Yu Gui came, but Fan Jia did not.
Fan Jia said he had something important to handle and would arrive later.
Yu Gui stood before me, and I could sense his unease.
I did not ask him to sit. Instead, I sat on the sofa smoking, my eyes fixed firmly on him.
He coughed lightly. "Mr. Jiang, just say whatever you have to say. You don't need to stare at me like this."
I sneered. "Then you should know why I called you here, shouldn't you?"
"I know. It's because of my fight with Fan Jia." He was straightforward enough to say it directly.
I said calmly, "Then tell me, why did you fight him? One of you is the Captain of the Ten Heavenly Stems, while the other is the captain of a squad. Once you caused this mess, what would the other Ten Heavenly Stems think? If you and Fan Jia are at odds, how are the others supposed to choose sides? Should they support you or him?"
"I didn't think that much about it. Besides, this is just an issue between Fan Jia and me. What does it have to do with anyone else?"
I frowned. "How could it have nothing to do with them? The Ten Heavenly Stems are a whole, a team. Though you belong to different families, your roots are in the manor. There are not many of you to begin with—only ten—and you are responsible for many matters across all of Little Barren Island. If you and Fan Jia fall out, the other Ten Heavenly Stems will naturally have to make a choice. Should they follow you or Fan Jia?"
He fell silent.
"You have an issue with Fan Jia. You think you shouldn't be beneath him, right?"
He shook his head at