On the second day after Fang Jie had an in-depth conversation with the eldest princess, he arrived at the Academy of Martial Arts in the morning and found out that the professors had all been invited into the palace by the emperor. Qiu Yu was naturally among them, he had nothing to do, so he planned to go to Wu Yidao. Ever since the day Prince Yi conspired against him, Fang Xie hadn't seen San Jinhou, whose identity seemed to be more and more unfathomable. If the emperor hadn't mentioned it, Fang Jie would have never thought that Tongxiaxing would be the emperor's property, and San Jinhou, who has always been known as the richest man in the Sui Dynasty, was just a senior worker.
It was a good morning, and the air was so cool that even my lungs felt so comfortable. Fang Jie was not in a hurry to leave the Academy of Martial Arts, because he planned to go to Sanjinhou Mansion for lunch at noon. If you go too early, it will be difficult to stay if the topic is over.
With such a small family spirit, he didn't take his status as a first-class villager too seriously.
When Fang Jie passed by the cafeteria, he bought a bag of peanuts, braised pork and a jug of old wine. In fact, Fang Jie still doesn't know that the old handyman in the library actually has an earth-shattering background. All he knew was that in Prince Yi's mansion, a mysterious strong man suddenly descended, and captured the powerful Master Xiao in Qingle Mountain with just one move.
Because the emperor is planning a grand event in the world, the identity of the old man has not been revealed in a hurry. He planned to announce the identity of the old man to the public on the day when Prince Yi's guilt was announced. What Tai Sui needs most now is someone or something to boost morale.
Although the emperor did not intend to announce the defeat of the Northwest War to the world, the fact that the common people did not know did not mean that the officials could also pretend not to know.
The comeback of a martial arts myth is like a shot in the arm for Da Sui.
It is precisely because of this that the identity of the old man is still being kept secret. Although there were quite a few people in Prince Yi's mansion that day, no one knew that the old man was Wan Xingchen, the master of Wanjian Hall who had been famous all over the world more than a hundred years ago. This martial arts myth has disappeared from people's sight for too long, and no one would have thought that it would be him who captured Prince Yi and Zhenren Xiao by himself.
Fang Jie didn't know either, he just thought that the old man who captured Master Xiao was the emperor's hidden strength. When he heard about this incident, he still felt that it was no wonder that the emperor was not worried about Prince Yi's rebellion. Even Daoist Xiao is an old pervert who is not an opponent, so it is not difficult to kill Prince Yi among thousands of troops. So what if Prince Yi controls the overall situation? Being decapitated was not just a dream.
Fang Jie was not too shocked, he thought it was not unacceptable for the emperor to have such a perverted master by his side.
The reason why he often sends some peanuts to the old handyman in the library is because Fang Jie thinks of his grandfather in his previous life every time he sees him. It was such a natural closeness, it's hard to describe.
Fang Jie is not a god, nor is he a person born with knowledge. Naturally, he would not have guessed that the handyman in the library is the real director of the Yanwu Academy, and this is the fundamental reason why the Yanwu Academy has become one of the most famous places in the world. Even if he had read Tianlong Babu, he would not associate the library building of Yanwu Academy with the scripture library of Shaolin Temple, let alone the nameless old monk and the old handyman.
When he walked into the library, the old man was still sitting where he was used to. He was dozing off with his chin resting on his hands and squinting his eyes, his head was shaking, and he seemed to have the unique laziness of an old man.
Fang Jie put the peanuts and braised pork on the table, pulled up a chair and sat down opposite the old man. The old man who seemed to be drowsy sniffed, closed his eyes, reached out and touched a peanut and threw it into his mouth.
Fang Jie smiled, and put the jug in front of the old man: "I saw you drinking tea, but I have never seen you drinking."
The old man opened his eyes and looked at it, then sat up straight and stretched his waist: "I can drink some when I am young, but the older I get, the more I can't bear the spicyness of wine. Tea is good, soft, and good for the body. But I still drink it occasionally. I can drink a little wine, but of course I can't drink much... just think of it as a reminiscence of the past."
Fang Jie nodded: "When recalling the past, drinking tea doesn't seem to be the right way."
He wiped the dagger clean, and put the marinated meat in small pieces in front of the old man: "Sometimes I wonder, when I am as old as you, will I also prefer to drink tea instead of alcohol?" .Then on a certain evening with a beautiful sunset, I picked up a glass of wine and drank a little, recalling the frivolity and presumptuousness of my youth."
"That's a good saying, sour but not smelly."
The old man smiled, pinched a small piece of meat and threw it into his mouth: "But you have to think about my age, it's a bit difficult... But you really don't realize until you reach my age, the more you remember, the more uncomfortable you are, where are you?" It’s so pleasant to say. Because many things that I think are very important and can be remembered for a lifetime have long been blurred. It stands to reason that I should have no desires and no desires, but I only found out when I went out a few days ago. I was a little worried..."
"worry about what?"
Fang asked.
"Worrying that I am so old, what if I die if I can't reach my destination halfway? I am already so old, and walking is a very hard thing for me. If I walk, I will feel tired. Wouldn’t it be a pity if I couldn’t walk anymore and couldn’t stand up when I sat down? As I walked, I thought about it, and I was afraid while thinking about it, and finally I couldn’t bear the fear in my heart.”
"And you came back?"
"Then I paid for a ride in a carriage through the city."
The old man seemed very proud of his answer, he smiled, showing those remaining teeth.
