Chapter 91 – The Killer of His Son
Tong was taken aback by the sudden question. He looked at his master in confusion.
Lu Zhi was also shocked by the frank behavior of his colleague. He patted Sima Fang's shoulder to remind him of his action and introduced him to Tong.
"Disciple, this is the person you wanted to meet, Sima Fang. Jiangong, I think I don't have to introduce you my disciple, right?"
Sima Fang raised his eyebrows when he heard from Lu Zhi that Tong wanted to meet him.
"Ho? Did you want to see me? What a coincidence. I always want to talk to you, too. But first, answer my question! Did you kill my son?"
A deep frown appeared on the face of Tong. He did not prepare for the interrogation by the father of Sima Xin.
The first thought that came up in Tong's mind was to lie about the incident. However, Sima Fang was known to be strict and upright like a ladder. If he was caught lying, the Sima Clan might end up becoming his enemy as a consequence.
Tong resolved himself and stared into the eyes of Sima Fang.
"Yes, I killed him."
Sima Fang stared back at Tong in silence. He also did not expect Tong to actually confess because he just randomly questioned him to probe his character.
'I just made a wild guess. Why did he confess that he killed him? I haven't even told him the details about my son.'
Baffled by Tong's confession, Sima Fang looked into Tong's eyes to see if he had the cloud of deception, which he could not find any but the absolute determination and sincerity.
The facial expression of Sima Fang softened. He understood Tong's character somewhat.
"I haven't told you the description of my son, yet you told me right away that you've killed him. Did you know him?"
Tong wanted to slam his face into the ground right now. He finally realized his mistake.
'Fudge! Why did I always get myself tricked by the natives here!?'
He turned to look at his master at the side by instinct. He had done goof yet again. He was afraid that his master would notice this and gave him another sermon.
Lu Zhi stood still and smiled at Tong. He gestured with his lips.
'Next classes, I'll give you extra lessons about wits and politic interactions.'
A chill ran down his spine. Tong had learned about Lu Zhi's personality the hard way. Each lesson he taught Tong usually lasted for 10 to 12 hours straight. Yet, he just told Tong that there would be extra "lessons", and that "lessons" had an "S" as plural. He probably needed a few weeks to finish all of Lu Zhi's Spartan training.
Giving up to his fate, Tong looked at Sima Fang and told him about the first encounter between him and Sima Xin.
"I met him last year. He came with his friends to kidnap my fiance to take her to Guo Dian at that time. We ended up fighting, and he ran away. We met each other again when I raided Guo Dian's army camp. I killed him in the battle."
Tong withheld the information about the existence of the otherworlders and the quests. He did not want to give out unnecessary details to make Sima Fang wary of him.
Lu Zhi had advised Tong about his special power in the past months, which he should not recklessly flaunt his power or brag about it too much as high-ranking officials and scholars looked down upon the fortune tellers and the likes.
Most of these people practiced traditional Confucianism since young, so they held firm beliefs in rationalistic and philosophy. The supernatural phenomenal might irritate them.
Sima Fang nodded as the explanation was plausible. He knew that Guo Dian was not a righteous fellow, but he never dreamt that he was corrupted to this extent.
Thinking that he had misjudged his friend and sent his son to his death, Sima Fang felt depressed.
"And how did you know that he was my son?"
Tong had a wry smile on his face. He continued answering Sima Fang's questions.
"I had my men investigated when he had first appeared in my village. I got his name, so I thought he might be related to you because both of you share the same surname."
"Hmm. Alright, then. Three more questions …"
Sima Fang closed his eyes. He fell into deep thought and reminiscing the face of his eldest son for 10 minutes. After he controlled his emotions, he opened his eyes and asked out.
"How was my son in his last moment?"
Sima Fang's eyes were bloodshot and teary. Although he tried his best to keep his sadness inside, he could not control the sense of loss.
Seeing the grieving look of the middle-aged man, Tong bit his lower lip. It made him felt guilty for killing Sima Xin.
