UCTOOT CH34

As for now, Shi Shu still had a heap of things to deal with.

Lin Yangchun was now under the surveillance of the Fengming Si. If Shi Shu contacted him again, it would expose their location. Xie Wuci could only drink the one dose of miasma-dispelling soup left each day. As for the medicinal baths, pills, and Lin Yangchun’s acupuncture, all methods of treatment were gone.

With one less medicine, there was one more worry. Shi Shu waited anxiously, wiping his sweat. Several times, Shi Shu woke with a start from his sleep to see Xie Wuci drenched in a cold sweat from the pain of his high fever. But Xie Wuci’s self-esteem was sky-high; unlike the people in the infirmary, he would not cry out in pain. He was just silent.

Shi Shu wiped away his sweat with a handkerchief. “Xie Wuci, is your fate hard enough? I heard that in ancient times, the fight for power was an elimination contest, and good health was one of the conditions to participate. You can pull through, right?”

Shi Shu knelt on the haystack, wiping his sweat. “You said you wanted to be the emperor.”

As for the child Fuling, he was very obedient. He ate when given food and drank when given water, but he never made a sound, just squatting quietly by the side.

On the sixth day of his deep sleep, alarm bells went off in Shi Shu’s mind. He did not dare to take his eyes off Xie Wuci for a moment. “Has the immune system gone crazy?”

Xie Wuci’s handsome forehead was still heroically calm, a strip of gauze worn across it. For six days, he had barely eaten or drunk anything, only taking in a few grains of rice with water. His eyebrows were stuck together with sweat, and the line of his jaw was even more gaunt and sharp.

He was tied to a beam in the woodshed by a rope Shi Shu had made from a cotton coat. Xie Wuci’s hands and feet were restless; when delirious with fever, he would act recklessly and demand kisses. But Fuling was also here, so Shi Shu had tied Xie Wuci’s left hand to prevent being controlled by him.

“Why isn’t he getting better?”

Shi Shu brought his nose close, staring at the pale face just inches away. “Xie Wuci, when we just left Liushui Nunnery, I said we would die together and not betray our oath. What do you want me to do?”

“Do you want me to die with you?”

The dim moonlight cast shadows on Xie Wuci’s brow bone. It was the first time Shi Shu had been this close, watching him as time passed.

“This is too much. You sleep while I’m left alone to worry and be scared.”

Shi Shu sat down cross-legged beside him, a blade of grass in his mouth. He lay down next to Xie Wuci and fell asleep, still holding the child Fuling in his arms. They depended on each other like this. In a daze, Shi Shu had a dream.

He dreamed he was playing ball with Xie Wuci on the playground outside his house. When it was getting dark, his mom came out to call them, and Shi Shu led Xie Wuci upstairs for dinner.

The scene was warm and beautiful, but the only variable was that when Shi Shu was closing the door, he suddenly slammed it shut—

“Bang!” A loud noise.

Shi Shu’s eyes flew open in the faint light of dawn, returning to reality. The woodshed door was violently kicked open, and a babble of voices erupted.

“The kitchen has been missing things these few days, and someone said they saw green smoke coming from under the eaves of the woodshed. There must be a thief hiding here.”

“This courtyard must have been robbed. I heard a few days ago that someone was hiding here.”

“Who is it?! Get out here now!”

“Oh no, oh no, this is bad.” Shi Shu jumped up. Four or five men entered the doorway, dressed in servant’s short clothes with fierce looks on their faces. They stormed in, rolling up their sleeves, and kicked over the pot on the ground.

“Well, well, there really are thieves hiding here.”

Seeing that they were not eunuchs from the Fengming Si, Shi Shu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly explained, “Big brothers, please calm down first and listen to me. I was originally a patient from the infirmary. My brother and I contracted the miasma and had nowhere to go, so we temporarily borrowed this woodshed to shelter from the wind and rain.”

