Zhao Changhe found it difficult to judge whether this was an ordinary encounter... If it wasn't, and someone was specifically waiting for him here, it would be quite extraordinary.

The eighteen rivers scattered in all directions, and before this, he didn't even know which gate he was going to. It was completely random. Could this person predict it? Or was he following behind, arriving before him, even faster than Tashue Wuzhui?

If he couldn't figure it out, he decided not to think about it for now. Zhao Changhe simply treated it as a normal encounter and sat down opposite the old man, "Although I also like to have a drink or two, it's not good to drink on an empty stomach in the morning."

"Who said it's on an empty stomach? Don't we have peanuts here?" The old man pushed some peanuts towards him.

Zhao Changhe snapped his fingers at the waiter, "Bring a few steamed buns."

Soon, the steaming buns were brought over, and Zhao Changhe pushed them towards the old man, "To fill your stomach."

Without hesitation, he grabbed a steamed bun and ate it clean, then leisurely poured himself a glass of wine, treating it as a drink to go with the steamed bun.

The old man also took a steamed bun and ate it slowly, watching Zhao Changhe wolf down his food without saying a word, a smile in his eyes.

It wasn't until he finished one that he spoke, "Good appetite. A strong person, a strong knife."

Zhao Changhe gnawed on the second steamed bun and looked up at him, "Old man, do you recognize this knife?"

"A knife as unique as this, even if I haven't seen it before, anyone would take a second look."

"Is the old man a high-ranking official?"

"Sort of." The old man sipped his wine and asked, "Don't you think so?"

"It doesn't seem like it, at least I've never seen a high-ranking official without any attendants."

"So, little brother, what do you think of this kind of official?"

Zhao Changhe squinted at him for a while before slowly saying, "You can't tell if an official is good or not from a place like this."

"Then how can you tell?"

Zhao Changhe pointed to a beggar curled up in the corner of the post station, still sleeping, "This is the capital, under the Emperor's feet. Doesn't it feel glaring to the old man?"

The old man said, "If it's glaring, what if I kill him?"

Zhao Changhe's gaze turned sharp, but the old man continued to drink as if nothing had happened.

Zhao Changhe suddenly laughed, "I think the barbarians are even more glaring. Should I kill them?"

The old man smiled again, "Indeed, they can be killed too."

"What if I find the old man unpleasant? Should the old man just slit his own throat?"

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"Then please come and kill me yourself."

"No one is above me, no one is beyond killing?"

"It's just a matter of principle. For example, if you want to eliminate beggars in the world, first you have to make others listen to your methods. If you can only ask others, you can only get their methods. Even if you disagree, it's useless because you have no control."

Zhao Changhe nodded slightly, "That's right."

"Little brother, where are you planning to go after leaving the capital?"

"Yanmen."

"Only in the capital can beggars be dealt with."

"Only in Yanmen can the barbarians be dealt with."

"Is that so?" The old man smiled, "Just as killing beggars won't make them disappear. Killing barbarians won't make the barbarian problem disappear. The root of the barbarian problem is in the capital, not Yanmen."

Zhao Changhe fell silent for a moment and slowly said, "As you said, I can't change anything in the capital, I have no control."

"Weren't you thinking of changing something?"

Zhao Changhe squinted at him, absentmindedly nibbling on the steamed bun, as if he wanted to eat quickly and have the energy to deal with any changes.

The old man chuckled and suddenly changed the subject, "Young man, yesterday evening at Zhang's Tavern, you had a drink and beat someone up. When the wine was gone, everyone fell silent. It was quite a sight. Why did you leave in such a hurry before dawn? It seems like there was something left unfinished, a pity. It's a chance encounter, may I ask the reason?"

Zhao Changhe said cautiously, "Just came to the capital for fun, and when I felt like there was nothing to do, I left. What's worth lingering over?"

The old man smiled, "Such an anticlimactic end, isn't it because there was something left unfinished, and you left with regret?"

Zhao Changhe asked straightforwardly, "Is the old man waiting here for me just to help me finish this unfinished business?"

"You can think of it that way."

Zhao Changhe swallowed the steamed bun and almost choked.

What was his unfinished business?

It was to see Xia Longyuan with his own eyes.

Tang Wanzhuang and Huangfu Qing could both tell that he had caused a scene at the tavern to attract Xia Longyuan's attention and be summoned... As the inheritor of Xia Longyuan's Six Harmonies Divine Art and Dragon Sparrow Legacy, Xia Longyuan couldn't possibly not know. Since he allowed it, it wasn't impossible to communicate.

