Fang Jie could see that these people had diverse personalities; some were arrogant, others lazy, but Chun Gu was undoubtedly their leader. It was a somewhat distorted structure, yet it seemed remarkably stable. She was married to the butcher, and although she wasn't beautiful, had a bad figure, and terrible skin, she seemed to be a unique goddess in the eyes of the other nine.
After a moment of silence, Fang Jie suddenly understood.
These nine men might all be powerful, but none of them would submit to the others. They might have fought countless times individually, but none could command the respect of the others. Therefore, the only woman, Chun Gu, became the only choice, and this woman must possess some extraordinary qualities.
To be able to command the respect of the other nine.
"Vegetable farmer, you give it a try."
Chun Gu pointed at Fang Jie and said, "Don't be too rude. Whether he's truly a descendant of the prince or not, he's still a guest brought by the cripple. Stop when you've made your move; don't hurt him."
"Why me?"
The vegetable farmer was taken aback, pointing to his own nose as he asked.
"I told you you're no match for my butcher."
Chun Gu snorted coldly.
The butcher chuckled, took a step forward, and said gruffly, "Then I'll do it. The vegetable farmer's hands and feet are so tired from planting vegetables; he uses all his strength digging cellars to store cabbages. How could he possibly fight? He's not scared; he's completely forgotten his skills."
"Get out of the way!"
The vegetable farmer stepped in front of the butcher, snorting, "Even if I've forgotten seventy percent of my skills, you stupid butcher are no match for me. Go, go, get out of the way!"
The butcher said "Oh," and actually moved aside. Chun Gu smiled, her expression clearly saying, "Who said my butcher is stupid?" The vegetable farmer approached Fang Jie, hesitated for a moment, and then earnestly asked, "Your Highness possesses three unique skills: a sword in the left hand, a knife in the right, and another I don't know what it is. In short, three unique skills. Do you know them?"
Fang Jie answered earnestly, "I really don't."
The vegetable farmer breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Then I'm relieved."
Fang Jie couldn't help but laugh, and the others laughed even harder, completely ruining the solemn atmosphere of the competition.
"Be careful!"
The vegetable farmer shouted, then suddenly vanished. Fang Jie's heart skipped a beat, secretly marveling at the speed of his lightness skill. This person's lightness skill seemed to surpass even that of the Great Dog; his disappearance was utterly undetectable. Fang Jie took a half-step back with his left leg, his feet barely touching the ground, and then became fully alert.
"Watch out behind you!"
The voice came from behind Fang Jie. Clearly, the vegetable farmer hadn't intended to hurt Fang Jie and had warned him before attacking. However… he had seriously underestimated Fang Jie. After shouting, he didn't expect Fang Jie to not turn around at all, but instead thrust forward with both hands, using four-tenths of his strength.
With a thud, his palms collided with a fist. A cry of surprise followed, and when he looked again, the vegetable farmer had already tumbled to the ground. Clearly, he hadn't expected Fang Jie to be unfazed; the pain in his wrists forced him to take this young opponent seriously. He had indeed intended to toy with Fang Jie, immediately turning to face him after shouting "Watch out!" He had only planned to punch Fang Jie in the chest, to teach this young man a lesson.
Unfortunately, he couldn't escape Fang Jie's calculations.
"You're fast."
Fang Jie smiled and said, "But your punches are weak and ineffective. Everyone has their strengths; your real skill lies in your footwork. Once someone sees through your disguise, you'll have no chance of winning."
"Not necessarily!"
The vegetable farmer snorted coldly, seemingly provoked by Fang Jie's words. He vanished again, this time offering no warning. As Fang Jie focused his attention, the vegetable farmer appeared above him. Just as the farmer was about to step on Fang Jie's head, Fang Jie suddenly took a step back. He reached out and grabbed the farmer's ankle, then slammed him to the ground.
With a thud, the vegetable farmer landed heavily and awkwardly.
"Cough cough cough..."
He rubbed his chest, his expression strange as he stood up.
"Don't get close to me. It's best to rely on your cultivation to attack from a distance."
Fang Jie smiled and gestured for him to leave. The vegetable farmer shook his head and said, "No, no, I admit it, okay? I'm the weakest one; fighting isn't my forte. I'm in charge of scouting and monitoring the enemy. The others are the real fighters. You guys, whoever wants to come, come on! This kid hasn't moved much, but I can tell he's not necessarily slower than me!"
His admission of defeat was straightforward.
Li Ba, who was standing at the back of the group, took a few steps forward and looked at Fang Jie, saying, "I'll go! You said you didn't want to get close to you, but I refuse to believe I can't beat you once we're up close."
He suddenly took a step forward and threw a punch hard at Fang Jie's chest. The punch whistled through the air, but clearly he didn't use any cultivation power. Fang Jie's lips curled into a smile, and he met Li Ba's punch with his right fist. His fist was obviously smaller than Li Ba's, but the result when their fists collided was beyond everyone's expectations.
Liba was the most robust of the ten, and his greatest strength was naturally his immense power.
He didn't use any cultivation power, in fact, because he couldn't cultivate. His arms possessed the strength of a thousand jin (approximately 500 kg), a natural physique. Liba was proud of his ability to exert such strength without cultivation, but in a contest of physique, who could rival Fang Jie?
The two fists collided, and with a loud bang, Liba's arm bent backward, unable to withstand Fang Jie's punch. Fang Jie then stepped forward, his shoulder slamming into Liba's hard chest. The tall, burly Liba was immediately sent flying backward, crashing into a wooden table with a thud.
