Chapter 560: Young Master
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
"Master?"
Fang Yuan froze for a moment. He scrutinised the youth and smiled.
"Good...very well, I shall take you in as my disciple. A word of warning though. You shall place your life in my hands with no regrets!"
"I won't have any regrets as long as I get to learn swordplay from you!"
Ge Nie shouted out his answer.
"Alright!"
Fang Yuan flicked his fingers. He was more than happy to have found another guinea pig and passed down an order to Hei Zhong.
"Hei Zhong, help this person settle down and impart to him the first chapter of the Great Yin Technique!"
"Yes, master!"
Hei Zhong bowed to Fang Yuan and looked at Ge Nie with sympathy. At the same time, he felt a sense of kinship towards age Nie. After all, there was another person sharing his plight.
"Thank you, master!"
Ge Nie was elated at having been accepted as a disciple by Fang Yuan and kowtowed profusely. This hardy youth obviously had no idea of what Fang Yuan was capable of.
"Alright, that's one irritating insect settled!"
Fang Yuan flicked a stone towards the wall.
"Bang!"
Under the astonished gaze of Ge Nie, the part of the wall that got hit suddenly moved. A large piece of cloth dropped to the ground to reveal a human figure.
"Like him, I'm here to seek an audience with you, yet you treat me differently!"
The new arrival was a man in his thirties with a flowing beard and a pair of dreamy purple eyes. He had a strange and mysterious air about him.
"It is because he came in peace while you...are up to no good!"
Fang Yuan had picked up his sword.
The bearded man was startled upon seeing that and turned his palms outwards hurriedly.
"Wait...we are on the same side! I'm only here to send you an invitation on behalf of my master!"
"Who is your master?"
Fang Yuan was prepared to draw his sword.
'You'll find out when you get there!"
The bearded man gave Fang Yuan a secretive smile and vanished into the ground.
"The Five Elements Escape Technique? Could he be from the School of Naturalists?"
Hei Zhong's pupils constricted upon witnessing the bearded man's exit.
"Hmm…"
Fang Yuan smiled coldly.
This was a technique that could be countered even by the Sword Sage Cao Qiu in one sword move. Fang Yuan waved a hand and a bamboo slip fell into his hand.
"Juxian House?"
Fang Yuan looked at the date and venue written on the slip.
"Looks like it is a place set up by one of the feudal states in Shangyi for the purpose of attracting talent...it is self-explanatory indeed. I shall head over there to find out more!"
Supernormal forces existed in this world and there were 800 feudal states in the Shang Dynasty, which was too much for the Shang King to handle effectively. Thus, the flow of talent remained largely unregulated.
This had led to the emergence of the phenomenon known as the Contention of the Hundred Schools of Thought. The various feudal states placed premiums on capable people with special talents and treated them respectfully.
The more powerful feudal states even constructed buildings known as talent houses that received and housed talents from all over the world.
"I wonder which feudal lord is backing this school…"
Fang Yuan tightened his grip on the bamboo slip and crushed it before letting the powder sift through his fingers.
...
The next day.
Fang Yuan left Hei Zhong to watch over Ge Nie and the fox girls as he headed over to the talent house with an iron sword in hand.
The talent house stood on a large plot of land in the city. Although the city was bustling, the immediate vicinity of the building was peaceful. There was the occasional passerby but they never ever went near the talent house.
A few armed guards stood by the gates to the talent house. They were big-sized, muscular, bright-eyed and had callused hands. They radiated a ferocious aura from their bodies and were forces of nature.
Upon noticing that Fang Yuan's approach, the guards hardened their gazes and blocked his path with their swords.
"Who goes there?"
"Hmm?"
Fang Yuan frowned.
"This is a talent house and I see myself as a talent. Am I to be denied entry?"
The right thing to do was for Fang Yuan to produce the bamboo slip invitation that he had received the day before. However, Fang Yuan had found something to be rather strange.
No one in their right mind would place a whole gang of intimidating guards in front of a talent house.
Besides, these armed men looked like they could take on multiple fighters each. Their abilities were wasted on guard duty. If men like them were assigned to every talent house, it would be terribly inefficient!
'So...is there someone important living in the talent house right now?'
Fang Yuan did some silent guesswork.
"It's you, Mister Jie. My apologies…"
At that moment, the man with the flowing beard walked out of the talent house and bowed to Fang Yuan.
"'My name is Mo Ge and I have been waiting for you on the orders of my Young Master! After you, Mister Jie…"
He then went on to admonish the guards.
"Are you all blind? How can you not recognise Mister Jie, the man who defeated the Sword Sage? Apologise to him now!"
"It's Master Jie!"
The stern expressions of the guards turned into looks of awe and astonishment.
They were swordsmen themselves. How could they not have heard about the sensational events of the previous day?
"What is the name of your Young Master?"
Fang Yuan could not be bothered to take the guards to task and asked his question as he entered the compound.
In the Shang Dynasty, the honorific of 'Young Master' was reserved for the sons of feudal lords. This was indeed a man of importance.
