Gong Dian was the Deputy Commander of the Grand Interior Guards, a close aide to the Emperor, and a member of the Imperial Guard. He was Ye Zhong's junior brother, a member of the Ye family, the premier martial arts family in Qing Yu Nian. He was a rare Upper Eighth Rank expert. In terms of combat strength alone, he was much stronger than Cheng Jushu, whom Fan Xian had killed in the chaos. Fan Xian had managed to kill Cheng Jushu with a single slash, but that was only because the other party was caught off guard, and he himself had the advantage of a sharp weapon. If they had truly fought all out, Fan Xian would likely have been the one to die.

But facing Gong Dian, Fan Xian couldn't find any good solution. Even if he could beat him, would he dare to oppose the Imperial Palace? A drop of sweat trickled down Fan Xian's forehead as he kept shouting in his mind, "Wu Zhu, you've led me astray! Wu Zhu, you've led me astray!" If Wu Zhu hadn't knocked out the guards in the first place, Fan Xian wouldn't have been able to enter the Qing Temple, and none of the subsequent events would have occurred. But for Fan Xian, the current crisis stemmed from that very event. Of course, Fan Xian couldn't truly blame his uncle; he was merely using these wild cries to relax his mind.

Gong Dian smiled and took a step forward, his deep voice resonating, "Young man, what a coincidence today."

Fan Xian pulled his clueless sister behind him and responded with a forced smile, "It's unexpected to see you again, sir." His mind was racing. Wan'er had once said that the important person in the Qing Temple that day was His Majesty the Emperor. Gong Dian's duty was to protect the Emperor, so the Emperor must be here in the tea house as well.

As he thought this, his gaze swept past Gong Dian's thin but high shoulders and saw a middle-aged noble drinking tea at a table. The man occasionally looked up and frowned at their direction. Fan Xian was shocked, but his face didn't betray anything. His mind raced, and he said with a bitter smile, "Sir, why are you acting like you've searched high and low and found me without any effort? I offended you outside the Qing Temple that day, but I also coughed up blood for several days. Consider that my apology."

The phrase "searched high and low" was a deliberately fresh and witty remark intended for the noble, but to Fan Xian's surprise, the man didn't react at all.

"Capture this man," Gong Dian ordered in a low voice, not wanting to disturb his master. The three guards on either side obeyed and advanced. Seeing their imposing manner and knowing that he had a young woman with him, Fan Xian knew that there was no escape. He frowned and lunged forward, attacking Gong Dian first!

Gong Dian was pleased rather than angry. He waved the guards back and spread his hands like an eagle seizing a rabbit. His knuckles were gnarled and powerful, aimed directly at Fan Xian's pulse points. Fan Xian didn't have any sophisticated moves, but these subtle techniques were instinctive reactions honed by Wu Zhu. He twisted his wrist strangely, and his fingertip brushed against Gong Dian's pulse point. His arm suddenly lengthened, carrying a chilling aura, and abruptly locked the other man's wrist.

At the same time, Gong Dian's iron hands firmly controlled Fan Xian's wrist.

Both men were greatly surprised. In their two exchanges, they had immediately locked each other upon contact, which was very bizarre, as if they had anticipated each other's reactions. Despite his surprise, Gong Dian confidently said, "Surrender and be captured." Fan Xian hadn't expected to fight the head of the imperial guards in the first place. He had other ideas in mind, so he frowned and said forcefully, "It's not yet known." He grunted, and a heat arose in his lower back, a torrent of hot energy gushing out and flowing along his arms towards the other man's body.

Gong Dian frowned, seeming to sense the overbearing aura of the young man's internal energy. But with his master behind him, he naturally wouldn't yield. His eyes flashed, and he let out a soft shout, channeling the powerful internal energy accumulated over decades to his palms.

The two men's locked arms had already separated, and their palms met.

After a muffled sound, the tea house was filled with surging energy. The noble drinking tea frowned, seemingly without any martial arts defense. Fan Ruoruo behind Fan Xian also felt weak in the legs and nearly fell to the ground.

Several flashes of white light appeared, and the guards drew their swords, placing them on Fan Xian's neck. Fan Xian's arms were sore and weak, and he had no strength to resist, nor did he intend to resist. Gong Dian coughed twice and placed his hands behind his back. His gaze towards Fan Xian now held a hint of strangeness. He said softly, "Young man, you've improved again in just a few months."

A trace of blood flowed from the corner of Fan Xian's lips. This blood reminded Gong Dian of the person in the dark room opposite the Qing Temple, and he felt a chill in his heart, wondering if he had done the right thing today.

Fan Xian had clearly lost this exchange, but Gong Dian wasn't as relaxed as he appeared. However, apart from the noble, no one noticed that his hands behind his back were trembling incessantly. The overbearing, foreign internal energy that Fan Xian had forced into his body was still lingering in his meridians, scraping like a small knife until it gradually subsided after a while.

"Able in both literary and martial arts, it seems that many such young talents have emerged recently," the noble said, looking at Fan Xian, whose expression remained unchanged despite having swords at his neck. He revealed a hint of appreciative smile. Gong Dian knew that this master of his valued talent the most, and he was afraid that he would ask him to release the man again as he had done last time. He quickly walked to the tea table and explained in a low, respectful voice why he had to capture this man.