The man said sternly, “Borrowed? Who did you borrow it from? How come I didn’t hear you ask? And isn’t all this rice, flour, grain, and oil stolen from the kitchen? I was saying the kitchen had rats recently, always short on flour and rice, and a few pieces of meat missing!”

These men were the handymen of the dyehouse. During the peak of the miasma outbreak, Shi Shu had personally taken care of them, but at the time, his face was tightly covered, so they did not recognize him.

It was not convenient for Shi Shu to reveal his identity, so he said, “Consider it borrowed from me, how about that? Wait two more days and I’ll send you the money from the Eastern Capital.”

“What do you mean wait two days?! Who are you! A thief with a glib tongue. Get him—”

Shi Shu said, “Hey?! Don’t hit, don’t hit—”

The men scolded and cursed as they quickly carried away all the pots, bowls, rice, and flour. Someone found a stick to drive them away. Shi Shu did not want to start a conflict. “Don’t hit! Just give us a little more time and we’ll leave on our own!”

“Thief! Who’s going to give you time?”

With that, the stick swung towards Shi Shu. It was common knowledge that wealthy households or official residences often kept thugs. Shi Shu ran around a pillar. “Fine, fine, we’ll go, we’ll go! Don’t hit people, don’t hit people!”

“We really are patients, just borrowing a place to stay! I’ll pay you back!”

“Don’t listen to his nonsense! Break his hands and feet and throw him out!”

The stick swung again. Shi Shu ducked his head to avoid it, and behind him came the sound of firewood scraping against short clothes—

Shi Shu turned his head. Xie Wuci had, at some point, opened his eyes.

“Xie Wuci!!! You’re actually awake!!?”

Shi Shu’s joy was unconcealable, but there was no time. He was chased around the room.

Xie Wuci’s eyes were half-open, his murky red eyes staring at the men. His body was weak, but he actually stood up directly from the haystack. His tall, cold figure swayed for a moment, then he strode towards Shi Shu!—

The rope Shi Shu had tied to Xie Wuci’s wrist was pulled taut. He glanced at it, then clenched his fist and snapped the rope. It hung in strands from his wrist bone, his menacing shadow falling on the ground. Shi Shu was reminded of Xiangnan Temple, where he had used the Bodhi seed prayer beads as brass knuckles.

“What are you doing? You steal things and now you want to hit people?” a servant said.

Xie Wuci said, “Scram.”

The servant retorted, “Scram? Whose territory do you think this is?”

Xie Wuci said, “I told you to scram. Get away from him.”

Xie Wuci picked up a piece of firewood from the pile. As he walked over, the faces of the several men showed alarm. Xie Wuci’s face was filled with gloom, his shadow stretching across the ground, his presence extremely intimidating. Someone, not believing it, cursed and stepped forward, only to be kicked to the ground by Xie Wuci, where he rolled around.

“So you think you’re in the right? You’re hitting people now?!”

The servants were in chaos. “Go! Let’s go! They took things from the dyehouse and are hitting people! Go!”

Shi Shu really could not argue his case about Xie Wuci saving Shuhong Prefecture. He could only grab the remaining dry rations that had not been snatched away, take Fuling’s hand with one, “I said I’d pay you back!” and pull Xie Wuci with the other. The three of them rushed out of the woodshed and ran for their lives. As they ran, Shi Shu handed Xie Wuci a steamed bun. “Eat quickly! You haven’t eaten in so long, you must have no strength!”

The few eunuchs at the dyehouse’s watchtower were nowhere to be seen. Shi Shu and Xie Wuci escaped to a pavilion in a grove of trees. Seeing no one around and the dense shade of the trees, Shi Shu pulled Xie Wuci down to squat. “You’re finally awake?”

The warm sun shone on Shi Shu’s face, his skin fair and translucent. A pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes stared intently, his voice slightly breathless.

A warm breath caressed his face. Xie Wuci said, “I’m awake.”

“Has the fever gone down?” Shi Shu pressed his hand to his forehead.

