The Imperial Guards arrived within half an hour, led by Meng Wudi, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards. Meng Wudi was an old acquaintance of Fang Jie; Fang Jie had spent half a year in the Imperial Guards' secret prison chatting with this one-armed man quite often. Fang Jie later learned that Meng Wudi's lost arm was related to him.
Meng Wudi looked at the corpse at the bottom of the pit, then at the disheveled Fang Jie.
"Who is this?"
Meng Wudi asked.
Fang Jie leaned against the edge of the pit, noticing a pipe hanging from Meng Wudi's waist, and reached out. Meng Wudi frowned slightly, but still took off the pipe, stuffed it with tobacco, lit it with a flint, and handed it to Fang Jie. Fang Jie took a deep drag, then comfortably exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Fang Henshui,"
He replied calmly.
Meng Wudi's expression changed. He quickly walked a few steps to Fang Henshui's corpse, squatted down, and examined it closely. Then, he couldn't help but shake his head: "You were really ruthless. It's almost unrecognizable as a human being."
As he spoke, a hint of fear flashed in his eyes. Fang Henshui was the one who had killed Professor Mo Wanwu of the Martial Arts Academy. Meng Wudi admitted he didn't possess such strength. Although he didn't know Mo Wanwu's cultivation level, how could someone who wasn't powerful become a professor at the Martial Arts Academy?
Now, Fang Henshui was dead at Fang Jie's hands.
Fang Jie smiled and shook his head: "Brother... guess who would be lying here now if I hadn't fought so hard?"
Meng Wudi hummed in agreement, carefully examining Fang Henshui's injuries before sighing, "This guy's constitution is very special. If it were anyone else, you would have killed them ten times over."
Fang Jie said, "Once is enough."
Meng Wudi stood up, beckoned to his men, and ordered, "Take this man's body back to the Imperial Guard. He's a serious criminal. After the autopsy, seal it up and wait for the Commander to review it before making any further decisions."
Two men in flying fish robes responded and lifted Fang Henshui's body from the bottom of the pit. Meng Wudi paused for a moment, then called them back. He walked over, suddenly drew his sword with lightning speed, and plunged the blade into Fang Henshui's heart, twisting his wrist several times. Fang Jie frowned slightly at his actions.
Meng Wudi pulled out the knife, took out a clean white handkerchief, and wiped the blood off the blade: "The Imperial Guards have been chasing him for a long time..."
Fang Jie nodded: "I know."
Meng Wudi took the pipe from Fang Jie, squatted down opposite him, took a deep drag, and said seriously: "This is a serious criminal personally investigated by His Majesty. The fact that we haven't caught him after so long shows our incompetence as the Imperial Guards. And if it weren't for you, we still wouldn't know what Fang Henshui looks like. If His Majesty investigates, and there wasn't a single member of the Imperial Guards present when you killed Fang Henshui, there's no guarantee you won't be punished..."
Fang Jie hummed in agreement: "You killed him. I just happened to be there, and then..." He negotiated for a while.
Meng Wudi glanced at Fang Jie gratefully: "Consider it an obligation."
Fang Jie shook his head with a smile: "Why say that?"
Meng Wudi took a deep drag on his pipe, exhaling puffs of smoke: "You know the Imperial Guard's current situation is very bad. I'm not afraid to tell you, but in tomorrow's important event, His Majesty has actually excluded us from the Imperial Guard. Yes, there are quite a few scoundrels in the Imperial Guard, plus there's something shameful you don't know… His Majesty's distrust is understandable, but we can't just continue like this. If we don't achieve anything, the Imperial Guard will be abolished by His Majesty sooner or later! Over a hundred years of glory, how can we just watch the Imperial Guard be destroyed by my..." "In our generation's hands?"
"It's not that I'm greedy for credit..."
He sighed, "Even the smallest achievement makes me envious. The Imperial Guard must take action. Do you know how much the Commander is suffering? I know you informed the Commander before, and had those managers arrested, which was giving us a huge reward. Logically, I shouldn't be competing with Fang Henshui anymore... I'm sorry!"
Fang Jie smiled, "It's nothing. Whether I killed him or not is meaningless to me. Everyone has difficult times; I've been through them too, so I know how it feels."
Meng Wudi was startled, his voice hoarse, "I was going to kill you back then."
Fang... Jie took the pipe, took a deep drag, and said, "But I didn't die, and now I'm squatting in the same ditch as you, smoking a pipe. We don't talk about the past anymore; it's all forgotten. If someone holds a grudge, it's a deep-seated hatred. Commander, you and I were both good to me later. I'm not good at anything else, but I remember who's been good to me."
Meng Wudi's nose tingled at these words. He stood up and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute: "We all owe you a favor."
"Alright."
Fang Jie smiled and said, "If we're both well by tomorrow, Hongxiu will treat us to a meal to repay the favor."
He stood up to brush the dust off his clothes, only to realize when he looked down that they were already tattered and torn.
Fang Jie chuckled self-deprecatingly and asked, "Do you know where Wu Yidao is now? I was supposed to meet my men at Fanghe Pavilion. But with the fighting so intense, no one's come, so I don't need to go to Fanghe Pavilion anymore."
Meng Wudi slapped his forehead: "I almost forgot! Shen Qingshan found the person in the flying fish robe and sent someone to tell you that Wu Yidao is missing and they're looking for her."
Fang Jie frowned: "That idiot, what's the point of looking for her!"
Just then, a thought suddenly struck Fang Jie. He abruptly turned and looked into the distance, where he saw several raggedly dressed people supporting each other as they walked along the official road. The person at the front, though looking disheveled, was so familiar. He could vaguely make out her graceful figure and the smile on her face.
