“When that happens, unless you can put down everything, flee from the Imperial Capital, and be willing to forever live in the shadows, you’re left with no room to retreat in this contest!” Seeing how Yan Liqiang was silent, Ji Xiaoyao shook his head gently.
“Even if I wish to escape now, it’s not possible anymore. Since the other party has everything planned out, how could he possibly not think of the possibility that I might cower? There might already be people that have their eyes on me outside Deer Villa at this moment. As long as I attempt to escape, the other party will find out immediately. Moreover, if I do escape, His Majesty wouldn’t let me off either and my father would be implicated as well. It’s like what Master said. Right now, I’m left with no room to escape. I can only brace myself and get through it!”
Yan Liqiang smiled bitterly. “By the looks of it, it seems that I’ve viewed the Imperial Capital’s situation too simply. I asked for it and I can’t blame anyone else. I thought that I was only a minor character, and even if I stood on His Majesty’s side, the other party would be too busy to have time for me. But now, it’s likely that from the point I came to the Imperial Capital with Lord Sun, I’d already fallen into their eyes. Back when I first arrived in the Imperial Capital and escorted Lord Sun to the palace, the provocation I faced in the servant quarters was a signal. The contradiction was completely aggravated in the trial conducted by the three parties the other day. Therefore, they held onto the matter concerning the archery teaching, wanting to kill me openly, leaving me with no room to retreat!”
“The thing that kills the most people in this world aren’t blades or poison, but power!” Ji Xiaoyao let out a soft sigh, then looked at the clouds. “The Imperial Capital is the greatest power millstone. From the Great Han Empire’s land to the ordinary commoners or even evildoers with strong backings, they all find it hard to stay away from all this. If one isn’t careful, they will be crushed and fall prey to the blade of power. The intensity of the power struggle in the Imperial Capital far surpasses that of your imagination. This is also the reason why Li Hongtu and I have always lived a secluded life in Deer Villa. Although the two of us have no choice but to stay in the Imperial Capital due to some matters in the past, neither of us wish to get involved with the power struggle in the capital. You suddenly barged in thinking that you were safe, yet you did not realize that you were already involved in someone else’s schemes. I thought that you could stay far away from the conflicts in the Imperial Capital when you were in Deer Villa, but I didn’t expect that you’d be implicated so quickly!”
“Master, did you know that this day would eventually come and thus you always went straight to the point when teaching me things? Is it because you’re afraid that I’d be implicated before I learned any skills?” Yan Liqiang suddenly understood why Li Hongtu and Ji Xiaoyao had been so straightforward without any hesitation when teaching him stuff. The first day Yan Liqiang had taken Li Hongtu as his master, Li Hongtu had imparted him with the secret of his success to his abilities. The same went for Ji Xiaoyao. From Yan Liqiang’s first visit, amongst the things that Ji Xiaoyao taught him, there was not a single word that was excessive.
“That is the case. I was good friends with Li Hongtu in the past and we studied the Face Reading Technique together. When I first saw you that day, I noticed that you have an unclouded demeanor and I was certain that you were definitely a just and determined person, not one who is evil and scheming. Moreover, you have great bone structure and limitless strength. You’re born to be a talent in cultivating martial arts and can inherit my legacy and great skills. This was why Li Hongtu and I would teach you everything without holding back from the point we met you. We weren’t worried that we’d chosen the wrong person!”
“So that’s how it is!” Yan Liqiang looked at Ji Xiaoyao, feeling ashamed. “I thought the reason why you two decided to teach me was because of those two tokens…”
“You think that Li Hongtu and myself would teach you all of our abilities just based off the two tokens that Eunuch Liu gave you? If those two tokens had such a great effect that the two of us would be willing to teach you our real abilities, then you wouldn’t have had a chance to learn them. There are plenty of people in the royal family who’d be waiting to learn them. If someone else brought those two tokens to us, even if Li Hongtu and myself have to teach the person skills due to a promise we made in the past, and the things we’d teach would definitely not be the type of stuff that you’re learning right now. We wouldn’t be so straightforward…”
Hearing Ji Xiaoyao’s words, Yan Liqiang once again knelt before Ji Xiaoyao, and kowtowed three times. He once again paid his respect to Ji Xiaoyao, “Master, your disciple Yan Liqiang pays respect to you again! I didn’t know of Master’s pains and would like to seek for Master’s punishment.”
When Yan Liqiang paid respect to his two masters previously, it was more of a formality. After knowing the truth and then looking at Ji Xiaoyao again, Yan Liqiang now really treated Ji Xiaoyao and Li Hongtu as masters whom he was greatly indebted to from the bottom of his heart.