Xie Wuci closed his eyes at the gesture. When Shi Shu’s hand moved away, he opened them again. “Do you think it has?”

Shi Shu said, “It has. That’s great! It wasn’t in vain that I prayed to the gods for protection every night these past few days.”

Xie Wuci squeezed the steamed bun and said calmly, “Fortunately, I had you.”

“It’s good that you know how to repay kindness.” Shi Shu and he hid in the shadow of the low bushes, their bodies forced to press together. The proximity was too close, and the scent of Xie Wuci’s breath wafted over. The similar sensation instantly reminded Shi Shu of the days and nights of the past week, especially the night Xie Wuci had pressed him down and kissed him.

A nerve in Shi Shu’s brain twitched. He had been squatting, but he subconsciously scooted to the side.

No, this guy kisses people randomly. There’s something wrong with him.

Better not let him plant another one on my face.

Shi Shu’s opinion on this was: if you dislike someone, you hit them. If you like someone, you kiss them. If you hit or kiss someone for no reason, that kind of person is usually very dangerous and needs to be avoided.

When Shi Shu felt awkward, he did not want to talk about it. “What do we do now?”

Now was not the time to bring this up. He would bring it up when the time was right.

Xie Wuci said, “If we appear publicly, we’ll probably be hunted down by the Fengming Si people again. We’ll investigate in secret.”

Shi Shu said, “In secret? But we’re almost out of food and drink.”

Xie Wuci said, “Food and drink are the easiest to solve.”

Good. Xie Wuci had returned to rational thinking. Shi Shu was more familiar with him like this, and his confidence grew a little.

Shi Shu checked his bag and found only one steamed bun left. Without a second thought, he stuffed it into Fuling’s hands. “The child eats. We’ll go without for now.”

Fuling said “ah” and took the bun, taking a small bite before stuffing the whole thing into his mouth.

Once again, they were at a dead end, with no options left. After Fuling finished the bun, he yawned. Shi Shu and Xie Wuci stood up. After thinking, they decided to find another shelter. However, the servants from the dyehouse would probably report them, so they could not stay here any longer.

The corridors twisted and turned, leading to a secluded path. They did not know where they had walked to, but Fuling suddenly reached out and grabbed Shi Shu’s sleeve, stopping in his tracks and refusing to move.

Shi Shu asked, “What’s wrong? Can’t walk?”

Unexpectedly, as they tried to move forward, Fuling not only refused to walk but also suddenly hugged Shi Shu’s arm, letting out whimpering and wailing sounds, his face filled with terror.

When a person suffers a strong stimulus, they can develop psychological trauma, which is easily triggered and relapses in specific environments. It was clear that even though Fuling was dazed, he instinctively felt fear.

Shi Shu patted his head and looked around. He realized they had unknowingly walked to the front hall of the dyehouse, the courtyard where the master of the dyehouse, the richest man in Shuhong Prefecture, and the Maritime Trade and Transportation Commissioners had temporarily stayed. The place was overgrown with wild grass. In the morning, the pavilions looked grim. Although the sun was bright, it could not penetrate the shadows. The ghostly aura was strong, and a chill ran down his back.

“Ah!” Shi Shu suddenly remembered. “Imperial Physician Lin said that when the rebel army in the city stormed the dyehouse and massacred the officials, as expected, this was the place where the blood flowed like a river.”

With a “swoosh,” Shi Shu quickly grabbed Xie Wuci’s sleeve. “Xie Wuci, this is scary!”

Xie Wuci turned his head to look at the two people hiding behind him. He put one arm around Shi Shu and pulled Fuling over with the other. “You saw it? Many people died here?”

Fuling did not cooperate and went to pull on Shi Shu’s pant leg.

After the deaths, this courtyard had been completely emptied. Then came the tragedy of the Shuhong Prefecture miasma, and to this day, no one had taken it over. The new officials sent here found it unlucky and terrifying and moved their offices elsewhere.

