Chapter 361: The Fourth Day in the Struggle for Supremacy World

Chapter 361: Day Four of Transmigrating into a Hegemon-Building Novel

In the original novel, the original An Yi was not as famous as he was now, and thus had not exchanged letters with Bai Ji in the early stages.

The two met in the midst of the era of chaos, when An Yi, on behalf of a noble clan, joined the camp of the warlord Bai Ji served at the time. Later, due to conflicts of ideology and interest, An Yi ultimately met his end at Bai Ji's hands.

As for Bai Ji himself, he lived a life of sweeping grandeur—serving three masters and eventually declaring himself king—before becoming the founding emperor of a dynasty. However, his later years were lonely, his health declined prematurely, and he passed away in his early sixties.

In this life, due to An Yi's transmigration and early planning, the course of events had already shifted.

The influx and digestion of information took only an instant in real time.

An Yi's expression remained utterly unchanged. The smile at the corners of his mouth stayed gentle, and his gaze rested calmly on Bai Ji's face.

Bai Ji's appearance did indeed project an air of fragile, scholarly refinement.

It was a pallor born of prolonged lack of sunlight and perhaps excessive worry—skin so pale it was nearly translucent, allowing faint bluish veins to be glimpsed beneath.

His features were exceptionally well-formed, possessing a classical, bookish handsomeness redolent of literary refinement. His brows were long and slender, and his eyes were the archetypal phoenix-eye shape with slightly upturned outer corners—they ought to have carried a certain romantic charm, yet were tempered by the calmness of his gaze and that lingering, seemingly innate melancholy that seemed etched between his brows.

His nose was straight, his lips pale, and when pressed together, they took on a cool, austere line.

He was slightly taller than An Yi. Standing there, his loose old Confucian robe was pressed lightly against his frame by the breeze blowing through the hall, making his shoulders and back seem even more erect.

He was like a green bamboo growing from a cliff in a secluded valley—elegant and graceful, yet a strong gust of wind might snap him. Or perhaps like a white porcelain figurine delicately fired in a famous kiln, exquisitely perfect in every detail—beautiful, yet fragile.

However, the moment his calm, deep brown eyes met An Yi's gaze, his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

At the very depths of his eyes, a trace of extremely subtle sharpness flickered, so quick one might have mistaken it for an illusion.

When he fully took in An Yi's appearance—that face which, under the bright afternoon light, seemed to radiate a soft glow, exquisite beyond the limits of gender and age; that jade-like elegance complemented by his plain, elegant robes; and those calm, gentle eyes that seemed able to see through everything—

Bai Ji's breath hitched almost imperceptibly.

He quickly lowered his eyelids, perfectly concealing whatever emotions might have slipped out in that instant.

When he raised his eyes again, only appropriate admiration remained.

He clasped his hands in greeting: "I am Bai Ji, courtesy name Ruzhi. I have long admired your reputation, An Langjun. Three years of correspondence have made us kindred spirits. Today I take the liberty of calling on you unannounced—I hope you'll forgive the intrusion." His words were humble, his gaze meeting An Yi's directly.

Comment section:

"What the hell, why is there so much description of their looks when these two meet?"

"Both of them are quite pleased with each other's appearance!"

"That's not all... the male lead was totally stunned."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA, so is the new character gonna be the male lead's wife? (just kidding.jpg)"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA, I get it now. The author is definitely going to make this character the male lead's soulmate, and maybe he'll die young later! Becoming the male lead's white moonlight and red rose—a like-minded friend who departs too soon, leaving the other to struggle alone for their ideals."

"You really get it!"

"Authors these days just love to bait BL fans!"

"That's fine, I'm used to it. Pander away, it's still fun to watch!"

"..."

An Yi: "..."

How many times was this now that commenters had predicted he'd die young?

It felt like the last time they'd guessed that was just... the last time.

An Yi took in every subtle reaction from Bai Ji—the contraction of his pupils, the hitch in his breath, and the swift, flawless concealment.

