Chapter 43: The Old Man

What’s your mom’s name? My mom’s surname is Ye.

Before coming to Dongyi City, Fan Xian had long expected that in this city, he would definitely meet people or things or past events related to the old Ye family back then, because he knew very clearly that his mother, Ye Qingmei’s first landing point after coming to this world was Dongyi City.

On the night when he was sixteen years old, Uncle Wuzhu had told him for the first time everything about Ye Qingmei, everything that this amnesiac remembered. The Ye family’s industry began in Dongyi City, and the first fortune seized in the world was also in Dongyi City, but later on, not knowing based on what considerations, Ye Qingmei finally chose the not so powerful Nanqing at that time, or rather chose today’s exceptionally powerful Emperor.

Ye Qingmei left Dongyi City, and it was not known if she had gone back later, but Fan Xian knew clearly that this great city must be very important to her, only that he had not expected that Si Gu Jian would actually suddenly mention the past at this time, and use such a twisted and shoddy excuse.

“Farewell, fare thee well.” Fan Xian glanced at Si Gu Jian and said with a bitter smile, “I’m well aware of what you’re trying to say, except that she’s her and I’m me.”

“Can it be severed? Could it be that your mother is willing to watch Dong Yi City, which she once fought for, turn into something no different from any county in Southern Qing?” Si Gu Jian laughed shamefully, “You can’t forget your roots as a human being, you’re her son, and you’re just a Dongyi man.”

Fan Xian raised an eyebrow and simply sat down in the open space by his wheelchair, his two legs dangling in the mound of swords with an empty fling, and said with a cold smile, “I didn’t see what happened on the Great Eastern Mountains with my own eyes, but I always know some of the details, and I’ve heard of the words that you once said to Uncle Wuzhu.”

“Want me to become the Lord of Dong Yi City?” Fan Xian twisted his head to look at the Four Gu Swords and said with slight sarcasm, “With my identity as half of the Eastern Barbarians? Could it be that you’ve been hiding in the Sword Lodge for so long to come up with such a response? Don’t forget that I’m ultimately a Nanqing man, and the relationship between His Majesty and I is already doomed to mold, don’t expect to use the identity of a city lord to provoke His Majesty’s suspicions and force me to break with him.”

With a wave of his arm, he calmly said, “There is no such possibility.”

“Of course, I won’t be the City Lord of Dongyi City either.”

Four Gu Jian said indifferently, “You’re so afraid of death, of course you’re afraid that your emperor’s old man will kill you, I’ve never expected you to dare to take over Dong Yi City, I’m only reminding you of one thing, you don’t need to innately think about the interests of the people of Nan Qing, I’m just resting your heart, even if you think more for Dong Yi City, it’s not a treasonous thing to do.”

“I’ve thought enough for the people of Dong Yi City.” Fan Xian didn’t budge an inch, “Those words that I said earlier, do you think that, other than me, who would give up so much interest? Who would risk His Majesty’s full wrath to convince him to accept these conditions?”

“Is that alone enough?” Four Gu Swords closed his eyes and said slowly, “Or perhaps you have never thought about how your mother actually died back then?”

Deep within the Sword Lodge, countless swords in the large pit stirred up simultaneously in an instant, emitting whimpering sounds of grief and trembling incessantly, as if they were going to break in unison the next moment. Fan Xian’s legs hanging in the middle of the sword mound also stopped swinging at this instant, his brows gradually appeared to be gloomy, and his eyes were flooded with emotions of an indescribable flavor.

There was no one around, and with the realm of the Four Gu Swords, he naturally wasn’t worried about anyone eavesdropping, but Fan Xian still felt his heart begin to tighten up, twitching with some irresistible pain.

He took a deep breath, his face somewhat unnaturally white, and said softly, “Or do you have any opinions that could be persuasive?”

“No.” Four Gu Jian indifferently spoke, “I just used guesses. How could someone like your mom die so inexplicably. Your mom wouldn’t be your mom if Empress Qingguo’s kind of pigheadedness or that old bitch, the Empress Dowager, could have killed your mom.”

