Book 14: Chapter 41

Su Xiao’s Strategy Philosophy: Simple and Aggressive (Part 1)

“Your subject is glad to see you are in good health after all these years.”

“Y-yeah… Hi.”

Zhao Tiankui whipped his head up and narrowed his eyes.

What are you suspecting?! Was my response out of character?

I recalled the graceful tone s.h.i.+fu usually conversed with people in and asked, “b.l.o.o.d.y useless sack of c.r.a.p, you didn’t even send someone to welcome me when you heard I was returning? Where is my litter? What about my wine? Where are the girls? What are you here for? You think you’re eye candy?”

Zhao Tiankui relaxed his eyes. “Your subject did not kn-”

“Now you know, so where is my litter? What’s the point of employing you as a general if you can’t make a litter appear out of thin air? Go fetch me a litter.”

I had seen s.h.i.+fu’s manner of talking to people millions of times already, so I could imitate it, but I had no idea if a soldier would feel insulted and attack me…

Zhao Tiankui stood up vigorously.

I was just saying that! Don’t hurt me!

Zhao Tiankui went down on all fours and elevated his back. “There is no litter prepared, so your subject will have to ask you to make do with this.”

… s.h.i.+fu… What the h.e.l.l did you do to the man?

“Get lost. I don’t touch men.”

Zhao Tiankui stood up without any other hints of suspecting me. “Your subject shall go fetch a litter and wom-”

“Wait. I have orders.”

“Your subject is at your service.”

I felt apologetic for making Zhao Tiankui show so much respect. Sure, he was a battle monger and unreasonable, but he was a true man.

“Ming Feizhen is my friend.”

Zhao Tiankui juddered.

“Why are you trying to fight him?”

“… Ambition.” Zhao Tiankui bit down on his bottom lip and elaborated, “Your subject cannot stand it.”

I raised a brow. “What?”

“He is the most standout individual at the moment. Your subject wishes to defeat him to establish himself.”

I thought you wanted to avenge your son! This is the real reason behind your loyal and dominant façade?

“Your subject’s foolish son happens to have a feud with him, so your subject has challenged him to a duel as a martial artist. Unfortunately, he refuses to accept.”

That was expected, but one thing stuck out to me.

“Why do even you call your son foolish?”

Isn’t that an indirect insult at yourself as his father?

“Is that not the name you gave him? Ever since you called him that, your subject has followed suit. You are right. He is a fool.”

s.h.i.+fu… You…

Zhao Tiankui appeared very on board with the name. “Your subject has missed you during the years you have been absent. Everyone believed in you ever since you single-handedly defeated every man in the courtyard. Your subject still remembers it as if it happened yesterday.”

It finally all clicked together for me. The Three Chief Military Commissions did continue receiving flying-colours level acknowledgement, but they couldn’t do anything about being discarded afterwards. They had essentially came together to survive and created a small closed-off world that housed their disappointment and anger. Understandably, they’d react strongly if His Majesty a.s.signed someone to command them all of a sudden.

It suddenly dawned on me that perhaps it wasn’t His Majesty who wanted to instate Fuma Jingan as Commissioner-in-chief. To some extent, Jingan must’ve been involved. If her husband obeyed her, then she virtually had a military force under her control.

s.h.i.+fu must’ve been stupefied when he entered the Three Chief Military Commissions’ headquarters and saw all the hostility directed at him, but, him being him, he wouldn’t have been stupefied for long. Knowing him, he’d have laid them all out. Considering how Zhao Tiankui treated him, s.h.i.+fu probably subjected them to a host of more ruthless stuff.

On behalf of Mount Daluo, sorry guys…

“In any case, Ming Feizhen is my friend.”

“Understood. Your subject will not bother him again.”

“That’s more like it.” To be safe, I added, “We went through life and death together; we’re as close as blood brothers. He should be treated as if he’s me.”

“So…”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, not at all. Since he is your brother, he is your subject’s father.”

“Good!”

Hi, my son!

“I still have business to finish, so head back.”

“You still have business? Your subject was hoping to consult you on his training. Please do not refuse him.”

Consult me on your training? c.r.a.p… I don’t know their martial arts. How am I supposed to teach him…? Drats. I’m not in a position to refuse.

“What do you want to know?”

“The Pure Yang One Qi you taught me…”

s.h.i.+fu, you never even taught me Pure Yang One Qi, yet you taught him?! Who’s your real disciple?! Now I know why this guy managed to beat my two aces. All because of you, he’s improved by leaps and bounds in the last three years!

“Your subject dares say he is quite educated in the art of using fists, but he still has numerous questions regarding Pure Yang One Qi. May h-”

“I know someone who is also trained in it. Practice with him again.”

Zhao Tiankui was elated to hear he’d have answers to his queries, but something then struck him. “Why did you say ‘again’?”

***

“Amitabha. You have finally woken up.”

Tang Ye reflexively went to touch his hair when, but he stopped when he identified “her” voice. “Xiao Han.”

Tang Ye looked down to see Su Xiao, sitting by Tang Ye’s bed, knocking on a small wooden fish. “Am I… dead?”

Su Xiao stopped knocking. “You wish. There’s plenty of work waiting for you to finish. Do you have any self-awareness of your importance to the people?”

Tang Ye had a think, then nodded as best as he could with his stiff neck and replied, “No.”

“You need to develop it fast, then. You’d be dead if they didn’t feed you. Think about it: your medicine, room, blankets, it all comes from the tax they pay. You need to do everything in your power to repay them.”

From that day on, Tang Ye agreed with Ming Feizhen’s evaluation: they didn’t need to worry about Su Xiao getting into a fight. They needed to worry about Su Xiao being too educated.

“How much time do we have left until the idol compet.i.tion?”

“Tomorrow?”

Tang Ye pulled his brows together. He was already worrying before he could find out the status of his condition. Ming Feizhen stressed over and over that he had to win, but Tang Ye couldn’t even remember what he would be competing in. His compet.i.tion, on the other hand, had plenty of confidence; the scions of the White Princes alone were a handful.

“Relax. I already have it all planned out,” a.s.serted Su Xiao, knocking on the wooden fish twice.

“Where… did you get the wooden fish from?”

“It is my wooden fish,” answered a monk, standing with his hands behind his back and smile that exuded a refined demeanour.