NOVPUBZixu warily looked at Jia Xu, feeling a great sense of danger from him ever since their first encounter.
"It’s not that I don’t know; I just don’t dare," Zixu sighed and sat down, saying helplessly, "As you said, I am indeed a Taoist priest and I do indeed know, though I’m not sure where I slipped up. But seeing the conviction in your eyes, I know you’re fully confident."
"Don’t dare?" Jia Xu glanced at Zixu, "In choosing the lesser of two evils, I wonder which one should be chosen?"
"Must I say it?" Zixu asked with a darkened face.
"Indeed!" Jia Wenhe watched Zixu closely, on guard against any sudden outbursts.
"Compared to the weighty schemes of the Cao Clan, the Yuan Clan’s, alas, can’t I remain silent?" Zixu said with a wry smile. Even if the Yuan Clan’s karma was less severe, it was not something he could bear; speaking of it might turn him to ash from the entanglements of fate.
"What about Liu Clan’s schemes, other than my Lord?" A gleam flashed across Jia Xu’s eyes. He knew he wouldn’t get a straight answer, but he still asked. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
"That’s somewhat difficult too." Zixu’s expression visibly relaxed. He silently calculated for a moment; this karma seemed bearable, but he did not agree outright. He had realized that Jia Xu was aiming high so that even a lower offer from Zixu would suffice, thus, Zixu no longer harbored thoughts of resistance.
[It seems these ’immortals’ calculate karma differently from us. If they make an unintentional mistake, it seems not to affect them much.] A smile crossed Jia Xu’s face. He liked this kind of thing the most.
[The karma of the Yuan Clan’s schemes is less than that of the Cao Clan, and the Liu Clan’s is even smaller than the Yuan Clan’s. So it is.] Jia Xu silently sorted through the information Zixu had inadvertently revealed. Although Zixu might not realize it, for Jia Xu, this was valuable intelligence.
[Hengheng, Jia Wenhe may not know the actual situation, but he will not offend me to the death, avoiding the more serious and choosing the lighter. After this, once he knows my identity, he surely won’t come a second time.]
Zixu’s face was as somber as water, but ever since he noticed that Jia Xu was not insisting, he felt more at ease. What he didn’t know was that Jia Wenhe had never intended to press him once he guessed his identity; for Jia Xu, it was merely a matter of confirming some things from Zixu.
"This is difficult too? Then let’s simplify it," Jia Xu frowned slightly, "Well, tell me who is taking control of the Southeast."
"No, absolutely not! The person taking control cannot be disclosed!" Zixu shouted. In reality, revealing this would not affect Zixu much, but now he aimed to use his advantage to greatly reduce Jia Xu’s pressure on him.
[Oh, another one down. The Yuan Clan, both Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, are not as good as Cao Cao, and the Liu Clan is even worse; they must be doomed. The one I asked about is who will control the Southeast, and he said ’no,’ meaning someone truly is taking control. Excluding Yuan Shu, my Lord, Cao Cao, the native Gu Family, Lul Family, Zhang Family, and Zhu Family; only the Sunx Family or Lyu Bu remain.] Jia Xu looked out the window with a touch of pity. This "immortal’s" intelligence really isn’t up to par.
"Even this is not okay? Then let’s change to another one," Jia Xu stared at Zixu for a long time before finally asking another question with a sigh, "How did Cao Cao manage his march westward? This should be simple enough, right?"
"This, well, can you change it again? I can’t talk about this one either," Zixu said to Jia Xu, feigning difficulty.
This question about causality was slightly bigger than the previous one regarding "who will take control of the Southeast". Even though Zixu felt confident that speaking wouldn’t cause any trouble, no one wants to bring trouble upon themselves. Since he had not spoken about the previous matter, he certainly intended to avoid this one too. Hence, Zixu declined the matter with a troubled expression.
"It’s not easy even to ’Become Immortal’ with that kind of intelligence." Jia Xu’s eyes filled with three parts more pity, "From now on, I’d better stay away from these immortals. I’ve heard Zichuan say that idiocy is contagious. No wonder the legend says the Emperor doesn’t allow immortals to interact much with mortals, probably worried it might lower the people’s intelligence. How tragic."
"But this Cao Mengde actually did go to Sili Yongzhou. Does this guy really have the strength to pull off something like that?" Jia Xu frowned, feeling he might have underestimated Cao Cao. This potential was no joking matter.
After hearing what Zixu said, Jia Xu’s eyes flickered with a trace of cold light. Glancing at Zixu, he asked, "Zhongyou, this won’t do, that won’t do, what can you do?"
Zixu thought about it and felt he might have indeed been excessively evasive. Jia Xu had asked so many times, and he had evaded all of them. So, with a bitter smile, he said, "Chancellor Jia, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but I honestly dare not. If I were to speak, I might be met with a disaster in a few days, and then I’ll disappear from this path. Please ask something within my capabilities. Such topics can be within my scope, but still not something I can speak of outright!"
Jia Xu stared at Zixu for a long time, and after seeing Zixu’s hair stand on end, he finally said, "I’ll trust you this time, but don’t let me find out you’re lying to me. Otherwise, once I have a chance to verify it later, I’ll definitely make you regret it."
"I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare," Zixu quickly replied, thinking to himself, "Wait for you to find out, wait for later? In three to five days I’ll have recovered. Where in this vast world could I not go? What could you do to me?"
"Let me think, all these questions I’ve asked you can’t answer. Let me find a simple one," said Jia Xu as he tilted his head in thought.
Given Jia Xu’s grasp of the overall situation, and his understanding of Zixu’s disposition in recent days, he guessed that for the next question, Zixu would probably give an answer to pacify him, as long as it wasn’t too far beyond his capabilities.
"Should I ask another question similar to the previous two, or should I ask an unrelated one to probe the depths?" Jia Xu furrowed his brows slightly.
"Wen He, your pondering makes my heart tremble with fright. A knife to the head if I stretch it, a knife to the head if I shrink it back. Better you just ask quickly," said Zixu with a difficult expression, cautiously inquiring.
Zixu internally laughed, but his face showed extreme distress, "Indeed, my earlier performance has put Jia Wenhe in a tough spot, not knowing what to ask. If he asks another question I can’t answer, then all this show he’s put on will turn into a joke!"
"Hold on!" said Jia Xu, looking at Zixu dissatisfiedly, "This ’immortal’s’ intelligence might really be somewhat lacking, thinking of troubling me like this. But since it’s come to this, I’ll just allow myself this embarrassment and insist on getting two accurate answers from both sides."
"I’ve got it!" Jia Xu suddenly lit up with joy, turned his head towards Zixu, and, with a beaming smile, grabbed Zixu’s arm. "Zhongyou, now that you mention it, there is one thing I really do want to know."
"Tell me about it. As long as I know and can respond, I’ll tell you," Zixu said, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief.
"When the Lord bestows titles upon his retinue, what rank will I be?" Jia Xu asked a very peculiar question.
Zixu stared at Jia Xu for a long while. Jia Xu remained unfazed, and finally, Zixu had no choice but to say, "I really can’t tell you that..."(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
