Chapter 5, White Jade Ruyi

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Shile said: "Pei Lang is delicate and weak; if your punch lands, he will surely die." After a pause, he seemed to laugh: "Pei Lang, let me teach you. When using a weapon, it should not be heavy; it is better to hold it with one hand, as one hand is much more agile than two."

Luan An gently nudged Kong Chang with his elbow, and immediately seized Pei Gai, pinning him with one arm and dragging him directly out of the tent. Pei Gai attempted to struggle, but Luan An was incredibly strong, his arms like iron, leaving Pei Gai utterly incapable of resistance. Once outside the tent, Luan An forcefully threw him to the ground, causing Pei Gai's entire body to feel as if his bones were about to fall apart. Following a command, several Hu soldiers rushed over, drew out ropes, and swiftly bound him tightly by securing his shoulders and wrapping around his back.

Kong Chang said, "Indeed, if Pei Lang does not surrender, it is for the sake of the Jin state. If the city of Luoyang falls and the Jin state is defeated, and the Jin ruler is captured by me, to whom can his loyalty and sincerity be offered? Naturally, he would be willing to surrender. If he still does not surrender, then the Jin ruler can be ordered to assist Lord Ming, and I believe Pei Lang would not dare to disobey."

Upon expressing a desire to meet Shi Le, An readily agreed on the spot, stating, "The Duke is also eager to see Pei Lang for the last time." What does this indicate? It suggests that Shi Le has not yet given up and still wishes to persuade me to surrender. Continuing to drag this out is not a viable option; I might as well confront him directly and berate him, provoking him to the point of fury, which would surely grant me a sense of relief. Oh... Perhaps it may not be truly relieving, but it would certainly be more comforting than remaining in this prolonged state of uncertainty, not knowing when my demise might come. Continuing to drag this out is not a viable option; I might as well confront him directly and berate him, provoking him to the point of fury, which would surely grant me a sense of relief. Oh... Perhaps it may not be truly relieving, but it would certainly be more comforting than remaining in this prolonged state of uncertainty, not knowing when my demise might come.

Although all the people of Jin have perished, the individuals of this era possess little sense of confidentiality. It is quite possible that their acts of openly denouncing or plotting against General Hu could inadvertently spread, thus leaving a valuable spiritual legacy for the Chinese nation. In this world, this Pei has thus gained fame in painting and will be remembered by future generations, which can be considered a form of repayment for having occupied his body for a few days

Shile casually replied: "Of course we must move our camp northward, enter Luoyang through Gao Pass, and meet with King Shian (Liu Yao) and Wang Zhengdong (Wang Mi) to jointly attack Luoyang, with the hope of annihilating Jin in one fell swoop"

Kong Chang wanted to say something, but was stopped by Shi Le with a wave of his hand. Shi Le then sighed lightly and said: "The officials of Jin are all weak and incompetent, and just seeing them makes me angry. Only Pei Lang possesses a strong character that truly appeals to me. Do you have any strategies that could make him suddenly change his mind and submit to me?"

It is known that Shi Le remains in the military, and as a matter of habit, he does not remove his armor throughout the day. Although he is inside the tent and not wearing a helmet, he is fully equipped with shoulder and wrist guards, and it is possible that he would even show you his wolf-toothed club... let alone a fragile white jade ruyi.

The more Shi Le listened, the tighter his brows furrowed. He could not help but glance around, relieved to find that there were no outsiders in the tent, only his trusted aides Kong Chang and Liu An, so it was unlikely that Pei Gai's words would be carelessly leaked. However, he ultimately could not restrain himself and slammed the table, interrupting Pei Gai's eloquent speech: "Pei Lang, are you trying to sow discord among the rulers and officials of my Han state? I have received the great favor of the late emperor and have always been loyal. Such schemes are of no use to me. The reason I have not killed you yet is out of gratitude for the virtue of the late emperor and respect for your integrity. If you wish to emulate Wang Yifu and boast with your words, you might find your fate even worse than his!"

As the sound of the wind calling "Hu" arose, Pei's eyes widened in anger, and with both hands gripping the white jade ruyi, he swung it round and struck directly at the side of Shi Le's head

Of course, he knew that this body was extremely weak, incapable of even tying a chicken, and he had not practiced any martial arts in his previous life, so he estimated that he could not kill Shi Le—merely causing him a mild concussion would suffice. However, he did not expect to have underestimated the reaction ability of martial artists while overestimating the resilience of the white jade ruyi, as he was unexpectedly stopped by Shi Le with just one arm.

