Chapter 23: If You Cannot Solve the Problem, Solve the Person Who Created It

They say that alcohol is the key to opening one’s heart, and after three rounds of drinks, the conversational floodgates were indeed thrown wide open.

Si Nan, feeling slightly tipsy, draped his arm around Shi Sheng’s shoulder and said with unusual gravity, "Shi Sheng, don’t take offense at what I’m about to say, brother. You won’t get far in the Embroidered Uniform Guard like this. You have no connections, no background, and you refuse to be flexible. You simply won't survive."

As a first-rate martial artist, Shi Sheng’s tolerance for alcohol was certainly higher than Si Nan’s. He had initially intended to shake Si Nan off, but upon hearing those words, memories of the days he had been ostracized within the Guard flooded back. He couldn't help but down a large cup of wine.

"I only want to do my duty properly and bring every evildoer to justice."

"That kind of thinking is exactly why you're failing. Look at me." Si Nan patted his own chest, his tone smug. "Ever since I started following our lord, even a third-rate martial artist like me has managed to become a platoon commander. And you? You’ve worked so hard for so many years just to reach your current position. Don’t you see it yet?"

Shi Sheng had no answer. Though he looked down on those who relied on connections, one only had to glance around to realize that very few people had climbed the ranks through sheer talent alone. When corruption becomes the norm, integrity becomes a crime.

"Truth be told," Shi Sheng’s tone suddenly deepened, "I am not from the Imperial City. My hometown was just a small village. My parents were ordinary folk who worked from sunrise to sunset. But one day, bandits raided the village. Everyone died; I was the only one who survived." Shi Sheng clenched his fist tight. "That is why I joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I never wanted to be a high-ranking official; I just wanted to catch every criminal I could."

This was Shi Sheng’s pursuit. Perhaps it was this very purity of heart that made him such a unique presence within the Guard.

The atmosphere suddenly turned heavy. Ye Liuyun sipped his wine in silence, lost in thought. Before he transmigrated, he had been a law-abiding citizen. After crossing over, he had killed his nominal older brother shortly after his arrival. One can only adapt to the era; the era will never adapt to the individual.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don’t go acting like you’re the only one with a tragic backstory." Si Nan was truly drunk now; he slammed his cup onto the table, shattering the somber mood. "Do you think I was born to suck up to the powerful? Let me tell you, I saw with my own eyes my grandfather being beaten to death by the son of a nobleman."

Even Ye Liuyun glanced over in surprise as this was revealed.

Si Nan’s spirit suddenly deflated. "My grandfather was just an ordinary merchant. The other party decided the goods my grandfather sold weren't to his liking, so he just beat him to death. Isn't that laughable?"

"My family went to the authorities to report it, but only my mother returned. She had been driven mad, and within two years, she took poison and died. I don’t know exactly what happened in between, but I can guess." Si Nan gave a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. "That is why I joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I wanted revenge. But once I joined, I realized that revenge is just a fantasy for ordinary people. If I hadn't met our lord, I don't know whose dog I’d be serving right now."

The higher one stands, the more clearly one can see. Once Si Nan learned that the nobleman’s family was protected by a Grandmaster, he realized he would likely never be able to exact his revenge.

Watching Si Nan, Shi Sheng fell silent.

***

In the adjacent private room, Yan Shuzhu had initially been curious about the conversation next door, but these words left her utterly silent.

"Your Highness, you need not dwell on this. It is not your fault," Lü Lan said, refilling Yan Shuzhu’s cup as she offered words of comfort.

Though Yan Shuzhu was the Emperor, she had only been on the throne for two years, and everyone in the palace knew that her position was purely ornamental—a puppet pushed to the forefront. No one truly took her seriously. Yet, Yan Shuzhu refused to accept this, which was why she had been constantly searching for a way to break the deadlock.

"My lord, do you have any grand ambitions?" At that moment, a question from the room next door caught Yan Shuzhu’s attention, and she leaned in to listen intently.

***

Seeing the eyes of Si Nan and Shi Sheng fixed upon him, Ye Liuyun hesitated for a moment before picking up his wine cup.

"Ambition? A true ambition is something that feels unreachable, something that seems impossible to complete." Ye Liuyun thought of the late Ye Liufeng. "I learned a principle not long ago: if a man does not look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him."

"If the wicked are cruel, then be crueler than them. If your enemies are strong, then you must become stronger than them. When you are stronger than everyone else, all problems cease to be problems."

Ye Liuyun was not a man who enjoyed convoluted schemes. If you cannot solve a problem, you solve the person who created the problem.

Shi Sheng and Si Nan had not expected Ye Liuyun’s logic to be so straightforward.

"But there will always be more powerful existences," Shi Sheng countered. Above the Innate Realm were Grandmasters, above Grandmasters were Great Grandmasters, and above them were the legendary Earthly Immortals.

"Then keep getting stronger until you are stronger than everyone. Aren't legends meant to be surpassed?" Ye Liuyun’s ambition was simple: to keep growing stronger, to be the strongest of all. When that day came, he would love to see who would dare to act arrogant in his presence.

"Well said!"

While Si Nan and Shi Sheng remained silent, a voice from the next room could not help but cheer. Legends were meant to be surpassed—those words struck a chord deep within Yan Shuzhu’s heart.

As soon as that exclamation broke the silence, the room where Ye Liuyun sat fell quiet.

"It seems there are eavesdroppers in this pleasure house as well," Ye Liuyun joked with a smile.

Yan Shuzhu knew that hiding any longer would be impolite. She immediately rose and walked over with Lü Lan.

"Brother Ye, please do not misunderstand. I merely caught some of your remarks by accident and couldn't help but react; I lost control of my emotions for a moment."

*Could such a coincidence really exist?* Ye Liuyun mused. Moreover, for a woman dressed in men's clothing to come to a pleasure house—she couldn't possibly be here just for the wine.

"Since we’ve run into each other, let’s have a drink," Ye Liuyun said, choosing not to expose her. It would serve no purpose.

"Very well!" Yan Shuzhu was not one to be coy; she sat down with Lü Lan. Noticing Shi Sheng’s gaze, she bowed humbly. "There were many misunderstandings before. It was not my intention to refuse to pay; I was simply in a rush as it was my first time out of the palace. Please rest assured, I have already sent someone to pay the shopkeeper."

Having heard a bit of Shi Sheng’s history, she now understood that he hadn't been targeting her personally that day.

Shi Sheng remained silent but raised his cup to Yan Shuzhu and took a drink, letting the matter rest.