Even after the guards in dark red flying fish robes had all left, Fang Jie still hadn't completely relaxed. The first thing he did after arriving in this world, putting his past life's theories into practice, was not to easily trust anyone. Especially not a stranger who suddenly appeared before you.
The man Meng Wudi and the others called Mr. Zhuo seemed to know what Fang Jie was thinking. He smiled and said, "It's human nature. After all, it's hard for anyone to trust someone who suddenly appears before them, especially if that person comes from the same place as those who are chasing them."
He hit Fang Jie right where it hurt, and the key was that Fang Jie didn't say a word!
"Mind reading?"
Fang Jie couldn't help but ask.
"Mind reading?"
Mr. Zhuo repeated it, then nodded, saying, "That's a good name, but I used to call this ability 'peeping vision.'"
Fang Jie thought to himself, "So, are you an endoscope or an external peeping vision?"
But thinking this, he immediately stopped, fearing that this person who could read minds would see through his thoughts again. He couldn't help but ask Mr. Zhuo, "Is your ability a talent or cultivation?"
"There are many people in this world with high cultivation, but their abilities are merely that of being good fighters. Those with different talents, however, possess abilities that are incredibly diverse. The world is vast, and many seemingly insignificant people may possess astonishing talents and supernatural abilities... special abilities? How did you come up with such a term?"
Mr. Zhuo didn't delve into those four words, but smiled and said, "However, if I don't want to study, I won't learn anything. But you know, the kind of thing that involves reading people's minds is always addictive. It took me a full ten years to be able to control this desire at will."
"If it were..." "If it were me, I'm afraid I'd either have made a mistake and ended up in jail, or I'd have lost my life."
Fang Jie sighed, causing Mr. Zhuo's expression to change slightly. He slowly walked to the clear spring, squatted down, cupped his hands, took a sip, and sighed, "If I had this kind of awareness at your age, I probably wouldn't have taken so many detours. I do seem to have experienced near-death experiences a few times. As for imprisonment… I realized I should control my desire to see into people's hearts, and it took me ten years to achieve that, all spent in prison."
He smiled and said, "The kind of prison that's very sturdy and also very desolate."
Fang Jie was stunned, unsure what to say.
"Let's go."
Mr. Zhuo stood up and said, "Now that we've brought you here, it's time to return to the capital. These past years, I haven't been out and about. After leaving prison, I became enamored with the vastness of the capital, and leaving that magnificent city almost made me lose myself. Several times, seeing beautiful mountains and clear waters, I've had the urge to settle down there and never return to the capital. Ten years of purgatory haven't even allowed me to control my desires. I'm ashamed."
"If someone could truly control their desires..."
Fang Jie leaped onto his crimson horse and shook his head, saying, "Then he must be a saint."
This time, it was Mr. Zhuo who was stunned, then nodded, saying, "Indeed."
Fang Jie did... A gesture of invitation followed, and the man asked, "Shall we ride together?"
Mr. Zhuo smiled and shook his head. "I have my own mount, but it's different from fine steeds like yours. It can't go very far in a day, and it has quite a temper. If it refuses to move, even I can't help it. So, if it moves slowly once we're on the road... don't worry."
Fang Jie couldn't help but guess, "Is it a donkey?"
Mr. Zhuo burst into laughter. "You're an interesting young man, and all three of you are interesting people. This trip has been worthwhile just because I met the three of you."
He magically produced a flute from his old, slightly faded gray robe and gently played a tune. A short while later, a cry came from the dense forest on the other side. It was peculiar; Fang Jie couldn't immediately recognize the animal, but it certainly wasn't a donkey.
When the creature slowly emerged from the forest, the three of them were startled.
Mr. Zhuo's mount was actually a boar.
A wild boar. The wild boar was enormous and possessed a fierce, almost monstrous beauty. Its two tusks were easily two feet long, sharp as a standard-issue sword from the Sui Dynasty. The boar appeared even larger than an old ox, walking slowly but with an air of imposing authority.
It seemed like the king of the forest, surveying its territory.
"It's time to go back,"
Mr. Zhuo said to the boar.
The boar seemed indifferent to him, but showed interest in Fang Jie and his two companions. The moment the enormous boar appeared, even the well-trained horses of Northern Liao, accustomed to wild beasts, trembled slightly. Fang Jie's crimson horse fared somewhat better, only pawing the ground restlessly. The other two pure white warhorses huddled together, too terrified to move.
Having frightened the three horses, the boar felt no sense of accomplishment whatsoever. It grunted twice through its nose, as if to tell the three horses it had no interest in them. Especially the way it raised its chin; its arrogant expression was almost human-like in its clarity.
Mr. Zhuo chuckled awkwardly, "As I said before, Little Flower is a bit disobedient."
He clumsily climbed onto the wild boar's back, then naturally grabbed a tuft of its mane. Riding a boar, even a wild boar, always felt a little awkward.
Fang Jie suddenly wondered if riding a boar would be more comfortable than riding a horse.
"What did you say its name was?"
Big Dog asked warily, watching the huge boar.
Mr. Zhuo smiled proudly, then answered seriously, "Little Flower, its full name is Pig Little Flower."
...
...
Besides Fang Jie's crimson horse, which dared to keep a relatively close distance from Pig Little Flower, the other two warhorses obediently followed behind, moving faster as the boar went. If the pig walked slowly, no matter how much the big dog and Mu Xiaoyao urged them, they wouldn't dare to overtake it.
Fang Jie couldn't help but secretly praise it, thinking to himself that this little pig, Xiaohua, truly exuded an aura of dominance. If it didn't move, the other animals dared not move. If it moved, the other animals dared not stop.
"Mr. Zhuo, you just mentioned that His Majesty also knows me?"