Pei Gai only had this one chance to strike. If he missed, Kong Chang and Liu An would have already pounced on him, pinning him firmly to the ground. Kong Chang raised his fist, as large as a vinegar jar, and swung it towards Pei Gai's face. However, before the punch could land, a loud voice from Shi Le shouted, "Stop!" Kong Chang quickly twisted his wrist, and with a loud "bang," he struck the side of Pei Gai's face, creating a dent in the ground. Although he did not hit Pei Gai directly, the force of the wind generated made Pei Gai feel a buzzing in his head, causing him to feel somewhat dizzy.

Pei Gaixin said, "You are 'loyal and devoted,' but how did the Later Zhao emerge? Who would believe you!" At that moment, I smiled slightly and replied, "I do not intend to advise the general to betray his lord and establish himself, but rather hope that the general can take good care of himself. The general's roots are fundamentally in Bingzhou, yet he is far from his homeland, having come to Henan. Previously, he led his troops straight down to Xiangyang, attempting to secure Jianghan but to no avail, and then returned north to Xuchang—like a headless fly, flitting about aimlessly. Such a baseless and unsupported position, once faced with defeat, is likely to result in a rout of a thousand miles, making it difficult to regroup!" The general's roots are fundamentally in Bingzhou, yet he is far from his homeland, having come to Henan. Previously, he led his troops straight down to Xiangyang, attempting to secure Jianghan but to no avail, and then returned north to Xuchang—like a headless fly, flitting about aimlessly. Such a baseless and unsupported position, once faced with defeat, is likely to result in a rout of a thousand miles, making it difficult to regroup!

Pei Gaixin lamented, what a pity... However, it was also within expectations. He had no intention of surrendering at all; he simply realized in the morning that he had eaten and drunk well, and after sleeping through the night, he felt much better than the day before. It seemed that he was no longer in pain, and his strength had returned. He contemplated that since he was destined to die, he might as well go and scold Shi Le one more time.

Kong Chang firmly held onto Pei Gai and said with hatred, "Since he refuses to surrender and dares to plot against the esteemed lord, he should be disemboweled and have his heart removed, and then his body should be divided to serve as a warning to others!" Before Pei Gai had the chance to tremble in fear, Shi Le waved his hand first and said, "Throw him outside the tent and let us discuss it further."

Upon hearing this, Shi Le was startled and astonished, thinking to himself that he had not expected this. Although this young Pei Lang was still in his youth, he possessed insight beyond mere lineage and resilience—his words resonated quite well with those of Zhang Bin and Zhang Mengsun. Unable to contain himself, he interjected and asked, "What should be done? How would Pei Lang instruct me?"

An replied: "Pei Lang is determined to seek death, yet the will to die is easily subdued, while the suffering is hard to endure. It would be better to hand him over to me, and I shall whip him daily, making him associate with the herdsmen—Pei Lang is a noble young master who has never endured hardship, and he will surely find it difficult to bear. Over time, he will naturally have to submit."

Pei replied: "The general must first occupy a strategically advantageous location to ensure his own safety. As for this place..." He glanced around and asked, "Does the general have a map of the Central Plains here?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Le relaxed his brows, but soon furrowed them again: "If he still refuses to surrender, what then?" Kong Chang suggested bringing him back to Xuchang—"Please, Mr. Zhang, enlighten him. If Mr. Zhang cannot sway his heart..." He clasped his hands towards Shi Le: "My lord, there are often more than eight or nine unsatisfactory matters in the world. Human hearts are the softest yet also the hardest. If Pei Lang remains steadfast in his refusal to surrender, then the only option left is to grant him death. I implore you, my lord, to make a decision soon and do not dwell too much on this person."

Casually sweeping the map aside with his left hand, he took a brief glance and extended his right hand to point, saying: "The general's stronghold should be here..." Shi Le leaned forward, focusing intently. However, at that moment, it seemed that Pei Gai was unable to hold it steady, and the map suddenly rolled up with a "whoosh." Pei Gai, somewhat flustered, hurriedly tried to unfold it again, with both hands reaching to the right side of the map... Once more, he touched the white jade ruyi... But at that moment, it seemed that Pei Gai was unable to hold it steady, and the map suddenly rolled up with a "whoosh." Pei Gai, somewhat flustered, hurriedly tried to unfold it again, with both hands reaching to the right side of the map... Once more, he touched the white jade ruyi...

