In a nation where strength was held in high regard, they made sure to add three more chicken drumsticks to his meals as a token of respect.
In contrast, save for Luo Ming and Moyan Luohou who set themselves apart at the foot of Mount Wanyu days ago, everyone else’s fame seemingly dropped. If Abels was now the most popular, the most ordinary would be Feng Xue – if Lai Jingzhen wasn’t counted. Feng Xue didn’t draw much attention as he didn’t accomplish anything major upon returning, not to mention that few would still recognise him.
Somebody named the boulder that sat between two boulders at the cliff of Mount Wanyu “Shortcut to Heaven” because admiring the dark sky whilst walking would eventually relieve one of their woes. Feng Xue chose to sit on the boulder that created an opening between the two boulders to fit three people, reason being that peering at the sky from there was comparable to stargazing through a window.
Feng Xue stopped drinking, though he didn’t take his eyes off the firmament. “I knew you would come see me soon. Well, today is not a bad day for a visit. Having stars so beautiful they draw eyes heaven bound is the perfect night to drink.”
Emperor Yuansheng understood what Feng Xue meant by “soon”.
Feng Xue, real name Feng Jie, was one of the individuals people paid attention to in the Central Plain because he was the successor of Feng Clan, one of the few clans that are described as possessing wealth comparable to the national treasury, in addition to his fame as a martial artist. The hard part was actually locating him since he was neither attached to people nor places. The last time Emperor Yuansheng met him was over a decade ago, when he married his wife, Feng Huang.
“… Big Brother, your family in Luo Yang has been searching for you all these years. Where have you been?”
“Don’t want to drink?” Feng Xue set his cup down to fill up, then passed it over.
Feng Xue’s nonconformist personality wasn’t news to Emperor Yuansheng. Despite not knowing Feng Jie was Feng Xue, he did keep a pulse on Feng Xue’s news, but he couldn’t fathom how a handsome young master of a wealthy family would become…
Emperor Yuansheng scrunched his face up. “… It’s so bitter.”
“Hahaha, life is like wine; it’s bitter and sweet. This wine is brewed using soil. Translated, it is ‘Oblivious’. Have a few more drinks, and you will understand the reason for the name.”
Emperor Yuansheng reluctantly finished his cup and then hissed. “’Oblivious’ for sure. A couple of more drinks and I won’t have any self-awareness.”
“You’re drinking out of a cup. If you drink out of jars as they do in Nanjiang, the taste is spectacular.”
Emperor Yuansheng curled his lips down. “Only you can handle this flavour.”
Three drinks later, Feng Xue began, “When I was wandering back then…”
Emperor Yuansheng: Thank god, I didn’t drink all those drinks in vain!
“I once forgot my money, yet I needed a drink, so I sneaked into a mansion to steal. I cursed aloud after the first mouthful I had from a jar, waking up the owner.” Upon turning around to see Emperor Yuansheng’s bewildered reaction, Feng Xue said, “That’s it. That’s the reaction I received.”
Emperor Yuansheng couldn’t understand where Feng Xue was going with his story of duping people, leeching and more outrageous behaviour, interspersing events with drinks. By the time Feng Xue reached the point where he registered to compete in a fighting league to pay off his gambling debts, Emperor Yuansheng was out.
People often underestimated Oblivious because of the bitter taste. “Oblivious” came from the fact that people often drank without self-awareness and passed out in no time at all.
Feng Xue chuckled and had another drink. While some may say they only tasted bitterness from Oblivious, he found nostalgia in it.
Feng Xue actually answered Emperor Yuansheng’s question, albeit in his own way. The mansion he spoke of was the villa of Baimu’s Princess Shaowen – branch family. The moment he laid eyes on her, he knew he would never have room for another woman. Everything he did from then on was for the sake of staying by her side.
He never deemed himself worthy harbouring love for someone with such a prestigious background, not to mention the Central Plain was still at loggerheads with Nanjiang, even if he was a man who didn’t sweat the small stuff. He joined the military for her sake, fighting his way from nameless slave to Nanjiang’s great guya.
Ten years ago, he didn’t lose just an arm but also his confidence. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t very interested in martial arts. Losing was part of growth; it wasn’t enough to crush him psychologically. His sole motivation for training was her, yet he couldn’t protect her when she needed his protection the most.
“It’s been ten years… Guess it’s time to head back.”
On this night, there was finally spirit in Feng Xue’s eyes.
