"Those two, were they the ones who caused such a big event that day?" Now Wang Anfeng was dressed in Parthian attire, with a black hood covering his head, concealing his face and revealing only his firm jawline. He said indifferently: "You were there that night." Xu Chuanjun smiled wryly and said: "I was so far away, yet I didn't expect to be recognized by you. Yes, at that time, Xu was still serving as a retainer under King Balman. Because of the two of you entering the city, I pursued and secretly investigated, witnessing the confrontation between you and the Great Elder of Myriad Beast Valley." Lv Guanhong's expression changed dramatically, almost losing control, but Wang Anfeng suddenly raised his hand to hold him down by the shoulder, preventing him from doing so. Xu Chuanjun sighed again: "However, I have already left King Balman, and now I'm planning to go to another country. My wife's health is a bit frail, and today's cold wind is heavy, so I came here for some warmth. I didn't expect to meet you two here." Wang Anfeng gestured towards the table and said indifferently: "The owner is not here now." "As for food, there's still some here. Just pay a bit of money later." Xu Chuanjun smiled and replied: The young man named Aton closed the door and then ran back, sitting beside Xu Chuanjun and his wife. The woman was fair and gentle, Xu Chuanjun was also genteel and composed, but only the young man seemed interested in Wang Anfeng, staring at him for a while before suddenly asking: "Do you have a grudge with that King Balman?" "Or did you take on some job, like you'll get a thousand taels of gold if you manage to slap that king in the face?" Xu Chuanjun frowned and scolded: "Aton!" Wang Anfeng paused, put down the food in his hand, and said indifferently: "It's nothing, there's nothing that cannot be spoken of." "In the past, I never met that King Balman, but at the time I wished to discuss a matter with him and had a request." The young man was stunned and exclaimed: "What? You had a request? Are you crazy? To stir up such a big issue..." "Now almost the entire Parthia is pursuing you, the border pass is entirely sealed. Even if you can run for now, one day you'll get caught, and if you do, you're dead!" Xu Chuanjun raised his right hand and firmly held down the suddenly agitated young man. Although the latter was tall and strong, Xu's Inner Qi overpowered him, forcing him to sit down. Xu Chuanjun looked at the calm young man in front, unlike Aton, having once served as an advisor and retainer to King Balman, he somewhat understood the situation of the rebellious forces and said softly: "I admire what you have done, but I wish for you to hear one word..." Wang Anfeng looked at him and said: Xu Chuanjun thought for a moment and said: "You've been here for quite some time, you should understand the entire Parthian situation." He reached out his hand, dipped it in some sheep's milk, and drew an interlocking chain on the table, saying: "From the King of Parthia downwards, the vassal kings, the great nobility, noble clans, the people, and slaves, are like chains, interlocked, locked in place, where the upper class virtually has life and death control over the lower class, ignoring the law." "At the same time, the various sects of Jianghu depend on this structure and are distributed layer upon layer. High-level martial artists in Jianghu, not one of them is a commoner, they're all noble and aristocratic families, they're all in this tightly woven chain, both suppressed and suppressing others." "I can guess your intentions, but, in the Jianghu of the Central Plains, acting in such a manner can rally the world to assist, Jianghu helping hands, but here, it cannot." Xu Chuanjun stared fixedly at Wang Anfeng in front of him, speaking every word deliberately: "Parthian Jianghu is a pool of stagnant water." "And it has been stagnant for hundreds of years, without exception, this stagnant water has almost become foul. I also know the brutal acts of King Balman of Parthia, but there was once a glimmer of hope, hoping to enlighten him with the virtues and morality of the Central Plains from above, to change the situation." "As you have seen, I have failed." "Here, it's almost beyond repair." "Now, there's a word I wish you to listen closely, your chance for survival lies in relying on your cultivation, hiding your identity, and heading towards the border of our Great Qin. Once you enter the buffer zone between Great Qin and Parthia, Parthian forces and Jianghu people won't dare easily tread." "Thus, you can escape safely." "Though there are various dangers, with your martial arts, the chance of survival should be above eighty percent. Here is the map of the entire Parthian territory, though crude, it is sufficient for you to discern directions and leave." Xu Chuanjun took a folded map from his bosom, laid it on the table, then gently pushed it towards Wang Anfeng's direction. The young man named Aton wanted to say something but was stopped by Xu Chuanjun's hand, so he had to sit down dejectedly. Wang Anfeng glanced at the map but didn't pick it up, and simply said: "Don't you need this map as well?" Xu Chuanjun looked at Wang Anfeng, calm and forthright, and said: "I am also a scholar of the Central Plains, having read poetry and propriety." "What you have done, I aspire to but am powerless." Official source is n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net "Seeing you now, I wish to help in my meager capacity, that's all." Wang Anfeng neither affirmed nor denied, but beside him, Lv Guanhong, usually amiable, slammed the table heavily, causing a loud clatter before standing directly and grabbing the scholar by the collar, his eyes slightly red, saying: Xu Chuanjun was slightly shocked but recognized the elder's Parthian features, his expression open, and said: "Sir, you can ponder, whether what I said is true." "Is the Parthian Jianghu indeed a pool of stagnant water." Lv Guanhong clenched his right hand, breathing slightly fast, opened his mouth but could not speak, his head in turmoil, suddenly throwing down Xu Chuanjun and staggering back to his seat, full of helplessness. All past experiences floated in his mind. Things that once seemed normal now all revealed distorted parts, as if originally shrouded in a thin layer of mist, now dispersed. It seemed someone whispered by his ear— Your Jianghu is merely a pool of stagnant water. Hundreds of years have passed without flowing. Foul? Stagnant water? Lv Guanhong closed his eyes in pain, his palm trembling slightly, feeling his vision darkening. Was this Jianghu merely an illusion? Not a rushing river into the sea, vast and boundless Jianghu, but only stagnant water dredged by nobles in their own courtyards. What had always been hoped for then? What was the youthful desire for Jianghu? In youth, what counted as passionate adventures? Meeting her in Jianghu, what did it signify? Standing side by side with them in Jianghu, what did that mean? Were all these merely scenes orchestrated by those who dredged this Jianghu? Because it was only a pool of stagnant water, everyone knew what limits and rules meant, each being a link in the chain, never truly tearing faces, the chain linked by every person in Jianghu, binding them all... Then the original past, the pleasure in Jianghu. What is it ultimately? Just then, Lv Guanhong sensed a slight tremor. This tremor did not originate from him. The old man was momentarily dazed, then suddenly realized the truth, opening his eyes violently to see the dishes on the table shaking slightly, subtle ripples emerging on the surface of the pure white sheep's milk. The expressions of everyone in the room became grave. Sounds faintly came from outside, from the herdsman who should have gone to slay sheep for the guests. PS: Today's update is delivered... five thousand six hundred words, originally planning another, but it seems I can't hold on T_T, five thousand six, two-in-one Each chapter is like two thousand eight _(:з」∠)_