UCTOOT CH25

After a night of light, fluffy, and soft dreams, the result of Shi Shu’s hangover was a headache and a dry mouth upon waking the next day. Lying in bed, he subconsciously called out, “Mom, I want water, pour me a glass of water—”

When he suddenly became fully awake and opened his eyes, the quaint room was quiet and bright, the sun approaching morning.

“…I’m dizzy, got the place wrong again.”

Shi Shu rubbed his face. “I’ve slept all the way to early morning. Is Xie Wuchi back yet?”

Looking over at the other bed, the quilt was folded into a neat tofu block, clearly indicating that someone had been in the bed and had already gotten up.

As his feet slipped into his shoes, memories from his drunken state the previous night floated into his mind. He had felt light-headed, his steps unsteady as he jumped into someone’s melon patch and touched all the melons, and then Xie Wuchi had carried him back.

Xie Wuchi—

Carried him—

The strength and warmth of that embrace, the feeling of being supported by his arm, were all the more vivid after the stimulation of alcohol. Shi Shu instantly wanted to punch the ground.

“Huh? Was he drunk too? Why else would he do that?”

Shi Shu put on his shoes and ran outside. “Xie Wuchi! Where are you!”

Outside, the bright morning sun cast a white light over the courtyard. The tables, chairs, and benches in the middle of the yard had all been neatly put away, restoring its clean and tidy appearance. Needless to say, the creator of this masterpiece must have been him.

It was as if he was under a curse where procrastination would lead to death. His eyes saw work to be done, and his hands moved to do it, unable to rest until everything he found displeasing was adjusted to his satisfaction.

“Laifu? Have you seen Xie Wuchi?”

Laifu wagged his tail. “Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof!”

I saw him!

Follow me!

“Let’s go.”

Laifu ran joyfully, weaving through flowers and willows, and found him by the peach blossom tree. Xie Wuchi’s sleeves were tied up neatly. He had changed from his elegant Confucian robes into a set of coarse, dirt-resistant clothes, obviously meant for work. Holding a sickle, he was bent over, cutting down a thicket of overgrown weeds and mulberry branches.

Shi Shu: “Young Master Xie? You only slept for a few hours and you’re already up and at it this early?”

Xie Wuchi looked up at him, his gaze then lowering. “The grass is too deep. In summer, it easily breeds mosquitoes, insects, and snakes. Having it here makes the courtyard seem remote and gloomy. I thought I’d pull it all out.”

Shi Shu: “You just finished tidying the courtyard, and now you’re weeding. Aren’t you tired?”

Xie Wuchi: “Tired, but the grass won’t disappear on its own.”

“…”

The conversation suddenly turned philosophical. Shi Shu gave him a thumbs-up. “Awesome, bro. You’re a true man of action.”

“What about you? Are you sober now?”

Shi Shu: “More or less. Being drunk doesn’t feel that great. Were you drunk last night too?”

Xie Wuchi squinted. “What answer are you hoping to hear?”

An answer that could explain why he carried him back to the room. However, Shi Shu was adept at avoiding such awkward topics. After all, thinking about it carefully, he had been drinking last night and his body was limp.

Being carried home by Xie Wuchi, he had been a little too docile at the time.

Damn it! Why was I so docile!

At that moment, resting his head on his shoulder, being held like that, was actually quite comfortable.

Shi Shu instantly felt his hackles rise again, but he suppressed it. “Nothing. What did you do last night?”

Xie Wuchi’s gaze lingered on his face before he calmly turned to business. “Last night, the Prince received an urgent dispatch. The letter said that the rebellion in Huainan Circuit is shrouded in suspicion. The initial slogan of the peasant rebels was surprisingly ‘Execute Yin Pu.’ Yin Pu is one of Feng Lu’s ten adopted sons. This rebellion is inextricably linked to him. The councilors were asked to discuss what to do.”

“And? What was the result of the discussion?” Shi Shu pulled a foxtail from the grass and chewed on the root.

“Rather than sitting and debating, it’s better to rise and act. Without investigation, there is no right to speak. I plan to go to Huainan Circuit to see for myself.”

“…”

Shi Shu: “I am truly in awe of your capacity for action. Are you preparing for a long journey?”

“Yes. The road is dangerous. I was afraid you wouldn’t be willing to go.”

Xie Wuchi threw the bundle of grass in his hand to the ground. “You said last time that this patch of grass was remote and gloomy. I’ll clear it first, in case you’re staying in the courtyard alone next and feel scared.”

