(I'm really awesome, I actually wrote 6666 words again yesterday.)

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A strange smile flashed and disappeared, but astonishment remained in the Grand Master's eyes. Logically speaking, a Grand Master of his stature had experienced countless earth-shattering events in his life. Even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, he probably wouldn't even blink. Yet, this astonishment was so clear.

Fan Xian had been watching Si Gu Jian's eyes, so he accurately grasped the great man's inner thoughts. While secretly smiling wryly, he couldn't help but feel a little proud.

The reason he had been watching Si Gu Jian's eyes was because there was nothing else to look at on Si Gu Jian at that moment.

The short old man sat in a wheelchair, the left half of his face was shattered, sunken deeply. His left arm was also broken, the empty sleeve swaying lightly in the wind. Although his large linen robe covered his body, obscuring the extent of his injuries, one could imagine that it was exceptionally appalling.

This was the first time in his life that Fan Xian had seen Si Gu Jian, the most powerful man under heaven, the Sword Saint who had guarded Dong Yi City for decades.

In his imagination, this grandmaster who had perfected the sword should have possessed at least a touch of otherworldly detachment, if not ethereal elegance. However, he never expected Si Gu Jian to appear before him in this state.

So miserable, so pathetic. Only his eyes were filled with innate ferocious intent and a sword will that defied the heavens. Therefore, Fan Xian could only stare at his eyes, fearing he might be disrespectful.

The atmosphere in the room was subtle. Facing such a mythical figure, Fan Xian should have been more excited, but he couldn't muster any excitement. Perhaps it was because he knew the other party was going to die in a few days, or perhaps it was because he had lived with Uncle Wu Zhu since childhood, or perhaps it was because his parents were both super figures no less than Grand Masters.

The sword attendant pushed the wheelchair into the morning light, the faint rays illuminating the terrifying wounds on Si Gu Jian's face. The sword attendant retreated obediently. Si Gu Jian was the first to break the silence. After staring at Fan Xian for a long while, he sighed in a hoarse voice, "Admirable, admirable."

This Grand Master had been known as an idiot since childhood. After achieving great success in the sword, he roamed freely between heaven and earth, never yielding. He was arrogant and unrestrained. Even on Mount Dong, after being severely injured by Emperor Qing and Ye Liu Yun in a joint attack, he remained stubborn and unyielding, crying and laughing wildly, refusing to bow his head.

He was the strongest man under heaven. To make him admire someone was basically impossible. So when he repeatedly said "admirable" to Fan Xian, Fan Xian couldn't help but blush, feeling rather embarrassed.

Fan Xian knew what the words "admirable" referred to. The other party didn't admire Emperor Qing, didn't admire Ye Liu Yun, but admired himself, naturally because of the sounds that had been heard last night.

"You're too kind, too kind." He coughed, covering up his embarrassment, and turned his body slightly.

The morning light shone down, enveloping the bodies of the old man and the young man. Fan Xian naturally and habitually stood beside the wheelchair, slightly frowning as he felt this scene, a strange feeling welling up in his heart.

Was this pitiful, short, skinny, wounded man in the chair the legendary Si Gu Jian, who was incomparably tyrannical and killed people like flies?

Sunlight pierced through Si Gu Jian's eyebrows, faintly emitting white light, as if his eyebrows had suddenly turned white. Fan Xian stared blankly at that spot, looking at the still intact half of the Grand Master's face. He suddenly realized that the Grand Master's age was not as old as he had imagined.

Three years ago, when Fan Xian escaped from Mount Dong, only Ye Liu Yun was on the boat. He hadn't encountered either Ku He or Si Gu Jian. Of course, if he had encountered them then, he probably wouldn't have been able to escape back to Kyoto. So he didn't know what had happened on the mountain at that time. He didn't see the tragic scene of a sword light illuminating the lonely jade peak, slaughtering all the Tiger Guards, and blood flooding the mountain path.

But this didn't affect his hidden fear of Si Gu Jian, because he knew that the Grand Master was indeed somewhat insane. Someone who could kill a hundred Tiger Guards could naturally kill him easily.

Fan Xian hadn't met Si Gu Jian before, but he wasn't unfamiliar with the Grand Master. Since he had entered Kyoto, the Jian Lu (Sword Hermitage) of Dong Yi City had become the role that the Supervisory Council, the Eldest Princess, and even the Qing Kingdom court and His Majesty, liked to use to take the blame. In any case, the Grand Master didn't leave the Jian Lu, so he had to let the shameless people of Qing Kingdom pour dirty water on him.