“Just like that?”

“Bitter Lotus also used guessing, Chen Pingping also used guessing, why can’t I make a guess?”

Fan Xian s lips twitched slightly and said softly, “Guessing this kind of thing …… is better not to take it out and say it, it will kill people.”

“Is that so?” Si Gu Jian suddenly laughed out loud, his laughter laced with endless malice and mockery, “People who are afraid of death to the extent that you are are, are really not seen very often.”

Fan Xian knew what the other party despised, and said with an unchanged expression, “To be able to kill one’s entire family with ease, this kind of person, was not rare.”

The Four Gu Swords’ face changed, and a cross and hostile color arose from his pupils, as if he might strike out at any time to kill Fan Xian. A heart-rending sword intent began to permeate heaven and earth once more. However, Fan Xian looked as if he didn’t have the slightest feeling this time, and gave him a disdainful look, saying, “If you do it, do you still fear that people will say it?”

“As for me? I don’t need you to worry about my matters.” He frowned tightly and sighed somewhat helplessly, “Sometimes I really don’t understand what you big shots, old monsters, really think, why do you just have to push me to the opposite side of His Majesty. Could it be that you guys really think that I have the ability to fight against him? The most crucial thing is, could it be that you guys really think that I am willing …… to fight against him?”

He looked at Si Gu Jian’s angry eyes and shook his head, “No matter what, he’s always my father, so I’m at a loss to understand what you people are thinking.”

“Father?” Si Gu Jian shrunk his body on top of the wheelchair, his entire person was like a sharp sword that had returned to its sheath, no longer having any luster, “If you really want to be in a hurry, father ah mother, all of them can be killed once.”

Fan Xian’s heart was faintly shocked, and he shook his head with a bitter smile, thinking that it was really unnecessary to discuss such things as human ethics with this big idiot.

Regarding the real reason for Ye Qingmei’s death, at the most critical moment of the Kyoto Rebellion, the eldest princess had made a point to Fan Xian before she died. And Chen Pingping’s behavior, both intentional and unintentional, seemed to prove it as well, except that Chen Pingping did not say so, and neither did Fan Xian, and these two old comrades who had personally witnessed this matter back then had finally set their sights on a certain character after suspecting each other for many years.

They were, however, unwilling to tell Fan Xian about this matter, explicitly and unequivocally, and apart from old monsters like the Four Gu Swords who were fearless and bent on watching Nan Qing go terribly wrong, no one wanted to try and lead Fan Xian onto a desperate path from which he couldn’t return simply because of speculation.

“You’re going to die soon, don’t expect to see my Southern Qing implode before you die.” Fan Xian nodded his head slightly harder, as if he was trying to convince the Four Guards Sword and himself, “Accept my sincerity, and then wait for your death in peace. I will take good care of the thousands of people in Dong Yi City for you.”

Si Gu Jian looked coldly and straight ahead for a long time before speaking, “Trust me, one day, you will be on the path that this Thief God has arranged.”

“I am …… going against the heavens ya!” Fan Xian said with a big smile, but laughed so hard that he coughed and coughed his face red and wretched.

Si Gu Jian gave him a disdainful look.

Fan Xian was enraged by this glance, biting back a chilling voice, “Whether it’s Bitter Lotus, or you, it seems that before you die, you put your hopes on me, isn’t that in itself a ridiculous thing? This is not the will of heaven, it is just the selfish thoughts of you big shots.”

“Selfish?” Si Gu Jian shook his head, “I don’t know what that old bald guy did before he died.”

Fan Xian shrugged his shoulders and said, “He sent his second most favored disciple to Kyoto to renew Chen Pingping’s life. It looks like he was counting on Chen Pingping to become a factor in the civil unrest in my Southern Qing.”