“…………”

No, brother, you.

You, do you have to be so good with your words—

Shi Shu spat out the grass root. “Since you’ve said that, let’s die together, okay?”

Xie Wuchi smiled. “Okay.”

“But this journey will be very dangerous. The rebellion in Huainan Circuit has just been suppressed, which means there have been at least hundreds of thousands of casualties. Along the way, we will see a road of corpses, a road of dead people, a river of blood, abandoned wives, children, and elderly, bandits roaming at night, refugees who kill for goods, and plundering soldiers. Your life could be in danger at any moment. Think it through.”

In an instant, a tingling sensation ran down Shi Shu’s back. “That terrifying?”

“Yes, we are about to enter a living hell.”

He had no real sense of what a war-torn landscape looked like, but many images still flashed through Shi Shu’s mind: scorched earth, withered vines, white bones exposed in the wild, no rooster crowing for a thousand li, blood flowing enough to float pestles, corpses littering the fields.

The more he thought, the more Shi Shu felt a sense of confusion.

“It’s so dangerous, why do you have to go?”

Why is it that everyone else clings to life and fears death, but he doesn’t?

Xie Wuchi: “High risk, high reward. The Prince’s thorn in the side right now is Feng Lu. If we can get a handle on Feng Lu, this could be a heaven-defying opportunity to change our fate.”

The juice from the grass in Shi Shu’s mouth exuded a bitter, green taste.

When you have limited initial capital, the only way to make a huge profit is to invest in a gamble that could result in total loss, through manipulation and gamesmanship.

And Xie Wuchi happened to be a greedy and crazy gambler.

…

Shi Shu stood up from the ground and patted his bottom. “When are we leaving?”

Xie Wuchi: “As soon as possible. It’s several hundred li from the Eastern Capital to Shukang Prefecture in Huainan Circuit. The journey alone will take more than ten days.”

Shi Shu: “Then I won’t bring Laifu. I’ll ask Chu Heng to help look after him. If he gets stolen on the road, I won’t even have time to be sad.”

Xie Wuchi: “I’ll say it again, the road is dangerous.”

“You can say it ten thousand times, it doesn’t matter. No matter how dangerous it is, aren’t you going too?”

Shi Shu turned around, feeling the rush but having no time to think. “I’ll go pack my clothes first.”

…

In the afternoon, the sun shone brightly.

At the entrance of the Prince’s estate, Shi Shu carried a small bundle on his back and held a self-made bamboo staff, tapping it loudly on the ground with a “thump, thump, thump.”

In front of him were several columns of fine horses. A man cupped his fist towards Shi Shu and Xie Wuchi. “Gentlemen, we will take our leave first.”

With that, this group of advisors, who shared the same mission, quickly slapped their horses’ rumps and disappeared in a cloud of dust.

Shi Shu: “They get to ride horses?”

“Yes, they are respected senior advisors. The Prince has granted them official titles, so their investigation is legitimate. We will travel by road and meet them in Shukang Prefecture.” Xie Wuchi, also carrying a bundle, had swapped his Confucian robes for more practical and simple clothes. He held an old-fashioned map, which he tucked into his collar.

He led a donkey by the reins with one hand. The donkey was laden with writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, pots, bowls, dry rations, a water flask, an umbrella, and two swords. He walked over to Shi Shu.

“The Peach Blossom Station, thirty li outside the city, is our resting place for tonight. Let’s go.”

“…”

Shi Shu: “Bro, are we on a survival trip?”

“Can you walk? There’s a closer station, Chen Family Gully Station.”

“I can walk. It’s just that you, looking all geared up and ready to go, seem very…”

It was hard to say. His planning was just too methodical, too thorough.

—Following Xie Wuchi, one could walk with their eyes closed.

“I wanted to conduct a field survey, to walk all the roads around here. I didn’t expect you to be willing to come with me. Very good.”

“What are you talking about.”

So cheesy.

Shi Shu turned around and yawned. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go. Stop with all this nonsense, it’ll be dark soon.”

However, Shi Shu was quite happy on the way. To be honest, staying at the Prince’s estate wasn’t much fun; he was someone who liked going out. Once outside the gates of the Eastern Capital, they were greeted by faint green mountains and a long, flowing river, leaving the bustling city for the countryside and wild mountains.

Shi Shu’s small bundle was also given to the donkey, and he walked on the main road lush with fragrant grass. It was May or June, a scene of beautiful mountains and clear waters, brimming with green. Willow leaves danced on the branches, their soft twigs waving in the wind. The scent of rice wafted from the paddy fields, and white cranes and forest birds circled overhead.