“You can get up. Neither of us expected to come across a disciple like you while living in seclusion in Deer Villa. This is probably heaven’s will. Heaven probably can’t bear to let our great skills be lost and thus let you come to Deer Villa!” Ji Xiaoyao gently helped Yan Liqiang up.
“Master, is the reason why the two of you are living in Deer Villa in seclusion and not leaving the Imperial Capital is because of His Majesty?”
“That’s right!” Ji Xiaoyao nodded. “Li Hongtu and I owe His Majesty a great favor and thus made some promises and to stay behind. The inside story isn’t something that can be explained in just a few words. This is how things are at the moment. Before the Crown Prince inherits the throne, we won’t leave the Imperial Capital. However, His Majesty can’t order us to do things that we are unwilling to do. That’s why we can live in peace!”
“So that’s how it is!”
“Since we’ve already said these things, Liqiang, remember this word of warning from me. No matter how well His Majesty treats you, or how highly he regards you, the two of you aren’t the same kind of people. He is the ruler of a country that has control over the world. Despite all this, he’ll still stand while fighting against the Grand Chancellor. This shows that he isn’t a simple character. With his position, he only has the great lands in the Great Han Empire in his eyes. Everything within this land is his chess piece and tool.” Ji Xiaoyao looked at Yan Liqiang with a grim expression.
“Thank you Master for your warning!” Yan Liqiang nodded and a complicated expression flashed across his face. “Although I don’t know the reason why, I also feel that this blindfolded contest is something which His Majesty has pushed onto me intentionally. He seems to want Shi Minzhang and I to have a life and death battle…”
“You aren’t in his position, so there’s no way you’ll know what His Majesty is thinking. A matter that is of life and death to you might have other meanings or objectives in another person’s eyes. Your life or death isn’t something that those people really value!”
Yan Liqiang took in a deep breath, “I got it. I’ll definitely be careful in this contest!”
“If there’s any use to be careful, there wouldn’t be anyone in this world who dies a wronged death. I’m sure the reason Li Hongtu allowed you to come here today must also be because he hopes that you can train more before the blindfolded contest. This will help you increase your chances!” Ji Xiaoyao said and stood up. “Let’s go over to the bamboo forest. These few days, before your blindfolded contest with Shi Minzhang, have one with me first…”
“When that happens, unless you can put down everything, flee from the Imperial Capital, and be willing to forever live in the shadows, you’re left with no room to retreat in this contest!” Seeing how Yan Liqiang was silent, Ji Xiaoyao shook his head gently.
“Even if I wish to escape now, it’s not possible anymore. Since the other party has everything planned out, how could he possibly not think of the possibility that I might cower? There might already be people that have their eyes on me outside Deer Villa at this moment. As long as I attempt to escape, the other party will find out immediately. Moreover, if I do escape, His Majesty wouldn’t let me off either and my father would be implicated as well. It’s like what Master said. Right now, I’m left with no room to escape. I can only brace myself and get through it!”
Yan Liqiang smiled bitterly. “By the looks of it, it seems that I’ve viewed the Imperial Capital’s situation too simply. I asked for it and I can’t blame anyone else. I thought that I was only a minor character, and even if I stood on His Majesty’s side, the other party would be too busy to have time for me. But now, it’s likely that from the point I came to the Imperial Capital with Lord Sun, I’d already fallen into their eyes. Back when I first arrived in the Imperial Capital and escorted Lord Sun to the palace, the provocation I faced in the servant quarters was a signal. The contradiction was completely aggravated in the trial conducted by the three parties the other day. Therefore, they held onto the matter concerning the archery teaching, wanting to kill me openly, leaving me with no room to retreat!”
“The thing that kills the most people in this world aren’t blades or poison, but power!” Ji Xiaoyao let out a soft sigh, then looked at the clouds. “The Imperial Capital is the greatest power millstone. From the Great Han Empire’s land to the ordinary commoners or even evildoers with strong backings, they all find it hard to stay away from all this. If one isn’t careful, they will be crushed and fall prey to the blade of power. The intensity of the power struggle in the Imperial Capital far surpasses that of your imagination. This is also the reason why Li Hongtu and I have always lived a secluded life in Deer Villa. Although the two of us have no choice but to stay in the Imperial Capital due to some matters in the past, neither of us wish to get involved with the power struggle in the capital. You suddenly barged in thinking that you were safe, yet you did not realize that you were already involved in someone else’s schemes. I thought that you could stay far away from the conflicts in the Imperial Capital when you were in Deer Villa, but I didn’t expect that you’d be implicated so quickly!”