He had already stepped forward two paces, returning the salute with clasped hands: "Brother Bai, please, no need for such formality. I am An Yi, courtesy name Chuwei."

His voice was warm and melodious: "As Brother Bai said, we have corresponded for three years. Though we had never met, our interests align and our views resonate deeply—we have long been kindred spirits. Your visit today is a great honor for this humble home. How could it be impertinent or presumptuous?"

He turned sideways, gracefully making a "please" gesture, personally guiding Bai Ji toward the seats with an easy, familiar manner: "Brother Bai, please have a seat. You must be tired from the journey."

Bai Ji complied, sitting in the chair An Yi indicated, his posture loosening somewhat.

He looked up at An Yi, a faint smile also curving at the corners of his lips: "An Langjun's bearing surpasses the rumors by a hundredfold. When I wrote to you before, your words opened my mind and gave me much to think about. Now that I see you in person, I understand what kind of person could possess such breadth of vision and generosity of spirit."

An Yi sat in the other chair, smiling at the words, his gaze bright as he looked at Bai Ji: "Brother Bai flatters me. Mere parlor tricks—borrowing others' ideas and tweaking them slightly. Rather, it was your analysis of the accumulated ills of the grain transport system in your last letter—so incisive, every word a gem—that I learned a great deal from."

The two smiled at each other.

At that moment, a maidservant quietly entered, removing the earlier tea that had gone slightly cool and replacing it with freshly brewed tea, steam rising from it.

The tea was clear and bright, fragrant steam curling upward. The light aroma of tea, mingled with the scent of grass and wood in the post-rain air, lingered throughout the parlor.

An Yi and Bai Ji sat facing each other. After the introductions and pleasantries, the atmosphere had become relaxed and congenial.

The two naturally moved on to discussing the sights along the journey and the recent weather.

"Brother Bai, traveling from the north and passing through Yanzhou—did you happen to see the aftermath of the breach of the Chang River?" An Yi picked up his teacup, his tone concerned.

Bai Ji nodded slightly, his face taking on a suitably grave and compassionate expression: "I did. Where the waters had receded, the mud lay several feet deep. Houses had collapsed, farmland was utterly destroyed, and survivors had gathered on higher ground..."

He described it in detail yet plainly, without over-embellishing: "When I passed through, I distributed some of my traveling rations to a few children, but it was a drop in the bucket, and in the end..."

He sighed softly and shook his head. His pale face, when speaking of the people's suffering, made his fragility seem all the more real, as if he too bore the weight of that hardship.

An Yi lowered his gaze, his slender fingers drumming lightly against the smooth porcelain cup: "Natural disasters were frequent last year. Though the court provided relief, well..." He paused at just the right moment, then changed the subject: "But the weather has been much better lately. Today's sudden downpour, though brief, did chase away some of the summer heat. Did you have a smooth journey, Brother Bai? Were you caught in the rain?"

"Thank you for asking, Langjun." A faint smile curved at the corners of Bai Ji's lips: "I was lucky—the rain only began after I entered the city. The inn where I stayed was not far from your residence, so I wasn't put out at all."

He paused, his gaze sweeping past the rain-washed azure sky and the scattered wisteria outside the window: "Rather, this rain has washed away the dust and noise, leaving the mind refreshed. Your courtyard is elegant, and the scenery after the rain has its own unique charm."

The two chatted back and forth, discussing weather, travel, and scenery. Their speech was refined, their attitudes warm, and the atmosphere could well be described as a perfectly congenial visit.

Bai Ji's responses remained consistently composed. His voice was unhurried, and combined with that pale, fragile-looking yet intently focused face, it was easy to warm to him and trust him.

Yet Bai Ji's inner thoughts were anything but calm.

He sat there, feeling An Yi's gentle, spring-breeze-like gaze from across the room, listening to that clear, pleasing voice that seemed capable of calming all his worries, and his fingertips curled almost imperceptibly within his wide sleeves.

So An Yi... turned out to be this kind of person.