Xu Jixian was, at heart, a taciturn, horse-faced dark horse, at most with a touch of repressed flirtiness. He had only become such a chatterbox to throw people off the scent.
Ordinary people merely thought him unlearned and unskilled, forever haunting the pleasure quarters—a thoroughgoing wastrel. But Xiang Yuan knew this fellow was brimming with talent, skilled in both letters and martial arts, and versed in all manner of little tricks from the martial world. From disguise to corpse control, he knew a trick or two from every school.
While studying so many arts, he had already reached Foundation Establishment Perfection in the Martial Path. With only a little more accumulation, he could step into the Innate realm.
Most precious of all, he could endure loneliness.
Xiao He was a restrained, low-profile madman. Following his family's ancestral teachings, Xu Jixian had joined the Imperial City Directorate and willingly become an unknown figure. He never flaunted his learning, endured the gossip and pointing fingers behind his back, and always stuck firmly to his persona as a useless wastrel.
Xiang Yuan greatly admired Xu Jixian, especially after that time he wet his pants. No matter what, Xiang Yuan could never have done it. Xu Jixian could piss himself whenever he said so—how many people in the world possessed such strength of character?
A thousand words could be summed up in one sentence: if Xu Jixian were not ugly, he would actually be quite handsome.
But just like Xiao He's particular flaw, those who played the pig to eat the tiger always picked up a habit or two of rooting through cabbages. Xiao He pretended to be crazy and acted the fool all day, playing the part from childhood into adulthood. He had acted like a clown for so long that he had