Shi Shu ran along the road, sometimes running far ahead. Only after a while would Xie Wuchi, leading the little donkey, slowly emerge from a grove of green bamboo and hand him a water flask. “Thirsty?”

“Gulp, gulp, gulp…“

“…”

Shi Shu took a sip of water, handed it to him, turned around, and ran off again.

However, when a dog from someone’s house suddenly rushed out barking furiously, Shi Shu turned and sprinted back towards him. “F*ck, Xie Wuchi, save me! If I’d known, I would have brought Laifu! He would have put all these dogs in their place!”

“Shoo, shoo.”

Xie Wuchi drove the dog away for him. When he looked up, Shi Shu had vanished again.

When they came across a stream, Shi Shu would stop, take off his shoes to step on the smooth pebbles, roll up his sleeves, and scoop river water to wash his face, the icy water turning his face red. Xie Wuchi would walk up, see his snow-white feet under the sun, and lower his eyelashes to watch for a moment, until Shi Shu put his shoes back on.

When Shi Shu ran fast, he wouldn’t chase. But when Shi Shu slowed down, he would wait.

As the sun gradually set, Shi Shu finally ran out of energy. Xie Wuchi took the book pannier from the donkey’s back. “Get on and sit.”

Shi Shu climbed onto the donkey. Xie Wuchi led the donkey, and after walking up and down a slope for a while, a courtyard house appeared in a deep mountain valley ahead. The building was dilapidated and ancient, with missing eaves corners and worn-out floorboards that had been battered by wind and rain. Only a mottled sign read “Peach Blossom Station.”

Xie Wuchi: “This is where we’ll stay tonight.”

Shi Shu: “Traveling was really not easy for the ancients, eating in the wind and sleeping in the dew. This station looks so rundown, I bet we won’t even get a good night’s sleep.”

“The government provides little money for its operation, so naturally, no one manages it. It’s probably looked after by the villagers.”

Xie Wuchi reached out to help Shi Shu off the donkey, but Shi Shu had already rolled off its back and rushed into the Peach Blossom Station. “It’s getting dark, it’s getting dark, time to rest. I’m inexplicably tired this afternoon, so hungry, so hungry—”

However, as soon as Shi Shu rushed in and saw the courtyard at dusk filled with densely stacked wooden coffins, piled layer upon layer, he instinctively rushed back out. “There’s that—!”

Xie Wuchi stood at the threshold and reached out to catch him. “What is it?”

The station keeper came out. He was an old man with a face full of orange-peel wrinkles.

Xie Wuchi: “Here are our documents. We are both councilors from the Prince of Liang’s estate, on a journey, and wish to stay the night.”

“Of course, of course, please come in, gentlemen. It’s just that this station has no grain or rice, so I must ask you to provide your own.”

Xie Wuchi: “Is there water? Clean water will do.”

The station keeper: “Naturally, there is.”

Shi Shu couldn’t help but ask, “Why are there so many coffins in this courtyard?”

“Oh,” the station keeper hurriedly explained, “please don’t be alarmed, gentlemen. It’s because here, many poor families have sold off all their land. When someone in the family dies, they have no land to lay their loved ones to rest. So they have to buy a thin coffin and leave it at the station, waiting until they have money to buy land for a proper burial. Please don’t be afraid, this custom has been around for many years.”

Shi Shu: “Who bought all the land?”

The station keeper shook his head, his face saying it was something he couldn’t speak about.

Shi Shu had no choice but to change the subject. “Do you live here at night?”

The station keeper: “No, this old man’s home is on the opposite mountain.”

Shi Shu: “Then is anyone else staying at this station tonight?”

The station keeper chuckled. “No, everyone else saw the courtyard full of coffins and ran away.”

Shi Shu: “…………”

You know that too, old man!

Once the sun set, it became dark with extraordinary speed. As darkness enveloped them, the laws of nature descended with a force that no one could resist. They were already in the remote, old mountains, and there was no telling if there would be another resting place ahead if they continued. Shi Shu swallowed hard. “Xie Wuchi, are we staying or not?”

Xie Wuchi glanced down. “I’m not afraid. If you’re scared, we can travel a bit further into the night.”

Shi Shu: “Uh, if you say you’re not afraid, I might not be afraid either, but I’ll probably be especially reliant on you later.”

