Chapter 672: Great Tolerance

Even as Ji Yuan was doing these things, all three men, including the one roasting the pork, continued to observe him, though somewhat discreetly. They could, at least for now, confirm that Ji Yuan carried no weapons. What was stranger still, given the wild terrain, was his complete lack of baggage or belongings.

Seeing how relaxed and at ease Ji Yuan appeared, the man closest to him finally spoke.

"Mr. Ji," he began, "in such a desolate wilderness, a traveler on foot wouldn't reach a village or city for days, and it's easy to get lost. Yet, you seem quite at ease, without even a travel bag."

Ji Yuan understood their lingering caution, which he found perfectly natural. He spread his hands and smiled.

"Rest assured, gentlemen," he said, spreading his hands. "While I do possess a little skill in martial arts, I am certainly not a bandit or a scout. My 'travel bag' simply contained some food, and once I finished eating, I put it back in my sleeve. See, here it is."

With that, Ji Yuan reached into his right sleeve and pulled out a neatly folded piece of cloth. When he unfurled it, a few biscuit crumbs were still visible on its surface.

The three men's gazes visibly softened. Another man chuckled and said to Ji Yuan, "We're not worried you're a bandit scout, sir. If you were, you'd have joined the army attacking Da Zhen long ago. The spoils there are far greater than what bandits get."

Ji Yuan frowned slightly but remained silent. The Zu Yue army's composition was inherently chaotic, so their comment wasn't surprising.

"Is Da Zhen truly so prosperous?" asked the youngest of the three. "I thought it was a poor place, full of starving people. Why are people saying there's so much wealth to be had there now?"

As the youngest asked this, the man in the hemp-cloth shirt, who was still roasting the meat, scoffed.

"Hmph," he snorted. "I used to believe that too, but now it's clear the people of Da Zhen live far better than us. All those stories before were lies!"

"I see... Sir, you seem to be a learned man. What's your view?"

Ji Yuan's attention was mostly on the wild boar by the bonfire. Just by smelling it, he knew precisely where it wasn't cooked enough and how much longer it would need to reach perfection. Hearing the question, he glanced at the young man.

"There's a saying, 'People don’t worry about scarcity but about inequality,'" Ji Yuan replied. "And another: 'No comparison, no harm.' Both apply here. It's simply a way to prevent civil unrest. Besides, Zu Yue and Da Zhen have never been on good terms, so ordinary folk have no way of knowing the truth... Oh, it's time to flip it! The lower back isn't cooked well; turn it over and cook this part more."

The man responsible for roasting the meat paused, visibly stunned, but instinctively followed Ji Yuan’s instructions.

"Sir," the man asked, "are you traveling alone in this wilderness?"

They were probing again, so Ji Yuan prevaricated casually.

"Sort of, and sort of not," he replied.

"Surely you're not visiting a friend," the man pressed. "No one lives in this area anymore, though occasionally people come to visit graves."

Ji Yuan found this amusing, thinking that it was, in a way, somewhat fitting. He simply nodded, choosing not to ask what the three men were doing there, lest he provoke their existing wariness.

They chatted intermittently for a long time. Eventually, Ji Yuan felt their guard drop to a point where they were genuinely welcoming. It wasn't easy in such chaotic times.

"Alright, I'll just sprinkle some seasoning, and it'll be ready to eat!"

Following this welcome announcement, the man in charge of roasting took a small bamboo container from his satchel. He opened it, pinched out some salt, and sprinkled it evenly over the roasted wild boar. He then took out a small knife and began carving the meat. The first piece he cut, he skewered onto a pre-split bamboo stick and offered directly to Ji Yuan.

"Here, sir, please enjoy!"

"Thank you, thank you," Ji Yuan replied.

Ji Yuan carefully accepted the meat, muttering, "Don't mind if I do," and took a large bite. As he chewed the wild boar, he found no trace of gamey flavor, only a rich, oily savor that filled his mouth.

Ji Yuan's evident enjoyment made the meat seem inexplicably delicious. The other three men, abandoning any pretense of decorum, swallowed hard and began cutting off their own portions. The pork was too hot to take large bites, so they ate in small, noisy gasps.

