Good Neighbors at Home

Gu Can got along quite well with the old Golden Core who served as National Teacher. The old man was unpretentious and tactful, so they hit it off and had plenty to talk about. They sat together on the threshold of the main hall, without the slightest atmosphere of drawn swords and bent bows. Sure enough, the palace maidservants brought over food meticulously prepared by the imperial kitchen. They only dared steal a distant glance at the Confucian-robed young man of unknown origins, then padded over silently, light as cats walking a Night Road, heads bowed, to the entrance of the hall. Huang Lie took the two food boxes. Gu Can smiled and thanked them, while the old man said they need not concern themselves with the box left here; he would deal with it himself. They quietly withdrew again. The old man ate only one piece of pastry before stopping, saying he could not eat anything too sweet—it stuck to his teeth. Gu Can chewed the palace delicacies in great mouthfuls. The old man plucked a flea from his body, lightly rolling it between two fingers. Pop. It was as though every flea he pulled from himself was a wordless complaint. Huang Lie, who had served as Yuxuan Kingdom's National Teacher for decades, remarked that picking lice from oneself in front of those official lords was a particularly amusing thing. Gu Can nodded in agreement. "Quite elegant." The old man then asked whether Gu Can was Sect Master Liu of Longquan Sword Sect. Gu Can smiled and shook his head, saying no. Sect Master Liu was not nearly as easygoing as he was. Liu Xianyang had always been the sort to care about the head and not the ass when doing things; if it were him, this imperial palace