Xie Wuchi: “In what way will you be reliant? I’m very curious. In that case, let’s stay.”

“…” The old station keeper cupped his hands, left, and went home. Xie Wuchi walked to the courtyard gate, reached out, and slid the bolt shut. The courtyard instantly became an enclosure, leaving them to live amongst this crowd of coffins.

Shi Shu: “Why did you close the courtyard gate?”

“The donkey. If we don’t close it, the donkey might be stolen by morning. Even though it’s the countryside, there are always petty people looking to take advantage.”

Shi Shu: “It suddenly feels so suffocating. I can smell the coffins.”

Xie Wuchi said simply, “I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”

In the packs on the donkey were dry rations, coarse steamed buns, and a few bundles of noodles. Xie Wuchi drew water from the well several times until he confirmed it was no longer murky and had become clean. He carried it to the stove, washed their own pots and bowls, and even beat two eggs to cook two bowls of egg noodles.

Shi Shu was impressed. “What a capable man.”

Xie Wuchi: “In what way capable?”

Shi Shu: “Capable, of course. Are there other ways of being capable?”

Xie Wuchi: “I am indeed very capable.”

What was he talking about? Shi Shu helped with the fire. As the night deepened, the two of them, by the remaining embers in the stove, ate their noodles, washed the pots and bowls, went to the well to wipe their bodies and wash up with a cloth, and even scrubbed their clothes.

“…………”

As Shi Shu’s hands were immersed in the cool water washing clothes, he was truly silent. It was like he had come on a military training exercise with Xie Wuchi. However, because Xie Wuchi was extremely self-disciplined in his actions, by following his steps closely, he actually felt that the day was particularly fulfilling, with no sense of wasted time.

…Finally, all was ready.

A small candle was lit in the dim side room, its warm halo spreading over a small area. The bed was laid with dry hay from sun-dried straw, smelling of the dry scent of the fields.

After spreading out their own quilts neatly, Shi Shu lay down. His weary bones instantly relaxed, and an indescribable sense of comfort spread from his internal organs. This was the feeling of being tired and wanting to sleep after a fulfilling day, an especially satisfying feeling!

Beside him, shadows danced. Xie Wuchi’s features were obscured in the lamplight. He found a small stool and sat upright and proper beside Shi Shu’s bed, taking out a blank book and a charcoal pencil he had sharpened.

The dim yellow light shone on the back of his hand, at the junction of light and shadow.

Shi Shu asked curiously, “What are you writing?”

“A diary. Today’s diary hasn’t been written yet.”

Shi Shu: “What do you write in your diary every day? I feel like there’s nothing much to write about in a day. As soon as I pick up a pen, my mind goes blank.”

Xie Wuchi’s dark eyes looked at him. “The people and events I’ve seen, the books I’ve read, my thoughts for the day. Writing a diary gives life a greater sense of order. It’s not that there’s nothing to write about, it’s just that one hasn’t developed the habit.”

“Oh,” Shi Shu’s round, fair fingernail tapped on the paper. “So what did you write today?”

“I wrote: ‘Outside the Eastern Capital, most of the common people’s land has been seized by wealthy households and powerful gentry. The people are so poor that even the ancestral lands for burying their kin have been taken away. The people cannot bear their fate.'” Xie Wuchi said, “Only by seeing these things with your own eyes are they real. Otherwise, they are just dead knowledge from books.”

Shi Shu raised his eyes. “You’re writing this down now so you can help them get their land back in the future?”

“How many times do I have to say it.”

Xie Wuchi’s handwriting was stroke by stroke, like silver hooks and iron strokes in the lamplight. “I’m not as good as you think.”

What was written on that page was not simplified Chinese, nor was it English, but Russian.

“…………”

Shi Shu: “Just be on your guard. Guard against me until you die. You even guard against the person you share a pillow with.”

“It’s not to guard against you. You never rummage through other people’s things.”

“Then who else could you be guarding against? In this world, are there other transmigrators besides the two of us?” Shi Shu said casually.

Xie Wuchi’s pen tip paused. After a breeze blew the candlelight, the shadow moved from his restrained and solemn brow to the bridge of his nose, half his face becoming indistinct. For a moment, he again resembled a cold sword kept in a box.

The side room was quiet. Xie Wuchi put away his ink brush and paper, placed them in a sheepskin bag, and leaned over to blow out the lamp.

“Time to sleep.”

