How else could one say that wine opened people's hearts?
After three rounds of wine, the floodgates of conversation opened as well.
Slightly drunk, Si Nan directly threw an arm around Shi Sheng's shoulders and said with a grave expression,
"Shi Sheng, don't blame your brother for speaking harshly, but the way you're getting by in the Brocade Guard won't work. No patron, no background, and no flexibility—you simply won't survive."
As a First-Rate Martial Artist, Shi Sheng's alcohol tolerance was naturally far better than Si Nan's.
He had originally wanted to shake Si Nan off, but upon hearing those words and recalling the days when he had been ostracized in the Brocade Guard, he could not help but drain a large cup of wine.
"I only wanted to do my job properly and bring every evildoer to justice."
"That's precisely why your way of thinking won't work. Look at me."
As he spoke, Si Nan patted his chest and said proudly,
"Ever since I started following my lord, even a Third-Rate Martial Artist like me has become a Banner Commander. And you? You worked so many years just to reach this position. Don't you understand yet?"
"..."
Shi Sheng had no reply.
Though he despised those who climbed through connections, a single glance around showed that there were hardly any who had risen through their own abilities alone.
When murk became the norm, innocence instead became a crime.
"To be honest."
Shi Sheng's voice suddenly became much lower.
"I was not born in the imperial capital. My hometown was merely a small village. My parents were ordinary people who worked at sunrise and rested at sunset. But one day, bandits raided the village. Everyone died. I alone survived."
At this point, Shi Sheng clenched one fist tightly.
"So I joined the Brocade Guard. I never thought of becoming some high official. As long as I could capture every evildoer, that would be enough."
That was Shi Sheng's pursuit.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this childlike heart that Shi Sheng had become such a singular presence within the Brocade Guard.
"..."
The topic suddenly became somewhat heavy.
Ye Liuyun held his wine cup and drank alone without speaking, his gaze thoughtful.
Before crossing over, he had obeyed the law. Not long after crossing over, he had personally killed his nominal elder brother. People could only adapt to the era; the era would never adapt to people.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't make it sound like you're the only one with a story."
Si Nan was truly drunk. He smashed the wine cup in his hand onto the table, shattering the heavy atmosphere.
"You think I was born knowing how to fawn over the powerful? Let me tell you, I saw with my own eyes as my grandfather was beaten to death by the descendant of Royalty."
The moment those words came out, even Ye Liuyun looked over in surprise.
Si Nan's bearing suddenly wilted.
"My grandfather had been an ordinary peddler. That person thought the food my grandfather sold tasted bad, so he simply beat him to death. Isn't that laughable?"
"My family went to the authorities to report it, but only my mother came back. And she had gone mad. Within two years, she drank poison and killed herself. I don't know what happened in between, but I can guess."
At this point, Si Nan suddenly laughed, a self-mocking laugh.
"This is why I joined the Brocade Guard. I wanted revenge, but only after joining did I learn that revenge? It was nothing more than an ordinary person's fantasy. If I hadn't met my lord, I still wouldn't know whose dog I'd be today."
The higher one's position, the more one could see clearly.
When Si Nan learned that there was a Martial Arts Grandmaster in that descendant of Royalty's household, he realized that he likely would never be able to avenge himself in his lifetime.
Looking at Si Nan like this, Shi Sheng suddenly fell silent.
Inside the elegant room next door.
She had originally merely been curious about the conversation next door, but these words left Yan Shuzhu completely silent.
"Young Master need not blame yourself. This is not your fault."
Lü Lan continued pouring wine for Yan Shuzhu while offering a word of comfort.
Although Yan Shuzhu was the emperor, she had only ascended the throne less than two years ago. Moreover, everyone in the palace knew that Yan Shuzhu's throne was purely for show—she was merely a puppet pushed forward by others.
No one took Yan Shuzhu seriously at all.
But Yan Shuzhu did not want things to remain this way, which was why she had constantly been searching for a way to break the deadlock.
"My lord, do you have any aspirations?"
At that moment, a question from next door caught Yan Shuzhu's attention, and she listened intently.
Seeing Si Nan and Shi Sheng both turn their eyes toward him in unison,
Ye Liuyun picked up his wine cup and hesitated for a moment.
"Aspiration? Only something you know is far beyond reach and difficult to accomplish can be called an aspiration."
Ye Liuyun thought of the dead Ye Liufeng.
"Not long ago, I learned a principle: if a man does not look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him."
"If evildoers are vicious, become even more vicious than them. If your enemies are strong, become stronger than them. When you are stronger than everyone else, then no problem will remain a problem."
Ye Liuyun was not someone who liked beating around the bush.
If he could not solve the problem, then he would solve the person who created the problem.
Neither Shi Sheng nor Si Nan had expected Ye Liuyun's thinking to be so decisive.
"But there will always be stronger beings, won't there?"
Above the Innate Realm were Martial Arts Grandmasters, above Martial Arts Grandmasters were Great Grandmasters, and above Great Grandmasters were the legendary Land Immortals.
"Then keep getting stronger until you are stronger than everyone else. Aren't legends meant to be surpassed?"
Ye Liuyun's aspiration was very simple: to keep growing stronger, until he was stronger than anyone.
Then let's fucking see who still dares put on airs in front of me.
"Good!"
Si Nan and Shi Sheng said nothing, but Yan Shuzhu in the elegant room next door could not help crying out in approval.
Legends were meant to be surpassed. Those words had truly struck Yan Shuzhu right in the heart.
But once that cry rang out, Ye Liuyun's side fell quiet.
"Looks like there are people in this Imperial Brothel who enjoy listening at walls." Ye Liuyun teased with a smile.
Yan Shuzhu also knew that continuing to hide under these circumstances would be somewhat impolite. She immediately rose and walked over with Lü Lan.
"Brother Ye, don't misunderstand. I merely happened to overhear some of Brother Ye's remarks. For a moment, I found it hard to contain myself and failed to control my emotions."
Could there really be such a coincidence in the world? She just happened to hear it?
And besides, a woman disguised as a man coming to the Imperial Brothel could not possibly truly be here to drink with courtesans, could she?
"Since we happened to meet, let's have a drink together."
Ye Liuyun did not expose her. There was no point.
"Alright!"
Yan Shuzhu was not one to put on airs. She immediately sat down with Lü Lan.
Noticing Shi Sheng's gaze, she clasped her hands in a rather humble salute.
"There was much misunderstanding over what happened before. I did not deliberately refuse to pay. It was merely my first time leaving the palace, and I was somewhat anxious. Rest assured, I have already sent someone to pay that shopkeeper."
Now that she understood some of Shi Sheng's experiences, she also understood that Shi Sheng had not deliberately targeted her that day.
He said nothing, merely raised his cup toward Yan Shuzhu and took a sip. The matter was considered settled.
Before you continue