Shi Le said he had it, and casually pulled out a roll of paper from a bamboo box behind him. Pei Gai took two steps forward, naturally receiving the roll of paper from Shi Le, placing it on the table and slowly unfolding it. On Shi Le's table, there was a white jade ruyi, one and a half feet long, flawless throughout, inlaid with gold and gemstones—this item was originally Wang Yan's most cherished possession, but now it had changed owners—Pei Gai directly grabbed it to use as a paperweight, pressing down on one corner of the map. On Shi Le's table, there was a white jade ruyi, one and a half feet long, flawless throughout, inlaid with gold and gemstones—this item was originally Wang Yan's most cherished possession, but now it had changed owners—Pei Gai directly grabbed it to use as a paperweight, pressing down on one corner of the map.

Shi Le was somewhat caught off guard, but after all, he was of humble origins as a herdsman, had once been a horse bandit, and now served as a general commanding troops. Skilled in archery and horsemanship, his reflexes were quicker than those of an average person. He hurriedly raised his left arm to block at the side of his head, and with a loud "crack," the white jade ruyi immediately shattered, breaking into two pieces

Shi Le, upon hearing Pei Gai's tone, seemed to perceive a complete lack of respect towards the Emperor of Jin, and he could not help but feel delighted, thinking that the other party intended to surrender. However, he was mistaken; the Pei Gai before him possessed a soul from two thousand years in the future, and thus could not possibly harbor any respect for the emperors and nobles of any dynasty.

An An was momentarily taken aback, but could only smile wryly and accept the order. However, the first thing he did after exiting the tent was to have someone strip Pei of his Jin dynasty official robes, replacing them with a set of tattered clothes worn by shepherds and slaves. He then bound Pei's hands and tied him to his own saddle, setting off on the journey together.

Shi Le furrowed his brows and remained silent, seemingly deep in thought, yet also appearing somewhat skeptical. After a moment, Kong Chang spoke up, but his words seemed completely unrelated to Shi Le's request—"My lord, now that we have defeated the Jin army and killed Wang Yifu and others, where shall we go next?"

When Deng Yu'an returned to the account, he saw that Shi Le had already stood up, with his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth behind the desk. Upon seeing him enter, Shi Le said: "Do you still remember how we used to steal horses in the Red Dragon Garden and the Steed Garden? The more unruly the spirited foals were, the more effort we put into obtaining them—who would have thought that this state of mind would be so deeply felt again today..."

Upon entering the main military tent and seeing Shi Le, Pei Gai immediately caught sight of the white jade ruyi, which led him to change his mind. This ruyi... or rather, one should say that the previous owner of this specific object must have seen it before; it was originally a treasured possession of Wang Yan, who never parted with it. During debates, he often wielded the ruyi to emphasize his tone, using a term from later generations, it could be awkwardly described as "wielding it with great authority." Pei Gai pondered that such a large object should have some weight, and with the reinforcement of gold, it might not be so easily shattered. Originally a treasured possession of Wang Yan, who never parted with it, during debates he often wielded the ruyi to emphasize his tone, using a term from later generations, it could be awkwardly described as "wielding it with great authority." Pei Gai thought, such a large object should have some weight, and with the reinforcement of gold, it might not be so easily shattered. Should I try using it to smash Shi Le's head and see the effect?

Continuing to listen, Pei suddenly shifted the topic and said: "Currently, the general is advancing with supplies directly, and together with Liu Yao, Wang Mi, and others, they are preparing to attack Luoyang, which will likely fall soon. In this case, the credit for the campaign against Jin by the Hu and Han will undoubtedly belong to the general. However, as the saying goes, 'the tall tree attracts the wind.' Liu Yao, being the adopted son of Liu Yuan, will certainly look down upon a person of the general's external lineage. The greater the general's achievements, the more likely this disdain will turn into jealousy. As for Wang Mi, it is said that he has not been on good terms with the general and may possibly slander the general in front of the Han ruler. Thus, the general becomes a target for criticism, and his situation is as precarious as a fragile egg..."

Shile said, "Then it must be this way," and turned to look at Yan'an: "You may take care of Peilang, but you must not lash out at him indiscriminately. Remember, 'A gentleman may be killed, but he must not be humiliated.' If deep enmity is formed, how will the two of you assist me in the future?"