Though it was early spring, the weather remained cold. Eating roasted meat around a bonfire in such conditions was truly pleasant. It had been a long time since Ji Yuan had so unrestrainedly devoured meat. He ate without holding back, and in no time, the meat on his skewer was gone, leaving only the finger-thick bamboo stick.

Still feeling unsatiated, Ji Yuan hesitated for a moment, then spoke with slight embarrassment, "Uh, may I have some more?"

The three men looked up, surprised that Ji Yuan had already finished his portion, especially considering the palm-sized piece had been scorching hot.

"Uh, yes," the roaster replied. "The knife is on the boar, Mr. Ji. Please help yourself."

"Then I won't be polite!" Ji Yuan declared.

Given their permission, Ji Yuan made straight for his favorite part. Taking the small knife, he began carving off the ribs, directly removing more than half of the rack closest to him, complete with ample meat still attached.

"Can't forget this!" he exclaimed.

As he spoke, Ji Yuan held the ribs in his right hand and reached into his left sleeve, pulling out a small packet wrapped in a lotus leaf. He set it on the ground and opened it, releasing an immediate waft of pungent, spicy aroma. Ji Yuan sprinkled the chili powder onto the ribs. The aroma, intensified by the steaming hot meat, became even more enticing.

Ji Yuan pulled off a rib, still attached to meat, and gnawed on it with such relish that the three men across from him began to salivate uncontrollably.

"Hahahaha," Ji Yuan laughed. "If you don't mind, gentlemen, please help yourselves too. This chili powder is a rare commodity; savor it while you can!"

Ji Yuan handed over the chili powder packet. The three men, who had been struggling to resist, naturally accepted it without ceremony.

"Then we won't be polite!" one exclaimed. "Thanks a lot!" another added.

"I'll try it too," said the third.

The moment they tasted it, the fragrant and spicy flavor captivated all three, and the atmosphere became lively, with conversation flowing freely.

The three men discovered that, in addition to being a prodigious eater, Mr. Ji also possessed boundless knowledge. No matter the topic, he could offer insights, from national affairs down to the preference for sons or daughters. He spoke with great reason, or at least, so it seemed to them.

"Sir, you are so learned and knowledgeable," one man ventured, "when do you think this war will end? If it continues like this, can our Zu Yue win?"

Ji Yuan smiled and shook his head, focusing intently on the rib he had just torn off. He gnawed it from end to end, leaving not a speck of meat, yet his eating remained un-crude. He chewed the meat in his mouth, and only after swallowing did Ji Yuan speak.

"The war won't last too long," he stated, "certainly not for a decade or more. And in this conflict, Zu Yue is destined to lose. Once they are driven back to their own territory, and Da Zhen pursues, their influence will crumble."

"Ah?" "No way, sir, don't be so absolute!"

"Yes," another chimed in, "isn't the situation looking great? And there are so many mages and immortal masters."

"That's right, that's right," added the third. "I heard those immortal masters can summon wind and rain; they're incredibly powerful!"

Ordinary Zu Yue people didn't harbor much hatred for Da Zhen; rather, they resented the Song clan of Zu Yue for their cruelty and injustice. Still, Ji Yuan's words caused them a slight discomfort.

Ji Yuan used a rib bone as a makeshift pen, drawing several circles on the ground and tapping each one as he spoke.

"The eastern and western tribes, the northern and southern powerful clans, the Song clan of the capital, the various immortal masters, as well as bandits, mountain bandits, militias, and laborers… the diverse factions forming the Zu Yue army are not a cohesive unit," he explained. "When there's profit, they'll act like a pack of wolves, but once they suffer a heavy setback, the most unfortunate, besides those so-called immortal masters, will be the Song clan."

Ji Yuan tapped the large central circle with the bone, then looked up at the three men, who were watching him with wide-eyed curiosity, and continued.

"As the saying goes," he continued, "the highest form of warfare is to attack strategies; next, to attack alliances; next, to attack armies; and the lowest, to attack fortified cities. The Da Zhen army has skilled generals and strategists. Once they enter Zu Yue territory, they'll have plenty of ways to make Zu Yue crumble from within."

Having said this, Ji Yuan continued to gnaw on the last rib in his hand. The three men stared blankly at the scribbles on the ground, vaguely seeing images of burning warfare, before shaking their heads and snapping out of their daze.