Because of the Eldest Princess, the Supervisory Council, led by Fan Xian, and the Jian Lu of Dong Yi City had engaged in a fierce battle for years. Starting with the Niu Lan Street incident, they had regarded each other as enemies and used all means until finally, Fan Xian went to Jiangnan and used Shadow's strength to drive Yun Zhi Lan and his group back.

However, Fan Xian was very clear that this was because Si Gu Jian had always disdained to deal with him. If the other party had really wanted to kill him, he might have died many years ago.

After that, Fan Xian successfully inherited the Internal Treasury. At this moment, Si Gu Jian behaved more like a mature politician than an idiot with only super martial prowess. Si Gu Jian put down past grievances and sent his most beloved disciple, Wang Shisanlang, to express his attitude to Fan Xian.

So Fan Xian was familiar with Si Gu Jian, or rather, he thought he was familiar with Si Gu Jian. But today, when he met him, he realized that the other party was still a stranger to him, an unfathomable, terrifying stranger whose nature was unknown.

There seemed to be an invisible pressure within the Jian Lu, emanating from the wounded man in the wheelchair, making it difficult for Fan Xian to breathe.

"I didn't kill you back then, not because I looked down on you." Si Gu Jian suddenly said mockingly in a hoarse voice, "The reason for not killing you is very simple, but you just don't know it yourself."

As soon as Si Gu Jian spoke, the oppressive feeling permeating the courtyard weakened slightly. Fan Xian's heart relaxed, and he quickly said, "Please enlighten me."

"Your mother's surname is Ye, isn't the reason very clear?" Si Gu Jian frowned, seemingly not expecting Fan Xian to be so foolish, and cursed with some annoyance.

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Fan Xian shrugged. He really couldn't understand the reason. However, his purpose for entering the Jian Lu today was not to reminisce with Si Gu Jian, but to talk about the future of Dong Yi City, the future of the world.

The number of people qualified to discuss the world had gradually decreased. Ku He was dead, Ye Liu Yun had truly become a recluse. After the Mount Dong incident, many people had died. Today, within the Jian Lu, there was the Emperor of Northern Qi, Fan Xian, and Si Gu Jian. They were all people qualified to sit and discuss the world.

"I believe you have read the proposal I had Shisanlang bring back."

"Proposal" was a very novel term. During the fourth year of the Qingli era, Fan Xian had Fan Sizhe write a proposal to open the Danbo Bookstore. Then this year, he had written one himself and sent it to Si Gu Jian, wanting to persuade the eccentric Grand Master to accept his proposal.

"I didn't read it." Si Gu Jian said indifferently.

As soon as he said this, Fan Xian felt as if he had been struck a heavy blow. He didn't know what the other party was thinking. He had painstakingly drafted the program, thinking that he could at least move the other party slightly. But if the other party didn't even take a look, how could they even talk about it?

"The mission from Southern Qing hasn't arrived yet, what are you in such a hurry for?" Si Gu Jian looked at him mockingly.

Fan Xian fell silent, then suddenly opened his mouth and said, "Last year, in a letter, I reported to you that I was confident in controlling Northern Qi. If you trust me, I can also ensure that Dong Yi City's independence is preserved to the greatest extent."

Si Gu Jian quietly looked at him, his twisted and sunken face setting off his calm eyes, appearing exceptionally serene. But within the serenity, there was a hint of madness that made people shudder.

"That kid is actually a woman, I really didn't expect it. So I said before that I admired you, but if you want to convince me that you have the ability to control the entire situation based on this alone, it seems to be lacking somewhat." Si Gu Jian said sarcastically in a gravelly voice, "Your father is no ordinary person. If you can't satisfy him, how will you deceive him?"

What Emperor Qing wanted was to swallow Dong Yi City into his territory. Si Gu Jian also knew that after his death, Dong Yi City and the surrounding small vassal states would no longer be able to protect themselves and would only await the fate of being swallowed up. But now that Northern Qi had emerged unexpectedly, the Dong Yi City faction naturally had to play the waiting game, hoping to preserve themselves as much as possible.

This was inherently two completely different directions. To satisfy both the Emperor and Si Gu Jian was an almost impossible task for Fan Xian. As the saying goes, pleasing one side offends the other. Even the courtesans in the brothels, who were good at pleasing everyone, could hardly achieve such a level.

The key now was still Si Gu Jian. As long as he nodded, everything would be easy. Fan Xian thought this in his heart, naturally pushing the wheelchair and beginning to walk on the dirt road around the Sword Mound, pushing the seriously injured Si Gu Jian to bask in the sun.

Si Gu Jian closed his eyes, enjoying the sunlight shining on his body. He suddenly opened his mouth and said, "You're quite skilled at pushing wheelchairs backward, better than those attendants. Why don't you stay and take care of me for these few months?"