Chun Gu's eyes narrowed, and she exclaimed softly, "What kind of physique is this?!"
...
...
The old cripple finished his wontons, even drinking the soup clean. He wiped his mouth and chuckled, "Actually, there's no need to continue fighting. Even if you fought one by one, only Chun Gu might be able to hold her own against him. Your strengths aren't in one-on-one combat. Have you forgotten your strongest skill after ten years without teamwork? Before the Prince brought you into the palace, he trained you for a full six months. Just like the 382 others who entered the palace, your strongest skill is teamwork in ten-person squads."
The old cripple's tone was slightly sarcastic: "Have you all given up on yourselves all these years, and truly submitted to those who entered the palace? The Prince gave you their weapons and armor according to regulations. Let me guess… did you sell them for money?"
"Bullshit!"
The fortune teller retorted angrily, "We have never forgotten the Prince's instructions. Otherwise, why haven't we left Chang'an City for so many years? The Prince said he had to go out on business and asked us to guard the Taiji Palace and His Majesty for him. The Prince's kindness was immense…" "We are of the highest order, and we won't regret our promise to the Prince! As for your claim that we're inferior to those 382 men who entered the palace, let them try fighting us again if they dare!"
"Do you think we've really become butchers, vegetable farmers, and fortune tellers these past twelve years?"
After hearing this, Fang Jie remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said to the old cripple, "Let's go."
The old cripple was taken aback: "Why?"
Fang Jie said seriously, "I have no right to make them leave Chang'an to work for me. Master ordered them to guard Chang'an, and they did. If they leave Chang'an for my sake, they will be breaking their promise to Master. I don't want them to break their own promise, and I can't think of any reason why I should make them help me."
The old cripple hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, anyway, I've found the men for you. Whether you use them or not is none of my business. Let's go if you want."
He picked up his wine gourd, stood up, and walked to Fang Jie's side, ready to leave. "Wait a minute."
Chun Gu suddenly called out to them, chasing after the old cripple and asking, "Grandpa Cripple, over the years, very few people knew that the Prince had arranged for us to guard the Taiji Palace, and you're the only one who regularly interacts with us. Actually, since you brought him here, we believed you to some extent. But you also know that the Prince is gone, and we must be careful. One wrong move, and we could all become thorns in someone else's side. The people in the palace might not tolerate us, and other forces naturally want us to join them. If we don't agree, there could be a bloodbath."
"Master is still here."
Fang Jie Turning around, he looked at Chun Gu and said, word by word, "Master is currently on the Great Grassland. Over a year ago, he embarked on his second westward journey. Although no news has come since, I firmly believe he is not dead. On the Great Grassland, on the snow-capped mountains, no one can harm him."
"Is the Prince still alive?"
Chun Gu was startled, her expression somewhat sorrowful. "We always thought the Prince was gone."
"As long as I am here, Master is naturally here. I am not a fake, though somewhat undeserving."
Fang Jie smiled and said, "Don't worry, I firmly believe he will return to Chang'an."
"What do you want us to help you with?"
Chun Gu asked. Fang Jie remained silent for a moment before answering, "Go to Jiangnan to protect a woman. Her father is Wu Yidao, the richest man in the Sui Dynasty. You should have heard of him."
Chun Gu silently walked back and sat down, then glanced back at everyone: "What do you mean?"
The fortune teller smiled and said, "For so many years, you've been the one making all the decisions, so naturally, you're still in charge. If you believe this young man is truly the prince's successor, then we should naturally listen to him. Having us do things as the prince's successor doesn't necessarily disobey the prince's orders. However… think carefully. If you agree, our ten years of peaceful life… will be gone."
Everyone fell silent; the atmosphere grew cold. "Who would want to live like this!"
With a bang, the butcher smashed the chopping board with his fist, shouting, "The Prince ordered us to guard the Taiji Palace and the Emperor, and it's been almost twelve years! What have we done? Some slaughter pigs, some sell vegetables—is this really a peaceful and comfortable life? Fang Jie, tell us, does what we're being told contradict the Prince's wish to protect the Emperor? Or… could you take us to find the Prince?"
Fang Jie remained silent for a long time, then shook his head: "I will go to the Great Grasslands, but I don't know when."
Chun Gu suddenly stood up: "The Emperor doesn't actually need us, does he?"
"Perhaps."
Fang Jie couldn't answer that question. "With all your skills, who would want to be confined here?"
Chun Gu turned to them and said, "Before, when you wanted to leave, I stopped you. Because I didn't want us to be separated, and I didn't want you to become someone else's pawns, ultimately dying without a burial place. But now, Fang Jie has arrived. If we must find another place to go, perhaps… there's no one more suitable than him."
"Is there wine?"
She asked Fang Jie.
"Yes."
"Is there meat to eat?"
"Yes."
"Is there silver to take?"
"Yes."
"What else?"
She asked.
Fang Jie pointed to himself: "A friend."
Chun Gu smiled, then shouted, "Cheers!"
Li Ba turned and left, smashing the cook's stove with a punch. He punched again, creating a large crater, and pulled out a package. He looked at it, then gently placed it aside. He bent down and pulled out a second package. The others went over and helped him find what was hidden under the stove.
Ten packages, ten long boxes.
The old cripple laughed, seemingly somewhat smug: "Bright armor, broadsword... the Imperial Guard camp outside the palace has seen the light of day again."