Chapter 8: The Enigmatic Tao (Part 2)

  "Hah, old man, you're doing quite well, still having the appetite to eat and a high spirit!" Xiao Shouren said with a sarcastic tone. This was the person who had caused the death of his most revered General Xue, whose body had not even been found yet. And now this old scoundrel was indulging in a feast within the Great Sui's military camp, it was truly infuriating and detestable. Xiao Shouren's anger flared up as soon as he saw this scene.

  "Are you very angry seeing me eating and drinking like this now?" Yizhi Wende replied without lifting his head.

  "If it were you, someone killed your most beloved father, and he's now sitting in your house eating and drinking with relish, what would you do?" Xiao Shouren gritted his teeth and tightened the short sword at his waist.

  "It depends on whether he still has any value left, if he's still of use to me, I'll definitely keep him for one more night." Bao Zhen De spat out the chicken bones in his mouth and replied slowly.

  "Huh? I don't know what use you are besides harming a few more good people?" Xiao Shouren asked disdainfully.

  "Good man? Ha ha, the good man you're talking about should be Xue Shi-xiong, General Xue, right? As an iron-blooded soldier, who doesn't have blood on their hands? Can be considered a good man? Ridiculous!" Otobe no Mondo shook his head to himself after hearing Xiao Shou-ren's words.

  "Besides, if I'm still worthless now, how come there are people who want to kill me in just a little while?" Xue Wen De continued slowly, ignoring Xiao Shou Ren's expression.

  "Huh? What do you mean by that?" Xiao Shouren asked in confusion.

  "Haven't you seen this beast?" asked Wen De, pointing at the large wolf dog beside him, without even lifting his head.

  "I saw it, but I still don't quite understand what it means." Xiao Shouren was still puzzled.

  "At noon, the Wei soldier who brought me food probably saw that my meal was sumptuous, so he secretly ate some. As a result, as soon as he entered the tent, he spat out white foam and is now likely to have died early." Yizhi Wende said slowly, as if telling a story that had nothing to do with him.

  "Ah! Someone has poisoned it, someone wants to kill you, so this dog is not for playing, but for testing poison!" Xiao Shouren suddenly understood.

  "Brilliant! Talking to someone as clever as you is effortless, it's easy to understand. That's why I say, now that I have something to eat, I'll hurry up and eat it, who knows when the next moment will be my icy corpse." Yizhi Wende sighed.

  "It serves you right! Who made you stubbornly resist, and now you're regretting it? If only you had surrendered earlier, none of this would have happened. Even if you die now, it's still your own fault." Although Xiao Shouren said this, he was no longer careless at this moment, quietly sizing up everything inside the tent with his eyes.

  That animal seemed to still not know what its duty was, and it was still wagging its tail, wanting to beg for a few pieces of meat.

  "Who wants to kill you?" Xiao Shouren asked, seeing that Yizhi Wende didn't speak, and continued to ask.

  "Hmph! Does that even need to be said? It's obvious, it's either Gao Yuan or Tai Shang Dao!" Yi Zhong Wende picked up a chicken leg and took a big bite.

  "Ah?" Xiao Shouren withdrew his measuring gaze and looked at Yizhi Wend in surprise.

  "Huh? What's so strange about that? I thought you'd already guessed it was Gao Yuan, but you didn't even think of that?" Yi Zhong Wende finally lifted his head, giving Xiao Shouren a contemptuous look.

  Xiao Shouren couldn't explain it at this time. He had guessed that it was Gao Yuan's doing, but he had never heard of the name "Tai Shang Dao" before. From the name alone, it sounded like a Taoist organization. How did it suddenly get involved with an unknown organization?

  The Daxun side must be thinking of making a big deal with Yizhi Wende, and behind this transaction, the Daxun side is likely to take advantage of it, so it's unlikely that the Daxun side will send someone to kill Yizhi Wende.

  "I knew it from the dozens of flying arrows yesterday, that it's not just to put me to death, but also completely disregarding your safety, Your Excellency Wen Dezhai. In Goguryeo, without orders from the king, no one would dare to be so bold. So, someone must have secretly received a secret order and wants you to die by the river."Xiao Shouren continued to ask with a very curious attitude: "But I don't understand, how is this related to that Taishang Dao? Is there any connection between you two?"

  "Huh? You don't know? It's normal that you don't know, after all, your position is not very high. It's normal that you wouldn't know such confidential matters." Yizhi Wende looked at Xiao Shouren with suspicion, but after a while, his eyebrows relaxed as he understood the key point - someone of Xiao Shouren's lowly status wasn't qualified to know the secrets that their superiors should know.