The man who had been roasting the meat, seeing that Ji Yuan had finished the ribs and still looked unsatisfied, quickly picked up the small knife. He cut off an entire rack of ribs from the side closest to them and carefully handed it to Ji Yuan.

"Sir," he offered, "we don't particularly care for ribs either. If you can still eat more, please take this as well."

"Haha, that's exactly what I wanted, thank you!" Ji Yuan exclaimed.

Ji Yuan accepted it without ceremony, tearing off a rib and gnawing on it, sprinkling some chili powder now and then. It was a pity he couldn't take out his Thousand-Dou Flask at the moment; with wine, it would have been even more delightful.

The three men had, at some point, stopped eating. After Ji Yuan had finished two more ribs, the man in the middle cautiously asked again, "Mr. Ji, in your opinion, what would happen if Da Zhen invaded our Zu Yue? Would they burn, kill, and loot? I heard that in Qi State..."

By now, the three men's attitude toward Ji Yuan had significantly shifted from their initial encounter; they now used honorifics. The question was left unfinished, but all four present understood its implication.

Ji Yuan chewed the meat in his mouth, disliking speaking with a full mouth. Only after swallowing did he point to a spot in the sky and speak.

"Gentlemen, what star is that?" he asked.

The three men instinctively looked up. In the direction Ji Yuan pointed, a patch of stars was visible, with one particularly brilliant star among them. In their current state, they didn't even realize the absurdity of seeing stars at midday.

"Isn't that the Big Dipper?" one asked. "Yes, yes, it's the Big Dipper. This is the fourth star... what was it called again?"

"I know, I know!" exclaimed the youngest. "The fourth star is the Wen Qu Star! Mr. Ji, am I right?"

The three men looked at Ji Yuan, who nodded.

"Correct," he affirmed. "This fourth star is called Tian Quan, commonly known as the Wen Qu Star. Are you all aware that there is a virtuous and great scholar in Da Zhen?"

The three men replied in unison, "Duke Yin?"

"Precisely, Duke Yin," Ji Yuan confirmed.

Ji Yuan hadn't expected them all to know. Their subsequent remarks, however, made him both laugh and sigh. He heard the man on the left immediately say, "Hasn't Duke Yin passed away long ago?"

"Yes," another chimed in, "isn't Duke Yin just a character from stories? Is there really such a person?"

"Exactly," the third added. "Wasn't he just fabricated by scholars?"

"Hahahahaha..."

Ji Yuan laughed, slapping his thigh, and it was a while before he composed himself. He had lost count of how many times he had shaken his head that day, but these three had genuinely piqued his interest, so he replied, "Duke Yin's full name is Yin Zhaoxian, from Ning'an County in Ji Province, Da Zhen. During the Yuan De era, he excelled in the imperial examinations three times consecutively, earning the deep respect of Emperor Yuan De. He was sent to Wan Province, where he eliminated corrupt officials and quelled the silk rebellion, for which countless people prayed for his well-being. Later, he was transferred to the capital, where he authored books, compiled biographies, and purged corrupt elements. He rose to the rank of Minister of the Secretariat, serving as imperial tutor to the current Emperor of Da Zhen. There is no one in the country, from commoners to officials, who does not revere him or is not convinced by his wisdom. Yin Zhaoxian is indeed a real person, still holds his position, and is in good health..."

Ji Yuan paused, then slowly continued.

"With Duke Yin present," he continued, "and hearing that the commanders in the Da Zhen army even include Duke Yin's second son, how could they possibly allow the Da Zhen army to burn, kill, and loot in Zu Yue?"

A 'clatter' echoed.

A bone, gnawed incredibly clean, was tossed by Ji Yuan to his feet, hitting other bones with a crisp sound. Ji Yuan had spoken a long string of words, and in the interim, he had already finished the entire rack of pork ribs. A considerable pile of bones had accumulated at his feet.

The sound startled the three men, who were deep in thought about Ji Yuan’s words. They instinctively looked down at Ji Yuan's feet, saw the sizable pile of gnawed bones, and then glanced at the wild boar, now almost stripped bare.

"Uh, I have quite a large appetite, a rather large appetite, hehe..."