Most likely, Xia Longyuan was clear about everything between him and Xia Chichi... Since he was already here, Zhao Changhe felt it was better to meet directly instead of hiding.

But he was scared off when he went to the gambling house to gather information... If Xia Longyuan would kill his son, then his mental state might be a bit off, and the consequences of this exchange were unpredictable. Combined with the information from Huangfu Qing, the real Xia Longyuan was not someone he could meet. Most likely, he would meet a fake, which was worthless, and the fake might even want to kill him.

Tang Wanzhuang knew, and she was worried about the Emperor.

The situation didn't match his previous expectations, so it was better to leave. So this trip ended anticlimactically, sneaking away in the dead of night, and the idea of meeting Xia Longyuan was completely abandoned.

But the person in front of him said he was here to help him finish his unfinished business.

Damn it!

Don't tell me this is Xia Longyuan!Not only was he Xia Longyuan, but the real deal! At the very least, he was the genuine article sent for an exchange.

However, Zhao Changhe felt that sending someone else was rather pointless. Finding a subject more loyal than Tang Wanzhuang was no easy task; she was the best messenger one could ask for, and there was no need to send anyone else. Since a meeting was to take place, it was likely to be the person himself.

Even though Zhao Changhe had speculated countless times about the identity of this elder, he had never imagined that he would meet Xia Longyuan under such circumstances, sitting here chatting with him as if he were an old man by the roadside, all smiles. Completely unprepared, he was utterly dumbfounded.

If this guy wanted to kill him, he might as well just wash up and go to sleep.

Holding onto a sliver of hope, Zhao Changhe cautiously probed, "We've talked so much, yet I still don't know the esteemed name of the elder."

The old man's smile was enigmatic, "Whoever you think I am, that's who I am."

Damn it.

Zhao Changhe bluntly said, "For someone as impressive as you, just speak your mind. Why pretend to be some high-ranking elder, testing and probing? Does it have any meaning? It just lowers your stature."

"It does," Xia Longyuan said indifferently. "For many, many years, no one has treated me simply as an old man, advising me not to drink so early in the morning, to eat something first, and even buying me buns to eat."

Zhao Changhe asked, "Is it a hobby of you masters to test people like this?"

Xia Longyuan was silent.

"But I don't think that a person like you would change your view of someone over such a trivial matter. In your eyes, this should be insignificant. Everyone is quantified in your perspective based on their strength and what they can offer."

"Is this how you see Xia Longyuan?"

"Isn't it? When I said that beggar was an eyesore, your reaction was to kill him."

Xia Longyuan thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "Maybe you're right. At least I wouldn't spare you just because of a kind-hearted bun."

"So you're not killing me for what reason? Because of your son?"

"Don't you feel that I've been particularly good to you?"

"?"

"Look, I know you're leaving with regrets, so I specially came to fulfill your wish of coming to the capital, to make your trip worthwhile and not in vain. Isn't that being good to you?"

Zhao Changhe said speechlessly, "That's true, indeed."

Xia Longyuan leisurely sipped his wine and continued, "My martial arts, my daughter, my most loyal subject, and my nominal consort, look, they're all yours. Have I ever troubled you? If I'm not good to you, who in this world is? A blind man?"

Zhao Changhe was speechless.

This Xia Longyuan was not quite what he had imagined... Of course, that was because the conversation had not yet delved deep, and the big shot was still playing around.

But no matter how he played around, Zhao Changhe finally met the only person in this world who could talk to him about blind men with such a casual attitude.

He had thought that coming to the capital this time was a mistake, meaningless, and he would leave in disgrace.

Yet the real significance was waiting here.

"You should have come earlier. A bunch of kids, making wild guesses, scaring themselves, it's laughable. Who has the patience to scheme with a bunch of ants, so full of themselves."

"..."

Xia Longyuan drained his cup, stood up, and said, "The autumn day is just right, the morning sun makes one's mood pleasant. Will you walk with your father?"

Zhao Changhe was silent.

A life adrift on the river...

No, wait, you were just talking about your daughter, which means you know everything. How come you suddenly assume the role of a father!

The world's greatest martial prowess was momentarily unseen, but the world's greatest leap in logic was truly hard to follow. Zhao Changhe took a deep breath and hurried after him, "I haven't acknowledged it, don't claim it at will."

"Isn't a father-in-law a father? If you dare, then don't call me that."

"..." The world's number one is indeed the world's number one, a single sentence, a direct checkmate.