The sky was beginning to show a sliver of dawn, and a gentle morning breeze stirred in the courtyard. Though the light was still dim, the figure beside the artificial hill wore rough cloth garments, with an iron skewer casually thrust into his waist. A black cloth covered his face, yet he seemed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding scenery, emitting not a single sound. His very presence felt ethereal, so much so that even if a servant were to pass by, they might not notice him.

Fan Xian gazed at this relative he had spent the past sixteen years with, a wave of indescribable emotions washing over him. He felt an urge to beat him up...but knew he couldn't win. Should he rush over and cry? Uncle Wu Zhu was hardly the sentimental type.

And so, he shook his head, forcibly suppressing the joy in his heart, and walked over. He then noticed that Wu Zhu was holding a small knife, meticulously carving something. As he drew closer, he realized it was a piece of wood.

"Thankfully, you're not carving a woman's figure… or I'd think you’d turned into the Blind Explorer, that despicable Li Xunhuan." The courtyard was quiet, and Fan Xian said with a suppressed laugh, "That would make me want to throw up."

To Fan Xian's surprise, Wu Zhu nodded. "Li Xunhuan is indeed a shameless person."

Now it was Fan Xian's turn to be stunned. After a long pause, he asked, "You know Li Xunhuan?"

Wu Zhu put the wooden piece and knife back into his sleeve and said coldly, "Miss told that story. And she disliked the male protagonist the most."

Fan Xian chuckled. "Seems I'm really like my old lady."

…

…

A moment later, the two of them were in the most secluded of the three study rooms in the Fan residence. Though there were no traps around, no one could approach this study without Fan Xian's permission, not even Fan Shangshu, who had tacitly accepted this rule.

"So, what have you been up to for the past six months?" Without a doubt, Fan Xian was extremely interested in Wu Zhu's disappearance. Although he had confirmed his guess from that small piece of wood, such earth-shattering gossip needed to be heard from the person involved to feel truly exciting. He seemed to have forgotten the true qi scurrying around inside him like a little mouse, and forgot that he should probably ask his uncle how to save his life first. Instead, he stared directly into Wu Zhu's eyes.

He poured himself a cup of leftover tea from the night before, naturally not offering any to Wu Zhu, as Wu Zhu didn't drink tea.

"I went to the North." Wu Zhu thought for a moment, seemingly confirming his itinerary. "Then, I went to the South."

Fan Xian was accustomed to his uncle's eccentric way of thinking and wasn't bothered by the boring nature of the answer. He patiently asked, "What did you do in the North? And what did you do in the South?"

"I went to the North to find Ku He." Wu Zhu said calmly, unaware of how many people would be terrified if this information were to spread. "We fought. Then I went to the South to find someone."

Fan Xian chuckled. The Grandmaster Ku He had been injured, no doubt by the blind uncle in front of him. He then thought of a question, frowning with concern. "Are you alright?"

Wu Zhu tilted his head slightly, looking at his left shoulder. "Injured here. Already healed."

Still concise. However, Fan Xian could sense the danger involved. He had fought against Haitang Duoduo and had a better understanding of the strength of Haitang's bald master, one of the four Grandmasters in the world. Wu Zhu might be formidable, but injuring the other party must have come at a price. As long as he was alright now.

"Why did you have to fight?" Fan Xian frowned.

Wu Zhu said, "Firstly, if he were in Northern Qi, I thought it would be inconvenient for you." Fan Xian nodded. If Ku He had been stationed in Shangjing at the time of his mission, he would never have been able to manipulate the armed forces of Northern Qi and obtain so much useful information before Xiao En died.

Wu Zhu continued, "Secondly, I felt like I used to know Ku He, so I wanted to ask him what happened back then."

Fan Xian suddenly looked up, staring at him in surprise. A thought flashed through his mind, reminding him of Xiao En's memories of the Eternal Night Temple before his death. He frowned and said softly, "...Maybe… uncle really does know Ku He, at least from back then."

He then told Wu Zhu the entire story he had heard in the cave, hoping he could recall something important. Like Wu Zhu's relationship with the Temple. When he was little, Wu Zhu had told him that he and his mother had escaped from home together. Was that home… the Temple?

Wu Zhu was silent for a long time, not exhibiting the common scene in novels of someone holding their head, thinking hard, and pulling their hair out in agony, only to remember nothing. He simply said, "I don't remember."

…

…

Now it was Fan Xian's turn to pull his hair out. He muttered, "What's going on?" He shook his head, dispelling the disappointment in his heart, and asked, "Why didn't you come back to the capital after you were injured? You were already injured, so why did you go to the South to find someone… Wait, is Ye Liuyun in the South?"

Wu Zhu coldly shook his head. "There were some problems in the South… After confirming that Ku He knew me, I went to the South, trying to find the person with the problem, but I couldn't find them."