Shi Shu swallowed. “Xie Wuci, it’s so scary. Why don’t we leave?”

Fuling: “Ugh ah ah ah ah ah—”

He nodded desperately, looking like he could not wait to get away. He turned and bolted towards the courtyard gate. But after running a few steps, he was blocked by Xie Wuci. Seeing no way through, he did not force it but turned and ran in another direction.

Xie Wuci lifted him by the collar. Fuling was held in mid-air, still kicking his legs vigorously.

Xie Wuci lowered his eyes. Not only did he not retreat, but he also strode into the courtyard with Fuling in hand—

“Ah—!” Fuling opened his mouth and cried out.

Shi Shu: “Xie Wuci, what are you doing?”

Xie Wuci: “Don’t be afraid. I will keep him safe. This child is only five or six, but he is the son of the dyehouse master. Tens of thousands of civilians and tens of thousands of soldiers died in Shuhong Prefecture. There must be something to weigh against so many lives.”

Fuling struggled like a monkey. Xie Wuci did not let go and kicked open the door of the building, entering the house. Shi Shu hurried after him and heard Xie Wuci say, “Close the door.”

“Creak—” Shi Shu asked, “It’s closed. Now what?”

The scene inside the house made Shi Shu’s pupils shrink. The floor was sticky with bloodstains, all the furniture had been hacked with knives, and the walls bore the scars of slaughter, burning, and looting. One could imagine the battle a few months ago, how a group of angry rebels had rushed into this workshop to settle scores, releasing their inner fury in the most primitive way.

A lump formed in Shi Shu’s throat, and he suddenly grabbed Xie Wuci again. “So scary—”

“Don’t be afraid.”

Xie Wuci said, “He is very familiar with this courtyard. It seems he often came to play. Li Fengsui, the richest man in Shuhong Prefecture, doted on his son. Now we can only take a gamble.”

Xie Wuci released Fuling’s collar. At first, the boy crouched on the spot with his head in his hands for a moment. Then, realizing no one was going to hit him, he started looking for a place to hide.

Xie Wuci’s gaze remained on him. He saw Fuling run to the southeast corner of the wall and start digging with both hands.

“People subconsciously hide in places they consider safe,” Xie Wuci said, walking over to him. There was a flat floorboard, no different from any other place. “A massacre that left no survivors. How did this child survive the bloodbath? There is a secret room in the house. Let’s lift this floorboard and see.”

Shi Shu wedged his fingers into a corner of the floorboard, and they pried it up together until the board creaked and groaned.

Shi Shu: “There really is a secret room!”

Xie Wuci: “Since ancient times, when the imperial court is empty, it first plunders from the people, then from the merchants. With a single word, they can confiscate a businessman’s property. How could these cunning old merchants not have a backup plan?”

Shi Shu jumped into the secret room. It was a square space, very small.

Fuling followed him down. Shi Shu hugged him and saw that Fuling’s face was covered in tears.

For a moment, Shi Shu suddenly thought of something. “This child…”

Xie Wuci searched the secret room. “He was made mute by someone.”

Shi Shu: “Why…”

Xie Wuci: “The secret room is only this big. A frightened child is prone to shouting. To avoid being heard, his vocal cords were destroyed.”

A chill ran down Shi Shu’s back. There were gaps along the edge of the floorboards, and dried streaks of blood hung above their heads. In his mind, he could almost see that dark night, Fuling hidden in this darkness. When he looked up, warm blood dripped onto his face.

The person who had poisoned him into muteness was perhaps his mother, or perhaps his siblings.

Shi Shu: “How terrifying.”

“When it comes to power struggles and wars, an individual’s space is reduced to a minimum. This is also why people who have experienced war suffer from psychological trauma.”

Xie Wuci’s hand stopped on a wooden box. “Found it. Let’s go.”

Running out from the dyehouse, they were on the main street. Desperate times called for desperate measures. It was the first time Shi Shu had been in such a predicament. Thanks to the help from all sides over the past month, Shuhong Prefecture had been revitalized. Many shops had opened for business, although there were quite a few rules and regulations.