The noble frowned, then gradually relaxed. The eyes, as deep as pools, gradually brightened. He looked at Fan Xian, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said softly, "So, you are the young man from that day." He then said softly, "Gong Dian, did you tell anyone about the master who could easily capture you?" Gong Dian said with shame, "I only investigated secretly, but there were no results, so I didn't report it. Please… forgive me, Master."

The noble said coldly, "You are forgiven, but this matter is not to be mentioned again, or your entire family will be executed." Gong Dian shuddered and cupped his fist in acknowledgement. The two men spoke in very low voices, and even Fan Xian, with his keen hearing, only vaguely heard a few words and didn't understand what they were saying.

"All of you, leave. I want to say a few words to this young man," the noble ordered coldly.

Gong Dian was stunned, thinking that although his master held the world in his hands, he was powerless. How could he dare to be alone with this young man? The noble seemed to guess what he was thinking and said after a moment's thought, "Gong Dian, stay. The rest of you, leave."

"Yes!" Although the guards were puzzled, they didn't dare to say anything and quickly retreated out of the tea house. Fan Xian's neck was freed, and he twisted it comfortably. At this time, Ruoruo ran up to him, grabbed his hand, and was so worried about the earlier danger that tears almost fell.

…

…

"Xielulang Fan Xian, you have disrupted the imperial presence. Do you know your crime?"

"Your subject does not know what crime I have committed."

The conversation that Fan Xian imagined didn't happen. The noble just sat at the table, looking at him with great interest. The noble's gaze seemed much softer than before, and it brushed over his face gently but carefully, which made Fan Xian feel a little uncomfortable.

The noble opened his mouth and said softly, "Young man, whose son are you?"

"Sir, we are members of the Fan family. We went to the estate to rest yesterday, and today we were captivated by the scenery, so we wandered here. I don't know why your servants are making things difficult for us." Fan Xian had calculated in his mind that calling him "Sir" would be more appropriate. Hearing his answer, Gong Dian was shocked to realize that the person he was going to capture was actually Fan Xian, who had killed the Eighth Rank expert. Thinking that Fan Xian's father, Si Nanbo, was the master's trusted aide and held powers that he was not aware of, Gong Dian thought he understood why the master had previously strictly forbidden him from leaking information about that Grandmaster-level expert. He cast an apologetic glance at Fan Xian, looking slightly embarrassed.

The noble smiled and said, "You are Fan Jian's son?"

Seeing that the other party directly called his father's name, Fan Xian was even more certain of the other party's identity, and his reply became even more respectful, "Indeed."

The noble nodded and said, "This is a misunderstanding. Don't hold it against me."

Fan Xian never expected the other party to be so easy to talk to. He was stunned for a moment before recovering and repeatedly said, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

The noble continued, "You have been in the capital for several months. How is it going?"

Although he didn't understand why someone of the other party's status would care about him, Fan Xian wouldn't miss this opportunity. Thinking about the troubles he had faced these past months, he said with a hint of despondency, "Living in the capital is not easy. It's not as good as my hometown."

"You mean Danzhou?"

"Indeed."

"What are the advantages of Danzhou?"

"Although Danzhou is remote, the people are simple. As long as you don't harm others, no one will harm you. Unlike after entering the capital, whether you want to or not, some things will always come your way."

The noble didn't seem to expect the young man to speak so directly. After a slight pause, he smiled and said, "The capital is prosperous and unparalleled in the world, so naturally, its difficulties are also unparalleled. However, with Lord Fan's protection and the current reputation of Fan Gongzi as being both literary and martial, you should be able to live comfortably in the capital in the future."

Fan Xian listened as if receiving an imperial edict. If he hadn't been pretending all along, he would have knelt down and expressed his gratitude, and then made a big publicity in the capital about the Emperor's golden words. But his face remained calm, and he softly replied, "Hopefully."

It was getting late, and the noble had many things to do, so he was about to get up and leave. Before leaving, he looked at Fan Xian carefully again, before finally revealing a satisfied smile and saying, "Perhaps we'll meet again in the future." He then turned to Fan Ruoruo and said softly, "Little girl, I held you when you were just an infant. I never thought that you would have grown into a big girl so quickly… There's a good marriage waiting for you in the future."

Fan Ruoruo was slightly stunned, but didn't know how to respond. After saying these words, the noble laughed loudly, seeming very pleased, and left the bamboo tea house, getting into his carriage and leaving. After the carriage had been gone for a long time, the noble was somewhat lost in thought and sighed softly, "The resemblance is vague, and this ability to climb over walls every night is somewhat like mine back then."

Inside the tea house, Fan Ruoruo asked curiously, "Who was that sir? He seemed familiar with Father."

Fan Xian finally escaped from his tense emotions, sat down on the stool covered in sweat, and said, "That was His Majesty… Damn it, why do they all like to play the trick of traveling incognito? Do they really think that scaring people to death doesn't require compensation?" As soon as he said this, Fan Ruoruo was also so shocked that she covered her mouth and exclaimed.

Crack! At this moment, a thunderclap suddenly sounded in the clear sky, as if it couldn't wait to pierce through the green bamboo of the tea shop and strike dead the person who spoke without thinking.