Demon Lord Tang Dynasty

"Please excuse my poor skills. I am just a junior and have made a fool of myself."

The old man squinted and waved his hand with a smile.

"Hmph." Although Fu Junzhuo's face was pale, she still let out a heavy snort.

Upon hearing the old man's laughter, the young man stopped his boxing stance and returned to the old man's side.

Seeing this, Bai Ziting finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Gao Yi glanced at the group but didn't say anything more.

That move just now seemed to be the man receiving guidance from the old man, unleashing his full power and defeating Fu Junzhuo.

But the actual situation is not like that.

Fu Junzhuo is Fu Cailin's true disciple, and can be considered a master in the world.

Both in skill and experience, she was superior to that young man.

Even the most profound and exquisite guidance could not have enabled the man to achieve such a leap in skill.

This person isn't the main character.

In fact, in that final move, Fu Junzhuo was not only facing that young man.

The old man in front of us also secretly helped out.

If it weren't for this, Fu Junzhuo wouldn't have been unable to react in time, forced to confront him head-on, and wouldn't have been defeated so severely.

However, no one in the audience noticed this detail.

Fu Junzhuo may have some doubts, but she certainly has no evidence.

Gao Yi didn't expose him, but looking at the old man's kind and harmless smile, he couldn't help but sigh:

As expected of a scholar, he's truly cunning when it comes to being cunning.

"I have long admired Master Fu Cailin, and I never expected to meet his esteemed disciple today."

Gao Yi did not immediately strike up a conversation with the old and young, but instead looked at Fu Junzhuo and smiled.

Seeing Gao Yi's distinct actions, Fu Junzhuo smiled on her pale face.

The old man showed no dissatisfaction with Gao Yi's suggestion, and remained smiling.

"I have come to pay my respects on the orders of my master."

"Is that so?" Gao Yi looked surprised. "I have been negligent. However, Miss Fu is currently unwell. Perhaps I should have someone take her down to rest and recuperate."

"In that case, I have no choice but to trouble you." Fu Junzhuo nodded in agreement.

Only family members know their own situation. Fu Junzhuo knew that she couldn't do anything right now, and all her goals had to wait until her injuries were fully healed.

After saying that, Fu Junzhuo turned around and headed in the direction indicated, ignoring Bai Ziting.

Bai Ziting did have close ties with Goguryeo, but he was not actually part of Fu Cailin's faction.

Of course, Fu Junzhuo's actions weren't driven by any ill will; it was simply her personality.

"Then Ziting will not disturb Chief Gao any longer."

It would be impossible for Bai Ziting not to be curious about the old man and the young man in the room.

But Bai Ziting knew very well that Gao Yi was unlikely to allow him to listen in.

"Go and rest, Chief Bai."

Gao Yi smiled and waved, and soon a disciple came to greet him from afar.

After arranging for the two, Gao Yi turned to look at the old man.

The old man also turned his gaze at the same time.

Their gazes met in the air.

Gao Yi didn't ask any questions, but simply waved his hand slightly forward.

"Sir, please."

The old man smiled and, with the help of the young man, took a step forward.

The two did not exchange a single word during the entire process, yet they seemed to be longtime friends, displaying remarkable tacit understanding.

"Xiang'er, wait outside the tent."

Outside the tent, the old man suddenly stopped and gave an order.

"Yes." The young man didn't ask any questions, but simply nodded respectfully.

Gao Yi glanced at the old man with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

From their every move and the old man's attitude, it was clear that the young man was a junior whom the old man was very close to and valued.

Even so, the old man still chose to let the other person stay outside.

Things are made secret, and words are leaked.

Those who accomplish great things all value this word "secrecy".

Leaving aside the old man's identity and background, this one action reveals a lot.

"Young friend, please." The old man smiled and gestured to Gao Yi.

"please."

……

Silence fell over the tent after the two entered.

No one spoke.

The old man opposite was looking at Gao Yi, and Gao Yi was also looking at the old man.

I don't know how much time has passed.

The old man's smile suddenly vanished, and his previously hunched back straightened abruptly.

His gaze shifted in an instant, piercing Gao Yi like lightning.

"My surname is Lu, and I belong to the Si generation in the clan."

Without waiting for Gao Yi to ask, the old man spoke first, stating his surname and revealing his origins.

A simple question and answer is how ordinary people communicate.

The two people in the tent were clearly not ordinary people.

"Fanyang, Lu."

A glint of light flashed in Gao Yi's eyes.

It would be impossible for Gao Yi not to be surprised at all.

He figured someone from the Sui Dynasty would come, since he had set the bait to catch fish.

But he did not expect that it would be the Lu family of Fanyang who came.

"The Lu families of Fanyang and the Gao families of Bohai are of the same clan and lineage, so it makes no difference which family comes from."

The old man spoke, answering Gao Yi's question.

Yes, Gao Yi guessed in his heart that the guest he was waiting for was none other than Gao from Bohai.

"Same clan, same lineage?" Gao Yi's expression flashed with doubt at the right moment. He really didn't know much about the lineage of these aristocratic families.

"Hehe, Lu Bohai Gao of Fanyang is a descendant of Gao Xi, the eighth-generation descendant of Taigong Wang."

Gao Yi nodded noncommittally.

The old man smiled and said, "You can learn about these things gradually in the future. Besides the Gauls, the Cui families of Qinghe and Boling are also descendants of Jiang Ziya. They share the same roots and are closely related to the Gauls."

The old man explained very carefully.

However, from beginning to end, they never inquired about Gao Yi's background, nor did they question his origins as a member of the Bohai Gao clan.

Gao Yi showed no surprise at this.

That's how the game works in this era.

There are many aristocratic families, but there are also countless people who adopted surnames.

Back then, the various pillar states of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, under the instruction of Yuwen Tai, collectively sought to curry favor with various powerful families.

The Longxi Li clan of Li Yuan's lineage and the Hongnong Yang clan of Yang Jian's lineage both have many suspicious aspects.

However, the various aristocratic clans did not show too much aversion to these things.

Recognizing one's family roots and retaining the family name means that one's name, both before and after death, belongs to the family. This only expands the family's influence and does not cause any harm.

After all, they would only tacitly accept these forces that come to them, but they would not open up the core of their family to them.

Gao Yi was confident that he would attract the attention of the Bohai Gao, and this was the reason why.

"I understand," Gao Yi nodded in response, but in his heart he only treated it as a story.

As for the talk about being from the same clan or lineage, just listen to it and forget about it.

The Gaolu Cui family originated from Jiang Ziya, which is the surname Jiang, while other families such as the Li Wang family originated from the surname Ji.

But tracing back further, Shennong and Huangdi can be traced back to the descendants of Shaodian and Youqiao.

In other words, if we trace it back to its roots and look at the whole world, who doesn't share the same ancestor?

For these large families, let alone those from the same origin, even if they are different branches of the same family, they will not hesitate to fight and compete if there are any conflicts of interest.

Just like the smiling old man in front of us, he's here for profit.