“Master, did you know that this day would eventually come and thus you always went straight to the point when teaching me things? Is it because you’re afraid that I’d be implicated before I learned any skills?” Yan Liqiang suddenly understood why Li Hongtu and Ji Xiaoyao had been so straightforward without any hesitation when teaching him stuff. The first day Yan Liqiang had taken Li Hongtu as his master, Li Hongtu had imparted him with the secret of his success to his abilities. The same went for Ji Xiaoyao. From Yan Liqiang’s first visit, amongst the things that Ji Xiaoyao taught him, there was not a single word that was excessive.
“That is the case. I was good friends with Li Hongtu in the past and we studied the Face Reading Technique together. When I first saw you that day, I noticed that you have an unclouded demeanor and I was certain that you were definitely a just and determined person, not one who is evil and scheming. Moreover, you have great bone structure and limitless strength. You’re born to be a talent in cultivating martial arts and can inherit my legacy and great skills. This was why Li Hongtu and I would teach you everything without holding back from the point we met you. We weren’t worried that we’d chosen the wrong person!”
“So that’s how it is!” Yan Liqiang looked at Ji Xiaoyao, feeling ashamed. “I thought the reason why you two decided to teach me was because of those two tokens…”
“You think that Li Hongtu and myself would teach you all of our abilities just based off the two tokens that Eunuch Liu gave you? If those two tokens had such a great effect that the two of us would be willing to teach you our real abilities, then you wouldn’t have had a chance to learn them. There are plenty of people in the royal family who’d be waiting to learn them. If someone else brought those two tokens to us, even if Li Hongtu and myself have to teach the person skills due to a promise we made in the past, and the things we’d teach would definitely not be the type of stuff that you’re learning right now. We wouldn’t be so straightforward…”
Hearing Ji Xiaoyao’s words, Yan Liqiang once again knelt before Ji Xiaoyao, and kowtowed three times. He once again paid his respect to Ji Xiaoyao, “Master, your disciple Yan Liqiang pays respect to you again! I didn’t know of Master’s pains and would like to seek for Master’s punishment.”
When Yan Liqiang paid respect to his two masters previously, it was more of a formality. After knowing the truth and then looking at Ji Xiaoyao again, Yan Liqiang now really treated Ji Xiaoyao and Li Hongtu as masters whom he was greatly indebted to from the bottom of his heart.
“You can get up. Neither of us expected to come across a disciple like you while living in seclusion in Deer Villa. This is probably heaven’s will. Heaven probably can’t bear to let our great skills be lost and thus let you come to Deer Villa!” Ji Xiaoyao gently helped Yan Liqiang up.
“Master, is the reason why the two of you are living in Deer Villa in seclusion and not leaving the Imperial Capital is because of His Majesty?”
“That’s right!” Ji Xiaoyao nodded. “Li Hongtu and I owe His Majesty a great favor and thus made some promises and to stay behind. The inside story isn’t something that can be explained in just a few words. This is how things are at the moment. Before the Crown Prince inherits the throne, we won’t leave the Imperial Capital. However, His Majesty can’t order us to do things that we are unwilling to do. That’s why we can live in peace!”
“So that’s how it is!”
“Since we’ve already said these things, Liqiang, remember this word of warning from me. No matter how well His Majesty treats you, or how highly he regards you, the two of you aren’t the same kind of people. He is the ruler of a country that has control over the world. Despite all this, he’ll still stand while fighting against the Grand Chancellor. This shows that he isn’t a simple character. With his position, he only has the great lands in the Great Han Empire in his eyes. Everything within this land is his chess piece and tool.” Ji Xiaoyao looked at Yan Liqiang with a grim expression.
“Thank you Master for your warning!” Yan Liqiang nodded and a complicated expression flashed across his face. “Although I don’t know the reason why, I also feel that this blindfolded contest is something which His Majesty has pushed onto me intentionally. He seems to want Shi Minzhang and I to have a life and death battle…”
“You aren’t in his position, so there’s no way you’ll know what His Majesty is thinking. A matter that is of life and death to you might have other meanings or objectives in another person’s eyes. Your life or death isn’t something that those people really value!”
Yan Liqiang took in a deep breath, “I got it. I’ll definitely be careful in this contest!”
“If there’s any use to be careful, there wouldn’t be anyone in this world who dies a wronged death. I’m sure the reason Li Hongtu allowed you to come here today must also be because he hopes that you can train more before the blindfolded contest. This will help you increase your chances!” Ji Xiaoyao said and stood up. “Let’s go over to the bamboo forest. These few days, before your blindfolded contest with Shi Minzhang, have one with me first…”