"Our Young Master is a man with a distinguished pedigree. He is the son of the Marquis of Western Zhou… Young Master Wu!"
Mo Ge announced loudly.
"Marquis of Western Zhou? Young Master Wu!"
Fang Yuan nodded but complained silently.
'You might as well be called the Marquis of Xibo, Ji Chang[1]…'
From his conjecture, this world had been influenced by a more advanced civilisation. The general trend of development remained unchanged but it was only to be expected that many of the details were different.
After all, any slight change experienced by these parallel worlds could potentially lead to a butterfly effect. Not to mention that the dream masters were actively messing with world affairs. It would be strange if everything remained the same.
After Fang Yuan had entered the building and walked down two corridors, a young man dressed in a brocade robe appeared and greeted him.
"So this is Mister Jie, the man who has defeated Sir Cao? Greetings, my name is Wu!"
"You are too kind, Young Master Wu!"
Fang Yuan returned his greeting and sized up the Young Master of Western Zhou.
He looked to be younger than 20 and had good-looking facial features. His movements radiated elegance and regality and there was a rarefied air about him.
Even if he had not been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he would be more than capable of making a name for himself. His status as the young son of a feudal lord only served to increase his potential.
"Haha...I love to be around heroes. Please dispense on ceremony. After you, Mister Jie!"
Young Master Wu led Fang Yuan into a banquet hall and sat him down on the seat opposite his own. After the servant girls had brought food and wine to the tables, Young Master Wu offered Fang Yuan a toast.
"Cheers!!"
The nobles really did know how to enjoy themselves. They were entertained by music and dance as they feasted and Mo Ge, who was sitting beside Fang Yuan, remained chatty throughout the meal. Everyone was enjoying themselves.
The banquet had gone on halfway when Young Master Wu asked a casual question.
"From what I know, you are from Shangyi? You have also accomplished some startling feats in the recent battle against Dongyi?"
"That's right...I have no intention of becoming an official though. I'd prefer to live a carefree life."
Fang Yuan waved his hands as he spoke. He knew that Young Master Wu was trying to find out more about his background. He suddenly gained a newfound respect for the intelligence gatherers of Western Zhou.
Although he did give them his name, the spies had obviously done their homework overnight and had probably profiled him comprehensively.
"Aiya…"
Young Master Wu looked disappointed.
"What a pity. Your talents would have been greatly appreciated in Western Zhou and you would have enjoyed prestige and wealth...even if you are not interested, do you happen to have anyone to recommend to my service? They will be highly valued!"
Young Master Wu almost looked hungry in his pursuit of talent. However, what he truly wanted was to find out about the origin of Fang Yuan's skills.
"I'll have to apologise…"
Fang Yuan smiled.
"My swordplay was imparted to me by the heavens, but I did accept a new disciple last night…"
Mo Ge coughed upon hearing this while Young Master Wu's smile stiffened.
They were aware that Ge Nie had been newly accepted and had not yet learnt anything from Fang Yuan. It would be stupid to employ him gainfully.
Nevertheless, Fang Yuan had not intended to let Ge Nie go and continued.
"A pity that he is still rather amateurish. He isn't ready to serve you, Young Master!"
"No worries. Bring him to me whenever you feel that the time is ripe. I will be eternally grateful to you!"
Young Master Wu was laughing when a servant girl rushed in and whispered words into his ear. A change came over his face.
"What happened?"
Fang Yuan raised the wine vessel to his lips. The show was about to begin.
"Sigh...Mister Jie, you may be highly-skilled, but you have been backstabbed!"
Young Master Wu let out a sigh.
"I've received news that Gentleman Jiu has been slandering you before the Shang King, saying that you have been talking dismissively about the King. The King was enraged and has ordered your arrest!"
"Oh?"
Fang Yuan nodded.
Gentleman Jiu might have the motivation to do such a thing but it would never escalate to such an extent.
Young Master Wu was definitely exaggerating. Nevertheless, Fang Yuan was willing to play on.
"What should I do? All the lands under heaven belong to the King!"
"Haha…"
Mo Ge broke out into laughter upon hearing Fang Yuan's words.
"Do forgive me, Mister Jie...You have lived in Shangyi your whole life. You might not have known that beyond the Shang lands are 800 feudal states."
"The Marquis of Western Zhou is actively searching for talented men like you. He is also well-versed in the art of divination and can aid you in getting out of this situation…"
What he meant was that there were not many people in the world who could help Fang Yuan after he had angered the Shang King.
There was no better time than now to seek refuge in Western Zhou!
"Let me...let me think about it…"
Fang Yuan put on a troubled expression and got up to leave after making some excuses. ...
Young Master Wu pulled a long face as he stared at Fang Yuan's retreating figure.
"This person doesn't know what's good for him!"
Mo Ge looked at his master's unhappy countenance and voiced out his own thoughts indignantly.
He considered himself to be very proficient in his divine technique and yet he had never been regarded this highly by his master!
Fang Yuan deserved death for taking this preferential treatment for granted!
[1]: Founder of the Zhou Dynasty