“Hahahahaha ……,” Four Gu Swords couldn’t help but laugh out loud, cursing as he did so, “This dead bald head, so that’s what he’s thinking. Look at the appearance, he is counting on Emperor Qing and Chen Pingping to make a big fuss, you are caught in the middle and difficult to be a human being, and then forced you to go crazy …… Well, your kid’s judgment is good, he and I are the same, they all put their hopes on you, just ……”

Four Gu Jian craned his neck and said disdainfully, “Bitter Lotus is too stupid, this kind of thing directly forced you to be good, why do you have to pass Chen Pingping a hand. That old black dog’s loyalty to the Qing Emperor, Bitter Lotus estimated poorly.”

“Come on, I’m right in front of you, so you’re just going to directly say that you’re going to force me to rebel, doesn’t that seem a bit boring?” Fan Xian sighed on one side, pointing at this large mound in front of him, pointing at the sword inside that looked extraordinarily antiquated from the wind and rain, and said, “I know full well that there’s a pit in front of me, do I still want to jump into it?”

The Four Gu Swords didn’t answer this question directly, shrinking down and saying, “Actually, whether you recognize yourself as a Dongyi or not, I wouldn’t worry too much about the stupid people in this city, don’t forget that Miss Ning is an authentic Dongyi, and that Grand Prince of yours, can’t be said to be like you, not recognizing his own origins as well. ”

Fan Xian shrugged his shoulders, knowing that he was right, His Majesty only had three sons left today, and two of them who were adults had too many entanglements and ties with Dongyi City, and if Nanqing really wanted to send an army to attack, there would indeed be a lot of trouble.

“The most crucial problem is that in life, there are many pits that you know are right in front of you, but you are forced to jump into them with your eyes open.”

Four Gu Jian deflated his mouth, pointing one arm towards the depths of the sword pit, his entire person mixed with a deathly old man’s aura and an irresistible oppressive intent, and said quietly, “Three years ago, I told Zhilan that I knew that this was a big pit in front of me, but I was still going to jump in.”

This was talking about the matter of the Great Eastern Mountain. Regardless of whether it was Bitter Lotus or Four Gu Swords, they had considered it countless times before setting out to assassinate the Emperor, and both had suspected that it was a big pit, only that the time was not right and the situation was pressing, so the two Great Masters had to jump, and then fell extremely miserably.

Fan Xian said after a moment of silence, “There is nothing more to say about these things, when the mission arrives, the things that should be done always have to be done, my things do not need you to worry about, so that …… we should not talk about something happier at this time?”

“Happy?” Four Gu Jian suddenly cursed with great annoyance, “Old man is about to die, it has been more than two years since I have been out of this broken hut, how can I be happy?”

“Oh, you’re so pathetic, although your cultivation is there, it’s not easy to move around, you don’t dare to go out of the hut at will, you’ve even been forced by your own great disciple to sit in a withered state for several years.” Fan Xian scoffed, “Back then, Wei Ling Wang was starved to death by his own son in the middle of the Leaving Palace, if Yun Zhilan also comes to this hand, you, the great master, will inevitably also die a bit too ugly.”

“I’m not a waste like Wei Ling Wang.” Si Gu Jian’s eye sockets were deep-set, glowing with a chilling light, “I’m just not willing to go out, what does it have to do with Zhilan.”

“Sitting in a wheelchair in the sun does have some pathetic feeling of being old and dying, but you have to get used to it.” Fan Xian knew that he was telling the truth, even if he was a dying Great Master, if he wanted to go out of the hut, who would dare to stop him, who could stop him?

“Well, that makes sense.” Sigu Jian suddenly looked down at him and said, “The sun is shining well today, why don’t you push me out for a walk?”

Fan Xian was stunned on the spot, thinking that he didn’t know how many experts were eyeing him outside the Sword Lodge, and even if the Four Gu Swords gave the word to protect him, but to walk around Dongyi City? This difficulty was too great.

“His Majesty, the Emperor of Northern Qi is still inside the Lodge.” He lowered his head and said softly.

“Isn’t that your woman? Everyone strolls together.” Si Gu Jian coughed twice and summoned a child to go to the room to invite out the young Emperor of Northern Qi. Not long after, the little emperor who had already dressed his body slowly marched over from the opposite side of the sword mound. From a long distance away, he saw Si Gu Jian sitting in a wheelchair, and Fan Xian, who was very impolitely sitting next to the sword mound.