The room was plunged into darkness. Shi Shu saw Xie Wuchi’s shadow sit on the edge of the bed. The hay rustled under the weight. A moment later, that weight settled beside Shi Shu with an overwhelming, steady presence.

The night was deep and quiet, the dew heavy. A gust of wind outside brought the rustling sound of the swaying forest. The window latch was blown open by the wind, creating a draft. A bone-chilling cold instantly seeped in from his back, as if a ghost were crawling up.

Shi Shu’s toes tensed up, and he pursed his lips. “Xie Wuchi, I don’t want to sleep by the window. The coffins are right outside. My back is freezing right now. If you don’t believe me, touch it.”

“Heh.”

Xie Wuchi’s hand landed on his back, feigning ignorance. “It really is cold. Want to switch places?”

Shi Shu was conflicted. “But I don’t really want to switch either. It feels safer against the wall. If I sleep on the outside, I’ll fall off the bed. And I think being near the door is scary too. If that thing comes, it usually comes through the door.”

“Xie Wuchi, think about it. Remote mountains, an old village in the countryside, an abandoned, ancient post station, and the station is filled with coffins. Just closing my eyes, I can already picture ten horror movies!”

Shi Shu: “I’m a coward. I find this really creepy.”

Xie Wuchi chuckled. “I’m not afraid of ghosts or gods. Do you want my help?”

Shi Shu: “How can you help?”

As soon as the words fell, a weight settled on Shi Shu’s waist. He was instantly pulled forward into a searingly hot embrace. Almost at the same moment, the hair-raising chill disappeared, and he was engulfed in a warm furnace.

Xie Wuchi: “You’re right. Places with many dead people have dense vegetation and poor air circulation, so it is indeed colder. Leaning against me like this, is it a little warmer?”

“…………”

Shi Shu was encircled in Xie Wuchi’s arms. His shoulders were much broader, and lying in his embrace, separated by cloth, his bones didn’t feel coarse or hard. But this was a man, a man! In an instant, Shi Shu’s nostrils were filled with the scent of a man. Xie Wuchi had a clean, warm, dry smell, but the invasive and masculine sense of territory was not diminished in the slightest. In a flash, Shi Shu’s skin tingled all over, and goosebumps rose on his back.

“Let go, let go! Xie Wuchi, sometimes you don’t have to be so understanding!”

“I wanted to help you. You said you were cold.”

“Not by helping like this, it’s a bit much.”

Xie Wuchi: “But, don’t you feel very warm? The quilt is narrow. Two people have to hold each other to stay warm.”

Shi Shu had to admit he had a point. And after being pulled into Xie Wuchi’s arms, let alone whether his back was cold or not, his mind was now completely full, with absolutely no room for any ghostly or wicked thoughts.

“…Xie Wuchi.”

Shi Shu let out a soft gasp. His leg was pressed between Xie Wuchi’s. On the surface, the quilt was calm, but underneath, their arms were intertwined, legs against legs, bodies pressed tightly together as if in an intimate embrace. Shi Shu was basically held in his arms like a cat.

Shi Shu: “I can’t take it, this position is so weird.”

Shi Shu placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned back, finally managing to pull half of his body out. However, in an instant, a cold draft rushed into the quilt, blowing on the back of his neck like a cold hand was touching him. After the touch, there was a cold mouth, blowing air against him.

“…”

Shi Shu was no longer so stubborn and shrank back into the quilt a little.

“Just sleep. I’m here. You’ll be very comfortable tonight and won’t have nightmares.”

Xie Wuchi dragged his wrist, pulling Shi Shu like a doll closer into his embrace, but not so close as to lose all distance. Their breaths were audible to each other, and their scents lingered at the tips of their noses.

…This brother has such a powerful energy field. So confident he could drive away even ghosts and gods.

Shi Shu’s eyes were wide open in the darkness. After a moment of stillness, he tucked the tip of his nose slightly into the quilt, his ears burning, and closed his eyes again.

…He gave up. It was clearly dangerous and terrifying everywhere, yet Xie Wuchi truly had a magical power. With just one sentence, not only did he stop panicking, but it felt as if the wind and rain had been shut outside the door.

Good brother, good brother, sleeping like this should be okay, right?

Zhang Fei and Guan Yu must have done this too!

This is the friendship between men… But as Shi Shu began to rationalize, waves of drowsiness washed over him. He felt as if he were lying on a soft layer, sinking into a sweet, dark dreamland.

Both of them were too tired. In a corner filled with thunder and lightning, they embraced and fell into a peaceful sleep.

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