Fan Xian smiled and replied, "It's no problem to take care of you for these few months, but you have to take a look at those things. The millions of people in Dong Yi City are watching you, waiting for you. You have to have some ideas."

"As for pushing wheelchairs, I'm used to pushing them in Kyoto."

"Oh, now that I think about it, that old black dog's leg was broken a long time ago." Si Gu Jian suddenly sighed and said, "The biggest mistake I've made in the past twenty years is actually misunderstanding the target. I've always regarded your emperor as the biggest target, but I never thought that if I had killed Chen Pingping from the beginning, perhaps your emperor wouldn't be so arrogant now."

Hidden within the very ordinary words was very strong confidence, as if Si Gu Jian could kill a terrifying figure like the Director of the Supervisory Council whenever he wanted to.

For some reason, the sea breeze around the Sword Mound paused slightly. As the sword intent in Si Gu Jian's words solidified and became difficult to move, Fan Xian's heart was fiercely pierced, and his face turned pale. Only then did he feel the true realm of a Grand Master, one thought, one action, and the surrounding environment actually resonated with it, the killing intent rising sharply, becoming unbearable.

His hands pressed hard on the back of the wheelchair, forcibly supporting himself, and said with extreme difficulty, "With your cultivation, if you focus on killing Director Chen, he naturally couldn't live too long. But the problem is, if you kill him, Ye Liu Yun will naturally come to kill the people of your Dong Yi City."

He took a few breaths with difficulty and then slowly said, "Even if all your people are dead, you still have disciples, Dong Yi City still has the City Lord's Mansion… Sword Saint, as His Majesty said, monsters like Grand Masters shouldn't exist in this world in the first place. Since you have appeared, you can't just act recklessly. You are just a dead object that maintains balance."

"Hmm, that makes sense." Si Gu Jian said with his head lowered.

Fan Xian continued to say with a difficult smile, "Sometimes, I feel very fortunate for the people of the world. Whether it's Grandmaster Ku He, or you, you always have something to care about in your heart, such as Northern Qi, such as Dong Yi City. If you were truly an idiot who acted according to your preferences, yet had the power of a Grand Master, I'm afraid the whole world would be in chaos."

"Of course." He emphasized, "If that were the case, I wouldn't even dream of persuading you of anything."

After a long silence, Si Gu Jian suddenly opened his mouth and said, "Last night, you brought me a lot of shock. So your so-called trump card is on that little emperor. I admit that you have the qualifications to negotiate with me. I also admit that I do care about the future of Dong Yi City… Perhaps it's a habit, a habit that I want to take into the grave even after I die. I'm used to protecting the citizens of this city."

He turned his head and said in a hoarse voice, "So as long as you satisfy me, I will also satisfy you."

"Nominal surrender, stationing troops, unchanged for fifty years." Fan Xian's heart beat faster. Looking into his eyes, he threw out a few words extremely quickly. These words had already been said to Wang Shisanlang in Qingzhou. Today, he was just repeating them in front of Si Gu Jian.

"Stationing troops?" Si Gu Jian laughed loudly, his laughter particularly shrill, causing Fan Xian's eyes to ache for a while. No matter how much he used his zhenqi to protect himself, he couldn't resist it.

His face was pale, and he groaned, cursing, "You won't kill me anyway, what's the meaning of torturing me like this?"

Si Gu Jian was stunned by these words. He shrugged and said, "It's just a habitual laugh, what does it have to do with torture?"

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"The Emperor of Northern Qi is actually a woman, tsk tsk." Si Gu Jian seemed not to have listened to Fan Xian's proposal at all, and was still immersed in this fact, seemingly very happy that before his death, he finally knew a certain secret.

Fan Xian finally discovered the strangeness of this Grand Master's nature. In an instant, he thought of Zhan Doudou still sleeping in the room, thinking that the Grand Master must have been eavesdropping all night, and his face became strange.

He subconsciously looked below Si Gu Jian's eyes, wondering if there were deep dark circles, or if he had corns. At this moment, Si Gu Jian also looked over, looking at the dark circles under Fan Xian's eyes, and frowning, he said, "Even if it's a female emperor, it's only a few times a year. You have to take it easy. If you die of excessive indulgence, even if I want to agree to you, I can't."

As soon as these words came out, Fan Xian was greatly embarrassed, but at the same time, he had a flash of inspiration and clearly heard the last sentence. His lips trembled slightly, not knowing how to respond.

The morning light gradually grew stronger, reflecting the shadow of the wheelchair in the Sword Mound, as if it was pierced by the countless swords, looking particularly pitiful. Fan Xian quietly looked at the shadow there, and suddenly thought of when he entered the Sword Hermitage and was chased by Lang Tao and Yun Zhilan, he had seen a familiar figure behind the second gate.