Fang Jie always thought that the old man's teeth should be intact, otherwise why would he love peanuts so much. So after seeing the teeth in the old man's mouth looking at each other from a distance, he couldn't help being stunned for a moment, a little surprised.
Seeing Fang Jie's thoughts, the old man smiled and said, "I don't think I have many teeth but I like to eat peanuts. Is it a bit hypocritical?"
"It's not hypocritical..."
Fang Jie thought for a while and said, "Do you refuse to admit defeat? At your age, you still have a heart full of fighting spirit. You are unyielding to the years and always maintain a tenacious and upward attitude. It is admirable!"
The old man gave him a blank look: "Fart, how can there be so many reasons that sound beautiful, I have few teeth and I still eat peanuts, just because I love them."
…
…
Fang Jie smiled embarrassingly, picked up a peanut and threw it into his mouth. The old man only took a sip of the wine and didn't touch the jug again. Fang Jie picked it up and took a sip and let out a long sigh of relief: "I didn't like drinking before, and I always felt that drinking would be a waste of time. Sober things, drinking too much is not good at all."
The old man pushed the stewed meat to Fang Jie, then squeezed a peanut and stuffed it into his mouth: "You have so much emotion at such a young age, you are too tired to live... I only took a sip of wine because I am too old ,Drinking hurts the body. I only ate a bite of the meat, and it was also because I was too old, and the meat was phlegm. The peanuts are good... "
Fang Jie smiled and said, "It can relieve hunger and boredom, and it's also crunchy."
The old man couldn't help laughing, squinted his eyes and looked at Fang Jie, then asked: "I'm curious, how did a little guy like you get to the status you have today. I heard that you have been awarded a title? The dismissal of a fifth-rank Ranger General? Not bad, not bad, some people can’t climb to a height in a lifetime, you just climbed it in a little over a year.”
Fang Jie shook his head: "Luck."
"Where does luck come from?"
the old man asked.
This question is difficult to answer, so Fang Jie shook his head after being silent for a long time: "I don't know."
The old man laughed and said, "You don't even know where luck comes from. How can you attribute all your success to luck?"
"But now, I don't think there is any more suitable reason than luck... I feel kind when I look at you, so I don't care about anything..."
Fang Jie sighed and said, "Since I was born until now, it seems that many things have not been in my own hands. Sometimes I think that success is due to my own efforts, but it was only later that I realized that it was as arranged by others." Same. And if it's not arranged, then it can only be attributed to luck."
The old man shook his head: "Everyone feels that they can control their own destiny, especially when they are young. When they get older, they will think that everything in this life is doomed after experiencing too many setbacks. No matter how hard you try It’s better to let nature take its course. It’s a kind of transformation, some people call it maturity, but in my opinion, it’s just a passive acceptance.”
He glanced at Fang Xie, and there was some deep meaning in his eyes that Fang Xie didn't understand: "If you think that everything about yourself is arranged by others, why don't you investigate, who can interfere with your own destiny?"
Hearing this sentence, Fang Jie's heart tightened for no reason: "Senior, are you..."
"Nothing."
The old man took a sip of tea and swallowed the peanuts that were finally chewed in his mouth: "Do you want to ask me if I have seen through something? I'm not a god. I can tell the past and present life just by looking at you."
"I do not believe."
Fang Jie shook his head: "Even if you are not a god, you must be a senior."
"I am not tall."
The old man shook his head: "Not as tall as you."
Fang Jie said: "Height is not tall."
The old man smiled and said: "I heard that you have a very good saying that an inch above the feet is the sky. If you say this, then it can be understood that height is height."
Fang Jie smiled wryly, "Senior, stop playing with me."
The old man laughed loudly, peeled a peanut again and threw it into his mouth: "You feel that everything has been arranged for you. Isn't this a denial of the theory of luck? How can an ordinary person's life be touched by others? Only extraordinary people will have extraordinary encounters."
"I heard you're going to the southwest?"
the old man asked.
"yes."
Fang Jie nodded.
The old man was silent for a while and said seriously: "It's okay to go there. No matter whether it's good or bad, maybe it can clear up your doubts. I'm not a god, but I've lived long enough, and some things can be seen through at a glance. People are too old. Become a spirit, not a demon, but there will always be something strange about it. You can just treat me as a ghost, and if you are lucky enough to get a word or two, you can thank me again."
"Senior..."
Fang Jie hesitated for a long time, and couldn't help asking: "That day I vomited blood and passed out, there were many poisons in the blood..."
The old man waved his hand to prevent Fang Jie from continuing to ask: "It's just some dirty things, getting them out is actually not much harder than urinating."
Hearing these words, Fang Jie was finally relieved. He had long suspected that the sudden faint that day had something to do with others. At first he thought it was Qiu Yu, but later he was denied. Today, if the old man hadn't revealed some extraordinary things himself, Fang Xie would not have thought of him.
The old man took out a thin booklet from his bosom, handed it to Fang Xie and said, "Seeing that you have been reading Wanjiantang Sword Records for the first time, it is useless to read more of those miscellaneous things. I have an instinct to make shit go smoothly. Do you read the book that does not piss pornography?"
Fang Jie took the thin booklet and saw that there was no name on the cover. He turned it over and took a look, and found that the painting on it was a nude woman with delicate brushstrokes.
"Senior, this is?"
The old man glanced at it, and then he was embarrassed: "Uh... I took it wrong."
He fumbled around for a while, and took out a thinner book: "This is the one, give me that one!"