"These three words," he pronounced them slowly, with a distinct pause between each one, yet his tone was utterly resolute. It seemed he had foreseen this, prepared for it long ago, certain that the visitor could be no one but Jun Moxie!

"Lord Mei truly lives up to the title of a great sage. Your foresight is uncanny!" The calm voice from behind him remained even, unhurried, and full of patience, much like an old friend chatting away.

"This old man is ashamed; how dare I claim the name of a sage? There is no divine foresight in this. It is only because Young Master Jun already notified this humble servant. That is why I have not slept all night, waiting precisely for this moment, to welcome Young Master Jun's honored arrival."

Mei Gaojie finally turned. His ancient, weathered face was utterly composed. Yet, when his eyes fell upon the youth standing opposite him, a flicker of astonishment quickly crossed his gaze.

This person before him—was this the good-for-nothing, profligate youth from his memory?

Standing before him was an immaculate, refined young nobleman, clad in robes as white as snow, seemingly arriving carried by the wind against the vast expanse of the night. In the hazy darkness, he appeared like an immortal descending from the Ninth Heaven, untouched by the dust of the mortal realm.

This aloof, elegant youth, as pure and cool as the breeze, smiled with cultured warmth, yet that gentle smile exuded a chilling, murderous intent sharper than the bone-deep cold of November winds.

The refined youth carried no visible weapon; the legendary, heaven-shattering divine sword was not strapped to his person either. However, the fierce, sharp edge emanating from him made Mei Gaojie feel that this young man himself was the most formidable divine weapon—one utterly steeped in bloodlust and killing intent!

The arrival was indeed Jun Moxie!

The wastrel of yesteryear, now revealing his true sharpness, already possessed the wild, domineering aura of a generation’s overlord!

Jun Moxie offered a light smile, his eyes devoid of any hint of resentment. He strolled to the stone table, leisurely poured himself a cup of wine, raised the cup in salute: "Lord Mei, before asking for reasons, I must first toast you. For this very composure alone, you deserve a hefty drink. The only pity is that this wine is quite inferior, hardly comparable to the exquisite vintages produced by my Noble Hall! A flaw in perfection, truly a sigh."

Mei Gaojie laughed heartily, draining his cup in one gulp. His frail, aged body seemed to straighten suddenly, and he walked back slowly, taking a seat opposite Jun Moxie. He spoke deliberately, "Wine is wine; as long as it is drinkable, why fuss, Young Master Jun? Speaking of today's affairs, the arrow is already released from the bow. Why does Young Master Jun still harbor doubts? Now that things have reached this pass, whatever this old man knows, he shall reveal without reservation."

"However, I must first ask Young Master Jun: is this your first stop today?"

"No! I just came from Lord Kong's residence," Jun Moxie replied casually.

"Lord Kong has likely passed on?" Mei Gaojie sneered softly. "Indeed, Lord Kong was extremely stubborn and uncooperative, even obstinate. So, having no choice, this old man had to steel his heart and stomp his foot, reluctantly sending the venerable gentleman off on his glorious path to the Yellow Springs. He is probably strolling around up there now, perhaps bored and waiting for someone!"

"Haha, excellent, excellent. We two old fellows have been entangled together our whole lives. This old man will certainly follow shortly! But before departing, I am extremely interested to know what matter could have so deeply preoccupied the mind of a peerless talent like Young Master Jun?" Mei Gaojie spoke the phrase "peerless talent" with a hint of amusement coloring his tone.

This lifelong impoverished scholar, facing death now, actually displayed a rare composure and a vast, open-minded spirit!

"The first question, Lord Mei, why did you know for certain that I would come today? In my memory, I sent no notification whatsoever!" Jun Moxie paid no mind to the answer, taking the empty cup and turning it over and over in his hands, his gaze fixed on the ordinary wine cup, as if deeply fascinated by it. He did not look at Mei Gaojie opposite him!

"Young Master Jun publicly humiliated my three disciples today, making them publicly revile this old man. Knowing that, I knew you would surely come tonight to settle this score!"

Mei Gaojie chuckled: "Because you have pushed things to the absolute limit! Neither side of us has any room for retreat. If you had not come today, tomorrow this old man would fight to the death. Even if I couldn't shake the Jun family, I am absolutely certain that a significant portion of your subordinates would suffer. Those people are currently within our grasp! With your shrewdness, Young Master, you would not be unaware of this! Even if the Young Master doesn't care about their lives, Lord Jun Zhantian and Grand Marshal Jun Wuyi certainly would..."

"Well said," Jun Moxie nodded slowly. While true, that wasn't the main reason. He wanted to see just how much the elder knew!

"Today's events thoroughly exposed that the Jun family completely disregards imperial authority, nor do they fear it. Therefore, if this old man were to act tomorrow, reporting to the Emperor would be meaningless. We would certainly use the force mobilized today—without going through the court—to strike the Jun family’s influence with the heaviest blow. Even if it doesn't cause your ruin, it will force you to pay a price so heavy you cannot bear it!"