At that time, he even thought that that person had come, but now looking at the shadow in the Sword Mound, he realized that his guess had been wrong. The one who appeared behind the second gate at that time was Si Gu Jian himself, but he hadn't expected that his feeling of sitting in a wheelchair was so similar to Chen Pingping's.

Seeming to guess what he was thinking, Si Gu Jian said coldly, "No one can touch you under my nose."

However, Fan Xian didn't feel safe at all. He quietly looked at Si Gu Jian, quickly analyzing him in his heart, and suddenly opened his mouth and said, "No one can, doesn't mean no one dares. Yun Zhilan dares to imprison Shisanlang, dares to trade with the Qi people in private, dares to chase me in front of you…"

His heart was already shocked. Although Si Gu Jian casually expelled Yun Zhilan and Lang Tao from the hermitage, shocking the audience, based on his understanding of the Grand Master realm, Si Gu Jian didn't need to appear behind the second gate in the first place. That attack at that time only proved one fact: Si Gu Jian's current strength was far from his peak.

"I can't leave the hermitage now, because no one dares to push me to go." Si Gu Jian's eyes became a little strange, once again guessing Fan Xian's thoughts, "Your father and Ye Liu Yun injured me too badly. I was supposed to die a long time ago. I was lucky to survive until now, but I can't move anymore. I can only sit in this damned wheelchair. Even if I want to kill someone, I can't run anymore… Hmm, those who want to be killed by me, as long as they stay away from me, there's nothing I can do."

A trace of disappointment suddenly flashed through Fan Xian's heart. Such a Grand Master had fallen to such a state in the end, sealing himself in the Sword Hermitage and not being able to leave.

"Of course, no one dares to try." Si Gu Jian said with his eyes closed, "As long as you're by my side, you're still safe."

Fan Xian suddenly opened his mouth and said, "How many days do you have left to live?"

Si Gu Jian suddenly opened his eyes, seeming to be angered by this bold question, his gaze stabbing straight into the deepest part of Fan Xian's heart like a heavenly sword.

Fan Xian's eyes stung for a while, and he quickly closed them.

After a long time, Si Gu Jian said faintly, "About a hundred days left."

Fan Xian opened his eyes, somewhat afraid to look at this Grand Master whose emotions were difficult to control.

Si Gu Jian stared blankly at the deep pit under his feet, at the swaying sword branches in the pit, listening to the crisp clanging sound, not knowing what he was thinking. Perhaps he was thinking about the countless gorgeous fragments in this life, the countless times of drawing his sword, the countless victories, thinking about those who died under his sword, his expression gradually becoming gloomy.

He had only been defeated once in his life, on Mount Dong, but the defeat was so thorough that he now had to have such a humiliating conversation with a junior beside this sword pit.

"I once controlled Dong Yi City and the surrounding countless vassal states with the sword in my hand." Si Gu Jian suddenly said coldly, "But in the last period of my life, I realized that all I can control is still this thatched hut and this pit."

Fan Xian bowed deeply, knowing that the other party had finally made up his mind, and said, "This bow is on behalf of the Qing Kingdom's soldiers and civilians, and the people of Dong Yi City, to thank the Sword Saint for his mercy."

"No need to thank me." Si Gu Jian suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly and said, "If the person coming from Southern Qing wasn't you, I would never have agreed."

Fan Xian smiled, thinking that the Little Emperor of Northern Qi had come from thousands of miles away, and you avoided meeting her, which meant that you had already made a plan in your heart, so why say such things? The current situation dictated that if Si Gu Jian wanted to spare Dong Yi City from the disaster of war, there was only this one path.

Si Gu Jian looked at the cheerful young man beside him, and his mood was also a little strange. He had to admit that although this kid's strength was relatively poor, his luck was indeed good. He was able to solve a large part of the biggest problem—the pressure from Northern Qi—in just one night. He smiled again in his heart, thinking that this young man still didn't know why he had been maintaining such an attitude towards him.

Si Gu Jian wanted to see what Fan Xian's angry expression would look like when he finally solved the problem, but… perhaps he would already be dead by then, right? He thought sadly, then turned his head and looked at Fan Xian, saying, "You have to believe me, if it wasn't you, even if your Emperor came to kneel and beg me in person, I wouldn't agree to Southern Qing's conditions."

Fan Xian was puzzled.

Si Gu Jian lowered his head and laughed strangely, saying, "Ye Qingmei's household registration is still in Dong Yi City. Speaking of which, you are at least half a Dong Yi person, but it seems that you have never known this."