Chapter 183
wering zhenqi. But with his master behind him, he naturally wouldn’t back down even half a step. With a flash of his eyes, he let out a light shout. The vigorous zhenqi he had been acc.u.mulating for several decades flowed into his palms.
Their arms had already unlocked; now
...
"Officer Fan Xian, what do you have to say about your misconduct?"
"This civil servant knows not his crimes."
Those two lines which Fan Xian had imagined were not spoken. The esteemed one only sat by the table and looked at him with curiosity. The esteemed one’s gaze seemed to be gentler than before, casually yet carefully scanning Fan Xian’s face, making him slightly uncomfortable.
The esteemed one spoke in a soft voice, "Which family do you belong to, young one?"
"Your Highness, we are from the Fan household. Yesterday we went to our country estate to rest, and today we were simply enjoying the sights and came here. I don’t know why your esteemed servant has to give us a hard time." Fan Xian had thought about it and decided "Your Highness" was an appropriate t.i.tle. Hearing Fan Xian’s answer, Gong Dian was bewildered as he realized the person he was trying to capture was Fan Xian, who had killed an eighth-ranked master. He then thought of Fan Xian’s father, Count Sinan, who was one of his master’s most trusted aides, who possessed authority that not even Gong Dian fully understood. For that reason, Gong Dian thought he knew why his master ordered him not to disclose the existence of that master. He also gave an awkward gaze towards Fan Xian in apology.
The esteemed one smiled, "You are the son of Fan Jian?"
Hearing his father’s name being addressed directly allowed Fan Xian to confirm the ident.i.ty of the esteemed one. His answer became noticeably more respectful, "Precisely."
Fan Xian didn’t expect the esteemed one to be so easy to converse with. He blanked out for a moment before coming back to his senses. He apologized profusely.
The esteemed one then said, "You’ve been in the capital for some months already. How have things been?"
While he didn’t know why the esteemed one was asking about his well-being, Fan Xian would not let this chance slip by. Remembering the mess of these past few months, he said in a somewhat complaining tone, "Living in the capital has been difficult. It pales in comparison to home."
"You mean Danzhou."
"Precisely."
"You like living in Danzhou?"
"While secluded, Danzhou’s people are simple folk. As long as you don’t harm others, n.o.body will harm you, unlike in the capital where things tend to come to you regardless of whether or not you want them."
The esteemed one wasn’t expecting the youth to be so direct. He was just so slightly taken aback. He then said with a smile, "The capital is prosperous without compare. Its hards.h.i.+ps are naturally also peerless. But under Sir Fan’s protection, as well as taking into consideration your current achievements in civil and martial matters, I’d imagine you will have a secure life later on."
If it weren’t for the purpose of disguise, Fan Xian really wanted to kneel down and thank the esteemed one for his Imperial compliments. As wild as Fan Xian had been in the capital, His Majesty was said to have a mouth of gold and words of jade… However, Fan Xian’s expression remained unchanged. He answered softly, "I hope so."
It was getting late, and the esteemed one had many matters to attend to. Before he left, he squinted again at Fan Xian before giving him a satisfied smile, "Let us meet again, if fate will allow it." He then turned towards Fan Ruoruo and said lightly, "Young girl, I once held you when you were just a baby. To think you’ve grown up so much in the blink of an eye… There is a fine marriage waiting for you in the future."
Fan Ruoruo was slightly startled and didn’t know what to say. Upon saying this, the esteemed one let out a hearty laugh, as if very glad, before boarding a carriage and leaving the teahouse. After traveling some distance, the esteemed one sighed lightly, "Him climbing the walls every night reminds me ever so vaguely of myself back in the day."
Back in the teahouse, Fan Ruoruo asked, "Who was that man? He seemed to be familiar with father."
Fan Xian finally relaxed and sat down on a stool. Breaking out in sweat, he said, "That was His Majesty… Dammit, why do they all like coming out incognito? Don’t they know how scary it is?" With this, Fan Ruoruo covered her mouth in shock.
At that moment, a clap of thunder echoed through the blue, cloudless sky, as if wanting to pierce through the bamboo of the teahouse and blast a certain someone to death for speaking without a filter.