(Three chapters of twelve thousand words have been uploaded.)
It could not be said that they had come in high spirits, but it was also hard to say that they had returned in disappointment. Hsu Fengnian was still dressed as a traveler with a backpack on his back. The red-robed otherworldly item was still moving stealthily, but it now had an additional head that had died with a smile on its face. After traveling for three hundred li, they saw two horses galloping toward the hut by the Ruoshui River. One of the men riding on the horse was handsome. He had the body of a northerner and the face of a southerner. When he saw Hsu Fengnian, his face immediately turned pale. He got off the horse and staggered toward Hsu Fengnian. He knelt on the ground and covered his heart with his hands. He clenched his teeth and choked with sobs. Hsu Fengnian was well aware of this, but he did not try to comfort him. With a cold face, he looked down at the son of a concubine whom Xu Huainan had high hopes for. Such a cold and gloomy first meeting was really a killjoy. There was not the slightest bit of the atmosphere that was described in the history books where virtuous monarchs and famous ministers would regret not meeting each other earlier. The other horse was ridden by a young man who looked like a boy attendant. When he saw that his master was in such a daze, he also became extremely hostile toward Hsu Fengnian.
The man had already turned twenty years old, but he was not yet thirty. After losing his self-control for a moment, he restrained his expression and waved away the boy attendant's arm that was trying to support him. He stood up and asked the boy attendant to give him a horse. The master and the servant rode on the same horse. The three of them tacitly went to the south together. Along the way, they passed through the passes of various cities. The gentle man could hold hands and chat with the officers along the way, but he rarely called them brothers. After passing through half of the southern end of the Aquarius State, they went around the imperial court and were about to enter the Golden Toad State. They stopped at an inn in a small town on the border to rest. The two sides who were watching coldly from the sidelines finally had an open and honest conversation. The inn's business was poor. The large courtyard was only occupied by the three of them. The night was as cold as water. The boy attendant named Wang Mengxi squatted on the stone steps at the entrance of the courtyard and sighed at the stars in the sky. In the courtyard, there was a wooden table with a missing corner and a few broken bamboo chairs that would creak when one sat down. Xu Beizhi did not drink alcohol, but when he checked in, he specially bought a pot of wine from the inn. At this moment, he placed the pot in front of Hsu Fengnian who was sitting opposite him. Watching him pour the wine into the porcelain cup, Xu Beizhi said calmly, "It is said that drinking muddy wine brings happiness. It seems that you and I are not fated to meet."
Hsu Fengnian said calmly, "This name was given by your grandfather himself?"
Xu Beizhi twitched the corner of his mouth. "It wasn't called this at first. When I was six years old, I was studying in the Xu family's private school. Grandfather happened to pass by the window and called me in front of him. After a question and answer, he changed it to Beizhi. Oranges are orange in the south and oranges in the north. In the past, I didn't know the meaning behind Grandfather's name. Only now do I know that he wanted me to move south and change from oranges to oranges. Grandfather put in a lot of effort, and as his grandson, I can't let him down. I changed my name for three years. After I was nine years old, I followed Grandfather to study and copy history books. My relationship with my parents was indifferent. Perhaps His Royal Highness doesn't know, but Grandfather has been paying attention to you for many years. Especially from the time the King of Beiliang refused to let you enter the capital to the two times you traveled. Grandfather spent a lot of manpower and resources to intercept first-hand information. I dare say that he was the first person in Beimang to guess your identity. "
At this point, Xu Beizhi's gaze turned towards the room where Hsu Fengnian was. The five fingers of the hand resting on his knee trembled. The hand on the table didn't seem to have any abnormalities.
Xu Beizhi retracted his gaze after a moment. His tone was calm. "Grandfather has had a knot in his heart all these years. The one who tied the bell must untie it. Naturally, the knot must be untied by the person who tied it. Compared to the King of Beiliang, Heir Apparent personally going to Beimang is even more inconceivable. To tell you the truth, I once suggested that Grandfather kill you before you even get close to Ruoshui. Since it's a dead knot, let's end it with one side dying. "
Hsu Fengnian smiled and downed the wine in his cup in one gulp.
Xu Beizhi finally revealed a desolate expression. He lowered his head to look at the empty table in front of him. "I just didn't expect that the dead knot would be replaced by his death. Grandfather said that even if he met you, there was a fifty-fifty chance of who would live and who would die. "
Hsu Fengnian lowered his head to drink his second cup of wine. He furrowed his brows without leaving a trace.
