Chapter 1356: Old Bastard

“It seems you are fully confident in your methods, Grand Mentor Fang.”

Ye Qing chuckled. There was no doubt about it. Fang Zhiyong must have prepared everything to summon him to the imperial capital at this juncture. On top of that, the imperial court must take action as well.

He was a wanted criminal in Chu. Of course they would attack him if he brazenly waltzed into their capital city.

Also, Fang Zhiyong allowed him to bring his allies and forces to bear not because he was kind, but because he wanted to catch everything in one net and solve his problems once and for all.

“The imperial capital is my domain,” Fang Zhiyong said simply.

“Makes sense.” Ye Qing nodded. “Is there a time limit?”

“How about two days?” Fang Zhiyong asked.

“That is way too short.” Ye Qing pushed back. “I want ten days.”

“Is it? What are you planning to do with this time?” Fang Zhiyong asked curiously.

Ye Qing replied matter-of-factly, “You said I can bring anyone and use any method, didn’t you? Since you’ve gone so far as to set up a Hongmen Feast[1] for me, it’s only natural for me to go all out as well. Otherwise, how can I accept your passionate invitation without shame?”

“That’s true.” Fang Zhiyong smiled. “Ten days is too long though. I don’t wish to keep my sons waiting overly much. Three days.”

“Are you kidding me? Eight days!”

“Five days. I really don’t want to keep them waiting.”

“Fine. Seven days then. That alright with you?”

“Fine. Seven days it is.” In the end, it was Fang Zhiyong who compromised and agreed to Ye Qing’s demand.

Ye Qing smiled. “I like that you don’t dawdle, Grand Mentor.”

Fang Zhiyong confirmed, “I look forward to your arrival at the capital seven days later, Mad Lord.”

“I won’t disappoint you,” Ye Qing declared before pointing at Fang Zhaoyi on the floor. “Oh right, what about him? You don’t mind if I kill him, do you?”

“Do as you wish. He has completed his mission anyway.”

Fang Zhiyong did not try to defend Fang Zhaoyi at all. His tone was so indifferent it was as if Ye Qing was asking to kill a dog, not his adopted son.

“Your adopted father just gave me permission to kill you. Do you have anything to say about that?” Ye Qing looked at Fang Zhaoyi.

“If that is father’s wish, then so it shall be.”

Fang Zhaoyi did not grow resentful of Fang Zhiyong even though the old man had abandoned him without hesitation. Even now, he was still overflowing with admiration and reverence.

In the painting, Fang Zhiyong lowered his head as if to look his adopted son in the eye for the first time ever. “Good boy. If we meet again in the next life, I would still take you as my adopted son[2].”

Fang Zhaoyi was beyond excited. “Me too, father. I’m going to die soon, so I won’t be able to take care of you anymore, father. Please take good care of your health and live forevermore. When next time I am reborn, I shall find you and fulfill my filial duties once more.”

“Good boy,” Fang Zhiyong repeated, though his tone remained utterly unaffected. You could dig out his face and still not find a scrap of sorrow or care for his adopted son anywhere. “Mad Lord, I have a request for you.”

Ye Qing was admiring the duo’s performance. “Oh? What is it?”

Fang Zhiyong replied, “Adopted he may be, Zhaoyi is my son. I would like to watch him die and see him off to the afterlife with my own two eyes!”

“Haha, you are truly a compassionate man, Grand Mentor!” Ye Qing chuckled. “Why not? Watch closely.”

As he said this, Ye Qing reached out and tapped Fang Zhaoyi on the forehead. The Confucian’s eyes immediately lost their light rapidly until he slumped bonelessly on the ground.

Ye Qing withdrew his finger and looked at Fang Zhiyong. “I’m a compassionate man as well. I cannot bear to watch two people being ripped apart from each other forever, especially when it’s an old person seeing a younger person off to the afterlife. That is why I left a whole corpse for you. Would you like to send someone to collect his body?”

“When a man dies, his light is gone. Even if the body remains, it is just an empty shell. Let go, let go.”

