly.
Zhuo Buyi hummed and said, "I know that after Fang Jie finishes taking the examination at the Yanwu Academy, if he enters the Yanwu Academy, he will have to live there. Those who want to kill him will have to sneak into the Yanwu Academy, but this possibility is very slim. In the past three years, Fang Jie has been in the Yanwu Academy, and you are in the inner guard's office, taking care of you inside and outside."
"Well, if Fang Jie passes the exam, I will go back with you."
Zhuo Buyi smiled and lowered his head to eat noodles.
"Where did those two people come from that day?"
Fang Jie couldn't help but ask him.
"One was a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of War. The reason he wanted to kill you is quite simple. He had a younger brother, one of the Ministry of War officials who accompanied Wu Peisheng on his inspection tour of the Northwest, who died in Fangu City. His name was Yingjiu, and he was a confidant of Yu Donglai, the Vice Minister of War. It's because of this that His Majesty is currently in a rage at Changchun Garden. Yu Donglai was recently demoted from Minister of War to Vice Minister, and this time… he'll probably have to resign."
"The other… bit his tongue and committed suicide."
Fang Jie paused, surprised, and asked, "You mean you don't know his background?"
"I don't know."
Zhuo Buyi nodded, not voicing his doubts. "Don't think about these things anymore. You should focus on preparing for the assessment."
Zhuo Buyi paused after saying this, then chuckled, "You're quite a celebrity in Chang'an now. At least many people in the court and military know your name. Are you ready to be a celebrity?"
Fang Jie didn't understand what he meant when several men in Sui Dynasty border army uniforms suddenly walked towards them on the street. Although there were only six or seven of them, they walked together with a solemn and imposing air, like a troop of horses marching in orderly steps. What caught Fang Jie's attention most was the cold aura emanating from them.
Only those who had killed many could exude such a chilling presence even in the sweltering summer heat.
"Excuse me, do you know where Fang Jie lives?"
A soldier walked up to a food stall, glanced around, and then clasped his hands in a respectful greeting before asking them.
...
...
If it were Fang Jie's usual self, he would definitely have said he didn't know them. He could either point in a random direction and tell a lie, but he didn't intend to do that today. Those men in military uniforms were clearly not from the capital's garrison; their uniforms indicated they were from the border troops.
The Sui Dynasty's military system distinguished between the Imperial Guards, the elite troops, the border troops, and the prefectural troops, each with slightly different uniforms depending on their affiliation. While all were dark blue, the styles differed. The garrison troops of princely fiefdoms were forbidden from wearing blue uniforms and black leather armor, as they were, in a true sense, the private soldiers of the princes' fiefdoms.
Everyone knew that the Sui Dynasty's most elite forces were the Sixteen Guards of Elite Troops, but Fang Jie knew that the truly capable fighters and killers were the border troops. Although the border troops' pay and equipment couldn't compare to the elite troops, even the most well-trained elite troops, who had enjoyed a decade of peace, would never be as ruthless in killing as the border troops. The Sui Dynasty appeared peaceful on the surface, but killings were occurring almost annually along its borders.
Uncivilized barbarians, opportunistic bandits, and outlaw groups entrenched in the mountains—these were all targets of the border army's extermination efforts.
Fang Jie stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the man, and said, "I am Fang Jie. May I ask what brings you here?"
The border soldier who had asked the question seemed surprised that Fang Jie was such a somewhat delicate-looking young man. After a slight pause, he politely replied, "We are all border soldiers who will be taking the martial arts academy's exams this year. We are all comrades. Mo Xidao, the scout leader of Phoenix Terrace, is hosting a banquet at Keshengju to make friends with brothers from all over the border. I was entrusted by Brother Mo to come and find you."
"Brother Mo's name is renowned. Since he invited me, I naturally cannot refuse." Fang Jie asked, "When is it?"
"Tomorrow at noon."
Seeing Fang Jie's quick agreement, the man didn't mind his youth: "We're equally familiar with Brother Fang's name. You accumulated twenty-one military merits in the border town of Fan Gu; not everyone can do that. I heard that you and your men wiped out all the bandits within a three-hundred-mile radius of Fan Gu in just two years. Let's have a drink at Ke Sheng Ju tomorrow, and then I'll have a good chat with you, Brother Fang."
"There's nothing to say, it's just my duty. Have you all eaten yet, brothers? Why don't we eat together?"
Fang Jie asked.
"I won't bother you any longer. See you at Ke Sheng Ju tomorrow!"
The man clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned, and left decisively. "The Martial Arts Academy's exams are in two days, and only now are they thinking of trying to win you over."
Zhuo Buyi chuckled. "You military types obviously don't have the same access to information as the scions of wealthy families. As far as I know, some of those aristocratic scions have already started a betting scheme. They'll see who can crush you, this lowly soldier praised by several Grand Secretaries, during the exams. Whoever crushes you the hardest will pool a large sum of money to pay the winner to book Xi Dajia's place at Hongxiuzhao for one night."
The Xi Dajia he mentioned refers to Xi Zhuxin.
Fang Jie suddenly became furious.
"Are there many people betting?"
He asked. "Wang Ding from the Wang family of Jiangnan and Lu Fan from the Lu family of Chenzhou seem to be hot favorites in the betting game. As for the famous Pei Chuxing and Xie Fuyao, I haven't heard of them participating. Wang Ding is the hottest right now; he even said at Zuixianlou the other day that he'd send you back to Fangu to continue being a lowly border soldier."
"A stinking mudfish trying to swim in the rivers, lakes, and seas? He really doesn't know his own limitations!"
Zhuo Buyi smiled slightly: "That's exactly what he said."
Hearing this, Mu Xiaoyao's face darkened, and Shen Qingshan's eyes narrowed slightly. Seemingly sensing a faint murderous aura, Xiang Qingniu immediately moved his stool further away. Fang Jie glanced at Mu Xiaoyao, then at Shen Qingshan. He chuckled, "Little Waist Sister, hurry up and follow Mr. Zhuo to the Imperial Guard to become a commander. That way you won't be stuck here craving wine every day. With Mr. Zhuo watching you, you won't get a drink even if you want to."
"You..."
He smiled at Shen Qingshan, "Look how thin you've become! Your clothes are even a bit loose. Boss, cut a plate of duck breast for my sister to nourish her."
He wanted to say something like "eat what you need to nourish yourself," but seeing Shen Qingshan's gaze, he didn't dare say it. Mu Xiaoyao pouted, and Shen Qingshan narrowed her eyes.
"Good luck, good luck!"
Xiang Qingniu moved his stool further away.
Fang Jie sat down and lowered his head to eat his noodles.
Feeling that he had angered young Fang Jie, Zhuo Buyi smiled, slightly smug.