  "Anyway, you're stuck here now, and it's uncertain whether you'll see tomorrow's sun. Let's talk about something more profound." Xiao Shouren's curiosity was piqued at this moment by the old man.

  "Oh? Just now you were calling me 'old matchmaker' and wanted to kill me to avenge General Xue for all of you, but now you're not avenging him?" Yi Zhongwend teased, looking at Xiao Shouren.

  "Alas! I also know that both sides are fighting for their own masters, and there is no right or wrong. If we must say who is wrong, it can only be the people above, and not you. I just can't get rid of this feeling in my heart. General Xue has been very good to me, I regard him as a father figure, do you understand?" Xiao Shouren also sighed, sat down on the ground, and replied silently.

  "It's not obvious, but you're quite perceptive for your young age. It's rare to meet someone as clever as you. As you said, even I, an old fool, don't know if I can get my hands on such delicious chicken legs tomorrow. Alright then, let me tell you about the Taoist way." Yizheng Wende put down the chicken leg and tapped the table.

  "When I was young, I traveled to Da Wei to study. Didn't the people of Da Wei say that one should read ten thousand volumes and travel ten thousand miles? So I thought it would be good to go everywhere and see everything, and that's how I came to know about Tai Shang Dao." Yizhi Wende said, looking up with nostalgia.

  "At that time, I was still very young, not like now with white beard, I was only thirty years old at that time. My youngest son has always had a prejudice against me because I didn't take good care of him and his mother when I went on a trip to study. The contradiction was buried in that time. In the Central Plains, I saw a world completely different from Goguryeo. Although there were wars everywhere at that time, the prosperity of the Central Plains cannot be covered up by war. The goods are exquisite and delicate, and heroes emerge one after another. As I traveled slowly and came into contact with all kinds of people, I gradually understood the Tao."

  "The Taishang Dao is omnipresent, as far as I know, the Taishang Dao is not just an organization, they also have a hierarchy. They are like a hidden imperial court in the Jianghu, with their own emperor, ministers, and different departments, with their own grand laws. However, no one knows who they specifically are. Maybe the beggar on the street corner is one of them, or maybe the vegetable vendor on the street is one of them. It's very mysterious."

  "As far as I know, in the recent decades, all major events have had the shadow of Tai Shang Dao. Perhaps you also know, Your Majesty, Yang Guang's destruction of Chen Guo? As far as I know, Tai Shang Dao played a significant role in this matter, and Yang Guang must have made a deal with Tai Shang Dao, mutually using each other. That's why you see the current situation where Buddhism is not as prominent as Taoism. This is also the result of Tai Shang Dao intentionally promoting and supporting Yang Guang. If it weren't for Tai Shang Dao, whether today's Central Plains would be under the rule of the Yang family is still debatable." Yizhi Wende was indeed a man who wouldn't rest until he had shocked people to death, bringing up all the past events involving Yang Guang.

  "Don't look so surprised, this expedition against Goguryeo was also their doing. Do you think Yang Guang is really mad? One hundred and thirty thousand troops to conquer Goguryeo? It's all because of them, not for anything else, but to find something, for the Taishang Dao to find something. The power of the Taishang Dao can be imagined, even in the court of Goguryeo, there are people from their side. They are like the wind, like the fog, everywhere, and can penetrate anywhere. Their power is unimaginable."

  "Huh? Then why did they want to kill you? Don't tell me you have something on you that they want?" Xiao Shouren asked curiously.

  "Of course not, if I had what they wanted, I would have given it to them long ago. After all, there's nothing more important than one's life and family. If my guess is correct, they must have reached an agreement with Gao Yuan, and killing me is just part of the deal." Yizhi Wende picked up the fine wine on the table and took a sip.

  "Why did Gao Yuan want to kill you? Aren't you his teacher? Besides, it's easy to kill you, why not do it on the road and avoid today's trouble?" Xiao Shouren asked in puzzlement.

  "Alas! You also know that I was his teacher, and even when he was still a prince, I knew that this day would come. You also know that 80% of the officials in Goguryeo were my former students, whom I promoted to their positions. If he makes a move against me, the entire court of Goguryeo will be turned upside down, shaking the foundations of the state. So, on the surface, he still has to show respect for me, and it's precisely these 80% or more officials who have saved me, but also precisely these 80% or more officials who are putting me in a precarious position! Alas, this is truly inexplicable!" said Yeon Gaesomun with a sigh.