...
...
Fang Jie strode over, taking Mu Xiaoyao's hand in his. Tears welled in his eyes, and his voice was strained as he spoke, his nose stinging: "Sister Xiaoyao...you...you've suffered so much. What happened? How did you end up like this!"
Although Mu Xiaoyao looked exhausted, she still smiled gently and said, "You don't look any better than me."
Fang Jie was in no mood for jokes. He helped Mu Xiaoyao find a clean spot to sit down: "How did you get so disheveled? Who was chasing you? Could it be the Northwest..."
Fang Jie's expression suddenly changed, as if he had guessed something.
Mu Xiaoyao nodded slightly but didn't speak.
Fang Jie turned to Meng Wudi and called out, "Could you find a carriage?"
Meng Wudi nodded and immediately ordered someone to find a carriage. At this time, the official road was controlled by the Imperial Guards, and the common people were kept several hundred meters away, unable to approach. A carriage was parked in the crowd. Several people in flying fish robes approached and said a few words. The coachman, not daring to refuse, quickly drove the carriage over.
When the carriage was a short distance away, Fang Jie bent down and picked up Mu Xiaoyao.
Mu Xiaoyao blushed, hooking her arms around Fang Jie's neck and whispering, "I can walk."
Fang Jie shook his head: "Before you saw me, you could walk by yourself. But now that you're back, I'll carry you."
Mu Xiaoyao felt a warmth in her heart, as if a furnace had been lit. All the hardships of the journey were left behind. But she quickly noticed Fang Jie's unusual behavior. He was holding her, his arms trembling slightly. Moreover, Fang Jie's breathing was rapid and heavy, and he wasn't walking very fast while carrying her.
"What just happened?"
She asked with concern, wanting to struggle down but afraid of causing Fang Jie to fall. She knew Fang Jie wouldn't let her down, so she adjusted her position to make it easier for him to carry her.
"I had a fight, and I won."
Fang Jie said with a slight smile, a hint of pride in his voice.
Mu Xiaoyao, watching the charming curve of Fang Jie's lips, couldn't help but ask, "Where's Chen Qingshan, Daquan, and Qilin? Who did you fight? Why aren't they here? Is this how they protect you?"
"I sent them all out. There's something important happening in Chang'an today."
Mu Xiaoyao said, "What could be more important than you!"
Fang Jie shook his head: "Don't blame them. I forced them to go. Besides, I'm not the weakling I used to be. I'm not exaggerating, but I just killed an eighth-rank master. An eighth-rank... Before, I'd be utterly humiliated by anyone who made me kneel and kowtow."
Mu Xiaoyao was still shaken, but didn't say anything more.
Fang Jie placed her in the carriage, told the driver to come to the Martial Arts Academy to find her carriage, and took the whip from the driver, cracking it sharply. It was a carriage without a canopy, looking rather shabby. But the two people sitting in the carriage felt reassured.
"The Northwest… has it been defeated?"
Fang Jie asked after a moment of silence.
Seeing the Imperial Guards following at a distance, Mu Xiaoyao nodded and said, "Defeated… The 700,000-strong army was almost completely wiped out. The grasslands of Manduqi are littered with the corpses of Sui soldiers. We withdrew early because we noticed the danger, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to return… Li Yuanshan rebelled, colluding with the Mongols to attack from both sides and defeat the Sui army. He also colluded with Yuan Chongwu, Wu Peizhi, and Yang Shanchen to blockade the Northwest from three directions, preventing any news from getting out. Prince Xu, Yang Kai, and General Jin Shixiong of the Left Valiant Guard are missing, and the other generals have all died on the battlefield…"
"One general and three governors have rebelled!"
Fang Jie gasped, "What happened?!"
Mu Xiaoyao said: "It's likely that Li Yuanshan has been plotting for a long time, just waiting for His Majesty to launch a military campaign against the Northwest. He discovered a huge iron mine in Shandong Province in the Northwest and has been secretly manufacturing military equipment there for many years. Who knows how much he's produced over the years? It seems Yuan Chongwu and his group have long been colluding with Li Yuanshan, secretly recruiting a considerable number of men. Li Yuanshan took the armor and weapons he forged and offered the iron mine to the Mongols… The Mongols benefited and could annihilate the Sui Dynasty's 700,000-strong army in one fell swoop, so naturally they were happy."
Fang Jie pondered for a moment: "So Prince Yi was also tricked. What happened tomorrow… was he forced into it? Not necessarily… perhaps he doesn't even know about the defeat in the Northwest."
"Who's hunting you down?"
Fang Jie asked. Mu Xiaoyao was silent for a moment before replying, "If Hou Wenji's men and Yuan Chongwu's subordinates were merely the governors' men, how could they have driven us to such a dire situation?"
"Hou Wenji has actually rebelled too."
Fang Jie sighed, suddenly recalling Meng Wudi's words not long ago: "Shameful things you don't know..." A thought struck him, and he suddenly realized that Luo Weiran and Meng Wudi already knew about Hou Wenji's rebellion? If they knew, then the emperor certainly knew too. It seemed the emperor wanted to stabilize Chang'an before the defeat in the Northwest was exposed!
"You've come back just in time."
Fang Jie reached out and grasped Mu Xiaoyao's hand: "Tomorrow we'll see a great show."
"Will it be exciting?"
"Definitely...very exciting. Brothers killing each other, this kind of drama may be old-fashioned and clichéd, but it has to be very exciting."