Fan Xian felt an even worse headache. He had been causing trouble in the North and South for the past six months, and it seemed that his uncle hadn't been resting much either. He had played a charade of fighting and recognizing relatives with the Northern Qi State Preceptor, and then went to the South to find relatives. But since Ku He knew Wu Zhu… right, Xiao En had said that Ku He's achievements today were inseparable from his trip to the Temple. At that time, he knew his mother, but his mother and Wu Zhu weren't together then.

The person with the problem in the South? Who could that be? Fan Xian's mind raced. He immediately thought of the case file he had received in Shangjing. A cold-blooded serial killer had appeared in the south of Qing Kingdom, and Yan Bingyun was taking the matter very seriously, planning to dispatch His Majesty's personal Tiger Guards to find the person in the future. But since even Wu Zhu hadn't found that person, it was likely that Little Yan would also be disappointed in the future.

He took a deep breath, putting aside these things that wouldn't affect him for the time being, and reported his actions over the past six months to his uncle, even telling him the secret agreement he had with Haitang Duoduo that no one else knew about. Unexpectedly, Wu Zhu had no reaction.

Fan Xian had known since he was a child that Wu Zhu wouldn't praise him. But he had caused so much trouble, even eliminating Xiao En and making the Second Prince so miserable. Shouldn't you at least have some reaction to the story?

Seeming to notice that Fan Xian was a little unhappy, Wu Zhu thought for a moment and said a sentence by way of explanation: "They're all small matters."

That's right. From the perspective of people like Wu Zhu and His Majesty, the struggle between him and the Second Prince was no different from a children's quarrel. As for that secret agreement, perhaps His Majesty would be slightly interested, but Wu Zhu would definitely be indifferent. Understanding this, Fan Xian chuckled self-deprecatingly, and naturally extended his right hand, saying, "My hand has been shaking a lot lately, you need to take a look."

After learning that Fan Xian's true qi was showing signs of running wild, Wu Zhu remained calm like a machine, saying, "I haven't practiced it, I don't know what to do."

When it came to matters of life and death, Fan Xian finally freaked out, lowering his voice and roaring, "You let me practice something with no safety net… I was just born then! What if I practiced myself to death?"

"Miss said, this thing is the best." Wu Zhu replied coldly, "And someone has succeeded in practicing it before."

"Then naturally someone has failed." Fan Xian unceremoniously pointed out the flaw in his uncle's words.

Wu Zhu didn't hide anything. "There's no major problem, at most your true qi will be completely dissipated, and you'll become an ordinary person, unless you're foolish enough to be reluctant to give up these so-called true qi at the last moment."

Fan Xian was furious. You're a monster, of course you don't know how important true qi is to the average martial artist. If he lost the tyrannical true qi in his body, not to mention suppressing Haitang Duoduo, so many enemies in the world could kill him at any time.

"So what do I do now?" He held up his slightly trembling right hand like a demonstration, angrily saying, "Am I just supposed to let it shake and imitate Ng Man-tat? Right now it's just my hand shaking, but when the true qi in my body gets thicker, I'm afraid even my butt will start wiggling."

Wu Zhu raised his head, the black cloth over his eyes seeming to coldly mock Fan Xian: "If you don't practice anymore, your true qi naturally won't increase any further."

…

…

A word awakened the dreamer.

Fan Xian had long been accustomed to meditating and practicing martial arts twice a day, and had never thought about stopping. Only now did he realize that before finding a solution, what he should do first was to stop practicing the tyrannical true qi from the nameless cultivation method. Although his true qi would naturally develop and grow stronger in battle, it would still be slower than him feeding it every day.

He nodded and sighed. "I guess that's all I can do, so the big explosion comes later."

Wu Zhu suddenly said, "Fei Jie left you medicine."

Fan Xian was stunned, not expecting him to remember things from when he was a child. He nodded and explained, "That medicine is a bit too domineering, I'm worried that taking it will dissipate my cultivation."

Wu Zhu lowered his head, seeming to recall something, and suddenly said, "It should be useful, although it can only treat the symptoms."

At this point, Fan Xian didn't dare to completely trust his uncle's words anymore. After all, this nameless cultivation method that harmed people was also thrown onto his pillow by the other party. He said with a wry smile, "Let's talk about these things later, let's talk about your affairs first… I'm saying, uncle, next time you go missing, can you tell me in advance?"

"Is that necessary?" Wu Zhu asked seriously.

"Yes." Fan Xian nodded repeatedly. "On the way to Northern Qi, I always thought you were by my side, and that the box was by my side… so I was bold enough to bully Haitang Duoduo. Who knew you weren't there… Causing trouble like that can get people killed."

Wu Zhu hesitated for a moment and said, "Oh, I see."

Fan Xian breathed a sigh of relief. He had been accustomed since childhood to Wu Zhu staying not far from him, whether in the carriage, in the grocery store, or on the cliff by the sea. After arriving in the capital, Wu Zhu spent less time by his side. Although his current strength was enough to protect himself, he understood that as he developed in this world, he would face more and more challenges. Having such an uncle guarding his side would make him feel that the world was all a flat land, and he would feel much safer.