Fang Zhiyong sighed. “Feel free to deal with the body as you please, Mad Lord.”

“I am growing tired, so this is the end of our discussion. Don’t forget our promise, Mad Lord. You have seven days.”

“I won’t,” Ye Qing replied.

As soon as he finished, the ink on the painting slowly melted into rain. It pitter-pattered against the floor like black tears.

Who was it crying for?

Ye Qing waved his sleeve and sent the ink of rain falling into the nearby ink stone. Then, he looked at Fang Zhaoyi on the ground and said, “You can get up now.”

It was at this moment the “dead” Fang Zhaoyi suddenly opened his eyes and slowly rose to his feet. “Thank you for leaving me alive, Brother Ye!”

Ye Qing smirked. “I thought you’re not afraid to die?”

“You jest, Brother Ye. There’s no one in this world who isn’t afraid to die.”

Fang Zhaoyi patted away the dust on his clothes. “Even Fang Zhiyong, that old bastard, is afraid to die, much less a young ‘un like me.”

“Most importantly, there are so many beauties in this world. How can I possibly die before I have admired all of them?”

“Old bastard, huh?” Ye Qing teased. “Just a moment ago, you were swearing left, right and center that you will fulfill your filial duties to your adopted father not just in this life, but also the next. Now, you’re calling him an old bastard?”

“Truly, I’ve never seen a more touching love between father and son!”

“The sages said this: If the lord treats their subject like his limbs, then the subject will treat their lord like their heart. If the lord treats their subject like a tool, then the subject will treat their lord like a fellow citizen. And if the lord treats their subject like dirt, then the subject will treat their lord like a foe.”

Fang Zhaoyi did not get angry despite Ye Qing’s provocation. He simply grabbed the fallen wine jar, lay on the window sill, and admired the passersby on the streets. “It is true that Fang Zhiyong is my adopted father. It is true that he raised me into a man. It is also true that he views me as an adept killer, a master strategist, and a confidant. However, the one thing he will never view me as is a person. Whatever I do, I will never be able to compare to his son.”

“All these years, I have fulfilled my responsibilities to the utmost degree and killed countless people for him. I believe I have repaid his favor to me in full, and that I no longer owe him anything.”

“And yet, my dear father isn’t even willing to plead for me for even a second. He even said that he couldn’t rest easy unless he saw me die with his own two eyes. He is quite the blood-curdling father, don’t you agree?”

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“If he can view me as dirt, then why can’t I view him as a foe?”

“It looks like you’ve grown resentful of Fang Zhiyong since a long time ago. I am impressed you are able to endure your hatred for so long and even keep up appearances perfectly,” Ye Qing remarked with a smile.

“Hahaha! You say like I have a choice. If I don’t maintain my mask perfectly, then I will simply die.”

Fang Zhaoyi drank a mouthful of wine. “You see, Fang Zhiyong is very, very paranoid. If someone disrespects him even a little, then he will kill them. If he suspects someone of treachery even if there is no proof whatsoever, then he will end them.”

“That is why I must wear a smile even if I hate him so much that my heart is screaming all day everyday. Such is life. Such is the tribulation all humans must face since they are born to this earth.”

Ye Qing recalled something and asked, “Say, someone like you surely has a Liftag or a restriction to check if you are actually dead, right? Are you sure your methods are enough to fool Fang Zhiyong?”

“But of course,” Fang Zhaoyi declared confidently. “I have prepared for many years to break free from Fang Zhiyong. I have sabotaged the Lifetag and removed the restrictions on my person a long time ago. Therefore, that old man would not find out about my survival.”

“I see!” Ye Qing wasn’t surprised. Fang Zhaoyi was an intelligent man. Since he dared to pull the wool over Fang Zhiyong’s eyes, he must have been prepared for everything. “Anyway, it’s time for you to fulfill your promise. Tell me, what is this net Fang Zhiyong has prepared for me, and how is he planning to deal with me?”

1. Refers to a famous episode in 206 BC when future Han emperor Liu Bang escaped an attempted murder by his rival Xiangyu. ☜

2. What a bastard. ☜