After all, no one wanted to make a big deal out of this. After some discipline, Fan Xian waved his hand, preparing to have his subordinates retreat. The Imperial Army began to restore order at the gate. Commander Wei spat on the ground, thinking that the Marquis of Chang'an's family was strange. If they had come to fight, it would have been fine. But why did they send that famous playboy of the capital to ambush them? The world was no longer unified by the Northern Wei Kingdom. How could the Qing Kingdom's emissary be provoked?
At that moment, a vigorous man suddenly walked past. Seeing the bustling scene, he couldn't help but frown. He stamped his feet on the ground, kicking up two clouds of dust. His whole body was already in the middle of the field. His fists were straight, and his legs kicked horizontally. His moves were clean and efficient, without the slightest bit of hesitation. In the blink of an eye, he had already made seven or eight moves, all aimed at the Overwatch Council officials who had yet to stop.
The man's punches were simple, but they were fast and deadly. At the same time, the Overwatch Council officials were not able to gain any advantage. They were forced to leave their original positions. A few of the people who were retreating under Commissioner Fan's orders were kicked in the legs. Their bodies swayed and they almost fell.
Fan Xian tilted his head slightly, wondering where this expert from the military had come from. He couldn't tell his level of martial arts for now, but he had a natural military aura of bloodlust. He was able to force his subordinates to retreat.
After the man had helped the Marquis of Chang'an's family out of trouble, he stood where he was. His eyes narrowed. It seemed that he was surprised that his previous series of fierce attacks had not been able to defeat a single enemy. He could tell at a glance that Fan Xian, who was standing on the stone steps, was the leader. He frowned. "What an impressive diplomatic mission from the Qing Kingdom," he said. "Yet all the people they send out are masters of the sixth level and above!"
Fan Xian looked at him and quietly said, "When traveling to a foreign country, the most important thing is to not lower the prestige of the country. Since you are a military figure, do you not understand this principle?"
The man looked at the people on the ground, who were crying out in pain. He frowned. "They are just servants. Even if that child was rude, are you going to rely on that child and the servants to establish your prestige?"
Fan Xian narrowed his eyes. "Then in your opinion, should I just let them spit on their faces?"
The man was startled. He seemed to have thought of something, and his expression darkened slightly. On the other hand, Commander Wei had long recognized who this man was. With a respectful expression, he stepped forward and saluted, "General Tan, why have you come?"
The soldier surnamed Tan did not recognize the commander of the imperial guards for a moment. Commander Wei hurriedly said, "I am Wei Wuji."
As it turned out, this General Tan, surnamed Tan Wu, was a capable subordinate of Northern General Shang Shanhu. He had always fought the barbarians in the snowy north, and had followed Shang Shanhu back to the capital last year. Who would have thought that he had been idle and without a job, only occasionally going to the Ministry of War to do a roll call? Although his fellow soldiers in the capital admired Shang Shanhu's valiant loyalty and had always respected him, he still felt a little bitter about it. Today, when he happened to pass by, he didn't expect to run into the farce at the gates of the Southern Qi diplomatic mission.
…
…
Tan Wu glanced at Commander Wei and said helplessly, "How can we let these southerners run amok in Shangjing?"
Wei Wuji smiled bitterly. "The palace has strict orders to ensure the safety of the diplomatic mission. This is a matter of national importance, and I dare not neglect it."
Tan Wu thought of the Qi Kingdom's successive defeats, and how he and Commander Hu had never had the opportunity to fight south. He couldn't help but feel depressed. Looking at the wounded on the ground, he felt even more disdain and anger. He suddenly raised his head and saluted Fan Xian, who stood on the stone steps. "Dare I ask if you are Fan Xian, the head envoy of Southern Qi?"
Fan Xian returned the salute. "I am."
Tan Wu's expression was solemn. "I am Tan Wu of Northern Qi," he said sternly. "I ask for your guidance, Master Fan." Having said this, he gently placed the sword at his waist on the ground.
Fan Xian shook his head. He knew that this man was not claiming to be an official, and was preparing to fight according to the customs of duels among the common people. "Master Tan," he said quietly, "I have already collected two sacks of daggers before you came. If you wish to duel, perhaps you will have to postpone it for a few days."
Tan Wu frowned. "There is no time like the present. Please enlighten me, Master Fan."
Fan Xian shook his head again.
Tan Wu said angrily, "I know that Master Fan is not only talented in poetry, but also extremely skilled in martial arts. Last year, you single-handedly killed Cheng Jushu, one of our country's aces. Are you looking down on me?"
Fan Xian looked at him and knew that this soldier had been stirred up. He laughed. "Although I am the leader of this diplomatic mission, and you really did look like a trouble-making group, I have always respected good men on the battlefield. I knew that you had spent many years fighting the barbarians in the snowy lands of the north. How could I not respect you enough? Why must you decide victory with your fists and feet? "
Tan Wu was a straightforward man. Hearing the gentleness in Fan Xian's words, his expression softened a little, but he remained stubborn and raised his hands in the air.