"I plan to move out." Fan Xian coughed lightly. "Living in the back residence is a bit inconvenient, there are too many people, and you can't live with us."

Wu Zhu tilted his head, very puzzled as to why he had to move just because he was moving in.

"Wan'er hasn't paid her respects to you yet." Fan Xian said seriously, "You're my closest relative, she should meet my wife."

Wu Zhu said slowly, "I've seen her."

"She hasn't seen you." Fan Xian smiled wryly. "And you're always drifting outside the residence by yourself, I don't even know where you live, what you do usually, this feeling makes me… um, a bit uncomfortable."

Wu Zhu tilted his head again, seeming to understand what Fan Xian was trying to say. He moved the corners of his lips, but still didn't smile, and said slowly, "You handle it, but I don't want anyone other than your wife to know that I'm by your side."

Fan Xian nodded with joy, but then thought of something and said with difficulty, "Not even Ruo Ruo? I've always wanted to let her meet you too."

"No." Wu Zhu said coldly, "Let's leave it at that. You go do your things, just pretend I haven't come back."

Fan Xian sighed a few times, hearing the sounds of people getting up outside the study, and had no choice but to rub his wrist and walk out of the study.

Inside the study, Wu Zhu's face, which seemed to never show any expression, finally revealed the smile that he only showed once every five hundred years. And this time, the smile had a hint of playfulness, as if he was mocking Fan Xian for not knowing something.

—————————————————————————————

In Autumn Garden, the grass was dyed white with frost, and the sun in the sky was gentle and warm. Fan Xian was wrapped in a thin cotton blanket, half-lying on a soft couch in the garden, resting. He coughed a few times occasionally, but it was much better than last night. A swing stood in a corner of the garden, and several bold maids were swinging on it. Their light-colored skirts bloomed like flowers on the small boards tied with long ropes. By the swing, Si Si and Si Qi, the two head maids, were watching with great interest, and occasionally a look of envy would appear on their faces, but they were self-conscious of their status and unwilling to step forward and show off their skills.

Fan Xian squinted his eyes and looked at that place, watching the maids' skirts on the swing spread out, like flowers, and also like parachutes from his previous life. The glutinous rice-colored pants under the skirts were sometimes visible, which made him think of the movie called Peacock.

A hand stretched out from the side and fed him a thin slice of black date. The date slices were very light and carefully sliced, which suited his taste. He chewed them two or three times and said somewhat indistinctly, "You should be being filial to Father, why did you run over here?"

Wan'er and Ruo Ruo were sitting beside him, serving this unaware patient. Ruo Ruo smiled slightly and said, "I also feel bored staying in the room all the time. Brother is sick, and you still have the interest to come to the garden to watch the maids swinging."

Wan'er ridiculed, "He's not here to watch the swing, he's here to watch the people on the swing, more like."

Fan Xian didn't argue, and said with a smile, "When you look at the scenery, you always look at the scenery and the people together." Then he shouted loudly, "Si Si, don't act like a little wife! If you want to swing, then go swing!"

These words were easy to misunderstand. After he said them, he was the first to be stunned. Fortunately, the girls next to him didn't understand what he meant, and only he was smiling awkwardly there. He coughed slightly to cover it up, and suddenly thought of something, asking Wan'er beside him, "The autumn is getting colder and colder. Look, the chrysanthemums in the garden are a bit wilted and frozen. Last time, it was said that the palace was going to hold a chrysanthemum viewing in the suburbs of the capital, why hasn't there been any news? Once the first snow falls, there will be nowhere to see them. Are the people in the palace not afraid of spoiling the fun?"

Wan'er rolled her eyes at him and said with a smile, "It's later than usual, but the news is that we're probably going to see the golden thread chrysanthemums at Hanging Temple. Those little chrysanthemums are very cold-resistant, so they shouldn't be afraid."

Fan Xian couldn't help but shake his head, knowing that the postponement of the chrysanthemum viewing was always inseparable from the recent liveliness in the capital. In the past two days, the situation in the capital had been settled. Although many people thought that he should be holding on to his sick body at this time to suppress the Second Prince's side, he knew in his heart that the Supervisory Council didn't need him to worry too much. All the plans had been set, and with Little Yan watching, the measures were well controlled and there should be no problems.

His body had recovered slightly, but he was still pretending to be sick and not going to court to listen to the reports, nor was he willing to stay in one place or in the courtyard. He was just hiding in the garden at home as a Kyoto patient, watching the show, watching the Second Prince get anxious.

"Higher! Higher!"

Fan Xian hid on the soft couch, under the service of his wife and sister, watching Si Si, who was full of courage, swing higher and higher, as if she was about to swing out of the garden, fly over the high walls, and look down at the scenery of Kyoto from a high position. He couldn't help but laugh and shout.