Zhuang Die was a virgin courtesan, and if he didn't take her, tonight's affair would be exposed. But if he did, Fang Jie had a hard time getting over his conscience. So, sitting on the edge of the bed, Fang Jie hesitated for a long time. Although he had spent a fortune to buy this girl's virginity, it was still difficult to act on it like this.
If Zhuang Die were awake, perhaps Fang Jie wouldn't hesitate so much. Having relations with a drunken, unconscious girl made Fang Jie feel awkward.
After struggling for ten minutes, Fang Jie finally made a difficult decision. He stripped Zhuang Die naked and tore the thin blanket into a mess. Then he took a swig of the remaining wine from the wine jug, splashing the rest on himself. Afterward, he kicked over the table, assumed a prone position by the bed, and closed his eyes, pretending to be fast asleep.
Hearing the sound of something being knocked over, the servant outside was startled and quickly went to ask the madam for permission. The madam hesitated for a moment but ultimately ordered the door to be broken open from the outside. Upon entering and seeing the scene, the madam was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"I told you this young master was a virgin! He's so drunk on such a precious night, his clothes are torn, yet he hasn't even climbed into bed. You few, carry him to bed. As for Zhuang Die, let her lie there. If he's still in the mood tomorrow morning, he can do whatever he wants."
Several servants lifted Fang Jie up. Fang Jie, feigning drunkenness, mumbled a few incoherent words, then suddenly opened his eyes, horrified, and exclaimed, "What time is it? I have to hurry back, or that tigress will eat me alive!"
Having said this, he scrambled out of the brothel. The madam quickly had him helped out of the New Moon Pavilion and kindly hired a carriage to take him home, but Fang Jie refused, swaying as he walked away.
Turning the alley, Fang Jie's steps returned to normal. He sighed, muttering to himself that he'd lost a fortune today. Thinking of the shapely figure of the girl named Zhuang Die, he began to regret his actions. However, he didn't have time to linger. He quickly made his way back to the shop in the darkness.
Since Fang Jie had given the tailors and apprentices the day off, only he and Shen Qingshan were in the shop, so there was nothing to worry about. He couldn't help but laugh as soon as he entered. The guy he had captured was hanging upside down from the ceiling by Shen Qingshan, still struggling like a pig with its four legs tied. His mouth was gagged, and he could only make muffled noises.
Shen Qingshan looked at Fang Jie, a smirk playing on her lips, and asked, "How was the taste of the women in the brothel?"
Fang Jie dared not answer such a question, explaining that he had pretended to be drunk and escaped. But he could tell from Shen Qingshan's eyes that she didn't really believe the truth. Fang Jie regretted it even more, thinking that if he had known he would be implicated like this, he would have just gone ahead and slept with her.
"I spent the money, but I really didn't touch the person."
Fang Jie raised his hand and swore, "This is the most unfair thing I've ever done in my life, and I can't bear the pain anymore. Please don't doubt my sincerity anymore, or you'll be stabbing me in the heart. If you look at me like that again, I'll go back and get my money back right now."
Shen Qingshan gave him a "whatever" look, and Fang Jie immediately gave up. He changed his clothes and walked over to the man who was hanging there. The man was blindfolded and gagged, and he kept struggling. Fang Jie smiled and asked, "What, can you guess who I am?"
The man stopped struggling, was silent for a moment, and then snorted coldly through his nose.
Fang Jie smiled and said, "I know you can guess who I am. You recognize my voice, don't you? You're the commander of Baishui City on the southwestern frontier of the Great Sui Dynasty, and you've led the border troops to suppress the rebellions of those barbarians quite a bit. But your greatest characteristic isn't your ruthlessness or your heart of stone, but rather your incredible memory. Once you hear someone speak, you remember their voice—that's quite a gift."
He pulled up a chair and sat down, saying, "Wang Wei, it's been a long time… It's been over a year since we last parted at Keshengju." "I've heard you're doing quite well lately, even more successful than back in Baishui City. I ruined your career back then, so I imagine you still harbor deep resentment towards me, right?"
"Precisely because I know that, you should cooperate. If you intend to shout and scream, I'll have no choice but to kill you immediately. I hope you won't doubt my words, because my current identity cannot be revealed to anyone as to any crimes I've committed. You should understand that, shouldn't you?"
Having said this, Fang Jie ripped off the veil covering Wang Wei's face and the gag from his mouth.
Suddenly seeing something, Wang Wei's vision blurred for a long time. He shook his head, saw Fang Jie smiling, and then growled in a low voice, "Fang Jie! Even if there are some grudges between us, I've never bothered you. You're now a favorite of the Sui Dynasty, a pillar before His Majesty, while I'm just a nobody who's been discharged from the military. You go your way, I'll go mine, we'll keep to ourselves, why did you arrest me!"
"I just don't like you, so I wanted to grab you and beat you up?"
Fang Jie curled his lip, placed his Morning Dew Blade on the table, and said in a very light tone, "You should know that since I've waited so long to contact you, it's definitely not because of the Keshengju incident. As for what you're doing now, I..." "I'm not interested in knowing. I'm here to ask you some questions about the southwestern barbarians."
Wang Wei was taken aback, and after a moment of silence, said, "Put me down first!"