Fan Xian sighed and shook his head. "Don't overdo it," he said quietly to Gao Da, who stood behind him.
Gao Da slowly lowered the long knife on his back to the ground and walked to the bottom of the stone steps. He steadily extended his right hand toward this famous and valiant general of Northern Qi and made an inviting gesture.
Tan Wu narrowed his eyes. He sensed a dangerous aura from this guard, and knew that he was indeed an expert. The Southern Qi envoys had sent him out to spar with him, so it was not an attempt to humiliate him. He let out a light breath, crossed his palms, and attacked Gao Da.
The shadow of the palm moved, and a muffled groan rang out. The collision of the two forces stirred up a cloud of dust. After the dust settled, Gao Da's right chest was hit, and a sliver of blood seeped out from the corner of his mouth. Gao Da's cold right hand had already grabbed Tan Wu's throat! Calluses from years of training scraped against the skin of Tan Wu's throat, making this Northern Qi general, who had never known fear, feel a chill.
Gao Da slowly took a step back and lowered his right hand.
Tan Wu looked at this unknown expert, and his heart was filled with shock. The Southern Qi envoys had sent a random person who could render him completely powerless to fight back! Earlier, when he had struck his opponent's sternum, he hadn't clearly seen how his opponent's hand had reached in front of him. He knew that if his opponent hadn't been merciful, his throat would have long since been crushed!
Tan Wu also knew that if it had been a real fight, this obviously skilled knife-wielder would not have given him any opportunity to touch his opponent's body. He bowed deeply to Gao Da and then to Fan Xian. After admitting defeat, he left the envoys' door without looking back.
It was only a battle of one move, but it was still hair-raising.
…
…
The carriage followed the streets of Shangjing toward the Ministry of Rites. The carriage was surrounded by soldiers of the Imperial Army, guarding it strictly, not giving anyone a chance to get close to the Qing envoys. Fan Xian sat in the carriage with his eyes slightly closed. He said to Gao Da beside him, "Why did you take that blow just now?"
Gao Da coughed twice and explained, "My opponent is a soldier, so I wanted to be more direct. Also, I didn't want to reveal too much of my strength." He looked at Fan Xian and lowered his head. "And it seems that the young master wants to make friends with this person, so I thought I should do him a favor."
Although the Tiger Guards were the Emperor's secret bodyguards, they had been trained by Count Sinan, Fan Xian, for many years. So Fan Xian looked at the seven Tiger Guards who had accompanied him north the same way he looked at Teng Zijing and the other servants of his family. He looked at Gao Da coldly and scolded, "I don't even know how many arms that Tan Wu has. How can I make friends with him? There are many strange people in this world. Tan Wu, aside from having some military bravery, has nothing special about him. Even if he were a strange person, would I have to make friends with him? Then wouldn't I be too busy for the rest of my life? Are you going to let me eat or not? Are you going to let me play or not? "
Gao Da was stunned. Wasn't making friends with the best of every noble family's favorite thing to do? Had he done something wrong? But even if that was the case, what did it have to do with eating or having fun?
Fan Xian rummaged in his clothes for a long time before finally finding a pill. He tossed it to Gao Da and had him swallow it.
Wang Qinian joked, "Is it Chen Pi's again?"
Fan Xian said unhappily, "It's medicine for wounds."
Gao Da took it, but still didn't quite understand. "Didn't you say not to overdo it?"
Fan Xian laughed and scolded him, "Which finger of yours touched Tan Wu's body?"
Gao Da was silent.
"I don't know whose idea it was for Marquis Chang 'an's young master to come and make trouble." Wang Qinian's thoughts were mainly on what had happened earlier. "Logically speaking, since the Emperor of Northern Qi was willing to carry out the agreement this time, and admired the commissioner, he had the Imperial Guards ensure the safety of the diplomatic mission. This should be enough to send a clear message to all the people in Shangjing. For someone to come and make trouble, this is a little strange. "
"Don't forget, it seems that even the agreement between the two countries has been leaked." Fan Xian lightly knocked on the window of the carriage. Outside were Northern Qi soldiers, so the three of them spoke in very low voices. "It seems that Northern Qi is even more of a mess than we are in the south. It seems that the young Emperor's grip on power is not firm enough."
"As long as it doesn't affect our mission, it's fine."
He had been rather busy today. He had entered the palace in the morning, then chatted with the young Emperor, walked with Haitang, and received a scolding at the gate of the diplomatic mission. On his first day in Northern Qi, he had been so busy that he hadn't even eaten. All he could think about was the cup of tea the Emperor of Northern Qi had given him.
It would have been better if he hadn't thought about it, but as soon as he did, his stomach began to growl. Fan Xian laughed at himself, thinking that he really had a hard life. The reason he had been so tired today was because Fan Xian had made up his mind to drag Yan Bingyun out of Northern Qi's icy prison as soon as possible. Otherwise, if he were to eat and drink outside, he might not be able to eat to his heart's content.
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