He let out a dry laugh, "We are civil officials, yet we possess the great power to kill without shedding blood, to skillfully entangle and neutralize a supreme hero invisibly! And our faction of civil officials is deeply rooted, occupying half the foundation of the Tianxiang Dynasty's court. No matter how great your martial power, you cannot stop us. Therefore, your best course of action, and the best time, was to strike tonight."

"Furthermore, the Young Master achieved success young; this is precisely the time when his sharp edges are most prominent, and the Jun family’s fledgling wings need a target upon which to establish their might! And this old man and Kong Lingyang are undoubtedly the best targets for establishing that dominance. Moreover, though my acquaintance with the Young Master is brief, I know he is someone who invariably seeks vengeance for every slight and possesses a malicious nature. Even if he could handle tomorrow's storm, he certainly wouldn't wait for tomorrow."

"What’s more, while the Young Master’s conduct may be improper, he possesses filial piety. If the Jun family's power suffers a blow, the one most hurt would undoubtedly be Jun Zhantian. So you cannot allow your grandfather to suffer a blow. Alas, this was a critical consideration in the plan this old man devised to deal with you—intending to force you to yield through public opinion pressure. Sadly, man proposes, Heaven disposes. Your reaction, though seemingly tyrannical, struck with the force of thunder, successfully shattering my entire scheme. Truly, the younger generation is to be feared!"

"Any one of the above reasons, if valid, would have compelled you to come. Either here, or to Kong Lingyang's place. Therefore, you were bound to come! How could this old man not wait for you here?!"

"Lord Mei holds me, Jun Moxie, in very high regard; this junior feels greatly honored." Jun Moxie nodded deeply. Mei Gaojie had clearly investigated and analyzed him thoroughly to arrive at these conclusions. That is why Jun Moxie offered the words of "high regard."

"The second question: Since Lord Mei knew I was coming, why were there no preparations whatsoever? Although Lord Mei is a civil official, you certainly have many loyal retainers. If I could have been killed in one stroke here, all future troubles would have been eliminated. Yet, upon arriving at your residence, I detected no vigilance whatsoever. Clearly, Lord Mei has withdrawn them all. Why is that?" Jun Moxie asked his second question.

"As I mentioned earlier, though my acquaintance with the Young Master is brief, I know much about you. Although the Young Master’s actions appear arrogant, overbearing, even absurd, upon reflection afterward, they always turn out to be perfectly interconnected and deeply planned. Since the Young Master dares to come today, he must be fully prepared; although this humble servant also has several death-sworn men, how could they possibly stand against the current might of the Jun family? In that case, I wouldn't even have the chance to converse with the Young Master."

Mei Gaojie smiled wisely: "This old man is, after all, a scholar with no strength to bind chickens; I never understood the cultivation of martial artists or the rankings of Heaven Profound or God Profound realms; but I do know this much: we are certainly no match for the Jun family. And since this old man is here alone, the Young Master would surely wish to have a private conversation with me."

"I initially thought Lord Mei was merely a stuffy Confucian, but observing now, you truly are a sage." Jun Moxie laughed heartily, pouring two more cups of wine: "Just for those words you spoke, Moxie must toast you once more!"

Mei Gaojie’s expression remained placid as he heartily drank.

"The third question: No matter how improper my conduct, Jun Moxie’s, that is my own affair. My Jun family’s private matters—what business is it of yours? Furthermore, you all know the truth of the matter, so why insist on pinning a basin of filth onto my head? Why force matters to the point of death?"

Jun Moxie genuinely did not understand this question: "My personal moral decay seems to have no bearing on the nation's policies or the people's customs of Tianxiang. Such a far-fetched charge, provoking the Jun family's thunderous wrath and inviting fatal disaster—what was the purpose? If it were truly for the sake of the common people, when have I ever been benevolent in the past, yet you never stood up for the world then! Sir, you should grant me an explanation, shouldn't you?"

"The end point of this dispute concludes with the Young Master, and it also originates from the Young Master. Although this old man and Lord Jun Zhantian have some old grudges, I would not tolerate the existence of the Jun family for such a trivial reason. Moreover, Old Lord Jun is truly a righteous man who serves the country and the people, and his son Jun Wuyi is the same. Despite differing political views, this old man, while feuding with this father and son outwardly, respects them deeply. For their sake, I would not impeach them; rather, I would strive to protect them. The reason this incident occurred is solely because of you! Young Master Jun Moxie!"

Mei Gaojie gave a cold laugh: "Because you are fundamentally a person who completely disregards the common people and the world! Jun Moxie, I will never misjudge you on this point. It is laughable that someone like this old man has become the Young Master’s confidant. And a person like you, once you inherit the vast power belonging to the Jun family, will inevitably bring endless disaster! Even if you turn the entire Tianxiang Dynasty upside down, this old man firmly believes it. Therefore, since you have shown your potential, you are a dangerous sprout that must be nipped in the bud immediately, or the Tianxiang Dynasty is doomed to be destroyed by your hands! Currently, it is only Tianxiang, but if you succeed, next will be the entire mortal realm; you are destined to leave calamity upon the world!"

Mei Gaojie’s words undoubtedly contained deep implications, but Jun Moxie did not press further. Even if Mei Gaojie knew some inside story, now was not the right time for true revenge. When the time comes, or perhaps, no evidence will even be needed...