"He … was a valiant warrior. He was the only opponent in that battle that almost took my life."
Tong slipped his right hand into his left sleeve and pulled out a knife. It was the very same knife that Sima Xin used it in an attempt to stab Tong in the throat that day.
"This is the knife that he used. Its shape was unique, so I've been keeping it up till now. I'll return it to the rightful owner."
Tong passed the knife to Sima Fang, who shed a tear when he saw the knife. It was one of the heirlooms of Sima Family which symbolled strength and valor. Sima Fang gave it to Sima Xin that day, so he could experience the outside world and return as a great warrior. Then one day, he could be a great general who would serve the Han Dynasty for decades.
But that dream was no more.
Sima Fang fell silent. He stared at the knife in a daze.
Lu Zhi and Tong could read the mood. They did not utter a word and waited for him in patience.
...
After 10 minutes of silent grieving, Sima Fang regained his calm.
He turned around and looked at Tong. His expression was tranquil and solemn, unlike the sad father just a moment ago. Sima Fang had got over the death of his son in a few minutes as he recalled that he still had other sons to take care of. He could not be buried in the past and forgot about the other people who needed him.
Sima Fang coughed to clear his throat. Then he asked Tong his second question.
"... Is your father the real governor, or is it you?"
The question was quite rude for asking a random stranger. It could be interpreted as "Is your father your puppet?" from the viewpoint of scholars, which was an indirect way to curse someone for being unfilial.
Lu Zhi glared at his friend and wanted to reprimand him for his tone.
Tong suppressed his irritation in his mind and spoke out slowly.
"I am the brain ... and my father is the heart ... We work as one."
The answer made Sima Fang paused and contemplated his past.
The event on that day when Sima Xin had departed replayed back in his mind again. If that day he believed in his son's story and left the capital with his entire family, right now they could have lived in any city with everyone being alive and enjoy their days happily together.
It was the separation that caused his loss, which was the opposite of the Zhang family.
'If I remember correctly, Zhang Tong risked everything to protect his family from Guo Dian. He even bribed Emperor Ling for his father's position and got him back from the hands of the Yuan. From the rumor, Zhang Jiao treasured his son more than anything before he rose in power as well. The reason he got caught by the Yuan Clan was that he went out for business for his son.'
'But, I cast away my child.'
'My son also left me behind.'
'I see … This is our difference.'
Sima Fang sighed. His demeanor changed as if he had aged for another decade with that breath, yet he felt like the cloud in his heart had dispersed and revealed the sunny sky once again.
"Since senior Lu has said that you are the one who invited me here, do you want me to work for you?"
The Sima Clan Head asked the last question. His bearing was different from the past few minutes. Tong felt like he was looking at a shadow of a giant instead of a middle-aged man in his late 30s.
The pressure from an elite politician was immense. A sweat drop rolled down from Tong's cheek as he was shaken from the mental image.
Remembering what Lu Zhi had taught him that if he had to deal with someone with this caliber, Tong had to think of himself as an emperor or he would be crushed by the intimidation aura by the opposite party.
The depth within Tong's eyes changed. It had a tinge of sinister reddish color, but it gave out a majestic feeling. His complexion became serene like a tranquil river with no worldly emotion appeared on it.
All of the changed happened in only 5 seconds after Sima Fang asked the last question.
Lu Zhi grinned after he noticed that Tong recovered from his friend's pressure in a few seconds.
'Not bad. That's more like it. This is why I can't stop teaching when I see someone like this.'
Lu Zhi was proud. His times and his investment on Tong after all these months were worth it.
On the other side, both Tong and Sima Fang were having a serious conversation.
"Yes. I want help from your family."
"Hmm. Fine! But I have conditions. I wonder if young master Zhang can accept."
"If it's something I can do, then I will be happy to help. However, if it's something impossible, I will naturally refuse."
"Good. These are my conditions …"