"And besides, I am fed up with living in a chaotic political life!"
Wu Qi and Liu Ku stared straight at Zhu Su's eyes, their eyes widened as if they did not trust with what they just heard, while Zhu Su continued, "I am a Fan Wang, a prince, but that title has put me twice under severe punishments. Many times I have to face death threats because of that title. You see then, the title is useless in Ming. Then now I have gone to another country, the title is even more useless, right? It's better to live this way. Nobody knows my true identity. I feel free right now, like a bird flying out of its cage high to the sky."
"But does His Majesty still respect you?..."
Zhu Su shrugged. "Heaven knows. Now Queen Dowager is half paralyzed, and the efficacy of the treatment I am giving has not been proven. They threaten me, if Queen Dowager doesn't get well, I will be punished according to Ava royal law..."
The color drained out of Wu Qi's and Liu Ku's faces. "Will they possibly sentence you to death?..." Wu Qi asked in panic.
"I just hope it won't happen. That's why I exert my best effort for it."
It was quiet for a few moments.
"But still, it's not the end, is it? You said before, Queen Dowager believes with your treatment?"
Having been quiet from the beginning, Gao Qing finally could not bear to express his opinion.
Liu Ku and Wu Qi thus turned their heads and looked at Gao Qing. "Oh well, Your Highness, who is this old man?" Wu Qi asked curiously.
"Oh, I forget, we have been talking for long time but I haven't had all of you introduced. This is Mr. Gao Qing, my teacher. Sir Gao, this is Liu Ku and Wu Qi, my reliable and loyal officials."
After that, Zhu Su told in detail about Gao Qing to Wu Qi and Liu Ku, and thus did the vice versa.
"Ah... such a miserable incident has occurred to your brother. I am sorry to hear that, Mr. Gao," Wu Qi said pityingly.
Liu Ku, on the other hand, looked at Gao Qing with great interest. "Your Highness, you should be grateful since you can meet with an extraordinary person," Full of admiration, he whispered in a soft voice. "Those who claim to be experts of Wushu Xuanxue in Jianghu * society are no more than mere liars, and those who are truly the experts usually stay away from the crowd, they will not want to teach anyone except to those being chosen by them. And... you have become the chosen person." He stepped forward a few inches. "How many materials have you mastered now?"
"Well... just a little... The arts of Wushu Xuanxue are as vast as the boundless universe, so many things I have to learn..."
"I don't think so. Your lord is already very good in theory. He just needs to train more in the experiential learning," said Gao Qing calmly. "And now, is the right time to accomplish it."
"To enhance the Queen Dowager's recovery?"
"It is only one reason. And there's still another reason, far more important than that." Gao Qing wagged his finger. "Well, then, Your Honor Sirs have come all the way from Yunnan to here, not just because of missing your lord, right? You want to ask him something very important for sure? And, your goal is to persuade him to return to Ming and seize his power as a legitimate Fan Wang, or even more?"
Liu Ku and Wu Qi's lips curved into a smile. "I guess it right, then, you are indeed an outstanding Wushu Xuanxue Expert." Liu Ku turned his serious look to Zhu Su. "Your Highness, you must return to Ming and overthrow those arbitrary rulers."
Zhu Su looked back at Liu Ku. He had noticed that it was indeed their main goals to approach him. Especially Liu Ku, he knew very well the characteristics of this guy.
"You should have the same thought as ours, shouldn't you? You may not continue to live as a drifter with no status, and won't necessarily get high appreciation from the Ava Kingdom as well?"
"Now then! Here you are tested in your Wushu Xuanxue experiential practice, Boy!" Gao Qing looked at Zhu Su, his brows furrowed in seriousness. "Shan teaches us that we must let go of our lusts and ambitions, especially the lust and ambition for power."
There was something very odd in this Gao Qing sentence. But before Zhu Su opened his mouth, Liu Ku had asked, "Presuming by what you said, it seems that you are reluctant with the returning of His Highness to Ming?"
"Exactly. I disagree with it."
This time Wu Qi snapped, his eyes flashed with fury. "Mr. Gao! His Highness is the son of the previous Emperor; he is a prince, and the legitimate ruler of a big city! He must devote himself to Ming, his motherland. How can he dedicate himself to another country! Have you ever seen, a prince of a country dedicates himself to another country instead? Is it the same as the attitude of a traitor?!"
"How can you call your prince a traitor? Ming has disposed of him!" Gao Qing yelled, no less thunderous than Wu Qi. "He wants to devote himself to Ming, it is your stupid emperor who rejects him! Then, Ava King appreciates him. So what's wrong with him if he wants to become Ava citizen?!"
Wu Qi was dumbfounded in horror. "Become Ava citizen?! My Lord, don't do that! You are the Prince of Ming, Ming needs you!"
"Ming doesn't accept him and doesn't feel that they need him, otherwise he wouldn't have had to flee with tremendous difficulty to a foreign country!"
"Graybeard Gao! Now I change my mind about you! You are not an expert in Wushu Xuanxue, you are no more than a provocateur, a manipulator who can only divide our country and lead the whole nation into destruction!" Liu Ku gave him a disdainful look.
Gao Qing stood up, his face turned red. "You call me a provocateur?! You said I am not a Wushu Xuanxue Expert?! Do you even know the basic essence of Wushu Xuanxue?!"
"I don't know..." Liu Ku had not yet finished his answer, Gao Qing had cut him roughly. "Well then! You even dare say I know nothing about Wushu Xuanxue?! The most vital, most important principle of Wushu Xuanxue is, that you must clear your mind of all earthly lusts, of course including the lusts for the throne and power!"
"But how about you?! You tell the Prince to serve Ava King, it is the same as telling him to dive into the vortex of throne and power - this is even worse, you order him to betray his own country and serve foreign country!"
...
* Jianghu = literally translates to "rivers and lakes" but it means so much more. Jianghu is the counterculture society of workers who made their living with the skill of their own two hands: craftsmen, beggars, thieves, street performers, fortune tellers, wandering healers, and many martial artists. In ancient China, where education was valued over physical ability, this was the lowest rank of social order. (https://daoistgate.com/jianghu-the-hidden-world/)