Fang Jie chuckled, "Could you be any more idiotic? Releasing you isn't impossible. I know you've been working for Prince Yi lately, and out of respect for him, I can't make things too difficult for you, since he's been quite kind to me. But until then, you'd better stay put. Answer my questions, and I'll release you naturally."
"You…how did you know I work for Prince Yi!"
Wang Wei's voice trembled slightly, clearly unnatural. Fang Jie chuckled, "Clearly, your information isn't very good. If it were, you'd know I've been frequently visiting Prince Yi's residence lately. This Morning Dew Blade was a gift from the Prince."
Wang Wei paused, then said, "Since you know I work for the Prince, I advise you to release me quickly. If the Prince finds out, even if you're a favorite of His Majesty, you won't have a good end."
Fang Jie coldly said, "You're a prisoner now, yet you're threatening me?"
"I don't have time to argue with you… Tell me, do the barbarians in the southwest border have sorcerers who use poison magic?"
"Yes, that's no secret. Why did you arrest me?"
"Then let me ask you again…"
Fang Jie stood up, picking up the Morning Dew Blade: "Does the Southern Yan royal family still have the custom of supporting sorcerers?"
"I don't know! The last emperor of the Shang Kingdom did have this hobby. The reason why the Southern Yan emperor, Murong Chi, was able to escape…" It was because the sorcerer commanded puppet soldiers to carve a bloody path. But the first thing Murong Chi did after establishing the Southern Yan was to kill that sorcerer, and he also sent troops to slaughter several barbarian tribes closest to Southern Yan. I really don't know if the Southern Yan royal family still keeps sorcerers."
Fang Jie nodded, walked around Wang Wei with his sword in hand, and then asked in a deep voice, "Then tell me, does the Left Vanguard General Luo Yao, the Duke of Anguo, who guards the southwest of the Great Sui, keep such a sorcerer?"
…
…
Hearing this question, Wang Wei's body seemed to tremble slightly: "Fang Jie, you know I'm just a border brigade commander in Baishui City, and I was even dismissed from my post because of your matter. Even in the southwest frontier, I'm just a nobody, I've never even seen the General. But the General despises the southwestern barbarians, how could he possibly keep such evil spirits? That's beyond doubt, he definitely doesn't."
Fang Jie snorted coldly: "I'm only keeping him out of consideration for you…" "I'm being polite to you out of consideration for Prince Yi. If you don't tell the truth, don't blame me for doing something that might damage our relationship. Although you're just a brigade commander in Baishui City, before going there you were a soldier in the General's Mansion. You can't hide this from me, and there are many things you can't hide from me."
"Your father was originally a veteran under Luo Yao. Because of his exceptional skills, Luo Yao appointed him as the bodyguard of his eldest son, Luo Wu. Because of that incident years ago, Luo Yao killed Luo Wu, and your father was implicated and beheaded. After you grew up, Luo Yao perhaps felt indebted to your father, so he took you in as a guard in the General's Mansion. But you were determined to fight on the battlefield, and after pleading, Luo Yao let you go to Baishui City."
"You certainly lived up to expectations, fighting bravely and with a ruthless heart. You were quickly promoted to platoon leader. Two years later, you became a squad leader. Two years after that, you became a brigade commander… You don't need to wonder how I know all this. If I wanted to investigate someone..." "The background isn't too difficult."
Fang Jie tapped Wang Wei's face with his Dewdrop Blade and said, "Now you just need to tell me the truth: is there a barbarian sorcerer in Luo Yao's mansion?"
"No!"
Wang Wei gritted his teeth and said, "I've never seen one."
Fang Jie sighed and said, "Since you're unwilling to say, then I'll have to be blunt."
He pointed the Dewdrop Blade at Wang Wei's lower abdomen, where his Qi Sea was located, and said gently, "Many years ago, General Luo Yao had his Qi Sea shattered but miraculously survived. Amazingly, he became one of the most powerful ninth-rank masters in the world. Do you think your luck is as good as Luo Yao's?"
Wang Wei's expression changed, and he couldn't help but plead, "There's no hatred between us, why are you trying to harm me like this? I was telling the truth before; I really didn't know if there was a sorcerer in the General's mansion."
Fang Jie shook his head and slightly moved his hand forward. The incredibly sharp Morning Dew Blade easily pierced Wang Wei's clothes and skin. A drop of blood slid down the blade, leaving no trace. The blade was indeed bloodless, appearing perfectly clean.
"Is there any blood?"
Fang Jie asked.
Wang Wei shook his head. "Really, no."
Fang Jie pushed the blade forward a little more, and Wang Wei let out a soft cry. Because he was hanging upside down, he could see his own blood dripping in front of him. Soon, a small patch of blood stained the ground.
"Do you know why I'm sure you're lying?"
Fang Jie thrust the blade in a little further, his hand as steady as a machine. The Morning Dew Blade remained motionless in his hand, but there was no doubt that if he pushed it forward just a little more, the blade would slice into Wang Wei's abdomen. Then, with a twist, not only would his intestines be shredded, but his dantian would also be damaged.
Wang Wei looked at Fang Jie in fear, completely bewildered as to what he had said wrong.
Fang Jie smiled and said coldly, "Because you've been so certain that there are no sorcerers around the General. If you truly didn't know, your answer should have been 'I don't know.' Yet you answered so definitively that there aren't any... so you must know. Wang Wei, I know your heart is hard enough, so today let's test whether you're just as hard-hearted as you are to yourself."