The three of them walked along, seeing that there were far fewer white cloths hanging on the streets. Doors were open, snack stalls and taverns were in business, and people were re-hanging the door curtains that had been taken down for a long time.

Shi Shu went to every inn he saw and asked, “Can we stay here?”

Xie Wuci still looked sickly, and many owners would wave their hands at the sight of him. “Sorry, you can’t stay. The miasma has just been cleared. We really can’t accommodate you.”

They asked all the way and were rejected all the way.

Shi Shu was quite embarrassed. Xie Wuci did not say a word.

“Understood, understood. Safety first.” Shi Shu ran to the next inn. Finally, at one inn, the owner first heard that he had recovered, and after a closer look, said, “There is a remote room. If you don’t mind staying there, it’s fifty wen a day.”

Shi Shu: “Thank you, bro, thank you, bro. I wish you good health, all the best, and a river of wealth!”

Upon entering, they saw it was indeed a dilapidated room. After the owner came to sweep it, he at least managed to lay out a comfortable, large heated bed. Shi Shu threw Fuling onto it. He was still crying, hugging his knees and sobbing.

Xie Wuci sat on a long bench, poured a cup of tea, and drank. He was covered in dust from the journey, but his long fingers rested on the paper, comparing the two sets of account books.

Shi Shu felt that every day since he had transmigrated had not been lived in vain.

“Bro. Why don’t you eat or drink something? I feel like you’re particularly weak.”

Xie Wuci: “Okay.”

Shi Shu left the two of them and went out to find the innkeeper. “Can I have a large bathtub? By the way, master, where can I buy the medicinal herbs from the infirmary?”

“You want some? The infirmary distributed them to every household. There are some in the cabinet, take them yourself.” The owner was lying on a chair, sleeping, with an attitude of not caring about life or death.

“Thank you.” If it were not for this kind of owner, who would take them in?

Shi Shu took out the medicine. Thinking that all these methods were thanks to Xie Wuci’s help, his mood became slightly complicated. He and Xie Wuci were, ironically, excluded from this city because of Feng Lu.

Returning to the room, Fuling had cried himself to sleep. Xie Wuci was still looking at the account books. A waiter came in and poured the hot water and medicinal soup sachet into the large bathtub. After he was done, he nodded. Shi Shu thanked him, and he left, closing the door with a creak.

Shi Shu called out, “Workaholic.”

Xie Wuci’s hand rested on the paper. “Hmm?”

Shi Shu: “Get in and sit. One last wash.”

With one push, Xie Wuci got up. Shi Shu reached out and pulled the curtain by the bed. He watched as Xie Wuci undressed, and at first, he did not notice anything unusual.

It was not until Xie Wuci’s firm chest muscles were exposed, his hand pulling at the edge of his robe, baring it down to his lean, narrow abdomen, that he asked, “Do you like to watch?”

“!!!”

“………………”

Only then did Shi Shu suddenly realize that all this time helping to care for Xie Wuci’s sick body had blurred the sense of distance and personal space. He turned and stepped out. “Sorry, sorry, it almost became a habit. Please, go ahead! I’ll excuse myself.”

As Shi Shu walked away, Xie Wuci added from behind, “I don’t mind you watching. Please, look all you want.”

“………………”

Who wants to look? I’ve seen enough to be sick of it these past few days.

Shi Shu: “You do your thing. I’ll just get some air.”

Xie Wuci: “I’ll need your help in a bit. Can you not go?”

Shi Shu: “Then call me when you need help.”

Xie Wuci: “Shi Shu.”

“…”

Shi Shu heard the sound of water being disturbed. Xie Wuci should have undressed and gotten into the medicinal bath. His voice also seemed to be blurred by the steam in the room, reaching straight to his eardrums.

“The tattoo pattern, did you see it clearly?”

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