Last night’s clothes may have been torn early, the sword hut is well prepared, the little emperor war doudou today wearing a light green color clothes, looks not the slightest sense of charm, there is just on the soft Confucian atmosphere.

Coming to the side of the two, the little emperor smiled slightly and said in a deep voice: “The face of the sword saint adult, it is really hard to see.”

The Four Gu Swords slightly inclined his head, extremely rudely not answering this question, but instead waving his hand to drive that child far away. It was only after a long time that the corners of his lips curled slightly as he looked at the Emperor of Northern Qi and said softly, “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

“Lord Sword Saint is polite.” The young emperor’s gaze didn’t even look at Fan Xian who was sitting underneath him, and this kind of qi cultivation was truly the first-rate person in the world.

However, the calm appearance was easily broken by the Four Gu Swords, as this great master looked at the Emperor of Northern Qi with a complex expression of laughter, hissing, “An old monster like me has nothing to see, just a female emperor, but the first one in a thousand years, and I’m very happy to be able to see Your Majesty with my own eyes.”

Once these words came out, the face of the young Emperor of Northern Qi changed instantly, staring hard at Fan Xian in annoyance and gloom, but Fan Xian did not react at all.

Si Gu Jian looked at the little emperor and smiled, “One, I already know that Your Majesty is a woman, and two, I’m dying and won’t be so talkative as to go around saying that I’m a weirdo who likes to keep sweets in his own box and doesn’t share them with others.”

Si Gu Jian did not bother to look at the young emperor whose face kept changing, and continued softly, “Three, it is precisely because I am about to die that we can be a bit more direct in our speech to each other. Earlier, I was urging Fan Xian to rebel, and I wonder if Your Majesty is interested in this proposal.”

The young emperor took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the slight fear and uneasiness in his heart, and calmly said, “I am interested in this proposal. If Lord Little Fan’s rebellion fails, he can come to my Northern Qi to live his life.”

“That is what I think as well. Whether it’s being a city lord or a male queen, I think it’s more comfortable than being Emperor Qing’s lackey …… only he refuses to agree.”

Fan Xian sat on the edge of the pit next to the sword mound and said, “A scholar rebelling for ten years won’t make it, don’t you guys know that I’m the most famous scholar under the sky.”

“Yes.” Four Gu Swords laughed strangely and looked at the young emperor, “So we are going to stop continuing this topic and instead go for a trek to the city’s seashore, I don’t know if His Majesty the Emperor is interested.”

“Can I say no?” The young emperor said with slight anger.

Fan Xian responded from below, “Of course not.”

The Four Gu Swords were the gods of Dongyi City, and gods and humans always kept their distance from each other, whether active or passive, so it was obvious that this wheelchair-bound Grand Master hadn’t been out to casually look at the streets for many years, and the whole thing seemed rather excited.

Fan Xian and the Little Emperor were walking slowly behind the wheelchair, occasionally glancing at each other, but not speaking. They were actually shocked in their hearts that the three of them had left the Sword Lodge so easily without letting the Sword Lodge and the experts of Northern Qi discover any traces.

Even if it was the Four Guards Sword, being able to do this still shocked Fan Xian. Walking through the streets of Dongyi City, Fan Xian was able to clearly sense that no one was following him. Of course, with the realm of the Four Gu Swords, if anyone were to follow them for more than a moment, they would only be immediately cleaved into countless bloody clusters by the boundless sword intent of the wheelchair.

The three of them came under a large tree on the outskirts of the city, the canopy of the tree stretched extremely wide, the green color covered the sky, so they rested here to hide from the blazing sun.

Four Gu Jian lowered his head, looking at the yellow clay mud next to his wheelchair and the crevice at the roots of the tree, and suddenly opened his mouth and said, “Decades ago, it was under this tree that I first saw your mom and Five Bamboo, this dead blind man, only I forgot whether I was watching ants moving or worms piling up balls of feces at that time.”