Leaving the Capital

Fang walked into his room. Collecting his sparse belongings, he slowly exited the inn. The sun shone brightly on his face as he prepared to leave.

Stepping forward, he entered the bustling street horde. Weaving through the crowds, he attempted to walk to the exit of the capital.

Eventually, he made it through and reached the gates. Walking forward, he smiled ruefully.

"MASTER! WAIT!" a voice called.

Fang turned around, annoyance evident on his face. Tang Junxin ran towards him, breathless and flustered.

"Master! Are you leaving so soon?" he cried.

Fang frowned.

"Yes. I've attended the banquet and met your imperial father in law as you wished. Now I am going to return to my peaceful life. Is there anything you want?" Fang asked.

Tang Junxin stared at him.

'This is the true mark of greatness. A man who has everything and yet simply wishes for nothing. Given the whole of the universe, he wishes for the smallest corner of the land to cultivate simply. Blessed by the heavens, he wishes to live as frugally as possible. Indeed this is the epitome of greatness: no matter how much power he may have, he will always be the simple man that he was in the beginning!' Tang Junxin thought.

In that moment, his respect for his master grew to an even greater height. His eyes shone with admiration and a boundless reverence.

Slowly, he knelt at Fang's feet and kowtowed before him thrice. Fang looked shocked. Pulling him up, Fang gazed into the young man's eyes. Smiling kindly, he spoke.

"Listen my friend. The world is yours for the taking. But never forget that you are destined for great things. However, know that once you arrive at your purpose in life, you should pursue it as far as you can. There is no reason to deviate from your path: just see the course through and eventually you will definitely arrive at you intended destination. In life one should never regret their decisions, but this is an almost impossible ideal. Following your heart and your values is the only way to truly live your life and I can tell you that it won't make life easy, but it will make life a lot more satisfying," he spoke, a faint glimmer shining in his eyes.

Tang Junxin stared at Fang with moist eyes. He wiped away the tears and smiled.

"Master! I will definitely embody your philosophy! I will follow my path to the very end!" he spoke.

His voice reverberated and firmly declared his belief.

'He'll be alright,' Fang thought.

Smiling, Fang waved his hand. A pulsating blue ball of energy appeared and he quickly thrust it into Tang Junxin's chest.

"Here," he spoke.

Tang Junxin looked shocked.

"This... what is this?" he asked.

Fang smiled in response.

"It's a Rare Ice Soul. Use it well, my disciple," he spoke.

Turning away from Tang Junxin, Fang glided away, out of the capital and onwards to his new life as a farmer.

Fang walked along the dirt path leading out of the capital.

[Lottery Wheel Ready for draw]

Startled by the sudden notification, Fang stumbled.

"HEY! Can't you be more considerate with those notifications?" he spoke.

[Would host like to open the Lottery Wheel?]

Fang thought for a while. This Lottery Wheel was directly correlated to his merit. Interesting, but how much merit had he even accumulated? After all, that was why he had decided to wait on opening the Lottery Wheel.

[Total Merit: 150]

Fang frowned. Was that high... or low?

[That is exceptionally high]

[Host saved the prince consort from assassination. If the prince consort had been assassinated, the repercussions from the emperor would have been great. All of his people would have to suffer based on the wanton wishes of an angry emperor. Your actions prevented anarchy and saved a life. That merits a good reward]

Fang smiled. So that was the crux of the matter. How interesting.

'Draw,' he thought.

A large chakram wheel appeared before him and began to spin rapidly. It spun extremely fast, a shining gold disc, brighter than the sun. It's radiance blinded Fang for a moment before it slowly stopped. Immediately it disintegrated and a ornate red treasure box with gold patterns on it appeared in his arms.

Fang stared at the box with shining eyes. This was it! If there was one thing that always happened to protagonists, it was that they always had the chance to draw from the lottery! He had been waiting for this chance ever since he had become a pseudo-protagonist!

"Please be a system removal device! Please be a genie that grants wishes! Please be something that can make me a normal person again! I beg you!" he prayed.

Reaching forward he undid the golden clasps. Slowly opening the lid, his eyes widened in expectation.