After leaving the woods and turning onto the official road, Fang Jie, unable to suppress his curiosity any longer, finally asked. In fact, Mr. Zhuo had said many things in the woods, but what concerned Fang Jie the most was that his Majesty already knew about this young man… For Fang Jie, who was determined to establish himself in the capital, this sentence was undoubtedly very attractive.
"Yes, His Majesty knows you."
Mr. Zhuo replied calmly.
"How did he know?"
Fang Jie asked persistently. "I don't know either. I only heard the Commander of the Garrison mention it. His Majesty seems to admire you a lot. It seems you only took the Martial Arts Academy exam after achieving twenty-one military merits in Fangu? You know, ten military merits are enough to qualify for a recommendation to the Ministry of War, and then after layers of selection, the most suitable candidate is chosen. You only reported to the Ministry of War after twenty-one merits, so there's no need for a second selection; you should have directly received the Ministry of War's approval to take the exam."
"Huh?"
Fang Jie was stunned for a moment, then cursed, "Li Xiaozong, you bastard!" Mr. Zhuo asked, "Li Xiaozong? The military commander of the Fan Gu border army?"
Fang Jie nodded resentfully, "That guy told me that to participate in the Martial Arts Academy's exam, I needed to accumulate at least twenty-one military merits!"
Mr. Zhuo paused, then burst into laughter, "I thought you resisted the temptation to skip the selection process and instead earned double the merits to directly enter the academy."
Fang Jie smiled wryly and asked, "What else did His Majesty mention about me?"
"Nothing else..."
At this point, Mr. Zhuo kindly reminded him, "Don't think that just because His Majesty mentioned your name once in the Imperial Study, your participation in the Martial Arts Academy's exam is a done deal. His Majesty is extremely busy, handling countless and trivial matters every day. He might forget your name the next day, and perhaps never remember it again."
Fang Jie sighed, "Being busy with countless affairs is tiring."
Mr. Zhuo asked, "What do you mean?"
Fang Jie naturally refused to explain, smiling and changing the subject. The question arose: "Mr. Zhuo, do you think I can get into the Martial Arts Academy?"
"Why be so fixated on the gates of the Martial Arts Academy?"
Mr. Zhuo said, "Since you come from a military background, even if you don't get into the Martial Arts Academy, you'll still have to return to the army. With your ability to earn twenty-one military merits at such a young age, and the opportunity that His Majesty mentioned your name once in the Imperial Study, even if you don't pass the exam, will your future path be difficult?"
"Didn't you say His Majesty might forget about it the next day?"
"His Majesty..." "To forget..."
Mr. Zhuo looked at Fang Jie earnestly and said, "But do you think the officials in the court would dare to forget? Even if His Majesty only casually mentioned your name once in the Imperial Study, the officials in the Ministry of War would definitely take you very seriously. Because they would worry that if His Majesty mentioned you again, they would be powerless to do anything. Of course, if you don't occasionally remind His Majesty of your abilities, you will eventually fade into obscurity, perhaps even dying without knowing how."
"Occasionally remind His Majesty of you."
Fang Jie firmly remembered these words.
"You have no advantage in the martial arts examination."
Mr. Zhuo suddenly said.
Fang Jie nodded. He knew that his inability to cultivate was indeed the most fatal flaw for a place like the Martial Arts Academy, which selects military generals.
"Then think about it, what other skills do you have?"
Mr. Zhuo counted on his fingers one by one: "You're not good at martial arts, so in subjects like strategy, military tactics, astronomy, geography, psychology, and mathematics, are you particularly skilled in anything?"
Fang Jie initially thought that with his foundation from his previous life, mathematics shouldn't be a problem. However, considering the vastness of the Sui Dynasty and the abundance of extraordinary individuals, he lost confidence. So, after careful consideration, he shook his head.
Mr. Zhuo's eyes flashed with disappointment, but he still didn't give up: "Even in painting or calligraphy, you can be accomplished. Military advisors need to create maps during marches and campaigns, and record the army's movements and battles. If you paint well and write beautifully, you might have a chance to become an advisor, and becoming an advisor is a good way to advance your career."
Fang Jie thought carefully again, then shook his head again. He still had the same thought: the Sui Dynasty was too vast, and those taking the exam were the elite of the elite. He had some basic skills in painting, but they were barely at the beginner level. As for his handwriting… only his own name was written fairly neatly, but it certainly wasn't beautiful.
"You're not good at any of these things, so what do you think the Martial Arts Academy wants you for? And why did you even apply to the Martial Arts Academy?"
Mr. Zhuo asked, surprised.
"To…"
Fang Jie didn't continue, but looked at Mr. Zhuo seriously and asked, "You're not trying to read my mind, are you?"
Mr. Zhuo rolled his eyes at him and said, "That's not an easy task. It requires concentration. Do you think I'm watching what you're thinking all the time?"
Fang Jie immediately breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving this answer. Then, he sat up straight on his crimson horse, looked at Mr. Zhuo solemnly, and said in a loud voice, "I want to enter the Martial Arts Academy to increase my abilities so that I can better serve His Majesty and the Great Sui Dynasty! As a soldier…" "A person must always remember their responsibilities!"
Mr. Zhuo was taken aback, then sighed, "You underestimate me."
Fang Jie was puzzled: "No, I respect you very much."
Mr. Zhuo looked at Fang Jie with disdain: "Do you think that as long as I don't have any ulterior motives, I can't tell how insincere your words were?"
He looked Fang Jie over carefully and sighed: "Unfortunately, the Martial Arts Academy isn't a brothel and doesn't accept young masters... Your delicate skin and handsome features are quite appealing. Many noble families prefer young masters to young ladies."
Fang Jie remained silent.
Mr. Zhuo angrily shouted: "Don't swear!"