Xu Beizhi pursed his lips and stared at Hsu Fengnian who was slowly drinking his wine. He went straight to the point, almost interrogating him. "Since you don't want to be the Emperor, why did you come to Beimang? Why did you come to see my grandfather who didn't care about worldly affairs for many years? Which vassal king's legitimate eldest son is as crazy as you? So what if you handed over Beiliang's military power to Chen Zhibao? "
Hsu Fengnian glanced at him. He picked up an empty cup, poured a cup of wine, and slowly pushed it to the table.
Xu Beizhi shook his head and didn't raise his cup. His expression paused, and there was a faint sob in his voice. He muttered to himself, "Yes, I don't drink, so I don't know the taste of wine."
Hsu Fengnian then said, "This is my second trip back to Beiliang. Before I came to Beimang, Xu Xiao told me frankly the night before I left. The first time I went out with an old servant, a fat man called Chu Lushan sneaked behind me and secretly contacted no less than fifty former subordinates of Beiliang. Whether Beiliang's three hundred thousand Iron Cavalry rebelled or not was up to Xu Xiao. He was born in a chaotic world, but he did not become a dog in a chaotic world. Xu Xiao laughed and said that a dog in a hurry knew how to jump over a wall. He was a terrible chess player. If he was really dragged by the Emperor to play chess, if he lost on the chessboard, at most, he would flip over the chessboard and see who would be more hostile. The second time I openly traveled Jianghu, I only saw the tip of the iceberg of Beiliang's hidden power. Afterwards, Xu Xiao said that Chen Zhibao couldn't afford this. When the Six Kingdoms of Spring and Autumn were conquered, Xu Xiao was conferred the title of King of Beiliang. Chen Zhibao could've gone to Nanjiang and established his own family. He could've led nearly eighty thousand soldiers of Beiliang to the south and divided the land and territory, becoming the second king of Liyang with a different surname. Since he rejected the current Emperor of Zhao, he couldn't blame his stingy adoptive father for giving him a chance. In Beiliang, each family has its own rules, and the country has its own laws. "
Xu Beizhi was silent and deep in thought.
After a long time, he murmured, "Qi is born from the broken."
Hsu Fengnian changed the topic to a more leisurely one. He smiled and asked, "Can you tell me the identity of the young Daoist child? If I don't ask clearly, I'll feel uncomfortable. "
Xu Beizhi glanced at Hsu Fengnian, who was spinning the empty wine cup in his hand, and said frankly, "I don't know the secret behind it. I only know that ten years ago, the young Daoist child came to the Xu family. Ten years later, he still looks like a child. "
Hsu Fengnian clicked his tongue and said, "Doesn't that confirm that mysterious saying?"
The two of them said the same word at the same time, "Immortality."
After they blurted out this word, the two of them had different expressions. Hsu Fengnian hid his hostility, while Xu Beizhi was full of curiosity. Xu Beizhi had followed his grandfather to cultivate in the public service since he was a child. He was good at reading people's expressions. When he saw the clues revealed by Hsu Fengnian, he paid attention but didn't ask. He didn't expect Hsu Fengnian to tell him the truth. "I have a grudge with an old bastard who hid in Mount Longhu and achieved immortality. If you really go to Beiliang and are willing to lower yourself to help him, you can just wait and watch."
Xu Beizhi didn't continue the conversation.
Hsu Fengnian stood up and said, "We're about to enter Golden Toad State. I'm afraid that with your grandfather's ability to infiltrate, it won't be as easy to travel there as it is in Aquarius State. Let's all rest early."
Xu Beizhi wanted to say something but stopped. He didn't say anything until Hsu Fengnian turned around. When Hsu Fengnian walked a few steps away, he couldn't help but speak. His voice was hoarse. "Take my grandfather's head back to Beiliang. Only then can this trip be considered worthwhile."
Hsu Fengnian, who had a scholarly face, stopped and turned to look at the scholar who was much more knowledgeable than him.
Xu Beizhi clenched his fists and placed them on his lap. He didn't look at Hsu Fengnian. "I also know that my grandfather wants to help you increase your prestige in the army. After all, taking the head of the former King of the Northern Courtyard is more difficult than leading an army to destroy a hundred thousand Beimang soldiers. I just want to take a look. Just one look! "
Hsu Fengnian asked, "Xu Beizhi, don't you hate me?"
The extremely elegant and calm man smiled sadly. "How dare I hate you? Do you want my grandfather to die with regrets?"
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